What is the primary function of consciousness in the nervous system? The answer to this question remains enigmatic, not so much because of a lack of relevant data, but because of the lack of a conceptual framework with which to interpret the data. To this end, we have developed Passive Frame Theory, an internally coherent framework that, from an action-based perspective, synthesizes empirically supported hypotheses from diverse fields of investigation. The theory proposes that the primary function of consciousness is well-circumscribed, (...) serving the 'somatic nervous system[. For this system, consciousness serves as a frame that constrains and directs skeletal muscle output, thereby yielding adaptive behavior. The mechanism by which consciousness achieves this is more counterintuitive, passive, and “low level” than the kinds of functions that theorists have previously attributed to consciousness. Passive frame theory begins to illuminate (a) what consciousness contributes to nervous function, (b) how consciousness achieves this function, and (c) the neuroanatomical substrates of conscious processes. Our untraditional, action-based perspective focuses on olfaction instead of on vision and is 'descriptive' (describing the products of nature as they evolved to be) rather than 'normative' (construing processes in terms of how they should function). Passive frame theory begins to isolate the neuroanatomical, cognitive-mechanistic, and representational (e.g., conscious contents) processes associated with consciousness. (shrink)

This article explores the role of second-order anger in the formation of resistant feminist space through the work of María Lugones and Sara Ahmed. I argue that this incommunicative form of anger can operate as a bridge between two senses of resistant spatiality in Lugones, connecting the hangout, which is a collective and transgressive space for alternative sense making, and the cocoon, which is a solitary and germinative space of tense internal transformation. By weaving connections with Ahmed’s concept of feminist (...) fragile sheltering, I demonstrate that the insulating character of second-order anger need not be equated with spatial solitude. Rather, given its orientation toward a future becoming away from oppressed subjectivity, germinative cocooning can be understood as constitutive of collective, feminist, and resistant spaces. I conclude, therefore, that feminist spaces ought to shelter second-order angers and embrace fragility as a condition of resistant transformation. (shrink)

Passive frame theory attempts to illuminate what consciousness is, in mechanistic and functional terms; it does not address the “implementation” level of analysis (how neurons instantiate conscious states), an enigma for various disciplines. However, in response to the commentaries, we discuss how our framework provides clues regarding this enigma. In the framework, consciousness is passive albeit essential. Without consciousness, there would not be adaptive skeletomotor action.

This paper presents an examination of communitarianism ethics and its emphasis on community and responsibility as an ethical base for public relations. It studies the importance businesses currently place on social responsibility, quality, and stewardship and how these core values fit within a communitarian approach. A communitarian foundation for public relations may enable organizations to respond to crises and other situations appropriately because of the sense of community public relations seeks to build.

Yukio Mishima's literary work, "Kinkaku-ji," delves into the portrayal of a young man ensnared by imaginary fetishism. Mizoguchi's arson act is profoundly influenced by this deification. The protagonist, Mizoguchi, struggles with the dichotomy between excessive aesthetic idolatry rooted in the imagined Kinkaku-ji and the flawed existence of the real Kinkaku-ji. This essay explores how his internal conflict, shaped by fetishism, weaves complex factors, including deification and alienation, ultimately culminating in his resolve to set Kinkaku-ji ablaze. In summary, this thesis concludes (...) that Mizoguchi imperative for arson lies in his pursuit of establishing the absolute nature of the imagined Kinkaku-ji. (shrink)

The phrase ‘person‐centred care’ (PCC) reminds us that the fundamental philosophical goal of caring for people is to uphold or promote their personhood. However, such an idea has translated into promoting individualist notions of autonomy, empowerment and personal responsibility in the context of consumerism and neoliberalism, which is problematic both conceptually and practically. From a conceptual standpoint, it ignores the fact that humans are social, historical and biographical beings, and instead assumes an essentialist or idealized concept of personhood in which (...) a person is viewed as an individual static object. From a practical standpoint, the application of such a concept of personhood can lead to neglect of a person's fundamental care needs and exacerbate the problems of social inequity, in particular for older people and people with dementia. Therefore, we argue that our understanding of PCC must instead be based on a dynamic concept of personhood that integrates the relevant social, relational, temporal and biographical dimensions. We propose that the correct concept of personhood in PCC is one in which persons are understood as socially embedded, relational and temporally extended subjects rather than merely individual, autonomous, asocial and atemporal objects. We then present a reconceptualization of the fundamental philosophical goal of PCC as promoting selfhood rather than personhood. Such a reconceptualization avoids the problems that beset the concept of personhood and its application in PCC, while also providing a philosophical foundation for the growing body of empirical literature that emphasizes the psychosocial, relational, subjective and biographical dimensions of PCC. (shrink)

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the considerable challenge of sourcing expertise and determining which experts to trust. Dissonant information fostered controversy in public discourse and encouraged an appeal to a wide range of social indicators of trustworthiness in order to decide whom to trust. We analyze public discourse on expertise by examining how social indicators inform the reputation of Dr. Didier Raoult, the French microbiologist who rose to international prominence as an early advocate for using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. To (...) comprehend how these indicators came to inform his reputation, we outline Dr. Raoult's rise to fame based on discourse about hydroxychloroquine. We then discuss why we trust in experts like scientist-practitioners. This is followed by an examination of how social indicators of trust like status, epistemic authority, influence and values have informed Dr. Raoult's reputation. We conclude with recommendations for how to improve the selection and evaluation social indicators of trust and reputations. Our aim here, instead of making a claim about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine or Dr. Raoult's reputation per se, is to outline through this case study how social indicators of trust inform reputation and the challenge they present to evaluating expertise. (shrink)

