In the Spring of 1944, an informal discussion took place in Cambridge between Mr. R. S. Whipple, Professor Allan Ferguson and Mr. F. H. C. Butler, concerning the formation of a national Society for the History of Science. This is the opening sentence of the inaugural issue of the Bulletin of the British Society for the History of Science, the Society's first official publication. Butler himself was the author of this outline account of the subsequent approach to the Royal Society, (...) the parallel moves to establish a National Committee of the International Academy of the History of Science, the formation of a provisional committee to prepare a draft constitution for a national society, and the proceedings of the first Annual General Meeting in May 1947. Whipple had been in Cambridge to discuss his offer to present his collection of old scientific instruments to the University and the possible foundation of a new museum, and Butler, as Secretary of the History of Science Committee in Cambridge, was the chief mover in both this development and an initiative coupled with it to establish a department of the history of science. (shrink)

A critical and constructive discussion of philosophical questions which have particular bearing on the formulation of educational aims.

We applaud Ray and Cooper (2024) for emphasizing environmental health as a bioethics issue. As a team of interdisciplinary pediatric researchers and providers who are part of an institutional clima...

- How can anthropology improve our understanding of the interrelationship between nature and culture? - What can anthropology contribute to practical debates which depend on particular definitions of nature, such as that concerning sustainable development? Humankind has evolved over several million years by living in and utilizing 'nature' and by assimilating it into 'culture'. Indeed, the technological and cultural advancement of the species has been widely acknowledged to rest upon human domination and control of nature. Yet, by the 1960s, the (...) idea of culture in confrontation with nature was being challenged by science, philosophy and the environmental movement. Anthropology is increasingly concerned with such issues as they become more urgent for humankind as a whole. This important book reviews the current state of the concepts of 'nature' we use, both as scientific devices and ideological constructs, and is organised around three themes: - nature as a cultural construction; - the cultural management of the environment; and - relations between plants, animals and humans. (shrink)

pt. 1. A critique of current educational aims.--pt. 2. Reason.--pt. 3. Education and reason.

This volume critically and constructively discusses philosophical questions which have particular bearing on the formulation of educational aims. The book is divided into three major parts: the first deals with the nature of education, and discusses the various general aims, such as 'mental health', 'socialization' and 'creativity' which have been thought to characterize it; the second section is concerned with the nature of reason and its relationship to feeling, will and action; finally the development of different aspects of reason in (...) an educational context is considered. (shrink)

ALTHOUGH THE IDEA OF A VIOLATION OF NATURAL LAW IS NOT NECESSARILY INVOLVED IN THE IDEA OF THE MIRACULOUS, THERE IS "ONE KIND" OF MIRACLE WHICH SEEMS TO INVOLVE IT. HUME’S DISCUSSION OF THE EVIDENCE FOR MIRACLES RELATES TO THIS KIND AND IS INTERPRETABLE AS AN ARGUMENT AGAINST ITS POSSIBILITY. ALSO THERE IS AN ARGUMENT THAT THE EXPRESSION "VIOLATION OF NATURAL LAW" SIGNIFIES A CONFUSION IN WHICH THE IDEAS OF NATURAL LAW AND LEGAL LAW COLLAPSE INTO EACH OTHER. NEITHER OF (...) THESE ARGUMENTS IS EFFICACIOUS. FURTHERMORE, THE CONTENTION THAT THERE CAN BE NO SUCH THING AS ESTABLISHING THE "ABSENCE" OF A NATURAL CAUSE IS OPEN TO OBJECTION. HOWEVER, TO BE CONCEIVED AS A VIOLATION OF NATURAL LAW, A MIRACLE MUST BE THOUGHT OF AS AN OCCURRENCE WHICH IS BOTH EMPIRICALLY CERTAIN AND CONCEPTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE--WHICH OUGHT TO MAKE THE NOTION RIDICULOUS. AND YET IT NEED NOT. (shrink)

R F Dearden; Theory and Practice in Education, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Volume 14, Issue 1, 30 May 2006, Pages 17–29, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-.

