Epistemic Rationality in Political Theory

The paper presents a brief analysis of the procedural approach towards constructing liberal political conceptions of justice and democracy. Treatment of J. Rawls’s evolution shows the negative consequences of abandoning external substantive criteria for theory evaluation, including efficiency, justification, truth. It also offers justification for the “epistemic turn” in contemporary political theory. The return of classical epistemological set of tools will help to strengthen the justification and legitimation of philosophical and political conceptions of justice and democracy by overcoming the key limitations of the procedural approach.

TRANSCENDING THE INDIVIDUAL/COLLECTIVE MINORITY RIGHTS DIVIDE: A PROCEDURAL SOLUTION

Relying on examples from international, EU and comparative law and drawing on insights from the class action literature, this article argues that important advances in minority rights protection can be achieved without the revision of substantive legal provisions and the full-scale embracing of collective rights. Allowing minority members to present their claims on behalf of a larger group (collective procedure), even when such claims ultimately rest on the rights of individuals as opposed to those of the group, strengthens minority rights and can transform our vision of them. An overview of eight interrelated benefits shows not only how these advantages occur, but also why the procedural approach avoids the issues that motivate negative critiques of group rights.

Exploratory Three Dimensional Cartographic Visualisation of Geolocated Datasets

<p>While digital technologies have vastly facilitated the generation and consumption of cartographic visualisations, the majority still conform to traditional two-dimensional map making guidelines. Consequently, design principles for three-dimensional cartographic models are still in their infancy and require further exploratory research to establish a comprehensive design framework. The free availability of high resolution global digital elevation models (GDEM), such as the ASTER GDEM (NASA LP DAAC, METI, 2011), makes it possible to develop accurate three-dimensional landscape visualisations and offer more intuitive and immersive representation of spatial information. Combined with the prevalence of geolocated content in both online data-repository and social-media platforms, there exists a wealth of material to be mined, interpreted and juxtaposed in exploratory cartographic visualisations. This thesis aims to establish a flexible and iterative procedural workflow to acquire, interpret and visualise 3D geolocated datasets, without compromising aesthetic control. Synergic with the procedural approach required for data collection and analysis, a procedural approach is used in the design of the visual output. This workflow aims to maximise automation and allow for the interpretation of a range of different data sources. The creative output of this process explores emergent cartographic principles for optimal three-dimensional spatial visualisation and investigate data presentation techniques beyond traditional two-dimensional geo-visualisation guidelines. Informed by exploratory literature review and research through design theories, this practice-led thesis documents the iterative prototyping leading to the creation of a set of map-based infographics showcasing effective application of cartographic and data visualisation principles in a 3D geospatial context. These design prototypes and critical report of workflow refinement hope to contribute to the development of three-dimensional geographic modelling conventions.</p>

Exploratory Three Dimensional Cartographic Visualisation of Geolocated Datasets

<p>While digital technologies have vastly facilitated the generation and consumption of cartographic visualisations, the majority still conform to traditional two-dimensional map making guidelines. Consequently, design principles for three-dimensional cartographic models are still in their infancy and require further exploratory research to establish a comprehensive design framework. The free availability of high resolution global digital elevation models (GDEM), such as the ASTER GDEM (NASA LP DAAC, METI, 2011), makes it possible to develop accurate three-dimensional landscape visualisations and offer more intuitive and immersive representation of spatial information. Combined with the prevalence of geolocated content in both online data-repository and social-media platforms, there exists a wealth of material to be mined, interpreted and juxtaposed in exploratory cartographic visualisations. This thesis aims to establish a flexible and iterative procedural workflow to acquire, interpret and visualise 3D geolocated datasets, without compromising aesthetic control. Synergic with the procedural approach required for data collection and analysis, a procedural approach is used in the design of the visual output. This workflow aims to maximise automation and allow for the interpretation of a range of different data sources. The creative output of this process explores emergent cartographic principles for optimal three-dimensional spatial visualisation and investigate data presentation techniques beyond traditional two-dimensional geo-visualisation guidelines. Informed by exploratory literature review and research through design theories, this practice-led thesis documents the iterative prototyping leading to the creation of a set of map-based infographics showcasing effective application of cartographic and data visualisation principles in a 3D geospatial context. These design prototypes and critical report of workflow refinement hope to contribute to the development of three-dimensional geographic modelling conventions.</p>

Power and satire in the front-page images of Mariano Rajoy: visual motifs as political humour

