Scholarly opinions vary on what language is, how it evolved, and from where or what it evolved. Long considered uniquely human, today scholars argue for evolutionary continuity between human language and animal communication systems. But while it is generally recognized that language is an evolving communication system, scholars continue to debate from which species language evolved, and what behavioral and cognitive features are the precursors to human language. To understand the nature of protolanguage, some look for homologs in gene functionality, (...) brain areas, or anatomical structures such as the supralaryngeal vocal tract; others point toward primates, their gestural, vocal, multimodal, and in later evolving hominins also their pantomimic communication systems; and still others draw parallels between the musicality that characterizes language and the pitch found in the numerous sounds produced by animals. Accordingly, protolanguage theories today are multiple and diverse, and protolanguages might have also been diverse. This special issue on Evolving (Proto)Language/s for Lingua bundles several of the protolanguage theories that were put forward at the sixth edition of the Ways to Protolanguage conference series, held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, in 2019. Not aimed at surveying all the different ways there are to conceptualize, study, and model protolanguage/s, this issue provides interested readers with good overviews on the role played in current theorizing on protolanguage/s by (paleo)anthropology, genetics, physiology, developmental, evolutionary, ecological, and pragmatic research lines. (shrink)

I argue that interesting experiences are experientially valuable in the same fashion as pleasant experiences, yet that the interesting is nonetheless a distinct value from the pleasant. Insofar as it challenges the hedonist’s assumption that pleasure and pain are the only evaluative dimensions of our phenomenological experiences, my argument here serves both as a defense of the value of the interesting and as an important critique of hedonism.

This paper introduces the notion of a “psychologically rich life”: a life characterized by complexity, in which people experience a variety of interesting things, and feel and appreciate a variety of deep emotions via firsthand experiences or vicarious experiences. A psychologically rich life can be contrasted with a boring and monotonous life, in which one feels a singular emotion or feels that their lives are defined by routines that just aren’t that interesting. Our discussion considers how it is that the (...) psychologically rich life compares to other leading theories of the good life discussed within both philosophy and psychology, and it argues that a psychologically rich life ought to be recognized as a distinct and compelling form of the good life. (shrink)

In recent papers, I defend the intrinsic value of the interesting, and the intrinsic disvalue of the boring. My arguments introduce two claims with important implications for discussions of the quality of life. The first is that when it comes to experiences, there’s more value at stake than pleasure alone. The second is that there is value to cognitive engagement itself, even when it is unstructured by desires or reasons. This paper explores the important consequences these conclusions have for how (...) we appraise the quality of life of subjects with dramatically impaired cognitive capacities (such as patients with advanced Alzheimer’s and patients in a persistent vegetive state). I examine whether such groups are capable of experiencing the interesting and, by extension, what degrees of self-awareness are required to experience the kind of cognitive engagement at stake in interesting experiences. (shrink)

In this chapter, I argue that boredom derives from a lack of cognitive engagement, and that the aversive nature of boredom signals the value of cognitive engagement. I go on to argue that reflection on boredom reveals an under-appreciated yet distinctively valuable aspect of human agency: its capacity to be motivated and engaged by unstructured attention, which is often stimulus- directed while nonetheless internally motivated. Harnessing this ability, I conclude, allows us to enhance our lives.

This paper proposes the idea of thinking about practical rationality in terms of self-regulation and defends the thesis that self-regulation is a virtue, insofar as we have reason to think it is our highest form of practical rationality. I argue that understanding self-regulation as a virtuous form of practical reasoning is called for given the kinds of limitations we face in developing agency and pursuing our goals, and presents us with several advantages over traditional understandings of practical rationality.

In this reply to comments by Neera Badhwar and Barbara Montero, I examine more deeply the nature of cognitive engagement and how it is distinct from other forms of cognitive activity; revisit the distinction between interesting and boring experiences; and present an analysis of all-things-considered value that illustrates the contributions that the interesting makes. I conclude by considering what all-things-considered value becomes for patients with severe cognitive impairments.

