The authors develop an axiomatic theory of nonexistent objects and and give a formal semantics for the language of the theory.

According to the relevant alternatives theory of knowledge (RA), I know that p only if my evidence eliminates all relevant alternatives to p . Jonathan Schaffer has recently argued that David Lewis's version of RA, which is perhaps the most detailed version yet provided, cannot account for our failure to know in cases involving missed clues, that is, cases in which we see but fail to appreciate decisive evidence. I argue, however, that Lewis's version of RA survives exposure to missed (...) clue cases. Moreover, even though Schaffer maintains that Lewis's Rule of Belief provides no protection against missed clue cases, I argue that we should credit the Rule of Belief with ensuring the survival of Lewis's version of RA. (shrink)

The recent global financial crisis and worst recession since the Great Depression underscore the theoretical and practical importance of defining requirements for assessing alternative theories of capitalism. The expressed goal of Freeman and his co-authors is to replace value-allocating ‘shareholder capitalism’ with value-creating ‘stakeholder capitalism.’ Each theory combines a different value proposition and principal-agent conception. So interpreted, the value creation proposition suggests two requirements for assessing alternative theories. A proposed better theory of capitalism should demonstrate first practicality of (...) prescriptive guidance for managers and second superiority of its embedded value proposition for sustainable long-term performance. Shareholder and stakeholder conceptions are not the only approaches to developing a theory of capitalism embedding a different value proposition and agency model. Two other conceptions suggest organisational wealth and corporate social responsibility (CSR) theories of capitalism. All four alternatives meet the relatively minimal requirement of practicality. Freeman and his co-authors argue the value creation proposition will outperform the value allocation proposition. But organisational wealth and CSR theories may also outperform shareholder capitalism. Demonstrating that stakeholder capitalism will outperform organisational wealth and CSR theories depends on which principal and value proposition one judges most important in particular conditions. (shrink)

In the last decades the ethics of virtue became the central issue of ethical research. This leads to the question, whether the ethics of virtue is an alternative or a complementary theory to the deontological ethics. The question then is, whether the ethics of virtue can be fully independent of moral rules and which of the issues of the ethics of virtue can not, due to their specific character, be resolved in the frame of deontological ethics. The attention is (...) paid to the vigorous aspects as well as to the blind spots of this theory. The deontological approaches and the approaches based on virtue are seen by the author as two different, limited, partially overlapping, but mutually independent ethical perspectives. For her the discussions about whether these ethical systems are alternative or complementary are the discussions concerning the grounds of ethics. (shrink)

The Handicap Principle represents a central theory in the biological understanding of signaling. This paper presents a number of alternative theories to the Handicap Principle and argues that some of these theories may provide a better explanation for the evolution and stability of honest communication.

Summary In his article the author criticizes the methodological separatism which is typical for the cultural sciences where the so called method of understanding is considered the adequate alternative to the method of natural science. On the basis of a conception which accentuates the role of theoretical assumptions in thinking the author seeks to show that it is possible to give an interpretation of understanding which is able to overcome methodological separatism, avoiding at the same time the positivistical solution (...) which usually is proposed. The general idea behind the new solution is to show the necessity of an explanation of understanding. (shrink)

La théorie de Darwin est considérée par de nombreux historiens comme une véritable révolution scientifique, raison pour laquelle l’objectif de cet article est précisément de rendre compte des caractères révolutionnaires de cette théorie, dans le cadre d’une conception des révolutions scientifiques empruntée à l’œuvre de Thomas Kuhn. Cela implique, notamment, la définition d’un « paradigme darwinien », à la fois comme matrice disciplinaire et comme solution exemplaire à un problème donné. Dans un tel but, nous définirons la structure et le (...) contenu de la théorie de Darwin, afin de mettre au jour la problématique qui pourrait être à la base d’un « paradigme darwinien », c’est-à-dire le problème de la complexité adaptative du vivant. Nous identifierons ensuite ce qui distinguerait ce paradigme des autres, si bien que le problème de la complexité ne saurait être posé et résolu que dans son cadre. Pour ce faire, nous nous concentrerons sur deux dichotomies : d’une part, celle entre fonctionnalisme et formalisme, d’autre part, celle entre naturalisme et idéalisme. En conclusion, nous mettrons au jour les limites de l’épistémologie kuhnienne pour l’analyse de la théorie de l’évolution, ce qui nous amènera à equisser les contours d’une approche alternative, que nous appellerons « ontologie historique ». (shrink)

