ISIPTA'07: Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Imprecise Probability: Theories and Applications

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Cognitive Sociology

Cognitive sociology is the study of the conditions under which meaning is constituted through processes of reification. Cognitive sociology traces its origins to writings in the sociology of knowledge, sociology of culture, cognitive and cultural anthropology, and more recently, work done in cultural sociology and cognitive science. Its central questions revolve around locating these processes of reification since the locus of cognition is highly contentious. Researchers consider how individuality is related to notions of society (structures, institutions, systems, etc.) and notions of culture (cultural forms, cultural structures, sub-cultures, etc.). These questions further explore how these answers depend on learning processes (socialization, acculturation, etc.) which vary according to the position one takes on the role of language in cognition. It is from these positions that we operationalize a theory of human nature and construct a justification for the organization of the state of human affairs and the related conceptualizations of identity, self, and the subject. In this way, cognitive sociology seeks to establish the minimal model of the actor (the ontology) that underpins not only other subfields of sociology but also the human sciences in general. In this way, cognitive sociology analyzes the series of interpersonal processes that set up the conditions for phenomena to become “social objects,” which subsequently shape thinking and thought. In classical cognitive sociology, the historical traditions of the sociology of knowledge and phenomenology are emphasized, with the work of Bourdieu and Goffman given special treatment, given their contributions as precursors to many of the contemporary contingencies and consequences of debates in culture and cognition. The principle organizing the more contemporary literature are the paradigmatic assumptions concerning the locus of cognition, which have been organized into five ideal-types. These elucidate the points of agreement and disagreement in the field by addressing how thematic concerns (e.g., knowledge, rationality, embodiment, practices, discourse, etc.) highlight the priority of individuality in modeling society, to illustrate what makes cognitive sociology at once interdisciplinary yet contentiously distinct in addressing the politics of “tacit knowledge.

Factor Analysis vs Fuzzy Sets Theory: Assessing the Influence of Different Techniques on Sen's Functioning Approach.

This paper explores a couple of specific operational interpretations of Sen's approach in view of assessing the extent to which the results originated by the implementation of Sen's concepts are influenced by the choice of the specific technique. By means of a survey based on a representative sample of Belgian individuals, seven achieved functioning's are identified via each technique and subsequently confronted. To structure the information and to facilitate comparisons, standard multivariate analysis is performed, while at the same time considering in more detail the sub-group of the most deprived individuals. In this way, a substantial accordance - yet no perfect equivalence - is uncovered in the general patterns of functioning's' achievements.

Factor Analysis vs. Fuzzy Sets Theory: Assessing the Influence of Different Techniques on Sen's Functioning Approach

This paper explores a couple of specific operational interpretations of Sen's approach in view of assessing the extent to which the results originated by the implementation of Sen's concepts are influenced by the choice of the specific technique. By means of a survey based on a representative sample of Belgian individuals, seven achieved functioning's are identified via each technique and subsequently confronted. To structure the information and to facilitate comparisons, standard multivariate analysis is performed, while at the same time considering in more detail the sub-group of the most deprived individuals. In this way, a substantial accordance - yet no perfect equivalence - is uncovered in the general patterns of functionings' achievements.

