Visual objects in the peripersonal space (PPS), are perceived faster than farther ones, appearing in the extrapersonal space (EPS). This shows preferential processing for visual stimuli near our body. Such an advantage should favor visual perceptual learning occurring near, as compared to far from observers, but opposite evidence has been recently provided from online testing protocols, showing larger perceptual learning in the far space. Here, we ran two laboratory-based experiments investigating whether visual training in PPS and EPS has different effects. (...) We used the horizontal Ponzo Illusion to create a lateralized depth perspective while participants completed a visual search task in which they reported whether or not a specific target object orientation (e.g., a triangle pointing upward) was present amongst distractors. This task was completed before and after a training phase in either the (illusory) near or far space for one hour. In Experiment 1, the near space was in the left hemispace, whereas in Experiment 2 it was in the right. Results showed that, in both experiments, participants were more accurate after training in the far space, whereas training in the near space led to either improvement in the far space (Exp. 1), or no change (Exp. 2). Moreover, we found a larger visual perceptual learning when stimuli were presented in the left compared to the right hemispace. Differently from visual processing, visual perceptual learning is more effective in the far space. We propose that depth is a key dimension that can be used to improve human visual learning. (shrink)

This paper examines national identities and collective violence beliefs in a sample of Syrian diaspora members (N = 521). Most of the Syria diaspora fled the ongoing civil war and are therefore opposed to President Assad and his regime, which still control most of their homeland. It is therefore a compelling question if national identities, which remain strong in the diaspora despite displacement, shape attitudes towards the regime at home. To this end, we contrast national narcissism (i.e., defensive national identity), (...) an exaggerated belief in one’s national ingroup’s greatness, and national identification (i.e., secure national identity), a feeling of belonging to the nation and evaluating it positively, as differential predictors of collective violence beliefs. We find that a defensive national identity was related to support for both upward (i.e., violence targeted at regime leaders) and diffuse (i.e., violence targeted at regime supporters) collective violence. Meanwhile, secure national identity was linked to opposition to diffuse collective violence and was unrelated to upward collective violence. Thus, in a sample of displaced, non-WEIRD people, a pattern often found in similar research in the West is replicated, in that secure national identity can relate to benevolent and peaceful group processes. Meanwhile, national narcissism seems to be a driver of hostile intergroup attitudes. National sentiments should therefore be central in any discussion on diasporic attitudes towards the Syrian homeland’s regime and fellow citizens. The results could be utilised in designing interventions to promote harmony in diaspora communities around the world, and ultimately reconciliation once peace is finally restored. (shrink)

In this paper, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Child Communication Checklist-Revised (CCC-R) for the first time with an English-speaking sample. We used confirmatory application of exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to re-evaluate the CCC-R’s psychometric properties. We found strong support for its use as an assessment for pragmatic and structural language. Our second main aim was to explore associations between pragmatic and structural language and restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs), two hallmark characteristics of autism. We used the CCC-R (...) and Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire (RBQ-2) to investigate these associations in a diverse non-clinical sample of children, taking a transdiagnostic approach. We intentionally excluded autism and other neurodevelopmental diagnoses to test, (1) the CCC-R in a broad sample and (2) the association between pragmatic language and RRB in children not already selected for that association. The sample comprised two groups of children, one was community sampled (n=123) and the other (n=143) included children with non-specific behavioural, emotional and/or cognitive difficulties referred to an assessment unit by schools. We found clear associations between pragmatic language difficulties and RRBs in both groups. Regression analysis showed that pragmatic language was the only significant contributor to RRBs even after Grammatical-Semantic score, age, sex, and socioeconomic status were controlled. The pattern was the same for both recruitment groups. However, the effects were stronger for the school-referred group which also had more pragmatic difficulties, grammatical-semantic difficulties and RRBs. A robust link between pragmatic language and RRBs, established in autism, has continuity across the broader non-clinical population. (shrink)

This article explores the waiata tangi (lament), commonly known as‘EPāTo Hau.’Written by Rangiamoa of Ngāti Apakura after theattrocities committed by British soldiers at Rangiaowhia. It seeksto describe settler colonialism in terms of elimination, greif anddispossession. It argues that the waiata understands theseconcepts in very deep ways. The research utilises WhakaaroBased Philsophy and method to dissect the waiata for itsphilosophy and theory. This is done by exploring the literature onwaiata, haka, and cultural memory as indigenous text andanalysing the famous waiata tangi (...) (lament) by Rangiamoa called‘EPāTo Hau’that was written in the aftermath of Rangiaowhia. Abackground on the events at Rangiaowhia is provided.Theoretically, it outlines the case for refering to‘settlercolonialism’as‘invader colonialism’and the relationship ofremembering to resistence. It also supports the call for termingthe events at Rangiaowhia a‘war crime’as recently discussed inthe media. (shrink)

What is the relationship between detailed critical analysis and the background assumptions made by a given theory of film spectatorship? In this article, I approach this question by looking at Vittorio Gallese and Michele Guerra's The Empathic Screen in the light of the method of triangulation—the coordination and integration of phenomenological, psychological, and neuroscientific evidence, as set out in my Film, Art, and the Third Culture. In particular, I examine Gallese and Guerra's arguments concerning the role of camera movement in (...) prompting immersive, embodied simulation, as well as critiques of these arguments from David Bordwell and Malcolm Turvey. I focus on the special, irreducible role of critical analysis in these arguments. Detailed analysis of film form and style plays an essential role, I argue, in demonstrating the plausibility (or otherwise) of the thesis advanced by Gallese and Guerra. Such analysis is where the rubber of theoretical assumptions meets the road of the material work. (shrink)

This paper examines how the Anthropocene becomes perceptible as a speculative geological future through the medium of the technofossil. Invoking plastics, Styrofoam, and other artefacts particular to the recent past, the technofossil is generative of a novel aesthetic remarkably successful at facilitating a sensitivity to geological deep time in the present. I develop an account of how the technofossil was invented, how it unfolds as an approrpriation of palaeontological techniques, and how geologists draw on fossils as at once an impartial (...) practice (the evidence is ‘set in stone’) while at once speaking ‘on behalf’ of technofossils to advance entirely political speculations about the future, as well as contemporary society. The technofossil therefore unfolds as a speculative forensics. (shrink)

The ability to engage with ease in collaborative conversation is critical for child well-being and development. While key underpinning skills are biologically enabled, children require appropriate scaffolding and practice opportunities to develop proficient social conversational ability. Teaching conversation skills is a statutory requirement of the English primary (and many other) curricula. However, currently most upper primary mainstream teachers are not trained to teach conversation skills and do not teach them in the classroom or provide time for children to practice. We (...) argue for first steps towards an evidence-based approach for a universal / Tier 1 programme, whilst fully acknowledging an ongoing need for Tier 2 and Tier 3 support as well as for further research into the strategies which are most effective in Tier 2/3 contexts. Further research is also needed to explore cultural variation in social conversation and to develop reliable, valid and brief teacher measures of child social conversational ability. (shrink)

Philosophers and other scholars have often claimed that the arts are not only cognitively valuable but also morally improving (e.g., Nussbaum, 1997). However, their arguments often proceed with little attention to empirical evidence. At the same time, filmmakers and media creators deliberately use devices to direct their audience’s attention, with the intention of impacting viewers’ cognitive, affective, and neurological responses in meaningful ways (Carroll & Seeley, 2013). Whether these devices have the desired effects, and on whom, also remains largely untested. (...) If we want to understand the ways that film and media can have moral impacts, we must step out of our disciplinary siloes. It is not enough for film experts, philosophers, and experimentalists to merely take note of each other’s work; collaborative interdisciplinary research is required, both to improve methods and to examine questions that have not yet been empirically explored. In this article we propose a model for this kind of research, focusing on how media can influence moral understanding. We first outline the challenges that must be met for such research to be successful, including clarifying and operationalizing concepts, measuring moral understanding, and applying empirical methods to media and the arts. We then describe the advantages of interdisciplinary collaboration for meeting these challenges, in the context of some recent examples of interdisciplinary projects on related themes. (shrink)

Several studies have shown that healthy individuals present large distortions across different body parts, as assessed through tactile distance estimation. Interestingly, studies have revealed that by temporarily altering visual experience of the body, the perception of tactile distances varies, suggesting that vision might play a crucial role in bodily distortions and more generally in the perception of body. This might be due to the system that tends to preserve tactile size constancy by rescaling the distorted body representation into an object-centred (...) space. This rescaling requires that the brain possesses a representation of the physical size of the stimulated body part. However, it is unclear what role vision plays in tactile size constancy. Here, we investigated the role of vision in body representation by asking blind and sighted individuals to estimate tactile distances between pairs of points on the dorsum of their hand and on their fingers. The results showed that, regardless of visual experience, both groups showed typical hand/fingers distortions, suggesting that visual information does not seem to influence body representation tested using a tactile task. Therefore, rescaling of distorted body representations induced by touch seems not to be visually-driven. (shrink)

To propose a clear psychological definition of morality is no easy task, and Dahl (2023) is to be commended here for not only doing so, but leaving an explicit paper trail of traits deemed desirable for any such proposal. However, while a rationale for calling phenomena “moral” would be useful, is it really as vital for the conduct of research as Dahl presumes? We instead argue that the definition of the term “morality” is not always a task of scientific definition (...) similar to defining “cell” or “attitude”, but rather can be seen as a meta-scientific task for organising research. When morality itself is a construct that figures in theories and hypotheses, this construct usually depends on lay views of whether the moral realm is involved. This insight, in our view, argues for a broader rather than narrower approach to defining morality, which we explain in the final section. (shrink)

The figure of form-of-life is a life lived as a ‘how’ or a mode of living, beyond every relation. Form-of-life is a form of impotent, destituent power that seeks to deactivate the biopolitics that continuously divides and separates life itself. Agamben’s work is remarkably silent on the question of reproductive rights. The pregnant woman’s life is regulated continuously by biopolitics, yet Agamben does not discuss this regulation. The woman’s relationship with her foetus is difficult to reconcile with Agamben’s philosophy that (...) seeks to think beyond every relation. In addition, the right to abortion is difficult to reconcile with form-of-life. It is not clear how a woman seeking an abortion is not exercising a sovereign decision to create bare life. I use the UK’s abortion laws as a way to interrogate Agamben’s figure of form-of-life, and to illustrate how, by not accounting for reproductive rights, Agamben’s thought remains incomplete. (shrink)

Visual shape discrimination is faster for objects close to the body, in the peripersonal space (PPS), compared to objects far from the body. Visual processing enhancement in PPS occurs also when perceived depth is based on 2D pictorial cues. This advantage has been observed from relatively low-level (detection, size, orientation) to high-level visual features (face processing). While multisensory association also displays proximal advantages, whether PPS influences visual perceptual learning remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether perceptual learning effects vary according to (...) the distance of visual stimuli (near or far) from the observer, illusorily induced by leveraging the Ponzo illusion. Participants performed a visual search task in which they reported whether a specific target object orientation (e.g., triangle pointing downward) was present among distractors. Performance was assessed before and after practising the visual search task (30 minutes/day for 5 days) at either the close (near group) or far (far group) distance. Results showed that participants that performed the training in the near space did not improve. By contrast, participants that performed the training in the far space showed an improvement in the visual search task in both the far and near spaces. We suggest that such improvement following the far training is due to a greater deployment of attention in the far space, which could make the learning more effective and generalize across spaces. (shrink)

Collective narcissism a belief in ingroup greatness which is contingent on external validation. A lack of research on collective narcissism amongst non-Western contexts and minority groups remains a challenge for the field. However, here we test two types of collective narcissism (sectarian and national) as differential predictors of two dimensions of collective violence beliefs (against outgroup members and leaders) in a large, diverse, community sample from Lebanon (N = 778). We found that sectarian narcissism (narcissism related to smaller political and (...) religious ingroup identity) predicted support for collective violence against members of different sects, while national narcissism predicted opposition to such collective violence. Neither form of collective narcissism had any significant relationship with collective violence against outgroup leaders. We controlled for both sectarian and national identification and found no significant effects in predicting either one of the two dimensions on collective violence beliefs. In this non-Western context, in which a coherent national identity is undermined by sectarianism, national narcissism seems to be a progressive motivator for unity and social change, while sectarian narcissism is rather associated with extreme attitudes, such as support for collective violence. (shrink)

We begin with an analysis of the persuasiveness of assertibles and arguments in the texts and fragments of Ancient Stoicism, with a particular focus on those in which Stoic logic is presented as the tool to avoid the persuasiveness of sophisms and the Stoic sage as the one who can efface this persuasiveness by his expertise in dialectics. We then critically assess the contemporary consensus on the interpretation of these texts (notably in Chiaradona, Sedley and Tieleman), according to which Chrysippus (...) is interested in extra-logical forms of discourse. Tieleman further argues that Chrysippus uses persuasive premises for constructive purposes. We reject the thesis concerning Chrysippus' recognition of extra-logical truths, on the basis of the Stoic ideal of the sage, concluding instead that in Stoicism, (1) pithanon refers primarily to false assertibles, arguments and presentations and (2) the Stoic sage cannot be persuaded, but he can persuade his students in order to prepare their souls to receive the Stoic doctrines. (shrink)

