A convention or (tacit) agreement betwixt us: on reliance and its normative consequences

The aim of this paper is to clarify what kind of normativity characterizes a convention. First, we argue that conventions have normative consequences because they always involve a form of trust and reliance.We contend that it is by reference to a moral principle impinging on these aspects (i.e. the principle of Reliability) that interpersonal obligations and rights originate from conventional regularities. Second, we argue that the system of mutual expectations presupposed by conventions is a source of agreements. Agreements stemming from conventions are "tacit" in the sense that they are implicated by what agents do (or forbear from doing) and without that any communication between them is necessary. To justify this conclusion, we assume that: (1) there is a salient interpretation, in some contexts, of everyone\u27s silence as confirmatory of the others\u27 expectations (an epistemic assumption), and (2) the participating agents share a value of not being motivated by hostile attitudes (a motivational assumption). By clarifying the relation between conventions and agreements, the peculiar normativity of conventions is analyzed

Robert Boyle and Natural Kinds

This paper studies Robert Boyle's account of kinds and classification. A number of commentators have argued that, for Boyle, classifications are inevitably the product of conventions. Others have challenged this reading, arguing that, according to Boyle, the corpuscular makeup of bodies gives rise to hard-edged natural kinds and classes. We argue that Boyle's position is more complicated than the available realist and conventionalist readings acknowledge. We argue that, according to Boyle, the individuation of kinds was to some degree the result of convention. At the same time, however, Boyle held that our classificatory practices are subject to constraints. We identify some of these constraints by turning to Boyle's discussion of the late scholastic debate about the plurality of forms, in particular the contributions of Jacopo Zabarella and Daniel Sennert. In this way, we clarify how Boyle strikes a balance between realist and conventionalist elements in his treatment of kinds

Hume's Counterpoint: A Chapter on Property

This is a draft of chapter three of the book "On Custom in the Economy" by Ekkehart Schlicht that has been published in 1998 by the Clarendon Press, Oxford and is now available in paperback from Oxford University Pess (ISBN: 9780198823469). The chapter focusses on the behavioral foundations of property formation

A survey on the nature, reasons for compliance and emergence of social norms

The aim of the paper is to offer a critical review of some of the most important contributions on the subject of social norms. The analysis will hinge upon a fundamental distinction between self-regarding and other-regarding reasons to action, which are supposed to represent two basic types of motivations making up the individual system of rational deliberation. Such a dichotomy will make it possible to divide the account of rules of behaviour in three categories, depending on the weight accorded to one rather than the other reason to action. The narrower concept is given by what will be called strictly-conceived convention, which coincides with Lewis's classical account of a convention. In this case, it is the self-regarding motive that actually provides an underpinning of such a regularity of behaviour, making it possible to build a system of convergent mutual expectations. The next category, that of broadly-conceived conventions are based on Sugden's earliest works on the subject; in this case, the self-regarding motive is still the crucial one, but conventions are not necessarily mutually beneficial, thus coming down to a standard Nash equilibrium, or evolutionary stable strategy, notion. Finally, with the final category of norms a decisive shift out of the self-interested justification is accomplished. In fact, these regularities are grounded on some forms of other-regarding behaviour, as Sudgen's model of normative expectations sets out clearly. The cognitive structure needed in order to generate such type of expectations leading to norms is then critically examined, reaching the conclusion that the account of norms provided in the received theory does not prove thoroughly satisfactory. Particularly, the notion of "empirical" expectation, as opposed to that of "causal" expectation, is deemed as the relevant one in order to build a system of mutual expectation in the case of norms; however, this concept does not help to explain how a norm comes out as an equilibrium of the social interaction, thus making the whole explanation arguably circular. We finally argue for the importance to ground the concept of norm on the dynamic evolution of expectations.

Hume’s theory of justice and Vanderschraaf’s Vulnerablity Objection

In ‘Strategic Justice’, Vanderschraaf argues that many existing theories of justice as mutual advantage, including Hume’s, are not ‘proper accounts of justice’ because they deny the benefits of justice to people who are unable to contribute to the cooperative surplus. Vanderschraaf presents a model in which a practice of giving aid to vulnerable people can be a convention, and argues that this exemplifies justice as mutual advantage. I argue that this convention is not mutually advantageous. According to Hume’s theory, it creates moral obligations of humanity but not of justice

