A Computational Model of the Belief System Under the Scope of Social Communication

This paper presents an approach to the belief system based on a computational framework in three levels: first, the logic level with the definition of binary local rules, second, the arithmetic level with the definition of recursive functions and finally the behavioural level with the definition of a recursive construction pattern. Social communication is achieved when different beliefs are expressed, modified, propagated and shared through social nets. This approach is useful to mimic the belief system because the defined functions provide different ways to process the same incoming information as well as a means to propagate it. Our model also provides a means to cross different beliefs so, any incoming information can be processed many times by the same or different functions as it occurs is social nets.     

A New Dimension Reduction Method: Factor Discriminant K-means

Reduced K-means (RKM) and Factorial K-means (FKM) are two data reduction techniques incorporating principal component analysis and K-means into a unified methodology to obtain a reduced set of components for variables and an optimal partition for objects. RKM finds clusters in a reduced space by maximizing the between-clusters deviance without imposing any condition on the within-clusters deviance, so that clusters are isolated but they might be heterogeneous. On the other hand, FKM identifies clusters in a reduced space by minimizing the within-clusters deviance without imposing any condition on the between-clusters deviance. Thus, clusters are homogeneous, but they might not be isolated. The two techniques give different results because the total deviance in the reduced space for the two methodologies is not constant; hence the minimization of the within-clusters deviance is not equivalent to the maximization of the between-clusters deviance. In this paper a modification of the two techniques is introduced to avoid the afore mentioned weaknesses. It is shown that the two modified methods give the same results, thus merging RKM and FKM into a new methodology. It is called Factor Discriminant K-means (FDKM), because it combines Linear Discriminant Analysis and K-means. The paper examines several theoretical properties of FDKM and its performances with a simulation study. An application on real-world data is presented to show the features of FDKM.     

人类的复杂性及其程序化的限度——兼评“人类终结论”与“竞速统治论”

人工智能的潜在威胁已成为人类的一种公共性焦虑,当前的"人类终结论"与"竞速统治论"是这种焦虑的学术确认。然而,不论是人类终结论还是竞速统治论,它们的吸引力都是建立在对科技发展的过高估计与对人类发展的过低估计所构成的巨大反差之上。这类论断既无助于人们客观地看待科技的发展,也无助于人们客观地看待自身的发展。破除这类论断所编织的扭曲图景,需要我们予以追认人类的复杂性,探析其程序化的限度,以及展示人类能力发展的可能空间。     

人类智慧理性更高层次的复归--聚焦科学与人文

人类智慧理性是人类所特有的理解和思考的智慧和能力.它是复杂多维的,在不同历史时期表现出不同的特征.科学理性与人文思想同出于人类智慧理性.人类智慧理性从科学与人文浑然一体到凸现科学理性,而非科学与人文的分裂,最后必将在更高层次复归,聚焦科学理性和人文思想,指向人类的终极关怀,呼唤新的人类中心主义.     

Textual Theory and Complex Belief Systems: Topological Theory

In order to establish patterns of materialization of the beliefs we are going to consider that these have defined mathematical structures. It will allow us to understand better processes of the textual, architectonic, normative, educative, etc., materialization of an ideology. The materialization is the conversion by means of certain mathematical correspondences, of an abstract set whose elements are beliefs or ideas, in an impure set whose elements are material or energetic. Text is a materialization of ideology and it is any representation of the Reality represented by symbolic means. In all text T we can observe diverse topological structures: Metric Textual Space, Textual Topology and a Textual Lattice.     

Matter in Z3

In this paper, I will discuss a certain conception of matter that Aristotle introduces in Metaphysics Z3. It is often assumed that Aristotle came to distinguish between matter and form only in his physical writings, and that this lead to a conflict with the doctrine of primary substances in the Categories that he tries to resolve in Z3. I will argue that there is no such conflict. In Z3, Aristotle seems to suggest that matter is what is left over when we strip a thing of all its properties. I take it that he does not want us to strip away these properties by physical means or in our imagination. Rather, we are asked to strip a referring noun phrase of all its predicative parts. We are thus not supposed to be able to refer to something that has no qualities whatsoever, but to construct a phrase that refers to something that has properties without referring to its having them, and without implying which properties it has. The idea that there might be a way of referring to something definite without mentioning any of its qualities is platonic and it still underlies modern predicate logic. In Z3, Aristotle argues against this conception and thus against the basic idea of predicate logic. According to him, matter is at best an inseparable aspect of a primary substance, which substance is best referred to as a compound τóδε τι (“this such”). Matter is what the τóδε refers to as part of this phrase. But it cannot exist in separation from form, and we cannot refer to it by a separated term, without also referring to the substantial form of the substance of which it is an aspect.     

