I Don’t See Color,All People Are the Same: Whiteness and Color-Blindness as Training and Supervisory Issues

This article describes cultural responsiveness training, with a particular emphasis to working with white students. Training methods, which have been effective in examining issues of power and privilege, will be described. Excerpts from previous trainees’ correspondences will be shared to demonstrate how they may have been influenced by such exercises. I will share how reflections of this work have helped to shape who I am. Recommendations for others who wish to pursue cultural sensitivity training will be offered.     

Exploring MMPI-Rorschach relationships

Limitations exist in the current literature examining Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-Rorschach interrelationships. In this article I attempt to identify several issues to be addressed by researchers in this area. These include restricting conclusions about MMPI-Rorschach relationships to research using the Comprehensive System; considering the relative reliability and validity of these tests; comparing the predictive power of the Rorschach and MMPI; examining the effects extreme outliers have on statistical analyses; and determining the appropriate level of analysis for research, the level of individual test scores, or psychological constructs. The implications of these issues for research design, statistical analysis, and applied clinical work are discussed.     

Exploring MMPI-Rorschach Relationships

Limitations exist in the current literature examining Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)—Rorschach interrelationships. In this article I attempt to identify several issues to be addressed by researchers in this area. These include restricting conclusions about MMPI—Rorschach relationships to research using the Comprehensive System; considering the relative reliability and validity of these tests; comparing the predictive power of the Rorschach and MMPI; examining the effects extreme outliers have on statistical analyses; and determining the appropriate level of analysis for research, the level of individual test scores, or psychological constructs. The implications of these issues for research design, statistical analysis, and applied clinical work are discussed.     

Oppy,infinity, and the neoclassical concept of God

In this article I concentrate on three issues. First, Graham Oppy’s treatment of the relationship between the concept of infinity and Zeno’s paradoxes lay bare several porblems that must be dealt with if the concept of infinity is to do any intellectual work in philosophy of religion. Here I will expand on some insightful remarks by Oppy in an effort ot adequately respond to these problems. Second, I will do the same regarding Oppy’s treatment of Kant’s first antinomy in the first critique, which deals in part with the question of whether the world had a beginning in time or if time extends infinitely into the past. And third, my examination of these two issues will inform what I have to say regarding a key topic in philosophy of religion: the question regarding the proper relationship between the infinite and the finite in the concept of God.     

Underdetermination, methodological practices, and realism

In this paper, I argue (i) that there are certain methodological practices that are epistemically significant, and (ii) that we can test for the success of these practices empirically by examining case-studies in the history of science. Analysing a particular episode from the history of medicine, I explain how this can help us resolve specific cases of underdetermination. I conclude that, while the anti-realist is (more or less legitimately) able to construct underdetermination scenarios on a case-by-case basis, he will have to abandon the strategy of using algorithms to do so, thus losing the much needed guarantee that there will always be rival cases of the required kind.     

On the Autonomy and Justification of Nanoethics

In this paper, I take a critical stance on the emerging field of nanoethics. After an introductory section, “Conceptual Foundations of Nanotechnology” considers the conceptual foundations of nanotechnology, arguing that nanoethics can only be as coherent as nanotechnology itself and then discussing concerns with this latter concept; the conceptual foundations of nanoethics are then explicitly addressed in “Conceptual Foundations of Nanoethics”. “Issues in Nanoethics” considers ethical issues that will be raised through nanotechnology and, in “What’s New?”, it is argued that none of these issues is unique to nanotechnology. In “It’s a Revolution!”, I express skepticism about arguments which hold that, while the issues themselves might not be unique, they nevertheless are instantiated to such a degree that extant moral frameworks will be ill-equipped to handle them. In “What’s Different?”, I draw plausible distinctions between nanoethics and other applied ethics, arguing that these latter might well identify unique moral issues and, as such, distinguish themselves from nanoethics. Finally, in “What Now?”, I explore the conclusions of this result, ultimately arguing that, while nanoethics may fail to identify novel ethical concerns, it is at least the case that nanotechnology is deserving of ethical attention, if not a new associative applied ethic.     

