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How do formal international institutions change and adjust to new circumstances? The conventional wisdom in international relations, outlined by rational design, is that the answer lies in designed flexibility, which allows states to adjust agreements. Drawing on rich but disparate literatures across subfields of political science—especially constructivism and historical institutionalism—we propose an alternative, which we call "emergent flexibility." Emergent flexibility is a property of international institutions that is not intentionally crafted by rule-makers when a rule is formally established, but is subsequently discovered, activated, and accessed by creative rule-users in ways unintended by designers. Rich case studies trace how rule-users have accessed emergent flexibility through the legal interpretive strategy of subsequent practice to change rigid rules of the UN Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights. A key implication of emergent flexibility is that, contrary to rational design expectations, international institutions designed to be rigid can adjust to unforeseen circumstances even in the absence of formal redesign, allowing cooperation to continue. The broadening of flexibility from designed to emergent reveals the politics of flexibility between formal design moments, provides a more nuanced notion of intentionality, and equips us to better address fundamental positive and normative questions of institutional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental practice in contemporary molecular biology oscillates between the creativity of the researcher in tinkering with the experimental system, and the necessity of standardization of methods of inquiry. Experimental procedures, when standardized in lab protocols, might definitely be seen as actual recipes. Considering these protocols as recipes can help us understand some epistemological characteristics of current practice in molecular biology. On the one hand, protocols represent a common ground, i.e. the possibility of reproducibility, which constitutes one of the essential properties for contemporary science to define an actual discovery. At the same time, however, protocols are flexible enough to be adapted by the individual researcher (within a space of maneuver given by the experimental system and by the practices that each individual discipline gives to itself) to his/her specific needs. These variations, just like the recipes, remind us that the legitimacy of an experimental practice, involves both objective and subjective constraints and it is articulated on a fuzzy background rather than a rigid and clear context. Moreover, looking at experiments according to this perspective can provide a key to understanding how different forms of science (which adopt different methodologies but which investigate the same phenomena), such as computational biology, are precisely different in the use of a different “cookbook”. Indeed, given the procedural/operational realism of biologists towards phenomena, the clash of different procedures has opened a discussion also about the nature and the meaning of the obtained results. Thus, according to the recipe-perspective that, we propose a constructivist account arguing that the methodological struggle over the nature of biological phenomena (and their ways of discovery) among scientists, might be seen as a not always explicit, philosophical debate, however coming from the practice of science itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ankara Review of European Studies (ARES) / Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi (AAÇD) is the property of Ankara University European Union Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study seeks to explore the career trajectories of Black South African female academics at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. Their lived experiences continue to include the political uncertainties of race and gender. Global scholarship on the challenges experienced by Black women in academia is palpable; the South African landscape is distinctive, resultant from the complex intersections of apartheid and the 2004 higher education transformation process. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 black female academics from five different campuses at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. They were invited to recount their lived experiences as academics. Notable themes that emerged when examining race and gender included the old boys' network, the leadership paradox of feminised leadership versus the "queen bee" as well as the impact of stress. The theoretical framework that underpins this paper is social constructivism with a specific focus on intersectional theory. The intersectional theory will give context to race and gender identity in the experience of academics. The South African government documents intersectional experiences recorded in legislation that addresses disparities that existed during apartheid; nonetheless, these intersectional experiences of disadvantage are perpetuated. The dimensions of race and gender play a critical role in academia, while transformational legislation is responsible for facilitating gendered targets. These findings seek to provide a tool of support for Black women, as they continue to be exposed to innumerable challenges, including perfunctory appointments, remuneration incongruence and inconsistencies in the apportionment of research funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context * Radical constructivism prioritises the processes by which people make sense of their experience and people construct different worlds based on their individual experiences. Problem * It follows naturally from this that people may disagree about how they understand sustainability issues. Method * I consider a number of issues related to sustainability and examines processes by which they may have been constructed. Results * Examination of the processes of construction shows that shortcuts in thinking known as heuristics play a role in thinking about sustainability. Focusing on these shortcuts and the role they play in thinking offers a way to deconstruct thoughts produced in discussions. Implications * Understanding why people hold different views on sustainability