We give a brief introduction to the Bayesian approach to natural language argumentation, mainly oriented to readers more familiar with classical logic. Subsequently, we summarize the gist of each of the chapters so as to provide readers with an overview of the book&s content.

We provide a brief introduction to this special issue on social dynamics and collective rationality, and summarize the gist of the papers collected therein.

This paper discusses an example of social policy argumentation from an opinion of the 2007 majority among the German National Ethics Council. It is employed to problematize argument reconstruction with respect to the Informal Logic quality criteria relevance, sufficiency, acceptability. The main thesis is conditional and rather weak: If the RSA criteria are sub-stitutes for the notion of soundness, then—next to premise-truth and validity—they also substitute recon-structive charity.

The aim of this paper is to argue that update semantics is a natural framework for contextually restricted quantification, and to illustrate its use in the analysis of anaphoric definite descriptions and certain other anaphoric terms.

Cette pièce majeure de Wedekind met en scène des adolescents confrontés à un corps qui se métamorphose et à l'éveil du désir sexuel. Le dramaturge allemand n'hésite pas à attaquer l'hypocrisie morale de son époque, qui préfère feindre d'ignorer ce bouleversement et induit chez les jeunes gens des comportements déviants ou dangereux.

Combining moral philosophy, political philosophy, political theory, and international relations, this book explores the possibility of using normative international relations as a realistic resolution to the problem of domination of, and discrimination against, minorities, specifically or especially migrants on the African continent.

This essay focuses on the historical text as a whole. It does so by conceiving of the historical text as representation - in the way the we may say of a photo or a painting that it represents the person depicted on it. It is argued that representation cannot be properly understood by modelling it on true description. So all the central questions asked since the days of Frege with regard to how the true statement relates to the world must (...) be asked anew, if we wish to understand how a historical representation relates to what it is about. Three claims are made. In the first place, representation is not a two-place but a three-place operator: apart from a representation (say, a book on Napoleon) and what the representation represents (Napoleon himself), a representation also indicates an aspect of represented reality (an aspect of Napoleon). The second claim is that this notion of the aspect is crucial for a proper understanding of (historical) representation. Thirdly, it is argued that traditional theories of reference cannot account for the relationship between a representation and the aspect indicated by it. (shrink)

Empathy is commonly regarded as an essential attribute for doctors and there is a conviction that empathy must be taught to medical students. Yet it is not clear exactly what empathy is, from a philosophical or sociological point of view, or whether it can be taught. The meaning, role and relevance of empathy in medical education have tended to be unquestioningly assumed; there is a need to examine and contextualise these assumptions. This paper opens up that debate, arguing that ‘empathy’, (...) as it is commonly understood, is neither necessary nor sufficient to guarantee good medical or ethical practice. (shrink)

In this volume, fourteen scholars, many of them contemporaries of Professor Frank, engage with his legacy with important and seminal works which take some of ...

Epigenetic information is encoded by DNA methylation and by covalent modifications of histone tails. While defined epigenetic modification patterns have been frequently correlated with particular states of gene activity, very little is known about the integration level of epigenetic signals. Recent experiments have resulted in the characterization of several epigenetic adaptors that mediate interactions between distinct modifications. These adaptors include methyl‐DNA binding proteins, chromatin remodelling enzymes and siRNAs. Complex interactions between epigenetic modifiers and adaptors provide the foundation for the stability (...) of epigenetic inheritance. In addition, they also provide an explanation for the long‐range effects of epigenetic mechanisms. We propose that a major aspect of epigenetic regulation lies in the modification of chromosome architecture and that local changes in gene expression would be secondary consequences. This view is consistent with many results from recent genomic analyses. BioEssays 25:792–797, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

There are signs of both secularization and religionization in the world today. Consistent with the modernization-secularization thesis, structural factors such as increasing economic security, societal complexity, and information flow are broadly associated with greater personal autonomy, worldview individualization, and erosion of some religious forms. At the same time, ‘counter-secular’ reassertions or transformations of religion have arisen for psychological, cultural, and political reasons. Amid these broad developments, active or public forms of atheism have also emerged, particularly in Europe and the Anglophone (...) world. Self-conscious, assertive atheism and other forms of philosophical or ideological secularism have both intended and unintended effects in the processes of secularization and religionization. But a quieter and potentially more pervasive result of all these forces may be greater worldview diversity and individualization across the secular-religious spectrum. (shrink)

(2005). Translator's Introduction to The Incompleteness of Each Tradition: Toward an Ethic of Complexity. World Futures: Vol. 61, No. 4, pp. 287-290.

