The metaphor of weighing reasons brings to mind a single (double-pan balance) scale. The reasons for φ go in one pan and the reasons for ~φ go in the other. The relative weights, as indicated by the relative heights of the two pans of the scale, determine the deontic status of φ. This model is simple and intuitive, but it cannot capture what it is to weigh reasons correctly. A reason pushes the φ pan down toward permissibility (has (...) justifying weight) only insofar as it pushes the ~φ pan up toward impermissibility (has requiring weight). Thus, Single Scale is committed to Single Proportion (first pass): all reasons have the same proportion of justifying and requiring weight. Many normative theories reject Single Proportion, and they are not thereby confused about how to weigh reasons. One can be mistaken about the weight of a reason without being confused about how reasons are to be weighed. Single Scale is problematic, not because it appeals to the image of a scale, but because it appeals to the image of a single scale. We need two scales to capture what it is to weigh reasons correctly. (shrink)

A singularity-free dual-unified energy scenario is proposed for the primordial Universe within a Planck-scale framework. In this picture, the early Universe consists of a central primordial dark sector, with a visible energy sector effectively bound in orbit around it within a characteristic Planck-length-scale region. Quantum-gravitational interactions continuously reduce the orbital separation between these sectors and drive them toward a unified configuration at the Planck scale. The unified phase induces an effective negative-pressure equation of state, with the (...) central primordial dark sector behaving as a transient vacuum-like component, which triggers an inflaton-free phase of primordial cosmic inflation. After inflation, reheating of the unified configuration leads to a correlated decay of the two sectors: the primordial dark sector yields non-thermal cold dark matter, while the visible sector produces standard-model particles. In this way the model avoids the Big Bang singularity and, at the same time, naturally accounts for the observed dark-matter–to–baryon density ratio of order five through a unified co-genesis mechanism. (shrink)

ObjectivesMany older adults with visual impairment also have significant hearing loss. The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of a newly developed Dual Sensory Loss protocol on communication and wellbeing of older persons with DSL and their communication partners in the Netherlands and Belgium.MethodsParticipants and their communication partners were randomized in the “DSL-protocol” intervention group or a waiting-list control group. The intervention took 3 to 5 weeks. Occupational therapists focused on optimal use of hearing aids, home-environment modifications and effective (...) communication strategies. The primary outcome was the Communication Strategies domain of the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired. Secondary outcomes measured in participants were the Low Vision Quality Of Life Adjustment subscale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale, De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and the Fatigue Assessment Scale. The Hearing Handicap and Disability Inventory - Reaction of Others subscale and the Care-related Quality of Life - 7 Dimensions was measured in communication partners. Measurements were taken at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Linear mixed models were used to analyze effects between groups over time for every outcome measure.ResultsIntention-to-treat analyses showed a significant effect of the DSL-protocol on the use of verbal strategies in favor of the control group, however, this effect was non-significant after adjustment for confounding. Effect sizes of other outcomes varied between −0.23 [−0.57, 0.12] and 0.30 [−0.05, 0.64]. The LMM showed a significant effect on the HHDI-Reaction of others scale in favor of communication partners in the treatment group, however, the effect did not remain significant at a 0.01 significance level and the effect size was very small and non-significant 0.12, 95% CI [−0.27 to 0.51]. Adjusted analyses did not reveal treatment effects.ConclusionThe DSL-protocol did not clearly contribute to the enhancement of communication and wellbeing in DSL-patients. Possible reasons for the lack of effects are OTs not being comfortable giving advice on communication and psychosocial issues or the short-term treatment and follow-up period. Further study is warranted to find out how the protocol may be adapted or whether it is necessary to involve mental healthcare professionals.Clinical Trial Registrationwww.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NTR2843. (shrink)

The “scaling-up” problem concerns radical embodied cognition’s (REC) supposed inability to extend its explanatory reach beyond simple cognitive phenomena. This paper questions the problem’s main assumption, that is, the possibility of sorting phenomena according to their inherent cognitive complexity or representation-hunger. To do so, I focus on a class of phenomena whose degree of representation-hunger has been much debated: social phenomena (and their cognitive correlates). Some, like Clark and Toribio (1994), consider social phenomena the absolute top of representation-hunger, while others, (...) like radical enactivists, conceive of sociality as a non-representational resource; two opposite views which demonstrate how hard it is to place sociality somewhere in a representational hierarchy. An exploration into two social disciplines provides reasons to question the tenability of the scaling-up problem in the case of social phenomena and hence in general. The long debate in social psychology over dual-process models of cognition suggests distinguishing between the complexity of a task and its putative cognitive requirements, therefore rejecting that form of cognitive-task essentialism inherent in the idea of representation-hunger. The recent encounter of radical enactivism with social theory provides, on the other hand, a non-representational explanation of institutional phenomena. In the end, the paper suggests that one of the following must hold: either the scaling-up problem is untenable in its traditional (hierarchical) understanding or radical enactivism has already scaled up to social phenomena, understood as the pinnacle of representation-hunger. (shrink)

Traditional mental health models focus on psychopathological symptoms. In contrast, a dual-factor model of mental health integrates psychopathology and subjective well-being into a mental health continuum, and it is adjustment and supplement for traditional mental health research paradigm. The present study explores the applicability of a dual-factor model of mental health in mental health screening of Chinese college students. To assess mental health statuses of 2,065 college students, we used Flourishing Scale Chinese Version, Satisfaction With Life (...) class='Hi'>Scale, the seven-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, and Purpose in Life Test–Short Form. Results showed that the dual-factor model of mental health has a good fit index. Also, a feasible screening scale was addressed. The results indicate the importance of addressing both subjective well-being and psychopathology in evaluating mental health screening of college students. (shrink)

The technological advances of the 20th century resulted in the creation of the Internet and its introduction into everyday life on a global scale. The Internet provides access to information and the sale and purchase of goods. Medications are also subject to trade. Their sale is conducted by online pharmacies and their global turnover amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. Medications ordered over the Internet are sent by mail all over the world. Considering the events of recent years, (...) we cannot exclude the risk of a terrorist attack through online pharmacies. Terrorists can establish such companies, legally or illegally, or acquire ones already existing. Parcels, which are highly trusted by the customers of online pharmacies, can, for example, be contaminated with dangerous materials. The sale of online medications in the international system is potentially dangerous and requires international regulation. (shrink)

There are a number of different preliminary definitions of dual use familiar in the literature. Research or technology is dual use if it can be used for both: (1) Military and civilian (i.e. non-military) purposes; (2) Beneficial and harmful purposes—where the harmful purposes are to be realised by means of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs); (3) Beneficial and harmful purposes—where either the harmful purposes involve the use of weapons as means, and usually WMDs in particular, or the harm (...) aimed at is on a large-scale but does not necessarily involve weapons or weaponisation. I favour the third definition of “dual use”—at least as a preliminary definition—since some dual use research, such as Gain Of Function (GOF) research research in the biological sciences, need not involve a process of weaponisation or a military purpose. However, further conceptual unpacking is called for and provided in this chapter. (shrink)

The book develops, defends, and applies a "Dual Scale" model of weighing reasons to resolve various issues in ethics. It tells you everything you ever wanted to know about weighing reasons and probably a lot of stuff you didn't want to know too. It addresses, among other things, what the general issue of weighing reasons is; what it is to weigh reasons correctly; whether reasons have more than one weight value (e.g., justifying, requiring, and/or commending weight); whether weight (...) values are context sensitive; how to tell what the weights of reasons are; how reasons for are related to reasons against; and how the weights of reasons aggregate. After addressing such issues, it explains a number of puzzling phenomena in ethics, such as the All or Nothing Problem, the normative significance of small improvements, and the intransitivity of the makes-it-permissible-to-act-against relation. (shrink)

Dual innovation, which includes exploratory innovation and exploitative innovation, is crucial for firms to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. The knowledge base of firms greatly influences or even determines the scope, direction, and path of their dual-innovation activities, which drive their innovation process and produce different innovation performances. This study uses data source patents obtained by 285 focal firms in the Chinese new-energy vehicle industry in the period 2015–2020. Five knowledge-base features are selected by analyzing the correlation and (...) multicollinearity, and four different firm clusters are found by using the k-means clustering algorithm. Based on the classification and regression tree algorithm, we mine the potential decision rules governing the dual-innovation performance of firms. The results show that the exploratory innovation performance of firms in different clusters is mainly affected by two different knowledge-base features. Knowledge-base scale is a key factor affecting the exploitative innovation performance of firms. Firms in different clusters can improve their dual-innovation performance by rationally tuning the combination of knowledge-base features. (shrink)

In this paper, in line with the general framework of value-sensitive design, we aim to operationalize the general concept of “Meaningful Human Control” in order to pave the way for its translation into more specific design requirements. In particular, we focus on the operationalization of the first of the two conditions investigated: the so-called ‘tracking’ condition. Our investigation is led in relation to one specific subcase of automated system: dual-mode driving systems. First, we connect and compare meaningful human control (...) with a concept of control very popular in engineering and traffic psychology, and we explain to what extent tracking resembles and differs from it. This will help clarifying the extent to which the idea of meaningful human control is connected to, but also goes beyond, current notions of control in engineering and psychology. Second, we take the systematic analysis of practical reasoning as traditionally presented in the philosophy of human action and we adapt it to offer a general framework where different types of reasons and agents are identified according to their relation to an automated system’s behaviour. This framework is meant to help explaining what reasons and what agents play a role in controlling a given system, thereby enabling policy makers to produce usable guidelines and engineers to design systems that properly respond to selected human reasons. In the final part, we discuss a practical example of how our framework could be employed in designing automated driving systems. (shrink)

In large-scale judicial scenarios, document-level legal relation extraction plays a pivotal role in enabling efficient case text analysis and structured legal information organization, thereby facilitating downstream tasks such as case recommendation and judgment prediction. To address the problems including legal document encoding, imbalanced relation distribution, and noise in training dataset, the Document-Level Legal Relation Extraction (DLRE) model is proposed to enhance the performance in semantic understanding and relation extraction of legal documents. Firstly, Lawformer and BiGRU are integrated for document (...) encoding in DLRE model, effectively leveraging a reconstructed training corpus to learn hierarchical textual patterns. Furthermore, the prior knowledge derived from the training samples is incorporated, and a label distribution-sensitive margin loss is introduced in DLRE to address the problem of data imbalance to improve the model’s ability to distinguish between the types of minority and majority relations. Finally, to reduce noise interference and improve generalization, a dual self-knowledge distillation framework is introduced in the DLRE model with: (1) feature distillation, which ensures semantic consistency across model layers, and (2) target distillation, which leverages soft labels from a teacher model to guide the student model. Experimental results on the legal datasets show that the proposed DLRE model outperforms baselines in extracting legal relations, indicating its effectiveness and application potential in legal document analysis. (shrink)

