New Constitutionalism and the Social Reproduction of Caring Institutions

This essay analyzes neo-liberal economic agreements and legal and political frameworks or what has been called the “new constitutionalism,” a governance framework that empowers market forces to reshape economic and social development worldwide. The article highlights some consequences of new constitutionalism for caring institutions specifically, and for what feminists call social reproduction more generally: the biological reproduction of the species; the reproduction of labor power; and the reproduction of social institutions and processes associated with the creation and maintenance of communities. New constitutional governance frameworks fundamentally reshape conditions under which the care of human beings takes place. Caring institutions once governed by enabling professions geared to universal care are now determined increasingly by market values and private forces, and driven directly by the profit motive. This is one of the reasons why neo-liberalism is increasingly contested in both the North and the global South.     

Unconsciously Poisoning the Roots: Psychological Dynamics of the Bible in Jewish/Christian Conflict

The persistence of antisemitism in Christian cultures despite the irrationality and destructiveness of its myths and attitudes has led more than one writer to consider that it may be deeply rooted in psychological dynamics, both individual and social. Likewise, much has been written about how the New Testament writings, especially certain passages in the Gospels, reflect a bitter split between the emerging Christian community and other Jewish groups. Seldom, however, are these two avenues of exploration brought together, asking how psychological mechanisms of defense and the formation of the biblical texts interact. In a recent book, The Jew and Deicide: The Origin of an Archetype (Davis, 2003), psychologist Frederick B. Davis attempted to do just that. Unfortunately, his presentation is deeply flawed by his lack of familiarity with basic New Testament studies and methods. His fundamental premise is sound—that the interplay of the texts, the communities that created them, and their subsequent interpreters evidence psychological dynamics that fuel an ongoing conflict. In this paper, I will suggest how those dynamics were active within the first century Christian community and were expressed in New Testament writings, and how those same dynamics are stimulated in later readers.Paper originally presented March 22, 2004. In D. MacDonald (Chair), New Testament Texts and Traditions. Session conducted at the Western regional meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Whittier, CA     

《逸周书·宝典篇》与儒家思想

《逸周书》对于考察孔子和早期儒家学说的形成有重要作用,《宝典》篇中便能够清晰地看到早期儒学的影子。其中关于“仁”的内容,对孔子“仁”的思想的形成有一定影响;所述“四位”、“九德”、“三信”的内容与儒家的修身思想关系极其密切;“十奸”、“十散”涉及择人、敬谋问题,与早期儒家和孔子亦有一定关联。结合前人研究成果,参照出土文献等资料分析,《逸周书》的《宝典》篇应是可靠的周初文献。     

DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Abstract. Western-style modernization and economic development have devastated the once fertile lands of Southeast Asia and impoverished and demoralized its people. Recently, however, indigenous movements in the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia suggest a return to a notion of development based on core values of Hinduism, classical and Zen Buddhism, and Taoism. These traditions preserve an alternative understanding of the relation between humanity and nature and promote a simpler but dignified economy and lifestyle in harmony with the environment—notions which Western nations must begin to take seriously if the "global village" is to have any real future.     

New morbidity-problems and peer relations in a sample of Swedish primary school children: A follow-up from the first to third grade

The stability in the new morbidity-problem domains motor skills, reading/writing ability, behavioral–psychological–social function and concentration ability in school, and the stability of peer status and peer preferences as well as relationships between peer status and problems among boys and girls was studied in a sample of 81 Swedish primary school children. The children were rated by teachers and made peer nominations six months after school start, and in the third grade.
There was considerable stability in problems, while the stability in peer status was modest. There were marked gender differences. Boys in contrast to girls improved in motor skills from the first to the third grade, and boys had more concentration problems and multiple problems than girls in both grade 1 and 3. In the first grade, low peer acceptance in boys was accompanied by low motor skill. In the third grade, low peer acceptance in boys was accompanied by deficient concentration ability and externalizing problems. For girls, few relationships between low peer acceptance and problems emerged. Various explanations for these findings are discussed.     