ABSTRACTThis article examines the education that Anacharsis Cloots received during his stay at the Berlin Académie des nobles. Cloots wrote at several occasions about his education there, notably naming Sulzer as a philosophical influence 10 years later. Examining the pupils’ life at the Académie, Sulzer’s teaching, and the detailed study schedule, this paper wonders what elements may have influenced Cloots. It is likely that Sulzer taught the philosophy of Wolff, but it is difficult to ascertain his influence on Cloots. There (...) are similarities between Wolff’s civitas maxima and Cloots’s ‘universal republic’ that justify further studies. (shrink)

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in abrupt disruptions in teaching and learning activities in higher education, with students from diverse programs suffering varying levels of anxieties. The physical education field happens to be one of the most affected academic areas due to its experiential content as a medium of instruction. In this study, we investigated the roles of school climate and coping strategies in the relationship between COVID-19 related knowledge and anxiety. Through the census approach, a cross-sectional sample (...) of 760 students was administered a questionnaire in two universities offering Physical Education in Ghana: the University of Education, Winneba, and University of Cape Coast. The outcome of the study found a positive and significant link between COVID-19 knowledge and anxiety. Further, school climate and coping strategies significantly moderated the relationship between students’ COVID-19 knowledge and associated anxiety. The findings have implications for creating a conducive school environment that reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection and through students’ adoption of active coping strategies in an attempt to reduce psychological distress associated with COVID-19 anxiety. (shrink)

Unter dem Titel Hans Blumenberg: Pädagogische Lektüren erkunden die Autorinnen und Autoren Hans Blumenbergs Werk nach bildungsphilosophischen und erziehungswissenschaftlichen Problem- und Fragestellungen. Das Werk des Münsteraner Philosophen erscheint der Erziehungswissenschaft bisher nicht nur deshalb als terra incognita, weil er sich zu pädagogischen Themen kaum geäußert hat, sondern auch, weil sein Werk bereits zu Lebzeiten einen beachtlichen Umfang aufwies und durch zahlreiche Veröffentlichungen aus dem Nachlass nochmals bedeutend erweitert wurde. Nur vereinzelt und verstreut liegen bisher disziplinbezogene Anschlussversuche vor. Mit diesem Band (...) wird deshalb der erste Sammelband zur erziehungswissenschaftlichen Blumenberg-Rezeption vorgelegt, der Beiträge zu Blumenbergs Metaphorologie, Anthropologie und seiner kritischen Auseinandersetzung mit Platons Höhlenmythos zusammenträgt. (shrink)

Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral--Friedrich-Schiller-Universitèat Jena, 2012) originally presented under title: Spèatantike christliche Vorstellungen von der Welt.

In his theory of social freedom, Axel Honneth argues that freedom can only be realized in and through social cooperation. Accordingly, a theory of freedom must therefore start from an analysis of socially instituted forms of cooperation. This approach not only allows for a reconstruction of normative ideals within modern institutions but also aims at revealing obstacles to their full realization. However, in contrast to his earlier theory of recognition, Honneth now assumes that problematic social developments do not necessarily result (...) in individual suffering. Against this backdrop, the article argues that Honneth’s theory of social freedom needs to account for at least mild forms of social suffering. To achieve this, the article explores a line of argumentation that Honneth's recent approach has left underdeveloped. It will be argued that individuals must be able to interpret their needs and interests without constraints to determine if they can be met through social cooperation. The article develops two possibilities, hinted at in Honneth's theory, to illuminate such practices of self-interpretation: Parsons’ theory of value internalization and Honneth's earlier theory of recognition. Both argue that the ability to interpret one’s needs and interests rests on a psychological foundation laid during early primary socialization. Social misdevelopments and pathologies that distort the understanding and articulation of those needs thus must lead to frustration and, consequently, social suffering. However, since both internalization and recognition theory have clear deficits in the context of a theory of social freedom, the article concludes by calling for further conceptual work on social freedom and suffering. (shrink)

Aim of the article is to present our research dealing with virtual reality modeling and education activities. It involves a chain of development steps: taking pictures of objects, collecting information, creation of 3D models and panoramas, setting up the interactive virtual reality environment along with educational support and testing the user experience with students. Methodology/methods of work: the creation of 3D models and panoramas is done by taking pictures of real objects and using them as textures. The education materials are (...) created as interactive presentations and the usability testing of these presentations should be planned. Scientific goal is to measure the quality of interaction by this education support in order to derive rules testing effectiveness of support, interactive applications and presentations. Findings: 3D models and other educational support materials may be created voluntarily by teachers. The open source library for many different models should be created by whole community provided suitable interfaces of modeling tools will be arranged. Conclusions: Complex educational and interactive materials including virtual reality and panoramas are satisfactory when combined with easy 3D models that are made from taken pictures, which could be made by teachers themselves and/or open communities by existing cameras. (shrink)

An infinite field with only countably many pure types is algebraically closed.