A lively debate in the literature on moral progress concerns the role of practical reasoning: Does it enable or subvert moral progress? Rationalists believe that moral reasoning enables moral progress, because it helps enhance objectivity in thinking, overcome unruly sentiments, and open our minds to new possibilities. By contrast, skeptics argue that moral reasoning subverts moral progress. Citing growing empirical research on bias, they show that objectivity is an illusion and that moral reasoning merely rationalizes pre-existing biased moral norms. In (...) this article, I argue that both the rationalists and the skeptics fail to understand fully the role of practical reasoning by focusing exclusively on moral reasoning to the neglect of social reasoning. In the first half of the article, I argue against the skeptics by vindicating moral reasoning. I identify a Democratic Model of moral reasoning which is reliable and effective in overcoming bias. In the second part of the article, I argue against the rationalists. Drawing on a paradigmatic case of moral progress, i.e., the British abolition of the slave trade, I illustrate that moral reasoning, even when sound, is insufficient to motivate progressive action. The explanation for this puzzling phenomenon is not that the moral norm against cruelty is inert, as skeptics might suggest. Rather, it is that the moral norm against cruelty was overridden by the social norm of slavery which was tied to the British joint commitments to freedom and national honour. The debate between rationalists and skeptics centers around the moral rationality of human action, failing to recognize that human action is in fact primarily about social rationality. I defend a joint commitment account of social rationality, and offer a novel Communitarian Model of social reasoning which follows the logic of social rationality to revise social norms. I defend the reliability and efficacy of the Communitarian Model of social reasoning by applying it to the abolitionist social movement to show how Britons gave fellow Britons social reasons grounded in their joint commitments to freedom and national honour to end slavery. (shrink)

Space tourism is an emerging field where few people have direct experience. However, considering the potential in the near future, it is beneficial to better understand how related information influences people’s attitudes about this new form of tourism. Employing information-processing-based Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 361 respondents consuming content related to space tourism on Chinese social media, we found that induced happiness and impression are positively associated with willingness to try space tourism. Information authenticity positively moderates (...) these two associations. Our findings emphasize three aspects of information during the processes of reception and filtering: meaning, intensity, and trust. Since promotional materials for space tourism rely heavily on mental simulations rather than objective feedback, creative uses of digital technology are advantageous. However, precautions must be taken to prevent exploitation, such as false advertising, exaggeration, and emotional manipulation. (shrink)

This paper seeks to determine the extent to which individuals with borderline personality disorders can be held morally responsible for a particular subset of their actions: disproportionate anger, aggressions and displays of temper. The rationale for focusing on these aspects lies in their widespread acknowledgment in the literature and their plausible primary association with blame directed at BPD patients. BPD individuals are indeed typically perceived as “difficult patients” (Sulzer 2015, Bodner et al. 2011), significantly more so than schizophrenic or depressive (...) patients (Markam 2003). The “responsibility question” for patients with BPD has already been raised (Martin 2010, Zachar & Potter 2009, Bray 2003), but this paper tackles it from a novel perspective. First, I narrow down the category of things for which the responsibility question is specific to individual with BPD. After that, I argue that some of the diagnosis criteria of BPD such as emotional instability or impulsivity might serve as excusing factors targeting the “control condition” on moral responsibility. Second, this paper also considers another widely accepted condition on moral responsibility: the epistemic condition. The view defended in the paper is that the answer to the responsibility question for individuals with BPD, concerning both the control condition and the epistemic condition, hinges on an understanding of their epistemic profile. (shrink)

Extant literature suggests a positive correlation between social trust (also called generalized trust) and life satisfaction. However, the psychological pathways underlying this relationship can be complex. Using the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), we examined the influence of social trust in a high-violence environment. Employing Bayesian analysis on a sample of 1237 adults in Cali, Colombia, we found that in a linear relationship, generalized trust is positively associated with life satisfaction. However, in a model including the interactions between trust and education (...) level as well as between trust and socioeconomic status, generalized trust is found to be negatively associated with life satisfaction. In this non-linear relationship, both education level and socioeconomic status have moderating effects against the negative association between generalized trust and life satisfaction. In other words, less educated people living in worse socioeconomic conditions are more likely to have lower life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust. In contrast, highly educated people living in better socioeconomic conditions are more likely to have higher life satisfaction when they have higher levels of social trust. Due to the facilitating function of trust in information processing, lowering the rigor of the filtering system in a high-violence social environment will likely put an individual at risk. Based on our findings, we suggest that policymakers should consider the impacts of social contexts when advocating for increasing social trust. We also recommend that researchers carefully examine the psychological mechanism underlying an observed association before making suggestions for policymaking. (shrink)

