Naturalistic Moral Realism and Evolutionary Biology

Perhaps the most familiar understanding of “naturalism” derives from Quine, understanding it as a continuity of empirical theories of the world as described through the scientific method. So, it might be surprising that one of the most important naturalistic moral realists, Philippa Foot, rejects standard evolutionary biology in her justly lauded Natural Goodness. One of her main reasons for this is the true claim that humans can flourish (eudaimonia) without reproducing, which she claims cannot be squared with evolutionary theory and biology more generally. The present argument concludes that Foot was wrong to reject evolutionary theory as the empirical foundation of naturalized eudaimonist moral realism. This is based on contemporary discussion of biological functions and evolutionary fitness, from which a definition of “eudaimonia” is constructed. This gives eudaimonist moral realism an empirically respectable foundation.

Investigating Mindful Awareness from Moment-to-Moment in Meditation: The Mindful Awareness Task (MAT)

Buddhist and contemporary psychological theories propose that training attention and awareness in mindfulness meditation is a fundamental mechanism of mindfulness, essential for producing its salutary effects. Yet, the empirical foundation for this central idea in mindfulness science is surprisingly small due to a limited methodological capacity to measure attention and awareness during mindfulness meditation. Accordingly, we set out to study these processes (N = 143) via a novel behavioral paradigm measuring the objects and temporal dynamics of mindful awareness during meditation – the Mindful Awareness Task (MAT). Using this paradigm, we empirically characterized attention and awareness during mindfulness meditation. We provide novel behavioral evidence indicating that, as long-theorized, attention and awareness during mindfulness meditation are related to previous mindfulness meditation practice, attitudinal qualities of mindfulness, attention regulation, and mental health. We found that in contrast to widely held assumptions, sustained attention and executive functions, as measured via common cognitive-experimental tasks, may not be meaningfully related to the cognitive capacities trained and expressed in mindfulness meditation. Furthermore, we found that the accuracy of self-reported mindfulness is, paradoxically, dependent on behaviorally measured capacities for mindful awareness. Collectively, our behavioral findings reveal that, as long-theorized, attention and awareness during mindfulness meditation may indeed be fundamental to the practice, cultivation, and salutary functions of mindfulness. Findings indicate that the MAT paradigm may overcome significant limitations of extant measurement methods, and thereby enable future scientific insights into attention and awareness in mindfulness meditation and their salutary effects.

Islamic orthodoxy-based character education: creating moderate muslim in a modern pesantren in Indonesia

Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) has been contributing to build moderate character for Muslims in Indonesia towards globalization. However, amid peaceful Islam disseminated in the country, nowadays, radical Muslim movement challenges this character. This study aims to describe the construction of turats (traditional Muslim virtues), which has been taught in pesantren as an orthodox teachings legacy, to create young Muslim with moderate attitude through character education. It will also highlight about how and why character education with Islamic orthodoxy content is necessary to be inculcated in pesantren to produce moderate Muslim. Qualitative research was employed in this study, with a case study approach. In doing so, data collection was carried out through interviews, observation, and documents analysis techniques. The results demonstrated that the moderate character building based on the modernization of turats is derived from the renowned dogma of the ushul fiqh (traditional Islamic Jurisprudence); al muhafadhatu 'ala al-qadim as-sholih wal akhdu bi al-jadid al-ashlah (maintaining good tradition and employing the new-better one). It also revealed that within 24 hours pesantren learning activities, this jargon is disseminated to the students through the concept of Islamic guidance. In this concept, moderate character values infused to the student’s activities are rooted to the Qur'an (Muslim holy book) and Hadits (Prophet’s wisdom) as the religious foundation, the founding fathers’ vision (historical foundation), the pesantren mission (institutional foundation), and the contextual experience (empirical foundation) as well as the dynamic challenges of the globalization. The entire character education process paves a pivotal way to the moderate Muslim generation creation.

Small firm coopetition – the missing links: coopetitive tension, balance and value

Purpose This paper aims to explore small firm perceptions of coopetition, focusing on coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation realised in dyadic relationships, not considered holistically in previous research. Design/methodology/approach The authors use seven cases of small firms as the empirical foundation of this study and analysed data thematically. Findings The findings show that precursors to coopetitive tension in dyads influence friction in these relationships, as firms seek to achieve balance. Balance is dynamic as firms continuously appraise their positions to determine the benefits realised from coopetition. The extent to which firms act cooperatively or competitively is influenced by their perception of fair value appropriation for sustained coopetitive relationships. Research limitations/implications Because of the research design findings are not generalisable but provide insight into small firm coopetitive relational dynamics. Future research should explore how industry differences influence firms’ perceived precursors to coopetitive tension and value appropriation based on boundary conditions. Practical implications Small firms can proactively address coopetitive tension by developing relationships with potential partner firms through trialling smaller projects and increasing awareness of how their competitive or cooperative behaviours might influence the actions of their counterpart. Originality/value This study advances a theoretical framework integrating coopetitive tension, balance and value appropriation, as opposed to earlier fragmented approaches. The framework reveals that precursors to coopetitive tension are continuously appraised as firms act in cooperative or competitive ways. These interactions imply that firms will take a position of balance that provides complementary benefits.

