We consider VC-minimal theories admitting unpackable generating families, and show that in such theories, forking of formulae over a model M is equivalent to containment in global types definable over M, generalizing a result of Dolich on o-minimal theories in [4].

This preprint introduces Quantum Pragmatism (QP), a novel framework for unifying fundamental physics. Rooted in Charles Peirce's pragmatist philosophy, QP proposes that reality emerges from a dynamic "modal bundle," grounding physical emergence in a triadic process of possibility, actualization, and habituation. The theory posits that a modal connection, governing spacetime (base manifold) and Hilbert-space fibers (structured possibilities), underlies the emergence of both the Standard Model and General Relativity. The concept of "habit-fractures" (ϵ) is central to explaining quantum non-linearity, mass generation, (...) and the quantum-classical transition. The paper outlines QP's foundational structure, postulates, and mechanisms for unifying forces and explaining quantum/cosmological phenomena. It also discusses testable predictions, including bounds from multi-slit interference (ϵ 1,kHz). Updated version (v2.0 – July 7th, 2025): Includes an expanded modal realism discussion and a more explicit engagement with the measurement problem, references to Collected Papers Vols. 1 and 6, and refined section formatting with minor editorial improvements. Concludes with a clarifying Peirce quote on the contingency of law (CP 1.409). (shrink)

It is not a summary of philosophical problems, which the beginner cannot digest and which may engender in him a spirit of skepticism. For a like reason Cotter does not give an outline of the history of philosophy with the same problems arranged by periods. Instead, he confined himself to a few important data on the principal philosophers of past ages, and the author tried to sketch the intellectual equipment with which the student is supposed to begin philosophy.

A central element of Richard Peters’ philosophy of education has been his analysis of ‘education as initiation’. Understanding initiation is internally related to concepts of community and what it may mean to be a member. The concept of initiation assumes a mutually interdependent, dynamic relationship between the individual and community that claims to be justified on cognitive, moral and practical grounds. Although Peters’ analysis is embedded in a different discourse, his insights are relevant to current discourse on the individual in (...) community. A fruitful conversation can be developed between Peters’ account of the learner’s ‘initiation’ into ‘bodies of knowledge and awareness’ and Alasdair MacIntyre’s concept of ‘practices’; and how both assume a notion of ‘tradition’ within partly overlapping accounts of ‘community’. Secondly, I will consider how ‘initiation’ touches the concept of ‘social justice as membership’ developed by current philosophers, Michael Sandel and Michael Walzer, and what import Peters’ analysis has for different degrees of active and passive membership and participation. Thirdly, I will consider Charles Taylor’s ‘social imaginary’ as a contextual framework for processes surrounding ‘education as initiation’. This article does not argue that Peters’ concept of initiation cannot be contested at some points but rather that it can inform, and be informed by, the conversation with those who contend that community is itself a good essential for human flourishing. (shrink)

For over a decade the EU has experienced a rule of law crisis characterised by, _inter alia_, attacks on judicial independence at national level by some Member State governments. This crisis represents an existential one for the EU owing to the Union’s functioning as a multi-level, intertwined legal order being dependent on respect for the rule of law at national level. This article asks whether impeachment, as an accountability mechanism focussed on members of the European Commission (the institution tasked with (...) ensuring compliance with the EU Treaties), could be used to assist in upholding values including the rule of law, where these have been breached at supranational level, whether by acts of commission or omission, i.e., failing to respond adequately to rule-of-law breaches at national level. After briefly describing the EU’s rule of law crisis, the article identifies gaps in EU accountability as it pertains to breaches of EU values at supranational level, whether done by acts or omissions. Thereafter, the article considers how EU impeachment is conceptualised and whether it could be operationalised against individual members of the European Commission who commit breaches of EU values. The article concludes that EU impeachment is conceptualised as a blunt single-sided sword, designed to address criminal or corrupt individual officeholder conduct rather than policy actions/inactions or other behaviours that might harm or threaten EU values. (shrink)

In a late 1960s interview Sidney Hook reflected on the host of antagonists and detractors he had acquired over the years and observed that what united them all was either a will to misunderstand or a persistent incapacity to understand him. He acknowledged that, over time, this tendency impacted the expression of his ideas, seeing as though they seemed to be ignoring his ideas and the actual texts of his voluminous works. As a result, he grew increasingly concerned with covering (...) his flanks against critics as he navigated the vast terrain that was the 20th Century American intellectual and political landscape.1While Hook did not name names, his antagonists and detractors are the subject of the political scientist... Read More. (shrink)

