Cognitive Architecture, Concepts, and Introspection: An Information-Theoretic Solution to the Problem of Phenomenal Consciousness

This essay is a sustained attempt to bring new light to some of the perennial problems in philosophy of mind surrounding phenomenal consciousness and introspection through developing an account of sensory and phenomenal concepts. Building on the information-theoretic framework of Dretske (1981), we present an informational psychosemantics as it applies to what we call sensory concepts, concepts that apply, roughly, to so-called secondary qualities of objects. We show that these concepts have a special informational character and semantic structure that closely tie them to the brain states realizing conscious qualitative experiences. We then develop an account of introspection which exploits this special nature of sensory concepts. The result is a new class of concepts, which, following recent terminology, we call phenomenal concepts: these concepts refer to phenomenal experience itself and are the vehicles used in introspection. On our account, the connection between sensory and phenomenal concepts is very tight: it consists in different semantic uses of the same cognitive structures underlying the sensory concepts, such as the concept of red. Contrary to widespread opinion, we show that information theory contains all the resources to satisfy internalist intuitions about phenomenal consciousness, while not offending externalist ones. A consequence of this account is that it explains and predicts the so-called conceivability arguments against physicalism on the basis of the special nature of sensory and phenomenal concepts. Thus we not only show why physicalism is not threatened by such arguments, but also demonstrate its strength in virtue of its ability to predict and explain away such arguments in a principled way. However, we take the main contribution of this work to be what it provides in addition to a response to those conceivability arguments, namely, a substantive account of the interface between sensory and conceptual systems and the mechanisms of introspection as based on the special nature of the information flow between them

An analysis of the sources of competition disipline in the European Union and in Albania

Abstract Competition discipline in the European Union is a substantial component of the EU's institutional framework. The Lisbon Treaty made the "internal market" a shared competence, while necessary competition rules for the internal market are an exclusive competence of the Union. This paper aims to analyse the sources of the competition discipline in the EU and in Albania focusing more on constitutional sources. From this analyses will emerge that sources of competition discipline are numerous and each of them plays an important role in the development of the competition policy. But arises the question if these sources are all equally important or not? This paper will focus also n the importance of each source in both levels: European Union and Albanian discipline of competition

Global security challenges and their impact on the Security Strategy of Kosova

Abstract Security is a fundamental prerequisite for the existence and development of humans and their society. Its scientific research and understanding is focused both on the State as a single entity, and on the international politics, as a System of States. At the current level of social development, security policy is implemented through various security systems, which analyze the possibilities and degrees of organization to perform security function in contemporary society. It is part of the Comprehensive State Policy as a whole, and implemented through a host of National Security Goals. This means that, in order to formulate and develop a security concept, any state, must take under consideration both internal and external factors, both traditional and non-traditional factors

El Manifiesto de Benidorm: Declaración de AEORMA sobre el medio ambiente

Los barrios son casi siempre unas zonas mal dotadas donde con frecuencia el aire es irrespirable. Miles de personas tienen que recorrer kilómetros para encontrar un parque. Soportamos toda clase de ruidos. El paisaje de nuestras costas ha sido destruido por las urbanizaciones turísticas. La parcelación viene arrojando al público de espacios naturales que frecuentaba desde varias generaciones. La población rural se ve obligada a optar entre vivir mal en la periferia de las ciudades o vivir mal en un campo marginado. La publicidad perturba el disfrute del paisaje y altera el reposo. Zonas de regadío son destruidas para instalar industrias que tendrían mayor eficacia social en otros emplazamientos. Se usan incontroladamente insecticidas y pesticidas... Falta agua.Las Rías Gallegas, el Coto de Doñana, Erandio, la Dehesa del Saler, Avilés, la Sierra de Guadarrama, etc. son hoy nombres dolorosos para las distintas poblaciones que han visto agredidas sus condiciones de vida o han sido expoliadas en su patrimonio natural. Tarragona ve en este momento, concitadas sobre su espacio, centrales nucleares, industrias contaminantes y obras públicas muy discutibles, en una especie de museo de los horrores del medio ambiente.No parece que esto vaya a detenerse

Oyler - A film of an Appalachian Neighborhood,raising from the ashes

This is a mixed presentation of film and panel.. The film OYLER, a documentary film by Amy Scott, produced in association with American Public Media\u27s Marketplace, tells the story of a dramatic turnaround in one of Cincinnati’s poorest neighborhoods. Before 2006, very few kids from Lower Price Hill finished high school, much less went to college. The neighborhood is Urban Appalachian—an insular community with roots in the coal mining towns of Kentucky and West Virginia. The Panel following the film will be comprised of some possible participants: residents of Lower Price Hill, former and present Principal of Oyler, and a student highlighted in the film, and workers in the neighborhood. and Amy Scott, producer of film

Regional climate change mitigation with crops: context and assessment

The intention of this review is to place crop albedo biogeoengineering in the wider picture of climate manipulation. Crop biogeoengineering is considered within the context of the long-term modification of the land surface for agriculture over several thousand years. Biogeoengineering is also critiqued in relation to other geoengineering schemes in terms of mitigation power and adherence to social principles for geoengineering. Although its impact is small and regional, crop biogeoengineering could be a useful and inexpensive component of an ensemble of geoengineering schemes to provide temperature mitigation. The method should not detrimentally affect food security and there may even be positive impacts on crop productivity, although more laboratory and field research is required in this area to understand the underlying mechanisms