Alienation after Derrida: an investigation into the concept of alienation in the light of Derrida’s deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence

This investigation rearticulates the Hegelian-Marxist theory of alienation in the light of Derrida's deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence. It aims to demonstrate in what way Derridian deconstruction can itself be said to be a critique of alienation. In so doing, it argues that the acceptance of Derrida's deconstructive concepts does not necessarily entail the acceptance of his interpretations of Hegel and Marx. Derrida is shown to be a representative of a tendency in contemporary thought that is thought to have long since discredited the concept of alienation. He determines the characteristics of alienation as constitutive and those of de-alienation as involving the metaphysical myth of the plenitude and identity of presence and 'the proper'. The guiding question of the investigation is whether the notion of de-alienation necessarily depends on such 'metaphysical' conceptions. It is argued in the first chapter that notions of de-alienation to be found in German Idealism and its derivatives largely involve a concept of 'determinability' that is closer to Derrida's deconstructive concept of differance than to presence. There then follows a detailed discussion of Hegel's conceptions of alienation and de-alienation, where it is argued, in contrast to Derrida' s interpretation, that the latter is not the return of the logos to itself in its full presence, but is rather the actuality of infinity whereby the exclusionary identity of present determinacy transcends itself. The following chapter on Marx argues that Marxian de-alienation does not involve, as Derrida claims, the 'exorcism' of the 'spectrality' of the commodity form through the establishment of the fullness of presence, but rather involves the reabsorption of humanity's generic determinability into the life of the individual. The last two chapters involve a reassessment of the implications of Heideggerian and post-Heideggerian (Derridian) deconstruction with regard to its relationship to alienation. It is argued that Heidegger's deconstruction of metaphysics, despite claiming to be antithetical to the German Idealist tradition, is actually a critique of ontological alienation. It is then argued that Derrida's deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence is itself a critique of alienation, in that presence is itself the givenness of an objectified phenomenality. The investigation involves both the claim that the conceptions of de-alienation to be found in, among others, the works of Hegel, Marx, and Heidegger involve manifestations of differance rather than presence and the claim that the deconstruction of presence opens up the conceptual possibility of a genuine de-alienation

Socialism: Utilitarian and deontic

This article argues that those who advocate the capitalist market system on the basis of the ‘invisiblehand’ or ‘spontaneous order’ belong to a tradition in political philosophy which attempts to find waysto get the most out of a flawed human nature, whereas socialists tend to belong to the opposingtradition which maintains faith in human improvement. The former tradition involves a kind ofconsequentialism in which goodness can be achieved irrespective of people’s intentions, whereas thelatter tradition, with its emphasis on conscious decision making and the ‘good will’, includes Kantiandeontology. Both utilitarian and deontological arguments for socialism are discussed, but it is arguedthat the emphases on human dignity and on deliberate planned action make socialist arguments sitmore comfortably with deontology. This is most clearly the case when socialist thinkers transformKantian monological universality into dialogical and communicative mutuality.Argumenta-se neste artigo que aqueles que defendem um sistema de mercado capitalista tendo porbase a “mão invisível” ou a “ordem espontânea” pertencem a uma tradição da filosofia política queprocura resgatar o máximo possível de uma natureza humana defeituosa, ao passo que os socialistastendem a pertencer a uma tradição oposta que assenta numa fé no progresso humano. A primeira dastradições pressupõe uma espécie de consequencialismo no qual a bondade pode ser obtidaindependentemente das intenções das pessoas, ao passo que a segunda, dada a sua ênfase na tomadaconsciente de decisões e na “vontade boa” esteia-se numa deontologia Kantiana. Discutem-se aquitanto argumentos de tipo utilitário como deontológico a favor do socialismo, mas sugere-se que aênfase na dignidade humana e em acções deliberadas e planeadas tornam os argumentos socialistasmais consentâneos com uma abordagem deontológica. Isto é sobretudo evidente quando os pensadoressocialistas transformam a universalidade monológica Kantiana numa mutualidade dialógica ecomunicativa

Letter to the Editors

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Communicating optimization results

