Abduction, Imagination, and Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-345
Author(s):  
Michael DeVito ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism

In this essay, I argue that developments in Alvin Plantinga’s evolutionary argument against naturalism—specifically, Thomas Crisp’s argument against a naturalistic metaphysics—have likely undermined the project of science for naturalists who are scientific realists. Scientific theorizing requires the use of abductive reasoning. A central component of abductive reasoning is the use of one’s imagination. However, Crisp’s argument provides us reason to doubt the trustworthiness of our cognitive faculties as it relates to the imaginative abilities necessary for complex abductive reasoning.

Does Plantinga's evolutionary argument against naturalism work?

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
WANG-YEN LEE
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism

AbstractIn Alvin Plantinga's evolutionary argument against naturalism (EAAN), he contends that someone who holds both naturalism (N) and evolution (E) acquires an undefeated defeater for her belief that ‘human cognitive faculties are reliable’ (R) and as a result an undefeated defeater for everything else she believes when she comes to realize that P(R/N&E) is low or inscrutable. I argue for two theses in this paper. First, when a naturalist-evolutionist comes to think that P(R/N&E) is inscrutable, that does not constitute an undefeated defeater for her belief that R if her original grounds for believing R are something other than an assessment of P(R/N&E). Second, even if she acquires an undefeated defeater for her belief that R when she comes to think that P(R/N&E) is inscrutable, it does not follow that she has a defeater for all her other beliefs. The main contribution lies in my response to Plantinga's attempt to resist my second thesis.

An Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism?

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Broad Sense ◽  
Alvin Plantinga ◽  
Evolutionary Naturalism ◽  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Internal Inconsistency ◽  
Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism

In his recently published two-volume work in epistemology, Alvin Plantinga rounds out the discussion (in characteristic fashion) with a subtle and ingenious argument for a striking claim: in this case, his conclusion is that belief in evolutionary naturalism is irrational. Now this claim is not of itself so very surprising; the tantalizing feature here lies rather in the nature of the argument itself. Plantinga contends that taking seriously the hypothesis of evolutionary naturalism (hereafter, N & E) ought to undermine one's confidence in the reliability of our basic cognitive faculties. And if one withholds belief in cognitive reliability, it seems that one ought likewise to refrain from believing propositions that are the output of such faculties. And, for evolutionary naturalists, one such output is belief in evolutionary naturalism itself. Hence, quite apart from comparative evidential considerations that might lead one to prefer theism (or one of its competitors) to N & E, but rather owing to a sort of internal inconsistency (in a suitably broad sense), belief in N & E is shown to be epistemically defective. This is a bold and intriguing suggestion indeed. Let us take a closer look.

Tinkering with cognitive gadgets: Cultural evolutionary psychology meets active inference

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Benjamin Badcock ◽  
Axel Constant ◽  
Maxwell James Désormeau Ramstead
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Active Inference ◽  
Innovative Research ◽  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Cognitive Gadgets offers a new, convincing perspective on the origins of our distinctive cognitive faculties, coupled with a clear, innovative research program. Although we broadly endorse Heyes’ ideas, we raise some concerns about her characterisation of evolutionary psychology and the relationship between biology and culture, before discussing the potential fruits of examining cognitive gadgets through the lens of active inference.

Insights from Exercise-induced Cardioprotection-from Clinical Application to Basic Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (35) ◽  
pp. 3751-3761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Jiang ◽  
Beijian Zhang ◽  
Daile Jia ◽  
Wenlong Yang ◽  
Aijun Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Coronary Intervention ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Health It ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Percutaneous Coronary ◽  
Exercise Induced

Exercise has long been recognized as a beneficial living style for cardiovascular health. It has been applied to be a central component of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), coronary heart disease (CHD), post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), post cardiac surgery or transplantation. Although the effect of exercise is multifactorial, in this review, we focus on the specific contribution of regular exercise on the heart and vascular system. We will summarize the known result of clinical findings and possible mechanisms of chronic exercise on the cardiovascular system.

Repetitive Variety and Other Balancing Acts: Debussy's Transcendental Oscillations

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-320
Author(s):  
Maxwell Ramage
Keyword(s):  
Central Component ◽  
Pop Music

This article introduces the concept of the transcendental oscillation, in which two chords alternate with one another in a way that transcends traditional tonal practice. This harmonic device appears in a wide variety of settings from Wagner to modern pop music. After discussing some theoretical properties of transcendental oscillations, including their interactions with modality and chromaticism, I analyze transcendental oscillations in the works of Debussy, who made the technique a central component of his style. In Debussy's music, transcendental oscillations may be either intensifying or calming. They are symptomatic of what Sylveline Bourion calls Debussy's "duplication" tendency. As progressions foreign to common practice, they present a novel aspect, but as repetitive progressions, they are easy on the ears. These two central features of transcendental oscillations—their harmonic freshness and their repetitive quality—combine to make them well suited to Debussy's compositional project and attractive to composers to this day.