Constructivism: A ‘Next’ Area of Scientific Development?

Radical Constructivism has been defined as an‘unconventional approach to the problem ofknowledge and knowing’. Its unconventionalityis summarised by its claim that it isimpossible to attribute unique meaning toexperience – as no mind-independent yardstick canbe assumed to exist against which to identifyuniqueness, and hence to produce knowledge andknowing. In other words, it is claimed thatthere is no ‘reality’ that is knowable to allindividual knowers. This claim appearsindefensible by itself, as it does not explainwhy the successes of traditional science appearas such. However, it is defensible in thecontext of numerous failures to achieve uniqueattributions, or of the history of science.Even so, what is missing are concrete methodsand research designs. This often leaves RadicalConstructivism to be critical only, toconcentrate on justifying the impossibility ofsuccess without contributing itself.Where this is the case it reduces scientiststo individuals considered unable to communicatewith others on public (and unique)attributions-who may do so only by borrowingmethods from previous approaches. It is arguedthat a more valuable contribution is possibleif Radical Constructivism is seen as a responseto the challenge defined by frequent failuresof traditional approaches. The latter may beextended such that the extensions converge toRadical Constructivism. Such extensions arebased on reported observations, rather than onexperiences in general, and are to beattributed meanings – uniquely as well asnon-uniquely – by way of a collective. The lattershould allow its ‘actors’ to restrict whatmaintains the collective to what is observableto others, as well as use the collective torestrict their own observations. The study ofcollectives thus allows for the study ofrestrictions or values, and hence for includingsubjective or constructivist experiences beyond(reportable) observations.     

自然主义、先验论证与怀疑主义——论斯特劳森的自然主义转向

后期斯特劳森追随休谟和维特根斯坦的道路而转向了自然主义,他认为任何企图通过论证来支持或反驳怀疑主义挑战的做法都是无根据的,因为人类的某些基本概念如物质物体、他心等概念是人类理性的自然倾向,是人类思维不可逃避的认知模式的体现。不过,自然主义需要联合先验论证来阐明这些信念的基础地位,否则就会流于口号。总而言之,自然主义是一种探究真理的第三条路径,它试图约束人类理性的过分自负,从而展示真理的自然属性。     

Oscillation Heuristics for the Two-group Classification Problem

We propose a new nonparametric family of oscillation heuristics for improving linear classifiers in the two-group discriminant problem. The heuristics are motivated by the intuition that the classification accuracy of a separating hyperplane can be improved through small perturbations to its slope and position, accomplished by substituting training observations near the hyperplane for those used to generate it. In an extensive simulation study, using data generated from multivariate normal distributions under a variety of conditions, the oscillation heuristics consistently improve upon the classical linear and logistic discriminant functions, as well as two published linear programming-based heuristics and a linear Support Vector Machine. Added to any of the methods above, they approach, and frequently attain, the best possible accuracy on the training samples, as determined by a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model, at a much smaller computational cost. They also improve expected accuracy on the overall populations when the populations overlap significantly and the heuristics are trained with large samples, at least in situations where the data conditions do not explicitly favor a particular classifier.     

A Framework Linking Non-Living and Living Systems: Classification of Persistence, Survival and Evolution Transitions

We propose a framework for analyzing the development, operation and failure to survive of all things, living, non-living or organized groupings. This framework is a sequence of developments that improve survival capability. Framework processes range from origination of any entity/system, to the development of increased survival capability and development of life-forms and organizations that use intelligence. This work deals with a series of developmental changes that arise from the uncovering of emergent properties. The framework is intended to be general, but we see a potential to apply it to scientific topics such as the exploration of the origin of life or the search for life beyond Earth, and to understand some biological issues in evolution and symbiosis, and also to apply to social systems that do not seem to be operating well, to determine their problems and correct them.