makes it possible to open discussions on the viability of these views. The hope is that discussions about these issues in a context of mutual respect will facilitate an emerging consensus. Constructivist content * Radical constructivism has prioritised rational scientific processes in the emergence of an individual's constructions of their reality. However, two aspects of this process constrain changes in cognitive constructions. First, individuals regularly construct thoughts that are based on heuristics rather than assessed on the basis of evidence. Second, ways an individual perceives peers' constructions of their "realities" play a role in her identity and canalise how constructions change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview with Charles Taylor explores a central concern throughout his work, namely, his concern to 'reenchant' self and world through a careful examination of value as emanating from the world rather than from ourselves. It focuses especially on the status of his central doctrine of 'strong evaluation' against the background of mainstream meta-ethical theories, such as neo-Kantian constructivism and robust realist non-naturalism. Additionally, the relationship between Taylor's theism and his moral–political philosophy is discussed. A key issue that is examined is what ontological background picture can make sense of the strong evaluative experience of higher worth. Some other related issues that are explored revolve around Taylor's papers 'Disenchantment-Reenchantment' and 'Recovering the Sacred', which tentatively explore the meaning of reenchantment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Society & Social Work is the property of Journal of Society and Social Work and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including constructivism identity and Bhutan; China's constructivist approach to regional affairs especially Pakistan:; and Internationalization of the Somali Conflict.

Today's education has three impediments to meaningful and sustainable educational reform; first, the lack of precise and accurate anthropology of learners; second, dilemma between constructivism-leading academy and behaviorism-dominating classrooms; third, the lack of philosophy of education in theory and practice. The Montessori system was built upon the Christian theological anthropology, which uncovers that the main source of failure in our education is humanity's original sin and sins preventing us from fulfilling the Imago Dei or the reciprocating self. This article highlights why the Montessori method is a feasible school reform model by briefly examining Montessori's anthropology centering on Imago Dei, teacher's respect for the child resulting in education through being and embodiment, and systematized teacher-training system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decades of the 20th century, Western philosophy saw a renewed interest in religion, often referred to as 'the return of religion'. At about the same time, a growing number of anthropologists and historians began to draw attention to the cultural and ideological bias of the category of religion, revealing its roots in a particular phase of early modern European history. This article gives an overview of these significant theoretical developments and explores both the tensions and similarities between the different scholarly traditions. Drawing on both discourses, it argues that we need to rethink the way we use religion as a category for organizing social and political life. If religion can no longer be taken as a purely descriptive category but rather should be seen as part of specific discursive practices, then we need to critically ponder the implications of the ways in which we map certain customs, behaviours and motifs as 'religious' and others as 'secular'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of international relations (IR) is relatively recent compared to other disciplines of the social sciences. Although there has been an advance in terms of theoretical and methodological debates, after its incorporation as a scientific discipline post Second World War, several questions remain. In this text some of its main milestones are briefly discussed: the idea of an international society with the consequent expansion of the level and units of analysis beyond the State. Also the inclusion of approaches to international political economy (EPI) and constructivism that, on the one hand, challenge the strict separation of the domestic-international, and, on the other, the absolute objectivity. In the same way, the particularities and contributions from Latin America to the discipline are highlighted. In this sense, the relevance of representing the diversity of paradigms and societies outside the United States and Europe is argued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructivism is the metaethical position stating that although we cannot have direct access to moral facts, we can still come up with a set of principles that can be justified and that ought to be respected by individuals. The strength of these moral principles derives from the fact that they are the result of a procedure respecting certain desirable conditions. Constructivism concerns the methodology of political philosophy, being preoccupied with the process of generating and justifying moral principles. In this review article I present the main contentions of constructivism (focusing especially on the Kantian constructivism advanced by Rawls and Scanlon), describe its positioning on the realist-antirealist axis, and compare it with its main competitor in the field of metaethical views, intuitionism. I dedicate a separate section to the method of reflective equilibrium, which represents an important part of several metaethical accounts, be they constructivist, realist, or intuitionist. I show how reflective equilibrium represents the main instrument constructivists can employ in order to capture the appeal of relying on intuitions in moral theorizing, without leaning toward intuitionism. Toward the end of the article I present G. A. Cohen's (2003, 2008) criticism of constructivism. I focus on the replies Ronzoni and Valentini (2008), Hall (2013), de Maagt (2014, 2016) and Rossi (2016) give to Cohen, ending with a criticism of my own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to