The Enlightenment idea of historical moral progress asserts that civil societies become more moral over time. This is often understood as an expanding moral circle and is argued to be tightly linked with language use, with some suggesting that shifts in how we express concern for others can be considered an important indicator of moral progress. Our research explores these notions by examining historical trends in natural language use during the 19th and 20th centuries. We found that the associations between (...) words denoting moral concern and words referring to people, animals, and the environment grew stronger over time. The findings support widely-held views about the nature of moral progress by showing that language has changed in a way that reflects greater concern for others. (shrink)

This research focuses on the impact of apologies and reparations on members of the perpetrator group. Seven experiments across different contexts examined three possible outcomes for the perpetrator group: satisfaction with the act, negative feelings towards the victims, and support for future assistance. This dissertation argues that perpetrator group members are satisfied with an apologetic act for two reasons: the apology improves the image of their group; and it implies an obligation for victims to "get over" the issue (obligation shifting). (...) Realistic power gains or losses for either group were unimportant to perpetrators but in the final experiment victim empowerment emerged as relating to perpetrator satisfaction in addition to obligation shifting and image improvement. Obligation shifting alone related to more negative feelings about the victims and predicted reduced support for further acts of assistance. Image improvement perceptions did not show these effects, and sometimes was related to less negative feelings about the victims. These relationships were causal (Experiment 5) and distinct from any desire to actually satisfy victims (Experiment 6). The first four experiments also tested differences between types of acts on the three outcome variables. When differences were found, obligation shifting and image perceptions mediated these relationships. Even more, if victims feel that obligation shifting is expected by perpetrators after an apology, they are less willing to forgive (Experiment 7). This research provides the first empirical investigation into the outcomes of apologies for perpetrator group members and the results underline the importance of image improvement and obligation shifting as factors in internal support for intergroup apologetic acts. (shrink)

Individual differences in children’s social communication have been shown to mediate the relationship between poor vocabulary or grammar and behavioural difficulties. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that social communication skills predict difficulties with peers over and above vocabulary and grammar scores. The essential social communicative skills needed to maintain positive peer relationships revolve around conversation. Children with weaker conversation skills are less likely to make and maintain friendships. While helping all children to participate actively in collaborative conversations is part of (...) school curricula, evidence-based training on how to achieve this is rarely provided for teachers. In this review we first provide an overview of the key components of conversation skills and the cognitive abilities required to maintain them. We then present a narrative review of randomised controlled trials and experimental studies that either trained child conversation skills or included conversation skills in both training and outcome measures. Most of the studies focussed on training conversational ability in autistic children. The general finding was that verbally-fluent autistic children improve following conversation training on blind-assessed reciprocal conversational ability. Only two studies were found that trained conversation skills in typically developing children with adequate controls and outcome measures which directly assessed conversational proficiency. Both studies focussed on typically-developing children who, at baseline, were in the weaker third of the mainstream classroom. Importantly, training not only improved the conversational ability of these children, it also improved their rates of lunchtime interaction with peers and their peer popularity ratings. We argue that there is considerable potential for supporting conversation skills in the classroom as a universal or Tier 1 intervention. Future research should explore whether conversation skills training would benefit the whole classroom. (shrink)

This thesis aims at bringing out the inadequacies of liberation theologies in responding to ecological challenges and evolving an integral ecotheology relevant for India. Chapter 1. delineates the present Indian theological context, influenced by liberation, dalit, and feminist theologies. It argues that 'ecology' as a central category can integrate these theologies, often found divided due to ideological differences. Chapter 2. analyses the Indian ecological context and concludes that the tribals, dalits, and women are the main victims of ecological crises. Chapter (...) 3. argues that liberation theology needs to revise the interpretation of its paradigm and integrate the ecologically pertinent P account of exodus into its hermeneutics. Chapter 4. identifies anthropocentrism as a major pitfall of liberation theology and revises its doctrinal explications from an integral ecological perspective. Chapter 5. critiques the Marxist social analysis in liberation theology, exposing the incapability of class perspective to address ecological concerns and suggests 'ecology', which can unite the concerns of the oppressed, be taken as the umbrella category. Chapter 6. focuses on eco-feminist theology, identifying its inadequacies such as neglect of the caste factor, and a lack of emphasis on the praxiological view of the 'women-nature conflation'. Chapter 7. points out a major weakness of dalit theology, its neglect of ecological concerns. It demonstrates how a sharper exegesis can help dalit theology uncover the ecological thrusts of its paradigm, the Deuteronomic Creed. It argues that dalit theology needs to review its antagonistic attitude towards Hindu Brahminic and Gandhian strands and incorporate their rich ecological insights. Chapter 8. considers process theology as a system with potential insights to integrate the concerns of liberation theologies and ecotheology. Chapter 9. works out, by examining the emerging ecotheology, an integral ecotheology relevant for India, combining the related concerns in liberation theologies and ecotheology. This is a doctrinal formulation with distinct Indian ecotheological perspectives. (shrink)

A growing movement in contemporary art takes legal forms and materials as its subject matter. In this article, I argue that a key strand of this ‘legal turn’ should be historicised in two entwined ways. It can be seen as an extension and re-formalisation of some central concerns of late twentieth-century contemporary art; namely relational and participatory aesthetics, and the dematerialisation of the art object. But the artworks considered here can also be analysed as a fragmentary site of ‘juristic subjectivity’ (...) in the aftermath of legal positivism. According to Carl Schmitt, the positivisation that took hold in the nineteenth century exiled the jurist from their role in formally elaborating the substantive law created by social praxis—turning the jurist into a “mere scholar” in relation to law. In this sense, the separation of juristic thought from law is the aftermath of this destructive event. Yet the etymology of aftermath also links it to a secondary growth that re-emerges after a mowing or harvest. Similarly, the ‘contract artists’ analysed here evidence a ‘regrowth’ of juristic thought that relies precisely on its position outside of law ‘properly so-called’, and inside the conditions of contemporary artistic production and consumption. Analysing contract artworks by artists Adrian Piper and A Constructed World, this article suggests that they differ markedly from the contract art, usually connected to the Siegelaub-Projansky agreement, that has received the majority of academic attention. Whereas that so-called “legal moment in artistic production” prioritises the author function, the abstraction of value, and the commodification of social relations, through the above double historicization I will argue that this ‘other’ contract art repurposes legal forms to institute a lived experience of juristic social relations, presenting a new kind of material jurisprudence. (shrink)

My thesis analyses how and why several different disciplines such as Philosophical Counselling, Philosophy for Children and for Community, Socratic Dialogue, Café Philo and Philosophy for Management, have spread in Italy in the 1990s, after being imported from the countries where they originated. These disciplines, which create a new controversial specialism, can be deployed in numerous and disparate fields, such as education, workplace, private life, and leisure. They are characterised by different methodological approaches and have multiple purposes which have been (...) defined as educational, therapeutic, conciliatory, pragmatic, or simply critical. Despite their differences, they have been grouped in Italy under the general label of ‘pratiche filosofiche’ (philosophical practices). In my thesis, I consider philosophical practices as a socio-cultural phenomenon, and as a product of a specific environment. Focusing on Philosophical counselling and Philosophy for Children, I assess the extent to which the Italian cultural, political and institutional milieu has influenced the development of a specifically Italian take on philosophical practices compared to their initial tenets. My main argument is that the introduction of these practices in Italy has represented a partially unsuccessful response to the crisis of institutional philosophy and humanistic culture that is raging not only in Italy but also across the globe. I show that the Italian institutional and cultural context has favoured the emergence of these disciplines as a product to be marketed to an audience of aspiring practitioners and potential users, which jeopardizes their innovative drive. Lastly, I acknowledge the potential of philosophical practices in the country by articulating them to the currents of ‘Italian Theory’, thus highlighting the political value ofsome original applications of these disciplines in the Italian context. (shrink)

The guiding problem of the thesis is how to reconcile immanence with feminism through the development of the idea of feminist immanent critique. Beginning with Judith Butler's account of the constitution of gender through institutions, and the possibilities of its immanent subversion through a-subjective parodic politics, it is shown that this approach to the problem needs to be augmented by Johanna Oksala's investigation of the way in which the gap between experience and language serves to challenge conceptual schema that organise (...) our experience of the world. However, it is argued that both Butler and Oksala end up reinstating a dogmatic image of the critical subject, although in different manners, thereby forestalling the search for a fully realised response to the problem of feminist immanent critique. Given the return of a dogmatic image of the critical subject, I turn to the most rigorous account of immanence in contemporary philosophy through a reconstruction of key aspects of the work of Gilles Deleuze, one that places ethics at the centre of his thought. It will be shown that the development of immanence with Deleuze provides an account of the subject that does not rely upon dogmatism or abstract from situated forms of social criticism but rather invites such engagement in ways that generate a fruitful encounter with feminism. As the argument is drawn together, it is concluded that feminist immanent critique is a positive conception of critique that requires careful consideration of the ways in which the subject is continually constituted, undone and reconstituted, without reinstating a dogmatic image of the critical subject. Feminist immanent critique embraces an asubjective and, therefore, demoralised version of becoming without losing ethical responsiveness to the present, to ourselves, and to others. That said, it is a positive conception of critique that does not reintroduce transcendence by surreptitiously relying upon a presentist view of time and, as such, it frees becoming from a sense of pre-given direction or telos. (shrink)

The question of political agency with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly relevant insofar as we can observe efforts to regulate it. Some policy proposals link the problem of the advance of AI to the concept of technological evolution. However, it is still not quite clear what they mean by this concept. This paper explores conceptualisations of technological agency and evolution in Bernard Stiegler’s general organology and Friedrich Schelling’s universal organicism. I argue that organicism proposes a more ‘naturalised’ (...) approach to agency formation and a more ‘organic’ explanation of technology than general organology. General organology considers technological evolution from a human perspective, whereas universal organicism can accommodate a theory of technological evolution independently from its social dimensions. While technology already has a strong impact on the organisation of our societies, recognition of technological agency as at least partially independent serves to recognise them as non-human beings that impact politics. (shrink)

In this paper, I provide an introduction for biostatisticians and others to some recent work in the philosophy of medicine. Firstly, I give an overview of some philosophical arguments that are thought to create problems for a prominent approach towards establishing causal claims in medicine, namely, the Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) approach. Secondly, I provide an overview of further recent work in the philosophy of medicine, which argues that mechanistic studies can help to address these problems. Lastly, I describe a novel (...) approach for establishing causal claims in medicine that has been informed by this recent work in the philosophy of medicine, namely, the EBM+ approach. (shrink)

Detecting and discriminating touches on your fingertip and other highly sensitive body parts has been a paradigm in somatosensory science since the birth of psychophysics in the nineteenth century. By isolating a body part and applying discrete stimuli over many repetitions, the limits of somatosensation and bodily perception can be discovered. This chapter will focus on two methods of studying discriminative touch in the temporal and spatial domains: vibrotactile perception and spatial acuity. Different psychophysical approaches and experimental designs will be (...) described and evaluated in terms of their validity, efficiency, and reliability. Practical and participant-specific difficulties will be noted. Vibrotactile and spatial acuity methods offer relatively cheap and reliable measures of somatosensation, often suitable for undergraduate student projects. Yet care and experimentation is required to ensure that the experimental design is adequate, and the data collection is sufficient to answer your theoretical question. (shrink)

Prof Matthew Longo gave his inaugural lecture about “Spatial Distortions in Perception and Cognition” on June 4th. He has been a lecturer in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London, since 2010, and has recently been appointed Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the same Department.This post was contributed by Elena Azañón and Luigi Tamè, postdoctoral fellows in Birkbeck’s BodyLab.

