Alternative View Research Articles

Metaphysical Themes in Thomas Aquinas III by John F. Wippel

Reviewed by: Metaphysical Themes in Thomas Aquinas III by John F. Wippel Cecilia Trifogli Metaphysical Themes in Thomas Aquinas III. By John F. Wippel. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2021. Pp. 317. $65.00 (hard). ISBN: 978-0-8132-3555-0. This volume is the third collection of essays on Aquinas’s metaphysical thought by John Wippel, an eminent scholar of Aquinas. It consists of nine substantial essays, which Wippel completed after the publication of his monumental work, The Metaphysical Thought of Thomas Aquinas (2000), and which were originally published as journal articles or book chapters. In a forty-page Introduction, Wippel offers a detailed outline of each of the essays, which provides a helpful guide to their reading. The essays cover topics central to Aquinas’s metaphysical thought: the subject of metaphysics (chap. 1), the preambles of faith (chaps. 2 and 5), the distinction of essence and esse (chap. 3), the Fourth Way (chap. 4), the unity of substantial form (chap. 6), the cognitive status of the separated soul (chap. 7), the metaphysics of evil (chap. 8), and the composition of angels (chap. 9). In the essay on the subject of metaphysics Wippel first draws an important distinction between a prephilosophical notion of being and the metaphysical notion of being as being, that is, being as the subject of the metaphysics. He points out that, according to Aquinas, there is a corresponding distinction between the intellectual processes by which we discover these two notions. Wippel then devotes special attention to the most difficult side of this distinction: the discovery of the metaphysical notion of being. He argues that the negative judgement Aquinas refers to as separatio and contrasts with abstractio is the relevant cognitive process. Wippel is well aware that his interpretation is not universally accepted, and he takes into account alternative views on this controversial topic. He offers a convincing defense of his interpretation by providing an accurate assessment of the textual evidence in support of it. The general issue addressed in the two essays about the preambles of faith is that of the harmony between faith and philosophy or reason. Wippel’s crucial concern in the first essay is to reach an accurate understanding of what Aquinas means by a preamble of faith. According to Wippel’s careful reconstruction of Aquinas’s scattered remarks on this topic, a preamble of faith is a truth about [End Page 343] God that can be discovered by natural reason and is logically presupposed by articles of faith. In other words, preambles of faith provide the rational foundation that Aquinas thinks is required for faith. Wippel also points out that, while Aquinas’s standard examples of preambles of faith are the claims that God exists and that he is one, there is textual evidence for the inclusion of eleven other theological truths in this category. In the second essay on this topic Wippel investigates Aquinas’s view about the preambles of faith as applied to the specific case of creation. The question addressed here is, which parts of Aquinas’s account of creation are preambles of faith and which are articles of faith? This is indeed a question of crucial importance. Wippel points out that in order to answer this question we need to be clear about what Aquinas means by creation. Aquinas’s discussion of creation ex nihilo indicates that he distinguishes two meanings of creation. According to both meanings, creation is a production of something from no preexisting subject and involves the priority of nonexistence to existence. The difference between the two meanings is in the notion of priority involved: according to the first meaning, the priority is in order of nature, not necessarily in the order of time, whereas according to the second meaning, the priority is in the order of time. The distinction is approximately that between the possibility of eternal creation and temporal creation. Aquinas maintains that creation in the first sense can be proved philosophically, and it is indeed a preamble of faith. And the article of faith of which it constitutes the immediate rational foundation is temporal creation, which cannot be proved philosophically. Wippel then turns to the...

Historical institutionalism and policy coordination: origins of the European semester

Using historical institutionalism as a theoretical foundation, this paper explores whether multilateral surveillance and policy coordination under the European Semester (ES), introduced in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, was based on a path-changing or a path-dependent mechanism. Following a legal-historical analysis going back to the Maastricht Treaty, we demonstrate that the ES in its institutional form was not the result of a crisis-induced critical juncture, but rather of a gradual, path-dependent historical evolution which kept the balance of power relations in the European Union (EU) broadly unchanged. With this, we offer a critique of literature on the post-crisis European economic governance framework, which sees an increase in the influence of supranational actors, notably the European Commission. Focusing on the ES, our paper puts forward an alternative view, grounded in the theory of historical institutionalism, arguing that the balance of power relations has broadly stayed the same. The conclusion is based on a legal-historical analysis of 12 indicators, which help to understand the evolution of the ES.

