Rational Arguments Research Articles

The Titular War of the Moscow State with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the Turn of the 16th – 17th Centuries: Communication and Pragmatic Aspect

Purpose. The struggle for the royal title recognition was one of priorities in the foreign policy of the Moscow State in diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) at the turn of the 16th – 17th centuries. The purpose of the article is to identify the communication and pragmatic features of the controversy about the title «tsar» betweenthe Russian monarch Boris Godunov and the Lithuanian ambassadors, which was preserved in the documents of the embassy of the GDL’s Chancellor Lew Sapieha to Moscow (1600–1601).Results. The main communication strategy of Boris Godunov in obtaining the recognition of the royal title was ration-al argumentation: succession by the right of inheritance and conquest, recognition by Christian and Muslim rulers, observance of the necessary rituals and diplomatic protocol. However, the key arguments of the Russian monarch were regarded by the Lithuanian side as a manipulative influence attempt, since they did not have sufficient documentary and factual confirmation. In turn, Lithuanian ambassadors also used verbal manipulation: deliberate substitution of the meaning of words, appeal to «God’s justice» and opponent’s emotions.Conclusion. Despite the failure to achieve recognition of the royal title, the analyzed polemics played an important role in the development of Russian diplomatic communication, since: 1) it let clearly formulate the official position of the Russian government and systematize relevant arguments in favor of the royal title, 2) stimulated the search for new communication strategies and tactics to legitimize the royal title in foreign policy relations with the GDL.

Religious Belief, Calling, and Marginalized Communities

This paper attempts to identify the Christian religious beliefs that motivate and sustain engagement in neighborhood revitalization efforts with marginalized communities and to identify a possible causal mechanism of these beliefs. The argument of the paper is that a transcendent calling forms consistently salient beliefs that operate on a deontological (versus utilitarian) level through sacred values. Using a mixed-method approach of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews) data, the results find significant differences in beliefs between local congregants and practitioners in Evansville, Indiana, USA. In one-on-one semi-structured interviews, practitioners cite a transcendent calling with deontological language as the reason for their engagement with marginalized communities. Utilitarian language was not entirely absent during these interviews, but it occurred primarily in relation to the sustaining of the behavior, thereby hinting at a hierarchical and sequential structure where the primary and initial motivation is deontological in nature followed and sustained through utilitarian language. Narrative evidence for this initial deontological shift is that of taking a “step of faith.” The large majority of practitioners report receiving this call after their initial engagement with a marginalized community suggesting that increasing this behavior is more a matter of increasing personal exposure rather than articulating better rational arguments.

The difficulty of seeing the world differently: a pedagogical and ethical aspect of moral persuasion

ABSTRACT This study examines the grammar of moral persuasion that leads to moral outlook transformation, exploring Cora Diamond’s insights in the ‘difficulty of reality’ (2008) and Wittgenstein’s concept of aspect change. Using J. M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals, Diamond illustrates the gulf between the character’s experiences and the audience’s interpretive deflections, highlighting the limitations of rational arguments in moral persuasion. Drawing on Wittgenstein, Diamond argues that we should imaginatively consider what seems nonsense as sense and understand the speaker’s intention to communicate. By comparing how reasons work in ethics to Wittgenstein’s methods, this study emphasizes both the difficulty educators face in persuading students to notice aspects they are blind to and the responsibility of educators to acknowledge seemingly nonsensical sentences uttered in children’s voices. It underscores the role of imaginative engagement and educators’ responsibility to share children’s sensitivities to our shared world in ethical and pedagogical approaches to moral persuasion.

Marketization of Shadow Education in Switzerland: How “Edupreneurs” Promote Preparation Programmes for a Selective School Transition

Private supplementary tutoring (PST) is a flourishing market for edupreneurs whose services relate closely to mainstream education. While international research elaborates on geographical variations in PST and edupreneurs’ marketing strategies, the PST market in Switzerland has been largely understudied. This paper contributes to fill this research gap by presenting a thematic analysis of the websites of edupreneurs offering preparation programmes for the highly selective central entrance examination (CEE) to the academically focused public school track of Gymnasium in Zurich. Conceptually, we draw on “problematization” and “commodificiation” as key terms elaborated by “geographies of marketization”. With this performative conceptualisation of the education market, we examine the marketing strategies of the edupreneurs offering CEE preparation courses. We offer two contributions to the existing research. First, the analysis elaborates that private CEE preparation courses are advertised as a market solution that compensates for an omission caused by public education. Second, we show how edupreneurs use rational and emotional arguments to convince families of the need of booking CEE preparation courses for their children. In the discussion, we engage with the findings of our local case study and argue that selective educational transitions have much wider relevance for policy and society elsewhere.

