Hegel,the Trinity,and the ‘I’

The main goal of this paper is to argue the relevance of Hegel’s notion of the Trinity with respect to two aspects of Hegel’s idealism: the overcoming of subjectivism and his conception of the ‘I’. I contend that these two aspects are interconnected and that the Trinity is important to Hegel’s strategy for addressing these questions. I first address the problem of subjectivism by considering Hegel’s thought against the background of modern philosophy. I argue that the recognitive structure of Hegel’s idealism led him to give the Trinity a decisive role in his philosophical account. Next, I discuss the Trinity by analysing the three divine persons. This analysis paves the way for the conclusion, where I argue that the Trinity represents a model for re-thinking the ‘I’ in a way that overcomes a ‘naïve realist’ and a ‘subjective’ account of the self. I suggest that Hegel’s absolute idealism can be conceived as an approach to the ‘I’ that considers the role of acts of mutual recognition for the genesis of self-conscious thought, and that the Trinity is the Darstellung of the relational and recognitive structure of the ‘I’.     

Minding experience: An exploration of the concept of "experience" in the early French anthropology of Durkheim, Lévy-Bruhl, and Lévi-Strauss

In line with the growing concern with the unexamined reliance upon the concept of "experience" in anthropology, this article explores in some detail the various usages and definitions of the concept in the work of three of early French anthropology's most influential theorists: Emile Durkheim (1858-1918), Lucien Lévy-Bruhl (1857-1939), and Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-). With its important influence on both British and American anthropology, the early French anthropological tradition, as epitomized in the writings of these three thinkers, has indeed played a pivotal role in shaping many current taken-for-granted understandings of the concept of experience in the discipline of anthropology as a whole. In the process of exploring how experience is viewed by these three scholars, this paper will thus take some initial steps toward the historical contextualization of many of the unquestioned assumptions underpinning current understandings of experience in the discipline of anthropology and the social sciences more generally.     

Does attention follow the motion in the "shooting line" illusion?

When a line is presented in the vicinity of a recent luminance change (peripheral cue), it is perceived to be drawn over time away from its "cued" end even though the line is actually presented all at once. This study was designed to determine whether attention, exogenously attracted to the cue, would come under the exogenous control of this illusory motion and follow the drawing motion from the cued end to its terminus. Each trial began with the display of four small squares at the corners of an imaginary square centered about fixation. On the critical trials, one of the four squares brightened briefly, after which a horizontal line was presented joining either the two upper or the two lower squares. Shortly thereafter, the distribution of attention was determined by asking the observer to indicate the nature of a change that was equally likely to occur to one of the squares. Responses to targets presented at a noncued location that was at the end of an illusorily drawn line were as fast as those to targets at the cued location and were much faster than those to targets at the remaining noncued locations. This pattern was not shown when the line preceded the cue, strongly suggesting that attention follows the motion in this illusion.     

Will the "secular priests" of bioethics work among the sinners?

In this paper I explore briefly the "secular priesthood" metaphor often applied to bioethicists. I next ask: if, despite our discomfort with the metaphor, we were to embrace the best aspects of the priesthood(s)--which I identify as the missionaries' willingness to work among sinners and lepers, at their own peril--would we be able to live up to that standard of bravery? I then draw a parallel with the fears of contagion currently be voiced (by Carl Elliott and others), with regard to bioethicists working in or near coporate settings. I argue that such fears may themselves have a number of deleterious effects, and I suggest several possible positive steps in response to that fear.     

Decrypting ‘the Christian Thinking of the Flesh, Tacitly, the Caress, in a Word, the Christian Body’ in Le Toucher—Jean-Luc Nancy

This article responds to the question of the ‘implicit and presupposed theological turn of phenomenology’ by providing a close reading of Jacques Derrida’s Le Toucher—Jean-Luc Nancy (2000 French/2005 English translation), particularly concerning what Derrida alludes to as ‘the Christian thinking of the flesh’ in the French phenomenological tradition post-Husserl. In reading Derrida’s own text, the article identifies and then performs a ‘cryptonomy’ of references to the ‘Christian body,’ and of the ‘return of religion.’ The article also focuses on the more recent writings of Jean-Luc Nancy, especially Corpus (2000 French), concerning the body and its relationship to the concept of corporality (Leiblichkeit) from Husserl’s Ideas II.

