Multiple authorship is the universal solution to multi-tasking in the sciences. Without a team, each with their own set of expertise, and each involved mostly in complementary ways, a research project will likely not advance quickly, or effectively. Consequently, there is a risk that research goals will not be met within a desired timeframe. Research teams that strictly scrutinize their modus operandi select and include a set of authors that have participated substantially in the physical undertaking of the research, in (...) its planning, or who have contributed intellectually to the ideas or the development of the manuscript. Authorship is not an issue that is taken lightly, and save for dishonest authors, it is an issue that is decided collectively by the authors, usually in sync with codes of conduct established by their research institutes or national ministries of education. Science, technology and medicine publishers have, through independent, or sometimes coordinated efforts, also established their own sets of guidelines regarding what constitutes valid authorship. However, these are, for the greater part, merely guidelines. A previous and recent analysis of authorship definitions indicates that the definitions in place regarding authorship and its validity by many leading STM publishers is neither uniform, nor standard, despite several of them claiming to follow the guidelines as set forward by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors or ICMJE. This disparity extends itself to ghost and guest authorship, two key authorship-related issues that are examined in this paper to assess the extent of discrepancies among the same set of STM publishers and what possible influence they might have on publishing ethics. (shrink)

We apply the recently elaborated notions of 'pragmatic truth' and 'pragmatic probability' to the problem of the construction of a logic of inductive inference. It is argued that the system outlined here is able to overcome many of the objections usually levelled against such attempts. We claim, furthermore, that our view captures the essentially cumulative nature of science and allows us to explain why it is indeed reasonable to accept and believe in the conclusions reached by inductive inference.

An introduction to the model-theoretic approach in the philosophy of science is given and it is argued that this program is further enhanced by the introduction of partial structures. It is then shown that this leads to a natural and intuitive account of both "iconic" and mathematical models and of the role of the former in science itself.

Objectives Older adults are considered one of the most vulnerable groups to COVID-19. However, previous studies on emotion and aging have found that older adults report better well-being than younger adults in global survey and daily report. To better understand older adults’ well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak, we examined age differences in daily affective experiences in this study. Method Two hundred and thirty-one participants from mainland China aged 18 to 85 were recruited to participate in the 14-day daily diary study, (...) after a pretest. Their trait affect and demographic information were measured in the pretest. Their daily affect and stress levels were measured in the daily assessments. Results We found that older adults reported lower perceived stress related to COVID-19 in daily life, compared to younger adults. The negative relationship between daily perceived stress and high arousal positive affect and the positive relationship between daily perceived stress and high arousal negative affect was weaker in older than younger adults. Discussion These results provide initial evidence of daily affective well-being across different age groups in adulthood during the COVID-19 outbreak. Such information is important for developing interventions to promote better well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. (shrink)

Physical superpositions exist both in classical and in quantum physics. However, what is exactly meant by ‘superposition’ in each case is extremely different. In this paper we discuss some of the multiple interpretations which exist in the literature regarding superpositions in quantum mechanics. We argue that all these interpretations have something in common: they all attempt to avoid ‘contradiction’. We argue in this paper, in favor of the importance of developing a new interpretation of superpositions which takes into account contradiction, (...) as a key element of the formal structure of the theory, “right from the start”. In order to show the feasibility of our interpretational project we present an outline of a paraconsistent approach to quantum superpositions which attempts to account for the contradictory properties present in general within quantum superpositions. This approach must not be understood as a closed formal and conceptual scheme but rather as a first step towards a different type of understanding regarding quantum superpositions. (shrink)

Quasi-set theory is a theory for dealing with collections of indistinguishable objects. In this paper we discuss some logical and philosophical questions involved with such a theory. The analysis of these questions enable us to provide the first grounds of a possible new view of physical reality, founded on an ontology of non-individuals, to which quasi-set theory may constitute the logical basis.