Natural Contemplation – a Christian Healing for the Environment?

Abstract Recent studies have acknowledged the insufficiency of rational arguments to motivate us for necessary changes to save the planet: hence the attraction of non-religious ecospiritualities. Identifying Western Christianity’s relationship with the environment as more moral than spiritual, I respond to the principle of right relation to the environment developed by the Methodist social creed tradition to recover the neglected tradition of natural contemplation from Christian cosmology and the monastic tradition. Drawing also on Douglas Christie’s analytical autoethnographic approach and on neglected liturgical tradition, I argue further that natural contemplation is intrinsically a prayer for the healing of nature.

Politische Bekenntnisse und kritische Wissenschaft

Abstract Political Commitments and Critical Science. On the Relationship between Critique of Racism and Critique of Science Theoretical development and critique in educational studies are based on communicative presuppositions of rational argumentation and self-critical reflection, which are questioned by recent theoretical approaches with regard to moral partisanship and political positioning. On the basis of a case study of an empirical research project, the different possible outcomes of a racism-critical and a scientifically distanced interpretation are discussed.

Argumentasi Rasional Eksistensi Tuhan

This research aims to examine and reiterate the arguments used by Islamic scholars regarding the existence of God, by incorporating contemporary evidence supporting the validity of these arguments. Simultaneously, it aims to refute the atheist's assumption that the existence of God is impossible to scientifically prove. This study employs qualitative, descriptive, and analytical methods, along with a philosophical approach to the arguments presented in revelation and those used by Islamic scholars regarding the existence of God. The research is categorized as library research, drawing from classical and contemporary books, relevant scientific journals, or articles related to the study. Islamic scholars, based on the Quran and Sunnah, have put forth various rational arguments for the existence of God. However, in the modern era, atheistic and agnostic groups are increasing, and their movements are extensive and structured in advocating their ideologies. Hence, there is a need to reexamine the arguments of the scholars, presenting them more explicitly with updates and additional contemporary facts, both from scientific perspectives and the testimonies of atheists or agnostics who affirm the existence of God. The results of this research indicate that the existence of God is a truth easily provable through reason and logic that is inherently certain.

Liver cancer in ovo models for preclinical testing.

Immunotherapies have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although more than 70% of patients still do not respond to this first-line treatment. Many new combination strategies are currently being explored, which drastically increases the need for preclinical models that would allow large-scale testing of new immunotherapies and their combinations. We developed several in ovo (in the egg) human liver cancer models, based on human tumor xenografts of different liver cancer cell lines on the chicken embryo's chorioallantoic membrane. We characterized the angiogenesis, as well as the collagen accumulation and tumor immune microenvironment, and tested atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) plus bevacizumab (anti-VEGF) treatment. Our results show the involvement of chicken immune cells in tumor growth, reproducing a classical non-inflamed "cold" as well as inflamed "hot" tumor status, depending on the in ovo liver cancer model. The treatment by atezolizumab and bevacizumab was highly efficient in the "hot" tumor model PLC/PRF/5 in ovo with the reduction of tumor size by 76% (p ≤ .0001) compared with the control, whereas the efficacy was limited in the "cold" Hep3B in ovo tumor. The contribution of the anti-PD-L1 blockade to the anti-tumoral effect in the PLC/PRF/5 in ovo model was demonstrated by the efficacy of atezolizumab monotherapy (p = .0080, compared with the control). To conclude, our study provides a detailed characterization and rational arguments that could help to partially replace conventional laboratory animals with a more ethical model, suited to the current needs of preclinical research of new immunotherapies for liver cancer.