"父为子隐,子为父隐"再议

拙文<中国传统思想中的父子关系及其诠释的面向--从"父为子隐,子为父隐"说起>(<中国哲学史>2003年第1期)刊出后,引发了一些反响(包括疑问或质疑).其中有的学者指出,该文引述和处理了大量的史料,充分而翔实地展示了问题本身的历史与文化脉络,也扼要地清理出当代视野中几种可能的诠释理路与"面向",但作者本人的观点似乎语焉不详,特别是对于相关讨论在当代伦理与文化建设中的意义,没有展开论述.     

"The most important technique …": Carl Rogers, Hawthorne, and the rise and fall of nondirective interviewing in sociology

In the 1940s, interviewing practice in sociology became decisively influenced by techniques that had originally been developed by researchers in other disciplines working within a number of therapeutic or quasi-therapeutic contexts, in particular the "nondirective interviewing" methods developed by Carl Rogers and the interviewing procedures developed during the Hawthorne studies. This article discusses the development of nondirective interviewing and looks at how in the 1930s and '40s the approach came to be used in sociology. It examines the factors leading to both the popularity of the method and its subsequent fall from favor.     

Who took the "x" out of expectancy-value theory? A psychological mystery, a substantive-methodological synergy, and a cross-national generalization

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a dominant theory of human motivation. Historically, the Expectancy × Value interaction, in which motivation is high only if both expectancy and value are high, was central to EVT. However, the Expectancy × Value interaction mysteriously disappeared from published research more than 25 years ago. Using large representative samples of 15-year-olds (N = 398,750) from 57 diverse countries, we attempted to solve this mystery by testing Expectancy × Value interactions using latent-variable models with interactions. Expectancy (science self-concept), value (enjoyment of science), and the Expectancy × Value interaction all had statistically significant positive effects on both engagement in science activities and intentions of pursuing scientific careers; these results were similar for the total sample and for nearly all of the 57 countries considered separately. This study, apparently the strongest cross-national test of EVT ever undertaken, supports the generalizability of EVT predictions--including the "lost" Expectancy × Value interaction.     

迷信,迷信,一"迷"就信

何谓迷信?词书上开列的含义有两条:①信仰神仙鬼怪等;②盲目的信仰和崇拜.这在中国恐怕早已是家喻户晓的了.可是,如果再问一句为什么要信迷信,也许就不是三言两语就能解释清楚的,要不,为什么词书上也没有加以说明呢?然而,在一次与神汉、巫婆的偶然相遇中,他们对迷信一词的解释,却不禁使我莫名惊诧起来.     

The "wider view": André Helleger's passionate, integrating intellect and the creation of bioethics

This article provides an account of how André Hellegers, founder and first Director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, laid medicine open to bioethics. Helleger's approach to bioethics, as to morality generally and also to medicine and biomedical science, involved taking the "wider view" -- a value-filled vision that integrated and gave meaning to what otherwise was disparate, precarious, and conflicting. This article shows how Helleger's wider view of bioethics was shaped by events in his own life, his resultant sense of the precariousness of life and health, his commitment to religious inclusiveness, his research in fetal medicine, his clinical experience in obstetrics, his role in the struggle to change the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on fertility control, and his developing concepts of health and disease. Hellegers was committed to and worked toward bioethics as a self-consciously interdisciplinary field in which the contributing disciplines adapt to each other -- rather than sustain themselves as autonomous disciplines -- to create a dynamic and complex intellectual, clinical, and social activity.     

Is the concept of "repression" useful for the understanding chronic PTSD?