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-79).With global supply chains becoming increasingly complex, leading companies are embracing optimization software tools to help them structure and coordinate their supply chains. With an array of choices available, many organizations opt for one of the numerous off-the-shelf products. Others choose instead to create their own bespoke optimization tools. While this custom approach affords greater versatility than a commercially available product, it also presents significant challenges to both the creators and users of the tool in terms of complexity. It can often be time-consuming and difficult for the users of the tool to understand and verify the results that are generated. If a decision-maker has difficulty understanding or trusting the output of a model, then the value of the tool is seriously diminished. This paper examines the challenges between the creators, or operational research engineers, and the end-users when deploying and executing complex optimization software in supply chain management. We examine the field of optimization modeling, communication methods involved, and relevant data visualization techniques. Then, we survey a group of users from our sponsoring company to gain insight to their experience using their tool. The general responses and associated crosstab analysis reveals that training and visualization are areas that have potential to improve the user's understanding of the tool, which in turn would lead to better communication between the end-users and the experts who build and maintain the tool. Finally, we present a section on current, cutting edge visualization techniques that can be adapted to influence the way a user visualizes the optimization results.by Drake Bailey and Daniel Skempton.M.Eng.in Logistic

Key aspects in the analysis and design of Hyperloop(TM) infrastructure under static, dynamic and thermal loads

[EN] Hyperloop is an avant-garde idea for high-speed transportation of passengers and freight in a \emph{pod} or capsule-like vehicle travelling through an hermetically sealed tube with reduced internal pressure. Its maximum envisaged speed is around \SI{1200}{\kmh}, which would be directly comparable to airplane travel and much faster than road and railway transportation. Because the unconventional, ad-hoc civil infrastructure required for Hyperloop is still under a conceptual design phase, one of the most important steps to undertake at this stage is to develop analytical models and tools to simulate the mechanical behaviour, so that any potential issue can be anticipated. This article is a novel comprehensive study of the relevant phenomena that influence the design of Hyperloop infrastructure from the structural engineering viewpoint. The aim is to obtain, for the first time, representative values of the main internal forces and stresses leading to a preliminary design of the vacuum tube and, simultaneously, to provide relevant insight into the main phenomena involved. Depending on the longitudinal restrictions implemented at the piers, two basic configurations based on steel tubes are proposed. The strength and stability of the tube have been analysed thoroughly by taking into account the self and dead weight, internal low pressure, wind, thermal and traversing vehicle dynamic effects. Fatigue has also been assessed at potential critical locations. The relevance of each external action has been suitably highlighted, with particular emphasis on the predominant thermal and buckling effects. Estimates of the required tube thickness are provided, and resonance phenomena at some particular speeds are pointed out. Since the Hyperloop concept comprises both vehicle design and structure standardization that strongly relate to each other, their definition must be advanced in parallel. This work represents a starting point for future detailed studies, as the HL technology evolves through subsequent stages when relevant details of vehicle design will be available.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana, through grant AICO/2019/025 for the project "Analisis Dinamico aplicado al Diseno de Viaductos para Hyperloop: Vibraciones de Flexion, Torsion y Limites Normativos", within research funding program AICO2019: Subvenciones para grupos de investigacion consolidables.Museros Romero, P.; Lazaro, C.; Pinazo, B.; Monleón Cremades, S. (2021). Key aspects in the analysis and design of Hyperloop(TM) infrastructure under static, dynamic and thermal loads. Engineering Structures. 239:1-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.112177S12023

DEM examination of SPT correction factors

The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is the most widely used method for dynamic testing of soils. The test is simple and robust but difficult to control and not fully standardized. As a result, experimental results typically show large variations and poor repeatability. To mitigate that correction factors such as energy normalization and rod length have been introduced in SPT practice. This study provides an examination of the two correction factors using models based on the discrete element method (DEM)

Stress dependent thermal pressurization of a fluid-saturated rock

Temperature increase in saturated porous materials under undrained conditions leads to thermal pressurization of the pore fluid due to the discrepancy between the thermal expansion coefficients of the pore fluid and of the solid matrix. This increase in the pore fluid pressure induces a reduction of the effective mean stress and can lead to shear failure or hydraulic fracturing. The equations governing the phenomenon of thermal pressurization are presented and this phenomenon is studied experimentally for a saturated granular rock in an undrained heating test under constant isotropic stress. Careful analysis of the effect of mechanical and thermal deformation of the drainage and pressure measurement system is performed and a correction of the measured pore pressure is introduced. The test results are modelled using a non-linear thermo-poro-elastic constitutive model of the granular rock with emphasis on the stress-dependent character of the rock compressibility. The effects of stress and temperature on thermal pressurization observed in the tests are correctly reproduced by the model