Epistemological Issues Research Articles

Learning from models: knowing sages as sages in Confucian philosophy

ABSTRACT In the Confucian tradition, sages are moral reference points. They may serve as models against which we measure our own behaviours, and help us imagine how we can improve the quality of our moral lives. This defining feature of Confucian philosophy has persisted though the subsequent development of the tradition to the present. Yet, little has been said about the important epistemological issues that underlie the Confucian modelling process. In order to uphold sages as moral reference points, people need to recognize sages as sages and to deem the ways in which their lives embody virtue as desirable. This paper draws on a form of knowing, namely, knowing-as, to illuminate the process of learning from sages in the Confucian tradition. It will also help us better understand the process of modelling more generally.

Εντροπη: Shame and Identity Formation in the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch

Since the 1980s, biblical scholars have started to employ the framework of “honor and shame” to study the culture of the ancient Mediterranean region. However, this application of the social–scientific honor–shame model has led to “massive generalizations of ‘honor’ and ‘shame’”. In particular, when focusing on the concept of honor/shame rather than its lexemes, the social–scientific school ignores the nuanced nature of each Greek word group related to shame. By studying classical Greek literature, Douglas Cairns further points out a puzzling situation that the word group αἰδώς contains polarized meanings of both “to shame” and “to respect”. In this paper, we examine the puzzling double meanings of “to shame/to respect” by focusing on the use of the word group ἐντροπή in the letters of Ignatius of Antioch. This paper argues that the word group ἐντροπὴ serves a rhetorical purpose of protecting the church’s identity by rejecting beliefs/customs that are unacceptable to Christianity and promoting unity in the churches through obedience to church authorities. This paper also explores the fundamental epistemological issue of understanding emotion words in its ancient context. It provides a provisional definition for ἐντροπή, that it is a self-inhibitory emotion of sensitivity to one’s proper place in social interaction to protect one’s self-image.

Causes and effects of misreported syllable structures

Abstract This commentary paper offers a discussion on the methodological, epistemological, and theoretical issues concerning the status of the syllable and mora, as well as the problems raised by their (mis)characterization. It first addresses some methodological biases that occur in the description and analysis of the phonological units of languages, the problem of the reliability of speaker intuitions, with an example taken from French verlan, as well as the influence of writing on phonological representations. Second, building on the Budai Rukai example and on one other case of misanalyzed syllable structure, that of Tokyo Japanese, it questions the status of the syllable as an indispensable, universal unit. In order to avoid some of the problems that stem from the mischaracterization of the syllable, it is proposed that the notion of prosodeme, instead of that of syllable, should be used as a pretheoretical notion when attempting to identify the basic prosodic unit of a language.

Adapting to climate change: the ultimate challenge for the next half-century of local government?

ABSTRACT Climate change will have a disproportionate and asymmetric impact on cities and urban areas, and some of their most vulnerable residents will be at particular risk. Studies have found that some municipalities have done far more to adapt to it than others, but there has been a general lack of funding, implementation and engagement with marginalised groups to help them prepare. We suggest that the unpredictable and evolving nature of climate impacts means that adaptation represents a defining public policy challenge for local governments in the coming decades. We set out the broad epistemological, practical and justice issues that this challenge presents for the practice and study of local government, and argue that addressing it will require new approaches that go beyond discrete and familiar solutions.

Research Methodology Courses in Advanced Studies in Education: Trends from the Portuguese Case

The identification and characterisation of all course syllabus on research methodologies in education in advanced studies in education allows to present the current Portuguese teaching and learning scenario in this field for the first time. The approach for the development of this empirical work was a national survey of all master's and doctoral programmes in education and in teaching, coding and translating the information. The data collected was validated with the respective higher education institution, the master or doctoral coordinator and the teacher responsible for the research methods teaching. A qualitative based methodology through descriptive statistical analysis enables a presentation of trends in the design and organisation of the course syllabus. The results show a research knowledge that is fragmented and not clear. The descriptions of course syllabus undervalue the epistemological and methodological issues inherent in the construction of scientific knowledge in education. Privilege is given to the operationality of the methodology with a view to developing a scientific project.

