现代英国的科学哲学观

时至今日,哲学历史文献中还普遍存在着一种这样的见解:战后的英国哲学几乎无例外地都是语言哲学派,新实证主义分为两大基本流派,号称“语言哲学派”的就是其中之一,它与维也纳小组的逻辑实证主义的区别在于它特别着重于自然语言的哲学分析。的确,在一定时期内语义分析哲学在大不列颠岛的统治地位几乎是稳如磐石的,其开创者是乔治·摩尔,其次是列·维特根斯坦。但是这个见解只能说是针对四十年代到五十年代的英国资产阶级哲学而言。无论如何,至少在1959年卡尔·波佩尔已经在其著作《科学研究的逻辑》的英文版前言中对语言哲学化的方法提出了尖锐的批评,指责那些日常语言哲学家的以解决永恒的哲学问题自命的狂妄态度。当然,这一类的批评早就有了,但是到六十年代初才广泛开展起     

发展中国家的传统与社会进步

目前的一些发展中国家,它们许多世纪以来进化的一个显著特点是:其前资本主义社会关系之发生变化,并非由于在这种社会关系内部产生了某种新的、更进步的生产方式,而是由于西欧资本主义的形成和随之而来的扩张行为所引起的     

白苗话的调变和变调(下)

(2·2)类推变调一个迄今只发现了八个词的小小的词类有这种类推变调,这个词类叫方位词,它们只出现在名词性短语中名词的前面或在指示词的前面。在下面的例子中,方位词前面都有动词y~1‘在’或 mu~4‘去’:y~1 pe~7 o~1‘在山上’,y~1 o~7 o~2‘在桌子上’,y~1 na~7 ha~3‘在谷下’,y~1y ti~7 o~4‘在山上(对面,同一水平)’,mu~4 t~7 kh~5‘去赶场(有一段距离,但在同一水平)’,mu~1nt ke~3‘走在路上(附近或在前面)’,mu~4 tshai~7te~1‘到山上的地里去’(在山的背面)。     

Visions in monochrome: families, marriage and the individualization thesis

This paper takes issue with the way in which the individualization thesis--in which it is assumed that close relationships have become tenuous and fragile--has become so dominant in 'new' sociological theorizing about family life. Although others have criticized this thesis, in this paper the main criticism derives from empirical research findings carried out with members of transnational families living in Britain whose values and practices do not fit easily with ideas of individualization. It is argued that we need a much more complex and less linear notion of how families change across generations and in time.     

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the New South Wales adult drug court program

In New South Wales, Australia, a cost-effectiveness evaluation was conducted of an adult drug court (ADC) program as an alternative to jail for criminal offenders addicted to illicit drugs. This article describes the program, the cost-effectiveness analysis, and the results. The results of this study reveal that, for the 23-month period of the evaluation, the ADC was as cost-effective as were conventional sanctions in delaying the time to the first offense and more cost-effective in reducing the frequency of offending for those outcome measures selected. Although the evaluation was conducted using the traditional steps of a cost-effectiveness analysis, because of the complexity of the program and data limitations it was not always possible to adhere to textbook procedures. As such, each step involved in undertaking the cost-effectiveness analysis is discussed, highlighting the key issues faced in the evaluation.     

The Internet's impact on policy evaluation: information compression and credibility

As with all media, the Internet structures and frames information, rewarding some information search and decision behaviors while punishing others and, thereby, strongly influences evaluation research results and possibilities. Now that the Internet is for many evaluators the information medium of choice, the impacts of the medium on evaluation deserve careful attention. The objective of this article is to lay groundwork for a theory of the impact of the Internet on evaluation and policy analysis. Questions addressed include the following: (a) What is the impact of the Internet on the evaluator's professional role, work norms, and work habits? (b) Does the use of the Internet affect who is an evaluator or the meaning of professional evaluation? and (c) How does evaluation via Internet affect the technical quality and credibility of evaluation? A key thesis is that the Internet compresses information in the sense that it is not always easy to distinguish among information resources and, especially, the authority of the information provider and the nature of the knowledge warrant. On one hand, the Internet's information compression seems to hold potential for the democratization of evaluation. On the other hand, the diminished ability to make quality distinctions about evaluation-relevant information may undercut the legitimacy of evaluation.     

Trajectories of Gambling During Adolescence

This study aimed at empirically identifying groups of adolescents with distinct longitudinal trajectories of gambling involvement and validating these groups by comparing them with respect to correlates. 903 low SES boys were followed annually from age 11 to 16 years. Three groups were found: an early-onset high-level chronic group, a late-onset high-level group, and a low gambler group. The Chronic group and the Low group consistently differed on teacher-rated inhibition (i.e., anxiety) during childhood and early adolescence. They also differed on concurrent teacher and self ratings of disinhibition (i.e., impulsivity), while the Late Onset group appeared to lie in between these groups. Compared to the Low group, both high groups subsequently had elevated scores on later gambling related problems.     

The effect of 6 months training on leg power, balance, and functional mobility of independently living adults over 70 years old

Where strength training has been used in conjunction with functional-task training in older people, not only have there been improvements in leg strength but also improved function has been measured (e.g., Skelton & McLaughlin, 1996). Many studies use participants from care homes rather than community dwellers. We investigated changes in leg power, balance, and functional mobility in community-dwelling sedentary men and women over 70 years of age (n = 6 for training group [TR]; n = 10 for control group [CN]). Progressive training took place over 24 weeks using seated and nonseated exercise. For TR, leg power increased 40%, from 108 +/- 40 to 141 +/- 53 W (p < .01); dynamic balance increased 48%, from 22.3 +/- 7.9 to 33.1 +/- 6.1 cm (p < .01; functional reach); and functional mobility increased 12%, from 7.46 +/- 1.32 to 6.54 +/- 1.41 s (p < .05; timed walk). CN showed no significant change. In conclusion, a community-based exercise program led to large improvements in leg-extensor power, dynamic balance, and functional mobility.