scholarly journals Invariance as a basis for necessity and laws

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gila Sher
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Mathematical Realism ◽  
Biological Laws ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Invariant Properties ◽  
Apparent Conflict

AbstractMany philosophers are baffled by necessity. Humeans, in particular, are deeply disturbed by the idea of necessary laws of nature. In this paper I offer a systematic yet down to earth explanation of necessity and laws in terms of invariance. The type of invariance I employ for this purpose generalizes an invariance used in meta-logic. The main idea is that properties and relations in general have certain degrees of invariance, and some properties/relations have a stronger degree of invariance than others. The degrees of invariance of highly-invariant properties are associated with high degrees of necessity of laws governing/describing these properties, and this explains the necessity of such laws both in logic and in science. This non-mysterious explanation has rich ramifications for both fields, including the formality of logic and mathematics, the apparent conflict between the contingency of science and the necessity of its laws, the difference between logical-mathematical, physical, and biological laws/principles, the abstract character of laws, the applicability of logic and mathematics to science, scientific realism, and logical-mathematical realism.

scholarly journals A Metaphysics for Mathematical and Structural Realism

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-89
Author(s):  
Adam InTae Gerard
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Philosophy Of Mathematics ◽  
Structural Realism ◽  
Ontic Structural Realism ◽  
Mathematical Realism ◽  
Ante Rem Structuralism ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics And Science

The goal of this paper is to preserve realism in both ontology and truth for the philosophy of mathematics and science. It begins by arguing that scientific realism can only be attained given mathematical realism due to the indispensable nature of the latter to the prior. Ultimately, the paper argues for a position combining both Ontic Structural Realism and Ante Rem Structuralism, or what the author refers to as Strong Ontic Structural Realism, which has the potential to reconcile realism for both science and mathematics. The paper goes on to claims that this theory does not succumb to the same traditional epistemological problems, which have damaged the credibility of its predecessors.

The Difference Principle, Capitalism, and Property-Owning Democracy

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-172
Author(s):  
Andrew Lister
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Income Growth ◽  
Difference Principle ◽  
State Capitalism ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Jason Brennan and John Tomasi have argued that if we focus on income alone, the Difference Principle supports welfare-state capitalism over property-owning democracy, because capitalism maximizes long run income growth for the worst off. If so, the defense of property-owning democracy rests on the priority of equal opportunity for political influence and social advancement over raising the income of the worst off, or on integrating workplace control into the Difference Principle’s index of advantage. The thesis of this paper is that even based on income alone, the Difference Principle is not as hostile to property-owning democracy as it may seem, because the Difference Principle should not be interpreted to require maximizing long run income growth. The main idea is that it is unfair to make the present worst off accept inequality that doesn’t benefit them, for the sake of benefitting the future worst off, if the future worst off will be better off than they are anyway.

Hobbes's Political Philosophy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.P. Martinich
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Literal Meaning ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
New Science ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Apparent Conflict

Hobbes’s Political Philosophy: Interpretation and Interpretations extends a position first explained in The Two Gods of Leviathan (1992). Hobbes presented what he believed would be a science of politics, a set of timeless truths grounded in definitions. In chapters on the laws of nature, authorization and representation, sovereignty by acquisition, and others, the author explains this science of politics. In addition to the timeless science, Hobbes had two timebound projects: (1) to eliminate the apparent conflict between the new science of Copernicus and Galileo and traditional Christian doctrine, and (2) to show that Christianity, correctly understood, is not politically destabilizing. The strategy for accomplishing (1) was to distinguish science from religion and to understand Christianity as essentially belief in the literal meaning of the Bible. The strategy for accomplishing (2) was to appeal to biblical teachings such as “Servants, obey your masters,” and “All authority comes from God.” Criticisms of the author’s interpretations are the occasion for (a) fleshing out Hobbes’s historical context and (b) describing the nature of interpretation in dialogue with opposing interpretations by scholars such as Jeffrey Collins, Edwin Curley, John Deigh, and Quentin Skinner. Interpretation is updating one’s network of beliefs in order to re-establish an equilibrium upset by a text. Interpretations may be judged according to prima facie properties of good interpretations such as completeness, consistency, simplicity, generality, palpability, and defensibility.

