This series will include monographs and collections of studies devoted to the investigation and exploration of knowledge, information, and data-processing systems of all kinds, no matter whether human, (other) animal, or machine. Its scope is intended to span the full range of interests from classical problems in the philosophy of mind and philosophical psychology through issues in cognitive psychology and sociobiology (concerning the mental capabilities of other species) to ideas related to artificial intelligence and computer science. While primary emphasis will (...) be placed upon theoretical, conceptual, and epistemological aspects of these problems and domains, empirical, experimental, and methodological studies will also appear from time to time. While most philosophers and psychologists tend to believe that the rise of cognitive psychology has occurred concomitant with the decline of operant psychology, Terry L. Smith contends that nothing could be further from the truth. He maintains that operant psychology has discovered (and continues to discover) reasonably well-confirmed causal principles of intentional behavior, which go beyond what cognitive psychology can provide, while cognitive psychology, in tum, has the potential to supply analyses (and explanations) that account for them. Smith thus advances a surprising but nonetheless illuminating perspective for appreciating the place of operant conditioning within the discipline of psychology in this rich and fascinating work. J. H. F. (shrink)

In spite of the existence of many examples of incomplete logics, it is an important problem to find intermediate predicate logics complete with respect to Kripke frame (or Kripke sheaf) semantics because they are closed under substitution. But, most of known completeness proofs of finitely axiomatizable logics are difficult to apply to other logics since they are highly dependent on the specific properties of given logics. So, it is preferable to find a general methods of completeness proof. We give some (...) results on this problem using canonical formulas of "propositional" logics 8,2ESS. (shrink)

This book offers a multifaceted exploration of death and the possibilities for an afterlife. By incorporating a variety of approaches to these subjects, it provides a unique framework for extending and reshaping enduring philosophical debates around human existence up to and after death. Featuring original essays from a diverse group of international scholars, the book is arranged in four main sections. Firstly, it addresses how death is or should be experienced, engaging with topics such as near-death experiences, continuing bonds with (...) the deceased, and attitudes toward dying. Secondly, it looks at surviving death, addressing the metaphysics of human persons, the nature of time, the nature of the true self, and the nature of the divine. It then evaluates the value of mortality and immortality, drawing upon the resources of the history of philosophy, meta-analysis of contemporary debates, and the analogy between individual death and species extinction. Finally, it explores what an eternal life might be like, examining the place of selflessness, embodiment, and racial identity in such a life. This volume allows for a variety of philosophical and theological perspectives to be brought to bear on the end of life and what might be beyond. As such, it will be a fascinating resource for scholars in the Philosophy of Religion, Theology and Death Studies. (shrink)

While there is a history of sorts clearly evident in the Preliminaries of James Harrington's Commonwealth of Oceana, one can hardly escape noticing the model qualities of the Commonwealth as it is proposed. Accepting this apparent dualism as an obstacle, Pocock has noted that Oceana cannot be understood as utopia unless first understood as history. Others would not necessarily agree. Yet, given that Harrington located his explanation for the dissolution of the government upon the failure of the nobility to maintain (...) English arms in time of crisis, I argue that in seeking a solution he turned to a series of debates regarding the history of the contemporary alternative to those failed feudal armies, the English militia. Having identified a crisis of arms, Harrington found tactical models dealing with the organization of a militia -- both contemporary and ancient -- to be a perfect historical model for his own commowealth. Considered in this context, the utopian status of the Commonwealth's orders becomes questionable and the work appears much more historical throughout. (shrink)

I am trying to develop a specific methodology of understanding nature of aims and intentions. There are three groups of the main problems. Firstly, the principal openness of the future and, in particular, the idea of self-organization require new methodology - the so called synergetic one. According to the synergetical approach the aim and idea have attractive power and are very important mechanisms of human activity and they They include the energetic capacity and can berepresented as peculiar energetic resource of (...) human behaviour. Secondly, it would be especially important to consider positive and creative contents of aims and a high level of culture mentality and way of thinking. On the contrary - without aims acts - the man as a rational being acts in a spontaneous and unpredictable way, forgets its previous states and loses his systemic memory. The third group of problems concerns an important idea of human reflection as an open non-equilibrium information system. The evolution prospect of such systems allows numerous combinations of the development. The mental image of the aimcan be understood as an intensive directional resource for actions. The meaning of the conception charisma is analyzed in this article. The charisma is defined as a type of social energy. I try to explain the relationships between charismatical persons and other people. (shrink)

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.