define, theorize and analyse foreign policy through diverging theoretical approaches. Foreign policy making is a complex and intricate scope of inquiry with the involvement of multiple variables. Following the qualitative approach, this research attempts to explain foreign policy's conceptualization, theoretical explication and diuerging frames of analysis. The paper has conducted an extensiue reuiew of the available theoretical body of literature and primarily followed the descriptive/analytical approach to build a scholarly argument which is embedded in theoretical tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pedagogía y Saberes is the property of Universidad Pedaggica Nacional and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on body and subjectivities in self-testimony research on the late Middle Ages. It mentions feminist voices and the emerging gender studies strong impetus for the recent body history and combined discourse theory with research to gender and sexual normativity. It also mentions publications have been received trying to highlight the contrast between overcoming nature, culture or essentialism and constructivism.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) can respond to a civil conflict only if that conflict first enters the Council's agenda. Some conflicts reach the Council's agenda within days after they start, others after years (or even decades), and some never make it. So far, only a few studies have looked at the crucial UNSC agenda-setting stage, and none have examined agenda-setting speed. To fill this important gap, we develop and test a novel theoretical framework that combines insights from realist and constructivist theory with lessons from institutionalist theory and bargaining theory. Applying survival analysis to an original dataset, we show that the parochial interests of the permanent members (P-5) matter, but they do not determine the Council's agenda-setting speed. Rather, P-5 interests are constrained by normative considerations and concerns for the Council's organizational mission arising from the severity of a conflict (in terms of spillover effects and civilian casualties); by the interests of the widely ignored elected members (E-10); and by the degree of preference heterogeneity among both the P-5 and the E-10. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how the United Nations (UN) works, and they have implications for the UN's legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social theory and photographic aesthetics both engage with issues of representation, realism and validity, having crossed paths in theoretical and methodological controversies. This discussion begins with reflections on the realism debate in photography, arguing that beyond the polar positions of realism and constructivism the photographic image is essentially ambivalent, reflecting the ways in which it is situated within cultural modernity. The discussion draws critically on Simmel's sociology of the visual to elucidate these issues and compares his concept of social forms and their development with the emergence of the photograph. Several dimensions of ambivalence are elaborated with reference to the politics and aesthetics socially engaged photography in the first half of the 20th century. It presents a case for the autonomy of the photographic as a social form that nonetheless has the potential to point beyond reality to immanent possibilities. The discussion exemplifies the processes of aesthetic formation with reference to the 'New Vision' artwork of László Moholy-Nagy and the social realism of Edith Tudor Hart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the pedagogical aspects and difficulties of the otherwise well-founded theory of the advantages of active learning in the scientific literature. Stepping on the extensive philosophy of education and the psychology of learning, this theory is widely popularized as a foundation on which modern education should take place. An attempt is made to summarize the main components of learning through action, as well as the difficulties faced by the Bulgarian teacher who seeks to include them in his or her specific work, also taking into account the requirements of the particular Bulgarian school environment at present. The transition to the new system of work calls for working upon personal qualities and demands toward the teacher, as well as for the theoretical and practical preparation of future teachers for their professional activity. The proposed solution to the problem of the difficulty in applying the theory of active learning is sought in the achievements of the world experience of teaching practitioners which could relate to our school reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a tradition going back to Socrates, one should thoroughly examine the grounds of one's judgments before settling on what one has reason to do or believe. According to contemporary metaethical constructivism, assumed in this essay, reflective scrutiny is also central to assessing a judgment's claim to justification. This essay argues against the injunctions to thoroughly examine oneself and seek ultimate reasons for one's normative judgments. In other words, the essay argues against the ideal of the philosophical way of life. It shows that in most cases one does not have reason to question the practical conclusion of one's initial deliberation. It is only under very limited conditions, specified in the essay, that one is justified in engaging in further reflection. Furthermore, the essay argues that if one does go for full self‐examination, the consequences are most likely to be bad for oneself, given one's practical interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This historical study explores John Dewey's ideas regarding music and music education through primary sources (his published writings, correspondence, and transcriptions of class lectures) and secondary sources (biographies and related scholarly literature). Dewey's belief that he was unmusical is presented, including via a consideration of his novel conception of rhythm absent musical examples. Despite this belief, this study posits a case for a musical Dewey. This is presented through examples in his work that, while scattered, demonstrate several themes: that music is rooted in