148,142 research outputs found
Freedom and Equality: Beyond Egalitarianism and Anti-Egalitarianism
Philosophy, as we know, is an abstract expression of worries, sentiments and longings that move people and societies. Philosophical debates are often innovative, but sometimes we have reason to ask ourselves why they develop at all and what general social trends they follow. An example of such a philosophical discussion-one that seems bewildering to many-is the current dispute between egalitarians and anti-egalitarians which has also reached German-speaking countries and which divides philosophers into opposing camps.
Given feminist arguments against egalitarianism that seem initially to have the potential to erode the social responsibilities of societies, the debate must seem especially strange to those feminist philosophers who have considered the European welfare state as a reasonable normative standard. The political shifts of the last decade, especially the change in former communist countries and the globalization of markets, provide the general social background for these challenges to egalitarian thinking.
Yet a look at these causal factors does not answer compelling questions such as, Are the normative demands of a strict egalitarianism really binding? Are these demands morally compelling? Are the arguments with which we justify people's acess to certain social and economic goods in fact egalitarian? Do we have to base an acceptable conception of society and its fundamental institutions on the ideal of equality at all?
In this talk I shall not address in detail the debate between egalitarians and anti-egalitarians. Instead I shall argue for an autonomy-based political theory that defines a specific structure among basic political values like universal respect, freedom, and equality. My claim is that such a theory integrates the value of equality in a form that allows us to leave behind the dispute between egalitarianism and anti-egalitarianism. Finally I shall try to show that an autonomy-oriented political theory is attractive from a feminist point of view
Autonomous clustering using rough set theory
This paper proposes a clustering technique that minimises the need for subjective
human intervention and is based on elements of rough set theory. The proposed algorithm is
unified in its approach to clustering and makes use of both local and global data properties to
obtain clustering solutions. It handles single-type and mixed attribute data sets with ease and
results from three data sets of single and mixed attribute types are used to illustrate the
technique and establish its efficiency
Semantics and the Computational Paradigm in Cognitive Psychology
There is a prevalent notion among cognitive scientists and philosophers of mind that computers are merely formal symbol manipulators, performing the actions they do solely on the basis of the syntactic properties of the symbols they manipulate. This view of computers has allowed some philosophers to divorce semantics from computational explanations. Semantic content, then, becomes something one adds to computational explanations to get psychological explanations. Other philosophers, such as Stephen Stich, have taken a stronger view, advocating doing away with semantics entirely. This paper argues that a correct account of computation requires us to attribute content to computational processes in order to explain which functions are being computed. This entails that computational psychology must countenance mental representations. Since anti-semantic positions are incompatible with computational psychology thus construed, they ought to be rejected. Lastly, I argue that in an important sense, computers are not formal symbol manipulators
Should I stay or should I go? Exploring the job preferences of allied health professionals working with people with disability in rural Australia
Introduction: The uneven distribution of allied health professionals (AHPs) in rural and remote Australia and other countries is well documented. In Australia, like elsewhere, service delivery to rural and remote communities is complicated because relatively small numbers of clients are dispersed over large geographic areas. This uneven distribution of AHPs impacts significantly on the provision of services particularly in areas of special need such as mental health, aged care and disability services.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the relative importance that AHPs (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and psychologists â âtherapistsâ) living in a rural area of Australia and working with people with disability, place on different job characteristics and how these may affect their retention.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to AHPs working with people with disability in a rural area of Australia over a 3-month period. Information was sought about various aspects of the AHPsâ current job, and their workforce preferences were explored using a bestâworst scaling discrete choice experiment (BWSDCE). Conditional logistic and latent class regression models were used to determine AHPsâ relative preferences for six different job attributes.
Results: One hundred ninety-nine AHPs completed the survey; response rate was 51 %. Of those, 165 completed the BWSDCE task. For this group of AHPs, âhigh autonomy of practiceâ is the most valued attribute level, followed by âtravel BWSDCE arrangements: one or less nights away per monthâ, âtravel arrangements: two or three nights away per monthâ and âadequate access to professional developmentâ. On the other hand, the least valued attribute levels were âtravel arrangements: four or more nights per monthâ, âlimited autonomy of practiceâ and âminimal access to professional developmentâ. Except for âsome job flexibilityâ, all other attributes had a statistical influence on AHPsâ job preference. Preferences differed according to age, marital status and having dependent children.
Conclusions: This study allowed the identification of factors that contribute to AHPsâ employment decisions about staying and working in a rural area. This information can improve job designs in rural areas to increase retention
Professionalism and the Millbank Tendency: The Political Sociology of New Labour's employees
This article analyses party employees, one of the most under-researched subjects in the study of British political parties. We draw on a blend of quantitative and qualitative data in order to shed light on the social and political profiles of Labour Party staff, and on the question of their professionalisation. The latter theme is developed through a model derived from the sociology of professions. While a relatively limited proportion of party employees conform to the pure ideal-type of professionalism, a considerably greater number manifest enough of the core characteristics of specialisation, commitment, mobility, autonomy and self-regulation to be reasonably described as 'professionals in pursuit of political outcomes'
Supporting decision making process with "Ideal" software agents: what do business executives want?
According to Simonâs (1977) decision making theory, intelligence is the first and most important phase in the decision making process. With the escalation of information resources available to business executives, it is becoming imperative to explore the potential and challenges of using agent-based systems to support the intelligence phase of decision-making. This research examines UK executivesâ perceptions of using agent-based support systems and the criteria for design and development of their âidealâ intelligent software agents. The study adopted an inductive approach using focus groups to generate a preliminary set of design criteria of âidealâ agents. It then followed a deductive approach using semi-structured interviews to validate and enhance the criteria. This qualitative research has generated unique insights into executivesâ perceptions of the design and use of agent-based support systems. The systematic content analysis of qualitative data led to the proposal and validation of design criteria at three levels. The findings revealed the most desirable criteria for agent based support systems from the end usersâ point view. The design criteria can be used not only to guide intelligent agent system design but also system evaluation
Animals as reflexive thinkers: The aponoian paradigm
The ability to engage in reflexive thoughtâin thought about thought or about other mental states more generallyâis regarded as a complex intellectual achievement that is beyond the capacities of most nonhuman animals. To the extent that reflexive thought capacities are believed necessary for the possession of many other psychological states or capacities, including consciousness, belief, emotion, and empathy, the inability of animals to engage in reflexive thought calls into question their other psychological abilities. This chapter attacks the idea that reflexive thought is required in this pervasive way and holds that supposing that it is derives from a tendency among philosophers and scientists toward overcomplication. Against this tendency, it recommends an aponoian framework, from apĂł, âaway fromâ and noĂ»s, âintelligenceâ or âthought,â arguing that seemingly complex psychological abilities are often not as complex as they seem, and do not require the ability to engage in reflexive thought
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