Merleau-Ponty and Epistemology Engines

One of us coined the notion of an “epistemology engine.” The idea is that some particular technology in its workings and use is seen suggestively as a metaphor for the human subject and often for the production of knowledge itself. In this essay, we further develop the conceptand claim that Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological commitments, although suggestive, did not lead him to appreciate the epistemological value of materiality. We also take steps towards establishing how an understanding of this topic can provide the basis for reinterpreting the history of phenomenology.     

Family Themes: Transmission and Transformation

This article describes a method for doing therapy that uses multisystemic themes that combine meaning and action to facilitate therapeutic change. By identifying central themes that operate at the individual, dyadic, triadic, whole family, inter-generational, and sociocultural levels, the therapist is able to develop effective interview questions and design useful interventions. In this method, behavioral symptoms are framed as a current manifestation of an overarching theme. This orientation enables family and therapist to de-pathologize symptoms and work collaboratively toward change. Case examples from a wide variety of families with differing presenting problems, interactional patterns, three-generational histories, and cultural backgrounds, illustrate the efficacy of the method.     

Expanding Uses of the Telephone in Family Therapy

The telephone has been used as an instrument for live supervision. This article describes innovative uses of the telephone by a family therapy training team, including (a) strategic calls to the therapist; (b) calls from the team to family members; and (c) calls between family members. Case examples describing the interventions and their impact are given. Both training and therapeutic benefits are discussed.     

Proper Basicality

Foundationalist epistemologies, whether internalist or externalist, ground noetic structures in beliefs that are said to be foundational, or properly basic. It is essential to such epistemologies that they provide clear criteria for proper basicality. This proves, 1 argue, to be a thorny task, at least insofar as the goal is to provide a psychologically realistic reconstruction of our actual doxastic practices. I examine some of the difficulties, and suggest some implications, in particular for the externalist epistemology of Alvin Plantinga.     

'Fullness of the Spirit' and 'Fullness of Catholicity' in Ecclesial Communion

In this article I will consider two terms central to post-conciliar ecclesiology, both of which express different aspects of the 'fullness' of the church. The 'fullness of the Spirit' is a biblical concept describing the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost and in the historical sacrament of confirmation, while the 'fullness of catholicity' is a more recent term employed in conciliar and post-conciliar discourse to clarify the status of churches and ecclesial communities within the church of Christ. After analyzing the origin and development of each form of fullness, constructive interaction between the two will allow for a critique of post-conciliar ecclesiological and ecumenical statements.