In his essay, “Making Music Together,” Schutz provided insight into the social interactions between all participants in the musical process, including composer, performers, and listeners. The key concept in Schutz’s essay is the “mutual tuning-in relationship,” which encompasses the relationship between I and Thou, to form a We Presence. Schutz examined the structure of the mutual tuning-in relationship, which he said, “originates in the possibility of living together simultaneously in specific dimensions of time”. During the mutual tuning-in process, members of (...) an ensemble merge into each other’s stream of consciousness. This paper is based on phenomenologically-influenced research conducted at the Cleveland Institute of Music in collaboration with the Cavani String Quartet. The members of the Cavani Quartet teach several specific rehearsal techniques to their students which enable formation of a We Presence. The paper summarizes Schutz’s structures of the mutual tuning-in process and provides illustrations from the research findings which deepen our understanding of the mutual tuning-in process. (shrink)

With the advent of iron-built ships in the early nineteenth century the problem of managing a magnetic compass on board presented considerable difficulty. Prominent among the early scientists who tackled the problem were George Biddell Airy and William Scoresby. Airy had provided a mechanical system, employing correctors in the form of steel magnets and wrought iron masses, by which the ship's magnetic field at the compass position is neutralized. He based his system on the concept that the magnetism acquired by (...) an iron ship during her construction remained with the ship throughout her life. Scoresby, on the other hand, thought differently. After having conducted a thorough and systematic series of experiments on iron plates and bars, he concluded that the magnetic character of an iron ship is liable to sudden and unexpected change. Scoresby argued, therefore, that Airy's system was defective and, indeed, dangerous. The aim of this paper is to discuss the two views which brought Airy and Scoresby into a conflict which is documented in a series of letters to the editor of The Athenaeum. (shrink)

Summary The publication in 1906 of Alexander Smith's Introduction to general inorganic chemistry inaugurated a decisive change in chemical pedagogy in the US, the effects of which are still evident. The nature and extent of Smith's innovations are described through a comparison of his text to its source material and contemporaries. His authoritative command of and whole-hearted commitment to the intellectual framework of Ionist physical chemistry set his text apart from its American competitors, while his efforts to make the tools (...) of physical chemistry immediately useful to his readers distinguished it from its most immediate source material, Wilhelm Ostwald's Grundlinien der anorganischen Chemie. Smith's curricular innovations in chemistry were a practical expression of his radically restrictive view of the social role of collegiate education, which he conceived as solely of use for its ability to prepare students for professional life. During the fifteen years prior to the publication of his groundbreaking textbook, Smith underwent two critical, formative experiences. First, he retreated intellectually from the structural organic chemistry in which he was trained, ultimately adopting a professional identity as a physical inorganic chemist. His involvement in the controversy regarding the structure of 1,3-diketones reveals much about his reasons for eventually abandoning organic chemistry. Second, he served the National Education Association as chairman of the Sub-committee on College Entrance Requirements in Chemistry, in the process making a close study of the ends and methods of secondary and collegiate education. These experiences made him unique among proponents of physical chemistry in the US, and help account for the unique nature of his contributions to the development of the chemical professions. (shrink)

This book shines a spotlight on two missing foci of authentic leadership research: international and follower perspectives. The concept of ‘authenticity’ has been in vogue since the times of Greek philosophy, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that leadership scholars seriously began to study the topic of authentic leadership. This new collection brings together empirical research and theoretical contributions to provide insights into the follower perspectives of authentic leadership around the world. Covering topics such as leader self-awareness, gender, psychological capital, (...) embodied leadership and followership, and unethical conduct, the book features a Foreword written by William L. Gardner, one of the original scholars on authentic leadership. (shrink)

George Biddell Airy invented the first successful mechanical system of compass correction in 1838, at a time when iron ship-building, especially for steam-driven vessels, had become firmly established. One serious drawback to iron ships was the difficulty in the management of the magnetic compass on board due to the magnetic condition of the ship. The introduction to this paper, which outlines the early history of ship magnetism, is followed by a brief account of Airy's mechanical system. The main purpose of (...) the paper, however, is to comment on the detailed correspondence relating to the adjustment of the compass, by the Astronomer Royal himself, of the first iron sailing vessel, the Ironside, in November 1838; and to consider the degree of success, at least for the Ironside, of the new plan which was readily adopted for ships of the Mercantile Marine. (shrink)

