Rules of Engagement: Architecture Theory and the Social Sciences in Frank Duffy’s 1974 Thesis on Office Planning

This paper addresses the broad shift that took place in architectural theory and education in the 70s, where models of the discipline asserting the autonomy of architecture eclipsed models privileging architecture’s ties to other disciplines, particularly technology and the social sciences. With Frank Duffy's Princeton thesis on open office planning (1974) as a focus, the paper explores the theoretical and institutional contexts of this shift and offers a critical reappraisal in light of contemporary issues facing architecture.architectural theory, office space, planning, architectural education

James’s Epistemology and the Will to Believe

William James’s paper “The Will to Believe” defends some distinctive and controversial views about the normative standards that should be adopted when we are reflecting upon what we should believe. He holds that, in certain special kinds of cases, it is rational to believe propositions even if we have little or no evidence to support our beliefs. And, in such cases, he holds that our beliefs can be determined by what he calls “passional considerations” which include “fear and hope, prejudice and passion, imitation and partisanship, the circumpressure of our caste and set” (1897: 9). On most occasions “we find ourselves believing, we hardly know how or why.” When James allows passional considerations a major role in determining the rationality of belief and argues that it is rational to form beliefs in advance of the evidence, he can easily be understood as holding that belief can be responsible when it is not warranted by epistemological norms. Belief can be rational and responsible when the reasons which support it are entirely prudential or practical. The question I am concerned with here is: how far can James’s argument in “The Will to Believe” be understood as an application of some views which are genuinely epistemological? One question we can ask about these views is: how far are they an application of a distinctively pragmatist approach to epistemological concerns about when belief is justified? One possibility is that James is making some original contributions to epistemology which may have echoes in contemporary epistemology. I shall argue that this interpretation of James’s argument is more plausible than it at first appears

What are the needs and challenges of breastfed medically complex infants and children in the paediatric setting?

Breastfeeding is known to provide optimal nutrition and immunological support to young children. There are many systems in place to facilitate and protect breastfeeding, such as policies, training programs and specialist practitioners employed within certain settings. However, the support and training are weighted towards the initiation of breastfeeding in healthy newborns, as well as supporting the preterm population. Paediatric settings do not have the same investment in training, policy, or staffing. Within paediatrics, different breastfeeding challenges exist, meaning that not only do staff often not have a baseline level of breastfeeding knowledge, but they also require more nuanced training to effectively support families to overcome difficulties. There is a paucity of research on this subpopulation, especially within the UK, therefore a systematic review was conducted and used to focus the research studies on the identified gaps. Two studies were conducted to identify the knowledge and skills of professionals, and the experiences of mothers breastfeeding their medically complex child in the paediatric setting. The first study was a national survey of 409 multidisciplinary healthcare and allied health professionals working in paediatrics. The second study recruited 30 mothers of children who had been inpatients on paediatric wards or paediatric intensive care units and explored their challenges, barriers and views using semi-structured interviews. The research found that many paediatric professionals have significant gaps in their knowledge and skills, reported several obstacles in terms of unsupportive ward cultures, and identified that current breastfeeding training does not meet the needs of these professionals working to support sick breastfed children in hospital. Furthermore, while some mothers are strongly motivated to breastfeed their sick child, they encounter a range of institutional, clinical and environmental barriers to breastfeeding. The findings suggest that nuanced paediatric-focused breastfeeding training along with a focus on providing family-centred, compassionate care and supportive environments is clinically justified to support families to reach their personal feeding goals and optimise health outcomes for children

'The John Millennium': John Stuart Mill in Victorian Culture

As one of the most well-known figures of the nineteenth century, John Stuart Mill was depicted extensively in journalism, pictures, life-writing and fiction. This thesis draws on a selection from these diverse and underexplored sources to offer a new perspective on Mill’s presence in Victorian cultural and emotional life. It shows how Mill figured in fierce debates about science and culture in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, and how ideas of Mill’s ‘femininity’ were used to both attack and commend him philosophically, politically and personally. Mill’s ‘Saint of Rationalism’ label continues to belie the extent to which he was associated with ideas of passion, sensitivity, tenderness, feeling, and emotion in the nineteenth century. This project explores how such terms were invoked in relation to Mill as a philosopher and politician, but also how they related to readers’ encounters with his works. More than any previous study, this thesis pays close attention to the interaction between verbal and visual depictions, and considers official images and caricatures of Mill alongside written accounts. Though much scholarship emphasises that Mill’s reputation went into decline after his death in 1873 (to be recovered in the late twentieth century), this thesis demonstrates the vitality and diversity of literary engagements with Mill in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. It offers case studies of three authors – Thomas Hardy, Mona Caird and Olive Schreiner – and reads both the form and content of their fiction as involved in recognisably Millian experiments in living. Exploring the Millian concepts that figure in novels by Hardy, Caird and Schreiner not only expands the sense of the philosophical context to their writings, but underscores the continued relevance of Mill to discussions of self-development and education, free discussion and intellectual independence. Finally, this thesis suggests ways in which work on representations of Mill could be developed to gain further insight into the cultural history of the philosopher, into interactions between philosophy and literature, and into the nineteenth-century definitions of liberal culture that inform twenty-first century debates

