Why modal fictionalism is not self-defeating

Gideon Rosen’s [1990 Modal fictionalism. Mind, 99, 327–354] Modal Fictionalist aims to secure the benefits of realism about possible-worlds, whilst avoiding commitment to the existence of any world other than our own. Rosen [1993 A problem for fictionalism about possible worlds. Analysis, 53, 71–81] and Stuart Brock [1993 Modal fictionalism: A response to Rosen. Mind, 102, 147–150] both argue that fictionalism is self-defeating since the fictionalist is tacitly committed to the existence of a plurality of worlds. In this paper, I develop a new strategy for the fictionalist to pursue in response to the Brock–Rosen objection. I begin by arguing that modal fictionalism is best understood as a paraphrase strategy that concerns the propositions that are expressed, in a given context, by modal sentences. I go on to argue that what is interesting about paraphrastic fictionalism is that it allows the fictionalist to accept that the sentence ‘there is a plurality of worlds’ is true without thereby committing her to the existence of a plurality of worlds. I then argue that the paraphrastic fictionalist can appeal to a form of semantic contextualism in order to communicate her status as an anti-realist. Finally, I generalise my conception of fictionalism and argue that Daniel Nolan and John O’Leary-Hawthorne [1996 Reflexive fictionalisms. Analysis, 56, 26–32] are wrong to suggest that the Brock-Rosen objection reveals a structural flaw with all species of fictionalism.

接纳与承诺疗法的理论背景、实证研究与未来发展

接纳与承诺疗法(Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, ACT)于上世纪90年代初由美国治疗师Steven C. Hayes提出。作为基于正念技术的第三代行为治疗理论之一, 该疗法以功能情境主义为哲学基础, 立足于人类认知和语言基本性质的实证研究, 旨在通过平衡接纳与改变来提高心理灵活性。临床研究已证明其在相当广泛的临床问题上都取得了良好效果, 并在与CBT等传统疗法的对比中展现优势。ACT的临床效果和技术细节可做进一步研究, 该疗法与CBT的融合及其在临床领域之外的应用也是未来的研究方向。     

Propositions, Sets, and Worlds

If we agree with Michael Jubien that propositions do not exist, while accepting the existence of abstract sets in a realist mathematical ontology, then the combined effect of these ontological commitments has surprising implications for the metaphysics of modal logic, the ontology of logically possible worlds, and the controversy over modal realism versus actualism. Logically possible worlds as maximally consistent proposition sets exist if sets generally exist, but are equivalently expressed as maximally consistent conjunctions of the same propositions in corresponding sets. A conjunction of propositions, even if infinite in extent, is nevertheless itself a proposition. If sets and hence proposition sets exist but propositions do not exist, then whether or not modal realism is true depends on which of two apparently equivalent methods of identifying, representing, or characterizing logically possible worlds we choose to adopt. I consider a number of reactions to the problem, concluding that the best solution may be to reject the conventional model set theoretical concept of logically possible worlds as maximally consistent proposition sets, and distinguishing between the actual world alone as maximally consistent and interpreting all nonactual merely logically possible worlds as submaximal. I am grateful to the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), for supporting this among related research projects in philosophical logic and philosophy of mathematics during my Resident Research Fellowship in 2005-2006.     

PERCEPTIONS OF TRUST AND EMPLOYEES’ ATTITUDES: A LOOK AT NIGERIA’S AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORKERS

This study examined the attitude reactions to trust among coworkers and between employees and management. Sample included 296 extension personnel drawn from two Agricultural Development Programs in southwest Nigeria. Exploratory principal component factor analysis showed that the perceptions of trust have the dimensions of: management-affective, coworkers-affective, management-cognitive, and coworkers-cognitive. Based on a hierarchical regression procedure, coworkers-cognitive trust was unrelated to group cohesion and affective commitment, and coworkers-affective, management-affective and -cognitive trusts were related to cohesion and affective commitment. Quit intentions was predicted by coworkers-cognitive, management-affective and -cognitive trusts, and not by coworkers-affective trust. Implications of the results are discussed.I would like to appreciate the efforts of Helen Asishana and T. Amore during the data collection phase of this study. Also, the author wishes to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.     

