In this article, we apply the notion of interval neutrosophic sets to ideal theory in BCK/BCI-algebras.

Based on the hesitant fuzzy set theory which is introduced by Torra in the paper [12], the notions of Inf-hesitant fuzzy subalgebras, Inf-hesitant fuzzy ideals and Inf-hesitant fuzzy p-ideals in BCK/BCI-algebras are introduced, and their relations and properties are investigated. Characterizations of an Inf-hesitant fuzzy subalgebras, an Inf-hesitant fuzzy ideals and an Inf-hesitant fuzzy p-ideal are considered. Using the notion of BCK-parts, an Inf-hesitant fuzzy ideal is constructed. Conditions for an Inf-hesitant fuzzy ideal to be an Inf-hesitant fuzzy p-ideal are (...) discussed. Using the notion of Inf-hesitant fuzzy ideals, a characterization of a p-semisimple BCI-algebra is provided. Extension properties for an Inf-hesitant fuzzy p-ideal is established. (shrink)

The notion of int-soft ideal in a pseudo MV -algebra is introduced, and related properties are investigated. Conditions for a soft set to be an int-soft ideal are provided. Characterizations of int-soft ideal are considered. The extension property for implicative int-soft ideal is established.

Given i, j, k ∈ {1,2,3,4}, the notion of -length neutrosophic subalgebras in BCK=BCI-algebras is introduced, and their properties are investigated. Characterizations of length neutrosophic subalgebras are discussed by using level sets of interval neutrosophic sets. Conditions for level sets of interval neutrosophic sets to be subalgebras are provided.

The notions of a C-energetic subset and permeable C-value in BCK-algebras are introduced, and related properties are investigated. Conditions for an element t in [0, 1] to be an permeable C-value are provided. Also conditions for a subset to be a C-energetic subset are discussed. We decompose BCK-algebra by a partition which consists of a C-energetic subset and a commutative ideal.

This fourteenth volume of Collected Papers is an eclectic tome of 87 papers in Neutrosophics and other fields, such as mathematics, fuzzy sets, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, picture fuzzy sets, information fusion, robotics, statistics, or extenics, comprising 936 pages, published between 2008-2022 in different scientific journals or currently in press, by the author alone or in collaboration with the following 99 co-authors (alphabetically ordered) from 26 countries: Ahmed B. Al-Nafee, Adesina Abdul Akeem Agboola, Akbar Rezaei, Shariful Alam, Marina Alonso, Fran Andujar, (...) Toshinori Asai, Assia Bakali, Azmat Hussain, Daniela Baran, Bijan Davvaz, Bilal Hadjadji, Carlos Díaz Bohorquez, Robert N. Boyd, M. Caldas, Cenap Özel, Pankaj Chauhan, Victor Christianto, Salvador Coll, Shyamal Dalapati, Irfan Deli, Balasubramanian Elavarasan, Fahad Alsharari, Yonfei Feng, Daniela Gîfu, Rafael Rojas Gualdrón, Haipeng Wang, Hemant Kumar Gianey, Noel Batista Hernández, Abdel-Nasser Hussein, Ibrahim M. Hezam, Ilanthenral Kandasamy, W.B. Vasantha Kandasamy, Muthusamy Karthika, Nour Eldeen M. Khalifa, Madad Khan, Kifayat Ullah, Valeri Kroumov, Tapan Kumar Roy, Deepesh Kunwar, Le Thi Nhung, Pedro López, Mai Mohamed, Manh Van Vu, Miguel A. Quiroz-Martínez, Marcel Migdalovici, Kritika Mishra, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Mohamed Talea, Mohammad Hamidi, Mohammed Alshumrani, Mohamed Loey, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Shabir, Mumtaz Ali, Nassim Abbas, Munazza Naz, Ngan Thi Roan, Nguyen Xuan Thao, Rishwanth Mani Parimala, Ion Pătrașcu, Surapati Pramanik, Quek Shio Gai, Qiang Guo, Rajab Ali Borzooei, Nimitha Rajesh, Jesús Estupiñan Ricardo, Juan Miguel Martínez Rubio, Saeed Mirvakili, Arsham Borumand Saeid, Saeid Jafari, Said Broumi, Ahmed A. Salama, Nirmala Sawan, Gheorghe Săvoiu, Ganeshsree Selvachandran, Seok-Zun Song, Shahzaib Ashraf, Jayant Singh, Rajesh Singh, Son Hoang Le, Tahir Mahmood, Kenta Takaya, Mirela Teodorescu, Ramalingam Udhayakumar, Maikel Y. Leyva Vázquez, V. Venkateswara Rao, Luige Vlădăreanu, Victor Vlădăreanu, Gabriela Vlădeanu, Michael Voskoglou, Yaser Saber, Yong Deng, You He, Youcef Chibani, Young Bae Jun, Wadei F. Al-Omeri, Hongbo Wang, Zayen Azzouz Omar. (shrink)

