scholarly journals Transdisciplinarity across the Qualitative and Quantitative Science through C.S. Peirce’s Semiotic Concept of Habit

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-114
Author(s):  
Søren Brier

Abstract This paper investigates how Peirce manages to establish a transdisciplinary fallibilist view of the sciences that is not hostile to religious spirituality viewed as a complementary fallibilist knowledge type. I focus on Peirce’s attempt to construct an alternative to classical mechanical ontology with its reversible time concept and the ontological view of absolute transcendental laws of nature. His triadic semiotic pragmaticism has empiricism in common with the logical positivists, but it shares the fallibilist critical stance with Popper, with whose critical rationalism Peirce also shares a thorough-going evolutionary approach. With Hegel and Schelling, Peirce shares a kind of evolutionary objective idealism and with Whitehead a thoroughgoing process view, and finally with Wittgenstein, he shares a pragmatic view of the meaning of words and concepts. What knits together all these apparently incompatible views is his dynamic Tychism and his Synechist field view. Together these produce a transdisciplinary irreversible view of habits as “laws” of nature, mind, and society that emerge in the development of the cosmos. Though Peirce is somehow close to Hegel’s phenomenological and dialectical view on cosmogony, a number of aspects are quite unique about his approach: the most important of these are his dynamic triadic categorically-based semiotics that makes him understand human beings as well as the universe as symbolic self-organizing developing processes. This is an interesting alternative to modern mechanical info-computationalism.

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-367
Author(s):  
Roberto Paura

Transhumanism is one of the main “ideologies of the future” that has emerged in recent decades. Its program for the enhancement of the human species during this century pursues the ultimate goal of immortality, through the creation of human brain emulations. Therefore, transhumanism offers its fol- lowers an explicit eschatology, a vision of the ultimate future of our civilization that in some cases coincides with the ultimate future of the universe, as in Frank Tipler’s Omega Point theory. The essay aims to analyze the points of comparison and opposition between transhumanist and Christian eschatologies, in particular considering the “incarnationist” view of Parousia. After an introduction concern- ing the problems posed by new scientific and cosmological theories to traditional Christian eschatology, causing the debate between “incarnationists” and “escha- tologists,” the article analyzes the transhumanist idea of mind-uploading through the possibility of making emulations of the human brain and perfect simulations of the reality we live in. In the last section the problems raised by these theories are analyzed from the point of Christian theology, in particular the proposal of a transhuman species through the emulation of the body and mind of human beings. The possibility of a transhumanist eschatology in line with the incarnationist view of Parousia is refused.


Author(s):  
Chen-Jing Sun ◽  
Li-Ping Zhao ◽  
Rui Wang

: With the development of industrialization, the global environmental pollution and energy crisis are becoming increasingly serious. Organic pollutants pose a serious health threat to human beings and other organisms. The removal of organic pollutants in environment has become a global challenge. The photocatalytic technology has been widely used in the degradation of organic pollutants with its characteristics of simple process, high efficiency, thorough degradation and no secondary pollution. However, the single photocatalyst represented by TiO2 has disadvantages of low light utilization rate and high recombination rate of photocarriers. Building heterojunction is considered one of the most effective methods to enhance the photocatalytic performance of single photocatalyst, which can improve the separation efficiency of photocarriers and utilization of visible light. The classical heterojunction can be divided into four different cases: type I, typeⅡ, p–n heterojunctions and Z-scheme junction. In this paper, the recent progress in the treatment of organic pollution by heterostructure photocatalysts is summarized and the mechanism of heterostructure photocatalysts for the treatment of organic pollutants is reviewed. It is expected that this paper can deepen the understanding of heterostructure photocatalysts and provide guidance for high efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in the future.


The concept of a law of nature, while familiar, is deeply puzzling. Theorists such as Descartes think a divine being governs the universe according to the laws which follow from that being’s own nature. Newton detaches the concept from theology and is agnostic about the ontology underlying the laws of nature. Some later philosophers treat laws as summaries of events or tools for understanding and explanation, or identify the laws with principles and equations fundamental to scientific theories. In the first part of this volume, essays from leading historians of philosophy identify central questions: are laws independent of the things they govern, or do they emanate from the powers of bodies? Are the laws responsible for the patterns we see in nature, or should they be collapsed into those patterns? In the second part, contributors at the forefront of current debate evaluate the role of laws in contemporary Best System, perspectival, Kantian, and powers- or mechanisms-based approaches. These essays take up pressing questions about whether the laws of nature can be consistent with contingency, whether laws are based on the invariants of scientific theories, and how to deal with exceptions to laws. These twelve essays, published here for the first time, will be required reading for anyone interested in metaphysics, philosophy of science, and the histories of these disciplines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (11) ◽  
pp. 1015-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parbati Sahoo ◽  
Barkha Taori ◽  
K.L. Mahanta

We construct a locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I cosmological model in f(R, T) theory of gravity when the source of gravitation is a mixture of barotropic fluid and dark energy (DE) by employing a time-varying deceleration parameter. We observe through the behavior of the state finder parameters (r, s) that our model begins from the Einstein static era and goes to ΛCDM era. The equation of state (EOS) parameter (ωd) for DE varies from the phantom (ω < –1) phase to quintessence (ω > –1) phase, which is consistent with observational results. It is found that the discussed model can reproduce the current accelerating phase of the expansion of the universe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-93
Author(s):  
Alnadhief H. A. Alfedeel

AbstractIn this paper, we have investigated the homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type–I cosmological model with a time-varying Newtonian and cosmological constant. We have analytically solved Einstein’s field equations (EFEs) in the presence of a stiff-perfect fluid. We show that the analytical solution for the average scale factor for the generalized Friedman equation involves the hyper-geometric function. We have studied the physical and kinematical quantities of the model, and it is found that the universe becomes isotropic at late times.


