Plato on Laughter and Moral Harm

2019 ◽  
pp. 13-34
Author(s):  
Franco V. Trivigno
Keyword(s):  
Educational Benefits ◽  
Decent People ◽  
Definition Of

Despite the prevalence of laughter in the dialogues, Plato’s explicit theorizing about laughter is mainly critical. This chapter examines exactly Plato’s views on the moral harmfulness of laughter, as expressed in his three distinct analyses: in Republic 3, Socrates argues that powerful laughter provokes a powerful change in character; in Republic 10, Socrates charges that comedy tempts even decent people to laugh at inappropriate jokes, thus strengthening the lower part of one’s soul; and in the Philebus, Socrates gives a definition of “the ridiculous” in terms of self-ignorance, and he provides an analysis of “derisive laughter,” on which it indulges an unjust emotion, phthonos (“envy” or “malice”). The chapter argues that these criticisms are mutually supporting and aimed at specific kinds of laughter, and then, turning to the Laws, provides an analysis of ethically appropriate laughter and lays out the educational benefits of comedy.

Responses to “An Ethical Analysis of the Barriers to Effective Pain Management” by Ben A. Rich (CQ Vol 9, No 1)

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Claire Brett
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Decent People ◽  
Serious Crime ◽  
The World ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
Definition Of

Ben Rich, J.D., Ph.D., presents a scholarly, passionate view of the ethics of the “barriers to effective pain management.” His manuscript is detailed, analytical, and compassionate. No reasonable sensitive person, especially a physician committed to caring for patients, can disagree with the proposal that human beings should have their physical, emotional, and spiritual pain tended to aggressively, meticulously, and compassionately. Similarly, the same individuals advocating for such pain management would agree that no one should go to jail unless he or she is guilty of a serious crime, that decent people should not be robbed or murdered, that children should not be hungry or homeless, and that all citizens of the United States deserve healthcare. Our society attempts to achieve these goals. Laws are written, discussed, and approved by state and federal congresses, voted on by citizens, and theoretically upheld by the courts, churches, and decent individuals. But, unless the world suddenly becomes inhabited by virtuous, ethical humans who can unfailingly differentiate “good” from “bad,” then, in spite of an abundance of laws and lawyers, doctors, and nurses, this world will continue to have pain and suffering. And, although we want to hold our doctors, politicians, educators, champion athletes, and others to “higher standards” than the average citizen, it is best to remind ourselves frequently that all humans can be weak and are bound to make imprecise judgments, that there is not a homogenous definition of “good,” that values and religious beliefs are variable.

Revisiting MMORPGs in Support of Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 187-214
Author(s):  
Bodi Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Benefits ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Player Game ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Education Psychology

This enhanced chapter revisits a previous literature analysis of research on the potential educational benefits of the use of massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) by considering both changes in the medium itself and recent trends in research. Initially, a working operational definition of MMORPGs in education is considered in light of research to date with a focus on how MMORPGs differ from most video games in terms of types of player-game interaction, levels of player-player interaction, and environments in which interaction occurs. Next considering previous and current theoretical and empirical studies on MMORPGs from a variety of disciplines, including education, psychology, and linguistics, a conceptual framework for the use of MMORPGs in support of learning is created. Finally, an overview of current research trends in MMORPGs is provided, concluding with suggestions concerning future research of the use of MMORPGs in support of learning.

Introductory paper

1966 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
W. W. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Line Intensity ◽  
Classification Scheme ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Spectral Classification ◽  
Dimensional Array ◽  
Rr Lyrae ◽  
Metallic Line ◽  
Introductory Paper ◽  
Parameter Varying ◽  
Definition Of

1. The definition of “normal” stars in spectral classification changes with time; at the time of the publication of theYerkes Spectral Atlasthe term “normal” was applied to stars whose spectra could be fitted smoothly into a two-dimensional array. Thus, at that time, weak-lined spectra (RR Lyrae and HD 140283) would have been considered peculiar. At the present time we would tend to classify such spectra as “normal”—in a more complicated classification scheme which would have a parameter varying with metallic-line intensity within a specific spectral subdivision.

2.2. Working Group 2: Conceptual Definitions of Reference Coordinate Systems for Earth Dynamics

1975 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 21-26
Keyword(s):  
Coordinate System ◽  
Working Group ◽  
General Character ◽  
Coordinate Systems ◽  
Reference Coordinate System ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Earth Dynamics

An ideal definition of a reference coordinate system should meet the following general requirements:1. It should be as conceptually simple as possible, so its philosophy is well understood by the users.2. It should imply as few physical assumptions as possible. Wherever they are necessary, such assumptions should be of a very general character and, in particular, they should not be dependent upon astronomical and geophysical detailed theories.3. It should suggest a materialization that is dynamically stable and is accessible to observations with the required accuracy.

Symbiotic Stars at Optical, Infrared and Radio Wavelengths

1979 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 125-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Regime ◽  
Type Star ◽  
Stellar Systems ◽  
Symbiotic Stars ◽  
Lower Excitation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Original Type

No paper of this nature should begin without a definition of symbiotic stars. It was Paul Merrill who, borrowing on his botanical background, coined the termsymbioticto describe apparently single stellar systems which combine the TiO absorption of M giants (temperature regime ≲ 3500 K) with He II emission (temperature regime ≳ 100,000 K). He and Milton Humason had in 1932 first drawn attention to three such stars: AX Per, CI Cyg and RW Hya. At the conclusion of the Mount Wilson Ha emission survey nearly a dozen had been identified, and Z And had become their type star. The numbers slowly grew, as much because the definition widened to include lower-excitation specimens as because new examples of the original type were found. In 1970 Wackerling listed 30; this was the last compendium of symbiotic stars published.

