The recently celebrated discovery of the Higgs boson has captivated the public's imagination with the promise that it can explain the origins of everything in the universe. It's no wonder that the media refers to it grandly as the "God particle." Yet behind closed doors, physicists are admitting that there is much more to this story, and even years of gunning the Large Hadron Collider and herculean number crunching may still not lead to a deep understanding of the laws of (...) nature. In this fascinating and eye-opening account, theoretical physicist Alexander Unzicker and science writer Sheilla Jones offer a polemic. They question whether the large-scale, multinational enterprises actually lead us to the promised land of understanding the universe. The two scientists take us on a tour of contemporary physics and show how a series of highly publicized theories met a dead end. Unzicker and Jones systematically unpack the recent hot theories such as "parallel universes," "string theory," and "inflationary cosmology," and provide an accessible explanation of each. They argue that physics has abandoned its evidence-based roots and shifted to untestable mathematical theories, and they issue a clarion call for the science to return to its experimental foundation. (shrink)

This book is inspired by a German theoretical physicist, Sabine Hossenfelder’s publication: “Lost in Mathematics”. Her book seems to question highly mathematical and a lot of abstraction in the development of physics and cosmology studies nowadays. There is clear tendency that in recent decades, the physics science has been predominated by such an advanced mathematics, which at times sounding more like acrobatics approach to a reality. Through books by senior mathematical-physicists like Unzicker and Peter Woit, we know that the (...) answer of TOE is not in superstring theories or other variations of such 26 dimensional bosonic string theory, of which none of those theories survived experimental test, but perhaps in low dimensional physics. As Alexander Unzicker suggests, perhaps it is more advisable to consider rotation in 3D space (known as SO3), or a kind of superfluid vortices version of gravitation theory. We can also reconsider proposition by the late Prof F. Winterberg (formerly professor at Univ. Nevada, Reno), that it is most likely that superfluid phonon roton theory in 3D can replace the entire superstring theories. While we don’t explore yet implications of his model to particle physics, we discuss here some published papers at several journals in the past few years. (shrink)

Argues that the War on Drugs and policies that deny convicted felons equal access to employment, housing, education and public benefits create a permanent under-caste based largely on race. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.

Feminist Geneaologies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures provides a feminist anaylsis of the questions of sexual and gender politics, economic and cultural marginality, and anti-racist and anti-colonial practices both in the "West" and in the "Third World." This collection, edited by Jacqui Alexander and Chandra Talpade Mohanty, charts the underlying theoretical perspectives and organization practices of the different varieties of feminism that take on questions of colonialism, imperialism, and the repressive rule of colonial, post-colonial and advanced capitalist nation-states. It provides (...) a comparative, relational, historically grounded conception of feminist praxis that differs markedly from the liberal pluralist, multicultural understanding that sheapes some of the dominant version of Euro-American feminism. As a whole, the collection poses a unique challenge to the naturalization of gender based in the experiences, histories and practices of Euro-American women. (shrink)

Le livre offre une exploration approfondie de la philosophie morale et de l 'éthique depuis le XVIIIe siècle. L'auteur Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten utilise une approche systématique pour explorer les principes éthiques qui sous-tendent toutes les actions humaines, ce qui en fait un lecteur enrichissant pour les philosophes et les étudiants en éthique. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in (...) the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

Many introductions to this field start with the problem of justifying scientific knowledge but Alexander Bird begins by examining the subject matter, or metaphysics, of science. Using topical scientific debates he vividly elucidates what it is for the world to be governed by laws of nature. This idea provides the basis for explanations and causes and leads to a discussion of natural kinds and theoretical entities. With this foundation in place he goes on to consider the epistemological issues of (...) how science arrives at knowledge, favouring a treatment of scientific reasoning based on inference to the best explanation. Drawing on contemporary work in epistemology, Bird argues that scepticism about induction should not be a problem for science and examines the consequences of this position for controversies surrounding the ideas of scientific progress and scientific revolution. Bird's insightful treatment makes Philosophy of Science an ideal text for undergraduate courses. The guides to further reading provided in each chapter help the reader pursue interesting topics and facilitate the use of the book in conjunction with primary sources. (shrink)

I present an argument that encapsulates the view that theory is underdetermined by evidence. I show that if we accept Williamson's equation of evidence and knowledge, then this argument is question-begging. I examine ways of defenders of underdetermination may avoid this criticism. I also relate this argument and my critique to van Fraassen's constructive empiricism.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been the subject of intense interest as a locus of cognitive control. Several computational models have been proposed to account for a range of effects, including error detection, conflict monitoring, error likelihood prediction, and numerous other effects observed with single-unit neurophysiology, fMRI, and lesion studies. Here, we review the state of computational models of cognitive control and offer a new theoretical synthesis of the mPFC as signaling response–outcome predictions. This new synthesis has two interacting (...) components. The first component learns to predict the various possible outcomes of a planned action, and the second component detects discrepancies between the actual and intended responses; the detected discrepancies in turn update the outcome predictions. This single construct is consistent with a wide array of performance monitoring effects in mPFC and suggests a unifying account of the cognitive role of medial PFC in performance monitoring. (shrink)

In 2009 Larry Alexander and Kimberly Ferzan published Crime and Culpability: A Theory of Criminal Law. The book set out a theory that those who deserve punishment should receive punishment commensurate with, but no greater than, that which they deserve. Reflections on Crime and Culpability: Problems and Puzzles expands on their innovative ideas on the application of punishment in criminal law. Theorists working in criminal law theory presuppose or ignore puzzles that lurk beneath the surface. Now those who wish (...) to examine these topics will have one monograph that combines the disparate puzzles in criminal law through a unified approach to culpability. Along with some suggestions as to how they might resolve the puzzles, Alexander and Ferzan lay out the arguments and analysis so future scholars can engage with questions about our understanding of culpability that very few have addressed. (shrink)

