Introduction

Jerry Fodor, by common agreement, is one of the world’s leading philosophers. At the forefront of the cognitive revolution since the 1960s, his work has determined much of the research agenda in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of psychology for well over 40 years. This special issue dedicated to his work is intended both as a tribute to Fodor and as a contribution to the fruitful debates that his work has generated. One philosophical thesis that has dominated Fodor’s work since the 1960s is realism about the mental. Are there really mental states, events and processes? From his first book, Psychological Explanation (1968), onwards, Fodor has always answered this question with a resolute yes. From his early rejection of Wittgensteinian and behaviourist conceptions of the mind, to his later disputes with philosophers of mind of the elminativist ilk, he has always been opposed to views that try to explain away mental phenomena. On his view, there are minds, and minds can change the world

On the Matter of Robot Minds

The view that phenomenally conscious robots are on the horizon often rests on a certain philosophical view about consciousness, one we call “nomological behaviorism.” The view entails that, as a matter of nomological necessity, if a robot had exactly the same patterns of dispositions to peripheral behavior as a phenomenally conscious being, then the robot would be phenomenally conscious; indeed it would have all and only the states of phenomenal consciousness that the phenomenally conscious being in question has. We experimentally investigate whether the folk think that certain (hypothetical) robots made of silicon and steel would have the same conscious states as certain familiar biological beings with the same patterns of dispositions to peripheral behavior as the robots. Our findings provide evidence that the folk largely reject the view that silicon-based robots would have the sensations that they, the folk, attribute to the biological beings in question

Development of a scanning system for use in the Terahertz region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

This thesis concerned the development of a scanner system for use in the Terahertz region of the Electromagnetic spectrum. The approach used by the prototype developed, utilises two tilting mirrors for the purposes of scanning a target under investigation. An object is scanned by tilting an incident beam of radiation to a point of interest on the target, on this basis an image can be formed on a point by point basis. The Thesis begins with an Introduction to THz radiation and its associated properties. The need for a Terahertz scanner and the potential applications in the biomedical, security and space research are outlined. The reader is then introduced to various approaches utilised by currently existing scanners and the approach used for the work carried out in this thesis outlined in detail. The techniques used for computationally modelling diffraction limited optical systems are discussed namely Fresnel Diffraction, Gaussian Beam Mode Analysis (GBMA) and Physical Optics. The effectiveness of these techniques are highlighted by using each method to model elementary optical systems. The techniques are then used to computationally model the optical system used for the prototype developed and results presented. The final section is concerned with the development of the prototype including background theory on components used, implementation of the components and verification of alignment procedure. The development of the computer controlled tilting mirror system and its integration with the prototype is also outlined. Finally the results of the operational scanning prototype are presented and discussed

Development of a scanning system for use in the Terahertz region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

This thesis concerned the development of a scanner system for use in the Terahertz region of the Electromagnetic spectrum. The approach used by the prototype developed, utilises two tilting mirrors for the purposes of scanning a target under investigation. An object is scanned by tilting an incident beam of radiation to a point of interest on the target, on this basis an image can be formed on a point by point basis. The Thesis begins with an Introduction to THz radiation and its associated properties. The need for a Terahertz scanner and the potential applications in the biomedical, security and space research are outlined. The reader is then introduced to various approaches utilised by currently existing scanners and the approach used for the work carried out in this thesis outlined in detail. The techniques used for computationally modelling diffraction limited optical systems are discussed namely Fresnel Diffraction, Gaussian Beam Mode Analysis (GBMA) and Physical Optics. The effectiveness of these techniques are highlighted by using each method to model elementary optical systems. The techniques are then used to computationally model the optical system used for the prototype developed and results presented. The final section is concerned with the development of the prototype including background theory on components used, implementation of the components and verification of alignment procedure. The development of the computer controlled tilting mirror system and its integration with the prototype is also outlined. Finally the results of the operational scanning prototype are presented and discussed

Table of Contents and Prologue

Editorial board, Table of contents, and Prologue, an introduction to volume

Report D7.1 Recommendations on Safety Initiatives

A central objective of EU Kids Online is to strengthen the evidence base for policies regarding online safety in Europe. Its findings regarding children’s online experiences from across Europe offer an unrivalled opportunity to gain greater knowledge of European children’s and parents’ experiences and practices regarding risky and safer use of the internet and online technologies, thereby informing the promotion of a safer online environment for children. This chapter draws out in summary form the main implications for policy making and highlights significant issues arising from the findings of the survey, aligning them with existing initiatives where relevant in the distinct areas of risk and safety addressed. Policy actors addressed include policy makers at the European level, the Safer Internet Programme itself; Safer Internet Centres in each of the countries; national governments who play an important role in regulatory oversight; schools as central providers of internet safety training and education; industry at both national and European level as service providers and developers of children’s online content; and finally, children, young people and their parents as not only the targets for awareness-raising but who also have active roles in promoting and supporting safer internet practices