Ang pag-aaral na ito ay naglalayong alamin ang kapaligirang pampagkatuto, klimang pangklasrum at performans sa Filipino ng mga mag-aaral sa grado labing-isa (11) ng Mataas na Paaralang Nasyonal ng Ajuy. Ito rin ay naglayong matukoy kung mayroong makabuluhang pagkakaiba sa kapaligirang pampagkatuto at klimang pangklasrum at kung mayroon bang makabuluhang kaugnayan sa performans sa Filipino. Ang mga kinakailangang datos ay tinipon sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng talatanungan sa kapaligirang pampagkatuto, klimang pangklasrum at pagsusulit sa performans sa Filipino. Isandaan na nagmula (...) sa Mataas na Paaralang Nasyonal ng Ajuy ang naging kalahok sa pagaaral na ito. Sila ay pinili gamit ang stratified quota random sampling. Ang mga datos ay sinuri sa larangan ng computerprocessed statistics, percentage mean, frequency count, standard deviation, One Way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance), t-test at Pearson’ r. Ang alpha level ay nakaset sa .05 sa lahat ng inferensyal na pagsusulit. Ang mga natuklasan ay nagpakita na may “kaaya-aya” na antas ang kapaligirang pampagkatuto at may “kaaya-aya” na antas ang klimang pangklasrum. Napag-alaman din na mayroon silang “katamtamang” performans sa Filipino. Nakita rin sa pananaliksik na ito na “walang makabuluhang kaugnayan” ang performans sa Filipino sa antas ng kapaligirang pampagkatuto at antas ng klimang pangklasrum. Napag-alaman din na “walang makabuluhang pagkakaiba” ang kapaligirang pampagkatuto sa performans sa Filipino. “Wala ring makabuluhang pagkakaiba” ang klimang pangklasrum ng mga mag-aaral sa Filipino sa performans sa Filipino. Napag-alaman din na “walang makabuluhang kaugnayan” ang kapaligirang pampagkatuto sa klimang pangklasrum maging ang kapaligirang ampagkatuto sa performans sa Filipino gayundin ang klimang pangklasrum at performans sa Filipino. (shrink)

Ang papel na ito ay isang kritikal na ulat tungkol sa pilosopiyang Pilipino sa panahon ng rehimeng Duterte. Sa pamamagitan ng Google Scholar tinukoy nito ang limang nangungunang Pilipinong pilosopo na sumuri sa nasabing rehimen: sina Christopher Ryan Maboloc, Regletto Aldrich Imbong, Tracy Llanera, Carlito Gaspar at Jude Raymun Festin. Kinilala nito ang nasabing limang pilosopo, at hinimay ang kani-kanilang pangkalahatang paninindigan kaugnay sa nasabing rehimen, isyung tinutukan, pilosopong kabalitaktakan, at pilosopong tinutungtungan. Sinuri din ng papel na ito ang ideolohiyang (...) politikal ng limang pilosopo gamit ang modipikadong spectrum nina Hans Slomp at F.P.A. Demeterio. Naglahad ang papel na ito ng lagom tungkol sa kabuuang boses ng pilosopiyang Pilipino sa ilalim ng nasabing rehimen. (shrink)

Bilang “kathang-buhay” ni Zeus A. Salazar, ang tinaguriang Ama ng Pantayong Pananaw (PP) at ng Bagong Historiograpiyang Pilipino, hindi mauunawaan ang PP nang hiwalay sa kanyang akademikong talambuhay. Kaya naman mainam na baybayin angkasaysayan ng Pantayong Pananaw sa konteksto ng kapantasanni Salazar. Maaaring hatiin ang kasaysayan ng PP sa konteksto ng kapantasan ni Salazar sa limang yugto, gamit ang metapora ng paglago ng halaman: 1. Panahon ng Pagpupunla ng mga ideyang magiging batayang kaisipan ng PP sa hinaharap, mula sapagpasok ni (...) Salazar sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (PP) bilang magaaral ng kasaysayan (1951) hanggang sa pagkakalimbag ngkanyang Ang Pagtuturo ng Kasaysayan sa Pilipino (1970), maaari itong bansagan bilang “Yugtong Pre-Pantayo”; 2. Panahon ng Pag-uugat ng PP sa UP mula sa pagkakalimbag ng artikulo ukol sa wikang Filipino (1970) hanggang sa pagdaraos ng Unang Pambansang Kumperensya sa Historiograpiyang Pilipino, kaalinsabay ng paghirang sa kanya bilang dekano ng Dalubhasaan ng Agham Panlipunan at Pilosopiya at pagdaraos ng (1989), 3. Panahon ng Pagsibol ng PP sa UP na tumutukoy sa institusyunalisasyon nito sa UP Departamento ng Kasaysayanmula sa kumperensyang ito (1989) hanggang sa pagkakalimbag ng Pantayong Pananaw: Ugat at Kabuluhan (1997), 4. Panahon ng Pagyabong ng PP sa labas ng UP mula sa pagkakalimbag ng aklat (1997) hanggang sa paglulunsad ng Saliksik E-Journal (2012), at 5. Panahon ng Pamumunga mula sa paglulunsad ngSaliksik E-Journal (2012) hanggang sa pagtatapos ng pagtuturo ni Salazar sa Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (2019). (shrink)

