In defense of the community criterion: A reply

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

A defense of fundamental principles and human rights: a reply to Robert Baker

This article seeks to rebut Robert Baker's contention that attempts to ground international bioethics in fundamental principles cannot withstand the challenges posed by multiculturalism and postmodernism. First, several corrections are provided of Baker's account of the conclusions reached by the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. Second, a rebuttal is offered to Baker's claim that an unbridgeable moral gap exists between Western individualism and non-Western communalism. In conclusion, this article argues that Baker's "nonnegotiable primary goods" cannot do the work of "classical human rights" and that the latter framework is preferable from both a practical and a theoretical standpoint.     

Methodological Patterns In A Structuralist Setting

A new approach to analyze scientific methods as patternsof state transitions is proposed and exemplified by the two mostimportant, general methods: induction and deduction. Though only`local' states of science are considered in this paper, includinghypotheses, data, approximation and degree of fit, the approach caneasily be extended to more comprehensive kinds of states. Two `pure'forms of induction are distinguished, enumerative and hypothesisconstruction induction. A combination of these two forms is proposedto yield a more adequate picture of induction. While the pure forms ofinduction are clearly distinct from the deductive pattern, the patternof the combined form of induction is very similar to the latter. Thepresent account of scientific methods not only points out thedifferences between different methods but – in contrast to usualdiscussions of methodology – also clarifies what they have in common.     

In defense of the right and left audiograms: a reply to Coren (1989) and Coren and Hakstian (1990)

Coren (1989) noticed that the various air-conduction pure-tone thresholds obtained from one ear of an individual in quiet tend to display a high correlation. In addition, Coren and Hakstian (1990) reported a consistently high correlation between pure-tone thresholds in the two ears of the same individual. On the basis of these observations, these authors proposed that pure-tone thresholds measured at audiometric frequencies in one ear, and those measured in both ears of an individual, be collapsed into a single average threshold value. The present paper disputes the usefulness and the appropriateness of such a proposal.     

In defence of keyword experiments: a reply to Gruneberg's commentary

Gruneberg (1998) argues that our findings (e.g. Wang and Thomas, 1992; Thomas and Wang, 1996) that the keyword method of foreign language learning leads to poorer long‐term retention than rote rehearsal when the delay interval is manipulated between subjects is uninteresting because, in a natural setting, students would normally be tested soon after study. In reply, we assert that our data are internally valid and inform us with respect to the nature of the underlying causal relationship. Specifically, our experimental findings lead us to conclude that the imagery‐based encodings of the keyword method are very fragile and unlikely to be retrievable after a delay unless frequently rehearsed. Also, another consequence of the difficulty of retrieving keyword images is that translation time is slower for keyword learners than for learners who rote rehearse. We argue that design and implementation of language instruction programmes is most likely to be successful when educators understand the underlying causal factors. Consequently, informed debate on the effectiveness of a learning strategy can only proceed with evidence gathered from both experimental and real‐world settings. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accreditation: A reply to mathers

Accreditation in counselling is meant not for the benefit of the counsellor but for the protection of the public. It is concerned more with guaranteeing certain standards of ethics than with the acclamation of status. Whatever method is used, it must avoid the pitfalls of conservatism and academicism which in other professions have been jointly responsible for the attack on accreditation itself as a process. Those involved in counselling and psychotherapy should not wait passively until Parliament acts, but need to be critically involved in bringing into being a system of accreditation which is both flexible and creative.     

In Favour of Mereological Nominalism: reply to Cumpa and Declos

Mereological nominalism is the thesis that properties are identical to mereological fusions of their instances. Cumpa and Declos have raised two problems for the view. This paper is a reply to both problems.