Ecology, culture and cognition: a text book on the principles of environmental design

[This] study aims to explore the notion that human achievements, i.e., cultural, technological, architectural, etc., are an outcome of the interaction between ecology, culture and cognitive structure. Such interaction is thought to set out a condition of stability, compatibility and fitness which characterises various vernacular cultures. These notions ought to be investigated and hence utilised in design ideas and design processes. To illustrate the various aspects of this interaction, the thesis has adopted a holistic view which incorporates many elements that underly the environmental phenomena; its structure, its laws of evolution and its adaptive processes. The following is a brief summary of each chapter of the thesis.Chapter One: In any design research it is more important to arrive at appropriate identification of a problem before being preoccupied with 'assumptions' to solve that problem on the basis of its 'external' appearance. Each environment has a specific structure which accommodates in a certain pattern its various components such as the social boundaries of interaction, the particular physical structure, building patterns, behaviour, mode of thought, economic system and so on. It is only by tracing the history of development of each of these components within this structure that a solution can be fitting and relevant.The chapter reviews some problems and controversies raised by adopting a misfit technology and its implication on various cultures as well as on Architecture.Chapter Two: This chapter suggests a general theoretical framework which rejects the harmful and unifying effects of those 'fragmented' approaches within design disciplines. In fact they came as an outcome of the passion for misfit technologies, the non - environmental views of culture and ideologies normally associated with them. It is hence the interplay of the three elements of Ecology, Culture and Cognition that result in architectural quality most fit to its context. The objectives of such a framework are: the protection of the natural ecosystems and their manifestations in design; the establishment of a self - sustaining way of life; and finally, setting policies that give priority to bettering the ecological qualities as a basis for improving other aspects.Chapter Three: In this chapter a broadening perspective is introduced to define ecology according to its concerns for the conditions and interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of organism in a certain setting. The perspective includes culture as well as the other biological and physical factors on the basis of considering culture as a manifestation of man's adaptation to that setting. It is very important to consider the role of ecology in differentiating various societies; their cultures and architectural forms.Chapter Four: The second element, culture, according to the school of cultural- ecology, is made up of the modes of thought, the ideologies, energy systems, artifacts, the organisation of social relations, norms and beliefs and the total range of customary behaviour, all of which have been influenced by the physical setting. The concept of 'cultural core', introduced by J. Steward, is adopted for its importance in distinguishing cultural features in terms of their physical belonging. It helps, hence, to advocate solutions more fitting to their 'authentic context' in the face of the bustling, overlapping and usually more abstract cultural features of the external phase (secondary features).Chapter Five: Knowledge is the central element in design, and cognition has been defined as the activity of knowing: the acquisition, organisation, and use of knowledge. The human cognitive structure selects and interprets environmental information in the construction of its own knowledge, rather than passively copying the information. The mind does this to make the environment 'then' fit in with its own existing mental framework.Chapter Six: Because man and nature form two elements in one system, man has accumulated a profound knowledge of the various elements in nature including natural materials. This knowledge is x embeded so deeply in his psychological structure that his innate disposition towards natural elements has been extended to include all interactional modes, subsystems and visual structures which they initiate.The concept of schemata was introduced within cognitive psychology to explain some controversial issues in the field of accepting, restoring and processing information. Schema is defined generally as a data structure for representing the generic concepts stored in memory. There are schemata representing our knowledge about events, actions, objects, etc. They also contain the network of interrelations between these concepts. It has been suggested that the source of this knowledge which schema represents comes from one of two resources; 1) immediate information of the physical objects, 2) the innate and stored knowledge in the human mind. Both resources, however, can provide information to what the study calls experiential schemata.The important contribution the study offers is the concept of the cosmocognitive schemata. They are the schemata that represent the point where both organism and the universe meet and represent, man's extension in space and time. With these schemata we can explain many phenomena in which people of totally different cultures, different experiential schemata, respond and react similarly. In other words, the various authentic capacities of objects, their various properties and potential dispositions towards interactions are all taking precedence in the organism's neural system.The concluding notion of this important chapter is that man has been vividly and maybe unself- consciously utilising the 'cosmocognitive' knowledge in the adaptational processes, blended with activities of the experiential knowledge, in the elaboration of the various architectural forms and patterns. Therefore, it is suggested that it is extremely important to establish a theory of environmental quality based on cognitive knowledge.Chapter Seven and Chapter Eight: In these two chapters, the study introduces the most influential factors which define the ecological setting in general. These factors are considered as being the permanent constructs of human cognitive knowledge and hence have to be well studied before making any decision concerning the nature of the design solution proposed to any society.Chapter Nine: It is suggested that the influence of ecology and nature on human beings takes place and is utilised over long processes of adaptation. The mechanism and other elements of these processes are explicitly demonstrated through a model that the study elaborates. The main idea this model presents is that man, during the emergence of his settlement, initially responds to nature and the physical properties of that setting. He first develops prototypical patterns to embody their impact, according to which he then develops his social and behavioural patterns. Out of the interaction of these components and their various elements, and by reference to his experiential and innate knowledge, he then establishes his traditional culture of which architectural phenomena is the most conspicuous feature.Chapter Ten: Beyond the aesthetic values of architecture: decorative form and ornaments, and beyond the persistance of architectural pattern and activity types lie empirical, structural, functional and practical principles. The basic aim of arriving at a concrete understanding of what underlies the aesthetic characteristics is that once such an understanding becomes possible, designers would be able to manipulate their design ideas following the same principles of authenticity and purposefulness rather than attempting further implication or inventing more fantasies.The title implies that material's authentic properties, architectural and structural elements and activities have cognitive values which are represented in certain characteristics. And it is these values that a designer whould, in fact, search for, if satisfying people's real preferences is one of his interests.Chapter Eleven: The outcome of the interaction between ecological /cultural variables and cognitive structure consists of several components. These have to be carefully matched in setting design criteria within any context: They can be referred to in any judgement over the fitness and appropriateness of any design idea in hand

