Some of our beliefs are institutional; that is, beliefs whose content is to a large extent shaped by institutions, such as beliefs about intellectual property, trade policy, or traffic rules. In this chapter, we propose a novel account of institutional beliefs, as we call them. In particular, we argue that institutional beliefs are primarily attributable to social entities, such as groups or collectives, and only secondarily to individual agents. This is because institutional beliefs respond to specific problems that, in principle, (...) only collectives face. However, existing methodology in behavioural science primarily relies on eliciting beliefs through individual choice data, which presents challenges for empirically modelling our proposed concept of institutional beliefs. To address this challenge, we propose to speak of institutional beliefs attributable to individual agents as ‘qua beliefs’. That is, institutional beliefs attributable to individual agents acting qua members of certain institutionally shaped groups. Within this framework, individuals’ qua actions occur in a shared realm of problems that can only be addressed through collective efforts. The relationship between individuals and their groups can be rendered tractable under formalised conditions. Under these conditions, choice data collected from individuals need not obstruct the elicitation of institutional beliefs for empirical study at both the collective and the individual level. We refer to these conditions as “IS conditions”, which are developed based on the synthesis between an interpretationist understanding of mental states and standard models of revealed preference theory as used in experimental economics. For an illustration of how this approach can be operationalised experimentally, we direct our readers to chapter 10 of this volume, where an experimental study applied our account of institutional beliefs. (shrink)

For a long time now there have been different interpretations of the philosophical category "one divides into two." The debate that took place in scholarly circles in 1964 over "one divides into two" and "two combine into one" began with the question of how to interpret this category. At first this was a very lively and widespread scholarly debate. But later, because those "authorities on theory" who had at that time taken over the reigns of intellectual leadership within the Party (...) created contemporary superstitions that inhibited thought, the tone and boundaries of this debate became arbitrarily fixed and circumscribed so that this scholarly question became a political issue resulting in the criticism and trial of comrades such as Yang Xianzhen and the premature death of this debate. Today, in accordance with the spirit of the Third Session of the Eleventh Congress of the Central Committee of the Party, with an attitude of really searching for the truth, we must undertake a new and correct evaluation of this debate. Politically, we must overturn the false charges which were wrongly leveled at Comrade Yang Xianzhen and others, and intellectually, we must uphold the policy of "let a hundred schools contend, let a hundred flowers bloom." We must encourage the free discussion of different points of view, and we must avoid issuing hasty conclusions. All of us comrades who participated in this debate should accept the valuable experience and lessons learned from it. We want the debate on this question to truly become a widespread intellectual debate which will once again develop and move forward healthily. In this article I would simply like to talk about a few of my own views concerning the problem of how to correctly interpret "one divides into two.". (shrink)

It has been argued that non-epistemic values have legitimate roles to play in the classification of psychiatric disorders. Such a value-laden view on psychiatric classification raises questions about the extent to which expert disagreements over psychiatric classification are fueled by disagreements over value judgments and the extent to which these disagreements could be resolved. This paper addresses these questions by arguing for two theses. First, a major source of disagreements about psychiatric classification is factual and concerns what social consequences a (...) classification decision will have. This type of disagreement can be addressed by empirical research, although obtaining and evaluating relevant empirical evidence often requires interdisciplinary collaboration. Second, there is also a type of disagreement over value judgments; namely, disagreements over which aims of psychiatric classification should be prioritized. To address this type of value disagreement, it is helpful to develop a plurality of different psychiatric classification systems, each targeted toward satisfying a different subset of stakeholder aims. (shrink)

