The Substance-attributes Relationship in Cartesian Dualism

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 177-189
Author(s):  
Françoise Monnoyeur ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cartesian Dualism ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
Extension Principles ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Insight Into

In their book on Descartes’s Changing Mind, Peter Machamer and J. E. McGuire argue that Descartes discarded dualism to embrace a kind of monism. Descartes famously proposed that there are two separate substances, mind and body, with distinct attributes of thought and extension (Principles of Philosophy). According to Machamer and McGuire, because of the limitations of our intellect, we cannot have insight into the nature of either substance. After reviewing their argument in some detail, I will argue that Descartes did not relinquish his favorite doctrine but may have actually fooled himself about the nature of his dualism. It is my contention that the problem with Cartesian dualism stems from the definition of mind and body as substances and the role of their respective attributes—thought and extension—in the definition of substances.

scholarly journals Religion, civil society and conflict: What is it that religion does for and to society?

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaco Beyers
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Sociology Of Religion ◽  
Multiple Realities ◽  
Moral Discernment ◽  
Sense Of Reality ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Human consciousness instinctively tries to make sense of reality. Different human interpretations of reality lead to a world consisting of multiple realities. Conflict occurs when differing realities (worldviews) encounter one another. Worldviews are socially created and determine human behaviour and, as such, most often find expression in religion. The discussion of conflict and the role of religion in civil society take place within the discourse of the sociology of religion. Religion is socially determined. Peter Berger’s insight into the sociology of religion therefore plays an important role in establishing the relationship between religion and civil society as one that takes on different forms. Thus, a clear definition of both civil society and religion was needed to understand the nature of these relationships. The role of religion in civil society with regard to the presence of conflict in society was further investigated in this article. The conditions under which conflict in society occurs were discussed, as were the conditions for tolerance in society, for religion ultimately becomes the provider of moral discernment when conflict occurs in civil society.

Together in Music

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Contemporary Music ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Music Making ◽  
The Social ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
Insight Into

Together in music develops insight into the musical ensemble as an intense form of teamwork, as finely coordinated joint action, and as an emotionally and socially rewarding experience that enables positive outcomes for wellbeing and development. By investigating processes related to group music-making at meso-, micro-, and macro-level, it offers a platform for synthesis across disciplinary and methodological approaches, and the definition of a new level of understanding that is holistic and considers interrelationships between levels of analysis. The book combines review chapters that summarize the state of the art with case studies that present research outcomes. While most chapters focus on Western classical or contemporary music, the themes that run through the book have broad relevance, which include the role of embodiment and emergence, relationships between the social and the musical, multi-dimensionality of experiences, and technologies to investigate and support collaboration and interaction in ensembles.

ReFocus: The Films of Paul Schrader

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Film Criticism ◽  
Taxi Driver ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Unique Relationship ◽  
Analytical Writing

Paul Schrader’s unique relationship to the role of the author (as screenwriter, director and critic) has long informed his cinema, and raises complicated questions about the definition of the auteur. This volume of essays – the first collection to assess Schrader’s contributions to directing, screenwriting and criticism – includes the first original appraisals of his much-lauded masterpiece First Reformed (2017), as well as a chapter-length interview with Schrader himself, conducted by the editors, in which Schrader examines the arc of his career for the first time and revises previous statements about filmmaking and film criticism. Providing a comprehensive exploration of his groundbreaking achievements in cinema, the book considers Schrader’s more overlooked films and provides new insights to their connection with his celebrated work in direction and screenwriting such as Taxi Driver (1976), Cat People (1982) and The Comfort of Strangers (1990). In doing so, it provides a valuable update to previous texts on Schrader and contains chapters on Schrader’s work since 2008, the publication date of the last book on his filmmaking. Where this study distinguishes itself fully is in its inclusion of a serious treatment of Schrader’s own film criticism and analytical writing. This collected writing provides unique access into how Schrader approaches the analysis of films and provides insight into his own work and others as “transcendental” filmmakers.

scholarly journals Supporting SoTL Development through Communities of Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-52
Author(s):  
Anne M. Tierney ◽  
Dorothy Aidulis ◽  
Julian Park ◽  
Katherine Clark
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Home Institution ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Increasingly, academics are engaging with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). However, within United Kingdom higher education, the definition of and activities that constitute SoTL remain open to debate. In this article, we explore SoTL through four career histories that give insight into how SoTL has developed and played a role in the careers of four life sciences-based, teaching-focused academics in UK universities at different points in their careers. The recurring themes in the career histories include collaboration; professional development; sharing and dissemination; and funding. The career histories also highlight aspects of and the importance of communities of practice. We reflect on the role of communities of practice in supporting SoTL and discuss how communities of practice external to one’s home institution can play a role in developing SoTL and teaching practice. Internationally there is a growing focus on SoTL, and although the four career histories presented here are authored by academics based in UK institutions and focused on the UK context, the themes they reveal are widely applicable.

