Research on Peirce’s phaneroscopy has been done with and through the paradigm or the conceptual schema of “Being” — what has been critiqued by post-structuralist philosophers as the metaphysics of Being. Thus, such research is either limited to attempts to define “phaneron,” or to identify whether there is a particular and consistent meaning intention behind Peirce’s use of this term. Another problematic characteristic with such a way of engaging with phaneroscopy is the very anonymity of the schema of “Being.” While (...) all scholars admit to the universality of “phaneron,” rarely, if ever, do we see an account of how such universality can be instantiated. In this paper, I attempt to engage with phaneroscopy differently. Instead of presenting a better version of what phaneroscopy is, or making arguments about what is the case with phaneroscopy, both of which are ways of philosophising with “being,” I attempt to enact phaneroscopy. This would mean to undertake to follow Peirce’s instructions for the phaneroscopist and report the findings. Based on the latter, I shall analogise phaneron with the possibility of understanding. (shrink)

Christian churches must assess the suitability of applicants who believe themselves called to ministry. Discerning this vocation requires that Assessors, alongside an external criterion-based evaluation of applicants’ personal qualities, address a less easily definable question: is this applicant called by God? This research aims to determine how Assessors sense, authenticate, and verbally articulate a spiritual discernment within the necessary practical confines of ecclesial assessment processes. Consonant with the subject matter, it employs the action-research methodology of Jane Leach’s “Practical Theology as (...) Attention”, to a range of voices in mutual conversation. The mixed-methods approach utilized here is grounded in ethnographic studies of assessment conferences in five UK denominations, and on interview data from a purposive sample of their Assessors, to establish empirically the Assessor’s experience of discerning call. Thereafter, it draws on Ignatian spirituality to consider the reliability of a maturing spiritual “sense” in decision-making, both individual and corporate; and on Quaker practice for a contrasting communal discernment model. To address the identified challenge of utilizing intuitive knowledge, it engages with Iain McGilchrist’s scientific perspective on how the brain processes information through a bi-lateral pattern of attentiveness. Turning to the specifically theological epistemology, two conversation partners are selected for their divergent perspectives on how God may be known. Newman represents a Catholic continuity between grace and nature, by contrast with Barth, whose negative ontology grounds a distinctive Reformed view of revelation inaccessible to unaided human reason. Attention to all of these voices illuminates how Assessors experience knowing and affirming an authentic call from God. It also provides a basis for suggesting what personal qualities and procedural tools may be required to facilitate this highly distinctive element of their task. (shrink)

An overview of Dai's ethics, highlighting some overlooked or misunderstood theses on moral deliberation and motivation.

Trumpeter Don Cherry was fond of saying that 'there is nothing more serious than fun'. And philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer seems to echo his words when he writes: 'Seriousness is not merely something that calls us away from play; rather, seriousness in playing is necessary to make the play wholly play'. Individuals, communities and cultures the world over delight in the play of musical sound and debate its play of meanings. For specialists, musical discussion often hinges on cryptic symbols and (...) impenetrable codes, but for everyone, understanding music relies on basic cognitive and social processes. By musicking together -- to borrow Christopher Smalls' evocative phrase for taking part in any way in musical activity -- we bond with one another and create shared meanings. We also define or express ourselves within and against a musical community and a historical and cultural tradition. (shrink)

Interhuman relations sometimes suffer from a lack of adequate recognition. Here I ask whether this can be caused by the “third” of representations of a superhuman ultimate object or source of recognition, that is, a personal God. In arguing for a positive answer, I articulate a notion of mediational recognition, and present a systematic analysis of a trilateral form of recognition in which one party claims to mediate normative judgements of another party to a third one. The analysis then focuses (...) on the structure of metaphysical power that can be generated by religious groups and institutions. (shrink)