Despite chatbots’ increasing popularity, firms often fail to fully achieve their benefits because of their underutilization. We argue that ethical concerns dealing with chatbot-related privacy and security may prevent firms from developing a culture of embracing chatbot use and fully integrating chatbots into their workflows. Our research draws upon the stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR) and a study by Floridi et al. (Minds and Machines, 28:689–707, 2018 ) on the ethical artificial intelligence framework to investigate how chatbot affordances can foster employees’ positive (...) perceptions of privacy protection and security, which may increase perceived ethics in beneficence and ultimately support recommendation intentions. To validate our proposed research model and provide a robust understanding of chatbot-related ethics, we conducted two studies following a mixed-methods design. We used Study 1 as the quantitative phase to collect survey data from full-time marketing employees, and the results provided strong support for our research model based on the relevant theory and literature. We used Study 2 as the qualitative phase to collect interview data to further validate our research model, and the results confirmed Study 1’s quantitative findings and provided complementary insights into the phenomenon of interest. Our studies contribute to the literature by providing initial insights into chatbot-related ethics through the exploration of chatbot affordances, security, and privacy protection as the antecedents and through depictions of how these variables foster employees’ perceived ethics in beneficence and recommendation intention. Our results can inform practitioners how to develop ethics involving chatbots and promote a chatbot-friendly culture such that firms can fully achieve chatbots’ benefits and can thus increase their competitive advantages in emerging chatbot marketing. (shrink)

Technology is increasingly prominent as a topic of philosophical and normative reflection, as recent technological advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence and climate technologies have demonstrated their capability to disrupt our existing social, political, and moral practices. Recently, there is a call to diversify philosophy of technology, a field which has so far largely failed to engage with philosophical traditions outside the United States and Europe. While there are an increasing number of works that have attempted to answer the (...) call, they are primarily attempts to apply normative values and/or frameworks of specific philosophical and cultural traditions. These works have not delved extensively into the questions of technology in these philosophical and cultural traditions; in particular, they have yet to explore how these philosophical and cultural traditions conceive and construct human-technology relations, namely how humans and technology are—and should be—related. This essay distinguishes itself from other attempts to apply normative values and/or frameworks of specific philosophical and cultural traditions. Our aim is to offer a Confucian view of human-technology relations through reviving three Confucian ideas in early Confucianism, namely Creating Qi from the Images (zhi qi shang xiang 制器尚象), Evoking Moral Feelings through Things (yi gu xing wu 以故興物), and Embedding the Rites into Qi (cang li yu qi 藏禮於器). Constructing human-technology relations in the Confucian perspective will offer us an account of how Confucianism sees technology (co-)shaping our perception of and action in the world; it can also provide us with alternative ways to consider technology’s normative implications. (shrink)

With the rapid expansion of parameters in large language models (LLMs) and the application of Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF), there has been a noticeable growth in the moral competence of LLMs. However, several questions warrant further exploration: Is it really possible for LLMs to fully align with human values through RLHF? How can the current moral growth be philosophically contextualized? We identify similarities between LLMs’ moral growth and Deweyan ethics in terms of the discourse of human moral development. (...) We then attempt to use Dewey’s theory on an experimental basis to examine and further explain the extent to which the current alignment pathway enables the development of LLMs. A beating experiment serves as the foundational case for analyzing LLMs’ moral competence across various parameters and stages, including basic moral cognition, moral dilemma judgment, and moral behavior. The results demonstrate that the moral competence of the GPT series has seen a significant improvement, and Dewey’s Impulse-Habit-Character theory of moral development can be used to explain this: the moral competence of LLMs has been enhanced through experience-based learning, supported by human feedback. Nevertheless, LLMs’ moral development through RLHF remains constrained and does not reach the character stage described by Dewey, possibly due to their lack of self-consciousness. This fundamental difference between humans and LLMs underscores both the limitations of LLMs’ moral growth and the challenges of applying RLHF for AI alignment. It also emphasizes the need for external societal governance and legal regulation. (shrink)

Compared with traditional technological innovation modes, green technology innovation is more targeted for low carbon development and critical support for countries worldwide to combat climate change. The impact of green technology innovation on carbon emissions is considered in terms of fixed effect and mediating effect models through industrial structure upgrading. For this purpose, the sample dataset of 30 provincial administrative areas in China from 2008 to 2020 is employed. The results demonstrate that green technology innovation exerts significantly inhibitory effects on (...) carbon emissions, whose conclusion still holds after removing municipalities and replacing the dependent variable. Industrial structure upgrading is vital for green technology innovation to diminish carbon emissions. There is significant regional heterogeneity in the effects of green technology innovation on carbon emissions, i.e., the direct and indirect impact of green technology innovation on carbon emission reduction is significant in the eastern-central area, but its effect is insignificant in the western region. Therefore, it is essential to realize carbon emission reduction by further bolstering green technology innovation and accelerating industrial structure upgrading to fulfill the synergy of technology and structure. (shrink)