A tactile stimulus at the fingers can be encoded according to multiple reference frames (hand-, body- or space-specific). We examined the relative importance of these reference frames by adapting a tactile masking paradigm for stimuli at the index or middle fingers of either hand (unseen). In Exp.1, participants performed a go-no-go task to detect a vibrotactile target at a pre-specified finger (e.g., right index), when this was presented alone or with a concurrent distractor either on the same hand (right middle (...) finger), or on the opposite hand (at homologous or non-homologous locations with respect to the target finger; e.g., left index or left middle finger, respectively). Tactile masking emerged under double stimulation, both for a distractor within the target-hand and for distractors at the non-homologous location on the opposite hand. This suggests use of hand-specific (than body- or space-specific) reference frames when solving this task. In Exp.2, one hand rotated by 180° around the wrist in half of the trials. Masking effects changed only between-hands. Intriguingly, masking from the non-homologous finger reduced only when the hand that changed posture contained the target. This suggests that spatial coding for touches at the fingers depend upon the behavioural relevance of tactile stimuli. (shrink)

When two repeating stimuli activate the same neuronal population, a decreased overall neural response is observed. This neurophysiological response is detectable by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and has been termed fMRI adaptation. Following this logic, when two tactile events are repeated on exactly the same region of skin, all neurons that have a strictly somatotopic response should reduce their activity. Here we used fMRI adaptation to address the issue of reference frames for touch. In particular, we asked if there exist (...) neuronal populations that adapt to stimulation that repeats over distinct regions of skin when some other aspect of spatial coding of touch is identical (e.g., homologous finger stimulated between the two hands). We examined this question for SI and SII, measuring the blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) effect to touches delivered in sequence within or between hands, to homologous or non-homologous fingers. The results showed stronger adaptation (i.e., a lower BOLD effect) at the level of SI when stimulation repeated over same (i.e., homologous) in comparison to different (i.e., non-homologous) fingers, regardless of whether stimulation occurred within or between hands. This pattern of results is less clear in SII. These results suggest a bilateral representation for touch in human SI, in agreement with neurophysiological data on monkeys. (shrink)

An increasing amount of evidence in animals, as well as behavioural and neuroimaging studies in humans has documented the involvement of primary somatosensory cortices in coding the tactile stimuli coming from the two sides of the body. Using fMRI adaptation, we have shown in a previous experiment that the primary somatosensory cortex can homotopically integrate somatosensory inputs from the two sides of the body, despite its prominent contralateral response. However, the low temporal resolution of fMRI does not allow determining the (...) time course of the interaction between contralateral and ipsilateral hemispheres. The aim of the present study, using magnetoencephalography together with an adaptation paradigm, is to track the tactile information flow across the two hemisphere in the primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory cortices. We measured the relative changes in neuromagnetic responses evoked by the test stimulus (i.e., always the left index finger) alone and the test stimulus presented together with a conditioning stimulus simultaneously, 25 ms or 125 ms before the test stimulus, respectively. The rational for this manipulation was to explore how the neuromagnetic activity of the test stimulus can be modulated by the conditioning stimulus delivered to different body parts (i.e., same or different fingers within and between the hands) with different timing, compared to the test stimulus presented alone. Results showed the presence of an adaptation effect selective for the stimulation onset asynchrony (25 ms). Moreover, the effect was selective for the pairs of fingers stimulated (i.e., homologous vs non-homologous) and for the side of stimulation (unilateral vs bilateral). Finally, the left index finger (test) showed a special response characteristic in the tested brain areas that differ from all the other fingers. We can conclude that tactile stimuli on the fingers are integrated, at an early stage in the somatosensory cortices following different neural pathways. (shrink)

We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study sensorimotor integration in humans in the context of a tactile adaptation paradigm. When two identical successive stimuli activate the same neuronal population a decrease in the overall neural response is observed. This type of neurophysiological response is known as an adaptation effect. Thus, when two tactile events are repeated on exactly the same skin region those neurons that have a strictly somatotopic response should show less activity. Moreover, previous reports suggest that the (...) neurophysiological response of the primary motor cortex (M1) can be inhibited when a single tactile stimulus is presented 20 - 100 ms before a TMS pulse. This inhibition is measured as a decrease in the amplitude of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) recorded from a given muscle. This phenomenon has been named short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI). Given this, we reasoned that repeating tactile events on the same finger (e.g. the index) should produce more adaptation in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) than presenting stimuli to the middle and then index finger, which should in turn result in weaker inhibition of M1. Here, we tested whether SAI is sensitive to tactile adaptation effects and if so, whether these effects vary as a function of the stimulated finger pairs. We presented two consecutive electrocutaneous stimuli on homologous (i.e., left index finger stimulated twice) and non-homologous fingers (i.e., left middle and left index fingers) with fixed inter-stimulus intervals. Our results show a smaller reduction in the amplitude of MEPs recorded from the first dorsal interrosseus of the hand that received the tactile stimuli when stimuli were delivered to the same finger than to two different fingers. We interpret the presence of less SAI during same-finger than different-finger tactile stimulation as evidence that the excitability of the primary motor cortex can be differentially modulated by tactile adaptation effects that occur primarily within S1. (shrink)

Introduction Many studies have investigated interactions in the processing of tactile stimuli presented at different fingers [1]. In a previous study [2] a Bayesian adaptive staircase procedure (QUEST) [3] and a two-interval forced-choice design was used in order to establish threshold for detecting a 200ms, 100Hz sinusoidal vibration applied to the left or right index fingertip (target). This was done either when the target was presented in isolation or concurrently with a distractor stimulus on another finger of the same or (...) a different hand. We systematically varied the distractor finger (index, middle, ring or little finger of either hand), while also controlling the spatial location of the stimuli. The threshold for detecting the target was lower when it was presented in isolation, as compared to when a concurrent distractor was present. Moreover, detection thresholds varied as a function of the distractor finger stimulated both within (Fig. 1) and between (Fig. 2) the hands. However, the precise time-course of these interactions when stimuli arrive on opposite sides of the body remains uncertain. Specifically, it is not clear how, when, or by which anatomical pathway tactile stimulation of different fingers of the same and different hands interact. The aim of the present study is to address this issue by combining the QUEST threshold estimation method with MRI-guided single pulse TMS (spTMS). Here we will present some preliminary results. Methods Participants (N=2) underwent a series of MRI scans (localisers) to produce somatotopic maps of SI and SII cortices. The localiser included MRI-compatible piezoelectric vibrotactile stimulation of each digit on each hand in separate runs (10 conditions, 12s ON, 12s OFF, 10 blocks per digit). Data acquisition was optimised for the peri-rolandic, insular, and parietal cortices. During the scan, participants fixated a cross in the middle of a screen. The data were analysed in FSL by contrasting all stimulation blocks against rest. The peak activation focus in SI was used to position the spTMS during a modified version of the behavioural task described above. Results The results of this preliminary study show an increase of vibrotactile detection thresholds for the index finger when spTMS was applied to the contralateral SI with respect to the locus of stimulation, as compared to when spTMS was not present. Conclusions These preliminary data show that it is possible to modulate vibrotactile target detection thresholds at the fingers at an early level of somatosensory processing. This study lays the foundation for future research aiming to investigate low level interactions occurring between multiple tactile stimuli on the body surface. The differential effect of the distractor finger on target detection thresholds [2] is consistent with the segregation of different fingers in early somatosensory processing, from the periphery to S1 [4]. In this respect, it would be interesting to test whether TMS over somatosensory cortices would affect equally homologous and non-homologous finger pairs stimulated of the two sides of the body. References [1] Tamè L, Farnè A, & Pavani F (2011). Spatial coding of touch at the fingers: Insights from double simultaneous stimulation within and between hands. Neuroscience Letters, 487(1): 78-82. [2] Tamè L, Johnstone T, Vig M, & Holmes NP (in preparation). Vibrotactile detection thresholds between fingers on the two hands reflect somatosensory receptive field organisation. [3] Watson AB, & Pelli DG (1983). QUEST: A Bayesian adaptive psychometric method. Perception & Psychophysics, 33(2): 113-120. [4] Nelson AJ, & Chen R (2008). Digit somatotopy within cortical areas of the postcentral gyrus in humans. Cerebral Cortex, 18: 2341-2351. (shrink)

Many studies have investigated interactions in the processing of tactile stimuli presented at different fingers. However, the precise time-scale of these interactions when stimuli come on opposite sides of the body remains uncertain. Specifically, it is not clear how tactile stimulation of different fingers of the same and different hands can interact with each other. The aim of the present study was to address this issue using a novel approach combining the QUEST threshold estimation method with single pulse TMS (spTMS). (...) First, QUEST was used in a two-interval forced-choice design in order to establish threshold for detecting a 200ms, 100Hz sinusoidal vibration applied to the index fingertip (target finger threshold). This was done either when the target was presented in isolation and concurrently with a distractor stimulus on another finger of the same or a different hand. We systematically varied the distractor finger (index, middle, ring or little finger of either hand) and kept constant the target finger (left or right index), while also controlling the spatial location of the stimuli. Second, the same participants underwent a series of MRI scans (localisers) to produce somatotopic maps of SI and SII cortices. These maps were used to stimulate over SI with spTMS during a subsequent behavioural task, with the aim of modulating the behavioural interactions between the different fingers. The results showed that the threshold for detecting the target was lower when it was presented in isolation, as compared to when a concurrent distractor was present. Moreover, detection thresholds varied as a function of the distractor finger stimulated. These preliminary data support a number of recent findings from behavioural, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological studies. The differential effect of the distractor finger on target detection thresholds is consistent with the segregation of different fingers in early somatosensory processing, from the periphery to S1. (shrink)

Background The present study, by using a novel approach combining the efficiency of the QUEST threshold estimation method with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), aims to investigate whether tactile detection and discrimination thresholds at the fingers can be modulated by TMS on SI. Method Participants underwent a series of MRI scans (functional localisers) to produce somatotopic maps of the primary somatosensory cortex (SI). These maps were used to stimulate over SI with TMS during subsequent behavioural tasks. The threshold estimation method QUEST (...) was used in a two-interval forced-choice design in order to establish threshold, respectively for detection and frequency discrimination, for a tactile stimulus of 50 ms, 100Hz sinusoidal vibration applied to the middle and/or index fingertips of one hand. This was done either when a single or a double pulse of TMS was applied over the SI (target site), or over the supramarginal gyrus (control site), or without applying TMS. Results The results showed that vibrotactile frequency discrimination thresholds at the fingers are increased by TMS over SI when two pulses are applied at 25 and 75ms after the onset of the vibrotactile stimulus. Moreover, preliminary data from two further experiments indicate that vibrotactile detection threshold is not modulated by TMS over SI. Take home message SI is required for discrimination, but may not be for detection, of tactile stimuli at the fingers. (shrink)

We used the QUEST threshold estimation method to investigate whether tactile detection and discrimination thresholds at the fingers can be modulated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over primary somatosensory cortex (SI). Participants underwent a series of functional MRI localiser scans with vibrotactile stimulation to produce somatotopic maps of SI for each participant separately. These maps were used to stimulate over SI with TMS during subsequent behavioural tasks. The threshold estimation method QUEST was used in a two-interval forced-choice design in order (...) to establish threshold for detecting and discriminating a tactile stimulus (50ms, 200Hz sinusoidal vibration) applied to the middle and/or index fingertips of one hand. This was done either when a single (75ms after stimulus onset) or a double pulse of TMS (25 and 75ms after onset) was applied over the contralateral SI (target site), or over the supramarginal gyrus (control site), or with sham TMS (no brain stimulation). The results showed that frequency discrimination thresholds at the fingers were increased by paired-pulse TMS over SI. By contrast, detection thresholds at the fingers were not increased by either single or paired pulse TMS over SI. The present findings suggest that SI is required for discrimination, but may not be for detection, of tactile stimuli at the fingers. (shrink)

Animal, as well as behavioural and neuroimaging studies in humans have documented integration of bilateral tactile information at the level of primary somatosensory cortex (SI). However, it is still debated whether integration in SI occurs early or late during tactile processing, and whether it is somatotopically organized. To address both the spatial and temporal aspects of bilateral tactile processing we used magnetoencephalography in a tactile repetition-suppression paradigm. We examined somatosensory evoked-responses produced by probe stimuli preceded by an adaptor, as a (...) function of the relative position of adaptor and probe (probe always at the left index finger; adaptor at the index or middle finger of the left or right hand) and as a function of the delay between adaptor and probe (0, 25, or 125 ms). Percentage of response-amplitude suppression was computed by comparing paired (adaptor1probe) with single stimulations of adaptor and probe. Results show that response suppression varies differentially in SI and SII as a function of both spatial and temporal features of the stimuli. Remarkably, repetition suppression of SI activity emerged early in time, regardless of whether the adaptor stimulus was presented on the same and the opposite body side with respect to the probe. These novel findings support the notion of an early and somatotopically organized inter-hemispheric integration of tactile information in SI. (shrink)

Patients with lesions of the left posterior parietal cortex commonly fail in identifying their fingers, a condition known as finger agnosia, yet are relatively unimpaired in skilled action. Such dissociations have classically been taken as evidence that representation of body structure is distinct from sensorimotor representations, such as the body schema. Here, we investigated whether the representations of finger numerosity is modulated by the internal posture of the hand. We used the ‘in between’ test in which participants estimate the number (...) of unstimulated fingers between two touched fingers. Across blocks, the fingers were placed in three postures: (1) with fingers touching each other, (2) fingers separated by one centimetre, (3) fingers spread to the maximum comfortable splay. Participants judged the number of unstimulated fingers ‘in between’ the two touches and responded vocally as quickly and accurately as possible. Critically, participants gave larger numerosity estimates when the fingers were positioned far apart compared to when they were close together or touching. Our results demonstrate that increasing the spatial distance between the fingers makes participants experience the fingers as more numerous. These results show that there are dynamic functional links between offline representations of body structure and online representations of body posture. (shrink)

