Joint-carving - 'The First Cut is the Deepest' c/o Traldi

Last Friday I joined in another online session of the Argumentation network c/o Andrew Aberdein and Kat Stevens. 

The subject was “The Epistemology and Politics of Redefinition” by Oliver Traldi.

As ever, it was interesting, technical, relevant and a prompt to concepts new, briefly encountered previously. I can't remember if in the talk, or Q&A, but mention was made of 'joint-carving' but I checked some sources:

'Because properties are so abundant, they are undiscriminating. Any two things share infinitely many properties, and fail to share infinitely many others. That is so whether the two things are perfect duplicates or utterly dissimilar. Thus properties do nothing to capture facts of resemblance. That is work more suited to the sparse universals. Likewise, properties do nothing to capture the causal powers of things. Almost all properties are causally irrelevant, and there is nothing to make the relevant ones stand out from the crowd. Properties carve reality at the joints -- and everywhere else as well. If it's distinctions we want, too much structure is no better than none.' p.346.

Lewis, D. 1983. New Work for a Theory of Universals, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 61(4): 343–377. doi:10.1080/00048408312341131

'Though the facts or truths that the realist judges mind-independent are most commonly put in terms of a kind’s ‘naturalness’ (or lack thereof), they may be formulated in alternative locutions, such as the ‘reality,’ ‘non-reality,’ or ‘artificiality’ of a kind or kinds. For example, that human races are not real, or that protons form a natural kind, both express such facts. Equivalently, Plato’s famous carving metaphor may be used to do so, as when it is asserted that the classifications of the DSM-5 do not carve nature at the joints. For the sake of expository simplicity I will exclusively use the language of ‘naturalness’ here, but translations into alternative terminology are straightforward.'

Franklin-Hall, L. 2015. Natural kinds as categorical bottlenecks. Philosophical Studies 172 (4):925-948.

Further, Sass writes:

'The goal is to have a consistent and informative test for what counts

as a realist versus an anti-realist view about natural kinds. Bird’s(2018) taxonomy,

building on Hawley and Bird(2011), focuses on the questions of whether natural

kinds exist, and if so, what sort of entity kinds are. Franklin-Hall’s (2015) taxonomy

focuses instead on whether kinds are individuated by a mind-independent principle,

or whether kinds “carve at the joints”.1 This paper focuses mainly on the issues raised

by Bird’s (2018) taxonomy.' p.11862.

Sass, R. 2021. An ontology of weak entity realism for HPC kinds. Synthese, 198(12), 11861–11880. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48692794 [ homeostatic property cluster (HPC) theories of kinds ].

In the past, I've written about the (nursing, IT, psychological...) models muddle. At the risk of adding to my muddle, Traldi's presentation is a timely prompt. Timely, because trying to looking at Hodges' model as a mathematical object, it needs to be stripped down to its bare components (and purposes?). Is redefinition the order of the day? I will leave defining the components to one-side at present (in drafted notes). But even from Hodges' model as a template, with its (two) axes and (four) domains we can (must) consider:

1. The two axes taken as a whole - do they intersect, or not?*

Relationally, the axis between:

INTERPERSONAL | SCIENCES

SOCIOLOGY | POLITICAL

INTERPERSONAL - SOCIOLOGY

SCIENCES - POLITICAL

2. Each axis (treated independently) to the centre of Hodges' model. (See 1.)

The conjoining of axes (do they?):

The INDIVIDUAL - HUMANISTIC and INDIVIDUAL - MECHANISTIC.

The HUMANISTIC - GROUP and GROUP - MECHANISTIC.

                                

Hodges' model

I won't continue now, but I have wondered if one axis is primary? Which one comes first? Faced with a blank piece of paper, or flipchart ... which axis gets drawn first?

In guided discovery workshops, teaching sessions I have been directed by the context and duty of care. Given that this is clinical then the I-G is where I start, or lead the discussion.

Perhaps, (as per the previous post) there is a safety dividend in having to consider this question more formally (forcibly)?

I remember Rod Stewart's rendition of  'The First Cut is the Deepest' - even as governments work to make this cut as shallow as possible.

The INDIVIDUAL - GROUP cut: has it every time.

Previously: 'argumentation'

AI, Nursing, Safety and presentation - 1st Aug 2-3pm

Hodges' model was not created primarily as a safety tool. It cannot claim to achieve or adhere to an ISO standard. ISO 45001 - health and safety management standard, for example. There is however a relation to clinical risk across healthcare professions, disciplines and clinical fields, including community and public (mental) health. To which of course we must now add planetary health. That said, the question of ISO safety and quality standards for Hodges' model has not been assessed. What exactly would certification entail? Would this process be appropriate for what is a generic - foundational tool?

