Legal probabilism is the view that juridical fact-finding should be modeled using Bayesian methods. One of the alternatives to it is the narration view, according to which instead we should conceptualize the process in terms of competing narrations of what happened. The goal of this paper is to develop a reconciliatory account, on which the narration view is construed from the Bayesian perspective within the framework of formal Bayesian epistemology.

This is the first, out of two papers, devoted to Andrzej Grzegorczyk’s point-free system of topology from Grzegorczyk :228–235, 1960. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00485101). His system was one of the very first fully fledged axiomatizations of topology based on the notions of region, parthood and separation. Its peculiar and interesting feature is the definition of point, whose intention is to grasp our geometrical intuitions of points as systems of shrinking regions of space. In this part we analyze separation structures and Grzegorczyk structures, and (...) establish their properties which will be useful in the sequel. We prove that in the class of Urysohn spaces with countable chain condition, to every topologically interpreted representative of a point in the sense of Grzegorczyk’s corresponds exactly one point of a space. We also demonstrate that Tychonoff first-countable spaces give rise to complete Grzegorczyk structures. The results established below will be used in the second part devoted to points and topological spaces. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to compare the notion of a Grzegorczyk point introduced in [19] (and thoroughly investigated in [3, 14, 16, 18]) to the standard notions of a filter in Boolean algebras and round filter in Boolean contact algebras. In particular, we compare Grzegorczyk points to filters and ultrafilters of atomic and atomless algebras. We also prove how a certain extra axiom influences topological spaces for Grzegorczyk contact algebras. Last but not least, we do not refrain from (...) a philosophical interpretation of the results from the paper. (shrink)

This article is devoted to the problem of ontological foundations of three-dimensional Euclidean geometry. Starting from Bertrand Russell’s intuitions concerning the sensual world we try to show that it is possible to build a foundation for pure geometry by means of the so called regions of space. It is not our intention to present mathematically developed theory, but rather demonstrate basic assumptions, tools and techniques that are used in construction of systems of point-free geometry and topology by means of mereology (...) and Whitehead-like connection structures. We list and briefly analyze axioms for mereological structures, as well as those for connection structures. We argue that mereology is a good tool to model so called spatial relations. We also try to justify our choice of axioms for connection relation. Finally, we briefly discuss two theories: Grzegorczyk’s point-free topology and Tarski’s geometry of solids. (shrink)

With material on his early philosophical views, his contributions to set theory and his work on nominalism and higher-order quantification, this book offers a uniquely expansive critical commentary on one of analytical philosophy’s great ...

This article proposes a mereological approach to the dao-you relation in the Daodejing. It is claimed here that dao and you can be conceived of as two integrated subregions, defined in terms of rules of composition and their persistence through time. It is shown that dao is an atemporal object (a fourdimensional unrestricted composition), whereas you is a temporal object (a three-dimensional restricted composition). This particular approach can provide a new understanding of essential issues in Daoist metaphysics.

The first installment of a paper comparing the standard slingshot argument with the doxastic version.

One of the streams in the early development of set theory was an attempt to use mereology, a formal theory of parthood, as a foundational tool. The first such attempt is due to a Polish logician, Stanisław Leśniewski . The attempt failed, but there is another, prima facie more promising attempt by Jerzy Słupecki , who employed his generalized mereology to build mereological foundations for type theory. In this paper I situate Leśniewski's attempt in the development of set theory, describe (...) and evaluate Leśniewski's approach, describe Słupecki's strategy without unnecessary technical details, and evaluate it with a rather negative outcome. The issues discussed go beyond merely historical interests due to the current popularity of mereology and because they are related to nominalistic attempts to understand mathematics in general. The introduction describes very briefly the situation in which mereology entered the scene of foundations of mathematics — it can be safely sk.. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to identify the main challenges for global ethics as an academic discipline. This article assesses the moral and practical justifications for common global principles. Individual and institutional responsibility on the supranational level is connected with the standard of human rights and the relational aspects of the globalised world. It also points out two separate problems which global ethics should aim to solve. The first is metatheoretical and methodological and concerns the discipline's lack of self-reflexiveness. (...) The second is essential and concerns the clash of values . Regarding the second problem, the main future challenge of global ethics is to construct a measurement to bring political decisions closer to morality and more strongly connect rights with responsibilities. (shrink)