Brouwer and Hausdorff: On reassessing the foundations crisis.

Epistemological issues associated with Cantorian set theory were at the center of the foundational debates from 1900 onward. Hermann Weyl, as a central actor, saw this as a smoldering crisis that burst into flames after World War I. The historian Herbert Mehrtens argued that this "foundations crisis" was part of a larger conflict that pitted moderns, led by David Hilbert, against various counter-moderns, who opposed the promotion of set theory and trends toward abstract theories. Among counter-moderns, L.E.J. Brouwer went a step further by proposing new foundational principles based on his philosophy of intuitionism. Meanwhile, Felix Hausdorff emerged as a leading proponent of the new modern style. In this essay, I offer a reassessment of the foundations crisis that stresses the marginal importance of the various intellectual issues involved. Instead, I offer an interpretation that focuses on tensions within the German mathematical community that led to a dramatic power struggle for control of the journal Mathematische Annalen.

Taking ‘nonsense’ seriously: Hoaxes, spoofs, and the epistemic cultures of geography

The ‘Grievance Studies Affair’, a deceptive publishing project launched in 2017, offers a revealing lens through which to see beyond simplifying polarizations and establish more constructive relations among geography's wide range of ‘epistemic cultures’. This article places the Grievance Studies Affair in the context of other hoaxes and spoofs and draws upon speech act theory to pin down how such deceptive publications are supposed to work. The core of the argument concerns the epistemological interpretation of instances where writings purported by their authors to be ‘nonsense’ have nevertheless been seen by other scholars – even when it is clear that a hoax or spoof was intended – as sense-bearing, valuable, or potentially fruitful. These instances shed fresh light on two epistemological issues: the role of authorial intention in academic arguments, and how much we really need to know about other epistemic cultures to form serious judgments about them. Attending to these points can enhance the possibility of respectful and constructive conversations between epistemic cultures in geography.

К вопросу об эпистемологии, сознании и интеллекте

This paper is devoted to issues of epistemology, which has recently acquired par­ticular relevance in the national philosophy. The role of cultural-historical episte­mology in the modern theory of knowledge is revealed, where the authors hold the idea that knowing the origin and development of knowledge itself, and its cultural conditioning in specific historical experiences contributes to a better un­derstanding of its significance and the scope of use. The authors present their vi­sion of the problem of transition from gnosiology to epistemology as from a strict prescribed methodology to the choice of one’s ways and methods of con­ducting science, where a significant role is given to such disciplines as computer science and logic. In this context, the relationship between consciousness and in­telligence with the theory of knowledge, in particular with cultural-historical epistemology, is also analyzed, since both the philosophy of consciousness and epistemology seek to understand the nature of knowledge and beliefs based on our conscious experience. This approach, considering the influence of social norms, values and cultural traditions on our cognition and thinking, stimulates the development of the theoretical basis of epistemology and its practical appli­cation. The authors conclude that modern research in the field of consciousness and artificial intelligence and their application in the methodology of epistemo­logy contribute not only to rethinking views on the nature of subjectivity but also to establishing the objectivity of our judgments. Ultimately, this leads to the inte­gration of collective and individual consciousness as an important factor in un­derstanding the world and forming scientific knowledge

Danish university policies on generative AI

The sudden and meteoric rise of generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) has raised fundamental concerns for universities. Using Bacchi’s methodology on ‘problematisation’, we analyse which concerns Danish universities have addressed through their policies and guidelines. We identify three key problematisations: assessment integrity, legality of data and veracity. While each of these problematisations involves specific limitations, together they also strongly emphasise symbolic and epistemological issues and consequently mostly ignore the materiality of genAI, for example, in terms of labour and energy use. Drawing on critical AI studies, this article argues that universities should also consider the huge planetarycosts that (gen)AI poses as well as the full range of AI’s exploitative business models and practices. Universities should integrate these considerations into both their decision-making on (not) using certain technologies and their policies and guidelines for research and teaching, just as sustainability is already a criterion in their travel or investment policies today.

Revisiting the philosophy of technology and nursing: Time to move beyond romancing resistance or resisting romance.