What this means, however, is that as a situated model for reflection, reflective practice and critical thinking Hodges' model constitutes a deliberative step in the right (formal) direction. As noted previously, in template form, Hodges' model acknowledges the initial personal, professional and organisational standards that (must) shape our clinical encounters. That is, if assessed (as students - and our peers clearly are, and you would expect to be), unconditional positive regard would be observed, supported by the required standards of professional behaviour. 

There is another step here. The ethical and legal edict of 'do no harm' must also be central to care delivery, outcomes and evaluation. So from the outset, implicit in Hodges' model is the (NON-LEGAL) statement:

You, the practitioner - agent (student - and your mentor/supervisor) will not knowingly, or through professional ignorance, or neglect  cause physical, psychological, social (cultural), political (power), or spiritual harm to the patient - subject (or their carer - guardian/proxy).

There is no escape from AI and Large Language Models as I noticed in FTWeekend:

'Jilin University Hospital in the eastern city of Changchun has rolled out a diagnostic tool it claims can produce treatment plans through DeepSeek consulting the hospital's database, medical guidelines and drug efficacy results. Jinxin Women and Children's Hospital in south-western China said it had a tool for patients to track their ovulation cycles, with test results combined with the hospital's patient data to produce personalised fertility plans.

One doctor at public hospital in Hubei province in central China said the institution's leadership had issued a directive that DeepSeek should be used as a third-party arbiter if two doctors have differing views on treatment.

 
There have been rollouts in public hospitals in Chengdu, Hangzhou and Wuhan for less complex applications, such as digital nurses directing patients to the right consulting room or explaining complicated medical reports.

 
Several industry insiders warned against taking all the announcements at face value, as some companies were trying to capture investor enthusiasm around DeepSeek without meaningfully deploying its models. Meanwhile, government bodies are also under political pressure to be seen as aligned with China's AI darling.

 
The SOE tech supplier said "much work still needs to be done to make these models useful" for more complex work such as medical diagnosis. "It must be trained on enough medical data to produce good results. This will take time and needs collaboration from leading AI companies. It is not something hospitals can buld on their own."

Another doctor described a move to deploy DeepSeek last week at a hospital in eastern Zhejiang as a "publicity stunt".

Even if some announcements should be treated with scepticism, experts say the willingness to test out its models still marks a step change.'

Edited for formatting, some text is emphasised. A vast array of conditions can be substituted (parametrised) for 'fertility'. While nursing is mentioned there is little on testing, but for 'plans' we can read nursing assessment, plans, and evaluations. 

Returning to safety. Following an online chat yesterday, I've an online presentation to the Patient Safety Management Network [Patient Safety Hub] pencilled in for 1st August 2-3pm. Comprised of 40 minutes with questions following - I will, as discussed - focus upon:

• Introduction to the model
• How it can be applied in different situations – safety/risk/improvement
• Examples of its use

This is progress - a step to develop Hodges' model and reveal the limits of the bio-psycho-social model.

^soe - state-owned enterprises.

Olcott, E., Ding, W. AI challenger DeepSeek spreads rapidly across China with the blessing of Beijing, FTWeekend, 1-2 March, 2025. p.13.

'Critical Notes on the Nature of Sociology as a Science'

4Ps

As a model of care (education, management, safety, systems, ...)*, or a conceptual model, conceptual framework, or however described, Hodges' model, as with its many peers is idealised.

You quickly 'see' that the 4Ps I've associated with the knowledge - care domains of Hodges' model are far specific, or limited to that domain alone.

In our dialogues, media and literature it becomes obvious that in addition to physical, sequential, and  natural (scientific) processes, there are also political,  sociological, and psychological, or mental  (interpersonal) processes.

