Acidic substances were known for thousands of years, and their macroscopic-sensory characteristics were reflected by words in most ancient languages. In the Western canon, the history of the concept of acidity goes back to Ancient Greece. In Greek, the word associated with acidity from its early literary references was ὀξύς (“sharp”), and still in contemporary Greek the words “sour” and “acidic” have the same root. This paper makes a short presentation of the appearance of the abstract concept in the works (...) of Plato and Aristotle and relates it, on one side to the already existing theological-philosophical tradition, starting with Hesiod´s Theogony and on the other, to the then available to the Greeks organoleptic experiences of sourness-vinegar and sour milk. (shrink)

v. 1. Religion and mystery -- v. 2. Mystery and philosophy.

The last years of Michael Psellos' life are clouded in obscurity. He was certainly active at the court of his student Michael VII (1071–1078), but when Nikephoritzes, the logothetes tou dromou, became imperial advisor (Attaleiates, Historia, 200,12ff) he practically disappeared from the scene. One of the last chronological references found in his Chronographia is the death of Crispinus in 1075 (VII, b 39, 3–4). In that year he also wrote a description of the “usual miracle” which occurred regularly in the (...) church of Blachernai and somewhat later a funeral oration for Patriarch Ioannes Xiphilinos. Among his writings survives another funeral oration which he dedicated to the young Andronikos Doukas. This work is transmitted only in part by cod. Parisinus gr. 1182 and is dated in 1076. From that point on, practically nothing is known about his subsequent life. (shrink)

Trail-And-Error machines have been proposed by Hintikka and Mutanen as an alternative formulation of the notion of computation. These machines extend the capabilities of the Turing machine and widen the theory of computation.

Résumé Cet article porte sur trois textes de Jacques Derrida – Circonfession (1991), Passions (1993) et Force de loi (1994) – qui ont marqué le tournant politique et autobiographique de sa pensée. Il se penche sur la « grammaire imaginative » de la déconstruction et son objectif est de voir quel type de disparition est présupposé par cette grammaire, vue comme un dialogue entre l’appel à ce qui est condamné à ne pas se dire et la réponse de ce qui (...) émerge en cédant sa place à un nouveau non-dit. En passant par les notions de la justice, du secret et de l’idiome, l’article essaie de mettre en place une poétique déconstructive de la disparition. (shrink)

The book provides the first full length exploration of fuzzy computability. It describes the notion of fuzziness and present the foundation of computability theory. It then presents the various approaches to fuzzy computability. This text provides a glimpse into the different approaches in this area, which is important for researchers in order to have a clear view of the field. It contains a detailed literature review and the author includes all proofs to make the presentation accessible. Ideas for future research (...) and explorations are also provided. Students and researchers in computer science and mathematics will benefit from this work. (shrink)

The book starts with the assumption that vagueness is a fundamental property of this world. From a philosophical account of vagueness via the presentation of alternative mathematics of vagueness, the subsequent chapters explore how vagueness manifests itself in the various exact sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, computer science, and engineering.

Name der Zeitschrift: Byzantinische Zeitschrift Jahrgang: 112 Heft: 1 Seiten: 252-256.

In the story of Coriolanus, as depicted mainly by Plutarch and Shakespeare, we become aware of the norms and parameters of the nobility, the sincerity and the legitimacy of violence, both in diction and action, both political and personal, both as a rhetorical strategy and as a way of living. These attributes indicate a firm culture of violence and a definite system of values, which, within the span of Roman antiquity and history, comprises an early idea of chivalry and which (...) aims at gloria. (shrink)

Vagueness is a linguistic phenomenon as well as a property of physical objects. Fuzzy set theory is a mathematical model of vagueness that has been used to define vague models of computation. The prominent model of vague computation is the fuzzy Turing machine. This conceptual computing device gives an idea of what computing under vagueness means, nevertheless, it is not the most natural model. Based on the properties of this and other models of vague computing, an attempt is made to (...) formulate a basis for a philosophy of a theory of fuzzy computation. (shrink)

Trail-And-Error machines have been proposed by Hintikka and Mutanen as an alternative formulation of the notion of computation. These machines extend the capabilities of the Turing machine and widen the theory of computation.

Generally, an object is vague when its properties cannot precisely defined. The ontic view of vagueness is the idea that vagueness is a fundamental property of Nature. This simply means that everything is vague: animals, plants, molecules, atoms, etc. Furthermore, if atoms and molecules are vague, then the subject matter of chemistry is vague. However, we first need to understand why molecules and atoms are vague.

