In the same way that “applied mathematics” is concerned with the appli-
cation of mathematics to practical problems, so “applied philosophy” is
concerned with the use to which philosophy might be put in the everyday
world.
At the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies,
I showed how holiness has been historically interpreted by Pentecostal
denominations and then drew on empirical evidence to cast light on the
rationale for these interpretations. Here, I want to concentrate upon inter-
pretation itself, or hermeneutics, and to demonstrate how the interpre-
tation of biblical passages varies with a set of psychological factors and
textual parameters.
JEAN PIAGET (1896–1980) AND IMMANUEL KANT
(1724–1804)
The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s fi rst love was biology and he noted
the adaptation of living organisms to their environments. Adaptation pre-
sumed a feedback loop between the environment and the organism; the
organism had to have some sort of way of representing the environment
to itself to enable suitable adaptation to take place. When these ideas were
translated into psychology, they implied that human beings conceptual-
ized the natural world so as to make an intentional response. 1 In a series of
studies extending over many years, Piaget explored the child’s view of the
world, giving particular attention to the child’s understanding of causa-
tion. 2 How did clouds move in the sky? Why did the volume of a piece of
plasticine seem to stay the same however it was shaped? How are numbers
of objects related to arithmetical systems? Piaget’s answer to these ques-
tions required sitting down with children and talking to them or devising
ingenious tests or situations. He also explored the moral understanding
of children and related this to their understanding of the physical world
and to the social relations the child held. 3 In short, he found a series of
moral stages that moved from, for instance, “moral realism” whereby the
universe itself punishes people for their immoral behavior to a morality
of reciprocity whereby debts and duties were understood as rule-based
behaviors incurred through social solidarity: Fred lent me money and so
it is right that I pay him back because if I had lent him money that is what
he would do, and so on.
268 W.K. KAY