Ivancovsky et al. argue that the neurocognitive mechanisms of creativity and curiosity both rely on the interplay among brain networks. Research to date demonstrates that such inter-network dynamics are further complicated by functional fractionation within networks. Investigating how networks subdivide and reconfigure in service of a task offers insights about the precise anatomy that underpins creative and curious behaviour.

This book offers a compelling account of the evolution of sensibility, weaving together Darwinian and biosemiotic theory. It works along non-anthropomorphic aesthetics of the appreciation and creation of beauty in nature as an end in itself which has practical benefit.

Inductive reasoning requires exploiting links between evidence and hypotheses. This can be done focusing either on the posterior probability of the hypothesis when updated on the new evidence or on the impact of the new evidence on the credibility of the hypothesis. But are these two cognitive representations equally reliable? This study investigates this question by comparing probability and impact judgments on the same experimental materials. The results indicate that impact judgments are more consistent in time and more accurate than (...) probability judgments. Impact judgments also predict the direction of errors in probability judgments. These findings suggest that human inductive reasoning relies more on estimating evidential impact than on posterior probability. (shrink)

This book is a cultural phenomenology of doing physics. It describes the ways physicists actually do their work--their motives, and their ways of making sense of the world--so that outsiders can understand it. Martin H. Krieger explains that physicists employ a small number of everyday notions to get at the world experimentally and conceptually.

This article builds upon existing scholarship concerning the relationship between improvisation and composition. Sections 1 to 3 comprise an exploration into and analysis of both the traditional understanding of improvisation and composition as opposing categories, as well as the more modern, nuanced view of their interpenetrating natures. I conclude that the former view should be replaced by the latter. Sections 4 and 5 present and subsequently negate two potential failings of my argument. First, I confront the problem posed by Goehr’s (...) work-concept, whose essence is opposed to the spirit of improvisation, but argue that recording allows for the solidification of these improvisations into works. Secondly, I undermine the view that composition is creation ex nihilo whilst improvisation is the mere reworking of old material. I uncover the originality of improvisation and formulae of composition to restore their compatibility and reinforce improvisation’s status as a method of broad- and narrow-sense composition. (shrink)

Peirce proposed the concept of abductive inference to inquire into the generation of new hypotheses and defined it as another term for pragmatism, no less (Admitting, then, that the question of Pragmatism is the question of Abduction, let us consider it under that form. What is good abduction? What should an explanatory hypothesis be to be worthy to rank as a hypothesis? Of course, it must explain the facts. But what other conditions ought it to fulfill to be good? The (...) question of the goodness of anything is whether that thing fulfills its end. What, then, is the end of an explanatory hypothesis? Its end is, through subjection to the test of experiment, to lead to the avoidance of all surprise and to the establishment of a habit of positive expectation that shall not be disappointed (Peirce. 1931–1966. The collected papers of Charles S. Peirce, 8 vols., C. Hartshorne, P. Weiss & A. W. Burks (eds.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 5.197)). Apart from being linked to the vague idea of the play of musement as an almost dreamlike process of epiphany or inspiration or as an inverted minor premise from a syllogism, we are far from understanding the dynamics and specificity of this kind of inference. Among authors dealing with this problem I could trace three factors at work in processes of abduction, i.e. combination, resemblance, and dialetics or questioning. In this paper I attempt to look a bit further into this enigma by a category of play I defined as “peripatos” or games of invention, riddles, and puzzles, hoping it could shed some light on the process of creativity in several social activities such as science, art, war, and religion. The approach will take on Huizinga’s idea of the play of culture, Lakoff and Johnson’s conception of cross-domain correlations, Kant’s view of “aesthetic ideas,” and my proposal of the play of peripatos through a “what if-as if” coupling into this very common yet little understood, and thus mystified, process of the generation of innovative ideas. (shrink)

In this article, Ms. Krieger explores the controversy concerning pregnancy disability leave presented by the case of California Federal Savings v. Guerra in light of Thomas Kuhn's model of scientific paradigm change and Carol Gilligan's theory regarding sex differences in moral reasoning. She argues that the controversy reflects a period of paradigm crisis in equality jurisprudence, brought about in part by the recent inclusion of greater numbers of women into the jurisprudential community.

