An investigation of the nature and role of historicality in the thought of Dilthey and Heidegger

Introduction The question of the meaning, methods and philosophical manifestations of history is currently rife with contention. The problem that I will address in an exposition of the thought of Wilhelm Dilthey and Martin Heidegger, centers around the intersubjectivity of an historical world. Specifically, there are two interconnected issues. First, since all knowledge occurs to a person from within his or her historical age how can any person in any age make truth claims? In order to answer this concern we must understand the essence and role of history. Yet how can we come to an individual understanding ofwhat history is when the meanings that we use are themselves historically enveloped? But can we, we who are well aware of the knowledge that archaeology has dredged up from old texts or even from 'living' monuments of past ages, really neglect to notice these artifacts that exist within and enrich our world? Charges of wilful blindness would arise if any attempt were made to suggest that certain things of our world did not come down to us from the past. Thus it appears more important 2 to determine what this 'past' is and therefore how history operates than to simply derail the possibility for historical understanding. Wilhelm Dilthey, the great German historicist from the 19th century, did not question the existence of historical artifacts as from the past, but in treating knowledge as one such artifact placed the onus on knowledge to show itself as true, or meaningful, in light ofthe fact that other historical periods relied on different facts and generated different truths or meanings. The problem for him was not just determining what the role of history is, but moreover to discover how knowledge could make any claim as true knowledge. As he stated, there is a problem of "historical anarchy"!' Martin Heidegger picked up these two strands of Dilthey's thought and wanted to answer the problem of truth and meaning in order to solve the problem of historicism. This problem underscored, perhaps for the first time, that societal presuppositions about the past and present oftheir era are not immutable. Penetrating to the core of the raison d'etre of the age was an historical reflection about the past which was now conceived as separated both temporally and attitudinally from the present. But further than this, Heidegger's focus on asking the question of the meaning of Being meant that history must be ontologically explicated not merely ontically treated. Heidegger hopes to remove barriers to a genuine ontology by II 1 3 including history into an assessment ofprevious philosophical systems. He does this in order that the question of Being be more fully explicated, which necessarily for him includes the question of the Being of history. One approach to the question ofwhat history is, given the information that we get from historical knowledge, is whether such knowledge can be formalized into a science. Additionally, we can approach the question of what the essence and role of history is by revealing its underlying characteristics, that is, by focussing on historicality. Thus we will begin with an expository look at Dilthey's conception of history and historicality. We will then explore these issues first in Heidegger's Being and Time, then in the third chapter his middle and later works. Finally, we shall examine how Heidegger's conception may reflect a development in the conception of historicality over Dilthey's historicism, and what such a conception means for a contemporary historical understanding. The problem of existing in a common world which is perceived only individually has been philosophically addressed in many forms. Escaping a pure subjectivist interpretation of 'reality' has occupied Western thinkers not only in order to discover metaphysical truths, but also to provide a foundation for politics and ethics. Many thinkers accept a solipsistic view as inevitable and reject attempts at justifying truth in an intersubjective world. The problem ofhistoricality raises similar problems. We 4 -. - - - - exist in a common historical age, presumably, yet are only aware ofthe historicity of the age through our own individual thoughts. Thus the question arises, do we actually exist within a common history or do we merely individually interpret this as communal? What is the reality of history, individual or communal? Dilthey answers this question by asserting a 'reality' to the historical age thus overcoming solipsism by encasing individual human experience within the historical horizon of the age. This however does nothing to address the epistemological concern over the discoverablity of truth. Heidegger, on the other hand, rejects a metaphysical construel of history and seeks to ground history first within the ontology ofDasein, and second, within the so called "sending" of Being. Thus there can be no solipsism for Heidegger because Dasein's Being is necessarily "cohistorical", Being-with-Others, and furthermore, this historical-Being-in-the-worldwith- Others is the horizon of Being over which truth can appear. Heidegger's solution to the problem of solipsism appears to satisfy that the world is not just a subjective idealist creation and also that one need not appeal to any universal measures of truth or presumed eternal verities. Thus in elucidating Heidegger's notion of history I will also confront the issues ofDasein's Being-alongside-things as well as the Being of Dasein as Being-in-the-world so that Dasein's historicality is explicated vis-a-vis the "sending of Being" (die Schicken des S eins).