Patients with lesions of the left posterior parietal cortex commonly fail in identifying their fingers, a condition known as finger agnosia, yet are relatively unimpaired in skilled action. Several studies have shown that non-informative vision of the body enhances performance in numerous tactile tasks. However, it is unknown whether body structural representations are also affected by vision, given that finger agnosia is typically assessed while patients are blindfolded. Here, we investigated whether structural body representations are modulated by non-informative vision of (...) the body. We tested healthy participants in a classic task used to assess finger agnosia, the “in-between” test, to determine whether tactile fingers identification vary when seeing the stimulated hand (non-informative vision). Across blocks, we used three different visual conditions: (1) viewing the stimulated hand, (2) viewing an object, and (3) viewing the other hand. Participants judged the numbers of unstimulated fingers “in between” the two touched fingers and responded vocally as quickly and accurately as possible. Critically, numerosity estimates were less accurate when they were seeing the stimulated hand compared to when an object or the unstimulated hand was visible. Our results demonstrate that vision of the body modulates body structural representations impairing tactile fingers identification. (shrink)

Tactile distance perception is believed to require that immediate afferent signals be referenced to a stored representation of body size and shape (the body model). For this ability, recent studies have reported that the stored body representations involved are highly distorted, at least in the case of the hand, with the hand dorsum represented as wider and squatter than it actually is. Here, we aim to define the neural basis of this phenomenon. In a behavioural experiment participants estimated the distance (...) between touches on two points by adjusting the length of a visually-presented line on the screen. The technique of multidensional scaling (MDS) was used to reconstruct a perceptual map of tactile space. Analysis of spatial distortion using Procrustes alignment showed that maps were stretched in the mediolateral hand axis. In order to determine the neural correlates of these body distortions, we performed an fMRI study. For each participant, we used a searchlight pattern classifier with Euclidean distance on pre-defined regions of interests (ROIs). In order to relate the representations between the different points and to computational models, we compare response-pattern dissimilarity matrices in these ROIs. Similar to the behavioural experiment, we used MDS to reconstruct maps of the neural representation of tactile space using the values from the dissimilarities matrices. We were able to reconstruct the perceptual map of tactile space in the contralateral primary somatosensory and motor cortices. This suggests that these areas are critical to generate the tactile representations of the dorsum of the hand. (shrink)

Introduction: In an fMRI study, we explored the population receptive eld (pRF; Dumoulin & Wandell, 2008) properties of the voxels in the dorsum and palm area of the primary somatosensory region (area 3b). Behavioural studies adopting tactile discrimination tasks suggested that these two skin surfaces are represented differently, with the dorsum representation being more distorted than the palm representation (Longo & Haggard, 2011). Longo and Haggard (2011) explained these results by suggesting that the receptive elds of the dorsum surface are (...) more elongated along the proximodistal hand axis than the ones of the palm – the pixel model. The authors based this idea mostly on animal studies (e.g. Alloway et al, 1989; Brooks et al, 1961; Brown et al, 1975). However, it is not clear if this is also the case for humans as, to the best of our knowledge, no study so far has investigated the pixel hypothesis systematically. Methods: The same participant was tested in two fMRI experiments (12 runs for experiment 1; 6 runs for experiment 2). In separate runs, the experimenter manually stimulated either the participant's dorsum or palm with an object (a circle covering 4 grid cells when centred at one intersection in experiment 1, a square covering one cell in experiment 2). A 4x4 grid (7 cm per side) was drawn on the participant's palm and dorsum (Figure 1). In experiment 1, the intersections of the grid lines were numbered from 1 to 25, whereas in experiment 2 each cell of the grid was numbered from 1 to 16. An acoustic cue instructed the experimenter on which skin region to stimulate and for how long. In experiment 1, we employed a random sequence in which each grid intersection was stimulated once per run interleaved with 7 randomly presented null trials. Each trial was 4 seconds and included the delivery of the touch on the instructed location plus small rotatory movements in anti-clockwise and clockwise directions. In experiment 2, we used an ordered sequence from 1 to 16 and back which was repeated 4 times in each run (2 null trials were presented every 4 trials). A tactile stimulation lasted for 2 seconds and consisted of 4 tactile events (~ 2Hz) in which the object gently touched the target skin location. We estimated the shape of the pRFs in anatomically and functionally predened regions of interests (see Figure 2A). To t the data, we used an oriented elliptical Gaussian with four parameters: the stimulated skin location (x and y); the long and short axes of the ellipse (σ1 and σ2), and the orientation (ϑ). We dened the anisotropy as the absolute value of the logarithm of the ratio between the horizontal and vertical axis. Orientations were transformed such that ellipses with the long axis running along the proximodistal orientation had an angle of 90 degrees. Results: Figure 2B shows the results for the voxel with the highest goodness of t for each of the skin surfaces stimulated in experiment 2. The green dot indicates the centre of the elliptical shape. The estimated pRF on the dorsum has a higher anisotropy than the one on the palm. Figure 2C shows the locations of all the estimated pRFs. In Figure 2D, we plotted each semi-major axis angle as an oriented line with the length proportional to the level of anisotropy. Ellipses oriented along the proximodistal axis of the hand appear vertical in the plot. The thick line indicates the resultant vector which gives an indication of the general orientation and anisotropy within the area. In both experiments, the dorsum showed higher anisotropy and both skin surfaces showed a slight deviation from the vertical orientation. Conclusions: In this study, we were able to estimate the pRF locations and shapes of the hand dorsum and palm. Our results suggest that many pRFs of the dorsum are oval-shaped and oriented along the proximodistal axis of the hand; the pRFs on the palm also show a similar characteristic, but less than dorsum. This provides some support for the pixel model (Longo & Haggard, 2011). (shrink)

In vision, a target stimulus presented on aa apparent motion trajectory becomes undetectable. In the present study, we investigated whether this perceptual masking phenomenon also occurs in tactile perception. Three vibrotactile stimulators were placed along the hand-to-elbow axis on the medial side of the participant's left arm. When the vibrations were presented alternately from the upper and lower ends, an apparent motion was perceived (apparent motion condition). During the apparent motion presentation, a trial with or without a target stimulus was (...) presented at random timing from the central stimulator. A control condition was also introduced in which the apparent motion was not perceived because the vibrations were presented simultaneously from the upper and lower oscillators. We calculated an index of sensitivity to the target stimulus based on the signal detection theory, and found that the sensitivity was lower in the apparent motion condition than in the control condition. On the other hand, there was no difference in the index of judgment criterion (bias). These results indicate that a perceptual masking effect, i.e., inhibition of tactile input detection, occurs on the tactile apparent motion trajectory. (shrink)

We examined the neural basis of tactile distance perception by analyzing activity patterns induced by tactile stimulation of nine points on a 3 x 3 square grid on the hand dorsum using functional magnetic resonance (fMRI). We used a searchlight approach within pre-defined regions of interests (ROIs) to compute the pairwise Euclidean distances between the activity patterns elicited by tactile stimulation. Then, we used multidimensional scaling (MDS) to reconstruct skin space at the neural level and compare it with skin space (...) at the perceptual level. Our reconstructions of the shape of skin space in contralateral primary somatosensory (SI) and motor (M1) cortices reveal that it is distorted in a way that matches the perceptual shape of skin space. This suggests that early sensorimotor areas are critical to processing tactile distance perception. (shrink)

It has been shown the existence of representational stages of touch that distinguish between body-regions more than body-sides with different interactions between homologous compared to non-homologous fingers of the two sides of the body. However, it is unknown whether such interactions are also present across different limbs that are morphologically similar such as hands and feet. Here, we investigated the effect of tactile double simultaneous stimulation (DSS) between the fingers and toes to explore the within between limbs interactions of touch. (...) Participants were instructed to perform a go/no-go task to detect a tactile stimulus on a target digit (e.g., left index) in isolation or with a simultaneous stimulus distractor on a non-target digit, either on the hand (e.g., left middle) or on another limb (e.g., left big toe = homologous; left second toe = non-homologous). In different blocks the target digit could be a digit on the left hand (i.e., index finger, middle finger) or on the left foot (i.e., big toe, second toe). Results show that the DSS interference is reduced when homologous digits are stimulated on different limbs. However, this pattern is more prominent when the target is presented on the hand compared to the foot. (shrink)

This thesis examines the consequences of the presentation of a deviant group member for the image of the group. Previous research suggests that the derogation of a deviant ingroup member might be functional in its protection of the image of the ingroup. Although there is considerable circumstantial support for this notion, to date, there is no direct empirical evidence of a link between deviant derogation and the maintenance of the image of the group. The thesis aims to fill this gap (...) by examining the consequences of an encounter with a deviant and clearly negative group member for both the representation and composition of the group. Study 1 examines the consequences of the presentation of a deviant for the image of the ingroup as a function of ingroup identification. Study 2 examines how a deviant ingroup or outgroup member might differentially affect judgements of the ingroup and outgroup as a function of ingroup identification. Study 3 examines judgements of deviants in low and high status groups as a function of ingroup identification. Study 4 examines the consequences of a deviant for the image of the ingroup as a function of group status and ingroup identification. Studies 5 and 6 examine the consequences of a deviant ingroup member for perceived ingroup variability as a function of ingroup identification. Study 7 examines how a deviant ingroup or outgroup member might differentially affect perceived ingroup and outgroup variability as a function of ingroup identification. Study 8 examines the consequences of a deviant ingroup member for self-stereotyping and ingroup identification as a function of the initial level of ingroup identification. Taken together, the results support the proposal that reactions to deviant group member might serve an identity maintenance function. The thesis concludes with a summary of the findings, a discussion of the limitations of the research and suggestions for future research. (shrink)

This thesis deals with the issue of bullying at work. The bullying concept refers to situations where a person is persistently and over time exposed to hostile and demeaning behaviours at work. Whether the bullying is deliberate or not, it is likely to cause humiliation, offence and distress in the target person. In the thesis, the focus is on two aspects of bullying at work - namely prevalence rates and occupational health outcomes. In recent years, attention has been paid to (...) bullying and harassment among health care professionals. Findings from several countries suggest that health professionals are frequently exposed to various kinds of bullying behaviours or acts. Indeed, the two studies reported in this thesis point to high levels of bullying in the health sector. The studies took place in two hospital trusts, one located in Scotland and the other in Iceland. Questionnaires were used to assess the prevalence and nature of bullying experiences in these trusts. The study samples were large and randomly generated. Two key methods were used to assess prevalence levels. The first method focused on persistent exposure to undesirable behaviour at work. The second method focused on subjective experiences of bullying at work. An interesting disparity in findings appeared, depending on the method used. Results from the first method consistently pointed to higher prevalence rates than results from the second method. Apart from studying local prevalence rates, the project aimed at comparing the rates from the two countries. The results from this cross-cultural comparison pointed consistently to higher levels of bullying in Scotland than in Iceland. However, both studies showed that people were most likely to report work-related negative acts and personal derogation or isolation. This accords with the notion that rational-appearing aggression and other forms of covert aggression are more frequently used in the workplace than are overt forms of aggression. In Scotland, cross-sectional data were used to assess the link between bullying and occupational health outcomes. Results showed that staff who had experienced one or more types of bullying acts in the past year were more likely than other staff to be dissatisfied in their job, to contemplate leaving and to have higher levels of anxiety and depression. They also reported poorer health and taking more days off work for sickness in the past year. In the Icelandic study, longitudinal data were used to assess the link between patterns of bullying experiences and health outcomes. In regression analyses, it was found that chronic exposure to bullying and recent onset predicted anxiety and depression levels. Moreover, three patterns of bullying predicted levels of psychosomatic complaints. What mainly distinguishes the current project from other projects in the field is the methodology used to test the relationship between bullying and health outcomes. Specifically, the methodology used in the project enabled the author to study whether bullying at work is mainly a cause of adverse health outcomes or whether the relationship between bullying and health outcomes is more complex. Whilst most current knowledge suggests that bullying at work leads to outcomes such as increased levels of anxiety and depression, it is quite possible that other causal mechanisms are also at work. Indeed, the results reported in the thesis suggest that reverse causation is also possible. Specifically, that psychological distress places people at more risk of being bullied at work. Whilst this finding is certainly important in its own right, it is also important in practical sense - for instance, when it comes to preventive actions. In order to effectively deal with the problem, it seems essential to look for ways to help and support vulnerable groups of employees. In particular, groups who suffer symptoms of depression. (shrink)

This theis is a study of the Marxism of V. I. Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg,in the context of the intellectual currents of Second International Marxism. A central argument is that the work of Lenin and Luxemburg contains evidence of a mode of thought uhich distinguished them from their contemporaries. The object of this thesis is to define and explore the methodology underpinning Marx's work,and to indicate the affinities between Marx's methodology and that of Lenin and Luxemburg. Whilst the work of (...) neither Lenin nor Luxemburg was entirely free of the positivism often found in the Second International,an appreciation ofuhich is the methodology underlying certain concepts in Marx's economic and political theory is evident in their work. The abstractions uhich Marx employed in his economic work, and the nature of the laws uhich his findings indicated, were often misconstrued and deformed by the Marxists of the Second International,uho lacked the broad vision to confront the object of their enquiry in its wider significance - to grasp the broad canvas of events as they unfolded. The subjective aspects of Marx'x thought uere almost completely neglected by Marxists in this period, obscured by the militant, undeviating materialism uhich dominated their thought. In Part I of this thesis, the construction of Marx's work, the evolution of his thought and the methodological precepts which govern it are examined. Parts II and III trace the themes of Marx's method in the contributions which Lenin and Luxemburg made to debates on the questions which moved Marxists in the period. It is argued that Lenin and Luxemburg set themselves apart from their peers by their ability to excavate beneath the surface of Marx's work, to grasp the methodological nuances which it contained, and to replicate these in their own work. In short, it is argued that their mode of thought uas sympathetic to Marx's own. (shrink)

Applying critical sociological theory, this book explores the shortcomings of popular tactics in animal liberation efforts. Building a case for a scientifically-grounded grassroots approach, it is argued that professionalized advocacy that works in the service of theistic, capitalist, patriarchal institutions will find difficulty achieving success.