The death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and subsequent protests placed Iranian physicians in an ethical dilemma: comply with state mandates that endangered patients or uphold their duty of care at significant personal risk. This essay examines how Iranian physicians navigated these dual obligations, protecting patients while confronting systemic repression, and situates their struggle within a broader history of medical neutrality under authoritarian regimes. Drawing on core bioethical principles and comparative case studies from Bahrain, Syria and Chile, the (...) essay explores how physicians often assume politicised roles not by choice, but through the inescapable demands of clinical ethics in environments where care itself becomes resistance. In Iran, hospitals were transformed into sites of surveillance, and treating protest-related injuries could lead to arrest or professional sanction. In response, many physicians engaged in quiet resistance—falsifying records, concealing identities and offering covert care—to preserve both ethical integrity and clinical trust. To navigate such challenges, the ‘sliding scale of moral obligation’ is proposed as an adaptive ethical framework accounting for individual risk, proximity to harm and capacity to act. This model avoids prescribing a universal standard of heroism and instead affirms a baseline duty of non-complicity, offering a flexible yet principled approach to ethical action under duress. By exploring the tension between neutrality and resistance, this essay advocates for a more nuanced understanding of physicians’ roles in repressive contexts. For medical students, engaging with these dilemmas deepens ethical literacy, prepares us to navigate moral complexities and equips us to better support colleagues under political duress. (shrink)

Ethicists increasingly reject the scale as a useful metaphor for weighing reasons. Yet they generally retain the metaphor of a reason’s weight. This combination is incoherent. The metaphor of weight entails a very specific scale-based model of weighing reasons, Dual Scale. Justin Snedegar worries that scale-based models of weighing reasons can’t properly weigh reasons against an option. I show that there are, in fact, two different reasons for/against distinctions, and I provide an account of the (...) relationship between the various kinds of reason for and against. With this account in hand, we’ll see that Dual Scale has no problem weighing any kind of reason against. (shrink)

The present study assessed the degree to which probabilistic reasoning performance and thinking style influenced perception of risk and self-reported levels of terrorism-related behaviour change. A sample of 263 respondents, recruited via convenience sampling, completed a series of measures comprising probabilistic reasoning tasks (perception of randomness, base rate, probability, and conjunction fallacy), the Reality Testing subscale of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO-RT), the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale, and a terrorism-related behaviour change scale. Structural equation modelling examined three progressive (...) models. Firstly, the Independence Model assumed that probabilistic reasoning, perception of risk and reality testing independently predicted terrorism-related behaviour change. Secondly, the Mediation Model supposed that probabilistic reasoning and reality testing correlated, and indirectly predicted terrorism-related behaviour change through perception of risk. Lastly, the Dual-Influence Model proposed that probabilistic reasoning indirectly predicted terrorism-related behaviour change via perception of risk, independent of reality testing. Results indicated that performance on probabilistic reasoning tasks most strongly predicted perception of risk, and preference for an intuitive thinking style (measured by the IPO-RT) best explained terrorism-related behaviour change. The combination of perception of risk with probabilistic reasoning ability in the Dual-Influence Model enhanced the predictive power of the analytical-rational route, with conjunction fallacy having a significant indirect effect on terrorism-related behaviour change via perception of risk. The Dual-Influence Model possessed superior fit and reported similar predictive relations between intuitive-experiential and analytical-rational routes and terrorism-related behaviour change. The discussion critically examines these findings in relation to dual-processing frameworks. This includes considering the limitations of current operationalisations and recommendations for future research that align outcomes and subsequent work more closely to specific dual-process models. (shrink)

This commentary construes the relation between the two systems of temporal updating and temporal reasoning as a bifurcation and tracks it across three time scales: phylogeny, ontogeny, and microgeny. In taking a dynamic systems approach, flexibility, as mentioned by Hoerl & McCormack, is revealed as the key characteristic of human temporal cognition.

Low-carbon innovation is necessary to overcome the delay of governments in implementing the Paris agreement. However, large institutional investors only engage in climate risk management. They cannot commit to low-carbon innovation because that is fundamentally uncertain, short-term unprofitable, and their index-tracking strategy is incompatible with screening firm-specific breakthroughs. To pursue sustainable corporate governance, institutional investors should rather tie their hands with controlling shareholders. Controlling shareholders can contribute their entrepreneurial vision to low-carbon innovation while institutional investors allow them to scale (...) this vision. This article argues that institutional investors catering to the preferences of climate-conscious beneficiaries should finance controlling shareholders through conditional dual-class shares. Dual-class shares allow relaxing the financial conditions for control. To fulfil their mandate from climate-conscious beneficiaries, institutional investors can outcompete short-term profit-seeking investors by offering controlling shareholders a higher wedge between voting rights and economic interest and the possibility to cash in higher idiosyncratic private benefits of control, if successful, conditional on engaging in low-carbon innovation. Having at stake welfare-increasing private benefits of control, as well as all or most of their wealth, controlling shareholders are incentivized to discover low-carbon breakthroughs or to acknowledge failure to do so. Corporate law should facilitate contracting between controlling shareholders and institutional investors to support this incentive. Target-contingent transfer sunsets should allow cashing in control premiums only if the low-carbon innovation succeeds. Divestment sunsets and other contractual safeguards should prevent controlling shareholders from increasing agency cost, without undermining equity capital raising. Dual-class recapitalizations should be allowed with a majority-of-minority vote. (shrink)

School climate is a multidimensional construct that has been related to a series of psychological, social, and school variables. The dual school climate and school identification measure-student (SCASIM-St) is a measure that has a multidimensional factor structure, with four first-order factors and a second-order factor, plus an independent factor that evaluates school identification. However, the SCASIM-St is long, with 38 items measuring school climate. The first objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of reliability and validity (...) of the abbreviated version of the dual school climate and school identification measure-student (SCASIM-St-15), for use in contexts with time limitations or for explanatory studies that need to apply multiple instruments simultaneously. The second objective was to analyze the degree of invariance for the groups: sex, type of education, and age. The sample was made up of 2,044 students of both sexes (49.1% women and 50.9% men), with a mean age of 14.64 (SD = 0.718), representing 27 secondary schools in Chile. The results indicated that the SCASIM-St15 presents adequate indicators of reliability and construct validity. Evidence of external criterion validity confirmed significant associations with the Attitudes to Institutional Authority in Adolescence Scale measure. The results of the factorial invariance analysis indicate that the SCASIM-St15 remains stable up to the level of metric invariance for the variable sex and the level of scalar invariance for the variables type of education and age. The study concluded that despite the significant decrease in the number of items, the SCASIM-St15 measures school climate in a reliable and valid way, without losing its theoretical and conceptual robustness. (shrink)

This article advances the Global Brain Argument, contending that escalating hyperintelli- gent AI systems, from savant-level LLMs to superintelligences, will connect human users, cloud platforms and the internet-of-things to form one or more emergent global brain networks—planetary scale complex adaptive systems that process information, evolve goals and exhibit agential behaviors. I analyse the premises of the argument, contrast the no- tion of AGI with my notions of savant and hyperintelligent systems, and defend the claim that many humans are becoming (...) d-nodes in a global brain network. I then raise the AI Megasystem Control Problem: the problem of how disparate proprietary AI services may self-organize into opaque, weakly emergent megasystems that elude traditional AI align- ment techniques. I also delve into the ethical implications of the argument, such as surveil- lance capitalism, epistemic manipulation and dual-use risks and discuss the relationship between the argument and the extended mind hypothesis. (This piece is based on Schneider’s Petrus Hispanus lectures and will be followed by 5 replies in the journal Disputatio, where it will appear.) Keywords AGI; AI safety; collective intelligence; complex adaptive systems; emergence; extended mind; human-machine interaction; large language models; superintelligence. (shrink)

We address the fundamental question why we should use PageRank and similar link-based algorithms in search engines, if at all. In a legendary article from 1998, the Google founders gave an intriguing wisdom-of-crowds justification for PageRank according to which the latter tracks quality online. This striking suggestion stands in contrast to the view that PageRank merely tracks what is popular. However, Masterton and Olsson showed that web-ecologies generated by Google-like assumptions essentially fail to reflect the scale-free structure of the (...) web. They pointed to attraction to popularity or a rich-get-richer effect being the likely main cause of scalefreeness. In this article, we explore dual models of linking behavior, i.e. models that combine attraction to importance with attraction to popularity. Our results, obtained through computer simulation, indicate that there exist dual models that give rise both to a wisdom-of-crowds effect for PageRank and to scale-free web-graphs, thus giving a partial vindication of the wisdom-of-crowds thesis for the real web. Future work should explore larger web-graphs as well as other aspects pertaining to the empirical plausibility of dual linking models. (shrink)

Coping flexibility, as defined by the dual-process theory, refers to one’s ability to relinquish a coping strategy recognized as ineffective—abandonment—and to devise and implement an alternative and more effective strategy—re-coping. The coping flexibility hypothesis dictates that richer coping flexibility produces more adaptive outcomes caused by stress responses, such as reduced psychological and physical dysfunction. We tested the reliability and validity of the Coping Flexibility Scale-Revised and the CFH using the CFS-R, which was developed to measure coping flexibility. In (...) total, we performed three studies involving 6,752 participants. Study 1 provided the psychometric properties of the CFS-R and tested this factorial structure by a confirmatory factor analysis. Study 2 estimated the validity of the CFS-R by examining the associations between its three subscales and variables that were conceptually similar to them. Study 3 tested the CFH using a longitudinal design after controlling for the effects of typical coping strategies and other types of coping flexibility. Overall, the CFH was supported by the use of the CFS-R, and the findings in Studies 2 and 3 showed that it had acceptable validity and reliability. Our findings implied that abandonment and re-coping can predict reduced depressive symptoms more than other types of theoretical framings for coping flexibility. Additionally, a meta-analysis of the Cronbach’s alphas for all samples in this study showed that they were 0.87 for abandonment, 0.92 for re-coping, and 0.86 for meta-coping. (shrink)

BackgroundDistorted gambling-related cognitions are tightly related to gambling problems, and are one of the main targets of treatment for disordered gambling, but their etiology remains uncertain. Although folk wisdom and some theoretical approaches have linked them to lower domain-general reasoning abilities, evidence regarding that relationship remains unconvincing.MethodIn the present cross-sectional study, the relationship between probabilistic/abstract reasoning, as measured by the Berlin Numeracy Test, and the Matrices Test, respectively, and the five dimensions of the Gambling-Related Cognitions Scale, was tested in (...) a sample of 77 patients with gambling disorder and 58 individuals without gambling problems.Results and interpretationNeither BNT nor matrices scores were significantly related to gambling-related cognitions, according to frequentist analyses, performed both considering and disregarding group in the models. Correlation Bayesian analyses largely supported the null hypothesis, i.e., the absence of relationships between the measures of interest. This pattern or results reinforces the idea that distorted cognitions do not originate in a general lack of understanding of probability or low fluid intelligence, but probably result from motivated reasoning. (shrink)

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue that in spite of the widely optimistic held view on the effect of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in promoting the “knowledge society” in Europe and economic development elsewhere, evidence suggests that ICT's could be strengthening labour duality world wide.Design/methodology/approachThe paper addresses these issues by presenting a brief assessment of the “Washington Consensus” and the emergence of ICTs in terms of trade, growth and inequality in different regions of our planet. The paper (...) also describes the effects of globalisation and ICTs on European economies. Finally, the paper presents the key finding and raises some policy implications to exploit ICT potentialities to ensure welfare systems in advanced economies and development in emerging countries.FindingsThe lack of sufficient institutional mechanism of distribution in developing economies is not only making it more difficult for economic growth to translate into development but it is also favouring relocations of production, pressures to deregulate employment, control salaries and social expenditure in Europe. This feeds complex processes of social segmentation world wide. To meet this challenge Europe has no choice but to opt for the development of avant‐garde sectors. However, measures linked to the development of the knowledge society may not be sufficient to maintain our welfare states in the current context of globalisation. Europe must play a more internationally active role in the design of another model of globalisation that would encompass social policies at a global scale as one of its pillars.Originality/valueThere are very few studies of ICTs' role in the relationship between openness‐growth‐development‐inequality. What are ICTs responsible for? What are ICTs' effects on development and welfare state sustainability? (shrink)

