Cut-free common knowledge

Starting off from the infinitary system for common knowledge over multi-modal epistemic logic presented in [L. Alberucci, G. Jäger, About cut elimination for logics of common knowledge, Annals of Pure and Applied Logic 133 (2005) 73–99], we apply the finite model property to “finitize” this deductive system. The result is a cut-free, sound and complete sequent calculus for common knowledge.     

Zur Ontogenese aggressiven Verhaltens

The present article reviews current etiological approaches to the origin of violence. In a wide range of empirical research ample results have been found on the causes of violence in many different disciplines like social sciences, psychology, psychotherapy, and neurobiology/neurophysiology. However, an integrative view is still missing. Current knowledge suggests a complex interaction of genetic, physiological, developmental psychological, personality-related, familial and social factors in shaping an individuals’ disposition to engage in physical violence. Accordingly, interventions for reducing violence have to be multidimensional in nature.     

Non-Monotonic Reasoning from an Evolution-Theoretic Perspective: Ontic, Logical and Cognitive Foundations

In the first part I argue that normic laws are the phenomenological laws of evolutionary systems. If this is true, then intuitive human reasoning should be fit in reasoning from normic laws. In the second part I show that system P is a tool for reasoning with normic laws which satisfies two important evolutionary standards: it is probabilistically reliable, and it has rules of low complexity. In the third part I finally report results of an experimental study which demonstrate that intuitive human reasoning is in well accord with basic argument patterns of system P.     

Interaktionelle Methode und übertragungsfokussierte Psychotherapie

The psychoanalytic interactional therapy proposed by Heigl-Evers and the transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) suggested by Kernberg are two established methods for the treatment of patients with personality disorders in general, and especially of Borderline patiens. These approaches are often compared with each other due to several important similarities we may consider as specific for those disorders. They include among others the active involvement of the therapist, the use of clarifications and confrontations, a greater attention to the setting of the treatment, and the working in the “here and now.” According to current literature, a more exact analysis of the two procedures and of their development as well as of their implicit metatheories reveal that in spite of the recent rapprochement of interactional therapy to psychoanalysis there are still important theoretical and technical differences between these two treatment methods. This observation is demonstrated here by some typical examples of the particular interventions though without discussing a possible differential effectivity of the two methods. Basically, the two treatments are not fully comparable, because the interactional therapy was developed for groups and TFP was designed for the individual setting. In the final analysis, the “answer” principle of the interpersonal, partly on the neo-psychoanalysis and ego-psychology oriented interactional therapy and the “interpretation” principle of the on object-psychology oriented TFP cannot be considered equivalent. Beside that interactional therapy may bear more risks for becoming pedagogical as TFP does.     

Some Outcomes of Pressure,Ingratiation, and Rational Persuasion Used With Peers in the Workplace1

In a cross‐sectional organizational field study, the effects of ingratiation, pressure, and rational persuasion on performance appraisal, compliance gaining, and reactance were investigated. Actors were asked to describe their lateral‐influence strategies, and peers were asked to assess actors’ impact. Actors and assessors from 140 German lateral‐influence dyads who were public officeholders and employees participated in the study. The data support the hypothesis that the more an actor uses rational persuasion and the longer the assessor has known the actor, the more positively the assessor will evaluate the actor's task performance. In addition, the results support the hypothesis that the more an actor uses ingratiation and the longer the assessor has known the actor, the more positively the assessor will evaluate actor's compliance‐gaining success.     

Ceteris Paribus Laws: Classification and Deconstruction

It has not been sufficiently considered in philosophical discussions of ceteris paribus (CP) laws that distinct kinds of CP-laws exist in science with rather different meanings. I distinguish between (1.) comparative CP-laws and (2.) exclusive CP-laws. There exist also mixed CP-laws, which contain a comparative and an exclusive CP-clause. Exclusive CP-laws may be either (2.1) definite, (2.2) indefinite or (2.3) normic. While CP-laws of kind (2.1) and (2.2) exhibit deductivistic behaviour, CP-laws of kind (2.3) require a probabilistic or non-monotonic reconstruction. CP-laws of kind (1) may be both deductivistic or probabilistic. All these kinds of CP-laws have empirical content by which they are testable, except CP-laws of kind (2.2) which are almost vacuous. Typically, CP-laws of kind (1) express invariant correlations, CP-laws of kind (2.1) express closed system laws of physical sciences, and CP-laws of kind (2.3) express normic laws of non-physical sciences based on evolution-theoretic stability properties. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Global Human Identification and Citizenship: A Review of Psychological Studies

We review psychological research on global human identification and citizenship, Thomas Paine’s belief that “The world is my country, and all mankind are my brethren.” In turn, we review the theoretical foundations that guided our work, research with measures that preceded our own, and our own work with our correlated scales. We review its foundations, its effects upon attitudes and behaviors, and how it might be enlarged. Global human identification and citizenship is related negatively to ethnocentrism, authoritarianism, the social dominance orientation, and self‐centeredness, but positively to dispositional empathy and the values of universalism, care, and justice. It is expressed in attitudes and behaviors that support human rights and work to reduce global suffering and inequalities. It is associated with greater global knowledge and with efforts to acquire that knowledge. Childrearing that emphasizes cross‐cultural exposure and awareness of others’ suffering may promote global human identification and citizenship, as does education that encourages global mindedness. Environments that support global human identification also induce it, as does envisioning it as a moral ideal.