Papers by Lawrence Rockwood
What is the foundation of compassion? Starting apophatically,
it is not a familial obligation o... more What is the foundation of compassion? Starting apophatically,
it is not a familial obligation or collective solidarity (race, ethnicity, national, political, ideological, gender, sex, orientation, class, cultural, linguistic, religious, and/or institutional) other than that of the extant human species. It is the sharing of the suffering of another human being, either physically or emotionally, regardless of who they are. It is a universal human/humane disposition, although one that often can appear to be absent from the day-to-day actions of the vast majority of humankind. It is not based on the “principle of individuation,” an understanding limited by our sensations or structuring of them by our minds, but on a proper understanding of reality. It is a metaphysical understanding not primarily concerned with the existence or non-existence of God, gods, or an ultimate reality, but the intuitive reality that the distinction between my weal and woe and that of others is metaphysically a false perception. However, it cannot escape the truth that the suffering of others is not experienced in the de-personalized reality beyond space and time, but exists in the same relative reality as ours, the material. In other words, the foundation of compassion is the metaphysical reality of transcendent non-dualism.
What this paper is not: it is not a revisionist rewrite of the intellectual history of the term compassion that creates a false comparative history between the traditional term compassion and the modern terms altruism and empathy; it is not a secular expression of the ethical teaching of eastern spiritual thought, such as Tibetan Buddhism; and it does not make an essentialist dichotomy between Western and Eastern philosophies.
who all were indispensable to this project. The chair of my doctoral committee and academic advis... more who all were indispensable to this project. The chair of my doctoral committee and academic adviser for almost three decades, Dr. McMahon, bore the five years of my research and composition with patience and grace while guiding the advancement of this dissertation through many last minute obstacles. Mike Gannon's and Paul Magnarella's life's work inspired my interest in professional ethics and human rights leading to this project. The history department's Betty Corwine, and later Joanne Fort, provided much kindhearted assistance over the years. Additionally, I would like to thank the many the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) officers who made this project possible, especially the archivists at the at the U.
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 2015
We phenomenologically put local constraints on the rotation of distant masses by using the planet... more We phenomenologically put local constraints on the rotation of distant masses by using the planets of the solar system. First, we analytically compute the orbital secular precessions induced on the motion of a test particle about a massive primary by a Coriolis-like force, treated as a small perturbation of first order in the rotation, in the case of a constant angular velocity vector Ψ directed along a generic direction in space. The semimajor axis a and the eccentricity e of the test particle do not secularly change, contrary to the inclination I, the longitude of the ascending node Ω, the longitude of the pericenter ̟ and the mean anomaly M. Then, we compare our prediction for ̟ with the corrections ∆̟ to the usual perihelion precessions of the inner planets recently estimated by fitting long data sets with different versions of the EPM ephemerides. We obtain as preliminary upper bounds |Ψ z | ≤ 0.0006 − 0.013 arcsec cty −1 , |Ψ x | ≤ 0.1 − 2.7 arcsec cty −1 , |Ψ y | ≤ 0.3 − 2.3 arcsec cty −1. Interpreted in terms of models of space-time involving cosmic rotation, our results are able to yield constraints on cosmological parameters like the cosmological constant Λ and the Hubble parameter H 0 not too far from their values determined with cosmological observations and, in some cases, several orders of magnitude better than the constraints usually obtained so far from space-time models not involving rotation. In the case of the rotation of the solar system throughout the Galaxy, occurring clockwise about the North Galactic Pole, our results for Ψ z are in disagreement with the expected value of it at more than 3 − σ level. Modeling the Oort cloud as an Einstein-Thirring slowly rotating massive shell inducing Coriolis-type forces inside yields unphysical results for its putative rotation.
