In his recent book, Time and Chance, David Albert claims that by positing that there is a uniform probability distribution defined, on the standard measure, over the space of microscopic states that are compatible with both the current macrocondition of the world, and with what he calls the “past hypothesis”, we can explain the time asymmetry of all of the thermodynamic behavior in the world. The principal purpose of this paper is to dispute this claim. I argue that Albert's proposal (...) fails in his stated goal—to show how to use the time‐reversible dynamics of Newtonian physics to “underwrite the actual content of our thermodynamic experience” (Albert 2000, 159). Albert's proposal can satisfactorily explain why the overall entropy of the universe as a whole is increasing, but it does not and cannot explain the increasing entropy of relatively small, relatively short‐lived systems in energetic isolation without making use of a principle that leads to reversibility objections. (shrink)

It is often hard to articulate a thought. Why should this be, if not that to have a thought is one thing, and to know it something else? In fact the gap between thought and its articulation is not epistemic. While it’s true that we come to know our thoughts better through articulation, it's not because a thought is already perfectly determinate despite my ignorance of it. Rather, we make the thought determinate through articulation. This connection between the determinacy of (...) the thinker’s knowledge of their thought and the determinacy of the thought itself is a mark of thought’s fundamentally first-personal character: what’s beyond the reach of my current powers of articulation cannot be an object of any attitude of mine. (shrink)

Urban parking systems are a significant contributor to traffic congestion and driver frustration, with studies showing that up to 30% of urban traffic is caused by drivers searching for parking. Traditional parking systems often lack real-time data and adaptability, leading to inefficiencies such as overfilled lots and underutilized spaces. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban parking by enabling real-time parking space detection, demand forecasting, and dynamic pricing. By integrating data from IoT sensors, traffic (...) systems, and mobile applications, cities can reduce congestion, improve parking availability, and enhance the overall urban mobility experience. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in parking efficiency, traffic flow, and user satisfaction, offering a sustainable blueprint for smart urban parking systems. (shrink)

Ensuring public safety is a critical challenge for rapidly growing urban areas. Traditional policing and emergency response systems often struggle to keep pace with the complexity and scale of modern cities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a transformative solution by enabling real-time crime prediction, optimizing emergency resource allocation, and enhancing situational awareness through IoT-enabled systems. This paper explores how AI-driven analytics, combined with data from surveillance cameras, social media, and environmental sensors, can improve public safety in smart cities. By addressing challenges (...) such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and system scalability, this study demonstrates the potential of AI to create safer, more resilient urban environments. Experimental results highlight improvements in crime detection rates, emergency response times, and resource utilization, paving the way for smarter public safety systems. (shrink)

Water scarcity and inefficient water management are critical challenges for rapidly growing urban areas. Traditional water distribution systems often suffer from leaks, wastage, and inequitable access, exacerbating resource shortages. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban water management by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and efficient resource allocation. By integrating data from smart meters, pressure sensors, and weather forecasts, cities can reduce water losses, improve distribution efficiency, and ensure equitable access. Experimental results demonstrate significant (...) improvements in leak detection, water conservation, and infrastructure reliability, offering a sustainable blueprint for urban water management in smart cities. (shrink)

This paper explores the connective ‘because’, based on the idea that ‘_C_ because _A_’ implies the acceptance/truth of the antecedent _A_ as well as of the consequent _C_, and additionally that the antecedent makes a difference for the consequent. To capture this idea of difference-making a ‘relevantized’ version of the Ramsey Test for conditionals is employed that takes the antecedent to be relevant to the consequent in the following sense: a conditional is true/accepted in a state $\sigma$ just in (...) case (i) the consequent is true/accepted when $\sigma$ is revised by the antecedent _and_ (ii) the consequent fails to be true/accepted when $\sigma$ is revised by the antecedent’s negation. To extend this to a semantics for ‘because’, we add that (iii) the antecedent and (iv) the consequent are accepted/true in the state $\sigma$. We get metaphysical or doxastic interpretations of these clauses, depending on what we mean by a model and a state. We introduce several semantics known from suppositional conditionals, which we reinterpret for difference-making conditionals and ‘because’. We present a minimal logic for ‘because’ sentences and show how it can be extended in ways that parallel the hierarchy of extensions of the logic of suppositional conditionals. We establish correspondence results between axioms for ‘because’ and properties of states, and prove that the specified logics are sound with respect to the semantics. (shrink)

