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Examines John Rawl's more recent conceptions of justice. There are 3 key senses in which 'justice as fairness' could be said to constitute a political account; its independence from controversial religious or philosophical doctrines; independence from comprehensive moral ideals, and its historical context. (SJK)

Political philosophers and theorists make arguments about high-stakes problems. This article shows that those theories would be more credible if political philosophers ensured their work was robust: capable of withstanding reasonable changes to their assumptions and to the cases to which their arguments apply. The world is varied and inconstant. As a result, scientists and social scientists recognize the virtue of robustness. This article shows why political philosophers should also do so. It defines robustness, demonstrates its value, and shows how it can be evaluated. Illustrating the stakes of robustness, the article assesses prominent arguments concerning multiculturalism and open borders. Avoiding misunderstanding and confusion should be a central aim of political philosophy. To sidestep these outcomes and to reassure scholars that one's theory is not subject to concerns about its credibility, it will often be reasonable for philosophers to explicitly test their theories for robustness.

New York will follow the lead of other states in revamping the way reading is taught in its 800-plus local school districts. New York is the latest state—and among the last—to put the reading instruction offered in its public schools under the microscope.
The post New York Gets on Board with the "Science of Reading." Finally. appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Knowledge and learning are seen as key success factors for international competitiveness and economic growth in contemporary societies and have been placed at the top of the policy agenda in many countries. But actual developments in former socialist countries of Europe and Asia have totally run counter to such aims in the last decade. Science and technology (S&T) in the transformation countries have undergone major changes on all planes, as simultaneously institutional corrections within the S&T system have taken place and the systemic changeover in the political and economic fields has also effected major changes to the size, structure and content of the domestic demand for scientific results and services, and in addition to that, the international opening-up to high-tech imports and other forms of technology transfer has further minimised the need for domestic R&D. Despite big shifts in the spectrum of scientific activities, only partial devaluation of knowledge and skills has taken place, and experience in research has actually proved invaluable in coping with new tasks inside and outside of scientific institutes. But, the inherited institutional preconditions in science and research, along with individual knowledge and levels of educational attainment are not assets and advantages in and of themselves. They must constantly be seen in relation to the overall societal framework. Indeed, the problem seems to be one of how to employ, change and utilise the personnel and other capacities inherited from the socialist era, with the abilities, skills, experiences etc. that it has, in such a way that it is able to meet the new demands, to cope with the challenges and to act as an asset under conditions of globalisation. ; Wissen und Lernen werden als Erfolgsfaktoren für internationale Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Wirtschaftswachstum in modernen Gesellschaften angesehen und nehmen einen Spitzenplatz in der Politik vieler Länder ein. Die tatsächliche Entwicklung in den früher sozialistischen Ländern Europas und Asiens ist jedoch im letzten Jahrzehnt völlig entgegengesetzt verlaufen. Wissenschaft und Technik (W&T) der Transformationsländer haben vielfältige Veränderungen erfahren, da neben institutionellen Korrekturen in W&T der Systemwandel in Politik und Wirtschaft auch Umfang, Struktur und Inhalt der Nachfrage nach wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen und Leistungen wesentlich verändert hat. Zusätzlich hat die internationale Öffnung für high-tech Importe und Technologietransfer den Bedarf an einheimischer FuE weiter schrumpfen lassen. Trotz der erheblichen Verschiebungen im Spektrum wissenschaftlicher Aktivitäten sind Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten nur teilweise entwertet worden; Forschungserfahrungen waren vielmehr vorteilhaft für die Bewältigung neuer Aufgaben innerhalb und außerhalb der Wissenschaft. Jedoch sind vorhandene Institutionen in Wissenschaft und Forschung sowie individuelles Können und Qualifikationen nicht an und für sich günstige Voraussetzungen und von Vorteil. Sie müssen immer in das jeweilige gesellschaftliche Umfeld eingeordnet werden. In Wirklichkeit besteht das Problem also darin, die aus der sozialistischen Ära übernommenen Kapazitäten und insbesondere das Personal mit seinen Fähigkeiten, Fertigkeiten und Erfahrungen so einzusetzen, anzupassen und zu nutzen, dass es den neuen Anforderungen entspricht, sich den Herausforderungen stellt und so tatsächlich als ein Aktivposten unter den Bedingungen der Globalisierung wirksam wird.