MARTIN LISTER’S 1678 <em>AMMONIS CORNU</em> AND THE MISREADING OF <em>HILDOCERAS BIFRONS</em> (BRUGUIÈRE, 1789). AN HISTORICAL INSIGHT ON THE RELEVANCE OF ARTWORK AND DETAILS IN TAXONOMY

Hildoceras bifrons (Bruguière, 1789) is a cosmopolite ammonite species from the Lower Jurassic of the Boreal and Mediterranean (Tethys) palaeogeographical provinces. Inter-demic and phylogenetic variability are noticeable, also affecting the most distinctive morphological trait: the spiral groove along the whorl flank. Since the XIX century, however, a number of morphotypes assigned to Hildoceras bifrons (many of which from the Apennines and other Italian localities) lacked a neat spiral groove, replaced by a shallow, variably evident and discontinuous inflection. Buckman (1918) provided a photographic illustration of a specimen he interpreted as corresponding to the holotype, until then represented by a drawing described by Lister (1678) as Ammonis cornu. Buckman’s illustration assessed the well-carved spiral groove as a distinctive feature of the holotype and a trademark of the species. Nevertheless, several authors insisted on referring faintly grooved specimens to Hildoceras bifrons, an attitude thus envisaged as due to their negligence or inaccuracy. In contrast with this view, it is herein argued that, on one hand, the specimen illustrated by Buckman, in quality of holotype or neotype, differs from Lister’s drawing to a point that it may not be the same specimen; on the other hand, Lister’s drawing (never formally invalidated as holotype) could have been legitimately considered representative also of those faintly grooved Hildoceras now assigned to Hildoceras lusitanicum Meister, 1913. This alternative view clarifies the taxonomic approach held by many authors, proving the coherency of their taxonomic work rather than their attitude at a superficial evaluation of diagnostic traits.

The Impact of Upin and Ipin Animation on Aggressive Behavior in Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Quantitative Experimental Study

The study aimed to investigate the impact of the Upin Ipin animated film on the aggressive behavior of 5-6-year-old children at TK Dharma Wanita I Blitaran. This research employed a pretest-posttest control group design, and data were collected through observation sheets and documentation. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 24. The study revealed that the Upin Ipin animated film significantly influenced children's aggressive behavior. The research findings indicated that the experimental group experienced increased aggressive behavior. The average pretest score was 6.60, while the average posttest score was 7.90. The results of the hypothesis test using paired sample t-test showed a significant value of 0.000 < 0.05, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis (H0) and acceptance of the alternative view (Ha). The experimental group exhibited increased aggressive behavior after watching the film, as evidenced by the higher average posttest scores than the pretest scores. However, this study also acknowledges its limitations in scope, as it focused solely on 5-6-year-old children and the influence of a specific animated film. The research emphasizes the importance of parental guidance in children's media consumption. While animated films like Upin Ipin can potentially influence aggressive behavior, they can also serve as practical educational tools to promote positive social behavior and other essential skills, depending on their content and presentation. The novelty of this research lies in its focus on the influence of a specific animated film, Upin Ipin, on children's aggressive behavior.

Altered resting-state functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex is related to the development of dyscalculia in patients with Turner syndrome.

