A Connectionist account of Spanish determiner production

Copyright SpringerA Connectionist Network that models the production of simple phonologically coded Spanish Noun Phrases is described. The training data uses type/token frequencies taken directly from a Spanish child's linguistic environment. The training set increases in size in a manner which mirrors the increasing complexity of the real linguistic environment. The results show that the model can learn the task and generalise to unseen Noun Phrase combinations. Moreover the generalisation performance is of a similar nature to that of Spanish children

Bioethics and Practical Theology: The Example of Reproductive Medicine

AbstractThis report begins by introducing bioethics, outlining the history and present shape of the field, and making some brief remarks about its methods and approaches. The interactions of theology and religion with bioethics are briefly surveyed, and potential points of contact with practical theology are identified. Next, the ethics of reproductive medicine, in particular in vitro fertilisation (IVF), is used as a specific example of theological reflection on bioethics. The final section identifies some questions arising from this example, which may contribute to a research agenda in bioethics and practical theology.</jats:p

Determinism, Freedom and Sin: Reformed Theological Resources for a Conversation with Neuroscience and Philosophy

This paper engages with one debate in the emerging field of neuroethics. It is sometimes claimed on the strength of neuroscientific research that our actions are causally determined and therefore not truly free, or more modestly that brain structures or processes constrain some choices and actions, raising questions about our moral responsibility for them. I argue that a Reformed account of providence, sin and grace offers an account of causation able to resist hard determinism, reframes concepts of freedom and responsibility, and provides a theological perspective for evaluating medical interventions in brain activity. Thus the paper not only contributes to a neuroethical debate, but also illustrates the capacity of Reformed ethics to respond creatively to novel problems. </jats:p

Bioethics and Practical Theology: The Example of Reproductive Medicine

APPEAL FROM DISMISSAL OF PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS IN THE SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT IN AND FOR WEBER COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH, THE HONORABLE STANTON M. TAYLOR, PRESIDING