This ninth volume of Collected Papers includes 87 papers comprising 982 pages on Neutrosophic Theory and its applications in Algebra, written between 2014-2022 by the author alone or in collaboration with the following 81 co-authors (alphabetically ordered) from 19 countries: E.O. Adeleke, A.A.A. Agboola, Ahmed B. Al-Nafee, Ahmed Mostafa Khalil, Akbar Rezaei, S.A. Akinleye, Ali Hassan, Mumtaz Ali, Rajab Ali Borzooei , Assia Bakali, Cenap Özel, Victor Christianto, Chunxin Bo, Rakhal Das, Bijan Davvaz, R. Dhavaseelan, B. Elavarasan, Fahad Alsharari, T. (...) Gharibah, Hina Gulzar, Hashem Bordbar, Le Hoang Son, Emmanuel Ilojide, Tèmítópé Gbóláhàn Jaíyéolá, M. Karthika, Ilanthenral Kandasamy, W.B. Vasantha Kandasamy, Huma Khan, Madad Khan, Mohsin Khan, Hee Sik Kim, Seon Jeong Kim, Valeri Kromov, R. M. Latif, Madeleine Al-Tahan, Mehmat Ali Ozturk, Minghao Hu, S. Mirvakili, Mohammad Abobala, Mohammad Hamidi, Mohammed Abdel-Sattar, Mohammed A. Al Shumrani, Mohamed Talea, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Aslam, Muhammad Aslam Malik, Muhammad Gulistan, Muhammad Shabir, G. Muhiuddin, Memudu Olaposi Olatinwo, Osman Anis, Choonkil Park, M. Parimala, Ping Li, K. Porselvi, D. Preethi, S. Rajareega, N. Rajesh, Udhayakumar Ramalingam, Riad K. Al-Hamido, Yaser Saber, Arsham Borumand Saeid, Saeid Jafari, Said Broumi, A.A. Salama, Ganeshsree Selvachandran, Songtao Shao, Seok-Zun Song, Tahsin Oner, M. Mohseni Takallo, Binod Chandra Tripathy, Tugce Katican, J. Vimala, Xiaohong Zhang, Xiaoyan Mao, Xiaoying Wu, Xingliang Liang, Xin Zhou, Yingcang Ma, Young Bae Jun, Juanjuan Zhang. (shrink)

We investigate corporate giving behaviors of prestigious business award winners in Korea. In particular, we examine whether firms strategically use corporate giving to enhance corporate reputation. We find that award winners generally make more charitable contributions than nonwinners prior to winning awards and maintain significant charitable contributions after winning awards; multiple award winners make even more charitable contributions than single-award winners; and an increase in charitable contributions does not raise the probability of winning awards in the year after the increase. (...) The results suggest that CEOs of award-winning firms do not use corporate giving opportunistically to enhance their status and reputation. Rather, significant charitable contributions by award winners may be indicative of a sound business strategy to maximize long-term firm value. (shrink)

The body is not a physical reservoir or temporary means of cognitive processes but the part and parcel of our cognitive and moral life. Confucian philosophy provides insightful discussions and examples of how the body serves the moral mind not only causally but also constitutionally.