A cybernetic perspective on policy-making and planning in local government

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis explores some of the central problems confronting policymakers and planners in local government. These problems are seen to stem from a view of planning which is characterised as top-down. Previous attempts to apply cybernetic ideas to these problems - characterised as the 'systems approach' - have failed partly on account of their failure to question this view. Cybernetics, it is argued, offers a fundamentally different perspective on planning, which emphasises the importance of processes, whereby the plans and policies of different organisations are mutually adjusted to each other - from the bottom up. The dynamics of this process are examined and cybernetics, most notably the work of Ashby, is shown to offer a number of insights into how it can be facilitated. Such a radical re-assessment of the nature of planning requires, at the same time, a much wider conception of the role of policy. Policies, it is suggested, are all too often thought of as purely prescriptive. A policy framework must instead be regarded as incorporating also a complex hierarchy of values, aims, goals and objectives, whose inter-relationships can be compared to that between the various components of a body of scientific knowledge. Such a perspective on planning and policy-making points towards a novel conception of government. Instead of imposing order from above, its primary function would become that of facilitating and encouraging the mutual adjustment process and collaboration between local organisations

Meta-parametric design: Developing a computational approach for early stage collaborative practice

Computational design is the study of how programmable computers can be integrated into the process of design. It is not simply the use of pre-compiled computer aided design software that aims to replicate the drawing board, but rather the development of computer algorithms as an integral part of the design process. Programmable machines have begun to challenge traditional modes of thinking in architecture and engineering, placing further emphasis on process ahead of the final result. Just as Darwin and Wallace had to think beyond form and inquire into the development of biological organisms to understand evolution, so computational methods enable us to rethink how we approach the design process itself. The subject is broad and multidisciplinary, with influences from design, computer science, mathematics, biology and engineering. This thesis begins similarly wide in its scope, addressing both the technological aspects of computational design and its application on several case study projects in professional practice. By learning through participant observation in combination with secondary research, it is found that design teams can be most effective at the early stage of projects by engaging with the additional complexity this entails. At this concept stage, computational tools such as parametric models are found to have insufficient flexibility for wide design exploration. In response, an approach called Meta-Parametric Design is proposed, inspired by developments in genetic programming (GP). By moving to a higher level of abstraction as computational designers, a Meta-Parametric approach is able to adapt to changing constraints and requirements whilst maintaining an explicit record of process for collaborative working