Technology is increasingly prominent as a topic of philosophical and normative reflection, as recent technological advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence and climate technologies have demonstrated their capability to disrupt our existing social, political, and moral practices. Recently, there is a call to diversify philosophy of technology, a field which has so far largely failed to engage with philosophical traditions outside the United States and Europe. While there are an increasing number of works that have attempted to answer the (...) call, they are primarily attempts to apply normative values and/or frameworks of specific philosophical and cultural traditions. These works have not delved extensively into the questions of technology in these philosophical and cultural traditions; in particular, they have yet to explore how these philosophical and cultural traditions conceive and construct human-technology relations, namely how humans and technology are—and should be—related. This essay distinguishes itself from other attempts to apply normative values and/or frameworks of specific philosophical and cultural traditions. Our aim is to offer a Confucian view of human-technology relations through reviving three Confucian ideas in early Confucianism, namely Creating _Qi_ from the Images (_zhi qi shang xiang_ 制器尚象), Evoking Moral Feelings through Things (_yi gu xing wu_ 以故興物), and Embedding the Rites into _Qi_ (_cang li yu qi_ 藏禮於器). Constructing human-technology relations in the Confucian perspective will offer us an account of how Confucianism sees technology (co-)shaping our perception of and action in the world; it can also provide us with alternative ways to consider technology’s normative implications. (shrink)

The relationship between neuroticism and mobile phone use is a hot research topic in the academic community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of self-emotional assessment and love status in the mechanism through which college students’ neuroticism influences mobile phone use.We construct a moderated mediation model, and taking 869 Chinese college students as the research object and testing the mediating role of self-emotional assessment and the moderating role of love status. The results show that: neuroticism was (...) significantly positively related to mobile phone use and significantly negatively related to self-emotional assessment; self-emotional assessment was significantly positively related to mobile phone use; self-emotional assessment had a masking effect on the relationship between neuroticism and mobile phone use; love status not only moderated the relationship between self-emotional assessment and mobile phone use but also moderated the process through which self-emotional assessment masked the effect of neuroticism on mobile phone use. Our research expands the literature on the mechanisms underlying the effects of neuroticism on mobile phone use, enriches the understanding of the pertinent boundary conditions, and provides a better explanatory basis for the mobile phone use of college students. (shrink)

Accurate identification of legal provisions is crucial for adjudicating criminal cases, but the complexity and volume of legal texts pose significant challenges for legal professionals. This paper addresses these challenges by introducing a novel legal provision selection framework that transforms the task from a simple classification problem into a sophisticated system combining semantic matching with causal relationship learning. Leveraging large language models, our approach enhances the understanding and interpretation of legal language, by extracting nuanced features from legal texts for deeper (...) contextual comprehension. Additionally, integrating causal learning aligns with the inherent causality in legal reasoning, improving model interpretability and mitigating data bias. Our method demonstrates superior accuracy and robustness through extensive experiments on the CAIL2018 dataset and its subsets. This research significantly advances legal AI applications, promoting efficiency and fairness in the criminal justice system by providing precise and reliable legal provision selection. (shrink)

This article examines the ethical implications of embryo selection (ES) and gene editing (GE) in reproductive medicine through the lens of Pummer's Person-Affecting View (PAV). I argue that even if the edited embryo is not numerically identical to the unedited one, GE may still be ethically preferable to ES in certain scenarios. PAV assesses the moral permissibility of an action based on the balance of requiring reasons against and permitting reasons for it, from the perspective of particular individuals. I apply (...) PAV to ES/GE decisions, considering the expected happiness and suffering of potential future children. The permissibility of ES or GE depends on the nature of the genetic disorder and the balance of expected happiness and suffering in each case. (shrink)