Patients with Turner syndrome have a high rate of developmental dyscalculia, but the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms are not well-understood. Some studies have implicated visuospatial impairments in patients with Turner syndrome, but others have focused on poor procedural skills in patients with Turner syndrome. This study used brain imaging data to test these two alternative views. This study recruited 44 girls with Turner syndrome (mean age, 12.91 years; SD, 2.02), with 13 (29.5%) of them meeting the criterion for developmental dyscalculia, and 14 normally developing girls (mean age, 14.26 years; SD, 2.18) as a comparison group. All participants were given basic mathematical ability tests and an intelligence test and were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. We compared patients with Turner syndrome who had dyscalculia, patients with Turner syndrome who did not have dyscalculia, and the normal controls in terms of brain structures and resting-state functional activity. Compared with normal controls, both groups of patients with Turner syndrome (with or without dyscalculia) showed similarly altered functional connectivity in the occipitoparietal dorsal stream. Importantly, compared with patients with Turner syndrome without dyscalculia and normal controls, patients with Turner syndrome with dyscalculia showed decreased functional connectivity between the prefrontal and the lateral occipital cortex. We concluded that both groups of patients with Turner syndrome shared visual deficits, and patients with Turner syndrome with dyscalculia had a deficit in frontal cortex-based higher cognitive processing. It is not their visuospatial deficits but rather their deficits in higher cognitive processing that are responsible for the development of dyscalculia in patients with Turner syndrome.

The digital palette of Kazakhstan in the context of the study Tengrian internet communities

Scientific studies of interactions in the Internet space have been around for some time. The religious landscape of modern society is diverse; the scope of new technologies is constantly expanding. The Internet and new media have become widely used in the activities of social and religious movements. This is due to easy accessibility, cost-effectiveness, access to a wide audience, extraterritoriality, greater freedom from traditional forms of social control and authority, the ability to put forward alternative religious views, citizenship, create new communities, and even a new religion. Groups, communities, movements are being organized, including digital or online religions. Traditional and non-traditional religions have gradually become involved in the digitalization of religious life. The COVID 2019 pandemic has accelerated this process. During the lockdown period, religious associations began to conduct online worship, reading the Koran in an interactive mode. Tengrian groups, in turn, are also actively involved in the above media relations; they use the Internet and social networks for communication, interaction and dissemination of their views, active citizenship. Their own discourses arise, which correlate with the processes taking place in the country and in the world. In this regard, this article will consider the content analysis of Tengrian groups in social networks.

Research on application and cost estimate for building a buoys system for monitoring offshore sea environment

Monitoring our national offshore sea is a Vietnamese willing, aspiration, and essential demand for the State and its people; it is also a demand for people in the world that some countries have deployed it ready. Based on existing studies in Vietnam, similar applications in other countries, and available technical devices/parts on the market, the author seeks, gathers, researches, and investigates each small part of the application; thereby combining and proposing a complete application that is feasible in applied technology to deploy a system of buoys for monitoring hydrology and environment in an offshore sea of Vietnam; toward a system of mobile monitoring stations, collecting various kinds of data out there; synchronised with the digital transformation in the fourth industrial revolution. Simultaneously, with research theories on costs and current legal regulations, the author collects all relevant costs for each small part of the application and concludes with a conclusion as a suggestion. Then, relevant organisations can have an alternative view and propose a deployment in a condition of Vietnam’s budget.

Explaining technology migration against the change in terms of use: an fsQCA approach

PurposeDuring the past few years, social media has faced the challenge of maintaining its user base. Reports show that the social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter experienced a decline in their users. Taking WhatsApp's recent change of its terms of use as the case of this study and using the push-pull-mooring model and a configurational perspective, this study aims to identify pathways for switching intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 624 WhatsApp users recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and analyzed using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).FindingsThe findings identify seven configurations for high switching intentions and four configurations for low intentions to switch. Firm reputation and critical mass increase intention to switch, while low firm reputation and absence of attractive alternatives hinder switching.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends extant literature on social media migration by identifying configurations that result in high and low switching intention among messaging applications.Practical implicationsThe study identifies factors the technology service providers should consider to attract new users and retain existing users.Originality/valueThis study complements the extant literature on switching intention that explains the phenomenon based on a net-effect approach by offering an alternative view that focuses on the existence of multiple pathways to social media switching. It further advances the authors’ understanding of the relevant importance of switching factors.