Resumo: O presente artigo pretende trazer à luz a convergência entre dois modos divergentes de superação do paradigma por excelência da filosofia moderna, qual seja, o da interioridade do sujeito, como pedra de toque epistemológica. Mais precisamente, pretende-se evidenciar o rito de passagem de um filosofar moderno para o contemporâneo, segundo a vertente que se convencionou chamar de “filosofia continental”, a aqui ser visitada com Nietzsche - equacionada a uma hermenêutica -, e a “filosofia analítica” ou “anglo-saxônica”, a aqui ser (...) visitada com o Wittgenstein dos §§ 143-178 das Investigações filosóficas -, equacionada a uma filosofia da linguagem. Em um e outro caso, cada qual à sua maneira, vai se pôr em questão o que até então se tinha como consciência pensante, transparente a si mesma e com acesso a seus próprios fundamentos e conteúdos, ou, então, uma interioridade, a qual, por um viés o mais das vezes mentalista, associa significado a entidades ou processos mentais. Desse modo, sujeito e pensamento, em vez de tomados por núcleos duros, passam a ser desvelados como funções das condições que os suscitam - de sobrevivência, no caso de Nietzsche, de condições práticas, ou seja, do uso, no caso de Wittgenstein.: The purpose of this article is bringing to light the convergence between two diverging modes of overcoming the very paradigm of modern philosophy, namely, the interiority of the subject as an epistemological milestone, and thus emphasizing the rite of passage from a modern philosophizing to a contemporary one. This process will be addressed according to the strand known as “continental philosophy”, with Nietzsche, equated with a hermeneutics, and to the “analytical philosophy” or anglo-saxon philosophy, with Wittgenstein, equated with a philosophy of language. In both cases we will put into question the conditions underlying the thinking consciousness, transparent to himself and with access to his own grounds and contents, and an interiority approached most of times by a mentalistic bias, that relates meaning to entities or mental processes. In this way, subject and act of thinking, instead of being taken as a core, are unveiled as functions of their very conditions - condition of survey, for Nietzsche, conditions of practical experience, for Wittgenstein. (shrink)

Crupi et al. (Think Reason 14:182–199, 2008) have recently advocated and partially worked out an account of the conjunction fallacy phenomenon based on the Bayesian notion of confirmation. In response, Schupbach (2009) presented a critical discussion as following from some novel experimental results. After providing a brief restatement and clarification of the meaning and scope of our original proposal, we will outline Schupbach’s results and discuss his interpretation thereof arguing that they do not actually undermine our point of view if (...) properly construed. Finally, we will foster such a claim by means of some novel data. (shrink)

Der vorliegende Band widmet sich der Geschichte des mit dem Namen „Metaphysik“ angesprochenen Textes des Aristoteles im lateinischen Mittelalter. Zugleich wird die Wirkungsgeschichte der Metaphysik des Aristoteles im Mittelalter in ihrer Bedeutung für das metaphysische Denken selbst im Aristotelischen Verständnis und in Bezug auf dessen Kritik beleuchtet wie auch in Hinsicht auf dessen Verhältnis zum christlichen Selbstverständnis. Soweit es das metaphysische Denken im Aristotelischen Verständnis betrifft, zeigt sich, dass die Realisierung umfassender Weltorientierung und menschlicher Selbstverständigung unter der Hinsicht des Seins (...) das verbindende Moment ausmacht, das die Rezeption und Transformation der Metaphysik in den hier beleuchteten Entwürfen sowohl am „Vorabend“ der Aristoteles-Rezeption als auch im 13. Jahrhundert insgesamt prägt und bestimmt. Die hier näher untersuchten Metaphysikentwürfe aus dem 14. Jahrhundert richten hingegen ihren Fokus auf die Vermittlung umfassender Weltorientierung und menschlicher Selbstverständigung und deren Analyse und verzichten im Zuge dieser Ausrichtung auf die Hinsicht des Seins. (shrink)

ABSTRACTThis commentary questions the presumption in genetic research that a biological connection exists between populations identified as Jewish. The author emphasises that identifying individuals as Jewish based on biological criteria is a sociological process that can draw attention away from other social mechanisms affecting identity construction. She also encourages critical consideration of the possible racialised thinking behind genetic anthropology studies, and the language used to express genetic findings. In conclusion, she calls for a radical cultural shift in the kind of (...) knowledge valued as significant, relevant, and beneficial to the people on whom genetic ancestry studies are carried out and she asks for attention to the political contexts surrounding all such research. (shrink)

The development of reflex theory in its Pavlovian interpretation had significant resonance in a wide range of academic research areas. Its impact on the so-called humanities was, perhaps, no less than the effect it had in medical science. The idea of the conditioned reflex suggesting a physiological explanation of behaviour patterns received a particularly warm welcome in philosophy and psychology as it provided a scientifically-based tool for a conceptual u-turn towards objectivism. This article looks into the ways these ideas contributed (...) to the formation of the Soviet language theory, namely, to the sociological interpretation of language development and speech production presented in the pioneering works of Sergej M. Dobrogaev (1873–1952). (shrink)

