Advances in Human-Robot Interaction

Rapid advances in the field of robotics have made it possible to use robots not just in industrial automation but also in entertainment, rehabilitation, and home service. Since robots will likely affect many aspects of human existence, fundamental questions of human-robot interaction must be formulated and, if at all possible, resolved. Some of these questions are addressed in this collection of papers by leading HRI researchers

Free to Play: An Analysis in Aesthetic, Ethical, and Religious Movements

In this dissertation, I investigate five forms of play with reference to freedom and constraint in order first to ascertain what relationship holds between play and liberty and then to see how the activity of play - and the attitude of playfulness - might contribute to a full and flourishing human life. To do so, I turn to an interdisciplinary set of figures, including Erik Erikson, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Blaise Pascal, Plato, and the contemporary scholars of improvisation Gary Peters and Danielle Goldman. It is my contention that the dialectical interrelation of liberty and limitation constitutes the essence of play and that the free engagement of constraints is a proper feature of eudaimonistic ethics. Instead of being regarded as a dispensable disposition, then, playfulness should be upheld alongside traditional virtues as a trait worthy of deliberate cultivation in adulthood. Seeking to enact the claim that boundaries give rise to expansive possibility, I provide a firm structure for this study and organize my analysis according to Søren Kierkegaard's conceptions of the aesthetic, ethical, and religious spheres of existence. Liberty and limitation appear differently under each of these categories. Further, their forms change depending on whether they are viewed in light of children's play, videogames, gambling, puppetry, or improvisation, the iterations of play and playful identity under consideration in this study. Learning about the apprehension, negotiation, and appreciation of boundaries that occurs in play grants us a more nuanced understanding of play as a fundamental component of a good life. At the same time, this project affords the chance to reconsider the nature of freedom and constraint, and to reimagine what it means to be at liberty

Interdisciplinary investigation into meditative Flow states and their roles in movement performance

This thesis focuses on the idea of Flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), a psychological phenomenon that involves complete immersion and “optimal” experience. Whereas many existing studies focus on telic Flow – e.g. fixed goals, performance-oriented – the current thesis places focus on paratelic Flow – e.g. open goals, sensation-oriented – by exploring its role in dance and movement performance (Swann et al., 2018). In response to the call to reconceptualise and clarify the concept of Flow with regards to its various manifestations, the thesis draws from other related/similar concepts, such as pre-reflective experiences in dance (Fraleigh, 1987), the idea of no-mind in Zen practice (Yuasa, 1993), and the hypofrontality theory (Dietrich, 2004). Building on these concepts, the thesis examines how dancers might experience paratelic Flow within meditative movement episodes. Another focus of the thesis is to explore how Flow experiences might interact with a dancer’s physical performance. This line of inquiry draws inspiration from both philosophical and neurocognitive accounts, which identify a relationship between Flow and “optimal” movement performance. Given the paucity of cross-disciplinary dialogue, the thesis attempts to investigate the above topics through an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach. Through an exploratory survey (Chapter 4) followed by a series of event-focused interviews (Chapter 5) – the thesis explores 1.) how dancers and movement practitioners might experience Flow during a single movement session, 2.) how these states might interact with the mover’s physical performance, and 3.) how viewers perceive and describe a mover in Flow. The survey results indicated that movers may experience Flow through various meditative episodes that arise through movement, including improvisational sessions, technique classes, and performative events. The interview study showed that Flow appears in a cyclical process involving five distinct stages – Entering, Opening, Riding, Ebbing, and Resetting – during which the movers’ physical performance show observable changes in quality. Notably, during the “peak” state of Flow (Riding), movements are described by observers as fluid, organic, and well-coordinated, which is consistent with existing literature. Through these findings, the thesis provides clarity to the role of Flow during dance and movement performance and demonstrates possible links between the dancer’s mental state and his/her physical performanc

