186 research outputs found
Lotman's epistemology: Analogy, culture, world
According to Jeanne Parain-Vial and others, humans are characterized by their need for analogy, together with the need for logic and intelligibility, and this need is expressed by a continuous research of models in the scientific field that can, in some aspects, bring to light some properties of reality, namely be analogous of them. The knowability of things is founded on analogy; thus, they are not exhausted by a single model of knowledge but rather through multiple and autonomous forms of comprehension.As also pointed out by Juri Lotman and Boris Uspenskij, mythical thought was the first to postulate the possibility of establishing a relationship of likeness among very different realities, as in the archetypical cosmological model of world: a possibility that, as they explain, has survived in post-archaic man, constituting a fundamental component of cognitive activity and scientific modelling.The article is dedicated to the use of analogy in Lotmanian semiotic theorization and to its heuristic and epistemological value
Logic in the Tractatus
I present a reconstruction of the logical system of the Tractatus, which differs from classical logic in two ways. It includes an account of Wittgensteinâs âform-seriesâ device, which suffices to express some effectively generated countably infinite disjunctions. And its attendant notion of structure is relativized to the fixed underlying universe of what is named.
There follow three results. First, the class of concepts definable in the system is closed under finitary induction. Second, if the universe of objects is countably infinite, then the property of being a tautology is \Pi^1_1-complete. But third, it is only granted the assumption of countability that the class of tautologies is \Sigma_1-definable in set theory.
Wittgenstein famously urges that logical relationships must show themselves in the structure of signs. He also urges that the size of the universe cannot be prejudged. The results of this paper indicate that there is no single way in which logical relationships could be held to make themselves manifest in signs, which does not prejudge the number of objects
Human language evolution: A view from theoretical linguistics on how syntax and the lexicon first came into being
Human language is a multi-componential function comprising several sub-functions each of which may have evolved in other species independently of language. Among them, two sub-functions, or modules, have been claimed to be truly unique to the humans, namely hierarchical syntax (known as âMergeâ in linguistics) and the âlexicon.â This kind of species-specificity stands as a hindrance to our natural understanding of human language evolution. Here we challenge this issue and advance our hypotheses on how human syntax and lexicon may have evolved from pre-existing cognitive capacities in our ancestors and other species including but not limited to nonhuman primates. Specifically, we argue that Merge evolved from motor action planning, and that the human lexicon with the distinction between lexical and functional categories evolved from its predecessors found in animal cognition through a process we call âdisintegration.â We build our arguments on recent developments in generative grammar but crucially depart from some of its core ideas by borrowing insights from other relevant disciplines. Most importantly, we maintain that every sub-function of human language keeps evolutionary continuity with other speciesâ cognitive capacities and reject a saltational emergence of language in favor of its gradual evolution. By doing so, we aim to offer a firm theoretical background on which a promising scenario of language evolution can be constructed
Combining Deep Learning and Qualitative Spatial Reasoning to Learn Complex Structures from Sparse Examples with Noise
Many modern machine learning approaches require vast amounts of training data
to learn new concepts; conversely, human learning often requires few
examples--sometimes only one--from which the learner can abstract structural
concepts. We present a novel approach to introducing new spatial structures to
an AI agent, combining deep learning over qualitative spatial relations with
various heuristic search algorithms. The agent extracts spatial relations from
a sparse set of noisy examples of block-based structures, and trains
convolutional and sequential models of those relation sets. To create novel
examples of similar structures, the agent begins placing blocks on a virtual
table, uses a CNN to predict the most similar complete example structure after
each placement, an LSTM to predict the most likely set of remaining moves
needed to complete it, and recommends one using heuristic search. We verify
that the agent learned the concept by observing its virtual block-building
activities, wherein it ranks each potential subsequent action toward building
its learned concept. We empirically assess this approach with human
participants' ratings of the block structures. Initial results and qualitative
evaluations of structures generated by the trained agent show where it has
generalized concepts from the training data, which heuristics perform best
within the search space, and how we might improve learning and execution
The Nature and Implementation of Representation in Biological Systems
I defend a theory of mental representation that satisfies naturalistic constraints. Briefly, we begin by distinguishing (i) what makes something a representation from (ii) given that a thing is a representation, what determines what it represents. Representations are states of biological organisms, so we should expect a unified theoretical framework for explaining both what it is to be a representation as well as what it is to be a heart or a kidney. I follow Millikan in explaining (i) in terms of teleofunction, explicated in terms of natural selection.
To explain (ii), we begin by recognizing that representational states do not have content, that is, they are neither true nor false except insofar as they both âpoint toâ or âreferâ to something, as well as âsayâ something regarding whatever it is they are about. To distinguish veridical from false representations, there must be a way for these separate aspects to come apart; hence, we explain (ii) by providing independent theories of what I call f-reference and f-predication (the âfâ simply connotes âfundamentalâ, to distinguish these things from their natural language counterparts).
Causal theories of representation typically founder on error, or on what Fodor has called the disjunction problem. Resemblance or isomorphism theories typically founder on what Iâve called the non-uniqueness problem, which is that isomorphisms and resemblance are practically unconstrained and so representational content cannot be uniquely determined. These traditional problems provide the motivation for my theory, the structural preservation theory, as follows. F-reference, like reference, is a specific, asymmetric relation, as is causation. F-predication, like predication, is a non-specific relation, as predicates typically apply to many things, just as many relational systems can be isomorphic to any given relational system. Putting these observations together, a promising strategy is to explain f-reference via causal history and f-predication via something like isomorphism between relational systems.