When Deduction leads to Belief

T h e paper questions the common assumption that rational individuals believe all propositions which they know to be logical consequences of their other beliefs: although we must acknowledge the truth of a proposition which is a deductive consequence ofour beliefs, we may not genuinely believe it. This conclusion is defended by arguing that some familiar counter- examples to the claim that knowledge isjustified true belief fail because they involve propositions which are not really believed. Beliefs guide conduct or issue in assertion by answering questions which arise in the course of deliberation and conversation, but the troublesome cases present proposi- tions which do not present the agent's answer to any question. The paper concludes by sketching the conditions under which the deductive conse- quences of our beliefs can be believe

Barriers to optimal breastfeeding of medically complex children in the UK paediatric setting: a mixed methods survey of healthcare professionals

Background: Breastfeeding is indisputably significant for infants and children, as well as their mothers. However, when breastfed children are admitted to the paediatric ward, they may experience breastfeeding modification due to clinical challenges, lack of staff training and institutional barriers. Although previous research has identified multiple barriers to optimal feeding within the maternity, neonatal and community settings, we know less about the barriers that exist in paediatrics. Paediatric healthcare staff attitudes, training and awareness as well as ward culture are likely to have an impact on the experiences of families but are relatively unresearched in the paediatric setting, especially with regard to the multidisciplinary nature of clinical paediatric care. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes, awareness and perceived barriers to effective breastfeeding support provision, as well as healthcare professional perception of barriers for families. Methods: This was a mixed methods study utilising a questionnaire which was completed by 409 healthcare professionals who identified as working within the paediatric setting. It included responses from paediatricians of all training grades, nurses, healthcare assistants and allied health professionals. Qualitative data from professionals were analysed to develop themes around professional and perceived parent barriers to optimal breastfeeding. Results: This study explored the barriers experienced by staff, as well as professionals' perception of parent barriers. These included lack of knowledge of how to help, a default formula culture, the pressure of maintaining strict fluid balance and breastfeeding being a low priority in the face of critical illness. Of the paediatric departments represented by this sample of healthcare professionals, most had a relatively poor culture of supporting breastfeeding, with multiple institutional barriers identified. Most professionals felt that there was not enough support for breastfeeding families on an average shift, and a large proportion identified as being one of just a few breastfeeding advocates on their ward. Conclusion: In this relatively motivated and experienced sample of healthcare professionals, there were many identified barriers to optimal breastfeeding which could potentially be addressed by training that is carefully nuanced for the paediatric population. Ensuring that paediatric multidisciplinary healthcare professionals have sufficient skills and knowledge would address the identified challenge of poor awareness of breastfeeding and of how to overcome clinical lactation obstacles. Further improvements at policy level need to address the systemic lack of resourcing in paediatrics, as well as the lack of embedded breastfeeding-friendly organisational structures

The lactation skill gaps of multidisciplinary paediatric healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom

Background: Breastfeeding is an important public health priority and may be particularly beneficial for medically complex infants and children. However, childhood illness and disability are associated with increased challenges and lower breastfeeding rates. The Baby Friendly Initiative has been shown to increase initiation of breastfeeding and improve health professional skills although as yet the standards have not been adopted in paediatrics. Previous studies have found breastfeeding knowledge gaps among paediatric nurses, and a recent systematic review highlighted insufficient lactation support, discouragement by healthcare professionals and lack of resources. The aim of this survey of UK paediatric professionals was to establish their self‐defined confidence and skills supporting breastfeeding. Methods: An online survey was developed to explore associations between level of training and staff confidence and perceived skill, to establish whether there is evidence that more training and/or higher breastfeeding training credentials improve skill. In total, 409 professionals, including paediatric doctors at all grades, paediatric nurses and allied health professionals, were included in the analysis. Results: This study identified specific skill gaps among professionals. Many healthcare professionals felt that different skills and specific training are required to support medically complex children. Several professionals noted that existing breastfeeding training focuses on establishing breastfeeding in healthy newborns rather than sick children in paediatrics. Participants were asked about 13 clinical competencies, and an aggregate skill score was calculated. Multiple univariate analysis of variance found that more extensive training and higher credentials are correlated with higher skill scores(p≤0.001), whereas type of professional was not. Conclusions: Despite this being a relatively motivated sample of healthcare professionals, the findings of this study suggest that breastfeeding skills are patchy and inconsistent, and particularly lacking when it comes to more complex clinical scenarios. This is significant, because it may mean that children who have more significant illness or medical complexity are disproportionately affected by gaps in knowledge and skill. Medically complex children encounter many barriers to optimal feeding−including absence of designated paediatric lactation staff, resources and support−and may have challenges such as low tone, higher calorie need and transitioning to the breast after ventilation or enteral feeding. Current skill gaps indicate that existing training would be insufficient, and bespoke paediatric breastfeeding training based on identified clinical challenges is thus justified

British Champions of Peirce

When the history of American philosophy in the nineteenth century can be written in great detail than hitherto, the important place of Charles S. Peirce as a pathfinder in every one of the many fields that his work touched will have to receive fuller recognition than has as yet been accorded to it. This quotation is from “Charles Peirce’s Pragmatism,” a paper by John Henry Muirhead that was published in The Philosophical Review in 1930s. It is evidence that the value of Peirce’s work was reco..