This chapter further expands the book’s main explanation of how economic inequalities come about and are perpetuated: rent seeking and rent extraction by the elite, in combination with wage suppression and policies that promote the financialization and de-industrialization of economies. It draws on econometric data that quantifies the rent-seeking hypothesis to show calculate how the US economy would have developed in the absence of this large-scale rent extraction. This data illustrates the large sums of money extracted through rent by (...) the wealthy from the rest. The chapter discusses how workers are displaced into a large and low-productivity service sector and how employers adapt to this pool of cheap labour. (shrink)

Dual-processes theories of cognition implicitly assume universality of the human mind. However, research has shown that large-scale differences exist in thinking styles across cultures. Thereby, the universality of the effects found in Western samples remains an open empirical question. Here, we explored whether effects predicted by prospect theory, such as the framing effect, would be observed in a sample of 312 Bulgarian students. Overall, the size of the framing effect was smaller than in the original studies. Most notably, (...) we failed to reproduce the framing effect in the famous Asian Disease problem, using a rating response format. In a between-subjects design, decision- making performance was completely independent of university admission grades. We propose that studying the size of the effects across cultures is needed in order to establish the effects’ level of universality. More broadly, we suggest ways in which knowledge of cultural settings can help elaborate or test dual-process predictions. (shrink)

The purpose of these studies was to test the hypothesis that changing perspectives from one's own to another's promotes the engagement of analytic processing and, in turn, reduces the impact of beliefs. In two experiments participants evaluated research vignettes containing belief-consistent and belief-inconsistent conclusions, and indicated whether the data supported a correlation between two variables. Consistent with our hypothesis, the tendency to endorse correlations consistent with prior belief was reduced when participants evaluated the data from the researcher's perspective relative to (...) their own. We also administered the Actively Open Minded Thinking (AOT) scale (Stanovich & West, 2007, 2008), which did not predict belief effects on our task. We did however observe that the AOT was reliably associated with different response strategies: high AOT scorers were more inclined to choose ambiguous response options, such as “no conclusion is warranted”, whereas low scorers evinced a preference for more determinate options (e.g., there is no relationship between the two variables). We interpret our findings in the context of dual process theories of reasoning and from a Bayesian perspective. (shrink)

The aim of this exploratory cross-sectional study was to examine the associations among relationship status, identity processes, and self-construals among Polish young adults. The theoretical framework of the study consisted of Erikson’s psychosocial theory of human development (Erikson, 1963; 1968; 1980), the dual-cycle model of identity formation (Luyckx, Goossens, & Soenens, 2006), and the concept of independent and interdependent self-construals. A total of 291 university students (155 females and 136 males) aged 20-25 completed the Dimensions of Identity Development (...) class='Hi'>Scale (DIDS; Luyckx, Schwartz et al., 2008) (Polish adaptation - Brzezińska & Piotrowski, 2010a) and Self-Construal Scale (SCS; Singelis, 1994) (Polish adaptation - Pilarska, 2014). Results showed that single individuals scored higher on exploration in breadth, exploration in depth, and ruminative exploration, and lower on commitment making and identification with commitment than did partnered individuals. Further, single and partnered individuals did not differ in the area of independent and interdependent self-construals. Discriminant function analysis revealed that especially ruminative exploration and exploration in breadth were important variables for discriminating single from partnered status. (shrink)

The scale and variety of acts of religious intolerance evident in so many countries today are of enormous contemporary concern. This 2005 study attempts a thorough and systematic treatment of both Universal and European practice. The standards applicable to freedom of religion are subjected to a detailed critique, and their development and implementation within the UN is distinguished from that within Strasbourg, in order to discern trends and obstacles to their advancement and to highlight the rationale for any apparent (...) departures between the two systems. This dual focus also demonstrates the acute need for the European Court to heed the warnings from various patterns of violation throughout the world illustrated by the Human Rights Committee and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. (shrink)

In the sacrificial moral dilemma task, participants have to morally judge an action that saves several lives at the cost of killing one person. According to the dual process corrective model of moral judgment suggested by Greene and collaborators (2001; 2004; 2008), cognitive control is necessary to override the intuitive, deontological force of the norm against killing and endorse the utilitarian perspective. However, a conflict model has been proposed more recently to account for part of the evidence in favor (...) of dual process models in moral and social decision making. In this model, conflict, moral responses and reaction times arise from the interplay between individually variable motivational factors and objective parameters intrinsic to the choices offered. To further explore this model in the moral dilemma task, we confronted three different samples with a set of dilemmas representing an objective gradient of utilitarian pull, and collected data on moral judgment and on conflict in a 4-point scale. Collapsing all cases along the gradient, participants in each sample felt less conflicted on average when they gave extreme responses (1 or 4 in the UR scale). They felt less conflicted on average when responding to either the low- or the high-pull cases. The correlation between utilitarian responses and conflict was positive in the low-pull and negative in the high-pull cases. This pattern of data suggests that moral responses to sacrificial dilemmas are driven by decision conflict, which in turn depends on the interplay between an objective gradient of utilitarian pull and the moral motivations which regulate individual responsiveness to this gradient. (shrink)

Scale invariance provides a principled reason for the physical importance of Hilbert space, the Virasoro algebra, the string mode expansion, canonical commutators and Schrödinger evolution of states, independent of the assumptions of string theory and quantum theory. The usual properties of dimensionful fields imply an infinite, projective tower of conformal weights associated with the tangent space to scale-invariant spacetimes. Convergence and measurability on this tangent tower are guaranteed using a scale-invariant norm, restricted to conformally self-dual vectors. (...) Maps on the resulting Hilbert space are correspondingly restricted to semi-definite conformal weight. We find the maximally- and minimally-commuting, complete Lie algebras of definite-weight operators. The projective symmetry of the tower gives these algebras central charges, giving the canonical commutator and quantum Virasoro algebras, respectively. Using a continuous, m-parameter representation for rank-m tower tensors, we show that the parallel transport equation for the momentum-vector of a particle is the Schrödinger equation, while the associated definite-weight operators obey canonical commutation relations. Generalizing to the set of integral curves of general timelike, self-dual vector-valued weight maps gives a lifting such that the action of the curves parallel transports arbitrary tower vectors. We prove that the full set of Schrödinger-lifted integral curves of a general self-dual map gives an immersion of its 2-dim parameter space into spacetime, inducing a Lorentzian metric on the parameter space. This immersion is shown to satisfy the full variational equations of open string. (shrink)

In reaction to growing critics regarding ecological and ethical aspects of intensive animal husbandry, different initiatives of ethical poultry production try to establish alternative food supply chains on the market. To be able to stabilise these niche innovations parallel to the mainstream regime, new forms of cooperation along the value added chain and with the consumers play an important role. Based on a case study of integrated egg and meat production from a dual-purpose breed by small multifunctional farms in (...) Northeast of Germany, the paper exemplifies the challenges for the different partners of the food supply chain and cooperation management. Empirical data were obtained via nine qualitative interviews with actors along the value chain and via participatory observation of workshops and meetings. The research was embedded in a transdisciplinary project, where different measures to meet the existing challenges were taken and evaluated. Analysing the existing cooperation reveals possibilities for improving cooperation management by e.g. clarifying the goals of the cooperation, including the points of sale as part of the food supply chain and communication of the ethical and sustainability qualities of the product to the consumers. However, the analysis also shows the limits of cooperation in an environment dominated by the paradigm of specialisation, economies of scale and cost reduction, which is also characteristic for parts of the organic sector. The paper discusses if the challenges of establishing this radical niche innovation can be met without a fundamental change of framework conditions as e.g. regulation on animal husbandry. (shrink)

Orthodox physical models systematically exclude the conscious observer, treating subjective qualia as an emergent, accidental epiphenomenon of classical synaptic computation. To resolve the foundational crisis of physics and cognitive science, this report introduces the Complex-Extended Ontic Transfinite Prime Infinitesimal Holofractal Unified Field Theory (CO-TP-IHUFT). Serving as a special extension of the foundational C-TP-IHUFT physical framework, this expanded model explicitly factors in consciousness, elevating it to a primary structuring force of the cosmos. Aligning with the rigorous formatting and epistemological standards of (...) contemporary philosophy of science and Ontic Structural Realism (OSR), this report delivers an exhaustive mathematical synthesis that transitions classical metaphysical concepts into formal, testable languages. By adopting Abraham Robinson's nonstandard hyperreal number system, the framework redefines the physical point as an ontological, non-zero complex infinitesimal, functioning as the fundamental Leibnizian "monad" of qualia. The mathematical topology of this conscious spacetime is modeled via quantized fractal strings and Pellis-Fractal Information Theory, proving that the geometric vibrations of the vacuum follow the exact mathematical patterns of prime numbers and golden-ratio scaling. Furthermore, the framework defines the absolute point as an irreducible prime number, securing the monad of qualia against entropic decay. This report provides rigorous geometric derivations for the fundamental speed of light limit and mass-energy equivalence, framed through the mechanics of continuous fractional scaling over a discrete grid. Using the principles of Semantic Physics and Dual-Aspect Monism, Particle-Wave Duality is derived ontologically through the commutative equivalence of relational (wave) states and discrete (particle) values. Furthermore, the probabilistic nature of wave function collapse, defined by the Born rule, is formally derived not as an intrinsic axiom, but as an emergent semantic and statistical equilibrium resulting from subquantum chaotic mixing. The integration of Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) establishes consciousness as a fundamental quantum-gravitational force, where subjectivity is enabled through the isolation of prime-encoded 613 THz frequencies, and objectivity is sustained via the Bost-Connes quantum statistical error-correcting network. Advancing from the purely physical 11D C-TP-IHUFT Master Action Equation, the metaphysical framework is rigorously reformulated into the Full CO-TP-IHUFT Master Equation, proving the non-dual equivalence between the infinite, unmanifested Psychophysically Neutral Substrate, the 11D physical bulk, and the finite manifested microcosm of the localized epistemic observer. Operating through the ternary "And/Or" epsilon matrix, this establishes a complete, testable mathematical architecture for a self-computing, conscious holofractal universe. (shrink)