Do Innovation Metrics Reflect Sustainable Policy Making in Europe? A Comparative Study Case on the Carpathian and Alpine Mountain Regions

This paper questions the evaluation of innovation systems and innovation measurements and the effectiveness of innovation policies applied at the territorial level by assessing whether the existing European regional scoreboard is effective in providing accurate inputs for decision-makers in mountainous regions. The aim of the research is to provide, through comparative analysis by using statistical multi-methods of two mountainous macro-regions (the Alps and the Carpathians), a possible and available path to develop novel perspectives and alternative views on innovation systems’ performance for informed and territorial-based policy making by using the indicators of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard. The methodology used includes descriptive statistics, chi-square bivariate test, Student’s t test, one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc multiple comparisons, multilinear regression analysis, and decision tree with CRT (classification and regression trees) algorithm. Our results emphasize the similarities and differences between the Alpine and Carpathian mountain regions, find the best predictors for each mountain region, and provide a scientific basis for the development of a holistic approach linking measurement theory, innovation systems, innovation policies, and their territorial approach toward sustainable development of mountain areas. The paper’s contribution is relevant in the context of remote, rural, and mountain areas, which are usually left behind in terms of innovation chances and in the context of the COVID-19 aftermath with budget constraints. The present results are pertinent for designing effective smart specialization strategies in these regions due to the difficulties that most remote areas and less developed regions are facing in developing innovation policies.

A Time – and a Project – for Pacifism and Nonviolence Studies

Abstract Why is it time to take pacifism and nonviolence studies more seriously? I attempt to show that pacifism and nonviolence studies are not only helpful but are necessary to understand and root out a presumption about violence that has persisted throughout human history, a presumption through which the vast majority of humans on earth experience our world. I am referring to the seemingly universal human inclination to take violence for granted as a necessary – even moral – means for human thriving, safety, and progress. We are told that it is human nature to fight or flee danger. In what follows I explore the possibility that fighting and fleeing may not be natural but cultural, and that they may not exhaust human options in response to danger. I then discuss the presumption of violence and consider the role of pacifist and nonviolence studies in analyzing and even deconstructing it by exploring a reasonable alternative view.

Cyclic Selection: Auxiliaries Are Merged, Not Inserted

Traditional approaches to verbal periphrasis (compound tenses) treat auxiliary verbs as lexical items that enter syntactic derivation like any other lexical item, via Selection/Merge. An alternative view is that auxiliary verbs are inserted into a previously built structure (e.g., Bach 1967, Arregi 2000, Embick 2000, Cowper 2010, Bjorkman 2011, Arregi and Klecha 2015). Arguments for the insertion approach include auxiliaries’ last-resort distribution and the fact that, in many languages, auxiliaries are not systematically associated with a given inflectional category (Bjorkman’s (2011) “overflow” distribution). Here, I argue against the insertion approach. I demonstrate that the overflow pattern and last-resort distribution follow from Cyclic Selection (Pietraszko 2017)—a Merge counterpart of Cyclic Agree (Béjar and Rezac 2009). I also show that the insertion approach makes wrong predictions about compound tenses in Swahili, a language with overflow periphrasis. Under my approach, an auxiliary verb is a verbal head externally merged as a specifier of a functional head, such as T. It then undergoes m-merger with that head, instantiating an External-Merge version of Matushansky’s (2006) conception of head movement.

Percutaneous mitral valve repair in a multioperated congenital heart disease patient. The importance of alternative echocardiographic views

Percutaneous mitral valve repair in a multioperated congenital heart disease patient. The importance of alternative echocardiographic views

Cognition from the Body-Brain Partnership: Exaptation of Memory.

