Prelude : scientists as prophets and the rhetoric of prophecy -- The Delphic oracle and ancient prophetic ethos -- The natural magician and the prophet : Francis Bacon's ethical alchemy -- Confirming signs : the prophetic ethos of the early Royal Society -- Interlude : competing ethical models and a catch-22 -- J. Robert Oppenheimer : cultic prophet -- Rachel Carson, kairotic prophet -- Media, metaphor, and the "oracles of science" -- Climate change and the technologies of prophecy -- Postlude (...) : problems and solutions. (shrink)

Liz JacksonEducation University of Hong KongNel Noddings is known around the world for her contributions to philosophy and philosophy of education. Her work on caring and relational ethics broke ne...

An important function of the self is to identify external objects that are potentially personally relevant. We suggest that such objects may be identified through mere ownership. Extant research suggests that encoding information in a self-relevant context enhances memory , thus an experiment was designed to test the impact of ownership on memory performance. Participants either moved or observed the movement of picture cards into two baskets; one of which belonged to self and one which belonged to another participant. A (...) subsequent recognition test revealed that there was a significant memory advantage for objects that were owned by self. Acting on items had no impact on memory. Results are discussed with reference to the importance of self-object associations in cognition. (shrink)

This article gives a historical-philosophical overview of three generations of pragmatist thinking centered around the question of democracy. It serves as an introduction and contextualization to the papers that develop a third generation pragmatic point of view in the remainder of the special issue. The perspective is from one American-trained philosopher of education who has studied and written widely in pragmatism and European social theory. The article has sections on three generations generally described and with primary influences of John Dewey, (...) Richard Rorty, and Bruno Latour. In each generation, other important philosophic contributions discussed come from C. S. Peirce and William James, Hilary Putnam, Donna Haraway, and Isabelle Stengers as well as relevant commentators. The first two, Dewey and Rorty, contribute to a sub-theme of democracy in their writings that the third, Latour, continues in politics in a section elaboration. The introduction sets forth a generational theme and an international setting for pragmatism. The conclusion summarizes the article's key ideas and points to a need in education for a democratic future. (shrink)

Michael A. PetersBeijing Normal UniversityMy deepest condolences to Pepe, Dom and Marcus and to Jim’s grandchildren. Tina and I spent a lot of time at the Marshall family home, often attending dinn...