Buildings account for a significant portion of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, making energy efficiency a critical focus for urban sustainability. Traditional building management systems often lack the adaptability and precision needed to optimize energy usage dynamically. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can enhance energy efficiency in smart buildings by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and adaptive control systems. By integrating data from smart meters, occupancy sensors, and environmental monitors, cities can reduce energy waste, (...) lower carbon footprints, and improve occupant comfort. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in energy savings, operational costs, and environmental impact, offering a sustainable blueprint for smart building management. (shrink)

The growing volume of urban waste poses significant environmental and economic challenges for cities worldwide. Traditional waste management systems often rely on inefficient collection routes, inadequate recycling processes, and excessive landfill usage. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can revolutionize waste management in smart cities by enabling real-time monitoring, automated sorting, and optimized collection routes. By integrating data from smart bins, robotic sorting systems, and predictive analytics, cities can achieve zero-waste goals and promote circular economy practices. (...) Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in waste segregation accuracy, collection efficiency, and recycling rates, offering a sustainable blueprint for urban waste management. (shrink)

The growing demand for energy in urban environments, coupled with the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, necessitates innovative approaches to power generation, distribution, and consumption. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven smart grids offer a transformative solution by optimizing energy efficiency, integrating renewable resources, and ensuring grid stability. This paper explores how machine learning and IoT-enabled predictive analytics can enhance smart grid performance in urban areas. By addressing challenges such as demand forecasting, load balancing, and renewable energy intermittency, this study demonstrates the (...) potential of AI to revolutionize sustainable energy management. Experimental results highlight improvements in grid reliability, cost reduction, and carbon footprint minimization, paving the way for resilient and eco-friendly urban energy systems. (shrink)

Urbanization poses significant challenges to healthcare systems, including overcrowded hospitals, inequitable access to care, and rising costs. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer transformative solutions for optimizing healthcare delivery in smart cities. This paper explores how AI-driven predictive analytics, combined with IoT-enabled wearable devices and telemedicine platforms, can enhance patient outcomes, streamline resource allocation, and reduce urban health disparities. By analyzing real-time health data and predicting disease outbreaks, this study demonstrates the potential of AI to revolutionize (...) urban healthcare systems. Experimental results highlight improvements in diagnostic accuracy, emergency response times, and operational efficiency, paving the way for equitable and sustainable healthcare in smart cities. (shrink)

Urban transportation systems face significant challenges due to increasing congestion, inefficient routes, and fluctuating passenger demand. Traditional public transportation networks often struggle to adapt dynamically to these challenges, leading to delays, overcrowding, and environmental inefficiencies. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban mobility by enabling real-time route optimization, demand forecasting, and passenger flow management. By integrating data from GPS trackers, fare collection systems, and environmental sensors, cities can reduce travel times, enhance commuter satisfaction, and (...) promote sustainable transportation. Experimental results demonstrate improvements in route efficiency, passenger load balancing, and operational costs, offering a blueprint for AI-driven smart urban mobility. (shrink)

Urban green spaces are vital for mitigating climate change, enhancing biodiversity, and improving citizen well-being. However, traditional methods of designing and managing these spaces often lack the precision and scalability needed to address modern urban challenges. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban green spaces in smart cities. By integrating satellite imagery, soil sensors, and machine learning models, cities can dynamically monitor plant health, predict ecological impacts, and design green zones that maximize biodiversity and (...) sustainability. Experimental results demonstrate improvements in air quality, heat island reduction, and community engagement, offering a blueprint for AI-driven ecological urban planning. (shrink)