Pattern Theory

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Grenander ◽  
Michael I. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Computational Linguistics ◽  
Parametric Representation ◽  
Bayes Estimation ◽  
Geometric Transformation ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Pattern Theory ◽  
Infinite Dimensional ◽  
Engineering Mathematics ◽  
Dimensional Shape ◽  
The Continuum

Pattern Theory provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the modern challenges in signal, data, and pattern analysis in speech recognition, computational linguistics, image analysis and computer vision. Aimed at graduate students in biomedical engineering, mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering with a good background in mathematics and probability, the text includes numerous exercises and an extensive bibliography. Additional resources including extended proofs, selected solutions and examples are available on a companion website. The book commences with a short overview of pattern theory and the basics of statistics and estimation theory. Chapters 3-6 discuss the role of representation of patterns via condition structure. Chapters 7 and 8 examine the second central component of pattern theory: groups of geometric transformation applied to the representation of geometric objects. Chapter 9 moves into probabilistic structures in the continuum, studying random processes and random fields indexed over subsets of Rn. Chapters 10 and 11 continue with transformations and patterns indexed over the continuum. Chapters 12-14 extend from the pure representations of shapes to the Bayes estimation of shapes and their parametric representation. Chapters 15 and 16 study the estimation of infinite dimensional shape in the newly emergent field of Computational Anatomy. Finally, Chapters 17 and 18 look at inference, exploring random sampling approaches for estimation of model order and parametric representing of shapes.

scholarly journals Treadmilling FtsZ polymers drive the directional movement of sPG-synthesis enzymes via a Brownian ratchet mechanism

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua W. McCausland ◽  
Xinxing Yang ◽  
Georgia R. Squyres ◽  
Zhixin Lyu ◽  
Kevin E. Bruce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Theoretical Modelling ◽  
Binding Potential ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Macromolecular Complex ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Brownian Ratchet ◽  
Ratchet Mechanism ◽  
Directional Movement

AbstractThe FtsZ protein is a central component of the bacterial cell division machinery. It polymerizes at mid-cell and recruits more than 30 proteins to assemble into a macromolecular complex to direct cell wall constriction. FtsZ polymers exhibit treadmilling dynamics, driving the processive movement of enzymes that synthesize septal peptidoglycan (sPG). Here, we combine theoretical modelling with single-molecule imaging of live bacterial cells to show that FtsZ’s treadmilling drives the directional movement of sPG enzymes via a Brownian ratchet mechanism. The processivity of the directional movement depends on the binding potential between FtsZ and the sPG enzyme, and on a balance between the enzyme’s diffusion and FtsZ’s treadmilling speed. We propose that this interplay may provide a mechanism to control the spatiotemporal distribution of active sPG enzymes, explaining the distinct roles of FtsZ treadmilling in modulating cell wall constriction rate observed in different bacteria.

Online Third Places: Supporting Well-Being Through Identifying and Managing Unintended Consequences

2021 ◽  
pp. 109467052110188
Author(s):  
Joy Parkinson ◽  
Lisa Schuster ◽  
Rory Mulcahy
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Consumer Empowerment ◽  
Online Service ◽  
Third Places ◽  
Third Place

Unintended consequences of service are important yet infrequently examined in transformative service research. This research examines an online service community that transformed into an online third place, with consumers socializing and forming lasting relationships. Using practice-informed theory-building and an abductive reasoning approach, findings are presented from both manual and automated coding of three qualitative data sets that form the basis of a case study examining an online weight management service forum. Extending beyond current conceptualizations of the third place, this study is the first to propose a framework delineating online third place characteristics and their impact on consumers’ eudaimonic (the capacity for self-realization) and hedonic (attainment of pleasure and avoidance of pain) well-being. Findings show that in the absence of a physical or virtual servicescape, social factors including social density, equity, and personalization are key to constructing an online third place that supports well-being through building social connections and enjoyment. The new framework provides guidance for service managers to transform their online service communities into online third places to support consumer well-being and to identify and manage potential unintended consequences, for example, by ensuring segmentation of the community based on consumer groups’ shared interests and consumer empowerment through participation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document