Cheating is widely considered a condemnable behavior in society and a big problem in the educational system. In this study, we employ the information-processing-based Bayesian Mindsponge Framework to explore deeper the subjective cost-benefit evaluation involving the perceived value of cheating. Conducting Bayesian analysis on 493 university students from Germany, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, and Japan, we found that students who have more positive attitudes toward cheating are more likely to cheat. However, a higher capability of cognitive reflection acts as a moderator (...) that negates the above effect. Re-evaluation of prior thoughts allows for more accurate assessments of the associated risks and possible costs, which help reduce the probability of carrying out cheating behavior. As rapid technological advancement may introduce new and efficient cheating methods, a better understanding of the psychology of cheating in students can help schools prepare better countermeasures. (shrink)

In the trust-health relationship, how trusting other people in society may promote good health is a topic often examined. However, the other direction of influence – how health may affect trust – has not been well explored. In order to investigate this possible effect, we employed Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics to go deeper into the information processing mechanisms underlying the expressions of trust. Conducting Bayesian analysis on a dataset of 1237 residents from Cali, Colombia, we found that general health (...) status is positively associated with generalized trust, but recent experiences of illnesses/injuries have a negative moderating effect. Personalized trust is largely unchanged across different general health conditions, but the trust level becomes higher with recent experiences of illnesses/injuries. Psychophysiological mechanisms of increasing information filtering intensity toward unfamiliar sources during a vulnerable state of health is a plausible explanation of found patterns in generalized trust. Because established personal relationships are reinforced information channels, personalized trust is not affected as much. Rather, the results suggest that people may rely even more on loved ones when they are in bad health conditions. This exploratory study shows that the trust-health relationship can be examined from a different angle that may provide new insights. (shrink)

Precognition is an anomaly in information transmission and interpretation. Extant literature suggests that paranormal beliefs and gender may have significant influences on this unknown information process. This study examines the effects of these two factors, including their interactions, on precognition performance by employing the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics. Using Bayesian analysis on secondary data of 60 participants, we found that men may have higher chances to score a hit in a precognition task compared to women. Interestingly, stronger beliefs in (...) the paranormal may decrease the success probability in performing precognition tasks. Considering the interactions between the two factors, the effect of paranormal beliefs on precognition task performance is stronger in men than women. Using mindsponge-based reasoning, we argue that paranormal beliefs may increase the interference of imagination in the reception of hypothetical precognitive information. Women tend to rely more on intuition, which may lessen the interference effect of imagination on hypothetical psi reception. Based on the findings, we suggest that researchers should be careful when assessing participants’ psi potential for experiments. We also demonstrate some advantages of utilizing the BMF in parapsychological research. (shrink)

The ecological approach to object pretend play, developed from the ecological perspective, suggests an action- and affordance based perspective to account for pretend object play. Theoretical, as well as empirical reasons, support the view that children in pretense incorporate objects into their play in a resourceful and functionally appropriate way based on the perception of affordances. Therefore, in pretense children are not distorting reality but rather, they are perceiving and acting upon action possibilities. In this paper, we argue for the (...) viability of an ecological theoretical framework to pretend object play which has been traditionally understood as a representational and metarepresentational ability. We discuss the origins and basic assumptions of the ecological approach to pretense. We layout details by presenting a qualitative analysis of a pretend play episode and discuss the results of an experimental study inspired by the ecological assumptions. We discuss pretend object play in the context of ecological work on tool use. We address the relationship between the enactive and the ecological approaches to pretend play, pointing out similarities as well as differences. We conclude that ecological and enactive approaches have shown that it is possible to challenge accepted interpretations and seek explanatory frameworks that could move the field in new directions. (shrink)

In this paper, I characterize visual epistemic representations as concrete two- or three-dimensional tools for conveying information about aspects of their target systems or phenomena of interest. I outline two features of successful visual epistemic representation: that the vehicle of representation contain sufficiently accurate information about the phenomenon of interest for the user’s purpose, and that it convey this information to the user in a manner that makes it readily available to her. I argue that actual epistemic representation may involve (...) tradeoffs between these and is successful to the extent that they are present. (shrink)

In this paper, I try to resolve a contradiction arising from the combination of two theses: (1) self-forgiveness is sometimes morally justified and (2) only victims can rightly forgive. As has been pointed out by other philosophers, both are plausible but the two taken together are inconsistent. In the literature, self-forgiveness is painted as an “imperfect” form of forgiveness or as a “second best option” because it entails a violation of the victim’s prerogative to forgive. So far, this view has (...) not directly been challenged and philosophers have focused on the task of giving a plausible account of self-forgiveness while leaving the claim according to which forgiveness is among the victim’s prerogative unchallenged. I argue that self-forgiveness is largely independent from the victim’s forgiveness both morally and conceptually. (shrink)