The Theistic Argument from Intentionality (TAI) is a venerable argument for the existence of God from the existence of eternal truths. The argument relies, inter alia, on the premises that (i) truth requires representation, and that (ii) non-derivative representation is a function of, and only of, minds. If propositions are the fundamental bearers of truth and falsity, then these premises entail that propositions (or at least their representational properties) depend on minds. Although it is widely thought that psychologism—the view that (...) the fundamental truth-bearers are mind-dependent—was refuted by Frege, a psychologistic view of propositions has been undergoing a revival. However, this new psychologism suffers from a problem of scarcity—finite minds cannot generate enough thoughts to play the role of fundamental truth-bearers. This objection paves the way for a revised version of the TAI: only an infinite mind can furnish enough thoughts to play the role of propositions. (shrink)

This paper investigates the emotional import of literary devices deployed in fiction. Reflecting on the often-favored approach in the analytic tradition that locates fictional characters, events, and narratives as sources of readers’ emotions, I attempt to broaden the scope of analysis by accounting for how literary devices trigger non-cognitive emotions. I argue that giving more expansive consideration to literary devices by which authors present content facilitates a better understanding of how fiction engages emotion. In doing so, I also explore the (...) somatic dimension of reading fiction. (shrink)

How should our metaphysical commitments influence how we think of ourselves in the practical world? Hume and Buddhism share common ground in denying that there exists a metaphysically real self yet offer very different practical recommendations about how this metaphysical view ought to inform our practical identities. This paper explores the contrast between the two views. It examines the benefits and costs of embracing, and attaching to, a practical conception of the self in the absence of a metaphysical self and (...) provides a qualified defense of the Humean approach by way of considering the joys of attachment. (shrink)

ABSTRACT This paper explores the task of learning virtue through the lens of self-determination theory. Drawing on SDT’s account of motivation and of innate psychological needs, I defend a theory of learning virtue that emphasizes knowing why virtue is important is pivotal to the development of virtue.

The preprint “GraviGUT unification with revisited Pati–Salam model” (arXiv:2510.11674v1, dated October 13, 2025; hereafter GraviGUT) by Stephon Alexander, Bruno Alexandre, Michael Fine, Joao Magueijo, et al. exhibits extensive and obvious embarassing plagiarism—conceptual, structural, mathematical, and terminological—of Jennifer Lorraine Nielsen’s “The Topological Unified Field Theory on the Complex Hopf Fibration S1 → S9 → CP4 (initial draft February 2023, Submitted to IJT on July 1, 2025, hereafter TUFT). The GraviGUT’s architecture, terminology, and mathematical sequence constitute an exact structural mapping of (...) TUFT’s framework into gauge-theoretic notation. The exact bundle was duplicated using the Lie group shadow of S1-S9-CP^4 on SO(1,9,C) plus a Chern Simons term; paired these exactly identify S1-S9-CP^4 as the bundle structure of GraviGUT on Pati Salam by Alexander, et al. Exact action, Higgs, and "wonder" variables are duplicated exactly. The paper constitutes an exact and bold plagiarism, either intentionally, OR via an AI assistant, OR both. (shrink)

The authors present a topologically motivated solution to the classic Navier-Stokes problem. The paper will be submitted for peer review and publication as a posited solution to the Clay-Millennium Problem modeling Option C (blow up in real time). Smoothness in complex time is also demonstrated BEYOND the scope of the Clay problem. -/- Note: LaTex errata from previous versions and a presentation issue have been corrected.

