Dwelling In-Between Walls: The Architectural Surround

The title of this paper might evoke claustrophobic associations. In other words, architecture in a very immediate sense can affect our behavior and feelings. In more mediated ways, architecture is also capable of influencing humans and putting their environment into perspective. Consider, for example, how a penthouse apartment can literally elevate people??s emotions and unfold a new perspective on city life, which some people are willing to pay millions of dollars to attain. In this paper I will explore how architecture frames human experience from a philosophical point of view. My aim is to offer key elements of a new typology of architecture. For that purpose I am going to reflect and expand on key insights into technology of one of the funding fathers of contemporary philosophy of technology, Don Ihde. Through a life time, Ihde has been probing and investigating the relation between humans and their world as it is mediated through technology. In doing so he has concentrated on examining and understanding the role of scientific instruments. This paper is dedicated to showing how Ihde??s significant postphenomenological concepts not only can be translated to another domain and serve a better understanding of architecture, but also how his work can help us to relate to architecture in multiple constructive ways. The succeeding experimental translations of Ihde??s understanding of technology to architecture are also meant as a guide to design more adequate and fascinating built environments. I will begin with a broad overview of Ihde??s postphenomenological project; subsequently I shall endeavor to translate this work onto architecture through a number of case-studies, some of which are detailed and others less so.     

刘徽对《九章算术》中立体的辨名

刘徽对《九章算术》中的立体及其名称进行了较多的考察,是他对全书概念、术语进行"审辨名分"工作的组成部分,也是他努力为《九章算术》的数学知识构建理论基础的一种体现.本文分为不做解释、只解释实物含义、只解释几何含义、既解释实物含义又解释几何含义等四种类型分析了刘徽对《九章算术》中立体及其名称和用语的处理方式,指出刘徽对立体...     

Outline of a Theory of Scientific Aesthetics

I offer a theory of art that is based on science. I maintain that, as any other human activity, art can be studied with the tools of science. This does not mean that art is scientific, but aesthetics, the theory of art, can be formulated in accord with our scientific knowledge. I present elucidations of the concepts of aesthetic experience, art, work of art, artistic movement, and I discuss the ontological status of artworks from the point of view of scientific philosophy.     

Understanding Natural Science Based on Abductive Inference: Continental Drift

This study aims to understand scientific inference for the evolutionary procedure of Continental Drift based on abductive inference, which is important for creative inference and scientific discovery during problem solving. We present the following two research problems: (1) we suggest a scientific inference procedure as well as various strategies and a criterion for choosing hypotheses over other competing or previous hypotheses; aspects of this procedure include puzzling observation, abduction, retroduction, updating, deduction, induction, and recycle; and (2) we analyze the “theory of continental drift” discovery, called the Earth science revolution, using our multistage inference procedure. Wegener’s Continental Drift hypothesis had an impact comparable to the revolution caused by Darwin’s theory of evolution in biology. Finally, the suggested inquiry inference model can provide us with a more consistent view of science and promote a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.     

The Unexpected Applicability of Paraconsistent Logic: A Chomskyan Route to Dialetheism

Paraconsistent logics are characterized by rejection of ex falso quodlibet, the principle of explosion, which states that from a contradiction, anything can be derived. Strikingly these logics have found a wide range of application, despite the misgivings of philosophers as prominent as Lewis and Putnam. Such applications, I will argue, are of significant philosophical interest. They suggest ways to employ these logics in philosophical and scientific theories. To this end I will sketch out a ‘naturalized semantic dialetheism’ following Priest’s early suggestion that the principles governing human natural language may well be inconsistent. There will be a significant deviation from Priest’s work, namely, the assumption of a broadly Chomskyan picture of semantics. This allows us to explain natural language inconsistency tolerance without commitment to contentious views in formal logic.     

Quantum Particles as Conceptual Entities: A Possible Explanatory Framework for Quantum Theory

We put forward a possible new interpretation and explanatory framework for quantum theory. The basic hypothesis underlying this new framework is that quantum particles are conceptual entities. More concretely, we propose that quantum particles interact with ordinary matter, nuclei, atoms, molecules, macroscopic material entities, measuring apparatuses,  in a similar way to how human concepts interact with memory structures, human minds or artificial memories. We analyze the most characteristic aspects of quantum theory, i.e. entanglement and non-locality, interference and superposition, identity and individuality in the light of this new interpretation, and we put forward a specific explanation and understanding of these aspects. The basic hypothesis of our framework gives rise in a natural way to a Heisenberg uncertainty principle which introduces an understanding of the general situation of ‘the one and the many’ in quantum physics. A specific view on macro and micro different from the common one follows from the basic hypothesis and leads to an analysis of Schrödinger’s Cat paradox and the measurement problem different from the existing ones. We reflect about the influence of this new quantum interpretation and explanatory framework on the global nature and evolutionary aspects of the world and human worldviews, and point out potential explanations for specific situations, such as the generation problem in particle physics, the confinement of quarks and the existence of dark matter.     