Rationality,emotionality, and testing

Controversy and confusion surround the question of the appropriateness of tests for minority groups. The amount of emotion aroused by this question tends to cloud issues and impede rational thinking. It is believed that the matter should be approached rationally and that examining it relative to empirical, construct, and content validity will be helpful. Conclusions are drawn regarding the fairness of tests for minority groups as a result of examining research evidence and authoritative opinion.     

WHY FREE WILL REMAINS A MYSTERY

Peter van Inwagen contends that free will is a mystery. Here I present an argument in the spirit of van Inwagen's. According to the Assimilation Argument, libertarians cannot plausibly distinguish causally undetermined actions, the ones they take to be exercises of free will, from overtly randomized outcomes of the sort nobody would count as exercises of free will. I contend that the Assimilation Argument improves on related arguments in locating the crucial issues between van Inwagen and libertarians who hope to demystify free will, while avoiding objections these arguments have faced.     

Derivative culpability

Abstract

I explore the question of when an agent is derivatively, rather than directly, culpable for an undesirable outcome. The undesirable outcome might be a harmful incompetent or unwitting act, or it might be a harmful event. By examining various cases, I develop a sophisticated account of indirect culpability that is neutral about controversies regarding normative ethical issues and the condition on direct culpability.     

What if we abandon the concept of career proactivity to move research forward?

The idea that individuals need to be proactive to successfully manage their career is predominant in current career research. Despite the great importance attached to career proactivity, the literature on the topic remains fragmented. I thus highly welcome the comprehensive literature review Career proactivity: A bibliometric literature review and future research agenda. The authors conduct a thorough and rigorous bibliometric analysis to uncover the width, evolution, and gaps in the literature on career proactivity. I also welcome their roadmap for future research. I very much agree with the issues they point out: Cleaning up concepts, integrating context, and developing new theories. But I do wonder if their specific suggestions on these issues will not tend toward status quo and further fragmentation. Questioning the agentic assumption and individualistic stance of research on career proactivity, I plea for a different and more unconventional route. Below, I reflect on the author's and my ideas on these three issues: Concept clarification, including context, and new theory.     

THE PUZZLE OF FALLIBLE KNOWLEDGE

Abstract: Although the fallible/infallible distinction in the theory of knowledge has traditionally been upheld by most epistemologists, almost all contemporary theories of knowledge claim to be fallibilist. Fallibilists have, however, been forced to accommodate knowledge of necessary truths. This has proved to be a daunting task, not least because there is as yet no consensus on how the fallible/infallible divide is to be understood. In this article, after examining and rejecting a number of representative accounts of the notion of fallible knowledge, I argue that the main problems with these accounts actually stem from the very coherence of that notion. I then claim that the distinction is best understood in terms of the externalist/internalist conceptions of knowledge. Finally, I seek to garner some independent support for the proposal by highlighting some of its consequences, including its surprising bearing on certain recent and seemingly distant controversies involving issues in epistemology and philosophy of mind.     

Opacity,Transparency, and the Paradox of the Accessibility Requirement

Key issues in epistemology for the most part have to do with epistemic values such as justification, truth, and knowledge—that is, values related to the epistemic status of our propositional attitudes, mental events, and states. However, another important issue that is worth examining is the extent to which a subject is in a position to evaluate the strength of her epistemic position. In this paper, I wish to emphasize two properties of our mental states that play a decisive part in that respect: their opacity and transparency. In the following, I will assume that a mental state is opaque whenever it presents itself with no underlying reason, whereas states that are supported by apparent reasons are transparent. One main argument that I will defend is that even when the opacity and transparency of our mental states are not reliable cues, still they remain highly informative. Notably, I draw some implications relative to the externalist/internalist debate in epistemology. I examine the claim that only mental states that are justified are well grounded or justification conferring and the idea that often stands behind, that is, that only states whose reasons are accessible are justified—namely, the Accessibility Requirement. I also examine the source of a recent debate in epistemology: the epistemic status of our intuitive states, as these are perfect instances of opaque mental states. I conclude that intuitive states in some respect are less misleading than states that are supported by apparent reasons.     