We show that the Riemann Hypothesis (RH) is independent of ZFC, Pi1 sound and true in the standard model of arithmetic and prove RH in ZFC + minimal axiomatic extensions. -/- Independence of ZFC is established using the Lambda Irreducibility Principle, a foundational framework introduced and developed in this work. The Lambda principle detects intrinsic semantic obstruction arising from round-trip translation between inequivalent representational paradigms. We formalize two paradigms intrinsic to number theory: a linear arithmetic paradigm, governing first-order arithmetical definability (...) and computation, and a curved analytic--spectral paradigm, encoding the global analytic and spectral structure of the Riemann zeta function. We prove that RH is $\Lambda$-irreducible with respect to these paradigms. As a consequence, RH admits no faithful uniform representation within any single formal system internal to ZFC, and is therefore undecidable in ZFC. -/- We then establish the truth of RH in the standard model of natural numbers $\mathbb{N}$. Exploiting the $\Pi^0_1$ character of RH together with its ZFC-independence, we show that any hypothetical counterexample would constitute a finite arithmetical witness, and hence would be detectable within ZFC itself. The absence of such a witness implies that RH already holds in $\mathbb{N}$. This yields a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis in natural arithmetic, derived from semantic reflection rather than from additional axiomatic strength. -/- Next we present the Large Cardinal Theorem of Analytic Completeness, under which the $\Lambda$-obstruction collapses and RH becomes provable in an extension of ZFC. Taken together, these results establish that RH is independent of ZFC yet true in the standard model of arithmetic, with its truth established in the standard model of arithmetic and in ZFC + LCAC (Large Cardinal Analytic Completeness). -/- We finally present a third geometric proof of RH in extended foundational settings based on global phase rigidity of the Riemann phase bundle. Interpreting zeros of the completed $\xi$–function as localized holonomy defects of a natural logarithmic connection, we show that sufficient analytic rigidity excludes such defects and forces all nontrivial zeros onto the critical line. This argument clarifies why spectral and Hilbert–Pólya–type approaches require additional foundational strength, and provides a geometric realization of the analytic obstruction identified by the Lambda Irreducibility Principle. -/- Together these proofs successfully resolve the Clay-Millenium problem of proving the Riemann hypothesis. (shrink)

This paper introduces the Topological Unified Field Theory (TUFT), a unified framework formulated on the complex Hopf fibration. We prove that any unified gauge theory whose U(1) sector satisfies charge quantization (discrete admissible charges) and completeness (realization of every principal U(1)-bundle over any paracompact base) must be formulated, up to homotopy equivalence of the base and isomorphism of bundles, on the universal complex Hopf fibration S^1 -> S^infinity -> CP^infinity and its finite approximations S^1 -> S^{2n+1} -> CP^n. Such a (...) system is shown to be indecomposable, in the sense that it presents as a unified field which cannot be decomposed without loss of information. -/- The Standard Model gauge groups arise as natural reductions along a nested shell hierarchy: U(1) from the circular S^1 fiber, SU(2) from the S^3 shell, and SU(3) from the S^5 shell. Gravity emerges as the spacetime gauge sector from the Kahler geometry of the base together with fiber-induced torsion, yielding a structure analogous to Einstein-Cartan theory, with the Levi-Civita connection recovered in the torsion-free limit. The unified structure group G_total = (SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) x SO(4)) / Gamma is intrinsically non-factorable due to the generating role of the universal first Chern class in H*(CP^infinity; Z) ~= Z[c1]. -/- On each Hopf shell, the generalized Beltrami operator B = d|_xi acting on the contact distribution is elliptic, essentially self-adjoint, and possesses a discrete spectrum stable under torsion perturbations by the Kato-Rellich theorem. Fiber winding decomposition yields independent topological sectors whose Gaussian functional determinants, regularized via spectral zeta functions, generate intrinsic mass scales. Fermion mixing (CKM, PMNS) arises from intersection-form overlaps of admissible cycles in H(CP^4), with CP violation induced by fiber holonomy phases. Dynamics emerge from the fluctuation spectrum of the topological action on S^9. Given a single empirical input scale set by the Fermi constant (with its associated electroweak vacuum expectation value), the fine-structure constant and all shell-specific mass scales, spectral coefficients, and coupling constants are determined by the spectral geometry of the complex Hopf fibration. -/- The framework predicts the full particle mass spectrum and anomalous magnetic moments, and proposes independent experimental tests, including torsion-induced phase wobble, the absolute neutrino mass scale, and precision measurements of the electron, muon, and tau g-2, providing clear routes to falsifiability. Fundamental constants arise from topological normalization. Additional consequences include anomaly cancellation, dark sector effects from bundle torsion and holonomy, and the elimination of singularities. Independently of physical interpretation, the results contribute to the topology of classifying spaces, reductions along nested Hopf fibrations, and contact spectral geometry. (shrink)