This article engages with the care ethics of Laudato Si’ through the lens of postcolonial ecofeminism. Laudato Si’ speaks of the family of creation where nature is both a nurturing mother and a vulnerable sister, reflecting patriarchal associations of women with nature, fragility, and the virtue of care. This indirectly undermines the need for men to engage in care/social reproduction work as well as the strengthening of women’s agency. While this kin-centric ecology acknowledges the interdependence of creatures, it maintains the (...) hierarchy of humans over nature and underlines this family’s headship by an all-powerful Father. Laudato Si’s family ecology and God language inadvertently reifies women–nature–care connection and reinforces the logic of male domination. This study recommends exploring gender inclusive images of the Trinity and the family of creation in mutual relations to foster care that promotes both the agency of women and nature. (shrink)

The review first discusses componential explanations of automaticity, which specify non/automaticity features (e.g., un/controlled, un/conscious, non/efficient, fast/slow) and their interrelations. Reframing these features as factors that influence processes (e.g., goals, attention, and time) broadens the range of factors that can be considered (e.g., adding stimulus intensity and representational quality). The evidence reviewed challenges the view of a perfect coherence among goals, attention, and consciousness, and supports the alternative view that (a) these and other factors influence the quality of representations in (...) an additive way (e.g., little time can be compensated by extra attention or extra stimulus intensity) and that (b) a first threshold of this quality is required for unconscious processing and a second threshold for conscious processing. The review closes with a discussion of causal explanations of automaticity, which specify factors involved in automatization such as repetition and complexity, and a discussion of mechanistic explanations, which specify the low-level processes underlying automatization. (shrink)

After employing the mindsponge mechanism and 3D information process of creativity to explain the serendipity process in previous chapters, we realize that it may be helpful to delve into the relations between serendipity and the formulation of new values and information connections through non-linear processes. Thus, this chapter summarizes some preliminary attempts to use non-linear information processes to explain serendipity. We also briefly mention the benefits of information exchange among members of social groups and explain this approach.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an answer to the following question: should we blame ourselves more than we blame others, like some of Taylor’s song such as High Infidelity, Would’ve, Could’ve Should’ve, Afterglow or Anti-Hero seem to suggest? In order to settle this question, I discuss an asymmetry in our intuitions about the ethics of self-blame and other-blame. The asymmetry is this: for a given wrongdoing, let us say arriving late to a concert, it often seems morally (...) appropriate for an agent to blame herself more than it would be morally appropriate for others to blame her. -/- . (shrink)

They are research studies on the intersection of several fields in the humanities and social sciences, namely social anthropology, linguistics, folkloristics, applied Bayesian statistics, and cultural studies (see the references). All these three studies have been conducted by the Hanoi-based ISR research team at Phenikaa University, Ha Dong district, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Những năm qua, một số tác giả Việt đã thử sức đưa sách của mình giới thiệu đến quốc tế bằng việc xuất bản sách tiếng Anh tại thị trường Mỹ và trên các nền tảng như Amazon.

We have previously argued that historical cases must be rendered canonical before they can plausibly serve as evidence for philosophical claims, where canonicity is established through a process of negotiation among historians and philosophers of science (Bolinska and Martin, 2020). Here, we extend this proposal by exploring how that negotiation might take place in practice. The working stock of historical examples that philosophers tend to employ has long been established informally, and, as a result, somewhat haphazardly. The composition of the (...) historical canon of philosophy of science is therefore path dependent, and cases often become stock examples for reasons tangential to their appropriateness for the purposes at hand. We show how the lack of rigor around the canonization of case studies has muddied the waters in selected philosophical debates. This, in turn, lays the groundwork for proposing ways in which they can be improved. (shrink)

This research analysed the steadiness linking theoretical knowledge to practical skills for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates in hospitality Management in the Western Region of Ghana. It explored how theoretical knowledge provided the foundation for understanding industry standards, management principles, and regulatory frameworks. A quantitative research methodology was utilized, whereby Cochran’s sample size determination formula aided in the selection of 200 TVET graduates, instructors and industry-based supervisors. Three sampling techniques; stratified, purposive and convenience were utilized in the (...) selection of respondents and solicit for primary data using a questionnaire whilst data was analysed using SPSS. The TVET institutions faced challenges in achieving a balance in theory and practice which often resulted in a mismatch between industry expectations and graduate competencies. Overemphasized theory resulted in graduates who possessed solid foundational knowledge but lacked hands-on experiences needed for operational roles. Industry collaboration, through internships and apprenticeships, played a crucial role in bridging this gap. Conclusively, a balanced curriculum, incorporating both theoretical and practical elements, are key to producing well-rounded graduates. Effective collaboration between institutions under TVET and the industry stakeholders was considered vital to ensure that training programs aligned with current industry demands. Commendably, curriculum development and industry partnerships can better prepare graduates to balance theory and practice in the hospitality industry, which can enhance employability and contribute to the sector's growth. (shrink)

