Study, truth, and personal formation: Reflections on John Paul II’s Pastores dabo vobis

Although John Paul II published “Pastores dabo vobis” specifically for the formation of seminarians for Catholic priesthood, it nonetheless contains much wisdom regarding the formation of any young person on the cusp of full adulthood. John Paul outlines a framework of personal formation according to its human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions. I articulate those dimensions through the lens of a fourfold causal analysis, attending especially to the intellectual dimension and its proper activity, study. My thesis is that study—that is, the serious and diligent exercise of our innate capacity for truth—is the primary driver of successful personal formation.

Themistius on Concept Formation

This paper reconstructs the account of concept formation developed in the 4th Century A.D. by Themistius in the most ancient extant commentary on Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics. Themistius’ account can be contrasted with two widespread modern interpretations of Aristotle. Unlike psychological empiricists, Themistius ascribes an active role in concept formation to our innate capacity of understanding (νοῦς). Unlike intuitionists, he would not be satisfied by saying that νοῦς “intuits” or “spots” concepts. Rather, the question is what makes our νοῦς capable of “finding” and “recognizing” concepts in experience, and this can only be an understanding prior to all experience. Themistius seems to be responding here to Platonist arguments against Aristotle’s epistemology: postulating a “potential νοῦς” is not enough, for one can apply Meno’s dilemma to it and ask how it can recognize that it has found what it was looking for. But, contrary to the judgment of some modern scholars, Themistius never embraced the theory of recollection either (he rejects it decisively). He argued that both empiricism and Platonist innatism are wrong and developed a middle path marked by a strong interdependence between the perceptive and the rational capacity. This holds for all rational learning, and concept formation is its first stage: to form a concept means to learn something genuinely new, but also to recognize it as falling, e. g., under one of the ten categories. While being presented as a mere “paraphrasis” of Aristotle’s words, Themistius’ account is a well-advised and original response to the epistemological debates of his time.

Attentional focus modulates automatic finger-tapping movements

The majority of human behaviors are composed of automatic movements (e.g., walking or finger-tapping) which are learned during nurturing and can be performed simultaneously without interfering with other tasks. One critical and yet to be examined assumption is that the attention system has the innate capacity to modulate automatic movements. The present study tests this assumption. Setting no deliberate goals for movement, we required sixteen participants to perform personalized and well-practiced finger-tapping movements in three experiments while focusing their attention on either different component fingers or away from movements. Using cutting-edge pose estimation techniques to quantify tapping trajectory, we showed that attention to movement can disrupt movement automaticity, as indicated by decreased inter-finger and inter-trial temporal coherence; facilitate the attended and inhibit the unattended movements in terms of tapping amplitude; and re-organize the action sequence into distinctive patterns according to the focus of attention. These findings demonstrate compelling evidence that attention can modulate automatic movements and provide an empirical foundation for theories based on such modulation in controlling human behavior.

Acute inflammation, mediated by lung neutrophils, confers enhanced protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice

Inflammation plays a crucial role in the control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection. In this study, we demonstrate that an inflammatory pulmonary environment at the time of infection mediated by liposaccharide (LPS) treatment in mice confers enhanced protection against M.tb for up to 6 months post infection. This transient protective inflammatory environment was associated with a neutrophil and monocyte/macrophage influx as well as increased inflammatory cytokines. In vitro infection of neutrophils from LPS treated mice demonstrated that LPS neutrophils exhibited increased recognition of M.tb, and had a greater innate capacity for killing M.tb. Finally, partial depletion of neutrophils in LPS treated mice showed an increase in M.tb burden, suggesting neutrophils conferred the enhanced protection observed in LPS treated mice. These results indicate a positive role of an inflammatory environment during initial M.tb infection, and suggests that acute inflammation at the time of M.tb infection can positively alter disease outcome.

A study on verbal and numerical reasoning aptitude of college going students

Aptitude is a pronounced innate capacity or ability in a given line of endeavor such as a particular art, subject or vocation. The present study was done by using the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) developed by George et al. (1947). The randomly selected sample consisted of 120 boys & girls from all four basic faculties like Arts, Commerce, Science and Home Science in the age range 15 to 25 years. The findings of the study denoted that the verbal reasoning ability of Science students was comparatively higher than all other faculty students. The numerical ability of Commerce students reflected very low in comparison with the Home Science, Arts and Science students. There was a positive and significant correlation between the faculties of the students and their gender in verbal reasoning ability. The numerical ability of the students in the various faculty had significant negative correlation between the gender (-0.240) and family size (-0.205).

