Pre-history of Probability

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Legal Theory ◽  
Moral Theology ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Reasonable Doubt ◽  
Games Of Chance ◽  
Uncertain Evidence ◽  
Price Of Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Inductive Inferences ◽  
Theory Of Evidence

The history of the evaluation of uncertain evidence before the quantification of probability in 1654 is a mass of examples relevant to current debates. They deal with matters that in general are as unquantified now as ever – the degree to which evidence supports theory, the strength and justification of inductive inferences, the weight of testimony, the combination of pieces of uncertain evidence, the price of risk, the philosophical nature of chance, and the problem of acting in case of doubt. Concepts similar to modern “proof beyond reasonable doubt” were developed especially in the legal theory of evidence. Moral theology discussed “probabilism”, the doctrine that one could follow a probable opinion in ethics even if the opposite was more probable. Philosophers understood the difficult problem of induction. Legal discussion of “aleatory contracts” such as insurance and games of chance developed the framework in which the quantification of probability eventually took place.

Juristische Wahrheit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falko Maxin
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Important Process ◽  
Criminal Jurisdiction ◽  
Procedural Law ◽  
History Of ◽  
Theory Of Evidence ◽  
The 19Th Century

The mechanics of the "legal theory of evidence", which dominated German procedural law until the second half of the 19th century, was intended to render the truth of a circumstance to be proven calculable by means of legal rigour and arithmetic consistency. How can we explain in retrospect its seemingly abrupt replacement by the judge´s "free consideration of evidence" according to his subjective conviction as we know it today? Does this indicate something fundamental having changed in the nature and significance of the judge's knowledge of facts? Did a post-Kantian understanding of truth together with an altered conception of social knowledge play a role in this important process in the history of justice? By using the example of civil and criminal jurisdiction, this study examines these questions in its search for "legal truth" - and in doing so outlines a history of the theory of evidence in the 19th century.

Recording the Aloes at Chelsea - a singular solution to a difficult problem

1996 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-57
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Singular Solution ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
General Series ◽  
History Of

In the Royal Society archives there is a collection of drawings of Aloes and other plants, made by two of the great botanical artists of the eighteenth century - Georg Dionysius Ehret and Jacob van Huysum. Although the Manuscripts General Series Catalogue records this manuscript only as a ‘Volume of 35 botanical paintings by Georg Dionysius Ehret’ of unknown provenance, the manuscript catalogue of the Arundel and other manuscripts, said to be the work of Jonas Dryander (1748-1810), provides the first clue linking these drawings to the two artists, and to the important collection of Aloes growing at that time in the Society of Apothecaries Physic Garden at Chelsea'. The history of the commissioning of the drawings is told briefly in the Journal Books of the Royal Society, and in the Minutes of Council, but the significance of these lovely and important drawings has been almost completely overlooked.

scholarly journals Prevalence of NAFLD in Healthy and Young Male Individuals

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asif Niaz ◽  
Zafar Ali ◽  
Shaista Nayyar ◽  
Naureen Fatima
Keyword(s):  
Liver Disease ◽  
Fatty Liver ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Liver Fat ◽  
Renal Diseases ◽  
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ultrasound Evidence

Introduction. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important cause of liver disease in adults and the most common cause of liver disease in children (Lavine and Schwimmer 2004). The abnormalities include increased liver fat without inflammation (steatosis) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH may lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately liver failure if it is not treated (Matteoni et al. 1999). The objective of the study is to estimate the magnitude of the problem which will help us to formulate strategies in managing the potentially difficult problem. Materials and Methods. We included 1000 individuals between the ages of 30 and 50 years who came for annual checkup. The patients with other comorbidities like diabetes, ischemic heart disease, chronic liver disease, or renal diseases were excluded from the study. History of alcohol ingestion was also taken; any individual with history of alcohol intake was also excluded. All of them underwent investigations including CBC, LFTs, height and weight. The individuals who were found to have increased ALT (50 to 150 u/L) further underwent investigations including ultrasound of abdomen hepatitis b and c serology RA and ANA antibodies. All the individuals who were found to have viral or autoimmune illness were excluded from the study. The individuals having raised ALT levels and ultrasound evidence of fatty liver were taken. Results. 13.5% of the individuals were found to have NAFLD among those selected for the study. Conclusion. Mass campaign regarding physical and dietary measures needs to be undertaken in general masses regarding the gravity and potential prevention of the disease.

scholarly journals From Bush Medicine to Modern Phytopharmaceutical: A Bibliographic Review of Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum spp.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 726
Author(s):  
Thomas Brendler
Keyword(s):  
Grey Literature ◽  
Reasonable Doubt ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Devil’S Claw ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Excellent Safety Profile ◽  
Bush Medicine

Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum spp., Pedaliaceae) is one of the best-documented phytomedicines. Its mode of action is largely elucidated, and its efficacy and excellent safety profile have been demonstrated in a long list of clinical investigations. The author conducted a bibliographic review which not only included peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals but also a vast amount of grey literature, such as theses and reports initiated by governmental as well as non-governmental organizations, thus allowing for a more holistic presentation of the available evidence. Close to 700 sources published over the course of two centuries were identified, confirmed, and cataloged. The purpose of the review is three-fold: to trace the historical milestones in devil’s claw becoming a modern herbal medicine, to point out gaps in the seemingly all-encompassing body of research, and to provide the reader with a reliable and comprehensive bibliography. The review covers aspects of ethnobotany, taxonomy, history of product development and commercialization, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, as well as clinical efficacy and safety. It is concluded that three areas stand out in need of further investigation. The taxonomical assessment of the genus is outdated and lacking. A revision is needed to account for intra- and inter-specific, geographical, and chemo-taxonomical variation, including variation in composition. Further research is needed to conclusively elucidate the active compound(s). Confounded by early substitution, intermixture, and blending, it has yet to be demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that both (or all) Harpagophytum spp. are equally (and interchangeably) safe and efficacious in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Redefining the Position of Daoism (Taoism) in Vietnamese History from the 2nd Century to the 9th Century

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vu Hong Van
Keyword(s):  
Development Process ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Spiritual Life ◽  
Historical Document ◽  
Vietnamese History ◽  
Working People ◽  
History Of

Redefining the value of Taoism in Vietnam is a complex and difficult problem to evaluate thoroughly. This issue of defining and evaluation relates to historical document sources, archaeological relics still exist to this day and especially the influence of Taoism on beliefs life, religious life in particular and in the spiritual activities of Vietnamese people in general. Of the three religions of the Orient: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Taoism is a religion that is difficult to study. Throughout the development process of the Vietnamese nation, along with Confucianism and Buddhism, Taoism has a significant influence on the spiritual life, tradition, and culture of the Vietnamese nation, especially in the spiritual life of the working people. However, research on this issue is still a very large gap, little attention of researchers. When studying Taoism in Vietnam, it is usually divided into stages, specifically: Taoism in Vietnam in the early period (from the 2nd century to the 9th century); Taoism under the Ly and Tran dynasties (the period when Taoism held the best position in history of Vietnam, often called the Royal Taoism); Taoism under the Le and Nguyen dynasties (the process of Taoism folkization through the worship of Mau Lieu Hanh). In this article, the author focuses on studying Taoism from the 2nd century to the 9th century. Because, at present, the historical documents on Taoism in this period are still quite vague, there are still many the debate broke out about the time when Taoism spread into Vietnam, the audience, Taoist missionaries have been to Vietnam, etc. Therefore, this article focuses on the process of Taoism propagating into Vietnam, identifying historical data that still exist today, Taoist figures have been to Vietnam.

Legislation as an Instrument of Islamic Law

2016 ◽  
pp. 550-584
Author(s):  
Leonard Wood
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Islamic World ◽  
Islamic Legal Theory ◽  
History Of

This article examines legislation as an instrument of Islamic law in the history of the Islamic world and in Islamic legal theory, with particular emphasis on the scholarly analysis of whether Islamic law can be legislated at all, and if so, how. It first reviews the scholarship on legislation in the Islamic world before the mid-nineteenth-century Ottoman reforms (tanzimat)—the “premodern” centuries. It then considers legislation after the mid-nineteenth century—the “modern” centuries—by looking at scholars’ preoccupations with the apparent novelty of modern legislation and its debatable Islamicity. It also discusses empirical dilemmas underlying these preoccupations and competing scholarly approaches to theorizing and studying the proper relationship between legislation and Islam. The article concludes by suggesting four paths forward in the analysis of legislation as an instrument of Islamic law.

Gender and Sexuality in Colonial Brazil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Vainfas
Keyword(s):  
Turning Point ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Moral Theology ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Marital Relations ◽  
Sexual Imagery ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brazilian History

The topics of gender and sexuality in Brazilian historiography, though available from colonial chroniclers to the present, were notably absent in 19th-century historiography, which was constrained by the moral taboos and racial prejudices of that age. This was true until the early 20th-century turning point represented by the works of Paulo Prado with regard to language, and of Gilberto Freyre with regard to content, in their pioneering attempts to address the issue, emphasizing how interracial procreation and sexual desires shaped Brazilian history. Historical research at universities began in the 1980s, based on unpublished sources and international scholarship on new topics. This resulted in studies on marital relations, misogynist patriarchalism, accepted models of licit sexuality, and various other transgressions such as adultery, concubinage, male and female homosexuality, sexual imagery, libidinous behavior by members of the clergy, and acts considered deviant behavior or associated with heresy. Recently, sources have come into use from the Ecclesiastical Court and the Portuguese Inquisition, which assumed jurisdiction over accusations of bigamy, sodomy, priests who took advantage of the confessional to molest their parishioners, and declarations that contradicted Catholic moral theology with regard to chastity, celibacy, and fornication or were suspected of being heretical due to their association with Protestant doctrines. Additionally, there are important works inspired by French scholarship on the history of mentalities and the historical and philosophical contributions of Michel Foucault.

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