Program Philosophy Research Articles

Rethinking AI with Transformative Philosophy

Abstract This paper introduces the Transformative Philosophy (T:Phil) program, an initiative designed to embed ethical and socio-political literacy into the technological development process. T:Phil, developed within the Digitalized Lifeworld research cluster and in partnership with leading international technology reflection experts, provides a comprehensive framework for integrating philosophical insights with technical expertise. Aimed at decision-makers in the tech industry, T:Phil delivers tailored content through modular series such as Re:Thinking Technology, which challenge participants to reconsider their approaches to AI, digital infrastructures, and our language of technology. The paper highlights two key modules of the T:Phil program: The first, AI in an Atlas-View, promotes a holistic understanding of AI by examining its technical, human, and environmental aspects. This module encourages participants to view AI as a complex socio-technical ensemble rather than merely a technical innovation. The second module, AI as a Metaphor, explores the metaphorical language used to describe AI, fostering critical awareness of how these metaphors shape our perceptions and influence the ethical considerations of AI deployment. Through innovative delivery methods, including hybrid keynote- discussion events, short series, and intensive Thinkathons, T:Phil engages technical professionals in reflective practices that enhance their understanding of technology’s - especially AI’s - broader implications. The program aims to help cultivate a new cadre of ethically and philosophically informed tech experts capable of designing AI systems that promote equitable and just outcomes. This paper briefly introduces the T:Phil program and provides examples of its application, demonstrating its potential to transform the way we integrate ethical reflection into technology development.

Переклад як (криво)тлумачення: на прикладі філософії пізнього Фіхте

The article examines the essays dedicated to the philosophy of the late Fichte, specifically to the concept of the image and the absolute (Netrebiak, 2022 and 2024). It demonstrates the issues arising, on the one hand, from neglecting the context of Fichte’s philosophy in attempts to interpret his late philosophy and, on the other hand, from misinterpreting Fichte’s terminology and incorrect translations of his texts. Additionally, it refutes the claim regarding the theological context of Fichte’s philosophy, which consistently developed Kant’s program of transcendental philosophy. This program aimed at reforming Christian epistemology and ethics by considering knowledge as the source of faith. The article also deals with Kant’s thesis on the setting aside (aufheben) of knowledge in order to make room for faith (KrV, B XXX) in the context of Luther’s translation of the biblical verb καταργεῖν (Rom. 3:31) as Kant’s claim for a reformation of Christianity. The path of Christianity (and the Christian philosopher) is the justification of knowledge (law, norms) through faith. Kant, however, radically rethinks this stance by justifying faith through knowledge. At bottom, Kant revises Christianity by rejecting transcendence, the supposed source of epistemic and practical world relations, leading to his critique of Christian ethics and its golden rule of morality whithin his doctrine of categorical imperatives. From this perspective, Fichte merely continues Kant’s program of transcendental philosophy, offering a path from knowledge to faith. Attempts to put forward a theological interpretation of Fichte’s Wissenschaftslehre fundamentally contradict both the early and later versions of the Wissenschaftslehre, as they disregard the epistemological context in which Fichte consistently developed Kant’s revolutionary equating of objective validity with objective reality, even though he employed his own original theoretical vocabulary.

Use and perceptions of involuntary civil commitment among post-overdose outreach staff in Massachusetts, United States: A mixed-methods study.

Involuntary civil commitment (ICC) is a legal process by which people are compulsorily admitted to substance use treatment. This study explored views about and promotion of ICC procedures for substance use disorders among public health-public safety post-overdose outreach programs and their outreach team members in Massachusetts, USA. In this mixed-methods study, survey data were collected from post-overdose outreach programs in 2019, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with outreach team members in 2019 and 2020. Massachusetts, USA. We received 138 survey responses and conducted 38 interviews with post-overdose outreach team members (law enforcement officers, recovery coaches, social workers and harm reductionists) who were majority male (57%) and white (66%). We used the survey instrument to categorize programs as more (discussed ICC at 50% or more of outreach encounters) or less ICC focused (discussed ICC at less than 50% of outreach encounters) and to identify program characteristics that corresponded with each categorization. Semi-structured interviews explored staff perceptions of ICC effectiveness. Among 138 programs, 36% (n = 50) discussed ICC at 50% or more of outreach encounters. Discussing ICC at a majority of visits was positively associated with abstinence-only program philosophies (36% v. 6%, P < 0.001) and collaborating with drug courts (60% v. 30%, P < 0.001), but negatively associated with naloxone distribution (48% v. 75%, P < 0.001) and referring to syringe service programs (26% v. 65%, P < 0.001). Qualitative interviews identified three themes: 1) some programs viewed ICC as a first line tool to engage overdose survivors in treatment; 2) other programs considered ICC a last resort, skeptical of its benefits and concerned about potential harms; 3) families commonly initiated discussions about ICC, reportedly out of desperation. Promotion of involuntary civil commitment (ICC) appears to vary widely across post-overdose outreach programs in Massachusetts, USA, with approaches ranging from seeing it as a first step to treatment to being a tool of last resort. Demand for ICC among family members may relate to inadequate access to voluntary treatment. Family interest in ICC appears to be driven by inadequate availability of treatment and other services. ICC at post-overdose outreach visits should be limited, if used at all.

