53,980 research outputs found
On Many-Minds Interpretations of Quantum Theory
This paper is a response to some recent discussions of many-minds
interpretations in the philosophical literature. After an introduction to the
many-minds idea, the complexity of quantum states for macroscopic objects is
stressed. Then it is proposed that a characterization of the physical structure
of observers is a proper goal for physical theory. It is argued that an
observer cannot be defined merely by the instantaneous structure of a brain,
but that the history of the brain's functioning must also be taken into
account. Next the nature of probability in many-minds interpretations is
discussed and it is suggested that only discrete probability models are needed.
The paper concludes with brief comments on issues of actuality and identity
over time.Comment: 16 pages, plain TeX, no macros required. Revised following comments
November 199
Sovereignty and the American Courts at the Cocktail Party of International Law: The Dangers of Domestic Judicial Invocations of Foreign and International Law
Part I of this Article presents the background regarding the invocation of foreign and international law in federal courts. It discusses their use as precedential and supportive sources of authority and as the bases for legal liability. Part II discusses the fundamental infirmities and dangers related to the invocation of international and foreign law in U.S. jurisprudence. Further, this Part discusses the implications of such behavior on sovereignty, the rule of law, democratic values, constitutional adherence, foreign policy, and development. In conclusion, this Article finds that adherence or even reference to foreign and international authorities should be avoided if the foundational principles of the Republic are to be respected
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Budgetary and Distributional Effects of Adopting the Chained CPI
[Excerpt] This report examines the budgetary and distributional effects of using what is referred to as the Chained Consumer Price Index (C-CPI-U or chained CPI) as the official measure of inflation for adjusting federal revenue and spending programs for inflation.
This report begins by describing general issues with measuring inflation before looking at concerns with the traditional CPI and the chained CPI. The report then examines the budgetary and distributional effects of adopting the chained CPI before offering some concluding observation
Neural Unpredictability, the Interpretation of Quantum Theory, and the Mind-Body Problem
It has been suggested, on the one hand, that quantum states are just states
of knowledge; and, on the other, that quantum theory is merely a theory of
correlations. These suggestions are confronted with problems about the nature
of psycho-physical parallelism and about how we could define probabilities for
our individual future observations given our individual present and previous
observations. The complexity of the problems is underlined by arguments that
unpredictability in ordinary everyday neural functioning, ultimately stemming
from small-scale uncertainties in molecular motions, may overwhelm, by many
orders of magnitude, many conventionally recognized sources of observed
``quantum'' uncertainty. Some possible ways of avoiding the problems are
considered but found wanting. It is proposed that a complete understanding of
the relationship between subjective experience and its physical correlates
requires the introduction of mathematical definitions and indeed of new
physical laws.Comment: 27 pages, plain TeX, v2: missing reference inserted, related papers
from http://www.poco.phy.cam.ac.uk/~mjd101
Finitary and Infinitary Mathematics, the Possibility of Possibilities and the Definition of Probabilities
Some relations between physics and finitary and infinitary mathematics are
explored in the context of a many-minds interpretation of quantum theory. The
analogy between mathematical ``existence'' and physical ``existence'' is
considered from the point of view of philosophical idealism. Some of the ways
in which infinitary mathematics arises in modern mathematical physics are
discussed. Empirical science has led to the mathematics of quantum theory. This
in turn can be taken to suggest a picture of reality involving possible minds
and the physical laws which determine their probabilities. In this picture,
finitary and infinitary mathematics play separate roles. It is argued that
mind, language, and finitary mathematics have similar prerequisites, in that
each depends on the possibility of possibilities. The infinite, on the other
hand, can be described but never experienced, and yet it seems that sets of
possibilities and the physical laws which define their probabilities can be
described most simply in terms of infinitary mathematics.Comment: 21 pages, plain TeX, related papers from
http://www.poco.phy.cam.ac.uk/~mjd101
RUPA and Fiduciary Duty: The Texture of Relationship
The fiduciary duty rules in the Revised Uniform Partnership Act of 1994 (RUPA) are discussed. RUPA represents a major and sufficient move toward a contractarian statement of the law
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