Cognitive mapping approach analyzing societal decision‐making

Cognitive mapping (CM) approach is reviewed, and the method is applied in analyzing an important case of societal decision‐making. It is shown that CM is an effective way of representing argumentation, consequences, and the linkage between the concepts. The method integrates causal modelling and rational choice theory with parts of cognitive psychology. CM allows for a systematic arguing of issues. The decision‐making problem described here concerns building a new nuclear power plant in Finland. There occurred strong proponents representing mainly the industry and technocratic and engineering experts, and an equally strong resistance represented by ordinary citizens, parliamentarians, and experts. The argumentation went ten years pro and cons before the parliament in 1993 decided against building the proposed nuclear power plant. It gives an ideal case to study the argumentation and contradictions there in as a whole by developing and applying a cognitive mapping approach.     

Ambivalences about Nature and Naturalism A Supernaturalist Response to Theodore W. Nunez

As a die-hard supernaturalist, someone "at two with nature" (Woody Allen) who would be at one with God, the author has mixed feelings about Theodore Nunez's defense of "naturalism." Unlike neopragmatists, the author is not troubled by Nunez's general realism about value; he takes exception not to Nunez's theoretical account of truth, but to his specific axiology. He does not share Nunez's confidence that "projective nature" can provide reliable moral inspiration, suggesting instead that such inspiration can arise only from trust in the holiness of God.     

The Purusārthas: An Axiological Exploration of Hinduism

Three doctrines have often been identified in the context of Hindu civilization as its distinctive markers: the doctrine of the varnas (or the doctrine of the four classes), the doctrine of asramas (or the doctrine of the four stages of life), and the doctrine of the purusarthas (or the doctrine of the four goals of life). The study of the last of these has been comparatively neglected and the doctrine has even been dubbed a myth (Krishna 1996, 189–205). The purpose of this article is twofold: to establish the cogency of the doctrine of the purusarthas in the face of such criticism and to indicate the directions in which the doctrine could be developed further.     

浅议伊斯兰教拜主行善的基本价值观

拜主行善是伊斯兰文明基本价值观之一。拜主行善观在思想观念与行为实践上为穆斯林确立了评价事物、抉择行为的基本准则,不仅彰显出伊斯兰教信仰与现实交融的务实精神,也诠释了史上穆斯林以包容胸襟汲取、承继、整合、创新出人类伟大文明的内在因素与有效机制。     

病人的价值取向在诊疗决策中的作用

病人在诊疗中的自主性是医学发展及病人权利意识增长的产物,它有利于尊重病人的权利及人格,使病人对诊疗有更好的认同和依从性,提升诊疗效果和减少医疗纠纷,但尊重病人的自主性也有一定的限度,医生有特殊干涉权。     

《易纬·乾凿度》的哲学思考

《易纬·乾凿度》是汉代一部非常重要的易学和哲学著作 ,其用象数方式编织的天道观 ,不仅包含了阴阳卦气思想 ,同时还继承了老子和《中庸》的本体论思想以及儒家的价值理想 ,是我们研究汉代哲学思想不可或缺的资料。《乾凿度》提出的“易者 ,易也 ,变易也 ,不易也”勾画出了一幅理想的宇宙社会图景 ,其中既有高妙的本体论思想 ,又有对社会秩序的思考。《乾凿度》还借助道家思想和孟京以来的卦气说 ,建构了一套完整的宇宙生成模式。尽管这种生成模式不甚深刻 ,也有一定缺陷 ,但却体现出很强的时代特色。同时 ,在这个宇宙生成模式背后包含着作者深切的人文精神和深沉的忧患意识 ,体现了汉代易学“天人之学”的精神实质     

论价值规范

价值规范既是社会生活意义与秩序的表现形式，又是社会资源控制和利益分配的约束条件。当它从古代习俗走向现代国家意识形态时，它自身不仅成为了公共利益的抽象符号，而且还成为了个体自我认识的知识形式。作为一种社会化的公共实践话语，它日益同国家权力和技术系统相结合，并渗透在系统整合的诸多方面，由此便引出值得思考的问题。     

A socio-epistemological program for the philosophy of regulatory science

This paper presents a program of action for the philosophy of regulatory science, based on a general theory of social epistemology. Two candidates are considered. The first one, offered by Alvin Goldman, is not fit for our purposes because it is focused on a veritism incompatible with non-epistemic aims of regulatory science. The second, championed by Steve Fuller, sociologically investigates the existing means of producing knowledge, to modify them with the goal of obtaining democratic aims through action on a legislative meta-level. The program has been built upon this procedure, instantiated by the identification, characterization, and modification of epistemic policies.