Immunoferritin localization of intracellular antigens in positively stained frozen sections

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-169
Author(s):  
K. T. Tokuyasu
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Water Surface ◽  
Thin Layers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Positive Staining ◽  
Frozen Sections ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ultrathin Frozen Sections ◽  
Definition Of

During the past investigations of immunoferritin localization of intracellular antigens in ultrathin frozen sections, we found that the degree of negative staining required to delineate u1trastructural details was often too dense for the recognition of ferritin particles. The quality of positive staining of ultrathin frozen sections, on the other hand, has generally been far inferior to that attainable in conventional plastic embedded sections, particularly in the definition of membranes. As we discussed before, a main cause of this difficulty seemed to be the vulnerability of frozen sections to the damaging effects of air-water surface tension at the time of drying of the sections.Indeed, we found that the quality of positive staining is greatly improved when positively stained frozen sections are protected against the effects of surface tension by embedding them in thin layers of mechanically stable materials at the time of drying (unpublished).

Initial Polymerization Sites Indicated During Mitochondrial Oxidation of Diaminobenzidine after Toluene Treatment

1977 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 408-409
Author(s):  
W. A. Shannon ◽  
M. A. Matlib
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Permeability ◽  
Cytochrome Oxidase ◽  
Rat Liver ◽  
Precise Definition ◽  
Cytochemical Localization ◽  
Oxidative Reaction ◽  
Mitochondrial Oxidation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Exogenous Substrates

Numerous studies have dealt with the cytochemical localization of cytochrome oxidase via cytochrome c. More recent studies have dealt with indicating initial foci of this reaction by altering incubation pH (1) or postosmication procedure (2,3). The following study is an attempt to locate such foci by altering membrane permeability. It is thought that such alterations within the limits of maintaining morphological integrity of the membranes will ease the entry of exogenous substrates resulting in a much quicker oxidation and subsequently a more precise definition of the oxidative reaction.The diaminobenzidine (DAB) method of Seligman et al. (4) was used. Minced pieces of rat liver were incubated for 1 hr following toluene treatment (5,6). Experimental variations consisted of incubating fixed or unfixed tissues treated with toluene and unfixed tissues treated with toluene and subsequently fixed.

Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy to Medical Research

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 12-13
Author(s):  
J. D. Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Prosthetic Heart Valve ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Mechanism Of Failure ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Scanning Electron

When the transmission electron microscope was commercially introduced a few years ago, it was heralded as one of the most significant aids to medical research of the century. It continues to occupy that niche; however, the scanning electron microscope is gaining rapidly in relative importance as it fills the gap between conventional optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.IBM Boulder is conducting three major programs in cooperation with the Colorado School of Medicine. These are the study of the mechanism of failure of the prosthetic heart valve, the study of the ultrastructure of lung tissue, and the definition of the function of the cilia of the ventricular ependyma of the brain.

Selection and Preparation of Specific Tissue Regions For Tem Using Large Epoxy-Embedded Blocks

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 324-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Lowrie ◽  
W. S. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Anatomical Structures ◽  
Ultrastructural Studies ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Microscopic Evaluation ◽  
Embedded Blocks ◽  
Specific Tissue ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
Selection Of

The importance of examining stained 1 to 2μ plastic sections by light microscopy has long been recognized, both for increased definition of many histologic features and for selection of specimen samples to be used in ultrastructural studies. Selection of specimens with specific orien ation relative to anatomical structures becomes of critical importance in ultrastructural investigations of organs such as the lung. The uantity of blocks necessary to locate special areas of interest by random sampling is large, however, and the method is lacking in precision. Several methods have been described for selection of specific areas for electron microscopy using light microscopic evaluation of paraffin, epoxy-infiltrated, or epoxy-embedded large blocks from which thick sections were cut. Selected areas from these thick sections were subsequently removed and re-embedded or attached to blank precasted blocks and resectioned for transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Transmission electron microscopy of composite materials

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 1012-1015
Author(s):  
K.P.D. Lagerlof
Keyword(s):  
Composite Materials ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Structural Defects ◽  
Structural Composites ◽  
Multiphase Materials ◽  
Structural Reinforcement ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Reinforced Fiber ◽  
Particulate Reinforced Composites ◽  
Definition Of

Although most materials contain more than one phase, and thus are multiphase materials, the definition of composite materials is commonly used to describe those materials containing more than one phase deliberately added to obtain certain desired physical properties. Composite materials are often classified according to their application, i.e. structural composites and electronic composites, but may also be classified according to the type of compounds making up the composite, i.e. metal/ceramic, ceramic/ceramie and metal/semiconductor composites. For structural composites it is also common to refer to the type of structural reinforcement; whisker-reinforced, fiber-reinforced, or particulate reinforced composites [1-4].For all types of composite materials, it is of fundamental importance to understand the relationship between the microstructure and the observed physical properties, and it is therefore vital to properly characterize the microstructure. The interfaces separating the different phases comprising the composite are of particular interest to understand. In structural composites the interface is often the weakest part, where fracture will nucleate, and in electronic composites structural defects at or near the interface will affect the critical electronic properties.

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