Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Freedom
Kinds of Freedom Selected AbstractsFAITH IN FREEDOM: LIBERTARIAN PRINCIPLES AND PSYCHIATRIC PRACTICESECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2006Bob Layson [source] FREEDOM REDUCES PER CAPITA GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONSECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2005Roger Bate No abstract is available for this article. [source] EQUALITY, FREEDOM, AND/OR JUSTICE FOR ALL: A RESPONSE TO MARTHA NUSSBAUMMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 3-4 2009MICHAEL BÉRUBÉ Abstract: This essay is a reply to Martha Nussbaum's "Capabilities and Disabilities." It endorses Nussbaum's critique of the social-contract tradition and proposes that it might be productively contrasted with Michael Walzer's critique of John Rawls in Spheres of Justice. It notes that Nussbaum's emphasis on surrogacy and guardianship with regard to people with severe and profound cognitive disabilities poses a challenge to disability studies, insofar as the field tends to emphasize the self-representation of people with disabilities and to concentrate primarily on the aesthetic and political representation of physical disability. The essay concludes with an account of a recent exchange with Peter Singer on the question of our social expectations of people with Down syndrome. [source] PASTORAL COUNSEL FOR THE ANXIOUS NATURALIST: DANIEL DENNETT'S FREEDOM EVOLVESMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 4 2005Timothy O'Connor Abstract: Daniel Dennett's Freedom Evolves is a rhetorically powerful but philosophically unconvincing attempt to show that a deterministic and ontologically reductionist, but epistemologically pluralist, outlook may peacefully coexist with a robust acceptance of human freedom and moral responsibility. The key to understanding the harmony rests in recognizing that freedom is not a metaphysical or physical condition but is instead a product of deeply embedded social practices. I argue that Dennett's project rests on an unargued and implausible deflationary stance toward basic metaphysics. [source] FOREKNOWLEDGE, FREEDOM, AND OBLIGATIONPACIFIC PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2005ISHTIYAQUE HAJI A recent, noteworthy challenge to this presupposition invokes a "Divine Frankfurt-type example": God's foreknowledge of one's future actions prevents one from doing otherwise without having any responsibility-undermining effect on one's actions. First, I explain why features of God's omniscience cast doubt on this Frankfurtian response. Second, even if this appraisal is mistaken, I argue that divine foreknowledge is irreconcilable with moral obligation if such foreknowledge eliminates alternatives. [source] FREEDOM OF OCCUPATIONAL CHOICERATIO, Issue 4 2008Michael Otsuka Cohen endorses the coercive taxation of the talented at a progressive rate for the sake of realizing equality. By contrast, he denies that it is legitimate for the state to engage in the ,Stalinist forcing' of people into one or another line of work in order to bring about a more egalitarian society. He rejects such occupational conscription on grounds of the invasiveness of the gathering and acting upon information regarding people's preferences for different types of work that would be required to implement such a policy. More precisely, Cohen maintains that the presence versus the absence of such intrusion explains why such Stalinist forcing of the talented is unacceptable whereas the progressive taxation of their income is legitimate. I argue that Cohen's appeal to invasiveness does not adequately capture the moral repugnance of the state's conscripting people into work at a given occupation. I propose that a right to self-ownership, and that which explains such a right, provides a better explanation than Cohen's of why Stalinist forcing is objectionable, whereas progressive taxation is not.1 [source] FREEDOM AND WEAKNESS OF WILLRATIO, Issue 1 2008Paul Hoffman Can absolute freedom of will be defended by arguing that apparent cases of diminished freedom when we act out of passion are cases of weakness of will? Rogers Albritton thought so. What is intriguing about Albritton's view is that he thought when we act from desire we are making choices, yet our desires are not functioning as reasons for those choices. So our desires must be influencing our choices in some other unspecified way that does not diminish our freedom. I challenge the coherence of this position. My strategy is to examine the views of leading theorists of the will , Descartes, Aquinas and Reid , to argue that the only clear way in which passions can influence our choices so that we can accurately be described as weak-willed and yet nevertheless free is that our passions influence our choices by providing reasons for them. [source] RELIGIOUS CULTURE AND HISTORICAL CHANGE: VATICAN II ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOMTHE HEYTHROP JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008M. JOHN FARRELLY O.S.B. At Vatican II and since Vatican II there have been Catholics who have held that the Council's teaching on religious freedom is in contradiction to the Church's earlier teaching and practice. The Council defended it as a legitimate development of doctrine in part through claiming that changing human experience in history shows us only gradually what human dignity entails, and the Church learns from this experience. True, the Council's teaching is in part a denial of its earlier teaching and practice. The present article defends the legitimacy of this development through showing that there is a change of paradigm by which the Church now views this issue, a change that includes