Fuzzy Logic and Corporate Governance Theories

[Excerpt] “Fuzzy logic is a theory that categorizes concepts or things belonging to more than one group. A methodology that explains how things function in multiple groups (not fully in one group or another) offers advantages when no one definition or membership in a group accounts for belonging to multiple groups. The principal/agent model of corporate governance has some characteristics of fuzzy logic theory. Under traditional agency theory of corporate governance, shareholders, directors, and senior corporate officers each belong to groups having multiple attributes. In the principal/agent model of corporate governance, shareholders are owners or principals; directors are shareholders and agents of the corporation; and senior corporate officers are directors’ agents, shareholders’ agents, and agents of the corporation. Each one functions within multiple groups serving multiple agency roles, and each owes fiduciary duties that vary depending on whose agent they are functioning as. Such a multi-dimensional role for corporate actors is a consequence of multi-definitional corporate purpose within agency theory of governance. This multi-dimensional group membership is not easily reconciled within agency theory and is therefore not always explained. However, traditional corporate governance theory can borrow another basic tenet of fuzzy logic theory. Fuzzy theory not only accounts for membership in multiple groups, but also explains how things work because they are multidimensional or ambiguous. This article seeks to explain the ambiguities of corporate governance theory and suggests a framework that accounts for the multi-agent role of senior corporate officers of public companies. It offers a kind of fuzzy logic theory for understanding the fiduciary duties of senior officers. The purpose of this article is to evaluate other models of corporate governance that account for the multi-agent role of senior officers of public companies and assess the ability of various models to hold senior officers accountable to the corporation.

A holistic approach to assessment of value of information (VOI) with fuzzy data and decision criteria.

The research presented in this thesis integrates theories and techniques from statistical analysis and artificial intelligence, to develop a more coherent, robust and complete methodology for assessing the value of acquiring new information in the context of the oil and gas industry. The classical methodology for value of information assessment has been used in the oil and gas industry since the 1960s, even though it is only recently that more applications have been published. It is commonly acknowledged that, due to the large number of data acquisition actions and the capital investment associated with it, the oil and gas industry is an ideal domain for developing and applying value of information assessments. In this research, three main gaps in the classical methodology for value of information are identified and addressed by integrating three existing techniques from other domains. Firstly, the research identifies that the technique design of experiments can be used in value of information for providing a holistic assessment of the complete set of uncertain parameters, selecting the ones that have the most impact on the value of the project and supporting the selection of the data acquisition actions for evaluation. Secondly, the fuzziness of the data is captured through membership functions and the expected utility value of each financial parameter is estimated using the probability of the states conditioned to the membership functions - in the classical methodology, this is conditioned to crisp values of the data. Thirdly, a fuzzy inference system is developed for making the value of information assessment, capturing the decision-making human logic into the assessment process and integrating several financial parameters into one. The proposed methodology is applied to a case study describing a value of information assessment in an oil field, where two alternatives for data acquisition are discussed. The case study shows how the three techniques can be integrated within the previous methodology, resulting in a more complete theory. It is observed that the technique or design of experiments provides a full identification of the input parameters affecting the value of the project, and allows a proper selection of the data acquisition actions. In the case study, it is concluded that, when the fuzziness of the data is included in the assessment, the value of the data decreases in comparison with the case where data are assumed to be crisp. This result means that the decision concerning the value of acquiring new data depends on whether the fuzzy nature of the data is included in the assessment, and on the difference between the project value with and without data acquisition. The fuzzy inference system developed for this case study successfully follows the logic of the decision maker and results in a straightforward system to aggregate decision criteria. Sensitivity analysis of the parameters of two different membership functions is made, reaching consistent results in both cases

Insignificant differences : the paradox of the heap

This study investigates six theoretical approaches offered as solutions to the paradox of the heap (sorites paradox), a logic puzzle dating back to the ancient Greek philosopher Eubulides. Those considered are: Incoherence Theory, Epistemic Theory, Supervaluation Theory, Many-Valued Logic, Fuzzy Logic, and Non-Classical Semantics. After critically examining all of these, it is concluded that none of the attempts to explain the sorites are fully adequate, and the paradox remains unresolved.Philosophy, Practical and Systematic TheologyM.A. (Philosophy

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY POLICY INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT “SEPIA” - Final Report

audience: researcher, professionalThe report summarizes a 3 years research program aimed at developping long term sustainable scenarios for Belgian the energy system. The research included expert participation, stakeholders assessment, quantitative modelling and fuzzy-logic analysis of the assessments. It produced three scenarios for a sustainable energy system in Belgium 2050.SEPIA Sustainable energy policy integrated assessmen