The rapid urbanization of modern cities necessitates innovative approaches to data collection and integration for smarter urban management. With the Internet of Things (IoT) at the core of these advancements, the ability to efficiently gather, analyze, and utilize data becomes paramount. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing data collection by enabling intelligent synthesis, anomaly detection, and real-time decision-making across interconnected systems. This paper explores how generative AI enhances IoT-driven data collection in smart cities, focusing on applications in transportation, energy, public (...) safety, and environmental monitoring. By addressing challenges such as data privacy, scalability, and ethical considerations, the study highlights how generative AI transforms urban governance and paves the way for sustainable and citizen-centric development. Key trends, case studies, and future research directions are discussed, showcasing the potential of generative AI as a cornerstone of smart city initiatives. (shrink)

Air pollution is a critical challenge for urban areas, contributing to public health crises and environmental degradation. Traditional air quality monitoring systems often lack the granularity and adaptability needed to address dynamic pollution sources and patterns. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can enhance air quality management in smart cities by enabling real-time monitoring, pollution source identification, and adaptive mitigation strategies. By integrating data from IoT sensors, satellite imagery, and traffic systems, cities can reduce pollution levels, (...) improve public health outcomes, and promote sustainable urban environments. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in pollution detection accuracy, mitigation efficiency, and public awareness, offering a sustainable blueprint for urban air quality management. (shrink)

Urban wastewater management is a critical component of sustainable water cycles, but traditional systems often struggle with inefficiencies such as high operational costs, resource wastage, and environmental pollution. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban wastewater management by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and resource recovery. By integrating data from IoT sensors, water quality monitors, and treatment plants, cities can improve water quality, reduce operational costs, and recover valuable resources such as energy and nutrients. (...) Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in treatment efficiency, resource recovery rates, and environmental impact, offering a sustainable blueprint for smart urban wastewater systems. (shrink)

Noise pollution is a growing concern in urban areas, contributing to public health issues such as stress, sleep disturbances, and hearing loss. Traditional noise monitoring systems often lack the granularity and adaptability needed to address dynamic noise sources and patterns. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can enhance noise pollution management in smart cities by enabling real-time monitoring, source identification, and adaptive mitigation strategies. By integrating data from IoT sensors, traffic systems, and urban infrastructure, cities can (...) reduce noise levels, improve public health outcomes, and enhance the quality of life for residents. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in noise detection accuracy, mitigation efficiency, and public awareness, offering a sustainable blueprint for urban noise pollution management. (shrink)

Urban lighting systems are essential for safety, security, and quality of life, but they often consume significant energy and lack adaptability to changing conditions. Traditional lighting systems rely on fixed schedules and manual adjustments, leading to inefficiencies such as over-illumination and energy waste. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT technologies can optimize urban lighting by enabling real-time adjustments, energy savings, and adaptive illumination based on environmental conditions and human activity. By integrating data from motion sensors, weather forecasts, (...) and traffic systems, cities can reduce energy consumption, enhance safety, and improve the quality of life for residents. Experimental results demonstrate significant improvements in energy efficiency, lighting quality, and operational costs, offering a sustainable blueprint for smart urban lighting systems. (shrink)

"Jazz, the wound" : negative identity, culture, and the shadow of race -- America, or the stranger -- Negative identities of the subject in wartime America -- Critical theory goes to war : the critique of positive identity and positive science -- Negative modeling : objectivity, normativity, and the refusal of the universal -- Subject/object and disciplinarity.

Book V of Eriugena’s Periphyseon presents new critical problems because of the lack of the Rheims manuscript, which contains the author’s own revisions. The text which has been called Versio Prima in the first four books of Jeauneau’s new edition is lacking for the fnal volume. Working from a transcription of the second portion of the Clauis Physicae, the epitome of the Periphyseon by Honorius Augustodunensis, the author reports that the unpublished Clauis II contains a text of Periphyseon V that (...) is analogous to Versio Prima. This article first compares the transcription from Clauis II to Lucentini’s notes on Honorius’ work, then it analyses the difference between Clauis II and Versio Secunda in Periphyseon V. The relationship is found to be the same as that between the primitive text of Periphyseon in books I-IV and Eriugena’s revised version . Consequently, Clauis II should be recognized as an essential witness to the early text of Periphyseon V. (shrink)

