Indeterminism, Explanation, and Luck

I first adumbrate pertinent aspectsof Robert Kane's libertarian theory of free choice oraction and an objection of luck that has been levelledagainst the theory. I then consider Kane's recentresponses to this objection. To meet these responses,I argue that the view that undetermined choices (ofthe sort implied by Kane's theory) are a matter ofluck is associated with a view about actionexplanation, to wit: when Jones does A and hisdoing of A is undetermined, and when hiscounterpart, Jones*, in the nearest possibleworld in which the past and the laws are held constantuntil the moment of choice does B instead, thereis no explanation (deterministic or indeterministic)of the difference in outcome – Jones's A-ing butJones*'s B-ing – in terms of prior reasonsor motives of either agent. Absence of such anexplanation is one crucial factor that underliesthe charge that Jones's A-ing and Jones*'sB-ing are matters of luck. I argue that thissort of luck is incompatible with responsibility.     

Well‐being and pressures of daily life in two West Bank villages—Exploring context and history

Interest in the well‐being of people exposed to long‐term violence and conflict has tended to focus on measurable effects of acute traumatic events, while attention to the pressures of their daily living context is relatively new. Using qualitative and quantitative data from a 2005 survey of all female family caretakers in 2 neighbouring Israeli‐occupied West Bank villages (n = 820), we explored the associations of demographic, health‐related and contextual factors with reported pressures and WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. The final model explained 17.8% of the variance with negative associations between health‐related factors (“back‐aches,” “stomach aches” “psychological illness in the family”) and family‐related factors (“male head of household aggressive”, “male head of household physically violent”) and the WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. We found positive associations between socio‐economic factors (“standard of living”; “number of rooms”) and village‐related factors (“residency in village A/B”) and the WHO‐5 well‐being index score. Exploring the daily living context of villages A and B illuminated how the impact of historical and political events differed, even in villages that are geographically close. The paper lends support to calls for including politics and history in research on well‐being in contexts of long‐term violence and conflict.     

A paradox concerning Frankfurt examples

Synthese - The set with the following members is inconsistent: F-Lesson: A person can be blameworthy for performing an action even though she cannot refrain from performing it. Equivalence:...     

The Obligation Dilemma

I motivate a dilemma to show that nothing can be obligatory for anyone regardless of whether determinism or indeterminism (the falsity of determinism) is true. The deterministic horn, to which prime attention is directed, exploits the thesis that obligation requires freedom to do otherwise. Since determinism precludes such freedom, it precludes obligation too. The indeterministic horn allows for freedom to do otherwise but assumes the burden of addressing whether indeterministically caused choices or actions are too much of a matter of luck to be obligatory for anyone. I critically discuss a response to the deterministic horn that invokes the distinction between alternatives compatible with determinism (weak alternatives) and those incompatible with determinism (strong alternatives).     

Determination of Weights for Health Related Quality of Life Indicators among Kidney Patients: A Fuzzy Decision Making Method

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is one of the significant current discussions in the health fraternity. It encompasses multidimensional indicators and serves the purpose of evaluating health quality among patients. Patients’ perceptions of the impact of disease and treatment and the indicators such as physical, psychological, social function and well being are normally investigated. However there is no clear suggestion of which indicators contributed more than others. The arbitrary nature of HRQoL paves the way for fuzzy theory in evaluation of indicators. This paper describes the application of a fuzzy decision making method in ranking indicators of HRQoL among kidney patients. Four experts in health fraternity were selected as decision makers to elicit information regarding health related status of chronic kidney disease patients over eight HRQoL indicators. The decision makers were required to rate the regularity of experiencing health-related problems in linguistic judgment among the patients. The five linguistics variables were used as input data to a modified version of Fuzzy Simple Additive Weight decision making model. The modified six-step method was possible to tap the extent of decision makers’ opinions on the severity of HRQoL experienced by the patients. It is shown that the indicator of role-physical recorded the lowest problematic level while the indicator of mental health recorded the highest problematic level experienced by the patients. The ranking signifies the impact of the indicators to health quality specifically the chronic kidney disease patients.     

Freedom and Practical Reason

Practical reasons, roughly, are reasons to have our desires and goals, and to do what might secure these goals. I argue for the view that lack of freedom to do otherwise undermines the truth of judgments of practical reason. Thus, assuming that determinism expunges alternative possibilities, determinism undercuts the truth of such judgments. I propose, in addition, that if practical reason is associated with various values in a specified way, then determinism precludes such values owing to determinism's imperiling practical reason.

The use of bio-feedback in meditation technique: An innovative combination in psychotherapy

Conclusion The transistorized GSR apparatus is a convenient bio-feedback tool for monitoring the level of anxiety in a patient and for teaching him a simplified and expedient technique of meditation. Furthermore, once a patient attains a state of meditative relaxation, he becomes instantly aware of thoughts and associations that are conflict provoking and tension-building, by the fluctuations in the tone of the GSR. The therapist also becomes simultaneously aware of the significant areas of the patient's psycho-dynamics that need probing. This happens even when he is not verbalizing these thoughts. The therapeutic process is thereby expedited. Where the aim is symptom removal by desensitization, the GSR apparatus is helpful in promoting and measuring relaxation and in determining the subject's reactions to the anxiety-producing imagery used in this procedure.In short, used skillfully, this electronic device can be a valuable feedback instrument in the hands of a competent therapist.