It is now—at least loosely—acknowledged that most health and clinical outcomes are influenced by different interacting causes. Surprisingly, medical research studies are nearly universally designed to study—usually in a binary way—the effect of a single cause. Recent experiences during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic brought to the forefront that most of our challenges in medicine and healthcare deal with systemic, that is, interdependent and interconnected problems. Understanding these problems defy simplistic dichotomous research methodologies. These insights demand a shift in our (...) thinking from ‘cause and effect’ to ‘causes and effects’ since this transcends the classical way of Cartesian reductionist thinking. We require a shift to a ‘causes and effects’ frame so we can choose the research methodology that reflects the relationships between variables of interest—one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one or many-to-many. One-to-one (or cause and effect) relationships are amenable to the traditional randomized control trial design, while all others require systemic designs to understand ‘causes and effects’. Researchers urgently need to re-evaluate their science models and embrace research designs that allow an exploration of the clinically obvious multiple ‘causes and effects’ on health and disease. Clinical examples highlight the application of various systemic research methodologies and demonstrate how ‘causes and effects’ explain the heterogeneity of clinical outcomes. This shift in scientific thinking will allow us to find the necessary personalized or precise clinical interventions that address the underlying reasons for the variability of clinical outcomes and will contribute to greater health equity. (shrink)

This article examines the interpretation of Parmenides’ prologue (28 B 1, 1-30 DK) in Sextus’ account of the Criterion of Truth (M. vii 49-260). It proceeds by three ap- proaches, each telling part of the story regarding Sextus’ sources. The rst identi es two sets of source-material by means of the ideas and language. Here basic features of the interpre- tation of the prologue emerge. The second discusses why 28 B 1, 1-30 and 28 B 7, 2-B 8, 2 DK (...) are treated as one continuous whole, showing the kind of interpretation involved in a deliberate decision: making 28 B 8, 1-2 DK into a natural conclusion, referring to a path and to ambition (thymos) as 28 B 1, 1-2 DK had done. The third compares the prologue’s tech- nique of interpretation with the rst of two interpretations of Xenophanes, the interpretation of Pythagorean verse, and the rst of two interpretations of Empedocles, showing how these contrast sharply with the interpretation of Parmenides 28 B 7, 2-B 8, 2 DK and material linked with the briefer source. The amalgamation had originally helped assimilate Parmenides to Plato. Hence the amalgamator is seen as a Platonist with strong literary interests and skilled in the use of quotation. It is no accident that the discursive source is linked with the tradition of Timaeus-interpretation. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

“Songspirals are a university for us, they are a map of understandings” (Gay’wu Group of Women, 2019, p. 33). This paper is authored by Bawaka Country, acknowledging Country’s ability to teach and share. Country is homeland and place. Country is everything and the relationships that bring everything to life. Country is knowledge. This paper is shaped and enabled by songspirals. Songspirals are sung and cried by Yolŋu people in north east Arnhem Land, Australia, to awaken Country, to make and remake (...) the life-giving connections between people and place. The Goŋ-gurtha songspiral leads this paper, showing us how a Yolŋu Country-led pedagogy centres Country’s active agency by learning through, with, and as Country. This pedagogy shares with us the ongoing connections within and between generations to ensure that knowledge remains strong and that sharing is done the right way, according to Yolŋu Rom, Law/Lore. This learning is predicated on relationality and responsibility. It is a more-than-human learning in which human knowing is decentred and Country is knowledgeable. It is a learning which recognises and respects its limits and it is a learning in which the ongoing sovereignty of Yolŋu people is front and centre. (shrink)

It is recognised that Olympiodorus must have had a long career. He is still lecturing on Aristotle in the late 560s as we can deduce from the reference to a comet that appeared in 565ce (In Mete. 52.31), while he clearly learned his Platonism under Ammonius. His Commentary on Plato’s Gorgias, in which Ammonius rather than Proclus is seen as a figure of authority, is sometimes supposed to have been written in the late 520s. His date of birth may presumably (...) be placed within five years of 500 ce,1 though evidence is lacking. While it is hard to compare Platonic with Aristotelian commentaries, there are important differences among the commentaries on Plato that are best explained in terms of Olympiodorus’ growing maturity and his growing familiarity with, and appreciation of, the Athenian school. The pivotal role of Syrianus and Proclus will here be better appreciated, and the refinements of the last scholarch, Damascius, considered. (shrink)

Patients look to their clinicians for explanations and treatments that achieve predictable cures with certainty. Clinicians usually respond accordingly. Acknowledging uncertainty, while necessary, is difficult, anxiety-provoking and at times overwhelming for patients and clinicians alike. We here present three case studies to illustrate the uncertainties of managing patients with potentially life-threatening illnesses. Research aims to provide answers to clinical problems. But, conducting research almost inevitably entails a reduction of real-world complexities. Research ultimately can only provide 'partial or in general answers' (...) mostly revealing new questions. Due to the complexity of clinical care, research cannot really achieve certainty and predictability for an individual within his specific living context and values. In an unavoidably uncertain environment, instead of oversimplifying, clinicians like patients-as far as possible-ought to better embrace a complexity thinking frame. This provides a deeper understanding how living bodies function as-a-whole within their living contexts. Uncertainty and unpredictability, being inherent elements of complexity thinking, cannot be overcome. However, it may be made easier to cope with uncertainty by at least adopting the thinking in probabilities for benefits and harms of patient related outcomes as introduced in Sackett's Evidence-Based Medicine framework. Through the lenses of evidence-based medicine and complexity sciences this paper critically explores the clinical management of three patients diagnosed as having coronary artery disease. They all received the same treatment even though they presented with very different clinical complaints arising from different disease manifestations. Looking at these case studies the authors reflect on the reasons behind this astonishing, but widely seen medical behaviour of 'one size fits all'. They critically reflect the importance of research and evidence in view of a person-centred solution. (shrink)

Introducing the moral philosopher and philosophical theologian Donald Mackenzie MacKinnon (1913–1994) is not an easy business. Of course, those who are already familiar with the work of the Scottish Episcopalian from Oban in the Highlands will know this but regard it as a necessary difficulty. It is necessary for two main reasons. Firstly, despite the fact that he is arguably the most influential and important postwar British philosophical theologian, (although many would want to place T. F. Torrance in this category), (...) he remains relatively unknown to theological scholarship outside of those who have in some way had connections with the Universities of Aberdeen and Cambridge, at which MacKinnon had occupied Chairs. Secondly, the intellectual labors of this former Cambridge Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity are proving to be fruitful for a new generation of theologians (the three scholars involved in this project are examples of this) in a way that saves MacKinnon, at least for a little longer, from being relegated to the fleeting memory of a historical footnote in British intellectual life. What makes the introductory project difficult (and here the term is being used in a rather glib sense, especially with reference to a thinker so deeply immersed in refusing to evade the difficulty emerging from the intractable problems of the surd by offering premature resolutions) is that MacKinnon’s work is so resistant to the quick summary, the pithy statement, or the reductive sound bite. The style of his writing is often allusive and therefore particularly demanding of his audience. (shrink)

This article tackles the sole surviving ancient commentary on what was perhaps the second most important Platonic work, with special interest for the manner in which the ancients tackled the setting of Plato's dialogues, Socratic ignorance, Socratic eros, the central myth-like Palinode, and the question of oral as against written teaching.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

This essay explores the western liberal traditions that arose from the enlightenment, creating societies that are dominated by hegemonic masculinity. Both the idea of a ‘social contract’ and the public/private divide that are central to western liberalism are concepts that inherently advantage those who are best able to work within the masculine structures of the modern western liberal state. This hegemon continues to use the enlightenment principles of ‘rationality’ and ‘universalism’ that has forcefully legitimised liberal thinking and social structures to (...) maintain a position of dominance while delegitimising counter-hegemonic movements. This essay argues that a fundamental rethinking of these philosophical traditions is needed if the masculine hegemon is to be successfully challenged. This rethinking of the modern state removed from its traditional masculine structures may allow for a radically rethinking of politics to one that makes room for care and more feminised practises. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Shared decision-making is important and beneficial for patients. Practically, this requires that we explore the values of the patient and the clinician and then consider available treatment options. The aim is to maximize the good of the patient in the context of their illness. Hence, clinical consultations are situations in which we can, and should, draw upon moral philosophical precepts. One such precept, which can fortify the foundations of shared decision-making, is a process of inclusive, noncoercive, and reflective dialogue, which (...) aims at reaching a consensual decision as to what is best for the patient in their situation. Summary: Shared decision making is important and helpful for patients. This is based upon having a conversation about values and what is important. We can base that conversation on principles of moral philosophy, via a process termed “dialogic consensus”. (shrink)

