scholarly journals Symmetries as Humean Metalaws

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Callum Duguid

Abstract Symmetry principles are a central part of contemporary physics, yet there has been surprisingly little metaphysical work done on them. This paper develops the Wignerian treatment of symmetries as higher-order laws – metalaws – within a Humean framework of lawhood. Lange has raised two obstacles to Humean metalaws, and the paper shows that the account has the resources available to respond to both. It is argued that this framework for Humean metalaws stands as an example of naturalistic metaphysics, able to bring Humeanism into contact with the practice of actual science without giving up on the central denial of necessary connections.

Episteme ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Hazlett

AbstractThis paper concerns would-be necessary connections between doxastic attitudes about the epistemic statuses of your doxastic attitudes, or ‘higher-order epistemic attitudes’, and the epistemic statuses of those doxastic attitudes. I will argue that, in some situations, it can be reasonable for a person to believe p and to suspend judgment about whether believing p is reasonable for her. This will set the stage for an account of the virtue of intellectual humility, on which humility is a matter of your higher-order epistemic attitudes. Recent discussions in the epistemology of disagreement have assumed that the question of the proper response to disagreement about p concerns whether you ought to change your doxastic attitude towards p. My conclusion here suggests an alternative approach, on which the question of the proper response to disagreement about p concerns the proper doxastic attitude to adopt concerning the epistemic status of your doxastic attitude towards p.


Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 864
Author(s):  
Alberto de la Encina ◽  
Mercedes Hidalgo-Herrero ◽  
Luis Llana ◽  
Fernando Rubio

It is not easy to debug lazy functional programs. The reason is that laziness and higher-order complicates basic debugging strategies. Although there exist several debuggers for sequential lazy languages, dealing with parallel languages is much harder. In this case, it is important to implement debugging platforms for parallel extensions, but it is also important to provide theoretical foundations to simplify the task of understanding the debugging process. In this work, we deal with the debugging process in two parallel languages that extend the lazy language Haskell. In particular, we provide an operational semantics that allows us to reason about our parallel extension of the sequential debugger Hood. In addition, we show how we can use it to analyze the amount of speculative work done by the processes, so that it can be used to optimize their use of resources.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Povinelli ◽  
Gabrielle C. Glorioso ◽  
Shannon L. Kuznar ◽  
Mateja Pavlic

Abstract Hoerl and McCormack demonstrate that although animals possess a sophisticated temporal updating system, there is no evidence that they also possess a temporal reasoning system. This important case study is directly related to the broader claim that although animals are manifestly capable of first-order (perceptually-based) relational reasoning, they lack the capacity for higher-order, role-based relational reasoning. We argue this distinction applies to all domains of cognition.


Author(s):  
G.F. Bastin ◽  
H.J.M. Heijligers

Among the ultra-light elements B, C, N, and O nitrogen is the most difficult element to deal with in the electron probe microanalyzer. This is mainly caused by the severe absorption that N-Kα radiation suffers in carbon which is abundantly present in the detection system (lead-stearate crystal, carbonaceous counter window). As a result the peak-to-background ratios for N-Kα measured with a conventional lead-stearate crystal can attain values well below unity in many binary nitrides . An additional complication can be caused by the presence of interfering higher-order reflections from the metal partner in the nitride specimen; notorious examples are elements such as Zr and Nb. In nitrides containing these elements is is virtually impossible to carry out an accurate background subtraction which becomes increasingly important with lower and lower peak-to-background ratios. The use of a synthetic multilayer crystal such as W/Si (2d-spacing 59.8 Å) can bring significant improvements in terms of both higher peak count rates as well as a strong suppression of higher-order reflections.