Ang pananaliksik na ito ay ginanap sa munisipyo ng Mahatao na matatagpuan sa Isla ng Batan, probinsya ng Batanes. Karatig bayan nito ang Basco (kabisera ng probinsya) sa gawing timog. Binubuo ito ng apat na maliliit na barangay: Kaumbakan, Hañib, Panatayan, at Uvoy. Ang pangingisda ay isa lamang sa mga gawaing pangkabuhayan ng karamihan ng mamamayan na nakatira sa Mahatao gayundin ang kalahatan ng Batanes dahil sa malaki ang sakop ng anyong tubig na nakapalibot dito dagat na tanging makukuha sa (...) panahong ito: ang arayu o dorado at dibang (flying fish). -/- Ang pook ng Diura ay isang sitio ng Barangay Uvoy sa Mahatao. Inilaan ang lugar na ito ng gobyernong panlalawigan tungo sa pamamahala ng Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman (DENR) at Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) upang mapanatili ang tradisyonal na paraan ng pangingisda lalo na ang gawaing Mataw habang pinangangalagaan ang ecosystem ng naturang lugar. (shrink)

Katulad ng laging binabanggit ni Prop. Michael Charleston B. Chua ng Pamantasan ng De La Salle, "Hindi man ako naging direktang naging mag-aaral ni Dr. Salazar, mapalad pa rin akong nakilala ko siya at natuto ng kahalagahan ng Pantayong Pananaw." Marahil ito rin ang sumasambulat sa mga nais maging mag-aaral ng paham na si Salazar. Isang metapora ng kometa o isang bakunawa ang pagdating ng isang Dr. Salazar sa Sintang Paaralan partikular na sa Kagawaran ng Kasaysayan dahil pinagyaman niya/tinutulungang makaalpas (...) ang ningning ng aming kagawaran tungo sa mayamang pag-aaral sa kasaysayan. (shrink)

The paper presents, a new large deviations principles (SLDP) of non-Freidlin-Wentzell type, corresponding to the solutions Colombeau-Ito’s SDE. Using SLDP we present a new approach to construct the Bellman function ????(????, ????) and optimal control ????(????, ????) directly by way of using strong large deviations principle for the solutions Colombeau-Ito’s SDE. As important application such SLDP, the generic imperfect dynamic models of air-to-surface missiles are given in addition to the related simple guidance law. A four, examples have been illustrated proposed (...) approach and corresponding numerical simulations have been illustrated and analyzed. Using SLDP approach, Jumps phenomena, in financial markets, also is considered. Jumps phenomena, in financial markets is explained from the first principles, without any reference to Poisson jump process. In contrast with a phenomenological approach we explain such jumps phenomena from the first principles, without any reference to Poisson jump process. (shrink)

There are many different oughts. There is a moral ought, a prudential ought, an epistemic ought, the legal ought, the ought of etiquette, and so on. These oughts can prescribe incompatible actions. What I morally ought to do may be different from what I self-interestedly ought to do. Philosophers have claimed that these conflicts are resolved by an authoritative ought, or by facts about what one ought to do simpliciter or all-things-considered. However, the only coherent notion of an ought simpliciter (...) has preposterous first-order normative commitments. It is more reasonable to reject the ought simpliciter in favor of the form of normative pluralism advocated in (Tiffany 2007). (shrink)

Ang papel na ito ay komentaryo sa artikulong—Ma'I in Chinese Records—Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a Historical Puzzle ni Go Bon Juan. Layunin ng pag-aaral na ito na lumikha ng isang mapanglagom at preliminaryong pagbasa sa Ma’i bilang isang suliraning historiograpikal. Sa muling pagbasang ito ay pagtutuunan ng pansin ang maikling pagbaybay sa historiograpiya nito na susundan naman ng interogasyon at pagbibigay kritik sa kamakailang pag-aaral dito ni Go Bon Juan at mga suliraning kinakaharap ng kaniyang interpretasyon na umiinog (...) sa pagpapalagay nito na ang Ma’i ay natagpuan ng mga banyagang mangangalakal sa kasalukuyang rehiyon ng lawa ng Laguna. Mangyari pa, hindi lamang nakatali sa nakasanayan at makitid na pagtitiyak ng pook ang tutok ng pag-aaral. Pagtatangka rin ito na bigyang diin ang “saysay” nito sa pamamagitan ng pagpopook sa Ma’i sa malawak na kontekstong pangkasaysayan na kinasasangkutan nito. Una, bilang isang mahalagang yugto ng napakahabang kasaysayan ng rehiyon ng lawa ng Laguna, at; pangalawa, bilang mikrokosmong bahagi ng naging historikal na pagsulong ng buong Dunia Melayu. Sa huli, sa pamamagitan ng kritikal na panunuri sa mga pundamental na proposisyon ni Go Bon Juan ay ang pag-uwi ng pag-aaral sa konklusyong bagaman kasalukuyang maipapalagay na ang Ma’i ay ang Bay nga ng Laguna, mapaninindiganang hindi talaga sa kasalukuyang kinalalagyan nito sa Laguna nadatnan ng mga mangangalakal ang Ma’I, kung hindi sa kasalukuyang erya ng Verde Island Passage na kinabibilangan ng kasalukuyang Batangas-Mindoro axis kung saan nakaugnay ang Puliran o Lawa ng Laguna. (shrink)