Bu makale Orhan Pamuk’un Kar romanından hareketle çağdaş Türk romanında din ve siyaset ilişkisine odaklanmıştır. Çalışma, Türkiye’nin yakın dönemdeki dini ve siyasi tartışmalarına edebi bir kurgu ile yaklaşan Kar’da din-siyaset ilişkilerinin nasıl bir paradigma üzerine oturduğunu ve bu çerçevede Türkiye’de dini ve siyasi kültürün romana nasıl yansıdığını anlama ve açıklama hedefini gütmüştür. Romanda 1980 sonrası yeni bir gelişim ivmesi yakalamış ve 1990’lar boyunca siyaseti daha aktif bir şekilde motive eden sağ, muhafazakar ve İslamcı çevrelerle aslında -yazarın yaklaşımı çerçevesinde- Türkiye’ye bir (...) türlü uğramayan modernizmin Türkiye’dekijakoben ve taşralı temsilcilerinin değerleri arasındaki çatışmalar öne çıkarılmıştır. Postmodern bir bakış açısıyla yazılan Kar İslamcı-laik, Doğulu-Batılı çatışmaları arasında modernleşme çabalarının devam ettiği bu aşamada din ve siyaset ilişkileriyle ilgili önemli fotoğraflar paylaşmıştır. Nihayet romanda din; yoksulluk ve yoksunlukları araçsallaştırıcı, yerine göre değişimi engelleyici karakteri yanında baskın olarak ideolojik yönü ile öne çıkarılmıştır. Siyaset ise orada daha çok jakoben ve laik, modernleşme ile ilişkisi bağlamında da taşralı olarak betimlenmiştir.Özet: Şüphe yok ki imparatorluktan Cumhuriyete geçiş sürecinde edebiyat; özellikle de Batılı bir ürün olarak roman, modern Türkiye’nin bilinç düzeyinin inşasında önemli bir rol oynamıştır. Bu edebi etki belli bir çizgi takip etmek yerine 2 asra yaklaşan maceralı yolculuğu içinde genellikle Türk toplumunun dönemsel tarihi, sosyal, politik şartları ile uyum içinde yürümüştür. Bu bağlamda Türk romanı başlangıçta daha yoğun olmak üzere siyasal yapıyı meşrulaştırıcı bir tavır takınırken özellikle son yarım asırda modernleşmenin ulaştığı noktalar itibariyle farklı iktidar ve ideoloji üretmenin bir aracı olarak da görülmüştür. Fakat bununla birlikte kültürel sistemin önemli bir unsuru olarak din romanın söz konusu yolculuğunda hep ana temalardan biri olmuştur.Makale çağdaş Türk romanında din-siyaset ilişkilerinin din sosyolojisi açısından incelenmesini konu edinmiştir. Çalışmaya örnek olarak Orhan Pamuk’un, ilk baskısını 2002 yılında yapan ve Türkiye’de 1980’li şartların olgunlaştırdığı gerilimli din-siyaset ilişkilerini geniş bir kültürel birikimden hareketle temalaştıran Kar romanı seçilmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı çağdaş Türk romanının Türkiye’de her zaman bir gerilim ortamı yaratmış din-siyaset ilişkilerine yaklaşımını Kar örnekleminde anlamak ve açıklamaktır. Bu çerçevede tarihsel bir karşılaştırma yapılarak Türk romanının siyaset ve din algısında Karın yeri gözden geçirilmiş, bir sosyal kişilik ve yazar olarak Orhan Pamuk üzerinde durulmuş ve daha sonra da romandaki sosyal olay, olgu ve süreçlerin inşa ettiği farklı bilinç düzeyleri fenomenolojik bir perspektiften değerlendirilmiştir.Bu çalışmada Kar modern Türkiye’nin yakın dönem din-siyaset ilişkilerini dini ve siyasi kültürün farklı anlam setleri üzerinden postmodern bir alegori ile işleyen bir roman olarak görülmüştür. Bu yönüyle Kar edebi bir ürün olmanın yanında kendini toplumun dini, siyasi ve ideolojik bilgi gövdesi hakkında farklı bilinç düzeylerine yer veren hatta bugünkü din-siyaset ilişkilerinin köklü sorunlarına ışık tutan bir metin olarak da sunmuştur. Buradan hareketle denilebilir ki roman, edebiyat-toplum ilişkisi bağlamında bir taraftan toplumunun dini ve siyasi değerleri çerçevesinde olayları örgütlerken diğer taraftan bu değerlere postmodern bakış açıları sunmak suretiyle bir