Biological systems operate far from thermodynamic equilibrium, continuously exchanging energy and information with their environments. We propose that quantum coherence in biological matter is not a fragile artifact of isolation but an emergent property of nonlinear energy flow. Through parametric field pumping, classical nonequilibrium oscillations act as phase-selective amplifiers, converting decoherence into constructive interference. Three experimentally accessible mechanisms—Frohlich dipolar condensation, ion-field self-locking, and electromagnetic waveguiding—form a hierarchical coherence network sustained by metabolic energy. We develop a Lagrangian field formalism showing that (...) multiplicative coupling between microscopic and macroscopic fields yields parametric gain and coherence maintenance. Finally, we extend this model to include Beltrami–Double Hopf turbulence and complex-time regulation, connecting biological coherence with helicity-preserving turbulent structures observed in neural dynamics. (shrink)

I construct a complete Beltrami eigenbasis in complex time on $S^3$ using the Hopf fibration $S^1 \to S^3 \to S^2$, yielding an exact spectral decomposition of the incompressible Navier--Stokes equations. This framework resolves the incompleteness of Beltrami fields in $\mathbb{R}^3$ and reduces Navier--Stokes to a closed system of ODEs with explicit triadic couplings. From this spectral formulation, the three classical laws of thermodynamics follow as PDE theorems: the First Law from energy conservation and viscous dissipation, the Second Law from monotone (...) spectral entropy production, and the Third Law from the collapse to pure Beltrami modes in the low--temperature limit. This establishes the laws of thermodynamics as emergent spectral properties of Hopf--Navier--Stokes dynamics. Note: LaTex errata from a prior version have been eliminated. (shrink)

Topological Unified Field Theory (TUFT) predicts that physical propagation occurs on a nontrivial total space endowed with a universal $U(1)$ connection. A central consequence is the existence of holonomic corrections to dynamics that are absent in General Relativity and force-based gauge theories. One such correction is a transverse, oscillatory deviation in propagation---the \emph{holonomic wobble}. In this paper, we show that recent experimental and theoretical results by Sala \emph{et al.} (2025) \cite{Sala2025}, Deng--Gao--Niu (2025) \cite{DengGaoNiu2025}, and Yang (2026) \cite{Yang2026} independently confirm this (...) mechanism through force-free geometric transport governed by quantum metric and Berry curvature. We further show that in-vacuum and near-vacuum phase-holonomy experiments---including the Aharonov--Bohm effect \cite{AharonovBohm1959}, neutron interferometry measurements of geometric phase \cite{Werner2012}, vacuum spin--orbit/Wigner-translation transport \cite{Bliokh2015}, and vacuum-induced geometric phase experiments \cite{Gasparinetti2016}---verify the same holonomic phase mechanism in flat spacetime, prior to any material projection. Finally, Barger (1964) provides further evidence of holonomic torsion \cite{Barger1964}. Each confirmation is identified explicitly at the level of mechanism. (shrink)

Turbulence and the Navier--Stokes existence problem remain among the most profound challenges in mathematics and physics. Two Hopfs provide the missing structure: Eberhard Hopf's functional formulation of turbulence statistics, and Heinz Hopf's fibration $S^1 \to S^3 \to \mathbb{CP}^1$. In this paper, I unite these perspectives in the \emph{Double Hopf framework}, defining the Hopf functional on the Hopf bundle $S^3$. This yields a closed, topologically regulated equation for turbulence, with triadic interactions governed by $SU(2)$ representation theory. Finally, by extending time to (...) a complex domain, singularities are eliminated, resolving both the turbulence closure problem and the problem of existence and smoothness. (shrink)