Theories concerning the value of avoiding versus attending to trauma-related thoughts provide mixed support for specific coping strategies such as repression. The goal of this study is to examine the usefulness of the concept of repression in understanding chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One hundred and fifty individuals who had been in a motor vehicle accident were included. Participants were classified into four groups (repressors, low anxious, high anxious, and defensively high anxious) based on methodology introduced by Weinberger et al. [J. Abnormal Psychol. 88 (1979) 369]. These four groups were compared on measures of PTSD symptomatology, anxiety, depression, and where appropriate, perceived pain and disability. Results revealed a fairly consistent pattern of group differences such that repressors reported fewer PTSD symptoms, fewer additional anxiety disorders, less depression, and less physical disability due to pain relative to the high anxious and defensively high anxious groups. Regression analyses examining the separate and interactive effects of anxiety and social desirability to predict PTSD symptomatology showed that the majority of the variance was explained by anxiety. In many respects, these data suggest that repression may not be a useful concept for understanding chronic PTSD.     

The one,the true,the good… or not: Badiou,Agamben, and atheistic transcendentality

Continental Philosophy Review - This article offers a reading of the “transcendental” character of Alain Badiou’s and Giorgio Agamben’s ontologies. While neither Badiou nor...     

Is it smart to play the horses? Comment on "A day at the races: a study of IQ, expertise, and cognitive complexity" (Ceci & Liker, 1986)

Ceci and Liker (1986b) presented data that they contended shows two things: (a) Handicapping harness races is a cognitively complex undertaking that can be captured by a multiple regression model, and (b) neither overall skill at handicapping nor the complexity of the mental model used is related to standard measures of intelligence. The first contention is not at issue. But the second contention, that handicapping performance is unrelated to IQ, is not supported by the data presented; in fact, the opposite conclusion seems more likely. The purpose of this comment is to point out errors frequently made in individual-differences research concerning population definition, sample selection, dependent and independent variable reliability and validity and interpretation of results.     

Should the "slow code" be resuscitated?

Most bioethicists and professional medical societies condemn the practice of "slow codes." The American College of Physicians ethics manual states, "Because it is deceptive, physicians or nurses should not perform half-hearted resuscitation efforts ('slow codes')." A leading textbook calls slow codes "dishonest, crass dissimulation, and unethical." A medical sociologist describes them as "deplorable, dishonest and inconsistent with established ethical principles." Nevertheless, we believe that slow codes may be appropriate and ethically defensible in situations in which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is likely to be ineffective, the family decision makers understand and accept that death is inevitable, and those family members cannot bring themselves to consent or even assent to a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. In such cases, we argue, physicians may best serve both the patient and the family by having a carefully ambiguous discussion about end-of-life options and then providing resuscitation efforts that are less vigorous or prolonged than usual.     

Mirror,Mirror in the Brain,What's the Monkey Stand to Gain?

Primatologists generally agree that monkeys lack higher‐order intentional capacities related to theory of mind. Yet the discovery of the so‐called “mirror neurons” in monkeys suggests to many neuroscientists that they have the rudiments of intentional understanding. Given a standard philosophical view about intentional understanding, which requires higher‐order intentionality, a paradox arises. Different ways of resolving the paradox are assessed, using evidence from neural, cognitive, and behavioral studies of humans and monkeys. A decisive resolution to the paradox requires substantial additional empirical work and perhaps a rejection of the standard philosophical view.     

Past, present, and future (?); or the more things change the more they stay the same

The presidential address from the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for Computers in Psychology, here slightly revised, traces a history of the Society through the papers that have been presented at previous annual meetings. Certain themes, such as the use of computers to facilitate teaching and research, emerge as constants over time. Computer technology has changed dramatically over those 27 years, however, as can be seen merely from the titles of the papers presented at the annual meetings. The present paper also proposes a direction for the Society’s future: the continuation of its strong history of facilitating communication among psychologists interested in applying the most current technology to their teaching and research.