Outline of a new approach to the nature of mind

I propose a new approach to the constitutive problem of psychology ‘what is mind?’ The first section introduces modifications of the received scope, methodology, and evaluation criteria of unified theories of cognition in accordance with the requirements of evolutionary compatibility and of a mature science. The second section outlines the proposed theory. Its first part provides empirically verifiable conditions delineating the class of meaningful neural formations and modifies accordingly the traditional conceptions of meaning, concept and thinking. This analysis is part of a theory of communication in terms of inter-level systems of primitives that proposes the communication-understanding principle as a psychological invariance. It unifies a substantial amount of research by systematizing the notions of meaning, thinking, concept, belief, communication, and understanding and leads to a minimum vocabulary for this core system of mental phenomena. Its second part argues that written human language is the key characteristic of the artificially natural human mind. Overall, the theory both supports Darwin’s continuity hypothesis and proposes that the mental gap is within our own species

Profiling a decade of information systems frontiers’ research

This article analyses the first ten years of research published in the Information Systems Frontiers (ISF) from 1999 to 2008. The analysis of the published material includes examining variables such as most productive authors, citation analysis, universities associated with the most publications, geographic diversity, authors’ backgrounds and research methods. The keyword analysis suggests that ISF research has evolved from establishing concepts and domain of information systems (IS), technology and management to contemporary issues such as outsourcing, web services and security. The analysis presented in this paper has identified intellectually significant studies that have contributed to the development and accumulation of intellectual wealth of ISF. The analysis has also identified authors published in other journals whose work largely shaped and guided the researchers published in ISF. This research has implications for researchers, journal editors, and research institutions

Advances and challenges in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering: IWBBIO 2020

This Supplement issue, presents five research articles which are distributed, mainly due to the subject they address, from the 8th International Work-Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (IWBBIO 2020), which was held on line, during September, 30th–2nd October, 2020. These contributions have been chosen because of their quality and the importance of their findings. Those contributions were then invited to participate in this supplement for the following journals of BMC: BMC Bioinformatics and BMC Genomics. In the present Editorial in BMC journal, we summarize the contributions that provide a clear overview of the thematic areas covered by the IWBBIO conference, ranging from theoretical/review aspects to real-world applications of bioinformatic and biomedical engineeringPID2021-128317OB-I00 (Ministry of Spain)P20-00163 (FEDER, Junta Andalucia

A decade of architectural and urban research published in 'Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research'

This article commemorates a decade of discourse and published research on architecture and urbanism in ArchNet-IJAR (March 2007-March 2017). While the journal does not publish regular editorials associating each issue, it is believed that offering key highlights of growth since the inception of the journal is now due. The article presents the current position of ArchNet-IJAR within the international provision of journals in architecture and urban studies in key databases and index-bases. This is substantiated by key statistics of submissions, published contributions, and acceptance rates during the past 10 years. Coupled with analytical discussion on the global reach of the ArchNet-IJAR, the article identifies 11 research fields, which were covered in 10 volumes since the journal’s inception. Analytical discussions of recent two theme issues as well as latest developments and contributions during the past few years are presented to reflect on the rigor and quality of the journal while depicting its thrust and interest. The article concludes by key aspects relevant to the future aspirations of ArchNet-IJAR while highlighting initiatives and prospective endeavours