Paunang Salita Ang kasalukuyang aklat ay produkto ng masigasig na pagsusumikap ng mga mag-aaral ng BA Kasaysayan sa Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Sta. Mesa sa ilalim ng klase na Historiograpiya ni Dr. Zeus A. Salazar. Tinatangka nitong maitala para sa salinlahi ang mga kaganapan sa kanilang suplemental na klase tuwing Martes sa Bahay Escaler, ang tahanan ng kanilang Guro. -/- Magkagayumpaman, hindi ito talaga maitatangi sa mahabang kasaysayan ng pagtuturo ni Salazar. Ang pagkakatitikan/pagpapakatitikan higit sa lahat ay isa nang signature (...) style sa pagtuturo ni Salazar mula pa noong dekada 1970. Mababanggit din ang kinagawian niyang pagdaragdag ng oras labas sa opisyal na oras ng klase upang magpalalim ng mga paksang inaral sa loob nito, kung hindi man sa mga kapihang matatagpuan sa kaligiran ng U.P. Campus kung saan siya nagturo nang may 40 taon, at sa Bahay Gomburza mismo, ang dating tahanan ni Salazar. (shrink)

Ang akda ng yumaong si Leopoldo R. Serrano na pinamagatang A Brief History of Caloocan ang pinaka-unang malaliman at seryosong pagsusulat sa kasaysayan ng pamayanan sa isang publikasyon na inilibas ng Kapisanang Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas noong 1958. Ito rin ang naging batayan ng ilan pang mga aklat na inilabas patungkol sa kasaysayan ng lungsod, kaya masasabi rin na ito ang canon sa usaping ito. Naka-ilang ulit ang pagkakalimbag ng sanaysay na ito ni Serrano mula 1960 hanggang 1971. Sa kasamaang-palad ay (...) mahirap na itong hanapin sa ngayon sapagkat nasa piling aklatan lamang ang may kopya ng nasabing sanaysay. Layunin ng akda na ito na ihayag ang klasik na akdang ito ni Serrano at maisalin upang mas maabot ito ng nakararami. Isasakonteksto rin ito sa estado ng pag-aaral tungkol sa lungsod at sa historiograpya nito. Gayundin, sa pagkakasalin nito na may anotasyon ay nais din ng artikulong ito na makapag-ambag sa papasibol na Araling Kalookan. (shrink)

Matagal nang dinalumat ang konsepto ng Inang Bayan bilang kabuuang tunguhin ng kilusang panghimagsikan ng Kataastaasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan (KKK) ng mga Anak ng Bayan. Lehitimong gawain ito dahil bukod sa kontekstong nakaugat ang bayan sa ina/mater vis-à-vis patria, mahihinuha ring malaki ang pagkilala ng Supremong si Andres Bonifacio sa kadakilaan ng kababaihan sa panahon ng himagsikan. Sa kabila nito, masasabing may suliranin sa historiograpiyang Pilipino dahil isinasantabi ng ilang positibista at sexistang manunulat ang kolektibong gunita sa kababaihan bilang kasama ng (...) bayan. Kung kaya’t patuloy itong iwinawasto sa pagdaan ng panahon. Masusumpungan ito kung gagawing halimbawa ang kababaihan sa rebolusyong Pilipino. Naisasantabi sila bilang mga paksa ng pag-aaral o kung minsan, itinuturing na palamuti lamang na kailangang idugtong sa pangalan ng kalalakihan. Kaugnay ng suliraning ito kung kaya’t itinatampok sa pag-aaral na ito ang muling pagsipat sa apat na mahahalagang bagay: (1) kasaysayan ng kababaihang Pilipina noong dantaon 19; (2) pakikisangkot ng kababaihan sa Katipunan at himagsikan; (3) pagtingin ng Katipunan sa kababaihan; at (4) impluwensya ng Katipunan sa pagkilos ng kababaihan sa pagpasok ng dantaon 20. Mangyari pa, titingnan din ang muling pakikilahok ng kababaihan sa mga digmaang bayan sa panahon ng post-Katipunan. Hindi ito bagong pag-aaral kundi isang paglalagom sa mga naunang pag-aaral. Kakikitaan ang papel na ito ng mas matinding hamon at pagpursigi sa pagsusulat ng mga paksa na may kinalaman sa Araling Pangkababaihan at Araling Pangkasarian. Tunguhin ng papel ang holistikong kasaysayan ng kababaihan sa pakikisangkot nila sa Katipunan bilang mga kasama ng bayan. (shrink)

Nabigyan ng pagpapahalaga ang komprehensibong pagdalumat sa relasyong Tsino at Pilipino sa buhay at kamatayan sa isang aklat na pinamagatang Himlayan, Pantiyon, Kampo Santo, Sementeryo: Exploring Philippine Cemeteries (2016) na pinamamatnugutan ni Dr. Grace Barretto-Tesoro ng Programa sa Araling Arkeolohiya ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. Ito ay binubuo ng isang daan at apatnapu’t dalawang (242) pahina at limang (5) kabanata-- [1] Angels on Earth: Investigating Infant and Children Burials in Manila Cemeteries ni Grace Barreto-Tesoro (pah. 1-39); [2] Angels and Dragons in (...) the Manila Chinese Cemetery nina Donna Mae N. Arriola at Eleanor Marie S. Lim (pah. 41-80); [3] Ang Mamatay ng Dahil sa iyo: Patriots’ Graves at Manila Cemeteries and Neighboring Provinces ni Andrea Malaya M. Ragragio (pah. 81-153); [4] Death, Grief, and Memorial: A Review of the Boy Scouts Tragedy of 1963 nina Kathleen D.C. Tantuico at Omar K. Choa (pah. 155-168); at [5] Colonial Period Cemeteries as Filipino Heritage ni Michelle S. Eusebio (pah. 169-197). Sa limang kabanatang ito, mas higit na binigyan ng pansin at lapatan ng anotasyon ang ikalawa dahil tahasan tumatalakay ang artikulong ito sa mayaman at makakultural na ugnayan ng Pilipinas at Tsina bilang mga Asyanong bansa pagdating sa konseptwalisasyon ng kamatayan. (shrink)