Can philosophy be a source of hope? Today it is common to believe that the answer is no - that providing hope, if it is possible at all, belongs either to the predictive sciences or to religion. In this exciting and simulating book, however, Alexander Douglas argues that the philosophy of Spinoza can offer something akin to religious hope. Douglas shows how Spinoza is able, without appealing to belief in any traditional afterlife or supernatural grace, to develop a profound (...) and original theory of how humans can escape from the conditions of death and sin. Douglas argues that this theory of escape, which Spinoza calls beatitude, is the centrepiece of his entire philosophy, though scholars have often downplayed or ignored it. One reason for this scholarly neglect might be the difficulty of understanding Spinoza's theory, which departs from the standard doctrines and methods of Western philosophy. Douglas's interpretation therefore seeks inspiration beyond the Western tradition, drawing especially on the classical Daoist text Zhuangzi and its commentaries. Here, Douglas argues, surprising resonances with Spinoza's core ideas can be found, leading to a new way of understanding his strange yet compelling theory of beatitude. (shrink)

Aims to show that the brain is not responsible for consciousness, and uses this assertion to explore profound love and human connection.

This two-volume collection of essays brings together major contemporary theoretical works on freedom of speech. Volume I, begins with a theoretical overview of freedom of speech and then turns to the topics of what justifies freedom of speech and what kinds of acts raise free speech concerns. Volume II, examines the distinctions among content regulations and between content and content-neutral regulations. It also analyses the concept of the public forum, inciting and hateful speech and lastly the tension between the subsidizing (...) activities of the affirmative state and the negative liberty of freedom of speech. (shrink)

Originally published in 1967. This reprints the second edition of 1973, revised and expanded. Evolution and Human Behaviour considers man’s biological and cultural development within the framework of Darwinian evolution. Rejecting analogue models of biological evolution common in the social sciences, the author shows how the theory of biological evolution applies to the study of contemporary human behaviour.

in Encyclopedia of Consciousness, ed. William P. Banks, Amsterdam: Elsevier, forthcoming in 2009.

Common errors on the mind.--Errors of suppressed correlatives.--The civil service examinations.--The classical controversy.--Metaphysics and debating societies.--The university ideal, past and present.--The art of study.--Religious tests and subscriptions.--Procedure of deliberative bodies.

Nahezu jede naturwissenschaftliche Epoche befasste sich mit der Frage, ob oder unter welchen Umstanden der Mensch als willensfrei und mental verursachend beschrieben werden kann. Was zwischen Descartes, den Influxionisten, Husserl und der modernen Neurophysiologie zu verhandeln gewesen ware, will somit als Leit- und Grundmotiv der Fragen nach mentaler Verursachung und Willensfreiheit immer wieder in die Welt treten. Neu sind heute aber das Vokabular und die Daten, die der Gegenwartsdebatte ihre Gestalt verleihen. In diesem Zusammenhang wird insbesondere Libets Experiment zur Willkurmotorik (...) als empirisch eingelautetes "Ende der mentalen Verursachung" ins Treffen gefuhrt. In diesem Buch werden diese Befunde diskutiert und allgemeiner die Rolle, die das Bereitschaftspotential in Hinblick auf intentionale Handlungen einnimmt. Diese Diskussion zeigt, dass die freiheitsskeptische Deutung der Befunde von Libet (und einiger Nachfolgestudien) einer Analyse der Gesamtbefunde nicht standhalten kann. (shrink)

Was wusste Wittgenstein von Hegels Philosophie und wie verhält sich sein Denken zu demjenigen Hegels? Antwort auf diese Fragen sucht die vorliegende Studie in einer aufmerksamen Rekonstruktion der verschiedenen Bemerkungen Wittgensteins zu Hegel.In einer späten Bemerkung bringt Wittgenstein das Verhältnis seiner eigenen Philosophie zu derjenigen Hegels auf den Punkt:?Mir scheint, Hegel will immer sagen, daß Dinge, die verschieden aussehen, in Wirklichkeit gleich sind, während es mir um den Nachweis geht, daß Dinge, die gleich aussehen, in Wirklichkeit verschieden sind.? Um besser (...) verstehen zu können, was er dabei im Sinn hatte, werden die verschiedenen Bemerkungen Wittgensteins zu Hegel in den Kontext der Entwicklung seines philosophischen Denkens gestellt, und es wird? auch ganz in Wittgensteins Sinne? weitergefragt, was dieses Denken mit der philosophischen Tradition verbindet. (shrink)

Social theory between progress and apocalypse -- Autonomy and domination: Weber's cage -- Barbarism and modernity: Eisenstadt's regret -- Integration and justice: Parsons' utopia -- Despising others: Simmel's stranger -- Meaning evil -- De-civilizing the civil sphere -- Psychotherapy as central institution -- The frictions of modernity and their possible repair.

This unique book brings together international scholars from around the globe to examine how different feminist theories are being used in early childhood research, policy and pedagogy. The array of feminist discourses captured by the authors offer contextualised possibilities for disrupting dominant patriarchal beliefs and producing change. The authors address and challenge how early childhood experiences, institutions and practices produce gendered effects across and within diverse contexts and demonstrate how feminism(s) in action can be used to reconceptualise research methods, government (...) policy, children's learning, teaching practice and educational resources. In this way, the book contributes to creating new knowledge connections and community alliances in the global effort to end gender-based inequalities across local and global communities. (shrink)