Two dogmas of empiricism, by W. V. Quine.--In defense of a dogma, by H. P. Grice and P. F. Strawson.--The analytic and the synthetic: an untenable dualism, by M. G. White.--Synonymity, by B. Mates.--The meaning of a word, by J. L. Austin.--Meaning and synonymy in natural languages, by R. Carnap.--Analytic-synthetic, by J. Bennett.--On "analytic," by R. M. Martin.--Selected bibliography (p. [188]-196).

Overdenkingen in proza en poëzie over filosofische vraagstukken door de in ongenade gevallen Romeinse ex-consul (480-524).

We present a full completeness theorem for the multiplicative fragment of a variant of noncommutative linear logic, Yetter's cyclic linear logic (CyLL). The semantics is obtained by interpreting proofs as dinatural transformations on a category of topological vector spaces, these transformations being equivariant under certain actions of a noncocommutative Hopf algebra called the shuffie algebra. Multiplicative sequents are assigned a vector space of such dinaturals, and we show that this space has as a basis the denotations of cut-free proofs in (...) CyLL + MIX. This can be viewed as a fully faithful representation of a free *-autonomous category, canonically enriched over vector spaces. This paper is a natural extension of the authors' previous work, "Linear Lauchli Semantics", where a similar theorem is obtained for the commutative logic MLL + MIX. In that paper, we interpret proofs as dinaturals which are invariant under certain actions of the additive group of integers. Here we also present a simplification of that work by showing that the invariance criterion is actually a consequence of dinaturality. The passage from groups to Hopf algebras in this paper corresponds to the passage from commutative to noncommutative logic. However, in our noncommutative setting, one must still keep the invariance condition on dinaturals. (shrink)

Reading the Republic without reference to the less familiar Laws can lead to a distorted view of Plato's political theory. In the Republic the philosopher describes his ideal city; in his last and longest work he deals with the more detailed considerations involved in setting up a second-best 'practical utopia.' The relative neglect of the Laws has stemmed largely from the obscurity of its style and the apparent chaos of its organization so that, although good translations now exist, students of (...) philosophy and political science still find the text inaccessible. This first full-length philosophical introduction to the Laws will therefore prove invaluable. The opening chapters describe the general character of the dialogue and set it in the context of Plato's political philosophy as a whole. Each of the remaining chapters deals with a single topic, ranging over material scattered through the text and so drawing together the threads of the argument in a stimulating and readily comprehensible way. Those topics include education, punishment, responsibility, religion, virtue and pleasure as well as political matters and law itself. Throughout, the author encourages the reader to think critically about Plato's ideas and to see their relevance to present-day philosophical debate. No knowledge of Greek is required and only a limited background in philosophy. Although aimed primarily at students, the book will also be of interest to more advanced readers since it provides for the first time a philosophical, as opposed to linguistic or historical, commentary on the Laws in English. (shrink)

I am concerned with the subject as an ethico-religious problem. Is suicide all right or isn't it; and if it isn't, why not?The question should not be assumed to be susceptible of an answer in the way the question whether arsenic is poisonous is susceptible of an answer. Moreover in the case of arsenic the question what it is, and the question whether it is poisonous, are separable questions: you can know that arsenic is poisonous without having analysed its nature. (...) But to know or believe that suicide is objectionable is to have analysed its nature or construed its significance in one way rather than another. (shrink)

The problem of teaching and learning of Russian language and literature in schools with native language of teaching related to the implementation of the principle of dialogue between cultures. The article draws on the results of the survey of graduates of the two high schools of Kazan: School #2 with teaching in Tatar language and school #37 with teaching in Russian-language. The results of the survey are associated with the problems of bilingualism, multiculturalism and bimentality. Graduates from Tatar language gymnasium (...) are bilingual and fluent in Russian and Tatar languages. 97% of graduates of Tatar gymnasium speak, read and write free in their native language and 96% in Russian. Bilingualism acts in this case like one of the manifestations of inter-ethnic interaction, a particular manifestation of biculturalism. In the National School dialogue of cultures passes through a system of parallel study of both Russian and Tatar languages and literatures: the formation of a bicultural, bilingual, bimental personality able to perceive not only the native culture, but also other culture as the native is taking place. (shrink)