Judith Butler argues for collective liberatory action grounded in ontological vulnerability. Yet descriptive social ontology alone provides neither normative ethical prescriptions nor direction for political action. I believe Butler tries to overcome this gap by appealing to equality as an ethical ideal. In this article, I reconstruct how equality operates in her transition from ontological vulnerability to prescriptive commitments. Then, turning to Sylvia Wynter, I argue Butler's uncritical use of equality constrains the radical direction of her liberatory goals—firstly because it (...) cannot mitigate the coloniality of Being, and secondly because she figures the locus of critique as an anonymous and equally vulnerable body at the limits of the recognizably human. I conclude with Wynter's demand for liberatory critique to arise out of specific decolonial locations of rupture from our historically situated, oppressive, and overrepresented genre of being human. (shrink)

Pinagtibay ng administrasyong Duterte ang pananangkapan sa mga birong itinuring na pampasiglang bilang sa tuwing kinakausap ng pangulo ang taumbayan sa midya. Kaya’t tila isang melodramatiko o mala-teledramang inaabangan ng mga manonood at tagapakinig ang bawat pahayag ni Duterte habang pinamamayani ng huli ang mga 'birong' nagpapatingkad sa impunidad ng karahasan sa kababaihan, misogynista, at sexismo. Sa ilang pagkakataon, literal na ibinida ng populistang pangulo ang kaniyang phallus o titing nakatayo bilang larawan ng pagiging lalaki, matapang, at malakas at upang (...) yurakan hindi lamang ang kababaihan ngunit para ipamukha ang 'kahinaan' ng mga kritiko. Kinalaunan, umusbong sa midya ang pagbabansag kay Duterte bilang 'Mang Kanor,' isang personalidad na ipinamamalas ang exhibisyonismo sa anyo ng mga pornograpikong bidyo. Layunin ng pag-aaral na ito na suriin ang sosyo-politikal na aspektong umiinog kina Duterte at Mang Kanor at sa kung paano nila ginamit ang phallus upang magkaroon ng pamosong pagkakakilanlan sa midyang Pilipino. (shrink)

Abstract: Potatoes are edible tubers, available worldwide and all year long. They are relatively cheap to grow, rich in nutrients, and they can make a delicious treat. The humble potato has fallen in popularity in recent years, due to the interest in low-carb foods. However, the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals it provides can help ward off disease and benefit human health. They are an important staple food in many countries around the world. There are an estimated 200 varieties of (...) potatoes, which can be classified into a number of categories based on the cooked texture and ingredient functionality. Using a public dataset of 2400 images of potatoes, we trained a deep convolutional neural network to identify 4 types (Red, Red Washed, Sweet, and White).The trained model achieved an accuracy of 99.5% of test set, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach. (shrink)

ABSTRACTThis essay offers a reconfiguration of the possibility‐space of positions regarding the metaphysics and epistemology associated with historical knowledge. A tradition within analytic philosophy from Danto to Dummett attempts to answer questions about the reality of the past on the basis of two shared assumptions. The first takes individual statements as the relevant unit of semantic and philosophical analysis. The second presumes that variants of realism and antirealism about the past exhaust the metaphysical options . This essay argues that both (...) of these assumptions should be rejected. It develops as an alternative an irrealist account of history, a view based in part on work by Leon Goldstein and Ian Hacking. On an irrealist view, historical claims ought to be treated as subject to the same conditions and caveats that apply to any theory of empirical or scientific knowledge. Irrealism argues for pasts as made and not found. The argument emphasizes the priority of classification over perception in the order of understanding and so verification. Because nothing a priori anchors practices of classification, no sense can be attached to claims that some single structure must or does determine what events take place in human history. Irrealism denies to realism the very intelligibility of any imagined view from nowhere, that is, a determinately configured past subsisting sub specie aeternitatis. A plurality of pasts exists because constituting a past always depends to some degree on socially mediated negotiations of a fit between descriptions and experience. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to show that for Kant, a combination of epigenesis and monogenesis is the condition of possibility of anthropology as he conceives of it and that moreover, this has crucial implications for the biological dimension of his account of human nature. More precisely, I begin by arguing that Kant’s conception of mankind as a natural species is based on two premises: firstly the biological unity of the human species (monogenesis of the human races); and secondly (...) the existence of ‘seeds’ which may or may not develop depending on the environment (epigenesis of human natural predispositions). I then turn to Kant’s account of man’s natural predispositions and show that far from being limited to the issue of races, it encompasses unexpected human features such as gender, temperaments and nations. These predispositions, I argue, are means to the realisation of Nature’s overall purpose for the human species. This allows me to conclude that man’s biological determinism leads to the species’ preservation, cultivation and civilisation. (shrink)

