The New Darwinian Naturalism in Political Theory

There has been a resurgence of Darwinian naturalism in political theory, as manifested in the recent work of political scientists such as Roger D. Masters, Robert J. McShea, and James Q. Wilson. They belong to an intellectual tradition that includes not only Charles Darwin but also Aristotle and David Hume. Although most political scientists believe Darwinian social theory has been refuted, their objections rest on three false dichotomies: facts versus values, nature versus freedom, and nature versus nurture. Rejecting these dichotomies would allow the social sciences to be linked to the natural sciences through Darwinian biology.     

Delay reduction and optimal foraging: variable-ratio search in a foraging analogue.

The present study investigated conditions under which the conditioned reinforcement principles of delay-reduction theory and views based on simple maximization of reinforcement rate make ordinally opposing predictions with respect to foraging-related choice behavior. The use of variable-ratio schedules in the choice phase also represents an extension of delay-reduction theory to schedules that may better mimic the effort involved in searching. Pigeons responded on modified concurrent-chains schedules in which equal variable-ratio schedules led to unequal variable-interval outcomes and unequal reinforcer amounts. All 4 subjects completed a minimum of two replications of conditions for which the predictions of delay-reduction theory and a simple rate-maximizing theory were opposed. Results were consistent with delay reduction's ordinal predictions in 11 of 11 replications of the divergent predictions favoring the smaller, more immediate alternative. The predictions of rate maximization were upheld only when they were consistent with those of delay reduction. Results are discussed in terms of conditioned reinforcement, sensitivity to reductions in delay to food, and possible rules of thumb that may be useful in characterizing foraging.     

RESPONSE WITH A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

In this response to the articles in this issue, Southgate considers lessons to be learned in respect of science–religion teaching, and about his edited textbook God, Humanity and the Cosmos. He emphasizes the importance of collaborative work in theology. He then considers issues in evolutionary theodicy raised by other contributors, especially eschatology, divine passibility, and the status of the “only way” explanation of evolutionary suffering. Lastly, he engages with critiques of his work based on a preference for characterizing the disvalues of creation in terms of “mysterious fallenness.” The article is followed by a select bibliography of his published work since 1979.     

The Relevance of Tillich for the Theology and Science Dialogue

This paper explores the relevance of the theology of Paul Tillich for the contemporary dialogue with the natural sciences. The focus is on his Systematic Theology , volume I. First I discuss the general relevance of Tillich's methodology (namely, the method of correlation) for that dialogue, stressing that a genuine dialogue requires cognitive input from both sides and that both sides find "value added" according to their own criteria (or what I call the method of "mutual creative interaction"). Then I move specifically to a Tillichian theological analysis of twentieth-century theoretical science and its empirical discoveries, including Big Bang, inflationary, and quantum cosmologies, quantum physics, thermodynamics, chaos and complexity, and molecular and evolutionary biology, suggesting how they relate to such Tillichian themes as finitude and the categories of being and knowing (time, space, causality, and substance) and to Tillich's understanding of such symbols as God, freedom and destiny, creation, and estrangement. In doing so, my intention is to provide a point of departure for further extended analyses of Tillich's theology in relation to contemporary natural science.     

A Mere Idea

In response to Khin Zaw's pragmatic model of reason, I argue for a normative,Kantian account in which reason actively impels thought andunderstanding towards transcendental ideals. Reason is neither constructedout of what is ready to hand, nor imposes moral laws from a transhistorical content. Reason's role is to provide the formof our ideas of the good in accordance with which we may shape thecontent in any particular culture. I argue that the well-rehearseddebate between nature and culture cannot be advanced without recourseto metaphysics. Since metaphysics in transcendental, not transcendent,what emerges from metaphysics must be revealed, interrogated andcriticised, never assumed.     

‘Born Sinners’ Striving for Perfection: Criteria for the Construction of a Contemporary Lutheran Theology of Original Sin

Abstract : This essay aims to identify some criteria Lutheran theology must meet when working towards a new construction of human imperfection. It must be contextual and open towards a dialogue with disciplines seeking knowledge of human nature. Theology must take evil and suffering seriously, while still recognizing humanity's ability to make life better. It must affirm that not only human nature, but also human culture needs transformation.     

A probabilistic model of semantic plausibility in sentence processing

Experimental research shows that human sentence processing uses information from different levels of linguistic analysis, for example, lexical and syntactic preferences as well as semantic plausibility. Existing computational models of human sentence processing, however, have focused primarily on lexico-syntactic factors. Those models that do account for semantic plausibility effects lack a general model of human plausibility intuitions at the sentence level. Within a probabilistic framework, we propose a wide-coverage model that both assigns thematic roles to verb–argument pairs and determines a preferred interpretation by evaluating the plausibility of the resulting ( verb , role , argument ) triples. The model is trained on a corpus of role-annotated language data. We also present a transparent integration of the semantic model with an incremental probabilistic parser. We demonstrate that both the semantic plausibility model and the combined syntax/semantics model predict judgment and reading time data from the experimental literature.     

HOLISTIC BIOLOGY: WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT MATTERS

Recent developments toward a more holistic biology do not eliminate reductionism and determinism, but they do suggest more complex forms of them, in which there are multiple, interacting influences, as there are in complex or chaotic systems. Though there is a place in biology for both systemic and atomistic modes of explanation, for those with a theological perspective the shift to complex explanations in biology is often welcome. It suggests a more subtle view of divine action in which God's purposes are affected through engagement with the complex systems of creation rather than by discrete interventions. It also invites us to connect the biological interdependence with the interdependence in the nature and purposes of God, and it is consonant with a mystical vision of the unity of all things.     

情节记忆中的前摄干扰：神经心理药物学及计算认知建模研究

记忆障碍患者的前摄干扰敏感性显著上升, 但其认知机制仍不清楚。结合神经心理药物学实验和计算认知建模方法对这一问题进行了研究。实验为被试内、双盲设计, 由健康成年人进行两次词对任务的学习, 间隔一周, 两次测试中或注射0.03 mg/kg体重咪唑安定或注射相同浓度的生理盐水。学习过程中及学习结束后进行测试, 要求被试根据线索词回忆靶词。实验结果发现, 注射咪唑安定可引起情节记忆的短时下降, 两种注射条件下均呈现明显的前摄干扰; 与生理盐水条件相比, 注射咪唑安定时引起的前摄干扰显著较高。基于SAC (Source of Action Confusion)的计算认知建模结果较好地拟合了实验数据。这一结果提示, 编码困难可能是记忆障碍患者前摄干扰敏感性较高的主要原因。     

马克思生态人性观初探

马克思关于人是对象性的存在物,人是同自然界完成了的本质的统一,自然界的真正复活等思想,蕴涵着一种生态人性意蕴。深入挖掘马克思这一生态人性思想,对完善人类自我、深入研究生态伦理、应对生态危机的挑战具有重要的现实意义。