zenginlik katmıştır. Nihayet Karda Pamuk Türkiye’de din ve siyaset ilişkilerinin toplum temelinde edebi bir dışavurumunu gerçekleştirmiştir. Ancak bu dışavurum Osmanlıdan Cumhuriyete intikal eden dini ve siyasi birikim yanı sıra kendinin kurumsal bir bagaj etrafında şekillendirdiği sosyal kişiliğinden bağımsız olmamıştır.Açıkça Pamuk, Karda din ve siyasete, onların birbirleriyle olan ilişkilerine bazen farklı karakterler üzerinden bazen de ironi ve eleştiriler yoluyla bir dizi anlamlar yüklemiştir. Postmodern bir paradigma etrafında Kar din ve siyasetin farklı anlam dünyalarını ve bu kadim iki sosyal kurumun farklı görüntülerini felsefi ve sosyolojik bir bakış açısı içinde sunmuştur. Başka bir ifadeyle Pamuk romanın olay örgüsünü, sosyal tiplerini, sosyal sınıfları ve bunların epistemolojik birikimlerini kendi doğal sosyoekonomik, kültürel, dini ve politik ortamlarında ele almıştır. Kar, İslamcı-modernist gerilimi üzerinden şekillenen bir kimlik mücadelesi etrafında kurgulanmıştır. Burada din ve siyasetin bireysel-uzlaşmacı yönlerine yer verilmekle birlikte “Kemalist” ve “İslamcılar”ın dayatmacı, popülist siyaset anlayışları ile dinin dışlayıcı ve ideolojik yönü öne çıkarılmıştır. Dolayısıyla roman 28 Şubat 1997 askeri müdahalesinden esinlenerek Türkiye’de bir karşılığa sahip dini ve siyasi kültüre ışık tutmuş ve nihayet toplumun din ve siyaset kurumlarına ait anlam şebekeleri hakkında bugüne de yansıyan önemli fotoğraflar çekmiştir.Karda din ve siyaset “darbe”, “Kemalizm”, “siyasal İslam”, “türban”, “İslamcı”, “laik” gibi kavramlara yüklenen anlamlar üzerinden işlenmiştir. Romanda “darbe” özelinde ortaya konan sosyal ve politik görüntüler 2000’li yıllar itibariyle Cumhuriyet’in yaklaşık son yarım yüzyılını gösteren bir dizi semboller taşımıştır. Nitekim romanda konu edinilen darbe özellikle 1980 sonrası yaşanan sosyoekonomik, kültürel, siyasi, dini ve etnik sorunlar etrafında örgütlenip güçlenen “dinci”lere karşı yapılmıştır. Öte yandan romanda “Kemalizm” ve onun yaydığı ideoloji, Türkiye’de siyasetin değerlendirildiği diğer önemli bir tema olmuştur. Bu bağlamda farklı kategorik özellikler taşımakla birlikte genel olarak “Kemalizm” ve askeri bürokrasinin topluma ve onun değerlerine bakışı, romanda bireysel hak ve özgürlükleri devlet lehine kısıtlayan jakoben ve elitist bir tavır içinde sunulmuştur.Romanda dinin alt sınıf örüntüsü olma, görece yoksunlukları telafi etme, yerine göre sosyal değişimi engelleme gibi özelliklerine vurgu yapılmakla birlikte daha çok onun darbe ile siyasal, ideolojik, popülist ve araçsal bir kimlik kazanması üzerinde durulmuştur. Nitekim türbanlı kızlar meselesi siyasal İslamcılar tarafından sembol bir dava olarak görülmüş ve onlar bu davayı siyasi bir malzeme yapmışlardır. Karda din ve siyaset ayrı, yerine göre birbirleriyle çatışan sosyal kurumlar olarak değerlendirilmekle birlikte özellikle Şeyh Efendi ve bazı bürokratların çıkar ilişkileri bağlamında söz konusu iki kurumun karşılıklı ilişkilerine de yer verilmiştir. Dolayısıyla Kar Türkiye’de din-siyaset ilişkisinin sembolik düzlemde yerini bulan kadim ilişkilerine de işaret etmiş olmaktadır.Gerek siyasi gerek dini her türlü dayatmaya karşı edebi bir tavır olarak kendini gösteren Kar din ve siyasete çoğulcu bir bakış önerisi getirmiştir. Türk romanı açısından yeni sayılabilecek bu durum aslında bir yönüyle de okuyucuya dinsel ve siyasal kültür konusunda yeni evrenler sunmuştur. Ancak söz konusu öneri ve bakış açıları dini ve siyasi kültürün kendi dinamiklerinden bağımsız şekillenmiş değildir. (shrink)

