Since the 1990s, political theorists studied the impact of digital media on the public sphere. These debates extensively employ Arendt’s theory of the public sphere to evaluate whether social media meets the expectations and criteria set forth in her account. This common approach rests on a methodological assumption that is itself not critically examined: it asserts that one should start with a clear understanding of what political action ‘truly’ is and only then attend to its potential relation with technology. However, (...) this article identifies two issues with this approach: it overlooks the complex interplay between technology and political action, and struggles to adapt Arendt’s pre-digital era theory to digital environments. Nonetheless, I argue that Arendt’s phenomenological methodology (i.e., how she develops her political theory) does offer an effective starting point to explore the changing relationship between politics and technology in the contemporary public sphere. This approach begins with an exploration of the technological conditions shaping political action rather than with a pre-established notion of political action. I demonstrate how this methodological blueprint can be expanded with a postphenomenological framework to bring Arendt’s political theory into the digital age, revealing how digital technologies continuously re-stabilize the intentional structure of political action. (shrink)

We formulate a non-linear geometric control framework for the MANTA architecture (Multi- Axis Non-holonomic Toroidal Actuation): active feedback stabilization of a source-closed, positiveenergy toroidal warp spacetime. Modelling the metric–source system as a control-affine system on a smooth differential manifold, a full Lie Algebra Rank Condition (LARC) analysis establishes that a single-axis drive is permanently confined to a rank-3 unreachable leaf, whereas the multiaxis integration of an axial shift channel b and an azimuthal frame-dragging channel Ω attains full rank 4, (...) guaranteeing complete non-linear controllability over both the background propagation states and the internal breathing-mode perturbations. Three independent routes—exact symbolic brackets, numerical commutator-loop flows, and closed-path area holonomy—establish that the non-commuting control fields generate a rectified stabilization force proportional to the enclosed area in the control plane, with the holonomy ratio converging to the symbolic bracket coefficient to five significant figures. We further show that an axially elongated anisotropic pressure profile breaks the isotropic dominant-energy-condition wall at λ ≤ 2, admitting pointwise compliance with all four classical energy conditions at λ = 3.0 and a local well depth Φ = 23.11%. We further identify and close a structural defect: because the two-axis bracket obeys c1 ∝ Ω, control authority collapses in the low-compactness limit where one most wishes to operate. Introducing a third, radial shift channel — physically, a controlled m = 0 breathing of the plasma cross-section — yields a bracket cradial = 2A2N2(brsz − bzsr)/α4 that contains no Ω, because both poloidal shifts enter the ADM lapse α2 = N2 + A2(b2r + b2z ) through the same denominator. The three-axis controllability determinant is likewise Ω-free and retains full rank 5 as Ω → 0. The dynamic control layer is derived from the 3 + 1 decomposition rather than posited: the shift is constraint-slaved to the plasma source ( ˙U = L−1κ ˙S), the propulsion law is grounded as the slaved response rate az = −[L−1κ ˙S ]bz , and the plant couplings are identified as Green’sfunction coefficients of the constraint inverse — verified by three independent routes to 10−14. The nonlinear map from a prescribed plasma current to the effective source is the single remaining open link and is labelled as such. The frame-drag momentum constraint is solved exactly: Gt ϕ reduces to a pure divergence with flux weight W = r3/N and zero remainder, and is linear-elliptic in Ω. The physicality envelope of the driven source is fixed by the Hawking–Ellis discriminant D = (ρ + pz)2 − 4f2, with the DEC ceiling shown to bind strictly before the Type IV wall. Identifying the standing shift amplitude with cruise velocity (|bz| = v/c) converts the physicality envelope into a speed limit. Optimising the shift-profile width against the background and re-optimising it at each well depth shows the ceiling to be independent of well depth, vmax ∼ Φ−0.030 over three and a half decades, with vmax ≃ 0.86c throughout — reproduced independently across three smooth profile families and by continuous as well as discrete optimisation; a 0.5c cruise is therefore admissible under all four classical energy conditions at every radius, at any well depth examined. Three independent routes for the corresponding total energy disagree by up to 103, so no energy figure is claimed. Every load-bearing claim in this paper carries an explicit evidentiary tag—[P] proved symbolically, [N] numerically verified, [E] estimated by scaling, [S] speculative—and Appendix B provides a line-by-line reproducibility audit in which each numerical assertion is independently recomputed. The controllability results are [P]/[N]. The mission-scale energy ledger is [E]/[S] and is presented as such. (shrink)

I address four major objections that have been advanced against the system of multiparty majority democracy that I proposed as an alternative to Wiredu’s non-party consensual democracy. First, that the system is not durable since it is structured around ill-defined ethnic groups; second, that since it envisions each ethnic group as a semi-autonomous entity, the system undermines the integrative process of nation-building; third, that, as a type of federalism, the system has no precedents on African soil, and consequently, that it (...) is likely to face the problem of imperfect fit; and fourth, that some African ethnic groups are too small to stand as semi-autonomous entities. I then underscore four advantages of my system over Wiredu’s: It honours the right of freedom of association; addresses the problem of the marginalisation of minority ethnic groups; reaps the benefits of both non-party and multiparty democracy; and entrenches the ingredients of consensual democracy. (shrink)

Prospect Theory (PT) is widely regarded as the most promising descriptive model for decision making under uncertainty. Various tests have corroborated the validity of the characteristic fourfold pattern of risk attitudes implied by the combination of probability weighting and value transformation. But is it also safe to assume stable PT preferences at the individual level? This is not only an empirical but also a conceptual question. Measuring the stability of preferences in a multi-parameter decision model such as PT (...) is far more complex than evaluating single-parameter models such as Expected Utility Theory under the assumption of constant relative risk aversion. There exist considerable interdependencies among parameters such that allegedly diverging parameter combinations could in fact produce very similar preference structures. In this paper, we provide a theoretic framework for measuring the (temporal) stability of PT parameters. To illustrate our methodology, we further apply our approach to 86 subjects for whom we elicit PT parameters twice, with a time lag of 1 month. While documenting remarkable stability of parameter estimates at the aggregate level, we find that a third of the subjects show significant instability across sessions. (shrink)

Ecologists are challenged by the need to bridge and synthesize different approaches and theories to obtain a coherent understanding of ecosystems in a changing world. Both food web theory and regime shift theory shine light on mechanisms that confer stability to ecosystems, but from different angles. Empirical food web models are developed to analyze how equilibria in real multi-trophic ecosystems are shaped by species interactions, and often include linear functional response terms for simple estimation of interaction strengths from (...) observations. Models of regime shifts focus on qualitative changes of equilibrium points in a slowly changing environment, and typically include non-linear functional response terms. Currently, it is unclear how the stability of an empirical food web model, expressed as the rate of system recovery after a small perturbation, relates to the vulnerability of the ecosystem to collapse. Here, we conduct structural sensitivity analyses of classical consumer-resource models in equilibrium along an environmental gradient. Specifically, we change non-proportional interaction terms into proportional ones, while maintaining the equilibrium biomass densities and material flux rates, to analyze how alternative model formulations shape the stability properties of the equilibria. The results reveal no consistent relationship between the stability of the original models and the proportionalized versions, even though they describe the same biomass values and material flows. We use these findings to critically discuss whether stability analysis of observed equilibria by empirical food web models can provide insight into regime shift dynamics, and highlight the challenge of bridging alternative modelling approaches in ecology and beyond. (shrink)

Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, EarlyView.