"Let down the curtains around us" sex work in colonial Cairo 1882-1952

The shift from pre-modern to modern sex work meant the “professionalization” of transactional sex, its commodification and the attending social stigmatization of the essentialized category of prostitutes as “public women”. This dissertation explores the construction of social marginality of sex workers in colonial Cairo (1882-1952), in the context of major economical and social changes and the development of dramatically new concepts about the scope of intervention of the State on society. The quantitative and qualitative change in sex work which took place in Cairo since the end of the nineteenth century was made possible by a number of structural factors such as the integration of Egypt in the global market in a subaltern position, the restructuring of autonomous households’ economy, the augmented economic social vulnerability of female economic roles in the job market, migration and rapid urban growth. At the same time, the new social meaning of prostitution, a permanent symbolic threat to the physical and moral welfare of the rising Egyptian nation, was discursively constructed by dominant positions, both by local and colonial elites. Prostitutes were used as dense referent to express a wide range of dominant anxieties about the social order, the definition of normative notions of Egyptian citizenship and colonial racial hierarchies. Positing the inextricable link between material and discursive formations, this study analyzes the political economy of sex work and combines a wide range of sources – governmental reports, reformist societies’ papers, court cases, contemporary press and semi-academic literature – to explore a space of subaltern and gendered agency which has been overlooked for long and endeavours to restore prostitution, generally considered as a marginal activity, to the history of the Egyptian nation

The development of movement effectiveness in children : a qualitative analysis

Qualitative biomechanical analysis of movement effectiveness can be proposed as an innovative approach to oversee motor skill development in boys and girls of school age, since it permits an appreciation of how effective the movement is in attaining the performance criterion. Analysis of movement effectiveness involves establishing, first, the technical level of the child and, second, the mechanical effectiveness of the movement performed by the child. The assessment of technical level involves basic analysis of the main form of the movement and provides an initiation to biomechanical analysis; whereas, analysis of mechanical effectiveness consists of a follow-up comprehensive analysis. The present research aimed to qualitatively determine, and study gender differences in the development of, movement effectiveness in children. The research included both cross-sectional (N = 187 children) and longitudinal (N = 55 children) studies. A group of adults (N = 31) were used as controls. The subjects were asked to perform two consecutive trials of the soccer kick, the overarm throw and the standing broad jump, all for maximum distance, which were recorded on videotape. In Study 1, hierarchical models were developed to qualitatively establish the technical level of the subjects and to study the development of technical level in children. In Study 2, a model for the qualitative analysis of mechanical effectiveness was constructed. The model allows the integration of phase analysis and mechanical analysis using movement principles in order to select important variables for the analysis. Rating scales for each variable of the three motor skills were outlined and, then, fine-tuned using tests of rater accuracy and intra-rater reliability, in order to create scoring references. Inter-rater reliability in the use of the scoring references was acceptable. In Study 3, the development of mechanical effectiveness in children was examined, and the relative contribution of specific variables to performance was assessed. Generally, in the cross-sectional studies male children showed a higher technical level and higher mechanical effectiveness, and also a faster rate of development, in the soccer kick and the overarm throw. However, male and female children were better matched in the standing broad jump. The longitudinal studies were inconclusive. Not all adult subjects, particularly females, had reached maturity of movement patterns. The knowledge gained in the research may be used to guide effective progression in coaching and curriculum development in education

