A Theological Engagement with the Science of Science Skepticism

When Christians reject the claims of scientific experts, are they being irrational? Much of recent discussion in scholarly and popular media have discussed science denialism by conservative Christians, linking a low view of scientific expertise to the United States’ current political turmoil. This paper will focus on scientific explanations of science skepticism, asking whether there is anything unique to religious communities that make them vulnerable to misinformation.

Always Pay Attention to Which Model of Motor Learning You Are Using

This critical review considers the epistemological and historical background of the theoretical construct of motor learning for a more differentiated understanding. More than simply reflecting critically on the models that are used to solve problems—whether they are applied in therapy, physical education, or training practice—this review seeks to respond constructively to the recent discussion caused by the replication crisis in life sciences. To this end, an in-depth review of contemporary motor learning approaches is provided, with a pragmatism-oriented clarification of the researcher’s intentions on fundamentals (what?), subjects (for whom?), time intervals (when?), and purpose (for what?). The complexity in which the processes of movement acquisition, learning, and refinement take place removes their predictable and linear character and therefore, from an applied point of view, invites a great deal of caution when trying to make generalization claims. Particularly when we attempt to understand and study these phenomena in unpredictable and dynamic contexts, it is recommended that scientists and practitioners seek to better understand the central role that the individual and their situatedness plays in the system. In this way, we will be closer to making a meaningful and authentic contribution to the advancement of knowledge, and not merely for the sake of renaming inventions.

Language, Ecology and the Stories We Live By: The Ecolinguistics of Tholkappiyam

The term “ecolinguistics” is relatively a recent discussion with Eliar Haugen (1972) bringing up the concept of “The ecology of Language”. Since then, various methods and approaches to the field have been suggested to study the language-ecology interaction, primarily from the west. As a result, ecolinguistics is conceived as a new-born western discipline. However, Ecolinguistics, as the term suggests is the specialized study of language-ecology interaction. The “feeling” of the existence of the necessary relationship between language and ecology even before makes us ask the question if the concept of ecolinguistics has not been discussed by linguists before 20th Century. The ancient Tamil linguistic treatise called Tholkappiyam (dated between 6th BCE to 8th CE) presents the fundamental nature of the relationship between ecology, language and culture through the theory called Tinai. The paper primarily draws attention to look into the linguistic philosophy of Tholkappiyam through an ecological perspective. From the ecolinguistic perspective, the paper analyses Tinai based on three criteria: Ecosophy, Aspects of Language-ecology-culture interaction and the theoretical framework of Tinai. Having analysed from the aforementioned criteria, the paper advocates that the framework of Tinai can contribute to the ecolinguistic studies parallel to the philosophies of Edward Sapir (1912) and Hagege (1985).

Legal Issues concerning DROMLAN under the Antarctic Treaty System

The purpose of this paper is to explore possible legal issues concerning the Dronning Maud Land Air Network (DROMLAN) under the Antarctic Treaty system. By examining the recent discussion concerning DROMLAN within the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and relevant State practice, this paper argues that States parties have difficulty in fully complying with the obligations of advanced notice under Article VII (5) of the Antarctic Treaty and Environmental Impact Assessment under Article VIII (2) of the Madrid Protocol for DROMLAN’s operation. Finally, this paper suggests that good communication among relevant States parties and private actors is important for enhancing compliance with these obligations.

Ways of Unworlding: Against Aesthetic Inferentialism

I consider and support two claims about aesthetic experience: 1) that it involves encounters with a reality that is not conceptualized via such encounters; 2) that it can generate ruptures in established norms or in the production of shared worlds. This thesis is developed in the teeth of contemporary rationalist inhumanisms that draw on Nelson Goodman’s cognitivist aesthetics and his irrealist account of ‘worldmaking’ to translate the logical insights of inferentialism (or conceptual role semantics) into an aesthetics oriented towards concept-laden practices and their revision through the techniques of experimental art. I employ Derrida’s iterability argument to show that inferentialism presupposes a realist metaphysics that treats repetition and event individuation as independent of constitutive rules, conceptual schemes or ‘world versions’; indicating one way in which aesthetic material remains outside of, even recalcitrant to, the conceptual order. The aesthetic implications of this metaphysics of undecidable events are further explored by considering Jean-Pierre Caron’s recent discussion of Henry Flynt’s idea of ‘constitutive dissociations’ and, finally, the concept as, ambivalently, victim or suicide in the experimental horror of Gary Shipley’s novel Warewolff! and my own Snuff Memories.

