_The Opportunity Gap_ aims to shift attention from the current overwhelming emphasis on schools in discussions of the achievement gap to more fundamental questions about social and educational opportunity. The achievement gap looms large in the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability. Yet questions persist: Has the accountability movement—and attendant discussions on the achievement gap—focused attention on the true sources of educational failure in American schools? Do we need to look beyond classrooms and schools for credible accounts of disparities (...) in educational outcomes? The essays in this book reintroduce the overlooked central issue in educational inequity: the lack of opportunity that many social groups face in our common quest for educational attainment. In a series of wide-ranging and carefully nuanced essays, _The Opportunity Gap_ casts much-needed light on the vexed relationship between society and education—and on the crucial, persistent role that education plays in addressing social ills. Contributors include Gilberto Q. Conchas, Raewyn Connell, Pat English-Sand, Linda May Fitzgerald, Patresa Hartman, Jeff Howard, Mieko Kamii, Rafa M. Kasim, Christopher Kliewer, Robert A. LeVine, Sarah E. LeVine, Jodi Meyer-Mork, Robert Parris Moses, Sonia Nieto, Donna Raschke, Stephen W. Raudenbush, Ray C. Rist, Beatrice Schnell-Anzola, Irene Serna, Susan McAllister Swap, and Amy Stuart Wells; with an afterword by Ronald F. Ferguson. (shrink)

This paper considers the matter of representation in Vedānta by examining key claims in the Ṛgveda and the Upaniṣads, which are some of its principal texts. Specifically, we consider the logic behind the paradoxical verses on creation and the conception of consciousness as the ground on which the physical universe exists. This also is the template that explains the logical structure underlying the principal affirmations of the Upaniṣads. The five elements and consciousness are taken to pervade each other, which explains (...) how gross matter is taken to consist of all the four different kinds of atoms that get manifested in different states of the substance. The verses on creation are an example of the use of catuṣkoṭi in Indian philosophy prior to the use of it by Nāgārjuna in the Madhyamaka tradition. It also contrasts central ideas of Vedānta with the corresponding contemporary scientific ideas on consciousness. (shrink)

This paper presents several observations on the connections between information, physics, and computation. In particular, the computing power of quantum computers is examined. Quantum theory is characterized by superimposed states and nonlocal interactions. It is argued that recently studied quantum computers, which are based on local interactions, cannot simulate quantum physics.

We investigate the information provided about a specified distributed apparatus of n units in the measurement of a quantum state. It is shown that, in contrast to such measurement of a classical state, which is bounded by log(n + 1) bits, the information in a quantum measurement is bounded by 3.7 × n 1/2 bits. This means that the use of quantum apparatus offers an exponential advantage over classical apparatus.

This paper examines several issues related to information, speed of computation, and simulation of a physical process. It is argued that mental processes proceed at a rate close to the optimal based on thermodynamic considerations. Problems related to the simulation of a quantum mechanical system on a computer are reviewed. Parallels are drawn between biological and adaptive quantum systems.

"Vedic gods, religion, psychology, mythology, tradition, yoga.".

The problem of initializing phase in a quantum computing system is considered. The initialization of phases is a problem when the system is initially present in a superposition state as well as in the application of the quantum gate transformations, since each gate will introduce phase uncertainty. The accumulation of these random phases will reduce the effectiveness of the recently proposed quantum computing schemes. The paper also presents general observations on the nonlocal nature of quantum errors and the expected performance (...) of the recently proposed quantum error-correction codes that are based on the assumption that the errors are either bit-flip or phase-flip or both. It is argued that these codes cannot directly solve the initialization problem of quantum computing. (shrink)

The mind maps symbols and the extra-symbolic relationships amongst them to specific meanings. When symbols of various levels are placed in a hierarchical ordering, one may look at such ordered classes as distinct worlds where one class represents objects and the other represents the objects’ corresponding meanings. However, such an explanation can only be partial because the number of potential levels in such an ordering is infinite and, therefore, it engenders problems of recursion and infinite regress. There are also logical (...) problems in the form of paradoxes that emanate from the consideration of sets of sets. Given that most prior studies only consider symbols that are classical objects in associative relationships, we argue that there is a need to also consider objects with shifting boundaries and quantum objects. We believe that objects belonging to each of these three classes—that is classical objects, objects with shifting boundaries, and quantum objects—play a role in the workings of the mind. (shrink)

Издание содержит: Этика искусственного государства; Государство как произведение искусства; Государство как произведение искусства; Государство как произведение искусства и др.

Iskusstvo kak vid znanii͡a -- Ėsteticheskie fragmenty -- Vnutrenni͡ai͡a forma slova.

Монография посвящена теории и практике очеловечивания человека. Уделено внимание факторам, способствующим укреплению здоровья и восхождению человека к своей истинной природе, или, наоборот, способствующим его деградации.