266 research outputs found
Visual arguments in film
Nuestro objetivo es señalar algunas diferencias entre los argumentos verbales y visuales, y promover la perspectiva retĂłrica de la argumentaciĂłn, yendo más allá de la relevancia de la lĂłgica y de la pragmática. En nuestra opiniĂłn, si ha de ser racional y aceptable como argumentaciĂłn (visual), un film debe dirigirse a espectadores que tienen creencias informadas sobre el tema visto en la pantalla y sobre las limitaciones y las convenciones del medio. En nuestras reflexiones, aplicamos el análisis retĂłrico al cine como un acto simbĂłlico, humano y comunicativo que a veces puede entenderse como un argumento trazado visualmente. Como mezcla de estĂmulos visuales, auditivos y verbales, el film exige una interpretaciĂłn y una (re)construcciĂłn activas y complejas. Nuestra sugerencia es concentrarse en cinco elementos diferentes, pero relacionados entre sĂ. La reconstrucciĂłn y la evaluaciĂłn del argumento visual se basarán en esos elementos, y todo el proceso constituirá una argumentaciĂłn visual.Our aim is to point out some differences between verbal and visual
arguments, promoting the rhetorical perspective of argumentation beyond the relevance
of logic and pragmatics. In our view, if it is to be rational and successful,
film as (visual) argumentation must be addressed to spectators who hold informed
beliefs about the theme watched on the screen and the medium’s constraints and
conventions. In our reflections to follow, we apply rhetorical analysis to film as a
symbolic, human, and communicative act that may sometimes be understood as a
visually laid out argument. As a mixture of visual, auditory, and verbal stimuli, film
demands active and complex interpretation and (re)construction. Our suggestion is
to focus on five different but interrelated elements. The reconstruction and evaluation
of the visual argument will be based on those elements, and the whole process
will be one of visual argumentation
Observations of red-giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians carefully observe the properties and positions of
stars, including both overt and subtle changes in their brightness, for
subsistence and social application. These observations are encoded in oral
tradition. I examine two Aboriginal oral traditions from South Australia that
describe the periodic changing brightness in three pulsating, red-giant
variable stars: Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), and
Antares (Alpha Scorpii). The Australian Aboriginal accounts stand as the only
known descriptions of pulsating variable stars in any Indigenous oral tradition
in the world. Researchers examining these oral traditions over the last
century, including anthropologists and astronomers, missed the description of
these stars as being variable in nature as the ethnographic record contained
several misidentifications of stars and celestial objects. Arguably,
ethnographers working on Indigenous Knowledge Systems should have academic
training in both the natural and social sciences.Comment: The Australian Journal of Anthropology (2018
Fit for purpose? A cross-sectional study to evaluate the acceptability and usability of HeadUp, a novel neck support collar for neurological neck weakness
The HeadUp collar (previously known as the Sheffield Support Snood) provides support for neck weakness caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has shown to be superior to alternative options in a small cohort of patients from one single center. Here we report the assessment of the HeadUp collar in a larger cohort of patients, exploring the use in other neurological conditions and expanding to other centers across the UK and Ireland. An interventional cross-sectional study design was implemented to investigate the usability and acceptability of the HeadUp collar. A total of 139 patients were recruited for the study, 117 patients had a diagnosis of ALS and 22 patients presented with neck weakness due to other neurological conditions. Participants were assessed at baseline, fitted a HeadUp collar and followed-up one month later. The performance of the HeadUp collar was rated favorably compared to previously worn collars in terms of the ability to eat, drink and swallow. Findings suggest that the collar also permitted a more acceptable range of head movements whilst maintaining a good level of support. We conclude that the HeadUp collar is a suitable option for patients with neck weakness due to ALS and other neurological conditions
Applying Recent Argumentation Methods to Some Ancient Examples of Plausible Reasoning
Plausible (eikotic) reasoning known from ancient Greek (late Academic) skeptical philosophy is shown to be a clear notion that can be analyzed by argu- mentation methods, and that is important for argumentation studies. It is shown how there is a continuous thread running from the Sophists to the skeptical philosopher Carneades, through remarks of Locke and Bentham on the subject, to recent research in artificial intelligence. Eleven characteristics of plausible reasoning are specified by analyzing key examples of it recognized as important in ancient Greek skeptical philosophy using an artificial intelligence model called the Carneades Argumentation System (CAS). By applying CAS to ancient examples it is shown how plausible reasoning is especially useful for gaining a better understanding of evidential reasoning in law, and argued that it can also be applied to everyday argumentation. Our analysis of the snake and rope example of Carneades is also used to point out some ways CAS needs to be extended if it is to more fully model the views of this ancient philosopher on argumentation
Australian Aboriginal Ethnometeorology and Seasonal Calendars
This paper uses a cultural anthropological approach to investigate an indigenous Australian perspective on atmospheric phenomena and seasons, using data gained from historical records and ethnographic fieldwork. Aboriginal people believe that the forces driving the weather are derived from Creation Ancestors and spirits, asserting that short term changes are produced through ritual. By recognizing signals such as wind direction, rainfall, temperature change, celestial movements, animal behaviour and the flowering of plants, Aboriginal people are able to divide the year into seasons. Indigenous calendars vary widely across Australia and reflect annual changes within Aboriginal lifestyles
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