Studies on the Nature and Chemistry of Sediments and Water of Periyar and Chalakudy Rivers, Kerala, India

The present study is an attempt to address issues related to sediment properties like texture, mineralogy and geochemistry as well as water quality of two important rivers of central Kerala-the Periyar and the Chalakudy rivers. The main objectives of the study are to investigate the textural and mineralogical characteristics as well as transportation and depositional mechanisms of the sediments of Periyar and Chalakudy rivers, to find out the geochemical variability of organic carbon, phosphorus and certain major (Na,K,Ca and Mg) and minor/trace(Mn,Pb,Ni,Cr, and Zn) elements in the bulk sediments and mud fraction of these rivers, to evaluate the status of heavy metal pollution registered in the sediments of these rivers, to assess the physico-chemical characteristics and water quality of Periyar and Chalakudy rivers and to estimate the dissolved nutrient flux through the Periyar and Chalakudy rivers into the receiving coastal waters. The granulometric characteristics as well as statistical parameters of the sediments of Periyar and Chalakudy rivers depend on the flow pattern controlled by the gradient of the terrain. Compared to Periyar, fluctuations in the dispersal of particles are more in Chalakudy river. In Periyar river, the P and Fe in bulk sediments show a positive correlation with C-org, while in Chalakudy river, both the elements are related to THM concentration. In general, C-org, Fe and P Shows an increasing trend downstream. In Periyar river, the P and Fe in bulk sediments show a positive correlation with C-org, while in Chalakudy river, both the elements are related to THM concentration. Among these two rivers, the pollution of water is several fold higher in Periyar river due to influx due to influx of considerable quantity of liquid and solid wastes of industrial/domestic/urban origin. Nutrient analysis reveals 2-3 times increase in N and P during monsoon season whereas SiO2-Si shows a decreasing trend.

The nature and science of energy.

Con un enfoque según el plan de estudios de ciencias, describe los diferentes tipos de energía , algunas propiedades y algunas de las diferentes formas que puede adoptar animando a los jóvenes a observar, investigar e interpretar el mundo natural en toda su complejidad.

On the nature and cause of Specific Language Impairment: a view from sentence processing and infant research

This paper addresses the nature and cause of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) by reviewing recent research in sentence processing of children with SLI compared to typically developing (TD) children and research in infant speech perception. These studies have revealed that children with SLI are sensitive to syntactic, semantic, and real-world information, but do not show sensitivity to grammatical morphemes with low phonetic saliency, and they show longer reaction times than age-matched controls. TD children from the age of 4 show trace reactivation, but some children with SLI fail to show this effect, which resembles the pattern of adults and TD children with low working memory. Finally, findings from the German Language Development (GLAD) Project have revealed that a group of children at risk for SLI had a history of an auditory delay and impaired processing of prosodic information in the first months of their life, which is not detectable later in life. Although this is a single project that needs to be replicated with a larger group of children, it provides preliminary support for accounts of SLI which make an explicit link between an early deficit in the processing of phonology and later language deficits, and the Computational Complexity Hypothesis that argues that the language deficit in children with SLI lies in difficulties integrating different types of information at the interfaces.

Do national cultural differences affect the nature and characteristics of HRM practices? Evidence from Australian and Hong Kong construction firms on remuneration and job autonomy

Human resource management (HRM) plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining talents. However, there is growing recognition in international HRM literature that the adoption of the widely accepted US/Harvard-inspired HRM model ignores the influences of cultural contexts on HRM practices in different countries. This notion has not been empirically investigated in the construction industry. Based on survey responses from 604 construction professionals from Australia and Hong Kong, this study examines whether: (i) national cultural differences influence individuals’ preference for types of remuneration and job autonomy, (ii) actual organizational HRM practices reflect such preferences and (iii) gaps between individuals’ preferences and actual organizational HRM practices affect job satisfaction. Results showed significant difference in HRM preferences between Australian and Hong Kong respondents and these are reflected in the distinct types of HRM practices adopted by construction firms in the two countries. Findings further indicated that the gap between individuals’ preferences and actual organizational HRM practices is associated with job satisfaction. The results support existing mainstream research and highlight the deficiency of the acultural treatment of HRM that is still apparent in construction management literature. An uncritical literature in the area not only hinders theory development but also potentially undermines the ability of construction firms to attract, recruit, and retain scarce talents.

