Virtue, Luck and the Pyrrhonian Problematic

A number of contemporary philosophers endorse a Pyrrhonian theme: that one has knowledge only if one knows or understands that one’s beliefs are reliably formed. Otherwise, one is like a man who grasps gold in the dark: such a man is successful, but his success is a matter of luck, and so not creditable to him. It is argued that the skeptical problem and the problem of moral luck share a common structure and a common solution. Specifically, a virtue-theoretic approach helps us to understand important relations among luck, success and credit for success. It is argued that knowledge is an instance of success through virtue, and that, in general, success through virtue is creditable to the virtuous agent.     

Self-knowledge and scepticism

Donald Davidson has argued that most of our beliefs must be true and that global scepticism is therefore false. Davidson's arguments to this conclusion often seem to depend on externalist considerations. Davidson's position has been criticised, however, on the grounds that he does not defeat the sceptic, but rather already assumes the falsity of scepticism through his appeal to externalism. Indeed, it has been claimed that far from defeating the sceptic Davidson introduces an even more extreme version of scepticism according to which we cannot even know the contents of our own minds. This paper argues that these criticisms are mistaken and that Davidson does indeed have grounds to argue that scepticism is false. The externalism that figures in Davidson's antisceptical arguments is shown to be merely an element in Davidson's overall holism according to which the very possibility of having beliefs that could be true or false depends on most of those beliefs being true and their contents known.     

Psychological androgyny and social desirability

The concept of psychological androgyny, because of its implications for sex roles, social change, and human development, is presently of special theoretical interest. Psychologically androgynous persons, as identified by the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), score higher on both its femininity and masculinity scales. Given the psychometric properties of the BSRI, it can be hypothesized that androgynous persons will have higher social desirability scores. Yet, the "masculine male" and the "feminine female" may be the most socially desirable, in that they conform to normative expectations. Consequently it can also be hypothesized that individuals who are either masculine-typed males or feminine-typed females on the BSRI will have the higher social desirability scores. Neither prediction was found to be entirely accurate; instead, androgynous and feminine-typed individuals were found to have higher social desirability scores. Moreover, the data reveal that the BSRI femininity scale has social desirability characteristics which are sex-specific.     

Zhuangzi and relativistic scepticism

Chad Hansen is one of the strongest proponents of the view that the important second chapter of Zhuangzi's Inner Chapters (The Qi Wu Lun) reveals Zhuangzi to be a relativistic sceptidst. Hansen argues that Zhuangzi is a sceptic because he is first and foremost a relativist. Hansen's argument is essentially that Zhuangzi's perspectivism, his belief that one's linguistic and conceptual perspective determines what one claims to know, makes him a thorough going relativist and sceptic. I agree that Zhuangzi is a perspectivist, but disagree with Hansen's portrayal of him as a relativistic sceptic. I first show that there is an important ambiguity in Hansen's argument. I then proceed to argue that important passages in the Qi Wu Lun (in particular the butterfly dream passage,) reveal serious problems with Hansen's interpretation of Zhuangzi's philosophical stance, I maintain that Zhuangzi is neither a sceptic nor a perspectival relativist. He is rather a perspectival realist.     

Psychological aspects of anorexia nervosa

Research on anorexia nervosa (AN), its etiology and treatment, and the results of outcome studies are reviewed. Early studies focused on psychodynamic aspects of AN whereas recently the brain's neurotransmitters and hypothalamic area, particularly, having been investigated as contributing to symptoms of AN. No treatment is successful for all AN patients. Recovery is slow and is often resisted. Diet, psychotherapy, and drugs have sometimes alleviated symptoms for some AN patients but the root cause and the best treatment have eluded a century of research.     

Psychological aspects of orthognathic surgery

Abstract

With the dramatic growth in the number of adults undergoing orthodontics to correct malocclusion, and those undergoing surgical orthodontics or orthognathic surgery to correct skeletal discrepancies in the orofacial region, it is important to examine the psychological characteristics of these patients before and after treatment is completed. This paper serves as a general review and summarizes the findings of two major longitudinal studies of patients seeking surgical correction and compares them with people who underwent conventional orthodontics, those who rejected any treatment, and those who sought cosmetic surgery. Both studies revealed that most women seeking surgical orthodontics focused on aesthetic improvement as a motive, whereas men sought to improve their appearance and mastication. Women were also more likely to report problems with the temporomandibular joint as a motive. Men and women scored similarly on a measure of body image, although women reported lower facial image presurgically and higher postsurgically than did men. The greatest gains following surgery were in facial and profile image for both men and women. Orthodontic patients showed less improvement, while those rejecting treatment experienced a decline in body image. Many functional improvements did not occur until 24 months postoperatively; lingering paraesthesia was described by 49% of the sample. Emotional reactions included anxiety preoperatively, and depression postoperatively, especially among patients scoring high on neuroticism and those experiencing other major life events. These studies reveal that people seeking surgical orthodontics are within the normal range of most personality measures and experience greater gains psychologically than do conventional orthodontic patients.     

Psychological and organizational aspects of computer-aided manufacturing

This review examines some of the psychological and organizational aspects of computer-aided manufacturing. It provides a selective review of the literature, a summary of our own research, and some suggestions on prospects for future research and development into the links between IT and behavior.     

Disjunctivism and the urgency of scepticism

This paper argues that McDowell is right to claim that disjunctivism has anti-sceptical implications. While the disjunctive conception of experience leaves unaffected the Cartesian sceptical challenge, it undermines another type of sceptical challenge. Moreover, the sceptical challenge against which disjunctivism militates has some philosophical urgency in that it threatens the very notion that perceptual experience can acquaint us with the world around us.     

Psychological space and regulation of social behaviour

The theory of social categorization assumes that the social behaviour of people can be explained as a result of cognitive differentiation of social objects into dichotomous categories (in-group, out-group). An argument can be put forth that social Categorization is a specific instance of functioning of a cognitive system that operates as multidimensional psychological space. Distances between representations of objects in the space influence the process of application of judgements to the given object and to the degree of involvement instigated by a state of an object and tendency lo produce specific behavioural acts toward the object. Typically, the relationship has a characteristic of an exponential function. There are conditions (social and psychological) that foster a discontinuity in a functioning of a cognitive system and therefore, lead to a dichotomous classification of social phenomena, while in some other conditions a continuity may prevail. Data that seem to support the above conjecture are described.     

社会治理中的心理学问题

近年来社会治理中的心理学问题开始受到心理学者的关注。要正确识别这些问题, 我们必须从社会治理的心理内涵出发, 认识到社会治理的核心是“人”：社会治理的主体是人, 治理的对象是以人为中心的社会事务, 治理的过程是多元主体的群体决策过程, 治理的路径之一是面向人的心理建设。由此, 心理学家应该着力研究社会治理内生的各种心理学问题, 包括各种主体的治理能力, 作为治理对象的现实社会心理问题(尤其是社会心态问题), 群体决策心理, 以及心理建设的战略和实践方案。对这些问题的深入研究, 有望建立“社会治理心理学”的原创理论体系, 实现“由心而治”。