Psychiatric patients may try (or express a desire) to injure themselves in hospital in order to cope with overwhelming emotional pain. Some health care practitioners and patients propose allowing a controlled amount of self-injury to occur in inpatient facilities, so as to prevent escalation of distress. Is this approach an example of professional assistance with harm? Or, is the approach more likely to minimise harm, by ensuring safer self-injury? In this article, I argue that health care practitioners who use harm-minimisation (...) can be considered to be helping physical injury to occur, although they do not encourage the act. I consider why there are compelling reasons to believe that a patient who self-injures is not maximally autonomous in relation to that choice. However, I then move onto argue that allowing a degree of self-injury may enable engagement with psychotherapy (enhancing autonomy) and behavioural change. In these circumstances, allowing injury (with precautions) may not be harm, all things considered. (shrink)

In Case Scenario 1, we are introduced to Ms. J, a young woman with BPD who is emotionally unstable, depressed and self-injuring. We are asked to contemplate what her current therapist ought to do in the context of an abruptly-discontinued therapeutic relationship. The case description focuses on the issue of boundary transgressions and their impact on psychotherapeutic treatment, inviting the reader to consider what constitutes an appropriate relationship between a therapist and patient. In this commentary, I will examine the therapeutic (...) alliance discussing the practitioner’s moral obligations in their relationship with Ms. J. I will also consider the rightness or wrongness of the therapist’s actions, possible motivations and intentions, concentrating on the aims of psychotherapy and the nature and value of boundaries in the clinical relationship. (shrink)

Certainly I am in no way opposed to philosophy, or metaphysics in the sense that Wm. James defined it as a particularly intense effort to think clearly. Indeed, Klein would like to say that what I am talking about is nothing but metaphysics. But the kind of philosophy/metaphysics that is needed here is of a particular kind: a kind that does not separate philosophy/metaphysics and physics into two disjoint realms. It is of the kind that seeks to construct useful testable (...) physical theories that are adequately connected to what we can know. (shrink)

The view that the fundamental kind properties are intrinsic properties enjoys reflexive endorsement by most metaphysicians of science. But ontic structural realists deny that there are any fundamental intrinsic properties at all. Given that structuralists distrust intuition as a guide to truth, and given that we currently lack a fundamental physical theory that we could consult instead to order settle the issue, it might seem as if there is simply nowhere for this debate to go at present. However, I will (...) argue that there exists an as-yet untapped resource for arguing for ontic structuralism – namely, the way that fundamentality is conceptualized in our most fundamental physical frameworks. By arguing that physical objects must be subject to the ‘Goldilock's principle’ if they are to count as fundamental at all, I argue that we can no longer view the majority of properties defining them as intrinsic. As such, ontic structural realism can be regarded as the most promising metaphysics for fundamental physics, and that this is so even though we do not yet claim to know precisely what that fundamental physics is. (shrink)

This paper aims to open up discussion on the relationship between fundamentality and naturalism, and in particular on the question of whether fundamentality may be denied on naturalistic grounds. A historico-inductive argument for an anti-fundamentalist conclusion, prominent within contemporary metaphysical literature, is examined; finding it wanting, an alternative ‘internal’ strategy is proposed. By means of an example from the history of modern physics - namely S-matrix theory - it is demonstrated that this strategy can generate similar anti-fundamentalist conclusions on more (...) defensible naturalistic grounds, and that fundamentality questions can be empirical questions. Some implications and limitations of the proposed approach are discussed. (shrink)

Brussen, Kerri Anne Children born through gamete donation can be genetically linked to one or neither parent. This article examines the practice of gamete donation, seeking to establish if there is cause for concern.

This research compares and analyzes the verbal commentary of televised coverage of two women's and men's athletic events: the “final four” of the women's and men's 1989 National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournaments and the women's and men's singles, women's and men's doubles, and the mixed-doubles matches of the 1989 U.S. Open tennis tournament. Although we found less overtly sexist commentary than has been observed in past research, we did find two categories of difference: gender marking and a “hierarchy of (...) naming” by gender and, to a certain extent, by race. These differences are described and analyzed in light of feminist analyses of gendered language. It is concluded that televised sports commentary contributes to the construction of gender and racial hierarchies by marking women's sports and women athletes as “other,” by infantilizing women athletes, and by framing the accomplishments of women athletes ambivalently. (shrink)

In this response, the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) indicates that it shares, and has strategies in place to address, the majority of the concerns identified by Susan Dodds. AHEC believes it is too early to assess the full impact of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans (1999) or to call for a major review of the ethics committee process. While some Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) are over-stretched, the system is not on the verge of (...) collapse. (shrink)

There’s something else I haven’t told you, it might be important... I don’t know. Really. It’s probably nothing, it’s probably trivial, it won’t mean anything I’m sure. But it has been troubling me quite a bit... well, not a lot, but a bit, you know. I suppose I should have mentioned it earlier, but somehow....