Understanding the nature and outcomes of early bilingualism: Romance languages as heritage languages

In this introduction to the special issue on Romance languages as heritage languages, I aim to contextualize the scope of this issue and the contribution it makes to the emerging field of linguistic studies to heritage language bilingualism. Key issues pertaining to the empirical study and epistemology of heritage language bilingualism are presented as well as a critical introduction to the individual articles that comprise this issue.

The nature and severity of urinary incontinence in post-natal women

This study investigated the frequency, nature and experience of urinary incontinence in post-natal women. Surveys were completed by 224 women, 50% of whom indicated that they had experienced accidental urine loss. The majority of women who had experienced any symptoms were moderately to greatly bothered by them. A variety of strategies were used to manage the problem; however, 42% of the women who experienced accidental urine loss had taken no action to ease the problem. Women received information about urinary incontinence and pelvic floor exercises from a variety health care professionals, but this was not consistently provided. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The nature and development of the general insurance industry in Australia to 1973

The development of the insurance industry in Australia in the twentieth century was fundamentally shaped by a collusive code of conduct called the tariff. This arrangement, established to overcome problems of uncertainty, initially benefited both tariff and non-tariff firms by enhancing market stability. It also reduced competition. The collusive agreements gradually broke down, however, as new entrants and products entered the market in the 1950s. Self-regulation gradually gave way as the 'rules of the game' changed. The result was a period of instability before new competitive practices, and more direct and specific regulatory requirements emerged in the 1970s.

The nature and impact of incontinence in men who have undergone prostate surgery and implications for nursing practice

Aim: The aim of this study was to increase knowledge and understanding of the nature and experiences of incontinence in men one or more years post prostate surgery.

Methods: This descriptive study used a sample of convenience. Two hundred and twelve male participants who had undergone prostate surgery more than a year ago were asked about their experiences of incontinence. Participants were asked to fill in two questionnaires: The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire. Participants were also asked about their prostate surgery, their health seeking behaviour in relation to incontinence, the type of discharge information they were given, and demographic information.

Results: Sixty-six percent of participants indicated that, in the last four weeks, their overall urinary function had been a problem and 36.3% reported their bowel habits were problematic, which affected the quality of their lives. In addition, 41% of participants reported that they were not given discharge information regarding the possibility of developing urinary incontinence and sexual problems post prostate surgery.

Conclusions: Health care professionals should pay more attention to routinely providing information to all men regarding the possibility of developing incontinence or sexual problems post prostate surgery. This may assist them to better manage these problems.

The nature and implications of support in graduate nurse transition programs : an Australian study

It is widely recognized that support is critical to graduate nurse transition from novice to advanced beginner-level practitioner and to the integration of neophyte practitioners into safe and effective organizational processes. Just what constitutes support, however, and why (if at all) support is important, when, ideally, support should be given, by whom, how, and for how long, have not been systematically investigated. Building on the findings (previously reported) of a yearlong study that had, as its focus, an exploration and description of processes influencing the successful integration of new graduate nurses into safe and effective organizational processes and systems, the findings presented in this article strongly suggest that support is critical to the process of graduate nurse transition, and that integration into “the system” is best provided during the first 4 weeks of a graduate nurse transition program and thereafter at the beginning of each ward rotation; that “informal teachers” and the graduate nurses themselves are often the best sources of support; and that the most potent barriers to support being provided are the untoward attitudes of staff toward new graduates. Drawing on the overall findings of the study, a new operational definition of support is proposed and recommendations are made for future comparative research on the issue.