How Confucius Seeks to Convince Others: Contrasting an One-World Analects with Two-World Theories

Western thinkers have often seen Confucianism as unique in that it does not fit well into standard categories of either religion or philosophy. In terms of how this difficulty is reflected in academia, it seems that Confucianism is simultaneously both a religion and a philosophy, and neither. This paper attempts to begin a discussion of a related issue, which has been relatively underappreciated; namely, how does Confucianism attempt to convince people to be Confucian? Restricting our discussion to the Analects, we can find appeals to a belief which seem almost religious, rational arguments which seem philosophical, and a host of other methodologies that may help to convince readers to follow the Confucian way. The discussion of the Analects is cursory here, and only a few passages will be discussed in a general manner. We will contrast this with a general outline of approaches to convincing people found in two-world theories, which can help to illuminate the uniqueness of the Analects, especially when it is read as a one-world perspective.

Deep disagreement across moral revolutions

Moral revolutions are rightly coming to be recognised as a philosophically interesting and historically important mode of moral change. What is less often acknowledged is that the very characteristics that make a moral change revolutionary pose a fundamental challenge to the possibility of moral progress. This is because moral revolutions are characterised by a diachronic form of deep moral disagreement: moral agents on either side of a moral revolution adopt different standards for assessing the merits of a moral argument, and according to the standards they adopt, agents on neither side of the revolution ought to accept the arguments being put forward by those on the other. This threatens to undermine the progressive status of many of our most celebrated historical examples of moral revolutions: if a moral revolution only looks progressive in light of a change in evaluative standards it itself brought about, then moral progress seems relative to a particular historical perspective; if prior to a moral revolution taking place the moral arguments in its favour fall short of the relevant standards, moral revolutions can never be the outcome of rational argumentation. This apparent relativism and irrationality sits uncomfortably alongside our common-sense intuition that the moral revolutions upon which our contemporary moral worldview rests count as genuine moral progress. In this paper, I deepen currently popular Kuhnian-inspired accounts of moral revolution by incorporating Wittgensteinian ideas from Philosophical Investigations and On Certainty. The result is an original way of thinking about deep moral disagreements, moral revolutions, and moral progress.

Эпидейктическая речь: от классики к современности

Epideictic (epidictic, demonstrative) speech has been considered since ancient times as one of the main genres of rhetorically developed speeches. In Aristotle, this rhetorical genre did not receive proper development, being pushed into the background by the most relevant deliberative and judicial speech for a competitive democracy. Epideictic speech in the oratorical practice of Ancient Greece and Rome was considered as a means of exercising eloquence as a pure art, and declamation as a school exercise for developing phonation skills. The publication in 1958 of the book X. Perelman and L. Olbrecht-Tyteki’s “New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation” marked a new reading of the rhetorical classics, which aroused interest in epideictic speech. The latter began to be considered as a tool that forms values in the public consciousness. In this regard, the researchers noted that rational argumentation, which is objectively based on the common views of the speaker and the audience, should not ignore the value and semantic orientations of listeners, which underlie their productive activities in accordance with the ideas laid down by deliberative and judicial speech. Epideictic speech is important for educational activities as an instrument of socialization, the formation of a worldview, and the education of commitment to values that have been living in the public consciousness for centuries, which makes its use by teachers and students effective.

Changing Trends of Marriage: Emerging Complication, Paradoxical Thinking and Social Transformation

Marriage is one of the most ancient, indispensable, significant and universal social institution in all societies and cultures which has constructed since the beginning of human civilization. Marriage is a universal social phenomenon and it is a permanent bond between husband and wife which is intended to fulfill the economic, social, cultural, biological and emotional goals. Similarly, marriage establishes a new family which supports in giving facilities for the reproduction and upbringing of children. In changing context, individual freedom is greater matter rather than marital burden and partner’s ambiguity. In this modern era, there are various marriage allied complications, contradictions and changing trends. Sociological observations of marriage have brought out multifaceted marriage systems and its challenging transformations. Similarly, the change in gender relationship and independence between men and women has resulted in a considerable rise in the instability of marriage and its implication in the society. In this circumstance, this paper tries to analyze the conceptual and rational debates of orthodox and customary established marriage, marriage practice and its social, cultural, biological and emotional implications. Likewise, this study provides an analysis of contradictory thinking and declining trends of marriage in this contemporary society.