Beginning with relativity and quantum theory, the deterministic view that has dominated and shaped Western culture for more than 2,500 years has begun to unravel, leading to the emergence of a new paradigm. This new paradigm effectively reformulates the project of science, conceiving of existence as an interpenetrating web of coevolving, cocreative relationships. By exploring Kabbalah and the new scientific paradigm within the context of shared evolutionary principles, I seek to demonstrate a viable alternative to the prevailing deterministic worldview. By (...) going beyond the limits of determinism and re–visioning existence as an evolutionary, emergent phenomenon, we can establish a new basis for an authentic dialogue between science and religion. (shrink)

Is there life after death? Can we prove the big bang theory? In his engrossing and accessible style, Dr Kerry Spackman uses everyday examples to answer these questions and other diverse issues. the Ant and the Ferrari is a magical tour-de-force that takes on the big questions in life and answers them in Dr Kerry Spackman's easily accessible writing style. this is one of those rare books that will change your beliefs - and in doing so will change (...) your life. tHE ANt AND tHE FERRARI offers readers a clear, navigable path through the big questions that confront us all today. What is the meaning of life? Can we be ethical beings in today's world? Can we know if there is life after death? Is there such a thing as Absolute truth? What caused the Big Bang and why should you care? (shrink)

Brussen, Kerri Anne The selection of the sex of an unborn child brings to mind many thoughts: playing God, gender discrimination, imbalance in the male:female gender ratio, and a slippery slope that could lead to designer babies. Sex selection also raises the question of reproduction autonomy. These and other issues are explored in this article.

Brussen, Kerri Anne This article briefly examines the history and genetics of Down syndrome. Contemporary prenatal testing practices are described as is the effect of testing on the birth prevalence of children with Down syndrome. The analysis of a series of articles on families with a child with Down syndrome provides a touching insight into these families. It demonstrates that each person - including those with Down syndrome - make a unique and valuable contribution to their family and the world.

Brussen, Kerri Anne Ethically compromised vaccines are vaccines where the virus used in the manufacture of the vaccine has been cultured in a cell line developed from tissue grown from an aborted foetus. In Australia, an ethically compromised vaccine is the only vaccine available for Chicken pox (varicella), shingles (zoster), Hepatitis A, and Rubella (which is part of the MMR - measles, mumps, rubella - vaccine). The poliovirus vaccine component of Quadracel, available in Western Australia, is ethically compromised. However, the (...) poliovirus component of Infanrix-IPV is not ethically compromised and is used in all other Australian States and Territories. The rabies vaccine, Rabipur, is not ethically compromised and is the preferred option to Merieux Inactivated Rabies Vaccine (MIRV) which is an ethically compromised vaccine. This article lists the ethically compromised vaccines available in the various Australian States and Territories, and explains why they are ethically compromised. It also explains when and why vaccination should still be accepted even when the only available vaccine is ethically compromised. (shrink)

Brussen, Kerri Anne Adolescence and young adulthood are a time of change. It is also a time where there is an increased chance of being diagnosed with a mental illness. Professor Patrick McGorry has driven the agenda to transform the approach to youth mental health. This article is a review of the recommendations of McGorry and others within the mental health field on how best to care for our youth with a mental illness. We also briefly look at some of (...) the services offered by a Catholic agency. (shrink)

Brussen, Kerri Anne On 29 November 2012, one of the Standing Committees of the Commonwealth House of Representatives released a report on the prevention, diagnosis and management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Australia. This article explores the findings and recommendations of this report. The Commonwealth parliamentary committee noted that FASD is a serious health issue in Australia. It therefore called for a National Plan of Action, education for health professionals, and public awareness campaigns to encourage women not to drink (...) when pregnant or when planning a pregnancy. Other recommendations included better management of FASD within education, disability services, and the criminal justice system. (shrink)

Brussen, Kerri Anne This article begins with a fictionalised account of a teenage party to celebrate a sporting club's end of season achievements. It then looks at some of the potential outcomes of the behaviours displayed and the longer term consequences.

Brussen, Kerri Anne In 2002, euthanasia became legal in the Netherlands. Since then, the Groningen Protocol has been endorsed, allowing infanticide for disabled babies. More recently, a citizen's initiative is being prepared to propose to the Dutch government that people should be allowed to legally terminate their life if they consider it completed. The slippery slope in the Netherlands appears to be well lubricated.

