This chapter examines the role of the situation model in referential processing and how it can link what appear to be incompatible results from studies of monologue and dialogue as well as studies of reading and visual-world eye tracking. It shows that data from experiments on pronoun resolution in reading indicate a two-step model, in which candidate antecedents for an anaphor are first identified on the basis of gender matching and number matching, then evaluated with respect to the overall situation (...) model. In similar visual-world studies, these stages are seemingly collapsed together, which can be explained in terms of differences in how the situation model is related to the text versus the visual display of potential referents. The chapter suggests that comparing these different types of studies can elucidate the processes of reference resolution. (shrink)

Pickering & Garrod's (P&G's) mechanistic account of dialogue assumes that linguistic alignment between interlocutors takes place automatically, without using cognitive resources. However, even the most basic processes of speech perception depend on resource use. The lack of invariant mapping between input patterns and interpretations in dialogue, as in speech perception, may require controlled, rather than automatic, processing.

This target article draws together two groups of experimental studies on the control of human movement through peripheral feedback and centrally generated signals of motor commands. First, during natural movement, feedback from muscle, joint, and cutaneous afferents changes; in human subjects these changes have reflex and kinesthetic consequences. Recent psychophysical and microneurographic evidence suggests that joint and even cutaneous afferents may have a proprioceptive role. Second, the role of centrally generated motor commands in the control of normal movements and movements (...) following acute and chronic deafferentation is reviewed. There is increasing evidence that subjects can perceive their motor commands under various conditions, but that this is inadequate for normal movement; deficits in motor performance arise when the reliance on proprioceptive feedback is abolished either experimentally or because of pathology. During natural movement, the CNS appears to have access to functionally useful input from a range of peripheral receptors as well as from internally generated command signals. The unanswered questions that remain suggest a number of avenues for further research. (shrink)

An able and clear defense of Bradley's principal theses and the underlying conception of metaphysical enterprise. "This is a book about a metaphysician, about metaphysics, and, most importantly, it attempts to develop elements of a metaphysical position long the lines of what is called Absolute Idealism." The Introduction takes up the Verificationists [[sic]] argument and two recent accounts of metaphysics. Part I devotes ten Chapters to the elucidation and defense of Bradley's conception of reality. It culminates in examining three alternative (...) accounts of "Real". Part II considers "the major philosophical theories of the self in order to defend Bradley's Theory of the self within his metaphysical scheme."--A. S. C. (shrink)

These two small works are a good supplement to Rescher’s recent trilogy. Whereas the systems-theoretic approach is employed in Methodological Pragmatism in dealing with the problem of the legitimation of claims to factual knowledge or cognitive rationality, Dialectics deals with the argumentation aspect of thesis-introduction rather than the logical aspect of thesis-derivation. Although some key notions such as the idea of burden of proof and presumption have been stated in the former work, what is offered here is a systematic discussion (...) of a disputational model of inquiry. The principal aims are "to exhibit the sociocommunal roots of the foundations of rationality, to provide an instrument for the critique of scepticism implicit in the cognitive solipsism of the Cartesian approach, and to illuminate the communal and controversy-oriented aspects of rational argumentation and inquiry—scientific inquiry in particular." Again, Rescher limits his discussion to "the probative mechanism in the factual domain." This book, if it were not for its price, should be a good supplement to a course in "informal" logic which focuses on argumentation rather than on mere evaluation of arguments. Plausible Reasoning provides the mechanism for evaluation of plausibility claims as distinct from probabilistic ones. The basic differences between these two types of claims are clearly discussed. "Plausibility is essentially a classificatory concept which ranks theses in terms of the standing and solidity of their cognitive basis. Plausibility grades theses by an external or extrinsic standard of the hierarchical nature of their supporting bases. It classifies propositions by the status of the evidential sources or validating principles that vouch for them. Probability weighs alternatives and evaluates theses by this relative contentual weight of the supporting considerations."—A.S.C. (shrink)

I THE CONCEPT OF ACTION Among the most basic of legal concepts of concern to the practitioners of law at all levels we find those of defence, culpability, ...

Abstract.A keystone of the theory of noncommutative noetherian rings is the theorem that establishes a necessary and sufficient condition for a given ring to have a quotient ring. We trace the development of this theorem, and its applications, from its first version for noncommutative domains in the 1930s to Goldie’s theorems in the late 1950s.

A clearly written book that purports to analyze "the ends men pursue, and the ways in which these ends are ordered in some kind of system." The driving force behind the analysis is the attempt to present ends, or at least some important ends, as complex entities having a discernible and significant structure, and then to present the priorities, preferences, and relationships that men impose on their ends as themselves constituting a complex, coherent structure, whose principles of ordering may be (...) discerned and criticized. Part one deals with the structure and ordering of ends and reflects the influence of Kant and Rawls. Part two deals with rational ends and social structures, and part three with life and death as values. Of great practical interest are certain concepts such as life plan and budget risk in dealing with the problems of life and death. The book repays careful study.--A. S. C. (shrink)