This study examines how the social climate of comparison in which a founder grew up impacts family business (FB) philanthropy, emphasizing the founder's role in FB decisions. With a dataset of 758 Chinese FBs, we find that the stronger the social climate of comparison in the founder's region of upbringing, the more charitable donations the FB tends to make. This effect is more pronounced in areas with a high concentration of FBs. The unspoken rules of Chinese society, related to ‘face (...) (Mianzi)’ and ‘favours’ significantly influence business decisions. (shrink)

This comparative study of music education in Germany, the United States, and China revealed significant cross-cultural variations in core values, teaching methodologies, learning environments, musical philosophies, and performance practices. A common thread across all three countries was the recognition of music's importance in education, though its role and implementation differed markedly. German music education emphasized holistic development (Bildung), with a strong focus on music theory, formal analysis, and historical performance practices. The teacher-student relationship was collaborative, and assessment was holistic. In (...) contrast, the United States exhibited a diverse landscape of music education, prioritizing individual expression, creativity, and a variety of teaching methodologies. Assessment methods were pluralistic, reflecting the country's emphasis on individual growth. Chinese music education was deeply rooted in Confucian philosophy, emphasizing moral cultivation, social harmony, and technical proficiency. Rote learning and imitation were prevalent teaching methods, with a strong emphasis on traditional repertoire and performance. The teacher-student relationship was hierarchical, and assessment focused on standardized examinations. While all three countries utilized music technology to varying degrees, Germany demonstrated a balanced integration, the United States embraced it widely, and China adopted it primarily for supplementary learning. Notably, the role of performance differed significantly, with Germany emphasizing its centrality to musicianship, the USA focusing on its expressive potential, and China viewing it as a validation of achievement. (shrink)

This research focuses on the complex relationship between the musical narrative and emotional expression in piano works from a philosophical point of view. It aims at identifying how emotions are enacted within music and how they can influence and mold the listener’s experience. Building on the premises of important philosophical theories, the study explores the idea of musical narrative, its origins, and its impact on forming emotions within music. Emotional communication in piano works is also discussed in the study, with (...) an emphasis on how composers incorporate various musical features to portray certain emotions. Furthermore, this research elaborates on the philosophical perspective of musical narrative and emotional expression and contributes to the understanding of the aspects within the framework of piano music. The findings of this research are intended to add to the debates in the philosophy of music, with regard to performance and listener’s reception. (shrink)

The globalization communication strategy of cultural creative products is closely related to its IP symbol, IP image, IP narrative, IP experience and IP communication. This paper tries to describe the formation process of cultural creative products, the transformation from cultural IP to IP cultural symbol brand, and focuses on analyzing the symbol extraction and development process of IP cultural creative products, as well as the digital communication methods. It analyzes the marketing level of IP cultural and creative products and seeks (...) to find out the consumer's demand for cultural and creative products. IP cultural symbols are extracted as model variables, and the communication strategy of IP cultural and creative products is subdivided into cultural fit, emotional experience, quality of communication content, marketing interaction, and the perceived value is used as a mediating variable to establish a structural equation model. The research hypotheses are tested, and the relationship variables under the differences of different individual characteristics are explored by gender and income level. Combined with the results of hypothesis testing, the globalization communication strategy of IP cultural and creative products is adjusted. The path coefficients of cultural fit, emotional experience, communication content quality, and marketing interaction on perceived value are 0.351, 0.439, 0.507, and 0.103, respectively, and the path coefficient of perceived value and willingness to buy is 0.366, which means that cultural fit, emotional experience, communication content quality, and marketing interaction in the communication strategy of IP cultural and creative products positively affect perceived value, and perceived value positively affects willingness to buy. In order to realize the globalization and expansion of IP cultural and creative products, it is necessary to focus on the four aspects of cultural fit, emotional experience, quality of communication content and marketing interaction in the product communication strategy. (shrink)