Historians and political scientists are frequently handicapped in analyzing the contemporary scene, or a recent period, by lack of documentary evidence. The Pacific war, however, has created a unique situation regarding Japanese political and economic documents giving authoritative evidence of Japanese affairs during the two decades prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result of military defeat, the Japanese government and people have been forced to submit to the occupation authorities thousands of documents which otherwise might never have been made available for research purposes. The total sum of this material is so great that significant research work is now possible in many fields of recent Japanese government, politics, and diplomacy.Soon after the beginning of the occupation, military teams were assigned the task of collecting documents. Their instructions were broad, and their haul was unbelievable. A large part of what they, and other agencies, have accumulated is still in the hands of the occupation forces, but two categories of materials are already available for private research: the documents assembled for the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) and the Japanese Army and Navy department files which have been deposited in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. In this paper, an attempt will be made to survey the nature and scope of the first category: the IMTFE materials.

Explanatory pluralism and the cognitive science of religion: or why scholars in religious studies should stop worrying about reductionism -- Interpretation and explanation: problems and promise in the study of religion -- Crisis of conscience, riddle of identity: making space for a cognitive approach to religious phenomena -- Who owns culture? -- Overcoming barriers to a cognitive psychology of religion -- Years in: landmark empirical findings in the cognitive science of religion

This ethnography continues the "thick description" of faith-based and science-based drug programs begun in Addiction Treatment. Using extensive interviews and his own participation in daily rounds of treatment, Hood provides a vivid comparison of resident experience at each type of institution. Redemption and Recovery tells the stories of two houses in the Bronx, NY that serve people with drug problems: "Redemption House" and "Recovery House." These stories include the direct accounts of residents' "druggin'" lives before treatment and their search for normalcy after recovery or redemption. Other chapters dissect the religion of science-based treatment and compare success rates, religious vs. secular. Addiction Treatment detailed a similar process of personal conversion central to both treatments. This sequel uses the "contextualized demographics" of residents to uncover profound parallels between the two "unique" programs and debunk their shared ideology of abstinence.

AbstractBackgroundStudies have reported unmet health needs in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). This study illustrated and analysed patterns of healthcare services utilization among people with intellectual disability and compared their use to that of the general population.MethodParticipants (N = 791, aged 15–82) were mainly recruited through government‐financed agencies specializing in services for people with intellectual disabilities in Québec, Canada. Comparisons were possible by using health administrative data.ResultsSome services were more used by people with intellectual disability than the general population (general medicine, psychiatry, PSA blood tests), and others were accessed at significantly lower frequencies (optometry, physiotherapy, Pap tests). Similar rates were found for mammography, dentistry and psychology. Inequities were more salient for individuals who had more severe levels of intellectual disability.ConclusionsOur findings support that the population with intellectual disability would benefit from policies and practices aimed at enhancing the access to healthcare services.

The rise or resurgence of revisionist, repressive and authoritarian powers threatens the Western, US-led international order upon which Germany's post-war security and prosperity were founded. With Washington increasingly focused on China's rise in Asia, Europe must be able to defend itself against Russia, and will depend upon German military capabilities to do so. Years of neglect and structural underfunding, however, have hollowed out Germany's armed forces. Much of the political leadership in Berlin has not yet adjusted to new realities or appreciated the urgency with which it needs to do so. Bastian Giegerich and Maximilian Terhalle argue that Germany's current strategic culture is inadequate. It informs a security policy that fails to meet contemporary strategic challenges, thereby endangering Berlin's European allies, the Western order and Germany itself. They contend that: Germany should embrace its historic responsibility to defend Western liberal values and the Western order that upholds them. Rather than rejecting the use of military force, Germany should wed its commitment to liberal values to an understanding of the role of power - including military power - in international affairs. The authors show why Germany should seek to foster a strategic culture that would be compatible with those of other leading Western nations and allow Germans to perceive the world through a strategic lens. In doing so, they also outline possible elements of a new security policy.