The Meaning of Life in a Developing Universe

The evolution of life on Earth has produced an organism that is beginning to model and understand its own evolution and the possible future evolution of life in the universe. These models and associated evidence show that evolution on Earth has a trajectory. The scale over which living processes are organized cooperatively has increased progressively, as has its evolvability. Recent theoretical advances raise the possibility that this trajectory is itself part of a wider developmental process. According to these theories, the developmental process has been shaped by a yet larger evolutionary dynamic that involves the reproduction of universes. This evolutionary dynamic has tuned the key parameters of the universe to increase the likelihood that life will emerge and produce outcomes that are successful in the larger process (e.g. a key outcome may be to produce life and intelligence that intentionally reproduces the universe and tunes the parameters of ‘offspring’ universes). Theory suggests that when life emerges on a planet, it moves along this trajectory of its own accord. However, at a particular point evolution will continue to advance only if organisms emerge that decide to advance the developmental process intentionally. The organisms must be prepared to make this commitment even though the ultimate nature and destination of the process is uncertain, and may forever remain unknown. Organisms that complete this transition to intentional evolution will drive the further development of life and intelligence in the universe. Humanity’s increasing understanding of the evolution of life in the universe is rapidly bringing it to the threshold of this major evolutionary transition.     

Subspace Projection for Multivariate Selection Problems

A new set of derived variables is proposed for exhibiting grouped multivariate data in a small number of dimensions, in such a way as to highlight `extremeness' of one or more groups relative to the rest of the data. Such display can provide a useful exploratory tool in multivariate ranking and selection problems. We explore four possible measures of `extremeness', and suggest which one is best for practical application. We show that the technique can be used to derive either orthogonal or uncorrelated dimensions for any type of input data, and we give an illustrative example of its use.     

Displacing Epistemology: Being in the Midst of Technoscientific Practice

Interest the Erklären?CVerstehen debate is usually interpreted as primarily epistemological. By raising the possibility that there are fundamentally different methods for fundamentally different types of science, the debate puts into play all the standard issues??that is, issues concerning scientific explanation and justification, the unity and diversity of scientific disciplines, the reality of their subject matter, the accessibility of various subject matters to research, and so on. In this paper, however, I do not focus on any of these specific issues. I start instead from the fact that the very existence of the debate itself is an issue; in fact, it poses a philosophical problem that almost everyone but the hardest line logical empiricists has come to realize cannot be resolved epistemologically. In my view, however, that it cannot be resolved ontologically, either. I think the problem is at bottom hermeneutical, and its resolution requires that we focus first, not on the objects of science or the methods of studying them, but on the character of the philosophical orientation assumed by those who would try to resolve it. In this paper, I explain why I think this is so by analyzing (1) Dilthey??s contribution to the original debate, (2) Husserl??s reaction to Dilthey, and (3) Heidegger??s critical evaluation of both. This line of philosophical development??this movement of self-understanding from critiques of objectivism to hermeneutical phenomenology??is of course already a central feature of much work in continental philosophy of science. In my conclusion, however, I argue for the less well-established??even if apparently approved??idea that it ought to be a central feature of technoscience studies as well.     

赫伯特·马尔库塞:寻找技术社会的希望

希望是马尔库塞技术批判理论的构成要素，它具有一种在理想与现实之问的二元结构。这种二元结构决定着批判理论的逻辑，即在对技术现实所做的“极其经验主义”的分析背后，决离不开某些背景性信念的支撑。这些信念可以追溯到德国哲学传统中人的形象，它具有三个方面的基本内涵：理性自主、个性的自由发展和普遍和谐。批判既从这些信念中汲取了力量，同时其在理论上和实践中的尴尬处境也与此不无干系。     