A new interpretation of sport derived from art-related aesthetics

This thesis is concerned with understanding sport theory based on art theory. In so doing, in extending their relationship, a deeper appreciation of both may result. In turn, this may enhance our lives. While postmodern theories of art somewhat devalue the rarefied status of art, at the same time art’s openness is particularly well appointed to understanding other aesthetic domains. Scholarly attention to the so-called aesthetics of the everyday of which sport is an example, is a relatively recent paradigm shift that attempts to give philosophical weight to common, ordinary experiences as aesthetic. Art as the paradigm case of aesthetic experience is therefore useful in illuminating such experiences, one of which is sport. The results of this study are: Like art, sport idealises in its desire for perfection. Like art, sport is a second-order mimetic activity that is autonomous and reflects extra-aesthetic concerns. The implications of the postmodern language turn for art, namely detotalising and/or meaninglessness can be applied to sport. Drawing from Wittgenstein, art and sport are culturally embedded within institutional frameworks and quite simply are learnt ways of thinking and doing. Expressive theories of art were introduced which, it was found, has resonance with sport, as it can be similarly described as an expression of “aesthetic ideas”, to use Kant’s phrase. The artistic formalist perspective and the realization of form led to describing sport as aesthetically beautiful in many ways. One might apply Zangwell’s moderate aesthetic formalism to sport where formal qualities, representation and content co-exist, thus somewhat combining the above conclusions. An analysis of this kind suggests that sport may derive its meaning from an artistic perspective, at least in theory. At the same time, though not the primary focus of this thesis, one might describe the relationship between art and sport as an oscillation, if at times a dialectic, in which case boundaries between them inevitably become more complex. It is conceivable that within that complexity/struggle/play there can be self- realization and world-bettering. It is also conceivable that this is a result of the emergence of a new sub-discipline, namely sports art.Art History, Visual Arts and MusicologyD. Litt. et Phil. (Art History

Aristotle’s Theory of Dynamics: Examining the Ancient Greek Roots of Process Philosophy

Thesis advisor: John SallisHenri Bergson’s interpretation of Aristotle has not been adequately considered in scholarship. Bergson was greatly inspired by Aristotle’s method and discoveries in psychology and metaphysics, but Bergson also accused Aristotle of having reduced philosophy to an analysis of language. Beneath the apparent rigid formalism of Aristotelian logic, he had in fact described life in a dynamic and qualitatively rich way that is consonant with Bergson’s “qualitative multiplicity.” I show the commonalities between their philosophies and suggest ways of interpreting Aristotle from a Bergsonian perspective. In tracking all Bergson’s discussions of Aristotle—some very critical and reductive; others quite favorable and generous—it becomes evident that Aristotle’s dynamic sense of being describes qualitative multiplicity. This becomes clear when we examine the interrelated problems of movement, force, life, intuition, the soul, embodiment, time, ethics, and art. The theory of dynamics, or the dynamic sense of being, is the underlying thread which weaves these topics together in both Aristotelianism and Bergsonism. This dissertation demonstrates how effort and energy, constituting a hylomorphic unity of experience, provides phenomenological evidence grounding the theory of dynamics. The work of Bergson’s mentor, Félix Ravaisson, is decisive in this historical reconstruction. Ravaisson’s dynamic interpretation highlights Aristotle’s own critiques of logical formalism and presents an intuitive knowledge of life which is inexpressible in language. Bergson clearly borrows insights from Ravaisson’s interpretation but also discredits the validity of them. The burgeoning field of phenomenological interpretations of Aristotle contribute to the dynamic interpretation. I use this scholarship to refute aspects of Bergson’s logical interpretation. In sum, I show that Aristotle’s theory of dynamics is the central paradigm for his whole philosophy, tying together his physics, biology, psychology, epistemology, aesthetics and ethics. Bergson built further upon dynamics, evolving it endogenously, in order to create his qualitative multiplicity, flowing of duration, and élan vital. After critiquing the logical interpretations of Aristotle for their reliance on a metaphysics of presence, it becomes clear Aristotle had already described intensity, continuity, sympathy, and developmental progression as qualitative multiplicity, along the lines of Bergson. Key Words: Dynamism, Continuity, Virtual, Intensity, Development, Analogy, Integral, Concrete, Presence, Time, Energeia, Entelecheia, Movement, Invention, Intuition, Derivation, Habit, Intelligence, Indivisibility, Number, Qualitative, Multiplicity, Auto Affection, Phenomena, Aesthetics, Life.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Philosophy