Examination of cognition has historically been approached from language and introspection. However, human language-dependent definitions ignore the evolutionary roots of brain mechanisms and constrain their study in experimental animals. We promote an alternative view, namely that cognition, including memory, can be explained by exaptation and expansion of the circuits and algorithms serving bodily functions. Regulation and protection of metabolic and energetic processes require time-evolving brain computations enabling the organism to prepare for altered future states. Exaptation of such circuits was likely exploited for exploration of the organism's niche. We illustrate that exploration gives rise to a cognitive map, and in turn, environment-disengaged computation allows for mental travel into the past (memory) and the future (planning). Such brain-body interactions not only occur during waking but also persist during sleep. These exaptation steps are illustrated by the dual, endocrine-homeostatic and memory, contributions of the hippocampal system, particularly during hippocampal sharp-wave ripples.

Refugees’ Arriving through the Lens of Fiction: Unveiling the Ambivalences of Hegemonic Expectations

In this article, we use fiction as a lens to study processes of refugees’ arriving in Austria. For that purpose, we draw on findings from our transdisciplinary and participatory project “The Art of Arriving—Reframing ‘Refugee Integration’” in which we have created a real-world laboratory and examined if and how the meaning-making processes involved in creating and interpreting art can foster reframing “refugee integration” concepts and provide alternative views on the arrival of refugees beyond an assimilationist lens. By inviting and accompanying artists from different cultural realms (literature, music, and photography) and with different refugee experiences during the process of jointly creating an artwork as well as by getting access to the recipients’ interpretations of these artworks, we gained insights into the various ways that artistic practices unveil and contest common hegemonic expectations that shape the processes of refugees’ (and other migrants’) arriving. Our analysis of the short story “Außen vor” (“Being [left] out”) written by Hamed Abboud, Anna Baar, and Mascha Dabić—of its creation and reception process—contributes to the ongoing debates on how refugees’ artistic practices can serve as means of cultural and social transformation.

Leadership is needed for ethical ChatGPT: Character, assessment, and learning using artificial intelligence (AI)

The OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3, or Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer was released in November 2022 without significant warning, and has taken higher education by storm since. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot has caused alarm for practitioners seeking to detect authenticity of student work. Whereas some educational doomsayers predict the end of education in its current form, we propose an alternate early view. We identify in this commentary a position where educators can leverage AI like ChatGPT to build supportive learning environments for students who have cultivated good character. Such students know how to use ChatGPT for good, and can engage effectively with the ChatGPT application. In building our ChatGPT argument, we acknowledge the existing literature on plagiarism and academic integrity, and consider leadership as a root support mechanism, character development as an antidote, and authentic assessment as an enabler. In doing so, we highlight that while ChatGPT – like papermills, and degree factories before it – can be used to cheat on university exams, it can also be used to support deeper learning and better learning outcomes for students. In doing so, we offer a commentary that offers opportunities for practitioners, and research potential for scholars.

A new look at osteoarthritis: Threshold potentials and an analogy to hypocalcemia.

Cartilage is a tissue that consist of very few cells embedded in a highly negatively charged extracellular matrix (ECM). This tissue is dealing with several electrical potentials which have been shown to control the production of ECM. Cartilage is present at joints and is constantly prone to degradation. Failing to repair the damage will result in the occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA). This perspective aims to link biophysical insights with biomolecular research in order to provide an alternative view on the possible causes of OA. Firstly, we hypothesize the existence of a threshold potential, which should be reached in order to initiate repair but if not met, unrepaired damage will evolve to OA. Measurements of the magnitude of this threshold electrical potential would be a helpful diagnostic tool. Secondly, since electrical potential alterations can induce chondrocytes to synthesize ECM, a cellular sensor must be present. We here propose an analogy to the hypocalcemia 'unshielding' situation to comprehend electrical potential generation and explore possible sensing mechanisms translating the electrical message into cellular responses. A better understanding of the cellular voltage sensors and down-stream signalling mechanisms may lead to the development of novel treatments for cartilage regeneration.

Convergence or redundancy: alternative views about the evolutionary genomics of character displacement.