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), tremendous efforts have been made by scientists, health professionals, business people, politicians, and laypeople around the world. Covid-19 vaccines are one of the most crucial innovations that help fight against the virus. This paper attempts to revisit the Covid-19 vaccines production process by employing the serendipity-mindsponge-3D creativity management theory. Vaccine production can be considered an information process and classified into three main stages. The first stage involved the processes of absorbing information (...) (e.g., digital data and open science) and rejecting unhelpful information (e.g., misinformation and fake news) for effectively acquiring useful insights. Useful insights were later employed by experts, enterprises, governments, and international organizations through interdisciplinary coordinated efforts for developing vaccines within a short period. Finally, the appearance of multiple types of vaccines enabled more strategic options for vaccine distribution and administration. Findings from this vaccine creativity management process could be used as critical lessons for further improvements of vaccination programs. (shrink)

Food prices are a daily concern in many households’ decision-making, especially when people want to have healthier diets. Employing Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 710 Indonesian citizens, we found that people from wealthier households are less likely to have concerns about food prices. However, the degree of health considerations in food consumption was found to moderate against the above association. In other words, people of higher income-based social classes may worry more about food prices if they (...) care more about the health impacts of their food choices. These findings provide more insights for policymakers on the psychological aspects of promoting the balance between finance and health in food consumption. (shrink)

Products made from animal fur and skin have been a major part of human civilization. However, in modern society, the unsustainable consumption of these products – often considered luxury goods – has many negative environmental impacts. This study explores how people’s perceptions of biodiversity affect their attitudes and behaviors toward consumption. To investigate the information process deeper, we add the moderation of beliefs about biodiversity loss. Following the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics, we use mindsponge-based reasoning for constructing conceptual models (...) and employ Bayesian analysis aided by Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms on a dataset of 535 Vietnamese urban residents. The results show that people’s preference for using products made from animal skin/fur is negatively associated with perceived consequences of biodiversity loss when they believe biodiversity loss is real and a major problem. In contrast, if urban residents believe biodiversity loss is unreal or not a significant issue, the association between perceived consequences of biodiversity loss and personal preference happens in the opposite direction. The same effects of biodiversity loss perception on people’s possession of skin/fur products was not found, indicating a more complex information process on behaviors compared to attitudes. Nevertheless, in the scenario that people believe biodiversity loss is not a significant issue, the higher the perceived consequences of biodiversity loss are, the greater number of animal-based products they likely own. Our results suggest that policymakers should not neglect the factor of personal belief besides knowledge and awareness in environmental campaigns. (shrink)

Scientific research is constrained by limited resources, so it is imperative that it be conducted efficiently. This paper introduces the notion of epistemic expression, a kind of representation that expedites the solution of research problems. Epistemic expressions are representations that (i) contain information in a way that enables more reliable information to place the most stringent constraints on possible solutions and (ii) make new information readily extractible by biasing the search through that space. I illustrate these conditions using historical and (...) contemporary examples of biomolecular structure determination. Then, I argue that the notion of epistemic expression parts ways with pragmatic accounts of scientific representation and an understanding of models as artifacts, neither of which require models to accurately represent. Explicating epistemic expression thus fills a gap in our understanding of scientific practice, extending Morrison and Morgan's (1999) conception of models as investigative instruments. (shrink)

Source: Author: Agnes F. Montalbo The aim of this study was to measure the exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy that would determine an individual’s level of burnout. A convenient sample of employees was obtained from different call centers in Metro Manila. The results indicated a high level of exhaustion for the age group of 18-29 years old and for the female respondents. More than half of the respondents were high in cynicism and those who reported a low professional efficacy (...) were mostly females. Age showed a significant relationship with exhaustion and cynicism while tenure at present job showed a significant relationship with professional efficacy. Results implied that working in a call center may lead to employee burnout especially for females and those who are new in their job. ]]>. (shrink)

Mitchell & Gronenborn propose that we account for the presence of multiple models of protein structure, each produced in different contexts, through the framework of integrative pluralism. I argue that two interpretations of this framework are available, neither of which captures the relationship between a model and the protein structure it represents or between multiple models of protein structure. Further, it inclines us toward concluding prematurely that models of protein structure are right in their contexts and makes extrapolation of findings (...) from one context to another seem unwarranted. Instead, protein structure determination ought to be understood as modestly monistic. There is one model for every protein in each physicochemical context, and models of the same protein produced in different contexts are compatible with one another. ‘Integrating’ multiple models amounts to extrapolating from one context to another; this is possible because the effect of context on protein folding is relatively weak and predictable. Modest monism better describes the practice of protein structure determination than integrative pluralism and enables greater attention to how context affects protein folding. (shrink)