“The Harsh Reality of Being a Woman” : First Bra Experiences

The first bra purchase, which implies the first bra wearing or at least the first bra specifically purchased for the young woman, introduces two phases beyond the demarcation of girl as woman: a lifetime of wearing bras and a lifetime of shopping for bras. In an effort to explore some of the consequences of using the term “rites of passage” in contemporary contexts, this article sets out to identify the elements common to the “rite” of the first bra purchase. It is an activity more or less inevitable in North American women’s culture; it is a commercial transaction, and thus can be affected by socioeconomic class status; and it is inherently associated with the transformations of puberty, both physiological and social (in van Gennep’s sense). Finally, although it is distinct from adolescent sexuality, it is nevertheless virtually inextricable therefrom and thus a gendered activity, one from which the male fieldworker is excluded for reasons that extend far beyond mere impropriety.L’achat du premier soutien-gorge, qui implique le port du premier soutien-gorge ou du moins le premier soutien-gorge acheté spécifiquement pour une jeune femme, introduit deux phases allant au-delà de l’idée de la fille se démarquant en tant que femme : une vie entière à porter des soutiens-gorges et une vie entière à en acheter. Afin d’explorer quelques-unes des conséquences qu’implique le fait d’utiliser l’expression « rites de passage » dans des contextes contemporains, cet article cherche à identifier les éléments relevant du « rite » dans l’achat du premier soutien-gorge. Il s’agit d’une activité plus ou moins inévitable dans la culture féminine nord-américaine ; c’est une transaction commerciale, qui peut donc être soumise à des questions de statut socio-économique ; et elle est inhérente aux transformations de la puberté, tant physiologique que sociale (au sens que lui donne van Gennep). Enfin, bien qu’elle soit distincte de la sexualité adolescente, elle en est néanmoins virtuellement indissociable et reste donc une activité sexuée, de celles dont le chercheur de terrain de sexe masculin est exclu, pour des raisons qui vont bien au-delà de la simple indécence

Presidential Exit

The biggest problem that we\u27re facing right now has to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all, and that\u27s what I intend to reverse when I\u27m president of the United States of America. Why is @BarackObama constantly issuing executive orders that are major power grabs of authority? President Trump signed the 30th executive order of his presidency on Friday, capping off a whirlwind period that produced more orders in his first 100 days than for any president since Harry Truman. The rash of executive orders underlines Trump\u27s focus on reversing as much of the Obama administration\u27s policy agenda as he can

Physicians Among Us: The Lived Experience of Unlicensed Foreign Born and Educated Physicians Present in the US as they Retrain for Non-Physician Primary Care Roles.

There are as many as 65,000 unlicensed foreign born and trained doctors across the United States who are credentialed in their home countries but unable to practice in the U.S. The primary goal of this study was to describe and understand an understudied human experience: the lived experience of unlicensed foreign educated physicians who are present in the U.S. as they retrain for non-physician primary care roles. The theoretical frameworks undergirding the study are Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (TL), also referred to as Perspective Transformation as well as the complimentary perspectives of Otherness and Liminality theories. Seven FEPs were purposively sampled and chosen for this study. A ten-questionnaire instrument was developed. While site selection was an important consideration during the initial iteration of the methodology, due to disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews were conducted using ZOOM video conferencing technology. Participants were interviewed using the semi-structured interview protocol. Data were collected via 45-70 minute one-on-one interviews. A coding table consisting of five columns was designed for use in this study. The column headings included the participants’ pseudonym, direct quotes, units of meaning, deductive quotes, and notes. A separate table was used for each participant. As units of meaning emerged from the direct quotes, they were coded and organized by topic. From the topics, three main themes were generated (a) Migratory Patterns of FEPs (b) Beliefs about Obstacles and Challenges, and (c) Beliefs about Reclaiming the Self. The data were inductively and deductively thematically analyzed. Validity and Reliability were promoted by use of a) Member Checking, b) use of Rich, Thick Description, c) Theoretical Triangulation, and d) Clarifying Bias (bracketing & reflectivity). Results revealed that FEPs all experienced, though to varying degrees, all ten phases of Transformative Learning. Participants also, without exception experienced feelings of ambiguity, translocal identity, and self-doubt, particularly during the BSN phase of the BSN to MSN program. These feelings were all characteristic of Transformative, Othered and Liminal experiences. Findings also revealed that participants experienced a reclamation of the self, having endured the threshold, liminal, and othered encounters. Both Theory and Practice may be enriched through this research, as TL, Otherness and Liminality theories have not been extended to undergirding research around unlicensed FEPs. Future research is warranted as there are significant gaps in the formulation of a comprehensive body of knowledge around the phenomenon