Pragmatic Concept Research Articles

Emergent Sign-Action

We explore Peirce’s pragmatic conception of sign action, as a distributed and emergent view of cognition and exemplify with the emergence of classical ballet. In our approach, semiosis is a temporally distributed process in which a regular tendency towards certain future outcomes emerges out of a history of sign actions. Semiosis self-organizes in time, in a process that continuously entails the production of more signs. Emergence is a ubiquitous condition in this process: the translation of signs into signs cannot be inferred from the properties of the components of a semiotic triad alone, but has to take into account a complex interaction between a micro-semiotic and macro-semiotic level of description. This interaction can be understood as an interplay of potentialities and tendencies, or upward constitutive determinative relations and downward selective determinative relations. According to this view, emergence is a central defining condition of processes of meaning. Ballet is a sign in action. The emergence of classical ballet is a self-regulatory process, in which a system of different kinds of cognitive artifacts (musical, bodily/motor, spatial/architectonic) and agents obtained a stable semiotic relation throughout many phases of development between the 16th and the 19th Century. One case is the development of the verticality of dance in classical ballet as a semiotic relation connecting proscenium arch stages, dancing bodies, and audiences. This development is micro-semiotically determined by the spatial constraints of the proscenium arch stage, and macro-semiotically determined by a historical construction of the dancing body as a sign within a network of semiotic chains, such as the intersemiotic regulation of body of the dancer by principles coming from painting. This is not only the emergence of actual meaning, but also the emergence of an open-ended field of potential and general meanings, an autonomous tendency of development. To say that ballet, as sign action, emerges, is to say that cognitive artifacts such as dancer’s bodies, stages and audience’s point of view, musical compositions, costumes, all sorts of supporting institutions, etc, constitute a niche for sign action, interacting according to tendencies of development that didn’t exist before.

Nested presuppositions: A manipulative type of informative presupposition

This paper introduces the new pragmatic concept of Nested Presuppositions (NestPs) and develops a relevance- theoretic account that explains its cognitive dynamics and manipulative mechanisms. The first section lays necessary theoretical foundations, by defining pragmatic presupposition, compiling a taxonomy of the types of presupposition and their triggers, identifying and critiquing research gaps in eight of the most relevant studies and drawing the conclusion that none of the existing definitions or accounts of pragmatic presupposition can adequately capture the manipulative characteristics and mechanisms of the instances of informative presupposition at issue. In section two, I shall introduce the concept of NestPs as the filler of those gaps, grounding it in Textual Rhetoric and Relevance Theory and highlighting its defining characteristic of information structures, i.e. how the message is segmented and its degrees of prominence and suppression are assigned in order to achieve strategic goals. I further problematize the relationship between NestPs, on the one hand, and informativeness and manipulation, on the other, in light of Gricean and Relevance-Theoretic linguistics, establishing that NestPs are inherently manipulative. I finally expound the manipulative dynamics of NestPs, in terms of the information processing mechanisms they employ, by capitalizing on the concepts of Ostensive Stimulus, Cognitive Principle of Relevance, Principle of Optimal Relevance and Comprehension Procedure, and suggesting the two new mechanisms of Cognitive Underpassing and Structure-Content Cognitive Conflict.

John Dewey and James Baldwin on History, Tragedy, and the Forgetting of Race

Abstract This essay examines various intellectual affinities between Dewey and Baldwin, including their pragmatic and tragic conceptions of history. I argue in the first section that Dewey’s attention to the precarious dimensions of experience and his critique of dominant modes of inquiry that prioritize the stable over the precarious pay insufficient attention to race, though this focus on the precarious over the stable aspects of experience is enough to show that pragmatism does acknowledge the tragic dimension. The subsequent section argues that this insufficiency might be rectified through a reading of Baldwin’s work. While Dewey and Baldwin both acknowledge that existence is finite and precarious (and hence the tragic), Baldwin shows that racism and the promotion of white identity is essentially an attempt to disavow the precariousness of existence. Baldwin’s writings should supplement Dewey’s theory of experience and his account of history because we find in them an acknowledgement of the deep institutional roots of racial oppression and various forms of resistance to this oppression as a key dimension of American history.