As one of the key technologies for accelerating the construction of the ubiquitous Internet of Things, demand response not only guides users to participate in power market operations but also increases the randomness of grid operations and the difficulty of load forecasting. In order to solve the problem of rough feature engineering processing and low prediction accuracy, a short-term load forecasting model of LSTM neural network considering demand response is proposed. First of all, in view of the strong randomness and (...) complexity of input features, the weighted method is used to process multiple input features to strengthen the contribution of effective features and tap the potential value of features. Secondly, an improved genetic algorithm is used to obtain the best LSTM parameters; finally, the special gate structure of the LSTM model is used to selectively control the influence of input variables on the model parameters and perform load forecasting. The experimental results show that the research has high prediction accuracy and application value and provides a new way for the development of power load forecasting. (shrink)

Internet addiction is a growing social problem with negative mental and social outcomes; the present study examined whether rejection sensitivity mediates the relationship between interparental conflict and adolescent IA and the moderating role of school connectedness. One thousand and seven adolescents anonymously completed questionnaires to assess interparental conflict, school connectedness, rejection sensitivity, IA, and demographic information. The model results showed that: the positive association between interparental conflict and adolescent IA was partially mediated by rejection sensitivity; this indirect link was moderated (...) by the school connectedness and was stronger for adolescents with high school connectedness. The results provide support for the attachment theory that high interparental conflict could increase adolescents’ rejection sensitivity, and high school connectedness plays a double-edged role that adolescents show more rejection sensitivity while reporting high interparental conflict and high school connectedness. (shrink)

As the autonomous vehicles technology gradually enters the public eye, understanding consumers' psychological motivations for accepting autonomous vehicles is critical for the development of autonomous vehicles and society. Previously, researchers have explored the determinants of fully autonomous vehicles but the relevant research is far from enough. Moreover, the relationship between anthropomorphism and users' behavior has been ignored to a large extent. Therefore, this study aim to fill the gap by using anthropomorphism and the unified theory of acceptance and use of (...) technology to explore how system attributes and UTAUT attributes influence consumers' acceptance behavior. The data were collected via questionnaire survey conducted in Beijing, China, which can be a promising early adopter of AVs. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results reveal that perceived anthropomorphism and perceived intelligence have a direct positive influence on the adoption of AVs; performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions have an indirect positive influence on intention to adopt AVs. Also, this research contributes to the literature by enriching studies on psychological determinants of autonomous vehicles' adoption by taking an initial step to highlight anthropomorphism perceptions. This can provide managerial implications for policy-makers and businesses on how to effectively allocate resources to enhance autonomous vehicle adoption. (shrink)

Patients requiring deep brain stimulation due to intracerebral metallic foreign substances have not been reported elsewhere in the world. Additionally, the long-term effects of metallic foreign bodies on deep brain stimulation are unknown. A 79-year-old man with a 5-year history of Parkinson's disease reported that, 40 years ago, while playing with a pistol, a metallic bullet was accidentally discharged into the left brain through the edge of the left eye, causing no discomfort other than blurry vision in the left eye. (...) DBS was performed due to the short duration of efficacy for oral medication. Because the bullet was on the left subthalamic nucleus electrode trajectory and the patient's right limb was primarily stiff, the patient received globus pallidus interna -DBS implantation in the left hemisphere and STN-DBS implantation in the right hemisphere. During a 6-month postoperative follow-up, the patient's PD symptoms were effectively managed with no noticeable discomfort. (shrink)

Does product market competition (PMC) promote or reduce firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) behavior? While some studies suggest that CSR is a differentiation strategy that leads to a positive relationship between PMC and CSR, others consider CSR a discretionary cost that firms in competitive markets should avoid. Drawing on instrumental stakeholder theory and research on organizational attention, we aim to clarify the extent to which CSR provides a competitive advantage for firms by exploring how different types of stakeholder attention—both between (...) different stakeholder groups and within a specific stakeholder group—affect the PMC–CSR relationship. We test our framework using data on Chinese private (i.e., non-state-owned) companies on major Chinese stock exchanges from 2008 to 2017. Overall, our analyses highlight that stakeholder attention affects how firms assess the tension between the benefits and costs of CSR and that the contingent effect of different stakeholder attention varies within and between stakeholder groups. (shrink)