Whether understood in a narrow sense as the popular works of a small number of authors, or as a larger more diffuse movement, twenty-first century scholars, journalists, and activists from all ‘sides’ in the atheism versus theism debate, have noted the emergence of a particular form of atheism frequently dubbed ‘New Atheism’. The present collection has been brought together to provide a scholarly yet accessible consideration of the place and impact of ‘New Atheism’ in the contemporary world. Combining traditional and (...) innovative approaches, chapters draw on the insights of philosophers, religious studies scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, and literary critics to provide never-before-seen insights into the relationship between ‘New Atheism’, science, gender, sexuality, space, philosophy, fiction and much more. With contributions from Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom, the volume also presents diversity in regard to religious/irreligious commitment, with contributions from atheists, theists and more agnostic orientations. New Atheism: Critical Perspectives and Contemporary Debates features an up-to-date overview of current research on ‘New Atheism’, a Foreword from Stephen Bullivant, and eleven new chapters with extensive bibliographies that will be important to both a general audience and to those conducting research in this area. It provides a much-needed fresh look at a contentious phenomenon, and will hopefully encourage the cooperation and dialogue which has predominantly been lacking in relevant contemporary debates. (shrink)

Goffredo Coppola, the Italian editor of this papyrus, supposed that τὸν ὄρχιν = τοὺς ὄρχεις; but he was puzzled when no likely erotic word seemed available to finish the line. He suggested φαλ[ῆς, from φαλός = λευκός to be followed by some metaphorical word for penis such as κέρκου. Romagnoli noted that it made no sense to have the testicle dependent on the penis, and argued that Hipponax here intended ὄρχις to refer metaphorically to the glans penis; therefore, he emended (...) to καί μοι τὸν ὄρχιν τῆς φαλ[ῆς ἐκλέψασα ; but his feminine form τῆς φαλ[ῆς is unlikely given the masculine form τοῦ φάλεω in Hipponax fr. 21 W. Medeiros suggested ὄρχις, sing. = ὄσχη ‘scrotum’; West actually exalted the role of the testicle by emending to τῆς φαλ[άκρης ἕλκουσα ‘pulling my testicle by the bald spot’; but it is not obvious why hitting the testicles merits such attention in a narrative fixed on the failure to attain an erection. (shrink)

Patents play an important role in inducing the investment needed to transform basic discoveries into the practical innovations that contribute to long-term economic growth. But patents also can generate a variety of social costs which, if unchecked, can unnecessarily impede competition, inhibit innovation, impair the integrity of the marketplace, and reduce overall social welfare. This book provides a comprehensive overview of how the leading jurisdictions for patent litigation employ different bodies of law and legal doctrines (including antitrust and unfair competition (...) law, as well as other generally applicable legal principles) to regulate “wrongful patent assertion”: the actual or threatened enforcement of patent rights that harms or threatens to harm a cognizable interest, without sufficient justification. Among the topics discussed are what it means (or should mean) to “enforce” a patent; whether actual or threatened enforcement should be a necessary condition for imposing adverse consequences on the patent owner; what sort of harms should matter in assessing liability; and what it means, or should mean, to say that an assertion is “without justification.” In this regard, the book evaluates a range of claims, defenses, and other doctrines in accordance with which an assertion of rights is deemed to merit the imposition of consequences, in whole or in part because the patent is adjudicated invalid or not infringed ex post, or the assertion enables the owner to extract benefits beyond the patent’s probable ex ante scope; or alternatively, for some reason independent of the patent’s actual or probable validity or infringement. (shrink)

The prevalence of psychosocial distress is increasing in the United States. At the same time, the American default lifestyle has steadily displaced household food production with industrial food production, despite increased cultural interest in cooking. An important focus of cooking research to date has been on cooking’s association with nutrition and dietary quality. Less focus has been placed on how cooking might foster the qualities that allow for mitigation of psychosocial distress and promote well-being. Rooted in its evolutionary role in (...) the human experience, cooking requires skills and knowledge that have the capacity to encourage aspects of well-being as described by Seligman as flourishing. Evidence for a beneficial role of cooking in psychosocial health exists, but the exploration is limited, potentially due to lack of a theoretical context to explain these benefits. From this perspective, we review the current literature showing the application of Seligman’s prominent well-being model, Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA), to cooking, defined as the activity related to the preparation of food or a meal. We propose that the PERMA model as applied to cooking may function as a theoretical framework to explore psychosocial outcomes associated with cooking. Broader application of this approach may also help to further the application of positive psychology in the developing literature around psychosocial health and nutrition-related chronic diseases. (shrink)

Arthur Ashe's public admission to being a victim of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) once again raises the question of media exposure of private facts. This study compares journalist and public responses to questions about how far the media should go, finding differences between the two groups, as the public is more tolerant of information bearing on official duties.