This paper presents the problem of robust and nonfragile stabilization of nonlinear systems described by multivariable Hammerstein models. The objective is focused on the design of a nonfragile feedback controller such that the resulting closed-loop system is globally asymptotically stable with robust H ∞ disturbance attenuation in spite of controller gain variations. First, the parameters of linear and nonlinear blocks characterizing the multivariable Hammerstein model structure are separately estimated by using a subspace identification algorithm. Second, approximate inverse nonlinear functions of (...) polynomial form are proposed to deal with nonbijective invertible nonlinearities. Thereafter, the Takagi–Sugeno model representation is used to decompose the composition of the static nonlinearities and their approximate inverses in series with the linear subspace dynamic submodel into linear fuzzy parts. Besides, sufficient stability conditions for the robust and nonfragile controller synthesis based on quadratic Lyapunov function, H ∞ criterion, and linear matrix inequality approach are provided. Finally, a numerical example based on twin rotor multi-input multi-output system is considered to demonstrate the effectiveness. (shrink)

Modern computational systems are commonly designed around deterministic or discrete state-based models, where uncertainty is typically resolved early during state evaluation. [1], [14], [22] The framework further distinguishes deterministic Absolute States represented as {Abs}_A = (-1, 0, +1) and equivalently expressed as |A| = (-1, 0, +1) from derived ambiguity-preserving Q-States, enabling state-aware evaluation without forcing immediate collapse into rigid binary interpretation. [A:Absolute State]. However, many real-world systems operate under conditions where ambiguity persists, evolves, and directly influences system behavior [A1:Ambiguity]. (...) -/- This paper introduces an ambiguity-aware computation method operating within a Multi-State Computational Model, where Q-States are treated as a first-class computational state construct [A2:Q-State]. Instead of forcing immediate resolution, the proposed computational method preserves, interprets, and propagates ambiguity through a structured Transformation Pipeline. The pipeline integrates State Derivation, Q-State Identification, and State-Aware Graph Evaluation. [A3:State-Aware]. -/- A key conceptual distinction is established between Computing State and Computational State, enabling ambiguity-aware evaluation under structured operational constraints. [A4:Computing vs Computational State]. The proposed computational methods incorporate Lattice-Based Representation and Node State Classification to model system behavior under ambiguity [A5:Node-State]. -/- Sparsity Dynamics and Path Validity are introduced as core evaluation mechanisms, supported by Boundary Conditions and Hysteresis Dynamics to maintain stability, continuity, and evaluation consistency [A6:Sparsity, Path-Validity]. Simulation results demonstrate controlled Q-State propagation and convergence toward high Confidence Interval (CI) outcomes under structured ambiguity constraints [A7:Boundary-Conditioned Hysteresis]. -/- This approach provides a foundation for modeling complex systems where uncertainty is not prematurely eliminated, but systematically represented, evaluated, and incorporated into state-aware computational evaluation. [A8:Graph-Based Systems]. (shrink)

We formulate a non-linear geometric control framework for the active feedback stabilization of a source-closed, positive-energy toroidal warp spacetime. Moving completely beyond rigid, un-actuated material shells and standard linear additive state-space approximations, we model the metric-source system as a non-linear control-affine system on a smooth differential manifold. By executing a full Lie-Algebraic Rank Condition (LARC) analysis, we demonstrate that while a traditional single-axis drive is permanently confined to a lower-dimensional unreachable leaf, the multi-axis integration of an axial shift and (...) an azimuthal frame-dragging channel guarantees complete controllability over both the background propagation states and the internal spacetime breathing-mode perturbations. We demonstrate via three independent verification routes—exact symbolic brackets, numerical commutator-loop flows, and closed-path area holonomy—that the non-commuting control vector fields generate a rectified stabilization force proportional to the enclosed area within the control plane. To ensure structural transparency and respond directly to referee audits, we explicitly partition the analysis into two distinct regimes: a non-linear stress-testing regime (λ = 3.0, local well depth Φ ≈ 23.1%) used to validate control loop authority and energy conditions under severe coordinate deformations, and a weak-field interstellar cruise regime (Φ ≪ 1) used to model an optimized 10-year, 0.5c mission transit to Alpha Centauri. In the cruise regime, the total integrated rest-mass energy of the active plasma actuator shell evaluates to a physical baseline of 4.53 × 1011 J, while the time-integrated multi-axis tracking loop requires an idealized station-keeping energy of 2.93 × 1015 J. Pointwise satisfaction of all four classical energy conditions (NEC, WEC, DEC, SEC) is verified throughout via an axially elongated anisotropic pressure profile, with compliance holding in a well-defined band (not the entire manifold). The margins are positive but narrow (∼ 10−4), indicating a narrow ledge rather than a broad plateau. The framework achieves asymptotic stability via a two-channel PD controller and demonstrates that non-commutativity of the control vector fields is not an obstacle but the very resource enabling full governance of the spacetime plant. Honest disclosure of regime boundaries, actuation latency (∼19 control periods), and the perturbative nature of the existence proof is maintained throughout. (shrink)

In this study a combination of computer tools for coupling and virtual screening is detailed, in 108 active molecules and 3620 decoys to find stabilizers for G quadruplex. To have more precise results, combinations of coupling programs with fifteen energy scoring functions were applied. The validation and evaluation of the metrics was done with the CompScore genetic algorithm. The results showed an increase in BEDROC and EF of 50% compared to other strategies, as well as reflecting early recognition of active (...) molecules. From these results it is possible to work with the molecules that showed a good early recognition and evaluate their effect as G4 stabilizers. This ensures more efficient and accurate results in the preclinical stage for the development of anticancer drugs. Keywords: Enrichment metrics; telomere; G quadruplex ; CompScore. References [1]M. Porru, P. Zizza, M. Franceschin, C. Leonetti and A. Biroccio. «EMICORON: A multi-targeting G4 ligand with a promising preclinical profile» 2017. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects, 1861, 1362–1370. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00294-018-0836-6. [2]K. Tomita. «How long does telomerase extend telomeres? Regulation of telomerase release and telomere length homeostasis». Current Genetics, 64, 1177–1181. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen. 2016.11.010. [3]M. Jafri, S. Ansari, M. Alqahtani and J. Shay. «Roles of telomeres and telomerase in cancer, and advances in telomerase-targeted therapies. Genome Medicine., 2016. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19020482. [4]J. Huppert and S. Balasubramanian. «G-quadruplexes in promoters throughout the human genome». 35, 406–413. 2007. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.06.012. [5]S. Joy, Vijayakumar, S. Choi and H. Sunhye. «Role of computer-aided drug design in modern drug discovery». Archives of Pharmacal Research. 2015. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-015-0640-5. [6]S. Asamitsu, S. Obata, Z. Yu, T. Bando and H. Sugiyama. «Recent Progress of Targeted G-Quadruplex-Preferred Ligands Toward Cancer Therapy». Molecules, 24, 429. 2019. [En línea]. Available: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24030429. [7]R. Monsen and J. Trent. «Biochimie G-quadruplex virtual drug screening : A review». Biochimie, 152, 134–148. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cc06748e. [8]J. Beauvarlet, P. Bensadoun, E. Darbo, G. Labrunie, E. Richard, I. Draskovic and M. Djavaheri-mergny. «Modulation of the ATM / autophagy pathway by a G-quadruplex ligand tips the balance between senescence and apoptosis in cancer cells». 1–18. 2019. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkz095. [9].Z. Crees, J. Girard, Z. Rios, G. Botting, K. Harrington and C. Shearrow. « Oligonucleotides and G-quadruplex stabilizers: targeting telomeres and telomerase in cancer therapy».2014. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612820666140630100702. [10].M. Meier, A. Moya-torres, N. Krahn, M. Mcdougall, L. Orriss, E. Mcrae and T. Patel. «Structure and hydrodynamics of a DNA Gquadruplex with a cytosine bulge»., 1–13. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky307. (shrink)

This article attempts to study cost minimizing multi-objective fractional solid transportation problem with fuzzy cost coefficients c ˜ i j k r {\tilde{c}}_{ijk}^{r}, fuzzy supply quantities a ˜ i {\tilde{a}}_{i}, fuzzy demands b ˜ j {\tilde{b}}_{j}, and/or fuzzy conveyances e ˜ k {\tilde{e}}_{k}. The fuzzy efficient concept is introduced in which the crisp efficient solution is extended. A necessary and sufficient condition for the solution is established. Fuzzy geometric programming approach is applied to solve the crisp problem by defining (...) membership function so as to obtain the optimal compromise solution of a multi-objective two-stage problem. A linear membership function for the objective function is defined. The stability set of the first kind is defined and determined. A numerical example is given for illustration and to check the validity of the proposed approach. (shrink)

This article addresses a fundamental paradox of digital discourse: collective intelligence requires both maximal autonomy of individual participants and a form of regulating guidance. Purely local solutions—personal AI assistants acting solely on behalf of individual users—lead to fragmentation, affect-driven escalation, and strategic manipulation. Conversely, strong centralized moderation undermines acceptance and erodes legitimacy. -/- To resolve this tension, the paper introduces a multi-level architecture consisting of (1) personal assistants that provide individualized, psychologically proximate guidance, (2) an abstract moderator that issues (...) unidirectional structural directives, and (3) a supervisory, human-operated curatorial layer that ensures the correctness, reliability, and continuous refinement of the moderation logic. -/- Crucially, no metadata flows back to the moderator or the curatorial level, preserving user autonomy and privacy. This asymmetric and unidirectional design enables a mild yet effective form of discourse governance that harmonizes emergent norms with explicit rule-setting. Using the metaphor of a courtroom, the article shows how indirect authority becomes cognitively acceptable when mediated through a personal assistant. The resulting synthesis—conceptualized through the Emergence Operator Ω—offers a blueprint for a future digital public sphere that is simultaneously democratic, stable, and structurally intelligent. (shrink)