In this paper I study the variants of the notion of completeness Husserl pre-sented in “Ideen I” and two lectures he gave in Göttingen in 1901. Introduced primarily in connection with the problem of imaginary numbers, this notion found eventually a place in the answer Husserl provided for the philosophically more im-portant problem of the logico-epistemological foundation of formal knowledge in sci-ence. I also try to explain why Husserl said that there was an evident correlation between his and Hilbert’s notion (...) of completeness introduced in connection with the axiomatisation of geometry and the theory of real numbers when, as many commen-tators have already observed, these two notions are independent. I show in this paper that if a system of axioms is complete in Husserl’s sense, then its formal domain, the manifold of formal objects it determines, does not admit any extension. This is precisely the idea behind Hilbert’s notion of completeness in question. Therefore, the correlation Husserl noted indeed exists. But, in order to see it, we must consider the formal domain determined by a formal theory, not its models. (shrink)

Neurath’s approach to the problem of the unity of science is different from conceptions we may call traditional, to know, those that consider that what unites in one single concept the diverse sciences is the adoption of a method, or those that defend that this is carried through by certain characteristics which can be found in the body of knowledge considered scientific. Neurath’s stance also diverges from the standpoint that there is no unifying factor for science, that is, the view (...) that the different sciences are only classified under such concept because of the historical origin of such activities. Neurath’s proposal is to consider science as an attitude, a posture in relation to the problems of the world, the scientific world-conception. This text presents such approach in connection to the aspect of social transformation that can be found in Neurath’s thought. This is done following a comprehension of the ideas of the Vienna Circle, seeking to understand a continuity among the ideas of the members of such group, especially Neurath and Carnap. The present text aims, as well, at recovering the Neurathian idea that we can use a philosophical approach to science to struggle against the problems of the world. (shrink)

After the Covid-19 vaccination started, social media users created an enormous amount of content on the vaccines. Especially in the early stages of vaccination, people searched and watched YouTube videos sharing personal experiences after getting the vaccines (i.e., vaccine review videos), usually titled “I got the COVID-19 vaccine.” Few studies have examined the characteristics and impacts of vaccine review videos on viewers’ responses (e.g., likes, dislikes, comments). This study investigates the content of, and reactions to, the most-viewed Covid-19 vaccine review (...) videos on YouTube, based on the social communication framework. A quantitative content analysis of 148 vaccine review videos revealed their unique characteristics, including source expertise, message valence, narration, and topics. Most of the videos had a positive tone, with some urging vaccination and showing pro-vaccine attitudes. Furthermore, source expertise and hybrid message types (messages conveyed in narrative and informative ways) were not significantly related to positive responses. Rather, non-expert videos received more positive responses. The findings concern the public opinions surrounding new vaccines, including related concerns and attitudes. Given the positive tone of the content, vaccine review content made by diverse groups can be encouraged by public health institutions regardless of the creators’ expertise. (shrink)

In his thesis Para uma Teoria Geral dos Homomorfismos (1944), the Portuguese mathematician José Sebastião e Silva constructed an abstract or generalized Galois theory, that is intimately linked to F. Klein’s Erlangen Program and that foreshadows some notions and results of today’s model theory; an analogous theory was independently worked out by M. Krasner in 1938. In this paper, we present a version of the theory making use of tools which were not at Silva’s disposal. At the same time, we (...) tried to keep in mind, so much as possible, the gist of his standpoint. (shrink)

Tendo, pois, como pano de fundo o horizonte de uma fenomenologia da natureza, o texto, a seguir, explora uma proposição emblemática enunciada por Gabriel Marcel: a ideia da “natureza como espírito nascente”. Para tanto, a fim de melhor compreender o sentido e alcance dessa tese, a exposição se divide em duas partes correlatas: a primeira, retrospectivamente negativa, reconstitui a crítica marceliana ao naturalismo e ao idealismo vistos como dois gestos concêntricos à medida que não atribuem qualquer estatuto ou significação à (...) natureza. A segunda, mais positiva ou propositiva, restitui, numa direção heurística, a experiência matricial da natureza como espírito nascente, ou seja, confere pleno reconhecimento a uma acepção originariamente espiritual da natureza como fenômeno co-nascente. (shrink)

The purpose of this article is to follow a precise period of the trajectory of the experience of consciousness in Hegelian philosophy. It was chosen the subsection “sense-certainty or this or the aiming” of the Phenomenology of Spirit as standpoint. In a first moment, the aspects that Hegel calls “natural conscience”, based on his “immediate knowledge” are underscored. Since such perspective, it is analyzed the cognitive-instrumental relationship between consciousness and the object of consciousness, notably when the object is considered essential, (...) namely, as "This". In as much as it is targeted, the “This” reveals itself as an “This-here-now” as something that carries itself its negation, that is, the “this" has the role of a mediation process anchored in the universality contained in the particularity. This notion of universal imposes on the “immediate conscience” a set of premises that it could not accept under the risk of being mischaracterized. The main aspect amid them concerns the impossibility of saying what its object is and, therefore, aspiring to constitute itself as knowledge. Finally, it is highlighted that the failure of this first form of knowledge that calls itself a “certainty” exposes the pedagogical character of the dialectical procedure developed in the Phenomenology of the Spirit: the consciousness improves itself with its own illusions, losing itself under the immanence of its experiences, its failures and the process of overcoming, upon on the act of experiencing. (shrink)