The determination of death by neurological criteria remains controversial scientifically, culturally, and legally, worldwide. In the United Kingdom, although the determination of death by neurological criteria is not legally codified, the Code of Practice of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is customarily used for neurological death determination and treatment withdrawal. Unlike some states in the US, however, there are no provisions under the law requiring accommodation of and respect for residents' religious rights and commitments when secular conceptions of death (...) based on medical codes and practices conflict with a traditional concept well-grounded in religious and cultural values and practices. In this article, we analyse the medical, ethical, and legal issues that were generated by the recent judgement of the High Court of England and Wales in Re: A [2015] EWHC 443. Mechanical ventilation was withdrawn in this case despite parental religious objection to a determination of death based on the code of practice. We outline contemporary evidence that has refuted the reliability of tests of brainstem function to ascertain the two conjunctive clinical criteria for the determination of death that are stipulated in the code of practice: irreversible loss of capacity for consciousness and somatic integration of bodily biological functions. We argue that: the tests of brainstem function were not properly undertaken in this case; the two conjunctive clinical criteria set forth in the code of practice cannot be reliably confirmed by these tests in any event; and absent authentication of the clinical criteria of death, the code of practice wrongly invokes a secular definition of death based on the loss of personhood. Consequently, the moral obligation of a pluralistic society to honor and respect diverse religious convictions to the greatest extent possible is being violated. Re A is contrasted with the US case of Jahi McMath in which the court accommodated parental religious objection to the determination of neurological death codified in the Uniform Determination of Death Act. We conclude that the legal system in the United Kingdom should not favour a secular definition of death over a definition of death that is respectful of religious values about the inviolability and sanctity of life. We recommend the legal recognition of religious accommodation in death determination to facilitate cultural sensitivity and compassionate care to patients and families in a pluralistic society. (shrink)

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die vorliegende Arbeit unternimmt den Versuch, zu erklären, was Heidegger mit dem Ausdruck “die Verwandlung des Biographischen im Gedichteten” bei seiner Erläuterung der Hölderlinschen Hymne Andenken meint. Viele Literaturwissenschaftler interessieren sich für das Entstehungsdatum der Hymne und die damaligen Erlebnisse Hölderlins, um daraus die Hymne zu interpretieren. Im Vergleich mit ihnen richtet Heidegger wenig sein Augenmerk darauf, weil er glaubt, dass das Biographische des Dichters unmittelbar nichts mit dem Inhalt des Gedichtes zu tun hat. Bei der Dichtung geschieht Heidegger (...) zufolge die Verwandlung des Biographischen im Gedichteten. Demnach untersucht die vorliegende Arbeit das Phänomen des Dichtens. Dazu wird Heideggers Erläuterung der Hymne Wie wenn am Feiertage... herangezogen, die er als die “reinste Dichtung des Wesens der Dichtung” ansieht. Danach wird das Gedicht Andenken im Hinblick auf die “Schiffer” betrachtet, die Heidegger die “kommenden Dichter Germaniens” nennt. Diese Betrachtung dient dazu, die Verwandlung, die im Dichten geschieht, zu erläutern. ABSTRACT I attempt to explain what Heidegger means by the expression “the transformation of the biographical data in the poem” in his elucidation of the Hölderlin’s hymn Remembrance. Many scholars of German literature are interested in the date of the hymn and in Hölderlin’s experience at that date, in order to interpret the hymn. In contrast to them, Heidegger does not concern himself with the date, because he believes that the poet’s biographical data has nothing to do with the content of the poem directly. According to Heidegger, the transformation of the biographical data in the poem takes place through a process of poeticizing. Therefore, I investigate this process as the nature of the poetry. For this investigation, I refer to Heidegger’s elucidation of the hymn As When on Holiday..., which he regards as the “purest poem on the essence of poetry”. Afterwards, I interpret the hymn Remembrance in view of the “mariners”, which Heidegger calls “Germania’s coming poets”. This interpretation serves to help us understand the transformation that occurs in the process of poeticizing. (shrink)

Joan Mellen In the Realm of the Senses London: British Film Institute ISBN: 1 8445 7034 7.

The idea that insight is by nature incompatible with concentration has been a long-term focus of scholarly discussion regarding the interpretation of some sūtra passages that could suggest the occurrence of insight within concentration. In the Prajñāpāramitā literature, the set of three samādhis is identified with insight, the prajñāpāramitā. Some scholars identify the experience of emptiness in these samādhis with a state of concentration, very likely the absorption of extinction. I highlight elsewhere a passage in the Prajñāpāramitā in which preceding (...) vows play an important role in the practice of emptiness, that is, the prajñāpāramitā and may apply to the moment just before entering into the absorption of extinction. However, the problem of how the prajñāpāramitā is by nature incompatible with concentration could be practiced in the absorption of extinction remains. In the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchāsūtra there is a passage which illustrates the significance and effect of dedications preceding the practice of the three samādhis. According to this passage, the set of three samādhis is sometimes described as some very deep concentrations; at their emergence there could be two different attainments: either nirvāṇa or all-knowing accompanied by all qualities of the Buddha. This paper looks into the several steps immediately before the attainment of all-knowing by revealing a new usage of “dedications” in the Sāgaramatiparipṛcchāsūtra. (shrink)