It is well known that Rawls and Habermas propose different strategies for justifying and classifying human rights. The author argues that neither approach satisfies what he regards as threshold conditions of determinacy, rank ordering, and completeness that any enforceable system of human rights must possess. A related concern is that neither develops an adequate account of group rights, which the author argues fulfills subsidiary conditions for realizing human rights under specific conditions. This latter defect is especially serious in light of (...) the different but equal roles that both subnational groups as well as supernational organizations play in bringing about a just global distribution of economic resources. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: The Theory Theory The Theory Theory vs. Other Empiricist Alternatives Innate Theories and Starting‐state Nativism Phenomenological and Social Objections Universality, Uniformity, and Learning Theory Formation and Language.

I seek to advance enquiry into the point of a public higher education institution by drawing on ideals salient in the sub-Saharan African philosophical tradition. There are relational, and specifically communal, values prominently held by African thinkers that I use to ground a promising rival to the dominant contemporary Western, and especially Anglo-American, accounts of what a university ultimately ought to strive to achieve, which focus mainly on autonomy, truth, and citizenship. My aims are not merely comparative, contrasting an Afro-communal (...) approach with other ones that have been more globally influential, but also substantive. Although the theory of a university’s point that I articulate and defend has an African pedigree, I work to show that it should be taken seriously by a global audience, for plausibly capturing a variety of intuitions and claims that are widely shared. (shrink)

In this new collection of essays, Andrew Feenberg argues that conflicts over the design and organization of the technical systems that structure our society shape deep choices for the future. A pioneer in the philosophy of technology, Feenberg demonstrates the continuing vitality of the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. He calls into question the anti-technological stance commonly associated with its theoretical legacy and argues that technology contains potentialities that could be developed as the basis for an alternative form (...) of modern society. Feenberg's critical reflections on the ideas of Jürgen Habermas, Herbert Marcuse, Jean-François Lyotard, and Kitaro Nishida shed new light on the philosophical study of technology and modernity. He contests the prevalent conception of technology as an unstoppable force responsive only to its own internal dynamic and politicizes the discussion of its social and cultural construction. This argument is substantiated in a series of compelling and well-grounded case studies. Through his exploration of science fiction and film, AIDS research, the French experience with the "information superhighway," and the Japanese reception of Western values, he demonstrates how technology, when subjected to public pressure and debate, can incorporate ethical and aesthetic values. (shrink)

This commentary takes issue with the idea that replication is a “fundamental element” in natural selection. Such an assumption is based on a traditional, mechanistic view of evolution. A symbiogenetic theory of evolution offers an alternative to traditional theories, emphasizing reproduction and qualitative development rather than replication and quantitative development. The issues raised by the symbiogenetic alternative may be extended to discussions of behavioral development.

Erstmals wird mit diesem Band in einer Wissenschaftstheorie auch umfassend die Verantwortung der Wissenschaften thematisiert. Die Wissenschaften sind für die Organisation des Zusammenlebens und der Bewältigung der Überlebensprobleme der Menschen unentbehrlich geworden. Dadurch sind für alle Wissenschaften Verantwortlichkeiten entstanden, an die hier nicht nur erinnert wird, sondern die im Einzelnen beschrieben werden. Wenn das Verantwortungsbewusstsein gegenüber dem menschlichen Gemeinwesen kaum oder gar nicht ausgebildet zu sein scheint, wird deutliche und wenn möglich konstruktive Kritik geübt. Nahezu alle Wissenschaften leiden an einer (...) mangelhaften Fundierung ihrer Grundlagen. Wenn dadurch ihre Existenzberechtigung fraglich ist, wird auf alternative Wissenschaftskonzepte hingewiesen wie etwa für die Rechtswissenschaften oder sogar ausgearbeitet wie z.B. für die Theologische Fakultät. (shrink)