Where is the voice of theology in the public discourse around anthropogenic climate change? How do we understand the human relationship to Earth and the ecology of which we are a part? How can we account for the human attempt to dominate nature and the devastation we have caused to our own home? Dianne Rayson addresses these questions. She uses the creation theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to examine what it means to be human in the post-Holocene age. Employing a range (...) of Bonhoeffer’s texts, Rayson posits that Bonhoeffer’s Christological theology and this-worldly ethical orientation provide the tools for an Earthly Christianity. She responds to Bonhoeffer’s question, “who actually is Jesus Christ, for us, today?” and proposes a Bonhoefferian ecoethic. (shrink)

Movies hold a mirror up to us, portraying the complexities of human reality through their characters and stories. And they vividly illustrate moral theories that address questions about how we are to live and what sort of people we ought to be. In this book, Christopher Falzon uses movies to provide a rich survey of moral positions as they have emerged through history. These include the ethics of the ancient world, medieval ethics, Enlightenment and Kantian ethics, existentialist ethics and the (...) ethics of the other. Each theory is explained in detail, using a number of examples from the book’s wide selection of movies. The discussion draws on a range of recent and not-so-recent films, from Hollywood blockbusters to art-house cinema. Key Features: In addition to covering thinkers one would expect in an introduction to ethics, the book discusses less canonical figures in detail as well. Similarly, the book examines both major ethical theories and theories too often glossed over in introductory texts. A wide range of movies are discussed, from Hollywood blockbusters and classics like The Dark Knight, Casablanca and Dirty Harry to lesser known films, like Force Majeure and Under the Skin. At the end of each chapter a focus on two feature films is included, with a plot summary and interpretations of several key scenes with a time marker indicating when in the film the scenes occur. A Filmography includes all movies discussed in the book and a Glossary covers key philosophical terms and figures; both with corresponding page numbers. (shrink)

Ecologists have long had a “love-hate” relationship with the niche concept. Sometimes referred to as a term best left undefined, the niche concept nonetheless spans ecology. Deeply rooted in the Darwinian struggle for survival, “niche” has been a core, although slippery, idea in ecology since its origins. What ecologists mean by niche has changed semantically over time. In this paper, we review the history of the term, focusing on its uses and the disagreements that have arisen over it within ecology. (...) Because classic niche concepts are not exclusive and share some similarities, we disentangle them into key theoretical components to create a heuristic classification scheme for niche concepts. We, therefore, analyze coherence on rhetoric within the ecological literature, by classifying _how_ ecologists use niche concepts in their writing, aiming at clarifying communication on _what_ is being studied. To assess if modern ecological theories are coherent in their usage of the niche concept, we surveyed a sample of three research areas: ecological niche modeling, coexistence between species and meta-communities. We found that research agendas are segregated when it comes to rhetoric about niches. Ecologists have long tried to achieve a truly unifying biodiversity theory, or at least a universal definition of niche. We, however, move in the opposite direction and suggest that the niche concept should be dismembered into its key components, highlighting which elements of the concept are being addressed and analyzed. Explicitly stating to which niche concept a study is referring may enhance communication among researchers from different backgrounds and perhaps alleviate this century-old dilemma. (shrink)

In response to the growing interdisciplinarity of disaster research, this paper explores the philosophical underpinnings of disaster research to a) elucidate the methodological choices that disaster researchers make b) reflect on how these different choices and philosophical approaches consider disaster risk, and c) provide arguments in favor of the application of social constructivism for improving the results of disaster research. It investigates the epistemological and ontological underpinnings of social constructivism and objectivism and reflects on how they are applied in disaster (...) research through a review of the literature. For ease and to avoid repetitive duplication of the references, the endnote reference manager was used in this study, with all references employed in this study managed using the endnote library. APA 6th reference style is followed to manage and harmonized the bibliographic section. Its findings indicate that the objectivist approaches that dominated the field until the 1980s emphasized the role of science and technology in reducing disaster risk focused on the physical and natural elements of different disasters, and therefore lack certain applicability. As a counter, this paper argues that a discursive, social constructivist approach that considers disasters as socially framed, rooted, and constructed may provide more fruitful applications of disaster research. (shrink)

At the beginning of her study of luck and ethics in Greek tragedy and philosophy, Martha C. Nussbaum explains that one might expect a rigorous and objective analysis to be founded on the principles of “traditional philosophical discourse” and an expedient selection of “examples”. The distinction that Nussbaum draws between a philosophical argument and the messy indeterminacy of tragic drama can be mapped fruitfully onto crime fiction. Not only is the crime scene proleptically signed, but its author is also quite (...) reflexively designated as such, for Joyce immediately engages Oliver on the topic of the latter’s crime novels. Nussbaum is critiquing the very beginnings of a critical tradition of reading fictional texts by “philosophical” authors as vehicles for philosophy, for getting various important points across to various target audiences. Beginning-oriented readings enable the pursuit of alternative murderers and the unmooring of the text from the strictures of the detective’s final revelation. (shrink)

Interoception, the ability to convey one's overall physiological state, allows people to describe their health along an experiential continuum, from excellent, very good, good, fair to poor. Each health state reflects a distinct pattern of one's overall function. This assay provides a new frame of understanding health and disease as complex-adaptive system states of the person as-a-whole. It firstly describes how complex patterns can emerge from simple equations. It then discusses how clinical medicine in certain domains has started to explore (...) the pattern characteristics resulting in the heterogeneity of disease, and how this better understanding has improved patient management. The experiential state of health can be surprising to the observer-some are in good health with disabling disease, others are in poor health without the evidence of any. The main part of the assay describes the underlying complexity principles that contribute to health, and synthesizes available evidence from various research perspectives to support the philosophic/theoretical proposition of the complex-adaptive nature of health. It shows how health states arise from complex-adaptive system dynamics amongst the variables of a hierarchically layered system comprising the domains of a person's macro-level external environment to his nano-level biological blueprint. The final part suggests that the frame of health as a _dynamic complex-adaptive state_ defines a _new paradigm_, and outlines ways of translating these expanded understandings to clinical practice, future research, and health system design. (shrink)

The ethos of enabling educators is central to their work, but there are few accounts of how this ethos develops. This paper uses narrative enquiry to explore the development of one Australian enabling educator’s professional philosophy through her construction of her life experiences and personal identity. Proceeding on the assumption that narrative is the most effective way to examine the richness and complexity of the interrelationship between personal identity and professional philosophy, this paper presents an autobiographical account of an enabling (...) educator’s journey from non-traditional student to non-traditional academic. Analysis of this narrative reveals that feeling, which the educator defines both as empathy and as the capacity to feel pain, is at the heart of the educator’s construction of her self-identity. This personal quality is transmuted, in her professional practice, into a transgressive philosophy of care in which allowing the possibility of failure for a student is seen as central to building resilience, a philosophy which challenges and extends dominant constructions of the concept of care in enabling education. More broadly, the paper points to the importance, within the enabling space, of the presence of educators from non-traditional backgrounds with diverse life experiences, identities and philosophies. (shrink)

The education of safety science professionals is a key requirement to ensuring the ongoing recognition of Occupational Health and Safety as a profession. Safety science educators, at some point in their academic career, are required to align with an appropriate teaching philosophy, however this important aspect of education pedagogy rarely receives scholarly attention in the safety sciences. Therefore, this article makes the case for philosophical pragmatism as an overarching teaching philosophy that works well within the evidence informed safety science practice (...) model. Pragmatism is a logical and valuable teaching philosophy which centres on linking theory, research, ideas and actions to multi-disciplinary practical applications. It is embedded in the notion that both multiple stakeholder, and multiple perspectives are required to solve practical safety-oriented problems. Pragmatism links to a reflective practitioner paradigm whereby students are asked to think critically about what they do. Further, learning is influenced by self-discovery. The key theoretical underpinnings of pragmatism are presented, as well as the 4 Ps of pragmatism as a teaching framework. The rational for embracing pragmatism as a higher educational teaching philosophy for the safety sciences is presented. Pragmatism is seen as both a path forward in reducing the theory into practice divide for safety science educators and professionals, and a teaching philosophy which enhances the safety science pedagogy educational lens. (shrink)

This paper is intended to provide a source of critical and theoretical reflection on the current mathematics educational objectives for Indigenous students in Australia, which are premised on acceptance of underlying concepts of ‘equity’. It is not the intention of this paper to identify ‘how’ Indigenous knowledge can be positioned within mathematics curricula, as this would entail a philosophical inquiry much deeper than has been afforded thus far. The intent here is a consideration, facilitated through the lens of key concepts (...) of Foucault, of some of the boundaries currently shaping the ways in which this positioning is being influenced in the mathematics, albeit neoliberal education context. Acknowledging the interplay between the social, and unconsciously shaped adoptions of what can be considered truth; knowledge; and therefore power, is a first step toward developing the openness of heart and mind needed to make real and transformative changes to education for future societies. (shrink)