This article explores the use of photography and visual motifs as forms of political humour in contemporary media. By studying the representation of former Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy in the front pages of three Spanish newspapers (El Mundo, El País and La Vanguardia) between 2011 and 2017, the paper identifies and questions the liaisons between power and satire present in the so-called “serious” press, focusing on how different photographic traits concerning layout, composition and gestures reflect ideological choices. This photographic satire developed by printed media is then framed within a figurative tradition that goes back to Spanish royal portraiture, from Velázquez to Goya, which employs common strategies for the visual depiction of power, including satirical and humorous attributes to push specific political agendas. This examination, based on the quantified study and the visual analysis of more than 7,500 front pages, is part of the national research project Visual Motifs in the Public Sphere: Production and Circulation of Images of Power in Spain, 2011-2017. In order to determine a useful procedural approach to satirical expressions in photographs, defining which front pages invoke a remarkable satirical content, this article also presents a comparative study and a categorisation based on formal (im)balances related to the concepts of visual motif and humour.

Influence of procedural noise on the glossiness of 2.5D printed patches

Perlin noise, a type of procedural noise, was used for the design of elevation files for 2.5D printing. This printing method uses elevation data from a height map to create physical relief by superimposing layers of ink. In this experiment, the grayscale values of noise functions were used as elevation values to build different surface structures in UV curable ink by 2.5D printing. Printed samples with varying levels of Perlin noise were created and their reflectance properties were studied by measuring the values of specular gloss. The roughness and specular gloss of the printed surfaces were effectively influenced when varying the persistence and octaves of the noise functions. The aim of implementing the procedural approach to a high-resolution printing method has been to explore the reflectance properties of custom noise functions when transferred to the physical realm. This might contribute to better understand the effect of surface structure on the appearance of materials. Potentially, this approach will enable the use of relief printing to produce structures with a more natural appearance and a desired gloss value by using a low-cost computing process.

Evaluating Reasoning in Natural Arguments: A Procedural Approach

In this paper, we formulate a procedure for assessing reasoning as it is expressed in natural arguments. The procedure is a specification of one of the three aspects of argumentation assessment distinguished in the Comprehensive Assessment Procedure for Natural Argumentation (CAPNA) (Hinton, 2021) that makes use of the argument categorisation framework of the Periodic Table of Arguments (PTA) (Wagemans, 2016, 2019, 2020c). The theoretical framework and practical application of both the CAPNA and the PTA are described, as well as the evaluation procedure that combines the two. The procedure is illustrated through an evaluation of the reasoning of two example arguments from a recently published text.

How do textbooks from Brazil, the United States, and Japan deal with fractions?

Background: Researchers recognise the importance of textbooks for teachers’ lesson planning and the importance of fraction knowledge for shaping students’ future mathematics performance. Objectives: The finding of discrepant achievement by Brazilian, American, and Japanese students in the last three editions of PISA led us to investigate how textbook authors from these countries approach fraction content in elementary education relating to magnitude, flexibility, reasonableness, as well as conceptual and procedural knowledge from both symbolic and nonsymbolic perspectives. Design: The quantitative performances in mathematics of Brazilian, American, and Japanese students in the last three PISA editions lack qualitative and exploratory research to understand some reasons presented by the numerical results. Data collection and analysis: To achieve the objectives, we selected three textbook series, one each from Brazil, the United States of America, and Japan, that schools in those countries widely use. Results: The main results revealed that all textbook series practised flexibility and reasonableness with different emphases, but not the sense of magnitude. Brazilian and U.S. textbooks were based primarily on part-whole interpretation and on a procedural approach. In contrast, Japanese textbooks emphasised the understanding of measurement as the iteration of unit fractions and more conceptual development. Conclusions: The fraction knowledge approach in the Japanese textbook series seems to be close to what the mathematics education researchers recommend, which can be an essential differential to explain the Japanese results in PISA.

Greece: A Procedural Defence of Democracy against the Golden Dawn

Greece not a militant democracy – Constitution rejects party bans – Challenge posed by neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn – Preference for a procedural approach – Not as passive as previously thought – Proactive use of regular law – Golden Dawn charged for being a criminal organisation disguised as a political party – Questions about the political timing of the trial – Importance of judiciary independence – Why not a terrorist organization – Suspension of party funding and other restrictions against Golden Dawn – Actions by state institutions as opposed to local and civil society – How to distinguish between procedural- and militant-democratic initiatives – Political rights of convicted party leaders – Benefits and risks of procedural model