Die Idee eines "Systems der Freiheit" gehört zu den zentralen Errungenschaften der klassischen deutschen Philosophie. Sie findet sich insbesondere bei Fichte und Hegel. Ein adäquates Verständnis der Freiheit in beiden Konzeptionen setzt somit eine intensive Auseinandersetzung mit deren Systemgedanken voraus. Auf dieser Grundlage unternimmt es die Studie, den Stellenwert der Freiheit in der praktischen Philosophie von Fichte und Hegel auf systematisch umfassende Weise zu ermitteln und miteinander zu vergleichen. Trotz mannigfaltiger struktureller und inhaltlicher Gemeinsamkeiten, die Fichtes Einfluss auf Hegel dokumentieren, (...) zeigt sich die wesentliche Differenz, die auf folgende Alternative hinausläuft: Entweder leistet ein System der Freiheit die vollständige genetische Begründung der Freiheit - wie bei Hegel - oder es bewahrt deren ursprüngliche Grundlosigkeit. In diesem Fall kann Freiheit nur in einem offenen, nicht letztbegründenden System dargestellt werden. Anhand dieser Alternative wird ausführlich geklärt, worin die Vor- und Nachteile der hegelschen und der fichteschen Freiheitstheorie liegen. (shrink)

Finding out why we have beliefs and desires is important for a thorough understanding of the nature of our minds (and those of other animals). It is therefore unsurprising that several accounts have been presented that are meant to answer this question. At least in the philosophical literature, the most widely accepted of these are due to Kim Sterelny and Peter Godfrey-Smith, who argue that beliefs and desires evolved due to their enabling us to be behaviourally flexible in a way (...) that reflexes do not—which, they claim, is beneficial in epistemically complex environments. However, as I try to make clear in this paper, upon closer consideration, this kind of account turns out to be theoretically implausible. In the main, this is because it fails to give due credit to the powers of reflex-driven organisms, which can in fact be just as flexible in their behaviour as ones that are belief/desire-driven. In order to improve on this account, I therefore propose that beliefs and desires evolved, not due to their enabling us to do something completely different from what reflexive organisms can do, but rather due to their enabling us to do the same things better. Specifically, I argue that beliefs and desires evolved for making the generation of behaviour more efficient, since they can simplify the necessary cognitive labour considerably. I end by considering various implications of this account. (shrink)

Branching theories are popular frameworks for modeling objective indeterminism in the form of a future of open possibilities. In such theories, the notion of a history plays a crucial role: it is both a basic ingredient in the axiomatic definition of the framework, and it is used as a parameter of truth in semantics for languages with a future tense. Furthermore, histories—complete possible courses of events—ground the notion of modal consistency: a set of events is modally consistent iff there is (...) a history containing that set. We will explain these roles of histories and highlight some critical aspects having to do with the fact that histories are global and, in a relevant sense, “big” objects. The notion of modal consistency, on the other hand, has both local and global aspects. We ask in how far a local notion of modal consistency can serve as an alternative to the common uses of histories, and work out two recent approaches to alternatives to histories. Combining these approaches, we develop a novel semantics for branching time. (shrink)

The question of how to characterise the diachronic identity of a concrete particular within a metaphysical framework is the problem of persistence. There are two major theories, Endurantism and Perdurantism affirming a problem of persistence for concrete particulars. While Endurantism, on the one hand, argues that concrete particulars persist wholly, Perdurantism, on the other hand, argues that they persist as temporal slices. This paper argues that neither Endurantism nor Perdurantism adequately characterise the persistence of concrete particulars. This is because there (...) is an impasse between these two major theories of persistence. The article concludes that hence, there is a need for another hypothesis or theory of persistence to address the problem of persistence in metaphysics. This paper broadens the discourse on persistence of concrete objects beyond a debate between Endurantism and Perdurantism. The paper uses the methods of conceptual analysis and philosophical argumentation. (shrink)

A re-visitation of Joule’s experiment motivates a critical analysis of thermodynamic notions: heat, total energy, first principle, organization of a scientific theory, its relationships with logic and mathematics. A rational re-construction of thermodynamics is suggested according to the model of a problem-based organization, that Sadi Carnot applied to his formulation. The new formulation accomplishes the long time theoretical process started by Joule’s experiment within physicists community's collective mind, i.e. the process of exiting out Baconian science for suggesting a first theory (...) out Newton’s paradigm, and eventually for introducing a pluralism of incompatible physical theories. (shrink)