Historical consciousness is regarded as an important means to stimulate moral citizens through history education. This article conceptually examines the moral dimension associated with historical consciousness by revisiting the paradigm wars between natural science based on positivism and human and social sciences during the 1960s-1990s as expressed through the voice of Gadamer. More specifically, the article explores: the moral arguments that Gadamer put forward for introducing historical consciousness and the epistemological and ontological building blocks for approaching morality in history education (...) that his arguments brought to the fore. In general, moral consciousness in relation to historical consciousness draws attention to: people's life conditions, that moral reasoning and practice are influenced by feelings and reason, that reflections on past events can help to interpret our ways of being towards others in the present and future, that a plurality of people, thoughts and history are important to acknowledge and that every person is part of creating history and responsible for weaving the past/present/future web in ways that acknowledge others. (shrink)

Aim: Internal coherence in research refers to the alignment between ontology, epistemology, axiology, methodology and methods and is an important but often overlooked element of research quality. We therefore aimed to illustrate the concept of internal coherence in nutrition and dietetics research, and its importance beyond individual elements of study quality. Method: A targeted literature search in Nutrition and Dietetics was used to identify research illustrating one example of three main approaches to research published between November 2017 and November 2020. (...) Studies were included if they related to education research based on the expertise of the authors, and illustrated diverse points about internal coherence. The authors independently critiqued included studies for internal coherence and synthesised their findings. Results: From 76 manuscripts, 14 were identified as describing education research. Of the three selected studies that were critiqued, all had elements of internal coherence, in particular alignment between epistemology and methodology. However, each had elements of misalignment too, specifically between epistemology, axiology and method. The results point to the profession's historical groundings privileging the scientific approach, showing how this can yield misalignments, particularly when describing the limitations of interpretive and critical inquiry approaches. Conclusion: This review demonstrates the importance of internal coherence as a marker of quality, over and above existing quality assessment checklists for qualitative and quantitative methodologies. As such, it can help authors, reviewers and editors to improve the quality of nutrition and dietetics research and its reporting. (shrink)

As illustrators we study theory to strengthen our practice in order to create better illustrations by understanding the ways that meaning is created and communicated to others. To understand the context for what we are doing we may wish to conduct research. This can help us find new knowledge and improve the paradigms of existing knowledge. The purpose of this is to help to make original and meaningful work that advances the knowledge of the society and our understanding of our (...) existence in the world. According to the dictionary definition, theory is “a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something”. Theory in illustration, as in any other discipline, provides practitioners with ways to understand how things are “supposed” to work. For example, by understanding color theory, the theories that inform creativity, human perception, cognitive processing of images, or how the narrative structures in comic books work or how drawing can be understood as a visual language. Theory provides a means of understanding the everyday phenomena of the world around us, its rules, and the cultural systems we work in. This knowledge will have a significant impact on the way we think about and enact our practice to improve the things we create. In academic terms, it changes our ontology, our view of reality and of the world in which we live. René Descartes's proposition “I think therefore I am” asserts that we are thinking, imaginative creatures capable of developing knowledge and applying our imagination. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Kant’s conception of providence is often thought to occupy an anomalous position relative to his critical philosophy. Scholars have differed on whether it is consistent or inconsistent with his wider philosophical position. This article seeks to provide an explanation of Kant’s desire to view human history in terms of providence – and argues this arises both as a result of his Enlightenment commitments and his previous commitment to theodicy. It also considers the question of whether Kant’s postulation of providence is (...) consistent with his wider critical philosophy. (shrink)

Philosophy proceeds, supposedly, by way of rational inquiry and argument, yet, as Jonathan Glover has written, “philosophers persistently disagree” to such an extent that the “apparent lack of clear progress or of a body of established results is an embarrassment”. To outside observers, this may appear puzzling. Even professional philosophers sometimes worry about their discipline’s lack of consensus, continuing disagreement on standards and methods, and increasingly fragmented, hyperspecialized state of play. Though philosophy hesitates to speak with one voice, it can (...) endorse and teach values to do with intellectual rigor and honesty, charity to opponents, and openness to evidence. If these are passed down effectively from teachers to students, we might hope that philosophers will bring their characteristic skills and values to some of the great practical questions of our age, not least those relating to global injustice and risks to humanity’s future. All too often, the debates that surround these questions are dominated by tribalism, dogma, and emotional manipulation. With dedication, and perhaps a bit of good luck, philosophical training might provide something of a corrective. If philosophy fails in that respect by not living up to its ideals, that’s a situation we can identify and try to alter. (shrink)

The objective of this paper is to rethink our understanding of ‘the political’ through an examination of two novels by José Saramago, _Blindness_ and _Seeing_. Both novels tackle directly a central, if not the central, signature metaphor of Western political thought, namely that of ‘seeing the light’. This metaphor takes many forms and recurs throughout the tradition of Western political philosophy as a source, legitimiser, and validator of knowing, and perhaps even a guarantor of knowledge. In particular, this metaphor has (...) served to make knowable whatever it is that is signified by ‘the political’. By extension, it also means that whatever might be outside of this epistemological frame is rendered unknowable, if not unthinkable. Both of Saramago’s novels provide a fruitful means to recalibrate how we might know ‘the political’. The novels call into question the epistemic signatures that frame our commonly accepted understandings of ‘the political’ and in so doing provoke us further to question how we might move towards unlearning the epistemology of the political. (shrink)

The papers gathered in this collection emerged from a symposium concerned with the question of the political as subject, practice and epistemology. In part, the symposium evolved from a recognition of the political struggles across the globe that are reoccupying the political. Examples of these re-occupations include Occupy in the USA, los Indignados in Spain and the Movimento sem Terra in Brazil. Occupations of rural and urban space are creating new forms of politics and political practices involving new temporalities and (...) counter-spatialities that are typically characterised by commitments to dialogue, mutuality and autogestion. Multidimensional in character these movements encompass geographical, temporal and embodied processes that eschew accepted institutional pathways. They challenge the idea that democracy must be organised and managed by political and intellectual elites with civil society politics confined to a politics of demand. They share a palpable desire for a politics in which people have control over decisions and processes affecting their lives. But just as importantly, these reoccupations of the political pointed to a second set of issues, namely how political science, as a global discipline often embedded within representational understandings of the political, produces both itself and its knowledge of the world. Hence an equally important consideration for those participating in the symposium was the exploration of implications of the multidimensional global reoccupation of the political for the methodological, conceptual and epistemological practices of political science as currently constituted; the nature of disciplinarity itself. The symposium thus provided an opportunity for scholars committed to critical engagement with such post-representational reoccupations of the political to prefigure a dialogical and open space of intellectual sharing, reflection and knowledge creation across difference. (shrink)

In this highly original book, Russell Blackford discusses the intersection of science fiction and humanity’s moral imagination. With the rise of science and technology in the 19th century, and our continually improving understanding of the cosmos, writers and thinkers soon began to imagine futures greatly different from the present. Science fiction was born out of the realization that future technoscientific advances could dramatically change the world. Along with the developments described in modern science fiction - space societies, conscious machines, and (...) upgraded human bodies, to name but a few - come a new set of ethical challenges and new forms of ethics. Blackford identifies these issues and their reflection in science fiction. His fascinating book will appeal to anyone with an interest in philosophy or science fiction, or in how they interact. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

The purpose of this book is to restore the balance by looking at the manifold ways in which teleology in antiquity was viewed. The purpose of the article is to examine a long passage in Plato's Cratylus that postulates the purposeful design of names in a purposeful universe, comparing in particular the Derveni papyrus.

This paper seeks first to interrogate the ways in which two contemporary feminist thinkers have appropriated and reformulated a fundamental principle of pre-modern thinking about human action and conduct. I will argue that any view on issues of essentialist and constructivist social history which Butler and Irigaray inadvertently raise must first accommodate a thoroughgoing presentation of all available evidence. The second half of this paper explores the ways in which specific representations of female identity—the gravestone of two citizens of the (...) late-republican city of Rome and the graffito of a Roman “poetess” in the epigraphic environment of early-imperial Pompeii —engender exactly the kinds of tensions and ambiguities which Butler and Irigaray bring to bear on Plato’s philosophical strategies. What I hope to illustrate is two-fold: a practical method of, and the critical need for, integrating post-modern theoretical standpoints on sex/gender issues with the representational discourses of the ancient world. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

In the early Roman Empire the theology of Platonist philosophers became increasingly concerned with a number of Platonic texts that appeared to offer some hope of settling debate over the kind of god that Plato had postulated. Most of these seemingly authoritative texts were drawn from what we refer to as the 'middle' and 'late' dialogues, sometimes but not always considered in context. Small snippets of relevant texts could be quoted for a variety of purposes, not least in order to (...) underline the erudition, authority, and perhaps orthodoxy of the teacher himself. In this regard it had much in common with emerging early Christian theology, with which it shared some interesting traits. These traits enabled some of the early Christian writers to find a surprising pre-Christian ally in Plato, while the similarities sharpened the need felt by others, both Christians and Platonists alike, to distance themselves from their rivals. (shrink)

