CRITICAL REALISM IN THEORY AND PRACTICE: RESPONSE TO ROBBINS, VAN HUYSSTEEN, AND HEFNER

Abstract. I read Robbins's essay as a hermeneutics of suspicion against the claims of critical realism, especially the tendency of critical realism to achieve correspondence with the world rather than participation in changing it. I read van Huyssteen's essay as an application of critical realism which tends toward correspondence in spite of his correct statement of the theory. I read Hefner's paper as an exposition of both claims and methods capable of conveying truth and genuine knowledge. As such, Hefner's paper illustrates an adequate application of the theory of critical realism and overcomes the suspicion suggested by Robbins.     

Long-term potential for imprinting in ducks and chickens

In the first of five experiments, three of four adult ducks who had been reared in visual isolation gradually developed strong approach responses towards a moving panel of colored lights. Experiment 2 provided evidence that the ducks' approach response reflected the same sort of social attachment that is typically formed to moving objects by newly hatched ducklings. Experiment 3 revealed that the fourth duck would not approach the moving stimulus even after additional exposure to it, but would approach a conspecific after group housing had been enforced for seven days. In Experiment 4, none of five adult chickens who had been reared in visual isolation developed approach responses towards the moving stimulus, even though in Experiment 5, newly hatched chicks approached the stimulus quite readily. Taken together, these findings (a) indicate that ducks retain the ability to form filial-type attachments to novel objects throughout their lives, and (b) offer preliminary evidence that chickens do not retain this ability into adulthood.     

IAN BARBOUR ON RELIGION AND THE METHODS OF SCIENCE: AN ASSESSMENT

Abstract. Two aspects of Ian Barbour's position on the relation between religion and science are considered. First is his preference for comparing religions as a whole to scientific paradigms. It is suggested that the concept of a tradition as defined by Alasdair MacIntyre is more useful than Thomas Kuhn's paradigm. Thus, the Christian tradition could be compared to the Aristotelian or Newtonian scientific traditions. Within traditions, both religious and scientific, we find schools with enough agreement on fundamentals to be designated research programs, as defined by Imre Lakatos; here fruitful comparisons between theology and science are possible. Barbour's critical realism is intended as a compromise between highly rationalistic and sociological accounts of science. However, rationalism and sociology of science are answers to two different sets of questions rather than extremes on a spectrum of answers to the same question. Thus, there is no middle position between them, and no compromise need be found.     

Gay/Lesbian Ordination and the Ontology of the Human Subject

Abstract : Should gay and lesbian persons be ordained? Many anthropological issues are involved in this question: human sexuality, the image of God, and the doctrine of sin. I contend that one of the central—yet unexplored—issues in this debate is the view of the human subject. This article summarizes the non‐ontological anthropologies developed by Wolfhart Pannenberg, Rosemary Ruether, and Mary McClintock Fulkerson. All suggest that subjects are constitutionally related to the world and avoid predicating attributes, such as gender or rationality to supposedly autonomous subjects. These non‐ontological models offer new ways to view the subject, gender, and the debate concerning ordination.     

第二语言获得关键期研究进展

语言获得的关键期是发展心理学的一个重要且有争议的问题。近二十多年来．国外学者对第二语言获得年龄与第二语言的学习速度,第二语言的获得年龄与最后达到水平,第二语言的获得年龄与第二语言的大脑皮质表征和加工的关系等问题进行探讨,得到了复杂的结果。该领域的研究有待进一步控制与年龄相关的变量和认知变量,并将行为和脑功能的研究结合起来．更深入地探讨这一问题。     

县级统计局局长的胜任特征成分研究

胜任特征是与优秀业绩有因果关系的所有个人特征的总和。对27名县级统计局局长的关键事件和行为事件访谈文本转录进行扎根理论分析,开放式译码提取并定义了60个简单译码概念,编制了胜任特征重要性调查问卷并对103位县级统计局局长进行调查,得到59个胜任特征成分,关联译码得到17个类属概念,主轴译码得到4个范畴,即：专业能动性、专业能力、政策水平与法律意识、伦理道德与领导能力。     

重症医生培养新模式：交叉查房

重症患者病情复杂多变,临床医生面临诸多不确定性。不断改善临床思维模式,提高处理临床问题的判断力和决策力,是青年重症医生成长中亟待解决的问题。传统的查房模式在此方面作用有限。为此,探索了一种新的模式—交叉查房。交叉查房是对传统教学查房模式的拓展,由一线医生扮演上级医师的角色承担查房任务,上级医师扮演评价者的角色,对查房的整体过程和关键环节进行把关、纠错和补充,查房结束后通过量化指标对查房效果进行评估。交叉查房作为一种新的训练工具,能有效提高查房质量,是一种值得推广的教学查房模式。

     

AN EASTERN ORTHODOX CRITIQUE OF THE SCIENCE–THEOLOGY DIALOGUE

On the basis of both philosophical arguments and the theological perspectives of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a critique of two beliefs that are common within the mainstream science–theology dialogue is outlined. These relate to critical realism in understanding language usage and to naturalistic perspectives in relation to divine action. While the naturalistic perspectives on the history of the cosmos that are predominant within the dialogue are seen as generally acceptable from an Orthodox perspective, it is argued that they require theological expansion. This expansion suggests an understanding other than the “causal joint” model commonly adopted in relation to “special” divine action. This alternative model renders the distinction between “special” and “general” divine action redundant, and is based on what has been called a “teleological‐Christological” understanding of the cosmos, rooted in the fourth gospel's notion of the divine Logos. The relevance of this critique to scholars outside of the Orthodox community is urged.     

From Nature to Culture? Diogenes and Philosophical Anthropology

This essay is concerned with the central issue of philosophical anthropology: the relation between nature and culture. Although Rousseau was the first thinker to introduce this topic within the modern discourse of philosophy and the cultural sciences, it has its origin in Diogenes the Cynic, who was a disciple of Socrates. In my essay I (1) historically introduce a few aspects of philosophical anthropology, (2) deal with the nature–culture exchange, as introduced in Kant, then I (3) relate this topic to the Ancient Cynic Diogenes. Surprisingly, although we usually identify Critical Theory and Freudian psychoanalysis as theories that have shown that cultural progress should not be comprehended as a development from nature to culture, and that instead it should be conceived as a development from culture against (external as well as internal) nature, I show that Cynicism can be conceived as a vivid example within the history of our culture that reveals a double sense of repression and alienation, which is part of human civilization and mankind.