New Foundation in the Sciences: Physics without sweeping infinities under the rug

It is widely known among the Frontiers of physics, that “sweeping under the rug” practice has been quite the norm rather than exception. In other words, the leading paradigms have strong tendency to be hailed as the only game in town. For example, renormalization group theory was hailed as cure in order to solve infinity problem in QED theory. For instance, a quote from Richard Feynman goes as follows: “What the three Nobel Prize winners did, in the words of Feynman, was to get rid of the infinities in the calculations. The infinities are still there, but now they can be skirted around . . . We have designed a method for sweeping them under the rug. [1] And Paul Dirac himself also wrote with similar tune: “Hence most physicists are very satisfied with the situation. They say: Quantum electrodynamics is a good theory, and we do not have to worry about it any more. I must say that I am very dissatisfied with the situation, because this so-called good theory does involve neglecting infinities which appear in its equations, neglecting them in an arbitrary way. This is just not sensible mathematics. Sensible mathematics involves neglecting a quantity when it turns out to be small—not neglecting it just because it is infinitely great and you do not want it!”[2] Similarly, dark matter and dark energy were elevated as plausible way to solve the crisis in prevalent Big Bang cosmology. That is why we choose a theme here: New Foundations in the Sciences, in order to emphasize the necessity to introduce a new set of approaches in the Sciences, be it Physics, Cosmology, Consciousness etc

Tartu Ülikooli toimetised. Tööd semiootika alalt. 1964-1992. 0259-4668

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Natural Selection and Natural Processes: a philosophical examination of the processes of evolution

This thesis concerns evolution and how it is explained. The ambition here is to identify clearly the many aspects of evolution, and to evaluate past and present explanations of evolution for their coherence and validity. Historically natural selection has been taken to be the central and main explanans, with other explanations playing lesser roles. Here it will be argued that the sheer complexity and diversity within nature cannot be accounted for by any single explanatory mechanism and that a plurality of explanatory mechanisms is required. Loading natural selection with the main weight of explanation is an overburden which, far from strengthening its explanatory powers, actually renders it vacuous. A critical historical and philosophical examination of the concept of natural selection reveals that it has never received a formal scientific definition that commands universal respect. This has created a problem of demarcation between that which natural selection can legitimately be said to explain and that which it cannot. In fact, the ontology of natural selection is equivocal, giving rise to the many controversies that have plagued evolutionary biology. The disambiguation of the concept of natural selection is the principle aim of this thesis and guidelines on how this should be accomplished are provided. However, should these reforming guidelines fail to achieve a consensus then a more radical alternative is proposed. It is recommended that the selective terminology is replaced with the less anomalous and demanding principle of ‘meeting the conditions of existence’. Moreover, talk of the evolution and origins by means of natural selection is to be replaced by talk of evolution and origins by means of natural processes. Finally, drawing from a ‘Structuralist’ alternative, it will be demonstrated that biological evolution should not be divorced from general or cosmological evolution. Rather, elucidation should be drawn more deeply from the fields of physics, chemistry, mathematics and topology, without the use of selection-tinted spectacles

On Musical Self-Similarity : Intersemiosis as Synecdoche and Analogy

Self-similarity, a concept borrowed from mathematics, is gradually becoming a keyword in musicology. Although a polysemic term, self-similarity often refers to the multi-scalar feature repetition in a set of relationships, and it is commonly valued as an indication for musical ‘coherence’ and ‘consistency’. In this study, Gabriel Pareyon presents a theory of musical meaning formation in the context of intersemiosis, that is, the translation of meaning from one cognitive domain to another cognitive domain (e.g. from mathematics to music, or to speech or graphic forms). From this perspective, the degree of coherence of a musical system relies on a synecdochic intersemiosis: a system of related signs within other comparable and correlated systems. The author analyzes the modalities of such correlations, exploring their general and particular traits, and their operational bounds. Accordingly, the notion of analogy is used as a rich concept through its two definitions quoted by the Classical literature—proportion and paradigm, enormously valuable in establishing measurement, likeness and affinity criteria. At the same time, original arguments by Benoît B. Mandelbrot (1924–2010) are revised, alongside a systematic critique of the literature on the subject. In fact, connecting Charles S. Peirce’s ‘synechism’ with Mandelbrot’s ‘fractality’ is one of the main developments of the present study

A complex systems approach to education in Switzerland

The insights gained from the study of complex systems in biological, social, and engineered systems enables us not only to observe and understand, but also to actively design systems which will be capable of successfully coping with complex and dynamically changing situations. The methods and mindset required for this approach have been applied to educational systems with their diverse levels of scale and complexity. Based on the general case made by Yaneer Bar-Yam, this paper applies the complex systems approach to the educational system in Switzerland. It confirms that the complex systems approach is valid. Indeed, many recommendations made for the general case have already been implemented in the Swiss education system. To address existing problems and difficulties, further steps are recommended. This paper contributes to the further establishment complex systems approach by shedding light on an area which concerns us all, which is a frequent topic of discussion and dispute among politicians and the public, where billions of dollars have been spent without achieving the desired results, and where it is difficult to directly derive consequences from actions taken. The analysis of the education system's different levels, their complexity and scale will clarify how such a dynamic system should be approached, and how it can be guided towards the desired performance

2013 Oklahoma Research Day Full Program

This document contains all abstracts from the 2013 Oklahoma Research Day held at the University of Central Oklahoma