This Special Issue has presented a series of conversational interviews with editors of leading journals in the field of philosophy of education. This concluding article synthesises the interviews and reflects on what this project offers to early career researchers including the interviewer-authors in this issue. The contributing writers are interested in their own prospects, as well as those of the field of philosophy of education, and indeed education, and society more generally, in the context of the turbulent changes currently remodelling (...) academic lives and institutions. This has been an inspiring project to work on, producing these six interviews, on which this conclusion and special issue is based: ; _Shaping the agenda of the global civil society: an interview with Michael Peters_, by Richard Heraud and Marek Tesar. ; _Publishing and intergenerational learning in philosophy of education: an interview with Paul Smeyers, _ by Daniella J. Forster. ; _Insights from an editor’s journey: an interview with Gert Biesta, _ by Christoph Teschers. ; _Writing in the margins: an interview with Bob Davis, _ by Kirsten Locke. ; _Emerging perspectives on editorial ethics: an interview with Chris Higgins, _ by Liz Jackson. ; _The long arc of knowledge: an interview with Nicholas Burbules, _ by Georgina Stewart. Most of the Editors commented on the large amount of work involved in editing a journal: a demanding, time-consuming, but very rewarding and satisfying job. Paul Smeyers spoke of taking on the role after being approached by the publisher, when he realised there were few alternative candidates. Gert Biesta spoke of being curious to find out about the process of publishing from the inside, as well as regarding it as an honour to be asked, and being motivated by a wish to help the field. Michael Peters said his editing philosophy includes helping academics to realise that editing and publishing are related to having control over one’s own ideas: more political and philosophical than simply the technical tasks of proofreading and editing. All the Editors are motivated by a wish to improve the field, and ultimately society. An editor clearly needs to read a great deal: some of the Editors spoke about reading everything submitted, and everything published in the journal; or of having read thousands of papers in their time as editor; and the daunting commitment of time involved—about half a day per paper, or more. Several Editors spoke about the impact of the job on their own research output: one view being that the sheer time involved in editing a journal is detrimental to being an active researcher. Conversely, reading the work of so many other scholars can provide an editor with more motivation to write, while having limited writing time available encourages more decisiveness, and less perfectionism. Journals and editors need to understand their consumers: who reads what, how and when. In recent decades, reading practices have undergone a major change from paper-based to screen-based, and some of the Editors speculated that paper-based journals will soon disappear entirely. The change to reading digitally is the latest in a series of historical iterations of how the disciplines of reading interact with the mediating technologies, with each change integrating new forms while retaining what is best in their heritage. Reading, and hence also writing, played an important part in the eighteenth-century European development of human rights and the concept of equality, through widespread readership of seminal texts. The contemporary situation, in which everything can be freely read, redefines the relationship of the reader to the author, whereby reading and writing constitute a form of creative labour on the self, involving self-transformation, self-recognition, and the kinds of links that are possible between people in a digital world. (shrink)

Proclus' Commentary on the dialogue Timaeus by Plato, written in the fifth century AD, is arguably the most important commentary on a text of Plato, offering unparalleled insights into eight centuries of Platonic interpretation. It has had an enormous influence on subsequent Plato scholarship. This edition nevertheless offers the first new translation of the work for nearly two centuries, building on significant recent advances in scholarship by Neoplatonic commentators. It will provide an invaluable record of early interpretations of Plato's dialogue, (...) while also presenting Proclus' own views on the meaning and significance of Platonic philosophy. The book presents Proclus' unrepentant account of a multitude of divinities involved with the creation of mortal life, the supreme creator's delegation to them of the creation of human life, and the manner in which they took the immortal life principle from him and wove it together with our mortal parts to produce human beings. (shrink)

This book moves away from the frameworks that have traditionally guided ethical decision-making in the Western clinical setting, towards an inclusive, non-coercive and, reflective dialogic approach to moral decision-making. Inspired in part by Jürgen Habermas’s discourse theory of morality and principles of communicative action, the book offers a proportionist approach as a way of balancing out the wisdom in traditional frameworks, set in the actual reality of the clinical situation at hand. Putting this approach into practice requires having a conversation, (...) a dialogue or a discourse, with collaboration amongst all the stakeholders. The aim of the dialogue is to reach consensus in the decision, via mutual understanding of the values held by the patient and others whom they see as significant. This book aims to underscore the moral philosophical foundations for having a meaningful conversation. Life and Death Decision in the Clinical Setting is especially relevant in our contemporary era, characterised medically by an ever-increasing armamentarium of life-sustaining technology, but also by increasing multiculturalism, a multiplicity of faiths, and increasing value pluralism. (shrink)

In this paper we argue that an educational ideology, based on an epistemology of power and consumerism, has become embedded within the structural foundations of Western Education. The combination of a power-based epistemology which informs curriculum design on the one hand, coupled with a consumerist educational ideology of universal commodification on the other, have served to provide the basis for a persuasive but pernicious philosophy of nature. Virtually every relationship we have with nature, and in turn with each other, is (...) reduced to a saleable item for exchange. The radical shift in socio-cultural perspective which has resulted from what we call an “ideo-epistemic pedagogy” has been both monumental and inimical to the ostensible goals of environmental education. Motivated by an ideology in which knowledge is construed as a “form of power”, and linked to relentless economic consumption, contemporary environmental education will simply reproduce, albeit in beguilingly inferential ways, the same contextual dynamics of technological invasiveness and mindless expropriation of natural resources that continue to lead ineluctably, and almost imperceptibly to the decimation and degradation of nature. (shrink)

The following discussion is intended to suggest, if not argue, the "distinctiveness" of the theory of personal constructs in terms of the inherent and explicit interweaving of philosophy and psychology within it, and implied and encouraged by it. Limitations of space preclude acknowledgment of all those who are part of the ongoing reflection that informs the present discussion; those familiar with the theory and its literature will know who these contributors are, those not so familiar will be made so by (...) the present volume. (shrink)

Given that it has been applied in so many different contexts, cosmopolitanism remains an imprecise term, and contemporary accounts of it diverge in significant ways: Kwame Anthony Appiah, for example, argues that philosophical cosmopolitanism entails both a “universal concern” for humanity and a “respect for legitimate difference”; David Held views cosmopolitanism as a necessary third term required to navigate the impasse between notions of democracy and globalism; Nikos Papastergiadis seeks to keep open politically radical conceptions of cosmopolitanism, while simultaneously agreeing (...) with Appiah that cosmopolitanism constitutes an “imaginative engagement” with the other. As these three representative examples suggest, there is significant disagreement about both the meaning of cosmopolitanism and its relationship to existing political and economic regimes. And yet, while all three accounts of cosmopolitanism differ, they all owe clear debts to what Rebecca Walkowitz has termed “the philosophical tradition” of cosmopolitanism that “derives its view from Enlightenment theories of culture.” At heart, contemporary accounts of cosmopolitanism—even those that try to engage with more radical, left-wing positions—are largely informed by liberal notions of pluralism. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Although current environmental debates lay the focus on the Industrial Revolution as a sociopolitical development that has led to the current environmental crisis, many ecocritical projects have avoided historicizing their concepts or have been characterized by approaches that were either pre-historic or post-historic: while the environmental movement has harbored the dream of restoring nature to a state untouched by human hands, there is also the pessimistic vision of a post-apocalyptic world, exhausted by humanity’s consumption of natural resources. Against this background, (...) the decline of nature has become a narrative template quite common among the public environmental discourse and environmental scientists alike. The volume revisits Antiquity as an epoch which witnessed similar environmental problems and came up with its own interpretations and solutions in dealing with them. This decidedly historical perspective is not only supposed to fill in a blank in ecocritical discourse, but also to question, problematize, and inform our contemporary debates with a completely different take on “nature” and humanity’s place in the world. Thereby, a productive dialogue between contemporary ecocritical theories and the classical tradition is established that highlights similarities as well as differences. This volume is the first book to bring ecocriticism and the classical tradition into a comprehensive dialogue. It assembles recognized experts in the field and advanced scholars as well as young and aspiring ecocritics. In order to ensure a dialogic exchange between the contributions, the volume includes four response essays by established ecocritics which embed the sections within a larger theoretical and practical ecocritical framework and discuss the potential of including the pre-modern world into our environmental debates. (shrink)

Structural reliability theory based on probability provides a systematic, logical and consistent means to make estimates of the safety of complex structural systems. However, its application currently leaves it open to criticism that its predictions do not necessarily compare with reality and with accepted risk criteria in other contexts. Herein, it is proposed that this is because applications have not dealt satisfactorily with the issues of human error and particularly human intervention in the management of loads and resistances. Probability-based models (...) for loads can be modified to include the influence of human intervention such as through including the effect of the degree of enforcement of regulatory requirements. Similarly, the standard of enforcement of minimum standards of material quality should be added to probability-based models for resistances. This is relevant particularly for the assessment and prediction of the future reliability and safety of existing structures. (shrink)

