The Philosophical Importance of the Periodic Table

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Physical Chemistry ◽  
Periodic Table ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Philosophical Importance

The Centrality of the periodic table to chemistry is beyond dispute. What seems just as obvious to me is that the table should be seen to play an equally central role in the philosophical understanding of scientific inquiry. This may be a minority opinion; if we look at philosophical discussions of scientific issues broadly, such a view seems unsupported by philosophical practice. Philosophers have been exercised by the problematic aspects of science: revolutions rather than normal scientific practice; aspects of science that are conceptually problematic, for example, quantum mechanics; areas of science that include explanatory accounts that deviate from standard models, for example, evolutionary theory; or aspects of science that raise moral or social issues, such as the biomedical sciences. Chemistry, with a long track record of unsurprising growth, with myriad of applications taken for granted, and with a strongly supported and unifying theory may seem to be just too boring to exercise philosophers interested in resolving puzzles, developing surprising theories, and engendering novel insights. But as I will attempt to show, the most normal of normal sciences, physical chemistry with the periodic table at its core, offers a view of science relevant to central philosophical concerns. In what follows I will offer an overview of three philosophical areas for which the periodic table is salient, while indicating a logical image of a scientific structure of the sort that the table exemplifies. I look first at methodology, and in particular the role of counterevidence in evaluating generalizations. Second I look at how the table permits a reinterpretation of foundational epistemological notions of truth. Finally, I will look at ontology, how the table supports our commitment to the fundamental nature of reality. The basis of my analysis is a model of emerging truth (MET). This metamathematical model is available in a number of publications and I will include only its most basic elements in a technical appendix. In place of the formal construction I will offer the philosophical intuitions it encodes, intuitions that draw upon the structure of chemistry with the periodic table at its core.

scholarly journals Game of Tenure: the role of “hidden” citations on researchers’ ranking in Ecology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Benítez-López ◽  
Luca Santini
Keyword(s):  
Original Data ◽  
Publication Rate ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
H Index ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Model Parameterization ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Number Of Citations

AimField ecologists and macroecologists often compete for the same grants and academic positions, with the former producing original data that the latter generally use for model parameterization. Original data are usually cited only in the supplementary materials thereby not counting formally as citations, creating an unfair system where field ecologists are routinely under-acknowledged and possibly disadvantaged in the race for funding and positions. Here we explore how the performance of authors contributing ecological data would change if all the citations to their work would be accounted for by bibliometric indicators.LocationWorldwideTime period2008-2017Major taxa studiedHomo sapiens academiaeMethods We collected the track record of >2300 authors from Google Scholar and citation data from 600 papers published in 40 ecology journals, including field-based, conservation, general ecology and macroecology studies. Then we parameterize a simulation that mimics the current publishing system for ecologists and assessed author rankings based on number of citations, H-Index, Impact Factor and number of publications under a scenario where supplementary citations count.Results We found weak evidence for field ecologists being lower ranked than macroecologists or general ecologists, with publication rate being the main predictor of author performance. Accounting for supplementary citations in bibliometrics did not substantially change the current ranking dynamics.Main conclusionsCurrent ranking dynamics are largely unaffected by supplementary citations as they are 10 times less than the number of main text citations. This is exacerbated by the common practice of citing datasets assembled by previous papers instead than the original articles. Nonetheless, researcher performance evaluations should include criteria that better capture authors’ contribution of new, publicly available, data. This could encourage field ecologists to collect and store new data in a systematic manner, thereby mitigating the data patchiness and bias in macroecology studies, and further accelerating the advancement of Ecology.