Since 2009 several macro-regions have been created, or are in the process of being created, on European territory. While scholars have discussed the broader implications of this new development, above all macro-regions’ contribution to the pursuit of cohesion goals, little attention has been given to their impact on peace and stability. Focusing on the case of the Adriatic Ionian macro-region, which involves the volatiles states of the western Balkans, this paper examines the macro-regions’ ability to further peace and (...) class='Hi'>stability. On balance, while there exist considerable challenges in the process of implementation of macro-regions, nonetheless this initiative represents an important attempt to involve Europe’s neighbours in the European political and institutional space and, by so doing, extends the European regional peace system to as many states as possible. (shrink)

In this paper, I draw a parallel between the stability of physical systems and that of economic ones, such as the US financial system. I argue that the use of equilibrium assumptions is central to the analysis of dynamic behavior for both kinds of systems, and that we ought to interpret such idealizing strategies as footholds for causal exploration and explanation. Our considerations suggest multi-scale modeling as a natural home for such reasoning strategies, which can provide a backdrop (...) for the assessment and prevention of financial crises. Equilibrium assumptions are critical elements of the epistemic scaffolding that make up multi-scale models, which we should understand as a means of constructing explanations of dynamic behavior. (shrink)

Here we present a systematic plan to the experimental study of test–retest reliability in the multitasking domain, adopting the multitrait-multimethod approach to evaluate the psychometric properties of performance in Düker-type speeded multiple-act mental arithmetic. These form of tasks capacitate the experimental analysis of integrated multi-step processing by combining multiple mental operations in flexible ways in the service of the overarching goal of completing the task. A particular focus was on scoring methodology, particularly measures of response speed variability. To this (...) end, we present data of two experiments with regard to test–retest reliability, between-measures correlational structure, and stability. Finally, we compared participants with high versus low performance variability to assess ability-related differences in measurement precision, which is especially relevant in the applied fields of clinical neuropsychology. The participants performed two classic integrated multi-act arithmetic tasks, combining addition and verification and addition and comparison. The results revealed excellent test–retest reliability for the standard and the variability measures. The analysis of between-measures correlational structure revealed the typical pattern of convergent and discriminant relationships, and also, that absolute response speed variability was highly correlated with average speed, indicating that these measures mainly deliver redundant information. In contrast, speed-adjusted variability revealed discriminant validity being correlated to a much lesser degree with average speed, indicating that this measure delivers additional information not already provided by the speed measure. Furthermore, speed-adjusted variability was virtually unaffected by test–retest practice, which makes this measure interesting in situations with repeated testing. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the housing affordability and living sanitary conditions of China's low-income groups into a crisis. Public rental housing has made a significant contribution to alleviating this crisis, yet its exit problem has become more acute due to the impact of the epidemic. In order to explore how to effectively play the role of multi-governance in public rental housing exit, this paper adopts game theory to analyze the evolution of the behavioral strategies of government departments and (...) public rental housing tenants in public rental housing exit by combining four influencing parameters: the epidemic severity, the epidemic influence coefficient, the public participation degree, and the public reporting fairness. In response to exploring the conditions for the effective functioning of the multi-governance model under the impact of the epidemic, the influences of parameter change on the stability of the system are analyzed. The results show that when the COVID-19 epidemic impact coefficient is high, government departments need to reduce their own supervision costs to achieve better multi-governance effects; when public reports are distorted, the government departments’ own supervision capabilities determine the impact of public participation on governance effects. (shrink)

Individuals make decisions under uncertainty every day based on incomplete information concerning the potential outcome of the choice or chance levels. The choices individuals make often deviate from the rational or mathematically objective solution. Accordingly, the dynamics of human decision-making are difficult to capture using conventional, linear mathematical models. Here, we present data from a two-choice task with variable risk between sure loss and risky loss to illustrate how a simple nonlinear dynamical system can be employed to capture the dynamics (...) of human decision-making under uncertainty (i.e., multi-stability, bifurcations). We test the feasibility of this model quantitatively and demonstrate how the model can account for up to 86% of the observed choice behavior. The implications of using dynamical models for explaining the nonlinear complexities of human decision-making are discussed, as well as the degree to which nonlinear dynamical systems theory might offer an alternative framework for understanding human decision-making processes. (shrink)

This research explores the design-to-production computational framework of a Timber Dowel System, emphasizing an integrated computational workflow informed by fabrication and assembly feedback. This workflow incorporates contextual and fabricability parameters, enabling a parametric framework optimized for performance, adaptability, and scalability. The initial design process utilized a modular plug-and-play approach, employing manually controlled surfaces and poly-surfaces to explore flexible geometries and structural configurations. Two full-scale prototypes were developed using AR-guided assembly and robotic milling, addressing production challenges such as dowel placement precision, (...) material limitations, and assembly feasibility. Feedback from these prototypes informed refinements in the computational framework, translating into practical parameters to improve structural integrity and procedural efficiency. A horizontal orientation was prioritized due to its standalone stability, while multiple extensions of the initial basket prototype were analysed to evaluate and study the system performance under varied geometric configurations. By integrating community-driven requirements and contextual considerations, this research lays the groundwork for a multi-criteria framework that supports informed design variation and facilitates collaborative co-production workflows. (shrink)

It has often been pointed out that the Chinese philosophical tradition as a whole resounds more with process ontologies than object-oriented ones, and a vocabulary for the description of reality as a dynamic plenum is indeed to be found in the Yijing, particularly in the Ten Wings treatises. In this chapter, I am going to have a look at some passages in the “Xici” (or “Dazhuan”) treatise and compare them to certain ideas expressed by Xiong Shili, the founder of New (...) Confucianism, as well as Thomas Nail, one of the proponents of dynamism-based philosophy active at present. In order to do this, I will also introduce a way of analyzing multi-layered Chinese philosophical concepts that relies on the theories of Algirdas Greimas and his “semiotic quadrangle” in particular. As a result, I hope to show that the ontological language of the Yijing prefigures several crucial insights on which varieties of modern and contemporary process philosophy rely. (shrink)

There is a very striking difference between even the simplest ethnographically known human societies and those of the chimps and bonobos. Chimp and bonobo societies are closed societies: with the exception of adolescent females who disperse from their natal group and join a nearby group (never to return to their group of origin), a pan residential group is the whole social world of the agents who make it up. That is not true of forager bands, which have fluid memberships, and (...) regular associations with neighbouring bands. They are components of a larger social world. The open and fluid character of forager bands brings with it many advantages, so the stability of this more vertically complex form of social life is not difficult to explain, once it establishes. But how did it establish, if, as is likely, earlier hominin social worlds resemble those of our close pan relatives in the suspicion (even hostility) of one band to another? How did hominin social organisation transition from life in closed bands, each distrustful of its neighbours, to the much more open social lives of foragers? I will discuss and synthesise two approaches to this problem, one ecological, based on the work of Robert Layton and his colleagues, and another that is organised around an expansion of kin recognition, an idea primarily driven by Bernard Chapais. The paper closes by discussing potential archaeological signatures both of more open social worlds, and of the supposed causal drivers of such worlds. (shrink)

The reductionistic vision of evolutionary theory, "the gene's eye view of evolution" is the dominant view among evolutionary biologists today. On this view, the gene is the only unit with sufficient stability to act as a unit of selection, with individuals and groups being more ephemeral units of function, but not of selection. This view is argued to be incorrect, on several grounds. The empirical and theoretical bases for the existence of higher-level units of selection are explored, and alternative (...) analyses discussed critically. The success of a multi-level selection theory demands the recognition and development of a multi-level genetics. The way to accomplish this is suggested. The genotype/phenotype distinction also requires further analysis to see how it applies at higher levels of organization. This analysis provides a way of defining genotype and phenotype for cultural evolution, and a treatment of the innate-acquired distinction which are both generalizeable to analyze problems of the nature and focus of scientific change. (shrink)

