Heidegger’s Transcendental Empiricism

Heidegger’s ‘serious idealism’ aims at capturing the realist impulses of our natural consciousness whilst avoiding a collapse into metaphysical realism. This idealism is best conceived as a form of transcendental empiricism. But we need to distinguish two varieties of transcendental empiricism, corresponding to Heidegger’s early and later work. The latter, transcendental empiricism₂, is superior. Here, Heidegger’s ontology of gift gives full, conceptual shape to the two-way dependency between man and world characteristic of transcendental empiricism as a whole. In exemplary forms of inspired experience, marked by the 'animation' of our conceptually-structured natural powers, things call on us in a speech that is their very own. This moves us decisively beyond not only early Heidegger’s transcendental empiricism₁ but also the picture of experience presented in McDowell’s Mind and World.     

REPLIES: ETHICS, METAPHYSICS, EPISTEMOLOGY

Abstract: These are replies to extended discussion of my published work by Göran Hermerén, Dale Jacquette, and Joanne Waugh largely featuring, separately in the order mentioned, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. The themes that appear most salient feature at least these: that persons are not natural entities but hybrid artifacts, that objective claims including moral objectivity are entirely constructed on the basis of societal practices, and that objectivity cannot escape the same inseparability of the subjective and the objective.     

传统异化逻辑与主体性形而上学的共生性--论《1844年经济学哲学手稿》对启蒙辩证法的初始突破

主体性形而上学与传统异化逻辑的对峙是主体-客体对立的必然理论后果,二者之间的张力维持有赖于启蒙以来的时代精神也即抽象主体性的支撑。一旦抽象主体性被消解,主体神话被揭穿,异化就自然而然僭越为本体性存在。惟有马克思的历史辩证法才能走出主客二分的主体性与传统异化逻辑对立之悖论。在《1844年经济学哲学手稿》中,马克思就已经对传统异化逻辑做了初始性的突破。     

Is more always up? Evidence for a preference of hand-based associations over vertical number mappings

It has been argued that the association of numbers and vertical space plays a fundamental role for the understanding of numerical concepts. However, convincing evidence for an association of numbers and vertical bimanual responses is still lacking. The present study tests the vertical Spatio-Numerical-Association-of-Response-Codes (SNARC) effect in a number classification task by comparing anatomical hand-based and spatial associations. A mixed effects model of linear spatial-numerical associations revealed no evidence for a vertical but clear support for an anatomical SNARC effect. Only if the task requirements prevented participants from using a number-hand association due to frequently alternating hand-to-button assignments, numbers were associated with the vertical dimension. Taken together, the present findings question the importance of vertical associations for the conceptual understanding of numerical magnitude as hypothesised by some embodied approaches to number cognition and suggest a preference for ego- over geocentric reference frames for the mapping of numbers onto space.     

Spatial reference frames and SNARC

In this work, the role that spatial reference frames play in determining the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect is examined. Participants were instructed to generate an image of the numbers 1–9 oriented spatially in either a horizontal, vertical, or proximo-distal manner. Responses to a magnitude comparison task were then provided manually using keys located either to the left and right or at the bottom and top of a computer keyboard. For conditions in which the orientation of the generated image and the response locations were orthogonally misaligned, SNARC effects were not evident. It is argued that such results imply that alignment of the spatial reference frames associated with the responses and with the representation of numerical magnitude is a necessary condition for the elicitation of the SNARC effect.     

不同形式的锚定值对时距估计决策过程的影响

采用基本锚定范式,以时间词和物理时距分别作为数字锚定值和物理锚定值,探讨了不同形式和大小的锚定值如何影响产生法（实验1）和口头估计法（实验2）中的时距估计的决策过程。55名在校大学生参加了本次实验。实验结果表明,数字锚定值被作为时距估计的调整起始点,对决策过程中的数值估计产生同化影响;物理锚定值则被作为时距估计的比较标准,同化产生法中的决策估计值,对口头估计法中的决策估计值却产生对比影响。     

数字有形状吗?数字信息精确性和品牌标识形状的匹配效应

数字的精确性(精确 vs.大概)会影响人们的各种心理与推断, 本文在已有研究的基础上提出数字精确性与形状之间存在关联。具体而言, 精确数字会更有可能被感知为多角, 而大概数字更可能被感知为圆润。实验1和2分别通过内隐联想测试和消费情境确认这一效应的存在, 实验3进一步探讨了流畅性感知对上述匹配效应影响消费者产品评价的中介作用, 实验4则通过反转数字的性别象征意义, 提出了匹配效应的边界条件：当人们头脑中形成“精确=女性、大概=男性”的联系时, 会产生精确数字-圆润形状和大概数字-多角形状的匹配关系。这些结果说明了数字信息与形状信息之间存在认知关联, 它对理解个体如何加工数字信息、形状信息以及企业如何利用这些信息提供了一定的启发意义。     

MUTUAL ENHANCEMENT BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE EPIPHANY PHILOSOPHERS

This article describes some key features of the distinctive approach to issues in science and religion of the Epiphany Philosophers (EPs), and introduces a set of articles from a recent meeting. The objective of the EPs is not merely to establish harmonious coexistence between science and religion. Rather, they are dissatisfied with both, and have a reformist agenda. They see science as unduly constrained by arbitrary metaphysical assumptions, predominantly of an atheist kind, and wish to see it liberated from such constraints. They are also interested in the potential contribution of contemplative enquiry to scientific research. They see no reason why science should not engage with the transcendent, but they do not support any simplistic argument from scientific research to religious belief. They wish to see an approach to religion that is rooted more firmly in the contemplative path.     

Who uses more strategies? Linking mathematics anxiety to adults’ strategy variability and performance on fraction magnitude tasks

Adults use a variety of strategies to reason about fraction magnitudes, and this variability is adaptive. In two studies, we examined the relationships between mathematics anxiety, working memory, strategy variability and performance on two fraction tasks: fraction magnitude comparison and estimation. Adults with higher mathematics anxiety had lower accuracy on the comparison task and greater percentage absolute error (PAE) on the estimation task. Unexpectedly, mathematics anxiety was not related to variable strategy use. However, variable strategy use was linked to more accurate magnitude comparisons, especially among adults with lower working memory performance or those who use mathematics less frequently, as well as lower PAE on the estimation task. These findings shed light on the role of strategy variability in fraction problem solving and demonstrate a link between mathematics anxiety and fraction magnitude reasoning, a key predictor of general mathematics achievement.     

不同手指表征方式对数量表征能力的影响

采用距离启动范式,考察中国文化背景下不同手指表征方式对数量表征能力的影响。实验首先验证单手表征中不同手指数量表征方式对小数字（1～5）认知表征的影响;实验2则进一步采用中国人特有的单手手指表征,考察其对大数字（5～9）认知表征的影响。结果表明,小数字中出现了标准手指表征方式语义层面的位置编码、非标准手指表征方式知觉层面总和编码的激活;但大数字中两种手指表征方式均出现了语义层面位置编码的激活。此结果与计算模型理论一致,说明当手指数量从少到多变化时,标准手指表征方式为语义性的符号数量表征;而非标准手指表征方式由知觉性的非符号向语义性符号数量表征过渡。