The following is a reflective commentary on the place of Critical Indigenous Studies, with a focus on Kaupapa Māori Research, within Mormon Studies. Specifically, the piece explores the following questions: What does Kaupapa Māori Research look like when engaging in Mormon Studies? What positionality needs to be taken by Kaupapa Māori researchers and Critical Indigenous scholars when engaging in Mormon Studies? What are the main areas Critical Indigenous scholars and Kaupapa Māori scholars should engage when tackling issues around Mormonism? These (...) questions are important in light of thegrowing importance of the cultural renaissance in Te Ao Māori and the rise of Kaupapa Māori Research. (shrink)

When in conversation, a child may respond to an adult’s turn by saying something that acknowledges what was previously said, saying something that furthers the topic of the conversation, saying something off topic, or by not saying anything at all. Different types of responses like these have been investigated with typically developing preschoolers and older children with autism but we still understand relatively little about what predicts their use. With a longitudinal sample of 40 Swedish-speaking five-year-olds, we carried out three (...) studies investigating which factors, internal and external to the child, were the best predictors of the above four different aspects of children’s conversational behaviour. In Study 1, we investigated the predictive value of broadly concurrent linguistic and cognitive measures and found that receptive vocabulary was related to appropriate conversation responses. In Study 2, we investigated the predictive value of environmental factors and found that later preschool entry was positively related to contingent responses in this relatively socially advantaged sample. Finally, in Study 3, we investigated the predictive value of social and cognitive factors measured in early development and found no reliable relations. Together, these exploratory studies suggest that different aspects of children’s conversational skills may depend on strong lexical comprehension and may be facilitated by the caregiving environment. (shrink)

Several studies have shown the presence of large anisotropies for tactile distance perception across several parts of the body. The tactile distance between two touches on the dorsum of the hand is perceived as larger when they are oriented mediolaterally than proximodistally. This effect can be partially explained by the characteristics of primary somatosensory cortex representations. However, this phenomenon is significantly attenuated relative to differences in acuity and cortical magnification, suggesting a process of tactile size constancy. It is unknown whether (...) the same kind of compensation also takes place when estimating the size of a continuous object. Here, we investigate whether the tactile anisotropy that typically emerges when participants have to estimate the distance between two touches is also present when a continuous object touches the skin and participants have to estimate its size. In separate blocks, participants judged which of two tactile distances or objects on the dorsum of their hand felt larger. One stimulation was aligned with the proximodistal axis and the other with the mediolateral axis. Results showed a clear anisotropy for distances between two distinct points, with across distances consistently perceived as larger than along distances, as in previous studies. Critically, however, this bias was significantly reduced or absent for judgments of the length of continuous objects. These results suggest that a tactile size constancy process is more effective when the tactile size of an object has to be approximated compared to when the distance between two touches has to be determined. The possible mechanism subserving these results is described and discussed. We suggest that a lateral inhibition mechanism, when an object touches the skin, provides information through the distribution of the inhibitory subfields of the RF about the shape of the tactile RF itself. Such a process allows an effective tactile size compensatory mechanism where a good match between the physical and perceptual dimensions of the object is achieved. (shrink)

The future of work is one of increasing precarity and uncertainty. The continued implementation of automation has been further problematised by the difficulties brought about by Covid-19 and its resultant lockdowns, the growing popular desire for better work/life balance, and continued economic upheaval. Accounts of the future of work vary across the academic literature and mainstream media: for some, increasing automation is an emancipatory political moment that promises more free time and social justice; for others it is an insidious social (...) force that will bring more harm than good to society. However, although these opposing accounts of automation might appear to employ the same unproblematic terms and concepts, I argue that they are reified through a focus on specific limited examples which scholars attach to those terms without explicit acknowledgement. As a result, accounts of automation make generic claims regarding the nature of automation by narrowly focusing on one of its given contingent functions, and rely on common sense and incomplete conceptions of work. There is a need to reduce the tension between opposing accounts, and to avoid overtly dystopian and utopian narratives about futures of work, in order to develop an accurate picture of automation and work that reflects the reality of automation today. This thesis performs a phenomenological reduction of automation, and redefines intuitive notions of 'work' as two distinct modes of activity, labour and work. I will develop three ideal type definitions of automation, labour, and work, which can then be applied to make better sense of real-life case studies. While discussions of automation and the future of work can naturally tend towards emotional or polemic predictions of thoroughly technologised societies, both positive and negative, offering such predictions in advance of a rigorous analysis of each term results in incomplete accounts of the phenomena at stake. I will strip back these reified notions, and offer a novel evaluative framework for considering the automation of work, using novel definitions of automation as the enclosure of tasks from further human intervention, and labour and work as distinct modes of activity, comparing these ideal definitions to real and proposed case studies to ensure their practical applicability. In the first chapter I offer a definition of automation as a means of enclosing a task from further mediation, and in the second I compare this definition to those found across the literature, paying particular attention to the reified accounts of automation offered by scholars, including Aaron Bastani, Nick Srnicek, Martin Ford, and Erik Brynjolfsson. In Chapter 3 I define labour as a mode of activity primarily intended towards biological necessity, and discuss potential Marxist critiques to this conception. Chapter 4 sees the introduction of a number of case studies, including self-driving cars and sex work, which will serve to test my definitions of labour and automation in practice. Chapter 5 introduces the correlate definition of work, and considers a comparable notion of work offered by Hannah Arendt, before Chapter 6 concludes by returning to the case studies offered in Chapter 4, comparing them to the mode of work rather than labour. I will conclude that while pressing, questions surrounding automation and the future of work cannot be fully or accurately answered with a narrow and reified understanding of either term, and will instead offer a novel evaluative framework in response. The future of work may well be an automated one, but at this early stage it is vital to properly define and understand the dominant notions at play, and to not get lost in emotive speculative predictions of the future that are not aligned with the reality of work today. (shrink)

This thesis is a case study of two Church of England congregations in Kent. It describes and analyses the members’ understanding of their commitment to the church and the relationships forged within it. Members of the church congregations were found to be unwilling to participate in evangelism and were uncertain about sharing their commitment with either friends, family or a future generation. The most active core members of the church did not hold any shared religious or moral belief to be (...) an essential aspect of their commitment to the church. Instead they celebrated diversity and difference within their own church and within the church more generally. The thesis examines the nature of the congregations’ religious commitment in the light of the decline of mainstream religion and the growth of New Age spirituality. It places the congregations’ understanding of community in the context both of the classical understanding of community and the contemporary debate between communitarianism and liberalism. The thesis argues that the members of the two congregations held in common a clear understanding of the importance of community. Moreover core members defined their community in terms of belonging rather than of a particular shared set of beliefs. The thesis concludes that although members use traditional language to describe the nature of their community, those communities have little in common with those imagined by classical sociology, and members’ commitment to the two churches could be characterised as an entirely contemporary expression of religiosity. (shrink)

This is a theological and philosophical exegesis of the largest, and most systematic, extant Valentinian text: the Tripartite Tractate. While focusing on the detail of that text, there ever remains a wider concern for the fundamental orientation of the tradition within which it stands, particularly as represented by the other Valentinian texts of the Nag Hammadi Library. My intention in this study is to begin a hermeneutical engagement with the Valentinian tradition as embodied in the tractate. I have followed Ricoeur's (...) method of entering the world of the text in order to discover its intentions and concerns, on its own terms and in its own language; to read from within it in order to articulate its meaning in a way that opens up its world to those reading it in an environment that is radically different from its original one. The study demonstrates why ‘nonduality’ is the only adequate characterisation of Valentinian Christianity. (shrink)

In media, political and lay representations of migrants it remains frequently the case that metaphors are systematically used in racist and demeaning manners, though also, occasionally, in positive ways empathizing with the plight of refugees, migrant com-munities and the sans papiers. In this piece, however, I wish to note the wider, more personal and speculative reasons as to why metaphors are so frequently used and are, it seems, so widely effective in shaping social perceptions. In late modernity, in the affluent (...) north-west we name the migrant through demeaning metaphors in an attempt to deny our anxiety over our own inessence and instability, our own constant transferal in our species’ constitutive shapeshifting body that encompasses the linguistic being of the non-linguistic. I think this with and against the use of metaphors towards a sense of metamorphosis, including through a reading of the pneumatic body in Paul. (shrink)

It could be said that architecture encounters its end through its self-extraction from its original existential potential –its power of creativity– when at some point it replaces this experience of loss by procuring a self-validation for itself as a techne, an art and end in itself; and, perhaps, even more depressingly today when thought as near-exclusively along the axis of production and commodity circulation. How are we to think of this power, this potentia, other than by appreciating its key formulation, (...) in the western tradition, as dynamis in Aristotle? A paradoxical definition of potentiality, perhaps, given that a potentiality, by definition, is, to put it in a modern sense, a possibility that exists. Such a definition posits a line of what could be called an existent potentialization in the creative act. By definition, historically, existence has been subject to an understandable logical scission between ‘what is actual’ and ‘what is potential’, which however as an ontological motor of truth production, including political truth production, leads to a misunderstanding of potentiality as something that once actualized belongs to the past and which crucially thus remains exhausted. Yet in the original formulation in Aristotle, potentiality as a philosophical problem is precisely that of a potentiality which is not reducible to actuality –and this becomes the kernel of Aristotle’s Metaphysics. From this point a remarkable and complex series of consequent medieval formulations came to define potentiality as the problem of sovereign power and all the way to our time. Giorgio Agamben is of course the thinker who has shed more recent light to Aristotle’s link between power and potentiality throughout his work; and who has centered his critique of the forgetting of its most crucial element ; a forgetting that intentionally aimed at capturing the birth of the subject in the form of an alleged sovereignty of a self-grounding being. A self-grounding, an autonomy, justified historically through the political theology of a self-grounding power. Thus, as Agamben shows, we have mostly thought of impotentiality as an incapacity, an absence or a negation. Instead, for Agamben, potentiality indicates in a particular way “the existence of non-Being”. But how are we to think of such a paradoxical existence of non-Being or of the unthought, that seemingly has, through a politically conscious misunderstanding, crippled our politics of creativity, including, one may venture to suggest as a hypothesis, that of the existential creativity of architecture? How are we to avoid being impoverished by our “estrangement from impotentiality”?. I would like to propose that we can first attempt to do that, as a preliminary theoretical step, by exploring further what Aristotle thought. (shrink)

Situated in the context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This short piece takes on a semiotic analysis of the categories used to describe the ongoing armed conflict. it demonstrates how such categorizations establish their legitimacy with a fake inference to international law as they travel across the parallel digital war of narratives and representations.