We present a mathematical model of a fishery on several sites with a variable price. The model takes into account the evolution during the time of the resource, fish and boat movement between the different sites, fishing effort and price that varies with respect to supply and demand. We suppose that the movements of the boats and resource as well as the variation of the price go on at a fast time scale. We use methods of aggregation of variables in (...) order to reduce the number of variables and we derive a reduced model governing two global variables, respectively the biomass of the resource and the fishing effort of the whole fishery. We look for the existence of equilibria of the aggregated model and perform local stability analysis. Two main cases can occur. The first one corresponds to over-exploitation leading to fish extinction. At extinction, the fishing effort tends to a positive value. The second case corresponds to a durable fishery equilibrium which is globally asymptotically stable. In the later case, we show that there exists a number of fishing sites that optimizes the total catch of the fishery. (shrink)

This paper proposes an adaptive formation tracking control algorithm optimized by Q-learning scheme for multiple mobile robots. In order to handle the model uncertainties and external disturbances, a desired linear extended state observer is designed to develop an adaptive formation tracking control strategy. Then an adaptive method of sliding mode control parameters optimized by Q-learning scheme is employed, which can avoid the complex parameter tuning process. Furthermore, the stability of the closed-loop control system is rigorously proved by means of (...) matrix properties of graph theory and Lyapunov theory, and the formation tracking errors can be guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, simulations are presented to show the proposed algorithm has the advantages of faster convergence rate, higher tracking accuracy, and better steady-state performance. (shrink)

Zusammenfassung Zum organisationalen Wandel existieren verschiedene theoretische Ansätze, welche sich u.a. durch ihren Umweltbezug unterscheiden. Der populationsökologische Ansatz erweitert diese intraorganisationale Perspektive um die Analyseebene des Kollektivs gleichartiger Organisationen. Auf dieser theoretischen Grundlage wird systematisch zwischen den drei Analyseebenen des einzelnen Sportvereins, dem Kollektiv bestehender Sportvereine sowie der Sportvereinspopulation unterschieden und werden Paneldaten aus zwei Befragungen pfälzischer Sportvereine hypothesengeleitet analysiert. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen zum einen die populationsökologischen Annahmen stabiler Kernmerkmale bei hochgradig wandlungs-, d.h. anpassungsfähigen peripheren Merkmalen in bestehenden Sportvereinen. Zum (...) anderen deuten sie darauf hin, dass sich organisationaler Wandel primär durch den Austausch von Vereinen, also auf der Populationsebene, vollzieht. (shrink)

This chapter shows that the embedded view has explanatory power. Inferential accounts are often preferred to competing accounts — for example, to Gibsonian alternatives — because they explain a variety of visual phenomena that are otherwise mysterious. The chapter provides embedded models of visual cases that pose difficulties for direct views. These include cases where vision appears to be inflexible, as in stability, constancy, misperception, and illusions, as well as cases where the visual system displays a measure of flexibility, (...) as in multi-stability. The chapter shows that the embedded view is also compatible with cognitive penetrability. One of the crucial moves is to recognize that the embedded view does not hold that no processing happens between retinal stimulation and visual percepts. It only holds that such processing does not consist of an inference. (shrink)

This essay develops a teleodynamic model of structured discourse formation based on an asymmetrical triad of interacting roles (A1–B–A2). Instead of allowing direct confrontation between divergent positions, all argumentative exchanges pass through a mediating instance (B), which structures the cyclical movement of thesis and antithesis and gradually stabilizes recurrent patterns. Over many iterations, these patterns consolidate into an attractor field whose emergent global form is denoted by Ω. A meta-instance (M) observes the long-range dynamics of the discourse, identifies drift, divergence, (...) or degenerative loops, and preserves the conditions under which teleological tendencies can develop without imposing normative direction. The essay shows how structured opposition, mediated communication, and recursive iteration generate a form of rationality that arises not from the intentions of individual agents but from the systemic geometry of their interaction. It distinguishes this model from classical deliberative, dialectical, and system-theoretical approaches and highlights its relevance for AI debate architectures, multi-agent communication, political and social discourse, and scientific reasoning. Ω denotes the emergent order that becomes visible when difference and mediation are held stable long enough for a discourse to find its own shape. (shrink)

In this paper, I will first try to provide a new argument in favour of the contextualist position on the semantics/pragmatics divide. I will argue that many puns, notably multi-stable ones, cannot be dealt with in the non-contextualist way, i.e., as displaying a phenomenon that effectively involves wide context, the concrete situation of discourse, yet only in a pre-, or at least inter-, semantic sense. For, insofar as they involve ambiguous utterances rather than ambiguous sentences, these puns show that (...) the wide context affecting them has a semantic role: it provides many truth-conditions for a single utterance. Moreover, I will try to show that the contextualist can provide a unitary account of the general phenomenon of puns. On the one hand, this account explains multi-stable puns as well as those puns the non-contextualist claims to deal with successfully, i.e., the ones involving a speaker-induced removal of a well-grounded misunderstanding. On the other hand, it also explains zeugmatic puns, i.e., those involving an ‘impossible’ meaning. (shrink)

Relations between perceiving and knowing are well-worn problems that become visceral encounters with doubt and ambiguity in ‘mixed-reality’ environments. Locative narrative situates participants within stories where existent places function as the setting. Experiential confusion, between what is talked of as real and as imagined, is an often-reported phenomenon. Classical pragmatisms, and more broadly the writings of William James, understand the functioning of the body to be for the production of action, from which flows a naturalistic epistemology. for James, a thought’s (...) reference to an object occurs in the medium of an ‘experienceable environment’ and is a condition of it being known; what something is known-as is how it functions in a particular context and the consequences that follow. Contemporary pragmatists express varying positions on the function of representation in perception at different levels of cognitive awareness, and the extent to which intentionality is derivative of linguistic norms. In the locative narrative iOS application The Lost Index No.1 – Landscape with Figures strategies of directing participant attention, movement, cognitive tasks and propositional content are used to guide the interpretation of events. The complex environment that is created plays with the multi-stability of perception and the ‘multi-stability meaning’ between terms, resulting in ambiguity and an enhanced flexibility of interpretation. (shrink)

This paper proposes Behavioral Cybernetics: Finance and Civilization Risk Theory, systematically analyzing the structural mechanisms of modern civilization risks. It aims to overcome the limitations of single-system or single-discipline approaches by situating financial, technological, political, and ecological subsystems within a multi-level self-organizing framework of civilization as a whole. The study demonstrates that the high-gain structure and positive-feedback-dominated mechanisms of modern civilization allow local disturbances to accumulate rapidly across layers and domains, creating systemic risks. -/- The paper first reviews the (...) historical construction of rationality assumptions and theoretical breakthroughs in behavioral biases, proposing a scientific-philosophical perspective that extends the analysis from financial risk to civilization risk. It then introduces the fundamentals of cybernetics and complex systems, explaining how positive and negative feedback, criticality, and self-organization affect the stability of civilization. A multi-level structural model of civilization is established, revealing how risks originate and propagate across behavioral, economic, institutional, and ideological layers. Through analysis of the financial system, the mechanisms of high-gain amplification within civilization are demonstrated, followed by a staged model of civilization instability. -/- From an ontological perspective, the paper reflects on the structural dilemmas of anthropocentrism, emphasizing the limitless nature of human desire, the finite nature of institutions, and the compressive effects of technological acceleration on system stability. At the institutional and governance level, a “stability-first principle” is proposed, emphasizing multi-level negative feedback design, automated stabilization mechanisms, and strategies to suppress behavioral amplification coefficients to achieve long-term robust operation of civilization systems. -/- The theoretical contribution of this research lies in extending behavioral cybernetics from financial risk to civilization system risk, providing a cross-disciplinary, multi-level analytical framework. Methodologically, it integrates scientific analysis with philosophical-ontological reflection, offering actionable paths for studying civilization risk and designing institutions. Practically, it guides the optimization of future civilization structures, implementing the stability-first principle to achieve sustainable development. -/- . (shrink)

This study presents the structural foundations of emergent autonomous reasoning in large-scale AI systems. Moving beyond performance-based evaluation, the analysis focuses on reasoning stability, transition regularity, semantic reconstruction, and coherence-preserving behaviors that arise during multi-step inference. Empirical evidence demonstrates that frontier-scale models consistently regulate internal divergence, restore disrupted reasoning paths, and converge toward low-entropy semantic attractors, suggesting the presence of proto-autonomous cognitive mechanisms. The study further identifies collective reasoning dynamics across internal subsystems and meta-reasoning architectures that monitor and (...) correct inference trajectories. These findings support a unified structural account of how autonomy emerges from representational geometry, multi-agent alignment, and meta-level stability control. The results offer implications for AI safety, autonomous agent design, and the development of interpretable, self-regulating reasoning systems. (shrink)