Medical missionaries made a breakthrough in Korean history in healing and caring for many Hansen and tuberculosis patients. There was a missionary who had no less good influence than medical missionaries at this time. The person is missionary Sarah Barry, who inspired and developed one of the most influential student movements in South Korea. The aim of the present study is to examine life of Sarah Barry and her ministry, focusing upon her positive influences on Korean intellectuals. The relevance of (...) the study is conditioned by the fact that there is no professional academic research on her ministry except for one short paper, which discusses the importance of her role in formulating campus evangelism. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the method of analysis and synthesis of biographical and historical data was used. As a result of the study, Sarah Barry’s biography was researched and systematized. It gave ground to a conclusion that her role in South Korea’s gradual resurgence after the Civil War was seminal. (shrink)

This article discusses philosophical influence, especially the influence made by Confucianism and Daoism, on the way Asian people see and understand the world. Recently, Richard Nisbett drew a connection between Chinese philosophy (Confucianism and Daoism) and the cognitive profiles of the people who live in Asian countries where Confucianism and Daoism are strong social and cultural traditions. He argues that there is a peculiar way that Asians think and perceive things and this cognitive pattern is influenced by a group of (...) principles derived from Chinese philosophy. This article critically analyzes Nisbett’s explanation, his emphasis on the principle of change in particular, and provides an alternative explanation of the connection between Chinese philosophy and cognitive peculiarities of Asians. Asians combine and integrate opposite viewpoints not because they believe that things change in all unexpected directions, but because they see the world as a big system with interrelated and mutually influencing components. (shrink)

This book offers an analysis of shame and develops an interdisciplinary and comparative interpretation of Confucian shame as a moral disposition, the ability of critical moral-development and self-cultivation.

This paper discusses Confucian notions of moral autonomy and moral agency that do not follow strict and ideal notions of autonomy that one can find in many Western theories of moral philosophy. In Kantian deontology, for example, one's autonomy, specifically one's rational will to follow universal moral rules, is a necessary condition of moral agency and moral responsibility. In Confucian moral philosophy, however, this type of strict moral autonomy is rarely observed. A Confucian moral agent is often depicted as a (...) partially heteronomous individual who often accepts and follows others' moral authority and considers external contingencies in her moral deliberations. Yet active moral agency is maintained in Confucian philosophy. In this paper, I will explain and analyze a partially heteronomous but active form of moral agency in Confucian moral philosophy. First, I will survey different notions of moral autonomy and explore philosophical theories of partial autonomy and heteronomy. Second, I will discuss, on the basis of interactive, responsive, and situated notions of the self, how Confucian moral agency can be explained without strict standards of autonomy. In Confucianism, morality or virtuosity reflects the relational, responsive, and situated nature of human being that resonates with other human beings and their environmental contingencies. Mencius, for example, acknowledges and discusses interactive or relational nature of moral action and the dependency of the moral self on external conditions of life without giving up active moral effort and full moral responsibility. Third, based on my analysis of moral autonomy and responsibility in early Confucian philosophy, I will argue that Confucian moral philosophy provides a unique way of understanding moral agency, not through self-enclosed independency but through relational and interactive interdependency of communal agency. (shrink)

Sa?yutta of the P?li Sa?yutta-nik?ya in conjunction with two other versions preserved in Chinese translation in Taish? vol. 2, nos 99 and 100. Then it compares the main teachings contained in the three versions. This comparative study of these three different versions focuses on some shared images of Brahm?s and on disagreements of some teachings presented in the three versions. It reveals similarities and significant differences in structure and doctrinal content, thus advancing the historical/critical study of early Buddhist doctrine in (...) this area. (shrink)

This article first examines the textual structure of the Maudgaly?yana Sa?yukta of the Chinese Sa?yukt?gama in conjunction with its P?li parallel. Then it compares the main teachings contained in the two versions. It reveals similarities but also differences in both structure and content.

