Intellectually Virtuous Inquirer and the Practical Value of Truth

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-59
Author(s):  
Sergei M. Levin ◽  

Veritism is the thesis that the truth is the fundamental epistemic good. According to Duncan Pritchard, the most pressing objections to veritism are the trivial truths objection and the trivial inquiry problem. The former states that veritism entails that trivial truths are as important as deep and important truths. The latter is a problem that a veritist must prefer trivial inquiry that generates many trivial truths to the serious inquiry with the hope but no guarantee to discover some deep and important truth. Both objections arise from the inability of veritism prima facie to properly rate the different types of truths. Pritchard's solution is to approach the truth from the perspective of the intellectually virtuous inquirer who would prefer weighty truth over trivial truth. In my commentary, I criticise the proposed solution as circular reasoning. The necessary virtue for an intellectually virtuous inquirer is that they would prefer the weighty truth over the trivial one and at the same time, the weighty truth is superior because it is the goal for intellectually virtuous inquirer. I suggest another path to substantiate veritism in the face of the two sibling objections. I argue that truth is the fundamental epistemic good as it makes the epistemic realm practically valuable more than any other epistemic good. The weighty truths are preferable to the trivial ones because the practical value of the deep and important truths is usually higher. The suggested path goes away from the attempts to prove the epistemic value of truth only within the epistemic realm, yet I argue it does not compel the intellectually virtuous inquirer to seek the truth only for the sake of practical reasons.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1429
Author(s):  
Ismael García ◽  
Miguel A. Serrano ◽  
Carlos López-Colina ◽  
Fernando L. Gayarre ◽  
Jesús M. Suárez

The use of Rectangular Hollow Sections (RHS) as columns in steel construction includes important advantages like higher mechanical strength and fire resistance. However, the practical demountable bolted joints between beams and columns are not easy to execute, due to impossibility of access to the inner part of the tube. The use of threaded studs welded to the face of the tube and bolted to the beam by means of angle cleats is one of the cheaper and most efficient solutions to obtain beam–column joints with a semi-rigid behavior, as is usually sought in building structures. Nevertheless, it is important to point out that the stud-diameter and the stud-class selection may affect the mechanical properties of the welded parts of the joint. In this paper, 8MnSi7 (with a commercial designation K800) and 4.8 threaded studs were welded to RHS steel tubes and mechanical properties on the weld, the Heat Affected Zones (HAZ), and the base metal were obtained in two different ways: through a correlation with the Vickers hardness and by means of the Small Punch Test (SPT). A study of the microstructure and tensile tests on the threaded studs and in the columns was also carried out. The research involved different types of stud qualities, tube wall thicknesses, and stud diameters. The work presented in this paper proved that in most cases, the welded joint between these studs and the RHS steel tubes present a reasonable static behavior that fulfils the requirements for the beam–column joints under static loading.


1876 ◽  
Vol 22 (98) ◽  
pp. 196-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Claye Shaw

There is a general idea expressed in text-books, and more or less freely asserted in practice, but which I shall prove to be a fallacy, that a high-arched palate is so frequently met with in idiocy and imbecility that it may be taken as a sign of their existence. Indeed, when a case of this kind is brought forward the patient is made to open his mouth, under the conviction that a high palate will be found as certainly as a superficial alteration of the tongue in gastric disturbance. We shall see that the connection is an accidental one; and there is, in reality, no relationship between the development of the intellect and the height and width of the palate. If we consider that the bones of the cranium are developed in a different manner from those of the face, and that ossification at the base is complete long before that of the bones forming the palate, it is clear that there can be no primâ facie reason for thinking that because a person has an imperfect brain he should therefore have an imperfect palate; yet such an interdependence is held. It is quite true that a constitutional taint, such as rickets or syphilis, which affects the ossification of the bones generally and the cranial sutures, would probably affect the palatine bones, and hence it is that many idiots and imbeciles are found to have high or imperfect palates: but on the other hand some modifying taint may dwarf the height of the body, may affect the shape of the head to such an extent as to make an idiot of the microcephalic type, and yet leave the palate untouched, perfect in all conditions of width, height, number, quality, and regularity of teeth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Lougheed

