The Role of Ontology in the Philosophy of Gilles Deleuze

This essay discusses the role of being and ontology in the work of Gilles Deleuze. Starting from an examination of Alain Badiou's ontology and theory of the event, I discuss the possible opposition of being and the event in Deleuze's work. Though famous for his discussions of the univocity of being, Deleuze does discuss the event as that which is not being. Deleuze's theory of the event is similar to that of Badiou in that he considers the event to be extra‐ontological. The essay closes by considering the differences between Deleuze and Badiou on the subject of the event.     

Work-Family Conflict and Work-Related Withdrawal Behaviors

This survey study explored the effects of work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict on withdrawal behaviors at work (family interruptions at work, lateness to work, and absenteeism) among both members of 359 dual-earner couples. Using a systems theory framework, regression analyses revealed significant individual-level and crossover effects for both types of work-family conflict on withdrawal behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications of the study of work-family conflict crossover effects on withdrawal behaviors at work are discussed.     

Side-specificity of olfactory learning in the honeybee: US input side

In honeybees, Apis mellifera L., the proboscis extension reflex (PER) can be conditioned by associating an odor stimulus (CS) with a sucrose reward (US). As the neural structures involved in the detection and integration of CS and US are bilaterally symmetrical in the bee brain, we ask what respective role each brain side plays in the conditioning process. More specifically, the US normally used in conditioning experiments is the compound stimulation of the antennae (which triggers the PER) and of the proboscis (where bees lick the sucrose solution). Anatomically, the brain receives unilateral US input through each antenna, but bilateral input from the proboscis. By controlling each US component, we show that an antenna–US produces unilateral sensitization, whereas a proboscis–US or a compound–US induces bilateral sensitization. Bees can learn a unilateral odor CS with all three USs, but when a proboscis–US is used, new learning is inhibited on the contralateral side, owing to a possible US-preexposure effect. Furthermore, we show that the antenna–US induces both unilateral and bilateral reinforcement processes, whereas the proboscis–US produces only bilateral effects. Based on these data, we propose a functional model of the role of each brain side in processing lateralized CSs and USs in olfactory learning in honeybees.     

Deconstructing ‘Western esotericism’: on Wouter Hanegraaff's Esotericism and the Academy

This paper discusses a number of consequences that – although not always intended by the author – can be drawn from the radically historicist approach adopted by Wouter J. Hanegraaff in his monograph Esotericism and the Academy. These consequences are the atomization of ‘esotericism’ into a disparate range of ideas, practices, and currents with few if any shared elements; a better approximation to contemporary anthropological views of culture and cultural innovation; a focus on polemical strategies rather than substantive contents and a concomitant possibility of cross-cultural comparison; a reluctance to engage with theories of broader scope; and a vacillation between seeing ‘esotericism’ as merely a waste-basket category and attempting nonetheless to salvage a minimal substantive definition.     

The Conflicting Demands of Work,Family, and School Among Students at an Urban University

The effects of perceived effectiveness of university support services and general satisfaction with the educational experience on conflicting demands of work, family, and school were investigated in a study of 375 undergraduate and graduate students at an urban university. Results demonstrated a negative relationship between perceived effectiveness of support services and the degree of work-school role conflict experienced by participants. Furthermore, satisfaction with educational experience was negatively related to work-school conflict. No other significant effects were found.     

Measuring Spiritual Fitness: Atheist Military Personnel,Veterans, and Civilians

This study investigated the impact of transcendent item phrasing (i.e., phrasing which assumes the respondent believes in certain sacred or supernatural concepts) on the validity of the U.S. Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) program’s spiritual fitness scale when administered to atheist military personnel, veterans, and civilians. Results indicated that the inclusion of transcendent phrasing led to reduced concurrent validity for the spiritual fitness scale when administered to atheist military personnel and veterans, reduced concurrent and predictive validity when administered to atheists’ but not Christians’ spiritual fitness. Notably, the removal of transcendent phrasing actually led to increased concurrent validity for Christian respondents. Taken together, these findings suggest the Revised scale, which is composed of items that do not rely on transcendent phrasing, produces better psychometric outcomes for both atheist and Christian respondents. Implications for the CSF program and the measurement of spiritual fitness are addressed.