In this article, I discuss parthood status in mereologi- cally interpreted Daoist metaphysics, based on the Daodejing. I depart from the dao and you interrela- tion, which mereologically overlap by sharing parts. I consider the case of a complete overlap, which (a) challenges proper parthood, according to which a part cannot be identical with the whole that it com- poses, and (b) entails the question of identity that, while complying with classical mereology, cannot be consis- tent with Daoist metaphysics. The (...) discussion leads to abandoning proper parthood and antisymmetry axiom from classical axiomatics. It also shows a plausible fur- ther direction for mereological reconstruction. (shrink)

Safety and care for the natural environment are two of the most important values that drive scientific enterprise in twentieth century. Researchers and innovators often develop new technologies aimed at pollution reduction, and therefore satisfy the strive for fulfilment of these values. This work is often incentivized by policy makers. According to EU directive 2006/40/EC on mobile air conditioning since 2013 all newly approved vehicles have to be filled with refrigerant with low global warming potential. Extensive and expensive research financed (...) by leading car manufacturers led to invention of R-1234yf refrigerant with GWP < 1, which was huge improvement. For the proper understanding of this case it will be useful to refer it to the idea of responsible innovation, which is now being developed and quickly attracts attention. I proceed in the following order. Firstly, I present the relevant properties of R-1234yf and discuss the controversy associated with its marketing. Secondly, I examine framework for responsible innovation. In greater detail I discuss the notions of care for future generations and collective responsibility. Thirdly, I apply the offered framework to the case study at hand. Finally, I draw some conclusions which go in two directions: one is to make some suggestions for improving the framework of RI, and the second is to identify missed opportunities for developing truly responsible refrigerant. (shrink)

As it is indicated in the title, this paper is devoted to the problem of defining mereological (collective) sets. Starting from basic properties of sets in mathematics and differences between them and so called conglomerates in Section 1, we go on to explicate informally in Section 2 what it means to join many objects into a single entity from point of view of mereology, the theory of part of (parthood) relation. In Section 3 we present and motivate basic axioms for (...) part of relation and we point to their most fundamental consequences. Next three sections are devoted to formal explication of the notion of mereological set (collective set) in terms of sums, fusions and aggregates. We do not give proofs of all theorems. Some of them are complicated and their presentation would divert the reader’s attention from the main topic of the paper. In such cases we indicate where the proofs can be found and analyzed by those who are interested. (shrink)

Regions-based theories of space aim—among others—to define points in a geometrically appealing way. The most famous definition of this kind is probably due to Whitehead. However, to conclude that the objects defined are points indeed, one should show that they are points of a geometrical or a topological space constructed in a specific way. This paper intends to show how the development of mathematical tools allows showing that Whitehead’s method of extensive abstraction provides a construction of objects that are fundamental (...) building blocks of specific topological spaces. (shrink)

This article investigates the structures of an identifiably Buddhist philosophy of religion, understood as the philosophical exposition and exploration of Buddhist religiosity. I thus theorize what forms a philosophy of religion structured according to Buddhist principles and paradigms might take, address various theoretical and methodological considerations, and survey a range of candidate schemas, which latter are arranged under textual, sectarian, and doctrinal rubrics. Overall, this project is undertaken on the understanding that the study of Buddhism, among other global traditions, need (...) not and should not replicate conceptual structures imposed upon it from without, and that philosophy of religion is enriched by attention to the resolutely plural philosophies of religions worldwide. (shrink)

Mereology in its formal guise is usually couched in a language whose signature contains only one primitive binary predicate symbol representing the part of relation, either the proper or improper one. In this paper, we put forward an approach to mereology that uses mereological sum as its primitive notion, and we demonstrate that it is definitionally equivalent to the standard parthood-based theory of mereological structures.

This paper aims to formalize Galileo’s argument against the Aristotelian view that the weight of free-falling bodies influences their speed. I obtain this via the application of concepts of parthood and of mereological sum, and via recognition of a principle which is not explicitly formulated by the Italian thinker but seems to be natural and helpful in understanding the logical mechanism behind Galileo’s train of thought. I also compare my reconstruction to one of those put forward by Atkinson and Peijnenburg (...) :115–136, 2004), and propose a formalization which is based on a principle introduced by them, which I shall call the speed is mediative principle. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to articulate dispositonal essentialism (DE) as a viable position in the discussions considering properties and laws of nature. In the first part of the article there are given several „must have” trades of properties in DE. They are followed by the conceptions themselves. The last part of the article brings a little insight about ceteris paribus laws in DE.

