title: Truth as a cultural value

authors: Wyatt, Jeremy

abstract: In this talk, I will focus primarily on a strategy for thinking about truth's nature that has been recently proposed by Gila Sher.  This strategy—which I call the ‘value-first strategy’—has it that we should first observe that truth is an intrinsic human value and then develop an account of truth’s nature on the basis of this observation.  I will begin by arguing that truth is best described as a cultural, rather than a human, value.  I will then argue that because truth is a cultural value, the value-first strategy compels us to seriously consider some novel ideas about truth’s nature that are respectively grounded in discussions about truth pluralism and some remarks by Alfred Tarski.  To close, I will briefly illustrate how truth's status as a cultural value bears on current sociopolitical debates which concern the value of truth.

text: Truth as a cultural value In this talk, I will focus primarily on a strategy for thinking about truth's nature that has been recently proposed by Gila Sher.  This strategy—which I call the ‘value-first strategy’—has it that we should first observe that truth is an intrinsic human value and then develop an account of truth’s nature on the basis of this observation.  I will begin by arguing that truth is best described as a cultural, rather than a human, value.  I will then argue that because truth is a cultural value, the value-first strategy compels us to seriously consider some novel ideas about truth’s nature that are respectively grounded in discussions about truth pluralism and some remarks by Alfred Tarski.  To close, I will briefly illustrate how truth's status as a cultural value bears on current sociopolitical debates which concern the value of truth.

year: 2025

title: Homemaking on the streets and beyond

authors: Groot, Shiloh Ann Maree

subjects: homemaking

abstract: Homemaking is associated with domiciled family life, community, and secure work. Moving beyond this perspective, we explore the experiences of people dislocated from family, community, and work, and their efforts to make a place for themselves. We consider a homeless man's efforts to make a home on the streets of Auckland in the absence of positive social ties, employment, and a domiciled abode. This case draws upon an auto-biographical interview, three photo-production projects and three photo-elicitation interviews with Daniel. We consider Daniel's profound sense of loneliness and efforts at imagining a domiciled home beyond the streets where he can forge meaningful relationships. Daniel is now re-housed, in part, as a result of insights from this research being used in social work practice.

text: Homemaking on the streets and beyond Homemaking is associated with domiciled family life, community, and secure work. Moving beyond this perspective, we explore the experiences of people dislocated from family, community, and work, and their efforts to make a place for themselves. We consider a homeless man's efforts to make a home on the streets of Auckland in the absence of positive social ties, employment, and a domiciled abode. This case draws upon an auto-biographical interview, three photo-production projects and three photo-elicitation interviews with Daniel. We consider Daniel's profound sense of loneliness and efforts at imagining a domiciled home beyond the streets where he can forge meaningful relationships. Daniel is now re-housed, in part, as a result of insights from this research being used in social work practice.

year: 2012

title: 'Freedom’s Ramparts on The Sea': The postcolonial New Zealand landscape and the quest for sustainability

authors: Morad, Munir

subjects: postcolonialism

abstract: New Zealand’s colonial legacy has had a major impact on the shape of its landscape. The European settlement of New Zealand transformed both the land itself as well as the tenure arrangements that had hitherto followed traditional Maori practices. The increasing political influence of the modem conservation movement in New Zealand has been mirrored by a parallel rise in Maori engagement with environmental issues. Land tenure claims brought by the Maori under the 1970’s Treaty of Waitangi Act have enabled an alliance of Maori and environmental interests to be forged. This linkage however is very recent, and if the current unsustainable land use practices are to be mitigated in New Zealand, a synthesis of the essential elements in both cultural traditions is necessary.
Culture shapes how people identify and evaluate elements of their environment, and influences their behaviour and experiences. At a more pragmatic level, culture provides the social infrastructure and institutions that determine how renewable land resources are used and managed. The authors highlight the links between postcolonial culture and landscape management in New Zealand, contrasting Pakeha-Maori points of view and attempting to mediate between these conflicting positions. These links are examined in the context of new social, economic and ecological forces that are shaping the country’s postcolonial landscape.

text: 'Freedom’s Ramparts on The Sea': The postcolonial New Zealand landscape and the quest for sustainability New Zealand’s colonial legacy has had a major impact on the shape of its landscape. The European settlement of New Zealand transformed both the land itself as well as the tenure arrangements that had hitherto followed traditional Maori practices. The increasing political influence of the modem conservation movement in New Zealand has been mirrored by a parallel rise in Maori engagement with environmental issues. Land tenure claims brought by the Maori under the 1970’s Treaty of Waitangi Act have enabled an alliance of Maori and environmental interests to be forged. This linkage however is very recent, and if the current unsustainable land use practices are to be mitigated in New Zealand, a synthesis of the essential elements in both cultural traditions is necessary.
Culture shapes how people identify and evaluate elements of their environment, and influences their behaviour and experiences. At a more pragmatic level, culture provides the social infrastructure and institutions that determine how renewable land resources are used and managed. The authors highlight the links between postcolonial culture and landscape management in New Zealand, contrasting Pakeha-Maori points of view and attempting to mediate between these conflicting positions. These links are examined in the context of new social, economic and ecological forces that are shaping the country’s postcolonial landscape.

year: 2003