Technology remains enmeshed in our daily lives and given its continuing presence in clinical practice and rapid technological proliferation; it becomes relevant for nurses to examine techno-onto-epistemology in relation to the discipline of nursing. This is critical considering the intersection of technology and nursing remains an area of ongoing discussion revealing a need for further philosophical reflection. To this end, this paper sought to examine the philosophy of technology from the engineering and humanities perspectives to contribute to the discussion regarding its intersection with the onto-epistemology of nursing. Although technology seems to be constantly present in nursing practice, two opposing perspectives reflecting a love-hate relationship is highlighted: technological optimism (promotes technology) and technological romanticism (dissuades technology). Based on Mitcham's interpretation of 'mutual relationship' and 'being-with', a potential way to break away from the binary perspectives is to view the intersection of/relationship between technology and nursing as being on a continuum rather than entirely monolithic entities. Caring is presented as multidimensional reflecting actions and attitudes. Arguably, some caring actions may intersect with the engineering perspective to suggest that technology can support nurses in their roles, that is, by imitating some of what nurses do, but not to replace them. From the humanities perspective, technology is presented as a way of being with humans exercising control over what technology has to offer. Put together, it is clearly time to break away from the love-hate relationship between nursing and technology. Although this emphasises a great need to build the technological competency of nurses, there is an even greater call for nurses to reflect on and voice the epistemological, ontological, axiological, and ethical issues that the application of technology raises for the discipline.

Pendidikan Holistik dalam Merangkul Spiritualitas dan Pengetahuan Empiris

Spiritual well-being in psychology is used to discuss the process of achieving spiritual conditions in individuals. Spiritual well-being is a concept regarding an innate state, has elements of motivation or drive to find the purpose of one's life, is dynamic and subjective in nature, and focuses on a certain uniqueness which is then believed to be the truth. One way to improve spiritual well-being is through dhikr activities, which are usually used as one of the psychotherapies in Islam. Epistemology as a branch of philosophy determines the character of knowledge, even determining the truths that are considered worthy of being accepted, and which ones should be rejected. Therefore, there are a number of questions that are usually asked to examine the issues in epistemology, namely what is knowledge, what are the sources and bases of knowledge? Is this knowledge a definite truth or just a guess? To answer all questions regarding the epistemology of knowledge, this article will examine in more depth the theories of knowledge and truth in epistemology. The method used in writing this article is a literature study. After presenting several explanations from various literature sources, it can be concluded that it is almost impossible to talk about "knowledge" without considering things about "truth".

From snapshots to panoramas: navigating power, space, and time in the study of armed groups

ABSTRACT The complex nature of civil conflict makes it inherently difficult to study, which is exacerbated by the challenges of conducting field research in volatile conflict zones. How do these challenges affect the data gathered and inferences drawn about armed groups? This article examines the epistemological, practical, and ethical issues of researching armed organisations across varying power relations, space, and time. We highlight the divergent perspectives that emerge within armed group hierarchies, the varying realities across conflict geographies, and shifts in armed group trajectories and narratives that arise over time. Based on research in Africa and Latin America, we identify the pitfalls of capturing isolated ‘snapshots’ related to with whom, where, and when research was conducted, and we advocate for a ‘panoramic’ approach to the study of armed groups, recognising both limits to available data and the evolving nature of armed groups and their behaviour. Ultimately, we offer a conceptual roadmap for understanding the main axes along which variation in armed group organisation and behaviour unfolds, provide recommendations on how to navigate them, and call for caution in the generalisation of research findings and policy prescriptions, given the limitations and liminal nature of knowledge about armed groups.

