The Influence of Darwinism on Philosophy

That the publication of the Origin of Species marked an epoch in the development of the natural sciences is well known to the layman. That the combination of the very words origin and species embodied an intellectual revolt and introduced a new intellectual temper is easily overlooked by the expert. The conceptions that had reigned in the philosophy of nature and knowledge for two thousand years, the conceptions that had become the familiar furniture of the mind, rested on the assumption of the superiority of the fixed and final; they rested upon treating change and origin as signs of defect and unreality. In laying hands upon the sacred ark of absolute permanency, in treating the forms that had been regarded as types of fixity and perfection as originating and passing away, the Origin of Species introduced a mode of thinking that in the end was bound to transform the logic of knowledge, and hence the treatment of morals, politics, and religion.That the publication of the Origin of Species marked an epoch in the development of the natural sciences is well known to the layman. That the combination of the very words origin and species embodied an intellectual revolt and introduced a new intellectual temper is easily overlooked by the expert. The conceptions that had reigned in the philosophy of nature and knowledge for two thousand years, the conceptions that had become the familiar furniture of the mind, rested on the assumption of the superiority of the fixed and final; they rested upon treating change and origin as signs of defect and unreality. In laying hands upon the sacred ark of absolute permanency, in treating the forms that had been regarded as types of fixity and perfection as originating and passing away, the Origin of Species introduced a mode of thinking that in the end was bound to transform the logic of knowledge, and hence the treatment of morals, politics, and religion

Report of the Curriculum Conference Held at Rollins College, January 19-24, 1931

In January 1931, Rollins hosted a Curriculum Conference, with the distinguished educator John Dewey as chairman. Leading educators gathered to discuss a number of matters, including core curricula, general education and purpose of a bachelor’s degree as a whole. The resulting recommendations–which emphasized Individualization in Education –were implemented by Rollins in the fall of 1931. So provocative were these innovations that Sinclair Lewis, in his Stockholm address accepting the Nobel Prize in literature, listed Rollins as one of only four colleges in the United States doing the most to encourage creative work in contemporary literature.https://scholarship.rollins.edu/archv_books/1012/thumbnail.jp

Curriculum Conference Proceedings: Volume III

On January 19-24, 1931, Rollins hosted a Curriculum Conference with the distinguished educator John Dewey as chairman. Leading educators gathered to discuss a number of matters, including core curricula, general education, and the purpose of a bachelor’s degree as a whole. This is Volume 3 of 3 of the Curriculum Conference transcript.https://scholarship.rollins.edu/archv_books/1020/thumbnail.jp

Curriculum Conference Proceedings: Volume II

On January 19-24, 1931, Rollins hosted a Curriculum Conference with the distinguished educator John Dewey as chairman. Leading educators gathered to discuss a number of matters, including core curricula, general education, and the purpose of a bachelor’s degree as a whole. This is Volume 2 of 3 of the Curriculum Conference transcript.https://scholarship.rollins.edu/archv_books/1019/thumbnail.jp

Effect of a quality improvement programme on leadership, innovation and use of quality improvement methods in general practice

Introduction Market mechanisms and pay-for-performance have failed to deliver continuing improvements in UK clinical care. Leadership and innovation are currently seen as essential to maintain and improve clinical quality but little is known about the relationship between these and the extent to which quality improvement (QI) methods are used in general practice. This study aimed to investigate the effect of quality improvement training on leadership behaviour, culture of innovation and adoption of QI methods in general practice. Method Self-administered postal questionnaires were sent to general practitioner quality leads in one UK county at the beginning (2007) and the end (2010) of a QI programme. The questionnaire consisted of background demographic information, a 12-item scale to assess leadership behaviour, a seven-dimension self-rating scale for innovation culture and questions on current use of quality improvement techniques and the effect of this on practice. We analysed change between the two surveys and the effect of participation in QI training. Results Sixty-three completed questionnaires (62%) were returned in 2007 and 47 (46%) in 2010; 32 practices completed both surveys. Although leadership behaviours were not commonly expressed, many practices reported a positive culture of innovation with significant positive correlation between leadership and innovation (r = 0.57; P < 0.001); apart from clinical audit and significant event analysis, QI methods were not reported as having been adopted by most participating practices. Percentage leadership score changed little over three years (increase 4.0 points, 95%CI -8.9 to 16.9) with little difference between participating and non-participating practices (7.6, -6.4 to 21.6) and no evidence of differential change (-1.5, -17.0 to 14.0). Percentage innovation culture scores showed a similar pattern (time -4.1 points, -15.1 to 6.9, group -1.6, -12.7 to 9.4, differential change 5.3, -7.8 to 18.5). Conclusions Leadership behaviours were infrequently reported, and despite describing a culture of innovation there was low uptake of QI methods beyond clinical and significant event audit even after practices participated in a QI programme. There is evidence that practices may need greater support to enhance leadership competences and develop quality improvement skills to stimulate innovation if improvements in health care are to accelerate