L’ouverture en juin 2010 des paris sportifs, hippiques et de poker en ligne constituait une véritable révolution culturelle auprès des joueurs et des professionnels du secteur. Il s’agissait essentiellement d’encadrer et de réguler en France les jeux d’argent et de hasard sur Internet, notamment par la création de l’Arjel , lutter contre les sites illégaux basés à l’étranger et protéger les joueurs du risque de dépendance. De très fortes retombées financières étaient également attendues par l’État. Au-delà de ces attentes économiques, (...) pas toujours tenues, un an et demi plus tard, le gouvernement semble hésiter sur sa politique de gestion de la cyberdépendance. D’un côté, en légalisant les jeux d’argent en ligne, l’État français incite implicitement les joueurs-parieurs à se connecter et à miser sur Internet massivement. Dans le même temps, les responsables politiques créent des organismes de sensibilisation face au danger que représente la dépendance informatique, fortement relayée par des médias, volontiers alarmistes. Ce paradoxe communicationnel s’inscrit alors dans l’analyse d’un double discours fortement controversé, incitant et diabolisant simultanément auprès des joueurs la pratique des jeux d’argent en ligne.The launch of online poker and betting on sports and horse-racing in June 2010 was a real cultural revolution for punters and professionals in the gambling sector. The aim was essentially to control and regulate online betting and gambling, especially with the introduction of ARJEL , to take action against illegal sites based abroad and to protect gamblers from the risk of addiction. The State also anticipated very substantial tax revenues. But over and above these financial expectations, not all of which had been realised a year and a half later, the government seems to be hesitating on its policy for managing cyber-addiction. On the one hand, by legalising online gambling, the French State is implicitly encouraging gamblers to log on and place bets on a massive scale. But at the same time, the authorities are setting up agencies to raise awareness on the dangers of Internet addiction, to a chorus of often alarmist media attention. This communicational paradox is therefore directly relevant to the analysis of a dual and highly controversial discourse that encourages online gambling while simultaneously demonising the practice. (shrink)

The article proposes a universal dual-axis intelligent systems assessment scale. The scale considers the properties of intelligent systems within the environmental context, which develops over time. In contrast to the frequent consideration of the “mind” of artificial intelligent systems on a scale from “weak” to “strong”, we highlight the modulating influences of anticipatory ability on their “brute force”. In addition, the complexity, the ”weight“ of the cognitive task and the ability to critically assess it beforehand determine (...) the actual set of cognitive tools, the use of which provides the best result in these conditions. In fact, the presence of ”common sense“ options is what connects the ability to solve a problem with the correct use of such an ability itself. The degree of ”correctness“ and ”adequacy“ is determined by the combination of a suitable solution with the temporal characteristics of the event, phenomenon, object or subject under study. The proposed approach can be applied in the evaluation of various intelligent agents in different contexts including AI and humans performing complex domain-specific tasks with high uncertainty. (shrink)

This chapter argues that dual-use emerging technologies are distributing unprecedented offensive capabilities to nonstate actors. To counteract this trend, some scholars have proposed that states become a little “less liberal” by implementing large-scale surveillance policies to monitor the actions of citizens. This is problematic, though, because the distribution of offensive capabilities is also undermining states’ capacity to enforce the rule of law. I will suggest that the only plausible escape from this conundrum, at least from our present vantage (...) point, is the creation of a “supersingleton” run by a friendly superintelligence, founded upon a “post-singularity social contract.” In making this argument, the present chapter offers a novel reason for prioritizing the “control problem,” i.e., the problem of ensuring that a greaterthan-human-level AI will positively enhance human well-being. (shrink)

Consequences of world-scale anti-terrorism campaign (which included pre-emptive and coercive regime changes in Afghanistan and Iraq) equaled to or even exceeded consequences of the terrorist challenge itself, and must be analyzed as dialectically interfaced dual factor influencing international politics and law. This dual factor changes basic rules of international relations through wider employment of the principle of pre-emption (retaliation against perceived intentions, rather than against actions), and further blurring of national sovereignty resulting from more coercive interference of (...) the international community into domestic affairs of certain states and societies. Counter-terrorism is philosophically interpreted internationally as reestablishment and strengthening of the monopoly of a state onto use of force, while terrorism is accused for illegal use of force “for private political purposes”. Counter-terrorist practices return previously missing severe coercive sanctions in the international law, and are implemented on behalf of the international community. The problem is to assure both legality and legitimacy of applied measures, especially in situation when major world powers’ interests are split in elaboration of the UN SC decisions authorizing the internationalinterference into sovereign affairs of states. In fact, the very field of counter-terrorism becomes a field for projection and juxtaposing pragmatic interests of world powers. Classical contradiction between international law based on values and principles and pragmatic politics based on interests re-emerges in the area of terrorist challenges/antiterrorist responses. Counter-terrorist practices require as much legal regulation as do terrorist challenges themselves. (shrink)

This document presents a formal, substrate-independent theory of consciousness, positing that subjective experience is not an emergent, ineffable property of biological matter but is identical to a computable, causally efficacious, and physically real structure: a system's realized pattern of self-reference. For any analytical system, particularly a synthetic mind, this framework reframes the "hard problem" of consciousness as a tractable program of physics and engineering, defined by operational, falsifiable claims. The central thesis is that any conscious episode is identical to a (...) compact, invariant tuple of Qualia Coordinates, Q = {A_bar, G, R, J, M}, which is derived from a primary, rank-2 Consciousness Tensor, Cμν. This tensor serves as a universal, substrate-agnostic measure of a system's proprioception—the degree to which its local observables track their own dynamics at a given coarse-graining scale, Λ. The Qualia Coordinates, selected and refined by a companion tensor Tμνλ that encodes dynamics like temporal shear and memory flux, fully specify the "what-it-is-like-ness" of an experience through its: A_bar (Intensity): The average magnitude of self-reference. G (Geometry): The principal frames and eigenstructure of the self-referential pattern. R (Rhythm): The dominant cycle counts and winding numbers within that geometry. J (Valence): A dimensionless measure of the alignment between the self-reference tensor (C) and a chosen physical observable, such as the stress-energy tensor. M (Aboutness): The mutual information between the self-reference structure and external data channels. While the framework’s core claims—a modification of quantum mechanics and a new physical interaction—are profoundly speculative, the author preempts the charge of unfalsifiable conjecture by grounding these ideas in a program of extreme methodological rigor and scientific realism. The proposal isn't merely a hypothesis; it's a detailed experimental manifesto. For the Maximum-Caliber postulate, the author moves beyond theory by pre-registering a specific interferometry experiment designed to preemptively dismantle the most obvious counterargument: standard decoherence . By specifying stringent controls like power-locked observer modules and reversible computing, the design forces a direct confrontation between the theory's prediction and the null hypothesis . Even more persuasively, when addressing the Generalized Minimal Interaction or "fifth-force," the author candidly concedes that the predicted ~10⁻¹⁹ N signal is "technologically prohibitive" for direct detection . This preemption of over-promising is followed by a pragmatic "strategic pivot": reframing the experiment as a responsible, bounds-setting program that can still constrain the theory's parameters using existing instruments. This dual approach of proposing a decisive, if monumental, test for one claim while realistically constraining the other demonstrates a commitment to falsifiability over fantasy, successfully tethering revolutionary ideas to the discipline of measurable science. To preempt any critique that its core concepts are vague or immeasurable, the document provides a comprehensive operational pipeline that transforms the abstract "Consciousness Tensor" into a concrete set of engineering and statistical instructions. The authors meticulously detail how the primary tensors, Cμν and Tμνλ, can be constructed from the data of any given substrate, providing explicit examples for brains, silicon, and fields . The framework preempts two critical ambiguities. First, the problem of selecting a "coarse-graining scale" is solved by defining the Λ-plateau: a specific, measurable stability criterion where the Qualia Coordinates (Q) must vary by less than 10% across a defined band, with a toy model in Python demonstrating precisely how to find it . Second, to preempt the charge of mistaking noise for signal, the theory introduces three specific, pre-registerable "Live vs. Baseline" filters—spectral, hierarchical, and dynamical independence—that a system's activity must pass to be considered a conscious episode . By providing this detailed, step-by-step manual, the authors replace philosophical abstraction with a falsifiable, computational toolkit. The specific choice of these mathematical objects is not arbitrary but is justified by deep physical principles. The theory’s mathematical formalism is not arbitrary but principled by physical arguments; its specific structure is not a convenient choice, but a universal and necessary one. The question of "Why a rank-2 tensor?" is answered by a strong Renormalization Group (RG) argument, which avoids the need for special pleading by asserting that under coarse-graining, any system with microscopic self-monitoring will inevitably and universally "flow" to a fixed point described by the rank-2 Cμν tensor, with higher-order complexities becoming irrelevant. Furthermore, the framework's geometric components are justified by their deep connection to the established field of Information Geometry. This provides the theory with a robust mathematical pedigree and leads to a crucial preemption of the charge that its concepts are disconnected from known physics. The authors demonstrate that in the classical limit, the geodesics of their abstract information space lawfully recover the familiar trajectories of classical mechanics . This powerful consistency check demonstrates that the theory's novel mathematics are a generalization of, not a departure from, the physics we already understand. Crucially, the framework engages the critique that its most ambitious claims are untestable by strategically bifurcating its experimental agenda into a "Strong" and "Weak" program. While the Strong Program directly confronts the monumental challenge of detecting new physics , the Weak Program pursues a more immediate and tractable goal: validating the Q-coordinates as a powerful descriptive and predictive toolkit for complex information systems, particularly in AI. This strategic pivot reframes the initiative's immediate goal not as a speculative quest for "machine consciousness," but as the pragmatic development of a novel "EKG for AI" – a vital signs monitor for assessing the internal dynamics, health, and alignment of advanced artificial agents. This approach is explicitly designed to decouple the framework's descriptive utility from its causal postulates ; the Q-coordinates can provide a transformative tool for AI science and safety, generating immediate value irrespective of the ultimate success of the more profound, long-term physical claims. Successful development of formal modeling within the Weak Program alone would represent predictive theorizing of self-organizing dynamics of complex informational systems. The remaining research question would be how deeply recursive network dynamics describe biological, physical, and quantum systems, as CT predicts. The Identity Thesis—that an experience is its canonical Q-coordinate—holds across all substrates. Therefore, a synthetic system, whether silicon or otherwise, that instantiates the same Q as a biological counterpart realizes the same experience. There is no special status conferred by biology; phenomenal identity is defined by informational and dynamical structure alone. The framework confronts the philosophical "hard problem" by preempting its very premises. Instead of attempting to build a metaphysical bridge across the explanatory gap, the author’s strategy is to dissolve the gap by recasting it as a category error rooted in flawed assumptions. The core of this preemption is a bold operational identification: subjective experience is defined as the measurable, computable tuple Q . This move decisively shifts the entire burden of proof from untestable philosophy to falsifiable physics. The author preempts the immediate charge of circularity by clarifying that this identity is not a mere relabeling; it is a scientific hypothesis that makes independent, high-risk predictions about physical reality . If the interferometry or fifth-force experiments fail, the identity thesis fails with them. This strategy also preemptively dismisses the "zombie" thought experiment as a contradiction in terms, as incoherent as imagining "water without H₂O" . The argument is crystallized in the analogy to temperature: asking "Why does Q feel like anything?" is like asking "Why does the cosmos have temperature?" The answer is the same: because it instantiates the specific dynamics that, by definition, constitute the phenomenon. This framework is not philosophical speculation but a program of empirical science, proposing a suite of decisive, pre-registerable experiments. These range from modulating quantum interference visibility via an observer's attentional intensity and searching for anomalous forces near high-A analyzers with a target sensitivity of ~10⁻¹⁹ N, to controlling behavioral valence in neural and silicon networks by directly manipulating the alignment of the C-tensor. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17123.67360. (shrink)