Medieval literature often used stock descriptions of beautiful women following a well-established rhetorical canon which included expressions such as "golden hair," "sparkling eyes," or "skin whiter than snow." But were these terms mere rhetorical conventions derived from Latin poetry, as generally accepted by medieval scholars? And what happens if we examine these descriptions at the "literal" level of interpretation? This survey of works in the languages of medieval Iberia shows that the medieval rhetorical portrait synthesized a widely shared ideal of (...) female beauty which coincides with today's male perceptions of female attractiveness, and is consistent with evolved psychological preferences. (shrink)

Kierkegaard is often regarded as an opponent of metaphysics per se. However, he not only implicitly espouses metaphysical positions, but also his understanding of existence rests upon an explicit metaphysical differentiation between being qua actuality and being qua thought, which results in a difference between actuality (Virkelighed) and reality (Realitet). I begin by analyzing an apparent contradiction between two of Kierkegaard’s statements on the relations between being and thought, which leads me both to inquire into that distinction and to retrace (...) the roots of Kierkegaard’s account. Finally, I present Kierkegaard’s final positions and point out some of their existential consequences. (shrink)

Biography of Burūjirdī, Ḥusayn al-Ṭabāṭabāʼī, 1875-196, an Iranian scholar and religio-political leader.

Jild-i 1-2. Nāmahʹī az nāmahʹhā-yi andīshahʹvarzī.

Em uma entrada dos Papirer, situada entre os anos de 1842-1843, cujo título é “Sobre os conceitos de Esse e de Inter-esse ”, Kierkegaard faz uma consideração metodológica fundamental: as diversas ciências deveriam ser ordenadas e constituídas a partir do acento que colocam sobre o ser. Assim, a ontologia e a matemática, por se desenvolverem a partir de um solo de fundamental unidade entre o pensamento e o ser, constituem um determinado tipo de ciência com características epistemológicas bem delimitadas. Contudo, (...) como Kierkegaard mostra no Pós-escrito, o mesmo fundamento não pode ser invocado acerca daquilo que aí é nomeado Inter-Esse. Assim, este trabalho pretende delimitar os traços gerais do conceito de Inter-Esse bem como suas conexões com o que, naquela mesma nota, Kierkegaard chama de “Ciência existencial”.: In an entry of Papirer, located between the years 1842-1843, entitled "On the concepts of Esse and Inter-Esse," Kierkegaard makes a fundamental methodological assertion: the various sciences should be ordered and built through the accent put on being. Thus, the ontology and mathematics, because they develop from a ground of elemental unity between thought and being, are a particular kind of science with epistemological well-defined characteristics. However, as Kierkegaard shows in Postscript, the same plea can not be relied on what is named Inter-Esse. Thus, this paper aims to outline the general features of the concept of Inter-Esse as well as their connections with what, in that same entry, Kierkegaard calls "Existential Science". Keywords: Kierkegaard; Existence; Ontology; Epistemology. (shrink)

Jan Bondeson, A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities (London and New York: Cornell University Press, 1997), ix + 250 pp. ISBN 1-86064-228-4 US$29.95 £23.51. -/- Jan Bondeson, The Feejee Mermaid and Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1999) xi + 315 pp. ISBN 0-8014-3609-5 Hb £22.50.

This book is concerned with the role of economic philosophy in the processes of belief-formation and social change. Its aim is to further our understanding of the behaviour of the individual economic agent by bringing to light and examining the function of non-rational dispositions and motivations in the determination of the agent's beliefs and goals. Drawing on the work of David Hume and Adam Smith the book spells out the particular ways in which the passions come to affect our ordinary (...) understanding and conduct in practical affairs and the intergenerational and interpersonal transmission of ideas through language. Concern with these problems, it is argued, lies at the heart of an important tradition in British moral philosophy. This emphasis on the non-rational nature of our belief-fixation mechanisms has important implications: it helps to clarify and qualify the misleading claims often made by utilitarian, Marxist, Keynesian and neo-liberal economic philosophers, all of whom stress the overriding power of ideas to shape conduct, policy and institutions. (shrink)