ritual and social experience, that it is embodied with regard both to creation and perception, and that it has important connections to everyday life. Dewey's dislike of jazz is interpreted as a resistance to commercialized and commoditized mass culture. The progressive music program at the University of Chicago's Laboratory School that Dewey established exemplifies his commitment to music education, and new research connects that progressive program to Hull House and Jane Addams through the shared employment of music teacher Eleanor Smith. The discussion considers how Dewey's musical ideas complement his painterly aesthetics and also calls for a resistance to unmusicality as a conception, instead turning toward music as innate to all humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study used a constructivist grounded theory framework to examine the experiences of environmental interpreters engaged in mindfulness training and their descriptions of mindfulness, nature connection, and interpretive practice. Although there is a prevalent literature base exploring mindfulness and nature connection, a gap in the literature exists pertaining to mindfulness and environmental interpretation training and practice. Nine environmental interpreters participated in a 4-week mindfulness intervention program and engaged in in-depth conversations regarding their experience with mindfulness and interpretation. Constructivist grounded theory coding and analysis indicated that participants in the study experienced the construct of mindfulness in a variety of ways and perceived its impact on their interpretive practice in the following ways specifically: (a) it enhanced personal experiences of nature, and (b) it created more authentic interpretive experiences for their program attendees. This research suggests the value of incorporating mindfulness training in interpreter development programs and the practice of interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I discuss Paul Guyer's contribution to the Cambridge Elements: The Philosophy of Immanuel Kant series. The author argues that Kant derives the fundamental principle and the object of morality from the fundamental principles of reason (the law of noncontradiction, of excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason). I provide an overview of its chapters and discuss some of its main interpretative claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I draw together some recent literature on the debate between dynamical versus geometrical approaches to spacetime theories, in order to argue that (i) there exist defensible versions of the geometrical approach; (ii) these versions of the geometrical approach can provide constructive explanations (in the sense of Einstein) of dynamical effects; (iii) light can be shed upon different relationalist views about spacetime which have been articulated in the context of this debate by appeal to the distinction between modal versus non-modal relationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that Christine Korsgaard's Kantian constructivism cannot accommodate our obligations to others. Because she holds that all of our obligations are grounded in our obligating ourselves, she is committed to the view that our obligations to others are grounded in corresponding obligations to ourselves. Yet this conclusion is objectionable on substantive moral grounds. The problem is that she embraces an egocentric conception of authority, on which we originally have the authority to obligate ourselves whereas others only have the authority to obligate us because we grant it to them. The solution is to adopt a more thoroughly social conception of authority and autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • Mitterer's non-dualism is considered to be a major conceptual alternative to (naïve as well as hypothetical as well as internal) realism and to (moderate as well as radical) constructivism and idealism - with more sympathies towards (radical) constructivism. For von Glasersfeld non-dualism is the "third conceptual revision" in philosophy, while for others it is the "most radical position," even more radical than radical constructivism. While outside of philosophy non-dualism is sometimes applied emphatically, in mainstream philosophy it is ignored. > Problem • My two questions are: (a) Is Mitterer's critique on dualistic philosophy consistent (in Mitterer's view, all variants of realism and constructivism are dualistic philosophy)? (b) Is Mitterer's non-dualism consistent? > M ethod • I critically reflect on central theses of non-dualism with the help of established concepts of contemporary philosophy such as the distinctions between object language and metalanguage, and between benign and vicious infinite regresses. > Results • The non-dualistic critique of dualism seems to be misleading. Central arguments of the non-dualistic alternative to dualism are self-contradictory. Even worse, non-dualism could lead to solipsism. > I mplications • Non-dualism has so far been discussed in various disciplines such as communication science, geography, and even informatics. It is important for all these disciplines to reflect the arguments developed in this article to prevent non-dualism from being applied uncritically. > C onstructivist content • At the moment, non-dualism does not seem to be a viable alternative to either realism or (radical) constructivism due to the inconsistencies unveiled in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the moral understanding of Rawls's 'justice as fairness' and the pre-colonial Nguni concept of ubuntu in the search for both areas of convergence and dissonance, and to see what scholars of justice might learn in the process. While Rawls's justice as fairness is the product of a constructivist approach in Western philosophy along the lines of the traditional social contract theory, ubuntu is a philosophy with backgrounds in the communal, ethical practices of some Eastern and Southern African societies. Beyond the juxtaposition arising from differing methodologies, historical or theoretical developments, and jurisprudential applications, our findings demonstrate that both justice as fairness and ubuntu reflect the commonality of shared human conditions and experiences that attempt to answer moral questions arising from the quiddity of persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present contribution first describes the aggravated Middle Eastern power competition in the 21st century, thereby emphasizing two aspects: the concentration of participants in the regional power game to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Iran, including shifts in regional power distribution; and the recent trend of entanglement of the Israeli–Iranian conflict with that between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Second, it contributes to an explanation of these developments by discussing the explanatory power of approaches based on three paradigms: primordialism, rationalism, and social constructivism. It is shown that a rationalist school of thought – structural realism – does not perform perfectly but nonetheless does rather well in explaining the aggravated power competition in the Middle East and the entanglement of the rivalries of each of the two American allies with Iran. At the same time, it is shown that the best way of bridging some of the explanatory gaps of structural realism in the case of Middle Eastern power politics is to epistemologically embed insights from rationalist schools of thought in a setting of a positivist version of social constructivism. On this fundament, the article explores a Copenhagen School‐inspired approach of securitization to better comprehend recent developments of aggravated Middle Eastern power conflicts. The military engagement of all protagonists of the regional power game in Syria is most problematic. If actors, particularly Israel and Hezbollah, fail to keep their current struggles inside Syria, if, in other words, another Israeli–Lebanese war broke out, in the current situation of high regional tensions, such a war could spill over the whole of the Levant and even beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The figurative painting from 1970s to 1975s brings a series of new plastic implementations that enrich the plastic and the semantic area of the works through deeply significant epic connotations. The plastic and semantic character of this period is reflected by a number of distinct peculiarities.The plastic formula of the figurative painting adds new structural and constructive concepts interested in the decorative superficiality and experimental combinations. At the same time, the semantic message focuses on the founding reflection of the contemporary reality, social and cultural conditions and values. The new intentions involve the plastic expression of the figurative painting in a process of superficial decoration, scheming and conventional character, which, through the technical character of the modelling, outline two intentions or directions of plastic approach: one, which is interested in geometrical constructivism, formed in an architectural integrated form, by harsh, rigid, intensely monumental patterns; another one is concerned with nonconstructive, soft, graceful, sometimes impulsive and spontaneous modelling through idealized or sporadic technical aspects, which form an "exceptional" character of the figurative framework. The plastic formula involves new ways of semantic expression, interested in lyrical-poetic notes, which specifically reflect the reality of life. The expressive peculiarities of the figurative image are suggested by various plastic clues, sometimes metaphorical or allegorical hints with critical, moralizing or observing content of some known and seen reality in the contemporary social environment.Through these plastic and semantic implementations, the Moldovan figurative painting manages to strengthen the semantic content of the plastic image, bringing a profound, sometimes philosophical message about the traditions, culture and moral-spiritual values of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the view of knowledge, truth, and teaching adopted by the theoretical framework of constructivism, explores its similarities to Vygotsky's social interactionism, and compares them with propositions of relevant texts of the Holy Scripture, the foundational text upon which the philosophy of Christian faith is built, and which should also ultimately guide theoretical frameworks accepted by Christian schools and educators. In order to reach his conclusions, the author displays, in the article, research and analysis of recent literature, both of an epistemological, as well as of a theological nature. The article has a research question calling attention to a comparison of constructivism and biblical concepts and builds arguments over the hypothesis that in this comparison one will find more discrepancies than similarities. It is attempted to demonstrate that if one holds on to Christian beliefs, a different view of teaching than that which has prevailed in contemporary educational circles should also be coherently held. At the end, the author presents a second question, dealing with teacher perception of these issues, and designed to lead into further research, pointing out that Christian schools and teachers are natural targets of an assessment whether they have a clear perception of the differences, in these concepts, and what kind of impact a Christian and biblical view of knowledge and learning has in the ultimate purpose, that is, upon their classroom practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research communication in interdisciplinary research projects requires a way of demarcation of theory and knowledge that is easy to communicate, is inconsequential for the framework of concepts, results, and procedures within existing scientific disciplines, and abstains from trying to resolve the dispute between (neo)positivists and constructivists. A simple way of demarcation starts from the notion of language‐independent and language‐dependent reality. Currently, what passes for knowledge ("news") and myth ("fake news") depends, besides on sheer volume and frequency of the messages, increasingly on the internal consistency of (computer) language‐dependent reality and decreasingly on language‐independent reality. All language is instruction, and knowledge is to know which instructions (that is, theory) are predictive of a result, state, or situation in language‐independent reality. Any theory that doesn't reduce outcome space, or contains one or more empirically/physically impossible