Misinformation, observational equivalence and the possibility of rationality

ABSTRACT In vice epistemology, bad epistemic outcomes, such as maintaining false beliefs, are interpreted as indicators of blameworthy irrationality. Conversely, a growing trend in philosophical psychology advocates for environmentalist explanations, suggesting these outcomes emerge because rational cognitive processes of faultless individuals falter due to polluted environmental inputs. Building on concrete examples, I first offer a systematic analysis of the relative explanatory merits of that environmentalist project. I then use this analysis to advance the rationality debate, which has recently been identified as stagnating due to an observational equivalence between environmentalist and vice accounts. Although the conceptual imprecision of vice epistemology has frequently been critiqued, the framework developed here reveals that environmentalism is (also) unable to meet various theoretical desiderata. I show why this is so and argue that, to make progress, environmentalism needs a more substantive conception of epistemic rationality. To this end, I propose that a closer engagement with questions of cognitive agency – how rational creatures can “make up” their minds about what to believe – could enable the necessary progress.

Религия, милосердие и следование разуму, куда бы он ни вел: переосмысление концепции Фомы Аквинского

Scholars of Aquinas have usually focused on the intellectual aspect of the Christian faith, i.e., on the view that faith is a propositional belief. In this view, faith can be subjected to rational scrutiny, and at least in principle rejected, if this is required by contrary evidence. In this article, I intend to show that for Aquinas, faith is not only a propositional belief. Consequently, it cannot be limited to the intellectual dimension. A moral and a religious one should be included, since faith is also a matter of good choice and relationship with God. Because of this relationship – which is the religious dimension of faith – faith is caused by charity, which makes the faithful firmly believe the fundamental tenets of divine revelation, however convincing contrary evidence may appear to be. Furthermore, when it comes to the relationship between faith and rational arguments, such a firm faith leads the believer to promote intellectual virtues, among which, open-mindedness stands out. The believer is led to follow reason wherever it leads, which means that he is put in the optimum condition to conduct research and debates.

Da'wah Methods in Qur'anic Invitations to Reflect on the Universe

The Qur'an commands Muslims to observe and interpret the universe rationally, considering natural phenomena as signs of Allah's existence and guidance for humankind. This study explores the Qur'anic method of da'wah through verses inviting reflection on the universe. Employing a qualitative research design and a thematic analysis approach, the study examines Qur'anic verses related to natural phenomena and their implications for da'wah. Primary data sources include ayat kawniyyah (verses about natural phenomena) from the Qur'an, with secondary data from classical and contemporary Islamic scholarship, tafsir literature, and scientific studies on environmental preservation. The analysis reveals that the Qur'an emphasizes the observation and study of the universe, highlighting its creation, balance, and order by Allah. The study identifies three main da'wah methods: da’wah bi al-Hāl (concrete actions in environmental conservation), da’wah bi al-lisan (rational and scientific argumentation), and da’wah bi al-qalb (fostering opposition to environmental destruction). The findings underscore the importance of integrating spiritual, philosophical, and practical dimensions in environmental stewardship.

Neuromarketing y comportamiento en la decisión de compra del consumidor de una tienda online Asiri Munay, Lima – Perú

This study investigates the influence of neuromarketing on consumer buying decision behavior in online stores, focusing on the emotional, instinctive and rational dimensions. The methodology used was characterized by a quantitative approach, adopting a basic non-experimental design with an explanatory level. The data was collected through a form in Google Forms, obtaining a sample of 124 potential customers of Asiri Munay store. The results revealed a strong correlation between the aforementioned dimensions and buying decision behavior in online stores, highlighting the influence of strategies that include positive emotional experiences, attractive visual stimuli and presentation of logical and persuasive information. Specifically, it was found that consumers respond favorably to strategies that generate positive emotions, visual appeal, and compelling rational arguments when making purchasing decisions in digital environments. These findings suggest the importance of integrating neuromarketing into digital marketing strategies to improve customer experience and increase online conversions. In conclusion, this study highlights the need to adapt online marketing strategies to take advantage of the emotional, instinctive and rational dimensions of buying decision behavior, which can lead to greater commercial success in the digital environment. Additionally, it provides a solid foundation for implementing neuromarketing practices in e-commerce, which can be more effective and satisfying for online businesses.

