Top–Down Combination Problems

Author(s):  
Philip Goff

This chapter discusses three forms of the combination problem for Russellian monism: the palette problem, the structural mismatch problem, and the subject irreducibility problem. These are grouped together as “top–down combination problems,” meaning that they start from reflection on the nature of ordinary human consciousness/conscious subjects. Top–down combination problems provide challenges both to panpsychist and to panprotopsychist forms of Russellian monism. Responses to the palette problem and the structural mismatch problem are proposed. The third problem, subject irreducibility, is argued to be the most profound challenge for the Russellian monist, and its resolution is postponed to the next chapter.

Author(s):  
Philip Goff

This is the first of two chapters discussing the most notorious problem facing Russellian monism: the combination problem. This is actually a family of difficulties, each reflecting the challenge of how to make sense of everyday human and animal experience intelligibly arising from more fundamental conscious or protoconscious features of reality. Key challenges facing panpsychist and panpsychist forms of Russellian monism are considered. With respect to panprotopsychism, there is the worry that it collapses into noumenalism: the view that human beings, by their very nature, are unable to understand the concrete, categorical nature of matter. With respect to panpsychism, there is the subject-summing problem: the difficulty making sense of how micro-level conscious subjects combine to produce macro-level conscious subjects. A solution to the subject-summing problem is proposed, and it is ultimately argued that panpsychist forms of the Russellian monism are to be preferred on grounds of simplicity and elegance.


Author(s):  
Renat Nursakhievich Yusupov

The subject of this research is the methods of philosophical-historical cognition developed in the writings of N. A. Berdyaev, his triadic scheme of subject’s relation to history. The first period of direct, cohesive presence in some conventional historical structure does not portend the emergence of historical reflection. The second period, which Berdyaev associates with the era of “Enlightenment”, is characterized by disintegration in the historical life and human consciousness, contraposition of historical object and subject. However, the actual formation of the philosophy of history is possible only on condition of the transition into the third state of human spirit, which invokes acuity of mind, propensity to reflection and comprehension, which allows to return and in a new way, deliberately tap into the sanctuaries of historical life. The scientific novelty consists in interpretation of the method of cognition of history, developed by Berdyaev through the prism of such methodological capabilities that has the modern social philosophy. It is concluded that the main difference between the first and third levels of subject’s relation to history in Berdyaev’s scheme consists in the change of the object of cognition, when the object is not just an empirical givenness, but a special, superordinate reality. Such reorientation allows to predetermine a situation of the first period in a new way, which opens additional opportunities for correlating the active development of existence with the standards of everyday experience, as well as reinterpret the nature of the second period, when in can be perceive not as a crisis, but a routine question, an essential condition for transition into the third, most productive period.


Philosophy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Gillett ◽  
Sam C. Liu

AbstractThe debates about human free will are traditionally the concern of metaphysics but neuroscientists have recently entered the field arguing that acts of the will are determined by brain events themselves causal products of other events. We examine that claim through the example of free or voluntary switch of perception in relation to the Necker cube. When I am asked to see the cube in one way, I decide whether I will follow the command (or do as I am asked) using skills that reason and language give to me and change my brain states accordingly. The voluntary shift of perspective in seeing the Necker cube this way or that exemplifies the top-down control exercised by a human being on the basis of the role of language and meaning in their activity. It also indicates the lived story that is at the centre of each human consciousness. In the third part of this essay, three arguments are used to undermine metaphysical objections to the very idea of top-down self control.


2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred W. Mast ◽  
Charles M. Oman

The role of top-down processing on the horizontal-vertical line length illusion was examined by means of an ambiguous room with dual visual verticals. In one of the test conditions, the subjects were cued to one of the two verticals and were instructed to cognitively reassign the apparent vertical to the cued orientation. When they have mentally adjusted their perception, two lines in a plus sign configuration appeared and the subjects had to evaluate which line was longer. The results showed that the line length appeared longer when it was aligned with the direction of the vertical currently perceived by the subject. This study provides a demonstration that top-down processing influences lower level visual processing mechanisms. In another test condition, the subjects had all perceptual cues available and the influence was even stronger.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Juniar Siregar

This study presents a research report on improving students’ Learning results on IPA through Video. The objective was to find out whether students’ learning result improved when they are taught by using Video. It was conducted using classroom action research method. The subject of the study was the Grade IV students of SDN 187/IV Kota Jambi which is located on Jln. Adi Sucipto RT 05 Kecamatan Jambi Selatan, and the number of the students were 21 persons. The instruments used were test. In analyzing the data, the mean of the students’ score for the on fisrt sycle was 65,4 (42,85%) and the mean on cycle two was 68,5 (37,15%) and the mean of the third cycle was 81,4 (100%). Then it can be concluded that the use of video on learning IPA can improve the students’ learning result. It is suggested that teachers should use video as one of the media to improve students’ learning result on IPA.Keywords : IPA, students’ learning result, video