Figuring Naipaul deals with two issues: the writings of the Trinidad-born V.S. Naipaul and the problematic of postcolonial self-representation. In the literary world and among the reading public Naipaul has gained prominence and notoriety in the last two decades. But the critical response to his work has been essentially from what I call the 'mainstream' perspective. In my first Chapter (Part I) I attempt to map various critical trajectories that emerged from the mainstream perspective in the context of Naipaul criticism. (...) In order to contest the tacit assumptions of the mainstream discourse and to figure the representation of the postcolonial world in Naipaul's work I elaborate the patterns in which they both repeat and suggest a certain kind of collusion between the underlying assumptions of the two discourses (Naipaul's own and that of the mainstream criticism). The body of the thesis (Part II), consisting of eight chapters, is largely devoted to a detailed discussion of various ways in which what I call the Naipaul text constructs the postcolonial situation. This discussion elaborates certain recurring ruses and tropes I locate in the Naipaul text. My argument is that the ruses and tropes the text deploys in figuring the subject of the postcolonial world are deeply problematical in that they implicate the text in the hegemonic grand narrative of imperialism. The operation of these ruses and the pattern they constitute in the text are discussed in each Chapter of Part II. The ruses that the text depends on are mainly two: narrative deferral and the ruse of the gaze. The narrative movement of the Naipaul text, as I will show, drawing on the ruses of deferral and the gaze, has no less an aim than that of the project of self-consolidation. That is, these ruses along with tropes of 'centre', 'origin' and 'wholeness' proclaim in Naipaul's writing a certain desire for self-consolidation and self-unification. Between the desire to 'house the subject' and the celebration of a "home" Naipaul's project suspends the subject of the postcolonial world; these aspects are analysed in Chapters Two and Eight of my thesis respectively. But between these two moments, aspects of the text I attempt to unravel, the Naipaul text scapegoats the postcolonial condition. This scapegoating, I will argue, is a necessary condition for the realisation, for Naipaul, of the project of self-consolidation. This operation of the text is figured in the postcolonial dispatches Naipaul constructs. These dispatches, as I read them from Chapters Three to Seven, shape the postcolonial world in the Naipaul text. Each Chapter focuses upon specific works or groups of works by Naipaul. My analysis also engages with various sources the text relies on to prepare its dispatches. Chapter Nine is basically a critique of Naipaul's conception of 'history'; this critique undertakes to analyse Naipaul's utterances about history in general and his historical narrative, The Loss of El Dorado, in specific. My attempt is to show how various narratives of the Naipaul text represent the subject of the postcolonial world. In the process of unravelling the text I attempt to show how one can dislocate a pattern apparent in a text and celebrated by established opinion. I argue that such dislocations are important for conceiving interventionary critical strategies in the postcolonial situation. (shrink)

This PhD closely examines Marx's Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right (1843) in the light of the recently published Students' Notebooks: Vorlesungen Oben Naturrecht und Staatswissenshaft (0. Pöggeler: 1983), Die Philosophie des Rechts (K.-H. llfing: 1983), Philoso phie des Rechts (D. Henrich: 1983), together with the published version of Hegel's Rechtsphilosophie. The thesis demonstrates that Marx mistakenly took Hegel's project to be the defence of the reactionary' Prussian monarchy while in truth it was the philosophical reconstruction of the meaning of (...) the French Revolution as a means of calling for revolution in Germany. Further, the thesis argues that the most important contribution of Hegel's Political Philosophy is his discovery of multidimentionality of "imaginality" of the modern world and of modern mankind. • The first chapter examines Marx's ambivalence and ambiguity toward Hegel. • The second chapter examines Marx's motive and method applied in Critique. • The third chapter examines Marx's criticism of the inversion of the subjectpredicate in Hegel's Philosophy of Right. • The fourth chapter examines Hegel's theory of the Diversion of Political Power and of the constitutionary monarchy and Marx's theory of Democracy. • The fifth chapter examines Marx's criticism of Hegel's theory of Bureaucracy. • The sixth chapter examines Hegel's theory of Parliament and Marx's criticism. • The seventh chapter includes concluding remarks and practical implications of Heglianism. (shrink)

Populist discourses, despite their multiple differences and often oppositional political agendas, share a common feature. This feature is the construction of a notion of “the people” as “the underdog” that stands against the essentialist politics of “the elites.” In this article, I argue that this construction of “the people” is fundamentally problematic due to two, interconnected reasons. First, the primacy which is given to “the people” as a political agent, who is the rightful holder of a notion of “common good,” (...) leads to the formation of politics that are essentialist and exclusionary. Drawing from Max Stirner’s notion of the “spook” or “phantasm,” I argue that “the people” become such and thus, the political demands of populist discourses remain “haunted” by this moral primacy of “the people.” Secondly, the construction of “the people” as “the underdog” suggests that their construction is based on negative feelings of envy and revenge, what Friedrich Nietzsche diagnosed as the feeling of ressentiment. This feeling of ressentiment renders the political demands of populism incapable of producing an affirmative version of politics. As a result, populist discourses not only are incapable of becoming a threat to the fatalistic, neoliberal politics of the capitalist market but at worse they become their accomplices. (shrink)

This work considers what it means to 'be' human and seeks to show that it is in the activity of 'being' human that our individual identity lies, because this is the activity that determines what we are and what we will become. Aristotle asked the fundamental metaphysical question, "is a human being idle by nature?" and concluded, from his realisations concerning the dynamic nature of reality, that he is not. Accordingly, the metaphysical vision of 'beinghuman' that Aristotle articulated, which is (...) considered and applied in this work, in contrast to the static notions of being presented by Heidegger and Christian scholasticism, presents an understanding of man as a potentially dynamic and internally active being, capable of maintaining himself by bein~ attuned to reality and thereby contemplating God. It seems most timely to explore Aristotle's understanding of 'being-human' because much postmodern thought seems to be concerned with locating the 'self, or explicating its disappearance in terms of an emancipation from form, or as the exposure of some form of illusion that has kept us all living the lie of selfhood. However, the 'absent' postmodern self finds a place in Aristotle's metaphysical vision, because not only did Aristotle recognise the significance of actively 'being' human, he also recognised that through deprivation and incapacity some forms of being can go out of existence or become something else. And it appears that our postmodern form of unconscious existence constitutes such an altered form, determined according to a deprivation of actively 'being', i.e., by 'non-being.' The determining movement of 'non-being', which emerges from the ontological gap created by failing to 'be', is considered throughout this work, particularly with regard to developments in language and technology, because it is through our single-minded engagement in external productive activities, which are incidental to 'being-human', that we have avoided the inner contemplative activity that inheres in human 'thinghood'. (shrink)

This thesis deals with notions of the transcendental and art by investigating the two traditions of Romanticism and Zen respectively, in relation to the life and work of the American painter Mark Tobey. Responding in part to my reading of Robert Rosenblum's Modern Painting the northern Romantic Tradition, the thesis begins by attempting to imagine the possibilities for discourse about ait and the transcendental by looking at Neoplatonic and Mahayana Buddhist ideas in relation to ideas of the transcendental. A hermeneutical (...) methodology is suggested as a framework by which art may be seen in terms of a transcendental language. A central assumption of the thesis is that different histories or positions of the transcendental and alt are identifiable. By analysing European Romantic responses to ideas of the transcendental and presenting them alongside Zen positions such differences may be revealed and 'official' histories challenged. For instance, Romantic languages about oneness and 'purity' are radically challenged by the Nagaijunan notion of sunyaza and its insistence upon a thorough deconstruction of Being. Mark Tobey is introduced as a painter whose Zen interests from the early nineteen-thirties disturbs his place within an orthodox reading of American and European modernist art. Tobey's relationship toExpressionist painters is explored and a close analysis of his journey to China and Japan in 1934 is undertaken within a broad historical context. Questions of Tobey's interests in Zen during a period when Japan was moving towards radical nationalism, and his search for an 'authentic' Japan are investigated. Tobey'sappropriations of Zen 'calligraphy' through his 'white writing' technique is also explored in relation to his 'overtly Oriental' works from 1956-7 and their potential to be read in terms ofZen notions such as sun vata. The thesis suggests an 'alternative-Japonisme' context for Tobey's Zen interests, placing him at a distance from orthodox histories of Japonisme, and nearer to the late nineteenth century appropriations of Buddha images by Odilon Redon and paul Ranson. Tobey's affinities with Piet Mondrian are then analysed, and their shared Neoplatonic ideas are revealed. The different possible histories of the transcendental in art are hopefully investigated by this thesis, opening up alternative positions which can rupture 'standard' Occidental histories of art and their privileging of Western philosophical and mystical discourses. (shrink)

This study considers how well an autoethnographic diary study helps as a method to explore why families might struggle in the application of strong and cohesive cyber security measures within the smart home. Combining two human-computer interaction research methods - the relatively unstructured process of autoethnography and the more structured diary study - allowed the first author to reflect on the differences between researchers or experts, and everyday users. Having a physical set of structured diary prompts allowed for a period (...) of 'thinking as writing', enabling reflection upon how having expert knowledge may or may not translate into useful knowledge when dealing with everyday life. This is particularly beneficial in the context of home cyber security use, where first-person narratives have not made up part of the research corpus to date, despite a consistent recognition that users struggle to apply strong cyber security methods in personal contexts. The framing of the autoethnographic diary study contributes a very simple, but extremely powerful, tool for anyone with more knowledge than the average user of any technology, enabling the expert to reflect upon how they themselves have fared when using, understanding and discussing the technology in daily life. (shrink)

Most Nonhuman Animal rights historians have heard tell of the mythical Oxford Group, a small group of Oxford philosophy graduate students, their partners, and a smattering of associated scholar-activists responsible for some of the first and most influential advances in modern anti-speciesist thought. Most Nonhuman Animal rights academics and activists, for that matter, are familiar with the work of Oxford star and movement “father” Peter Singer. Yet, despite this notoriousness, few are actually familiar with the inner workings of this group, (...) nor the development of Singer’s work in context. What was it about Oxford that made this magic happen? What was it about the philosophical discipline at that time? What about the group dynamic itself? In The Oxford Group and the Emergence of Animal Rights, longtime Nonhuman Animal rights theorist Robert Garner and scholar-activist Yewande Okuleye bring substance to the hazy mythology surrounding the mid-20th century incarnation of Western Nonhuman Animal rights. Admirably, they do so before the knowledges and memories are lost to the ages, as the original members are well into their golden years with some having already passed. (shrink)

The relationship between anarchy and the law is, to say the least, an uncomfortable one. The so-called ‘classical’ anarchist position – in all its heterogeneous tendencies – is, usually, characterised by a total opposition against the law. However and despite its invaluable contribution and the ever-pertinent critique of the state of affairs, this ‘classical’ anarchist position needs to be re-examined and rearticulated if it is to pose an effective nuisance to the current mechanisms of domination and the oppression of dogmatism (...) and dominance of the law. Taking into account the aforementioned challenges, in this article, I examine and develop two notions of the philosophical thought of Gilles Deleuze, namely that of the institution and that of the nomos of the nomads. In doing so, I aim to think anew the relationship between anarchy and the law and, ultimately, to point towards an ethico-political account, of what I shall call an an-archic nomos which escapes the dogmatism and “archist” mentality of the law. (shrink)

This thesis examines Jung's relation to Buddhism, in particular, the Tibetan and Zen Buddhist traditions from a hermeneutic perspective. It addresses the way Jung attempted to make a dialogue between Analytical Psychology and Buddhism and the extent to which he was successful. Jung's approach to Buddhism is sometimes affected by Eurocentric prejudices, which led him to misunderstand some of the concepts of Buddhism. Moreover, from the standpoint of a psychologist, Jung had a tendency to reduce Buddhist thought to its psychological (...) aspects, and not to pay sufficient attention to its traditional meanings. Jung was also highly selective in his use of Buddhist texts and focussed on those texts which appeared to confirm, or conform to, his psychological thinking, but dismissed other Buddhist materials which had no common base with his psychology. To contrast his approach, this thesis examines the theory of the phenomenology of religion, which emphasises the recognition of the irreducibility of religious phenomena and claims that we must understand religion within its own cultural context. From the perspective of the phenomenology of religion, Jung's methodology lacks objectivity and fails to exercise epoche, which means a suspension of one's own judgement or the exclusion of every possible presupposition. Rather, Jung seems to over-emphasise eidetic vision, which is a form of subjectivity that implies an intuitive grasp of the essentials of a situation in its wholeness. There are important achievements in Jung's engagement with Buddhism and indeed Jung should be regarded as a pioneer in this field of research. Jung's writings on Buddhism had a major influence on later studies of the various Buddhist traditions and meditation in relation to Western psychology and its therapeutic techniques. From this more positive perspective, this thesis explores in detail the strengths and shortcomings of Jung's engagement with the different Buddhist traditions, in order to assess its potential contribution to the contemporary dialogue between East and West. (shrink)

This thesis focusses on the medical culture of the Ovambo peoples of southern Angola and northern Namibia, a group who have been little-researched anthropologically. Because health and affliction are such poignant human concerns, the study of a society's medical culture can tell us much about their social and cultural organisation in general. It is for this reason that Ovambo medical culture has been examined in relation to the wider socio-cultural background, rather than in isolation; especially since Ovambo evidence has shown (...) that concern about health and affliction is not confined to the physical and spiritual wellbeing of individuals, but extends to include harmonious social relations, environmental and economic prosperity, and politicaly stability. A holistic analytical approach has been adopted, whereby all aspects of the medical culture are considered, as opposed to only certain aspects. Ovambo beliefs and practises relating to healt hand health maintenance are therefore discussed, as well as external medical influences. Particular attention has been paid to Ovambo use of plants as medicines, as well as to their prophylactic and propitiatory measures, since these are areas of athnomedical research that are identified as being under-researched. Focussing upon these areas has also highlighted the significance of material culture in the Ovambo medical domain, and the value of museum collections of ethnography in this regard. (shrink)

