Individual differences in harm-related moral values are associated with functional integration of large-scale brain networks of emotional regulation

Emotions affects moral judgements, and controlled cognitive processes regulate those emotional responses during moral decision making. However, the neurobiological basis of this interaction is unclear. We used a graph theory measurement called participation coefficient (‘PC’) to quantify the resting-state functional connectivity within and between four meta-analytic groupings (MAGs) associated with emotion generation and regulation, to test whether that measurement predicts individual differences in moral foundations-based values. We found that the PC of one of the MAGs (MAG2) was positively correlated with one of the five recognized moral foundations–the one based on harm avoidance. We also found that increased inter-module connectivity between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and middle temporal gyrus with other nodes in the four MAGs was likewise associated with higher endorsement of the Harm foundation. These results suggest that individuals' sensitivity to harm is associated with functional integration of large-scale brain networks of emotional regulation. These findings add to our knowledge of how individual variations in our moral values could be reflected by intrinsic brain network organization and deepen our understanding of the relationship between emotion and cognition during evaluations of moral values.     

The Transformation of Chinese Cultural Images of the Plague through Chinese Characters,Legends and Folkways1

The human experience of survival from a plague is about distinguishing the sick from the healthy as quickly as possible, establishing a barrier to stop the infection, and protecting healthy people. Nevertheless, the various quarantine rules and the acceptance and compliance of the population are a kind of battle between policy implementers and the public. This paper tries to understand how Chinese cultural attitudes (Henderson, 1984) unconsciously influence the Chinese people to be most cooperative with the strict containment and quarantine measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. This article begins with the Chinese characters, exemplified by the four characters of disease and plague, to discuss how the pictograph nature and spatial structural way profoundly shaped the cultural mind. Then, through plague-related Chinese legends, stories and folklore, the paper sets out the Chinese cultural attitudes which are also manifested in the analogical associations between disease, plague and seasons, the balance of the five elements of the universe and ghosts, gods and the government bureaucrats in the Kingdom of the Heaven. All of these approaches are well in line with Jung’s method of associative amplification as a way to locate the archetypal wisdom that assures survival.     

Mixture-modelling-based Bayesian MH-RM algorithm for the multidimensional 4PLM

Several recent works have tackled the estimation issue for the unidimensional four-parameter logistic model (4PLM). Despite these efforts, the issue remains a challenge for the multidimensional 4PLM (M4PLM). Fu et al. (2021) proposed a Gibbs sampler for the M4PLM, but it is time-consuming. In this paper, a mixture-modelling-based Bayesian MH-RM (MM-MH-RM) algorithm is proposed for the M4PLM to obtain the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimates. In a comparison of the MM-MH-RM algorithm to the original MH-RM algorithm, two simulation studies and an empirical example demonstrated that the MM-MH-RM algorithm possessed the benefits of the mixture-modelling approach and could produce more robust estimates with guaranteed convergence rates and fast computation. The MATLAB codes for the MM-MH-RM algorithm are available in the online appendix.     

The Duality of American Christian Nationalism: Religious Traditionalism versus Christian Statism

While posited as a unified ideology, Christian Nationalism (CN) actually contains two distinct views of what it means to be a “Christian Nation”—one which envisions a Christian civil society separate from the profanities of politics, what we call “Religious Traditionalism.” The other envisions a Christian federal government where power is wielded exclusively by ethno-religious insiders, or “Christian Statism.” Multiple waves of two national surveys confirm that current measures of CN contain these two factors, which have become increasingly divergent in the past 20 years. In addition, we find that Christian Statism predicts nativism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and racial distrust while Religious Traditionalism, in most instances, predicts the opposite. Historically, Religious Traditionalists have always sought to influence civil society and focused mainly on family/sexual issues. But a different brand of CN has emerged, wherein all federal and state authority should rightfully and exclusively belong to Christian Statists.     

性自由及其限度

性的自由和解放是人的自由解放的重要组成部分,性自由权利是人权的一部分.但是性自由的权利不是无条件的、随心所欲的,而是一定社会规则限定下的人们的自觉自主活动.性自由必须在法律的界限内实现,且必须承担由此而带来的道德责任.     

关于先秦齐国是我国职业教育思想策源地的论证

本文在春秋时期齐国齐桓公和管仲的经济政治改革中相伴产生了“四民分业”的社会职业教育思想,这是据现有文献记载的中国最早的比较全面系统而深刻的社会职业教育思想,有很强的时代和自身的特色,对后世的职业教育产生了深远的影响。从中可以看出当时先进国家中,教育是如何为富国强兵的政策服务的。     

认识检验之旅——中国古代认识真理性检验标准思想探析

中国古代关于认识真理性检验标准的思想可以大致归纳为四种主要观点。先秦及汉代的唯物主义思想家已经有了把感觉经验和行为效果作为检验认识真理性标准的思想;古代唯心主义思想家则坚持无客观标准论,他们要么直接坚持主观标准论,要么认为根本无是非标准可言;宋、明、清时期的一些唯物主义哲学家提出并坚持以客观事物或事实作为检验认识真理性的标准;与此不同,王廷相、王夫之、颜元等人则提出“行”标准说,这种颇具光辉的哲学思想,使中国古代关于认识真理性检验标准思想的探讨大大前进了一步。     

论齐法家思想中国际法萌芽

春秋战国时期是第一个大变局时期。在政治格局上,亲缘政治开始瓦解而地缘政治开始兴起。诸侯国兴起,春秋的历史基本上都是围绕着“争霸”这个主题展开的:制度改革、学术争鸣以及兼并战争。齐法家在春秋时期通过一系列主张帮助齐国在争霸中强大起来。笔者认为,其主张中已经包含接近现代国际法的国际法理念。齐法家思想中的国际法要素主要体现在齐国主持的历次会盟的盟约,以及齐法家的代表人物的外交活动中所遵循的原则中,本文着重从这两个方面展开论述。     

论道家学派的音乐审美意识

道家学派理论面对忧患强调“天人合一”和解脱,因而具有浓郁的审美意识倾向。道家学派对“道”的体认也体现在对音乐本质的理解上。审美主体伴随着质态不尽相同的音乐过程,依次连缀形成“有声之乐”、“无怠之声”和“天乐”这三个层面的心理过程流时,这样的音乐才是老子所谓的“大音”,才是道家学派理想中的音乐。     

开放的正义域、否定性标准与个人自由——哈耶克的正义观析论

哈耶克主张规则正义,反对结果正义,反对假“社会正义”之名行“分配正义”之实,进而导向平均分配的泥沼。正义的作用仅在于它为个人行动提供了否定性价值标准。正义只能告诉人们不能做什么,而不能指示人们必须做什么,特别是它不能成为人类认识未知领域的行动准则,这就在逻辑上为个人自由行动提供了一个开放的正义域。他反对把正义作为行为的价值观念,因为对个体行为的正义性施以道德判断会束缚人的自由。