Emerging medical biotechnology, with its dual‐use nature, presents both unprecedented opportunities and challenges for human society. As we benefit from technological innovation, it is crucial for Chinese academics and policymakers to effectively identify and address potential risks. However, the current framework for evaluating dual‐use research faces multiple challenges, including difficulties in identifying dual‐use issues, a lack of consideration for broader impacts in assessments, and a lack of consensus on balancing benefits and risks. Furthermore, inadequacies in the review mechanism, such as (...) uneven progress among institutions, insufficient review capabilities, and lacking specialized knowledge among assessment personnel, hamper the effectiveness of evaluation efforts. This article aims to explore these challenges and propose practical recommendations for strengthening the evaluation and governance mechanisms of dual‐use research. By effectively mitigating the risks associated with dual‐use research, it facilitates the promotion of responsible scientific progress in emerging medical biotechnologies in China and internationally. (shrink)

An ethical framework for pandemic healthcare distribution typically encompasses multiple ethical values. However, integrating various ethical values and distributive principles into a single framework raises concerns about their compatibility and the overall coherence of the framework. This issue of value compatibility could lead to moral inconsistencies within the ethical framework, leading to practical indetermination when facing conflicting implications. This paper offers a methodological resolution to the compatibility problem, serving as an effective tool to mitigate the impact of value conflicts where (...) possible. It proposes four pathways: specifying values rather than balancing them, incorporating values rather than weighing them, reinforcing values rather than aggregating them, and seeking scientific evidence. By developing coherent ethical frameworks where values do not contradict each other, this approach also enhances practical ethical decision-making. Using the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as a case study, this approach demonstrates how conflicting values can yield practical prioritization strategies, such as allocating vaccines to healthcare and essential workers, addressing multiple layers of disadvantage, and assessing age-related prioritization. Reflecting on the compatibility of values within ethical frameworks offers crucial insights beyond COVID-19, contributing to the development of robust ethical frameworks for future public health crises. (shrink)

The study of the emotion-inducing function of music education is an important part of the basic theoretical research of music education, which influences the positioning of the basic nature and value attributes of music education, and at the same time, it also plays a practical role in the teaching practice of music education. In this paper, music education plays the role of “healthy psychology” with the help of the characteristic of “emotionality”. It takes music as a means of inducing individual (...) emotions, and explores the ways of inducing and measuring emotions in specific music emotion-inducing operations. In the experimental process of inducing emotions by European religious music, the non-linear and non-smooth EEG signals were decomposed into a series of eigenmodal functions with different oscillation frequencies using the empirical modal decomposition adaptively. Then, multi-dimensional information such as waveform difference, phase difference, and normalized energy of the eigenmodal functions are extracted as emotional features. Based on the extracted features, SVM is utilized for emotion recognition. In terms of the mean values of emotion evoking intensity of religious music, “sense of calm” (M=5.51) evoked the highest intensity, followed by “sense of transcendence” (M=5.4). “Nostalgia” (M=5.13) evoked a slightly weaker intensity, and ‘Power’ (M=4.26) had the lowest intensity, while religious music evoked significantly more emotions than secular music (p. (shrink)

This study aimed to develop the Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Scale and explore its psychometric properties. Based on Wang’s Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Model, our study employed a review of the current literature, in-depth interviews, and feedback from experts and the target group. An initial 36-item scale using a bipolar Likert 6-point rating scale was developed. Then item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted with sample 1 (n = 617) to explore the dimensions and final items, and a 15-item scale (...) with three factors was obtained. After that, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the 3-factor structure obtained through exploratory factor analysis with sample 2 (n = 585). Next, we tested criterion-related validity with sample 3 (n = 248) and test-retest reliability with sample 4 (n = 67). The results supported the model on which this scale was based and showed three dimensions of filial piety, namely the balance of interests, good affections, and family role norms. As a valid, reliable scale, the Three-Dimensional Filial Piety Scale can therefore be used in the Chinese context to measure filial piety for people of different genders, ages, and cohabitation situations. (shrink)

