The Need for Empirically-Led Synthetic Philosophy

The problem of unifying knowledge represents the frontier between science and philosophy. Science approaches the problem analytically bottom-up whereas, prior to the end of the nineteenth century, philosophy approached the problem synthetically top-down. In the late nineteenth century, the approach of speculative metaphysics was rejected outright by science. Unfortunately, in the rush for science to break with speculative metaphysics, synthetic or top-down philosophy as a whole was rejected. This meant not only the rejection of speculative metaphysics, but also the implicit rejection of empirically-led synthetic philosophy and the philosophy of nature. Since a change in the paradigm of science requires a change in the philosophy of nature underpinning science, the rejection of the philosophy of nature closes science to the possibility of a paradigm change. Given the foundational problems faced by science, there is a need for empirically-led synthetic philosophy in order to discover a new empirically-based philosophy of nature. Such a philosophy of nature may open science to the possibility of a paradigm change

The Universal Arrow of Time

The Arrow of Time is an empirical feature of nature – time has a direction from the past to the future. However, the laws of Quantitative Science do not generally include the Arrow of Time. It is shown that this is because the Arrow of Time is a qualitative feature of nature that cannot be captured by Quantitative Science. To capture the Arrow of Time, a Qualitative Paradigm of Science is introduced that is a generalisation of the Mathematical Philosophy of Nature underpinning Quantitative Science. Within this paradigm, the Arrow of Time is captured in a new universal Law of Nature – the Universal Arrow of Time. Since Quantitative Science cannot capture the Arrow of Time, the special sciences cannot in general be reduced to Quantitative Science

The Universal Arrow of Time

The Arrow of Time is an empirical feature of nature – time has a direction from the past to the future. However, the laws of Quantitative Science do not generally include the Arrow of Time. It is shown that this is because the Arrow of Time is a qualitative feature of nature that cannot be captured by Quantitative Science. To capture the Arrow of Time, a Qualitative Paradigm of Science is introduced that is a generalisation of the Mathematical Philosophy of Nature underpinning Quantitative Science. Within this paradigm, the Arrow of Time is captured in a new universal Law of Nature – the Universal Arrow of Time. Since Quantitative Science cannot capture the Arrow of Time, the special sciences cannot in general be reduced to Quantitative Science

Evaluation of GHA’s youth diversionary programme

To assist with funding decisions in this area and to build an evidence base, GHA commissioned an evaluation of a selection of its youth diversionary programmes in 2007

Qualitative analysis of psychosocial impact of diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis: implications for screening

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the psychosocial impact for women of a diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis and discuss the implications for the proposed UK chlamydia screening programme. DESIGN: Qualitative study with semistructured interviews. Interview transcripts analysed to identify recurrent themes. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen women with a current or recent diagnosis of chlamydia. SETTING: A family planning clinic and a genitourinary medicine clinic in Glasgow. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: perceptions of stigma associated with sexually transmitted infection, uncertainty about reproductive health after diagnosis, and anxieties regarding partner's reaction to diagnosis. Most women had not previously perceived sexually transmitted infections as personally relevant; this was a function of stereotypical beliefs about who was "at risk" of sexually transmitted infection. These beliefs were pervasive and negatively affected reactions to diagnosis and produced anxiety about disclosure of the condition to others (particularly sexual partners) and future reproductive morbidity. This anxiety, given the uncertain natural history of chlamydia, may prove difficult to dispel. CONCLUSIONS: There are three primary areas of concern for women after a diagnosis of chlamydia which need to be examined in the proposed screening programme. Information provided should normalise and destigmatise chlamydial infection and positively promote genitourinary medicine services. Support services should be available because notification of partner can cause anxiety. Uncertainty about future reproductive morbidity may be inevitable; staff providing screening will require guidance in providing advice under such conditions

The Need for Empirically-Led Synthetic Philosophy

The problem of unifying knowledge represents the frontier between science and philosophy. Science approaches the problem analytically bottom-up whereas, prior to the end of the nineteenth century, philosophy approached the problem synthetically top-down. In the late nineteenth century, the approach of speculative metaphysics was rejected outright by science. Unfortunately, in the rush for science to break with speculative metaphysics, synthetic or top-down philosophy as a whole was rejected. This meant not only the rejection of speculative metaphysics, but also the implicit rejection of empirically-led synthetic philosophy and the philosophy of nature. Since a change in the paradigm of science requires a change in the philosophy of nature underpinning science, the rejection of the philosophy of nature closes science to the possibility of a paradigm change. Given the foundational problems faced by science, there is a need for empirically-led synthetic philosophy in order to discover a new empirically-based philosophy of nature. Such a philosophy of nature may open science to the possibility of a paradigm change

Equipping teachers with tools to assess and teach general capabilities

There is wide recognition that students need to be equipped with appropriate social and cognitive skills demanded by society and the workforce. The unresolved question is how to do this. Many education systems globally are addressing this demand by including skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity into curriculum documents or supplementary materials. However, there is little research to guide educators in teaching such skills at school level. The need to develop practical solutions for assessing and teaching social and cognitive skills, broadly classified under the umbrella ‘21st-century skills’ or ‘general capabilities’, is ever increasing. An integrated approach to teaching and assessing the skills across domain areas is necessary for sustainability. Traditional methods of assessment are not sufficient to capture the complexity of how general capabilities are applied in real-world settings, and innovative methods need to be sought and validated. Teachers require professional development, resources and tools to be effective. This presentation outlines a study undertaken by the Centre for Assessment Reform and Innovation (CARI) at ACER to develop an assessment framework and a set of proof-of-concept tasks for measuring and monitoring the skills in the classroom. Through a combination of curriculum-focused assessment tools, learning progressions, and professional development, the agenda is to equip teachers to integrate teaching and assessing of general capabilities into their classroom. The assessment tools involve complex problem-solving tasks in which students need to demonstrate collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, information literacy, and communication skills. Learning progressions have been proposed for each of the skills to support identification of levels of proficiency and monitoring of student growth. This paper presents the work of the project so far and outlines plans for validation of the assessment framework, tools and learning progressions

The use made of books of travel and exploration by English poets, 1729-1790

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. James Thomson and the travel writers - his imitators in poems about the best Indies - motives for travel during the eighteenth century - the manifold relations between poets and travel- writers - the theory of travel in prose and verse. • • CHAPTER TWO. TRAVELLING IN EUROPE. A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen it is expected a man should see. The grand object of travelling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean. • • CHAPTER THREE. GREAT BRITAIN. • • CHAPTER FOUR. PRIMITIVE POETRY AND THE TRAVEL BOOKS