La première note est consacrée à un bloc interprété par F. Courby comme un élément du dallage ayant porté le tombeau de Dionysos. Mais ce bloc constituait à l’origine un socle isolé ; ce n’est que dans une seconde phase qu’il a été associé à d’autres blocs pour former un plateau sur lequel on a implanté un pressoir. La seconde note se fonde sur de nouveaux relevés des canalisations aménagées dans les substructions Sud du temple des Alcméonides, destinées à réunir (...) deux sources. Celle de l’Ouest existait depuis longtemps ; son débouché était situé au pied du mur de terrasse qui avait porté le temple préalcméonide et qui constitue le premier aménagement monumental du sanctuaire. L’hypothèse d’un détournement de la fontaine Cassotis à l’intérieur du temple est rejetée. La troisième note est consacrée aux fragments d’une sima en marbre provenant d’une toiture inachevée ; l’existence de deux modules amène à postuler à l’existence d’un bâtiment à deux ailes, probablement contemporain du temple du ive s. et peut-être à confondre avec le «monument en calcaire gris ». (shrink)

Die Philosophie der subjektiven Rechte reflektiert das Legitimationsprogramm gegenwärtiger Gesellschaften, namentlich die individuellen Autonomisierungseffekte und gleichzeitigen Herrschaftsinteressen der Urheber normativer Ordnungen. Die Autorinnen und Autoren des vorliegenden Bandes versuchen, die Dynamik, die den Formen und Gehalten der Rechte eingeschrieben ist, zu entschlüsseln und den Diskurs über Rechte für unsere Zeit zu aktualisieren.

In this article I argue that Socrates sees one important truth in the position Callicles represents in the Gorgias: it is necessary in the case of extreme philosophical provocation to be able to overthrow completely the received order and to maintain oneself in the face of unimagined possibility. Without this faith in the power of wisdom to overturn and destroy received wisdom, philosophy would not be able to shepherd the good into the world in Socratic fashion. Interpreters are generally correct (...) to view Callicles as a threat to the Socratic ehtical position, but they generally fail to see that Socratic wisdom cannot operate without drawing substantially on the destruction of received order that Callicles promotes to a position of unique value in his competing ethical stance. Thus I read the conversation between Socrates and Callicles as an opportunity for Socrates to stand face to face with that aspect of his own philosophical wisdom that seems at first glance hostile to his own position. (shrink)

Originally published in 1985, this distinguished and constructive critique of modern culture introduced into our language a brand-new term, ‘PN’, standing for ‘psychic nutrition’, which at the time promised to become a household expression. Drawing on his first-hand knowledge of oriental civilizations; on discoveries of Jung, especially his concept of psychic energy; on the ideas of the cultural anthropologists; and not least on the New Science implicit in microphysics and microbiology, E.W.F. Tomlin, whose philosophical books have been translated into several (...) languages, shows how the human psyche requires its own kind of nourishment just as urgently as the body needs food. In the industrial societies of the West, this need has often been ignored. Reformers, in their earnest though sometimes inept endeavours to create a better world, have too often exposed us to the dangers of psychic starvation and the noxious effects of what may be called ‘neg-PN’. Here lie the roots of violence and the lack of direction so conspicuously afflicting modern man and woman. Examples of PN, positive and negative, are given, lending the book an immediacy and practical character often lacking in studies of this kind. In the new scientific approach here adopted, the divisions between matter and life, and life and mind, are discarded, and the old conflict between science and religion shown to belong to an out-of-date world view. The result is a radical reappraisal of the nature and function of religion and art, the two great psychic forces in history. Indeed, the present crisis is shown to originate in the psychic sphere rather than in the political and economic order. Deeply felt and elegantly written, yet not lacking in wit and humour, the book ends with some concrete ideas on how a more balanced culture may be achieved. (shrink)

Arguments for A "fair" coin has probability 1/2. There is no physical probability attached to the coin, we can cheat on each toss (by sufficient control). My aim: The coin toss is fine-grained deterministic, but coarsgrained random.