艺术意象·审美意象·科学意象——创造活动心理图像异同的理论与实证构想

意象是意义与图像的有机结合体,是创造性活动不可或缺的逻辑基点、加工方法、过程与结果。中国古典和西方近现代美学与文艺理论、现代科学技术和认知心理学等的研究成果都表明:意象是艺术创作、审美创造、科学创造,甚至生活创造活动中所共同拥有的心理图像,是统摄感性、理性认知活动及情感态度价值取向的精神活动。意和像的构成因素及组合方式不同,形成了意像的不同种类。艺术意象、审美意象与科学意象的基本过程相似,但具体过程的目标、走向与结果表达式很不相同。有关意象的理论值得更深入和系统探讨;同时应当补充实证研究,例如艺术家与科学家创造过程中图像资料的统计分析;各类人群的意象调查与测验;各类意象加工模式、特点与水平实验等。意象研究是艺术认知、审美认知与科学认知,艺术教育、审美教育与科学教育的重要交结点。     

从澳中科研合作报告看中澳科研合作的前景

2012年2月14日,澳大利亚工业、创新、科研与高等教育部公布了一份题为《澳大利亚与中国的科研合作》的报告,详细分析了在澳中经济社会发展、双边关系密切以及科研全球化背景下的澳中科研合作状况。中国与澳大利亚的科研合作关系已超过30年,这为未来合作奠定了良好的基础。两国科研人员和机构应积极利用已建立起来的机构和政府间合作框架,继续推进在创新和基础研究领域的合作。     

Logical Aspects of Quantum (Non-)Individuality

In this paper I consider some logical and mathematical aspects of the discussion of the identity and individuality of quantum entities. I shall point out that for some aspects of the discussion, the logical basis cannot be put aside; on the contrary, it leads us to unavoidable conclusions which may have consequences in how we articulate certain concepts related to quantum theory. Behind the discussion, there is a general argument which suggests the possibility of a metaphysics of non-individuals, based on a reasonable interpretation of quantum basic entities. I close the paper with a suggestion that consists in emphasizing that quanta should be referred to by the cardinalities of the collections to which they belong, for which an adequate mathematical framework seems to be possible.     

Stretching the In-between: Embodiment and Beyond

Today??s scientific imaging technologies are able to detect and image emissions and radiations from a much wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum than ever before. Such phenomena lie beyond the horizons of ordinary human perceptibility. I examine here the implications of such ??translation mediations?? for the production of scientific knowledge and show how human embodiment is implicit for all perceptual observational possibilities. The framework is that of a postphenomenology which is able to relate these new phenomena to human embodiment.     

论个体性状的完全因果解释

尼安德的"传递论证"中有两个不合理之处:第一,把个体性状出现的遗传学原因扩展为个体性状出现的所有原因,从而把完全因果解释理解成了对个体性状的历史解释;第二,要求对个体性状的解释包括对"原因的原因"的无休止上溯,从而把完全因果解释理解成了终极解释。索伯尔在回应尼安德时只是强调了遗传机制与选择机制属于两种不同的因果路径,没有指出尼安德对科学解释的错误理解,这就不能完全排除选择机制对个体性状的解释作用。     

Misrepresentation in Context

We can witness the recent surge of interest in the interaction between cognitive science, philosophy of science, and aesthetics on the problem of representation. This naturally leads us to rethinking the achievements of Goodman’s monumental book Languages of Art. For, there is no doubt that no one else contributed more than Goodman to throw a light on the cognitive function of art. Ironically, it could be also Goodman who has been the stumbling block for a unified theory of representation. In this paper, I shall contrast the ways how differently misrepresentation has been treated in cognitive science, aesthetics, and philosophy of science. And I shall show that it is Goodman’s unnecessary separation of resemblance and representation in art that made such a difference. As a conclusion, I will indicate some of the most promising projects toward the unified theory of representation the revolt against Goodman’s rejection of resemblance theories might promise to us.     

