Consistency,mechanicalness, and the logic of the mind

G. Priest's anti-consistency argument (Priest 1979, 1984, 1987) and J. R. Lucas's anti-mechanist argument (Lucas 1961, 1968, 1970, 1984) both appeal to Gödel incompleteness. By way of refuting them, this paper defends the thesis of quartet compatibility, viz., that the logic of the mind can simultaneously be Gödel incomplete, consistent, mechanical, and recursion complete (capable of all means of recursion). A representational approach is pursued, which owes its origin to works by, among others, J. Myhill (1964), P. Benacerraf (1967), J. Webb (1980, 1983) and M. Arbib (1987). It is shown that the fallacy shared by the two arguments under discussion lies in misidentifying two systems, the one for which the Gödel sentence is constructable and to be proved, and the other in which the Gödel sentence in question is indeed provable. It follows that the logic of the mind can surpass its own Gödelian limitation not by being inconsistent or non-mechanistic, but by being capable of representing stronger systems in itself; and so can a proper machine. The concepts of representational provability, representational maximality, formal system capacity, etc., are discussed.     

Expectancy of Chinese Parents and Children's Cognitive Abilities

A total of 142 first grade and 188 fifth grade schoolchildren from Beijing were tested on 11 cognitive tasks. The parents of these children were surveyed with questionnaires to obtain family background materials, and were asked about their expectancies of their children's future careers and future educational achievements. It was found that fifth grade children from high career (professional) expectancy fathers tend to have better developed cognitive abilities, however there is no career expectancy effect on first grade children. Children from high school achievement expectancy fathers tend to have better developed cognitive skills, this educational expectancy effect is stronger for fifth grade children than first grade children. There is a general trend that the higher the educational level of the fathers, the higher expectancy they have for their children.     

Gender-role adoption and sex as academic and psychological risk factors

Five hundred and ten first-year junior high school students were administered a battery of psychological tests. On the basis of their scores from two gender-role adoption measures, three smaller groups were extracted within each biological sex: masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated individuals. Feminine students reported a greater amount of discomfort (vulnerability). A battery of tests administered toward the end of that school year revealed that females attained greater neuroticism and alienation scores than did their male peers. Possible explanations for this pubescent self-report of maladjustment are the more masculine orientation of the junior high school in comparison to the elementary school and the menarche.The authors wish to thank Ms. S. Chesterman, Regional Director of the Montreal Catholic School Commission, and Mr. K. Quinn, Principal of Sir Wilfred Laurier Junior High School, for granting us permission to disrupt school activities in order to test their students. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance of the following members of Sir Wilfred Laurier: Mr. O. Hruby, Vice-Principal; Sr. G. Larocque, Vice-Principal; Mr. S. Radeschi, key teacher; and members of the administrative and teaching staff.     

Prison pastoral care: The seer as a new paradigm

The purpose of this essay is twofold: to review two existing paradigms (the Priest and the Prophet) of pastoral care with prisoners; to propose a new paradigm (the Seer). The prison chaplain has been traditionally identified as a priest or a prophet. The change of pastoral setting from parish to prison is a drastic one that requires a paradigm shift. Incarceration is understood in terms of liminality which is a transitional period of a life re-ordering. To those in liminality, the Seer as a divine visionary of hope comes to reawaken a sense of God's presence and aims at renewing of covenant faith.This article is an edited version of an address presented by the author to the Chaplains of Tennessee Department of Corrections at their annual meeting in January 1990.     

雍乾禁教时期的华籍天主教神职人员

清代雍正、乾隆时期,朝廷禁传天主教,天主教在中国的生存状况发生重大变化,外籍传教士先是被逐,后是被杀,传教任务逐渐落到华籍神职人员身上。本文分析了此一时期内华籍神职人员的身份构成、活动地区分布,以及其传教方式和特点等,借以说明华籍神职人员为天主教在中国的传播发挥了较前期更大的作用,推进了天主教在中国的本地化进程。     

西方社会能力的研究及启示

从20世纪70年代开始,社会能力的概念为国外研究者广为接受,有关社会能力的理论和实践探索不断深化扩展,西方学者对社会能力的定义和测量、对教师期望、成绩差异、危险行为以及对社会能力的结构、作用和培养方案进行的探讨,极大地增进了教育、心理学工作者对于儿童社会适应和认知发展的理解。西方学者关于社会能力的研究成果对于我国素质教育有着重要的启示。     

学习不良青少年与一般青少年学业情绪特点的比较研究

本研究采用问卷法调查了1034名青少年(学习不良青少年506名),比较了学习不良青少年与一般青少年的学业情绪的特点。结果表明:(1)学习不良青少年的积极学业情绪显著低于一般青少年;学习不良青少年的消极学业情绪显著高于一般青少年。(2)学习不良青少年与一般青少年在学业情绪上的差异主要表现在初一、初二和高二、高三年级。(3)总体来说,男生的积极学业情绪多于女生,女生的消极学业情绪多于男生。     

经验、材料性质及加工水平对虚假记忆的影响

本实验采用DRM研究范式,考察经验、材料性质和加工水平三个方面对虚假记忆的影响。实验首次采用句子的方式呈现,给被试提供符合经验和不符合经验的句子进行学习和再认。实验结果显示,三个因素对虚假记忆的影响都是显著的,其中,经验是导致虚假记忆产生的主导因素,加工深度同经验之间以及材料性质同经验之间的交互作用均存在显著的交互作用。     

关于《孙子兵法》两次问世的思考

基于孙武由齐国奔吴及《孙子兵法》正式问世于吴国这些史实,笔者认为:《孙子兵法》曾先后有两次问世。本文试从《孙子兵法》二次问世的认识论依据、著者依据、内容结构依据、史料依据、《孙子兵法》十三篇与其他孙武佚文及两次问世的现代理解等方面,分别论述之。并认为,《孙子兵法》的首次问世是齐文化和吴文化共同孕育的结果,而修订问世的《孙子兵法》则主要是吴国的战争实践浇灌出来的花朵,吴国的军事文化充实完善了这部罕世之作。     

"一念三千"发微

“一念三千”是智领大师受到慧文、慧思的“一心三观”的启发,根据《智论》的“一心三智”和《法华经》的“十如是”及《华严经》的“唯心偈”创造出来的一个宗教哲学概念。它是说“一念心就具足三千世界的诸法性相,或者说一念心中就具足一切诸法性相”。其既有宗教、伦理、哲学意义,也有现实意义。