Research

£330,000 for naturalism study

Professor Mark Sacks has been awarded more than £330,000 by the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) for a three-year project on the transcendental turn in philosophy and its significance for philosophical naturalism.

Professor Sacks explained the relevant background to the project: 'Philosophical naturalism holds, roughly, that the resources of natural science are all we have, and all we need, to yield knowledge of the world. This view has been regarded by many as too restrictive. Most notably, Immanuel Kant considered that it resulted in an unacceptable form of scepticism. Kant’s response was to inaugurate a transcendental turn, which steers a course between unadorned naturalism on the one hand and the excesses of traditional metaphysics on the other.

'Since Kant there has been a significant division between those who hold that naturalist explanation should be qualified by its inclusion within a transcendental framework, and those who reject any such framework and retain an unadorned naturalism at face value. This division still separates key philosophical approaches today. Yet it is fair to say that neither advocates of transcendental philosophy, nor its detractors, are altogether clear about what exactly it involves.'

The project aims to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of the transcendental turn, by mapping its historical development and identifying its primary theoretical commitments and methods. professor Sacks explained: 'Apart from the inherent interest, having this clearer conception will facilitate a judgement as to whether transcendental philosophy poses a coherent alternative which contemporary philosophical naturalism needs to take seriously.'

The project falls in with Professor Sacks’s long-standing concern with the nature of the transcendental method. It also stands to facilitate further constructive dialogue between analytic and continental philosophers. 'The division between those who take the transcendental turn seriously, in some form or other, and those more inclined to confine themselves to an unadorned naturalism, roughly reflects a division between two contemporary philosophical approaches: Continental and Anglo-American analytical philosophy. The Department of Philosophy at Essex, uniquely in the UK, is internationally known for its track record of bringing these traditions into fruitful contact. This known orientation will, I think, have contributed to the successful outcome of the application.'

The project is scheduled to get underway in October 2005, and the award will fund the appointment of two research fellows, each for the duration of the project. It is envisaged that one will have a background in philosophical naturalism while the other will be rooted in Kant or post-Kantian transcendental philosophy.

Tackling breast cancer

Dr Elena Klenova of the Department of Biological Sciences has been awarded additional funding of more than £160,000 from the Breast Cancer Campaign (BCC) allowing her to continue to investigate certain proteins involved in breast cancer.

CTCF is a protein that is found in all human cells and regulates many functions within them. Unfortunately in breast cancer cells it has a protective effect and stops them from being destroyed by the body, therefore allowing these cancer cells to continue to grow.

In the previous BCC-funded project, Dr Klenova discovered that there are in fact two different versions of the CTCF protein. One called CTCF-180, which is only found in healthy breast tissue and the other CTCF-130, which is only found in breast cancer tissue.

By studying how CTCF works in normal breast cells Dr Klenova hopes to identify at what point CTCF-130 becomes involved in breast cancer growth and how it aids cancer development.

Pamela Goldberg, Chief Executive of BCC said: 'Not only will this project provide us with a greater understanding of the differences between normal and breast cancer cells, but it could also present us with a new way of testing for breast cancer. This will alert health professionals to the point at which CTCF-180 changes to CTCF-130, so that they can catch the breast tumour at an early stage before it has spread.'

Conference discusses 'green exercise'

Research conducted by the Centre for Environment and Society in 2004 was the focus of a conference hosted by the Countryside Recreation Network.

Professor Jules Pretty was the key speaker at the event - held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster - where speakers discussed the health benefits of exercising outdoors. Professor Pretty presented case studies and the findings of his project which concluded that 'green exercise, physical activity linked to exposure to nature, has vital public health benefits.'

Some 120 countryside and health professionals and policy makers attended the conference, including the Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Alun Michael MP, who said: 'The research by the University of Essex has shown the mental and physical health benefits of activities in the countryside.' He added: 'This research will give renewed impetus to our efforts to make the countryside an asset which rightly should be enjoyed by everyone.'

As a result of the research, a Health Concordat was signed between the Countryside Agency, English Nature, The Forestry Commission, Sport England, and the Association of National Park Authorities. This will guide collaboration on green exercise for years to come.

Other Essex researchers involved in the green exercise project included Dr Murray Griffin, Rachel Hine, Jo Peacock, Dr Martin Sellens, and Professor Nigel South.

The signing of the Concordat (top row, left to right) Martin Fritton, Paul Hill-Tout, Dr Andy Brown, and bottom (left to right) Roger Draper, The Right Honourable The Lord Clark of Windermere, and Jeremy Worth

Also in the printed March edition of Wyvern:

• Policing migration
• Chimera launches educational pilot
• Qualidata wins archiving and dissemination award