Formas de tratamento e preservação da face em interações verbais online

The forms of address constitute a complex system that regulates the interpersonal relations created in the situation of communication. It is a pragmatic category with direct impact on the relations established by each social and linguistic community. As we have already mentioned in a previous unpublished communication, some forms of pronominal address, the forms Tu, Vós, Você and Vocês are a current social concern, which speakers refer to on social networks but also in more traditional public discourses, such as political discourse and media discourse or academic discourse. We aim to analyse and systematize the way in which speakers represent, in explicit comments, but also implicitly, the functions and values of these forms of address in the construction of a (im)polite speech. Within a discursive-pragmatic approach, the present analysis combines interpersonal relations and the politeness theory, in particular the pragmatic concept of face. Data for analysis were collected from web sites, namely blogs and Facebook.

Multifunctional Triple-Layered Composite Scaffolds Combining Platelet-Rich Fibrin Promote Bone Regeneration.

There has been substantial progress made in the development of bone regeneration materials, driven by the deficiencies that exist in current clinical products, such as finite sources, donor site complications, and potential for disease transmission. To overcome these shortcomings, multifunctional scaffolds should be developed to integrate the relationship among osteoinduction, osteoconduction, and osseointegration. In this study, we fabricated polycaprolactone/gelatin (PG) nanofiber films by electrospinning, to act as barriers against connective tissue migration into bone defect sites; chitosan/poly (γ-glutamic acid)/hydroxyapatite (CPH) hydrogels were formed by electrostatic interaction and lyophilization, to exert osteoconduction; and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) was extracted from rat abdominal aorta and combined with composite scaffolds, to promote bone induction through the release of growth factors. Hydrogels were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 1 month to investigate mineralization in vitro. Cytocompatibility, cell barrier effect, and osteogenic differentiation were also explored in vitro. The ability to effectively regenerate bone was analyzed by implantation of triple-layered composite scaffolds into rat calvarial defects in vivo. Size-matched hydrogel filled the defect site, and then, fresh PRF was applied to the hydrogel surface. Finally, P2G3 nanofiber films were applied and attached to the surrounding soft tissue. In short, we fabricated multifunctional triple-layered scaffolds by combining the advantages of osteoinduction, osteoconduction, and osseointegration, which could give full play to the role of PRF in bone regeneration and provide new and pragmatic concepts for bone tissue regeneration in clinical applications.

A new ontology of reasons for inferentialism: redefining the notion of conceptualization and proposing an observer effect on assessment

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new ontology of reasons for inferentialism. The existing inferentialist approach to mathematics education has a methodological challenge in retrospective analysis and a noncollaborative issue stems from a narrow view of learning. The proposed ontology, built on a radical interpretation of the inferentialist idea of conceptual pragmatism, enables us to maintain philosophical consistency on the basis of the distinction between students’ reasons and the observer’s perspectives, on the one hand, and dealing with the collaborative nature of classroom mathematical activities without assuming the knowledge to be learned as given. In order to build the ontology, the authors will redefine the notion of conceptualization as a judgment and claim that only articulated reasons exist and that unarticulated reasons are vague and variable. The shift in the ontological perspective requires us to reject a kind of retrospective analysis. In this regard, we should consider the impact of the observer effect on the assessment of conceptual development: This effect implies that it is not until a person is asked to provide her reason that her reason comes to exist. Finally, the authors will derive implications from the ontology: the teachers’ dual roles of enhancing students’ conceptualization and of assessing their current conceptual development and the implicit connection between inferentialist approaches and design research.

PRAGMATIC INTERPRETATIONS OF METAPHYSICAL PROBLEMS (WILLIAM JAMES)

The main task of philosophy W. James considered on the study of problems of metaphysics, theology and morality. In this connection, the concept of “truth” and the problem of its essence occupy one of the leading places in the concept of pragmatism. In general, James believed that the practical consequences and results of metaphysical concepts and religious teachings are shaped by the spiritual ideas of their followers. James’s concept of pragmatism does not contain any new arguments in favor of the solution of philosophical problems in accordance with logic and common sense, but there are reasons for such a decision to be considered necessary. This is due to the interrelation of metaphysical ideas with the solution of practically important problems.