instructions, or produces wrong predictions, or falls short of demonstration is not knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Understanding Moral Obligation (2012), Robert Stern sets out to provide a fresh interpretation of the role of autonomy in Kant's moral philosophy and attempts to rectify J. B. Schneewind's standard account in The Invention of Autonomy (1998). While Stern agrees that Kant's resort to autonomy is at the basis of a constructivist account of moral obligation, he claims that autonomy plays no role in Kant's theory of value, such that, in this respect, Kant remains a realist. Accordingly, Stern characterizes Kant's moral philosophy as a "hybrid" view because he sees it as involving a compromise between realism with regard to value and constructivism with regard to obligation. Stern's interpretation relies on a sharp distinction between value and obligation. The purpose of the present article is to question Stern's reliance on that rigid distinction, which involves intermixing theoretical and practical reason and assumes a distorted view of human agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the constructivism in philosophy of mysticism. Topics discussed include use of perennialism to contrast with contextualism in affirming contextualism by Steven Katz; important distinction between the nature of mystical experiences and the way to understand mystical claims; and impossibility to isolate the content of a mystical experience from its religious and cultural context.

Copyright of Hacettepe University Journal of Education is the property of Hacettepe University Journal of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper I argue that while Feenberg's critical constructivism can help us to see the political potential of technologies, it cannot help us to understand the political actuality of technologies without the help of postphenomenology. In part 2, I examine Feenberg's attempt to merge Frankfurt School critical theory and SCOT into "critical constructivism." In part 3, I focus on Feenberg's analyses of the internet in order to highlight a blind spot in critical constructivism when it comes to threats to democracy that come from out of the demos itself. In part 4, I show how critical constructivism would benefit from adopting the theory of technological mediation found in postphenomenology by presenting a postphenomenological investigation of trolling and other forms of destructive behavior unaccounted for by Feenberg's investigation of the internet. In part 5, I conclude by turning to the work of Hannah Arendt in order to show why, just as critical constructivism could benefit from becoming more postphenomenological, postphenomenology could benefit from becoming more critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper zooms in on a recent development in the discussion between postphenomenology and critical constructivism: the attempt at working out a political philosophy in the framework of postphenomenology, specifically Peter-Paul Verbeek's. Verbeek contrasts mediation theory to critical theory, arguing that critical theorists only "talk"; they don't "do." While the latter reproach postphenomenology/mediation theory for its lack of politics, Verbeek actually poses that "real" politics cannot be done by critical theorists--indeed exactly because of their not doing, that is, doing in the sense of helping to design and develop good real-world technological solutions. But this brings up pertinent questions, about whether a theory should "do" something, what that means, and whether calls for "doing" do not carry their own presuppositions with them that, if not made explicit, will bias the theory and its "use" toward certain directions. These issues are explored by way of among others an excursion into Rortyan pragmatism. Eventually, I conclude, it is perfectly acceptable that critical constructivism should "talk" and postphenomenology "do"--as long as we keep the meanings of those terms sufficiently clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical constructivism adds a dimension of collective action to postphenomenology. This paper explains the intervention of collective subjects into technological design. That intervention presupposes communication between lay and expert actors which is made possible by the dependence of technical disciplines on the lifeworld. Understanding the public processes of intervention requires a notion of multiple types of rationality and a social account of technological design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical Constructivism and postphenomenology are two possible ways of describing, analysing and evaluating the role and meaning of technology in contemporary society and world. Whereas Critical Constructivism looks at the way technologies are dealt with on a macro level considering systems and programs, then postphenomenology digs into the individual and personal appropriation and understanding of technology in everyday life. This means that there is a gap for what concerns levels, but also in relation to what they want to accomplish. The critical stance of Andrew Feenberg in conceiving societal and political problems as ripe for radical technological change is met by postphenomenology's pragmatic focus on how to build appropriate and meaningful structures for handling of emergent and imminent problems together with and through technology. This paper tries to bridge this gap by introducing the concept of scaffolding, which is inspired by Heidegger's "Gestell," but re-read in a new and different way than the usual pessimistic and deterministic interpretation where exploitation and "enframing" is at hand. Scaffolding is read as a common enterprise where we stretch and reach out towards each other in order to create platforms for interventions and activism. The paper is an attempt to direct this common enterprise in specific directions, and this directedness is indicative for our aims and goals. It is the claim that Critical Constructivism and postphenomenology should meet, and perform a certain kind of Techno-Activism when confronted with problems in technological society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kriminologisches Journal is the property of Julius Beltz GmbH & Co. KG Beltz Juventa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)