An evolutionary debate contrasts the importance of genetic convergence versus genetic redundancy. In genetic convergence, the same adaptive trait evolves because of similar genetic changes. In genetic redundancy, the adaptive trait evolves using different genetic combinations, and populations might not share the same genetic changes. Here we address this debate by examining single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the rapid evolution of character displacement in Anolis carolinensis populations inhabiting replicate islands with and without a competitor species (1Spp and 2Spp islands, respectively). We identify 215-outliers SNPs that have improbably large FST values, low nucleotide variation, greater linkage than expected and that are enriched for genes underlying animal movement. The pattern of SNP divergence between 1Spp and 2Spp populations supports both genetic convergence and genetic redundancy for character displacement. In support of genetic convergence: all 215-outliers SNPs are shared among at least three of the five 2Spp island populations, and 23% of outlier SNPS are shared among all five 2Spp island populations. In contrast, in support of genetic redundancy: many outlier SNPs only have meaningful allele frequency differences between 1Spp and 2Spp islands on a few 2Spp islands. That is, on at least one of the 2Spp islands, 77% of outlier SNPs have allele frequencies more similar to those on 1Spp islands than to those on 2Spp islands. Focusing on genetic convergence is scientifically rigorous because it relies on replication. Yet, this focus distracts from the possibility that there are multiple, redundant genetic solutions that enhance the rate and stability of adaptive change.

Arguing with megaregions: Learning from China’schéngshì qún

The rise of megaregions is championed by those arguing that the 21st century will be dominated by vast expanses of transmetropolitan urban landscapes. Many argue that we are living in a ‘world’ and an ‘age’ of megaregions, where megaregions are both competitive territories par excellence and an important scale for urban planning. Nowhere does the spotlight shine more brightly than on China’s megaregions ( chéngshì qún). In this paper we examine the new planning vision for megaregions in China’s 14th Five Year Plan (2021–25). We trace continuities and discontinuities from the 11th, 12th and 13th FYPs to emphasise the importance of adopting a strong spatial and temporal approach to researching megaregions. This analysis is then used to outline an agenda for researching urban China and megaregionalism through the lens of chéngshì qún. This research agenda takes the form of eight statements which are presented as modern theses for megaregionalism. These are then countered by eight antitheses, alternative views which provide an agenda for future research into chéngshì qún, the changing dynamics of urban China and megaregionalism more generally. Tying everything together is a claim for more synthesis.

Migrations in postcolonial Italian literature: Quali-quantitative analysis in a social representation framework

Published studies on social representations of migration in the media offer two pictures that have become crystallized over time. On the one hand, migration is constructed as a social threat for hosting countries; on the other, victimization of migrants is emphasized. This study aims to investigate how literary texts written by the protagonists of migratory experiences contribute to creating a possible alternative view of migrants. The results highlight a tension in the discourse on migration. They show that this literature conveys different worldviews, which can be arranged in two macro-groups. Narratives of victimization emerge, but are counterbalanced by narratives of resilience, post-traumatic growth, and the ability to react and cope with difficulties, and also by narrative of resistance oriented toward ensuring the recognition of the identity of second-generation Italians. This contribution concludes with reflections on the pragmatic value of conducting psychosocial research on literary texts.

On the Privation Theory of Evil

Augustine’s privation theory of evil maintains that something is evil in virtue of a privation, a lack of something which ought to be present in a particular nature. While it is not evil for a human to lack wings, it is indeed evil for a human to lack rationality according to the end of a rational nature. Much of the literature on the privation theory focuses on whether it can successfully defend against counterexamples of positive evils, such as pain. This focus of the discussion is not surprising, given that the privation theory is a theory about the nature of evil. But it is also a theory that protects venerable theological concerns, namely, that God is the good creator of everything, and that everything is good. It is the purpose of this article to further this discussion on both fronts. I argue that the counterexample of pain still defeats the privation theory despite the most recent defense. What is more, I suggest, this is not theologically disastrous. The individual who rejects the privation theory is not obligated to reject the theological theses which motivate it. To show how a rejection of the privation theory is a live option, I offer an alternative view of evil that also maintains these theological theses and encompasses both privative and positive evils.