Resumo: Para além da triangulação Nietzsche-Kuno Fischer-Spinoza, a proposta do texto é perscrutar as peculiaridades da relação entre Nietzsche e Spinoza, partindo não de uma conexão biunívoca e restrita a Nietzsche e Spinoza, mas de menções compartilhadas, em que outros filósofos e pensadores são mencionados. A partir daí se pretende evidenciar traços de uma relação que é de admiração pelo “profundo ocultador”, mas também de crítica pelas instâncias que tal ocultador mascarou e que acabaram por consumi-lo.: Beyond the triangulation Nietzsche-Kuno (...) Fischer-Spinoza, the purpose of the article is to investigate the peculiarities of the relation between Nietzsche and Spinoza, stemming not from the biunivocal relationship restricted to Nietzsche and Spinoza, but from the references shared with other philosophers and thinkers mentioned by the German philosopher. Thenceforth, we intend to emphasize traits of a relationship based on admiration for the “deep hidden”, but also on critics related to spheres that this very hidden disguised and that after all consumed him. (shrink)

The tension between individualism and universalism in historicism goes back to Leopold Ranke's version of the movement's early stage. Ranke's experience of the Revolution of 1830 helped to effect the first of the many resolutions which this tension would receive, but it helped also to endow this resolution with the one-sided individualistic distortion which has burdened the movement ever since. The initial emphasis on the individual as particularizing comes from Ranke's conservative reaction to revolution as a universalizing aspect of history. (...) But despite this overt emphasis, Ranke actually moved toward universal truths in his history, harmonizing them with his historical individualities. (shrink)

In the 1960s, archaeologists en masse were voicing dissatisfaction with the archaeological status quo. Rather than record static facts as historians, archaeologists wanted to study fluid processes as scientists. As Hempelian explanation, where an event is explained when it is subsumed under a law or law-like statement, showed promise as a way to recast archaeology in this manner, it was chosen as the theoretical base for what became known as processual, or 'new archaeology.' ;Unfortunately, Hempelian archaeology ran into a number (...) of serious theoretical and methodological problems. Archaeology lacked the regularities that were thought to exist in sciences such as physics, so archaeological laws were difficult, if not impossible to define. In addition, equifinality, or under-determinism, made it impossible for archaeologists to choose between equally subsumable, albeit contradictory explanations. ;These problems were not limited to archaeology. Philosophers of science were already aware of these issues, and continue to search for answers for problems surrounding scientific explanation. As both groups continue to ask similar questions about the nature of science, this project posits that both archaeologists and philosophers of science have much to gain by resuming their original dialogue. ;By reengaging with philosophy, archaeologists can understand that the failure of Hempelian archaeology should not be seen as a failure of philosophical archaeology. Archaeologists would then see that ongoing questions about the future of archaeology actually mirror debates going on in philosophical explanation. ;Philosophers of science can also learn much from archaeology. As a transdisciplinary science, archaeology puts an interesting spin on standard philosophical problems. For instance, archaeological practice can be seen as questioning the centrality of laws to scientific explanation, and raises questions about the unity of science. In addition, claims that scientists have to be realists in regard to theoretical entities may need to be rethought, due to antirealist tendencies found in some archaeological contexts. Finally, as the interplay between the theory and practice of science has not been ironed out in archaeology, a study of this issue could be of great interest to philosophers of science. In summary, the goal of this dissertation is to provide concrete examples of how a study of problems central to archaeology can provide philosophers of science a new way to approach philosophical issues. At the same time, these examples should prove to archaeologists that a study of contemporary philosophy of science will strengthen the epistemological foundations of their relatively young science. (shrink)

Compiled by an archaeologist and philosopher of science, Science at the Frontiers: Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of Science supplements current literature in the history and philosophy of science with essays approaching the traditional problems of the field from new perspectives and highlighting disciplines usually overlooked by the canon. William H. Krieger brings together scientists from a number of disciplines to answer these questions and more in a volume appropriate for both students and academics in the field.