Kim Dong-ri and Seo Jeong-ju were prodigious personalities of Korean literature in the 20th century. The friendship of these prominent writers began in the 1930s and lasted their entire lives. Together they contributed to the reconstruction of the literary world in Korea after the end of the Japanese Occupation. This paper examines their biographies, auto-biographies, and different testimonies in an attempt to understand and appreciate not only the development and depth of their friendship, but also their legacy to Korean literature (...) that was based on the literary and humanistic values they shared. (shrink)

Most Chinese words are compounds formed through the combination of meaningful characters. Yet, due to compositional complexity, it is poorly understood how this combinatorial process affects the access to the whole‐word meaning. In the present study, we turned to the recent development in compositional distributional semantics, and employed a deep neural network to learn the less‐than‐systematic relationship between the constituent characters and the compound words. Based on the compositional representations derived from the computational model, we investigated the combinatorial process in (...) terms of the degree of overlap between the compositional and the lexicalized representations as well as the degree of distinctness of the compositional representation. Analyses of lexical decision and eye‐tracking data revealed the effects of both compositional attributes over and above the effects of constituent character features and compound features, indicating an active engagement of the combinatorial process in compound processing. Moreover, with the increase of compound frequency, and thus the increased likelihood that the holistic route prevails, these compositional effects appeared to be dampened. These findings, therefore, provided a computational characterization for the dual‐route framework, which sheds light on the universal process of compound comprehension across different languages. (shrink)

This book mainly delves into the practical moral poetics in Plato's late masterpiece, the Laws, and applies a comparative approach to Plato's philosophizing and the Chinese way of thinking in the domains of art making, cultivating a good life, and music-poetry education. Plato's main concern is psychic and correct education as the foundation of character building, coupled with the development of ideal guardians or perfect citizens. Such education requires a suitable use of allegories, myths, and poems, because it involves not (...) only youngsters but also non-philosophers. Saturated with poetic wisdom, it enhances philosophical learning and human becoming in effect, and sheds light on how to live a worthwhile life in praxis. What is discussed herein will interest students and scholars of ancient Greek philosophy, classical studies, art theory, Chinese thought and poetry education, among others. (shrink)

We provide insight into how firms’ trade credit decisions respond to the coevolution of business ethics practices, technological innovation, and institutional reform for firms located in pilot cities of China’s social credit reform. The reform implements an external monitoring mechanism that potentially shifts the business ethics frontier by punishing or rewarding certain (un)ethical credit behaviors. Following the reform, pilot city firms enjoy greater access to trade credit financing. Three plausible channels include reduced default risk, improved information quality, and enhanced legal (...) protection. Suppliers provide more credit to young, small, private, politically unconnected firms, and those with geographically distant suppliers. Finally, we illustrate how increased access to trade credit translates into tangible strategic and performance benefits. Overall, this study underscores the importance of aligning business ethics practices with evolving societal values and technological advancements to facilitate companies’ willingness to provide trade credit within emerging markets. (shrink)

This study investigates how abnormally hot temperatures affect firms’ environmental behaviors in China. We find that firms exposed to abnormally hot temperatures participate in more environmental engagement. We also find that this improvement effect is driven mainly by environmental concerns, including public concerns, CEOs, and governments. Our results remain intact after an array of robustness tests. Further analysis shows that the effect of abnormally hot temperatures on corporate environmental engagement is more pronounced in SOEs, heavily polluting firms, and firms located (...) closer to local environmental protection agencies. Based on the political pressure channel, our results indicate that the improvement effect is more prominent in politically connected firms, cities where local officials can wield more influence, local governments have larger financial slack, and local governments disclose their environmental targets. Moreover, the positive impact of environmental engagement on firm value is stronger when firms are exposed to abnormally hot temperatures. Overall, this study sheds light on the potential stimulation of firms’ environmental actions by global warming, which is yet to be fully understood. (shrink)

