General Relativity and Causality, Reasoning from Metaphysics, and E. J. Lowe’s Ontology

The paper aims to show the importance of reasoning “from metaphysics” in the course of a consistent interpretation of the “against neoscholasticism” thesis (J. Ladyman). The idea that “the subject of metaphysics is metaphysical possibilities, and science determines which of them are actually achieved” (E. J. Lowe, J. Katz, etc.) reinforces the role of reasoning “from metaphysics” within the field of metaphysics of science. The general theory of relativity violates the common prevailing intuition that “causality is the subject of local physical interaction” (J. Bigelow). Interpretation of causality in terms of “forces” and “coming into” within the framework of E. J. Lowe's ontology makes it possible to talk about causality in terms of “finding” and “going out” of existence of the corresponding modes of objects connected by a formal “causal relationship”. The transition to E. J. Lowe's ontology helps not only to overcome the intuition of the locality of causality, but also reveals in its own way, for example, such seemingly simple common intuitions as the dependence of the truth of propositions on time or the understanding of time as a dimension. All this once again brings us back to the understanding of the importance of the fact that a scientist, constructing or interpreting a scientific theory, as a rule, uses non-trivial philosophical assumptions that should be the subject of its own philosophical analysis.

Generative Theories of Interaction

Although Human–Computer Interaction research has developed various theories and frameworks for analyzing new and existing interactive systems, few address the generation of novel technological solutions, and new technologies often lack theoretical foundations. We introduce Generative Theories of Interaction , which draw insights from empirical theories about human behavior in order to define specific concepts and actionable principles, which, in turn, serve as guidelines for analyzing, critiquing, and constructing new technological artifacts. After introducing and defining Generative Theories of Interaction, we present three detailed examples from our own work: Instrumental Interaction, Human–Computer Partnerships, and Communities & Common Objects. Each example describes the underlying scientific theory and how we derived and applied HCI-relevant concepts and principles to the design of innovative interactive technologies. Summary tables offer sample questions that help analyze existing technology with respect to a specific theory, critique both positive and negative aspects, and inspire new ideas for constructing novel interactive systems.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES OF A LIBRARIAN OF A HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

Objective. Development and implementation of the concept of professional competencies of librarians. Methods. In the course of the research, a complex of methods of theoretical analysis (terminological analysis; literature analysis) and synthesis was used; methods of comparison, generalization, systematization of an array of publications. Results. The study of the research on the development and implementation of the professional competence of librarians made it possible to identify the necessary requirements for university library specialists. The resulting practice revealed the potential of librarians during telecommuting. Conclusions. In modern scientific theory, the concept of human competence has a broad interpretation and a complex structural structure. In general, it is about the ability of a person to perform certain activities, perform tasks or work; the availability of an appropriate set of knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to act effectively in a professional field or activity. Professional competencies of librarians are necessary for the implementation of professional activities, opportunities for self-improvement throughout life.

DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONS AS A MEANINGFUL RESULT OF LEGAL REGULATION

The article touches upon the problems of theory and practice of legal regulation. In a modern state, legal regulation is one of the most effective forms of social regulation. This determines the relevance of this topic. In turn, legal regulation should be based on a scientific theory – the theory of legal regulation, which, despite the attention paid to it by scientists, contains a number of controversial points, inaccuracies and errors. The author comes to the conclusion that the meaningful result of legal regulation can be both the development and conservation of public relations. In this context, we can talk about the relevant functions of law.

MASALAH PEMAHAMAN COVID-19 DAN TUGAS FILSAFAT

<em>Public understanding of Covid 19 is often seen as a source of problems in pandemic time. This article presents a discussion that the logic of understanding is different from the logic of explanation. If in scientific explanation, law and scientific theory are regarded as the premises, all human understanding departs from the historical experience of the world which belongs to the community. In a phenomenological perspective, human understanding is rational because it is oriented toward convergence without coincidence, unification without equivalence, commonality without identity, and cooperation without uniformity. The Study of the musical experiences of East Nusa Tenggara shows that the people of East Nusa Tenggara have a transverse rationality, in a sense that is convergent with the health protocol, although is based on the mythical cosmology. Based on this kind of logos, any effort in solving Covid 19's problem as a point of convergence needs interpretation of local community different understanding.</em><br /><br /><strong>Key words:</strong> Covid 19, Edmund Husserl, Phenomenology, rationality, transversality.

