Technology and Intimacy in the Philosophy of Georges Bataille

The goal of this article is to examine the nature of technology in view of Georges Bataille’s notion of intimacy. After providing a summary of Bataille’s critique of technology, I offer my response and show that a technological device can reach such a degree of familiarity that it becomes indistinguishable from our psychophysical personality. In this sense, we experience technology not as instrumentation, but in intimacy. The old theory of technology as organ-projection is, therefore, reinterpreted to produce a theory of technology that includes the technological process in its entirety, from the moment of invention and innovation, involving a movement of transcendence and objectification, to the moment of intimacy.

THE ETHICS OF ECSTASY: Georges Bataille and Amy Hollywood on Mysticism,Morality, and Violence

Georges Bataille agrees with numerous Christian mystics that there is ethical and religious value in meditating upon, and having ecstatic episodes in response to, imagery of violent death. For Christians, the crucified Christ is the focus of contemplative efforts. Bataille employs photographic imagery of a more‐recent victim of torture and execution. In this essay, while engaging with Amy Hollywood's interpretation of Bataille in Sensible Ecstasy, I show that, unlike the Christian mystics who influence him, Bataille strives to divorce himself from any moral authority external to the ecstatic episode itself. I argue that in his attempt to remove external authority he abandons the only resources that could possibly protect his mystical contemplation from engendering sadistic attitudes.     

Birth of the subject: the ethics of monitoring development programmes

NGO-based and rigorously monitored development programmes are bringing about important and positive socio-economic changes in the developing world. However, there are numerous instances of the employment of aggressive and grueling monitoring techniques which objectify the subject of development, the primary stakeholder, claiming development results as the successful achievement of goals of the donor or implementing organization. It is in this context that one can speak of an ethic of monitoring development programmes. The paper argues that such an ethic can be positively based on principles like empowering people through development work without hurting their sense of self-worth, the principle of trust and partnership and, negatively, never striving to objectify any person or people for the achievement of some objective, even if this objective is in itself honourable and desirable. The paper contends that if development is freeing the subject, the central player, to exercise their capability to live their life to the fullest, then development monitoring and development work in general has to enhance freedom, autonomy and openness.     

Cognitive therapy,cartesianism and the moral order

In recent years cognitive therapy has become increasingly popular as a treatment for many forms of mental illness. This therapy is presented as scientific, rational and relatively easy to learn and use. In this paper we seek to demonstrate the particular philosophy of mind at work within the cognitivist framework and the ethical assumptions which accompany it. We conclude by drawing attention to some of the clinical implications of this analysis.     

Myth and Legend in Family Therapy: Maintaining the Distinction Between the Sacred and Secular in Family Process

Family therapy has blurred the distinction between the sacred (myth) and the secular (legend) with resultant ethical implications, and has also created problematic cross-cultural considerations with its use of “myth.” The objectives of this paper are (a) to briefly introduce the evolution of the concept of “myth” in folklore; (b) to identify specific problems resulting from the current utilization of the term “myth” by family therapists; and (c) to demonstrate how appropriate usage of the concepts “myth” and “legend” from folklore theory radically decreases the confusion created in comparison to the present reliance on the term “myth” alone. Kimberly Ann Holle, MS, MSW, LSW, LCDC -III, CADC, graduated from the College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, in June, 2005. Ms. Holle now resides in Columbus, Georgia, USA (kimmers.1212@aol.com).     

Negotiating criteria and setting limits: The case of aids

The classification of clinical problems, such as AIDS, requires choices. Choices are made on epistemic (i.e., knowledge-based) and non-epistemic (i.e., action-based) grounds. That is, the ways in which we classify clinical problems, such as AIDS, involve a balancing of different understandings of clinical reality and of clinical values among participants of the clinical community. On this view, the interplay between epistemic and non-epistemic interests occurs within the embrace of particular clinical contexts.The ways in which we classify AIDS is the topic of this paper. We consider the extent to which we construct clinical reality; we examine a suggested classification of AIDS; and we conclude suggesting that the choice regarding how to classify AIDS is the result of negotiation among participants in the clinical community.     

Germ-line gene therapy and the clinical ethos of medical genetics

Although the ability to perform gene therapy in human germ-line cells is still hypothetical, the rate of progress in molecular and cell biology suggests that it will only be a matter of time before reliable clinical techniques will be within reach. Three sets of arguments are commonly advanced against developing those techniques, respectively pointing to the clinical risks, social dangers and better alternatives. In this paper we analyze those arguments from the perspective of the client-centered ethos that traditionally governs practice in medical genetics. This perspective clarifies the merits of these arguments for geneticists, and suggests useful new directions for the professional discussion of germ-line gene therapy. It suggests, for example, that the much discussed prospect of germ-line therapy in human pre-embryos may always be more problematic for medical genetics than adult germ-line interventions, even though the latter faces greater technical difficulties.     