Author(s):  
Nurmi Nurmi ◽  
Hadi Putra ◽  
Penti Nursida ◽  
Khoiro Mahbubah ◽  
Neni Hermita

This study aims to improve 3rd grade students’ science learning outcomes bylearning to use visual multimedia. This research method uses classroom actionresearch. The subject of this research was the third grade students of secondsemester of elementary school which conducted 30 students. Based on theresults of research by using visual media, it have been found that theimprovement learning outcome, seen from the initial average score before theaction of 3rd grade class students from 65.5 to 83.83. The results of this studyindicate that with the use of visual media can improve student learningoutcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-35
Author(s):  
Joseph Azize

The various published biographies and biographical notices of G.I. Gurdjieff (c.1865-1949) are of diverse style, quantity and content. While some have made considerable contributions to the subject, most attempts have reacted for or against Gurdjieff’s status as what might call an ‘Enlightened Master’. Little biographical writing on Gurdjieff has questioned the scope, reliability and prejudices of the sources. Further, possible resources have been neglected. The development in Gurdjieff’s ideas is often overlooked, his life is not sufficiently related to that development, and the lack of comparative research has failed to highlight Gurdjieff’s unique contributions. This article is structured in four parts. The first is an introduction, followed by an overview of existing biographical studies of Gurdjieff. The third part addresses bias in these studies, and this is followed by suggestions for future studies. It is concluded that fieldwork regarding the biography of Gurdjieff has been hampered by imperfect methodology. However, with better use of the source material, some of which has only recently been discovered, and a rigorous use of sources, a more balanced and nuanced picture of Gurdjieff’s life, and the development of his ideas and methods, should emerge.


Author(s):  
Hotria Manik ◽  
Elia Masa Ginting

This study attempts to improve students’ writing achievement in recount text through Think-Pair-Share Strategy. This study was conducted by using classroom action research. The subject of the research was class VIII-1 SMPN 1 Pematangsiantar. The number of the students was 32 students, consisted of 5 males and twenty seven females. The research was conducted in two cycles and consisted of six meetings. The instruments for collecting data were writing tests as the quantitative data and diary notes, observation sheet, interview sheet and questionnaire sheet as qualitative data. Based on the writing score, students’ scores kept improving in every test. In analyzing the data, the mean of the students’ score for the first test as a pre-test was 57.84, for the second test as a post test I was 73.56, for the third test as a post test II was 77.56. Based on diary notes, observation sheet and questionnaire sheet, it was found that students were actively involved in writing process. The result of the research showed that Think-Pair-Share Strategy can improve students’ achievement in writing recount text.   Keywords: Think Pair Share, Writing, Recount text, Action research


Author(s):  
Meryanti Napitupulu And Anni Holila Pulungan

This study was conducted as an attempt to discover the effect of applying Demonstration Method on students’ achievement in speaking skill. It was an experimental research. The subject was students of Grade XII, Vocational High School (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan: SMK), which consisted of 79 students. The research was divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. The instrument used to collect the data was speaking test. To obtain the reliability of the test, the writer applied Kuder Richardson 21 formula. The result of the reliability was 0.7, and it was found that the test was reliable. The data were analyzed by using t-test formula. The analysis showed that the scores of the students in the experimental group were significantly higher than the scores of the students in the control group at the level of significant m = 0.05 with the degree of freedom (df) 77, t-observed value 8.9 > t-table value 1.99. The findings indicate that using Demonstration Method significantly affected the students’ achievement in speaking skill. So, English teachers are suggested to use Demonstration Method in order to improve students’ achievement in speaking skill.


Author(s):  
Esra N.F. Hutahaean And Tjut Ernidawati

This research concerns on improving students’ writing achievement in the report text through film.  The objective was to find out the improvement of students’ writing achievement in writing the report text through film. This research was conducted by using action research method. The subject of the research was XI IPA grade students of SMA SWASWTA JOSUA Medan. The numbers of students were thirty one students. They were taught writing the report text through film. The instruments used were writing report text test, diary notes, interview sheets, questionnaire sheets and observation sheets. In analyzing data, the mean of students’ score for the first competency test was 43.1, for the second competency test was 64.8 and for the third competency test was 76.3 and the total percentage of improvement from the first competency test to the third competency test was 84.1%. The conclusion is that through watching film can improve the students’ writing achievement in the report text. It is suggested that teachers should apply watching film as one of media to improve students’ writing achievement in the report text.


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