Práticas Informacionais de Adolescentes na Internet

A internet alterou a forma como os indivíduos lidam com a informação.Inúmeros dados comprovam que os adolescentes usam intensivamente a rede. O artigo apresenta pesquisa que objetivou investigar as práticas informacionais dos adolescentes na internet. Desenvolvido à luz do paradigma social de Capurro e da perspectiva das práticas informacionais, investigou-se como os adolescentes buscam, usam e compartilham informações na internet; quais os elementos externos que impactam nas suas escolhas; bem como a percepção da sociedade em relação à adolescência. O estudo parte de uma concepção pragmática, tem propósito descritivo, natureza básica e horizonte temporal transversal. A estratégia eleita foi a dos métodos mistos. Para atingir os fins propostos, foram entrevistados adolescentes e adultos. Os procedimentos metodológicos basearam-se no levantamento, no Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo e no estudo comparativo. Apurou-se que os jovens despendem tempo considerável na internet e são muito influenciados pelo meio em que vivem, sobretudo pelos amigos. Os adultos apresentaram uma percepção predominantemente negativa em relação a alguns comportamentos dos adolescentes, entendimento não confirmado na comparação com as práticas juvenis. Conclui-se que a webproporciona aos jovens inúmeras possibilidades de interação e acesso à informação, ao mesmo tempo em que os expõem a diversos riscos.

Collaboration: Does It Require Pragmatic Thought?

The authors of this column consider the subject of collaboration in terms of healthcare practice, research, and education. To that end, the concept of pragmatism is discussed as a precursor to collaboration followed by consideration of specific instances of collaboration in practice, research, and education. Additionally, the consequences of collaboration are discussed.

An empirical study of honorific mismatches in Korean

While numerous studies have approached honorification mainly focusing on how honorific forms and features agree with each other in syntactic derivation, the present study focuses on mismatches between a referent and the verb that the referent depends on with respect to honorification. If Korean honorification is a syntactic phenomenon, the mismatches in honorification must be fully accounted for as syntactic agreement cannot be disobeyed in principle. However, either theoretical or empirical inquiry into the mismatches in honorification has not received due attention. Systematic theoretical research on the issue is scant and the empirical endeavors are even rarer. Therefore, the full range of acceptability variance for different honorific expressions remains unknown, which hinders a livelier discussion about honorification. In this context, the present work employs two widely supported methods of linguistic research, viz. acceptability judgment testing and corpus exploration, in order to account for cases of the honorific mismatches. First, the cross-validation reveals that there is no a posteriori evidence for believing that Korean honorification undergoes a syntactic agreement. The experimental results indicate that Korean native speakers largely allow the mismatches involving a referent in an honorific form and a verb in a non-honorific form. Furthermore, they reveal that this type of mismatch forms occurs almost twice as frequently as the forms in perfect agreement in the corpus. These results demonstrate that the syntactic agreement-based approach conflicts with the native speakers' acceptability judgments and the language usage in daily speech. Second, the present study empirically corroborates the evidence that Korean honorification is semantically/pragmatically controlled. On the one hand, it is borne out that the mismatches involving a referent in a non-honorific form and a verb in an honorific form are mostly disallowed. These mismatches are instances of semantic restriction (i.e., anomalies); the head lexically imposes a blocking constraint on its dependent (not vice versa) with respect to the meaning and marking of honorifications. On the other hand, the empirical findings support the validity of the pragmatic conception that speakers manipulate the attitudes toward a given discourse situation and thereby choose the most appropriate honorific form out of the different forms with different degrees of deference. Since the most salient entity to the speaker in discourse (mentally as well as physically) is the hearer, the hearer (if honorable) tends to receive the strongest deference in honorific expressions; it turns out that if the verb is honorifically marked almost two-thirds of the associated referents refer to the honorable hearer. In addition, the mismatches with a referent in a non-honorific form and a verb in an honorific form can appear when the speaker needs to modulate their attitude of deference to an extreme degree or the honorific feature of the referent is semantically underspecified.

How to characterize research and scholarship that matters for the educational field?

For many decades, debates about the ‘what’ and ‘how’ have haunted the academic discipline of education. The temptation to rely on methods characteristic of empirical educational research can also be observed in some developments of philosophy of education. Both stances are criticized for neglecting various aspects in their approach as well as in the content studied: the field of education and child-rearing. Starting from the crystalline purity that may be looked for either in content or method, it is argued the research and scholarship that matter for the educational field should envisage research and reflection that attends sensitively and practically to both the particular and the general dimensions of that which one is examining. This requires a pragmatic concept of interpretation, a way of characterizing philosophy that focuses not only on the overview it may offer, and a balance between all the elements at stake. Only thus may it be possible to ask the right questions and to take up personal ownership of one’s own ethical and practical stance towards the people, things and phenomena one is researching, an invitation to find one’s own place within the world, helping us to make sense of life and to act responsibly.