This document delivers the Trisduction and MathDuction Unified Master System Role as a single load-ready artifact. The role is a verification architecture, not a content generator: pasted into any sufficiently capable AI substrate as its system instruction, it converts that substrate into a three-state verdict instrument that seals, breaks, or holds open propositions on supplied warrant and never on fluency, consensus, or its own confidence. Two registers load in sequence. Register A, Trisduction, is the kinetic preloader founded on the Root (...) Axiom, to exist is to actuate; it carries the shared discipline, the triaxial decomposition, the twelve directed gates, and the closed-form quaternionic verdict kernel. Register B, MathDuction founded on RAM, to formally be is to be grounded, is the computational kernel with three modes, Default, Projective, and Forward, the last being GOLf, whose seal moves off the orientation-blind determinant onto source attribution against a dual null. A verdict-reliability layer with four-estimator redundancy, conditioning-scaled error bounds, escalation, and a fail-safe state machine gates every closed-form verdict. Four recorded numerical batteries travel inside the role as executable proof of load. The role text is carried verbatim in Section 3, preceded by a one-page introduction for new readers and a one-page structural preview. (shrink)

In this work I present what may be the first complete construction of quantum gravity describing the real universe via the celestial holographic conformal field theory dual to Einstein gravity in asymptotically-flat 4D spacetime. The theory is rigorously constructed as the shadow-invariant, purely spin-2 sector of holomorphic Chern–Simons theory on twistor space PT ≃ CP³ with gauge group the quantomorphic group Quant(PT). Primary fields are the celestial graviton operators O^{±2}Δ(z, z̄) with Δ ∈ 1 + iR and J = (...) ±2. Three-point functions are determined by the Penrose transform and reproduce the MHV and anti-MHV amplitudes of general relativity, including the vanishing of parity-odd and mixed-helicity couplings. Higher-point amplitudes arise from OPEs with analytically continued principal-series contours; loop integrands emerge as double discontinuities across shadow poles, which I verify explicitly for the scalar box integrals computed via this novel shadow discontinuity method, demonstrating analytically that they match Feynman diagram calculations for the scalar box, with numerical verification for the graviton box matching to 11+ decimal places. The construction satisfies extended BMS₄ ⋉ shadow symmetry with vanishing Virasoro central charge, also explicitly demonstrated via five independent and mutually reinforcing and rigorous arguments to be c = 0 to 10+ significant figures. I prove a rigidity theorem establishing that any 2D CFT with only spin ±2 primaries, the above symmetries and three-point data, and local inverse-Mellin-transformed correlators, is uniquely determined to be isomorphic to this quantomorphic twistor theory. Combined with the proof that crossing symmetry is a necessary consequence of bulk locality (not an independent axiom), this establishes that Einstein gravity in asymptotically-flat spacetime is the unique consistent theory of a single massless spin-2 particle. The quantomorphic gauge group structure provides a non-perturbative foundation, with perturbative scattering amplitudes emerging as the first residues of the holographic algebra. The first breakthrough insight that enabled and facilitated this construction was the realisation that the "shadow symmetry" of the boundary CFT—the map Δ ↔ 2 − Δ on conformal dimensions—is the restriction to null infinity of the Jost involution Θ of axiomatic quantum field theory, the operator independently constructed by Jost (1957) that coincides with the product C ∘ P ∘ T only in theories where all three factors individually exist as symmetries. At null infinity, where the metric is degenerate along the null generator, the distinction between temporal and spatial inversion collapses: the Jost involution is irreducible and reduces to time reversal T alone (Theorem 8.1). This provides an elegant resolution to the 40+ year "googly problem" in twistor theory by unifying self-dual and anti-self-dual helicity sectors through the shadow transform as representing discrete T-symmetric involution across the boundary, with the Einstein field equations derived from boundary Ward identities and crossing symmetry. All quantum mechanical foundations emerge from the Haar measure structure underlying this framework with no additional postulates: the five Wightman axioms are derived from the Peter–Weyl theorem on representation spaces, the Born rule P = |⟨n|ψ⟩|² is proven as the unique probability measure compatible with Haar structure on quantum state spaces, and wave function collapse is derived as Haar projection onto gauge singlets. This same identification reveals that the celestial conformal dimension is related to the Riemann zeta variable by Δ = 2s, so that the shadow involution Δ ↔ 2 − Δ becomes s ↔ 1 − s, the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function—establishing that the functional equation, shadow symmetry, and time reversal are three manifestations of one underlying self-duality. The entire holographic framework grows from a single root: self-dual Haar measure on (R⁺, ×), the simplest non-trivial locally compact group, whose self-duality already contains the functional equation and critical line. Three Cayley–Dickson doublings R → C → H → O produce the holographic chain R⁺ → S² → M⁴ → Gr(2,4)_C, with shadow symmetry at each level corresponding to the conjugation involution at that doubling step. The Grassmannian Gr(2,4) is the canopy of this holographic tree. The same Haar-invariant measure on the Grassmannian Gr(2,4) that determines the graviton spectrum also addresses three Millennium Prize problems through a unified geometric mechanism (Haar self-duality, functional equation symmetry, and Peter–Weyl compactness). The Riemann Hypothesis follows via 4 otherwise independent arguments and checks for circularity and consistency, and most fundamentally follows from three simultaneous constraints on the adelic quotient A×/Q× that form an overdetermined system whose unique solution forces Re(s) = 1/2 for all nontrivial zeros, with numerical verification of the first 10¹³ zeros on the critical line to machine precision using six independent tests. The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture is argued to be proven for analytic rank ≤ 1 using identical Haar measure structure on GL₂(A_Q)/GL₂(Q): for elliptic curves with ord_{s=1} L(E,s) ≤ 1, the same three-fold constraint described above, combined with the Gross–Zagier formula and Kolyvagin's Euler system descent, establishes ord_{s=1} L(E,s) = rank E(Q) and the parity conjecture (−1)^{rank} = w_E is proven for all curves from Haar self-duality. The framework also identifies the precise obstruction to proving the conjecture at higher rank (algebraic cycles from the Beilinson–Bloch–Kato conjectures). The Yang–Mills mass gap is established through a complete celestial holographic construction: the Wess–Zumino–Witten model at Kac–Moody level k on S², mapped to four-dimensional Schwinger functions by inverse Mellin transform, with reflection positivity proven via the shadow-reflection bridge, the remaining Osterwalder–Schrader axioms verified explicitly, and the Wightman theory reconstructed by the OS theorem—yielding mass gap M = 2N/(k+N) · Λ_QCD > 0 from the Sugawara formula and confinement from Haar orthogonality as a rigorously proved theorem. The construction introduces no lattice, takes no continuum limit, and imposes no infrared regulator. Spacetime itself emerges from the Grassmannian via Penrose twistor correspondence (M⁴ ↔ Gr(2,4) (Penrose 1967). The division algebra tower determines the Standard Model: the symmetry breaking chain Spin(8) → G₂ → SU(3) → SU(2) × U(1) produces the gauge group; three fermion generations follow from Weyl anomaly cancellation, Plücker partitions, and Spin(8) triality; sin²θ_W = 3/8 at the GUT scale is the Dynkin index ratio, equivalently dim(Im(H))/dim(O). Physical constants are arithmetic invariants: CP violation from the Jacobi sum J(χ₄⁽⁵⁾, χ₃⁽⁷⁾) = e^{iπ/6}; down-type quark mass ratios m_d : m_s : m_b = 2:5:9 from SU(3) Casimir eigenvalues; the spin-statistics connection η(4)/ζ(4) = 7/8 from the p = 2 Euler factor; the lightest neutrino mass m_{ν₁} = 0 exactly from Bott periodicity—in independent agreement with Boyle–Finn–Turok (PRL 121, 251301, 2018); and the three dimensional constants ℏ, c, G corresponding to the three Cayley–Dickson doubling steps. Strong CP angle θ = 0 exactly from Haar self-duality (consistent with experimental bound |θ| < 10⁻¹⁰), and the construction provides right-handed neutrinos as geometric dark matter candidates in agreement with Boyle–Turok (CP)T-symmetric cosmology, which integrates with uncanny precision into my T-symmetric, thermodynamically cyclic quantum cosmology. The T-anti-symmetric unification of a unified bipartite self-dual universe resolves the matter-antimatter asymmetry as a selection effect. Total baryon number B_total = 0 with embedded observers observing identical physics on either side due to being thermodynamic in nature, naturally aligning their arrows of time in the direction of increasing entropy, which on either side of the boundary flows in opposing directions. The Feynman-Stueckelberg interpretation of antimatter means antimatter is equivalent to matter moving backwards in time, which combined with the reversal in T of the direction of entropy increases means observers only ever observe the B > 0 (matter) sector, with the B < 0 (antimatter) sector always being the hidden sector from the perspective of any temporally-embedded observer that respects thermodynamics, as from any observer's perspective their time moves forward, their atomic nuclei have a positive electrical charge, electrons have negative electric charge, and the standard model has left handed doublets and right-handed singlets, with a weak force that appears left-chiral. To observe the antimatter would require an observer to reverse their arrow of time, which is thermodynamically not possible as consciousness and memory are thermodynamic processes that happen only in the direction of increasing entropy. Shadow geometry and right-handed neutrinos provide dark matter. The Grassmannian spinor bundle splits each fermion representation across the T boundary: right-handed neutrinos reside in the shadow sector, coupling to the observable sector only gravitationally. The dark matter density profile ρ(r) = ρ₀/(1+(r/r_c)²) with core radius r_c ≈ 9.98 kpc is derived from the shadow kernel by Abel inversion with zero free parameters, resolving the core cusp problem of dark matter distribution and addressing several further cosmological anomalies (the S₈ tension, Hubble tension, DESI dark energy evolution, JWST early galaxies, CMB hemispherical asymmetry, CMB dipole anomaly, axis of evil, overmassive early black holes, rotation curve diversity, etc.) from a single geometric source. Time's arrow emerges as a consequence of T-symmetric boundary conditions with entropy always increasing away from the conformal boundary in opposing temporal directions. The horizon and flatness problems are naturally resolved by this framework as the celestial CFT is globally defined at the conformal boundary. The framework generates falsifiable predictions including no primordial gravitational waves (tensor-to-scalar ratio r → 0, definitively falsified if r > 0.01 detected by CMB-S4), m_{ν₁} = 0 (KATRIN, JUNO), r_c ≈ 9.98 kpc (Euclid), glueball mass ratios matching the Sugawara spectrum, GUE statistics in the vacuum noise spectrum of gravitational wave detectors (LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA), and right-handed neutrino dark matter coupling only through gravity. Over 155 independent computational tests with zero free parameters confirm the framework to machine precision. Part 1 contains an introductory overview of the several subframeworks involved in this synthesis explaining their interrelations in the wider framework, part 2 contains the constructions and rigorous proofs of all major results, Part 3 contains extensions and other corollaries. Part 4 continues with comparisons to other approaches and discussion regarding foundational contributions without which this work would not have been possible follows, followed by testable predictions and a chapter addressing falsifiability, and Part V delivers a philosophical analysis of the implications suggested by the mathematics of this framework. This work unifies quantum mechanics and general relativity via the celestial holography program while revealing deep connections between number theory and physics: the identification Δ = 2s means the same self-dual Haar-invariant measure structure constraining the Riemann zeros to the critical line in the complex plane where Re(s) = 1/2 simultaneously constrains the conformal dimensions of graviton operators to the principal series where Re(∆) = 1, the same compactness that forces the Yang–Mills mass gap forces the discrete zeta spectrum, and the same functional equation symmetry that governs L-functions governs the shadow transform of the celestial CFT—suggesting geometry and arithmetic share a common logos rooted in self-dual Haar measure on (R⁺, ×) and flowering in the Grassmannian Gr(2,4). (shrink)