This document represents some preliminary and unpublished content of a chapter in the edited book titled A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism, which will soon be published and distributed by De Gruyter Poland (Sciendo Imprint; part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin, Germany). -/- A proper referencing should be like: -/- Tam-Tri Le. (2022). Natural and social survival: the drivers of serendipity. In: QH Vuong. (Ed.) A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism (pp. 75-90). Berlin, (...) Germany: De Gruyter. (shrink)

Where is consciousness? Neurobiological theories of consciousness look primarily to synaptic firing and “spike codes” as the physical substrate of consciousness, although the specific mechanisms of consciousness remain unknown. Synaptic firing results from electrochemical processes in neuron axons and dendrites. All neurons also produce electromagnetic (EM) fields due to various mechanisms, including the electric potential created by transmembrane ion flows, known as “local field potentials,” but there are also more meso-scale and macro-scale EM fields present in the brain. The functional (...) role of these EM fields has long been a source of debate. We suggest that these fields, in both their local and global forms, may be the primary seat of consciousness, working as a gestalt with synaptic firing and other aspects of neuroanatomy to produce the marvelous complexity of minds. We call this assertion the “electromagnetic field hypothesis.” The neuroanatomy of the brain produces the local and global EM fields but these fields are not identical with the anatomy of the brain. These fields are produced by, but not identical with, the brain, in the same manner that twigs and leaves are produced by a tree’s branches and trunk but are not the same as the branches and trunk. As such, the EM fields represent the more granular, both spatially and temporally, aspects of the brain’s structure and functioning than the neuroanatomy of the brain. The brain’s various EM fields seem to be more sensitive to small changes than the neuroanatomy of the brain. We discuss issues with the spike code approach as well as the various lines of evidence supporting our argument that the brain’s EM fields may be the primary seat of consciousness. This evidence (which occupies most of the paper) suggests that oscillating neural EM fields may make firing in neural circuits oscillate, and these oscillating circuits. may help unify and guide conscious cognition. (shrink)

Altruisme pada makhluk sosial, selain manusia, selalu menjadi topik yang menarik. Satu dari contoh tipikalnya adalah semut pekerja – semut mandul yang bekerja tanpa kenal lelah demi ratu mereka. Bisa dibilang, evaluasi menurut asas biaya-manfaat dalam sistem koloni semut sedang berlangsung di tingkat kolektif dan bukan tingkat individu. Perlu dicatat bahwa hal ini secara biologis lebih merupakan batasan yang “keras” daripada pilihan yang bersifat “pribadi”. Perilaku altruistik yang dipilih secara alami pada hewan bermanfaat bagi kelangsungan hidup dan reproduksi spesies yang (...) membawa biaya individu (pengorbanan). Secara keseluruhan, perilaku seperti ini disebut altruisme biologis [1]. Niat dan perilaku manusia sering kali merupakan gabungan yang jauh lebih rumit dari naluri biologis dan kognisi tingkat lanjut. Perilaku altruistik pada manusia yang banyak ditemukan telah dikaitkan secara positif dengan kebahagiaan, kesehatan mental yang lebih baik, dan kesehatan fisik yang lebih baik, yang disarankan selaras dengan prinsip biologis dan evolusioner alam [2]. Dalam sebuah studi di tahun 2019 yang diterbitkan dalam Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), peneliti menemukan bahwa perilaku altruistik dapat menghilangkan rasa sakit fisik dengan mengurangi aktivitas otak di dorsal anterior cingulate cortex dan bilateral insula dalam merespon rangsangan yang menyakitkan [3]. (shrink)

Publication date: 14 June 2017 Source: Author: Agnes F. Montalbo, Henry M. Agong This study described the level of work engagement and areas of worklife of 294 call center agents in Ortigas, Pasig City, Philippines. It also investigated the relationship between work engagement and areas of worklife when grouped according to gender, age, tenure at present job and course. In addition, it also explored the differences in the perception of the call center agents when grouped according to the demographic (...) profile. Gamma correlation was carried out to check if correlation exists between the variables of work engagement and variables of areas of worklife. Mood’s median test was conducted to test the differences in the level of engagement and areas of worklife when grouped according to demographic profiles. Results of work engagement showed that those who were aged 31-35 and those who stayed for less than a year in the organization had a high level of dedication. Commerce or Business graduates had a high level of absorption. Results of the areas of worklife showed that majority of the respondents when grouped according to their demographic profile had a match with the variables of fairness, control, values, workload, and community except for the age group of 36 and above who had a mismatch for the variable control. No relationship existed between work engagement and the areas of worklife. Male call center agents are perceived to be more energetic, dedicated and absorbed than female call center agents. Lastly, the areas of control and fairness were reported to differ across all demographic profile of gender, age, tenure at the present job and course. (shrink)