There couldn't be a more appropriate method for illustrating the dynamics of psychoanalysis than the vehicle of story. In this book, Kerry L. Malawista, Anne J. Adelman, and Catherine L. Anderson share amusing, poignant, and sometimes difficult stories from their personal and professional lives, inviting readers to explore the complex underpinnings of the psychoanalytic profession and its esoteric theories. Through their narratives, these practicing analysts show how to incorporate psychodynamic concepts and identify common truths at the root of shared (...) experience. Their approach demystifies dense material and the emotional consequences of deep clinical work. The book covers psychodynamic theory, the development of ideas, various techniques, the challenges of treatment, and the experiences of trauma and loss. Each section begins with a brief memoir by one of the authors and leads into a discussion of related concepts. Overall the text follows a developmental trajectory, opening with stories from early childhood and concluding with present encounters. The result is a unique approach enabling the absorption of psychodynamic concepts as they unfold across the life span. (shrink)

This essay examines the relationship between wording authorship, depression and addiction. Styron's own experience was of tumbling into acute depression, following the withdrawal of his habitual low-level alcohol habit. The paper examines the way in which such depressions may be described as emptinesses of being congruent with a philosophical (Sartrean) perspective: it compares them with the wild excesses and hyperactivities associated with alcoholism in Leaving Las Vegas and The Great Gatsby. The paper makes several theoretical association between alcoholic behavior and (...) the act of writing itself. (shrink)

This essay examines Meera Margaret Singh’s exhibition Nightingale in the time and place of the liminal space we call “hotel.” In intertexual dialogue with Wayne Koestenbaum’s Hotel Theory, the author not only reviews Singh’s intimate photographs of her mother, she reads the images with and against the architecture in which they are exhibited. The Gladstone as exhibition space redoubles Singh’s emphasis on the tense connectivity of apparent binaries: youth and age, public and private, artist and model, object and spectator, living (...) and dying. The quotidian activities of hotel living—guests’ arrivals, departures, and returns—become inextricable pieces of Singh’s site-specific installation. The author theorizes what Freud calls the “foretaste of mourning” in this work, grappling with what will be but is not yet the death of the mother. Singh’s Nightingale proposes that we do not “work through” mourning: mourning is a perpetual way of being in the present. (shrink)

Chakravartty and others have pressed that the defender of scientific realism needs to supply a metaphysical story, most saliently a modal story, of how knowledge of the unobservable can be possible. Here I consider the challenge the problem of theory change poses to theories of modal metaphysics.

Freedom of speech, religion, choice, will—humans have fought, and continue to fight, for all of these. But what is human freedom really? Taking a broad approach across metaphysics, politics, and ethics, Lars Svendsen explores this question in his engaging book, while also looking at the threats freedom faces today. Though our behaviors, thoughts, and actions are restricted by social and legal rules, deadlines, and burdens, Svendsen argues that the fundamental requirement for living a human life is the ability to be (...) free. _A Philosophy of Freedom_ questions how we can successfully create meaningful lives when we are estranged from the very concept of freedom. Svendsen tackles such issues as the nature of free agency and the possibility of freedom in a universe governed by natural laws. He concludes that the true definition of personal freedom is first and foremost the liberty to devote yourself to what really matters to you—to realize the true value of the life you are living. Drawing on the fascinating debates around the possibility of freedom and its limits within society, this comprehensive investigation provides an accessible and insightful overview that will appeal to academics and general readers alike. (shrink)

Using 16 in-depth interviews drawn from a larger sample of Black/white biracial individuals, this article explores how gender shapes the microlevel process of racial identity construction. Skin color stratification within the Black community, combined with a low rate of marriageable men and high rates of interracial marriages among the most educated and affluent Black men, has created a social context that differentiates the interactional experiences of biracial men and women. The findings highlight the need for more complex theoretical conceptualizations of (...) how gender shapes the way that women negotiate their racial identities in post-Civil Rights America. (shrink)

Drawing on previously unexplored sources, Kerry H. Whiteside presents the political theory of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, one of France's best-known twentieth-century philosophers. Whiteside argues that Merleau-Ponty's objective in his political writings was to make existentialism into the foundation for a philosophically consistent mode of political thinking. This study discusses the inadequacies Merleau-Ponty found in the traditional philosophies of empiricism and idealism, and then examines the subject-object dualism that he believed deprived previous forms of existentialism of political significance. Whiteside shows how (...) Merleau-Ponty overcame these problems by grounding political reasoning in a theory of consciousness that emphasized both its individuality and its need for socially created meaning. After explaining Merleau-Ponty's modifications of the views of Sartre, Aron, and others, the book investigates how he applied his political theory in editorial exchanges with Communists and liberals. Throughout this study, Whiteside traces and criticizes the changes in the philosopher's concept of Marxism and points to his many ideas that bear on current controversies in political theory. Originally published in 1988. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. (shrink)