Es wird versucht nachzuweisen wiesehr Husserl neben der immer erneuten Übung der Phänomenologie als ein Instrument genauester philosophischer Analyse immer mit metaphysischen Fragen „alten Stils” beschäftigt gewesen ist : Ursprung der Welt, Existenz Gottes, Möglichkeit und Sinn der Geschichte, Unsterblichkeit. Solche und ähnliche Probleme hat er angeschnitten und neu zu beantworten versucht auf dem von ihm nie verlassenen Boden der transzendentalsubjektiven Phänomenologie. Die Frage ist eben wie eine solche Phänomenologie, die vom Bewusstsein als dem Absoluten, das „nulla ‘re’ indiget ad (...) existendum” ausgeht und daran immer festgehalten hat mit der metaphysischen Problematik ins Reine kommt, namentlich wenn das mit der Transzendenz Gottes gemeinte Absolute dem Bewusstseinsabsoluten gegenüber als „ total verschieden” und „übertranszendentalsubjektiv” bezeichnet wird. Stösst das transzendentale Bewusstsein irgendwo auf Absolutes, das es unter Verzicht auf seinen konstitutiven Leistungscharakter ohne weiteres hinzunehmen hat ? Von Fink stammt die Bemerkung dass man Husserl als dem „Philosophen des Kleingeldes” seine unspekulative Gesinnung nicht als Schwachheit anrechnen darf, weil in der sorgfältigen Analyse eben seine Stärke liege. Ich möchte demgegenüber betonen dass eine „manque d'esprit métaphysique” sich bei Husserl eben nicht nachweisen lässt, wie auch aus seinen geschichtsphilosophischen Bemühungen eindeutig hervorgeht. In dieser letzten Beziehung liesse sich fragen inwiefern eine Philosophie, die den Ursprung der Geschichte in die transzendentale Subjektivität verlegt auf die „wirkliche” Geschichte als das „grosse Faktum des absoluten Seins” sich zu berufen ein Recht hat. Jedenfalls dürfte klar sein dass es neben Husserl, dem geduldigen, sorgfältigen, auf das Detail hinsehenden phänomenologischen Analytiker einen durch metaphysische Fragen in andauernder Unruhe versetzten Husserl gegeben hat. (shrink)

Ob was Mythos im ursprünglichen oder anfänglichen Sinn heissen soll aus den zahlreichen späteren und sich oft widersprechenden Deutungen überhaupt noch ans Licht zu ziehen ist lässt sich fragen. Desgleichen, ob es das Sein selbst ist, das sich im Mythos (als auslegende Seinserzählung) dem archaischen Menschen kund tut oder ob es vom Menschen als dem „interpretations- und orientierungsbedürftigen Wesen” angesprochen wird. Im ersten Falle lässt Mythos sich am besten als Manifestation, im zweiten als Interpretation auffassen. Aber auch wenn es das (...) Sein selbst sein sollte, das den Menschen im Mythos anspricht so ist es auf ihn als das Wesen, das ausspricht dass es angesprochen wird oder sich angesprochen weiss immer noch angewiesen. Die immer von aktuellen Fragen inspirierte wissenschaftliche und philosophische Forschung wird mit der Schwierigkeit konfrontiert, dass die Suche des Mythos „an sich” immer davon auszugehen hat was der Mythos „für uns” bedeutet und dem unmöglich los wird. Wenn Myhos mit einem gewissen Recht als „vorgängiges Seinsverständnis” qualifiziert wird kann mit gleichem Recht gelten, dass jede theoretische Interpretation des Mythos als Artikulierung von etwas das „vorgängiges Mythosverständnis” genannt werden kann aufzufassen ist. Der Grund, der im Mythos gelegt wird, lässt sich nicht mehr „interpretationsfrei” zurückholen. Zugleich zieht er uns immer wieder zu sich zurück. Auch das ist ein Grund – der Grund, der uns zwingt immer wieder vom Mythos zu reden und über ihn nachzudenken, sei es im Modus des Verfalls. (shrink)