Рецепции философии Канта в эпоху высоких технологий

The existing reviews of research on Kant's heritage and the reception of philosophical ideas of the thinker do not reflect the actual connection of Immanuel Kant's philosophy with the development of new technologies and their expansion into all spheres of life. Is it possible to connect the anthropological meaning of Kantian philosophy with the questions that arise in the technologized world? This paper offers an overview of the receptions of some aspects of Kant's philosophy in research related to artificial intelligence technologies and biotechnologies. The theoretical core of the research was the distinction between transcendentalism and naturalism as research philosophical programs. Conclusions are drawn about the prospects of studying the reception of Kantian philosophy in techno-research, as well as about its dual nature, which reveals itself in the steady reproduction of transcendentalist and naturalistic interpretations of the thinker's ideas.

‘It's all there in the language’—a conversation with Garrett Stewart

AbstractWhat does a famed literary theorist have to say about the interaction between ‘literature’ and ‘philosophy’? Well, if he's Garrett Stewart, the celebrated agent of pyrotechnic style in the service of durable insights across disparate disciplines and media, then we have much reason to lean in and listen. Stewart is the author of 20 books that range with uncanny competency across Victorian narrative, contemporary American fiction, written auralities, poetics and prose stylistics, cinematic evolution from silver oxide to screen pixel, book art, scenes of reading in painting, and most recently, the vocal drama of Barbra Streisand. The distances between his disciplinary terrains are as vast as his close readings of them are coordinated and trenchant. Here, sitting down before a shared conversational canvas, Stewart fields questions from David LaRocca, who asks how he, if he, thinks about the program of literature and philosophy. LaRocca, editor of the recent Attention Spans: Garrett Stewart, a Reader (Bloomsbury, 2024) and the forthcoming Bandwidths: Reading Across Media with Garrett Stewart (Bloomsbury), tracks the urgency of our moment—in which literature and philosophy are independently besieged and yet may concede little rapprochement. Where does philosophy happen in literature (a philosopher's question) is turned around by Stewart such that we see literature conjuring philosophy at the level of the sentence. We are not peering ‘in’ so much as looking ‘at’ the art of literature teaching philosophy through refined reading and the analytical inquest of the syllable and the sayable. Anyone who works at the fraught fissure of these realms will benefit from the ways Stewart makes literature and philosophy sensible to one another—even as he productively unsettles the terms and conditions of their affiliation.

فه‌لسه‌فه‌ و ئامانجى پڕۆگرامه‌كانى خوێندن له‌ عێراق و ڕە‌نگدانه‌وه‌ى له‌سه‌ر كه‌ركوك 1968 - 1991

This current study entitled “The Aim and Philosophy of Iraqi Education Programs and their Reflections on Karkuk” is a historical research that studies the education programs in Iraq from the foundation of Iraq as a country, and more specifically during the Bath regime era. It is indisputable that the Bath regime aimed at encouraging and/or forcing the Iraqi citizens to join Bath Party through the education programs of the country. From the early dawn of Bath regime’s power in Iraq, they attempted to exploit the education programs and use them to serve the Bath party. Hence, education programs and aims affected all the Iraqi cities, specifically Karkuk city. The reflection of this policy is very visible in Karkuk city since Bath regime forcibly attempted to oblige the people of Karkuk to become members of Bath party. Accordingly, Bath regime exploited education sector to convert Karkuk from a Kurdish city into a Bathist city. Under the light of the above mentioned facts, the current study is divided into an introduction, two chapters and a conclusion. The introduction introduces the readership to the education programs in Iraq. Chapter one tackles the education program in Iraq and its development while chapter two tackles the philosophy and aim of education programs in Iraq and their effects specifically on Karkuk. The study ends with the conclusion reached.

