AN ARISTOTELIAN ACCOUNT OF VIRTUE ETHICS: AN ESSAY IN MORAL TAXONOMY

Abstract:  I argue that a virtue ethics takes virtue to be more basic than rightness and at least as basic as goodness. My account is Aristotelian because it avoids the excessive inclusivity of Martha Nussbaum's account and the deficient inclusivity of Gary Watson's account. I defend the account against the objection that Aristotle does not have a virtue ethics by its lights, and conclude with some remarks on moral taxonomy.     

CATECHIZING THE HEAD AND THE HEART: AN INTEGRATED MODEL FOR CONFIRMATION MINISTRY

In catechesis for adolescents seeking confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church, a dualistic bias unconsciously dichotomizes objective doctrine and subjective psychology. This is problematic because if a catechist does not communicate mind‐independent truth, no seed of Catholic faith will have been planted in a student. At the same time, if a catechist does not affirm a student's subjectivity, the seed cannot find receptive soil. I believe the key to integrating these intellectual and affective elements – the head and the heart – lies in the link between what Bernard Lonergan calls authentic subjectivity and objectivity. Catechists can appeal to this link by embracing the moral responsibility to ‘know our knowing,’ becoming aware of our dualistic bias and judging our faith experiences according to objective standards of knowledge.     

The Effects of NAFTA-Driven Relocations on Organizations of the United States and Mexico

Currently, many corporations in Mexico and the United States are experiencing dramatic growth directly related to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Because many corporate activities are being shifted across borders, some companies are inclined to relocate managers frequently. These policies could be unfavorably considered by employees, therefore jeopardizing their Job satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to study the use of relocation as a method for improving management performance.     

An investigation into the factor structure of the General Aptitude Test Battery

The General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), a 12-test battery purporting to measure nine occupation-related aptitudes, is one of the most widely used test batteries in the field of job selection. Despite its widespread use, however, little research has been carried out to investigate its factorial assumptions. The present study looks at the factorial structure of the GATB based on a large Irish sample. The results indicate that the GATB does not adequately measure nine specific underlying aptitudes, but four, more general, higher order aptitudes.     

The effect of variations in answer-sheet format on aptitude test performance

Three different answer sheets were used in the administration of the General Aptitude Test Battery to groups of young adults (n = 302). The answer sheets, designed for use with different brands of Optical Mark Reader, varied in the shape of the response space. A two-factor, repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between subtests and type of answer sheet. Further analyses showed that performance on ‘speed’ tests was affected by the format of answer sheet used, whereas performance on mainly ‘power’ tests was not. The implications of the results for testing practice are discussed.     

The Non-conceptual Content of Perceptual Experience: Situation Dependence and Fineness of Grain

I begin by examining a recent debate between John McDowell and Christopher Peacocke over whether the content of perceptual experience is non-conceptual. Although I am sympathetic to Peacocke's claim that perceptual content is non-conceptual, I suggest a number of ways in which his arguments fail to make that case. This failure stems from an over-emphasis on the "fine-grainedness" of perceptual content -a feature that is relatively unimportant to its non-conceptual structure. I go on to describe two other features of perceptual experience that are more likely to be relevant to the claim that perceptual content is non-conceptual. These features are 1) the dependence of a perceived object on the perceptual context in which it is perceived and 2) the dependence of a perceived property on the object it is perceived to be a property of.     

SOCIAL CAPITAL & FAITH‐BASED ORGANISATIONS

This year is the twentieth anniversary of the germinal report ‘Faith in the City’ which first drew attention to the concerns of religious agencies whose remit is to tackle growing multiple deprivation in the UK. Since then, the role of faith‐based organisations (FBOs) as mediators of welfare provision, urban regeneration and community development has attracted little attention from sociologists despite claims that such roles are becoming increasingly important. Successive UK governments have highlighted the potential of religious congregations in enhancing social capital and promoting social cohesion. The seminal work of Greg Smith (University of East London) emphasises this theme while other sociological literature in this area (mainly American, e.g., Putnam) argues that FBOs in the community provide a degree of social support and relationship structures that accumulate as social capital resources. This discussion paper is an attempt to open up the debate on the ways in which FBOs can develop and enhance the social capital value of local community groups.