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 2015
Counter-terrorism, Democratic Values and Military Ethics, 2009
The Vietnam War left the American military with two conflicting standards of command responsibili... more The Vietnam War left the American military with two conflicting standards of command responsibility, a doctrinal standard and a standard representing the latest legal precedent. In November 1969, General Westmoreland appointed Lieutenant General William R. Peers to head the official Army inquiry into the My Lai Massacre. The American military profession at least was able to uphold one of the major legal precedents of the Nuremberg era to one of its own officers: superior orders is no defense. Through the course of the My Lai trials, Taylor authored one book and wrote three opinion editorials for the New York Times that addressed the Vietnam war in general and My Lai in particular in the context of the Nuremberg era war crimes trials. Keywords: American military; My Lai Massacre; New York Times ; Nuremberg era; Vietnam War
Ethics & Behavior, 2015
O’Donohue et al. (2014) sought to derive, from classical ethical theories, the ethical obligation... more O’Donohue et al. (2014) sought to derive, from classical ethical theories, the ethical obligation of psychologists to assist “enhanced interrogations and torture” (EIT) in national defense scenarios under strict EIT criteria. They asked the American Psychological Association to adopt an ethics code obligating psychologists to assist such EIT and to uphold the reputation of EIT psychologists. We contest the authors’ ethical analyses as supports for psychologists’ forays into torture interrogation when (if ever) the EIT criteria obtain. We also contend that the authors’ application of these ethical analyses violates the Geneva Conventions, contravenes military doctrine and operations, and undermines psychology as a profession. We conclude that “good” public reputation is not owed to, or expected by, “good” intelligence professionals, and collaborating operational psychologists must share their providence.
Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 2012
Can the American Psychological Association or the U.S. Military create exemptions when, in certai... more Can the American Psychological Association or the U.S. Military create exemptions when, in certain circumstances, professional ethics do not apply? There are no times or circumstances that military psychologists, as military professionals, are exempt from the prohibition against torture or inhumane treatment under International Humanitarian Law, federal law, or military regulations and orders. In the military's own doctrine, military necessity does not, in itself, create the ethical void needed for the institution of Adversarial Operational Psychology.
who all were indispensable to this project. The chair of my doctoral committee and academic advis... more who all were indispensable to this project. The chair of my doctoral committee and academic adviser for almost three decades, Dr. McMahon, bore the five years of my research and composition with patience and grace while guiding the advancement of this dissertation through many last minute obstacles. Mike Gannon's and Paul Magnarella's life's work inspired my interest in professional ethics and human rights leading to this project. The history department's Betty Corwine, and later Joanne Fort, provided much kindhearted assistance over the years. Additionally, I would like to thank the many the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) officers who made this project possible, especially the archivists at the at the U.
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Papers by Lawrence Rockwood
it is not a familial obligation or collective solidarity (race, ethnicity, national, political, ideological, gender, sex, orientation, class, cultural, linguistic, religious, and/or institutional) other than that of the extant human species. It is the sharing of the suffering of another human being, either physically or emotionally, regardless of who they are. It is a universal human/humane disposition, although one that often can appear to be absent from the day-to-day actions of the vast majority of humankind. It is not based on the “principle of individuation,” an understanding limited by our sensations or structuring of them by our minds, but on a proper understanding of reality. It is a metaphysical understanding not primarily concerned with the existence or non-existence of God, gods, or an ultimate reality, but the intuitive reality that the distinction between my weal and woe and that of others is metaphysically a false perception. However, it cannot escape the truth that the suffering of others is not experienced in the de-personalized reality beyond space and time, but exists in the same relative reality as ours, the material. In other words, the foundation of compassion is the metaphysical reality of transcendent non-dualism.
What this paper is not: it is not a revisionist rewrite of the intellectual history of the term compassion that creates a false comparative history between the traditional term compassion and the modern terms altruism and empathy; it is not a secular expression of the ethical teaching of eastern spiritual thought, such as Tibetan Buddhism; and it does not make an essentialist dichotomy between Western and Eastern philosophies.
it is not a familial obligation or collective solidarity (race, ethnicity, national, political, ideological, gender, sex, orientation, class, cultural, linguistic, religious, and/or institutional) other than that of the extant human species. It is the sharing of the suffering of another human being, either physically or emotionally, regardless of who they are. It is a universal human/humane disposition, although one that often can appear to be absent from the day-to-day actions of the vast majority of humankind. It is not based on the “principle of individuation,” an understanding limited by our sensations or structuring of them by our minds, but on a proper understanding of reality. It is a metaphysical understanding not primarily concerned with the existence or non-existence of God, gods, or an ultimate reality, but the intuitive reality that the distinction between my weal and woe and that of others is metaphysically a false perception. However, it cannot escape the truth that the suffering of others is not experienced in the de-personalized reality beyond space and time, but exists in the same relative reality as ours, the material. In other words, the foundation of compassion is the metaphysical reality of transcendent non-dualism.
What this paper is not: it is not a revisionist rewrite of the intellectual history of the term compassion that creates a false comparative history between the traditional term compassion and the modern terms altruism and empathy; it is not a secular expression of the ethical teaching of eastern spiritual thought, such as Tibetan Buddhism; and it does not make an essentialist dichotomy between Western and Eastern philosophies.