Design and Analysis of a Campus Service Platform Based on WeChat Mini Program

This paper explores the design and analysis process of a campus service mini program. As known, an increasing number of mini program platforms are emerging in the market, and the unique community of schools, consisting of teachers and students, also requires a dedicated mini program to cater to their needs. This paper covers aspects such as the functional design, page layout, technical implementation, market analysis, and future planning of the mini program. Through our research, we have found that the design and development of a mini program is a complex and meticulous task, requiring thorough consideration of user needs, technical implementation capabilities, and market demands. Utilizing front-end development technologies, the mini program achieved a simple and user-friendly interface, consolidating multiple scattered platforms commonly used by users, enhancing the platform's practicality, and improving user experience. This research article provides a detailed introduction to the design philosophy, functional modules, technical implementation, and market analysis of the mini program. Additionally, the paper outlines future development trends and offers development recommendations, enabling the mini program to better face future challenges.

Introducing qrlabelr: Fast user-friendly software for machine- and human-readable labels in agricultural research and development.

The advent of modern tools in agricultural experiments, digital data collection, and high-throughput phenotyping have necessitated field plot labels that are both machine- and human-readable. Such labels are usually made with commercial software, which are often inaccessible to under-funded research programs in developing countries. The availability of free fit-for-purpose label design software to under-funded research programs in developing countries would address one of the main roadblocks to modernizing agricultural research. The goal was to develop a new open-source software with design features well-suited for field trials and other agricultural experiments. We report here qrlabelr, a new software for creating print-ready plot labels that builds on the foundation of an existing open-source program. The qrlabelr software offers more flexibility in the label design steps, guarantees true string fidelity after QR encoding, and provides faster label generation to users. The new software is available as an R package and offers customizable functions for generating plot labels. For non-R users or beginners in R programming, the package provides an interactive Shiny app version that can be launched from R locally or accessed online at https://bit.ly/3Sud4xy. The design philosophy of this new program emphasizes the adoption of best practices in plot label design to enhance reproducibility, tracking, and accurate data curation in agricultural research and development studies.

Secularization and de-legitimation: Hans Jonas and Karl Löwith on Martin Heidegger

ABSTRACT This study argues that the bond between ‘secularization’ and ‘de-legitimation’ is not only borne out in debates over grand historical narratives relating to the status of modernity, as argued by Hans Blumenberg, but in debates over the appraisal of specific modern philosophical programs as well. It does this by examining how the category of ‘secularization' is used to delegitimize Martin Heidegger's thought, from both theological and secular perspectives, by two of his former students, Hans Jonas and Karl Löwith. By analysing their interpretation of Heidegger and their understanding of secularization, legitimacy, and the philosophy-theology relationship, this study sheds light on the intellectual projects of these three thinkers – master and two students – and demonstrates the application of secularization as a hermeneutical category of de-legitimization on the basis of ‘insufficiency’ – either insufficiently secular or insufficiently religious.

Student Factors as Correlate of Completion Time of Ph.D. Programmes in Public Universities in Southwestern Nigeria

Completion of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programme within five years as stipulated by the National Universities Commission is the desire of students due to the associated minimal cost. However, many Ph.D. students, particularly in public universities in southwestern Nigeria do not complete their programmes in record time. This study, therefore, investigated student factors as predictors of completion time of Ph.D. programmes in public universities southwestern Nigeria. A sample of 146 respondents in the 2015–2016 cohort whose titles of theses were registered in less than five years were enumerated from University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University and Ekiti State University. A questionnaire titled “Completion Time of Doctoral Programme Questionnaire” (CTDPQ) was used to collect data. A null hypothesis was postulated, while a research question was raised and answered using descriptive and inferential statistical tools of frequency counts, percentage, Means and standard deviation and PPMC Analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that there was a positive significance relationship among academic capability (r = 0.362, p &lt; 0.05), student interest (r = 0.354, p&lt; 0.05), funding status (r = 0.336, p &lt; 0.05) and employment status (r = 0.354, p &lt; 0.05) with completion time of Ph.D. programme in faculties of education in public universities in Southwestern Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that students’ academic capability, interest, funding status and employment status should be prioritised to ensure completion time of Ph.D. in public universities.