both continuity and discontinuity. This reliance on what is revealed to us by changing human experience is accepted by the Church only when it sees it as critically evaluated by an adequate philosophy and as in accord with Christian revelation, but its acceptance moves us to a growth in our understanding of revelation itself. [source] ROWE, AQUINAS AND GOD'S FREEDOMANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY, Issue 3 2007Brian Leftow First page of article [source] PERFECT GOODNESS AND DIVINE FREEDOMANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY, Issue 3 2007Edward Wierenga First page of article [source] ECONOMIC FREEDOM VERSUS POLITICAL FREEDOM: CROSS-COUNTRY INFLUENCES ON CORRUPTION,AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 2 2005RAJEEV K. GOEL Using a well-known index of corruption, this paper examines the determinants of corruption for a large sample of countries. Specifically, the present study brings empirical evidence to bear on the question of whether economic freedom or political freedom serves as a deterrent to corrupt activity. In particular, does greater economic freedom or greater political freedom yield a more ,clean' society? Our results show that greater economic freedom seems to matter more in this regard. Examining different components of economic freedom, we find that not all these components are equally effective in reducing corruption. For instance, monetary policy seems to have a stronger influence on the level of corrupt activity in a country than fiscal policy. Robustness of these findings is checked and policy implications are discussed. [source] Selective Application of the Pediatric Ross Procedure Minimizes Autograft FailureCONGENITAL HEART DISEASE, Issue 6 2008David L.S. Morales MD ABSTRACT Objective., Pulmonary autograft aortic root replacement (Ross' operation) is now associated with low operative risk. Recent series suggest that patients with primary aortic insufficiency have diminished autograft durability and that patients with large discrepancies between pulmonary and aortic valve sizes have a low but consistent rate of mortality. Therefore, Ross' operation in these patients has been avoided when possible at Texas Children's Hospital. Our objective was to report outcomes of Ross' operation when selectively employed in pediatric patients with aortic valve disease. Methods., Between July 1996 and February 2006, 55 patients (mean age 6.8 ± 5.5 years) underwent Ross' procedure. Forty-seven patients (85%) had a primary diagnosis of aortic stenosis, three (5%) patients had congenital aortic insufficiency, and five (9%) patients had endocarditis. Forty-two (76%) patients had undergone prior aortic valve intervention (23 [55%] percutaneous balloon aortic valvotomies, 12 [29%] surgical aortic valvotomies, 12 [29%] aortic valve replacements, 2 [5%] aortic valve repairs). Fourteen (25%) patients had ,2 prior aortic valve interventions. Thirty-two patients (58%) had bicuspid aortic valves. Follow-up was 100% at a mean of 3 ± 2.5 years. Results., Hospital and 5-year survival were 100% and 98%, respectively. Morbidity included one reoperation (2%) for bleeding. Median length of hospital stay was 6 days (3 days,3 months). Six (11%) patients needed a right ventricular to pulmonary artery conduit exchange at a median time of 2.3 years. Freedom from moderate or severe neoaortic insufficiency at 6 years is 97%. Autograft reoperation rate secondary to aortic insufficiency or root dilation was 0%. Conclusions., By selectively employing Ross' procedure, outcomes of the Ross procedure in the pediatric population are associated with minimal autograft failure and mortality at mid-term follow-up. [source] Contribution of Dermatologic Surgery in WarDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 1 2010MAJOR J. SCOTT HENNING DO BACKGROUND Despite the large contribution by dermatology to military readiness, there have been no published reports regarding dermatologic surgery or skin cancer in the combat environment. OBJECTIVE To outline the contribution of dermatologic surgery, including skin cancer and benign tumors, to deployed service men and women in Operation Iraqi Freedom. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed of all dermatology visits at the 86th Combat Support Hospital, Ibn Sina, Iraq, between January 15, 2008 and July 15, 2008. RESULTS Two thousand six hundred ninety-six patients were seen in the combat dermatology clinic during the 6-month period reviewed; 8% (205/2,696) of the total visits were for skin cancer, and another 129 patients were treated for actinic keratosis. The specific diagnoses were basal cell carcinoma (n=70), in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (n=68), mycosis fungoides (n=1), bowenoid papulosis (n=1), and in situ and invasive melanoma (n=9). Benign lesions and tumors accounted for 14% (357/2,696) of total patient visits. Three hundred seven surgeries were performed during the 6-month period (178 skin cancers and 129 benign lesions), and 20 patients were referred for Mohs micrographic surgery. The surgical complications included five postoperative wound infections (1 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), one wound dehiscence, and seven allergic contact dermatitis. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge, this is the first publication regarding skin cancer and dermatologic surgery in the combat setting. This report outlines the important contribution of dermatologic surgery in the combat environment. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters. [source] Escaping Violence, Seeking Freedom: Why Children in Bangladesh Migrate to the StreetDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2007Alessandro Conticini ABSTRACT In Bangladesh, as in many developing countries, there is a widespread belief amongst the public, policy makers and social workers that children ,abandon' their families and migrate to the street because of economic poverty. Ignoring and avoiding mounting evidence to the contrary, this dominant narrative posits that children whose basic material needs cannot be met within the household move to the street. This article explores this narrative through the analysis of detailed empirical research with children in Bangladesh. It finds that social factors lie behind most street migration and, in particular, that moves to the street are closely associated with violence towards and abuse of children within the household and local community. These findings are consistent with the wider literature on street migration from other countries. In Bangladesh, those who seek to reduce the flow of children to the streets need to focus on social policy, especially on how to reduce the excessive control and emotional, physical and sexual violence that occur in some households. Economic growth and reductions in income poverty will be helpful, but they will not be sufficient to reduce street migration by children. [source] Freedom for the Command of God: Thinking with JohannesDIALOG, Issue 4 2000Gilbert Meilaender holds the Richard, Phyllis Duesenberg Chair in Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University First page of article [source] Philip Melanchthon on Human and Divine FreedomDIALOG, Issue 4 2000Timothy J. Wengert First page of article [source] Monitoring dyslexics' intelligence and attainments: A follow-up studyDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2003Michael Thomson Abstract Intelligence (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children R and III, 1992) and written language attainment (BAS Word Reading, Neale Analysis of Reading, Vernon Graded Word Spelling) data for around 250 children attending a specialist school for dyslexics are presented. The Wechsler scales data show some evidence for ,ACID' and ,SCAD' profile effects on the subtests, with specifically weak Index scores on Freedom from Distractibility and Processing Speed. The relationship between intelligence and reading development is also examined, with evidence for significant correlations between intelligence and written language and a longitudinal study showing that there is no ,Matthew' or drop-off effect in intelligence. The attainments tests demonstrate that the widening gap between a dyslexic's chronological age and his/her attainments can be closed, and how attainments may be monitored within the context of ,growth curves'. The results are discussed in relation to recent reports (e.g. B.P.S. on Dyslexia, Literacy and Psychological Assessment) on the relationship between intelligence and attainments and it is concluded that this report could be seriously misleading for practising educational psychologists. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A fine balancing act: Freedom and accountabilityECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2001Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe The recent Funding Options Review identified a minimum additional funding requirement of £900 million per annum for higher education by 2004/05 and also considered more specific needs, such as correcting for past under-investment in infrastructure. At the same time, it contributed to the debate about the ,key choice' of funding by government or by the ,beneficiaries of higher education.' Government will need to match its aspirations for higher education with adequate funding and the universities will have to be ,even more sensitive and responsive to the needs of students.' [source] DOES MORE TRANSPARENCY GO ALONG WITH BETTER GOVERNANCE?ECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 2 2006ROUMEEN ISLAM This paper explores the link between information flows and governance. It develops a new indicator, the transparency index, which measures the frequency with which governments update economic data that they make available to the public. The paper also uses the existence of a Freedom of Information Act and the length of time for which it has been in existence as an indicator reflecting the overall legislative environment for transparency. Measures of the type developed in this paper have hitherto not been used in the cross-country literature on governance and growth. Cross-country regression estimation shows that countries with better information flows as measured by these indices also govern better. [source] Synthesis and Characterisation of Coordination Polymers of CuII and ZnII with 1,3-Bis(1,2,3,4-tetrazol-2-yl)propane , Rotational Freedom of the Donor Group Favours Structural DiversificationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 18 2004Robert Bronisz Abstract The novel bidentate ligand 1,3-bis(1,2,3,4-tetrazol-2-yl)propane (pbtz), which possesses a flexible spacer, was synthesised in order to investigate the influence of the flexibility of ligand molecules on the architecture of coordination polymers. For that purpose the reactions between pbtz and M(ClO4)2·6H2O salts (M = CuII and ZnII) were performed. The complexes [{Cu(pbtz)3}(ClO4)2], and [{Zn(pbtz)3}(ClO4)2·2EtOH], were characterised by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy and their crystal structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. In both compounds the pbtz ligand molecules act as N4,N4, connectors bridging the central atoms, and the 2-substituted tetrazole rings coordinate in a monodentate fashion to the central atoms forming M(tetrazole)6 cores. [{Cu(pbtz)3}(ClO4)2], was isolated as a 1D coordination polymer. The