Niniejszy artykuł został poświęcony charakterystyce poglądów wybranych scholastyków i dekretalistów z XIII wieku dotyczących kwestii spożywania w poście słodkich wyrobów aptekarzy, zwanych po łacinie _electuaria_, w angielskiej literaturze przedmiotu znanych jako _electuary_. Autor omówił to zagadnienie, opierając się na analizie fragmentów dzieł autorstwa: Wilhelma z Auxerre (_Summa aurea_, znanym też jako _Summa in IV Sententiarum_), Aleksandra z Hales (_Summa teologii_), Tomasza z Akwinu (_Komentarz do czterech ksiąg Sentencji Piotra Lombarda_ (łac. _Scriptum super libros Sententiarum_) i _Summa teologii_), Innocentego IV (_Commentaria (...) super libros quinque decretalium_) oraz Henryka z Ostii (znanego jako Hostiensis, _Apparatus in Decretales_). Poglądy poszczególnych autorów niniejszej kwestii były zbieżne i sprowadzały się do stwierdzenia, że spożycie elekwarzy w poście jest dopuszczalne, o ile będą traktowane jako słodycze. Każdy z wymienionych autorów używał nieco odmiennych argumentów. I tak Wilhelm z Auxerre wskazał, że przyjmowanie powidełek leczniczych, choć prowadzi do złamania postu, nie skutkuje utratą zasługi, tj. nagrody do życia wiecznego. Aleksander z Hales dokonał analizy typologicznej produktów spożywczych i podzielił je na cztery kategorie, takie jak: lekarstwa, właściwa żywność, lekarstwa pokarmowe i żywność lecznicza. Elekwarze zostały zaliczone do grupy trzeciej i z tego względu mogły być spożywane w poście. Święty Tomasz z Akwinu podkreślił znaczenie czynnika ilościowego i roli walorów smakowych jako kryteriów oceny dopuszczalności spożywania elekwarzy w czasie postu. Zaś zarówno Innocenty IV, jak i Henryk z Suzy (Hostiensis) uwypuklili jedyny warunek spożycia powidełek leczniczych w czasie postu, jakim jest choroba. W konkluzji autor dochodzi do wniosku, że uwaga wybitnych przedstawicieli ówczesnej myśli teologicznej, jak i prawniczej, poświęcona zagadnieniu dopuszczalności spożywania w poście elekwarzy, czyli słodkich wyrobów aptekarskich, stanowiła odpowiedź na zmieniającą się wówczas rolę tego typu wyrobów aptekarskich. Traktowane uprzednio jako lekarstwa na różne dolegliwości (na ogół o podłożu gastrycznym), stawały się słodyczami jedzonymi dla przyjemności i w nadmiarze. Tym samym ich przyjmowanie w czasie postu, czyli umartwiania, rodziło istotny dylemat moralny. W zgodnej opinii zarówno scholastyków, jak i dekretalistów zostały one uznane jako medykamenty i jako takie mogły być przyjmowane w poście. W efekcie ten typ wyrobów aptekarskich, obok kontektów (łac. _confectes_), na trwałe wszedł do menu postnego u schyłku średniowiecza. Co więcej, postrzegane jako produkty postne, cieszyły się rosnącą popularnością, niezależnie od uwarunkowań ówczesnej medycyny, jak i poglądów myślicieli i dekretalistów z XIII wieku. (shrink)

Le scepticisme de Montaigne a jusqu'à présent dominé le débat sur la portée philosophique des Essais. C'est pourtant le concept épicurien du plaisir qui oriente la pensée philosophique tout entière de Montaigne. En tant que force motrice principale régissant les actions humaines, le plaisir constitue en effet la seule mesure des choses, le tamis par lequel doit passer tout contenu existentiel, quelle que soit sa nature: religieuse, philosophique ou passionnelle.

This article presents German loanwords in the Polish language. Its aim is twofold: to discuss words of German origin in Polish, as well as to stress Polish-German language contacts and their influences on vocabulary. The analysis will not only deal with the meaning and etymology of particular words, but will also scrutinize their description in the dictionaries of Polish edited by Doroszewski and Sobol.