Modern society faces major environmental problems, but there are many difficulties in studying the nature–human relationship from an integral psychosocial perspective. We propose the ecomind sponge conceptual framework, based on the mindsponge theory of information processing. We present a systematic method to examine the nature–human relationship with conceptual frameworks of system boundaries, selective exchange, and adaptive optimization. The theoretical mechanisms were constructed based on principles and new evidence in natural sciences. The core mechanism of ecomindsponge is the subjective sphere of (...) influence, which is the limited mental representation of information received from and processed based on the objective sphere of influence–actual interactions in reality. The subjective sphere is the sum of two sub-spheres: influencing (proactive) and being influenced (reactive). Maladaptation in thinking and behavior of the mind as an information collection-cum-processor results from the deviation of the subjective sphere from reality, which includes two main types: “stupidity” and “delusion”. Using Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 535 urban residents, we provide consistent statistical evidence on the proposed properties of subjective spheres. The dynamic framework of ecomindsponge can be used flexibly and practically for environmental research as well as other psychosocial fields. (shrink)

Kedekatan dengan alam pada umumnya dianggap bermanfaat bagi kesejahteraan seseorang. Bukti dari pengamatan ilmiah, serta penilaian diri sendiri berdasarkan pengalaman, menunjukkan efek “kegembiraan” dari paparan terhadap alam. Berjalan-jalan di hutan dikatakan bisa menenangkan pikiran. Tapi, bagaimana itu bisa terjadi? Penelitian terbaru di bidang ilmu saraf membantu menjelaskan hal ini. Tinggal di daerah perkotaan dapat menimbulkan stres akibat kebisingan, polusi, dan persaingan. Amigdala memainkan peran penting dalam pemrosesan stres dan mengelola respon terhadap ancaman emosional di otak manusia. Mereka yang tinggal di (...) kota mengalami peningkatan aktivitas amigdala dibandingkan dengan mereka yang tinggal di daerah pedesaan, seperti hasil penelitian di tahun 2011 yang diterbitkan di Nature [1]. (shrink)

Dalam hal paparan terhadap alam, terutama dalam perencanaan kota, ruang hijau sering kali mendapat banyak perhatian. Vegetasi bermanfaat bagi kesejahteraan manusia, dan hijau adalah warna dominan biosfer bumi. Tapi bagaimana dengan warna khas planet kita yang lain? Ruang biru adalah istilah yang menunjukkan permukaan luar ruangan yang alami (atau terkadang semi alami). perairan secara umum, termasuk lautan, sungai, danau, kanal, dll. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa, seperti ruang hijau, ruang biru juga bermanfaat bagi kesehatan mental dan kesejahteraan psiko-sosial manusia [1]. Aspek ini (...) telah mendapatkan perhatian lebih dalam pada beberapa dekade terakhir, khususnya dalam konteks manajemen kesehatan masyarakat. Sebuah penelitian di Inggris mengungkapkan bahwa kunjungan ke ruang biru di perkotaan meningkat jumlahnya, hampir sama dengan yang ditemukan di pedesaan [2]. Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa masyarakat yang tinggal di daerah pedesaan tersebut lebih sering mengunjungi ruang biru, mungkin karena pilihan manusia jatuh pada ruang biru yang “terlihat alami”. (shrink)

COVID-19 not only directly devastated people’s health but also disrupted normal lifestyles and increased the risk of mental health issues. Kim SY, et al. (2022) explored the mental problems further in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

Kemampuan memilih adalah ekspresi langsung dari kebebasan berkehendak. Namun, sebagai makhluk sosial yang bermartabat, secara teoritis manusia menerapkan banyak pembatasan perilaku pada dirinya untuk melindungi anak-anak dan mempertahankan lingkungan yang stabil agar dapat hidup bersama. Pembatasan ini diperkuat dengan hukum atau norma sosial yang dianut. Sebagai contoh, pembunuhan, pembakaran, dan perampokan termasuk kejahatan dengan konsekuensi hukuman yang berat secara hukum, sedangkan bentuk yang lebih ringan seperti kebohongan, kekerasan verbal, dan tidak menghargai/menghormati tidak dianggap penting secara kolektif. Singkatnya, banyak perilaku yang (...) secara teknis mungkin dilakukan namun tidak diterima secara sosial dalam berbagai tingkatan. Pada aspek ini, bunuh diri ada di area abu-abu. Kebanyakan negara di dunia tidak mencegah tindakan bunuh diri pada tingkat hukum. Bagaimanapun, bunuh diri sangat tidak dianggap dan dicegah secara aktif di hampir semua masyarakat. Persepsi kolektif terhadap bunuh diri di berbagai budaya relatif konsisten. Sebagai contoh, semua agama besar di dunia telah mengutuk bunuh diri melalui ajarannya [1]. Namun niatan bunuh diri juga sangat jelas individualis, dan perilaku terkait hal itu tergantung pada individu untuk memutuskan [2]. Oleh karena itu, salah satu masalah terbesar terkait euthanasia adalah aspek kebebasan memilih, di samping implikasi etik, komplikasi hukum, dan risiko eksploitasi. (shrink)