This book is about feminism, its critics, and its possible directions for change. The nine chapters raise questions about theories of sexual difference, power, justice and history. A central theme concerns the prospects for combining feminist with other, non-feminist, political perspectives.

Controversies in science are an essential feature of scientific practice: defined here as current problems that are unresolved because there are no accepted procedures by which they can be resolved or there are differing assumptions that affect the interpretation of evidence. Although there has been much attention in science education literature addressing socio-scientific and historical controversies in science, less has been paid to the teaching of contemporary scientific controversies. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews with 18 teachers at different career stages in (...) England, we investigated teachers’ social representations of scientific controversies using the discourse of the collective subject. We found a lack of controversy in teachers’ responses. Whilst scientific controversies were seen as an essential feature of how science works, they were not viewed as essential in science education and were represented as a distraction and dealt with informally, outside the planned curriculum and in response to students’ questions. Subject knowledge was considered a barrier. We argue that teaching about carefully selected scientific controversies has the potential to contribute to teachers’ and students’ understandings of science and the nature of science. There are perceived to be few opportunities for teachers to exercise this in the English context. We suggest how the collective subject discourses might be used to open up a discussion about teaching controversies in professional learning situations. Materials to stimulate discussion of scientific controversies could be useful in future curriculum development in science, but these would need to address the barriers of subject knowledge, access to literature and conflict with assessment-related priorities and a perceived need to advocate for trust in science. (shrink)

A successful vision system must solve the problem of deriving geometrical information about three-dimensional objects from two-dimensional photometric input. The human visual system solves this problem with remarkable efficiency, and one challenge in vision research is to understand howneural representations of objects are formed and what visual information is used to form these representations. Ideal observer analysis has demonstrated the advantages of studying vision from the perspective of explicit generative models and a specified visual task, which divides the causes of (...) image variations into the separate categories of signal and noise. Classification image techniques estimate the visual information used in a task from the properties of “noise” images that interact most strongly with the task. Both ideal observer analysis and classification image techniques rely on the assumption of a generative model. We show here how the ability of the classification image approach to understand how an observer uses visual information can be improved by matching the type and dimensionality of the model to that of the neural representation or internal template being studied. Because image variation in real world object tasks can arise from both geometrical shape and photometric (illumination or material) changes, a realistic image generation process should model geometry as well as intensity. A simple example is used to demonstrate what we refer to as a “classification object” approach to studying three-dimensional object representations. (shrink)

James Marshall's work on Foucault exemplifies a break with tradition in philosophy of education and if taken appropriately as a new methodology, a new logic, portends a different future for the field. This article begins from a misunderstanding of Marshall. It then posits Marshall as situated in a particular Foucauldian root: a logic break out of Bachelard, Canguilhem and Foucault. From them a different understanding of ‘concept’ is offered as a break with the analytic tradition in philosophy and philosophy of (...) education. (shrink)

This essay addresses the troubling and uncanny figure of Mother in feminist theory, psychoanalytic theory, literary criticism, and real life. Readings of feminist literary criticism and the films Alien and Aliens explore the liminality of Mother and the consequences for feminist thought and practice of the persistent narrative modes (the sentimental and the gothic) locatable in all of these discourses on/of Motherhood.

The book then addresses the human/animal opposition implicit in much feminist theorizing, arguing that the opposition helps to maintain the essentialism that feminists have so often criticized. The final chapter brings us back from ideas of what 'the animal' is, to ask how these questions might relate to environmental politics, including ecofeminism and animal rights.

Birke, a feminist biologist who has written extensively on the connections between feminism and science, seeks to bridge the gap between feminist cultural analysis and science by looking "inside" the body, using ideas in anatomy and physiology to develop the feminist view that the biological body is socially and culturally constructed. She rejects the assumption that the body's functioning is fixed and unchanging, claiming that biological science offers more than just a deterministic narrative of how nature works. Annotation copyrighted by (...) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR. (shrink)

Can visual interaction with artwork prompt healing? Can the brain recover from traumatic experiences and help heal the whole body? Since the 1940s, art therapists have claimed that the production of art can help heal past traumas. Similarly, occupational therapists have employed techniques from arts and crafts since the end of World War II to retrain soldiers helping them recover from the trauma of war. The global Covid-19 pandemic has caused health-related and psychological problems--isolation, increased anxiety, and fear--for people of (...) all ages, with the rates of such traumas affecting children tripling over the past two years. According to the Nebraska-based quilting company, Accuquilt, during the first six months of pandemic isolation in 2020, sales more than doubled as new customers showed a desire to participate in arts and crafts from home. This essay explores various approaches to the arts to determine how art may restore dignity and health following traumatic experiences. (shrink)