Chest pain is the pain felt in the chest by infants, children and adolescents. In most cases the pain is not associated with the heart. It is mainly recognized by the observance or report of pain by the infant, child or adolescent by reports of distress by parents or care givers. Chest pain is not unusual in children. Lots of children are seen in ambulatory clinics, emergency rooms and hospitals and cardiology clinics. Usually there is a benign cause for the (...) pain for utmost children. Certain patients have conditions that are serious and perhaps life-threatening. Chest pain in pediatric patients needs careful physical examination and a detailed history that would point to the possibility of a serious cause. Researches of pediatric chest pain are scarce. It has been difficult to create evidence-based guidelines for evaluation. In this paper we propose an expert system to help doctors and parents, and care giver in diagnosing chest pain in infants and children. This expert System is design and implemented in SL5 Object language. (shrink)

Five aspects of visual change detection are reviewed. The first concerns the concept of change itself, in particular the ways it differs from the related notions of motion and difference. The second involves the various methodological approaches that have been developed to study change detection; it is shown that under a variety of conditions observers are often unable to see large changes directly in their field of view. Next, it is argued that this “change blindness” indicates that focused attention is (...) needed to detect change, and that this can help map out the nature of visual attention. The fourth aspect concerns how these results affect our understanding of visual perception—for example, the implication that a sparse, dynamic representation underlies much of our visual experience. Finally, a brief discussion is presented concerning the limits to our current understanding of change detection. (shrink)

This paper describes one style of functional analysis commonly used in the neurosciences called task-bound functional analysis. The concept of function invoked by this style of analysis is distinctive in virtue of the dependence relations it bears to transient environmental properties. It is argued that task-bound functional analysis cannot explain the presence of structural properties in nervous systems. An alternative concept of neural function is introduced that draws on the theoretical neuroscience literature, and an argument is given to show that (...) this alternative concept of may help to overcome the explanatory limitations of task-bound functional analysis. (shrink)

In four experiments, we offer evidence that virtues are often judged as uniquely important for some business practices (e.g., hospital management and medical error investigation). Overall, actions done only from virtue (either by organizations or individuals) were judged to feel better, to be more praiseworthy, to be more morally right, and to be associated with more trustworthy leadership and greater personal life satisfaction compared to actions done only to produce the best consequences or to follow the correct moral rule. These (...) results accord with claims made by some virtue ethicists. The current data contribute to a small but growing body of literature emphasizing both empirical soundness and philosophical rigor in the scientific study of virtue. Results also offer some guidance concerning how businesses, employees, and executives are evaluated and perceived. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (shrink)

Theory development is an important component of academic research since it can lead to the acquisition of new knowledge, the development of a field of study, and the formation of theoretical foundations to explain various phenomena. The contribution of qualitative researchers to theory development and advancement remains significant and highly valued, especially in an era of various epochal shifts and technological innovation in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Even so, the academic community has not yet fully explored the dynamics (...) of AI in research and there are significant gaps in our understanding of how AI can be used most effectively in the context of theory building. The aim of this paper, which is driven by critical and conceptualization methodological dynamics, is to investigate the role of AI in the theory development process. As such, it critically evaluates the opportunities and limitations of AI in theory building, delivers a conceptual map of the nexus between AI and theory development, and presents key considerations for the use of AI in the creation of new theories or the advancement of existing ones. Though the necessity of AI tools in theory creation is contested given that the researchers' cognitive and evaluative skills are regarded as critical in this process, the value of AI in advancing theory is not to be underestimated. (shrink)

Linda Zagzebski’s book on epistemic authority is an impressive and stimulating treatment of an important topic. 1 I admire the way she manages to combine imagination, originality and argumentative control. Her work has the further considerable merit of bringing analytic thinking and abstract theory to bear upon areas of concrete human concern, such as the attitudes one should have towards moral and religious authority. The book is stimulating in a way good philosophy should be -- provoking both disagreement and emulation. (...) I agree with much of what she says, and have been instructed by it, but it will be of more interest and relevance here if I concentrate upon areas of disagreement. Perhaps they are better seen as areas, at least some of them, where her emphases suggest a position that seems to me untenable, but that she may not really intend. In that event, I will be happy to have provoked a clarification or the dispelling of my misunderstanding. My focus will be upon problems in her account of communal authority and autonomy, especially with respect to religious and political authority. Here my worry is that she places too much trust in trust and not enough in what I call selective mistrust. (shrink)

The discovery of mirror neurons in both primates and humans has led to an enormous amount of research and speculation as to how conscious beings are able to interact so effortlessly among one another. Mirror neurons might provide an embodied basis for passive synthesis and the eventual process of further communalization through empathy, as envisioned by Edmund Husserl. I consider the possibility of a phenomenological and scientific investigation of laughter as a point of connection that might in the future bridge (...) the gap Husserl feared had grown too expansive between the worlds of science and philosophy. Part I will describe some implications of the discovery of mirror neurons. Part II will address Husserl’s concept of embodiment as it relates to neuroscience and empathy. Part III will be a primer to investigating laughter phenomenologically. Part IV will be a continuation of the study of laughter and empathy as possible elements helpful in broadening the scope of what Husserl calls the Life-World. (shrink)