All Things Possible

Noa Bar-Haim’s thoughtful and impressively comprehensive paper deftly focuses on the complicated relationship between psychotherapy and psychopharmacologic treatments, and the dyadic and triadic dynamics inherent to the relationships that exist between psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and patients in the context of shared clinical work. I applaud Dr. Bar-Haim for bringing these important issues to bear. These are prodigious topics about which much can be said, and for which historically, in my estimation, not enough has been said. I am appreciative that this journal is open to including them in its scope by welcoming her thoughts and this discussion to its highly esteemed and well-respected pages. Given the vast range of topics that Dr. Bar-Haim admirably presents in her paper, and the extensive nature of what these issues encompass, this discussion addresses a selection of the many concepts she raises. It is my hope that my thoughts will serve to amplify some of hers, provide some additional and related perspectives, and mostly, have a generative effect that will promote further awareness of these issues and a continuing discussion about them within our field.     

Hindu Women,Destiny and Stridharma

Ideas about destiny —about how and why things occur and what they promise for the future —have rarely been discussed in relation to gender. By discussing the sociological and anthropological literature on karma and other sources of misfortune, andstridharma, I provide a context for examining the views of Hindu women on destiny, particularly those living in Britain. In addition to examining their references to a variety of spiritual forces which influence events and to their duties as daughters, wives and mothers, I consider the issues of resistance, intervention, agency and autonomy. It is my contention that when contemporary Hindu women speak about fate, karma, divine agency and freewill what they say can only be understood with reference to their dharma as women.     

A Closer Look at the Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Western Obsession with the Medieval Muslim Theological Obsession with Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is a topic that has attracted much attention from both medieval Muslim theologians and modern Western scholars. By examining the development of the medieval Muslim Rationalist-Traditionalist discourse surrounding this issue, and Western academic discussions of that discourse, I shall attempt to explain why the issue of anthropomorphism has repeatedly dominated discussions on Islamic theology. I will also attempt to show how various associations made with Muslim Rationalism and Traditionalism have influenced Western perceptions of these movements.     

On the Moral Significance of Sacrifice

ABSTRACT

The paper offers a few reflections on moral implications of making sacrifices and on possible duties to make sacrifices. It does not provide an exhaustive or a systematic account of the subject. There are too many disparate questions, and too many different perspectives from which to examine them to allow for a systematic let alone an exhaustive account, and too many factual issues that I am not aware of. Needless to say, the observations that follow are in part stimulated by the popularity of some views that are mistaken. I will not however examine any specific view or account of these matters. The aim is to provide some pointers that will be helpful when considering specific issues regarding the moral significance of sacrifice.     

Who owns this data? using dialogic reflection to examine an ethically important moment

There has been growing use of reflective practice as a means for examining ethically important moments that occur during research. Reflective practice enables researchers to be alert to the unfolding of these ethically important moments and to consider how they will respond to them. In this paper, we use dialogic reflection to explore an ethically important moment that occurred during one of our research projects. We present our dialogic reflective conversation as a means of exploring the ethical issues associated with data ownership. We draw on this conversation to describe a framework for dialogic reflection that provides researchers with a process for engaging in reflection on their practice as ethical researchers.     

Boo! The consciousness problem in emotion

ABSTRACT

This paper will examine the conscious aspects of emotion (i.e. emotional experience), arguably the defining features of emotion. I will argue that emotion IS emotional experience and, consequently, that emotion researchers rarely study emotion itself. I will suggest a research agenda for examining the conscious aspects of emotion and end with a consideration of appraisal theory and how it can be made more relevant to the study of emotion by treating appraisals as components of a pre-reflective perceptual process rather than as causal antecedents of a cognitive process that can be self-reported on.