The Evolution of Animal Play, Emotions, and Social Morality: On Science, Theology, Spirituality, Personhood, and Love

My essay first takes me into the arena in which science, spirituality, and theology meet. I comment on the enterprise of science and how scientists could well benefit from reciprocal interactions with theologians and religious leaders. Next, I discuss the evolution of social morality and the ways in which various aspects of social play behavior relate to the notion of “behaving fairly.” The contributions of spiritual and religious perspectives are important in our coming to a fuller understanding of the evolution of morality. I go on to discuss animal emotions, the concept of personhood, and how our special relationships with other animals, especially the companions with whom we share our homes, help us to define our place in nature, our humanness. It is when we take the life of another being in the ritual of compassionately euthanizing them (“putting them to sleep”) that who we are in the grand scheme of things comes to the fore. I end with a discussion of the importance of ethological studies, behavioral research in which a serious attempt is made to understand animals in their own worlds, inquiries in which it is asked, “What is it like to be another species?” Species other than nonhuman primates need to be studied. I plead for developing compassionate, heartfelt, and holistic science that allows for interdisciplinary talk about respect, grace, spirituality, religion, love, Earth, and God.     

A Pragma-Dialectical Analysis of the Inquisition

Disagreement space consists of all the commitments and understandings required for an utterance to take on its discourse function. These are virtual standpoints that can be called out for explicit argumentation. This paper shows how the Inquisition systematically controlled disagreement space, preventing some apparently important standpoints from ever being argued about, and requiring attention to others that may not have initially seemed relevant. This control of disagreement space constituted violation of the rules for critical discussion. The essay suggests that the idea of disagreement space be slightly enlarged, to show the distinctions among virtual, possible, and actual disagreement spaces. The Inquisition's extra-argumentative power is what permitted its specification of the possible disagreement space. The analysis suggests that pragma-dialectics may have application in the criticism and analysis of social institutions.     

Walton's Argumentation Schemes for Presumptive Reasoning: A Critique and Development

The aim of the paper is to advance the theory of argument or inference schemes by suggesting answers to questions raised by Walton's Argumentation Schemes for Presumptive Reasoning (1996), specifically on: the relation between argument and reasoning; distinguishing deductive from presumptive schemes, the origin of schemes and the probative force of their use; and the motivation and justification for their associated critical questions.     

PERSONAL ATTACHMENT TO BELIEFS

Abstract: There is a tendency in philosophical discussions to see beliefs as belonging to specific people—to see things in terms of “your” belief, or “my” belief, or “Smith's” belief. I call this “personal attachment to beliefs.” This mindset is unconscious, deeply ingrained, and a powerful background stance in discussion and thinking. Attachment has a negative impact on the quality of philosophical discussion and learning: difficulties in acknowledging error and changing beliefs, blindness to new evidence, difficulties in understanding new ideas, entrenchment in views, rancorous behavior, and the encouragement of competitive personal contests rather than collaborative searches for the truth. This article investigates the nature of attachment and traces out some of the undesirable consequences for classroom philosophical discussion, thinking, writing, and learning. It presents an alternative model to attachment and offers constructive suggestions for implementing the results of the investigation in the philosophy classroom and elsewhere.     

A Qualitative Systematic Review of Youth Participatory Action Research Implementation in U.S. High Schools

This qualitative systematic review examined the context-specific factors that influence the implementation of youth participatory action research (YPAR) projects in high schools within the United States. Thematic synthesis was conducted to identify and analyze the YPAR implementation factors that were present in 38 peer-reviewed studies. Results indicate the following two analytic themes concerning YPAR implementation in high schools: (a) pedagogical strategies and (b) stakeholder dynamics and needs. The themes provide support for existing ecological frameworks of implementation factors and demonstrate that adult researchers’ project-specific decisions are nested within educational power structures. This paper will discuss the implications of these YPAR implementation themes in executing YPAR projects in high schools.     

用人单位视角下医学本科毕业生的质量调查与研究——以大连医科大学临床医学专业为例

通过对我校2008届、2009届本科毕业生的质量跟踪调查,客观地分析了用人单位对我校毕业生的具体评价。通过与《柳叶刀》杂志上关于新世纪医学卫生人才培养标准的比较,分析了当前我校医学毕业生尚存的种种问题,进一步提出了加强我校医学教育的建议和对策：强化医学生临床实践技能,开发医学生批判性思维,提高医学生科研能力水平,重视医学生人文素养。     

Positive organizational behavior and safety in the offshore oil industry: Exploring the determinants of positive safety climate

Much research has now documented the substantial influence of safety climate on a range of important outcomes in safety critical organizations, but there has been scant attention to the question of what factors might be responsible for positive or negative safety climate. The present paper draws from positive organizational behavior theory to test workplace and individual factors that may affect safety climate. Specifically, we explore the potential influence of authentic leadership style and psychological capital on safety climate and risk outcomes. Across two samples of offshore oil-workers and seafarers working on oil platform supply ships, structural equation modeling yielded results that support a model in which authentic leadership exerts a direct effect on safety climate, as well as an indirect effect via psychological capital. This study shows the importance of leadership qualities as well as psychological factors in shaping a positive work safety climate and lowering the risk of accidents.     

Theoretical frameworks for working with harder to reach families: lines,curlicues, and spirals: comment on Donovan and Pocock

This article comments on the Donovan and Pocock articles appearing in this issue, both of which address the evolution of theory and practice in family therapy. An emphasis is placed on the importance of integration and a shared philosophy of theory and practice in our current political and economic managed care climate, in which it is critically important to embrace the integrated and chaotic whole of what is happening in theory and in practice.     

The impact of object weight,reach distance,discomfort and muscle activation on the location of preferred critical boundary during a seated reaching task

Successful performance of a goal-directed action requires the prospective actor to perceive the environment relative to their action capabilities and tailor their movements accordingly. The current study examined the roles of reach distance, object (power drill) weight, gender, discomfort, and muscle activation (anterior deltoid, upper trapezius, biceps, ventral and dorsal forearm) in determining the location of the transition between an arm-only and an arm-and-torso reach (preferred critical boundary) during a seated reach task in which participants had to direct a power drill toward a target. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) used extrinsic (independent of the participant) and intrinsic measures (relative to the biodynamic properties of the participant) of reach distance and drill weight, discomfort judgments, and EMG integral recordings for the five muscles to identify factors that best predicted the type of reach used. GEE revealed that intrinsic measures of reach distance and drill weight were superior predictors compared to extrinsic measures. Discomfort judgment and upper trapezius activity were also significant predictors of the location of the preferred critical boundary.