I argue that when perception plays a guiding role in intentional bodily action, it is a necessary part of that action. The argument begins with a challenge that necessarily arises for embodied agents, what I call the Many-Many Problem. The Problem is named after its most common case where agents face too many perceptual inputs and too many possible behavioral outputs. Action requires a solution to the Many-Many Problem by selection of a specific linkage between input and output. In bodily (...) action the agent perceptually selects, and in this way perceptually attends to, relevant information so as to guide the execution of specific movements. Since perceptual attention is a necessary part of solving the Many-Many Problem, it is a necessary part of bodily action. Indeed, the process of implementing a solution to the Many-Many Problem, as constrained by the agent's motivational state, just is the agent's performing an intentional bodily action in the relevant way. (shrink)

A systematic overview and assessment of different empirical and philosophical aspects of attention.

This paper considers the connection between automaticity, control and agency. Indeed, recent philosophical and psychological works play up the incompatibility of automaticity and agency. Specifically, there is a threat of automaticity, for automaticity eliminates agency. Such conclusions stem from a tension between two thoughts: that automaticity pervades agency and yet automaticity rules out control. I provide an analysis of the notions of automaticity and control that maintains a simple connection: automaticity entails the absence of control. An appropriate analysis, however, shows (...) that actions are forms of control and pervasively automatic even if automaticity implies the absence of control. Consequences are drawn for the theory of mental agency and the psychological concepts of automaticity and control. (shrink)

Reflection on the fine-grained information required for visual guidance of action has suggested that visual content is non-conceptual. I argue that in a common type of visually guided action, namely the use of manipulable artefacts, vision has conceptual content. Specifically, I show that these actions require visual attention and that concepts are involved in directing attention. In acting with artefacts, there is a way of doing it right as determined by the artefact’s conventional use. Attention must reflect our understanding of (...) the function and appropriate ways to use these artefacts, understanding that requires possession of the relevant concept. As a result, we attend to the artefact’s relevant functional properties. In these cases, attention is structured by concepts. This discussion has a bearing on the dual visual stream hypothesis. While it is often held that the two visual streams are functionally independent, the argument of this essay is that the constraints on attention suggest a functional interaction between them. (shrink)

Recent work on the mechanisms underlying auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) has been heavily informed by self-monitoring accounts that postulate defects in an internal monitoring mechanism as the basis of AVH. A more neglected alternative is an account focusing on defects in auditory processing, namely a spontaneous activation account of auditory activity underlying AVH. Science is often aided by putting theories in competition. Accordingly, a discussion that systematically contrasts the two models of AVH can generate sharper questions that will lead to (...) new avenues of investigation. In this paper, we provide such a theoretical discussion of the two models, drawing strong contrasts between them. We identify a set of challenges for the self-monitoring account and argue that the spontaneous activation account has much in favor of it and should be the default account. Our theoretical overview leads to new questions and issues regarding the explanation of AVH as a subjective phenomenon and its neural basis. Accordingly, we suggest a set of experimental strategies to dissect the underlying mechanisms of AVH in light of the two competing models. (shrink)

In his rich and provocative paper, Peter Carruthers announces two related theses: (a) a positive thesis that “central cognition is sensory based, depending on the activation and deployment of sensory images of various sorts” (Carruthers 2013) and (b) a negative thesis that the “central mind does not contain any workspace within which goals, decisions, intentions, or non-sensory judgments can be active” (Carruthers 2013). These are striking claims suggesting that a natural view about cognition, namely that explicit theoretical reasoning involves direct (...) operations over beliefs, is wrong. Our beliefs, on this natural view, interact with each other to yield new beliefs. If Carruthers is right, beliefs have only an indirect or mediated influence in cognition with sensory states playing the direct role. I think it an important feature of Carruthers’ discussion that he draws support from work on the neural circuits and mechanisms that subserve these processes. In what follows, I want to regis. (shrink)

In many real-world gambles, a non-trivial amount of time passes before the uncertainty is resolved but after a choice is made. An individual may have a preference between gambles with identical probability distributions over final outcomes if they differ in the timing of resolution of uncertainty. In this domain, utility consists not only of the consumption of outcomes, but also the psychological utility induced by an unresolved gamble. We term this utility anxiety. Since a reflective decision maker may want to (...) include anxiety explicitly in analysis of unresolved lotteries, a multiple-outcome model for evaluating lotteries with delayed resolution of uncertainty is developed. The result is a rank-dependent utility representation (e.g., Quiggin, 1982), in which period weighting functions are related iteratively. Substitution rules are proposed for evaluating compound temporal lotteries. The representation is appealing for a number of reasons. First, probability weights can be interpreted as the cognitive attention allocated to certain outcomes. Second, the model disaggregates strength of preference from temporal risk aversion and thus provides some insight into the old debate about the relationship between von Neumann–Morgenstern utility functions and strength of preference value functions. (shrink)

When solving a complex problem in a group, should group members always choose the best available solution that they are aware of? In this paper, I build simulation models to show that, perhaps surprisingly, a group of agents who individually randomly follow a better available solution than their own can end up outperforming a group of agents who individually always follow the best available solution. This result has implications for the feminist philosophy of science and social epistemology.

