With nine main theses that are interspersed with each other,this paper explores and articulates some of the most important questions in natural law theory.The theses include:Ⅰ.In investigating facts,one finds reasons...With nine main theses that are interspersed with each other,this paper explores and articulates some of the most important questions in natural law theory.The theses include:Ⅰ.In investigating facts,one finds reasons to choose an honest self-discipline;Ⅱ.Deliberating,one finds reasons similarly directing one to other intrinsic goods;Ⅲ.Taken integrally,these goods and principles acquire the force of moral precepts;Ⅳ.Those precepts,natural moral law,depict our nature(humanity)in its flourishing;Ⅴ.Nature and natures are best explained by free,intelligent transcendent creation;Ⅵ.Creation and other gifts past and present deserve our gratitude;Ⅶ.Natural moral law and historical revelation are two channels of information;Ⅷ.Secular and spiritual communities are distinct and respectfully self-governing;Ⅸ.Natural moral law defines human rights but rightfully extends beyond them.展开更多
A fairly precise vision of a healthy physical self can serve as motivation for undertaking the means to that end.The same cannot be said with regard to“healthy moral selves”.By definition,democracy is about living w...A fairly precise vision of a healthy physical self can serve as motivation for undertaking the means to that end.The same cannot be said with regard to“healthy moral selves”.By definition,democracy is about living with others and,as we argue,a healthy moral self is one that lives well with others.However,precisely what“living with others”entails is ambiguous,particularly in a capitalist economy that presumes that the greatest happiness results from antagonistic competitiveness.In an attempt to demystify how self-focused individuals may nonetheless thrive in“the space between”,we will examine,with the help of Kant and Foucault,the Enlightenment Project that promoted maximal reasonableness(or what we are referring to as“healthy moral selves”)and then,with the help of Steven Pinker and Alisdair MacIntyre,explore the factors that have led to its seeming relatively recent failure.We will argue,following Iris Murdoch and others,that the best hope for its revitalization,and with it,democracy,lies,on one hand,with the debunking of counterfeit moral selves who use a“moral stance”to deliver what Frankfurt refers to as“bullshit”,and,on the other,with the reinvigoration of our understanding that healthy moral selves require a steady diet of engaging in“objective practical reasoning”with those who think differently,thereby potentially starving our fat relentless egos that are so often the source of divisiveness and,in so doing,become happy by becoming worthy of being happy.In animating the value of this goal,the hope is that the means,i.e.,education for the reinvigoration of practical reason(the forgotten twin of theoretical reason)and genuine deliberative dialogue across difference will become sufficiently attractive that it will energize democratic practice and dialogue to such an extent that democracy,as a form of government,may yet flourish despite the atomizing forces of capitalism.展开更多
This paper examines the tension between the standard （common sense） theory of action and the epiphenomenalist view of the mind. The theory of action that is appealed to is one that emphasizes the calculative ＂means...This paper examines the tension between the standard （common sense） theory of action and the epiphenomenalist view of the mind. The theory of action that is appealed to is one that emphasizes the calculative ＂means-ends＂ structure of rational deliberation--a structuring that appears to place practical reasoning at odds with other forms of causal explanation. The epiphenomenalist view presented is one that attempts to preserve certain foundational tenets of physicalism in the face of worries generated by the existence of qualia. In the latter part of the paper, the author makes use of a novel thought experiment involving phenomenal qualia in order to undermine the epiphenomenalist position and to vindicate the view that properties of consciousness matter to human agency.展开更多
To ensure that limited resources are allocated more effectively to reduce marine risks, formal safety assessment (FSA), a proactive method, is introduced in planning a vessel traffic system (VTS). Based on the data of...To ensure that limited resources are allocated more effectively to reduce marine risks, formal safety assessment (FSA), a proactive method, is introduced in planning a vessel traffic system (VTS). Based on the data of Wuhan port, some new solutions based on risk-indices are put forward. The weighted number of traffic accidents is predicted after the future weighted vessel traffic volume is estimated by analyzing the trend of trade development. To analyze risk acceptability, the as-low-as-reasonably-practicable (ALARP) matrix is transformed into a new model containing two parameters: the future weighted vessel traffic volume and the future weighted number of traffic accidents. The new risk control options (RCOs)can be identified by a revised Domino model with several feedback loops from all system levels to close a limited window of accident opportunity. The results indicate that the four most beneficial RCOs are a wider sub-area 1 channel, a VTS bridges area, a dredging sub-area 2 main route, and a VTS QSX anchorage to the 3rd bridge. The FSA is a method that is effective in evaluating the rationality, necessity and cost-effectiveness of VTS projects.展开更多
文摘With nine main theses that are interspersed with each other,this paper explores and articulates some of the most important questions in natural law theory.The theses include:Ⅰ.In investigating facts,one finds reasons to choose an honest self-discipline;Ⅱ.Deliberating,one finds reasons similarly directing one to other intrinsic goods;Ⅲ.Taken integrally,these goods and principles acquire the force of moral precepts;Ⅳ.Those precepts,natural moral law,depict our nature(humanity)in its flourishing;Ⅴ.Nature and natures are best explained by free,intelligent transcendent creation;Ⅵ.Creation and other gifts past and present deserve our gratitude;Ⅶ.Natural moral law and historical revelation are two channels of information;Ⅷ.Secular and spiritual communities are distinct and respectfully self-governing;Ⅸ.Natural moral law defines human rights but rightfully extends beyond them.