Physics, Structure, and Reality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill North
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Physical Theory ◽  
Scientific Explanation ◽  
Classical Mechanics ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
Coordinate Systems ◽  
Spacetime Structure ◽  
The World ◽  
Background Assumption ◽  
And Mathematics

How do we figure out the nature of the world from a mathematically formulated physical theory? What do we infer about the world when a physical theory can be mathematically formulated in different ways? Physics, Structure, and Reality addresses these questions, questions that get to the heart of the project of interpreting physics—of figuring out what physics is telling us about the world. North argues that there is a certain notion of structure, implicit in physics and mathematics, that we should pay careful attention to, and that doing so sheds light on these questions concerning what physics is telling us about the nature of reality. Along the way, lessons are drawn for related topics such as the use of coordinate systems in physics, the differences among various formulations of classical mechanics, the nature of spacetime structure, the equivalence of physical theories, and the importance of scientific explanation. Although the book does not explicitly defend scientific realism, instead taking this to be a background assumption, the account provides an indirect case for realism toward our best theories of physics.

scholarly journals A Dilemma for the Scientific Realist

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Howard Sankey
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
The Other ◽  
Scientific Realist ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Evidential Basis ◽  
Apparent Conflict

This note poses a dilemma for scientific realism which stems from the apparent conflict between science and common sense. On the one hand, we may accept scientific realism and agree that there is a conflict between science and common sense. If we do this, we remove the evidential basis for science and have no reason to accept science in the first place. On the other hand, we may accept scientific realism and endorse common sense. If we do this, we must reject the conflict between science and common sense. The dilemma is to be resolved by distinguishing between basic common sense and widely held beliefs. Basic common sense survives the advance of science and may serve as the evidential basis for science.

scholarly journals THE EFL STUDENTS’ CRITICAL READING SKILLS ACROSS COGNITIVE STYLES

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardus Par
Keyword(s):  
Reading Skills ◽  
Cognitive Styles ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Reading Texts

This study aims to explore the difference between the field independent (FI) and field dependent (FD) learners in the area of EFL critical reading skills. To this end, 60 undergraduate EFL students who had taken and passed the Critical Reading course involved as the subjects. The Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) was administered to classify the students’ cognitive styles into FI and FD groups. Furthermore, to measure the students’ critical reading skills, the critical reading comprehension test (CRCT) in the form of multiple choice questions was developed and administered. The test items were focused on assessing students’ analytical and inferential skills of reading texts, specifically on determining the main idea, the purpose, the tone, making an inference and taking conclusion. The findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference in the critical reading skills between FI and FD students. More specifically, the differences are in determining the main idea, determining the purpose, making an inference, and taking the conclusion of the texts in the CRCT. Pedagogically, selecting appropriate reading texts to be used in Critical Reading course practice for developing the students’ critical reading skills will be beneficial for both of FI and FD students.

scholarly journals SCIENZA E MATEMATICA: IL CASO DELL’INDISPENSABILITÀ

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Cinti
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Standard Formulation ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Main Components

In this brief contribution, I will introduce one of the most famous consequences of the interaction between science and mathematics, Putnam and Quine’s argument for the indispensability of mathematical entities. We will start by looking at its standard formulation, and how it is particularly cogent for scientific realists. After this, we will look at the main components of the argument, that is indispensability, naturalism and confirmational holism. Furthermore, we will see how naturalism and confirmational holism give rise to the specific type of scientific realism that underlies Putnam and Quine’s argument. Finally, we will look at some objections and unresolved issues connected to the argument.

Early Image Fire-Detection Based on Maximum Margin Criterion

2014 ◽  
Vol 526 ◽  
pp. 324-329
Author(s):  
Jie Yuan ◽  
Hai Bing Hu ◽  
Wei Yuan ◽  
Yang Jia ◽  
Yong Ming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Feature Extraction ◽  
Mathematical Description ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Fire Detection ◽  
Color Model ◽  
Scatter Matrix ◽  
Maximum Margin ◽  
Maximum Margin Criterion ◽  
Early Image ◽  
The Difference

Nowadays as camera is applied widely, image fire detection becomes much popular. Many researchers are committed to analyze the RGB color model or even gray images. Actually they have some disadvantages. So this paper will present a new model based on Maximum Margin Criterion, a feature extraction criterion. As it is maximizing the difference of between-class scatter matrices and within-class scatter matrices, it does not depend on the nonsingularity of the within-class scatter matrix. First we will introduce the main idea and then give a mathematical description to apply the model to fire detection, with the algorithm we can calculate the result we need. At last we will put them into practice, use a database to do some experiments to present the performance of this method.

So-Far Incompatibilism and the So-Far Consequence Argument

2006 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-178
Author(s):  
Stephen Hetherington
Keyword(s):  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Causal Determinism ◽  
Essential Point ◽  
Consequence Argument ◽  
Alfred Mele ◽  
The Core ◽  
Freedom Of Action

The consequence argument is at the core of contemporary incompatibilism about causal determinism and freedom of action. Yet Helen Beebee and Alfred Mele have shown how, on a Humean conception of laws of nature, the consequence argument is unsound. Nonetheless, this paper describés how, by generalising their main idea, we may restore the essential point and force (whatever that might turn out to be) of the consequence argument. A modified incompatibilist argument — which will be called the consequence argument — may thus be derived.

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