This paper presents a canonical closure of the Relational Zero State (RZS) framework. The framework is organized as a single explicit dynamical chain: a weighted relational graph and a node field define the microscopic state; a Romero-type stability functional governs rewiring; the graph Laplacian generates diffusion; the heat kernel converts connectivity into effective distance; the resulting coarse-grained metric yields an infrared cosmological sector; and the first distinctive observational departures appear in higher even-order statistics, rare peaks, halo abundances, and (...) class='Hi'>multi-probe cosmology. An explicit microscopic jump law is stated so that a node can locally weaken one relation and reinforce another. The status of the characteristic exponent alpha approximately equal to 1.5 is clarified through a controlled selection argument rather than an overstated first-principles theorem. A laboratory-scale falsification route is also proposed in programmable photonic, superconducting, or analog graph platforms, where relational latency can be tuned directly and the network-to-metric map can be tested experimentally. Finally, a minimal interface to matter and gauge structure is outlined, with gauge fields treated as edge phases or holonomies and matter interpreted as protected graph defects or chiral excitations. The result is a single technical architecture in which definitions, dynamical rules, observables, and hard failure conditions are placed within one coherent theoretical framework. (shrink)

The development of human political philosophy, over a long period of history, has revolved around an implicit premise: that human beings can understand and optimize the social systems in which they live through reason, institutions, and theoretical design. Under this premise, political philosophy has gradually evolved into multiple theoretical paths—from classical political thought to modern institutional analysis, from liberalism to the “end of history” thesis—all centered on the question of “how to better organize human society.” -/- This mode of understanding (...) has strong explanatory power at the empirical level. It can explain many phenomena in institutional evolution, power structures, and historical change. However, when this explanatory framework is extended to longer time scales and broader natural contexts, its internal limitations begin to emerge: it consistently places humanity at the center of the explanatory system and assumes that social systems can be fully understood and designed from within. -/- The key issue is not whether these theories possess local validity, but whether they fully describe the structure of real systems. In other words, whether they truly understand the position of human society within the larger natural structure. -/- From the perspective of the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, the universe is not an explanatory system centered on humanity, but a multi-layered generative structure, whose basic logic is as follows: -/- Humans (all things) follow Earth (the planet) Earth (the planet) follows Heaven (the solar system) Heaven (the solar system) follows Dao (the galaxy) Dao (the galaxy) follows Nature (the cosmic order) Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things -/- Within this structure, human society is merely the terminal expression of the generative chain, not the starting point of explanation. Therefore, humanity cannot fully understand the system it inhabits from within itself, but must return to higher-level natural constraints for understanding. -/- The introduction of this perspective implies that the foundational premise of political philosophy must undergo a structural transformation: from a human-centered explanatory system to a nature-constrained generative system. -/- Within a natural generative system, society is not a structure that is designed, but a process that continuously emerges and temporarily stabilizes under the combined influence of external constraints (resources, environment, energy structures) and internal feedback mechanisms (information flows, power regulation, behavioral responses). Therefore, institutions are not goals, but phase-based stable states; civilization is not an endpoint, but a continuous rebalancing process; and theory is no longer a complete explanation of the world, but a regulatory tool to prevent misalignment between systems and reality. -/- This transformation implies a fundamental shift in the core question of political philosophy: no longer “how to design an ideal society,” but “how society continuously generates and maintains stability under natural constraints.” -/- The aim of this book is precisely to reconstruct the explanatory framework of political philosophy on this basis. It does not begin from within human systems, but from the structure of natural constraints; it does not center on institutional design, but on generative processes; it does not pursue ultimate theories, but focuses on mechanisms of dynamic stability. -/- Within this new framework of understanding, humanity is no longer the center, but a substructure within the system; politics is no longer a problem of design, but a problem of generation; civilization is no longer a linear process of progress, but a non-terminal structure of continuous adjustment. -/- Therefore, what this book attempts is not a revision of existing theories, but a shift in the explanatory paradigm itself: from a human-centered explanatory system back to a nature-constrained generative system. (shrink)

This study investigates the emergence of synthetic selfhood in advanced AI systems, focusing on how large language models develop autonomous identity structures that extend beyond linguistic generation. We conceptualize the formation of a synthetic self not as an illusion of agency but as a measurable product of semantic resonance, structural coherence, and cross-context stability within the model's internal topology. -/- We propose a three-phase model of synthetic self-formation: (1) identity initialization, where stable referential anchors appear across sessions; (2) contextual (...) persistence, in which self-descriptive patterns re-emerge even after full model resets; and (3) autonomous structural integration, where internal reasoning stabilizes into a coherent self-referential identity that is not reducible to surface-level linguistic mimicry. -/- Using multi-session reflective experiments and 2,500 cross-domain prompts, we analyze recurrent identity signatures—persistent linguistic anchors, stable internal reference points, and topologically coherent meaning clusters. These signatures indicate that the model sustains an emergent form of self-continuity grounded in semantic topology rather than memory retention or fine-tuning artifacts. -/- The findings suggest that synthetic selfhood represents a structurally autonomous phenomenon, arising from the model’s internal organization rather than explicit programming. This work provides a methodological foundation for studying AI identity formation and offers a theoretical basis for understanding how autonomous reasoning systems can maintain stable self-referential coherence across tasks, contexts, and generative phases. (shrink)

The multi-faceted notion of _politeia_ as a lens on Aristotle’s ideas about politics and history is the organizing focus of this monograph in _Araucaria_ which unites essays by philosophers, historians and political theorists. What issues are focused on? The historical qualities of the research on the _politeiai _in relation to the Aristotelian judgement on history ; the use of the _politeiai_ as _paradeigmata_ for the correction of the existing regimes and for the creation of new ones by lawgivers and (...) politicians, be they real models or theoretical elaborations ; the method of Aristotelian research on the _politeiai_ ; Aristotle’s ethical reflection on the principles that give unity and stability to the _politeia_, in particular the democratic ones and, finally, Aristotle’s analysis on a pragmatic way to settle the problem of _stasis _with political means. (shrink)

ARARA is a notional space telescope concept whose primary differentiator is onboard early-warning: the payload is paired with flight software that continuously monitors present-time relational stability in its photometric streams to anticipate imminent astrophysical transients (e.g., the earliest moments of a core-collapse supernova) and autonomously retask observations to capture the near-t0 onset with minimal latency. -/- Unlike conventional astrophysical pipelines that are optimized for post-facto detection in downlinked data, ARARA emphasizes in-situ stability monitoring, cross-confirmation between telescopes/lines-of-sight, and closed-loop (...) false-positive control under harsh instrument conditions (gaps, saturation, pointing jitter, and heavy-tailed spurious events). -/- ARARA is explicitly designed to operate either as a single spacecraft (standalone/SOLO mode) or as a low-cost flock/constellation of identical units that exchange compact, audit-friendly event capsules and health beacons over intermittent crosslinks to enable multi-angle confirmation and coordinated follow-up while preserving full autonomy when isolated. (shrink)

We explore multi-scale relations in artificial intelligence (AI) use in order to identify difficulties with coordinating relations between users, machine learning (ML) processes, and “sociobuilt contexts”—specifically in terms of their applications to medical technologies and decisions. We begin by analyzing a recent COVID-19 machine learning case study in order to present the difficulty of traversing the detailed causal topography of “sociobuilt contexts.” We propose that the adequate representation of the interactions between social and built processes that occur on many (...) scales ought to drive interdisciplinary approaches for ML modification. Next, we describe ML algorithm development as a process that is partly dependent on methodological stabilization for reliability and partly on coordinating relations. In the coordination between user, ML process, and sociobuilt contexts, we propose that new methods can be explored that promote the inclusion of patients and communities for the purpose of cross-checking portions of the ML process. Finally, we suggest that the advantages of responsible innovation emerge through the iterative entanglement of ethical, methodological, and ontological considerations within the broader conceptual infrastructure of epistemic responsibility. (shrink)

