Advertisement for the ontology for medicine

The ontology of medicine—the question of whether disease entities are real or not—is an underdeveloped area of philosophical inquiry. This essay explains the primary question at issue in medical ontology, discusses why answering this question is important from both a philosophical and a practical perspective, and argues that the problem of medical ontology is unique, i.e., distinct, from the ontological problems raised by other sciences and therefore requires its own analysis.     

国泰民安除疫祈愿文

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Search for the Grounds for Mutual Reinforcement

Both PP and IP are the outgrowth of disenchantment with the mainstream western psychology. However, it is argued that these two psychologies are rooted in irreconcilable epistemological traditions. PP calls for a correction in western psychology, to focus less on human pathology and negativity and more on strengths and virtues. Indian Psychology has begun as an alternative psychology, shaped by the spiritual traditions, with emphasis on development of human potentials. IP, in its modern incarnation, is still at a nascent stage and must grow independently till it acquires its own identity and strength. Unless IP collaborates from the position of strength, the danger is real that it may be eventually usurped by the western psychology.     

Genetic counseling for the next 25 years: Models for the future

Currently, two trends pose particular challenges for genetic counseling: (1) spin offs from the Human Genome Project leading to new diagnostic genetic tests far in advance of any cures; and (2) an increasing and diversified client population. These trends will lead to changes in both genetic service delivery systems and the development of alternative models of the genetic counseling process itself. Two models that could be adapted for genetic counseling are: the mutual participation model and the life history narrative model. Technological advances present ethical dilemmas and raise many questions. Already, improved detection of genes for predisposing conditions has entered clinical medicine requiring renewed ethical appraisals of genetic testing. Integration of genetic counseling (and required pre-screening education) into primary care settings involves time constraints and the involvement of health care personnel with less training in genetics. Alternative approaches are beginning to be discussed. Innovative genetic counselors with expanded visions of counseling goals and practices will play an increasingly important role in the future of genetic counseling.     

Care for the Caregiver: Clues for the Pastoral Care of Clergywomen

In this article, we report the results of a qualitative study on the special challenges faced by clergywomen: the impact of gender, work demands, and personal and professional stressors, and the positive and negative coping strategies these clergywomen employed. We include a discussion of the pastoral care issues that emerged from the study and make recommendations for ways pastoral counselors may care for their own.     

Money for the church

Pastoral Psychology -     

Equality for the Ambitious

Book reviewed in this article:
R.M. Dworkin, Sovereign Virtue: the Theory and Practice of Equality     

Basing for the Bayesian

Synthese - There is a distinction between merely having the right belief, and further basing that belief on the right reasons. Any adequate epistemology needs to be able to accommodate the basing...     

Educating for ecclesia – educating for the nation

This article sheds light upon the Norwegian theologian, educator, and politician Nils Egede Hertzberg’s (1827–1911) understanding of school, and traces the theological background of this understanding. Hertzberg played an important role in public debates on schools and education in the 1870s and 1880s in Norway, and he is commonly regarded to have been a conservative counter-voice, who strove to uphold the confessional character of schools. During his student days at the University of Christiania, Hertzberg studied under the prominent theological educator Gisle Johnson. This article provides an in-depth analysis of how Hertzberg’s confessional background is reflected in his writings on school and education, and discusses how Hertzberg’s understanding of school relies upon Johnson’s ecclesiology, as well as Johnson’s understanding of the nation. This understanding of school includes a definition of public-mindedness which is in opposition to Hertzberg’s Grundtvigian adversaries; the “people” are limited to those who have received the Christian revelation. Belonging to “the people” is thus not a question of being educated, but it is a question of having received the grace of God, as humans born with original sin.