8,158 research outputs found
Category theory applied to a radically new but logically essential description of time and space
McTaggart's ideas on the unreality of time as expressed in "The Nature of Existence" have retained great interest for many years for scholars, academics and other philosophers. In this essay, there is a brief discussion which mentions some of the high points of this philosophical interest, and goes on to apply his ideas to modern physics and neuroscience. It does not discuss McTaggart's C and D series, but does emphasise how the use of derived versions of both his A and B series can be of great virtue in discussing both the abstract physics of time, and the present and future importance of McTaggart's ideas to the subject of time. Indeed an experiment using human volunteers and dynamic systems modelling which was carried out is described, which illustrates this fact. The Many Bubble Interpretation, which also derives from McTaggart's ideas, is discussed and various examples of its use and effectiveness are referred to. The Schrodinger Cat paradox is essentially resolved in principle, the quantum Zeno effect interpretable, Kwiat's recent result referred to, and the newly discovered reverse Stickgold effect described.\u
Experimental philosophy and the MBI\ud
Various facets of the MBI are discussed, and how it can be used in connection with experimental philosophy, experimental psychology and neuroscience. Brief historical references are given. The large implications of the MBI with regards to McTaggart's paradox and the resolution of the difficulties with quantum mechanics is mentioned. Later sections deal with the mereological fallacy, multiple universes, teletransportation, mind cloning and mind splitting. Dreamwork is chosen as a prime example of the use of the MBI and recent work by Tononi and Baars is referred to.\u
Does Visual Spatial Awareness Require the Visual Awareness of Space?
Many philosophers have held that it is not possible to experience a spatial object, property, or relation except against the background of an intact awareness of a space that is somehow âabsoluteâ. This paper challenges that claim, by analyzing in detail the case of a brain-damaged subject whose visual experiences seem to have violated this condition: spatial objects and properties were present in his visual experience, but space itself was not. I go on to suggest that phenomenological argumentation can give us a kind of evidence about the nature of the mind even if this evidence is not absolutely incorrigible
On the matching of seen and felt shape by newly sighted subjects
How do we recognize identities between seen shapes and felt ones? Is this due to associative learning, or to intrinsic connections these sensory modalities? We can address this question by testing the capacities of newly sighted subjects to match seen and felt shapes, but only if it is shown that the subjects can see the objects well enough to form adequate visual representations of their shapes. In light of this, a recent study by R. Held and colleagues fails to demonstrate that their newly sighted subjectsâ inability to match seen and felt shape was due to a lack of intermodal connections rather than a purely visual deficit, as they may not have been able visually to represent 3D shape in the perspective-invariant way required for intermodal matching. However, the study could be modified in any of several ways to help avoid this problem
Modern merthods and a controversial surname: Plant
In the past few years, DNA testing has begun to contribute to our understanding. It is currently emerging more clearly which surnames are multi-origin, originating with many different forefathers, and which descend from a single male ancestor.
As a case study, I shall describe the application of modern, multidisciplinary methods to the surname Plant, which has been ascribed a different meaning each time an authority has written about it. The recent emergence of a different view anout this name's origins has prompted a reassessment of its meaning
Surname studies with genetics
Genetic studies of surnames are briefly reviewed. In particular, such DNA studies can sometimes provide clues to a surname's meaning. A few surnames are being found to include unusually large single families, which are far more populous than computer simulations for monogamous families predict, suggesting that they might best be explained by their getting off to a fast start through polygyny or concubines: Brehon Law in Ireland and medieval Welsh Law were relatively accepting of polygyny. The Plant surname in the Welsh Marches largely comprises an abnormally large single family and this favours the Welsh meaning '[many] children', though various other meanings for this surname have been suggested. The surnames Meates, Meats, Mates, Mate and Myatt in north Staffordshire and Ireland belong to a single family and appear to have derived from the female forename Maiot
SUCCESSION PLANNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL SURVIVAL: EMPIRICAL STUDY ON NIGERIAN PRIVATE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
Organizational survival has been argued to be a primary goal or objective every organization
should have. This paper proposes a conceptual framework of succession planning consisting of six
variables (talent retention, turnover rate, career development, supervisorâ support, organizational
conflicts and nepotism) and to explain the relationship among these variables regarding survival of
organizations. The sample consists of three private tertiary institutions in Ogun-State, Southwest
Nigeria. The results indicate that Talent retention, organizational conflict and nepotism positive and
significantly correlated with organizational survival. On the other hand variables such as Turnover
Rate, Career Development and Supervisorâ Supervision) are insignificantly correlated with
organizational survival. The results are supposed to inform the leadership (management) team with
essential insight into the relationship among the study variables (independent and dependent)
The Application of the Hermeneutic Process to Qualitative Safety Data: A Case Study using Data from the CIRAS project
This article describes the new qualitative methodology developed for use in CIRAS (Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis System), the confidential database set up for the UK railways by the University of Strathclyde. CIRAS is a project in which qualitative safety data are disidentified and then stored and analysed in a central database. Due to the confidential nature of the data provided, conventional (positivist) methods of checking their accuracy are not applicable; therefore a new methodology was developed - the Applied Hermeneutic Methodology (AHM). Based on Paul Ricoeur's `hermeneutic arc', this methodology uses appropriate computer software to provide a method of analysis that can be shown to be reliable (in the sense that consensus in interpretations between different interpreters can be demonstrated). Moreover, given that the classifiers of the textual elements can be represented in numeric form, AHM crosses the `qualitative-quantitative divide'. It is suggested that this methodology is more rigorous and philosophically coherent than existing methodologies and that it has implications for all areas of the social sciences where qualitative texts are analysed
Information Processing Models: Benefits and Limitations
This paper looks at the three main information processing models from the point of view
of researchers in confidential human factors databases. It explores conceptual problems
with two of these information processing models, and goes on to explore possible
advantages of adopting a âconnectionistâ paradigm. Links between connectionism and
âsituated cognitionâ are demonstrated. Practical work carried out using a
connectionist/situated cognition model is described, and the way in which the
âsituatednessâ of discourse can influence the kind of data that can be collected is
discussed. Finally it is argued that more emphasis should be placed in ergonomics on
sociation, situatedness and embodiment, and that this might help to deal with problems
faced in creation and interrogating databases: especially as regards the creation of
coherent and reliable âcoding taxonomiesâ
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