Wronging by Requesting

Upon doing something generous for someone with whom you are close, some kind of reciprocity may be appropriate. But it often seems wrong to actually request reciprocity. This chapter explores the wrongness in making these requests, and why they can nevertheless appear appropriate. After considering several explanations for the wrongness at issue (involving, e.g., distinguishing oughts from obligation, the suberogatory, imperfect duties, and gift-giving norms), a novel proposal is advanced. The requests are disrespectful; they express that their agent insufficiently trusts the hearer to recognize their own reasons to reciprocate, and the close relationship between them morally requires this kind of trust. This proposal is articulated and situated in the recent discussion of the normativity of requests. The chapter concludes by explaining how these requests may appear appropriate. Agents in these relationships often have standing to make requests, though the standing is lacking in these particular cases.

Sky’s the Limit

In this chapter, the author defends the claim that utopias can, and should, inform attempts to craft and effectuate successful programs of radical change. Specifically, it is argued that social and political organizing, even in response to seemingly intractable issues like systemic racial injustice, must ultimately be grounded in realistic utopian visions. This concept is borrowed from Erik Olin Wright and refined to argue that realistic utopias highlight the human potential for radical change and force us to recognize that the boundaries of what is possible are structurally contestable. The author conjoins this analysis with Elizabeth Anderson’s recent discussion of social movements as experiments in morality. For Anderson, social movements extend moral critique beyond the domain of mere theory by offering unique experiments in living morally. Along these lines, the chapter argues that the Movement for Black Lives offers a valuable case study in how we can experiment with realistic utopias.

Mediatisation and the construction of what is morally right and wrong in contemporary business

The recent discussion on mediatisation prompts questions about how it arises and how social spheres are marked by it. In this article, we use business as an example of a social sphere to show that the production of normativity by and through the media is a central aspect of mediatisation. The empirical case of the article is the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Six specific techniques were used by the media to construct the case as an instance of corporate misbehaviour that met public recognition. The techniques are instrumental in forming the predicament of a modern mediatised business sphere, it is argued.

When Finnish and Karelian person systems come together: Comparing open person constructions in Border Karelian dialects

This article is a contribution to the recent discussion on open reference and especially on open second-person singular usage in Finnish and other European languages. The article focuses on four referentially open person constructions – namely the zero construction, the necessive construction, the second-person singular construction, and the imperative construction – and their interplay and variation in spoken discourse in Border Karelian dialects. The aim of this article is three-fold. First and foremost, it argues that the aforementioned open person constructions are fundamentally four separate types. Second, it aims to expand the on-going discussion on open reference in Finnish by introducing the person system of its closely related but highly endangered cognate language, Karelian. Third, it raises the following question: In a wider Finnic context, is the zero construction, above all, a Finnish way of leaving the reference open and unspecified? Kokkuvõte. Milla Uusitupa: Kui soome ja karjala isikusüsteemid kohtuvad: avatud isikukonstruktsioonide võrdlus piiriala karjala murretes. Artikkel on täiendus hiljutisele diskussioonile avatud viitesuhtest ja eriti avatud ainsuse teise isiku kasutusest soome keeles ja teistes Euroopa keeltes. Artikkel keskendub neljale avatud viitesuhtega isikukonstruktsioonile – nullkonstruktsioon, netsessiivkonstruktsioon, ainsuse teise isiku ja imperatiivkonstruktsioon – ning nende vastastikusele mõjule ja varieerumisele piiriala karjala murrete suulises diskursuses. Artiklil on kolm eesmärki. Esimene ja peamine eesmärk on osutada, et eelmainitud avatud isikukonstruktsioonid moodustavad neli põhitüüpi. Teiseks, artikkel laiendab käimasolevat diskussiooni avatud viitesuhtest soome keeles, tutvustades ohustatud lähisugulaskeele, karjala keele isikusüsteemi. Kolmandaks tõstatab artikkel küsimuse, kas läänemeresoome keelte kontekstis on nullkonstruktsioon just soome keelele omane viis jätta viitesuhe avatuks ja täpsustamata.

How open science can benefit bilingualism research: A lesson in six tales

Bilingualism is hard to define, measure, and study. Sparked by the so-called replication crisis in the social sciences, a recent discussion on the advantages of open science is gaining momentum. Here we join this debate to argue that bilingualism research would greatly benefit from embracing open science. We do so in a unique way, by presenting six fictional stories that illustrate how open science practices — sharing preprints, materials, code, and data; pre-registering studies; and joining large-scale collaborations — can strengthen bilingualism research and further improve its quality.