This article first briefly examines the textual structure of the Bhikkhu Samyutta of the Pali Samyutta-nikaya in conjunction with two other versions preserved in Chinese translation in Taisho vol. 2, nos. 99 and 100. Then it compares the main teachings contained in the three versions. These three versions of this collection on the subject of monks represent three different early Buddhist schools within the Sthavira branch. This comparative study of these three different versions focuses on four major topics: physical appearance, (...) Dharma talk, solitude, and heat meditation. It reveals significant differences in structure and doctrinal content, thus advancing the historical/critical study of early Buddhist doctrine in this area. (shrink)

Living in “the Machine Age” (dem Maschinenzeitalter), we can not avoid asking ourselves, whether every one of us lives as "a Part" (ein Bestand) in the world much like a cog in “a Machine” (einer Maschine). Heidegger made this concept clear by his phenomenology. In addition, he regarded a human being as a special Part, that could transform all beings into Parts. In order to overcome this dangerous situation, namely, "the Desolation of the Being" (dieSeinsverlassenheit), he considers deeper at “the (...) Essence of Technology” (das Wesen der Technik), the most important element of the Machine Age. Founding on this consideration he finds a way of overcoming, namely, “Art” (die Kunst). By Art can we begin to ask about “the Being” (das Sein) and to think about the change of "the Understanding of the Being" (das Seinsverständnis). What makes this change possible is "the Basic Mood" (die Grundstimmung). Therefore this Basic Mood must above all things be awoken. Drawing on Heidegger's philosophy, I would like to make several observations on the Machine Age and its overcoming. In this way I hope to make a contribution to the Machine Age, so that the modern world will not be regarded as a Machine, all beings will not be regarded as Parts and the modern human being will not be regarded as a special Part. (shrink)

in German Der vorliegende Beitrag widmet sich zwei Schriften Heideggers, die bisher kaum untersucht worden sind, nämlich Die Einzigkeit des Dichters und Abendgespräch in einem Kriegsgefangenenlager in Rußland zwischen einem Jüngeren und einem Älteren. Diese Schriften sind vor allem insofern bemerkenswert, als der taoistische Gedanke der Notwendigkeit des Unnötigen in ihrem Zentrum steht. Heideggers Rezeption dieses Gedankens ist, wie im vorliegenden Beitrag gezeigt wird, aber keine bloße Aufnahme, sondern vielmehr eine schöpferische Aneignung des ostasiatischen Gedankengutes für sein eigenes Seinsdenken. Zunächst (...) wird Heideggers Auseinandersetzung mit dem Gedanken der Notwendigkeit des Unnötigen dargestellt. Danach wird versucht, im Anschluss an Heideggers Kunstphilosophie darüber nachzudenken, inwiefern das Kunstwerk als das Unnötige in der Leistungsgesellschaft notwendig ist. Abstract in English: The present contribution analyses two writings of Heidegger which have almost never been examined until now: The Uniqueness of the Poet and Evening Conversation: In a Prisoner of War Camp in Russia between a Younger and an Older Man. These writings are very important for the comparative study of Heidegger's philosophy and East Asian thinking, not least because they are based on the Taoist idea of the necessity of the unnecessary. Heidegger's reception of this idea is, as shown in this contribution, not simply a bare adoption, but rather a creative appropriation of East Asian thought for his own thinking of Being. First, this contribution shows Heidegger's confrontation with the idea of wuyongzhiyong. It then attempts to reflect on the extent to which the artwork, as that which seems to be useless, is necessary in a results-oriented society by looking at Heidegger's philosophy of art. (shrink)

全书分为“科教兴国”、“走向世界”、“弘扬科智”、“控制论与人口”、“断代工程”以及“师师仰贤”六个部分,共收入作品80余篇。.

Since the publication of Fodor's (1983) The Modularity of Mind, there have been quite a few discussions of cognitive modularity among cognitive scientists. Generally, in those discussions, modularity means a property of specialized cognitive processes or a domain-specific body of information. In actuality, scholars understand modularity in many different ways. Different characterizations of modularity and modules were proposed and discussed, but they created misunderstanding and confusion. In this article, I classified and analyzed different approaches to modularity and argued for the (...) unity of modularity. Modularity is a multidimensional property consisting of features from several dimensions specifying different aspects of cognition. Among those, there are core features of modularity, and these core features form a cross-dimensional unity. Despite the diverse and liberal characterizations, modularity contributes to cognitive science because of the unity of the core features. (shrink)