Author(s):  
H. S. Kim ◽  
S. S. Sheinin

The importance of image simulation in interpreting experimental lattice images is well established. Normally, in carrying out the required theoretical calculations, only zero order Laue zone reflections are taken into account. In this paper we assess the conditions for which this procedure is valid and indicate circumstances in which higher order Laue zone reflections may be important. Our work is based on an analysis of the requirements for obtaining structure images i.e. images directly related to the projected potential. In the considerations to follow, the Bloch wave formulation of the dynamical theory has been used.The intensity in a lattice image can be obtained from the total wave function at the image plane is given by: where ϕg(z) is the diffracted beam amplitide given by In these equations,the z direction is perpendicular to the entrance surface, g is a reciprocal lattice vector, the Cg(i) are Fourier coefficients in the expression for a Bloch wave, b(i), X(i) is the Bloch wave excitation coefficient, ϒ(i)=k(i)-K, k(i) is a Bloch wave vector, K is the electron wave vector after correction for the mean inner potential of the crystal, T(q) and D(q) are the transfer function and damping function respectively, q is a scattering vector and the summation is over i=l,N where N is the number of beams taken into account.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-249
Author(s):  
Ronja Weiblen ◽  
Melanie Jonas ◽  
Sören Krach ◽  
Ulrike M. Krämer

Abstract. Research on the neural mechanisms underlying Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) has mostly concentrated on abnormalities in basal ganglia circuits. Recent alternative accounts, however, focused more on social and affective aspects. Individuals with GTS show peculiarities in their social and affective domain, including echophenomena, coprolalia, and nonobscene socially inappropriate behavior. This article reviews the experimental and theoretical work done on the social symptoms of GTS. We discuss the role of different social cognitive and affective functions and associated brain networks, namely, the social-decision-making system, theory-of-mind functions, and the so-called “mirror-neuron” system. Although GTS affects social interactions in many ways, and although the syndrome includes aberrant social behavior, the underlying cognitive, affective, and neural processes remain to be investigated.


Author(s):  
Julian M. Etzel ◽  
Gabriel Nagy

Abstract. In the current study, we examined the viability of a multidimensional conception of perceived person-environment (P-E) fit in higher education. We introduce an optimized 12-item measure that distinguishes between four content dimensions of perceived P-E fit: interest-contents (I-C) fit, needs-supplies (N-S) fit, demands-abilities (D-A) fit, and values-culture (V-C) fit. The central aim of our study was to examine whether the relationships between different P-E fit dimensions and educational outcomes can be accounted for by a higher-order factor that captures the shared features of the four fit dimensions. Relying on a large sample of university students in Germany, we found that students distinguish between the proposed fit dimensions. The respective first-order factors shared a substantial proportion of variance and conformed to a higher-order factor model. Using a newly developed factor extension procedure, we found that the relationships between the first-order factors and most outcomes were not fully accounted for by the higher-order factor. Rather, with the exception of V-C fit, all specific P-E fit factors that represent the first-order factors’ unique variance showed reliable and theoretically plausible relationships with different outcomes. These findings support the viability of a multidimensional conceptualization of P-E fit and the validity of our adapted instrument.


2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Krumm ◽  
Lothar Schmidt-Atzert ◽  
Kurt Michalczyk ◽  
Vanessa Danthiir

Mental speed (MS) and sustained attention (SA) are theoretically distinct constructs. However, tests of MS are very similar to SA tests that use time pressure as an impeding condition. The performance in such tasks largely relies on the participants’ speed of task processing (i.e., how quickly and correctly one can perform the simple cognitive tasks). The present study examined whether SA and MS are empirically the same or different constructs. To this end, 24 paper-pencil and computerized tests were administered to 199 students. SA turned out to be highly related to MS task classes: substitution and perceptual speed. Furthermore, SA showed a very close relationship with the paper-pencil MS factor. The correlation between SA and computerized speed was considerably lower but still high. In a higher-order general speed factor model, SA had the highest loading on the higher-order factor; the higher-order factor explained 88% of SA variance. It is argued that SA (as operationalized with tests using time pressure as an impeding condition) and MS cannot be differentiated, at the level of broad constructs. Implications for neuropsychological assessment and future research are discussed.


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