This is an interview with Professor Lynda Birke, one of the key figures of feminist science studies. She is a pioneer of feminist biology and of materialist feminist thought, as well as of the new and emerging field of hum-animal studies. This interview was conducted over email in two time periods, in the spring of 2008 and 2010. The format allowed for comments on previous writings and an engagement in an open-ended dialogue. Professor Birke talks about her key arguments (...) and outlooks on a changing field of research. The work of this English biologist is typical of a long and continuous feminist engagement with biology and ontological matters that reaches well beyond the more recently articulated ‘material turn’ of feminist theory. It touches upon feminist issues beyond the usual comfort zones of gender constructionism and human-centred research. Perhaps less recognized than for instance the names of Donna Haraway or Karen Barad, Lynda Birke’s oeuvre is part of the same long-standing and twofold critique from feminist scholars qua trained natural scientists. On the one hand, theirs is a powerful critique of biological determinism; on the other, an acutely observed contemporary critique of how merely cultural or socially reductionist approaches to the effervescently lively and biological might leave the corporeal, environmental or non-human animal critically undertheorized within feminist scholarship. In highlighting the work and arguments of Lynda Birke, it is hoped here to provide an accessible introduction to the critical questions and challenges that circumvent contemporary discussions within feminist technoscience as theory and political practice. (shrink)

The philosopher Enrique Dussel offers a critical analysis of European construction of indigenous peoples which he calls "transmodern." His theory is especially relevant to feminist and other concerns about the potential disabling effects of postmodern approaches for political action and the development of theory. Dussel divides modernity into two concurrent paradigms. Reflection on them suggests that modernism and postmodernism should not be too strongly distinguished. In conclusion, his approach is compared with that of Mohanty.

Utilizing the writings of Pierre Bourdieu and Sheldon Wolin,this paper introduces a special issue on ``Educational Rights andEntitlements.'' Its purpose is to characterize and critique `the box ofliberalism' that both advances and constrains what is conceived andenacted in education. Following it are a set of significantcontributions from the sixth biennial conference of the InternationalNetwork of Philosophers of Education, August 1998, Ankara.

In the history of English, the early moral centring of cleanliness is conventionally depicted as having been eroded. This paper aims instead to explore its continued moral dynamism, using language as prime resource. Examining the complex semantic trajectories of cleanliness from Middle English onwards, it documents its shifting status in a number of disparate registers, including chastity, domestic virtue, and health, alongside the forms of moral expression these reveal. The conventionalised alliance of cleanliness with godliness forms part of this process (...) of critical re-evaluation. The salience of cleanliness as moral device comes to the fore in a detailed study of language practice in the First World War. Across a range of discourse types, cleanliness is shown to retain potent moral and ideological force, not least in constructing both nationhood and enemy in a time of war. (shrink)

Ugandan and South African contemporary women’s narratives reflect on the rapid pace of change in the social lives of women in two countries that are contending with the aftermath of conflict and violence. This article will interrogate how contemporary women writers such as Goretti Kyomuhendo (Whispers from Vera), Zukiswa Wanner (The Madams and Behind Every Successful Man) and Cynthia Jele (Happiness is a Four-Letter Word) are embracing chick-lit as a form of writing, while simultaneously short-circuiting this genre to create an (...) experimental form that allows them to reflect on the realities of women and engage with the contradictions, complexities and ambiguities of contemporary feminine subjectivities. Although chick-lit as a genre has been dismissed as trivial and frivolous, ostensibly because it deals with women’s experiences, this article argues that this particular form of chick-lit is more political and attempts to disrupt the original chick-lit by offering a critique of society. It articulates how women see themselves and their relationships with their parents, spouses and, most importantly, female friends; reflects on the challenges that modern women face in the work environment; interrogates women’s realities concerning love, marriage and motherhood; explores concepts of sexual desire and intimacy; and negotiates the dilemmas of a patriarchal society, while also confronting issues of class and race. These contemporary women writers are adopting this genre because it allows them to reflect on realities that are complex and uncertain, to transform gender relations, to redefine the roles of women and to construct new feminine subjectivities. (shrink)