文摘A fairly precise vision of a healthy physical self can serve as motivation for undertaking the means to that end.The same cannot be said with regard to“healthy moral selves”.By definition,democracy is about living with others and,as we argue,a healthy moral self is one that lives well with others.However,precisely what“living with others”entails is ambiguous,particularly in a capitalist economy that presumes that the greatest happiness results from antagonistic competitiveness.In an attempt to demystify how self-focused individuals may nonetheless thrive in“the space between”,we will examine,with the help of Kant and Foucault,the Enlightenment Project that promoted maximal reasonableness(or what we are referring to as“healthy moral selves”)and then,with the help of Steven Pinker and Alisdair MacIntyre,explore the factors that have led to its seeming relatively recent failure.We will argue,following Iris Murdoch and others,that the best hope for its revitalization,and with it,democracy,lies,on one hand,with the debunking of counterfeit moral selves who use a“moral stance”to deliver what Frankfurt refers to as“bullshit”,and,on the other,with the reinvigoration of our understanding that healthy moral selves require a steady diet of engaging in“objective practical reasoning”with those who think differently,thereby potentially starving our fat relentless egos that are so often the source of divisiveness and,in so doing,become happy by becoming worthy of being happy.In animating the value of this goal,the hope is that the means,i.e.,education for the reinvigoration of practical reason(the forgotten twin of theoretical reason)and genuine deliberative dialogue across difference will become sufficiently attractive that it will energize democratic practice and dialogue to such an extent that democracy,as a form of government,may yet flourish despite the atomizing forces of capitalism.
文摘This paper examines the tension between the standard （common sense） theory of action and the epiphenomenalist view of the mind. The theory of action that is appealed to is one that emphasizes the calculative ＂means-ends＂ structure of rational deliberation--a structuring that appears to place practical reasoning at odds with other forms of causal explanation. The epiphenomenalist view presented is one that attempts to preserve certain foundational tenets of physicalism in the face of worries generated by the existence of qualia. In the latter part of the paper, the author makes use of a novel thought experiment involving phenomenal qualia in order to undermine the epiphenomenalist position and to vindicate the view that properties of consciousness matter to human agency.
基金Shanghai Pujiang Program,the Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (No.07ZZ103)
文摘To ensure that limited resources are allocated more effectively to reduce marine risks, formal safety assessment (FSA), a proactive method, is introduced in planning a vessel traffic system (VTS). Based on the data of Wuhan port, some new solutions based on risk-indices are put forward. The weighted number of traffic accidents is predicted after the future weighted vessel traffic volume is estimated by analyzing the trend of trade development. To analyze risk acceptability, the as-low-as-reasonably-practicable (ALARP) matrix is transformed into a new model containing two parameters: the future weighted vessel traffic volume and the future weighted number of traffic accidents. The new risk control options (RCOs)can be identified by a revised Domino model with several feedback loops from all system levels to close a limited window of accident opportunity. The results indicate that the four most beneficial RCOs are a wider sub-area 1 channel, a VTS bridges area, a dredging sub-area 2 main route, and a VTS QSX anchorage to the 3rd bridge. The FSA is a method that is effective in evaluating the rationality, necessity and cost-effectiveness of VTS projects.