自然选择是万能的吗?——进化论中的适应主义及其生物学哲学争论

自然选择是达尔文进化论学说的重要概念。达尔文之后,关于自然选择的作用,形成了两种互相对立的学说:适应主义和反适应主义。适应主义者认为,自然选择是万能的,生物的进化都是通过自然选择而获得适应性进化的结果;反适应者主义者则认为,自然选择的作用不是万能的,生物还可以通过其他途径进化。鉴于适应主义的广泛影响及其在理解进化生物学中的重要作用,本文拟澄清适应主义的含义及其形式,阐明适应主义与反适应主义在生物学和哲学两个层面的争论,并指出适应主义思想的局限性及多元主义视角的价值。     

Of Humans & Cyborgs, Caterpillars & Butterflies

In response to Peter–Paul Verbeek’s and Paul Levinson’s reviews of my article ‘In Between Us,’ I comment on four criticisms. Firstly, my approach of ‘mediation as such’ does not endorse the view of mediation as secondary to mediata (i.e., entities), but does not exclude it either. Secondly, my concepts of “transparency of use” and of “context” are to be seen as philosophical ‘tools’ and not as mutually exclusive states. Thirdly, I agree with Levinson that technologies do indeed remediate, and mostly not for the worse. However, fourthly, at the same time we should always be on guard for their nefarious effects.     

研究式地解读科学人文经典

本文在表达作者主编<科学人文读本>的理念和总结有关教师使用这个读本的经验基础上,提出一种新的旨在提高学生的综合科学素养的自然辩证法课程教学模式.作者把科学划分为自然知识形态的解释层面、器物形态的技术层面、精神形态的态度和方法层面、组织形态的建制层面、与背景和效果相联系的社会层面.按照这5个层面,并且联系科学生活和相关的社会生活,作者设计了由8个板块组成的阅读框架,以此选择科学人文经典读物.在这个模式中,教师的作用是组织和引导研究生分析地、扩展地、研究地解读这些读物,而不是照本宣科地讲述教科书.     

A Further Review of the Incompatibility between Classical Principles and Quantum Postulates

The traditional “realist” conception of physics, according to which human concepts, laws and theories can grasp the essence of a reality in our absence, seems incompatible with quantum formalism and it most fruitful interpretation. The proof rests on the violation by quantum mechanical formalism of some fundamental principles of the classical ontology. We discuss if the conception behind Einstein’s idea of a reality in our absence, could be still maintained and at which price. We conclude that quantum mechanical formalism is not formulated on those terms, leaving for a separated paper the discussion about the terms in which it could be formulated and the onto-epistemological implications it might have.     

Gould, Hull, and the Individuation of Scientific Theories

When is conceptual change so significant that we should talk about a new theory, not a new version of the same theory? We address this problem here, starting from Gould’s discussion of the individuation of the Darwinian theory. He locates his position between two extremes: ‘minimalist’—a theory should be individuated merely by its insertion in a historical lineage—and ‘maximalist’—exhaustive lists of necessary and sufficient conditions are required for individuation. He imputes the minimalist position to Hull and attempts a reductio: this position leads us to give the same ‘name’ to contradictory theories. Gould’s ‘structuralist’ position requires both ‘conceptual continuity’ and descent for individuation. Hull’s attempt to assimilate into his general selectionist framework Kuhn’s notion of ‘exemplar’ and the ‘semantic’ view of the structure of scientific theories can be used to counter Gould’s reductio, and also to integrate structuralist and population thinking about conceptual change.     

哲学已死?——霍金的哲学思想

霍金在《大设计》中声称"哲学已死"。他的"哲学已死"究竟是指什么?本文考察霍金的哲学思想,指出霍金以自然定律统治自然的"科学决定论"为基本原则,试图在科学的框架内对本体论、因果律以及宇宙本质等问题做出"科学"的解答。霍金的"解题"并不成功,哲学当然也没死亡。霍金结合最新的物理科学进展为哲学的基础性问题提供一种可能的答案,却是有意义富有启发性的尝试。     

The Epistemological Functions of Symbolization in Leibniz’s Universal Characteristic

Leibniz’s universal characteristic is a fundamental aspect of his theory of cognition. Without symbols or characters it would be difficult for the human mind to define several concepts and to achieve many demonstrations. In most disciplines, and particularly in mathematics, the mind must then focus on symbols and their combinatorial rules rather than on mental contents. For Leibniz, mental perception is most of the time too confused for attaining distinct notions and valid deductions. In this paper, I argue that the functions of symbolization differ depending upon the kind of concepts that are replaced with characters. In my view, most commentators did not sufficiently underline the distinction between two main functions of formal substitution in Leibniz’s characteristic: either increasing our knowledge or simply structuring it. In the first case, we complete our knowledge because formal substitution makes sensible and imaginary concepts more distinct. In the second case, symbolization helps to organize contents that are already conceived of by reason. Thus the process of substitution is not always identically applicable, for symbols replace different types of concepts.