This study explores the intricate relationship between Salar vocal folk music and the Islamic faith, focusing on the Salar community in Qinghai Province, China. This research aims to examine how Islamic religious practices have shaped Salar vocal folk music and identify the challenges to its preservation. Data were collected through a qualitative methodology, including ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with three key informants: religious leaders, cultural inheritors, and folk musicians. The findings reveal that Salar vocal folk music serves as a medium (...) for religious devotion, moral instruction, and communal bonding. However, the study also highlights significant challenges, such as modernization and the disengagement of younger generations from traditional practices. The implications for research and practice include the need for increased formalized education programs, government support, and community-based initiatives aimed at preserving Salar music. Digital preservation efforts, such as archiving traditional songs, are recommended as an additional measure to safeguard this cultural heritage. The study is limited by its focus on a specific region and small sample size. Future research should explore how modern technology and media can be leveraged to engage younger audiences in traditional music practices. Preserving this unique musical tradition is essential for maintaining the Salar people’s cultural and religious identity in the face of globalization. (shrink)

This study examines the contemporary status and cultural preservation of Salar vocal folk music within the Salar Muslim community in Qinghai Province, China, highlighting its role in sustaining cultural and spiritual identity. The research aims to understand the impact of modernization and cultural integration on these traditions and explore strategies for their preservation. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered through fieldwork in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with local musicians and cultural practitioners, and document analysis (...) of preservation policies. Audio-visual recordings of performances further supported the thematic analysis of challenges and strategies for preserving this music. Findings reveal that while government initiatives contribute significantly to preservation, greater community engagement, educational initiatives, and the use of modern technology are essential to bridge generational gaps in cultural appreciation. The study underscores the need to integrate cultural preservation into educational and religious frameworks aligned with community-centered approaches. Recommendations include targeted educational programs, innovation in media to engage younger generations, and the establishment of legal protections for intangible cultural heritage. These findings offer implications for ethnomusicologists, policymakers, and educators, supporting broader cultural preservation efforts in multi-ethnic contexts. (shrink)

Many studies of bribery acknowledge the important role of bribe-givers, but their true motives remain unclear. We propose that the likelihood of bribery depends on the willingness of an organization to affiliate with local parties or to be successful in a host country, or to have power over local parties. We further argue that different opportunities, either pervasive or arbitrary, facilitate different types of motives that affect the likelihood of bribery. In addition, we investigate the effect of perceived fairness on (...) the likelihood of bribery. We employ a 3 (motives: affiliation vs. achievement vs. power) × 2 (opportunities: pervasiveness vs. arbitrariness) × 2 (perceived fairness: high vs. low) factorial design in experimental settings among Executive MBA students in southern Taiwan. Our findings indicate that, when companies perceive a higher level of distributive fairness, high-achieving organizations are more likely to offer a bribe when the condition is pervasive. When they have a powerful motive, arbitrariness engenders a higher likelihood of bribery. When they perceive less distributive fairness, there are no significant differences between motive and opportunity. (shrink)

EDITOR’S ABSTRACTThis article argues that Shang Yang’s philosophy of law was not only a means to enrich the state and strengthen its army, but also envisioned the orderly rule of all All-under-Heaven. Through a fair, universal, and reliable use of rewards, punishments, and also teaching, this vision of laws could ultimately lead to the promotion of moral values, popular consensus, and people’s self-governance. While the authors admit that in Shang Yang’s own historical context, law was no more than a tool (...) used by the ruler to suppress his people, potentially his ideas could contribute to a future Chinese society fully ruled by law and morality, and inspired by the rule of law. (shrink)

In The Pragmatics of Text Messaging: Making Meaning in Messages Michelle A. McSweeney seeks to explore the meaning to be found in the labyrinth of text messaging language, and offers explanations b...

On the morning of February 27, 1955, in the auditorium of the administration building of Beijing University, the Communist Youth League's first Beijing University congress was proceeding according to its prearranged agenda. The physics department general branch secretary was speaking at the podium. Just as he was proposing that the CYL should devote its efforts to fostering idealism among youth, a fresh-faced lad sprang up from the western side of the delegation. He leapt onto the podium and gestured that he (...) wanted to make an impromptu speech. With youthful enthusiasm he assumed the line of discussion begun by the branch secretary. At our CYL congress, he said, the first order of business should be what kind of person we're trying to produce. Do we want guileless, law-abiding bookworms who only repeat what other people say, or do we want patriotic, creative "red experts" with lofty aspirations? Apart from making "A's" in school, shouldn't we also be developing our capacity to think independently?…. (shrink)

This article presents a conceptual investigation of the intellectual debates on the normative destination of China, which have intensified since the mid-1990s when both liberalism and the New Left emerged under the Chinese backgrounds of the spreading of marketization and the maintaining of political authoritarianism.1 The investigation, however, is not an attempt to systematically examine those debates, which, as usual in the Chinese intellectual style of the twentieth century, often freely and arbitrarily cross various issue-areas and mix very different concepts. (...) Instead, this article interprets and criticizes the debates with its own political and academic concerns , which are reflected in two questions: First, how does liberty originate from a society that traditionally and practically has had little liberty? Second, how can such liberty be, whereas it has been given to birth or substantial growth from whatever soils and by whatever paths, sustained, expanded, and institutionalized in the society? (shrink)