A common critique of the Euclidean presentation of relativity, that it is “unphysical”, is gravely misplaced. In a Lorentz-invariant framework, global time ordering is not preserved, and no single temporal sequence can claim physical priority. The Euclidean formulation simply makes this fact explicit, rather than allowing it to appear only as a side effect of treating time as an independent parameter. If physics is to describe what is actually happening, a Euclidean formulation becomes the natural framework. Since time-ordering is not (...) preserved under Lorentz invariance, a framework that represents all possible orderings simultaneously is not merely convenient but constitutes the correct physical presentation of the theory. Since experimental tests of general relativity indicate that time ordering is not preserved under Lorentz invariance, we should treat this as a fact of nature rather than pretending time is an independent well-behaved parameter. (shrink)

I should like to offer my greatest thanks to Paul Griffiths for providing the opportunity for this exchange, and to commentators Gillian Brown, Steven Fuller, Stefan Linquist, and Erika Milam for their generous and thought-provoking comments. I shall do my best in this space to respond to some of their concerns.

Mathematical descriptions / formulations equivalent to the bundle structure and features of the topological unified field theory on S1-S9-CP4 include, but are not limited to, the list contained herein. Also adding this as an appendix.

I formally demand the immediate retraction (with full investigation) of the paper: Junpei Harada, “Exact vacuum solution with Hopf structure in gen- eral relativity,” Phys. Rev. D -/- Independent of my argument, MacCallum (2026) has argued that parts of Harada's paper are "isometric to Taub-NUT" which establishes precedent for the problem of Harada not citing contributions accurately in this paper. -/- Harada's paper is not an independent work. It brazenly copies the core con- ceptual architecture, specific technical mechanisms, and distinctive (...) research program of my Topological Unified Field Theory (TUFT), which was pub- licly disseminated in Version 1 on PhilPapers on 08 April 2025 — more than two months before Harada’s submission on 25 June 2025. All ver- sions are archived. The overlaps are not coincidental. They constitute a clear and damning appropriation of my original ideas without any citation or acknowledgment. The probability of independent discovery of this precise, non-standard con- fluence of concepts in such a short timeframe is effectively zero. Below is the detailed concordance proving the plagiarism: Concordance: Nielsen Precedent vs. Harada’s Ap- propriation [leftmargin=*, itemsep=12pt] • Aspect: Hopf fibration as structural backbone for spacetime geometry Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “any unified gauge theory . . . must be formulated . . . on the universal complex Hopf fibration S1 → S∞ → CP∞ and its finite approxima- tions S1 → S2n+1 → CPn.” (Abstract & §1.4) “The complex Hopf fibration is the canonical space for gauge-gravity unification.”̸ “Nontrivial S1 winding induces torsion in the projected spacetime con- nection.” “torsion-induced phase wobble . . . fiber holonomy phases.” Harada Copied: “A tangent vector kμ to this S1 fiber can be defined . . . ” “the geodesic null vector . . . defines a twisting congruence.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: The S1 fiber is explicitly converted into a twisting geometric object via torsion and holonomy. Harada shamelessly copied this exact mechanism by using the S1 fiber tangent to define his twisting null geodesic congruence. • Aspect: Chern-type topological invariants marking nontriv- ial gravity Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “the generating role of the universal first Chern class in H∗(CP∞; Z) ∼= Z[c1] . . . c1̸ = 0.” “Charge quantization forces c1̸ = 0 . . . forces nonvanishing fiber cur- vature.” Harada Copied: “the Chern–Pontryagin scalar is nonzero . . . reflecting the topo- logically nontrivial nature of the gravitational field.