Философско-футурологический дискурс в контексте электронных технологий

The article examines the influence of electronic means of communication on the modern philosophical and futurological discourse. The concepts of the theories of «network» and «platform» capitalism, their problems and prospects are investigated. Modern urban spaces and telecommunications form a research field for anthropology and social philosophy. The author analyzes in detail the philosophical reflection of the intensity of ICT development by N. Land, who demonstrates a decaying, apocalyptic, inhuman view of the future development of society and technology. The article notes the close connection between the category of faith and the techno-capitalist system, which acts as a stimulator and regulator of economic relations, accelerating historical time. The mechanism of functioning of psychological symbols and their impact on cultural dynamics is studied. The purpose of this article is to analyze how information technologies contribute to the development of philosophical programs, building images of the future.

Гипермодерн “инженера” Гарина и преодоление постмодернизма Владимиром Сорокиным

SUMMARY: The article discusses the two latest novels by the modern Russian classic writer Vladimir Sorokin: Legacy (2023) and especially Doctor Garin (2021). Based on his interpretation of Sorokin’s aesthetical and philosophical program developed elsewhere, Ilya Gerasimov reads Doctor Garin as a literary work that did not go as planned. Dismayed by the unexpected result, Sorokin wrote Legacy as a follow-up meant to explicate Doctor Garin ’s message and explain it to himself and his readers. Therefore, Legacy develops to the extreme only one aspect of the 2021 novel. According to Gerasimov, Doctor Garin was planned as a postmodernist satire on the Russian intelligentsia, modernist literature, and the very society of modernity that produced them. Doctor Garin and his miraculous method of hypermodernism is an obvious reference to Aleksey Tolstoy’s The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin (1926–1927) about an impostor and adventurist seeking world domination. Sorokin mocks the modernist belief in “certain schemes to improve the human condition” (to quote this belief’s famous academic critic, James C. Scott) and Russian modernist literature, from Vladimir Mayakovsky to Vasily Aksenov, as well as modern governments’ failed political leadership. For over half of the book, Sorokin sustains his original rational design, channeling all his trademark spontaneous prose into “subtexts” – more or less extensive citations of imagined books or diaries introduced in the main text every 20–30 pages of the book. However, at some point, these subtexts disappear, and the protagonist fully immerses himself in Sorokin’s irrational narrative driven by the logic of language rather than ideological considerations. This change of narrative mode transforms everything – from the protagonist’s personality to the novel’s central message. Gerasimov argues that Sorokin chose time as a central argument of his antimodernist criticism, vindicating postmodernism as a condition of multiple isolated chronotopes, with each subculture or identity group living in a unique temporality of its own – contrary to modernism’s belief in progress and the normative universality of time. However, the spontaneous narrative of the novel’s second half produces a different effect. It models social reality as multidimensional and yet fundamentally interconnected. In any of the very distinctive chronotopes, social reality acquires its stable characteristics only situationally in the eyes of an active subject rather than by some preset, anonymous and objective factors, such as temporality or identity. This message is communicated by the narrative independently of its author, who attempted to produce a different conclusion in the follow-up novel Legacy . Inadvertently, instead of affirming a postmodernist worldview – relativist but static – and mocking the old modernism and some hypothetical “metamodernism” anticipated since the late 2010s, Sorokin outlined a program for a truly new, “post-postmodernist” modernism. It combines postmodernism’s multifaceted, multidimensional view of reality with modernism’s ability to produce a coherent narrative anchored in an unequivocal moral position. It embraces multiple temporalities, but also the idea of the future as a condition radically different from the past and present. Gerasimov uses the difference in conceptualizing temporality as the main criterion differentiating the modernist and postmodernist epistemes, in any of their aesthetic versions, as well as the hypothetical new modernism as spontaneously outlined in Sorokin’s Doctor Garin .

An Argument-Based Analysis of Communicating Academic Findings to Practitioners

The AIS InPractice merged with Science2Practice in 2020. The new institution now translates articles published in AIS journals into Insights to publicize academic findings. Similarly, MISQ and ISR have a joint initiative with Sloan Management Review to translate academic papers into articles published in SMR. Despite these significant efforts in the IS field, little has been done to investigate whether academic findings have been communicated effectively to practitioners by these disciplinary endeavors. Against this backdrop, we apply Toulmin’s argument framework to discuss two different ways to support a knowledge claim, i.e., warrant-establishing and warrant-using. We then conduct an empirical study to examine how leading academic journals in the IS field rewrite their published articles for a practitioner audience. We found two problems in these communications: First, when academic articles are rewritten as warrant-establishing arguments, scientific methods are often not included. Second, when academic articles are rewritten as warrant-using arguments, the findings are not compared to existing practices. Based on our analysis, we propose that future communication could follow a knowledge flyer style focusing on comparing academic findings with existing practices. Also, we propose a Master of Philosophy program which could be an effective pedagogical effort to educate IS practitioners.