Perelman's rhetorical foundation of philosophy

This article is a Gadamer-Perelman's debate. The author points out the limits of the gadamerian's hermeneutic conception of philosophy and criticizes this conception from Perelman's new rhetoric point of view. Instead of speaking of truth as an ontological originary experience, the rhetorical foundation of philosophy allows us to say that in philosophy the important is the contrastation and the confrontation of criteria and that, for that reason, philosophy is above all characterized by discussibility.Philosophical argumentation, like juridical argumentation, constitutes applications, to different domains, of a theory of argumentation which we consider as a new rhetoric.By identifying this theory with the general theory of persuasive speech, which seeks to obtain the intellectual as well as the emotional adherence of an audience, no matter which, we state that all speeches which do not aspire to an impersonal validity proceed from rhetoric. (Ch. Perelman,L'empire rhétorique, p. 177).But, if one does not admit that the philosophical thesis may be founded on evident intuitions, it will be necessary to reccur to argumentative technics to make them prevail. The new rhetoric then becomes the indispensable tool of philosophy. (Ch. Perelman,L'empire rhétorique, p. 21).     

A Religious Interpretation of Emergence: Creativity as God

Thinking of God today as creativity (instead of as The Creator) enables us to bring theological values and meanings into significant connection with modern cosmological and evolutionary thinking. This conception connects our understanding of God with today's ideas of the Big Bang; cosmic and biological evolution; the evolutionary emergence of novel complex realities from simpler realities, and the irreducibility of these complex realities to their simpler origins; and so on. It eliminates anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism from the conception of God, thus overcoming one of the major reasons for the implausibility of God-talk in today's world—here viewed as a highly dynamic reality (not an essentially stable structure), with God regarded as the ongoing creativity in this world. This mystery of creativity—God—manifest throughout the universe is quite awe-inspiring, calling forth emotions of gratitude, love, peace, fear, and hope, and a sense of the profound meaningfulness of human existence in the world—issues with which faith in God usually has been associated. It is appropriate, therefore, to think of God today as precisely this magnificent panorama of creativity with which our universe and our lives confront us.     

记忆提取促进学习:实验证据与机制解释

人类学习的主流观点认为学习主要发生在编码阶段,记忆提取本身并不产生和促进学习。但最近多项研究对此提出了质疑,他们发现,在学习过程中,记忆提取更能促进学习内容的长时保持。本文首先对记忆提取促进学习的实验证据做简要梳理;之后重点介绍关于记忆提取促进学习的多种解释机制,主要包括:侧重于从理论机制层面解释的记忆失用新理论,强调内在精细机制的精细提取假设,以及解释保持间隔(长、短)与学习方式(重复学习、学习-测试)交互作用的基于分布的二分模型;文章最后分析了当前研究记忆提取作用实验存在的一些问题,提出了今后的研究方向,强调应从多角度揭示记忆提取练习促进学习的机制。     

儒学的现代意义

As we enter the new millennium, it has become more important to review and discover ancient wisdom. The project to build a harmonious society requires us to know our own “culture.” The biggest conflicts we human beings face are the conflicts between man and nature, man and man (man and society), and body and mind. The three philosophical propositions, “the unity of Heaven and man,” “the unity of self and others,” and “the unity of body and mind” of Confucianism may provide precious insight in dealing with the three above-mentioned conflicts, and we should pay special attention to these resources. Translated by Yan Xin from Jianghan Luntan 江汉论坛 (Jianghan Tribune), 2007, (1): 5–14     

国外环境心理学研究的新进展

人口过度增长和人类过度消费导致严重的环境危机,直接影响全球可持续发展。环境心理学是20世纪70年代以来在西方社会逐步兴起的一门新学科。当前,环境心理学家应更多与环境政策制定者和政府官员接触和对话,促进正确环境政策的决策和形成。同时环境心理学家应在人的环境知觉、环境压力和生活质量;环境心理学研究中的认知、动机和社会因素;可持续发展行为、生活方式和组织文化等方面加强研究与合作。.