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The issue of the interpretation of quantum mechanics is bound up with the more general problem of the interpretation of physical theory. In the present paper, a simple way to clarify the discussion is proposed, and some new difficulties connected with the interpretation of quantum mechanics are presented.
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The missing mass problem is a serious and troublesome difficulty which appeared in physics at the end of the 20th century. At that time, scientists discovered that the Universe contains much more matter than was previously thought to be the case. It turned out that the matter we can see is only a small part of all of the matter that the Universe is composed of. To solve this problem, it was necessary to identify the missing mass. Physicists identified it as "dark matter" and "dark energy". In the first part of this paper, the arguments in favor of the existence of the missing mass are presented, while in the second, the hypotheses of dark matter and dark energy are introduced. In the third, some alternative explanations of the missing mass problem are discussed. The closing summary then contains some remarks on the consequences of this problem for the future development of science, and it is argued that one of these corresponds to a serious change in our scientific and philosophical worldview.
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This paper discusses the dispute between G. Berkeley and I. Newton concerning the validity of classical mechanics. These two engaged in a discussion about infinitely small quantities --- infinitesimals --- which were used in differential and integral equations by Leibniz and Newton. Infinitesimals were both equal to zero and at the same time different from zero. The standard view is that Newton was right in defending classical mechanics. But if we accept a narrow sense of rationality --- as a procedure conforming to logical rules --- then Berkeley was right, for there are no numbers at the same time equal to and different from zero. The problem of infinitesimals was resolved in the 19th century, when the notion of limit was strictly defined. Seen in the light of this, Berkeley appears as rational, and Newton as pragmatic in his determination to preserve a promising physical theory.
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Did we come about by chance or by necessity in the evolving universe? The first thing to be said is that the problem is not formulated correctly. It is not just a question of chance or necessity because, first of all, it is both. Furthermore, there is a third element here that is very important. It is what we might the call the “fertility” of the universe. This is the dance of the fertile universe, a ballet with three ballerinas: chance, necessity and fertility. What this means is that the universe is so fertile in offering the opportunity for the success of both chance and necessary processes that such a character of the universe must be included in the search for our origins in the universe. In this light I am going to try to present in broad strokes what I think is some of the best of our modern scientific understanding of the universe, and then I will ask the question at the end: What does this say about the God who loves us and who made this universe?
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A quick look at Nasr’s wide-ranging works shows that the question of science occupies a central place in his thought, for which the author refers to it. Following a two-fold strategy,Nasr does not remain content with the critique of modern Western science, but presents his alternative view of science on the basis of traditional doctrines. The heavy emphasis put on the distinction between the traditional and the modern, or the sacred and the profane,runs through Nasr’s work. His approach to science from a religious point of view suggests a new way of looking at the vexed question of religion and science. This essay confines itself to a critical analysis of Nasr’s concept of science both in its traditional sense and modern form, whereby five traits of modern science are presented. It is noteworthy that we have also included Nasr’s response to this essay, which is precious because we are able to see to what extent Nasr himself agrees with what has been said about his important deliberations.
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RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to analyse the notions of subject and agency, which are part of contemporary political science, in terms of their new definition and interpretation through the prism of assumptions and schemes of system analysis. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: Globalization processes have led to great transformations in the world-man is no longer the only cause of changes. The research problem is related to the departure from the anthropocentric perspective in social sciences and the reconceptualization of the traditional understanding of the subject and agency with particular emphasis on the actor network theory. Analysis and critique metods and synthesis of scientific literature were used in the text. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: First attention was focused on the mutual relations between technoscience and society, taking into account selected technological solutions. Then the idea of posthumanism and the issue of non human agency were analysed. The last part of the text concerns the new dimensions of subjectivity and is an attempt to redefine traditional concepts. RESEARCH RESULTS: Elements of the material world significantly change reality. Consequently, the category of subject in political science requires reformulation as it includes the human and non human factors. Traditional definitions are no longer relevant to the processes taking place in the world. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Contemporary social sciences must take into account the changes taking place in the world, so it should abandon the anthropocentric perspective and focus on broader approaches, including the agency of non human factors. The subject should be analysed as a relational and hybrid being that consists not only of man but also of his environment. In the age of technoscience and its influence on every aspect of life, it is a necessity.
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The following article addresses anthropology and ethics in the context of bestowing biological and technological modifications on the human being. The starting point of the discussion are the terms transhuman and posthuman and the ethics based on the concept of a person as a human being. The author investigates the question of whether the notion of a human being which we uphold allows for a person to be constructed and manipulated within certain boundaries. The author also proposes that transhumanism – especially posthumanism (due to ontology) – breaks with the classical definition of a human being and rejects the ethics of protecting people. In its place, trans-/posthumanism applies situational and utilitarian ethics. From the point of view of the ethics of protecting people, any qualitative changes are unacceptable (particularly considering the formal cause of a human being). What can be accepted are quantitative changes (regarding the material cause of a human being), on the condition that they protect individuals and their interpersonal relationships.
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In recent literature commentators have challenged the standard interpretation that the Cartesian Self is a res cogitans. Various modifications have been proposed: the will should be regarded as an essential feature of thought as well (not just the intellect), and even the body – in some sense – belongs to the Cartesian Self. While these modifications are important, commentators have neglected Descartes’ wholly different conception of the Self in the Passions of the Soul. In his definition of generosity, Descartes claims that the Cartesian Self is a res volans: the only thing that truly belongs to the generous person is her free will. I aim to unpack what Descartes means in the “truly belongs” locution (TBL), ultimately arguing for what I call the weak essentialist reading. Descartes’ grounds for claiming that free will truly belongs to the Cartesian Self is that free will constitutes the activity – not passivity – of the mind. And that is the most important property in the essence of a mental substance.
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While a new paradigm of scientific research based on data centres and research infrastructures is gaining ground in science, and convergence between infrastructures and scientific domains is growing in cyberspace, epistemic cultures, particularly conservative in some fields, play a significant role in the dynamics of knowledge production in general and the adoption of data-intensive scientific practices in particular. In the present study, we focus on the transformations of scholarly communication through the perspective of digital curation of research data in the humanities, which certainly belong to these conservative epistemic cultures. The aim of this paper is to explore perspectives on the evolution of data curation in the context of the transformation of scholarly communication and research infrastructure in the humanities, specifically static archives, into living, continuously enriched data archives supported by artificial intelligence tools. To explore this perspective, we have chosen to compare scholarly communication in the humanities and in high-energy physics, in addition to analysing the practices of data curation itself. We further thematize the identified differences in terms of virtual research environments that can help humanities scholars exploit the potential of data-intensive research infrastructures.
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I sketch the foundation of quantum mechanics as it is presented in various books and articles. Then a new approach to quantum foundation is described, a foundation that relies on 4 simple postulates related to the mind of an observer or to the joint minds of a group of communicating observers. One of these postulates may appear to be strong, but it turns out to be more natural when it is placed in a religious setting. This assumes the existence of an omnipotent God. These arguments are further discussed, and they are shown also to give a foundation of Quantum Decision Theory.
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Under both Western and Eastern worldviews, a key justification for anyone spending a lifetime on Earth must be the spiritual growth they are able to achieve while here, through exposure to manifold life situations and experiences. Yet, for a variety of reasons, some people may already be at a point of diminishing returns, whereby their achievable progress on Earth would be too inconsequential to justify their presence here. This paper looks at whether the advent of transhumanism and other life-expanding technologies could push back the limits beyond which a lifetime on Earth would be, for some, spiritually needless.
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