scholarly journals The liberation of nature and knowledge: a case study on Hans Reichenbach’s naturalism

Synthese ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Kocsis ◽  
Adam Tamas Tuboly
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Rhetorical Strategy ◽  
Scientific Philosophy ◽  
Political Program ◽  
History Of ◽  
Contemporary Context ◽  
Common Sense Knowledge

AbstractOur main goal in this paper is to present and scrutinize Reichenbach’s own naturalism in our contemporary context, with special attention to competing versions of the concept. By exploring the idea of Reichenbach’s naturalism, we will argue that he defended a liberating, therapeutic form of naturalism, meaning that he took scientific philosophy (or philosophy of nature, Naturphilosophie) to be a possible cure for bad old habits and traditional ways of philosophy. For Reichenbach, naturalistic scientific philosophy was a well-established form of liberation. We do not intend to suggest that Reichenbach acted as an inventor of naturalism; nonetheless, invoking the term and the idea of ‘naturalism’ is more than a simple rhetorical strategy for rehabilitating Reichenbach as a forerunner of this field. We think that his ideas can make a valuable contribution to contemporary debates, and that he presents an interesting case among the other scientifically oriented proponents of his time. After presenting a short reconstruction of the meaning of naturalism—or, more appropriately, naturalisms—in order to be able to correctly situate Reichenbach within his own as well as a systematic context, we discuss Reichenbach’s naturalism against the background of his scientific philosophy, his views on the relation of common-sense knowledge to science, and his efforts at popularization. To delve deeper into this topic, we present a case study to show how Reichenbach argued that in both scientific and philosophical discussions (assuming their naturalistic continuity), it is necessary to move from the request and value of truth to probability. And, finally, we argue that the liberation of knowledge and nature was a socio-political program for Reichenbach, who talked about his own scientific philosophy as “a crusade.” By emphasizing this aspect of Reichenbach’s naturalism, we may be in a better position to situate him in the history of analytic philosophy in general, and in the yet-to-be-written narrative of the naturalistic movement in particular.

Robert Solow’s Non-Walrasian Conception of Economics

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 827-861
Author(s):  
Matthieu Ballandonne ◽  
Goulven Rubin
Keyword(s):  
General Equilibrium ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
First Principles ◽  
Axiomatic Approach ◽  
Complex Model ◽  
General Equilibrium Theory ◽  
Partial Models ◽  
History Of ◽  
Do So

The neoclassical synthesis has been defined as a bridge between Keynes-ian theory and Walrasian general equilibrium theory. The aim of this article is to show that founders of the neoclassical synthesis were not homogenous in their appraisal of the importance of Walrasian theory. To do so, we focus on Robert Solow’s contributions as a case study and examine the history of his lifelong criticism of what he called “axiomatics.” According to Solow, the axiomatic approach aims at founding economics on one general and complex model based on first principles or axioms. In contrast, Solow advocated the use of a diversity of simple and partial models, which have practical utility, are realistic in their crucial assumptions, consider institutions and the evolving nature of the economy, and rely on common sense microfoundations. We conclude by suggesting that Solow can be characterized as Cournotian.

scholarly journals Theorizing the Grounds of Rhetorical Judgment

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Loius Lucaites ◽  
Charles A. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual History ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historically Situated ◽  
The Persian Gulf ◽  
The Relationship

Prudence has long been an important topic for rhetorical theorists and its place in intellectual history is becoming increasingly well documented. This essay develops a conception of prudence as an ideological construct, a term crafted in the history of its public usages to govern the relationship between common sense and political action as enacted in the name of historically situated social actors. From this perspective, prudence represents the recursive interaction between a rhetoric of judgment and the grounds on which that rhetoric is evaluated by a historically particular community of arguers. A case study of the 1991 U.S. Senate debate regarding the authorization of offensive military action in the Persian Gulf illustrates how competing standards of prudential judgment are crafted and evaluated in discursive controversy.

scholarly journals The Apotheosis of the Apothecary: Retailing and Consuming the Meaning of a Historic Site

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 297-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Litt
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Historic Site ◽  
Restoration Project ◽  
Victorian Era ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Popular Audience

Abstract This paper examines how history is interpreted and understood at the Niagara Apothecary, an early 1970s heritage restoration project that is operated as a Victorian-era pharmacy museum in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It recounts the history of the restoration of this historic site to show the variety of influences and interests that have shaped the history it presents. The apothecary's setting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a mecca for heritage tourism and consumerism, makes it an interesting case study of how history is communicated to a popular audience. To this end, the nature of the tourist experience at Niagara-on-the-Lake in general and the apothecary in particular are explored. The paper contrasts the professional historian's emphasis on objectivity and context with the material, romantic, specialised and consumer-friendly strategies that are employed in the presentation of the past at the apothecary.

