The Truth-Conduciveness Problem of Coherentism and a Sellarsian Explanatory Coherence Theory

According to the truth-conduciveness problem of coherentism, the coherence theory of justification can hardly show that coherentist justification is truth-conducive. This problem is generally conceived as the most recalcitrant problem with the coherence theory. The purpose of this paper is to show that it does not pose a serious problem for a certain version of coherentism, namely a Sellarsian explanatory coherence theory of justification combined with the deflationary theory of truth. On this version of coherentism, our epistemic goal is to gradually improve our conceptual framework so as to maximize its explanatory coherence, and there is no substantial norm of truth independent of the norms of justification, so that we cannot evaluate the truth-conduciveness of a belief independently of the norms of justification. I argue that this version of coherentism can cope with the truth-conduciveness problem.     

The impact of intrusive identification in the analytic process: Some implications of real trauma and phantasy1

In this paper, the author aims to show a possible understanding of very primitive identifications, especially intrusive identifications, when associated with traumatic situations and expressed through current phantasies related to these experiences. At first glance, this understanding could be considered quite straightforward. However, the original contribution offered by the author is the participation of this special kind of combination in the formation of the primitive intrusive identifications and its association with the imprisonment inside the primitive object of identification, especially the mother. The author proposes the amplification of the clinical use of the concept of ‘life in the claustrum’, originally described by Meltzer, moving beyond persecutory claustrophobic situations. He illustrates the phenomenon with the analytic work carried out with a patient whose narcissistic and intrusive character was structured on the basis of primitive intrusive identifications and phantasies related to the claustrum inside the mother. The patient's imprisonment inside the maternal compartments has, as its background, the phantasies related to the infantile traumatic experience of the death of the patient's brother, which are reproduced in the analytic relationship.     

社会价值取向对自我社会奖赏加工的影响——来自ERPs的证据

社会价值取向(Social Value Orientation, SVO)是相互依存情境下人们对自己和他人分配结果的一种稳定的社会偏好, 按SVO不同可以将个体分为“亲社会取向”和“亲自我取向”个体。已有研究表明SVO影响个体对涉及自我金钱奖赏的结果评价加工, 而它如何影响自我社会奖赏加工过程尚不明确。本研究让亲社会取向和亲自我取向被试完成涉及自我社会奖赏(包含社会接纳和自我成就感)的猜牌建议给予任务, 同时记录其加工他人对建议的反馈(接受vs.拒绝)和他人最终结果(收益vs.损失)时诱发的脑电成分。结果发现, 在建议反馈加工阶段, 相比亲自我取向个体, 亲社会取向个体在反馈相关负波(FRN)波幅(峰-峰值)和P3平均波幅上, 建议被对方接受和被对方拒绝所诱发的波幅差异均显著; 在他人最终结果加工阶段, 建议被对方拒绝后, 对于亲社会取向个体, 对方损失诱发的反馈相关负FRN波幅比对方收益诱发的波幅更负, 而对方损失诱发的P3波幅小于对方收益诱发的波幅; 对于亲自我取向个体, 对方损失与收益诱发的FRN波幅无差异, 对方损失诱发的P3波幅显著大于对方收益诱发的波幅。这些结果表明社会价值取向调节个体对自我社会奖赏的加工。     

现代技术的伦理沉思

善的追求与人存在的完善统一的重大前提是人的真实的存在。由于理性的张扬,伴随人类社会的发展,特别是现代技术的发展,人的真实存在被遗忘、被扭曲。善,因而逐渐地远离人追求的范畴。人被现代技术所奴役,陷入生存困境。要摆脱这种困境,必须实现现代技术的伦理超越。伦理对现代技术的超越,是一个思维方式转变的过程,一个科学态度向哲学态度转变的过程,一个存在方式重新选择的过程。它的实现不在于建立一门新的伦理学体系,而在于唤起被遮蔽、被诱惑、或沉睡了的“意义性追求”或“对最高价值的意识和追求”。     