Subject in first person--subject in third person: subject, subjectivity, and intersubjectivity

In this article, the author traces the history of the concepts of subject, subjectivity, and intersubjectivity in different psychoanalytic theories in the last decades. She argues that the uniqueness of these concepts and their different implications were not emphasized enough. The author discusses the various implications and contexts of the concept of subject in psychoanalytic theory proper and to relate as to: (1). The need to distinguish between the concepts of subject and subjectivity; (2). The mutual interdependence of the subject and his subjectivity and the intersubjective domain (both in the development of the individual and in theoretical thought pertaining to it). Her point of departure is from the position of the subject as a free creature, the centrality of the experiencing individual, from his/her perspective—the subject in the first person. She tries to explain the paradox implicit in the experiential dimension, the place of the other as participant, as both negating and recognizing—the subject in the third person. She suggests the interdependency of the first-person experience of subjectivity on the intersubjective dimension.     

医学伦理学和生命伦理学学科定位再探析

医学伦理学和生命伦理学谁包括谁看似很重要,但对于同作为应用伦理学这一角色来看,又无关紧要。医学伦理学更倾向于是医学的一部分,而生命伦理学则是一门新兴的交叉学科。学科定位问题涉及到谁需要定位以及为什么定位的问题,更涉及到定位需考虑的坐标问题。对学科定位的探讨还需要考虑其来源和历史,以及关注现阶段的主要影响因素。除此之外,对于这两个学科定位的再思考提示,应当认识其各自的独立性,而不应受定位问题的误导。     

The Shattering of the Stimulus Barrier: The Case for an Integrative Approach in Short-Term Treatment of Psychological Trauma

The paper argues that the integrative psychotherapy approach is ideally suited to the treatment of psychological trauma. A brief term intervention model, devised by psychotherapists working with trauma in the South African context, is presented to illustrate this premise. It is asserted that posttraumatic stress represents a disorder in which dysfunction occurs both internally and externally, according to Freud at the interface of these two aspects of psychological functioning, i.e., at the ego boundary. Disturbance manifests in recognizable cognitive, behavioral, and somatic symptoms and in addition carries unconscious associations and anxieties. The ideal approach to treatment thus appears to be to draw on the relative strengths of both the psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral schools. Existing trauma intervention models reflect the centrality of integration in many respects, although this does not seem to be explicitly recognized. The five components of the model referred to above are outlined and each component is explored in terms of its efficacy within both a cognitive-behavioral and a psychodynamic framework. Illustrative case material is provided to demonstrate the mechanisms at work in each case. The paper argues that the clinical success of the model lies in its integrative perspective and that psychotherapy integration should be recognized as the approach of choice in the treatment of traumatized individuals.     

临床试验受试者补偿存在的问题及改进措施探讨

通过对补偿等相关概念界定,对临床试验受试者补偿的范围界定不明确、补偿金额缺乏具体核算标准及报销手续繁琐与兑现时间长、补偿方式单一,未体现不同受试者多样化需求、受试者维权能力与维权意识薄弱、伦理委员会履职能力也影响受试者权益维护等问题进行了分析,针对问题探讨其改进措施,如明确补偿的具体内容与范围,制定具体补偿标准及提高补偿兑现效率,采取合理的多样化补偿和激励方式,充分向受试者告知补偿权益,提高受试者的维权意识,提高伦理委员的审查能力等,为制定受试者补偿相关指导意见及保护受试者权益提供一定的理论参考。     

Gene therapy: ethical issues

To discern the ethical issues involved incurrent gene therapy research, to explore theproblems inherent in possible future genetherapies, and to encourage debate within thescientific community about ethical questionsrelevant to both, we surveyed American Societyof Human Genetics scientists who engage inhuman genetics research. This study of theopinions of U.S. scientific experts about theethical issues discussed in the literature ongene therapy contributes systematic data on theattitudes of those working in the field as wellas elaborative comments. Our survey finds thatrespondents are highly supportive of thepotential use of somatic cell gene therapy tocure serious diseases in adults and children aswell as prospective offspring. A clearmajority, however, believe that using suchgenetic techniques for enhancement purposes isunacceptable. Delineating the line betweendisease/disorder and improvement/enhancementposes a problem not easily resolved and oneconducive to the growth of slippery-slopeapprehensions. The majority of respondents alsoadvocate germ-line therapy, in theory at least,and under similar restrictions, but theyrecognize the roadblock that the existence ofunanticipated negative consequences currentlypresents. Another complex matter involvestrying to determine appropriate reasons forchoosing target diseases for research, forwhich the dichotomy between rare single-geneand common multifactorial diseases reveals anongoing dilemma.     