The Holistic Sustainability Framework for Chinese Cities has been developed based on the indigenous philosophies of China, and refined with the data of thirteen large urban design projects collected in four Chinese cities. This paper applies and assesses HSEF for the urban design assessment in China. It focuses on Shenzhen Shangbu Regeneration, checks the interrelations and links in decision-making for sustainable development, while validating the applicability of this framework. Discussions on the application of the framework focus on the interpretation of (...) the key relational qualities, clarifying questions, and selecting a preferred option from the analysis. The finding of the application suggests that a framework based on the philosophical and cultural experiences of the region could provide a robust foundation for a credible alternative approach to evaluate the urban regeneration projects. The future work will validate the framework in other stages of design with implications on the revision of the model. (shrink)

Summary: Social work is a discipline that focuses on the person-in-the-environment. However, the social domains of influence have traditionally received more attention from the profession compared with the impact of the natural world on human well-being. With the development of ecological theories, and growing threats to the environment, this gap has been addressed and now the notion of eco-social work is attracting more interest. This article builds on this corpus of work by exploring, and augmenting, the thinking of the philosopher, (...) David Abram, and his phenomenological investigation of perception, meaning, embodiment, language and Indigenous experience. The implications for eco-social work are then addressed. Findings: The development of Abram's philosophical thesis is charted by reviewing his presentation of the ideas of the European phenomenologists, Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. It is argued that Abram uses phenomenology to explore the character of perception and the sensual foundations of language which, in Indigenous cultures, are connected with the natural world. A gap in Abram's thinking is then revealed showing the need to set human perception and language within an understanding of power. Overall, this re-worked thesis is underpinned by a meta-narrative in which ecology engages with philosophy, psychology and Indigenous experience. Applications: By grounding such ideas in Slavoj Žižek's construct of the sensuous event, three applications within social work are evinced, namely: reflecting on the sensuous event in social work education; rekindling the sensuous event with Indigenous Peoples; and instigating the sensuous event with non-Indigenous populations. (shrink)

Review of: Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity, Collected Essays, 1959-2012, by Abraham J. Malherbe [Supplements to Novum Testamentum 150/1-2] Carl R. Holladay, John T. Fitzgerald, Gregory E. Sterling, James W. Thompson, 1113pp. ISBN: 9004253394.

We attribute to morality an inescapable authority over human actions, but the source of this authority is mysterious. It cannot come from God, nature, or reason. Morality is best understood as a technology that aids in social cooperation, while often being rationalized as something more metaphysical.

Conscientious Sociology is an introductory but essential step towards the recognition of paradigmatic contestations and shifts in the post-1970s Social Sciences. It develops an ideal typology of three major paradigms, i.e. the Foundationalist, the Relativist and the Critical-Conscientious Paradigms by discussing and comparing their principles in four Meta-Theoretical domains: Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology, and Axiology. Hosseini, in his book, shows how the Conscientious paradigm deals with well known dilemmas which are not effectively resolved by two other paradigms; dilemmas like how to (...) create an objective account of reality whereas the subjectivities of actors and investigators are accommodated or what relationship must be set up between quantitative and qualitative methods. The book also further discusses the principles that Conscientious sociologist are expected to consider when engaging in empirical research. It finally, provides its readers with a unique perspective adopted from a radical Iranian social thinker, Ali Shariati whose ideas are portrayed as an insightful exemplar for Iranian critical sociologists. The book also contributes to the growing debates around the nature and future of critical sociology in the West by adding a Southern perspective. (shrink)

Engagement and scholarship do not always sit comfortably within the higher education institution in Australia. One cannot consider advancing, let alone redefining, the scholarship of engagement until there is a symbolic shift moving it from the periphery to the core of the university's mission. The imperative is to progress to second- and third-order issues, rather than to consistently operationalise first-order matters by merely ticking the boxes. Is the scholarship of engagement problematic because institutions are unclear about their role and do (...) not necessarily know and understand themselves at a deep level? Current thought around engagement in both a northern and southern context highlight issues around identity for universities that do not fit in either space. Australian universities adhere to a traditional northern model, despite being geographically located in the South. This article thus makes a case for a repositioning of both ‘scholarship’ and ‘engagement’ in a way that privileges the Australian culture, environment and people. The aim of such a repositioning is to avoid polarisations and make it possible to move fluidly between the two narratives. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Robust, concrete and abstract, mathematical computation and inference on the scale now becoming possible should change the discourse about many matters mathematical. These include: what mathematics is, how we know something, how we persuade each other, what suffices as a proof, the infinite, mathematical discovery or invention, and other such issues.

In this paper we shall argue that despite the protracted debate surrounding the TGP, there has been little chance of resolving the issues because the epistemological presumptions which give rise to the disparity in values-orientation underpinning the debate have remained elusive. Our goal here is to make explicit the epistemological dimensions of the debate which thus far have only been implicit. It is our view that the construction of the Three Gorges Dam has been motivated by what Laura has called, (...) ‘the epistemology of power’. Understanding the socio-cultural evolution of technologized societies in both the East and the West involves making explicit a dominant epistemological tenet, namely, that ‘Knowledge is tantamount to Power’. From this it follows that the dominant conceptual approach to the technoligization of nature and thus to dam construction is motivated by a particular theory of knowledge which is characterized by mankind‘s obsession with power, dominance, subjugation and control. It is this obsession with power, dominance and control which gives rise to a covert moral tension between the political objectives of engineering pedagogy on the one hand and the moral purpose of environmental education on the other. We submit that the reliance on ‘power epistemology’ as the dominant model for technoloization has created a scientific discourse which has marginalized the importance of the ethical issues surrounding the building of the dam and its long term utilization. Appreciation of this point makes it easier to discern why the noble efforts by some to think environmentally and in qualitative value terms about the Project have been severely marginalized and eventually superseded by technologically disposed instrumentalism. (shrink)

Higher education scholarship has established that enhanced student engagement leads to greater academic success, which then leads to an enriched student experience and higher student retention. These issues are arguably at the core of enabling education which prepares students to transition into degree programs. This paper outlines a teaching philosophy developed in a linguistics course in an enabling program at a regional Australian university in 2013. The philosophy, called _The Cupcake Philosophy_, is grounded in the theories of transformative learning and (...) social constructivism. It makes complex linguistic theory and academic practices accessible for enabling students. It involves not only an overall style of teaching, but also a creative use of the metaphor of cupcakes, along with peer-learning activities, which scaffold students’ disciplinary knowledge and academic literacies. This, in turn, helps students improve their self-efficacy in the tertiary environment, enabling them to reach their academic potential. After the philosophy was formalised in the course, student engagement, satisfaction and retention improved, as did the quality of students’ assessed work. This paper demonstrates how an innovative and student-focused teaching practice can effectively promote student engagement and academic success. (shrink)

The paper identifies the power oriented learning structures of much contemporary schooling in Australia and proposes that learning structures of schooling and the processes which mediate school learning should focus more on empowering the individual child than the institutions within which they learn. To achieve this objective we propose a reconceptualisation of each of three ideas central to education in schools: the power of the individual child, the purposes of school education, and ‘the dominant educational epistemology of power’ operating in (...) Australian or Western societies. In the view we advance here, this pedagogy of power epistemology has defined, shaped and limited the dominant theory and praxis of education in schools as we know it. We advocate a model of empathetic epistemology and participatory pedagogic consciousness affording a ‘reformed’ educational context within which a holistic pedagogic conception of, and emphasis on, individual child development from early childhood to schooling completion can thrive. (shrink)

The kind invitation of Benedikt Korf to make a contribution to the Heidegger debate, which once again burst out after the publication of the “Black Notebooks”, was at the same time welcome and challenging. The debate had already ignited a discussion among us, the ones co-authoring this commentary, as most of the reactions to Heidegger’s scandalous politics seemed to follow quite familiar paths. Ever since the book of Victor Farias Heidegger and Nazism came out in the end of the 1980s, (...) Heidegger’s political engagement, its relation to his philosophical corpus in particular, has been one of the long-running disputes in the fields of philosophy, social sciences and beyond. Heidegger’s engagement with National Socialism has been revealed to be much more profound than Heidegger himself had led us to believe, as evidenced by the posthumously published Der Spiegel interview. The amount of commentaries is overwhelming. On the one hand, are the scandalous readings poorly engaging with Heidegger’s philosophical thinking, while on the other, the philosophical commentaries separating “Heidegger the man” solely from the “Heidegger the philosopher”. It hardly comes as a surprise that this ambiguity can be found also in the reception of Heidegger in the geographical literature. The critiques in particular have presented confusing readings from time to time, that have framed Heidegger’s political engagement during the 1930s as an outcome of the concepts Heidegger actually developed much later on. (shrink)

