An Objection to Naturalism and Atheism from Logic

I proffer a success argument for classical logical consequence. I articulate in what sense that notion of consequence should be regarded as the privileged notion for metaphysical inquiry aimed at uncovering the fundamental nature of the world. Classical logic breeds necessitism. I use necessitism to produce problems for both ontological naturalism and atheism

In search of the frog’s tail : investigating the time course of conceptual knowledge activation

Slot-filling theories of conceptual combination assume that both constituent concepts are activated before they are combined. However, these theories have difficulty in explaining why combined phrase features are sometimes more available than the features of the constituent nouns. In this study, we investigate the time course of conceptual knowledge activation. Using three verification tasks of varying complexity we demonstrate that basic taxonomic knowledge is retrieved more quickly than modal specific conceptual features. Applying this finding to conceptual combination, we demonstrate that participants take longer to reject combinations requiring the activation of instance specific features (e.g. frog tail) than those that can be rejected based on more generalized taxonomic knowledge (e.g. daffodil tail). These findings provide convergent evidence that conceptual knowledge is activated dynamically and selectively rather than all at once. We discuss the implications for existing theories

Multimodal Constructions of Self: Autobiographical Comics and the Case of Joe Matt\u27s Peepshow

As we think about autobiography, it becomes necessary to broaden our ways of thinking about texts. In order to do so, we need to consider how creators of autobiographical comics use words and images to produce meanings at the intersection of multiple modal systems—meanings unavailable in either pictures or words alone. Working through the theoretical and practical connections between multimodality and theories of autobiography, this article explores the ways in which questions of autobiography are addressed in the comics form through an examination of Joe Matt\u27s Peepshow, an autobiographical comic that has been published at varying intervals since 1992

The Search for Invertebrate Consciousness

There is no agreement on whether any invertebrates are conscious and no agreement on a methodology that could settle the issue. How can the debate move forward? I distinguish three broad types of approach: theory-heavy, theory-neutral and theory-light. Theory-heavy and theory-neutral approaches face serious problems, motivating a middle path: the theory-light approach. At the core of the theory-light approach is a minimal commitment about the relation between phenomenal consciousness and cognition that is compatible with many specific theories of consciousness: the hypothesis that phenomenally conscious perception of a stimulus facilitates, relative to unconscious perception, a cluster of cognitive abilities in relation to that stimulus. This “facilitation hypothesis” can productively guide inquiry into invertebrate consciousness. What is needed? At this stage, not more theory, and not more undirected data gathering. What is needed is a systematic search for consciousness-linked cognitive abilities, their relationships to each other, and their sensitivity to masking

Configurational entropy in f(R,T)f(R,T) brane models

In this work we investigate generalized theories of gravity in the so-called configurational entropy (CE) context. We show, by means of this information-theoretical measure, that a stricter bound on the parameter of $f(R,T)$ brane models arises from the CE. We find that these bounds are characterized by a valley region in the CE profile, where the entropy is minimal. We argue that the CE measure can open a new role and an important additional approach to select parameters in modified theories of gravitation

Integrated mechanics for the passive damping of polymer-matrix composites and composite structures

Some recent developments on integrated damping mechanics for unidirectional composites, laminates, and composite structures are reviewed. Simplified damping micromechanics relate the damping of on-axis and off-axis composites to constituent properties, fiber volume ratio, fiber orientation, temperature, and moisture. Laminate and structural damping mechanics for thin composites are summarized. Discrete layer damping mechanics for thick laminates, including the effects of interlaminar shear damping, are developed and semianalytical predictions of modal damping in thick simply supported specialty composite plates are presented. Applications show the advantages of the unified mechanics, and illustrate the effect of fiber volume ratio, fiber orientation, structural geometry, and temperature on the damping. Additional damping properties for composite plates of various laminations, aspect ratios, fiber content, and temperature illustrate the merits and ranges of applicability of each theory (thin or thick laminates)

New Horizons for a Theory of Epistemic Modals

ABSTRACTRecent debate over the semantics and pragmatics of epistemic modals has focused on intuitions about cross-contextual truth-value assessments. In this paper, we advocate a different approach to evaluating theories of epistemic modals. Our strategy focuses on judgments of the incompatibility of two different epistemic possibility claims, or two different truth value assessments of a single epistemic possibility claim. We subject the predictions of existing theories to empirical scrutiny, and argue that existing contextualist and relativist theories are unable to account for the full pattern of observed judgments. As a way of illustrating the theoretical upshot of these results, we conclude by developing a novel theory of epistemic modals that is able to predict the results

The Mechanics of Embodiment: A Dialogue on Embodiment and Computational Modeling

Embodied theories are increasingly challenging traditional views of cognition by arguing that conceptual representations that constitute our knowledge are grounded in sensory and motor experiences, and processed at this sensorimotor level, rather than being represented and processed abstractly in an amodal conceptual system. Given the established empirical foundation, and the relatively underspecified theories to date, many researchers are extremely interested in embodied cognition but are clamouring for more mechanistic implementations. What is needed at this stage is a push toward explicit computational models that implement sensory-motor grounding as intrinsic to cognitive processes. In this article, six authors from varying backgrounds and approaches address issues concerning the construction of embodied computational models, and illustrate what they view as the critical current and next steps toward mechanistic theories of embodiment. The first part has the form of a dialogue between two fictional characters: Ernest, the �experimenter�, and Mary, the �computational modeller�. The dialogue consists of an interactive sequence of questions, requests for clarification, challenges, and (tentative) answers, and touches the most important aspects of grounded theories that should inform computational modeling and, conversely, the impact that computational modeling could have on embodied theories. The second part of the article discusses the most important open challenges for embodied computational modelling