Empathy and viewing the other as a subject

Empathy and viewing another person as a subject rather than an object are often associated in theoretical contexts, but empirical research of the relation is scarce. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between subject/object view and empathy. In Study 1, participants watched film clips and indicated their empathy for specific characters in the clips, as well as the extent to which they saw these persons as subjects and objects. The subject/object view explained some, but not all, of the differences in empathy, which raised the question of what else accounts for differences in empathy. A second study was conducted to investigate whether the difficulty of the other's situation also contributes. In Study 2, another group watched the film clips and rated the difficulty of the film character's situations in addition to empathy and subject/object view. The results of Study 2 revealed that subject view/object and perceived difficulty together explain a substantial part of differences in empathy. It was concluded that empathy is evoked primarily when a person in difficulty is viewed as a subject.     

Brief therapy in the Israeli kibbutz

Analysis of results of therapy in an unselected sample of 211 kibbutz patients seen over a three year period by the author in his capacity as kibbutz member and psychiatrist indicated that over 70% of the identified patients responded very satisfactorily to brief therapy. About one-third of the clients did not need more than a single comprehensive therapy session to achieve continuous improvement. In a minority of the cases more than 10 sessions were required. The results were significantly better in cases treated by brief therapy than in the sample treated by long-term therapy, where the pre-treatment severity was determined to be greater. The paper describes the unique aspects of brief therapy in the kibbutz setting, giving an outline of the author's model of intervention, using all components of the individual, family, and community ecosystem.     

The enigmatic signifier and the decentred subject

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历史的沉思：医学伦理学与生命伦理学学科特点及定位

对医学伦理学与生命伦理学学科的特点及定位进行再认识,是推动两个学科发展的理性前提。再认识需要历史视野,即将其置于该学科发展尤其是生成该学科的实践资源演变的历史长河中加以动态考察。研究表明,医学伦理学具有在传承中追求完善的职业实践性系列特点,定位为医学与伦理学交叉学科不存异议,将其称为人文医学学科具有创新价值,但需充分论证;生命伦理学虽同医学伦理学联系密切且有所重叠,但却具有追踪生命科学发展前沿的专业实践性系列特点,因而可将其定位为生命科学、伦理学、医学伦理学等相互交叉的新学科。     

Overcoming the myth of the mental

Can we accept John McDowell’s Kantian claim that perception is conceptual “all the way out,” thereby denying the more basic perceptual capacities we seem to share with prelinguistic infants and higher animals? More generally, can philosophers successfully describe the conceptual upper floors of the edifice of knowledge while ignoring the embodied coping going on on the ground floor? I argue that we shouldn’t leave the conceptual component of our lives hanging in midair and suggest how philosophers who want to understand knowledge and action can profit from a phenomenological analysis of the nonconceptual embodied coping skills we share with animals and infants, as well as the nonconceptual immediate intuitive understanding exhibited by experts.     

患者亲属——医疗决策的重要主体

在医患关系中,患者亲属起着重要作用,是医疗行为及后果生理和心理的承担者,患者的疾病本身和康复情况会直接对家庭生活产生影响。患者亲属也是患者医疗费用的主要承担者。由于医疗决策会涉及到患者的家庭利益,患者患病会对其决定能力产生不利的影响,在法律上确立患者亲属在医患关系中的主体地位,甚至在必要时赋予亲属医疗决定权是必要的和现实的。     

Between private and public: Towards a conception of the transitional subject

Elaborating upon Winnicott’s seminal contributions on the transitional object, the author proposes a conception of a transitional subject in which the patient comes into being simultaneously between private and public, subjective creation and material life, me and not‐me. By anchoring subjective creation in the real world (including the body), the patient creates a basis for authentic psychesoma as well as for both personal and symbolic contributions to the world beyond omnipotence, including the world of other subjects. In this sense, intersubjective life is seen as predicated upon transitionality, with the patient seen as simultaneously coming into being as a distinctly personal subject and, in part, as a symbol. Clinical phenomenology is described and is interpreted with respect to the need within psychoanalysis itself for a third, and for a realm of meaning‐creation that lies beyond privacy, omnipotence, and the dyad.