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: First Chern class c1 serves as the diagnostic of nontrivial bundle topology in gravity. Harada copied this by deploying the Chern–Pontryagin scalar to claim topological nontriviality in his gravitational field. • Aspect: Global regularity / elimination of singularities via Hopf topology Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “elimination of singularities.” “The theory contains no fundamental singularities because it is for- mulated in terms of smooth global bundle data.” Harada Copied: “regular, with no curvature singularities.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: Global regularity and elimination of singularities are explicitly attributed to the smooth global Hopf bundle topology. Harada copied this exact claim of a regular spacetime with no curvature singularities via the Hopf con- struction. • Aspect: Gravity derived from K¨ahler base + fiber effects Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “Gravity emerges . . . from the K¨ahler geometry of the base together with fiber-induced torsion.” Harada Copied: “derived using the Kerr–Schild metric . . . built from the Hopf fibra- tion.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: Gravity is derived from K¨ahler base geometry combined with fiber-induced torsion. Harada copied this derivation strategy by building his exact vacuum solution geometrically from the Hopf fibration. • Aspect: Additional hidden symmetries from fiber geometry 2 Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “holonomy phases . . . parallel transport . . . nontrivial phase rota- tion.” Harada Copied: “Killing–Yano tensor . . . hidden symmetry.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: Additional symme- tries (via holonomy and phase rotation) emerge from the fiber geom- etry. Harada copied this idea by introducing a Killing–Yano tensor that reveals “hidden symmetry” from the Hopf fiber structure. • Aspect: Overall derivation approach (topology-first → met- ric/solution) Nielsen Precedent (TUFT, Version 1 — 08 Apr 2025): “Dynamics emerge from the fluctuation spectrum of the topological action on S9.” Harada Copied: “geometrically guided approach . . . topologically nontrivial geome- tries.” Precedent and Plagiarism: Nielsen precedent: The derivation pipeline starts from topology (Hopf fiber action) and proceeds to gravitational structure. Harada copied this topology-first, geometrically guided ap- proach for his vacuum solution. These are not minor similarities. They represent the theft of an entire distinctive research program. Harada presents as “novel” what I had already publicly established as the canonical framework months earlier. I demand that the journal: 1. Immediately launch a formal investigation into this clear case of pla- giarism and priority violation. 2. Require Harada to provide a full developmental history of his ideas and explain the striking parallels. 3. Retract the paper or issue a prominent correction restoring proper attribution to my prior work. I am prepared to provide complete documentation, timestamped PDFs, and side-by-side comparisons. The integrity of the scientific record requires swift and decisive action. All key areas of overlap listed below are contained in my work from Version 1 (08 April 2025) onward, with full records on PhilPapers, ResearchGate, and other preprint servers. I have prepared a comprehensive concordance table (below and attached as PDF) which provides a side-by-side comparison of specific conceptual leaps, structural definitions, and verbatim statements between my April 2025 preprint (Version 1 and subsequent versions) and the Harada paper. I respectfully request that the Editorial Board: • Perform a comparative technical audit of the timestamps and manuscripts provided. • Require the author to provide a “Developmental History” of these ideas to ensure they were not derived from my public preprints. 3 • Issue a retraction or correction with substantive citations of my paper to restore proper priority to the scientific record. I am prepared to provide detailed documentation, including timestamps, full manuscripts, and prior submissions, demonstrating the originality and precedence of my work. I take the integrity of the physical record seriously and look forward to your prompt and careful attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jenny Lorraine Nielsen Author of Topological Unified Field Theory (TUFT). (shrink)