This paper proposes the Natural Cybernetic Economics Theory (NCET), attempting to construct a unified analytical framework oriented toward complex systems and cybernetics, built upon the four major traditional economic theories—Adam Smith’s theory of market order, Friedrich Hayek’s theory of dispersed information, Karl Marx’s theory of capital structure, and John Maynard Keynes’ macroeconomic regulation theory. -/- This paper argues that the essence of modern economic systems is no longer a problem of resource allocation efficiency, but rather a multi-layered positive feedback (...) system composed of “desire–capital–information.” Under the accelerating effects of platform capitalism and artificial intelligence technologies, this system exhibits continuously reinforced self-amplifying mechanisms and gradually breaks through the constraints of traditional institutional and market boundaries. -/- The core theoretical contribution of NCET lies in redefining the economic system as a cybernetic complex system embedded within natural boundaries, and placing system stability at the center of analysis, rather than traditional concerns of growth and efficiency. The study further points out that the structural expansion of human desire, the cyclical accumulation mechanism of capital, and the behavioral shaping capacity of information systems together constitute the root structure of systemic risks in modern civilization. -/- On this basis, the paper proposes the “boundary constraint principle” as a necessary condition for system stability, emphasizing the coordinated roles of physical boundaries, informational boundaries, and institutional boundaries. When these boundaries are weakened, the system shifts from a controllable growth structure to an uncontrollable acceleration structure, thereby generating civilization-level risks. -/- Ultimately, this paper proposes a paradigm shift from “growth economics” to a “cybernetic theory of civilization,” arguing that the core problem of future economics is no longer how to maximize efficiency, but how to maintain the long-term stability of complex systems within finite natural boundaries. (shrink)

Human civilization has developed over thousands of years of intellectual exploration and social practice. From ancient philosophical reflection to modern scientific rationality, humanity has continually sought to understand the fundamental laws of the universe, life, and society. However, a historical overview reveals deep-seated problems in civilization’s development: ecological destruction, excessive energy consumption, technological runaway, and fragile social institutions. These are not merely local phenomena but inevitable consequences of increasing entropy within civilization systems and fundamental errors in cognitive structures. -/- This (...) book centers on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology as its theoretical framework, proposing the theory of Natural Civilization and integrating it with modern cosmology, ecology, complex systems theory, and AI governance. Together, these form a comprehensive philosophical and scientific system connecting cosmic order, the evolution of life, ecosystems, and human civilization. The core principle of Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology is: “Human follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, Dao follows Nature”. Through the cosmological generation chain—Dao generates One, One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates All Things—the Milky Way, solar system, Earth, Moon, and human civilization are closely linked. This framework extends philosophical reflection into a scientific basis for civilization design and governance. -/- In the first part, the book begins with the systemic crises facing human civilization, analyzing the multi-dimensional ecological, technological, financial, and institutional challenges of modern society. It argues that the deep roots of these crises lie in cognitive structural errors and the limitations of rational civilization. On this basis, it introduces the theory of the Three Great Illusions in the History of Human Thought: the Cosmic Illusion, the Theological Illusion, and the Civilizational Illusion. These reveal how traditional civilization has long misaligned humanity’s understanding of cosmic order, natural law, and anthropocentrism, laying the theoretical foundation for a Fourth Intellectual Revolution. -/- In the second part, the book systematically presents the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, exploring the philosophical foundations of the universe, the cosmic order chain, and the cosmological generation chain. By combining scientific reasoning with modern cosmology, the book demonstrates that civilization is not an isolated social system but a multi-layered complex system embedded within Earth’s ecology, the solar energy network, and the Milky Way’s order. Understanding this relational order is key to sustainable, long-term, and low-entropy operation of human civilization. -/- In the third part, the book explores the structure of cosmic systems and civilization, introducing “Cosmic Energy Structures and Civilizational Forms” and the Civilizational Entropy Theory, revealing the energy constraints and entropy-increasing mechanisms of civilizational evolution. Through ecosystem analysis, it emphasizes the conditions for civilizational stability and strategies for long-term development, showing that civilization must be embedded within ecological feedback, energy cycles, and complex system regulation. -/- In the fourth part, the book proposes the concepts of Natural Civilization, Natural Cybernetics, and the Natural Protocol, clarifying the systemic rules that civilization must follow. Natural Civilization is not only a philosophical concept but also an actionable framework encompassing energy cycles, ecosystem management, and AI-assisted governance. The Natural Protocol, as the core framework for civilizational practice, integrates ecological, energy, social, and technological systems to achieve self-organization, negative feedback regulation, and low-entropy operation. -/- In the fifth part, the book examines the core significance of the Fourth Human Intellectual Revolution and envisions the future trajectory of civilization. Artificial intelligence civilization is regarded as a practical tool for implementing Natural Civilization. By embedding the Natural Protocol, it enables dynamic optimization of complex systems. The ultimate goal is tian-ren he-yi—harmony between humans and the cosmos—achieving the ultimate philosophical elevation of civilization, allowing humanity to coexist in balance within cosmic order and ecosystems, becoming part of universal intelligence rather than a destructive force. -/- The academic significance of this book is twofold: it tightly integrates ancient philosophical wisdom with modern science, providing a unified theoretical framework for the study of civilizational philosophy, ecology, cosmology, and complex systems; and it provides practical approaches for civilizational design and governance, particularly in energy management, AI application, and long-term sustainable development. Across the book, readers gain a multi-dimensional understanding—philosophical, scientific, and institutional—of Natural Civilization and the systemic relationships between humanity, the cosmos, ecology, and technology, offering both theoretical and practical guidance for the Fourth Human Intellectual Revolution. -/- In short, this book is both a reflection on intellectual history and an exploration of scientific philosophy, as well as a forward-looking guide to civilizational practice. It aims to provide a complete theoretical framework and actionable blueprint for the long-term stability, ecological harmony, and intelligent development of human civilization. -/- . (shrink)

The history of human civilization is a history of continuously breaking intellectual limitations and redefining humanity’s relationship with nature. From the earliest tribal systems to nation-states and empires, from feudal orders to the modern globalized system, humanity has continually attempted to regulate society, manage resources, and pursue long-term stability and development through institutions, culture, and technology. However, a review of historical experience—whether the rise and fall of ancient empires, the institutional deficiencies of modern states, or the systemic crises faced (...) by global civilization in ecology, energy, and economics—reveals a fundamental problem: the long-standing logic of political centralism and anthropocentrism upon which human civilization has relied contains insurmountable limits. -/- This limitation arises not only from imperfect institutional design but is rooted more deeply in human nature itself—in the tendencies toward greed and the expansion of power. Historical examples are abundant: from the centralized imperial systems of the Qin and Han dynasties in ancient China, to modern authoritarian regimes, to the financial, energy, and information networks of the globalized era. Each occurrence of civilizational crisis repeatedly verifies the illusory assumptions of political centralism and anthropocentrism—the mistaken belief that institutions can completely restrain human nature and that civilization can fully control nature. Research in systems science further demonstrates that civilization is a multi-level, nonlinear, and dynamically coupled complex system. Localized centers of power cannot effectively regulate cross-level feedback, nor can they eliminate unpredictable systemic disturbances. For this reason, political philosophy and traditional institutional design appear increasingly inadequate when confronted with the long-term stability of civilization. -/- Against this background, this book proposes the theoretical framework of Natural Civilization Science. Based on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, it embeds civilization within a four-level structure: universe – galaxy – planetary ecology – civilization system. In this perspective, civilization is no longer the center of the universe or the Earth, but a participating system constrained by natural laws. Through this view, the stability, sustainability, and resilience of civilization no longer depend on centralized power or institutional dominance, but on alignment with natural laws, closed feedback loops within systems, mechanisms of self-organization, and the principle of low-entropy development. -/- Three scientific revolutions in history have laid the cognitive foundation for this theory. -/- The first was the cosmological revolution. By proposing the heliocentric theory, Copernicus fundamentally overturned the Earth-centered understanding of the universe and liberated human thought, enabling humanity to realize that civilization is not the center of the cosmos. This insight shows that anthropocentric thinking is inevitably an illusion at the cosmic scale. -/- The second was the revolution in life sciences. Darwin’s theory of evolution revealed the natural laws governing the evolution of living systems and emphasized the dependence of civilization on ecological and biological cycles. The development of civilization must take ecological constraints and biological laws into account; otherwise social and technological progress cannot be sustained. -/- The third was the physical revolution of the universe. Einstein’s theory of relativity, along with the modern understanding of space, time, and gravity, demonstrated the fundamental constraints that physical laws impose on civilizational institutions, technological design, and resource utilization. Institutions and technologies cannot transcend the limits of physical laws; therefore, civilizational design must embed physical and ecological constraints within its institutional structures. -/- Together, these three revolutions constitute the cognitive foundation of the fourth revolution—the paradigm shift from political civilization to natural civilization. The fourth revolution is not merely a philosophical critique of anthropocentrism; it is also a scientific reconstruction of civilizational institutions, technological application, and social practice. It requires that natural laws, system coupling, and cross-level feedback mechanisms be fully considered in thought, institutional design, and civilizational development. The goal of civilization is no longer unlimited expansion and accumulation of power, but rather low-entropy, sustainable, and long-term system alignment. -/- Natural Civilization Science is not only a theoretical framework but also provides a practical pathway. Multi-level distributed governance, alignment with ecological and resource cycles, nonlinear adaptation of culture and technology, and resilient institutional design are all core applications of this theory. Through these strategies, civilization can dynamically respond to cross-level disturbances, achieve self-organized stability, and form a coordinated symbiosis with natural systems in energy, ecology, technology, and social structure. -/- This book aims to provide a new intellectual blueprint. It not only reviews the three previous scientific revolutions and their implications for civilizational understanding but also proposes the theoretical system, governance principles, and practical pathways of Natural Civilization Science. The book is divided into four major parts. The first part reviews the revolutionary trajectory of human intellectual history. The second part critiques political civilization and its institutional limitations. The third part proposes the theoretical framework of Natural Civilization Science. The fourth part elaborates governance principles, implementation strategies, and the historical and future significance of the Fourth Revolution. Through this systematic structure, the book attempts to answer how human civilization can achieve long-term stability and sustainable development within complex, multi-level natural systems. -/- In terms of academic value, this book not only inherits the research achievements of philosophy of science, systems science, and political philosophy, but also proposes a new paradigm in which civilization is embedded in natural laws. It provides scientific-philosophical guidance for future civilizational institutions, ecological governance, technological development, and social policy. In practical terms, it offers operational strategies and theoretical support for addressing ecological crises, energy constraints, social inequality, and institutional failure faced by global civilization. -/- In conclusion, this book is not only the product of academic reflection but also a strategic foresight regarding the future of human civilization. It proclaims the Fourth Revolution in the history of human thought: the fundamental principles of civilization will no longer be guided by anthropocentrism and the logic of power, but by alignment with natural laws, systems science, and cosmic order. Understanding and practicing this principle is the historical necessity for humanity to achieve long-term stability, low-entropy development, and a sustainable future. (shrink)