Dynamic Correlates of Novice Educational Psychologists’ Vitality as aSupra-professional Competency

На наш взгляд, важной надпрофессиональной компетенцией педагога-психолога является жизнеспособность, под которой понимается совокупность способностей и свойств личности, обеспечивающих управление своими личностными, профессиональными и социальными ресурсами для успешной адаптации, самореализации и саморазвития, а также преодоления трудных ситуаций во всех сферах профессиональной и личной жизни. Актуальность исследования определяется отсутствием в психолого-педагогической науке теоретической и эмпирической основ для осуществления индивидуального подхода в развитии жизнеспособности педагогов-психологов на этапе их профессиональной подготовки. Становление жизнеспособности личности детерминируется в том числе психодинамическими особенностями человека, что диктует необходимость учета свойств темперамента при организации процесса ее развития у будущих педагогов-психологов. Цель исследования заключалась в выявлении психодинамических коррелятов жизнеспособности будущих педагогов-психологов. Гипотеза состояла в предположении о том, что показатели жизнеспособности будущих педагогов-психологов связаны с их формально-динамическими свойствами. В исследовании были использованы опросник структуры темперамента, ОСТ-150/STQ (В. М. Русалов), опросник «Жизнеспособность личности» (А. А. Нестерова), опросник «Жизнеспособность взрослого человека» (А. В. Махнач). В статье представлены выявленные эмпирическим путем особенности жизнеспособности и темперамента будущих педагогов-психологов, а также положительные связи между интеллектуальной эргичностью, психомоторной пластичностью и скоростью, коммуникативной скоростью и показателями жизнеспособности, отрицательные корреляции между коммуникативной пластичностью и эмоциональностью с некоторыми показателями жизнеспособности будущих педагогов-психологов. Обращено внимание на необходимость дополнительных исследований потенциала высшего психолого-педагогического образования для развития жизнеспособности студентов, имеющих низкий уровень психомоторной и интеллектуальной активности при высокой коммуникативной пластичности и эмоциональности. The author of the article believes that educational psychologists’ supra-professional competencies include vitality, which is a combination of various abilities that enable one to manage one’s personal, professional and social resources for efficient adaptation, self-fulfilment and self-development as well as to enable one to successfully overcome challenges in professional and personal life. The relevance of the research is accounted for by the fact that psychology and pedagogy lack theoretical and empirical foundation for the individualized development of novice educational psychologists’ vitality during their studies. The development of one’s vitality is determined by one’s psychodynamic peculiarities. Therefore, to develop novice educational psychologists’ vitality, it is necessary to take into consideration their temperament. The aim of the research is to investigate psychodynamic correlates of novice educational psychologists’ vitality. The hypothesis of the research consists in an assumption that novice educational psychologists’ vitality indicators are related with their dynamic correlates. The research uses the Structure of Temperament Questionnaire (V. M. Rusalov), Subjective Vitality Questionnaire (A. A. Nesterva), Adults’ Subjective Vitality Questionnaire (A. V. Makhnach). The article presents empirically discovered peculiarities of novice educational psychologists’ vitality and temperament. It shows a positive correlation between intellectual ergicity, psychomotor speed and plasticity, communicative speed and vitality. It also shows a negative correlation between communicative plasticity and vitality in novice educational psychologists. The author underlines that in order to promote vitality development in students with feeble psychomotor and intellectual activities, but good communicative plasticity and emotionality, it is necessary to further investigate the potential of higher psychological and pedagogical education.

Mentalized affectivity in a nutshell: Validation of the Italian version of the Brief-Mentalized Affectivity Scale (B-MAS)

The term “mentalized affectivity” describes the ability to reflect on, process, modulate and express emotions through the prism of autobiographical memory. It represents a bridge concept that integrates previous contributions on emotion regulation and mentalization, offering a quite unique perspective on affective and reflective functioning. The overall aim of this study was to validate the Brief-Mentalized Affectivity Scale (B-MAS), a 12-items self-report instrument, on the Italian population. We tested both the factorial validity of the instrument and its reliability and convergent validity with other similar constructs. We also obtained normative data for the Italian population, broken down by gender. Participants (n = 389) were recruited through snowball sampling. Data was collected through an online survey. Besides the Brief-Mentalized Affectivity Scale, the survey included an ad hoc schedule with questions investigating socio-demographic characteristics, and self-report measures of empathy and reflective functioning. Statistical analysis has shown a three-component (Identifying, Processing, and Expressing emotions) hierarchical structure underlying mentalized affectivity, mirroring the model already proposed in the original validation of the instrument. Moreover, the B-MAS showed good psychometric properties for what regards both reliability and convergent validity. The results of our study highlight the good operationalization and robust empirical foundation of the construct, revealing that the B-MAS is a promising instrument to assess mentalized affectivity. Its brevity makes it particularly valuable both in clinical and research contexts, and the normative data provided in this study will allow an easy comparison with the scores obtained by other samples (clinical and non-clinical).