Drama in Education Reaching Beyond the “Art Form or Teaching Tool” Dichotomy

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Irina Lešnik
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Drama In Education ◽  
History Curriculum ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
Theatre Pedagogy ◽  
Emotional Level

Abstract In the following article we try to re-evaluate, the place drama occupies in contemporary elementary education. By limiting the role of drama to literature studies and theatre productions, we lose a greater potential Theatre Pedagogy has to offer to a much broader educational spectrum. The participatory practices of Theatre and Drama in Education (TiE, DiE) promote active learning, based on a most organic children’s activity - play. While students co-create the fictional world of drama, teacher's guidance is crucial in setting new challenges, encouraging students to find creative solutions and reflect on often-complex social issues. Because of its art component, drama challenges the participants on a cognitive as well as emotional level, becoming a truly transformational experience. As such, Drama in Education is especially useful when approaching sensitive and controversial topics. This thesis is presented on a case study observing Year 6 students at St’ Michael’s CE Academy in Birmingham, UK, using Drama in Education method as part of History curriculum.

Role of Nut Consumption in the Management of Cognitive Decline - A Mini-Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 877-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Kamil Kuca ◽  
Martin Valis ◽  
Jakub Hort
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Active Life ◽  
Healthy Nutrition ◽  
Health Aging ◽  
Review Study

Background: Currently, there is a significant increase in the number of older generation groups, which may result in serious economic and social issues. Therefore, there is a need to prolong the active life of these older individuals, especially by focusing on modifying lifestyle factors such as healthy nutrition. In fact, recent research has shown that, for example, nuts are an important part of people’s healthy diet because they have appeared to be neuroprotective compounds which might maintain or in some cases even improve people’s cognitive functions. Objective: The purpose of this review study is to explore the role of the nut nutrition in the maintenance and delay of cognitive decline among older individuals. Results: The findings indicate that the nut consumption may contribute to the delay of cognitive decline in aging. However, this nut diet is just one component of the multi-nutrient dietary intervention for health aging. Conclusion: More longitudinal controlled randomized studies have to be performed in this field to prove the efficacy of the nut nutrition for the delay of cognitive decline.

Five Lessons from European Democracy

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Matijasevich
Keyword(s):  
Political Community ◽  
Political Transformation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Democratic Development ◽  
Track Record ◽  
European Democracy ◽  
Democratic Experience ◽  
Theory Of Democracy ◽  
The Eu

Outside of some states still struggling with post-communist transitions, Europe itself may be the first European democracy to collapse in decades. Though never a bastion of participatory democracy and even subject to continuous criticism due to its democratic deficit, the European Union (EU) has provided hope to those who envision a post-national democratic political community. As such, whether the EU survives its present crisis or not, cosmopolitan democrats will look to the EU as a vindication of their ideals. Though perhaps surprising given their track record, this paper will argue that political scientists, especially those concerned with democratization, can also be optimistic about what the EU has brought to the table in terms of how we conceive processes of democratic development. Throughout the paper it will be demonstrated that the creation and maintenance of the European democracy has challenged much of the literature's fundamental assumptions of what makes democracy work. Five key lessons from the European democratic experience will be presented in an attempt to disrupt some of these assumptions including lessons regarding the diversity of the demos, the contingency of democratic upkeep, the challenges of the state, the role of elites in political transformation, and the necessity of exclusion within inclusive spaces. Though a general theory of democracy will not be presented, suggestions will be made as to how we can incorporate some of these lessons into the dominant approaches to democracy found in the literature.   Full text available at: https://doi.org/10.22215/rera.v7i1.214

scholarly journals IUPAC Periodic Table Challenge

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
Juris Meija ◽  
Javier Garcia-Martinez ◽  
Jan Apotheker
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Periodic Table ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
The World

AbstractIn 2019, the world celebrated the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019) and the IUPAC centenary. This happy coincidence offered a unique opportunity to reflect on the value and work that is carried out by IUPAC in a range of activities, including chemistry awareness, appreciation, and education. Although IUPAC curates the Periodic Table and oversees regular additions and changes, this icon of science belongs to the world. With this in mind, we wanted to create an opportunity for students and the general public to participate in this global celebration. The objective was to create an online global competition centered on the Periodic Table and IUPAC to raise awareness of the importance of chemistry in our daily lives, the richness of the chemical elements, and the key role of IUPAC in promoting chemistry worldwide. The Periodic Table Challenge was the result of this effort.

scholarly journals COVID-19: systematic learning across boundaries requires a conceptual agreement

