Philosophical Intuitions

What exactly is a philosophical intuition? And what makes such an intuition reliable, when it is reliable? This paper provides a terminological framework that is able answer to the first question, and then puts the framework to work developing an answer to the second question. More specifically, the paper argues that we can distinguish between two different "evidential roles" which intuitions can occupy: under certain conditions they can provide information about the representational structure of an intuitor's concept, and under different conditions, they can provide information about whether or not a property is instantiated. The paper describes two principles intended to capture the difference between the two sets of conditions---that is, the paper offers a principle that explains when an intuition will be a reliable source of evidence about the representation structure of an intuitor's concept, and another principle that explains when an intuition will be a reliable source of evidence about whether or not a property is instantiated. The paper concludes by briefly arguing that, insofar as philosophers are interested using intuitions to determine whether or not some philosophically interesting property is instantiated by some scenario (for instance, whether knowledge is instantiated in a Gettier-case), the reliability of the intuition in question does not depend on whether or not the intuition is widely shared

Studies of the Lysogenic Response as a Function of Multiplicity of Infection of Lambdoid Bacteriophages

The lambdoid bacteriophages λimmλ, λimm434 and λcI are ideal subjects for the study of gene product interactions at the molecular level due to their closely related genetic makeup. Previous work in this laboratory has indicated the possibility that phage λimm is sensitive to phage λimm434cI gene product and that phage λimm434 is sensitive to phage λimmλcI gene product. The purpose of this research was to determine if the frequency of lysogeny for phage λimmλ is affected by the multiplicity of coinfection with the λimm434 phage. By comparing the graph of the frequency of lysogeny versus multiplicity of infection for λimmλ alone with the graph of the frequency of lysogeny versus multiplicity of infection for λimmλ coinfected with λimm434 it is possible to determine whether the lysogenic response of λimmλ utilizes the cI gene product of phage λimm434. The results of this study demonstrate clearly that λimm434 has no multiplicity of infection - dependent effect upon the ability of λimmλ to enter the lysogenic state. The combined results of the present study and previous work in this laboratory suggest that although the cI gene of one phage does appear to influence the reproduction of the other, the effect does not involve the primary function of cI, that is, initiation of lysogeny. This suggests that the cI gene could possibly have other functions besides producing repressor protein

Studies of the Lysogenic Response as a Function of Multiplicity of Infection of Lambdoid Bacteriophages

The lambdoid bacteriophages λimmλ, λimm434 and λcI are ideal subjects for the study of gene product interactions at the molecular level due to their closely related genetic makeup. Previous work in this laboratory has indicated the possibility that phage λimm is sensitive to phage λimm434cI gene product and that phage λimm434 is sensitive to phage λimmλcI gene product. The purpose of this research was to determine if the frequency of lysogeny for phage λimmλ is affected by the multiplicity of coinfection with the λimm434 phage. By comparing the graph of the frequency of lysogeny versus multiplicity of infection for λimmλ alone with the graph of the frequency of lysogeny versus multiplicity of infection for λimmλ coinfected with λimm434 it is possible to determine whether the lysogenic response of λimmλ utilizes the cI gene product of phage λimm434. The results of this study demonstrate clearly that λimm434 has no multiplicity of infection - dependent effect upon the ability of λimmλ to enter the lysogenic state. The combined results of the present study and previous work in this laboratory suggest that although the cI gene of one phage does appear to influence the reproduction of the other, the effect does not involve the primary function of cI, that is, initiation of lysogeny. This suggests that the cI gene could possibly have other functions besides producing repressor protein

The Psychology And Epistemology Of (Mostly Moral) Intuitions

This dissertation is composed of four stand-alone papers, organized here as four chapters. The first chapter gives a philosophical account of the nature of intuitive judgments. It proposes a conceptual framework that captures what are hopefully the essential properties of intuitions, and offers a description of the conditions under which intuitions will be reliable. The second chapter considers and rejects a recently popular theory in moral psychology, the linguistic analogy. According to this theory, human moral cognition is importantly similar to linguistic cognition, just so long as the later is understood using the theory of universal generative grammar that is currently fashionable in contemporary linguistics. The third chapter considers and rejects another recently popular theory in moral psychology. This theory, called the social intuitionist model of moral judgment, holds that moral reasoning does not function to promote moral truth. Rather, the proper function of moral reasoning is to create patterns of agreement in both people's moral intuitions and any attendant moral sentiments. Finally, the last chapter of this dissertation argues against the currently established view that moral intuitions ought to occupy an epistemically privileged role in moral inquiry. It uses Frank Jackson's moral epistemology as a stalking horse, and in contrast to some elements of his epistemology, the chapter outlines a view of reflective equilibrium that explains how more sources of moral insight than just moral intuitions can play an evidential role in moral inquiry

Protocol for a systematic scoping review of reasons given to justify the performance of randomised controlled trials.

IntroductionRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) are widely viewed to generate the most reliable medical knowledge. However, RCTs are not always scientifically necessary and therefore not always ethical. Unfortunately, it is not clear when an RCT is not necessary or how this should be established. This study seeks to systematically catalogue justifications offered throughout the medical and ethics literature for performing randomisation within clinical trials.Methods and analysisWe will systematically search electronic databases of the medical literature including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Clinical Trials Register, Web of Science Proceedings, ClinicalTrials.gov; databases of philosophical literature including Philosopher's Index, Phil Papers, JSTOR, Periodicals Archive Online, Project MUSE, National Reference Centre for Bioethics; the library catalogue at the University of Ottawa; bibliographies of retrieved papers; and the grey literature. We will also pursue suggestions from experts in the fields of medical ethics, philosophy and clinical trial methodology. Article screening, selection and data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers based on prespecified inclusion/exclusion criteria. A third reviewer will be consulted to resolve any discrepancies. We will then extract the reasons given to justify randomisation using methodology established to extract data in a defensible, systematic manner. We will track the reasons given, their frequency of use and changes over time. Finally, using grounded theory, we will combine the reasons into broader themes. These themes will form the foundation of our subsequent analysis from qualitative and quantitative perspectives. This review will map existing arguments that clinicians, ethicists and philosophers use to ethically justify randomisation in clinical trials.Ethics and disseminationNo research ethics board approval is necessary because we are not examining patient-level data. This protocol complies with the reported guidance for conducting systematic scoping reviews. The findings of this paper will be disseminated via presentations and academic publication. In a subsequent phase of this research, we hope to engage with stakeholders and translate any recommendations derived from our findings into operational guidelines

Advance consent in acute stroke trials: survey of Canadian Research Ethics Board chairs

dvance consent could allow individuals at high risk of stroke to provide consent before they might become eligible for enrollment in acute stroke trials. This survey explores the acceptability of this novel technique to Canadian Research Ethics Board (REB) chairs that review acute stroke trials. Responses from 15 REB chairs showed that majority of respondents expressed comfort approving studies that adopt advance consent. There was no clear preference for advance consent over deferral of consent, although respondents expressed significant concern with broad rather than trial-specific advance consent. These findings shed light on the acceptability of advance consent to Canadian ethics regulators

Creativity as Potentially Valuable Improbable Constructions

We argue that creative ideas are potentially valuable improbable constructions. We arrive at this formulation of creativity after considering several problems that arise for the theories that suggest that creativity is novelty, originality, or usefulness. Our theory avoids these problems. But since we also derive our theory of creativity from the scientific commitments of a more general theory of cognitive development, a theory called rational constructivism, our theory is unique insofar as it explains creativity in both adults and children through reference to a set of computational mechanisms that have been posited on the basis of independently plausible experimental research