In biomedical measurement, biomarkers are used to achieve reliable prediction of, and useful causal information about patient outcomes while minimizing complexity of measurement, resources, and invasiveness. A biomarker is an assayable metric that discloses the status of a biological process of interest, be it normative, pathophysiological, or in response to intervention. The greatest utility from biomarkers comes from their ability to help clinicians (and researchers) make and evaluate clinical decisions. In this paper we discuss a specific methodological use of clinical (...) biomarkers in pharmacological measurement: Some biomarkers, called ‘surrogate markers’, are used to substitute for a clinically meaningful endpoint corresponding to events and their penultimate risk factors. We confront the reliability of clinical biomarkers that are used to gather information about clinically meaningful endpoints. Our aim is to present a systematic methodology for assessing the reliability of multiple surrogate markers (and biomarkers in general). To do this we draw upon the robustness analysis literature in the philosophy of science and the empirical use of clinical biomarkers. After introducing robustness analysis we present two problems with biomarkers in relation to reliability. Next, we propose an intervention-based robustness methodology for organizing the reliability of biomarkers in general. We propose three relevant conditions for a robust methodology for biomarkers: (R1) Intervention-based demonstration of partial independence of modes: In biomarkers partial independence can be demonstrated through exogenous interventions that modify a process some number of “steps” removed from each of the markers. (R2) Comparison of diverging and converging results across biomarkers: By systematically comparing partially-independent biomarkers we can track under what conditions markers fail to converge in results, and under which conditions they successfully converge. (R3) Information within the context of theory: Through a systematic cross-comparison of the markers we can make causal conclusions as well as eliminate competing theories. We apply our robust methodology to currently developing Alzheimer’s research to show its usefulness for making causal conclusions. (shrink)

The problem this paper addresses is network based, systematic tax extortion. Four key extortion system elements are considered which expose corruption links between political, administrative and judicial bodies. Based on action‐learning theory, a number of intervention methods for resisting and reforming systematic tax extortion are considered. The strengths and limitations of the methods are considered in the context of a number of case studies. Since the problem of tax extortion is more network based and systematic than it is isolated and (...) individual, any successful method of intervention must target network processes rather than isolated individual behaviours. What appears particularly promising is a social movement‐based combination and sequence of methods that includes dialogue among reformers about system‐level problems, win‐win alliances with instrumental allies, and win‐lose methods against selected opponents to extortion reform. (shrink)

Proceedings from the Symposium Philosophiae Antiquae Secundum Therense, which took place in Santorini, 30th June - 7th July 2002. The theme of this second symposium was Aristotle's account and criticism of Plato's metaphysical theory regarding the fundamental structure of reality, in effect his examination of Plato's theory of concrete things, mathematicals, ideas, and first principles. Contributors: Harold Tarrant; Margherita Isnardi-Parente; David Fowler; Klaus Brinkmann; Andrew Smith; Ian Mueller; Elisabetta Cattanei; Mary Louise Gill; Andreas Graeser; David Ambuel; Kenneth Sayre; and (...) class='Hi'>Apostolos Pierris. (shrink)

De Feuerbach a Derrida, de la gastronomie au cannibalisme et de la saveur a la terreur, cette etude decline les differentes postures du sujet mangeant.<BR> Plus precisement, et resolument ancre dans un corps place au centre du present volume, c'est d'abord un sujet phagique jouissif qui triomphe dans l'autobiographie gastronomique. Mais l'etude examine egalement les modalites d'apparition d'un sujet dysphorique, emiette, spectralise ou vampirise, aussi bien dans les litteratures de l'eclatement de soi que dans les mises en spectacle des dechirements (...) identitaires de l'art corporel. Les contributions permettent enfin de voir comment la metaphore (auto)phagique, pathologique chez les grands lecteurs, toujours digestive, voire stercoraire, se litterarise dans une quotidiennete diarique recyclee ad nauseam, se redefini philosophiquement dans un rapport circulaire au monde et voit son essence sondee par la philosophie anti-idealiste et postmoderne.<BR> Enrichies de l'apport de disciplines differentes, les AutoBioPhagies aspirent en effet a reunir ce que la tradition occidentale a desuni: les deux fonctions principales de la bouche, celle de la parole et celle de la nourriture.". (shrink)

The problem this paper addresses is network based, systematic tax extortion. Four key extortion system elements are considered which expose corruption links between political, administrative and judicial bodies. Based on action‐learning theory, a number of intervention methods for resisting and reforming systematic tax extortion are considered. The strengths and limitations of the methods are considered in the context of a number of case studies. Since the problem of tax extortion is more network based and systematic than it is isolated and (...) individual, any successful method of intervention must target network processes rather than isolated individual behaviours. What appears particularly promising is a social movement‐based combination and sequence of methods that includes dialogue among reformers about system‐level problems, win‐win alliances with instrumental allies, and win‐lose methods against selected opponents to extortion reform. (shrink)

In past and modern psychophysics there are several unresolved methodological and philosophical problems of human and animal perception, including the outstanding question of the relational basis of whole psychophysics. Here the main issue is discussed: if, and to what extent, there are viable bridges between the traditional “gestalt” oriented approaches and the modern perceptual-cognitive perspectives in psychophysics. Thereby the key concept of psychological “frame of reference” is presented by pointing to Hermann Ebbinghaus' geometric-optical illusions, on the one hand, and Max (...) Wertheimer's treatment of the traditional transposition phenomenon, on the other hand. A much-needed theoretical reorientation of future research may help to overcome the philosophical narrowness of present-day human and comparative psychophysics. (shrink)

First published in 1984. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Employing the concept of “layering,” this book seeks to rethink our relation to textual tradition against the background of the emergence of digital culture, the increasing spectacularization of psychic as well as social life, the renegotiation of historical thinking and the precarious position of the theoretical humanities within academia.

Employing the concept of “layering,” this book seeks to rethink our relation to textual tradition against the background of the emergence of digital culture, the increasing spectacularization of psychic as well as social life, the renegotiation of historical thinking and the precarious position of the theoretical humanities within academia.