럼플과 골리앗에 대한 앨런 기버드의 유명한 사례가 소개된 이후 물체 중복(Material Coincidence)의 가능성은 많은 형이상학자들의 관심을 끌었다. 이 논쟁에 대해 복수론자들은 서로 다른 두 물체가 같은 시각, 같은 장소에 공존할 수 있다고 주장한 반면, 단일론자들은 그러한 가능성이 터무니없다고 믿었다. 당연하게도 복수론자들이 제시한 물체 중복의 사례들에 대해 다양한 방식의 반론들이 단일론자들에 의해 제기되었고 그 중 특히 근거지움 문제는 많은 복수론자들을 괴롭혔다. 하지만 최근 캐서린 코슬리키를 비롯한 일련의 복수론자들은 물체의 구성에 대한 아리스토텔레스의 질료형상론을 바탕으로 이 근거지움 문제를 해결하려고 시도한다. 같은 시각, 같은 (...) 장소에 두 물체가 존재할 수 있다는 믿음은 보통 그 장소에서 하나의 물체가 모두 가질 수는 없는 복수의 성질들이 예화되고 있다는 근거에 의해 지지되는데, 아리스토텔레스주의 복수론자들은 그러한 성질의 예화를 그 물체들이 각각 가지는 형상적 부분에 근거지우려고 한다. 여기서 나는 근거지움 문제에 대한 코슬리키의 해결책에 집중하면서 그의 이론이 심각한 문제에 직면함을 보인다. 다만 그러한 문제는 그가 개발하고 있는 신아리스토텔레스주의적 이론의 핵심 주장들을 포기하지 않고서도 해결될 수 있기 때문에 본 연구의 마지막에 그의 이론을 수정한 새로운 질료형상론의 가능성을 제시한다. (shrink)

Many comparative philosophers discuss ceyinzhixin 惻隱之心 and its moral psychological nature to understand the Confucian heart-mind and the unique Confucian approach to other-concerning love. This essay examines and analyzes different interpretations of ceyinzhixin. First, it surveys and compares the four interpretations in recent publications of comparative Chinese philosophy, and analyzes their moral psychological viewpoints. Second, three major approaches to ceyinzhixin and their differences are analyzed. Third, the moral psychological complexity of ceyinzhixin and the advantage of the integrative approach are discussed. (...) The integrative approach, in comparison to other approaches, explains both the complexity and the unity of ceyinzhixin better and develops an inclusive and comprehensive interpretation of ceyinzhixin and the unique moral psychological nature of the Confucian heart-mind in its empathic other-concerning love. (shrink)

우리는 일상의 다양한 사물들을 시각 경험을 통해 어렵지 않게 구분하고 판단한다. 이러한 시각경험의 인식론적 역할은 시각 경험이 가지는 고유한 현상적 특질을 통해서도 쉽게 설명된다. 레몬을 시각적으로 경험할 때와 라임을 시각적으로 경험할 때의 현상적 차이 때문에 우리는 그것들을 쉽게 구분할 수 있는 것이 그 예다. 하지만 최근 알렉스 번과 데이비드 소사에 의해 시각 경험의 현상적 특질은 우리가 외부세계에 대한 지식을 습득하는 과정에서 그 어떠한 인식론적 역할도 수행하지 못한다는 주장이 각기 제기되었다. 나는 이들의 주장이 현상적 특질의 본질에 대한 특정 이론에만 의존하고 있음을 (...) 보이고, 현상적 특질에 대한 외재주의적 관점에서 외부세계에 대한 시각경험의 인식론적 역할을 증명하고자 한다. 오직 외재주의적 관점에서 현상적 특질을 이해했을 때에만 시각경험의 인식론적 역할에 대한 우리의 상식적 판단의 근거를 마련할 수 있는 것이다. (shrink)

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why isn’t good moral intention always rewarded? Franklin Perkins discusses these challenging questions about good and evil in his recent book Heaven and Earth Are not Humane: The Problem of Evil in Classical Chinese Philosophy. As the title suggests, Perkins focuses on the unique Chinese notion of heaven and its related philosophical issues of undeserved misfortune and limited moral efficacy. The subtitle of the book is equally intriguing. Perkins discusses these philosophical issues (...) from the perspective of the problem of evil. The problem of evil is the problem of the positive existence of evil and its seemingly random and arbitrary... (shrink)

This article reviews Owen Flanagan’s latest book “The Geography of Morals, Varieties of Moral Possibilities”. By exploring the space of moral possibility, Flanagan argues that ethics is not simply a study of a priori conditions of normative rules and ideal values but a process of developing a careful understanding of varying conditions of human ecology and building practical views on living good life. The goal of this geographical exploration of the moral possibility space is surveying different traditions of morality and (...) finding tractable ways of human flourishing. This article, by following the chapters of his book, explains his views on moral diversity and his interdisciplinary and naturalistic approach to ethics. It also discusses interactive and dynamic ways to expand the moral possibility space. (shrink)