Different ways by which we come to know something, are usefully applied to the pedagogy of medical education. Jürgen Habermas described three “ways” of knowing. These are empirical-analytic knowing, historical-hermeneutic knowing, and self-reflective critical knowing. These “ways” of knowing have an epistemological basis, which is able to be traced from the classical and medieval epochs of philosophical thought. Given that doctor-patient interactions have a fundamental basis in morality, the three “ways” of Habermas can be applied to the pedagogy of medical (...) education. This fosters a clinical practice characterised by life-long self-reflective learning. The beneficent action which follows, based upon self-reflection, and impelling the clinician to act as an agent of change, benefits both patients and clinicians. Understanding the importance of Habermas’ three “ways” of knowing, impels a re-balancing of undergraduate and post-graduate medical education curricula, which would foster a progression from empirical-analytic data collection, through historical-hermeneutic understanding of meanings, to self-reflective critical knowing as a life-long objective in clinical practice. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

This paper surveys a range of methodological approaches to underpin a creative project that will develop a pair of online, computer-based conversational agents to interact as "comedian" and "straight man". The project will interrogate the scriptwriting process as it is applied to a pair of interacting chat-bots: a confluence of human and non-human agency. This survey is necessary due to the project's trans-disciplinary nature; it borrows from information science, drama and scriptwriting, creativity theory, humour theory, and interactive design. "Ontology and (...) epistemology can be considered as the foundations upon which research is built. Methodology, methods and sources are closely connected to, and built upon, our ontological and epistemological assumptions". These ontological and epistemological foundations are often viewed as tacit knowledge within the disciplines, however, there appears to be little agreement across disciplines. Positioned in this manner, the researcher is implicated inside larger research structures in much the same manner as the creative individual is implicated in the systemic view of creativity offered by Csikszentmihalyi. This is not a privileged position. The researchers themselves operate within same "discourses and traditions" as the object of study, "consequently, knowledge is theoretically or discursively laden". The purpose of this paper is to explore these issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to make the implicit explicit. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

Purpose: Over the past 7 decades, theories in the systems and complexity sciences have had a major influence on academic thinking and research. We assessed the impact of complexity science on general practice/family medicine. Methods: We performed a historical integrative review using the following systematic search strategy: medical subject heading [humans] combined in turn with the terms _complex adaptive systems, nonlinear dynamics, systems biology_, and _systems theory_, limited to general practice/family medicine and published before December 2010. A total of 16,242 (...) articles were retrieved, of which 49 were published in general practice/family medicine journals. Hand searches and snowballing retrieved another 35. After a full-text review, we included 56 articles dealing specifically with systems sciences and general/family practice. Results: General practice/family medicine engaged with the emerging systems and complexity theories in 4 stages. Before 1995, articles tended to explore common phenomenologic general practice/family medicine experiences. Between 1995 and 2000, articles described the complex adaptive nature of this discipline. Those published between 2000 and 2005 focused on describing the system dynamics of medical practice. After 2005, articles increasingly applied the breadth of complex science theories to health care, health care reform, and the future of medicine. Conclusions: This historical review describes the development of general practice/family medicine in relation to complex adaptive systems theories, and shows how systems sciences more accurately reflect the discipline’s philosophy and identity. Analysis suggests that general practice/family medicine first embraced systems theories through conscious reorganization of its boundaries and scope, before applying empirical tools. Future research should concentrate on applying nonlinear dynamics and empirical modeling to patient care, and to organizing and developing local practices, engaging in community development, and influencing health care reform. (shrink)

The Judaism of the Second Temple period was not an isolated culture. Modern research shows that, as a result of the long-standing interplay of Greek, Roman and Judaic cultures, Judaism developed its thinking and practice in dialogue with its neighbours' and conquerors' cultures, though the extent of the interplay remains contentious. That interplay can be seen in the work of the Alexandrian Jewish writer, Philo, whose work is a fusion of Greek philosophy and Judaism. Platonic ideas and literature figure heavily (...) in his writing. However, the relationship which exists between pupil and teacher does not adopt wholeheartedly the patterns which can be seen in the Platonic corpus. (shrink)

Can virtue be taught by the many? Socrates insists that the perfection of our souls is of supreme importance, he defines virtue as that which will make our souls good if it comes to be present, and he claims that, if we do not already possess virtue, then we should seek some teacher of it. We shall assume that he is basically right: that if our ultimate aim is to live well, if this requires us to know how to do (...) so, and if we are unsure whether we already possess this know-how, then we should in the first instance seek some teacher in good living. 1 Who should it be? Not the many, according to Socrates.2 As a general rule, and especially on matters of virtue, he asserts that we should be guided by the one with expert knowledge rather than the many, who lack such knowledge. Unlike other interlocutors in other dialogues, Alcibiades disagrees. Having suggested that he has learnt justice from people in general, he meets Socrates' stock assertion that '[w]hen you give the credit to "people in general", you're falling back on teachers who are no good', and he responds with the thought that the many can teach lots of different things. If we aim to live well, this issue is of vital importance. Together with the Great Speech in the Protagoras, the ensuing discussion in the Alcibiades is the most extensive treatment in the Socratic dialogues of the competence of the general public to teach virtue. Accordingly, we shall approach the issue of whether the general public can teach virtue by examining Socrates' arguments, in particular, that the Greek public did not teach Alcibiades justice. (shrink)

The Alcibiades purports to offer us the very first conversation between Socrates and Alcibiades. Previously, it seems, Socrates has just lingered at the back of a crowd of lovers looking rather stupid. This is hardly surprising. Socrates did look stupid, and both Aristophanes and his rival Ameipsias thought that he was good enough material for a laugh to present him on stage in their comedies at the Dionysia of 423 BC. The only slight surprise here is that Alcibiades, though he (...) is mentioned in other Aristophanic comedies, is never actually named in the Clouds. One might suspect that the young man Pheidippides, whom Socrates exposes to the corrupting influence of philosophic argument and the ensuing amoral attitudes, bears some relationship to Alcibiades. He shares with him a partially Alcmaeonid background, a passion for horse-racing, and an interesting lisp, but as the play stands Pheidippides is never seen as having been in any way close to Socrates.1 Their relationship is in fact akin to one between the principal of a college and an individual first-year student, with no sinister overtones whatever. I doubt that the relationship with Alcibiades had by that stage been seen as in any way unusual; either its bizarre nature was a well-kept secret, or it was not seen as very unusual after all. Alcibiades had experienced the attentions of a host of would-be lovers, so what would have made Socrates special? (shrink)

There is a long tradition of arguing that design and science are importantly different. One such argument is that the separation of science and design is an implication that can be drawn from the Simon–Kroes model of the nature of technical artifacts. This paper argues that the Simon–Kroes model does not imply a radical separation between science and design: if we accept the Simon–Kroes model of the nature of technical artifacts and their production, then we must also accept that all (...) the sciences also produce technical artifacts, and in importantly similar ways. Moreover, the placing of both science and design in a naturalist framework reinforces this conclusion and opens up new vistas for synergetic cross-disciplinary discussion of design and methodology. (shrink)

This article provides an introduction to the Brazilian social movement known as the Landless Workers Movement. After a brief history of the landless struggle and the international organisation of the movement, the article discusses educational philosophy and practice in the MST. The MST actively cultivates a 'culture of study' within all the diverse spaces of the movement including its schools and literacy programmes, political education, agricultural production, and culture and media communications. These processes of knowledge production and dissemination are informed (...) by the philosophical principles that constitute the MST 'Pedagogy of the Land'. which links anti-capitalist struggles for land, education, and culture. Readers are also provided with an extensive reference list on publications about and by the MST - in English and Portuguese. (shrink)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relatively hidden phenomenon of researchers who not only study dirty work but who also occupy the position of dirty workers. Drawing on the sociological debate on insider-outsider categories in research, this paper describes how these types of “dirty work/er researchers” understand and negotiate their occupational subjectivity and the methodological and epistemological resources they bring to their research practice. Design/methodology/approach: Two biographical narratives from different types of “dirty work/er researchers” are analysed (...) using a feminist epistemology of corporeality, social difference and power. Findings: Ambivalence is an underlying dynamic of the narratives which indicate that the stigma attached to certain types of dirty work histories act to both facilitate and constrain research practice. Ambivalence disrupts strict binary categories often relied on in research such as insiders and outsiders, empowered and powerless and researcher and Other. Research limitations/implications: The experiences of “dirty work/er researchers” indicate a need to reconsider ethical, methodological, epistemological issues within social research. Practical implications: Participatory research frameworks such as peer research should pay closer attention to issues of professional status, power and risk. Further research is required on what happens after peer researchers leave the field. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the knowledge of the relatively hidden world of the “dirty work/er researcher”, their occupational experiences and the methodological and epistemological resources they bring to their job. (shrink)

