On Brain, Soul, Self, and Freedom: An Essay in Bridging Neuroscience and Faith

The article begins at the intellectual fissure between many statements coming from neuroscience and the language of faith and theology. First I show that some conclusions drawn from neuroscientific research are not as firm as they seem: neuroscientific data leave room for the interpretation that mind matters. I then take a philosophical‐theological look at the notions of soul, self, and freedom, also in the light of modern scientific research (self‐organization, neuronal networks), and present a view in which these theologically important notions are seen in relation both to matter (brain) and to God. I show that religious insights expressed with soul and free will bear a remarkable resemblance to certain insights from neuroscience and the science of complex, self‐organizing systems, including emphasis on corporeality and emphasis on organization as a form of that corporeality, and that they also show an interesting parallel — albeit described in different terms — concerning the crucial role of a valuation principle that generates attraction. With that, the common‐sense idea that freedom simply is the same as indeterminism is refuted: freedom primarily means self‐determination. I bring to the fore that the self is not a static thing but a “longing.” Such longing springs from something, and it is the relationship to this source that constitutes the self. The main concern is to point out the crucial role of attraction with respect to being and to life, and to draw attention not only to the astonishing parallel on this point between Thomas Aquinas and Alfred North Whitehead but also to a surprising — albeit more implicit — analogy between these philosophical‐theological views and scientific theories of self‐organization (such as those concerning neuronal networks). In short, being attracted toward what appears as “good” is what constitutes us as selves and what thereby signifies the primary meaning of our freedom.     

The emotional experience of K

The author raises the question of the emotional experience of K in Bion's schema of affective links, L, H, and K, suggesting that it is the emotional experience of feeling curious. He explores the central role curiosity has in 'On arrogance' and 'Attacks on linking' and hypothesizes that in Learning from experience the more complex notion of K is introduced in its place. Thus, Bion's affective schema is taken to be a version of Freud's account of experience in terms of instinctual impulses recast in terms of emotional experience. Freud's primary developmental dichotomy, the tensions between the pleasure principle and the reality principle, can be seen as the dichotomy of tensions between the emotional experience of L/H and the emotional experience of K. This suggests that the potential tension between K and L/H is critical to what happens in the consulting room. Finally the author argues that containing as a developmental dynamic is an expression of a K-state-of-mind and thus the container is thus a container-in-K. It concludes that one important aspect of what Bion called -K is an attack on a K-state-of-mind by an intrusion of L/H which has the effect of contaminating and dominating the urge to know.     

论“自然剃刀”

直觉地看 ,生态伦理学的基本原则应该是 ,我们的行为应该有利于或无害于生态系统。然而 ,这个原则却在认识论和价值论上都存在着困难 ,首先 ,我们无法在原则上知道我们的行为是否有利或无害于生态系统 ,其次 ,我们不能保证我们的生态学知识可以充分地推出这个积极的原则。因此 ,“自然剃刀”的消极原则是 :如无必要 ,不应该增加对生态系统的人为干预。     

论环境道德警示教育

警示教育既是环境道德教育的内容 ,也是实施环境道德教育的手段和途径 ,它有助于环境道德认识的内化、生态忧患意识的催化、环境道德观念的强化和环境道德行为的良化。警示教育必须坚持正面教育与警告提示相结合、重点警示与一般劝导相结合、法规惩治与制度引导相结合和社会警示与学校训导相结合的原则。     

Varieties of Linear Calculi

A uniform calculus for linear logic is presented. The calculus has the form of a natural deduction system in sequent calculus style with general introduction and elimination rules. General elimination rules are motivated through an inversion principle, the dual form of which gives the general introduction rules. By restricting all the rules to their single-succedent versions, a uniform calculus for intuitionistic linear logic is obtained. The calculus encompasses both natural deduction and sequent calculus that are obtained as special instances from the uniform calculus. Other instances give all the invertibilities and partial invertibilities for the sequent calculus rules of linear logic. The calculus is normalizing and satisfies the subformula property for normal derivations.     

Ruse's Darwin and Design: Does It Go Far Enough?

Michael Ruse's forthcoming book gives an enjoyable history of teleology in biology, philosophy, and theology. It argues that concepts of cause, final cause, purpose, teleology, function, design, adaptation, contrivance, progress, ends, and value have all been telescoped by most writers in those three disciplines but that these concepts (and especially the concept of design) are nonetheless valid, provided only that we recognize their metaphorical nature. I agree with this basic argument, and Ruse's critiques and historical summaries of these concepts are both useful and delightful. However, I also explore one major and three minor reservations. The minor reservations are that Ruse overdoes the allegation of telescoping, does not adequately explore ways to express teleology more accurately, and erroneously denies the existence of biology–based theologians who make the same point he is making. The major reservation is that, despite all the groundwork he lays, Ruse comes to a conclusion other than the one clearly suggested by his first fourteen chapters. If he followed the evolutionary story just a bit further, to include the evolution of the human brain, he would be in a position to articulate a theologically sophisticated understanding of teleology and avoid an ending that is uncharacteristically tame.     

HPV DNA整合、E2缺失与宫颈癌演变的关系

高危型人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染是宫颈癌发病的必要条件,而HPV DNA与宿主基因组的整合及由此导致的E2基因断裂可能是宫颈癌致癌机制的关键。本文将从HPV感染、病毒基因组与宿主染色体整合及宫颈癌的演变历程中以哲学视角思考HPV DNA整合、E2基因缺失及宫颈癌演变的辩证关系,以期更好地解读宫颈癌发病原理并最终应用于临床治疗。     

The continuity principle: A unified approach to disaster and trauma

The continuity principle stipulates that through all stages of disaster, management and treatment should aim at preserving and restoring functional, historical, and interpersonal continuities, at the individual, family, organization, and community levels. Two misconceptions work against this principle and lead to decisional errors: the “abnormalcy bias” which results in underestimating victims' ability to cope with disaster, and the “normalcy bias” which results in underestimating the probability or extent of expected disruption. This article clarifies these biases and details the potential contributions of the continuity principle at the different stages of the disaster. The authors are reserve officers in the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Centers of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and were, in this capacity, directly involved in the coordination of agencies dealing with Gulf War victims.     

风险决策中的参照点效应研究

本研究以展望理论和社会决策范式模型为基础,着重探讨三种参照点对个体和群体风险决策产生的影响。３００名被试经实验者设置参照点后分别在个体和群体条件下对不同风险度的博弈方案进行选择。结果表明：（１）个体决策中,损失参照点的被试和无得失经验者比得益者更冒险;（２）得益被试的决策受到社会比较的影响;（３）损失参照点的被试并未对群体决策有更大影响,决定群体决策结果的主要是多数原则。