An Inclusional-Dialogic Approach to Qualitative Inquiry

My research looks into collaborative learning and co-creativity in educational contexts. This paper presents my research trajectory towards inclusional-dialogic perception, discernment, and expression. I understand this phenomenon as thinking from presence: a natural inquiry process that is immersive, dialogic, and inherently embodied; a creative dialogue between self and habitat. I combine Natural Inclusionality and dialogism as my philosophical foundations. Importantly, I extend the notion of thinking from presence to the research inquiry itself, broadening the scope of scientific explorations of experience. Thus, the inquiry becomes a dance in between extraspection (outward perception) and introspection (inward sensing), brought together in an empathic second perspective. The natural inclusional approach entails a move away from the logic and language of definition into the logic and language of flow. This article discusses how fluid logic has shaped my research approach and my writing, with three emergent features. First, the inquiry and its documentation constitute an open-ended and serendipitous dialogue with the phenomena in focus. Second, research analysis and writing moves away from the predominance of the textual, recognizing that the translation of the experience into language is not an unavoidable necessity. It also underlines the significance of the visual and poetic expression of philosophy, methods, and findings, fusing science and art into partnership. Third, the disseminative writing is immersive. It openly brings forth an interplay between subjective and objective. My own lived, personal experience of the researched phenomena is a central layer of experiential meaning making, affording contemplative insight. Centering my research approach around the notion of thinking from presence is not a purely epistemological issue. It speaks to the nature of reality and captures the overarching desire to contribute to a deeper human understanding of the self in the context of its natural neighborhood.

SOROTAN AWAL FALSAFAH ILMU ISLAM: PERMASALAHAN, PENSEJARAHAN, DEFINISI DAN SUMBER ILMU DALAM ISLAM

The post-modern age has discarded great narratives such as knowledge and truth which led to crisis of thought such as atheism, agnosticism and liberalism among Muslims. Among the causes surrounding crisis is the epistemological issues. Knowledge that is acquired through scientific methods only is considered valid which causes olther knowledge such as religious knowledge to be seen as ancient, old-fashioned, unscientific and incompatible with the development of the times. This study aims to analyze the philosophy of knowledge according to the Islamic perspective from the aspects of problems, historiography, definitions and sources of knowledge. The Islamic philosophy of knowledge that is centered upon the unity of revelation and reason can be an initial guide in facing the epistemic crisis within the post-modern era. This study uses the of content analysis methods towards books that bring together aspects of the philosophy of science. The study founds that the Islamic philosophy of knowledge to be integrated, comprehensive, and combines religio-philosophy based on the framework of the Quran. In addition, the philosophy of Islamic knowledge also covers a wide field of knowledge including matters related to divinity and religion.

The Question of Adequacy, from Hermeneutics to Writing Strategies

AbstractThe postulate of adequacy had been extensively questioned and deepened in the area of hermeneutics and interpretive social sciences. Some of the protagonists of this ongoing debate stress that the interpretation of human action has much in common with the interpretation of semiotic objects including texts and narratives. This debate goes back to a long tradition in the philosophy of human or social sciences. Here, considering recent exchanges in the fields of the history of ideas, rhetoric, and ethnography, we address basic epistemological and methodological issues about the interpretation of meaning and its adequacy. We argue that one must ascertain performativity on both sides of the meaning process: on the side of the semiotic object (speech acts, social rituals, texts, images…) and on the side of the interpreter (second-degree understanding, description, explanation…) We also argue that this theoretical discussion is more relevant and fruitful for the humanities and social sciences when it includes the question of writing strategies. In this way, it is possible to envision the practical moment of hermeneutic understanding, embracing its material, ethical, and political dimensions.

Love and Learning in the Age of Algorithms: How Intimate Relationships with Artificial Intelligence May Shape Epistemology, Sociality, and Linguistic Justice

AbstractGenerative artificial intelligence (GAI) programs such as ChatGPT and other large language models are designed to engage in complex, responsive dialogues that feel like human interactions. The dialogic and responsive nature of GAI signals the potential for users to form relationships with GAI platforms or digital personalities created on these platforms. Given the degree to which language use and broader conceptual understandings are deeply embedded in social relationships, the relational nature of GAI has powerful implications for the future of literacy and learning. This speculative essay draws upon sociocultural, affective, and posthuman perspectives on literacy to explore key concerns regarding the nature of intimate relationships with GAI. The author highlights three central concerns for literacy researchers and educators: epistemological issues stemming from intimate relationships with GAI, the potential for students to (re)conceptualize human relationships through GAI, and the role of relational GAI in linguistic justice.