I hereby demand that the plagiarized paper be retracted. -/- Kleteschka's paper contains an underived particle mass spectra prediction that is only derivable from first principles via my bundle structure. Without my bundle, he has a bunch of different arbitrary fitting parameters. The unique first principles derivation of this structure is from my paper. -/- Kleteschka admits in writing to updating his work with the exponential term for mass spectra derivations only after my paper came out on VixRa. Kletetschka’s claim (...) that particle masses are “eigenvalues of the temporal metric” is not mathematically supported in his paper. There is no metric tensor defined on a 3D time manifold, no eigenvalue equation derived from it, and no connection to actual particle physics observables via standard field theory. The phrase is rhetorical hand-waving, not physics. Instead, he stole my particle spectra relation from my March 22, 2025 paper and modified his paper on April 4, 2025 to include my math, incorrectly believing my time setup was analogous to his sheer bullshit. -/- . (shrink)

Given the growing interest in entrepreneurship education and the quest to provide entrepreneurial skills to all including the youths, the study investigates high school learners’ interest and readiness to start a business in South Africa. A group of high school learners (n=403) from select high schools in Cape Town was purposively sampled using self-administrated questionnaires while personal interviews were held with all Business Studies teachers in the participating schools (n=9). The results of this study indicate that 52% of the learners (...) are interested in starting a business, while 73% of them were from moderate income schools. A chi square test was performed to determine if the race and income level of the school influenced learners’ responses, and we found no statistical significance (P > 0.01). An overwhelming majority of the learners (73%) was of the view that they could start a business with the help of the knowledge and skills gained in the entrepreneurship education received. Suggestions on how to increase high school learners’ entrepreneurial intent and readiness to start a business upon leaving high school include the implementation of frequent learner visits to businesses as well as inviting entrepreneurs to give talks to learners. The goal of any scientific social enquiry such as the one pursued in this study, is to produce knowledge that assists in distilling viewpoints that express accurate necessities for socioeconomic development. Therefore, the practical implications of the study reside in the reinforcement of the need for a curriculum that addresses entrepreneurship education in South African high schools. -/- . (shrink)

Lorraine Daston's "Against Nature" seeks to explain why, in spite of compelling objections to the contrary, human beings continue to invest nature with moral authority. More specifically, she claims that our propensity to moralize nature is traceable in part to human nature. Though I criticize Daston for not paying adequate attention to John Stuart Mill's narrow sense of 'nature', I also highly recommend her book.

In this short and highly readable monograph, the author aims to answer the age-old question of why humans construct moral orders grounded upon natural orders, deriving normative authority from divine or otherwise nonanthropomorphic sources in nature. Why, for instance, did the drafters of the U.S. Declaration of Independence invoke natural laws rather than simply relying on human reason and argument to ground their objections to British colonial rule? Answering this and related questions about the relationship between moral and natural orders (...) demands a precise method. Daston describes hers as philosophical (not cultural) anthropology, probing the motivations behind the intellectual leap—often described as ‘the naturalistic fallacy’—from the natural to the normative (3). In that vein, her inquiry begins with a remark from Immanuel Kant’s underappreciated work Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. (shrink)

Why do average Americans recall the wise words of their politicians (e.g., John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you. . .”) but forget those of their political philosophers (e.g., John Rawls’s two principles of justice)? Notably absent from Sandel’s list is Benjamin Franklin, the author, printer, scientist, and statesman who led the United States through a tumultuous period of colonial politics, a revolutionary war, and its momentous, though no less precarious, founding as a nation. (...) class='Hi'>Lorraine Smith Pangle’s new book on Franklin seeks to remedy another glaring omission, namely, “that while so much attention has been paid to Franklin’s life, so little has hitherto been given to his political thought.". (shrink)

El libro de Lorraine Daston Breve Historia de la Atención Científica, publicado en español por editorial La Cifra en el 2012, consta de seis apartados a través de los cuales Daston formula una interesante pregunta desde las perspectivas de la psicología de la investigación científica y la epistemología de la historia natural: por qué, cuándo y cómo ocurre que los científicos dirigen su atención sobre determinados objetos de estudio y no sobre otros. O visto desde otro punto de vista, (...) cómo emergen los objetos científicos y cómo, en determinado momento, se desvanecen. (shrink)

Curious about the nature of light, Robert Boyle spent a series of late nights taking detailed observations of shining veal shanks, stinking fish, pieces of rotten wood which glowed in the dark, and a ‘noctiluca’ distilled from human urine. Once, report Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park, with "only a foot-boy" to assist him, Boyle put a luminous diamond to the nocturnal test, "plunging it into oil and acid, spitting on it, and ‘taking it into bed with me, and holding (...) it a good while upon a warm part of my naked body’". (shrink)

The Routledge Companion to Virtue Ethics, edited by Lorraine Besser-Jones and Michael Slote, is unusual among the recent crop of handbooks, encyclopedias, and compendiums in philosophy in a couple of respects. First, as well as presenting up-to-date surveys of the field, the Companion includes a number of entries that also engage in argument and negotiate tensions between different positions—some even questioning the nature of virtue ethics itself. These chapters are particularly interesting as they demonstrate the use of philosophical methodology (...) in debates about VE. Second, the volume engages with non-Western perspectives on virtue theory and VE, with several chapters showing the... (shrink)