This paper concerns reductionist views about psychology and the special sciences more generally. I identify a metaphysical assumption in reductionist views which I dub the ‘Micro–Macro Mirroring Thesis’. The Mirroring Thesis says that the relation between the entities of any legitimate higher-level science and their lower-level realizers is similar to that between the entities of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. I argue that reductionism implies the Thesis, and that the Thesis is not a priori. It is more difficult to tell whether (...) the Thesis is true, and I indicate some relevant considerations. (shrink)

This paper argues that under some conditions, when one person acts on the direction of another person, the two of them thereby act together, and that this explains why both the director and the directee can be responsible for what is done. In other words, a director and a directee can be a joint agent, one whose members are responsible for what they together do. This is most clearly so when the directive is a command. But it is also sometimes (...) so when the directive is a bit of advice. (shrink)

Saint Anselm’s ontological argument is perhaps the most intriguing of all the traditional speculative proofs for the existence of God. Yet, his argument has been rejected outright by many philosophers. Most challenges stem from the basic conviction that no amount of logical analysis of a concept that is limited to the bounds of the "understanding" will ever be able to "reason" the existence in "reality" of any thing answering such a limited concept. However, it is not the intent of this (...) paper to prove or disprove Anselm’s argument. Rather, in this paper we concern ourselves with arriving at a sound interpretation of Anselm’s leading critic -- Immanuel Kant. Kant put forth perhaps the most vaunted criticism of Anselm’s argument. However, Kant has been perhaps the most misunderstood objector to Anselm’s argument. This paper confirms that charge, simultaneously offering what I believe to be a sound interpretation of Kant’s criticism. (shrink)

The classic “retorsion” argument that any claim that all thought is relative is a self-refuting dialectical contradiction not only decisively refutes relativism but also demonstrates the presence of absolute truth in all thinking as its implicit enabling condition. In Augustine’s version, this takes the form of showing that truth itself, which Augustine identifies as God, is the “light of minds,” found within the soul by thought’s self-reflexive discovery of the ever-present condition for its own acts of judgment. In recent philosophy (...) this argument is taken up in the transcendental Thomism of Pierre Scheuer, S.J., and, with important clarifying distinctions, in the objective idealism of Vittorio Hösle. Thomas Nagel uses the same argument to reach what amounts to the same conclusion, though he does not call this conclusion ‘God.’ This concurrence indicates that there is no third alternative between complete nihilism and divinity as conceived by Augustine, Scheuer, and Hösle. (shrink)

It is surely not coincidental that the term "soul" should mean not only the center of a creature's life and consciousness, but also a thing or action characterized by intense vivacity ("that bike's got soul!"). It also seems far from coincidental that the same contemporary academic discussions that have largely cast aside the language of "soul" in their quest to define the character of human mental life should themselves be so--how to say it?--bloodless, so lacking in soul. This volume arises (...) from the opposite premise, namely that the task of understanding human nature is bound up with and in important respects dependent upon the more critical task of learning to be fully human, of learning to have soul. The papers collected here are derived from a conference in Oxford sponsored by the Centre of Theology and Philosophy and together explore the often surprising landscape that emerges when human consciousness is approached from this angle. Drawing upon literary, philosophical, theological, historical, and musical modes of analysis, the essays of this volume vividly remind the reader of the power of the ancient language of soul over against contemporary impulses to reduce, fragment, and overly determine human selfhood. (shrink)

The primary goal of this article is to analyze Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law concerning humanitarian law violations and its relationship to global governance norms. When discussing the notion of universal jurisdiction, there are relatively few empirical situations that scholars can draw on to illuminate the debate. In general, there is a very theoretical orientation to the universal human rights debate. Belgium’s 1993 universal jurisdiction law brings a greater degree of empirical clarity to this debate. This law allowed Belgium to hear (...) cases concerning violations of humanitarian law, including genocide and other crimes against humanity, which happened anywhere, without any connection to Belgium. In essence, this was an attempt at the protection of human rights on a universal basis and may be the way forward in the prevention of mass atrocities. (shrink)