Coronavirus Pedagogy in the Zoomoscape

The COVID-19 pandemic emptied universities, colleges, and schools across the United States in March 2020, forcing instructors into an unavoidable culture in which a networked commercial technology mediated teaching and learning. In the tradition of critical pedagogy, this article argues that students and instructors alike engaged through the artificial lenses and screens of Zoom. The “pinhole intimacy” of the Zoomscape is assessed using conscientization, the concept offered by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, to describe most pedagogy as an oppressive apparatus that can be overcome with direct engagement between students and instructors. In such an opticentric context, the Zoomosphere’s intimacy is used to explore how the emancipation proposed by conscientization might be applied to the culture of pedagogy in a college with a diverse student population, including pedagogical interventions to address the challenges associated with teaching Division I athletes. The context of a large communication department at Boston College provides the empirical foundation for the exploration of coronavirus pedagogy.

Investigating a Self-Management Harm Reduction Strategy for Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Nicotine Dependence, Alcohol use, and Drug Use

Introduction: The purpose of the present research was to examine the mediating effect that self-management has on the relationships between ADHD symptoms and nicotine dependence, alcohol use, and drug use among an undergraduate student population.Method: Data were drawn from undergraduate psychology students (N=141). We tested self-management as a mediator between (1) ADHD symptoms and nicotine use, (2) ADHD symptoms and alcohol use, and (3) ADHD symptoms and drug use.Results: After controlling for potential socioeconomic covariates, self-management was shown to be a significant mediator between ADHD symptoms and drug use, but not nicotine dependence or alcohol use.Conclusion: We observed that self-management was a significant mediator between ADHD symptoms and drug use, which suggests that self-management may play a role in the relationship between ADHD symptoms and drug use. Those individuals who have symptoms associated with ADHD and who also have high levels of self-management are less likely to abuse substances. This research has provided an empirical foundation for the development of harm reduction interventions to address drug use among individuals with ADHD.

Horizontality in the 2010s: Social Movements, Collective Activities, Social Fabric, and Conviviality

Horizontality is a salient social phenomenon of the last decade. It asserts itself against hierarchies in social movements and countless other collective practices around the world. It constitutes a characteristic of an emergent sociality that demands the attention of the social sciences. The 2010s are a moment as important as “the Sixties”, a time when Ivan Illich called for the development of tools of conviviality, and horizontality may be categorized as one of them. Today’s horizontality may be related to that of populations that have been the focus of anthropologists interested in their longstanding propensity to work against the affirmation of the authority of commanding. Public squares, roundabouts, and the courtyards of apartment buildings welcome the early symptoms of democratic experimentation that circulates also among groups, collectivities, and associations with varied purposes. In all these places, equality asserts itself and cuts across differences. The Yellow Vests and an educational cooperative in São Paulo are the empirical foundation of this study.

Transfer of Students’ Human Capital in the Russian Education System

The article is dedicated to the sociological interpretation of such a phenomenon as human capital transfer in educational communities. The first part reveals the content of the concept of «transfer of students’ human capital», while justifying its application in the study of the educational failure/success of schoolchildren and students. The second part presents a theoretical model of the considered phenomenon through such structural elements as goals, subjects, processes and mechanisms. The third part is devoted to the contradictions in the transfer of human capital within educational communities in Russia. The contradictions between goals and interests of the subjects of education are regarded as the key ones. The final part expands on how significant the concept under consideration is to sociology of education. The results of an interdisciplinary study conducted in 2019–2021 in Sverdlovsk region’s educational facilities (schools, colleges, universities) serve as the empirical foundation for the article. It is shown that transfer of students’ human capital is a kind of capital movement, with its features determined by the social nature of educational activities and interaction. The process under study is associated with such a phenomenon as academic success/failure of students, given that while it unfolds the human capital of schoolchildren and students can either be developed or depleted. The transfer of human capital involves three groups of education subjects — actors, agents and participants who perform certain social roles and possess varying opportunities for regulating this process. The empirical data is interpreted based on the proposed theoretical model, with the results indicating the contradictions of the goals, vectors and results of the transfer of human capital among Russian students.