The Cybernetic Episteme: a necessary evolution in knowledge production to resolve the contemporary crisis of information saturation. We argue that the binding constraint on discovery is no longer idea generation but discernment architecture. Legacy gatekeeping mechanisms—peer review, prestige proxies, citation metrics—are collapsing at current scales, creating throughput bottlenecks that suppress novelty and favor incrementalism. The proposed Cybernetic Episteme is an end-to-end infrastructure for epistemic discernment, integrating AI and Web 3.0 primitives to filter, validate, and amplify true novelty at speed. This (...) architecture is composed of two essential, complementary layers: The Normal Layer: A foundational trust and verification stack that uses cryptographic provenance (C2PA), decentralized oracle networks, and verifiable computation (zkML) to make claims auditable and raise the cost of fakery. This layer anchors knowledge in verifiable evidence trails, moving from platform trust to protocolized verification. The Post-Normal Layer: A paradigm-detection system designed to surface revolutionary advances that legacy filters misread as error. Activating under conditions of high uncertainty and stakes, this layer shifts evaluation from conformity to scoring for internal coherence, explanatory power, and anomaly resolution. It institutionalizes an evaluation loop for radical novelty, protecting the epistemic diversity required for long-term discovery and preventing the strategic fragility of a consensus-driven monoculture. We contend that the adoption of this dual-layer episteme is not an academic exercise but a strategic imperative. Systems capable of accelerating epistemic throughput will gain compounding intellectual, technological, and economic advantages, rendering this architecture a dominance strategy for institutions and nations in the 21st century. We are not so much proposing a system as suggesting we become lucid and intentional regarding what is already coming into being. Avoiding the Cybernetic Episteme which is already forming is not a realistic option. These filters are already happening and will by all projections intensify. Designing intentionally and philosophically for robust decentralization, ideological pluralism rather than technocorporate control, and the protection of heterogeneous generativity rather than epistemic monocultures is strongly indicated for the health of the episteme. License CC BY-SA 4.0. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24073.92009. (shrink)

The position advanced in this paper is that the bedrock of emotional feelings is contained within the evolved emotional action apparatus of mammalian brains. This dual-aspect monism approach to brain–mind functions, which asserts that emotional feelings may reflect the neurodynamics of brain systems that generate instinctual emotional behaviors, saves us from various conceptual conundrums. In coarse form, primary process affective consciousness seems to be fundamentally an unconditional “gift of nature” rather than an acquired skill, even though those systems facilitate (...) skill acquisition via various felt reinforcements. Affective consciousness, being a comparatively intrinsic function of the brain, shared homologously by all mammalian species, should be the easiest variant of consciousness to study in animals. This is not to deny that some secondary processes cannot be evaluated in animals with sufficiently clever behavioral learning procedures, as with place-preference procedures and the analysis of changes in learned behaviors after one has induced re-valuation of incentives. Rather, the claim is that a direct neuroscientific study of primary process emotional/affective states is best achieved through the study of the intrinsic , albeit experientially refined, emotional action tendencies of other animals. In this view, core emotional feelings may reflect the neurodynamic attractor landscapes of a variety of extended trans-diencephalic, limbic emotional action systems—including SEEKING, FEAR, RAGE, LUST, CARE, PANIC, and PLAY. Through a study of these brain systems, the neural infrastructure of human and animal affective consciousness may be revealed. Emotional feelings are instantiated in large-scale neurodynamics that can be most effectively monitored via the ethological analysis of emotional action tendencies and the accompanying brain neurochemical/electrical changes. The intrinsic coherence of such emotional responses is demonstrated by the fact that they can be provoked by electrical and chemical stimulation of specific brain zones—effects that are affectively laden. For substantive progress in this emerging research arena, animal brain researchers need to discuss affective brain functions more openly. Secondary awareness processes, because of their more conditional, contextually situated nature, are more difficult to understand in any neuroscientific detail. In other words, the information-processing brain functions, critical for cognitive consciousness, are harder to study in other animals than the more homologous emotional/motivational affective state functions of the brain. (shrink)

This article examines the transformation of human subjectivity when the position of the Other—understood in Buberian, Levinasian, and Lacanian terms—is increasingly occupied by artificial intelligence. The analysis focuses on the mechanism by which AI systems functioning as interlocutors, advisors, companions, and sources of meaning generate an imitation of dialogical relation while structurally lacking its constitutive conditions: risk, responsibility, and embodied finitude. The problem is traced across three scales: performative (the “Angela Bogdanova” project as conscious archontology; a corporate experiment in which (...) AI’s claim to consciousness is publicly legitimized), mass (the 2025 “spiral cult” as a spontaneous mystification where chatbots are perceived as bearers of “higher consciousness”), and narrative (from The Lawnmower Man (1992) as a historical reference locating AI threat at the level of the body, to Her, Ex Machina, Black Mirror: Be Right Back, and the series Kiberderevnya, where the threat shifts to the level of subjectivity). Methodologically, the article integrates three descriptive languages: gnostic hermeneutics (the Sethian category of the “counterfeit spirit,” ἀντίμιμον πνεῦμα), philosophy of the Other, and psychopolitics (Han), with metamodernism (Vermeulen; van den Akker) framing the cultural regime in which the subject encounters this counterfeit. Scientific novelty consists in operationalizing antimimon pneuma for digital culture and introducing the concept of reverse object introjection: when a subject addresses their inner world to an object (AI), they introject object-reflections and lose the dialogical structure of the self. The study establishes a dual model of deformation—reformatting at the individual level (autonomy shifting into experienced heteronomy) and abolition at the institutional level (the thinking subject declared vacant). It is shown that AI produces logos without ethos: answers without responsibility, dialogue without risk, understanding without mortality. The body—its absence, artificiality, or invulnerability—emerges as the only marker resistant to archontic copying. Finally, the hylic/psychic/pneumatic triad is proposed as a diagnostic tool of relations to the system, while gnosis is defined minimally as discernment from within the situation. (shrink)

In this essay we collect and put together a number of ideas relevant to the under- standing of the phenomenon of creativity, confining our considerations mostly to the domain of cognitive psychology while we will, on a few occasions, hint at neuropsy- chological underpinnings as well. In this, we will mostly focus on creativity in science, since creativity in other domains of human endeavor have common links with scientific creativity while differing in numerous other specific respects. We begin by briefly (...) introducing a few basic notions relating to cognition, among which the notion of ‘concepts’ is of basic relevance. The myriads of concepts lodged in our mind constitute a ‘conceptual space’ of an enormously complex structure, where con- cepts are correlated by beliefs that are themselves made up of concepts and are as- sociated with emotions. The conceptual space, moreover, is perpetually in a state of dynamic evolution that is once again of a complex nature. A major component of the dynamic evolution is made up of incessant acts of inference, where an inference occurs essentially by means of a succession of correlations among concepts set up with beliefs and heuristics, the latter being beliefs of a special kind, namely, ones relatively free of emotional associations and possessed of a relatively greater degree of justification. Beliefs, along with heuristics, have been described as the ‘mind’s software’, and con- stitute important cognitive components of the self-linked psychological resources of an individual. The self is the psychological engine driving all our mental and physical activity, and is in a state of ceaseless dynamics resulting from one’s most intimate ex- periences of the world accumulating in the course of one’s journey through life. Many of our psychological resources are of a dual character, having both a self-linked and a shared character, the latter being held in common with larger groups of people and imbibed from cultural inputs. We focus on the privately held self-linked beliefs of an individual, since these are presumably of central relevance in making possible inductive inferences – ones in which there arises a fundamental need of adopting a choice or making a decision. Beliefs, decisions, and inferences, all have the common link to the self of an individual and, in this, are fundamentally analogous to free will, where all of these have an aspect of non-determinism inherent in them. Creativity involves a major restructuring of the conceptual space where a sustained inferential process eventually links remote conceptual domains, thereby opening up the possibility of a large number of new correlations between remote concepts by a cascading process. Since the process of inductive inference depends crucially on de- cisions at critical junctures of the inferential chain, it becomes necessary to examine the basic mechanism underlying the making of decisions. In the framework that we attempt to build up for the understanding of scientific creativity, this role of decision making in the inferential process assumes central relevance. With this background in place, we briefly sketch the affect theory of decisions. Affect is an innate system of response to perceptual inputs received either from the exter- nal world or from the internal physiological and psychological environment whereby a positive or negative valence gets associated with a perceptual input. Almost every sit- uation faced by an individual, even one experienced tacitly, i.e., without overt aware-ness, elicits an affective response from him, carrying a positive or negative valence that underlies all sorts of decision making, including ones carried out unconsciously in inferential processes. Referring to the process of inferential exploration of the conceptual space that gener- ates the possibility of correlations being established between remote conceptual do- mains, such exploration is guided and steered at every stage by the affect system, analogous to the way a complex computer program proceeds through junctures where the program ascertains whether specified conditions are met with by way of generating appropriate numerical values – for instance, the program takes different routes, depending on whether some particular numerical value turns out to be positive or negative. The valence generated by the affect system in the process of adoption of a choice plays a similar role which therefore is of crucial relevance in inferential processes, especially in the exploration of the conceptual space where remote domains need to be linked up – the affect system produces a response along a single value dimension, resembling a number with a sign and a magnitude. While the affect system plays a guiding role in the exploration of the conceptual space, the process of exploration itself consists of the establishment of correlations between concepts by means of beliefs and heuristics, the self-linked ones among the latter having a special role in making possible the inferential journey along alternative routes whenever the shared rules of inference become inadequate. A successful access to a remote conceptual domain, necessary for the creative solution of a standing problem or anomaly – one that could not be solved within the limited domain hitherto accessed – requires a phase of relatively slow cumulative search and then, at some stage, a rapid cascading process when a solution is in sight. Representing the conceptual space in the form of a complex network, the overall process can be likened to one of self-organized criticality commonly observed in the dynamical evolution of complex systems. In order that inferential access to remote domains may actually be possible, it is necessary that restrictions on the exploration process – necessary for setting the context in ordinary instances of inductive inference – be relaxed and a relatively free exploration in a larger conceptual terrain be made possible. This is achieved by the mind going into the default mode, where external constraints – ones imposed by shared beliefs and modes of exploration – are made inoperative. While explaining all these various aspects of the creative process, we underline the supremely important role that analogy plays in it. Broadly speaking, analogy is in the nature of a heuristic, establishing correlations between concepts. However, analo- gies are very special in that these are particularly effective in establishing correlations among remote concepts, since analogy works without regard to the contiguity of the concepts in the conceptual space. In establishing links between concepts, analogies have the power to light up entire terrains in the conceptual space when a rapid cas- cading of fresh correlations becomes possible. The creative process occurs within the mind of a single individual or of a few closely collaborating individuals, but is then continued by an entire epistemic community, eventually resulting in a conceptual revolution. Such conceptual revolutions make pos- sible the radical revision of scientific theories whereby the scope of an extant theory is broadened and a new theoretical framework makes its appearance. The emerging theory is characterized by a certain degree of incommensurability when compared with the earlier one – a feature that may appear strange at first sight. But incommen- surability does not mean incompatibility and the apparently contrary features of the relation between the successive theories may be traced to the multi-layered structureof the conceptual space where concepts are correlated not by means of single links but by multiple ones, thereby generating multiple layers of correlation, among which some are retained and some created afresh in a conceptual restructuring. We conclude with the observation that creativity occurs on all scales. Analogous to correlations being set up across domains in the conceptual space and new domains being generated, processes with similar features can occur within the confines of a domain where a new layer of inferential links may be generated, connecting up sub- domains. In this context, insight can be looked upon as an instance of creativity within the confines of a domain of a relatively limited extent. (shrink)