I've always been drawn to the diagonal distances between the interpersonal-political domains; and that between the sociological-scientific. The latter I think about often as it makes the news regularly, when education is raised, literacy, the state of our schools, colleges, universities and (globally) the public's understanding of the sciences. So finding a paper heading for its centennial birthday caught my attention. Not just that, but the journal - Social Forces is (very much!) still with us aged 103 this year. Unsurprisingly, I like the way Woodard contrasts the mechanistic and humanistic:

Hodges' model

'For there is a further distinction to be made among evaluations of functional appropriateness. I may analyze the functional appropriateness of the gears and pulleys of a machine. That is applied mechanics, not the pure science of mechanics. For the function of the machine is tacked on to it arbitrarily and does not emerge from the data of the science of mechanics. But the same may not be said of hearts and lungs, of mental and emotional processes, or of social structures, functions, and processes. Here the functions are not extraneously tacked onto an arbitrarily assembled collation. They are inescapable emergents from the process of scientific analysis and are warp and woof of our data as it confronts us, in situ, in the natural universe. They are not in any sense superimposed.' p.32.

Interesting point regarding 'hearts and lungs' - to possibly return to? Also, as a template Hodges' model provides a 'warp and woof' for data gathering - a foundation.

Woodard, J. W. (1932). Critical Notes on the Nature of Sociology as a Science. Social Forces, 11(1), 28–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/2569615 

*Please give it a try whatever your field, and let me know your thoughts. ... h2cmng AT yahoo.co.uk

Understanding Mathematics + Domains towards Corridors

It is for others to judge - whether it is helpful or distracting; but I find concepts defined by other disciplines, or professions illuminating and insightful. Especially so, when it comes to 'domain'. In Hodges' model - all four of them. Five! When (not if), we include the spiritual:

'Greeno (1991) argued that students develop understanding when

"a domain is thought of as an environment, with resources at various places in the domain. In this metaphor, knowing is knowing your way around ir the environment and knowing how to use its resources. This includes knowing what resources are available in the environment as well as being able to find and use those resources for understanding and reasoning. Knowing includes interactions with the environment in its own terms - exploring the territory appreciating its scenery and understanding how its various components interact. Knowing the domain also includes knowing what resources are in the environment that can be used to support your individual and social activities and the ability to recognize, find, and use those resources productively. Learning the domain, in this view, is analogous learning to to live in an environment: learning your way around, learning what resources are available, and learning how to use those resources in conducting your activities productively and enjoyably. (p. 175)"

In particular, in chapter 8, Nemirovsky et al. use the metaphor of becoming familiar with a new place (e.g., a town, a train station) and the process of learning a new mathematical concept.' p.7.

Greeno, J. (1991), Number sense as situated knowing a conceptual domain.,Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 22(3), 170-2 18. 

Understanding Mathematics and Science Matters. Edited by Thomas A. Romberg Thomas P. Carpenter Fae Dremock University of Wisconsin-Madison. EA LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS 2005 Mahwah, New Jersey London. (I hope there is a 2nd edition?)

(I will try to add the Nemirovsky et al. reference when I can.)

Previously: 'territory' : 'map' : 'vocabulary'

Woman-Centred Care in Action: Midwives at the Forefront of Gender Equality

Dear women’s health champions and allies,

We are writing to invite you to the following two events:

In honour of International Women’s Day, join ICM and fellow advocates as we kick-off the second phase of the PUSH Campaign with a panel discussion and reception:

08 March 2025 from 6-9 pm

Manhattan, New York | (Upon registration, location sent for in-person participants and live-stream link for virtual participants)

Join panellists Tlaleng Mofokeng (UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Health), Maliha Khan (Women Deliver), Helena Grant (New York Midwives), Meggy Katigbak (ARROW), who will discuss why woman-centred care is everyone's business, and why midwives matter now, more than ever. RSVP using this link by Thursday, 06 March 2025. Please see the attached flyer for additional details.

In honour of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Permanent Mission of Croatia and the International Confederation of Midwives’ PUSH Campaign are proud to present a photo exhibit titled

Woman-Centred Care in Action: Midwives at the Forefront of Gender Equality

UN Building, Corridor 1B

10-21 March 2025

We invite you to visit the exhibit and reflect on its powerful message: there is no gender equality without woman-centred care or midwives. The relationship between midwives and women has ripple effects on gender equality, health, economics, and rights.

Attached is the flyer with additional information.

We appreciate your kind dissemination among your networks, delegations, and interested colleagues.

Many thanks and best regards,

Merette Khalil (she/her)
PUSH Campaign Lead

PUSH Campaign: PUSH for Midwives (pushcampaign.org)

International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)

The global voice of midwives • The Hague • The Netherlands

Email: m.khalil AT internationalmidwives.org

Website: www.internationalmidwives.org

Postdoc “Citizen Science” (V25.0121) at Univ of Groningen

We're hiring:

Postdoc in Citizen Science at the University of Groningen

Are you passionate about public engagement with science and citizen science? Do you want to develop and work on projects that connect academia with society and make a real impact? We have an exciting Postdoc position available in our Citizen Science team!
Please note: You should be able to speak Dutch...