The Epistemic Import of Narratives

ABSTRACT In situations of disagreement in a polarized social world, rational argument is not always successful in persuading those who do not share our beliefs. Narratives of personal experiences have empirically shown to help bridge divides between disagreeing interlocutors, though this raises the question of how particular, personal narratives relate to the universal appeal of argumentation. It also leads us to reflect upon the dangers of these narratives functioning as a type of propaganda that bypasses reason. In this paper, I discuss how understanding narratives as ways to build common ground using standpoint-informed knowledge (hereafter: standpoint knowledge) can explain the empirical belief-changing potential of narratives. Additionally, viewing deliberation in the public sphere as a communal constitution of common ground may alleviate worries of narratives functioning as propaganda and explain how narratives foster perceived rationality, respect and humanity. On this account, our shared history is constantly shaped by narratives that we build together, which also allows for criticism of these narratives in a pluralist public sphere.

Cicero’s maledicta: the darker side of Cicero’s arguments

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) is widely praised for his brilliant oratorical arguments; in fact, his performance of casuistry is regarded as a model of Roman rhetoric. The accolades that Cicero has received are well deserved but these achievements in rational argumentation do not reveal the spectrum of Cicero’s rhetoric, nor do they fully explain why his orations were so persuasively effective. Explanations of the brilliance of Cicero’s rational arguments do not normally encompass the darker side of the effectiveness Cicero’s suasory strategies. His tactics of denigrating the opposition with ethnic slurs, mockery, ridicule, sarcasm and other forms of ad hominem/ad personam attacks—what is collectively termed here as maledicta—were persuasive weapons that contributed to his success. Cicero was well aware of the persuasive power of his biting ridicule and sarcasm and even tempered its use on occasion (e.g. Pro Sulla 47). This essay examines Cicero’s use of maledicta in his legal rhetoric in order to better understand the range of his rhetorical strategies, the effectiveness of his performance, and the rationale for employing such tactics in the courts of the Roman Republic.

The Right to Mental Autonomy

A number of moral philosophers and legal scholars have now recognized that we possess a natural, or moral, right to mental autonomy. This right is standardly characterized as our right against significant, nonconsensual interference with our minds. However, the precise scope of this right remains under-theorized: what makes some ways of influencing someone’s thinking—rational argumentation, say—permissible, but other ways—pharmacological manipulation—impermissible? Here I argue that the right to mental autonomy should be analyzed as the right to form attitudes in light of reasons. Once understood this way, we can see how this right protects us against all “nonrational” interventions on our thinking—including, but not limited to, nonconsensual neurosurgery, pharmacological manipulations, science fiction mind control, subliminal messaging, and non-reason-giving advertising or nudging. Rather, the only fully permissible ways to seek to influence someone’s thinking are through methods that seek to engage their rational faculties. This result, I claim, accords with our moral intuitions concerning the matter.

Staging the Theatrical Public Sphere in The Laramie Project

Abstract Contemporary documentary theater has become a favored genre in scholarship to investigate the relationship between theater and the public sphere (Reinelt, “Promise”; Balme; Claycomb, Lurch). Drawing on Christopher B. Balme’s concept of the theatrical public sphere and other scholarship, I examine how The Laramie Project (2000) by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project stages the idea of the public sphere and, in the process, rethinks the form of documentary performance. On one level, the play reflects a discursive turn in documentary practice as multiple narrative layers dramatize the collision of opposing value systems and civic voices in order to challenge established boundaries between the private and the public, the liberal and the conservative, the rural and the urban, poverty and wealth, life and art. The theatrical sphere is constructed as an imaginary space not just of rational debate but of negotiating questions of accountability by appealing to the affective engagement of the audience. On another level, I argue, the play operates as a metatheatrical piece, using strategies such as a narrator and anti-illusionism to establish the theatrical public sphere as a conceptual framework that fuses sociopolitical engagement with a self-reflexive theater practice.