This book investigates consciousness as an emergent state arising from the global functioning of the brain and the body. In this research Krieger applies these concepts to analytical psychology, particularly to the constellation of the complex and of the archetype. Global brain functioning is considered as a complex system whose macroscopic, emergent patterns such as thoughts and behaviours are determined by physical parameters including emotion, memory, and perception. The concept of the feeling-toned complex was among the first of the (...) theories to be developed by Jung, and the theories of complexity and dynamical systems which subsequently developed in the physical sciences did not exist at the time. This book takes a new look at the feeling-toned complex as a basin of attraction which competes for consciousness against other complexes to determine behaviour. By drawing parallels between current ideas in neuroscience and Jung's more traditional theories, Krieger discusses the relevance for both psychotherapy and everyday life. Bridges to Consciousness considers the importance of the link between emotion and the complex in both the establishment of consciousness and the determination of self-esteem, making the work relevant to therapists and analysts. This book will also awaken interest in complexes in both the Jungian and wider neuroscientific research communities and will therefore interest researchers and academics in the field of psychology who want an insight into how the ideas of Jung can be applied beyond the traditional analytic field. (shrink)

Derived from a rat model, the theory of Sagvolden et al. offers an all-explanatory model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) anatomy, behaviour, and cognition as being caused predominantly by a hypo-dopaminergic mesolimbic (affecting the mesocortical and nigrostriatal) system, leading to abnormal reward and extinction processes. This model suffers from oversimplification and reductionism, reflecting the limitations of the use of animal models to explain higher mental disorders.

A major distinction in the social organization of ant societies is the number of reproductive queens that reside in a single colony. The fire ant Solenopsis invicta exists in two distinct social forms, one with colonies headed by a single reproductive queen and the other containing several to hundreds of egg‐laying queens. This variation in social organization has been shown to be associated with genotypes at the gene Gp‐9. Specifically, single‐queen colonies have only the B allelic variant of this gene, (...) whereas multiple‐queen colonies always have the b variant as well. Subsequent studies revealed that Gp‐9 shares the highest sequence similarity with genes encoding pheromone‐binding proteins (PBPs). In other insects, PBPs serve as central molecular components in the process of chemical recognition of conspecifics. Fire ant workers regulate the number of egg‐laying queens in a colony by accepting queens that produce appropriate chemical signals and destroying those that do not. The likely role of GP‐9 in chemoreception suggests that the essential distinction in colony queen number between the single and multiple‐queen form originates from differences in workers' abilities to recognize queens. Other, closely related fire ant species seem to regulate colony social organization in a similar fashion. BioEssays 27:91–99, 2005. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

This work will be of interest to archaeologists and philosophers of science alike. Book jacket.

O objetivo deste artigo é fazer ver de que modo o caráter de Janus – do mito de Janus – da filosofia de Schopenhauer pautou a relação que com ela entabulou a filosofia de Nietzsche –, aspecto este um tanto relegado pela pesquisa Nietzsche, talvez justamente por se tomar a relação entre ambos como exaurida em binômios do tipo “adesão e ruptura”, “encantamento e distanciamento crítico", “pessimismo e afirmação da vida”. Assim sendo, num primeiro momento preliminar procederemos a analisar a (...) face dual da filosofia de Schopenhauer, cujo olhar se volta simultaneamente ao passado e ao futuro. Num segundo momento preliminar visitaremos a ousadia de Schopenhauer ao converter as ambições malogradas da filosofia no princípio inconsciente da vontade. A partir daí passaremos à compreensão de Schopenhauer por Nietzsche ao modo de um filósofo que, vitimado por sua segunda natureza, alemã, esquiva-se de protagonizar a filosofia trágica, que chegou a tangenciar, em função do esquadrinhamento metafísico de sua arrojada descoberta – o inconsciente na espécie humana. (shrink)

This chapter studies the scattered career of Prince Frederick August of Augustenburg (1830–1881). Caught between the German-Danish conflict within the Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein, the Prince escaped from parental pressure as well as a lack of perspectives by delving into the riches of the Indian past. As an amateur-Indologist, he reshaped his self-perception and finally wrote the first Western biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The study draws on the Prince’s publications and his surviving handwritten documents and tries to highlight India’s (...) role in his process of gaining self-confidence and self-awareness. (shrink)

In theology, how language about God communicates is inseparable from what is being communicated, and the form that theological discourse takes must be part of what is considered when it is interpreted. Although analogy has been given pride of place in theology, more recent interest in metaphor, from theologians, philosophers, and linguists, reveals new debates over how deeply embedded metaphor is in language, how metaphor shapes our cognition and perception, and metaphor's role in theological understanding. This article provides an overview (...) of the relevance for theology of two recent approaches to metaphor—those of the philosopher Paul Ricoeur and the cognitive linguistic approach—and ultimately argues that the most fitting understanding of how metaphor operates theologically is to say that it is mystical, because it contains both affirmations of identity and acknowledgement of difference (between the divine and the human, the spiritual and the material). (shrink)