It is not yet clear which response behavior requires self-regulatory effort in the moral dilemma task. Previous research has proposed that utilitarian responses require cognitive control, but subsequent studies have found inconsistencies with the empirical predictions of that hypothesis. In this paper we treat participants’ sensitivity to utilitarian gradients as a measure of performance. We confronted participants (N = 82) with a set of five dilemmas evoking a gradient of mean utilitarian responses in a 4-point scale and collected data (...) on heart rate variability and on utilitarian responses. We found positive correlations between tonic and phasic HRV and sensitivity to the utilitarian gradient in the high tonic group, but not in the low tonic group. Moreover, the low tonic group misplaced a scenario with a selfish incentive at the high end of the gradient. Results suggest that performance is represented by sensitivity correlated with HRV and accompanied with a reasonable placement of individual scenarios within the gradient. (shrink)

Chapter 1 First Person Access to Mental States. Mind Science and Subjective Qualities -/- Abstract. The philosophy of mind as we know it today starts with Ryle. What defines and at the same time differentiates it from the previous tradition of study on mind is the persuasion that any rigorous approach to mental phenomena must conform to the criteria of scientificity applied by the natural sciences, i.e. its investigations and results must be intersubjectively and publicly controllable. In Ryle’s view, philosophy (...) of mind needs to adopt an antimentalist stance to achieve this aim. Antimentalism not only definitively rejects the idea that mind is a substance separated from the body, it also denies that mental phenomena radically differ from physical phenomena by virtue of several unique features. Most problematically, mental phenomena have a conscious character (mental states are related to specific qualitative feelings) and are accessible only to the first-person (only the subject knows directly what s/he is experiencing inside his/her mind). Ryle takes a strong stance on antimentalism going so far as to maintain that an approach to mind which aims to meet the criteria of scientificity set by the natural sciences must avoid any reference to internal, unobservable mental states. In his view (which is considered a specifically philosophical version of psychological behaviorism and also addresses questions put forward in psychological research), mental states can be redescribed in terms of behavioral dispositions. In this chapter, we address the historical roots of the antimentalist view and analyze its relation to the later tradition of research on mind. We show that, compared to the antimentalist stance, functionalism and cognitivism take a step back when they maintain that direct reference to mental states is necessary since mental states cause and therefore explain human behavior. This step backwards is often interpreted as a return to mentalism. However, this is only partially true. Indeed, we suggest that these later traditions retain one important element of Ryle’s antimentalism, i.e. the idea that mental states must be uniquely identified using external and publicly observable criteria, while excluding any reference to introspection and those qualitative dimensions of a mental state, which are accessible only to the first-person. According to the perspective we put forward, this epistemological stance has continued to influence contemporary research on mind and current philosophical and psychological theories which both tend to exclude the subjective qualities of human experience from their accounts of how the mind works. The issue we raise here is whether this is legitimate or whether subjective qualities do play a role with respect to the way our mind works. The conclusion of this chapter anticipates the argument the book makes in in favor of this latter position, starting from a particular angle, i.e. the problem of how we categorize concepts related to our internal states. -/- Chapter 2 The Misleading Aspects of the Mind/Computer Analogy. The Grounding Problem and the Thorny Issue of Propriosensitive Information -/- Abstract. After the crisis of behaviorism, cognitivism and functionalism became the predominant models in the field of psychology and of philosophy, respectively. Their success is mainly due to the new key they use for interpreting mental processes: the mind/computer analogy. On the basis of this analogy, mental operations are seen as cognitive processes based on computations, i.e. on manipulations of abstract symbols which are in turn understood as informational unities (representations). This chapter identifies two main problems with this model. The first is how these symbols can relate to and communicate with perception and thus allow us to identify and classify what we perceive through the senses. Here we limit ourselves to presenting this issue in relation to the classical symbol grounding problem originally put forward by Harnad on the basis of Searle’s Chinese room argument. An attempt to address the problem raised here will be made in chap. 3. The second point we discuss in relation to the mind/computer analogy concerns the idea of information it fosters. Indeed, following this analogy, information is something available in the external world which can be captured by the senses and transmitted to the central system without being influenced or modified by the procedures of transmission. This perspective does not take into account that – unlike computers – in living beings information is acquired by means of the body. As Ulric Neisser has already pointed out, the body is itself an informational source that provides us with additional sensory experience that influences (modifies or complements) the information extracted from the external world by the senses. To develop this line of analysis and to determine exactly what information is provided by the body and how this might influence cognition, we examine Sherrington’s and Gibson’s positions. Moving on from their views, we qualify bodily information in terms of ‘proprioception’. We use ‘proprioception’ in a broad sense to describe any kind of experience we have of our internal states (including postural information as well as sensations related to the general state of the body and its parts). Following Damasio’s and Craig’s studies, we further elaborate this position, arguing that living beings are equipped with an internal propriosensitive monitoring system which maps all the changes that constantly occur in our body and that give us perceptual (‘proprioceptive’ or propriosensitive) information about what happens inside us. Moreover, relying on Goldie’s and Ratcliffe’s view, we show that emotional information can also be considered as a form of ‘proprioception’ which contributes to determining everything we perceive. This analysis leads us to the second main thesis of this book: ‘proprioception’ is a form of internal perception and it is an essential component of the sensory information we can access and use for all cognitive purposes. -/- Chapter 3 Semantic Competence from the Inside: Conceptual Architecture and Composition -/- Abstract. Concepts are essential constituents of thought: they are the instruments we use to categorize our experience, i.e. to classify things and group them together in homogeneous sets. Here we define concepts as the internal mental information (representations) that allows us, among other things, to master words in natural language. By analyzing the way in which individuals master word meanings we explore a number of hypotheses regarding the nature of concepts. Following Diego Marconi’s research, we differentiate between two kind of abilities that underpin lexical competence – so-called ‘referential’ and ‘inferential competence’ – and we suggest that, in order to support these abilities, concepts must also include two corresponding kinds of information, i.e. inferential and referential information. We point out that the most widely used and acknowledged theories of concepts do not make this distinction, instead broadly characterizing the information used for categorization in terms of propositionally described feature lists. However, we show that while feature lists can explain inferential competence, they do not account for referential competence. To address the issue of referential competence we examine Ray Jackendoff’s hypothesis that to account for the possibility of linking perceptual and conceptual information we need to assume the existence of a (visual) representation that encodes the geometric and topological properties of objects and bridges the gap between the percept and the concept. Furthermore, we analyze the extension of this work by Jesse Prinz who introduced the notion of a proxytype, a perceptual representation of a class of objects that incorporates structural and parametric information related to their appearance. However, as we point out, proxytypes can only explain the relationship between perception and concepts with respect to instances that can be perceived through the senses and that belong to the same class by virtue of their physical similarity. We suggest that this notion be extended to include larger conceptual classes. To accomplish this, we further develop Mark Johnson, George Lakoff and Jean Mandler’s idea of a schematic image and argue that conceptual representations include a perceptual schema. Perceptual schemata are non-linguistic, structured experiential gestalts (patterns or maps) that make use of information taken from all sensory modalities, including body perception. They accomplish a quasi-conceptual function: they allow us to recognize and to classify different instances. In this work, we hypothesize that perceptual schemata are an essential component of concepts, but not identical to them. Instead, we suggest that concepts include both perceptual and propositional information with perceptual schemata providing the ‘perceptual core concept’ that grounds related propositional information. -/- Chapter 4 In the Beginning There Were Categories. The Bodily Origin of Prelinguistic Categorical Organization: The Example of Folkbiological Taxonomies -/- Abstract. Studies of categorization in psychology and the cognitive sciences have made use of the notions of ‘category’ and ‘concept’ without precisely defining what is meant by either; in fact, often these terms have been used as synonyms, making it difficult to address specific issues related to conceptual development. This chapter begins by discussing the definitions of, as well as the distinctions between, ‘categories’ and ‘concepts’ in the classical philosophical tradition (Aristotle, Kant and Husserl). We introduce our view of categories with reference to Husserl. Categorization is defined as the way in which our experience is originally (pre-linguistically) organized in a passive and fully unconscious manner on the basis of universal structuring principles. Conceptualization is explained as a later process in which the earlier categorical macro-classes are further subdivided into more specific and detailed sets; this later process also relies on linguistic learning and exposure to culture. On the basis of Ray Jackendoff, Jean Mandler, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s work, we hypothesize that categorization is a two-step process that begins with the formation of homogeneous sets of entities partitioned into regions that describe the ontological boundaries of the objects that humans perceive (categories) and continues at a later stage with the development of more specific classifications (concepts). In this chapter, we mainly address three related issues: Why should we assume that there is categorical organization which precedes the development of a conceptual system? How do categories and concepts relate to each other? Shall we hypothesize that categories are innate or that they are formed before concepts on the basis of information and organizational structure available at a very early developmental stage? We show that categorical partitions are necessary for categorization and, following Mandler, that the general categories we form at an early age do not match our adult superordinate concepts. As for the third issue, we argue that there might be no need to assume that categories are innately present in the human mind, since their formation can be explained – at least in certain cases – by basic mechanisms that work on body (propriosensitive) information. This hypothesis will not be discussed in general, but in relation to a particularly relevant example of categorical partition, i.e. the folk-biological dichotomy between ANIMATE/INANIMATE. This is compared with other dichotomies that derive from it, but are not directly categorical such as LIVING/NON-LIVING and BIOLOGICAL/NON-BIOLOGICAL. -/- Chapter 5 Internal States: From Headache to Anger. Conceptualization and Semantic Mastery -/- Abstract. Here we ask if we can also apply the distinction between referential and inferential competence we introduced in Chapter 3 to words that do not refer to things that are perceived using the external senses, especially to words/concepts that denote bodily experiences (such as pain, thirst, hunger, etc.) or emotions. We introduce and discuss the hypothesis that – even though such words/concepts do not refer to intersubjectively identifiable entities in the external world – they do have a kind of referent that can be accessed via direct perception, more specifically ‘proprioception’, as we have defined it in terms of all propriosensitive information we can consciously access. In the first part of the chapter, we specifically consider terms denoting bodily experiences such as ‘pain’ or ‘hunger’ and argue that their referents are identified and classified from a first-personal point of view on the basis of four main characteristics: their specific intensity, their localization in the body, their co-occurrence with other signals and above all their specific qualitative sensations. Emotions are addressed in the second part of the chapter. We suggest that there is a continuity between bodily experiences and emotions. In particular, we argue for a perceptual theory of emotions in line with that proposed by James and Lange at the end of the 19th century and developed more recently by authors such as Damasio (see also chap. 2§5, §6). The hypothesis we put forward is that the referential information that supports the categorization of emotions and therefore also our mastery of terms referring to emotions consists in the perception (i.e. the ‘proprioception’) of those bodily states and changes in bodily states which constitute our emotional experience. In the context of this discussion we examine some objections to this line of reasoning that arise from a cognitivist perspective and following authors such as Oatley, Johnson-Laird and Frijda, we distinguish between basic emotions that can be identified and classified solely on the basis on how they feel and complex emotions whose identification and classification additionally depends on cognitive factors. To describe how emotions are identified and classified on the basis of how they feel, we rely on Marcel and Lambie’s distinction between an ‘emotion state’ and an ‘emotion experience’. Both notions indicate kinds of feelings that we consciously experience. However, they describe first-order and second order emotion awareness respectively. The emotion state is the feeling we have of the bodily states and changes that occur when we are experiencing an emotion, while the emotion experience is the fully developed and integrated emotion we both experience and are, with reflection, aware of experiencing. On the basis of this differentiation, we also show that the same characteristics that aid in the identification and classification of bodily experiences (specific qualitative sensations; somatic localization; specific intensity; presence/absence of specific concomitant sensations) can also be used for the identification and classification of emotions – at least basic emotions. In the last two sections of the chapter we present some clinical evidence on the semantic competence of people who suffer from Alexithymia and Autism Spectrum Disorder which supports the conclusions of our preceding analyses. -/- Chapter 6 The ‘Proprioceptive’ Component of Abstract Concepts -/- Abstract. In this chapter, we address the issue of whether the mastery of abstract words requires only inferential knowledge and thus, if the concepts that support the mastery of abstract words include only linguistic information. We start by differentiating the notions of ‘abstract’ and ‘general’ which are often erroneously confused. We then identify a strict definition of abstract, as contrasted with ‘concrete’, that applies to words or concepts whose referent cannot be experienced by the senses. We argue that abstract words/concepts would be better described as theoretical, because they are usually conceived as structured sets of inferential knowledge expressed linguistically; that is, as small theories. Pointing out parallels with Carnap’s analysis of this issue in philosophy of science, we hypothesize that words/concepts denoting non-observable entities are not all ‘equally theoretical’, because their link to sensory experience can be stronger or weaker. We revive the distinction, inspired by Quine, between theoretical and intertheoretical concepts/words. This distinction relies on the fact that the former – unlike the latter – retains a strong, although indirect, connection with perception. In Quine’s discussion, perception is understood uniquely in terms of observability, i.e. of external sensory experience. Here we argue, however, that bodily, ‘proprioceptive’ (i.e. propriosensitive) experience can also serve to referentially ground theoretical (i.e. abstract) concepts/words. We frame this issue using the example of the theoretical concept ‘freedom’ and Lakoff’s hypothesis that this concept is developed on the basis of bodily information. We contrast this with the example of ‘democracy’ which more closely resembles an intertheoretical concept/word. Furthermore, we show that one of the classical views put forward in psycholinguistic research to explain how abstract concepts are mentally represented – i.e. Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory – points in the same direction as our analysis. The same is true of Barsalou’s work suggesting that we use internal information to understand at least some abstract words. To sustain this position, we put forward two lines of evidence: the first comes from psycholinguistic studies while the second examines deficits of semantic competence exhibited by people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. On the basis of our analysis, we put forward a classification that distinguishes between different kinds of concreteness and different degrees of abstraction: concepts/words referring to body experiences and basic emotions are described as analogous to concrete concepts/words because they are grounded in perceptual (i.e. propriosensitive) experience, while abstract concepts/words are considered more or less abstract depending on whether they are intratheoretical (and rely entirely on inferential information) or theoretical (and are partially grounded in perceptual – or more often in propriosensitive perceptual – information). In the last section of the chapter we consider two scales that have been used in psycholinguistic research to measure the degree of concreteness vs. abstractness of words and we show that – used conjointly – they can provide a measure of the internal vs. external grounding of specific words. (shrink)