Music Connections: Participants’ Perceptions of Benefits and Factors Associated with the Longevity of a Community Intergenerational Music Group

ABSTRACT Music groups play an important role in connecting the generations, however, little is known about the factors underpinning the longevity of such programs in a community context. This study evaluated participants’ perceptions of the factors supporting the longevity of an intergenerational community music program that had been running for more than 10 years. Semi-structured interviews were used to examine the perceptions and experiences of nine older adult volunteers and eight parent participants of the music program. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify factors influencing the success and longevity of the group. Three overarching themes were identified, (1) program philosophy, (2) connection with community, and (3) intergenerational relationships, with a further eight subthemes. Findings are integrated into a visual model of the intergenerational music program, reflecting core factors that have contributed to the longevity of the group. Benefits of the intergenerational music program and future directions are discussed.

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program in outpatient drug and alcohol settings in Australia.

There has been a growing call for drug and/or alcohol dependence to be managed as a chronic condition. The Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program (Flinders Program) was implemented in a drug and alcohol service in Australia in 2019-2022 to explore the feasibility of chronic condition management in outpatient clinics. Implementation involved: adaptation of the Flinders Program; adaptation of clinical procedures; training clinicians and managers; training Flinders Program Accredited Trainers; and system integration. This study aims to explore barriers and enablers to implementation. A qualitative formative evaluation was undertaken. Data included implementation documents (n = 7), responses to open-ended questions in post-training surveys (n = 27), and focus groups and interviews with implementation staff, clinicians, managers and a trainer (n = 16). Data were analysed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in a 'coding reliability' approach to thematic analysis. Participants responded positively to the Flinders Program's philosophy, processes, tools and training. However, barriers were identified across three Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains: (i) outer setting (client suitability and incompatibility with external policies and incentives); (ii) characteristics of individuals (low self-efficacy); and (iii) inner setting (lack of system and workflow integration). Executive support and systems integration are important for the implementation of the Flinders Program in drug and alcohol services. This needs to be achieved within externally mandated key performance indicators for outpatient services. Further research is needed to fully evaluate the potential of a chronic condition management framework in Australian outpatient drug and alcohol services.

Русские религиозные философы Серебряного века о роли и функциях ересей в истории

The Russian religious philosophers of the Silver Age created the original concept of heresies. Their interpretation of heresies is ambivalent: first, heresies are symptoms of spiritual quests and the self-knowledge of a free spirit; second, two heresies that helped fuel the heresies of the twentieth century were chiliasm (S. Bulgakov) and spontaneous nihilism (N. Berdyaev). The inspiration for these came from the teachings about the end of time. This article will consider the point of view on heresy in the context of the doctrine of the absolute and the philosophy of history by L. Karsavin, the metaphysics of the spirit by N. Berdyaev, and the concept of Christian socialism by S. Bulgakov. Their idea is that heresies testify to the development of Christian doctrine, i.e., to its illnesses and impasses. He writes heresies into the history of spiritual research. All these concepts were a kind of response to the challenge of history, which Friedrich Nietzsche called "the death of God." In Russian thought, it manifested itself in the form of ritual belief among the people and the deadening of official church theology. Church writers did not see any social problems or an impending revolution. Therefore, Russian writers and philosophers of the Silver Age took upon themselves the mission of warning about the crisis of the religious attitude towards the world. Russian religious philosophers were interested in the phenomenon of the deadening of the Christian spirit in official church Christianity, and their special task was to counter the process of the deadening of the spirit in Orthodoxy. This caused the condemnation of all Russian religious philosophers in church circles. They were accused of heretical ideas of cosmism and sophiology. However, today they are the property of Russian religious culture; their works are included not only in university programs in philosophy and theology but also in the programs of theological seminaries.

