The scientific use of ‘representation’ and ‘function’: avoiding explanatory vacuity

Nearly all of the ways philosophers currently attempt to define the terms ‘representation’ and ‘function’ undermine the scientific application of those terms by rendering the scientific explanations in which they occur vacuous. Since this is unacceptable, we must develop analyses of these terms that avoid this vacuity. Robert Cummins argues in this fashion in Representations, Targets, and Attitudes. He accuses ‘use theories’ of representational content of generating vacuous explanations, claims that nearly all current theories of representational content are use theories, and offers a non-use theory of representational content which avoids explanatory vacuity. One task I undertake in this article is to develop an alternative non-use theory which avoids an objection fatal to that theory. My second task is to adapt Cummins’ argument to criticize most current analyses of ‘function,’ which undermine scientific explanation in an analogous way. Though Cummins does not explicitly argue in this manner, his own analysis of ‘function,’ by avoiding any appeal to use, avoids the explanatory vacuity to which they succumb. Consequently, I endorse Cummins’ notion of function. However, although use theories fail as analyses of the terms ‘representation’ and ‘function,’ they can still make significant contributions to the sciences employing these terms. For, while philosophers seeking to define ‘representation’ and ‘function’ must avoid incorporating representational and functional uses into their definitions, scientists must still find a way to determine which representations and functions are being used. Suitably re-construed use theories of representation and function may in many cases assist them in this task.     

浅论孔子思想的现代价值

孔子是我国古代教育思想的奠基者,是我国古代伟大的教育家、思想家,儒家学派的创始人。两千多年来,他和他所创立的思想学说,对我国的教育教学、建设和谐社会以及它的现代管理价值等方面有着极为深刻的影响。孔子的儒家思想对世界范围内的政治和经济的影响是深远的。     

问诊的诊断价值及其方法学探讨

问诊作为临床诊断的开始和方法,具有促进医患良性沟通、明确诊断、减少医疗纠纷和贯彻新医学模式的重要价值。问诊过程中,医生除了注重其技术性和程序性内容以外,更要坚持哲学的普遍联系、辨证发展、病人个体差异和巧用过渡性语言等思维方法。     

The lover of the beautiful and the good: Platonic foundations of aesthetic and moral value

Though acknowledged by scholars, Plato’s identification of the Beautiful and the Good has generated little interest, even in aesthetics where the moral concepts are a current topic. The view is suspect because, e.g., it is easy to find examples of ugly saints and beautiful sinners. In this paper the thesis is defended using ideas from Plato’s ancient commentators, the Neoplatonists. Most interesting is Proclus, who applied to value theory a battery of linguistic tools with fixed semantic properties—comparative adjectives, associated gradable adjectives, mass nouns, and predicate negations—all with a semantics that demand a privative scale of value. It is shown how it is perfectly possible to interpret value terms Platonically over privative Boolean algebras so that beautifuland good diverge while at higher levels other value terms are coextensional. Considerations are offered that this structure conforms to actual usage.     

Aspects of Code-Specific Memory Development

We investigated the development of code specific representations of different kinds of information in long term memory. Forty second graders, 40 sixth graders and 40 adults learned the associations between 12 pictures and one position each in a 4 × 3 grid of squares, 12 pictures and 1 of 12 monosyllabic words each or 12 pictures and 1 of 12 faces. After a 3 min distractor task, a picture was presented in the retrieval phase, and the associated position, word or face had to be selected. Performance in the verbal condition improved as a function of age, while performance in the spatial condition turned out to be independent of age, and the performance in the facial condition showed a difference between both child groups and the adults. The results revealed a developmental difference of code specific representation of different kinds of information.     

中国传统女性伦理与礼仪及其现代价值

中国传统女性伦理与礼仪内容庞杂,糟粕精华并存。现代女性伦理与礼仪建设应当摒弃其中维护男性特权,束缚女性人身自由的非人道性的糟粕,承继其中具有现代价值的精华,从而建立人道、文明、科学的现代女性伦理与礼仪新体系。     

医学高新技术在现代医患关系中扮演的角色

医学高新技术在现代医患关系中扮演着重要的角色,然而在缺乏有效的政府监管、医院与医生逐利行为及社会不良导向等因素下,其自身的角色发生了异化。通过对异化现象、产生原因及采取措施等方面的分析,明确其正确的价值取向,以促进医患关系的健康、和谐发展。     

幼儿二维心理旋转能力发展的研究

在以旋转的米老鼠图形作为测试项目,对每半岁为一个年龄段共１３３名３．５一６．５岁的幼儿进行心理旋转的实验研究中发现,幼儿在４岁时已经开始建立心理旋转能力．其发展特征呈连续性;男女幼儿间有一定的性别差异存在,但统计结果提示无显著性意义;男女幼儿在５－６岁间都发现有一个负增长阶段,其原因不明。     

应当关注时间心理无意识的研究

随着心理无意识研究在记忆、学习和思维等领域的兴起,内隐时间认知也逐步成为时间心理学中的一个研究热点。本文分析了探究内隐时间认知的四种方法:分离范式、序列学习范式、表征动量范式和计时分布相关范式,指出内隐时间认知实验范式在无意识时间人格与社会心理学中的研究也是有相当前景的。     

小学生数学应用题解题水平影响因素的研究——视空间能力、认知方式及表征方式的影响

研究采用3(年级)×2(场认知方式)×2(视空间能力水平)×3(问题表征方式)四因素混合实验设计,探讨了这四种因素对小学生数学应用题解题水平的影响。结果表明:年级、认知方式、空间能力以及问题表征方式均是影响小学生应用题解决水平的关键因素;问题表征方式、认知方式、空间能力以及年级四个因素对小学生解题水平存在交互作用,其中图形提示有利于场依存性学生解题水平的提高,低空间-场依存型的学生更适合图形提示;高空间-场依存型的学生随年级升高解题能力发展较快,而低空间-场依存型的学生解题水平提高较慢;随着年级的升高,图式表征对小学生问题解决的促进作用增强。