Advancing the Human Self

Do technologies advance our self-identities, as they do our bodies, cognitive skills, and the next developmental stage called postpersonal? Did we already manage to be fully human, before becoming posthuman? Are we doomed to disintegration and episodic selfhood? This book examines the impact of radical technopoiesis on our selves from a multidisciplinary perspective, including the health humanities, phenomenology, the life sciences and humanoid AI (artificial intelligence) ethics. Surprisingly, our body representations show more plasticity than scholarly concepts and sociocultural narratives. Our embodied selves can withstand transplants, bionic prostheses and radical somatechnics, but to remain autonomous and authentic, our agential potentials must be strengthened – and this is not through ‘psychosurgery’ and the brain–computer interface

Minding Nature: A Defense of a Sentiocentric Approach to Environmental Ethics

Environmental philosophers allege that philosophical views supporting the animal liberation movement are theoretically and practically inconsistent with environmentalism. While it is true that some animal ethicists argue that we ought to intervene extensively in nature such as the prevention of predation, these views take controversial positions in value theory and normative theory: (i) hedonism as a value theory, and (ii) a view of normativity which places the good before the right, e.g. maximizing utilitarianism, or a rights theory that includes strong positive rights, i.e. animals are entitled to a certain level of welfare or protection from harm. Importantly, environmental philosophers’ critiques mistakenly assume that sentience-based ethics must take these forms. I argue that there are least two angles for progress and reconciliation: (i) countenance values other than pleasure and the absence of pain, such as the value of “free” beings, come what may, or (ii) embrace a view of normativity where, unlike utilitarianism, the right is prior to the good, constraining the scope of obligation from the outset. Together or individually, these angles give shape to a workspace of animal ethical theories amenable to environmentalism. In short, I argue that a sentience-centered notion of moral considerability is correct, that several plausible views about the good and its relation to the right compatible with sentiocentrism can reconcile animal ethics with environmental ethics, and that a sentiocentric ethic constitutes an adequate environmental ethic. If this argumentative arc is on track, it provides a broad justification for the core goals of environmentalism and promises greater consilience between considered judgments about the value of wild animals and the rest of the environment

Legislative hope and utopia

Legislation, inspired by utopian ideals of rationality and justice, has long been experienced as a source of hope but frequently fails in meeting expectations. Current legislation is mainly focused on realising short-term policy goals without offering hope. This contribution aims to investigate how legislation relates to hope and what role utopian thought plays with respect to that and evaluates current legislative policy on its hope-inspiring properties. To this end, this contribution analyses the features of utopias and investigates how these find expression in legislation. It then evaluates to what extent utopianism may inspire hope or may lead to disappointment or even despair. Conceptions of time, knowledge and identity seem of relevance, connected to substantive reasoning and the constitutive function of legislation. The author's contention is that legislative hope hinges on a balance between effectiveness, room for substantive reasoning and the quality of the political aspect of the legislative process

The Regulatory Functions of Calcium and the Potential Role of Calcium in Mediating Gravitational Responses in Cells and Tissues

The hypothesis that calcium plays an important part in regulating cellular response to gravity and to other environmental stimuli is explored. Topics covered include the role of calmodulin and other proteins, gravitropic responses, bone demineralization during space flight, and intracellular communication