2021 ◽  
pp. 140349482110270
Author(s):  
Knut Ole Sundnes ◽  
Geir Sverre Braut
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
External Validity ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
The Other ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Early Publication ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Short Time

The COVID-19 epidemic has revealed a shortage of basic knowledge and understanding of pandemics, especially regarding their dynamics and how to contain them. The results are a host of governments’ decrees and instructions, one replacing the other, often within the same week. It has further, in a truly short time, resulted in an overwhelming number of publications, many of them prioritising early publication over quality. This commentary addresses the concept of structured research related to disasters and how the use of endorsed guidelines will facilitate well-designed evaluation research with improved rigour and external validity, even if applied retrospectively. The outcome should be a solidified knowledge base. Further, the important role of public health efforts is to be highlighted, as their role has proved crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals AGE DIFFERENCES IN POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT: ROLE OF SELF-RELEVANCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S785-S785
Author(s):  
Tze Kiu Wong ◽  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Discussion ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Previous studies usually found that older people are less politically engaged than younger adults, especially when considering political behavior other than voting. The current study extends the Selective Engagement hypothesis (Hess, 2014) to political engagement. 81 younger adults and 79 older adults rated 8 issues on self-relevance and their willingness to engage in political discussion, arguments and collective action on each issue. The predicted moderating effect of self-relevance was not found, but older people indeed are more willing to discuss (B = 0.07, p = 0.027) and argue with others on more self-relevant issues (B = 0.06, p = 0.031). Perceived cost of collective action was found to be a moderator, such that self-relevance was less important than other factors for high-cost actions (B = -0.016, p = 0.013). The current research sheds light on potential ways to increase older adults’ engagement in social issues.

scholarly journals Bloody Women: How Female Authors Have Transformed the Scottish Contemporary Crime Fiction Genre

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Lorna Hill
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
Crime Fiction ◽  
Female Characters ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Past ◽  
Female Authors ◽  
Crime Novel ◽  
Practice Based Research ◽  
Changing Attitudes

Abstract This study will explore the role of female authors in contemporary Scottish crime fiction. Over the past thirty years, women writers have overhauled the traditionally male dominated genre of crime fiction by writing about strong female characters who drive the plot and solve the crimes. Authors including Val McDermid, Denise Mina and Lin Anderson are just a few of the women who have challenged the expectation of gender and genre. By setting their novels in contemporary society they reflect a range of social and political issues through the lens of a female protagonist. By closely examining the female characters, both journalists, in Val McDermid’s Lindsay Gordon series and Denise Mina’s Paddy Meehan series, I wish to explore the issue of gender through these writers’ perspectives. This essay documents the influence of these writers on my own practice-based research which involves writing a crime novel set in a post referendum Scotland. I examine a progressive and contemporary Scottish society, where women hold many senior positions in public life, and investigate whether this has an effect on the outcome of crimes. Through this narrative, my main character will focus on the current and largely hidden crimes of human trafficking and domestic abuse. By doing this I examine the ways in which the modern crime novel has evolved to cross genre boundaries. In addition to focusing on a crime, the victims and witnesses, today’s crime novels are tackling social issues to reflect society’s changing attitudes and values.

scholarly journals Exploring the Changing Role of Chinese Entities in WMD Proliferation

2016 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 50-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Salisbury ◽  
Lucy Jones
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Government ◽  
Chinese Companies ◽  
State Owned Enterprise ◽  
Chinese State ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Changing Role

AbstractThis paper seeks to provide an original examination of the nature of the proliferation of sensitive materials and technologies by Chinese entities. A number of publications have attempted to understand the issue of proliferation stemming from businesses based in China, with many having commented on the efforts undertaken both by international actors and by the Chinese government to prevent it. However, relatively few scholars have sought, in any systematic and sustained way, to understand the types of Chinese companies involved in proliferation and the evolution of their behaviour. This paper seeks to argue and account for the declining role of, and concern regarding, Chinese state-owned enterprise in the global proliferation problem. Different accounts for this change, and the relating proliferation challenge posed by China, are examined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document