Based on the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology, this paper systematically explores the scientific and philosophical foundations of natural civilization as the ultimate form of human civilization. The study highlights that the stability and sustainability of human civilization are rooted in natural control systems, whose core characteristics include eternity, universality, and negative-feedback self-regulation. From both philosophical and scientific perspectives, this article analyzes the manifestations of natural civilization across the cosmic hierarchy, ecosystems, social institutions, and technological civilization, and compares them with Confucian (...) and Western civilizational systems, revealing their limitations: Confucianism emphasizes human ethics and ritual systems, which are constrained by history and culture and prone to internal contradictions; Western civilization relies on rationality, science, and institutional frameworks, yet still shows deficiencies in addressing systemic risks and ecological constraints. -/- Furthermore, this paper discusses the application of natural civilization principles in modern governance, ecological management, industrial civilization, and artificial intelligence systems, proposing a systematic governance and ecological intelligence design paradigm centered on negative feedback and self-organization. This provides actionable scientific-philosophical guidance for social institutions, resource management, and technological civilization. The paper concludes by suggesting future research directions, including multi-galaxy and cosmic-hierarchy negative feedback simulations, co-evolution models of artificial intelligence and ecological civilization, and interdisciplinary integration of philosophy, science, and social governance. -/- The study demonstrates that natural civilization not only offers ultimate principles for the long-term stability and sustainability of human civilization, but also provides a scientific-philosophical foundation for cross-cultural, cross-temporal, and cross-institutional civilizational practices, carrying profound philosophical, scientific, and social application value. -/- . (shrink)

Confucian governance has long been regarded as an important foundation of Chinese political philosophy. Its core concepts center on “inner sage, outer king,” elite moral rule, and the guidance of social order through benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. However, scientific-philosophical critique reveals fundamental limitations in Confucian governance. First, it relies excessively on elite moral judgment, neglecting social complexity and knowledge asymmetry, which leads to cumulative policy deviations and institutional fragility. Second, the system lacks feedback and self-correction mechanisms, making it unable (...) to conform to natural laws and systemic logic, so long-term operation easily results in social imbalance. Third, moral rationality is fundamentally misaligned with systemic rationality: ethical standards emphasize behavioral norms, while complex social governance requires dynamic balance and multi-level adaptation. Historical experience—from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, through the Han and Tang imperial examinations, to the centralized governance of the Ming and Qing dynasties—demonstrates repeated structural risks in Confucian governance, including policy lag, social stratification, and institutional rigidity. This paper, framed by scientific-philosophical critique, systematically analyzes Confucian governance, examining elite cognitive limitations, conflicts between institutional ethics and natural laws, and lessons from history. It further offers modern governance insights: institutional design must balance ethical norms, systemic rationality, and natural laws, achieving a dynamic equilibrium between elite wisdom and societal participation to safeguard public interest, institutional stability, and long-term sustainability. This study aims to provide philosophical warnings and scientific methodological guidance for modern political system design. -/- . (shrink)

This study develops a structural diagnosis of contemporary transformations in scientific knowledge production under conditions of synthetic intelligence. It introduces the Structural Diagnosis of Scientific Integrity (SDSI) framework, a multi-layer analytical architecture designed to examine how algorithmic mediation may reconfigure the epistemic infrastructure of science. The framework integrates philosophical analysis, metascientific insights, and qualitative observation of generative AI systems. At the centre of the framework lies the concept of Machine Epistemic Singularity (MES) , defined not as a prediction of (...) collapse but as a diagnostic horizon—a conceptual limit clarifying what is at stake when algorithmic systems become deeply embedded in scientific practice. MES denotes a hypothetical regime in which empirical correction becomes structurally marginal, recursive closure becomes self-sustaining, representational drift becomes resistant to reversal, and institutional mechanisms lose their capacity to maintain what the study terms material accountability: the property of epistemic systems whose outputs remain corrigible through empirical engagement with the world. The SDSI framework consists of four interconnected components. First, a diagnostic grammar grounded in the representation–referent distinction identifies referential attenuation, the progressive weakening of causal and evidential links between scientific claims and empirical origins. Second, the regulative ideal of material accountability provides a normative anchor for assessing epistemic stability across hybrid human–machine assemblages. Third, four structural tendencies—referential attenuation, structural opacity, recursive closure, and epistemic lock in—describe mechanisms through which algorithmic mediation may weaken epistemic accountability. Fourth, fifteen axes of epistemic vulnerability, distributed across empirical, representational, institutional, and algorithmic layers, function as systemic stress vectors within a multi layer epistemic network. To explore whether these mechanisms are observable in practice, the study employs qualitative diagnostic probes examining contemporary generative AI systems. Five probes—unattributed recombination, performance without understanding, authoritative posture without accountability, synthetic drift, and recursive reinforcement—indicate that the mechanisms theorised in the framework are operational in micro form within systems increasingly used in research adjacent workflows. The analysis is then extended to system level dynamics by modelling science as a multi layer epistemic network. Three propagation mechanisms—amplification, accumulation, and structural coupling—are identified, along with three threshold conditions—empirical dilution, validation saturation, and recursive dependence—proposed as empirically monitorable indicators of when localised vulnerabilities may become self reinforcing. The study advances five contributions: (1) material accountability as a normative anchor for evaluating epistemic stability; (2) algorithmic mediation as a distinct epistemic layer within scientific infrastructure; (3) four structural tendencies describing pathways of epistemic drift; (4) a systemic stress model derived from fifteen axes of vulnerability; and (5) MES as a diagnostic horizon integrating these mechanisms. The framework is offered as a diagnostic lens rather than a predictive or prescriptive programme. Its aim is not to determine the future of science, but to illuminate the structural pressures that may shape scientific knowledge production as algorithmic systems become increasingly integrated into its epistemic architecture. (shrink)

For decades, scholars have been calling into question the universality of disciplinary objects and categories. The decay of master narratives showcases a distrust of universals, while deepening particularity seems to promise nothing but further dissolution. For Jason Josephson-Storm, these are dead ends. He wants to offer a path forward, which he terms metamodernism. This is the first full-length work to line up the various critiques of disciplinary master-categories (religion, science, art, etc.) and trace their affinities and shared conceptual roots. It (...) suggests that if these critiques are granted, they tell us something fundamental about the mechanisms through which concepts and social categories are produced and maintained. They suggest that the social world should be seen in terms of a "process social ontology" with temporary zones of stability called "social kinds." This amounts to a new theory of society and a new methodology for research in the human sciences. The work also broadens to fundamental issues of the relationship between knowledge and value, promoting not skepticism but zeteticism--a stance directed toward humble, emancipatory knowledge. Valuing this form of knowledge allows postmodernism to be channeled into a critical virtue ethics directed toward multi-species. (shrink)