scholarly journals Una montagna di debiti. L'Italia e la gestione del debito pubblico tra le due guerre

2020 ◽  
pp. 191-214
Author(s):  
Marianna Astore
Keyword(s):  
Great Depression ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fiscal Austerity

The surge in public debt during the recent pandemic crisis has made high debt a prominent policy issue. Italy is an interesting case study since it has experienced high levels of debt for a significant part of its history. This article revisits the history of Italian public debts in the inter-war period. Italy emerged from WWI with public debt that peaked around 160 percent of GDP. In the mid-1920s a significant reduction of public debt occurred, in concomitance with a regime of fiscal austerity and two restructuring agreements that wiped more than 80 percent of Italian foreign debts. By the early 1930s, the US reaction to the Great Depression that opposed any form of international cooperation, led to an Italian default on war debts in 1934 and a move toward autarky.

scholarly journals Torn between patriotic, civic and disciplinary aspirations. Evolving faces of Belgian and Flemish history education, from 1830 to the future

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse
Keyword(s):  
History Education ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
School Subject ◽  
The Past ◽  
School History ◽  
Different Types ◽  
History Of ◽  
Current Reform

Torn between patriotic, civic and disciplinary aspirations. Evolving faces of Belgian and Flemish history education, from 1830 to the futureHistory education worldwide faces competing, rival visions and even contrasting expectations. Those expectations can be clustered in three main groups, each pursuing a different main goal for and a different approach towards studying the past: ‘nation-building and social cohesion’, ‘democratic participation and civic behavior’, and ‘disciplinary understanding’. This contribution examines how secondary school history education in Belgium (since its establishment in 1830) has been given shape, and how its main goals have evolved. Belgium (and later on Flanders) serves as an interesting case study, as the country testifies to a difficult, contested past, has evolved into a nation-state in decline, and is increasingly characterized by intercontinental immigration. Using the three clusters of rival expectations as an analytical framework, it is analyzed what the consecutive main goals for the school subject of history have been, which changes occurred throughout the past two centuries and why, and what have been the effects of these different types of history education on young people. The analysis allows to discern three main stages in the history of history education in Belgium/Flanders. For all three, the main goals are explained, and their effects examined. This contribution concludes with critically discussing the different aims, and, while reporting on the current reform of the school subject of history in Flanders, setting a fourth aim to the fore. Rozziew pomiędzy aspiracjami patriotycznymi, obywatelskimi i zrozumieniem dyscypliny. Ewolucja oblicza nauczania historii w szkołach Belgii i Flandrii od 1830 roku i jego przyszłośćNa całym świecie nauczanie historii napotyka konkurujące i rywalizujące ze sobą wyobrażenia, a nawet rodzi sprzeczne oczekiwania. Oczekiwania owe można ująć w trzy kompleksy zasadniczych zagadnień, przy czym każdy z nich ma inny główny cel studiowania przeszłości i inaczej do niego podchodzi; są to: „budowanie narodu i spójność społeczna”, „demokratyczna partycypacja i postawy obywatelskie” oraz „rozumienie dyscypliny”. Artykuł omawia, w jaki sposób kształtowało się nauczanie historii w szkołach średnich w Belgii (od jej powstania w 1830 roku) i jak ewoluowały jego główne cele. Belgia (a później Flandria) służy jako interesujący przypadek badawczy, gdyż kraj ten doświadczył trudnej, kontestowanej przeszłości, stał się państwem jednonarodowym w upadku i coraz bardziej właściwa mu jest międzykontynentalna imigracja. Wykorzystując wspomniane wyżej trzy kompleksy złożonych oczekiwań jako analityczne ramy badawcze, autor analizuje najistotniejsze zadania, które stoją przed przedmiotem szkolnym historia, następnie omawia zmiany, które zaszły w tym zakresie w minionych dwóch stuleciach i wyjaśnia ich przyczyny, a wreszcie docieka, jaki wpływ odmienne rodzaje nauczania historii wywarły na młodych ludzi. Analiza pozwala wyróżnić trzy zasadnicze etapy w dziejach nauczania historii w Belgii / Flandrii. Autor objaśnia, jakie główne cele stały przed wszystkimi trzema grupami i jakie przyniosły efekty. Artykuł zamyka krytyczna ocena omawianych celów oraz przedstawienie aktualnie mającej miejsce reformy przedmiotu szkolnego historia we Flandrii, a na końcu wskazanie czwartego celu: edukacji na przyszłość. [Trans. by Jacek Serwański]

Egypt: Extremism in moderation: Understanding state responses to terrorism in Egypt

2019 ◽  
pp. 293-322
Author(s):  
Dina Al Raffie
Keyword(s):  
Interesting Case ◽  
Conventional Wisdom ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
State Responses