📅 Apply by March 23, 2025
🔗 Learn more & apply here: https://lnkd.in/emsFzdgJ

Feel free to share in your network.

Cheers,

Henk

Dr. Henk A.J. Mulder
Master Science Education and Communication &
Bèta Wetenschapswinkel (Science Shop @ Science LinX),
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (University of Groningen)
Dr. Henk A.J. Mulder
Energy Academy/IREES
kamer/room 5158.0222
Nijenborgh 6
9747 AG Groningen
The Netherlands

h.a.j.mulder AT rug.nl
http://www.rug.nl/staff/h.a.j.mulder/
http://www.rug.nl/society-business/science-shops/
http://www.rug.nl/masters/educatie-en-communicatie-in-de-wiskunde-en-natuurwetenschappen/

Individual

|

      INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

|

Group

my ACADEMIC CAREER my LANGUAGE SKILLS my LIFE EXPERIENCE my PASSIONS	SCIENCES - ENGINEERING 'LIVED EXPERIENCE' Enthusiast-Expert [patient, swimmer, x,y,z ...] local, regional, national, international
PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT COMMUNITY ISSUES/AWARENESS COMMUNICATION	CITIZENS EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY PUBLIC PRIORITIES POLICY PRIORITIES

n.b. No endorsement of Hodges' model should be construed from inclusion of #h2cm above.

Finding a space for Lived Experience

Individual

|

      INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

|

Group

Whatever your personal - emotional - journey, your experience, ongoing expectations ... hope: hope-fully this is you. You can, or have discovered the potential here. Whether or not the strengths you possess, are recognised due to what others see elsewhere.	Lived experience brings so many pathways. So many rooms and spaces to explore. Whatever the physical challenges: whether well: 'all-good thanks'; or dealing with one or more diagnoses - acutely, in recovery, relapse, may all points of the compass be open to you.
Whatever your life experience: your health career began down here [and across there ->], shaped by your life chances. These days they call them the determinants. They are many, and can influence your social network, whether you have one ...	As you (literally) negotiate - even if you fail repeatedly - the systems, that the system throws your way, trying to make ends-meet; in work or out, never under-estimate what a person can do. Here lived experience can pay dividends, across the divides that really matter.

Welcome to your space ...

and may it include hope shared and delivered ...

Alliance for Responsible Citizenship

Last month on two occasions, I came across the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (which is a registered company). 

In the Sunday Times, "Philippa Stroud: ‘Everyone’s moaning — I think humanity can sort things out’":

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/philippa-stroud-alliance-responsible-citizenship-km8z26b8b

and Financial Times "'Part megachurch, part political rally: inside London’s ‘rightwing Davos’".

https://www.ft.com/content/7ff1614c-38a2-4b5c-81d3-80cea1196dad 

Apparently, a right wing, conservative movement with a three-day conference, one commentary suggested it has struggled to define itself, which is understandable given the ongoing (increasing?) prompts for its creation.

You recognise early on in your nursing career and not just as a student (pre-Project 2000 UK), but as a Nursing Assistant that character is a key element in your professional development. By the time you qualify, you more accurately see that without a doubt it is your formative education that is a critical factor. That and your 'home' circumstances - and not necessarily the two-parents good, one bad formulation. This is why with students excluded from school, society is taking a wrong turn. There is obviously a problem but what is the 'correct' approach?

An 'alliance' already suggests a given level of organisation. By definition 'grassroots movements' must struggle to establish and retain their identity.

This is a project Hodges' model can help address - with a balanced but not necessarily a neutral output.

Individual

|

      INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

|

Group

identity personality attitude aptitude character faith individual beliefs religious engagement courage hope threshold concepts my destiny well-being trust	future physical thresholds  waste climate change circular economy AI truth - information disorder science technology PAST - work - FUTURE our future destiny - (what does the clock say?) future generations?
grassroots social movement arts family community culture - diversity social - cultural identity society - support social change social capital social contract social values our shared destiny our children's children welfare - living wage employment - leisure quality of life	power political systems past policy UK: 'Troubled Families' economics organisations, institutions corporations political (manifest! - colonialism ) destiny policy systems political engagement health of leaders trust international law - justice control of fraud, corruption, crime human rights political thresholds