What Frege asked Alex the Parrot: Inferentialism, Number Concepts, and Animal Cognition

While there has been significant philosophical debate on whether nonlinguistic animals can possess conceptual capabilities, less time has been devoted to considering 'talking' animals, such as parrots. When they are discussed, their capabilities are often downplayed as mere mimicry. The most explicit philosophical example of this can be seen in Brandom's frequent comparisons of parrots and thermostats. Brandom argues that because parrots (like thermostats) cannot grasp the implicit inferential connections between concepts, their vocal articulations do not actually have any conceptual content. In contrast, I argue that Pepperberg's work with Alex (and other African grey parrots) provides evidence that the vocal articulations of at least some parrots have conceptual content. Using Frege's insight that numbers assert something about a concept, I argue that Alex's ability to answer the question "How many?" depended upon a prior grasp of conceptual content. Developing this claim, I argue that Alex's arithmetical abilities show that he was capable of using numbers as both concepts and objects. Frege's theoretical insight and Pepperberg's empirical work provide reason to reconsider the capabilities of parrots, as well as what sorts of tasks provide evidence for conceptual content

Skeptical Symmetry: A Wittgensteinian Approach to Scientific Reasoning

Many philosophers have wrongly assumed that there is an asymmetry between the problem of induction and the logocentric predicament (the justification of deductive inferences). This paper will show that the demand for justification, for the very inferences that are required for justification, is deeply problematic. Using a Wittgensteinian approach, I will argue that justification has an internal relation with deductive and inductive inferences. For Wittgenstein, two concepts are internally related if my understanding of one is predicated on my understanding of the other. Separating the two concepts so that one can be applied to the other is then a misunderstanding of role that these concepts play

Where do the poor live in cities? Revisiting the role of public transportation on income sorting in US urban areas

Glaeser et al. (2008) argue that the relative distribution of poor and rich households (HHs) in American cities is strongly explained by the spatial location of the cities\u27 public transportation (PT) networks. Among their claims: 1) The broad distribution of poor and rich HHs in the typical American city is consistent with a basic monocentric city model that includes commute technology speeds; 2) Poor commuters will overwhelmingly transition from commuting by PT to car if they experience a substantial increase in their HH’s income; 3) areas in American cities that receive new PT infrastructure become poorer over time. Using 2017 data I find empirical evidence that partially or wholly contradicts these three claims. First, as of 2017, the observed concentration of poor HHs in the inner city and rich HHs in the suburbs of the US’ smaller cities cannot be explained by monocentric model that includes commute speeds. Second, as of 2017, significant increases in poor HHs’ incomes were not expected to lead to a massive shift towards car commuting in these HHs; most of these poor workers commute by car already. Third, using data from four cities that expanded their light-rail and rapid-bus network in the early 2000s, I find that neighborhoods surrounding new light-rail or rapid-bus stations either saw little change in their income patterns or became slightly richer after station opening. In conclusion, as of 2017, the spatial distribution of HH incomes within American urban areas is not as intricately linked to the location of PT networks as Glaeser et al. (2008) would have us believe. As an addendum to the analysis I add some thoughts on how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect commuting behavior and income distributions within urban areas over the next decade

Structure’s Impact on Homiletic Rhetoric: A Case Study of Melissa Scott’s Preaching

Though the connection between the study of rhetorical processes and the practice of expository preaching is obvious, academic cooperation between the two fields is lacking. This case study presents an example of the harmony achievable between the disciplines through the production of constructive criticism, a process known to communication scholars as rhetorical analysis, for a sample of sermons given by Pastor Melissa Scott in recent years. Scott, whose preaching style is uniquely centered on translation-based exposition, represents the modern pastor whose skill and technique might be improved upon with the implementation of recent and emerging communication theory. Specifically, this study demonstrates the ability of four theories known and taught by communication scholars to dissect the structure of an argument and detect its strengths and weaknesses. After analyzing the sample with the structural concepts behind the Toulmin Model, Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, transformative explanation, and metanarration, the research becomes capable of identifying and correcting the common mistakes in Scott’s sermons. The most prominent examples of these corrections included providing one’s audience with a visualization of successful implementation of one’s ideas and, when addressing a paradigm shift, acknowledging the merit of the popular opinion before demonstrating its inadequacy as thoroughly as possible. As a result, this study serves as a display of the usefulness of communication theory to those who preach, in hope that it will spur further interest in its dissemination to today’s pastoral rhetors