De Interpretatione is among Aristotle's most influential and widely read writings; C. W. A. Whitaker presents the first systematic study of this work, and offers a radical new view of its aims, its structure, and its place in Aristotle's system. He shows that De Interpretatione is not a disjointed essay on ill-connected subjects, as traditionally thought, but a highly organized and systematic treatise on logic, argument, and dialectic.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze written reflections of final year computing students taking a professionalism module that covered the social, legal, professional and ethical aspects of computing. Society's dependence on computers makes it essential that computing students, whose future work may involve the analysis, storage and security of private data, are capable of identifying ethical issues and of making reflective moral judgements. The capacity to make moral judgements has been linked to an ability to reflect, so the (...) aim of this research was twofold, to investigate students' familiarity with the concepts the module covered and their reflective ability.Design/methodology/approachThe research takes the form of an exploratory case study with qualitative data from written reflections examined using NVivo and word cloud analysis.FindingsThe students found it difficult to write reflectively and the majority of their reflections were either descriptive writing or descriptive reflection which considered events from one perspective. Awareness of the topics covered by the module appeared to be low prior to taking the module.Research limitations/implicationsThis research identifies the need to develop students' reflective skills and professional awareness in order to enhance their professional performance.Practical implicationsReflective writing and concepts such as profession and ethics need to be included throughout computing degrees, not just in a final year module. As students are strategic learners these topics also need to be covered in enough depth at each level so they are assessed and treated seriously by students.Social implicationsGiven the ubiquitous nature of computers and society's high level of dependence on them it is essential that students' moral reasoning skills are developed throughout their course, so on graduation they are capable of ethical thinking and can make reflective moral judgements.Originality/valueNo other qualitative research was found which covered this area and no research was found which raised these issues. (shrink)

PurposeHigher education in the past has been found to have a positive effect on the moral development of students from a variety of disciplines, decreasing conventional and increasing post‐conventional moral reasoning progressively at each level of study. This research aims to explore to what extent changes in moral judgement could be detected in students on computing degree courses, at three different stages of study, in order to establish if HE in the twenty‐first century has a similar effect and what level (...) of moral awareness computing graduates/practitioners exhibit.Design/methodology/approachThe research takes the form of an exploratory case study which aimed to investigate the current situation in one institution. The defining issues test questionnaire was used to gather data.FindingsResults showed little difference in the level of post‐conventional thinking between undergraduate students about to enter HE, final year undergraduates and students undertaking postgraduate studies.Research limitations/implicationsThis research questions if IT students moral judgement skills are at a level that enables them to be considered professionals.Practical implicationsRecommendations are made for different teaching approaches to be adopted which place greater emphasis on relating learning outcomes to professional codes of conduct, and for computing professional bodies to take a more active role in defining components of courses they accredit.Social implicationsGiven the ubiquitous nature of computers and society's high level of dependence on them it is argued that post‐conventional thinking skills are essential for people intending to work with computer technology.Originality/valueAlthough the DIT questionnaire is been used extensively, no other research has been found that has utilised it to analyse moral judgement levels of HE students within the same subject discipline, at different levels of study. (shrink)

This paper explores how horses are represented in the discourses of "natural horsemanship" , an approach to training and handling horses that advocates see as better than traditional methods. In speaking about their horses, NH enthusiasts move between two registers: On one hand, they use a quasi-scientific narrative, relying on terms and ideas drawn from ethology, to explain the instinctive behavior of horses. Within this mode of narrative, the horse is "other" and must be understood through the human learning to (...) communicate and through appropriate training. On the other hand, NH enthusiasts—like many horse owners—seek to emphasize partnership. In this type of discourse, people portray their horses as almost human. The tensions between these two ways of talking about horses reflect contradictory ideas about control versus freedom in relating to horses, especially as related to emotions expressed by caregivers about their relationships with horses. (shrink)