Working memory training has recently become one of the most debated issues in the field of cognitive psychology. Since working memory is considered a strong correlate of IQ, numerous researchers have been trying to increase the latter by training the former. Proven effectiveness of working memory training could lead to its application in the therapy of many cognitive impairments. WMT could be also used as a tool of improving cognitive functioning of healthy subjects. However, almost every publication claiming to provide (...) evidence for achieving one of above mentioned objectives has been criticised, mostly because of methodological shortcomings. The aim of my presentation is to extract potential sources of inconsistencies existing between the authors of meta-analysis and reviews of WMT research. For this reason I take a closer look at results and conclusions of several meta-analysis and reviews. As a result I point few indications that should be taken into consideration in future studies on WMT effectiveness. (shrink)

El artículo es una recensión del autor del libro Crimen Obicere: Retórica forense y correspondencia antidonatista de Agustín (2020), presentado cómo los elementos esenciales de la retórica que Cicerón había recogido en su obra De inventione marcaron no solo la formación sino también la obra de san Agustín. Se expone la teoría de los status así como los diferentes tipos de status o contitutiones que enuncia el mismo Cicerón. Posteriormente se aplica dicha teoría a las cartas antidonatistas de san Agustín (...) para demostrar cómo el Hiponate usó diversos status en su discusión con los donatistas y cómo el marco retórico es imprescindible para entender mejor la obra de los Padres de la Iglesia y en particular la de san Agustín. (shrink)

The present paper puts forward a first outline of a possible agonistic theory of adjudication, conceived of as an extension of Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic theory of democracy onto the domain of the juridical, and specifically, judicial decision-making. Mouffe’s concept of the political as the dimension of inherent and unalienable conflicts (antagonisms) which, nonetheless, need to be tamed for a pluralist democracy to function, creates an excellent vantage point for a critical theory of adjudication. The paper argues for perceiving all judicial (...) decisions as having a double nature—juridical and political. Cloaked in legal form, judgments nonetheless decide on individual instances of on-going collective conflicts, opposing workers to employers, consumers to traders, tenants to landlords, moral progressives to traditionalists, minorities to majorities and so forth. Judges, when handing down judgments, enjoy a ‘relative sovereignty’, being always already inscribed into the institutional imperatives of the juridical, on one hand, and ideological influences, on the other, but at the same time called upon to decide in the terrain of the undecidable and contingent (after all, law does not ‘apply itself’ on its own). Indeed the determinacy of legal decisions is only relative: in many cases judges can, by performing a sufficient amount of legal interpretive work, reach a conclusion which will be different from theprima facieinterpretation. The collective conflicts of a various nature (economic, ideological, socio-political), once they are juridified, become the object of judicial decisions which, in light of Mouffe’s theory, can be seen as temporary hegemonic fixations. The goal of critical legal scholarship is to destabilise such hegemonies in the name of justice. This can be done not only through an external critique of the law, but also through an internal one. The methodological approach advanced in the latter part of the paper emphasises the need for a critique of judicial decisions based on the consideration of all possible alternative decisions a court could have reached, and their evaluation in the light of conflicting interests and ideologies. (shrink)

Nagarjuna (c. 150-250), founder of the Madhyamaka or Middle Way school of Buddhist philosophy and the most influential of all Buddhist thinkers aside from the Buddha himself, concludes his masterpiece, Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way, with these baffling verses: -/- For the abandonment of all views He taught the true teaching By means of compassion I salute him, Gautama -/- But how could anyone possibly abandon all views? In Buddhism between Religion and Philosophy, Rafal K. Stepien shows not only (...) how Nagarjuna's radical teaching of no-view or “abelief” makes sense within his Buddhist philosophy, but also how it stands at the summit of his religious mission to care for all living beings. Rather than treating any one aspect of Nagarjuna's ideas in isolation, here his metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics emerge as a single coherent and convincing philosophical-religious system of thought and practice. -/- Grounded in meticulous study of original texts from classical India and China but innovating on the theories and methods underpinning contemporary scholarship East and West, this study shows how profoundly important voices from the diverse religious and philosophical traditions of the world have until now been diminished, distorted, and silenced. In opening up truly global horizons of existing and co-existing in the world, this work challenges the very ways in which we think about religion and philosophy. (shrink)