Book reviews

Time's Arrow and Archimedes’ Point: New Directions for the Physics of Time Huw PRICE, 1996 New York, Oxford University Press xiii + 306 pp. SCAN 37.00 (hardcover) ISBN 0–19–510095–6

Mental Reality GALEN STRAWSON, 1994 Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press xiv + 337 pp., S37.50 (cloth), $17.50 (paper) ISBN 0–262–19352–3 (paper)

The Rule of Reason: The Philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce JACQUELINE BRUNNING & PAUL FORSTER, Eds, 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press 316 pp., $80.00 (hardcover), $24.95 (paperback) ISBN 0–8020–0829–1 (cloth), ISBN 0–8020–7819–2 (paper)

Scientific Knowledge: A Sociological Approach BARRY BARNES, DAVID BLOOR & JOHN HENRY, 1996 Chicago, University of Chicago Press xvi + 230 pp., ISBN 0–226–03730–4 (cloth), 0–226–03713–2 (paperback)

The Scientific Revolution STEVEN SHAPIN, 1996 Chicago, University of Chicago Press x + 218 pp., ISBN 0–226–75020–5 (cloth), 0–226–75021–3 (paperback)     

Themes of Agency and Communion In Significant Autobiographical Scenes

ABSTRACT In three studies employing over 350 community adults and college students, participants wrote or told narratives of personally important scenes in their lives. The autobiographical accounts were coded for themes of agency and communion, the two general content dimensions in lives and life stories that have been identified by many theorists and researchers. The four agentic themes of self-mastery, status, achievement/responsibility, and empowerment were positively associated with Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) measures of achievement and power motivation, self-report scales of dominance and achievement, and personal strivings concerning being successful and feeling strong. Similarly, the four communal themes of love/friendship, dialogue, care/help, and community were positively associated with intimacy motivation, needs for affiliation and nurturance, and personal strivings concerned with warm and close relationships. The results suggest a thematic coherence in personality across the arenas of key autobiographical memories, social motives, and daily goals.     

An economical,humane, and effective method for short—term suppression of hand mouthing

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a serious health hazard, especially among individuals with severe and profound mental retardation, sometimes leading to drastic therapeutic measures. Environments in which there are long periods with minimal opportunities for constructive activity are conducive to the development of SIB, but even highly motivated, hard-working caregivers sometimes have difficulty providing sufficient personal interactions to prevent it. In this case study, one person's self-injurious hand mouthing was significantly reduced by analyzing her toy play and consistently providing her with preferred toys. The results showed that careful and consistent attention to assuring that preferred materials are available for self-entertainment may be an effective and efficient method for managing some cases of SIB during times when other activities and treatments are unavailable.     

THINKING ABOUT RELIGION AND EXPERIENCING THE BRAIN: EUGENE D'AQUILI'S BIOGENETIC STRUCTURAL THEORY OF ABSOLUTE UNITARY BEING

Abstract. Religious experiences, including mystical states and experience of the divine, are the ultimate reality of human existence that demand an account. Eugene d'Aquili weaves together that account using paradigms of thought which historically have made mutually exclusive claims about the nature of religious experience. While pointing out the deficiencies of the theory from a narrowly scientific point of view, this paper recognizes that neuroscience, or any other solitary discipline, is incompetent to explain religion. This paper emphasizes the significance and truth of d'Aquili's holistic theory, a religious vision which itself explains science and philosophy.     

A split-screen electronic messaging system for Apple II computers

A method is described for configuring an Apple II+ or Apple IIe computer to create a multiuser, multiwindowed, electronic messaging system for use in computer-mediated communication research.     

Neural and Pavlovian influences on immunity

The traditional view that the nervous and immune systems are functionally independent (aside from general stress effects and autoimmune disorders of the nervous system) is being challenged by a new view that the nervous system regulates the activity of the immune system. If this is true, it should be possible to change the activity of the immune system by means of Pavlovian conditioning, just as it is possible to condition other physiological events influenced by the autonomic nervous system or neuroendocrine substances. Evidence for autonomic and neuroendocrine modulation of immune activity is briefly reviewed; and, the various studies reporting conditioned immune effects, the physiological mechanisms most likely involved, and their possible significance are discussed.     

Conversion and the Family: Chinese Hare Krishnas

The multi-cultural and multi-religious context of the globalised world often results in unlikely interactions between the triad of people, cultures, and religion. The result may be that people embrace divergent systems of beliefs. This article explores the dynamics of such interaction within the private domain of the family, when ethnic Chinese adopt an alien faith, that of the Hare Krishna. Four typologies of interactions between convert and family members are proposed, ranging from the most volatile to the most harmonious. These are categorised as contentious, neutral, accommodative, and supportive. The combinations of factors that lead to each type of interaction, such as family–convert relationship, religious identity of family member, residence of the convert, family members’ perception of the Hare Krishna, and the extent of external practices adopted by the converts, are discussed. In particular, qualitative comparative analysis is applied to investigate how these variables combine to lead to each typology.     

Infinitesimal Knowledges

Axiomathes - The notion of indivisibles and atoms arose in ancient Greece. The continuum—that is, the collection of points in a straight line segment, appeared to have paradoxical properties,...