Eliminativism and Evolutionary Debunking

Eliminativists sometimes invoke evolutionary debunking arguments against ordinary object beliefs, either to help them establish object skepticism or to soften the appeal of commonsense ontology. I argue that object debunkers face a self-defeat problem: their conclusion undermines the scientific support for one of their premises, because evolutionary biology depends on our object beliefs. Using work on reductionism and multiple realizability from the philosophy of science, I argue that it will not suffice for an eliminativist debunker to simply appeal to some object-free surrogate theory of evolution that results from converting any scientific proposition about some object K into a proposition about simples arranged K-wise. In the process, I examine some hazards peculiar to eliminative reductions of scientific theories, and propose a trilemma for eliminativists who attempt to recoup generality for ontologically sparse reducing theories by appealing to pluralities of simples arranged K-wise. The paper is intended to define and develop the object debunker’s self-defeat problem for further study, and to clarify some of the ways sparse and abundant ontologies interact with scientific theory.

Dead-Ends and New Directions

The aim of this article is to investigate how Abraham Kuyper and some late neo-Calvinists have addressed the doctrine of creation in light of the challenges posed by evolutionary scientific theory. I argue that most neo-Calvinists today, particularly scholars from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), continue Kuyper’s legacy by holding the core principles of a creationist worldview. Yet, they have taken a new direction by explaining the natural history of the earth in evolutionary terms. In my analysis, Kuyper’s heirs at the VU today offer judicious parameters to guide Christians in conversation with evolutionary science, precisely because of their high appreciation of good science and awareness of the nonnegotiable elements that make up the orthodox Christian narrative.

Second Fortunatov Readings in Karelia

The report on the international conference “Second Fortunatov Readings in Karelia”, held at Petrozavodsk State University on June 3–4, 2021, is presented. It is noted that the name of F. F. Fortunatov is a significant phenomenon in the history of world linguistics for understanding the development of scientific theory and methodology in linguistics. The scientist laid the foundations of modern grammatical theory, assessed controversial processes in the field of the history and accentology of Slavic and Baltic languages, and contributed to the formation of new linguistic trends. The Fortunatov School at the end of the 19th century went beyond the geographical borders of Russia and became known abroad as one of the most advanced academic schools. A brief description of the program and the reports presented, covering the problems of historical and diachronic linguistics in the context of comparative and typological linguistics, language teaching methods, syntax, dialectology, communication theory, culture of language and poetics, is given. Special attention is paid to the relevance in modern linguistics of F. F. Fortunatov’s ideas. Parallels are drawn with related humanities disciplines.

Zola and the Science of Painting

The article explores a paradox in Zola's writing: the resistance to advances in scientific theory by the author of Du Progrès dans les sciences et dans la poésie (1864), as the first of many such assimilations of scientific progress and artistic trends. This is exemplified by the challenge posed to his Naturalist aesthetic by Michel-Eugène Chevreul's seminal De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs (1839), popularised during the period of Zola's most sustained art criticism. This radical revision of the science of optics is increasingly accommodated in contemporary painting, from 1880 onwards, at the very moment of Zola's disenchantment with Impressionism. Although L'Œuvre, his novel of 1886, is set in the Second Empire (consistent with the historical limits of Les Rougon-Macquart), Zola inserts into his narrative the theory of complementary colours, the awkward anachronism notwithstanding, to explain his fictional painter's creative impotence. In relation to the latter, the article looks in detail at the genesis and textual details of a key passage in the novel in which Zola's irony at the expense of Chevreul's theories is almost explicit. At least as telling is his response to unsolicited advice about them: ‘J’ai plus de confiance dans l'observation directe que dans la théorie’. One could hardly conjure up a more succinct summary of Zola's unreconstructed approach to the science of painting which simultaneously testifies to his own principles of representation.