Amazonia in the international media: agents, discourses and power

Tese de doutoramento em Estudos de Comunicação: Tecnologia, Cultura e SociedadeThis thesis seeks to understand and discuss the constructions of meaning, representations and discourses about the Amazon region in eight foreign newspapers from four countries (United States, England, India and China). The region is associated with diverse and controversial social and geopolitical clashes since the arrival of European navigators five centuries ago. Additionally, there are growing national and international interests in the Amazon as a major icon in the global struggle for the protection of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change. My focus of interest lies on the international coverage about Amazonia along a seven-year period (2010-2016) and more particularly during a critical moment of discourse, represented by the forest fires of global repercussion in 2019. In this context it is assumed that the combination of diverse, often conflicting, social actors and interests generates important tensions over power. That is, power to define the meaning of the territory, who its inhabitants and beneficiaries are, the role they play and the directions of the region, whether aimed at environmental conservation, development or a debatable third way. In any case, these controversies occur in the midst of "naturalized" discursive practices in journalistic discourses, which constitute one of the main sources of information and perception about distant physical realities for news consumers. Thus, the main objective of this research is to elucidate the dynamics of signification and representation (frames, story-lines), (de)legitimation of social actors and argumentation, used by newspapers in their discourses about the Amazonian territory. By means of Critical Discourse Analysis and frame analysis tools, the thesis shows that the distinct newspapers from different countries have a relatively individualized discursive profile to introduce and elaborate meanings about the Amazon. Still, the sense that the Amazon Rainforest constitutes a global common crosses almost all coverages, although there are dissimilarities in emphasis and solutions to protect the forest. The main differences between newspapers refer to the way they portray political actors, especially the Brazilian president, as well as other social actors, especially Indigenous peoples. It was also possible to identify macro-tendencies in the coverages from global “North” and “South”, mainly in relation to funding the conservation of the Amazon as a global environmental heritage.Esta tese busca compreender e esclarecer as construções de sentido, representações e discursos sobre a região amazônica em oito jornais estrangeiros quatro países (Estados Unidos, Inglaterra, India e China). A região suscita embates sociais e geopolíticos diversos e controversos desde a chegada dos navegantes europeus há pouco mais de cinco séculos, para além dos crescentes interesses nacionais e internacional na Amazônia enquanto grande ícone da luta global pela proteção da biodiversidade e mitigação das mudanças climáticas. O foco de interesse recai sobre a cobertura internacional sobre a Amazônia num período de sete anos (2010-2016), e mais particularmente durante um momento crítico do discurso, representado pelos fogos florestais de repercussão global em 2019. Nesse contexto, assume-se que a combinação de atores sociais e interesses diversificados, seguidamente conflituosos, gera importantes tensões sobre poder. Ou seja, poder de definir o significado do território, quem são seus habitantes e beneficiários, o papel que desempenham e os rumos da região － se voltados à conservação ambiental, ao desenvolvimento ou a uma discutível terceira via. Em qualquer caso, essas polêmicas ocorrem em meio a práticas discursivas “naturalizadas” nos discursos jornalísticos, os quais constituem uma das principais fontes de informação e percepção sobre realidades físicas distantes dos leitores. Assim, o principal objetivo desta pesquisa foi elucidar as dinâmicas de significação e representação (enquadramentos, linhas narrativas, (des)legitimação de atores sociais e argumentação, usadas pelos jornais em seus discursos sobre o território amazônico. Por meio de ferramentas da Análise Crítica do Discurso e análise de enquadramentos, verificou-se que os diferentes jornais dos diferentes países possuem um perfil discursivo relativamente diferenciado para aproximar e elaborar sentidos sobre a Amazonia. Ainda assim, o senso de que a Floresta Amazônica constitui um global common atravessa quase todas as coberturas, apesar de haver diferenças na ênfase e nas soluções para proteger a floresta. As principais diferenças entre jornais se referem ao modo como retratam atores políticos, especialmente o presidente brasileiro, bem como outros atores sociais, especialmente povos Indígenas. Também foi possível notar macro-tendências nas coberturas oriundas do “Norte” e do “Sul” global, sobretudo quanto a financiar a conservação da Amazônia enquanto patrimônio ambiental global

Barry Smith an sich

Festschrift in Honor of Barry Smith on the occasion of his 65th Birthday. Published as issue 4:4 of the journal Cosmos + Taxis: Studies in Emergent Order and Organization. Includes contributions by Wolfgang Grassl, Nicola Guarino, John T. Kearns, Rudolf Lüthe, Luc Schneider, Peter Simons, Wojciech Żełaniec, and Jan Woleński

Politics During and After Covid-19: Science, Health and Social Protest

Covid-19 represented a total social fact, especially for that part of the world (the so-called Global North and in particular its wealthier component) which is less used to face dramatic crises able to affect fundamental rights and provoke health threats on a daily basis. While acknowledging its enormous impact on individual biographies, political systems and socio-economic equilibria around the planet, however we contrast those interpretations that have tended to naturalize the pandemic event, reading it as unpredictable, unique, disconnected from the dynamics that guide the (mainstream) Western lifestyle and mode of production. On the contrary, the genesis and above all the management of Covid-19 are the result and the mirror of broader dynamics linked to modernity, colonialism, capitalism, in one word of the Capitalocene. For this reason, it is even more correct to speak of a syndemic, to underline the environmental determinants of health, and the social and economic inequalities (re)produced by Covid-19. We therefore consider that interpreting the pandemic/syndemic (and its governance) as a state of exception is at least partial, being instead more useful to identify its unveiling function, able to make some latent or less visible dynamics manifest. Based on such premises, we focus on some nodes of the syndemic governance, highlighting how this contributed to give continuity and accelerate typical dynamics of a neoliberal governance and worldvision. We deal in particular with four key issues: the treatment of "science" by the media; the political history of "public health" and its relationship to the modern state; the construction of legitimate dissent vs. the constructed irrationality of "conspiracy theory"; the outcomes of social protests and in particular their pathologization in the mediatic and public debate. These are also among the main topics which are critically discussed in the thirteen papers that compose this Special Issue, from a variety of disciplinary fields, and with diverse epistemological perspectives and methodological tools