One of the reasons for relativistic attitudes toward science is the impossibility of justifying scientists’ decisions in the face of alternative theories. According to this paper, an alternative theory can challenge scientific rationality only if the conditions of “methodological shortcomings of scientists” and the “existence of alternative theories” are met at a specific time. A commonly used technique to counter relativism is to try to supplement and equip scientists’ methodologies when confronted with alternative theories. However, this (...) paper focuses on evaluating the possibility of “existence an alternative theory.” To this end, by referring to the different definitions of being alternative, we try to show that only “after the decision” and “the conversion of the scientific community” can a theory be considered justifiably “alternative.” Therefore, the relativistic claim is inconsistent because relativists must first accept the validity of scientists’ decisions to attribute being alternative to a theory. In this work, we provide evidence for our claim using a historical example. We also defend conservatism as a corollary of our discussion. (shrink)

I construe Relevant Alternatives Theory (RAT) as an abstract combination of anti-skepticism and epistemic modesty, then re-evaluate the challenge posed to it by the missed clue counter-examples of Schaffer [2001]. The import of this challenge has been underestimated, as Schaffer’s specific argument invites distracting objections. I offer a novel formalization of RAT, accommodating a suitably wide class of concrete theories of knowledge. Then, I introduce abstract missed clue cases and prove that every RA theory, as formalized, admits such a case. (...) This yields an argument - in Schaffer’s spirit - that resists easy dismissal. (shrink)

Max Horkheimer: Outsider des Bürgertums und Unternehmer in Sachen Kritischer Theorie. Niemand steht so wie Max Horkheimer für das, was in den 1960er Jahren die Bezeichnung ”Frankfurter Schule“ erhielt. Der Sohn eines Textilfabrikanten übernahm 1930 die Leitung des marxistischen ”Instituts für Sozialforschung“ mit dem Ziel, der von Konkurrenz und Gewinnstreben bestimmten Welt seines Vaters die Alternative eines der Erkenntnis gewidmeten und von Solidarität geprägten Lebens gegenüberzustellen. Durch die Nazis ins Exil gezwungen, wurde das Institut zu einem Ort der (...) Zusammenarbeit von Intellektuellen verschiedener Disziplinen und prägte auch nach der Rückkehr nach Deutschland die geistige Entwicklung der Bundesrepublik. Die neue, aktuelle Darstellung von Horkheimers Leben und Werk bietet eine Einführung und eine Gesamtschau dieses zentralen Denkers des 20. Jahrhunderts. (shrink)

Proponents of the causal theory of perception have applied the theory to questions about which particular objects or events are perceived, which parts are perceived, and which properties are perceived. In each case they insist that successful perception is causally dependent on what is perceived. The causal theory rests on an important insight regarding the information-carrying role of perception. In order to succeed in this role, perception cannot be grounded in spurious correlations. But we can respect this insight without embracing (...) the idea that a successful percept must be causally dependent on what is perceived. A correlation in nature can also be genuine or lawful when it arises from a common cause. I show how successful perception is frequently achieved through correlation via a common cause. (shrink)

This book, first published in 1991, offers an integrative approach to the study of formal models in the social and behavioural sciences. The theory presented here unifies both the representation of the social environment and the equilibrium concept. The theory requires that all alternatives that are available to the players be specified in an explicit and detailed manner, and this specification is defined as a social 'situation'. A situation, therefore, not only consists of the alternatives currently available to the players, (...) but also includes the set of opportunities that might be induced by the players from their current environment. The theory requires that all recommended alternatives be both internally and externally stable; the recommendation cannot be self-defeating and, at the same time, should account for alternatives that were not recommended. In addition to unifying the representation and the solution concept, the theory also extends the social environments accommodated by current game theory. (shrink)