RÉGINALD GARRIGOU-LAGRANGE: THE POLEMIC AGAINST HENRI BERGSON AND MAURICE BLONDEL

Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. The research is based on the analysis of some works by GarrigouLagrange himself and treatises by the philosophical opponents of the prominent Dominican priest, as well as on the in-depth study of the researches made by following thinkers and scholars: É. Gilson, G. McCool, F. Kerr, R. Peddicord, J. Kirwan, and M. Minerd. The research objective. The main goal of the article is to highlight the polemical philosophical moves of GarrigouLagrange, as well as to emphasize the role of Aquinas’s synthesis as a highly effective and irremovable theoretical framework for dismantling metaphysically weak philosophical programs. The statement of basic materials. H. Bergson did not associate himself with the Church at all, and M. Blondel was a sincere and devout Catholic, but both of them barely knew enough about the basic essentials of the Thomist tradition. For Bergson the concepts of discursive intelligence were not related to being; their function was merely practical. Instead, Blondel’s philosophy was formed in a pushback from (1) post-Kantian idealism with its highly radical anti-metaphysicalism and skepticism concerning the human possibility of knowing external, extramental entities (“things in themselves”), as well as (2) from Friedrich Schleiermacher’s pessimism about the capacity of the speculative mind to know God and his emphasis on the fundamental importance of subjective religious sensibility.

Next generation nurse scientists: A systems approach to engaging undergraduate students in research

BackgroundNursing Doctor of Philosophy program enrollment has declined. Undergraduate nursing student (UGS) research engagement is associated with future graduate education, an essential element for building the nursing faculty pipeline. Purpose(a) To describe the infrastructure and culture-enhancing resources and strategies associated with building UGS research engagement and (b) to evaluate UGS research engagement. MethodsGuided by a socioecological systems model university and college documents, databases, and college of nursing survey results were used to identify approaches to, and outcomes of, engaging UGS in research. Descriptive statistics were calculated to illustrate 5-year UGS research engagement trends. FindingsResources and strategies included grant funding, research assistant funding, student research showcases, and faculty mentorship. UGS research 5-year engagement trends included (a) a 75% increase in the number of students mentored, (b) a 30% rise in funded research proposals, and (c) a 54% increase in paid research assistantships. DiscussionPurposefully using existing resources, growing the college of nursing infrastructure, and cultivating a culture recognizing faculty contributions were approaches associated with increased UGS research engagement.

The First 5-year Integrated Doctoral Program Exploring the Frontiers of Pharmaceutical Sciences

To empower the next generation of students to become leaders that play active roles in various fields in society, research universities must offer attractive and meaningful doctor of philosophy (PhD) programs in their graduate schools. The Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, at Kyoto University has trained a large number of researchers who are leading drug discovery science and clinical pharmacy in academia as well as in the pharmaceutical industry, in medical organization and in government. However, due to changes in the trends of students and the evolving skill requirements of future PhD holders to handle the challenges of a changing society, it is necessary to revise the curriculum of our graduate school. Thus, we will reform the graduate and undergraduate school programs by implementing a so-called late specialization program and a double mentoring system and aim to nurture emergent researchers who will explore uncharted areas in pharmaceutical sciences. Toward this goal, we established the Division of Medical Frontier Sciences in April 2022 to replace the former Division of Bioinformatics and Chemical Genomics. This program is Japan's first five-year integrated doctoral course in the field of pharmaceutical sciences. In this review, I will introduce the background leading to its development construction and provide an overview of the characteristics of this five-year integrated doctoral program.

The influence of philosophical training on the evaluation of philosophical cases: a controlled longitudinal study

According to the expertise defense, practitioners of the method of cases need not worry about findings that ordinary people’s philosophical intuitions depend on epistemically irrelevant factors. This is because, honed by years of training, the intuitions of professional philosophers likely surpass those of the folk. To investigate this, we conducted a controlled longitudinal study of a broad range of intuitions in undergraduate students of philosophy (n = 226), whose case judgments we sampled after each semester throughout their studies. Under the assumption, made by proponents of the expertise defense, that formal training in philosophy gives rise to the kind of expertise that accounts for changes in the students’ responses to philosophically puzzling cases, our data suggest that the acquired cognitive skills only affect single case judgments at a time. There does not seem to exist either a general expertise that informs case judgments in all areas of philosophy, or an expertise specific to particular subfields. In fact, we argue that available evidence, including the results of cross-sectional research, is best explained in terms of differences in adopted beliefs about specific cases, rather than acquired cognitive skills. We also investigated whether individuals who choose to study philosophy have atypical intuitions compared to the general population and whether students whose intuitions are at odds with textbook consensus are more likely than others to drop out of the philosophy program.