LANGUAGE AND THE TAO: SOME REFLECTIONS ON INEFFABILITY

Confucius withdrew and told his disciples, "I know a bird can fly; I know a fish can swim; I know animals can run. Creatures that run can be caught in nets; those that swim can be caught in wicker traps; those that fly can be hit by arrows. But the dragon is beyond my knowledge; it ascends into heaven on the clouds and the wind. Today 1 have seen Lao Tzu, and he is like the dragon!"     

ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHENOMENAL SPACE AND PHENOMENAL VELOCITY

The hypothesis that changing the phenomenal distance traversed by a moving spot, while keeping the physical distance constant, should affect the phenomenal velocity in a like direction was tested by having the stimulus motion path bounded by Müller-Lyer figures. It was found that while these affected motion path length judgements in the same direction as static length judgements, they did not have a corresponding effect on velocity judgements. The Müller-Lyer figure producing a decreased length judgement was actually found to increase velocity judgements. Two possible explanations of this result were tested and the conclusion drawn that this increase could be due to the enclosing nature of the Müller-Lyer figure in question.     

MICHAEL POLANYI ON ART AND RELIGION: SOME CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON MEANING

This paper is a critique of the theory of meaning in art and religion that Michael Polanyi developed in his last work entitled Meaning. After giving a brief summary of Polanyi's theory of art, I raise two serious difficulties, not with the theory itself, but with the claims Polanyi makes about the relation of meaning in art to science and religion. Regarding the first difficulty, I argue that Polanyi betrays an earlier insight when in Meaning he attempts to dissociate meaning in art from meaning in science; instead I argue that both science and art are aesthetic enterprises. Regarding the second, I argue that Polanyi's account of religion is an aesthetic reduction, that meaning in religion, at least in the Western tradition, is not so much an aesthetic as it is an existential matter.     

CHEYNE'S PARADOX – AND HOW TO SOLVE IT

Colin Cheyne's ‘paradox of reasonable believing’ poses a problem for both internalist and externalist theories of rationality. Cheyne suggests that externalists will more easily solve it. I argue the opposite.     

ON MISREADING AND MISLEADING PATIENTS: SOME REFLECTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS,MISCOMMUNICATIONS AND COUNTERTRANSFERENCE ENACTMENTS1

This author focuses on an aspect of transference countertransference interaction that enacted covertly is often overlooked. He argues that conflicts, needs and biases that may go undetected for lengthy periods of time are not infrequently contained within the analyst's accurate and technically correct interventions and that for defensive reasons, patients often suppress, deny or rationalise their accurate perceptions of these countertransference elements and fail to confront their analysts with them. The mistakes, miscommunications and misperceptions that arise as a consequence of the unconscious collusions that develop between patient and analyst can have a profound effect on the analytic work. Several clinical examples are presented to illustrate the operation of such covert communications in analysis and their impact on the treatment process.