Understanding the folk notion of free will and moral responsibility is important for a host of applied and theoretical issues in psychology, philosophy, and ethics. The bulk of experimental research has focused on folk intuitions concerning determinism's relation to free will and moral responsibility. However, determinism is a difficult term for many folk to understand. Accordingly researchers often use comprehension questions to identify and exclude large proportions of participants who seem to struggle with relevant concepts. Here, we document some of (...) the cognitive mechanisms involved in folk judgments related to comprehension of determinism, and its relations to free will and moral responsibility. Results provide prescriptions for experimental designs that can increase comprehension, potentially decreasing sampling biases. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed. (shrink)

We argue that C. Darwin and more recently W. Hennig worked at times under the simplifying assumption of an eternal biosphere. So motivated, we explicitly consider the consequences which follow mathematically from this assumption, and the infinite graphs it leads to. This assumption admits certain clusters of organisms which have some ideal theoretical properties of species, shining some light onto the species problem. We prove a dualization of a law of T.A. Knight and C. Darwin, and sketch a decomposition result (...) involving the internodons of D. Kornet, J. Metz and H. Schellinx. A further goal of this paper is to respond to B. Sturmfels’ question, “Can biology lead to new theorems?”. (shrink)

Consciousness is targeted by both philosophers and neuroscientists; but different methodological premises and even different conceptions about what conscious experience is and how the challenges and potential problems associated with consciousness research should be formulated underlie the different approaches. Namely, whereas empirical data and the constant refinement of experimental procedures to expand and modify this body of empirical data and resulting empirical theories are crucial to neuroscience, the significance of empirical knowledge to philosophy is less clear: Although empirical data certainly (...) can influence philosophical concepts, the latter are nonetheless prerequisites of empirical research itself and thus may themselves not be empirically testable. The present paper elaborates from a multidisciplinary, neuroscientist-philosopher’s perspective the relation of philosophical concepts and empirical research on consciousness, drawing on two exemplary controversies from the philosophy of mind – on the ontological status of experiential properties and on free will. Consequences from both the scientific and the philosophical standpoint are discussed. (shrink)

Recently, due to the rapid progress of computer technology, researchers develop an effective computer program to enhance the achievement of the student in learning process, which is Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). Science is important because it influences most aspects of everyday life, including food, energy, medicine, leisure activities and more. So learning science subject at school is very useful, but the students face some problem in learning it. So we designed an ITS system to help them understand this subject easily (...) and smoothly by analyzing it and explaining it in a systematic way. In this paper, we describe the design of an Intelligent Tutoring System for teaching science for grade seven to help students know the 7 characteristics for living things smoothly. The system provides all topics of living things and generates some questions for each topic and the students should answer these questions correctly to move to the next level. In the result of an evaluation of the ITS, students like the system and they said that it is very useful for them and for their studies. (shrink)

León and Zahavi (2023) have made a compelling case for the necessity of philosophy — and not only neuroscience — for investigating consciousness. In particular, they argue that any theory of consciousness cannot avoid philosophical enquiry and thus only can choose between good or bad philosophy. Also, the topics of self-consciousness and selfhood are highlighted as problems of consciousness sui generis next to the mind–body problem. I will try to elucidate a bit more the specific approaches to consciousness that philosophy (...) and neuroscience take and thus elaborate why the philosophy and the neuroscience of consciousness are complimentary rather than mutually exclusive. (shrink)

Philosophical exploration of individualism and externalism in the cognitive sciences most recently has been focused on general evaluations of these two views (Adams & Aizawa 2008, Rupert 2008, Wilson 2004, Clark 2008). Here we return to broaden an earlier phase of the debate between individualists and externalists about cognition, one that considered in detail particular theories, such as those in developmental psychology (Patterson 1991) and the computational theory of vision (Burge 1986, Segal 1989). Music cognition is an area in the (...) cognitive sciences that has received little attention from philosophers, though it has relatively recently been thrown into the externalist spotlight (Cochrane 2008, Kruger 2014, Kersten forthcoming). Given that individualism can be thought of as a kind of paradigm for research on cognition, we provide a brief overview of the field of music cognition and individualistic tendencies within the field (sections 2 and 3) before turning to consider externalist alternatives to individualistic paradigms (section 4-5) and then arguing for a qualified form of externalism about music cognition (section 6). (shrink)

Data from the World Values Survey shows that generalized trust in Mainland China—trust in out-group members—is very low, but generalized trust in Taiwan is much higher. The present article argues that positive interactions with out-group members in the context of Taiwan’s export-oriented economy fostered generalized trust—and so explains this difference. This line of argument provides evidence for Albert O. Hirschman’s doux commerce thesis, that market interaction can improve persons and even stabilize the social order. The present article defends this point (...) by separating two theses that Hirschman combines under that label, a countervailing forces thesis and a doux commerce thesis narrowly understood. These theses offer different explanations (or mechanisms) for how commerce could have those positive effects. The data about Taiwanese trust practices provides evidence for the latter. (shrink)

Generalized trust is widely said to be essential for social and economic cooperation, but—despite the large empirical literature—there is disagreement and confusion over how to understand generalized trust. This paper develops the conceptual options that can be drawn from the social science literature—with attention to the moral dimension in each, and with some attention to the different ways that generalized trust can serve as a foundation for the social order.