Optimal partitioning of molecular properties into additive contributions: the case of crystal volumes

2007 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Beaucamp ◽  
Didier Mathieu ◽  
Viatcheslav Agafonov
Keyword(s):  
Structural Features ◽  
Organic Crystals ◽  
Average Absolute Deviation ◽  
Absolute Deviation ◽  
Systematic Scheme ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Additive Increments ◽  
Insight Into

A systematic scheme to split the volume of molecular crystals into additive increments is discussed. In contrast to earlier procedures, it relies on the definition of atom types on the basis of their geometrical rather than chemical environment. In addition, the role of the relevant structural features of the compounds is explicitly taken into account. This approach provides insight into the relative influence of chemical bonds, hydrogen bonds and rings on the volume of organic crystals. Compared with group-contribution techniques, it yields very similar results with many fewer empirical parameters. Applied to estimate the densities of 42 880 crystals containing elements up to chlorine and measured at different temperatures, an average absolute deviation from experiment close to 2% is obtained.

scholarly journals Fading Away: Technological Decline in Canadian Aviation

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Marionne Cronin
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Bear Lake ◽  
Use Context ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract When Western Canada Airways began flying its pioneering air route down the Mackenzie Valley in 1929, it did so with a fleet comprised entirely of Fokker Super Universal aircraft. By the end of 1933, however, the airline had declared the Super Universals obsolete, replacing them with other aircraft models. In only four years, the Fokker Super Universal had gone from state of the art to obsolescent. Exploring Western Canada Airways' decision to replace the Supers, this paper offers insight into the nature of obsolescence, demonstrating that the aircraft did not achieve this status because of technical changes or dramatic technical breakthroughs in the design of other aircraft. Instead, the Super Universal became obsolete because of changes in its use-context. The rise of the Great Bear Lake mineral rush, the introduction of new sorts of aircraft into the region, increased competition, and changing passenger expectations all encouraged Western Canada Airways' management to re-evaluate their definition of what constituted a superior technology within the context of the Mackenzie Valley. While conditions in 1929 made the Super Universal the best possible choice, by the end of 1933 those circumstances had changed such that the Super was now obsolete. By tracing this episode in Canadian aviation history, this paper will explore the contextual dimensions of obsolescence and the role of historical circumstances in effecting technological decline.

scholarly journals Philosophy of Mind and Body in Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 357-375
Author(s):  
Vladimir Tumanov
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
John Locke ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Animal Suffering ◽  
Cartesian Dualism ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
The Status

Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris (1972) is studied through the lens of philosophy of mind. The question of memory and personhood, as developed by John Locke and then expanded by Derek Parfit, is applied to the status of Hari – the copy of the protagonist's deceased wife. The key question addressed by this paper is on what basis Hari can (or should?) be considered human. Hari's personhood is further analyzed in the context of Cartesian dualism, the response to Descartes by reductionism and the rebuttal of reductionism by the functionalist theories of Hilary Putnam. Descartes' thoughts on animal suffering and the bête-machine are pitted against Hari's experience in Solaris. The key question is whether Hari can be reduced to her alien structure or should be considered in terms of her behavior. The moral implications of these questions are extended to human sociality, human emotional response and the role of the body in the human condition.

Challenges of Fear Conditioning Research in the Age of RDoC

2017 ◽  
Vol 225 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina B. Lonsdorf ◽  
Jan Richter
Keyword(s):  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Research Domain Criteria ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
The Future ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Research Domain

Abstract. As the criticism of the definition of the phenotype (i.e., clinical diagnosis) represents the major focus of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, it is somewhat surprising that discussions have not yet focused more on specific conceptual and procedural considerations of the suggested RDoC constructs, sub-constructs, and associated paradigms. We argue that we need more precise thinking as well as a conceptual and methodological discussion of RDoC domains and constructs, their interrelationships as well as their experimental operationalization and nomenclature. The present work is intended to start such a debate using fear conditioning as an example. Thereby, we aim to provide thought-provoking impulses on the role of fear conditioning in the age of RDoC as well as conceptual and methodological considerations and suggestions to guide RDoC-based fear conditioning research in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document