This dissertation should be conceptualized as having three parts. After motivating and characterizing the problem in chapter 1, the first part is the negative project, where I review and critique Dretskeâs, Fodorâs, and Millikanâs theories in chapters 2-4. Second, I construct my theory about the nature of representation in chapter 5 and defend it from objections in chapter 6. In chapters 7-8, which constitute the third and final part, I address the question of how representation is implemented in biological systems. In chapter 7 I argue that single-cell intracortical recordings taken from awake Macaque monkeys performing a cognitive task provide empirical evidence for structural preservation theory, and in chapter 8 I use the empirical results to illustrate, clarify, and refine the theory
On the syntax and semantics of Italian spatial Ps
This paper offers a unified approach to Italian spatial prepositions, such as di fronte a âin front ofâ, verso âtowardsâ, in âinâ, dietro a âbehindâ, and nel mezzo di âin the middle ofâ. Three assumptions play a key role. First, Italian spatial prepositions can differ sensibly in their morphological structure, but share the same syntactic properties. Second, their sentential distribution is in part context-sensitive, thus based on the categories with which they combine. Third, their semantic contribution is âlayeredâ, in the sense that it includes the meaning dimensions of both aspectual boundedness and specificity. The main result is a generalised theory on the structure and semantic interpretation of these prepositions
Classification-based phrase structure grammar: an extended revised version of HPSG
This thesis is concerned with a presentation of Classification -based Phrase Structure
Grammar (or cPSG), a grammatical theory that has grown out of extensive revisions
of, and extensions to, HPSG. The fundamental difference between this theory and HPSG
concerns the central role that classification plays in the grammar: the grammar classifies
strings, according to their feature structure descriptions, as being of various types.
Apart from the role of classification, the theory bears a close resemblance to HPSG,
though it is by no means a direct translation, including numerous revisions and extensions.
A central goal in the development of the theory has been its computational
implementation, which is included in the thesis.The presentation may be divided into four parts. In the first, chapters 1 and 2, we
present the grammatical formalism within which the theory is stated. This consists of a
development of the notion of a classificatory system (chapter 1), and the incorporation
of hierarchality into that notion (chapter 2).The second part concerns syntactic issues. Chapter 3 revises the HPSG treatment of
specifiers, complements and adjuncts, incorporating ideas that specifiers and complements
should be distinguished and presenting a treatment of adjuncts whereby the
head is selected for by the adjunct. Chapter 4 presents several options for an account of
unbounded dependencies. The accounts are based loosely on that of GPSG, and a reconstruction
of GPSG's Foot Feature Principle is presented which does not involve a notion
of default. Chapter 5 discusses coordination, employing an extension of Rounds- Kasper
logic to allow a treatment of cross -categorial coordination.In the third part, chapters 6, 7 and 8, we turn to semantic issues. We begin (Chapter 6)
with a discussion of Situation Theory, the background semantic theory, attempting to
establish a precise and coherent version of the theory within which to work. Chapter 7
presents the bulk of the treatment of semantics, and can be seen as an extensive revision
of the HPSG treatment of semantics. The aim is to provide a semantic treatment which
is faithful to the version of Situation Theory presented in Chapter 6. Chapter 8 deals
with quantification, discussing the nature of quantification in Situation Theory before
presenting a treatment of quantification in CPSG. Some residual questions about the
semantics of coordinated noun phrases are also addressed in this chapter.The final part, Chapter 9, concerns the actual computational implementation of the
theory. A parsing algorithm based on hierarchical classification is presented, along with
four strategies that might be adopted given that algorithm. Also discussed are some
implementation details. A concluding chapter summarises the arguments of the thesis
and outlines some avenues for future research
The doctoral research abstracts. Vol:10 2016 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM
Foreword: Congratulations to Institute of Graduate Studies on the continuous efforts to publish the 10th issue of the
Doctoral Research Abstracts which showcases the research carried out in the various disciplines range
from science and technology, business and administration to social science and humanities.
This issue captures the novelty of research contributed by seventy (70) PhD graduands receiving their
scrolls in the UiTMâs 85th Convocation. As of October 2016, this year UiTM has produced 138 PhD
graduates soaring from125 in the previous year (2015). It shows that UiTM is in the positive direction to
achive the total of 1200 PhD graduates in 2020.
To the 70 doctorates, I would like it to be known that you have most certainly done
UiTM proud by journeying through the scholarly world with its endless challenges
and obstacles, and by persevering right till the very end.
This convocation should not be regarded as the end of your highest scholarly
achievement and contribution to the body of knowledge but rather as the beginning
of embarking into more innovative research from knowledge gained during this
academic journey, for the community and country.
This year marks UiTMâs 60th Anniversary and we have been producing many
good quality graduates that have a major impact on the socio-economic
development of the country and the bumiputeras.
As alumni of UiTM, we hold you dear to our hearts. We sincerely wish
you all the best and may the Almighty guide you to a path of excellence
and success. As you leave the university as alumni we hope a new
relationship will be fostered between you and the faculty in soaring
UiTM to greater heights. âUiTM Sentiasa di Hati Kuâ / Prof Emeritus Datoâ Dr Hassan Said
Vice Chancellor
Universiti Teknologi MAR
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