In responding to Harvey Lederman’s essay on the “unity of knowledge and action,” this essay takes up W ang Yangming’s 王陽明 writings on war to consider what Lederman calls Wang’s theoretical and therapeutic approaches to philosophy. Wang’s writings on his experiences in war provide a unique lens to think through the “unity of knowledge and action” as they point to several tensions within that idea. Battle is thus described both as an illustration of how knowledge and action can be unified, (...) but also, somewhat counterintuitively, as a sordid state of affairs that might be avoided altogether if knowledge and action were actually unified. I also show how Wang’s ethical reflections on war point to what I call Wang’s compartmentalized understanding of genuine knowledge, namely, when one has genuine knowledge of one relationship (e.g., loyalty to ruler) without genuine knowledge of another (e.g., filiality toward parents). (shrink)

I respond to the insightful comments of Liu Liangjian, Stephen Angle, and Trenton Wilson.

I respond to the insightful comments of L iu Liangjian, Stephen Angle, and Trenton Wilson.

To provide rigour when preparing a research design, the researcher needs to carefully consider not only the methodology but also the philosophical intent of the study. This, however, is often absent from reported research and provides the reader with little evidence by which to judge the merits of the chosen methodology and its influence on the study. The purpose of this paper is to set out the case for critical realism as a framework to guide appropriate action in practice development (...) and realistic evaluation for understanding the consequences of those actions.It is evident that critical realism and critical social science share common ground. Emancipatory practice development (ePD) is based on the philosophy of critical social science and therefore by virtue is linked to the tenets of critical realism. Until now, the evaluation of ePD programme has been well served by 4th-generation evaluation. However, this paper outlines the need for a different approach to evaluation, one that is based on critical realism, that is concerned with emancipation, and that can be used in the ever-changing environment of clinical practice. Realistic evaluation not only links strongly to ePD programmes, but also serves as the basis for effective research questions that will test the outcomes of the research and inform the transferability of ePD mechanisms into differing contexts. (shrink)

David Sloan Wilson has recently revived the idea of a group mind as an application of group selectionist thinking to cognition. Central to my discussion of this idea is the distinction between the claim that groups have a psychology and what I call the social manifestation thesis-a thesis about the psychology of individuals. Contemporary work on this topic has confused these two theses. My discussion also points to research questions and issues that Wilson's work raises, as well as (...) their connection to externalist conceptions of the mind familiar since the work of Putnam and Burge. (shrink)

Chiappe and Kukla argue that relevance theory fails to solve the frame problem as defined by Fodor. They are right. They are wrong, however, to take Fodor’s frame problem too seriously. Fodor’s concerns, on the other hand, even though they are wrongly framed, are worth addressing. We argue that Relevance thoery helps address them.

Invites the reader to examine the concept of the One in several complex cultural and philosophical mileux. The uniqueness of the study is its collation of Eastern and Western sources and systems.

This paper develops an account of rigour in the use of thought experiments in ethics. I argue that there are two separate challenges to be faced. The first is internal validity: is the thought experiment designed in a way that allows its readers to make judgements that are confident and free of bias about the hypothesis or point of principle that it aims to test? The second is external validity: to what extent do ethical judgements that are correct of the (...) world of the thought experiment generalize to a wide variety of other contexts, including ethical decision-making in the actual world? Ensuring external validity is the harder and more important problem of rigour, yet it is one that few philosophers have even noticed, let alone begun to solve. (shrink)

This article interrogates postmodern and Levinasian conceptions of ethics with recourse to Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and certain psychoanalytical concepts formulated in Jacques Lacan's Ethics of Psychoanalysis. Since Levinas, ethical thinking has, in some quarters, moved away from conventional questions about moral agency, rights and social justice, on to a concern towards the ultimate unknowability of `the other'. Ethics depends, for Levinas, on an unpredictable, accidental encounter with something Other, that, in its singularity, demands a response; it is precisely the (...) contingency of the encounter that constitutes the ethical difference from the realm of morality and law. Tarantino's movie narratives are also structured around accidents, disclosing the pain and jouissance of accidental expenditures that lie at the heart of any relation to the Other. In the midst of trauma, the Thing emerges, around which goods and signification circulate, that both delimits the identification of the Good and marks a space beyond moral law that becomes the site of radical ethical questioning. (shrink)