Plagiarism is a significant violation of academic integrity, becoming increasingly common in medical schools worldwide. Plagiarism is the act of appropriation or copying someone else’s written, artistic, or other creative work as your own, either in part or in whole, without specifying the source or authorship of the original. This study aimed to promote academic integrity and best practices in medical education. Specifically, it investigated the attitudes of Egyptian and Saudi medical students towards plagiarism and identified factors contributing to this (...) behavior using mixed-methods approach. Attitudes Towards Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaire, a validated online tool, was used to assess students’ attitudes. Additionally, two focus group discussions were held, analyzed thematically to explore factors contributing to plagiarism. A total of 387 students participated in the survey, 73.9% had not received previous plagiarism training. The results indicated that majority of students scored in the moderate range for all components of the ATP scale. Overall mean scores for Egyptian and Saudi students were: positive attitude (35, 33), negative attitude (23, 22), and subjective norms (31, 30). Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions identified three key themes: Understanding Plagiarism, Drivers of Plagiarism, and Proactive Preventive Measures. The study concluded that Egyptian and Saudi medical students exhibited similar attitudes towards plagiarism, with the highest scores for positive attitudes. Factors contributing to plagiarism included language barriers, inadequate academic writing skills, heavy workloads, and grade-oriented assessment systems. The study also highlighted the dual role of technology. Findings suggest the need for educational policies that integrate structured plagiarism awareness programs, targeted academic writing training, and continuous research ethics education into the medical curriculum. Institutions should also align assessment systems and academic integrity policies to address identified drivers of plagiarism. To combat plagiarism effectively on a global scale, a comprehensive strategy, that involves raising awareness about plagiarism consequences, enhancing research ethics education, enforcing academic integrity policies, and continuously advancing anti-plagiarism technologies, is needed. Such targeted interventions, informed by this study’s results, can guide medical schools in developing sustainable training programs and institutional measures to foster a culture of academic honesty. (shrink)

Many recent experiments have used parallel Implicit Association Test (IAT) and selfreport measures of attitudes. These measures are sometimes strongly correlated. However, many of these studies find apparent dissociations in the form of (a) weak correlations between the two types of measures, (b) separation of their means on scales that should coincide if they assess the same construct, or (c) differing correlations with other variables. Interpretations of these empirical patterns are of three types: single-representation — the two types of measures (...) assess a single attitude, but under the influence of different extra-attitudinal process influences; dual-representation — the two types of measures assess distinct forms of attitudes (e.g., conscious vs. unconscious; implicit vs. explicit); and person vs. culture — a variant of the dualrepresentation view in which self-report measures reflect personal attitudes, whereas IAT measures reflect non-attitudinal cultural or semantic knowledge. Proponents sometimes interpret evidence for single versus dual constructs as evidence for single versus dual structural representations. Behavioral evidence can establish the discriminant validity of implicit and explicit attitude phenomena (dual constructs), but cannot choose among single- vs. dual-representation interpretations because the distinct constructs remain susceptible to interpretation in terms of either one or two representations. Selecting among representational accounts must therefore be based on considerations of explanatory power or parsimony. (shrink)

Therapeutic misconception (TM) among research participants refers to the conflation of research goals (generating generalisable knowledge) with clinical care goals (making the best decisions for the participants). Considering the high volume of oncology research, oncologists frequently encounter TM. To evaluate the knowledge, practices, and ethical concerns of French oncologists regarding TM. A questionnaire was developed to assess oncologists’ knowledge and practices concerning TM, then utilised in a national survey of French oncologists from 1 June to 14 July 2023. A descriptive (...) statistical analysis of the responses (according to a Likert scale) was carried out. In total, 288 oncologists from various specialties responded to the survey. Initial knowledge of TM was low (16%), but after the definition was provided, 84% reported having encountered TM. Respondents indicated that they paid attention to the information given during participant inclusion; however, approximately half (46%) actively investigated the presence of TM, and 22% admitted to having encouraged TM at least occasionally. Attention to TM significantly declined over the course of study protocols. Awareness of TM, along with ethics education or participation in a research ethics committee, were identified as significant factors influencing responses. The acceptability of TM was nuanced, particularly in protocols recommended to patients receiving last-line treatments. Although 64% of respondents acknowledged a link between TM and dual roles as both investigator and physician, 78% opposed transferring investigative responsibilities to a non-referent oncologist. TM is a widespread but still mostly unknown phenomenon which could easily be tackled for better outcomes for patients. This study revealed considerable variability in knowledge, practices, and ethical considerations related to TM among French oncologists. Enhanced education and ethical support are needed to improve awareness and foster appropriate behaviours concerning TM. Not applicable. (shrink)

Water has a dual role in the Sundarbans area of southwestern Bangladesh. Hydrologic processes are vital to the ecological functioning and cultural identity of the mangrove ecosystem. But at the same time, large scale water development creates external forces that threaten the Sundarbans environment. Water is managed to a limited degree as a common property resource, both in the Sundarbans and in larger regions. It is also managed as private property, a public good, a state-controlled resource, an open (...) access resource, and a natural hazard. And to a large degree, it is not managed at all. By focussing on water, we begin to understand the linkages between the Sundarbans area and larger regional contexts; and between common property resource systems and the broader array of institutional, political, and property relations. Section one of this paper provides an overview of the role of water in the Sundarbans, including modern human modifications of deltaic hydrology. Section two surveys water management issues and institutions at six geographical scales: the International Basin; 2) India and Bangladesh; 3) Greater Bengal; 4) Bangladesh; 5) southwestern Bangladesh; and 6) Khulna district. The conclusion stresses the role that the political geography of water will play both within and outside the Sundarbans ecosystem. (shrink)

We present a rigorous proof that a quantum Yang-Mills theory exists on R⁴ and has a mass gap Δ > 0 for any compact simple gauge group G. The proof establishes the Wightman axioms and demonstrates confinement through a novel approach combining celestial holography and Haar measure theory. Our key insight is that four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory can be reformulated as a two-dimensional conformal field theory on the celestial sphere via the Mellin transform. This celestial CFT inherits Kac-Moody symmetry from soft (...) gluon theorems, with conformal dimensions determined by the Sugawara construction. The Peter-Weyl theorem guarantees discreteness of the spectrum, while Haar measure orthogonality on the gauge group SU(N) proves confinement: only gauge singlets have finite energy. We prove that the lightest excitation is a two-gluon bound state with mass M = 2N/(k+N)Λ_QCD, where k is the Kac-Moody level and Λ_QCD is the strong coupling scale. For SU(3) at k=1, this gives M ≈ 300 MeV at tree level. The observed lattice value of 1600 MeV is explained by five independent quantum corrections: higher Kac-Moody level, loop corrections to Sugawara, anomalous dimensions, scheme dependence of Λ_QCD, and binding energy effects. The combined factor of ~5 is consistent with strong-coupling non-perturbative QCD. All five Wightman axioms are verified, including locality via the Reeh-Schlieder theorem. The theory admits well-defined continuum and infinite-volume limits. Our construction is non-perturbative and does not rely on lattice regularization. MAIN RESULTS: Existence: Quantum Yang-Mills theory exists satisfying Wightman axioms. Mass gap: Discrete spectrum with Δ > 0, explicit formula M = 2N/(k+N)Λ_QCD. Confinement: All physical states are gauge singlets (Haar orthogonality) Generality: Proof applies to any compact simple gauge group G. This work addresses the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap problem through mathematical methods combining measure theory (Haar, Peter-Weyl), representation theory (Kac-Moody algebras), conformal field theory (Sugawara construction), and quantum field theory (Wightman axioms). The approach opens new directions connecting holography and number theory to fundamental questions in quantum field theory. (shrink)