Patients with serious illnesses or injuries may decide to quit their medical treatment if they think paying the fees will put their families into destitution. Without treatment, it is likely that fatal outcomes will soon follow. We call this phenomenon “near-suicide”. This study attempted to explore this phenomenon by examining how the seriousness of the patient’s illness or injury and the subjective evaluation of the patient’s and family’s financial situation after paying treatment fees affect the final decision on the treatment (...) process. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics were employed to analyze a dataset of 1042 Vietnamese patients. We found that the more serious the illnesses or injuries of patients were, the more likely they were to choose to quit treatment if they perceived that paying the treatment fees heavily affected their families’ financial status. Particularly, only one in four patients with the most serious health issues who thought that continuing the treatment would push themselves and their families into destitution would decide to continue the treatment. Considering the information-filtering mechanism using subjective cost–benefit judgments, these patients likely chose the financial well-being and future of their family members over their individual suffering and inevitable death. Our study also demonstrates that mindsponge-based reasoning and BMF analytics can be effective in designing and processing health data for studying extreme psychosocial phenomena. Moreover, we suggest that policymakers implement and adjust their policies (e.g., health insurance) following scientific evidence to mitigate patients’ likelihood of making “near-suicide” decisions and improve social equality in the healthcare system. (shrink)

Ecological Psychology and Enactivism both challenge representationist cognitive science, but the two approaches have only begun to engage in dialogue. Further conceptual clarification is required in which differences are as important as common ground. This paper enters the dialogue by focusing on important differences. After a brief account of the parallel histories of Ecological Psychology and Enactivism, we cover incompatibility between them regarding their theories of sensation and perception. First, we show how and why in ecological theory perception is, crucially, (...) not based on sensation. We elucidate this idea by examining the biological roots of work in the two fields, concentrating on Gibson and Varela and Maturana. We expound an ecological critique of any sensation-based approach to perception by detailing two topics: classic retinal image theories and perception in single-celled organisms. The second main point emphasizes the importance of the idea of organism-environment mutuality and its difference from structural coupling of sensations and motor behavior. We point out how ecological - phenomenological methods of inquiry grow out of mutualism and compare Gibson’s idea of visual kinesthesis to Merleau-Ponty’s idea of the lived body. Third, we conclude that Ecological Psychology and varieties of Enactivism are laying down different paths to pursue related goals. Thus, convergence of Ecological Psychology and Enactivism is not possible given their conflicting assumptions, but cross-fertilization is possible and desirable. (shrink)

This document represents some preliminary and unpublished content of a chapter in the edited book titled A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism, which will soon be published and distributed by De Gruyter Poland (Sciendo Imprint; part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin, Germany). A proper referencing should be like: Quan-Hoang Vuong, Tam-Tri Le, Quy Khuc, Minh-Hoang Nguyen. (2022). A new theory of serendipity. In: QH Vuong. (Ed.) A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism (pp. 91-108). (...) Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. (shrink)

Nghiên cứu này trình bày cơ sở lý luận và đánh giá kết quả quản lý dự án đầu tư xây dựng tại các bаn quản lý dự án cấp tỉnh trên địa bàn tỉnh Nghệ An. Từ kết quả nghiên cứu, nhóm tác giả đề xuất một số giải pháp có giá trị thực tiễn nhằm nâng cao kết quả quản lý dự án đầu tư xây dựng tại các bаn quản lý dự án cấp tỉnh, phù hợp với (...) xu hướng phát triển hiện nay. (shrink)

Paul Schofield’s Duty to Self (2021) is an excellent contribution to recent moral philosophy. It is a much-needed addition to a literature that has, up until now, largely ignored the possibility of reflexive moral relationships. Thorough and challenging, the book is an indispensable read for students and scholars with an interest in ethics, metaethics and political philosophy. In this review, I outline what I perceive to be the book’s main contributions and discuss some areas of concern about Schofield’s innovative framework.