In the epistemology of disagreement literature an underdeveloped argument defending the claim that an agent need not conciliate when she becomes aware of epistemic peer disagreement is based on the idea that there are epistemic benefits to be gained from disagreement. Such benefits are unobtainable if an agent conciliates in the face of peer disagreement. I argue that there are good reasons to embrace this line of argument at least in inquiry-related contexts. In argumentation theory a deep disagreement occurs when there is a disagreement between fundamental frameworks. According to Robert J. Fogelin disagreements between fundamental frameworks are not susceptible to rational resolution. Instead of evaluating this claim I argue that deep disagreements can lead to epistemic benefits, at least when inquiry is in view. Whether rational resolution is possible in cases of deep disagreements, their existence turns out to be epistemically beneficial. I conclude by examining whether this line of argument can be taken beyond research-related contexts.Dans la littérature sur l'épistémologie du désaccord, un argument sous-développé pour une approche non conciliatoire se fonde sur l'idée qu'il y a des bénéfices épistémiques à tirer du désaccord. De tels bénéfices sont impossibles à obtenir si un agent se concilie face au désaccord avec ses pairs, du moins dans les contextes liés à la recherche. Dans la théorie de l'argumentation, un désaccord profond se produit lorsqu'il y a un désaccord entre des propositions cadres. Je soutiens que des désaccords profonds peuvent mener à des avantages épistémiques, du moins dans le contexte de la recherche. Que la résolution rationnelle soit ou non possible en cas de désaccord profond, leur existence s'avère être bénéfique sur le plan épistémologique.


2020 ◽  
pp. 336-362
Author(s):  
Peter Ferdinand

This chapter focuses on democracies, democratization, and authoritarian regimes. It first considers the two main approaches to analysing the global rise of democracy over the last thirty years: first, long-term trends of modernization, and more specifically economic development, that create preconditions for democracy and opportunities for democratic entrepreneurs; and second, the sequences of more short-term events and actions of key actors at moments of national crisis that have precipitated a democratic transition — also known as ‘transitology’. The chapter proceeds by discussing the different types of democracy and the strategies used to measure democracy. It also reviews the more recent literature on authoritarian systems and why they persist. Finally, it examines the challenges that confront democracy in the face of authoritarian revival.


2019 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 03001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valery Nesterov ◽  
Vladimr Aksenov ◽  
Vladimir Sadovets ◽  
Dmitry Pashkov

The article presents the technical solution for the location of cutting elements relative to the rotation center of Geohod for destructing rocks with a strength up to 1 of Protodyakonov hardness. The relevancy of the research is considered. General information about Geohod is given. The features of working body of Geohod are described, in particular, the formation of a complex shape of the face and the working body, and it is also said that in the case of screw movement of working body of Geohod to the face, the points of working body form a helicoidal (helical) surface. To set the purpose and objectives of the study the geometric parameters of generatrix are justified. The parameter depending on the number of blades and on the radius of location of the blade’s cut is identified. Based on the study, the dependence of the number of blades on their location from the center to the periphery is determined. The design of blade working body of Geohod for rocks with a strength f <1 of Protodyakonov hardness is offered. Also the directions for further research have been identified, which include: the development of methods for calculating cutting forces for a technical solution for the location of cutting elements relative to the center of rotation of Geohod for destructing rocks up to 1 of Protodyakonov hardness; the application of this technique for obtaining variants of the blade working body of Geohod of different types.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-435
Author(s):  
Kawakib Al Momani ◽  
Fathi Migdadi ◽  
Eman Rabab’a