The present study aimed to conduct a cross-cultural comparison of creative thinking among Chinese middle school students from the rice- and wheat-growing areas in China through the lens ofthe rice theory, which postulates that there are major psychological differences among the individuals in these agricultural regions. Differences in cultural mindsets and creativity between the rice group (n= 336) and the wheat group (n= 347) were identified using the Chinese version of (1) the Auckland Individualism and Collectivism Scale (AICS) and (2) (...) the Test for Creative Thinking–Drawing Production (TCT–DP), respectively. Interesting findings were obtained. The results of latent mean analyses indicate that the rice group showed significantly more collectivism and adaptive creativity than the wheat group but less individualism and innovative and boundary-breaking creativity. However, the two groups showed no significant differences in their overall creative performance, as reflected in the TCT–DP composite score. Moreover, results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that collectivism was positively related to adaptive creativity but negatively related to innovative and boundary-breaking creativity; however, a reverse pattern was found for individualism. These findings enrich the discourse regarding the rice theory and shed important light on the effect of culture on creativity. (shrink)

Ever since Charles Goodwin’s seminal works on gaze, there has been a long-standing interest in Conversation Analysis in the interrelationship between talk and bodily conduct in the accomplishment of social action. Recently, a small but emerging body of research has explored the ways in which embodied conduct figures in the organization and operations of repair. In this article, I take up a similar theme and investigate the interaction between talk and iconic gestures in same-turn self-initiated repair in Mandarin conversation. The (...) phenomenon I examine concerns the use of what I call “gestural repair.” The analysis focuses on how such repair can intertwine with talk in multi-stage operations in the progressivity and resolution of repair. The data are drawn from 50 hours of naturally-occurring conversations collected in China. Some unique features of such gestural repair observed in the Mandarin data are also discussed. (shrink)

The relationship between mankind and nature is a precarious one at best; at once seemingly irreconcilable and yet there is still certain interdependency. In discussing this relationship we need not merely touch upon modern science or environmentalism as the ancient Chinese thinker Lao-tzu had something to say on the matter in the pre-Qin period of Chinese history. But Lao-tzu writes not merely about the relationship between mankind and its environment, taking theterm ‘nature’ in a much broader sense. I would like (...) to discuss Lao-tzu’s idea of nature from the evolution of the meaning of the term, the relationship between mankind and nature and one of establishment and co-existence. This paper will consider how mankind and nature have an interdependent coexistencethat often turns into contradictory and at times conflicting circumstances. It will divide the relationship between mankind and nature into three categories, namely“mankind and natural conscience,” “mankind and other objects” and “mankind and the natural environment” an pose questions as to how to use Lao-tzi’s thought to establish a “coexistence” between mankind and nature. (shrink)

This study investigates the use of musical intelligence to improve the English pronunciation of Chinese third level students. It is relevant for a human-centred systems engineering approach to cross-cultural interaction. Language learning is important as valid communication can help interactions and cultural understanding between countries, this also may benefit international stability. There are natural barriers between the English and Chinese language which are reflected in teaching approaches. The teaching of English in Chinese classrooms is removed from real-world English learning environments. (...) The academic environments and approaches focus on the learning of grammar, spelling and writing with little real-life conversation and interaction with native English speakers. English language learning in China is from a more academic perspective rather than practical utilisation. Correct pronunciation and accent is therefore diminished. This study demonstrates that a musical intelligence e-Learning approach can benefit Chinese English language students. (shrink)

本书在如何发挥古典著作的教化作用以及如何把古典经典著作和今人的伦理识见结合在一起这两个问题意识的指导之下,在详细参阅多种希腊原本和译本的基础上,对菲利布篇进行了重新翻译,并对菲利布篇的哲学方法论问题和 快乐论问题进行了深入的研究.

A new smooth method for solving the support vector machine classification (SVC) is presented. Since the objective function of the unconstrained SVC is non-smooth, we apply the smooth technique and replace the SVC function with Bézier function and get a class of Bézier smooth support vector machines (BSSVM). The fast Newton-Armijo algorithm is used to solve the BSSVM. Theoretical analysis and numerical results illustrate that this smooth SVM model improves in efficiency and accuracy compared with other smooth methods.

The closed world assumption plays a fundamental role in the theory of deductive databases. On the other hand, multi-valued logics occupy a vast field in non-classical logics. Some questions are better explained and expressed in terms of such logics. To enhance the expressive power and the declarative ability of a deductive database, we extend various CWA formalizations, including the naive CWA, the generalized CWA and the careful CWA, to multi-valued logics. The basic idea is to embed logic formulae into some (...) polynomial ring. The extensions can be applied in a uniform manner to any finitely multi-valued logics. Therefore they have also computational interest. (shrink)