copper(II) ions are triply bridged by ligand molecules, leading to the formation of infinite 1D chains. A highly unusual manner of bridging, with the tethering of two neighbouring central atoms by the same kind of ligand molecules, although possessing different conformations, is observed. In [{Zn(pbtz)3}(ClO4)2·2EtOH], the six-coordinate zinc(II) ions, which are bridged by single ligand molecules, serve as topological nodes, leading to the formation of a 3D ,-polonium-type network. The crystal structure of the ZnII complex contains only one such net solvated by ethanol molecules. A conformational analysis of the ligand molecules in both compounds demonstrates that the flexibility of the pbtz and the ability of the tetrazole rings in particular to adopt various, relative orientations is responsible for the diversity of the architectures of the obtained complexes. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004) [source] Perspectivism, Criticism and Freedom of SpiritEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2000Bernard Reginster The paper examines the view that Nietzsche's perspectivism about practical judgments, understood as a form of internalism about practical reasons, implies that any legitimate criticism of judgments emanating from a foreign perspective must be in terms that are internal to this perspective. Insofar as it is thought to be motivated by certain general theoretical strictures of perspectivism, this view is incoherent. The paper argues that, on the contrary Nietzsche's recourse to a strategy of internal criticism is motivated by his own particular commitment to preserving the freedom of spirit of his interlocutors. The paper concludes with a discussion of how freedom of spirit is preserved by internal criticism, and how the nature of freedom of spirit affects the particular form such criticism will assume. [source] Can America Finance Freedom?FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 4 2009Assessing U.S. Democracy Promotion via Economic Statecraft Recent discourse on U.S. efforts to promote democracy has focused on military activities; especially the strategic and normative perils of democracy promotion at the point of bayonets. This paper explores the United States' use of economic statecraft to foster democratization, with particular attention to democracy incentive and assistance strategies. Incentive approaches attempt to promote democracy from the top-down, by leveraging aid and trade privileges to persuade authoritarian leaders to implement political reform. Assistance approaches aim to induce democratization from the inside, through funding and technical assistance to state institutions, and from the bottom-up, by providing support to civil society and elections. This study finds that while top-down incentive approaches can stimulate democratic change, this strategy tends to work only when aid and trade benefits are conditional; that is, when benefits are withheld until recipient states meet rigorous democratic benchmarks. Washington has historically eschewed democratic conditionality, however, and thus can claim very few aid-induced or trade-induced democratization events. Scant evidence exists to demonstrate that inside approaches,that is, institutional aid,possesses significant capacity to induce democracy. It is the bottom-up approach,empowering the masses to compel democratic change,that has registered the greatest number of democracy promotion successes. [source] Public Opinion as a Constraint against War: Democracies' Responses to Operation Iraqi FreedomFOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2006STEVE CHAN A central logic of the democratic peace theory claims that public opinion acts as a powerful restraint against war. Democratic officials, unlike their autocratic counterparts, are wary of going to war because they expect to pay an electoral penalty for fighting even successful wars. Several democracies, however, recently joined Operation Iraqi Freedom despite substantial and even overwhelming domestic opposition. We argue that electoral institutions can heighten or lessen the impact of public opinion on democratic officials' concerns for their reelection prospects, thus pointing to an important dimension of variation that has been overlooked in the democratic peace literature. However, contrary to conventional attributions of a greater incentive motivating the parties and candidates in predominantly two-party systems with majority/plurality decision rules to respond to national public opinion, we suggest mitigating factors that tend to reduce such responsiveness. Conversely, we point out that multiparty competition in proportional representation systems can reduce electoral disproportionality without sacrificing responsiveness to public opinion. The pertinent electoral institutions therefore present varying opportunities (or, conversely, constraints) for democratic officials to override their constituents' sentiments when they are so inclined. [source] More Open but Not More Trusted?GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2010The Effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the United Kingdom Central Government This article examines the impact of Britain's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on British central government. The article identifies six objectives for FOI in the United Kingdom and then examines to what extent FOI has met them, briefly comparing the United Kingdom with similar legislation in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. It concludes that FOI has achieved the core objectives of increasing transparency and accountability, though the latter only in particular circumstances, but not the four secondary objectives: improved decision-making by government, improved public understanding, increased participation, and trust in government. This is not because the Act has "failed" but because the objectives were overly ambitious and FOI is shaped by the political environment in which it is placed. [source] Pilot trial of concomitant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and split-course radiotherapy for very advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck,HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 3 2002Olavo Feher MD Abstract Purpose The combination of chemotherapy and irradiation is considered the standard of care for the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). Paclitaxel has shown a single-agent activity in SCCHN. Besides, this drug is a promising radiosensitizer for some human solid tumors. This is a phase II trial to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and toxicity of paclitaxel administered concurrently with split-course radiotherapy in advanced unresectable SCCHN. Methods and Materials Thirty-one patients with advanced SCCHN were enrolled in this trial. Radiotherapy consisted of 66 to 70 Gy delivered over 8 to 10 weeks to the primary tumor and lymphatic drainage, with a fractionation scheme of 1.8 to 2 Gy/field/d. After the initial five patients were treated, a 1-week treatment break was introduced. Paclitaxel was administered weekly in a 1-hour intravenous infusion at a projected dosage of 45 mg/m2/wk. Results The complete and partial response rates, based on a 4-week postradiation evaluation were 43.3% and 40%, respectively, with an overall response rate of 83.3%. Median survival was 49.4 weeks, and 1-year survival was 48%. Freedom from local progression was 65.6% at 1 year. Thirty-six percent and 20% of the patients are alive and disease free at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Grade 3/4 of acute toxicity consisted mostly of mucositis, cutaneous reaction, and weight loss. Conclusions Paclitaxel concurrent with radiotherapy seems to be active in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In the regimen selected for this trial, toxicity was significant and led to a prolongation of treatment time. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 24: 228,235, 2002; DOI 10.1002/hed.10049 [source] The Birth of the Citizenship Schools: Entwining the Struggles for Literacy and FreedomHISTORY OF EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2004David P. Levine First page of article [source] Joseph Kinmont Hart and Vanderbilt University: Academic Freedom and the Rise and Fall of a Department of Education, 1930,1934HISTORY OF EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2003Deron R. Boyles No one can follow the history of academic freedom, without wondering at the fact that any society, interested in the immediate goals of solidarity and self-preservation, should possess the vision to subsidize free criticism and inquiry, and without feeling that the academic freedom we still possess is one of the remarkable achievements of man. At the same time,one cannot but be disheartened by the cowardice and self-deception that frail men use who want to be both safe and free.1 [source] Reproductive Freedom, Self-Regulation, and the Government of Impairment in UteroHYPATIA, Issue 1 2006Shelley Tremain This article critically examines the constitution of impairment in prenatal testing and screening practices and various discourses that surround these technologies. While technologies to test and screen (for impairment) prenatally are claimed to enhance women's capacity to be self-determining, make informed reproductive choices, and, in effect, wrest control of their bodies from a patriarchal medical establishment, I contend that this emerging relation between pregnant women and reproductive technologies is a new strategy of a form of power that began to emerge in the late eighteenth century. Indeed, my argument is that the constitution of prenatal impairment, by and through these practices and procedures, is a widening form of modem government that increasingly limits the field of possible conduct in response to pregnancy. Hence, the government of impairment in utero is inextricably intertwined with the government of the maternal body. [source] Enduring Freedom: Globalizing Children's RightsHYPATIA, Issue 1 2003CONSTANCE L. MUI Events surrounding the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States raise compelling moral questions about the effects of war and globalization on children in many parts of the world. This paper adopts Sartre's notion of freedom, particularly its connection with materiality and intersubjectivity, to assess the moral responsibility that we have as a global community toward our most vulnerable members. We conclude by examining important first steps that should be taken to address the plight of children. [source] Storage of linguistic information in a continuous classifying associative memoryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 6 2002Antonio B. Bailón In this article, we analyze the use of the continuous classifying associative memory (CCLAM) to store linguistic information. Freedom in the choice of the functions that control the operation of the CCLAM equip this memory with the capacity to adapt to different information storage and recovery needs. We begin with the problem of storing linguistic terms by memorizing the patterns formed by the degrees of compatibility with these terms. After that, the problem of storing linguistic rules is discussed. Let us remark that in these cases not a single CCLAM is used, but rather a set of them connected in suitable structured ways. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||