The present thesis starts with an outline of the importance de Chirico attached to philosophy and shows that attitude in relation to the reception by his critics. The second chapter examines the informing principles of Schopenhauer's metaphysics in relation to de Chirico's theoretical writings. Subsequently there is a chapter on the figure of Ariadne, demonstrating how Schopenhauerian principles, mythical conceptions and Nietzschean rhetoric are synthesized in de Chirico's Metaphysical Art in a clear attempt to transfer the philosophical programme onto canvas. (...) Chapter IV looks more closely at the labyrinthine nature of de Chirico's paintings and his novel Hebdomeros in accordance with the Schopenhauer-inspired philosophical background: the setting up of ontological puzzles, and the handling of space and time. There follows a discussion in Chapter V of the presentation of objects and figures in these labyrinthine spaces: their exemption from causality, and objectivisation in the attainment of the metaphysical other. The thesis concludes with an exploration of the artist genius against the background of Schopenhauer. (shrink)

This study is concerned wit hthe Patani Fatāwā: A Case Study of the Kitāb al-Fatāwā al-Fatāniyyah of Shaykh Ahmad bin Muhammad Zain bin Mustafa al-Fatāni. The Introduction of the thesis provides a large discussion on the Fatāwā in Islam. The meaning of fatāwā and its development as well as the variation of the fatāwā in the four Islamic schools of thought are widely dealt with. The modern movement on this matter is also discussed. In this work, the Patani historical background (...) beginning from the founding of the Malay Kingdom of Patani in the 14th century to its final incorporation into the Kingdom of Thailand is clearly mentioned. The fall of Patani and the signing of the Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909 is included. The arrival of Islam into Patani is also described. The traditional Islamic institutions of two main streams are discussed. The Patani 'Ulamā' and their works as well as their biographies are considered. In this study, the Patani Pondok or religious school in Patani has been divided into three periods. Islamic education under Patani 'Ulamā' its writers is one focus. Patani's emergence as a centre of Islamic education in the Malay peninsula shows the Muslim world how important this region is in providing Islamic education to the people of Malay-speaking groups in particular and for interested people in general. The critical declination of the traditional Islamic education in Patani and the nearby area is treated. A deep discussion is also paid to the author of Kitāb al-Fatāwā al-Fatāniyyah: the extent to which the period of his life, his family, his works, his role and his religio-political activities as well as his followers are important is discussed. The final chapter of this work is devoted to an analysis of the Kitāb al-Fatāwā al-Fatāniyyah in several issues including his opinions on legal matters. It is important to mention that the Kitāb al-Fatāwā al-Fatāniyyah is the only well-known book on the classical fatāwā mainly in the Malay language to serve the Malay-speaking groups. Another interesting feature of this book is that its contents cover the problems involved not only of the Muslims in Patani but also those of its neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Cambodia. (shrink)

This thesis presents an analysis of the spectacular rise of political Islam in Turkey. It has two aims: first to understand the underlying causes of the rise of the Welfare Party which -later became the Virtue Party- throughout the 1990s, and second to analyse how grassroots activism influenced this process. The thesis reviews the previous literature on the Islamic fundamentalist movements, political parties, political party systems and concentrates on the local party organisations and their effects on the party's electoral performance. (...) It questions the categorisation of Islamic fundamentalism as an appropriate label for this movement. An exploration of such movements is particularly important in light of the event of 11`x' September. After exploring existing theoretical and case studies into political Islam and party activism, I present my qualitative case study. I have used ethnographic methodology and done participatory observations among grassroots activists in Ankara's two sub-districts covering 105 neighbourhoods. I examined the Turkish party system and the reasons for its collapse. It was observed that as a result of party fragmentation, electoral volatility and organisational decline and decline in the party identification among the citizens the Turkish party system has declined. However, the WP/VP profited from this trend enormously and emerged as the main beneficiary of this process. Empirical data is analysed in four chapters, dealing with the different aspects of the Virtue Party's local organisations and grassroots activists. They deal with change and continuity in the party, the patterns of participation, the routes and motives for becoming a party activist, the profile of party activists and the local party organisations. I explore what they do and how they do it. The analysis reveals that the categorisation of Islamic fundamentalism is misplaced and the rise of political Islam in Turkey cannot be explained as religious revivalism or the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. It is a political force that drives its strength from the urban poor which has been harshly affected by the IMF directed neoliberal economy policies. In conclusion, it is shown that the WP/VP's electoral chances were significantly improved by its very efficient and effective party organisations and highly committed grassroots activists. (shrink)

This research aims at investigating the nature, meaning and implications of 'transcendent realization', that which is held to be the summit of spiritual realization by three renowned and highly influential mystics; Shankara. from the Hindu tradition, Ibn Arabi, from the Islamic tradition and Meister Eckhart, from the Christian tradition. The central methodological principle of the analysis is interntionalityl the opening chapter situates and discusses this principle in relation to the phenomenological method, while also highlighting the importance of the concept of (...) transcendence for the contemporary discussion in comparative mysticism between the 'contextualist' school of Steven Katz and the 'Pure Consciousness' school of Robert Forman. Three chapters follow, dealing in turn with each of the three mystics, analyzing in some depth their respective pronouncements on transcendence; this theme is explored in both doctrinal and realizational terms: what transcendence means objectively, and how it is assimilated, realized or attained subjectively, with what pre-conditions and with what ramifications. The penultimate chapter brings together those features of transcendence shared in common bu the three mystics; differences as well as similarities are analyzed here. The final chapter consists in a critique of recent scholarly approaches to mysticism. In the light of the conclusions presented in this thesis, the reductive aspect of these approaches - their failure to take into account fully the nature and implications of trascendence with regard to mystical experience - is clearly discerned. The central conclusion of the thesis is that transcendent realization consists in the realization of identity with the Absolute, an identity which strictly transcends the individual, and by that very token transcends all possible 'experience' defined in relation to the individual; it also necessarily transcends all contextual factors that presuppose the individual as the ground of their mediating influence. The realization of this transcendent identity is incommunicable as regards its intrinsic nature but can be extrinsically described as the realization of the unique and undifferentiable Essence of 'Being-Consciousness-Bliss'. (shrink)

This thesis considers the Church of England as an International Actor operating in the geographical area of Southern Africa during the period 1970 to 1980. The central hypothesis, outlined in Section I, is that in a Transnational and Interdependency paradigm the Church of England is capable of operating as an International Actor, that it does so and that environment, history, domestic and foreign social involvement and theology all incline if to particular forms of involvement in particular geographical areas. Sections II (...) and III, which form the main body of the work, test this hypothesis. They are empirical in that they use archival evidence and, to a lesser extent, the testimony of many of those concerned to examine the Church of England's attitudes -towards and attempts to affect outcomes in Rhodesial Zimbabwe and South Africa during the 1970's. In Section 1V it is demonstrated that the Church of England does operate as an International Actor, though the form and extent of that action is determined and modified by the factors outlined above. Moreover much of its effort in this respect is directed towards what may loosely be termed 'Establishment'. It is further suggested that though the very fact of its operation depends upon a Transnational paradigm the form of that operation demonstrates the existence of a predominantly Realist view of International Relations amongst those responsible for Church of England foreign policy during the 1970's. (shrink)

Within the organisation of all societies, there are basic contradictions which historically have given rise to certain undesirable structural features. These same contradictions also lie at the root of alienated, ideological forms of consciousness which act as a barrier to the solution of these problems. In chapter one, I will deal with each of these issues in turn, thus introducing Marx's problematic, i. e. the so-called "riddle of history". Chapters two and three contain a discussion of Marx's methodology, which was (...) intended to avoid the pitfalls of ideological forms of consciousness and provide a theoretical framework for coming to terms with the problem. Chapter three in particular provides a syntax and a logical explanation for the terms and forms of argument employed in the rest of the thesis. Marx believes that historical development itself determines the possibility of solving the problems referred to. Chapters four and five, therefore, are an analysis of the processes which govern the development of social structures, i. e. so-called "Historical Materialism". Chapter six is an investigation of the relationship between historical change and forms of consciousness. This sets the stage for an analysis in chapter seven of the nature of capitalism itself and how it gives rise in the consciousness of the working class to a solution, in principle, to the problems identified in chapter one. Finally, chapter eight reviews the factors within the development of capitalism which might make possible the transition to socialism and the implementation of the solution in practice. (shrink)

In this thesis, the political concepts of Nahj al-balāghah, a Shīte source of the eleventh century (fourth century after the Hijrah), is examined. The book contains books materials of political philosophy and evaluation of some political events which occurred in the caliphate of Rāshidūn (632-661 A.D.) especially 'Alī. However, the historical authenticity of the book is not the concern of this thesis and the main concentration is made on the early caliphal government and politics in the book with reference to (...) the Islamic political initiatives of Islam in the prophetic society. The first step in our approach is to create awareness about the difficulties which appear in any attempt that deals with Islam and history. The different approaches of Muslims and non-Muslims to Islam and their different perceptions of religious politics are included in the first part. In addition, several political initiatives of Islam such as political economy, political activism, integration of society and so on are examined in the framework of the Qurān and Sunnah of the Prophet. This explanation enables us to observe the politics and government of the first successors of the Prophet in their ideological context. The second part is devoted to explain the major changes in Islamic politics and government after the Prophet. With this background, in the third part, the political contents of Nahj al-balāghah, or "the peak of eloquence", are analyzed without consideration as to whether 'Alī is its real author. There are some principles of political theory and philosophy, as well as a political account of several events in the book which are the main subjects of analysis of the present thesis. In its politico-theoretical dimension, the value of the world, the theological description of human freedom and responsibility, and the theoretical approach to society and history are explained. In its political capacity, issues such as the need for a government and the extent of toleration in it, the role of people, justice, leadership and its responsibilities are included in the third part. (shrink)

Dialectic has been rejected or dogmatically accepted by many philosophers. The modern history of dialectic began with Kant who, however, regarded it as deceptive. Fichte and Schelling contributed to the formation of the theory of dialectic by developing the concepts such as the absolute, spirit, reason and speculation. Hegel did the further clarification of those concepts by exhibiting their necessary interconnection, which was systematically expounded in Science of Logic. Dialectic in Logic can be grasped with three key concepts: the absolute, (...) contradiction and sublation, and the identity of thought and being. In Logic, through the doctrines of being, essence and the concept, the necessary development of categories is expressed as the selfmovement of the absolute, which culminates in the absolute idea. Logic is for Hegel the exposition of God as the thought which thinks of itself. Therefore the truth of logic is the thought's returning to itself as a full circle of the descriptions of thought itself. Dialectic is the activity of this self-thinking thought. Contradiction immanent in every category, and its sublation, is the generator of all the development of categories. Only through the whole process of logic can the identity of thought and being be known as the truth. However, as the later generations argued, Hegel's interpretations was biased as his emphasis was on the self-identity of thought to itself. Dialectic is to be re-grasped with the emphasis on the self-development of reality. This entails the cognition that the reality enforces the human mind to recognise the dynamism of ever-moving reality that is dialectical. However, dialectic is not to be regarded as the collection of principles, but to be re-conceptualised as the necessary development, and thus the explication, of reality through our thought. Dialectic is this truth as the identity of reality and thought. (shrink)

The aim of this thesis is to examine the role of culture as explanation for variations in support for democracy and authoritarianism in the Middle East. Culture operationalised in terms of religiosity. Islamic culture is measured, here, by subjective and objective Islamic religiosity. Culture has been the most influential factor dominating the literature on problems of democracy in the Middle East. It is the purpose of this work to investigate the extent to which culture is really relevant to the explanation (...) of problems of democracy in the Middle East. This thesis seeks to contribute to knowledge by developing a multicausal theoretical framework in order to examine the propositions of cultural and sociological reductionism regarding the study of democracy and democratization in general and in the Middle East in particular. The proposed framework depends on costbenefit and risk assessment at the individual level linking structural phenomena like socio-economic factors or culture to behaviour. The hypotheses derived from the theoretical framework were tested with original, high quality, representative survey data. These data are cross-cultural / cross-national and the indicators we use have been rigorously tested for validity and reliability to control for culturally specific connotations in survey questions. Also, these data are collected at the individual level and partly compared overtime. This aids us in establishing trends and linking them to a wider set of variables (socio-economic, socio-political, and socio-cultural). When the theoretical framework was tested against the data we uncovered some interesting findings. Monocausal explanations focusing on religion alone are largely refuted. Multivariate analyses, which incorporate all relevant variables in the literature and control for their interactions reveals that cultural variables (Islamic religiosity) are largely irrelevant to the explanation of variations in support for democracy and authoritarianism. (shrink)