This short paper defends Oliver Williamson’s (1993) claim that talk of trust is ‘redundant at best and can be misleading’ when trust is defined as a form of calculated risk (p. 463). And this paper accepts Williamson’s claim that ‘Calculative trust is a contradiction in terms’ (p. 463). But the present paper defends a conception of genuine, non-calculative trust that is compatible with calculative considerations and calculative antecedents. This conception of trust creates space for genuine (non-calculative) trust relationships in the (...) economic order—in which calculative considerations and antecedents (most often) play an essential role. (shrink)

In everyday life and in science we acquire evidence of evidence and based on this new evidence we often change our epistemic states. An assumption underlying such practice is that the following EEE Slogan is correct: 'evidence of evidence is evidence' (Feldman 2007, p. 208). We suggest that evidence of evidence is best understood as higher-order evidence about the epistemic state of agents. In order to model evidence of evidence we introduce a new powerful framework for modelling epistemic states, Dyadic (...) Bayesianism. Based on this framework, we then discuss characterizations of evidence of evidence and argue for one of them. Finally, we show that whether the EEE Slogan holds, depends on the specific kind of evidence of evidence. (shrink)

While concerns of the mental being causally excluded by the physical have persistently plagued non-reductive physicalism, such concerns are standardly taken to pose no problem for reductive type physicalism. Type physicalists have the obvious advantage of being able to countenance the reduction of mental properties to their physical base properties by way of type identity, thereby avoiding any causal competition between instances of mental properties and their physical bases. Here, I challenge this widely accepted advantage of type physicalism over non-reductive (...) physicalism in avoiding the causal exclusion of the mental. In particular, I focus on Jaegwon Kim’s influential version of the causal exclusion argument, namely, his supervenience argument. I argue that type physicalism’s advantage is undermined by the following two things: (1) the generalizability of the supervenience argument, and (2) type physicalism’s incompatibility with mental properties at the fundamental level. This involves evaluating the generalization objection to the supervenience argument, probing the metaphysics of physicalism, and showing how (1) and (2) combine in a way that appears underappreciated given the general confidence in type physicalism’s advantage. (shrink)

In this paper I articulate and defend a new anti-theodicy challenge to Skeptical Theism. More specifically, I defend the Threshold Problem according to which there is a threshold to the kinds of evils that are in principle justifiable for God to permit, and certain instances of evil are beyond that threshold. I further argue that Skeptical Theism does not have the resources to adequately rebut the Threshold Problem. I argue for this claim by drawing a distinction between a weak and (...) strong version of Skeptical Theism, such that the strong version must be defended in order to rebut the Threshold Problem. However, the skeptical theist’s appeal to our limited cognitive faculties only supports the weak version. (shrink)

Recent empirical work on the concept of intentionality suggests that people’s assessments of whether an action is intentional are subject to uncertainty. Some researchers have gone so far as to claim that different people employ different concepts of intentional action. These possibilities have motivated a good deal of work in the relatively new field of experimental philosophy. The findings from this empirical research may prove to be relevant to medical ethics. In this article, we address this issue head on. We (...) first describe a study we conducted on intention ascription. Drawing on recent work in experimental philosophy, we investigated the possibility that the ascription of intentions to clinical actors in clinical settings is influenced by prior judgments about the goodness or badness of the consequences of the action in question. Our study was modeled on experimental studies in other contexts that have shown that people, when presented with a range of scenarios, are more likely to classify a side effect of an action as intended if the side effect is negative or reflects poorly on the actor than if it is positive or reflects well on the actor. We investigated whether this asymmetry in intention ascriptions was also present among physicians who were asked to ascribe intentions to clinical actors in certain well-defined clinical scenarios. After describing the study and its results, we discuss its implications for medical ethics. (shrink)

We present counterexamples to the widespread assumption that Moorean sentences cannot be rationally asserted. We then explain why Moorean assertions of the sort we discuss do not incur the irrationality charge. Our argument involves an appeal to the dual-process theory of the mind and a contrast between the conditions for ascribing beliefs to oneself and the conditions for making assertions about independently existing states of affairs. We conclude by contrasting beliefs of the sort we discuss with the structurally similar but (...) rationally impermissible beliefs of certain psychiatric patients. (shrink)

The social welfare functional approach to social choice theory fails to distinguish a genuine change in individual well-beings from a merely representational change due to the use of different measurement scales. A generalization of the concept of a social welfare functional is introduced that explicitly takes account of the scales that are used to measure well-beings so as to distinguish between these two kinds of changes. This generalization of the standard theoretical framework results in a more satisfactory formulation of welfarism, (...) the doctrine that social alternatives are evaluated and socially ranked solely in terms of the well-beings of the relevant individuals. This scale-dependent form of welfarism is axiomatized using this framework. The implications of this approach for characterizing classes of social welfare orderings are also considered. (shrink)

Empirical evidence shows that non-conscious appraisal processes generate bodily responses to the environment. This finding is consistent with William James’s account of emotion, and it suggests that a general theory of emotion should follow James: a general theory should begin with the observation that physiological and behavioral responses precede our emotional experience. But I advance three arguments (empirical and conceptual arguments) showing that James’s further account of emotion as the experience of bodily responses is inadequate. I offer an alternative model, (...) according to which responses (physical states) are perceived and interpreted by a separate cognitive process, one that assigns meaning to those responses. The non-conscious appraisal process and the interpretive process are distinct, hence a two-stage model of emotion. This model is related to Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory. Their often-discussed experiment showed that interpretation can play a role in producing emotions. But they do not show that interpretation is necessary for producing emotions in general, outside of the experimental conditions that generated unexplained arousal in subjects. My two-stage model supports this stronger claim by situating the interpretive process in a comprehensive model of emotion. (shrink)