The Challenge of Science to the Thinking Church

The author looks at the state of the contemporary relationship between science and theology and reminds all concerned that neither discipline ought to claim exclusivity as the way of knowing all about the world. He shows how those who take their Christian faith seriously and with integrity need to cultivate more flexibility in their understanding of doctrine and scripture, particularly those passages whose power has been shown to lie in the symbolic and the mythical, rather than the literal and the physical

Peacocke’s Principle-Based Account of Modality: “Flexibility of Origins” Plus S4

Due to the influence of Nathan Salmon’s views, endorsement of the “flexibility of origins” thesis is often thought to carry a commitment to the denial of S4. This paper rejects the existence of this commitment and examines how Peacocke’s theory of the modal may accommodate flexibility of origins without denying S4. One of the essential features of Peacocke’s account is the identification of the Principles of Possibility, which include the Modal Extension Principle (MEP), and a set of Constitutive Principles. Regarding their modal status, Peacocke argues for the necessity of MEP, but leaves open the possibility that some of the Constitutive Principles be only contingently true. Here, I show that the contingency of the Constitutive Principles is inconsistent with the recursivity of MEP, and this makes the account validate S4. It is also shown that, compatibly with the necessity of the Constitutive Principles, the account can still accommodate intuitions about flexibility of origins. However, the account we end up with once those intuitions are consistently accommodated may not be satisfactory, and this opens up the debate about whether or not artefacts allow for some variation in their origins

Next generation mechanically deployable aero-decelerators for Mars entry

Current Mars entry vehicle technology is near its payload mass delivery limit. Mechanically deployable aero-decelerators are a next generation technology that would enable the future exploration of Mars, including human landing. Various concepts and architectures have been proposed over the years, with widely-varying mass assessments and limited technology development. A novel 6 degree-of-freedom entry trajectory simulator coupled with a structural model of the deployable elements, or ribs, has been developed and correlated against industry tools and flight data to investigate and optimise the design of mechanically deployable aero-decelerators. A major assumption of the simulator – that heatshield gores remain flat under rib deformation – has been investigated by testing ambient 3D woven carbon fabric for use as the flexible thermal protection system material, proving that conditioning can significantly improve the stiffness properties of the fabric. The design optimisation has revealed that, although deployable rib flexibility is beneficial in reducing mass and volume of the deployed ribs, an increase in peak heat flux will result. However, if mass savings from flexible ribs can be reallocated towards increasing the diameter of the entry vehicle, significant entry trajectory benefits can be gained. A set of general design principles for mechanically deployable aero-decelerators has been developed based on the optimisation investigations, including the recommendations to include at least 10 ribs to minimise drag reduction, and to increase the initial rib angle if rib flexibility is allowed to improve deceleration. In addition, the entry vehicle roll rate appears to be influenced by the number of deployable ribs. This roll instability of faceted entry vehicles is of significant concern, so a novel supersonic wind tunnel test methodology was developed to further investigate this hypothesis. The first experimental results imply that pitch and yaw attitude and instabilities are necessary pre-requisites to initiate roll during entry, and that an 8 rib test article rotates at faster rates than the 12 rib test article. Finally, a new functional relationship for the angular acceleration of entry vehicles has been proposed that it is hoped will inspire further investigations in this area.Open Acces

YOUNG LEARNERS’ COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE MORAL EMPATHY USING MOTHER-TONGUE LANGUAGE VERSUS NON-NATIVE TONGUE LANGUAGE

This research examines children’s levels of cognitive and affective moral empathic responses in an education setting when using either their mother-tongue (MT) versus their non-native tongue (NNT). This between-subjects, mixed-methods design used a small exploratory sample. Quantitative data was generated through Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright’s Empathy Quotient questionnaire (2008) and qualitative data was generated from two audio-recorded class discussions with the same participants. While clearer research is emerging regarding adult’s diminished cognitive, affective, and somatic empathy levels when using their NNT, there has to date been no similar research with children in a learning context. The study is neither generalisable nor offers statistical significance, but nonetheless suggests that more research needs to be conducted in this area, including isolating variables such as gender and socio-economic status of children using MT versus NNT. Additionally, the implications for fostering empathic concern and empathic action in education systems through greater focus on children’s engagement with visual and performing arts and in reading literary fiction are briefly examined.  Article visualizations

The Modelling of Scattering in Corrugated Waveguides

No abstract available

The Modelling of Scattering in Corrugated Waveguides

No abstract available

The problem of natural divine causation and the benefits of partial causation : a response to Skogholt

In this article, I defend my previous argument that natural divine causation suffers under the problem of causal overdetermination and that it cannot serve as a line of demarcation between theistic evolution (TE) and intelligent design (ID). I do this in light of Christoffer Skogholt's critique of my article. I argue that Skogholt underestimates the naturalistic ambitions of some current thinkers in TE and fails, therefore, to adequately respond to my main argument. I also outline how partial causation better serves as a model for the relationship between God's providence and evolution.PostprintPeer reviewe