Investigation and Repair of a Leaking Earthfill Dam

This paper presents a description of the investigation performed on two leaking earthfill dams and the remedial measures undertaken to repair the dams. The dams are located at a large nursery operation that collects and stores excess irrigation water and storm water in five large on-site reservoirs. The both dams were built in 2001 and 2002 to increase the nursery’s storage capacity by 40 percent. In June 2004 water was found leaking into the outlet pipe in one of the dams through the joints and around the outside of the outlet pipe at the toe of the dam. Geosyntec was contacted to perform an investigation to find the cause of the leak and to identify potential repair options. During the initial observation, evidence of significant piping was discovered that indicated the dam may be unserviceable in its present condition. The outlet pipe was, therefore, excavated and removed. During repairs to the first dam the second dam began leaking as well. Subsequently this dam was also excavated and repaired. This paper will present the results of the investigations performed prior to and during excavation, and a discussion of the repair measures undertaken after the forensic investigation was completed

An introduction to the life and a cappella music of Sven-David Sandström and a conductor\u27s prepatory guide to Etyd nr 4, som i e-moll and Laudamus Te

The choral literature of Sven-David Sandström has become standard literature for many choirs in Scandanavia, but has been given very little attention in English publications. His neo-romantic style uses dense harmonies and madrigalisms to portray the texts while remaining faithful to traditional formal structures. The purpose of this monograph is to offer comprehensive insight into some of his music. This document focuses on the development of music in the life of Sven-David Sandström with particular attention given to his compositions, Etyd nr 4, som i e-moll and Laudamus Te. In chapter one, Sven-David Sandström’s influences, philosophies, and compositional styles are discussed through his music. Etyd nr 4, som i e-moll and Laudamus Te are analyzed structurally and stylistically in chapters two and three, respectively. Chapter four summarizes stylistic tendencies found in the analyzed pieces. A complete list of Sandström’s a cappella choral works to date and a pronunciation guide for Etyd nr 4, som i e-moll is also provided

Memory, Narrative, and Identity Shifts in Modern Ireland

Collective memory is defined as any shared memory held by two or more members of a given social group. This type of memory has been studied intensely since Maurice Halbwachs’ introduction of the idea at the beginning of the 20th century. Until recently, cognitive scientists have not participated in the conversation on collective memory; however, one group of researchers recently introduced a model that compares individual and collective memory consolidation as analogous processes on different levels (Anastasio et al, 2012). This paper uses Anastasio’s model to explore the process of collective memory consolidation in contemporary Ireland (especially 1950-present), a nation that has experienced an enormous amount of cultural change in the past several decades. Over a period of two months (May-July 2015), 46 interviews were collected in various locations throughout Ireland. Focusing on important elements such as The Troubles, Catholic sexual abuse scandals, and the Celtic Tiger period of the Irish economy, qualitative data analysis shows strong evidence for the capacity of consolidated collective memory to be updated, fractured, and changed based on significant events, much like long-term individual memory. Due to the small scale of this study, the results should not be seen as exhaustive, but the beginning of a conversation on collective memory change in Ireland

Implementation and evaluation of a software defined radio based radiometer

This thesis explores using a software defined radio (SDR) to create a SDR-based radiometer that is capable of performing the same operation as a traditional radiometer and offers additional capabilities not found in traditional radiometers. Traditional radiometer requires careful design to ensure correct operation, by digitizing the RF signal as soon as possible and processing this signal in software, the hardware design of the radiometer can be simplified. Digital radiometers have been explored before, but often use customized components. Software defined radio technology has become more widespread, and affordable Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) SDRs are now available with high performance. This thesis leverages a COTS SDR technology to implement and evaluate a SDR-based radiometer. This will lower the cost of the radiometer and help make radiometers more accessible to a wider audience. The mapping of the functionality of a traditional radiometer to our proposed SDR-based radiometer is examined. Then an experimental evaluation of the performance between a traditional and SDR-based radiometer is conducted. Additionally this thesis explores how the implemented SDR-based radiometer can help mitigate radio frequency interference