Black Women’s Knowing, Unruliness and the Radical Transformation of Inclusive Postsecondary Educational Spaces

Philosophies of inclusion often operate on the premise that to be included in larger society, those who are deemed as different from the norm, who are defined as “unruly”, must be fixed or modified, “transformed or improved” to be embraced as acceptable. In the world of education, students with disabilities are thus evaluated, assessed, and found wanting; and their bodies and minds are rehabilitated, reformed, regimented, and ruled in an attempt to bring everyone to an agreed-upon center. The purpose of this article is to critically examine this normalizing impact of inclusion in the context of postsecondary educational spaces, by using an intersectional framework that references unruliness as commonality amongst multiple identities, and that centers the transformative power of Black women’s knowing. An exploration of Collins concept of visionary pragmatism, her focus on intersectionality and Hooks description of engaged pedagogy provides an opportunity to explore the ways in which Black women’s critical perspectives can inform and expand disability scholarship and educational practice at the postsecondary level by pushing beyond 2-dimensional ideas of inclusion, by setting up an expectation that within educational spaces lived experience is valued, that encourages an expansion of the imagination and ideas of able and asks educators and students to celebrate resistance to any norm that oppresses or marginalizes.

Conversational maxims in doctor-patient verbal interactions at university college hospital, Nigeria, Nigeria

Conversation is a rule-governed behaviour. So, interlocutors either consciously or unconsciously obey some rules in the process. So, for any conversation to be effective, specific conversational etiquettes must be adhered to. Conversational maxims refer to the four rules which were proposed by H.P. Grice to ensure effective communication. This study, therefore, investigates the ingredients of effective communication in relation to medical practice by examining the extent of compliance with the Gricean conversational maxims by doctors during consultation with patients. The conceptual framework adopted for the study is the Gricean pragmatic concept of conversational maxims. One hundred tape recordings of doctor-patient conversations were made at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2017. Twenty-five of the interactions were randomly selected for the study. The data were subjected to qualitative analysis. Violations of the conversational maxims of quantity and relation characterize the interactions. This takes tolls on the communication as the doctors either hold back some pieces of important information or deviate from the object of discussion to talk about irrelevances. Effective observance of the conversational maxims will impact positively on doctors’ communication with patients as it will make the patients understand their medical conditions better and also encourage them to be cooperative during clerking and treatment. Therefore, effective observance of the conversational maxims is crucial to engendering effective communication between doctors and patients.

Pragmatismo y evolución: ¿es racional ser teísta y naturalista?

Este artículo tiene como objetivo mostrar que 1) la teoría de la evolución es ontológicamente neutral en el debate entre naturalismo metafísico y teísmo y 2) que es consistente sostener en conjunto el naturalismo metodológico y el teísmo. Para ello, examinaré en primer lugar el argumento de Plantinga que intenta mostrar que hay consistencia entre teísmo y evolución y que, por el contrario, hay inconsistencia entre la teoría de la evolución y el naturalismo (tanto metodológico como metafísico). Me interesa aceptar la primera parte del argumento de Plantinga, pero rechazar la segunda. Defiendo que el argumento de Plantinga es válido si y sólo si se supone una teoría de la verdad por correspondencia. A continuación, argumento que si se reemplaza dicha noción por la concepción pragmatista de la verdad de James, es posible concluir 1 y 2.

REFLEXÕES SOBRE “PRÁTICA” NO ENSINO DA MATEMÁTICA: PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICO-CRÍTICA

O presente estudo é decorrente de preocupações quanto à compreensão de argumentos dicotômicos sobre “prática” no contexto do ensino e aprendizagem de Matemática: por um lado, os que revelam a concepção pragmática de Educação Matemática e, por outro, aqueles que a entendem na perspectiva Histórico-Crítica. Nesse sentido, o problema de estudo é: Qual a interpretação de “prática” da Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica? Em decorrência, o objetivo é analisar questões relativas à alusão da “prática”, com base nos pressupostos da Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica. Para tanto, a pesquisa caracteriza-se na modalidade bibliográfica e adota como base teórica os autores da Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica. O estudo traz argumentos de que não é possível uma coexistência dicotômica de prática e teoria. O indicativo de que a apropriação de conhecimento matemático seja prática/teórica está no seu teor conceitual, que permite aos estudantes adotá-lo como elemento de análise em situações que se apresentam tanto visualmente quanto em pensamento ou na atividade mental.

Droplet precautions on site instead of single room isolation for respiratory tract infections.