Human connection and learning

Human connection is fundamental to learning. Through social interaction, we consciously and unconsciously share a range of states with others in the learning environment which assists us to understand one another and the experience. Underpinning this sense of connection is a phenomenon known as social synchrony – an innate capacity that allows us to connect with and understand others. The nature of this connection is represented in the quality of the learning environment, and is colloquially referred to as the ‘vibe’. We’ve all sensed it in our own classes or our own learning experiences in the classroom, but does it impact learning and, if so, how can we manage it to promote learning? These were the practical questions as an educator that drove my initial research into human connection and learning in school contexts. Using a science of learning lens, I wanted to understand the factors that contribute to this ‘vibe’, the strategies that we could use to enhance it, and the indicators of its quality. The findings have not just informed our understanding of classroom learning environments in schools, but also the role of human connection in learning beyond the classroom, into the workplace, in online environments, and across the lifespan.

Sellars, Price, and the Myth of the Given

Wilfrid Sellars's "Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind" (EPM) begins with an argument against sense-datum epistemology. There is some question about the validity of this attack, stemming in part from the assumption that Sellars is concerned with epistemic foundationalism. This paper recontextualizes Sellars's argument in two ways: by showing how the argument of EPM relates to Sellars's 1940s work, which does not concern foundationalism at all; and by considering the view of H.H. Price, Sellars's teacher at Oxford and the only classical datum theorist to receive substantive comment in EPM. Timm Triplett has claimed that Sellars's discussion simply begs the question against Price, but this depends on the mistaken assumption that Sellars's concern is with foundationalism. On the contrary, Sellars's argument concerns the assumption that the innate capacity for sensory experience counts as "thinking in presence" in the way needed for empiricist accounts of content acquisition. Price's distinction between noticing universals and being aware of them encapsulates the tensions empiricists face here.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DASAMOOLA KWATHA AND DASAMOOLARISHTA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR METHOD OF PREPARATION AND USES

Dasamoola denotes to a polyherbal Ayurvedic preparation containing ten specific roots of medicinal plants which include five tree species called ‘Brihat Panchamula’ and five shrub species called ‘Laghu Pancha-moola’. Dasamoola Kwatha and Dasamoolarishta are popular Dasamoola preparations in liquid form be-cause of their therapeutic effects. Therefore, they have been widely used for various disease conditions in Ayurveda. Dasamoola Kwatha is the decoction of Dasamoola whereas Dasamoola is a content of the Kwa-tha of Dasamoolarishta. Dasamoola Kwatha is varying with the condition for which it is used. This con-ceptual study was conducted by studying Ayurvedic Kwatha preparation, Sandhana Kalpana according to the Ayurvedic textbooks with the objective to compare the important ingredients of Dasamoola Kwatha and Dashamoolarishta. Also, modern scientific knowledge was explored in this study. The results of pre-sent study suggest that Kwatha and Arishta are the most suitable dosage forms of Dasamoola for the treat-ment of various disease conditions. Further findings also support that the traditional uses of different varie-ties of Dasamoola Kwatha have been designed specifically to address the individualized disease condition. When preparing a medicine for an individual patient, the traditional medical practitioners ideally take into account as such things of the patient more importantly affected Dosha, strength of the digestive fire, body tissues affected and the accumulated toxins. This shows that the Ayurvedic and Traditional preparations are often complex in their composition which is responsible for various functions, such as balancing, stim-ulating, cleansing and nourishing which in turn stimulating the innate capacity of the body to heal itself.

Walter Ralegh

Sir Walter Ralegh (this is how he spelled his name) (b. 1552–d. 1618) possessed an innate capacity to draw attention to himself. His obvious personal attractions and actor’s capacity for self-presentation were underpinned by his remarkable intellect and efficiency in martial endeavors and provincial administration. Although his own ventures to the Americas produced no lasting result, they initiated English interest in trade and settlement there. He was an undoubtedly brilliant but entirely self-interested and proud man who, for all of his intelligence, wide-ranging scholarship, and creativity, misread the instability of his political position in the closing years of the reign of Elizabeth I. He always aroused conflicting reactions among his contemporaries; enjoying far greater popularity after his death than he did in his lifetime. Ralegh’s reputation as a national hero and founder of empire was created in the three centuries following his death. Scholarly reassessment of his achievements and the corpus and significance of his written works have continued.