Making Good Arguments in Archaeology

I review the status of archaeological argumentation. I begin with a historical review of reasons for the decline of published concern with epistemology and argumentation after 1985, and then note a surge of interest starting in 2015. I stress the importance of testing and the proper use of inductive logic or, formal analogy. I review Stephen Toulmin’s scheme for portraying argument and their warrants, and provide examples of two weak arguments and two strong arguments. I briefly discuss modeling in archaeology, suggesting that models can be viewed as a type of argument.

Cosmological analogies, Lagrangians, and symmetries for convective–radiative heat transfer

A formal analogy between the Friedmann equation of relativistic cosmology and models of convective–radiative cooling/heating of a body (including Newton’s, Dulong–Petit’s, Newton–Stefan’s laws, and a generalization) is discussed. The analogy highlights Lagrangians, symmetries, and mathematical properties of the solutions of these cooling laws.

Mathematical Modelling of Drive System with an Elastic Coupling Based on Formal Analogy between the Transmission Shaft and the Electric Transmission Line

In the paper, the kinematic structure of the transmission shaft between the driving motor and the working mechanism is studied. The analysis is based on electrical and mechanical similarities. The equivalent circuits, typical for electrical systems, are defined for the transmission shaft concerned. Modelling of the transmission shaft based on a formal analogy between the transmission shaft and the electric transmission line is also proposed. The results of a computer simulation and experimental test are presented. The results confirm the high conformity of the proposed mathematical model with the physical object.

Thermal corrections for gravitational Möller scattering

A Lagrangian formulation of Gravitoelectromagnetism (GEM) theory is considered. GEM is a gravitational theory that emerges from a formal analogy between electromagnetism and gravity. Using this, the differential cross-section of the gravitational Möller scattering at finite temperature is calculated. The temperature effects are introduced using the Thermo Field Dynamics (TFD) formalism.

Looking For a Trace of Shamanism, in the Rock Art of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Gambar cadas adalah fenomena arkeologi yang tersebar di seluruh dunia. Umumnya, seni prasejarah ini terdiri atas berbagai bentuk, motif, dan juga makna. Artikel ini membahas gambar cadas Indonesia, khususnya di wilayah Maros-Pangkep, Sulawesi Selatan. Menurut teori David Lewis-Williams dan David S. Whitley tentang pendekatan neuropsikologi terhadap gambar cadas, mereka mendeskripsikan "beberapa" motif sebagai penggambaran tahapan atau metafora dari Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) yang berhubungan dengan shamanisme. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menunjukkan bagaimana teori ASC dapat diuji dalam gambar cadas Maros-Pangkep, dan juga menunjukkan indikasi keberadaan shamanisme dalam gambar cadas Indonesia. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan analogi formal dan studi komparatif tentang motif-motif gambar cadas terpilih di kawasan Maros-Pangkep dengan gambar cadas di Afrika, Siberia, dan juga gambar cadas di Amerika. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa teori ASC dapat diterapkan dalam gambar cadas Indonesia dan ada beberapa indikasi shamanisme dalam gambar cadas di wilayah Maros-Pangkep.Rock art is an archaeological phenomenon which spread all over the world. Generally, this prehistoric art consists of various forms, motifs, and also meanings. This article discusses Indonesian rock art, particularly the Maros-Pangkep region in South Sulawesi. According to David Lewis-Williams and David S. Whitley’s theory about the neuropsychology approach to rock art, they describe “some” motifs as a depiction of stages or metaphors of the Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) that relates to shamanism. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how the ASC theory can be tested in Maros-Pangkep Rock Art, and also shows an indication of the existence of shamanism in Indonesian rock art. The research methods are formal analogy and comparative studies on the selected motifs of rock art in the Maros-Pangkep region with African, Siberian, and also American rock art. The result shows that the ASC theory can be applied in Indonesian rock art and there are some indications of shamanism in rock art motifs in the Maros-Pangkep region.

A connection between living liquid crystals and electrokinetic phenomena in nematic fluids

We develop a formal analogy between configurational stresses in physically distinct systems, and study the flows that they induce when the configurations of interest include topological defects.

Design of a Bistable Origami Reverse-Fold Using Spherical Kinematics

This paper presents a new design concept for bistability that can be implemented as a reverse-fold origami mechanism or as a spherical four-bar mechanism. The design is based on the conceptual overlap between a certain simple class of origami mechanisms (the reverse-fold) and a class of spherical change-point mechanisms. Using both a partially compliant spherical mechanism and a piece of origami made with two sheets of paper, we implement the design concept for bistable behavior. The design concept consists in adapting planar two position synthesis to spherical mechanisms and in using a formal analogy between spherical mechanisms and certain simple origami folds. The dimensional synthesis of these two mechanisms is performed using parametric CAD. The design concept was successfully prototyped both as origami and as a partially compliant spherical mechanism.

Idylls of the Buddh': Buddhist Modernism and Victorian Poetics in Colonial Ceylon

This essay explores how Edwin Arnold's epic poem The Light of Asia (1879) popularized a formal analogy between Buddhism and Christianity. The poem was based on a series of missionary texts that had reshaped the Buddha's career into a close approximation of Jesus's in order to frame Buddhism as a fit object of Protestant conversion. Early anglophone readers in Sri Lanka, however, took it as evidence of Buddhism's equal stature and thus helped make The Light of Asia an international best seller and a touchstone for popular Buddhist nationalisms in the twentieth century. In this way Arnold's poem allows us to develop a more complex sense both of how literary forms globalize—how a literary construct can take on global purchase precisely because readers disagree over its meaning—and of the powerful role that specific literary media play in influencing these different interpretations.