A filosofia na Pedagogia do Oprimido Resumo: O artigo pretende realizar uma aproximação introdutória da filosofia presente na obra Pedagogia do Oprimido (1968) de Paulo Freire. Seguindo o fluxo original da obra em quatro seções, analisa-se como conceitos criados ou utilizados por Freire correspondem a ou dialogam com conceitos de algumas correntes filosóficas, sobretudo, a fenomenologia, o existencialismo, a dialética hegeliana e o pensamento marxiano e marxista em geral. Entre outros temas, também são abordados o cristianismo crítico de Freire, a (...) legitimidade da violência do oprimido, a aderência do oprimido ao opressor (passando rapidamente por alguns conceitos psicanalíticos), a catarse da metodologia. Destaca-se ainda a forte influência sobre Freire exercida pelo filósofo brasileiro Álvaro Vieira Pinto. Palavras-chave: pedagogia do oprimido; dialética; fenomenologia; marxismo. Philosophy in Pedagogy of the Opressed Abstract: The article intends to carry out an introductory approach to the philosophy present in the work Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968) by Paulo Freire. Following its original flow in four sections, it is analyzed how concepts created or used by Freire correspond to or dialogue with concepts from several philosophical currents such as phenomenology, existentialism, Hegelian dialectics and Marxian and Marxist thought in general. Freire's critical Christianity, the legitimacy of the violence of the oppressed, the adherence of the oppressed to the oppressor (quickly passing through some psychoanalytic concepts) and the catharsis of methodology are also addressed topics. The strong influence of the Brazilian philosopher Álvaro Vieira Pinto on Freire is highlighted as well. Key-words: pedagogy of the oppressed; dialectics; phenomenology; marxism. La philosophie en Pédagogie des Opprimés Résumé: L'article vise à réalizer une approche introductive à la philosophie présente dans l'ouvrage Pédagogie des opprimés (1968) de Paulo Freire. Suivant sa flux original en quatre sections, il est analysé comment les concepts créés ou utilisés par Freire correspondent ou dialoguent avec des concepts de certains courants philosophiques, surtout la phénoménologie, l'existentialisme, la dialectique hégélienne et la pensée marxienne et marxiste en général. Le christianisme critique de Freire, la légitimité de la violence de l'opprimé, l'adhésion de l'opprimé à l'oppresseur (en passant rapidement par quelques concepts psychanalytiques) et la catharsis de la méthodologie sont themes également abordés. Il est remarqué aussi la forte influence du philosophe brésilien Álvaro Vieira Pinto sur Freire. Mots-clés: pédagogie des opprimés ; dialectique ; phénoménologie ; marxisme. Data de registro: 25/09/2021 Data de aceite: 01/12/2021. (shrink)

The intertwined nature of social, economic, and environmental problems has led to an increase in cross-sector partnerships to create collaborative value. Intermediary organizations can enable these partnerships, but the context shapes what is needed. There is a need to understand how different contexts shape how intermediaries create value. This study fills this gap by focusing on intermediaries in Johannesburg, South Africa. We find there is significant unrealized collaborative value in the context studied. This is due to the coexistence of a (...) limited state combined with a strong incumbent political party. While the existing scholarship on intermediaries is relevant, two particular capabilities are especially important in such a context. First, intermediaries need to focus on seizing opportunities to generate short-term value in order to build trust among partners. Second, they need to strengthen the capacity of the state through lateral influence. Weak and limited states combined with strong political regimes are common in many nations, especially those in transition. In addition, there are a variety of contemporary global political pressures that emphasize greater state autonomy. These contextual pressures make these findings particularly relevant to partnership scholars and practitioners. (shrink)

Several recent systematic and targeted reviews have highlighted limitations in our understanding of talent in sport. However, a comprehensive profile of where the scientific research has focused would help identify gaps in current knowledge. Our goal in this scoping review was to better understand what others have done in the field of research, to summarize the constituent areas of research in a meaningful way, to help identify gaps in the research, and to encourage future research to address these gaps. Peer-reviewed (...) articles written in English that met several inclusion criteria were analyzed. A total of 1,899 articles were identified, and the descriptive findings revealed a relatively narrow focus of research on talent in sport. Specifically, the majority of examined articles focused on males only, the sport of soccer, perceptual cognitive variables, developing athletes, adult samples, and cross-sectional designs. For better or worse, the concept of talent remains a central element of how coaches, practitioners, and scientists think about athlete development. Findings from this scoping review highlight the continued need to explore issues related to talent identification, selection, and development in more diverse samples and contexts. There is also a clear necessity to focus on under-researched areas using alternative methodologies. (shrink)

A significant criticism of the anthropic principle as a scientific claim is that testable predictions cannot be derived from it. Brandon Carter has argued, however, that the principle can be used to predict on the one hand that the period of time biological evolution is intrinsically likely to require is very large, and on the other that the number of ‘critical steps’ that have occurred in the evolution of life on earth is related to the length of time life can (...) continue to evolve. I attempt to show that neither of Carter's arguments provides a convincing defence of the testability of the anthropic principle. (shrink)

In a recent article, C. H. Kahn addresses an ‘old scholarly myth’, namely the idea that Book I of the Republic began life as an earlier, independent dialogue and was subsequently adapted to serve as a prelude to the much longer work that we know. The case for this hypothesis rests both on stylometric considerations and on the many ‘Socratic’ features that Book I, unlike the rest of the Republic, shares with Plato's earlier works. Having disposed of the positive arguments (...) in favour of the ‘myth’, Kahn turns to the contrary—and in his view overwhelming—evidence that Book I was composed from the start as an integral part of the longer Republic. He catalogues 12 passages in Book I, accounting for roughly half its length, whose full significance will, he argues, only emerge if they are seen as instances of prolepsis, deliberate anticipations of what is to come in later books. (shrink)

After forty years of legalized abortion in the United States, the results are starting to come in on the impact this “freedom” has had on women. Bearing an immense burden of blood guilt (shared by the men who support abortion), they have grown hardened and even hostile toward motherhood, domesticity, and children. This has in turn put enormous cultural pressure on those women who “choose” to stay at home to bring up their children, creating a war on women from both (...) directions. (shrink)

This paper discusses the contributions of Bernard Williams to Moral and Political Philosophy.

This chapter contains section titled: Two Seekers After Truth Coincidence and Divergence The Good World Doctrine Appendix: Passages Relating to Shared Doctrines in Augustine and Descartes References and Further Reading.