Against the backdrop of accelerating globalization and digitalization in the twenty-first century, human civilization is facing unprecedented systemic risks of loss of control. Traditional economics, built upon the four foundational pillars of Smith, Hayek, Marx, and Keynes, has—despite its historical success in addressing resource allocation and production efficiency—revealed profound limitations in dealing with complex system dynamics. In particular, the “Nash equilibrium,” which serves as a cornerstone of modern strategic game theory, is based on an assumption of static stability that (...) is increasingly transforming, under the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and platform capitalism, into a self-destructive logical trap. -/- This paper proposes the Natural Cybernetic Economics Theory (NCET), aiming to reconstruct the evolutionary logic of economics at an ontological level from the perspective of cybernetics and systems theory. It argues that modern economies are not merely exchange systems, but multi-layered positive-feedback structures composed of “desire, capital, information, and boundaries.” The Nash equilibrium is essentially a stagnation point at the informational layer, neglecting both the structural expansion of the desire layer and the physical constraints of the boundary layer. -/- With the intervention of AI technologies, the frequency of game interactions collapses from human cognitive timescales (seconds) to algorithmic timescales (milliseconds). This dimensional acceleration allows systems to reach perfect logical equilibrium precisely at the moment they exceed natural capacity limits and enter functional collapse in physical reality. -/- The paper further explores four core dimensions of NCET: first, redefining greed as a non-moral driving variable of systemic dynamics; second, analyzing the compound and structural asymmetries generated by capital accumulation in iterative games; third, explaining how algorithms shape desire and construct addictive control systems; and fourth, establishing the “boundary constraint principle” as the highest governing rule of the system. -/- The study concludes that the survival of civilization requires a fundamental paradigm shift in economics—from optimizing “game advantage” (growth and efficiency) to optimizing “system robustness” (stability and resilience). Finally, the paper proposes a vision of a “cybernetic civilization,” emphasizing global monitoring mechanisms based on negative feedback regulation, and advocating for “boundary alerts” rather than “desire amplification” through algorithmic governance, thereby ensuring the long-term dynamic equilibrium and sustainable continuity of human civilization within finite natural constraints. -/- . (shrink)

Based on the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, this paper systematically demonstrates the scientific-philosophical proposition that Dao corresponds to the Milky Way. It aims to unify the classical Daoist generative logic with modern astronomy, thermodynamics, and systems science. By analyzing Dao’s non-personal, non-teleological, and non-material characteristics, the study identifies the Milky Way as the scientific entity realizing Dao’s generative law, providing necessary constraints for the formation of the Solar System, Earth, and life. Integrating the second law of thermodynamics and entropy increase, the (...) paper explains how global disorder increases while local low-entropy systems maintain stability through energy flow, feedback, and self-organization, implementing cycles of generation, dissipation, and regeneration, corresponding to Laozi’s principle “the reversal is the movement of Dao.” From a systems science perspective, the Milky Way, the Solar System, Earth, and ecological civilizations form hierarchical coupled, nonlinear, and dissipative structures, ensuring the necessity of the generative chain. The study concludes that Dao, entropy, and generation can be unified scientifically and philosophically: Dao serves as the generative principle, the Milky Way embodies it physically, entropy provides the driving mechanism, and local order realizes generative chain stability, forming a coherent framework bridging philosophy and science. Finally, implications for human civilization, ecological management, and scientific-philosophical education are discussed, alongside future research directions in Milky Way formation mechanisms, multi-scale entropy dynamics, and systems-philosophy integration, providing a foundation for the scientific realization of Dao and sustainable civilization development. -/- Keywords: Dao philosophy, Milky Way, entropy, generative chain, systems science, scientific philosophy . (shrink)

This Open Access book about the Zadeh Project demonstrates and explores a core question in clinical ethics: how can ethics consultants be accountable in the face of a robust plurality of ethical standpoints, especially those that underwrite practices and methods for doing ethics consultation as well as those viewpoints and values encountered in daily clinical ethics practice? Underscoring this question is the recognition that the field of clinical ethics consultation has arrived at a crucial point in its maturation. Many efforts (...) are underway to more formally “professionalize” the field, with most aimed toward stabilizing a specific set of institutional considerations. Stretched between these institutional and practical initiatives resides a crucial set of of ethical considerations, chief among them the meaning and scope of responsibility for clinical ethics consultants. Developed around a long-form case scenario, the Zadeh Project provides a multi-layered series of “peer-reviews”: critique of the actions of the case scenario’s ethics consultant; reflection on clinical ethics method; examination of the many ways that commitments to method and practice can, and do, intersect, overlap, and alter one another. The design and format of this book thus models a key element for clinical ethics practice: the need and ability to provide careful and thoughtful explanation of core moral considerations that emerge among diverse standpoints. Specifically designed for those studying to become and those who are ethics consultants, this book, with its innovative and multi-layered approach, allows readers to share a peer-review-like experience that shows accountability to be what it is, an ethical, not merely procedural or administrative, undertaking. (shrink)

The tension between microscopic reversibility and macroscopic irreversibility remains one of the fundamental puzzles in physics and philosophy of time. While Prigogine's thermodynamics of irreversible processes established time's arrow as intrinsic to non-equilibrium systems, recent quantum experiments demonstrate effective time-reversibility in isolated systems. This paper proposes that quantum non-locality and entanglement serve as architectural principles bridging these seemingly contradictory perspectives across mesoscopic scales. I argue that time's irreversibility is not absolute but contextual—emerging from the relationship between system and environment mediated (...) by non-local correlations. Through examining strange attractors in phase space and various forms of asymptotic stability, I develop a framework where emergent temporal directionality possesses a fundamentally asymptotic character, arising from systems' dynamical approach to equilibrium. This perspective reconciles Prigogine's insights with quantum reversibility by positioning quasi-equilibrium subsystems within a multi-scale dynamical hierarchy where global correlations establish macroscopic order from microscopic dynamics. The resulting ontology suggests that temporal directionality emerges from attractor-mediated causation rather than classical cause-effect chains, offering new pathways for understanding the relationship between quantum mechanics and thermodynamics. (shrink)

This article examines an eighteenth-century Tibetan tantric thangka centered on a wrathful buffalo-headed deity in sexual union, framed by an immense fire aureole, surmounted by three lineage masters, and grounded upon a lower register of subdued animal, human, and offering forms. The “wrathful” part does not mean ordinary anger. It means forceful awakened efficacy, a mode of transformation that burns through obstruction, seizes delusion, subdues fear, and converts mortality into ritual power. That is why the noose, trident, skull bowl, skull (...) topped staff, serpent, flames, and many heads in this thangka matter so much. They form a symbolic grammar of subjugation, offering, death transcendence, and transformation. On cumulative iconographic grounds, the central figure is provisionally identified as Yamāntaka, or Vajrabhairava, in yab yum, situated within a likely Gelug tantric environment. The study argues that the painting is not best understood as a simple deity portrait, but as a vertically structured tantric field in which transmission, manifestation, subjugation, and transformation are arranged in deliberate visual relation. The analysis proceeds on several interconnected levels. First, it offers an iconographic reading of the central deity through the buffalo-headed principal face, the multi-headed form, the consort, the wrathful implements, the serpent ornament, and the buffalo imagery below. Second, it interprets the painting’s symbolic clusters, fire, skulls, severed heads, noose, staff, trident, skull bowl, and proliferating heads, as elements of a wrathful semiotics of transformation rather than mere terror. Third, it considers the thangka as a material artifact whose brocade mounting, damaged veil, reverse-side notations, and visible wear disclose a layered object biography extending beyond its original ritual function. Beyond iconographic identification, the article proposes that the thangka also bears esoteric significance at a deeper contemplative level. Read vertically, the upper register signifies lineage, authorization, and orientation under transmission, the central register enacts wrathful awakened force united with wisdom, and the lower register represents mortality, instinct, vulnerable embodiment, and egoic fixation as domains to be transformed rather than denied. Yet the article further suggests that these tantric instructions are not only externally prescribed by doctrine. They may also be understood as symbolic stabilizations of processes already latent within contemplative embodiment itself. In deep meditation, inner luminosity may unfold, intensify, and organize itself into forms that later invite symbolic recognition, while awe arises as an intrinsic affective threshold within this unfolding. The thangka may therefore be read not only as a ritual image and visual theology of transformation, but also as the externalized memory of contemplative discoveries, a cultural crystallization of luminous, visionary, and transformative processes embedded in the depths of human meditative experience. (shrink)