Abstract The goal of this study is to examine the strategies of politeness used in the Qur’an, the holy book of Muslims, to address and represent women. Women have been represented negatively in many different types of texts through face-threatening acts that sustain masculine power and hegemony. This study attempts to investigate the image of women in the most sacred book of Muslims. Two aspects are examined herein: the representation of women in relation to sensitive issues like sex and marriage, and the forms of address and reference to women. A qualitative approach is used to provide interpretations of the hidden meanings in the selected excerpts, adopting Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness and Leech’s maxims of politeness as the guides for the analysis. The analysis has revealed that women all through Qur’an have been addressed and referred to decently and politely. Unlike most of the other topics where bald-on-record strategies are used, the use of off-record strategies and positive and negative face strategies of politeness have been found to be dominant in discussion of issues relevant to women. These strategies have been used to avoid unpleasant communication in spiritual issues, and also to avoid misrepresentation of women, demeaning of their persons, causing any embarrassment, and thereby saving the face of both women and recipients. However, bald-on-record strategies are sometimes used in topics related to legal matters concerning familial and social unity and solidarity. The analysis has demonstrated the means by which language is used in the Glorious Qur’an to courteously address women. Concerning interpersonal maxims, the approbation, modesty, sympathy, tact, and agreement maxims have shown to be evident in addressing and referring to women. This study will contribute to the field of pragmatics and will lead to cross-religious and cross-cultural understanding during a period where Islam and its teachings are being widely questioned and examined.


2006 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucan A. Way ◽  
Steven Levitsky

This article examines coercive capacity and its impact on autocratic regime stability in the context of post-Soviet Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine. In the post-Cold War era, different types of coercive acts require different types of state power. First, high intensity and risky measures – such as firing on large crowds or stealing elections – necessitate high degrees of cohesion or compliance within the state apparatus. Second, effective low intensity measures – including the surveillance and infiltration of opposition, and various forms of less visible police harassment – require extensive state scope or a well-trained state apparatus that penetrates large parts of society. Coercive state capacity, rooted in cohesion and scope, has often been more important than opposition strength in determining whether autocrats fall or remain in power. Thus, the regime in Armenia that was backed by a highly cohesive state with extensive scope was able to maintain power in the face of highly mobilized opposition challenges. By contrast, regimes in Georgia where the state lacked cohesion and scope fell in the face of even weakly mobilized opposition. Relatively high scope but only moderate cohesion in Belarus and Ukraine has made autocratic regimes in these countries generally more effective at low intensity coercion to prevent the emergence of opposition than at high intensity coercion necessary to face down serious opposition challenges.


AJIL Unbound ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 184-188
Author(s):  
Margaret L. Taylor

When I finished reading Julian Nyarko's “Giving the Treaty a Purpose: Comparing the Durability of Treaties and Executive Agreements,” I found my mind wandering through memories of the more than five years I spent working on Capitol Hill as Counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—a role that often required me to figure out how best to preserve the constitutional prerogatives of Congress in the face of the various types of international agreements the executive branch produced. This essay recounts my impressions of how the Senate handled different agreements in the 2013–2018 timeframe—Article II treaties, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Unlike Professor Nyarko's ambitious and impressive work to categorize and statistically analyze the durability of Article II treaties and executive agreements—which I applaud and find useful—this essay is modest in purpose. I contend that how Congress handles different types of agreements is largely a product of specific political dynamics—including political ownership, policy entrepreneurism, and electoral risk—that can be unpredictable. Because of these dynamics, the differences that Nyarko reveals regarding the durability of Article II treaties and executive agreements are unlikely to produce a significant change in official practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-141
Author(s):  
Amanda Sarah Chin

Suits’ evocation of masculinity within the neo-liberal office as a site of gender configuration is plural. Although its male protagonists all possess structural power as white, heterosexual, intelligent men (two are wealthy, and eventually the third comes to be), they each reflect varied and occasionally contrasting forms of masculinity. The article explores how, over the seasons, Suits progresses from breadth to depth, with its male characters threading their way through different types of masculine behaviours in order to succeed. In the face of recurrent challenges, their masculinities must be reconfigured. The article examines the manner in which the self becomes a locus of accountability to situate one’s problem-solving ability and subsequent empowerment through performing multiple masculinities.


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