This is a critical edition of the work published in 1681, two years after Hobbes' death. The dialogue contains mature reflections of Hobbes on the doctrine of sovereignty. It deals with the relation between law and reason, sovereign power, crimes, heresies and punishments. The editor's introduction sets forth arguments for regarding the text as a complete work, contrary to the views of L. Stephen, Tönnies, and Robertson. A critical analysis of the argument in the dialogue is also provided indicating the (...) relation of the dialogue to Hobbes' political philosophy. The dialogue is interesting in portraying the more "liberal" side of Hobbes. It is an invaluable aid to the study of Hobbes.--A. S. C. (shrink)

The aim "has been to provide the general reader with a reliable and trustworthy account of the life, teaching and influence of Confucius and to show how a man, comparatively insignificant and obscure in his own day, came to occupy a supreme place as the Great and Revered Teacher of the Chinese people." This aim is admirably fulfilled in this sympathetic study of the roots and history of Confucian civilization and its continuing revival of interest, both in the mainland and (...) in areas of Chinese Dispersion, in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Part I gives a good account of the "unique and distinctive place given to Confucius, the founder of one of the world’s greatest systems of religion and philosophical thought." A persuasive case is offered for the defense of the religious dimension of Confucian thought, though its content is essentially ethical. Professor Smith has, in the main, succeeded in conveying the Confucian religious attitude. Part II devotes to a discussion of Confucian civilization from the triumph of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, and its role until the founding of the Republic of China in 1911. It deals with the development of Neo-Confucian systems and the state cult. A great emphasis is placed on the process that led to the apex of the Confucian civilization in the Manchu Dynasty. The book concludes with an assessment of Confucius: "The great ideals of individual perfection and a harmonious social order which Confucius inculcated are as relevant in the modern world as they were nearly 2500 years ago.... He retains his place, and will still retain his place among the wise ones of the earth who sought after righteousness and found it a thing of great price. Confucius is China’s greatest gift to mankind." The book is a contribution to contemporary reassessment of Confucian thought.—A. S. C. (shrink)

This is a challenging and original work on the concept of justification and its application to ethical statements. The book divides into two parts. The first part is devoted to a systematic treatment of the nature of justification. It begins with a critical rejection of the deductive model. Wellman presents plausible arguments for the existence of non-deductive evidences in ethics and shows how ethical theories can be tested by "thought-experiment" as analogous to the confirmation of scientific theories by laboratory trials. (...) An interesting kind of inference termed "conductive reasoning" is described. It is argued that this third form of reasoning can be validly used in justifying ethical conclusions. Distinctive of conductive reasoning is its non-formal and inconclusive feature. Its validity is alleged to lie in its dependence upon the content of the argument. But by and large there is no way to judge the validity of these basic ethical arguments but by thinking them through and feeling their logical force." Wellman goes on to develop a challenge-response model for understanding the nature of justification. Justification is "to be understood essentially as a process of responding to challenges made." However, Wellman makes no attempt to consider the role of moral concepts in determining the validity of conductive reasoning and its role in the justification of ethical statements. Part II considers the dimensions of ethical justification in terms of the model of challenge and response. Seven species of challenge are described: truth, truth-value, meaningfulness, validity, validity-value, competence, and knowability. On the whole the book contains challenging views and material for the epistemology of ethics.--A. S. C. (shrink)

The fourth publication of the monograph series of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy, this lengthy letter of Leibniz on Chinese philosophy is an important contribution to East-West philosophical dialogue, for it depicts a sympathetic yet critical assessment of Chinese philosophy on the basis of translations and secondary sources available to Leibniz. Leibniz’s interest, as the translators point out, was not merely ecumenical, but an expression of high regard for the intrinsic contributions of Chinese thought. In spite of mistakes (...) in chronology, authorship, and interpretation of key notions of Chinese philosophy, Leibniz’s letter is important in the use of philosophical argumentation in the rebuttal of the historical and theological arguments given by Antonio Caballero a Santa Maria and Nicholas Longobardi who opposed the accommodationist position of Matteo Ricci. Leibniz’s letter cannot be regarded as a good guide to Chinese philosophy. But it has a place in the history of East-West philosophy in exemplifying the commendable attitude that combines serious appreciation and critical assessment. The translators have provided an excellent introductory guide to this Discourse. The explanatory notes and comments are quite helpful to the readers. An appendix on "Variant Readings of the Text" and a good bibliography are also provided.—A.S.C. (shrink)

This book is an anthology of essays dealing with the problem of the justification of claims to factual knowledge of various sorts. All, except one excerpted from a book, were originally journal articles. Part one, contains essays by R. F. Holland, William Earle, and E. J. Furlong on the problem of memory. Part two, contains essays by A. J. Ayer, C. H. Whiteley, and H. H. Price. Part three contains essays by Ayer, R. J. Hirst, and C. H. Whiteley. A (...) general introduction precedes the essays. A useful bibliographical essay is also given.--A. S. C. (shrink)

