Evolutionary bet-hedging in the real world: empirical evidence and challenges revealed by plants

The imagination is a necessary tool for doing science, because it allows scientists to form hypotheses, make predictions about the future, and consider non-actual possibilities. But some have worried that the imagination is too unconstrained to be used in the service of scientific inquiry, which needs to be tied closely to reality. This chapter reviews these arguments and provides empirical evidence that the imagination is constrained enough for science. Both children and adults base their imagined worlds on the real world, and these worlds rarely stray from the causal structure of reality. And although the imagination may be subject to some biases that make certain kinds of worlds easier to imagine, these biases can be identified and corrected through training and enculturation in science. Finally, the conclusions drawn within an imagined context can be brought to bear appropriately on reality, allowing the results of thought experiments and hypothetical scenarios to inform the practice of science.

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Translators as Well as Thinkers: Teaching of Journalistic Translation in Hong Kong1

Meta Journal des traducteurs ◽

10.7202/013566ar ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 611-619 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Defeng Li

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Empirical Evidence ◽

Professional Practice ◽

Real World ◽

The Real ◽

The World ◽

Translator Training ◽

The Difference ◽

Translation Methods

Abstract Hong Kong is probably one of the most exciting places in the world to study translation as a student or a researcher. Seven out of the eight universities offer translation degrees. Among others, journalistic translation has always been one of the most popular courses for students. However, students have often felt underprepared in journalistic translation even after taking some related courses. This study argues, with the support of empirical evidence that one of the major reasons accountable for this is the gap between institutional translator training and the real world of professional translation, which, in the context of journalistic translation, manifests itself as the difference in translation methods taught in translation programs and used in professional practice. The author further contends that this gap needs to be bridged in order to better prepare student translators for the market. Recommendations are also made as to how the gap can be narrowed or bridged.

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Is The Mind-Body Problem Empirical?

Canadian Journal of Philosophy ◽

10.1080/00455091.1987.10716451 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 505-532 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jeffrey Foss

Keyword(s):

Empirical Evidence ◽

Real World ◽

Conceptual Analysis ◽

Body Problem ◽

A Priori ◽

The Real ◽

Existential Import ◽

Mind Body Problem ◽

The Mind

There is no problem more paradigmatically philosophical than the mind-body problem. Nevertheless, I will argue that the problem is empirical. I am not even suggesting that conceptual analysis of the various mind-body theories be abandoned – just as I could not suggest it be abandoned for theories in physics or biology. But unlike the question, ‘Is every even number greater than 2 equal to the sum of two primes?’ the mind-body problem cannot be solved a priori, by analysis alone; though I will not argue this thesis here, it is nearly obvious, since purported solutions must make matter of fact claims, heavy with existential import, about the real world. By contrast, an investigation of the sensitivity of the mind-body problem to empirical evidence will show that purported solutions to the problem are empirically testable, to a degree consistent with philosophy giving a clarified mind-body problem to the sciences. I offer the bold outlines of such an investigation here.

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What Do Laboratory Experiments Measuring Social Preferences Reveal About the Real World?

The Journal of Economic Perspectives ◽

10.1257/jep.21.2.153 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 153-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 1322

Author(s):

Steven D Levitt ◽

John A List

Keyword(s):

Empirical Evidence ◽

Real World ◽

Field Data ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Social Preferences ◽

Critical Question ◽

The Real ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Laboratory Results

A critical question facing experimental economists is whether behavior inside the laboratory is a good indicator of behavior outside the laboratory. To address that question, we build a model in which the choices that individuals make depend not just on financial implications, but also on the nature and extent of scrutiny by others, the particular context in which a decision is embedded, and the manner in which participants and tasks are selected. We present empirical evidence demonstrating the importance of these various factors. To the extent that lab and naturally occurring environments systematically differ on any of these dimensions, the results obtained inside and outside the lab need not correspond. Focusing on experiments designed to measure social preferences, we discuss the extent to which the existing laboratory results generalize to naturally-occurring markets. We summarize cases where the lab may understate the importance of social preferences as well as instances in which the lab might exaggerate their importance. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of interpreting laboratory and field data through the lens of theory.

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Evaluating Mental Health Services; How Do Programs for Children “Work” in the Real World? Edited by Carol T. Nixon & Denine A. Northrup. Sage, Thousand Oaks CA, 1997. pp. 306. £16.60 (pb).

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1017/s0021963098222918 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 935-936

Author(s):

Anne Worrall-Davies

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Real World ◽

The Real

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Current Issues: Evidence-Based Practice for the Real World: Thoughts on Clinical Education in Communication Disorders

Perspectives on Administration and Supervision ◽

10.1044/aas20.3.100 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 100-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anne K. Bothe

Keyword(s):

Clinical Education ◽

Real World ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

University Faculty ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Basic Principles ◽

The Real ◽

Language Pathology

This article presents some streamlined and intentionally oversimplified ideas about educating future communication disorders professionals to use some of the most basic principles of evidence-based practice. Working from a popular five-step approach, modifications are suggested that may make the ideas more accessible, and therefore more useful, for university faculty, other supervisors, and future professionals in speech-language pathology, audiology, and related fields.

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