This thesis examines the social history of the medieval hospital in Kent by investigating its role and place within provincial society. The method used was an analysis of the hospital's participation in the systems of exchange and reciprocity involved in the spiritual economy to assess its relative importance as a charitable and religious institution. Chapter 1 provided a context for the study, including a chronology of the hospitals in Kent from the Conquest to the Reformation and thematic section on function, (...) organisation, resources and inmates for the same period using evidence from Kent's hospitals. The seventh section of this chapter comprised a summary of the value of the use of the concept of reciprocalexchange and its application to four hospital models over time through an investigation of four types of reciprocal exchange: foundation grants, in vitam grants, testamentary bequests, casual alms. Also explored in brief were the range of participants in the spiritual economy and certain aspects relating to the relationship between various hospitals in Kent and their patrons and benefactors through the use of three chronological sections: early thirteenth century, mid fourteenth century, late medieval period. The last two chapters are case studies of the hospitals in the two Cinq Ports of Sandwich and Dover so providing a detailed, systematic analysis of the roles of the various hospitals there through their involvement and that of others, both inside and outside the town, in reciprocal exchange. From these findings it is suggested that the hospital in Kent was a minor participant in the spiritual economy, but that its role therein was likely to be multifarious, though probably changeable over time. In addition for certain hospitals their political, economic and/or social rules provided them with a degree of relevance for the local townspeople, and at times this was also valid in terms of the region and the nation. (shrink)

Assessments of the impact of automation often emphasize the need to “denaturalize” work. To what extent is denaturalization successful in separating proposals regarding the future of work from existing assumptions about its value? This article will explore this question by reading Bernard Stiegler’s politics of work in the context of his understanding of the family. It will demonstrate that while he denaturalizes work he also naturalizes background assumptions regarding its relationship to social reproductive labor by claiming that the latter is (...) “above and beyond the market.” This gesture reproduces gendered assumptions about the nature of work and fails to provide a critical account of the changing relationship between work, the family, and economic responsibility under neoliberalism. It will be concluded that Stiegler’s conservative approach to the relationship between work and the family shows that avoiding the unwitting naturalization of existing assumptions regarding work is a central problem for post-work critics. (shrink)

A wide variety of 'translocal' forces - diasporic peoples, transnational social movements, global & migratory cities, post-national institutions, information technologies - are challenging the traditional state-centrism of International Relations' political imaginary. Moreover, just as people are translocal, so are their theories. This thesis analyses Islam as a form of 'travelling theory' in the context of the global transformations outlined above. It seeks to understand how globalising processes are manifested as lived experience through a discussion of debates over the meaning of (...) Muslim identity, political community an the emergence of something like a 'critical Islam.' After a critique of state-centric thinking in International Relations, the thesis goes on to suggest that more sophisticated treatments of translocal politics can be found in the literatures of anthropology, postcolonial and cultural studies. A non-essentialist conception of Islam is introduced, followed by a discussion of the conditions under which Muslim discourses on the umma have historically been produced. Three key theoretical tropes - travelling theory, hybridity and diaspora - are then discussed as framing devices for understanding translocal politics. Two case study chapters, one on the politics of Muslim diaspora communities and the other on Muslim uses of communications and information technologies, are presented. The first focuses on debates with Muslim communities as to the nature and meaning of modern Islam, the reformulation of Muslim thought on politics, community and gender and the implications of travelling Islam's return journey to its various original settings. The second case study highlights the changing boundaries of religious knowledge by demonstrating how information technologies have been deployed as a mean by which to contest traditional sources of Islamic authority. In the concluding chapter it is argued that translocal forces are leading to the emergence of a wider Muslim public sphere. Futhermore, the critical discourses enabled by this translocal space amount to a reconceptualisation and reimagining of the umma. (shrink)

Context: Participatory arts-based methods such as photovoice, drama and music have increasingly been used to engage young people who are exposed to psychosocial risks. These methods have the potential to empower youth and provide them with an accessible and welcoming environment to express and manage difficult feelings and experiences. These effects are, however, dependent on the way these methods are implemented and how potential ethical concerns are handled. Objective: Using the current literature on arts-based health research as a foundation, this (...) paper examines ethical issues emerging from participatory arts methods with young people with traumatic experiences. Results: We present a typology covering relevant issues such as power, accessibility, communication, trust and ownership, across the domains of partnership working, project entry, participation and dissemination. Drawing on our extensive clinical and research experiences, existing research and novel in-practice examples, we offer guidance for ethical dilemmas that might arise at different phases of research. Conclusion: Adequate anticipation and consideration of ethical issues, together with the involvement of young people, will help ensure that arts methods are implemented in research and practice with young people in a fair, meaningful and empowering way. Patient or Public Contribution: The issues reviewed are largely based on the authors' experience conducting participatory research. Each of the projects referenced has its own systems for PPI including, variously, consultations with advisory groups, coproduction, youth ambassadors and mentor schemes. One of the coauthors, Josita Kavitha Thirumalai, is a young person trained in peer support and has provided extensive input across all stages. (shrink)

In this chapter we explore the process of extrapolating causal claims from model organisms to humans in pharmacology. We describe and compare four strategies of extrapolation: enumerative induction, comparative process tracing, phylogenetic reasoning, and robustness reasoning. We argue that evidence of mechanisms plays a crucial role in several strategies for extrapolation and in the underlying logic of extrapolation: the more directly a strategy establishes mechanistic similarities between a model and humans, the more reliable the extrapolation. We present case studies from (...) the research on atherosclerosis and the development of statins, that illustrate these strategies and the role of mechanistic evidence in extrapolation. (shrink)

Background: Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for use by teachers in special schools. The Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education – Autism is a newly developed teacher assessment to identify and show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities. Aims: This study aimed to conduct a preliminary validity and reliability evaluation of the ABLE-Autism. Methods and procedures: Forty-eight autistic pupils attending special schools were assessed using the ABLE-Autism. (...) Multi-level modelling was used to evaluate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and convergent validity with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Outcomes and results: Results showed excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency. A large effect size suggested that the ABLE-Autism is strongly correlated with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Teacher feedback was positive and suggested that the ABLE-Autism is easily understood by teachers, relevant to autistic pupils in special schools, and adequately covers the skills and behaviours that teachers believe are important to assess for these pupils. Conclusions and implications: Although further validation is recommended, the preliminary evaluation of the ABLE-Autism suggests that it is a useful and has the potential to be an effective outcome assessment for autistic pupils in special schools. (shrink)

Autistic people and people with an intellectual disability have been actively involved in disability advocacy; however, it is still often parents and professionals who lead organisations speaking on their behalf. Previous studies have found that autistic self-advocates and self-advocates with an intellectual disability have been systematically marginalised in the disability movement. This article appraises how economic factors influence self-advocates’ position within the disability movement, based on qualitative analysis of data collected in two countries, the UK and Hungary. The study found (...) that lack of resources, poverty and unpaid positions at organisations strongly hinder self-advocates’ participation in advocacy/disability rights organisations speaking for them. Findings also suggest that practices of disability organisations may contribute to maintaining these barriers. (shrink)

Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) are frequently reported in the literature as successful interventions to reduce challenging behaviour. However, there has been no comprehensive review of the effectiveness of ABA and PBS within forensic settings. The purpose of this review was to systematically examine and synthesise existing research to investigate the effectiveness of ABA and PBS in forensic settings, and to identify any potential barriers and facilitators associated with implementing PBS. Databases including PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, Medline, CINAHL (...) Plus with Full Text, Criminal Justice Abstracts, were searched. ABA/PBS journals in the field were targeted with ancestry searches conducted to identify relevant articles. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Searches resulted in 29 articles that met the specific inclusion criteria. Findings indicated that behavioural modification techniques and behavioural analysis have been implemented within forensic settings with some degree of success. Although several challenges to the implementation of PBS were highlighted (e.g., barriers to collaborative work, inconsistent practice and a lack of resources). However, current research is limited and generally of poor methodological quality, significantly reducing our ability to understand the effectiveness of ABA and PBS in forensic settings. (shrink)

This thesis details the development of the Tiber bridges of Rome up to the first century BC. It is the first study of the bridges which has applied a new methodology, based on philosophical and spatial theories, to augment the existing literary and archaeological evidence in order to move beyond the study of form and function. It establishes that the bridges spatial development was founded on patterns of movement and access, which over the longue durée resulted in bridges becoming tools (...) of urban development. Through the application of embodied perception and meshwork, this thesis demonstrates how the bridges' materiality was appropriated to create a temporal flow of correspondence which reflected Roman cultural values and was able to bring the past into the physical present. The mutability of Rome's monumental bridges created familiarity of form which became part of the physical and embodied framework of the city for its inhabitants. This thesis redefines the relationship between the bridges and the city of Rome, transforming them from the merely functional into meaningful elements of the socio-cultural life and urban development of Rome. (shrink)

In this thesis, I propose a theoretical framework to understand the process of secularization produced by the revolutions of language and life. Thanks to the linguistic turn it has discovered that knowledge is kept within language. As Agamben explains, the Copernican revolution of language has made us “the first human beings who have become completely conscious of language. For the first time, what preceding generations called God, Being, spirit, unconscious appear to us as what they are: names for language. This (...) is why for us, any philosophy, any religion, or any knowledge that has not become conscious of this turn belongs irrevocably to the past”. Thanks to the vitalist turn, modern thought has found out that human beings are natural beings and, in spite of the peculiarity of their characteristics, their origin is the result of the natural process of evolution. I will maintain that this process of secularization leads to a new theological way of thinking definable as secularized theology. The peculiarity of secularized theology lies in the fact that it finds its ownmost reason of existence in the demonstration of the “death of God” but, the absence of revelation becomes the true revelation. The absence of the theological God reveals a secularized form of God – the God of those who believe of being without God. The name of this new divinity comes from Nietzsche who wrote that he would believe only in a God able to dance: The Dancing God. In La vita. Un’invezione recente, the Italian philosopher Davide Tarizzo argues that before modernity human beings did not exist “in the sense that the question of the humanity of man was not being asked, nor was there any ‘analysis of finitude’ in which ‘man’s being is always maintained, in relation to man himself, in a remoteness and a distance that constitute him”. Modernity becomes the process of secularization whereby the human being no longer measures himself against God, but becomes the measure of himself. The human being himself is the subject and the object of his own inquiry. The linguistic and the vitalist turns are, first and foremost, a reaction to theology. If in theology human being measures himself with respect to God, the disappearance of God makes human being size of himself. What distinguishes and opposes them is the definition of the human being, the unit of measure used to establish the humanity of man. On the one hand, the essence of the human being becomes language, on the other, the nature of the human being starts being biological life. Modernity is the epoch of the Dancing God and language and life are the two opposing doctrines fighting for the orthodoxy. The ultimate reason for this conflict is the definition of the essence or nature of the human being. In order to let emerge the fracture between the linguistic and the vitalist turns, I will address the question of the philosophy of biopolitics. Biopolitics is the discipline aimed at envisioning a politics able to give voice to the nature of the human being. Before proposing a biopolitical account it is therefore necessary to answer the philosophical question concerning the definition of the human being. I will claim that the fracture between the linguistic and the vitalist turn in defining what it means to be human is the source of modern monotheism. Thinking beyond secularized theology ultimately means to challenge the Copernican revolution of language and the Darwinian revolution of life in order to envision a new ontology grounded on a different understating of the human being. In the present work – which represents the pars dentures of this theoretical project – I will demonstrate that the revolution of language and life has to be understood as a form of revelation, more precisely, as the revelation of the lack of revelation. I will enquiry the linguistic and vitalist approach to the philosophy of biopolitics through the analysis of the work of three contemporary Italian philosophers: Giorgio Agamben, Roberto Esposito, and Davide Tarizzo. The decision to focus on Italian biopolitical theory is determined by the conviction that this philosophical approach offers one of the clearest and best-articulated insights into the fracture between life and language. (shrink)

Directions Screening #3: Short films that embody ideas of Utopia and sometimes descend into strange dystopian shadow plays.

The pervasiveness of ayahuasca use in lowland South America, alongside its rising global diaspora spurred by ayahuasca tour-ism, religious movements, and the psychedelic renaissance, makes Gearin and Calavia Sáez’s critical scholarship particularly welcome. The authors’ comparative attention to visualise and individualism across“glocal” contexts of ayahuasca practices, namely, neoshamanic uses in Australia and indigenous practices in Amazonia, is compelling. They invite us to focus on diverging notions of property and personhood to understand ayahuasca visualism as an expression of divergent cultural viewpoints. (...) I concur with their proposal that ayahuasca visions are sites of equivocation whose interpretations are rendered meaningful by particular socialities. They view the Australian neoshamanic individual as a product of the philosophical Enlightenmentwho becomes the center of the ayahuasca experience, interpretation, and outcome, while for“Amazonians,” the centrality of the individual is a product of animistic and perspectival ontologies and is therefore by default fractal and more broadly connected to larger social worlds. (shrink)