我国资源物权立法的生态伦理考量

人际伦理观下的资源物权立法的理论与实践局限,导致了人与资源的紧张关系。资源物权立法应凸现生态伦理观的价值取向,并具体贯彻生态限制、可持续发展的资源利用、环境权限制以及强化资源物权的生态义务等原则。加强生态伦理观的价值取向在我国资源物权立法中的渗透力度,确立有关资源物权立法的一般生态原则,为防止生态伦理成为生态乌托邦,特别应将资源物权的生态义务类型化、内化。     

Effectiveness of Couple Therapy in Practice Settings and Identification of Potential Predictors for Different Outcomes

Even though couple therapy is efficacious, there is no improvement in up to 50% of the couples. Also effect sizes found in effectiveness studies in real-world settings are considerably lower than those found in efficacy studies. There is a need to understand more about couple therapy effectiveness in practice settings and the factors responsible for different outcomes. A German nationwide study on the effectiveness of couple counseling including 554 couples applied the same methodology as two earlier studies in the same field. A remarkable consistency was found over the three independent studies in the burden with individual and relationship distress as well as in the rates of improvement. This supports the insight that the improvements reached through couple therapy in practice settings are only about half of the effect sizes reached in efficacy trials. Additionally this study investigated 64 factors, which were found to be influential for relationship quality and stability in earlier studies, for their impact on outcome. Factors present at initiation and termination of therapy were found, which correlate significantly with outcome and with separation of the couple in the follow-up. These factors could be included in prediction models for improvement and separation of the couple. The implications for the practice of couple therapy and for future research are discussed.     

Analyzing Argumentative Discourse from a Rhetorical Perspective: Defining `Person' and `Human Life' in Constitutional Disputes Over Abortion

In this paper, a case study is presented of constitutional debates about abortion. An analysis is given of arguments from the Roe v. Wade case for definitions concerning the key notions of `person' and `human life'. The paper illustrates how the Court has gradually taken a more pragmatic or rhetorical position on definitional matters crucial to the purpose of regulating abortion.     

Medicine as a career: Choices and consequences

Medicine has traditionally been regarded as a rewarding career both financially and socially. How true, however, is that tradition in today's world of rising costs and decreasing revenues? The educational debt of the physician-in-training is steadily increasing, and currently does not affect specialty choice. As the cost of medical education continues to rise, the applicant pool begins to shrink, thereby possibly affecting the quality of future physicians. Once the physician has completed training however, the majority enjoy a positive return on investment. Their incomes generally fail to remain ahead of inflation, and therefore, have remained within a narrow band of $40,000 in 1970 dollars. Finally, the demand for physician services cannot be attributed solely to either the consumer (patient) or to the supplier (physician). Rather, the demand for medical services appears to be a unique combination of the two. In conclusion, medicine still is an attractive career path, but the choices and consequences are becoming much more demanding.     

Essai de représentation par des nombres réels d'une analyse infinite des notions individuelles dans une infinité de mondes possibles

The aim of this study is to try to make use of real numbers for representing an infinite analysis of individual notions in an infinity of possible worlds.As an introduction to the subject, the author shows, firstly, the possibility of representing Boole's lattice of universal notions by an associate Boole's lattice of rational numbers.But, in opposition to the universal notions, definable by a finite number of predicates, an individual notion, cannot (as Leibniz pointed out) admits this sort of definition, because each state of an individual subject is characterized by the values (present or absent, applicable or inapplicable) taken by an infinite number of predicates, each of whom may appear or disappear in the next state.The notion of degree of identification of an individual notion is then introduced and arithmetized by a rational number.As an individual notion can be defined by a convergent succession of degrees of identification, the real characteristic number of such an individual notion can be defined by the corresponding convergent succession of rational numbers, satisfying Cauchy's conditions for the convergence of successions.

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Essai de représentation par des nombres réels d'une analyse infinite des notions individuelles dans une infinité de mondes possibles