Rights have two properties which prima facie appear to be inconsistent. The first is that they are conditional in the sense that one some occasions it is always justifiable for someone to act in a way which appears to be inconsistent with someone else's rights, such as when the defence of necessity applies. The second is that rights are indefeasible in the sense that they are not subject to being defeated our outweighed by utilitarian or policy considerations. If we view (...) rules and the rights which they establish as being subject to a ceteris paribus clause, the form of which generates out the exceptions, the conditionality of rights becomes reconcilable with their nondefeasibility. Such a view of rules and rights would entail that the goals of the law and their orderings be considered as a part of the law. When so viewed, propositions about goals and their orderings become legitimate premises for legal reasoning, furnishing solutions to hard cases in the law of torts, without resort to balancing of interests or judicial discretion. (shrink)

This is an excellent compilation of essays honoring the seventieth birthday of Joseph Needham. Sivin’s preface plausibly argues for the thesis that, "since the theoretical and practical approaches seem in traditional societies everywhere to have formed a unity with the social, political, and spiritual aspects of life, the reader can enrich his understanding of the latter to the extent that he is aware of the former". The essays belong to two complementary parts. The first four essays by Derek J. de (...) Solla Price, S. Nakayama, A. C. Graham, and Mitukuni Yosida furnish valuable critical aids and perspectives on Needham’s monumental work, Science and Civilization in China. The first three essays contain matters of philosophical interest. The remaining five essays display a variety of representative approaches to Chinese science in the areas of astronomy, Mohist optics, elixir plants, medicine and anesthesia in China and Japan. (shrink)

This book is another work on the voluminous literature on the Private Language Argument. The author devotes his arguments solely to a refutation of "anti-private language thesis" as it appears in the articles of N. Malcolm, J. D. Carney, and Newton Garver. Two arguments of the thesis are considered without ascription to Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations. The first is the familiar "The Diary Keeper Argument" found in Wittgenstein : "The claim that the supposition that one could keep a record of a (...) particular kind of sensation having no publicly observable behavioral or circumstantial indicators is unintelligible". Smerud’s attack on this argument in part relies on Ayer’s paper "Can There Be a Private Language?" on the issue of recognition. For the issue on the criterion requirement, Smerud appealed to J. J. Thomson’s paper "Private Languages" as a basis for argument. No note is taken of the criticism of the relevance of verification principle to the issue in D. Locke’s Myself and Others. (shrink)

In the early 1930s W. O. Kermack and W. H. McCrea published three papers in which they attempted to prove a result of E. T. Whittaker on the solution of differential equations. In modern parlance, their key idea consisted in using quantized contact transformations over an algebra of differential operators. Although their papers do not seem to have had any impact, either then or at any later time, the same ideas were independently developed in the 1960–1980s in the framework of (...) the theory of modules over rings of microdifferential operators. In this paper we describe the results of Kermack and McCrea and discuss possible reasons why such promising papers had no impact on the mathematics of the twentieth century. (shrink)

This book formulates and defends a form of idealism that shows the influences of Kant, Leibniz, Peirce, and Anglo-American neo-Hegelians. The general position is characterized as conceptual idealism. "It maintains that the concepts we standardly employ in constituting our view of reality—even extramental, material reality-involves an essential reference to minds and their capabilities." Conceptual idealism is distinct from the causal version; it is essentially concerned with the deployment of our present conceptual framework. "A concept is mind-involving in the present, conceptualistic (...) sense if its full and adequate explication—not just on the side of its semantical meaning-content, but also on that of its applicability-conditions—cannot be carried out without reference to those functions which, like thinking, imagining, assuming, etc., are characteristic capabilities of mind.". (shrink)

This is the first volume in the Vienna Circle collection. The editorial committee plans to publish a series of about thirty volumes between 1973 and 1980. This gigantic task should render immense service to both historians and contemporary philosophers. The basic aim is to present in English anthologies of "the most important work of single members, which should contain besides a detailed essay on the man a complete bibliography of his work." The present large anthology of the writings of Neurath (...) presents a valuable collection of memories, in lieu of a biographical essay, revealing Neurath’s manysided interests and activities. Of more strictly philosophical interest are the short essays that deal with the history of optics, the problem of pleasure maximum, the scientific conception of the world; and a long selection from the book Empirical Sociology: The Scientific Content of History and Political Economy. (shrink)

A collection of eight essays, this book is not intended as a comprehensive anthology like K. T. Fann’s Symposium on Austin. G. J. Warnock’s foreword indicates an attempt to rectify the apparent misunderstandings of Austin and his intentions. With the exception of the essays by D. F. Pears and John R. Searle, all are written especially for the volume. Three of the works, those by Sir Isaiah Berlin, George Pitcher, and G. J. Warnock, present an informative account of Austin’s activities (...) at Oxford. Professor Berlin’s "Austin and the Early Beginning of Oxford Philosophy" offers a valuable personal account of Austin’s early years as "a very clear, acute, and original intellect." In the "Thursday meetings", Austin’s main purpose seemed to Berlin "then, and afterwards, to be the establishing of particular truths with a view to generalizing from them, or eliciting principles at a later stage." Pitcher’s "Austin: A Personal Memoir" gives an account of Austin’s stay and influence at Harvard in 1955. Warnock’s "Saturday Mornings" recollects Austin’s activities in the 1950’s. (shrink)