Poisoning the Well

In this paper it is shown is that although poisoning the well has generally been treated as a species of ad hominem fallacy, when you try to analyze the fallacy using ad hominem schemes, even by supplementing with related schemes like argument from position to know, the analysis ultimately fails. The main argument of the paper is taken up with proving this negative claim by applying these schemes to examples of arguments associated with the fallacy of poisoning the well. Although there is a positive finding in this quest, in that poisoning the well is shown to be based on and associated with these forms of argument in interesting ways, the paper in the end is led to the conclusion that the fallacy is irreducibly dialectical. Poisoning the well is thus analyzed as a tactic to silence an opponent violating her right to put forward arguments on an issue both parties have agreed to discuss at the confrontation stage of a critical discussion. It is concluded that it is a special form of strategic attack used by one party in the argumentation stage of a critical discussion to improperly shut down the capability of the other party for putting forward arguments of the kind needed to properly move the discussion forward.     

New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory

ABSTRACT— Goal-setting theory is summarized regarding the effectiveness of specific, difficult goals; the relationship of goals to affect; the mediators of goal effects; the relation of goals to self-efficacy; the moderators of goal effects; and the generality of goal effects across people, tasks, countries, time spans, experimental designs, goal sources (i.e., self-set, set jointly with others, or assigned), and dependent variables. Recent studies concerned with goal choice and the factors that influence it, the function of learning goals, the effect of goal framing, goals and affect (well-being), group goal setting, goals and traits, macro-level goal setting, and conscious versus subconscious goals are described. Suggestions are given for future research.     

学校组织气氛对教师组织承诺的预测效应

问卷调查410名北京市中学教师,探讨了学校组织气氛对教师组织承诺的影响.结果表明:修订的《学校组织气氛问卷》是可靠而有效的适用于中学教师组织气氛相关研究的工具;在持续承诺维度上,本科学历的教师显著高于硕士学历的教师,高级职称的教师非常显著地高于中教二级的教师;所教学生人数的多少与情感承诺、规范承诺有显著的正相关;在控制了人口统计学变量之后,分层回归和优势分析发现:支持行为、同事行为和疏远行为对预测情感承诺做出了新的贡献,支持行为的贡献更大;支持行为和亲密行为对预测规范承诺做出了新贡献,支持行为的贡献更大;亲密行为能预测持续承诺.     

组织管理诚信与组织承诺之关系研究

本研究的主要目的乃探讨组织管理诚信的内涵及现状;揭示组织管理诚信与组织承诺之关系。通过文献分析和问卷调查,研究者发现:组织管理诚信行为主要包含诚实、守信、诚直和精诚四个方面的内容;员工对当前组织管理的评价总体趋向于诚信,其中对守信因子的评价最高,对诚直因子的评价最低;组织管理诚信对组织承诺存在着积极的影响。     

供应链伙伴间的信任、承诺对合作绩效的影响

本文通过问卷调查的方式探讨供应链伙伴间的信任、关系承诺对合作绩效的影响。研究结果显示组织信任、个人信任与合作绩效存在正相关关系,组织信任通过关系承诺对合作绩效的间接影响明显高于其直接影响,个人信任通过关系承诺对合作绩效的间接影响明显不及其直接影响。     

Contexts of the commitment–citizenship link: A test of economic volatility in a dual organization setting

Research interest on the commitment–performance link persists, and recent efforts have focused on investigating the contextual factors due to the mixed outcome of the empirical studies. However, very limited study has examined the influence of economic factors including economic volatility, and none in the dual setting of the organization and the union. This study investigated the contextual influence of perceived inflation—an economic volatility construct—on commitment and extra-role performance. Exchange theory, with support from psychological contract and equity theories, was used to postulate two parallel, but competing models of the organization and the union. Using a sample of 247 unionized employees in southern U.S.A., the study tested the moderating effect of perceived inflation on the relation between commitment and citizenship intent. The results revealed three-way interactive effects in both models, in a dual commitment setting. Thus, the economic volatility construct acts as a situational constraint on the link between the attitudinal-based commitments and citizenship intent, but in the contexts of obligation and cost-based commitments to the organization and the union respectively. The implications of these mitigated effects are discussed.