title: Filling out the picture: Wittgenstein on differences and alternatives

authors: Bowell, Tracy

subjects: Wittgenstein

abstract: At several points in his later writings Wittgenstein discusses imaginary forms of life and ways of thinking that appear queer or alien from our point of view; concepts so different from ours that those who think from within them seem to be alternatives to us. In this paper I argue that reflection on the notions of difference and possibility in play here shows that imaginary cases of alien conceptual schemes or forms of life such as those considered by Wittgenstein are not all cases of concepts that are entirely unintelligible for us; rather they may represent possible, albeit distant, ways of thinking for us. Such cases serve to aid imaginative reflection on our own case(s). By making us appreciate the possibility of the strange, they help us better to appreciate the arbitrariness of the familiar. I end the paper by considering what the implications of this reading of Wittgenstein's position might be for Donald Davidson's rejection of conceptual relativism.

text: Filling out the picture: Wittgenstein on differences and alternatives At several points in his later writings Wittgenstein discusses imaginary forms of life and ways of thinking that appear queer or alien from our point of view; concepts so different from ours that those who think from within them seem to be alternatives to us. In this paper I argue that reflection on the notions of difference and possibility in play here shows that imaginary cases of alien conceptual schemes or forms of life such as those considered by Wittgenstein are not all cases of concepts that are entirely unintelligible for us; rather they may represent possible, albeit distant, ways of thinking for us. Such cases serve to aid imaginative reflection on our own case(s). By making us appreciate the possibility of the strange, they help us better to appreciate the arbitrariness of the familiar. I end the paper by considering what the implications of this reading of Wittgenstein's position might be for Donald Davidson's rejection of conceptual relativism.

year: 2009

title: Can we trust cluster-corrected standard errors? An application of spatial autocorrelation with exact locations known

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: clustered samples

abstract: Standard error corrections for clustered samples impose untested restrictions on spatial correlations. Our example shows these are too conservative, compared with a spatial error model that exploits information on exact locations of observations, causing inference errors when cluster corrections are used.

text: Can we trust cluster-corrected standard errors? An application of spatial autocorrelation with exact locations known Standard error corrections for clustered samples impose untested restrictions on spatial correlations. Our example shows these are too conservative, compared with a spatial error model that exploits information on exact locations of observations, causing inference errors when cluster corrections are used.

year: 2010-11

title: A Maori and Psychology Research Unit

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Maori

abstract: Little psychological information and few applications have been informed by Maori centred research. The psychological research base available to support prevention or change strategies aimed at Maori is almost non-existent. Most information and applications are imported from outside of Aotearoa/New Zealand and are seldom subjected to vetting procedures to ensure adequacy and appropriateness. Even though numbers have changed slightly in the last 10 years, there are still too few Maori in the professional ranks of psychology, both as practitioners, teachers and researchers. More of everything is needed, and it was needed yesterday. At the University of Waikato, staff of the Psychology Department have recognised the need to support positive changes to rectify that situation described above.

This paper describes the fledgling development of a Maori and Psychology Research Unit and how it is intended to promote Maori centred-research, Maori-partnership research, and the scholarly development of Maori professionals. The first section deals with issues and challenges the MPRU expects to face in its development and is written by the first author. The second section describes the nature of learning and support that the MPRU will afford to a new generation of Maori researchers and scholars within the discipline of psychology. This section is written by the second author.

text: A Maori and Psychology Research Unit Little psychological information and few applications have been informed by Maori centred research. The psychological research base available to support prevention or change strategies aimed at Maori is almost non-existent. Most information and applications are imported from outside of Aotearoa/New Zealand and are seldom subjected to vetting procedures to ensure adequacy and appropriateness. Even though numbers have changed slightly in the last 10 years, there are still too few Maori in the professional ranks of psychology, both as practitioners, teachers and researchers. More of everything is needed, and it was needed yesterday. At the University of Waikato, staff of the Psychology Department have recognised the need to support positive changes to rectify that situation described above.

This paper describes the fledgling development of a Maori and Psychology Research Unit and how it is intended to promote Maori centred-research, Maori-partnership research, and the scholarly development of Maori professionals. The first section deals with issues and challenges the MPRU expects to face in its development and is written by the first author. The second section describes the nature of learning and support that the MPRU will afford to a new generation of Maori researchers and scholars within the discipline of psychology. This section is written by the second author.

year: 1998-07-01