BELIEF VS. COMMITMENT, VALIDITY VS. VALUE: A RESPONSE TO WARD GOODENOUGH

Abstract. This paper is on Ward Goodenough's recent article (27: 3), suggesting that his points can be clarified by reiterating the distinction between the realms of meaning and relevance. Religion's "truth" is in the form of its ualue; the "proof" which it requires is uindication; and the resulting "faith" must be understood as commitment.     

VALUE AND SIZE PERCEPTION

A detailed review is presented of studies related to the accentuation hypothesis of Bruner & Goodman (1947). It is found that the results from (1) coin studies, (2) symbol studies, and (3) other studies are conflicting and do not substantiate the hypothesis. Through an analysis of this hypothesis and a specification of the concept of perception, the various designs are found to be inadequate for demonstrating perceptual accentuation of size. The hypothesis is forwarded that value asserts an influence upon imaginary processes related to the experience of size.     

VALUE ASSESSMENT AND EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

Values, as guides to action, should be related to an individual's intentional behavior. A new technique, the Value Implications of Activities (VIA), is described. This technique asks respondents to make a value selection based on an examination of personal activities. Two studies were conducted that provided preliminary evidence for the psychometric adequacy of the VIA technique. In the first study, temporal reliability over five weeks was found to be moderately high. In the second study, age differences in the use of values to account for activities were similar to some earlier findings in other inquiries.     

BROWN ON SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRIMINABILITY1

Abstract:  In her recent book Anti-Individualism and Knowledge , Jessica Brown has presented a novel answer to the self-knowledge 'achievement problem' facing the proponent of anti-individualism. She argues that her answer is to be preferred to the traditional answer (based on Burge, 1988a). Here I present three objections to the claim that her proposed answer is to be preferred. The significance of these objections lies in what they tell us about the nature of the sort of knowledge that is in dispute. Perhaps the most important lesson I draw from this discussion is that, given the nature of knowledge of one's own thoughts, discriminability (from relevant alternatives) is not a condition on knowledge as such.     

CHINESE VALUE SYSTEM AND MANAGERIAL BEHAVIOUR*

This is a paper which reviews and discusses the implications of Chinese value systems for managerial behaviour in Taiwan. With a central assumption that managerial behaviour and styles are largely shaped by the values and normative systems of senior members of corporate management, a study of 43 industrial firms in Taiwan investigating their organisational structure and the managerial assumptions, values and other socio-demographical features of their senior managers was conducted. The results of the research lead to the construction of a typology of four managerial patterns in Taiwan today, viz. the ‘grass-roots’ type, the ‘Mainlander’ type, the ‘specialist’ type and the ‘transitional’ type. While the ‘transitional’ type is more or less by definition ‘transient’, a tendency is postulated by the authors for both the ‘grass-roots’ and ‘Mainlander’ types to move gradually to converge with the ‘specialist’ type which will become increasingly widespread in Taiwan.     

VALUE SYSTEMS AND ANOMIE IN THREE CULTURES

The Rokeach Value Survey was administrated to three equivalent groups of South Africans - Africans (Blacks), Indians (Browns), and Europeans (Whites) - along with the Srole Anomie Scale. It was hypothesized that a number of differences would occur between these groups based on socio-economic structure of the country, their respective affluence, and traditional cultural differences. Values assigned relatively high importance by the Africans concerned equality and peace, while the Europeans place higher value on friendship and love. Although there were large significant differences between the Black and White groups on anomie, these scores did not correlate very highly with the instrumental or terminal values. These results were interpreted in terms of the history and culture of the three groups and the socio-political structure of the society in which they live. Limitations of research of this kind are also noted.