The Arab Republic of Egypt has a long history of battling jihadism in the region, and as such presents an interesting case study of counter-terrorism (CT) practices in a non-Western setting. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that reduces the Egyptian state's response to the indiscriminate use of repressive measures, the current case study offers a more nuanced analysis of Egyptian state responses to terrorism that spans the country's history since its independence. Despite repressive measures constituting the backbone of Egyptian state responses to terrorism, their use is much more strategic than is often implied in the literature. As this chapter will demonstrate, a comprehensive CT approach including select soft measures does exist in Egypt, albeit with the goal of maintaining regime interests, as opposed to necessarily eliminating the phenomenon. On the contrary, the analysis that follows suggests that regime longevity is highly dependent on the existence of an extremist opposition, and that a strategy of extremism in moderation is perhaps the most prominent, underlying strategic trend that has emerged from Egyptian CT state practices over the past six decades.

Viennese Chairs: A Case Study for Modern Industrialization

1999 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterini Kyriazidou ◽  
Martin Pesendorfer
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Organization ◽  
Cooperative Behavior ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Industrial Enterprise ◽  
Furniture Industry ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
History Of

We examine the Austro-Hungarian bentwood furniture industry as a case study for modem industrialization during the second half of the nineteenth centuly. We establish that, through the implementation of innovative production methods and aggressive and insightful marketing strategies, this industry constitutes an important example of the modem industrial enterprise. Furthermore, we find evidence of cooperative behavior in the industry, making it an interesting case study in the history of industrial organization.

La gramaticalización del lat. tota via en español y en italiano: valores temporales y adversativos

2019 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 1007-1041
Author(s):  
Margarita Borreguero Zuloaga ◽  
Francisco Javier Herrero Ruiz de Loizaga
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
History Of

Abstract The process of grammaticalization of Italian tuttavia and Spanish todavia, from Latin tota via, is an interesting case study because both adverbs converge and diverge at different points along the history of Italian and Spanish. Both adverbs inherited the temporal values of late Latin tota via (‘always’) and developed adversative values when reanalysed as connectives in some contexts where contemporary events could be reinterpreted as opposing one to another, However, It. tuttavia went further down this path of grammaticalization and lost its temporal values, while Sp. todavía, due probably to the emergence of new adversative connectives in the 17th century such as sin embargo and no obstante, abandoned the adversative uses in the 18th century and consolidated the phasal temporal value developed since the 16th century. In present Italian, tuttavia is a discourse connective with an antioriented argumentative function and no continuative or phasal temporal value, while in present Spanish, todavía is a phasal temporal intrapredicative adverb. This study tries to highlight how the comparative approach adopted here enriches our knowledge on the history of Romance Languages and allows for a better understanding of non-linear grammaticalization processes.

Independent Animation, Rotoshop and Communities of Practice: As Seen Through A Scanner Darkly

Animation ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ward
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Legitimate Peripheral Participation ◽  
Production History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Peripheral Participation

The article examines a particular instance of animation practice through a reading of how Bob Sabiston’s Rotoshop software was used in the 2006 film A Scanner Darkly. By discussing the notions of ‘communities of practice’ and ‘legitimate peripheral participation’, and contextualizing the film in relation to different modes of working, the author excavates the ways in which a range of people came to work on the project. Moreover, he outlines some of the production history of the film to argue that certain assumptions and expectations about accepted working practice point to wider perceptions of ‘independent’ and ‘studio’ animation. Questions of division of labour and standardization, and how they relate to creativity, autonomy and animation production will be addressed; Rotoshop’s position in the history of animation forms an interesting case study for interrogating these issues.

Le tante cittŕ di una capitale: Napoli nella prima etŕ moderna

STORIA URBANA ◽  
2009 ◽  
pp. 19-54
Author(s):  
Giovanni Muto
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Local Institutions ◽  
Modern History ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Early Modern History ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
Demographic Growth

- The many cities of a capital: Naples in early modern history History of Naples (16th-17th cent.) Spanish presence in Naples (16th-17th cent.) Neapolitan civic administration Neapolitan aristocracy Spanish viceroys in Naples Naples represents an interesting case study within the context of Spanish territories in Italy. More than elsewhere, in Naples the orders issued in Madrid, and carried by the viceroys, needed to be negotiated with the prerogative of the local authorities, aristocracy in particular. During Spanish domination important works were made not only to improve city conditions, but also to ensure security and visibility to Spanish power. The demographic growth, the afflux of nobles from the rest of the Kingdom, the increasing number of ecclesiastics were all factors that concurred to increase in Naples conflicts and tensions, in which local institutions, both civic and ecclesiastical, played an important role.

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