The impact of positivism in Mexico, 1867-1910

The main object of this thesis is to discover how far the Mexican Positivists influenced the development of Mexican society during the period, known as the 'Porfiriato' (1877-1910). Three areas have been chosen for analysis. These are: educational reorganization, economic development during this period and the political impact of the 'Union Liberal.' In each of these specific areas, the analysis has been widened so as to ascertain the general impact of the 'Cientificos,' a group of intellectuals, commonly associated with 'Positivism' in Mexic. Nevertheless, before this analysis can be embarked upon, an examination of Positivism as a philosophica system will be given. This examination encompasses Part I of the thesis, where Positivism, as expounded by Comte and Littre, is analysed. The purpose of Part I is to set the context in which to analyse Mexican Positivism and hence there is a critical examination of the differences between Positivism and Spencer's Social philosophy, known as Social Darwinism as the question of whether there was a Positivist movement in Mexico, which is one of the major points dealt with in Part II revolves around the relationship between Social Darwinism and Positivism. The first two chapters of the second part of the thesis deal with Mexican 'Positivism, ' though in a different manner to that used in Part I to analyse French Positivism. Instead of giving a simple exposition of the basic tenets of Mexican Positivism, these two chapters are concerned with the views of Gabino Barreda, considered to have been the leading Mexican Positivist intellectual. In particular his interpretation of Mexican history and the philosophical basis of the 1867 Law on educations of which he was the prime mover, are examined. The next two chapters deal with the question of whether 'Positivism' became the ideological servant of either the Mexican 'Bourgeoisie' and or the 'Diaz' regime. Secondly the question of whether it is correct to use the term 'Positivism' in the Mexican context is dealt with. The next four chapters are concerned with three selected subjects. The first two, the fate of the political party, known as the 'Union Liberal,' and the pattern, of economic development during the 'Porfiriato' have been chosen to eluoidate the impact of 'Positivism.' The third topic involves an examination of Justo Sierra's views concerning the interpretation of Mexican history and on the subject of educational reform, so as to compare and contrast the philosophies of Justo Sierra and Gabino Barreda who have been seen as the two pillars of Maican 'Positivism.' There are two basic arguments put forward throughout this section, The first is that the impact of Mexican 'Positivists' was limited by the fact that it was dependent on the power they were given in terms of policy-making by Porfirio Diaz. The second, and one of the min conclusions of this thesis, is that Mexican 'Positivism' very soon ceased to be the philosophy of Comte. Instead it became synonymous with the 'scientific method,' and the majority of those who were counted as 'Positivists, appeared to have owed more to Social Darwinism than to Positivism for their actual philosophical view. It is this point which many authors on, late nineteenth and early twentieth century Mexican history have failed to note and consequently have tended to consider Positivism and Social Dar- winism as one and the same philosophy, mainly because this was the view of the majority of Mexican 'Positivists' themselves. The above conclusions are subject to one major proviso and that is that the impact of Positivism in the cultural field has not been examined; it is possible that in this area, it had a greater impact. The reasons for not examining the cultural field are given in the conclusion

Navigating holostic and sustainable learning:Challenges and opportunities in ongoing and creeping emergencies

Metadata merged with duplicate record (http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/377) on 20.12.2016 by CS (TIS).This is a digitised version of a thesis that was deposited in the University Library. If you are the author please contact PEARL Admin ([email protected]) to discuss options.The overalla im of thist hesisi s to developa ndc riticallyr eflectu ponl earningp rinciples that are fit for purpose in engaging learners within situations of actual and anticipated humanitarian crisis. The study begins with an examination of the broad backcioth to the study, the interlinked causes of humanitarian emergencies - globalization, climate change and underlying worldviews. It is based on the assumption that interconnected social and environmental problems, as currently manifested, will be further exacerbated by the consequences of incremental and especially runaway climate change, or'creeping emergencies. ' The study draws upon expertise and insights from two contemporary educational discourses:e mergencye ducationa nd sustainability-relatede ducation. It was conductedi n two phases. Phase one aimed at examining the current range of renditions and understandingsw ithin the two fields and by eliciting perceptionso f the interfaceb etweent he two fields. It was conducted through literature reviews and interactions with ten experts, five from each field. A process of dialogue and reflection allowed for the emergence of holistic and sustainable learning principles that could be applied within emergency contexts. Using a qualitative case study methodology in phase two, the applicability of and practitioner receptivity to the learning principles emerging from phase one were investigated through engagementw ith the ongoing initiativeo f the NGO Plan International,C hildrena nd Young People at the Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction, and its organically emerging follow-up multi-agency initiative, Children in a Changing Climate. By and large, participating educational practitioners expressed their sense of the relevance of the principles to a considerable degree. In order to examine contextual variables in applying the six principles, further critical appraisal of the principles was undertaken through documentary case studies of Plan International's Yogyakarta Earthquake Response and Recovery Program in Indonesia and its Rapid Education Pilot Project in Sierra Leone. The examination reveals that the principles and their constituent elements were of varying importance and practicality depending on context. The exigencies of each situation posed limitations on what could be done practically in the field during the immediate crisis period with the application of some principles and elements, while nonetheless important for building future resilience, better held over until the mid-or long-term. This study suggests the need for more empirical research into holistic renditions of emergencye ducationi mplementationt,h eoreticald evelopmentw ith a view to embedding insights from the field of emergency education into seemingly 'non-emergency' contexts, and advancing educational thinking and practice in anticipation of runaway climate change.Faculty of Education, the Centre for Sustainable Futures of the University of Plymout