Uses and abuses of the concept of race in genomics of sport performance and sport-related traumatic brain injury: epistemological and ethical considerations

ABSTRACT In this article, we tackle the epistemological and ethical issues related to the use of race concepts in the genomics of sport performance and sport-related concussion (SRC). In the first part of the article, we show how the concept of race is ubiquitous in scientific literature, besides the fact that ‘race’ as other analogous population descriptors like ‘ancestry’ and ‘continent’ carry ancestral genetic heterogeneity and therefore they cannot be used to infer any kind of genetic or physiological property. Then, we investigate the question of whether genomics research focusing on racial categories and race-specific genes of sport performance and of risk of health outcomes due to repetitive head impacts (RHI) is justified from an epistemological point of view, arguing that it is not; we show that the evidence supporting the existence of genetic variants determining an elite athlete status or a predisposition to health outcomes after SRC is scarce, and the use of racial categories (e.g. African or Black, Caucasian or White, Asian, etc.) as proxies for genetic variants associated with an elite athlete status/a predisposition to health outcomes after SRC is ill-conceived. In the second part of the article, we analyze the main ethical issues concerning the reification of race concepts in sport genomics, also considering the more general issue of the ethical and social impact of the use of a genetic framework in the explanation of individual differences in sport performance and SRC.

Linguistic Denotation as an Epistemological Issue

Abstract Linguistic denotation is discussed as an epistemological issue that arises from the philosophy of external realism and the reification of language as a communication tool. Together, these serve as a foundation for viewing language as a sign system used for knowledge representation, when denotation is seen as the semantic property of linguistic signs – indication or reference to something, such as a thing (event, process, activity) or a concept. However, since neither the concept of sign in semiotics nor the concept of knowledge in philosophy (let alone the concept of concept itself) has a uniformly accepted informative definition, the concept of denotation, viewed by many as an implied semantic property of the linguistic sign, is highly controversial. It is argued that the reification of linguistic signs is a poor starting point in our attempts to understand language, not as a tool in the service of the mind, but as a mode of existence of humans in the world as an image of language.

Diagnostic staging and stratification in psychiatry and oncology: clarifying their conceptual, epistemological and ethical implications.

Staging and stratification are two diagnostic approaches that have introduced a more dynamic outlook on the development of diseases, thus participating in blurring the line between the normal and the pathological. First, diagnostic staging, aiming to capture how diseases evolve in time and/or space through identifiable and gradually more severe stages, may be said to lean on an underlying assumption of "temporal determinism". Stratification, on the other hand, allows for the identification of various prognostic or predictive subgroups based on specific markers, relying on a more "mechanistic" or "statistical" form of determinism. There are two medical fields in which these developments have played a significant role and have given rise to sometimes profound nosological transformations: oncology and psychiatry. Drawing on examples from these two fields, this paper aims to provide much needed conceptual clarifications on both staging and stratification in order to outline how several epistemological and ethical issues may, in turn, arise. We argue that diagnostic staging ought to be detached from the assumption of temporal determinism, though it should still play an essential role in adapting interventions to stage. In doing so, it would help counterbalance stratification's own epistemological and ethical shortcomings. In this sense, the reflections and propositions developed in psychiatry can offer invaluable insights regarding how adopting a more transdiagnostic and cross-cutting perspective on temporality and disease dynamics may help combine both staging and stratification in clinical practice.

THE UNCERTAIN STUFF OF HISTORY: OUTLINE OF A THEORY OF INTENTIONALITY—THING BY THING

ABSTRACTThis article addresses the issue of historical knowledge in relation to material evidence. More specifically, it asks, What objects capture the historian's attention and what knowledge is gained from those objects? What does the historian's gaze select as “things of history” and thus as removed from a world of object assemblages and fluid matter? Is it the case that only artifacts deliberately produced or modified by humans (regardless of the purpose) count as “things of history”? Or do physical entities produced by unintended human and nonhuman factors also display temporal endurance or alteration occurring over time and resonate with humans? Are “things of history” only entities endowed with shape, or do formless materials qualify too? In this article, I outline a theory of intentionality in relation to material items for two main reasons. First, it allows for a “critique of material evidence,” which is still missing in the historical discipline. Second, it enables us to address any remaining epistemological, ethical, or political issues, biases, or contradictions associated with the multifaceted research on material culture that affect the way we do history.