Perceiving and Knowing as Activities

According to the tradition of most empiricists, perception is the basis for all our knowledge (at least of the world). The tradition also assumes that perception by humans is a passive activity resulting in some static states pertaining perception and belief, which are then, in some versions, modified by the mind before being passed onto memory and knowledge. Following the work of J. J. Gibson, we argue that perceiving involves many activities and actions. This is true of both visual as well as olfactory-taste perception. The main moral of this paper is that perceiving and knowing are best thought of not as involving static states, but rather as ongoing temporal activities involving change. This presumably means giving up a frozen ontology of states and moving towards something like a dynamic ontology as a basis

AMERICAN MUSLIM UNDERGRADUATES’ VIEWS ON EVOLUTION

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Education, 2016A qualitative investigation into American Muslim undergraduates' views on evolution revealed three main positions on evolution: theistic evolution, a belief in special creation of all species, and a belief in special creation of humans with evolution for all non-human species. One can conceive of the manner in which respondents chose their respective positions on evolution as a means of reconciling their religious beliefs with scientific evidence in support of current evolutionary theory. Of 19 theistic evolutionists, 18 affirmed that revelation is a source of knowledge. 74% were convinced by the scientific evidence that evolution happens and did not see evidence in the Quran that contradicts this. 37% state that it is consistent with God’s attributes that He would have created organisms to evolve. That seeking knowledge in Islam is important was mentioned by 21%. All 19 participants with a belief in special creation of humans affirmed the idea that revelation is a source of knowledge and considered scientific evidence a source of knowledge as well. Their positions on evolution can be seen as a means of reconciling their religious beliefs with scientific evidence. They found scientific evidence convincing for all non-human species. They thought that humans could not have evolved because the creation of humans is treated with more detail in the Quran than is the creation of other species. Most accepted microevolution, but not macroevolution for humans. Those with a belief in the special creation of all species found the evidence in the Quran and hadith more convincing than scientific evidence. They interpreted the Quran and hadith as indicating special creation of all species. They accommodated scientific evidence by accepting microevolution for all species. Because most respondents accepted microevolution for all species, teaching microevolution before macroevolution might be beneficial for Muslim students. Teachers helped some students navigate the relationship between science and religion to allow them to accept evolution without negating their religious beliefs. Providing role models who reconcile science and religion, Muslim evolutionary biologists, and examples of Muslim scientists from history can help accommodate acceptance of evolution by Muslims

Judaic Logic: A Formal Analysis of Biblical, Talmudic and Rabbinic Logic

Judaic Logic is an original inquiry into the forms of thought determining Jewish law and belief, from the impartial perspective of a logician. Judaic Logic attempts to honestly estimate the extent to which the logic employed within Judaism fits into the general norms, and whether it has any contributions to make to them. The author ranges far and wide in Jewish lore, finding clear evidence of both inductive and deductive reasoning in the Torah and other books of the Bible, and analyzing the methodology of the Talmud and other Rabbinic literature by means of formal tools which make possible its objective evaluation with reference to scientific logic. The result is a highly innovative work – incisive and open, free of clichés or manipulation. Judaic Logic succeeds in translating vague and confusing interpretative principles and examples into formulas with the clarity and precision of Aristotelean syllogism. Among the positive outcomes, for logic in general, are a thorough listing, analysis and validation of the various forms of a-fortiori argument, as well as a clarification of dialectic logic. However, on the negative side, this demystification of Talmudic/Rabbinic modes of thought (hermeneutic and heuristic) reveals most of them to be, contrary to the boasts of orthodox commentators, far from deductive and certain. They are often, legitimately enough, inductive. But they are also often unnatural and arbitrary constructs, supported by unverifiable claims and fallacious techniques. Many other thought-processes, used but not noticed or discussed by the Rabbis, are identified in this treatise, and subjected to logical review. Various more or less explicit Rabbinic doctrines, which have logical significance, are also examined in it. In particular, this work includes a formal study of the ethical logic (deontology) found in Jewish law, to elicit both its universal aspects and its peculiarities. With regard to Biblical studies, one notable finding is an explicit formulation (which, however, the Rabbis failed to take note of and stress) of the principles of adduction in the Torah, written long before the acknowledgement of these principles in Western philosophy and their assimilation in a developed theory of knowledge. Another surprise is that, in contrast to Midrashic claims, the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) contains a lot more than ten instances of qal vachomer (a-fortiori) reasoning. In sum, Judaic Logic elucidates and evaluates the epistemological assumptions which have generated the Halakhah (Jewish religious jurisprudence) and allied doctrines. Traditional justifications, or rationalizations, concerning Judaic law and belief, are carefully dissected and weighed at the level of logical process and structure, without concern for content. This foundational approach, devoid of any critical or supportive bias, clears the way for a timely reassessment of orthodox Judaism (and incidentally, other religious systems, by means of analogies or contrasts). Judaic Logic ought, therefore, to be read by all Halakhists, as well as Bible and Talmud scholars and students; and also by everyone interested in the theory, practise and history of logic