김창협의 「사단칠정설」은 그의 변화하는 생각을 수시로 기록한 필기였다. 본 글은 「사단칠정설」에서 주리주기 구분 및 칠포사 논제와 관련한 김창협의 논증과 주장의 변화를 분석하였다. 주리주기 구분과 관련해서, 김창협은 일관되게 사단을 주리, 칠정을 주기로 구분하지만, 그 논증에는 차이가 있다. 처음에 그는 설명 방식과 수양론 측면의 개념 차이를 통해 주리·주기를 구분하며, 이는 기대승의 해석과 유사했다. 이후 그는 사단과 칠정의 명칭을 통해 알 수 있는 정보의 차이에 근거해서 주리·주기를 구분하는데, 이는 그의 경위설 논제에 근거한 해석이다. 칠포사와 관련해서, 처음에 그는 칠정이 사단을 포함하지는 않지만, 교집합은 있다고 (...) 주장했다. 이후 그는 칠포사를 긍정하는 데, 주장이 바뀐 배경에는 그의 인간-자연 간 상관성 논제에 담긴 사유가 자리한다. 결론적으로 김창협의 사칠론은 외형상 퇴·율을 절충한 듯 보이지만, 그 내용은 이이의 사칠론에 기반해서 자신의 고유한 해석을 제안했다고 평가할 수 있다. (shrink)

We motivate the possibility of using notions and methods derived from quantum physics, and more specifically from the research field known as ‘quantum cognition’, to optimally model different situations in the field of medicine, its decision-making processes and ensuing practices, particularly in relation to chronic and rare diseases. This also as a way to devise alternative approaches to the generally adopted double-blind gold standard.

ABSTRACT Proponents of the causal theory of perception have applied the theory to questions about which particular objects or events are perceived, which parts are perceived, and which properties are perceived. In each case, they insist that successful perception is causally dependent on what is perceived. The causal theory rests on an important insight regarding the information-carrying role of perception. In order to succeed in this role, perception cannot be grounded in spurious correlations. But we can respect this insight without (...) embracing the idea that a successful percept must be causally dependent on what is perceived. A correlation in nature can also be genuine or lawful when it arises from a common cause. I show how successful perception is frequently achieved through correlation via a common cause. (shrink)

Preface: what is just theory? -- Introduction: framing the common good -- Cultural turn 1. Inventing western metaphysics -- Why is Plato so upset at the poets, and what is western metaphysics? -- Reframing the republic : from the homeric to the platonic paideia -- Finding love (and writing) in all the wrong places : Plato's pharmacy and the double-edged sword of literacy in the Phaedrus -- Aristotle's natural classification of things : when dialectic trumps rhetoric and poetry gets rescued (...) -- Cultural turn 2. Rewriting western metaphysics : aesthetics and politics in the age of capital -- Rewriting western metaphysics for a revolutionary age -- The prelude to the revolution : the limits of literary freedom in a market society -- Women's rights, class wars, and the master-slave dialectic : signs of the rising countermovements -- The struggle between communality and hierarchy : lessons of the paris commune for the twenty-first century -- From God's great chain to nature's slow-motion evolution : reframing our regulative fictions -- Cultural turn 3. Surviving the sixth extinction and resolving the crisis of care -- Epilogue. (shrink)

This paper presents a constructivist grounded theory on the decision-making process that UK home and alternative educators undertake and the related influencing factors. Twenty-one participants from a diverse range of backgrounds were interviewed between one and three times over a two-year period. Some were current home and alternative educators and others were undecided, or had changed their minds about home educating. The core process is entitled ‘Stepping out of the system?’ It was constructed from three main categories: attitudinal (...) direction, surveying the landscape and negotiating obstacles. Parents have opinions of school that developed before they began to consider how to educate their child; attitudes which are affect laden and guide the process of information gathering. The surveying the landscape stage involves both formal research and informal methods such as hearing the views of others and acting upon their own feelings. The final stage, negotiating obstacles, involves finding practical solutions to barriers they may face. The grounded theory is enriched and deepened by Reddy’s (2010) concept of emotional refuges. (shrink)

This book examines the European discussion about alternative schooling in the 20th century. It refers to a stream of concepts that are often described as New Education, Progressive Education, Education Nouvelle or Reformpädagogik, and discusses a range of different models of alternative schooling. Exploring the works of a range of continental educational philosophers, including Lietz, Blonsky, Kerschensteiner, Freinet, Decroly and Petersen, the book offers a unique insight into texts not yet translated into English. These educational models are presented (...) with regards to the biographical background of the authors; the crucial elements of their construction; the historical interconnections between schooling, society and culture; and finally their connection to today's discussions in educational sciences. The book will be highly relevant for researchers and advanced students working on the theory, history and practice of schooling, particularly those with a focus on alternative schooling and the philosophy of education. Ralf Koerrenz is Head of Chair for Historical Education and Global Education at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. Annika Blichmann is Research Associate at the Chair for Historical Pedagogy and Global Education at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. Sebastian Engelmann is a research associate and lecturer at the Institute for Bildung and Culture at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. (shrink)