Through a close analysis of various moments within two hours of video-taped interaction, we investigate properties of the setting that the participants cannot ignore even as they transform them in various ways. These properties are not under local control. What is under control is revealed in the participants' “play” with the properties, including dangerous, “deep” play. In this process, some properties of the participants are rarely mentioned (e.g., that the laboring woman is an MD), others are repeatedly emphasized (e.g. the (...) strength of contractions). And others appear in ways that have not been dealt with adequately in current theoretical frameworks. To deal with life-threatening lies, and jokes about lies, we must move away from theories of hegemonic particularity that rely on a habitus. Rather we must acknowledge the practical understandings revealed in the collective submergence of that which may be actively noted as potentially relevant and then set aside so that other tasks can be foregrounded and achieved. (shrink)

Descartes says that the Meditations contains the foundations of his physics. But how does the work advance his geometrical view of the corporeal world? His argument for this view of matter is often taken to be concluded with the proof of the existence of bodies in the Sixth Meditation. This paper focuses on the work that follows the proof, where Descartes pursues the question of what we should think about qualities such as light, sound and pain, as well as the (...) size and shape of particular bodies. His inquiry makes crucial use of the notion of a teaching of nature originating from God, as contrasted with an apparent teaching of nature originating from habit. I attempt to reconstruct Descartes's use of these notions in order to clarify the way in which he makes space for his geometrical conception of the corporeal world. (shrink)

This chapter addresses the possibility of wrongful assertion claims, the success of which depends (in some sense) on the ex ante probability that the patent at issue is invalid or not infringed. The discussion focuses on “pay-for-delay” or “reverse payment” antitrust claims arising from the settlement of pharmaceutical patent litigation. The chapter endorses an approach, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in FTC v. Actavis, under which liability should hinge on whether the patentee and the accused infringer agreed to (...) delay generic entry for a longer period of time than was warranted by the ex ante probability of success on the merits, wherein such an agreement can be inferred if the reverse payment exceeded the patentee’s expected litigation costs. The chapter also briefly addresses whether probabilistic evidence should be relevant in U.S. anti-troll litigation, as well as a recent European Commission investigation into alleged abuse of divisional patent applications. (shrink)

In this incisive study Sarah Broadie gives an argued account of the main topics of Aristotle's ethics: eudaimonia, virtue, voluntary agency, practical reason, akrasia, pleasure, and the ethical status of theoria. She explores the sense of "eudaimonia," probes Aristotle's division of the soul and its virtues, and traces the ambiguities in "voluntary." Fresh light is shed on his comparison of practical wisdom with other kinds of knowledge, and a realistic account is developed of Aristototelian deliberation. The concept of pleasure (...) as value-judgment is expounded, and the problem of akrasia is argued to be less of a problem to Aristotle than to his modern interpreters. Showing that the theoretic ideal of Nicomachean Ethics X is in step with the earlier emphasis on practice, as well as with the doctrine of the Eudemian Ethics, this work makes a major contribution towards the understanding of Aristotle's ethics. (shrink)

Following on from chapter 1’s definition of “wrongful patent assertion” as an assertion that, inter alia¸ harms or threatens to harm a “cognizable interest,” this chapter takes up the question of what sorts of alleged harms, caused by an assertion of patent rights, should the law even potentially concern itself with? It proposes that, in the present context, potentially cognizable harms include harms to innovation brought about by an unduly broad assertion of the scope of patent rights; market distortion, which (...) is addressed primarily by antitrust law; harms to the integrity of the marketplace, which largely falls within the domain of unfair competition law; harms to the legal system, which may arise when litigants misuse legal process or violate their duties to the tribunal; and, more broadly, harms to social welfare from the use of patent rights to accumulate rents that exceed the patent’s contribution to the art. (shrink)