Dispositions and Bogus Counterexamples: Reply to Lee

This paper discusses Lee’s argument that Lewis’s reformed conditional analysis of dispositions is preferable to the simple conditional analysis of dispositions. Lee’s argument is basically that there are some examples that can be adequately handled by Lewis’s analysis but cannot by the simple conditional analysis of dispositions. But I will reveal that, when carefully understood, they spell no trouble for the simple conditional analysis of dispositions, failing to serve a motivating role for Lewis’s analysis.     

Music's Effect on Exercise Participants by Exercise Session

We identified exercise participants’ music preferences in three exercise sessions and clarified how preferred or randomly assigned music affects perceived psychological helpfulness of exercise. There were 292 fitness center members in Korea who were selected as participants. Participants’ preferred music was assessed using frequency analysis and participants were grouped by preferences. Similar percentages were observed for sedative (45.2%) and stimulative (54.8%) music during warm-up, whereas participants preferred stimulative (91.4%) and sedative (75.7%) music during workout and cooldown, respectively. During the warm-up session, sedative music was found to be more psychologically helpful for the sedative music preferred group (t = 4.86, p <.001), whereas stimulative music was found to be significantly more psychologically helpful than sedative music for the stimulative music–preferred group (t = –6.47, p <.001). During the workout sessions, the sedative music was found to be more helpful for the sedative music–preferred group, albeit with no statistical difference from stimulative music, whereas the stimulative music had similar effects to the warm-up session (t = ?18.37, p <.001). Finally, during the cool-down sessions, sedative music was found to be more psychologically helpful for the sedative music­–preferred group (t = 7.97, p <.001), whereas stimulative music was found to be more psychologically helpful to the stimulative music–preferred group (t = ?2.10, p <.05). The results of this study provide basic information for music usage in health management centers and other interested organizations to improve physical activity.     

Understanding the Influence Theory of Causation: A Critique of Strevens

In this paper, I will first clarify Lewis’s influence theory of causation by relying on his theory of events. And then I will consider Michael Strevens’s charge against the sufficiency of Lewis’s theory. My claim is that it is legitimate but does not pose as serious a problem for Lewis’s theory as Strevens thinks because Lewis can surmount it by limiting the scope of his theory to causation between concrete events. Michael Strevens raises an alleged counterexample to the necessity of Lewis’s theory that, if successful, would have a very important advantage over other alleged counterexamples. But I will assert that it is simply mistaken. My defense of Lewis’s theory will shed interesting light on the relationship between Lewis’s theory and Salmon’s mark theory.     

Localized disruption of Narp in medial prefrontal cortex blocks reinforcer devaluation performance

Neuronal activity regulated pentraxin (Narp) is a secreted protein that regulates α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors (AMPAR) aggregation and synaptogenesis. Mapping of Narp-positive neurons in brain has revealed it is prominently expressed in several limbic system projection pathways. Consistent with this localization pattern, Narp knockout mice show deficits in using the current value of a reinforcer to guide behavior, a critical function of the limbic system. To help assess whether this behavioral deficit is due to impairment of synaptogenesis during development or in modulating synaptic signaling in the mature brain, we have used a dominant negative Narp viral construct which blocks trafficking of endogenous Narp to axons. Focal injection of this viral construct into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult mice, a region containing Narp-positive projection neurons, blocked reinforcer devaluation. Thus, these results indicate that Narp released from mPFC neurons plays a key role in mediating synaptic changes underlying instrumental reinforcer devaluation.     

Intrinsic Finks and Dispositional/Categorical Distinction

The central theme of this paper is the dispositional/categorical distinction that has been one of the top agendas in contemporary metaphysics. I will first develop from my semantic account of dispositions what I think the correct formulation of the dispositional/categorical distinction in terms of counterfactual conditionals. It will be argued that my formulation does not have the shortcomings that have plagued previously proposed ones. Then I will turn my attention to one of its consequences, the thesis that dispositional properties are not susceptible to intrinsic finks. This thesis was first advanced by me and has ever since stirred up a big controversy, endorsed by some philosophers like Handfield, Bird, and Cohen but rejected by others like Clarke and Fara. Against this background, I will remedy my defense of the impossibility of intrinsically finkable dispositions and then refute some of apparently powerful criticisms of it. And so the upshot is that it is much more reasonable to hold on to the thesis that dispositions are intrinsically unfinkable. This will have the effect of putting the dispositional/categorical distinction on firmer and more secure ground.     

Dispositional Interferers and the Metaphysics of Superheroes

Axiomathes - Many recently released Hollywood films feature superheroes like Superman, Ironman, the Hulk, Optimus Prime, and so on who possess amazing superpower and defeat supervillains with...     

The Simple Vs. Reformed Conditional Analysis of Dispositions

Lewis claims that Martin’s cases indeed refute the simple conditional analysis of dispositions and proposes the reformed conditional analysis that is purported to overcome them. In this paper I will first argue that Lewis’s defense of the reformed analysis can be understood to invoke the concepts of disposition-specific stimulus and manifestation. I will go on to argue that advocates of the simple analysis, just like Lewis, can also defend their analysis from alleged counterexamples including Martin’s cases by invoking the concepts of disposition-specific stimulus and manifestation. This means that Lewis’s own necessary defense of the reformed analysis invalidates his motivation of it. Finally, I will argue that we have a good reason to favor the simple analysis over Lewis’s analysis.     

A Theology of Nature: Social Neuroscience and Its Theological Implications

This article explores social neuroscience, an emergent subfield of neuroscience, and highlights its implications for a theology of nature. This author argues that since social neuroscience and theology are both non-reductionist, they can contribute to a balanced view of human nature and nurture. Social neuroscientific research has shown the ways in which social factors impact the brain’s development, and also how social factors are necessary for the treatment of diseases. Social neuroscience can thus enrich essential teachings and practice of religions, such as sociality and healing. Finally, this article examines how social neuroscience can be used in a reinterpretation of Wesleyan soteriology.