The Revision Theory of Truth has been challenged in A. M. Yaqūb's recent book The Liar Speaks the Truth. Yaqūb suggests some non-trivial changes in the original theory - changing the limit rule - to avoid certain artifacts. In this paper it is shown that the proposed changes are not sufficient, i.e., Yaqūb's system also produces artifacts. An alternative solution is proposed and the relation between it and Yaqūb's solution is explored.

Le modèle unificationniste de l’explication métaphysique, basé sur les travaux de Kitcher sur l’explication scientifique, offre une alternative intéressante aux modèles présumant la conception supportive de l’explication métaphysique [backing model]. Par contre, le caractère adéquat de ce modèle, i.e. sa capacité à classifier comme métaphysiquement explicative/non-explicative des propositions qui préthéoriquement sont classés comme tel, n’a pas encore été exploré. Pour ce faire, des interprétations pour les relations de détermination et d’appartenance à un ensemble sont fournies. Celles-ci étant potentiellement sujette (...) au problème d’artificialité, i.e. présence d’un biais structurel favorisant l’attribution du caractère explicatif, une réponse est offerte. En effet, le modèle unificationniste permet d’identifier les patrons argumentatifs pouvant être légitimement mis en compétition en comparant la distance entre les ensembles de faits qui doivent être considérés comme vrais dans la formulation d’un patron argumentatif. Cette propriété a des conséquences intéressantes dans l’identification du niveau adéquat de débat entre des propositions compétitrices. (shrink)

The present paper discusses Kitcher’s framework for studying conceptual change and progress. Kitcher’s core notion of reference potential is hard to apply to concrete cases. In addition, an account of conceptual change as change in reference potential misses some important aspects of conceptual change and conceptual progress. I propose an alternative framework that focuses on the inferences and explanations supported by scientific concepts. The application of my approach to the history of the gene concept offers a better account of (...) the conceptual progress that occurred in the transition from the Mendelian to the molecular gene than Kitcher’s theory. (shrink)

The classic ‘privation theory’ of evil defines evil as an absence (or ‘privation’) of a good that ought to obtain. Despite its historical importance, privation theory is faced with a number of serious difficulties. I outline two of these difficulties and argue that they continue to pose a threat. I then present ‘corruption theory’, an alternative theory of evil reconstructed from some of Augustine's writings on the subject. I argue that this theory shares the strengths of privation theory, while (...) evading its problems. (shrink)

We propose two alternatives to Xu’s axiomatization of Chellas’s STIT. The first one simplifies its presentation, and also provides an alternative axiomatization of the deliberative STIT. The second one starts from the idea that the historic necessity operator can be defined as an abbreviation of operators of agency, and can thus be eliminated from the logic of Chellas’s STIT. The second axiomatization also allows us to establish that the problem of deciding the satisfiability of a STIT formula without temporal (...) operators is NP-complete in the single-agent case, and is NEXPTIME-complete in the multiagent case, both for the deliberative and Chellas’s STIT. (shrink)

On veut établir ici comment la relecture de Hume par l'école de Brentano, associée au projet d'une généalogie critique des théories des relations, conduit les philosophes autrichiens à élaborer une alternative décisive pour l'empirisme contemporain: l'opposition entre une psychologie fortement inspirée de Descartes et de Locke, et qui tend vers des positions typiquement conceptualistes, celle que défend Meinong, et un intuitionnisme enrichi de la référence aux « qualités de formes », dont Ehrenfels est l'initiateur. Our purpose is here to (...) show how the reading of Hume by Brentano's school, within a critical genealogy of the theory of relations, has led Austrian philosophers to set up a conclusive alternative for today's empiricism: on the one hand, a psychology deeply influenced by Descartes and Locke, and which verges on typically conceptualist positions (and which is supported by Meinong), and on the other and, an intuitionnism, strengthened by references to « gestaltqualities », initiated by Ehrenfels. (shrink)