The evolution of Tanbi literature in contemporary Chinese online culture reflects a complex interplay of aesthetic philosophy, ethical narratives, and spiritual inquiry. Influenced by consumer culture, digital media expansion, and intercultural exchanges, Tanbi literature has transcended its original thematic boundaries, evolving into a distinct literary and philosophical phenomenon. While its literary and commercial significance has been widely discussed, the deeper philosophical and religious dimensions of Tanbi remain underexplored. This study examines the origins of the Tanbi concept through the lens of (...) philosophical aesthetics, moral discourse, and spiritual longing, investigating its historical roots and its transformation within modern Chinese literature. By tracing the intellectual and metaphysical foundations of Tanbi, this research seeks to uncover its connections to transcendence, ethical dualism, and the search for beauty as a form of spiritual contemplation. The study argues that Tanbi literature functions not only as a cultural and aesthetic movement but also as a medium for existential reflection, moral imagination, and the redefinition of identity in an increasingly digital and secularized world. Future research should further explore the intersections of Tanbi literature with religious thought, metaphysical aesthetics, and the ethical implications of its narratives in contemporary society. (shrink)

From a historical materialist perspective, the evolution of U.S. trade control policies toward China has been driven by the pursuit of economic and geopolitical interests. However, beyond material considerations, these policies also intersect with deeper ethical, philosophical, and even theological questions regarding justice, sovereignty, and the moral dimensions of economic power. Trade restrictions, embargoes, and economic coercion raise profound issues of fairness, global responsibility, and the ethical implications of economic warfare, particularly in the context of international relations shaped by ideological (...) and religious worldviews. Following World War II, the United States sought to consolidate global hegemony, using economic control as a key instrument in its Cold War strategy against the Soviet Union and socialist nations. Prior to the Korean War, U.S. policymakers attempted to manipulate trade relations to weaken Sino-Soviet ties, allowing limited trade between capitalist nations and China. However, after China’s involvement in the Korean War, the U.S. imposed increasingly stringent trade controls, culminating in a full embargo. This policy, while aimed at restricting China’s economic development, ultimately conflicted with America’s own ideological commitment to free trade and triggered dissent among allies such as Britain and Japan. The subsequent partial relaxation of trade controls under the Eisenhower administration in 1954 highlighted the contradictions between economic self-interest, Cold War ideology, and the ethical rhetoric of global economic liberalism. By framing these developments within a broader philosophical and religious discourse, this study explores the ethical dimensions of trade policy, drawing from Christian, Confucian, and Islamic perspectives on economic justice, fairness, and moral responsibility in global commerce. It argues that trade control policies should not be examined solely as instruments of power but also as moral choices that shape international justice, human welfare, and ethical economic governance. Future research should further investigate how religious and philosophical traditions inform perspectives on economic sanctions, trade ethics, and the moral responsibilities of nations in a rapidly evolving global order. (shrink)

BackgroundVaccination has been considered one of the most effective public health interventions. In the context of the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019, it remains unclear what role general vaccination attitudes and perceptions have on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the impact of general attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination on the acceptance of a newly developed vaccine, taking COVID-19 vaccines as an example.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,013 Chinese adult participants. Generalized order logistic regression and (...) path analysis models were used to analyze impacts of general attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination on the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.ResultsThe prevalence of hesitancy to vaccination in general is 49.9% among the Chinese adult population. General perceptions of vaccination were associated with corresponding perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. A “no hesitancy” attitude toward vaccination is a significant determinant of future COVID-19 vaccination compared to vaccine refusers, and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine remain a significant determinant for the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Path analysis indicates that perceptions of the importance and safety of vaccination have a positive overall effect on the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that general perceptions of vaccination as a whole on each measure indirectly influence the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.ConclusionGeneral attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination were associated with those of the COVID-19 vaccine and future vaccination intention. To prepare for possible emergence of diseases in the future, routine health campaigns should be launched by relevant government departments and vaccination authorities to enhance the overall awareness and knowledge of vaccination among the public and to ensure optimal vaccination experience. In addition, targeted knowledge dissemination and mass mobilizations should be urged for newly developed vaccines when some specific infectious diseases emerge, such as COVID-19 at present. (shrink)