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

'Christian theology', Vladimir Lossky observes, 'does not know of an abstract divinity'. By this one can read 'no doctrine of God abstracted from the rich sets of traditions that provide a context for the form of such a confession', traditions that shape reason doxologically to witness to the incomprehensible 'plentitude of being'. Sounding like Pascal he declares that 'the God of the philosophers and savants is introduced into the heart of the Living God, taking the place of the Deus absconditus, (...) qui posuit tenebras labitulum suum'. Consequently, what Christian dogmatics speaks of as the 'Holy Spirit' cannot be conceived as the Spirit of such an abstracted God, but of the God who 'descends' in 'the divine person of Christ [who] makes human persons capable of an ascent in the Holy Spirit'. (shrink)

Purpose: This paper seeks to take up the challenge of complex social, political and cultural influences, uncertain economic conditions, ever advancing technologies and increasingly diverse student populations. The challenge for educational leadership scholars and practitioners is to figure out what their work as leaders should be in new times. The paper aims to discuss the issues. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing loosely on the theoretical work of Pierre Bourdieu, and a continued research agenda, this paper outlines a framework for educational leadership that can (...) be measured, but is not prescriptive. Findings: The central argument of this paper is that viewing leadership as a complex social activity that is not directly observable has the prospect of moving scholarship and understanding beyond the superficial measurement of what is directly observed to a thick description of educational leadership. Originality/value: The framework presented privileges the philosophical and scholarly elements of being an educational leader over the administrative and managerial. It is argued that this is what is needed in the leadership of educational institutions for the future and a framework for preparing the next generation of leaders. (shrink)

While investment in young children is recognised as important for the development of moral values for a cohesive society, little is known about early years teaching practices that promote learning of moral values. This paper reports on observations and interviews with 11 Australian teachers, focusing on their epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral education with children aged 5?8 years. The analysis revealed three main patterns of thinking about moral education: following others, reflecting on points of view, and (...) informing reflection for action. These patterns suggest a relationship between epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral learning which have implications for teacher professional development concerning experiences in moral education. (shrink)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the veracity of a theoretically derived model of health that describes a non-linear trajectory of health from birth to death with available population data sets. Methods: The distribution of mortality by age is directly related to health at that age, thus health approximates 1/mortality. The inverse of available all-cause mortality data from various time periods and populations was used as proxy data to compare with the theoretically derived non-linear health model predictions, (...) using both qualitative approaches and quantitative one-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov analysis with Monte Carlo simulation. Results: The mortality data's inverse resembles a log–normal distribution as predicted by the proposed health model. The curves have identical slopes from birth and follow a logarithmic decline from peak health in young adulthood. A majority of the sampled populations had a good to excellent quantitative fit to a log–normal distribution, supporting the underlying model assumptions. Post hoc manipulation showed the model predictions to be stable. Conclusions: This is a first theory of health to be validated by proxy data, namely the inverse of all-cause mortality. This non-linear model, derived from the notion of the interaction of physical, environmental, mental, emotional, social and sense-making domains of health, gives physicians a more rigorous basis to direct health care services and resources away from disease-focused elder care towards broad-based biopsychosocial interventions earlier in life. (shrink)

In light of the renewed debate over religion and politics, I seek some insights from Marx and Engels as a way of exploring the tensions within secularism. I am interested two of Marx’s texts: Comments on the Latest Prussian Censorship Instruction and On the Jewish Question. In the former, he argues the rather commonplace position that religion is a particular concern and that it really should have no part in the general matters of the state. However, in the latter he (...) offers a far more dialectical argument, namely, that the secular state emerges from the impossible contradictions within the Christian state. In Frederick William IV, King of Prussia Engels elaborates on this contradiction, exploring the problems with the Prussian king’s efforts to preserve a Christian state. The reason for returning to these texts is quite simple, for it avoids the need to reinvent the wheel concerning a debate with a long history. (shrink)

This study offers a critical commentary on an unjustly neglected dimension of the work of Ernst Bloch, namely, his philosophy of music. The key text is the long opening section of his Spirit of Utopia, although a number of the shorter pieces are also relevant . By critical commentary I mean an in-depth engagement this is both exposition and critical assessment, an approach that is indebted to the long tradition of biblical criticism. Briefly put, Bloch's philosophy of music is a (...) sustained re-narration of the story of music.His story emphasises the human nature of music, focusing on the basic category of the note and its associated features, such as hearing, voice, dance, song, and rhythm. Bloch listens and writes with what may be called a phiosophical and theo-utopian ear, which he deploys to 'hear around corners' in order to espy the contours and glimpses of utopian promise. (shrink)

This chapter is concerned with issues of temporality and the programme of pragmatic sociology. It outlines a problem of time operating within this programme. This problem is identified as concerning the location of social change and the new as external to situations and events, a positioning which, I will argue, eschews the indeterminacy and openness of the contemporary world. I suggest further that such a positioning of the new also cannot come to grips with forms of critique that have no (...) time, or, better said, forms of critique that have run out of time or are dispossessed of time and, in addition, make demands for time itself. In identifying the latter form of critique, I contend that the logic of change elaborated in The New Spirit of Capitalism – namely, the incorporation of the dynamic of external critique into capitalism – has reached its limit, a limit which in turn demands that sociologists address questions of change and time anew. To this end, in this chapter I outline some of the axes along which a pragmatic sociology of change, innovation, and the new may be elaborated. Yet, to grasp fully how and why the issues of change and the new require attention, I will also propose that it is crucial to register that the significance of the programme of pragmatic sociology lies not only in a post-Bourdieusian renewal of social science, as is often assumed, but also in its relevance for and in an increasingly pragmatic world. To begin to unfold these lines of intervention, I turn first to the issue of the development of pragmatic sociology and the renewal of the social sciences. (shrink)

My concern is Nick Cave’s unceasing focus on death in nearly all its forms. Unlike the tendency to compartmentalize death in our modern world, to sequester the elderly into compounds known as “retirement villages,” to block death through the frenzy of consuming commoditized trash, to separate death from life, and for rock singers to favor lust and love, in all its triumphs, frustrations, and disappointments, Cave is refreshingly if at times scandalously direct. In order to seek out the permutations of (...) death in Cave’s work, I will distinguish between musical form and lyrical content, overlaying that distinction with another between death inflicted and death suffered. When we come to death suffered, we also draw closer to Cave’s own perceptions of death, with myriad reflections on individual death and, even more importantly for my purposes, collective death. Yet the story is not complete without a consideration of death overcome and what that means for Cave’s own continuous search for redemption. One final introductory observation: it is usually far easier, for obvious reasons, to focus on what happens before death, on our preparation for fear and terror of death—how do we face death? What are the social mores? Is it a part of life or divorced from life? What happens after death is of course an unknown zone, although that has not prevented more than a little speculation about what might happen on the other side of the door. My analysis of Cave on death is very interested in how he deals with this divide, for most of the time he falls in with the majority, focusing on the lead-up to death. Yet I will push him and seek out what he says and sings concerning the other side of death. (shrink)

In Being John Malkovich, the first of Charlie Kaufman's screenplays to be made into a feature film, the protagonist, Craig Schwartz , finds a portal into the body of actor John Malkovich , allowing him to inhabit it for fifteen minutes. Craig describes the experience to his sexy and condescending coworker Maxine , whom he lusts after: "It raises all sorts of philosophical-type questions, you know ... about the nature of self, about the existence of a soul You know, am (...) I me? Is Malkovich Malkovich? I had a piece of wood in my hand, Maxine. I don't have it any more. Where is it? Did it disappear? How could that be? Is it still in Malkovich's head? I don't know! Do you see what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is? I don't see how I could go on living my life the way I've lived it before." Kaufman's film does indeed raise "philosophical-type questions" about the nature of self, including: what kind of self could possibly make this journey? (shrink)

We examine the claim that design is demarcated from science by having wicked problems while science does not and argue that it is wrong. We examine each of the ten features Rittel and Weber hold to be characteristic of wicked problems and show that they derive from three general sources common to science and design: agent finitude, system complexity and problem normativity, and play analogous roles in each. This provides the basis for a common core cognitive process to design and (...) science. Underlying our arguments is a shift to a strategic problem-solving conception of method in both disciplines that opens up new opportunities for synergetic cross-disciplinary research and practice. (shrink)

Rationale: The new area of health system research requires a revision of the taxonomy of scientific knowledge that may facilitate a better understanding and representation of complex health phenomena in research discovery, corroboration and implementation. Method: A position paper by an expert group following and iterative approach. Results: ‘Scientific evidence’ should be differentiated from ‘elicited knowledge’ of experts and users, and this latter typology should be described beyond the traditional qualitative framework. Within this context ‘framing of scientific knowledge’ is defined (...) as a group of studies of prior expert knowledge specifically aimed at generating formal scientific frames. To be distinguished from other unstructured frames, FSK must be explicit, standardized, based on the available evidence, agreed by a group of experts and subdued to the principles of commensurability, transparency for corroboration and transferability that characterize scientific research. A preliminary typology of scientific framing studies is presented. This typology includes, among others, health declarations, position papers, expert-based clinical guides, conceptual maps, classifications, expert-driven health atlases and expert-driven studies of costs and burden of illness. Conclusions: This grouping of expert-based studies constitutes a different kind of scientific knowledge and should be clearly differentiated from ‘evidence’ gathered from experimental and observational studies in health system research. (shrink)

Professional Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy.

