Character Formation

I defend the claim that fictional narratives provide cognitive benefits to readers in virtue of helping them to understand character. Fictions allow readers to rehearse the skill of selecting and organizing into narratives those episodes of a life that reflect traits or values. Two further benefits follow; i) fictional narratives provide character models that we can apply to real-life individuals (including ourselves) and ii) fictional narratives help readers to reflect on the value priorities that constitute character. I defend the plausibility of these cognitive benefits against certain worries raised by Gregory Currie and Peter Goldie.

Forthcoming in a festschrift for Jerram Barrs titled FIRSTFRUITS OF A NEW CREATION, edited by Mark Ryan. Awaiting decision of publisher.

The title “Christ and Character” is intended as something of a counterweight to H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic treatise on Christ and Culture.  I argue that cultural or social transformation involves three interdependent components: personal renewal, ecclesial practice, and structural reform.  The takeaway point is that Christian transformation of culture is rooted in Christian transformation of character. I address two questions:  What is Christian character? and How is it formed? Put in the form of a thesis, I argue that Christian character, or Christ-likeness, is the work of the Holy Spirit, through the means of grace, in the communion of the saints, by practice of the truth.

"We saw rapid economic, social and technological changes in the past few decades. It increased the need of social skills into an absolute necessity for our personal as well as for our professional life. Children and Adolescents are really the future prospect of a nation. Lack of proper social skills will definitely influence the capacity of children to face the challenges of life and therefore eventually lead towards increase in metal health problems in them. 
The current paper presents the views of social workers working in various child care homes in the state of Kerala, regarding the development of social skills in children towards positive mental health. Their views were examined through a small scale empirical research conducted amongst practitioners of various organisations.
In the conclusion one will find a discussion of the relevant research findings which showed that a high percentage of the research subjects believe that development of Communication, Leadership, Flexibility and Adaptability skills, are very important for moulding better citizens of a nation.
Keywords: Social–economical-technological changes, Child Care, Social skills, Positive Mental Health, Social Work"

本文對「六書」體系中的「轉注」類做了討論，指出其本質是一組同根而詞形略有區別的古異讀詞。作者認為，轉注字在語音對應關係上較諧聲更加緊密，可以借此推定後世已經脫離了的上古音節成分。

This paper discusses the zhuanzhu 轉注 (meaning characters that were created under this principle are graphically related, phonetically similar, and etymologically linked) category in the liu shu 六書 (six principles of character formation) system, pointing out that it refers to a group of heterophonic characters with the same graphic root but a slightly different graph. The author proposes that zhuanzhu characters are more phonologically related compared to those in a xiesheng 諧聲 (phonetic series), and shows that they could be useful to the reconstruction of some long-lost Old Chinese syllable components.