Đại dịch Covid-19 đã gây ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến thị trường lao động Việt Nam, hàng triệu lao động giảm giờ làm, giảm thu nhập, thậm chí mất việc làm. Đây là lần đầu tiên trong 10 năm qua, nền kinh tế Việt Nam bị sụt giảm nghiêm trọng về số lượng người tham gia thị trường lao động và việc làm. Thu nhập bình quân của người lao động cũng bị thâm hụt. Tỷ lệ thất nghiệp, thiếu việc (...) làm và tỷ lệ lao động làm việc phi chính thức tăng mạnh so với xu hướng giảm của những năm gần đây. Vì vậy, bài viết này nghiên cứu về những ảnh hưởng của đại dịch Covid-19 đến tình hình lao động: thực trạng và giải pháp. (shrink)

Technology is transforming the human body into a cyborg by making it a part of cyber networks. Transhumanists and posthumanists argue that technology will enable humans to overcome bodily limitation by reaching a technological immortality. The authors discuss recent literature on anthropological approaches and ethical implications about this technological promise. They suggest that the “Body of Christ” metaphor—by emphasizing embodiment, sacramentality, difference, and solidarity— can guide our reflection on corporeality and on the human because this metaphor refers not just to (...) the human body of Jesus Christ but also to the Eucharist, the church, and the eschatological Body of Christ in creation. (shrink)

This paper explores how Philippine/East Asian discourses on ethics of face and shame can be relevant in light of cyber-sexual violence against women. It argues that lowland Philippine concept of hiya (shame) in its moral and internal sense, should be retrieved as virtue in the context of cyber-sexual violence against women. This can however be complemented by Emmanuel Levinas’ concept of the face of the Other and its reception especially in the cyber-context. Hiya (shame) as sensitivity to a loss of (...) face of the excluded kapwa (other), leads to actions that not only helps to “gain face” but also reveal the God who enfaces. (shrink)

An interesting application for social robots is to act as a presenter, for example as a museum guide. In this paper, we present a fully automated system architecture for building adaptive presentations for embodied agents. The presentation is generated from a knowledge graph, which is also used to track the grounding state of information, based on multimodal feedback from the user. We introduce a novel way to use large-scale language models (GPT-3 in our case) to lexicalise arbitrary knowledge graph triples, (...) greatly simplifying the design of this aspect of the system. We also present an evaluation where 43 participants interacted with the system. The results show that users prefer the adaptive system and consider it more human-like and flexible than a static version of the same system, but only partial results are seen in their learning of the facts presented by the robot. (shrink)

Bài viết nghiên cứu về các yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến sự hài lòng của cư dân với nhà ở xã hội (NOXH) tại các khu vực đô thị ở Việt Nam. Dựa trên dữ liệu từ 414 mẫu khảo sát của cư dân sống trong các dự án NOXH tại Hà Nội và Hải Phòng, được phân tích bằng phần mềm SPSS 26 và Smart-PLS 4, kết quả nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra các yếu tố ảnh hưởng tích cực (...) đến Sự hài lòng của cư dân đối với NOXH, bao gồm: Dịch vụ quản lý và vận hành nhà ở, Cơ sở vật chất công cộng, Đặc điểm khu dân cư, Thiết kế căn hộ, Diện tích và số phòng ngủ, Môi trường xã hội. Kết quả cũng cho thấy, Sự hài lòng với NOXH ảnh hưởng mạnh mẽ đến Sự hài lòng với cuộc sống. Từ các phát hiện trên, nhóm tác giả đề xuất các giải pháp góp phần vào thành công của chính sách NOXH. (shrink)

Education is a pillar of buen vivir, the guiding ideal of Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution. In this framework, Ecuador made significant shifts in its education system from 2006 to 2016, the decade of the Citizens’ Revolution. The key buen vivir concepts and processes that framed these shifts were considering education as a right, as a social debt, and as a driver of a more just, knowledge-intensive and clean economy. Resource allocation, general access, learning, and inclusion of structurally marginalized groups showed significant (...) improvement in this decade, along with other key political, economic and social changes, thus making significant advances in the emancipation of society toward buen vivir, and marking elements of how and why advancing this transformation is important. (shrink)

Bài viết khám phá tác động thái độ xanh đến hành vi làm việc xanh của nhân viên trong Công ty Thép Sài Gòn. Nghiên cứu sử dụng phương pháp lấy mẫu ngẫu nhiên đơn giản và thu thập dữ liệu sơ cấp thông qua bảng câu hỏi liên quan đến thái độ xanh và hành vi làm việc xanh. Các phân tích đơn biến và hai biến được thực hiện để phân tích dữ liệu. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho (...) thấy, có tác động tích cực từ thái độ xanh đến hành vi làm việc xanh của nhân viên tại Công ty Thép Sài Gòn. Phát hiện này là cơ sở hướng các doanh nghiệp trong việc tạo động lực, phát triển thái độ xanh của nhân viên, để nhân viên có hành vi làm việc xanh tốt hơn. (shrink)

Humanity is in a multi-layered dream. We are drunk from information and stimulus overload as every new day; our world is becoming more colorful, exciting, chaotic, confusing, etc.