2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-506
Author(s):  
WILLIAM E. CONKLIN

AbstractAfter setting out the importance of the notion of an international community in contemporary treaties, International Court of Justice judgments and opinio juris, this paper claims that we need to turn to Cicero's works in order to appreciate a sense of what an international community is. Cicero was the first jurist known to recognize and elaborate a theory of the international community and this through his concept of jus gentium. Cicero's theory of jus gentium, I argue, was neither a positivist theory nor a natural law theory. Instead, jus gentium dwelt in an intermediate position between posited state laws and the laws of nature. I find a problem, however, in that Cicero exempts certain types of society from the guidance and protection of the jus gentium. I document examples of the sort of society so exempted. In order to understand why Cicero exempts such societies from the protection of the jus gentium, I argue, Cicero's theory depends on a primordial condition where human beings, living an animal-like existence, lack a language and reason. Cicero posits that human beings must leap from such a primordial condition into a civilized world where language is shared. Cicero associates a civilized world with communication, deliberation, reason, and law, particularly the jus gentium. His theory of jus gentium thereby hierarchizes societies and begs that we ask whether such a hierarchy remains presupposed in contemporary international law and international legal theory.


2020 ◽  
pp. 217-228
Author(s):  
Heather Eaton

This chapter reflects on the enduring quest of human beings to inhabit and understand the universe. Weaving together an account of the exterior (objective) and interior (subjective) facets of the cosmos, Heather Eaton finds the unique qualities of human subjectivity in symbolic consciousness and in the worldviews, narratives, and other systems of symbols through which humans interpret and respond to their surroundings. Along with symbols and narratives, learning about ecology involves attention to systems and interrelationships at multiple scales, from ecosystems to the biosphere.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 455-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emir Haliki

AbstractAccording to the Kardashev scale, likely extraterrestrial civilizations above Type-I might use natural energy sources of the Universe, which is also true for transmitting their signals out to distances. A variety of studies have shown that radio pulsars are most likely candidates for this. First, the current study examined how the radio beams of pulsars scan across their environment. Later when the radio beams of pulsars have been modulated, a network model has been proposed on how many habitable planets possible to be home for other assumed advanced civilizations could be reached. It has been found that size of each pulsar's broadcast network depends on the inclination angle. If a civilization controls multiple pulsars, it could comb a considerable fraction of their own celestial sphere and pulsars share their signals in a decentralized fashion as in the mail servers. Moreover, it is briefly cited how beam-modulating mechanisms can be built and searched around pulsars.Highlights •  It has been shown how pulsars would behave like beacons only when they have been used by modulating their radio signals.•  It has also been indicated how each pulsar could constitute an increasingly growing broadcast network by sweeping geometries and in what way it would emerge as number of controlled pulsars increases.•  It has been interpreted how a modulation mechanism could be established and searched under basic physical principles.


Author(s):  
Anne K. Randerson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the religious and philosophical ways humans view nature, and how we perceive and treat our planet, including all its living entities. Its purpose is to make a positive influence on individuals living in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, so that those who are unaware may be given an unexpected glimpse at our current human situation, which appears increasingly discouraging with regard to sensitivity towards nature. Design/methodology/approach – By offering a subtle, insightful view of human nature and its connection to religion and the universe, rather than facts and statistics on pollution alone, this conceptual paper introduces theoretical and philosophical discussions from comparative literature as well as narratives from actual interviews conducted in Japan. Findings – As human beings, we need to better define our position in this world, in order to learn to appreciate the true value of our own existence. With regard to the question of where humans lie in nature, a basic difference exists between Asian and Western views. The Asian view of nature has traditionally regarded humans and the universe as continually interacting together – human beings are an integral part of life. This differs from the basic Western notion of humans and nature comprising two separate, opposing elements. Originality/value – This paper offers readers a deeper understanding of how humans feel and perceive nature, to help them realize how urgent it is for us to respect our natural resources on Earth.


Human Affairs ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Skowroński

AbstractIn the present paper, the author looks at the political dimension of some trends in the visual arts within twentieth-century avant-garde groups (cubism, expressionism, fauvism, Dada, abstractionism, surrealism) through George Santayana’s idea of vital liberty. Santayana accused the avant-gardists of social and political escapism, and of becoming unintentionally involved in secondary issues. In his view, the emphasis they placed on the medium (or diverse media) and on treating it as an aim in itself, not, as it should be, as a transmitter through which a stimulating relationship with the environment can be had, was accompanied by a focus on fragments of life and on parts of existence, and, on the other hand, by a de facto rejection of ontology and cosmology as being crucial to understanding life and the place of human beings in the universe. The avant-gardists became involved in political life by responding excessively to the events of the time, instead of to the everlasting problems that are the human lot.


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