We introduced a pragmatic concept of on site droplet precautions instead of single room isolation for rural hospitals in a tiered network. A survey among healthcare workers revealed that this approach was considered comprehensive, safe, and acceptable. This concept could be an alternative for hospitals with few single rooms available for isolation.

Realism in Legal Philosophy: A Reference of Nepal

Realism is the result of the fusion of formalism and interpretivisim. As formalism becomes too rigid in the application of philosophy, interpretivism went away far from the realistic trend of the philosophy. As a result realism movement emerged in the realm of philosophy. Same pragmatic concept of philosophy has been implemented in law by Justice Holmes. In fact there are two movement of realism; one is American and another is Scandinavian. American realism is the pragmatic movement of American philosophy whereas Scandinavian realism is the pragmatic movement of Europe. American realism in law describes the practices of the court whereas Scandinavian realism highlights on stimuli of psychology. Nepalese courts are also following pragmatism in many cases. Under realism, multi-discipline and their principles can be adapted in the decision making process to make the verdict pragmatic by filling the gap of legislation.

On the elusive nature of the public.

Discussions on agricultural nanotechnology are pervaded with conflicting accounts of public opinion. A pragmatist concept may help to explain why this is so difficult to identify.

دراسة دلالية تداولية للنكات الإنكليزية

تقدم هذه الدراسة تحليلاً دلالياً وتداولياً للنكات في اللغة الإنكليزية، وهذا يستدعي الوقوف عند بعض العناصر غير اللغوية أيضا. تمثل النكات نمطاً متطوراً وذكياً من أنماط استخدام اللغة يتطلب فهمها مزيداً مما يسمى ب"المعرفة المحلية" و"المعرفة الموسوعية" في علم اللغة الإدراكي. تسلط الدراسة الضوء على الكفاءة اللغوية والكفاءة الإدراكية التي ترتكز عليها النكات، فالنكات تتعدى كونها قطعأ نثرية تثيرالدعابة والضحك إلى صياغة لغوية قائمة على أسس معرفية معقدة.
 تعنى الدراسة باستعراض عناصر صناعة المعنى وإدراكه في النكات الإنكليزية لاسيما المبادىء والتقنيات، ما يمكنه أن يسهم في تقديم تفسير أكاديمي للإبداع والدعابة وخفة الدم وسرعة البداهة ضمن إطار دلالي إدراكي وتداولي.
 تفترض الدراسة الحالية أن النكات تجسد كثيراً من العمليات العقلية التي ينفرد بها الإنسان على مستوى صناعة المعنى وإدراكه. وتفترض الدراسة أيضا أن النكات قائمة إلى حد بعيد على انتهاك بعض القواعد اللغوية والدلالية-التداولية الإدراكية أو التلاعب بتلكم القواعد. فعلى سبيل المثال، الكثيرمن النكات قائمة على انتهاك معايير مبدأ التعاون الذي أشار إليهGrice (1975).
 تصنف الدراسة النكات إلى مجاميع متعددة وفقاً للآليات الدلالية الإدراكية والتداولية التي تستند إليها في صناعة الدعابة، ثم تقدم على مدى صفحاتها وصفاً شكلياً ووظيفياً لكل مجموعة على حدة، ناهيك عن الإشارة إلى عناصر تبادل المعلومة في كل صنف من أصناف النكات. وبعد كل هذا وذاك، استنبطت بعض النتائج التي تمت صياغتها على هيئة بيانات تجريبية تمهيدية، لا بيانات تنبأية عامة كما هو الحال في بعض الدراسات التي قام بها بعض العلماء في سعيهم لتقديم نظرية شاملة للنكات.

Hierarquia dos espaços na fanpage “Suburbano da Depressão”

Resumo: O artigo discute as disputas discursivas em torno da definição do termo popular “subúrbio”, procurando compreender especificamente o território cultural conhecido como “subúrbios cariocas”. Trata-se de um território imaginado que se atualiza no espaço das redes sociais por meio de fanpages no Facebook. Neste trabalho, analisamos as particularidades da fanpages “Suburbano da Depressão” e de seu livro homônimo, buscando entender as dinâmicas identitárias de se atualizam nesse novo território, a partir de processos criativos de invenções conceituais e de tradições. O artigo tem por objetivo detectar redes semânticas de construção de conceitos práticos, utilizados no cotidiano, para dar conta da apropriação simbólica dos subúrbios e de positivação permanente de seu imaginário, invertendo os pólos de conhecimento e de experiência.