The task of this chapter is to explore why the experience of value, especially the value of other persons, is primary in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas. It will achieve this by developing an understanding of Levinas's oft-quoted, but widely misunderstood, idea that ethics is first philosophy and by showing how this is best grasped when the Levinasian approach to ethics is understood as optics - a way of seeing things - rather than as a systematic ethical theory or moral (...) philosophy. The chapter will begin by situating Levinas in his historical and philosophical context and then explaining some of the fundamental tenets of his approach, such as are necessary for understanding his philosophy. The chapter will then explore why Levinas understood ethics as 'first philosophy', aligning this with his comment that ethics is an optics, and then proceed to show how his insights - if they are in any way accurate - reveal that the experience of value is fundamental to any human activity. It then concludes by looking towards some of the implications of the philosophy of Levinas and uses the case study of education to do so. (shrink)

In an almost hallucinogenic few pages at the close of The Time That Remains, Giorgio Agamben argues that one may trace the deep, if somewhat hidden, effect of the Apostle Paul on Benjamin's texts, texts that never mention Paul explicitly. I propose to offer a close reading of these carefully perverse pages, unpicking Agamben's arguments to see whether a very messianic Paul does indeed emerge from an equally messianic Benjamin, or whether it is an elaborate puppet play. Or, to shift (...) the metaphor, I shall ask whether Agamben has discovered a window into the hidden world of Benjamin's thought, a window that opens up onto Paul himself, or whether the window is frosted, stained glass or perhaps a complex series of mirrors. (shrink)

Adorno’s first work in philosophy, the book on Kierkegaard, is rarely, if ever, given the attention it deserves. This is partly due to its nature as one of the most precocious and impenetrable works from a writer who is a challenge at the best of times. But it is also due to the fact that its real subject is theology. Adorno may have subtitled it Construction of the Aesthetic, but a close reading soon reveals that this study of one of (...) the greatest Protestant philosophical theologians has theology as its main target. One may identify both an underlying theoretical basis and the detailed structure of Adorno’s critique. The basis is what I have elsewhere called “theological suspicion”: intimately connected with and in many ways reliant upon Marxist ideological suspicion, Adorno reshapes that practice with an eye on theology. That suspicion operates by means of critical discernment, in which one is constantly on the watch both for the subtle effects of theological modes of thought and for the possible genuine contributions theology may make. The study of the Kierkegaard book is clearly a case of the former exercise of theological suspicion, for Adorno seeks to uncover the theological underlay of Kierkegaard’s philosophical system with a view to demolishing it. For Adorno, Kierkegaard’s effort suffers from two problems. First, it attempts to conceal its theological basis; second, it thereby sublates and dangerously redirects the patterns of power and authority characteristic of theology. Apart from this theoretical basis in theological suspicion, the detailed structure of Adorno's critique follows a two-fold strategy, a pincer movement if you will: the first locates the myth that lies concealed behind the explicit theological material, while the second identifies the impossible paradoxes that disable Kierkegaard’s every effort at dialectics. Having removed the layers beneath which myth has been carefully obscured in Kierkegaard’s work, Adorno moves to pull apart the paradoxes of that system. Throughout, the bulk of Adorno’s argument stays with theology, particularly in the way theology forms the ground of Kierkegaard’s system. But theology turns out to be a treacherous backer, dissolving into mythology at almost every turn. It is then rendered nonsensical by internal paradoxes that fail to respond to the dialectic. As if to complicate the doubled pattern we already have, Adorno makes this move twice, once in the treatment of the spheres and then again with sacrifice. I have structured my assessment accordingly, critically assessing this doppelganger argument in detail. (shrink)

Immanuel Wallerstein and István Mészáros are prolific scholars whose analyses of global capitalism in crisis offer distinctive insight for research across the social sciences. This book engages readers with their main theses, encouraging the application of these in our analysis of social reality and as its mass educational institutions. Griffiths and Imre undertake this task in their presentation of work under the capitalist world-economy, and the official function of mass education to prepare workers for the global economy. They develop a (...) timely and provocative critique of mass education for this century, challenging readers to contribute to the construction of radical alternatives. (shrink)

While there is strong interest in teaching values in Australia and internationally there is little focus on young children’s moral values learning in the classroom. Research shows that personal epistemology influences teaching and learning in a range of education contexts, including moral education. This study examines relationships between personal epistemologies , pedagogies, and school contexts for moral learning in two early years classrooms. Interviews with teachers and children and analysis of school policy revealed patterns of relationships between personal epistemologies and (...) pedagogies within each school. A whole-school approach to understanding personal epistemologies and practice for moral values learning is suggested. (shrink)

Donald M. MacKinnon has been one of the most important and influential of post-war British theologians and religious philosophers. Generally eclectic, frequently allusive, usually intellectually generous, persistently richly challenging and always astonishingly erudite, he had a significant impact on the development and subsequent theological work of the likes of Rowan Williams, Nicholas Lash, David Ford and John Milbank. A younger generation largely emerging from Cambridge, but with influence elsewhere, has more recently brought MacKinnon's normally occasionalist writing to a larger audience (...) worldwide where it is beginning to receive noteworthy attention. In this collection several of MacKinnon's most outstanding papers not yet published in book format is collected together with an Editorial Introduction by a former student of one of MacKinnon's own students. They range from his reflections on theology as educational, the nature of moral reasoning, considerations of ecclesial practice, dogmatics and hope. Here is another reminder of MacKinnon's intellectual brilliance. (shrink)

Pursuit of every scientific framework — that is, of a paradigm and philosophy for science — is underwritten by a practical act of faith that its cognitive apparatus — including concepts, classes of models and underlying mathematics, and experimental instruments, techniques and interpretations — is adequate to understand the domain concerned. The focus of this essay is the consequences of the cognitive apparatus of complex systems for methodology, epistemology and metaphysics.

Every essay in this book is original, often highly original, and they will be of interest to practising scientists as much as they will be to philosophers of science — not least because many of the essays are by leading scientists who are currently creating the emerging new complex systems paradigm. This is no accident. The impact of complex systems on science is a recent, ongoing and profound revolution. But with a few honourable exceptions, it has largely been ignored by (...) scientists and philosophers alike as an object of reflective study. (shrink)

This chapter describes the application of reduction concepts in emergence and self organization of complex dynamical system. Condition-dependent laws compress and dynamical equation sets provide implicit compressed representations even when most of that information is not explicitly available without decompression. And, paradoxically, there is still the determined march of fundamental analytical dynamics expanding its compression reach toward a Theory of Everything—even while the more rapidly expanding domain of complex systems dynamics confronts its assumptions and its monolithicity. Nor does science fall (...) apart into a disunified aggregate of particular cases since, with fundamental dynamics as a backbone, complex matching up of models across theoretical and empirical domains then articulates its model-structured skeleton. Discussion provides the delicately entwined dance of emergence and reduction providing constraints on compression that also permit its expansion. However, while the vision is not dead, it is currently substantially more complexly structured through model similarities and differences than that initially envisaged and individuals are left with deep questions about compression unresolved. (shrink)

Fredric Jameson defines the work of Roland Boer "an extraordinary tour de force" to the discovery of the reflections that many Marxist intellectuals have devoted to religion and theology. Building on classical thinkers such as Walter Benjamin, Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser, until you get to the authors at the center of contemporary debate - Alain Badiou, Slavoj Zizek, Giorgio Agamben and Antonio Negri - the critical project of Boer aims first of all to develop categories for the renewal of (...) the debate on the relationship between Marxism and religion. A guide him in this work is the conviction, following Marx, that religion is the "inverted consciousness of the world" that the craft of criticism must overturn, return with their feet on the ground, revealing the forms and ideological functions but also the complex links that it maintains with the needs and desires of the human soul. Boer does not intend to propose an analysis of religious phenomena as mere expressions of "real suffering", or to propose a new version of themes already explored by liberation theology. And you have not even read his work as a current marxologica the inner to the constellation that is uneven at all political theology. Its originality and its strength are mainly in the ability to bring to light the unconscious religious of much of Western Marxism. Disclosing the depth and range of this removed, the Boer then reveals a practice not only useful and valuable, but also radical, that is capable of "grasping things at the root." It shows the need to recognize a need with which to contend to reorganize a project of liberation from capital that is overcoming authentic. (shrink)

Professional Doctorate - Doctor of Business Administration.