On the Very Idea of Continental (or for that Matter Anglo–American) Philosophy

For most of the past century, philosophers on the Continent and those in the United States and Britain have taken themselves to be working in very different, even mutually exclusive, philosophical traditions. Although that may have been true until recently, it is no longer so. This piece surveys ten different proposed distinctions that have been offered between the two traditions, and it shows that none of them works, as there are major thinkers on both sides of each proposed distinction that do not neatly fit the proposal. The upshot of this is that it no longer makes sense to uphold the idea of two traditions, and that it is time we all dropped the mutual suspicion and denigration that have characterized relationships between us for the past hundred years.     

On the Very Idea of Denying the Existence of Radically Different Conceptual Schemes

This paper concentrates on three connected features of Taylor's argument. I begin by considering his historical sections on the formation of the modern identity, raising some doubts about the focus of his discussion and offering some specific criticisms in the case of Locke and Rousseau. Next I examine Taylor's list of the moral imperatives allegedly felt with particular force in the contemporary world. I question the extent to which the values listed by Taylor are genuinely shared, and point to a range of criticisms put forward by conservatives, Marxists, feminists, and other opponents of liberalism, all of whose doubts Taylor appears to underestimate. Finally, I address Taylor's underlying claim that a religious dimension is indispensable if our highest human potentialities are to be realized, and conclude with a critique of his theistic arguments.     

Pingdeng Guannianshi Lunlüe 平等观念史论略 (On the History of the Idea of Equality)

Equality,whether practical or theoretical,continues to be a challenging issue in modem China.The rapidly developing economy in China not only leads to a prosperous society,but also creates dramatic social inequality in the populace.Obviously,it is very important to explain this phenomenon and to solve it successfully.Recently,leading debates in China have been concerned with how to understand the state of equality,and resolving these issues requires acquaintance with what the idea of equality in today's China actually is.Facing these difficulties,it is necessary for us to grasp what equality means to the population at large.But,if we want to concretely understand the idea of equality,it is necessary for us first to investigate its history.Based on an analysis of the history of the idea of equality,Gao Ruiquan attempts to objectively diagnose its character in modem China in his On the History of the Idea of Equality (hereafter,OHIE).     

Overflowing Every Idea of Age, Very Young Children as Educators

In this article I explore if and how very young children can be the educators of their early childhood educators. I describe and discuss a story constructed form a fieldwork done in one early childhood setting in Norway. The story is read with Levinas and his concepts Said and Saying. Further I discuss if and how this might be understood as education arguing that the children`s expressions are offering new beginning and change in the pedagogical thinking and praxis within the early childhood setting.     

Transfer between Picture Books and the Real World by Very Young Children

Picture book reading is a very common form of interaction between parents and very young children. Here we explore to what extent young children transfer novel information between picture books and the real world. We report that 15- and 18-month-olds can extend newly learned labels both from pictures to objects and from objects to pictures. However, the degree to which they do so is affected by iconicity—how much the objects and pictures resemble one another. The children in these studies more often extended the labels between picture and object when realistic photographs and drawings were involved than less realistic cartoons. These results show that higher levels of perceptual similarity between symbol and referent make the referential relation more transparent, thereby helping children transfer information between them. Thus, the educational function of early picture book interactions may best be served with realistic illustrations.     

Truth is not (Very) Intrinsically Valuable

We might suppose it is not only instrumentally valuable for beliefs to be true, but that it is intrinsically valuable – truth makes a non‐derivative, positive contribution to a belief's overall value. Some intrinsic goods are better than others, though, and this article considers the question of how good truth is, compared to other intrinsic goods. I argue that truth is the worst of all intrinsic goods; every other intrinsic good is better than it. I also suggest the best explanation for truth's inferiority is that it is not really an intrinsic good at all. It is intrinsically neutral.     

Solving the (Real) Other Minds Problem

People care about others’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions but can have considerable difficulty reading others’ minds accurately. Recent advances in understanding how people make such inferences provide significant insight into when people are likely to be reasonably accurate mind readers and when they are not. People tend to reason about others’ mental states by starting with their own and only subsequently adjusting that egocentric default to accommodate differences between themselves and others. Such adjustments tend to be insufficient, rendering final estimates egocentrically biased. When more information about others is available, people tend to rely on existing stereotypes or other expectations to intuit others’ mental states. Systematic errors resulting either from excessive egocentrism or inaccurate expectations can lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding, and social conflict, but these biases also suggest useful strategies for improving mind reading in everyday life.     

论先秦“军事软实力思想”

“军事软实力”概念是上个世纪末才刚刚由西方学者提出来的。但在中国先秦时代,辉煌的华夏文明已为该思想的萌生奠定了坚实基础。其中,“得道多助”的义战德胜思想,“尚智重谋”的诡道用兵思想,“以治为胜”的治军练兵思想等皆堪称中华智慧之树结出的丰硕果实,对后世中国用兵智慧的发展、兵学理论的充实和积淀都有着不可低估的影响。     

论马克思的分配正义思想

马克思关于分配正义的思想是我们深入理解与准确把握当代中国分配正义问题的思想基础与理论前提.在马克思的视阈中,"分配"既具有经济学、社会学意涵,又具有哲学的形上意蕴.资产阶级以"劳动决定权"为前提,在分配中注重程序、忽视结果的"平等权利",其结果是造成分配的不正义.正义的分配应该超越"平等权利",以人的全面发展为分配原则与价值目标,使人真正享有人类文明与社会进步的成果,创造更为丰富的社会财富.     

庄子的"物化"概念解析

在庄子哲学中,"物化"概念可以从四个层面进行诠释幻化、死亡、自化、观化.这四个层面相互贯通,是庄子立足人的生存现实对人的生命问题的独特思考和对超越之路的个性化设计,在其整个哲学思想中起着关键作用.这里既有人的"命"的一面,也有人对"命"的"觉"的一面,体现着作为精神性存在的人的主体优越性.合理地解读庄子的"物化"概念,对把握庄子哲学的特质具有特殊的意义.