Technology as a Medium for Applying Constructivist Teaching Methods and Inspiring Kids

AbstractConstructivist teaching is based on constructivist learning theory. This theoretical framework is based on the belief that learning occurs through what a student already knows; this prior knowledge is called a schema. Because all learning should pass through the filter of the pre-existing schemata, constructivists suggest that learning is best accomplished when a student gets actively engaged in the learning process rather than attempting to receive knowledge passively with the teacher avoiding most direct instruction and attempting to lead the student through questions and activities to discover, discuss, appreciate and verbalize the new knowledge (Richards et.al., 2001).Technology is increasingly gaining attention of those who are obsessed with improving teaching and learning. In this research attempts has been made to describe and analyze elementary teachers’ perceptions of using technology as a means for implementing classroom constructivist activities. Doing this, private schools were chosen were every classroom was equipped with a PC for the teacher as well as students. The PCs were networked so that all students could interact with the teacher and other students independently or as a group. Data was gathered through questionnaires from both teachers and students. Findings of the study show that teachers intend to look at the technology provided as an effective tools for developing constructivist practices and for gaining students’ interest. Students are given free rein to be in charge of learning experiences. This method initiates an active and positive learning environment that is technology based, including teamwork while maintaining independence where necessary, which is safe and avoids the anti-motivation effects of being judged. The results show that teachers reported an increase of test scores

Bridging the Gap Between Orthodoxy and Orthopathy in the Life of The Reformed Pastor

What if Reformed pastors cared about every aspect of their humanity with the same passion they care about their doctrine? When we think about the health of the reformed pastor, we tend to think mainly in terms of our orthodoxy. From 2018-2022 I have witnessed the most orthodox of pastors fall into marital unfaithfulness, resign due to relational conflict, and suffer from burnout. All of this within the state of Utah, where there are only 7 PCA churches. Therefore, there is a need to bridge the gap between Reformed Theology and the emotional, spiritual, and relational health in pastors of the Presbyterian Church in America in the state of Utah. The imbalance of the emphasis on doctrine stems from a misunderstanding of John Calvin’s famous statement on the knowledge of God and knowledge of self. Most see this knowledge as intellectual and doctrinal. Calvin, however, cared more about the emotional life of Christians than is often thought. He saw emotions as a vital part of what it means to be made in the image of God; not simply intellect and correct theology. This insight is important for PCA pastors in Utah because being a healthy pastor in our denomination emphasizes orthodoxy; orthopathy is suspect. Belief is most important and little attention is given to other aspects of their humanity. My role is to help them put on their own “oxygen masks” so they can be of help to others. I am not asking them to de-emphasize their doctrine; I am asking them to put a greater emphasis on the other important aspects of their humanity. The project I have created is a three-day retreat that gives pastors the time and space to get away from the routines of pastoral ministry, and to focus on their emotional, spiritual, and relational well-being

Perspectives, Questions, and Epistemic Value

Many epistemologists endorse true-belief monism, the thesis that only true beliefs are of fundamental epistemic value. However, this view faces formidable counterexamples. In response to these challenges, we alter the letter, but not the spirit, of true-belief monism. We dub the resulting view “inquisitive truth monism”, which holds that only true answers to relevant questions are of fundamental epistemic value. Which questions are relevant is a function of an inquirer’s perspective, which is characterized by his/her interests, social role, and background assumptions. Using examples of several different scientific practices, we argue that inquisitive truth monism outperforms true-belief monism

Scientific Progress, Understanding, and Knowledge: Reply to Park

Dellsén has recently argued for an understanding-based account of scientific progress, the noetic account, according to which science makes cognitive progress precisely when it increases our understanding of some aspect of the world. I contrast this account with Bird’s ; epistemic account, according to which such progress is made precisely when our knowledge of the world is increased or accumulated. In a recent paper, Park criticizes various aspects of my account and his arguments in favor of the noetic account as against Bird’s epistemic account. This paper responds to Park’s objections. An important upshot of the paper is that we should distinguish between episodes that constitute and promote scientific progress, and evaluate account of scientific progress in terms of how they classify different episodes with respect to these categories

Is Justification Necessary for Knowledge?

Justification has long been considered a necessary condition for knowledge, and theories that deny the necessity of justification have been dismissed as nonstarters. In this chapter, we challenge this long-standing view by showing that many of the arguments offered in support of it fall short and by providing empirical evidence that individuals are often willing to attribute knowledge when epistemic justification is lacking