The Observer Effect

Founding our analysis on the Geneva-Brussels approach to the foundations of physics, we provide a clarification and classification of the key concept of observation. An entity can be observed with or without a scope. In the second case, the observation is a purely non-invasive discovery process; in the first case, it is a purely invasive process, which can involve either creation or destruction aspects. An entity can also be observed with or without a full control over the observational process. In the latter case, the observation can be described by a symmetry breaking mechanism, through which a specific deterministic observational process is selected among a number of potential ones, as explained in Aerts’ hidden measurement approach. This is what is called a product test, or product observation, whose consequences are that outcomes can only be predicted in probabilistic terms, as it is the case in typical quantum measurements. We also show that observations can be about intrinsic (stable) properties of the observed entity, or about relational (ephemeral) properties between the observer and observed entities; also, they can be about intermediate properties, neither purely classical, nor purely quantum. Our analysis allows us to propose a general conceptual characterization of quantum measurements, as observational processes involving three aspects: (1) product observations, (2) pure creation aspects and (3) ephemeral relational properties. We also discuss the important concept of non-spatiality and emphasize some of the differences and similarities between quantum and classical/relativistic observations.     

Withdrawing Unfalsifiable Hypotheses

There has been little research into the weak kindsof negating hypotheses. Hypotheses may be unfalsifiable. In this case it is impossible tofind a contradiction in some area of the conceptualsystems in which they are incorporated.Notwithstanding this fact, it is sometimes necessaryto construct ways of rejecting the unfalsifiablehypothesis at hand by resorting to some external forms of negation, external because wewant to avoid any arbitrary and subjectiveelimination, which would be rationally orepistemologically unjustified. I will consider akind of ``weak' (unfalsifiable) hypotheses that arehard to negate and the ways for making it easy. Inthese cases the subject can ``rationally' decide towithdraw his hypotheses even in contexts where it is``impossible' to find ``explicit' contradictions: theuse of negation as failure (an interestingtechnique for negating hypotheses and accessing newones suggested by artificial intelligence) isilluminating. I plan to explore whether this kind ofnegation can be employed to model hypothesiswithdrawal in Poincaré's conventionalism of theprinciples of physics and in Freudian analyticreasoning.     

变革的生产视角——对人工智能政治批判的批判

人工智能作为热点话题吸引了相关学者对其进行政治哲学维度的批判,但其批判依然停留在政治和观念的上层建筑半径之内,并未深入到政治的前提——生产领域。大数据算法作为强人工智能的重要应用,其所得出的非线性结果重塑了人们对于"价值"的理解,并引导一种对于"使用价值"追求的复归。随着边际成本的不断递减,大规模生产逐渐向大众生产转变,这使生产者与消费者之间的对抗性分配关系重组,社会消费力变革的趋势开始出现。产消一体化,即新型工人——"产消者"的大众化成为这一变革的可能性路径。     

A Copula-Based Algorithm for Discovering Patterns of Dependent Observations

The main aim of this work is the study of clustering dependent data by means of copula functions. Copulas are popular multivariate tools whose importance within clustering methods has not been investigated yet in detail. We propose a new algorithm (CoClust in brief) that allows to cluster dependent data according to the multivariate structure of the generating process without any assumption on the margins. Moreover, the approach does not require either to choose a starting classification or to set a priori the number of clusters; in fact, the CoClust selects them by using a criterion based on the log–likelihood of a copula fit. We test our proposal on simulated data for different dependence scenarios and compare it with a model–based clustering technique. Finally, we show applications of the CoClust to real microarray data of breast-cancer patients.     

Counterfactuals and Non-locality of Quantum Mechanics: The Bedford–Stapp Version of the GHZ Theorem

In the paper, the proof of the non-locality of quantum mechanics, given by Bedford and Stapp (1995), and appealing to the GHZ example, is analyzed. The proof does not contain any explicit assumption of realism, but instead it uses formal methods and techniques of the Lewis calculus of counterfactuals. To ascertain the validity of the proof, a formal semantic model for counterfactuals is constructed. With the help of this model it can be shown that the proof is faulty, because it appeals to the unwarranted principle of “elimination of eliminated conditions” (EEC). As an additional way of showing unreasonableness of the assumption (EEC), it is argued that yet another alleged and highly controversial proof of non-locality of QM, using the Hardy example, can be made almost trivial with the help of (EEC). Finally, a general argument is produced to the effect that the locality condition in the form accepted by Stapp and Bedford is consistent with the quantum-mechanical predictions for the GHZ case under the assumption of indeterminism. This result undermines any future attempts of proving the incompatibility between the predictions of quantum theory and the idea of no faster-than-light influence in the GHZ case, quite independently of the negative assessment of the particular derivation proposed by Stapp and Bedford.