The Idea of Epistemic Responsibility (ER) emerged in epistemology was initially a response to Gettier. Classical thinkers, in response to Gettier, offered different directions for epistemic justification and strengthened the notion of ER. This study examines the evolution of ER from its classical origins in responses to Gettier’s critique of the justified true belief (JTB) model to its feminist reformulation in Lorraine Code’s Epistemic Responsibility. It hypothesizes that Code’s concept of ER offers a philosophically robust and ethically grounded resolution (...) to the Gettier problem by shifting epistemic justification from the abstract cognition to the situated, morally engaged practice. Using an analytic and comparative method, the research juxtaposes classical epistemologists such as Sosa, Chisholm, Bonjour and Kornblith with feminist theorists, especially Code, to trace how moral accountability, situated knowledge and relational trust redefine justification. The findings reveal that feminist conceptions of ER transform epistemology from a formal, context-free model into an ethically responsive framework that views knowledge as a moral and relational achievement. ER reframes the Gettier-style epistemic failure as a lapse of moral and cognitive responsibility rather than a mere problem of epistemic luck. Integrating intellectual virtue with moral accountability, ER thus bridges classical and feminist epistemology, offering a holistic, context-sensitive model of knowing. (shrink)

This essay examines the critical role of epistemic responsibility—a philosophical framework emphasizing ethical and responsible knowledge practices—in addressing post-COVID challenges. The pandemic exposed the dangers of misinformation and the erosion of trust in scientific expertise, which severely impacted public health and social cohesion. Drawing on Lorraine Code’s philosophy, the essay defines epistemic responsibility as a commitment to truth, rigorous evidence evaluation, and acknowledging the limits of one’s knowledge. Code’s approach advocates for collaborative, community-focused knowledge production to rebuild public trust (...) and enhance societal resilience. Key ethical virtues underpinning epistemic responsibility—such as courage, justice, and practical wisdom—are essential for guiding responsible decision-making. These virtues proved vital during the pandemic, particularly for essential workers navigating high-risk, uncertain scenarios. A neo-Aristotelian perspective connects epistemic responsibility to broader ethical principles, emphasizing fairness in the distribution of societal benefits and burdens while fostering collective well-being. The essay argues that epistemic responsibility is crucial for post-pandemic recovery, enabling ethical knowledge-sharing, enhancing resilience, and advancing social justice. By embracing this framework, societies can restore trust in scientific expertise and navigate the complexities of today’s information landscape, building a more informed and ethically grounded future. (shrink)

Epistemic responsibility (ER) integrates epistemic and ethical elements, aiming to produce true beliefs and uphold virtues addressing epistemic issues. Lorraine Code, a feminist epistemologist, employs ER to highlight the role of the knower and their context in shaping knowledge. ER intersects with self, society, space, sex, sphere, and social justice, paralleling social responsibility. ER regarding self examines subjective understanding, while in society, it concerns knowledge transmission within communities. Spatially, ER investigates social structures influencing epistemic deliberations. In terms of sex, (...) ER contends that women and minorities must be acknowledged as knowers. For sphere, it addresses ecological contexts and cohabitation principles. ER in social justice emphasizes care and the inclusion of vulnerable lives in knowledge politics. ER's evolving nature endorses practices for knowing and living well: realism aligns with rational truths, testimony seeks hearer acknowledgment, imaginativeness challenges assumptions with empathy, and objectivity recognizes the knower's context. Critiquing social imaginary questions societal structures to provoke change, while advocacy supports justice-oriented interventions. These practices affirm the alignment between epistemic and social responsibilities, addressing societal concerns through philosophy. This essay, using analytic methodology, explores ER's conceptual framework and its six components, establishing the equivalence between epistemic and social responsibility. (shrink)

Recenze: Lorraine DASTON - Elizabeth LUNBECK, E., Histories of Scientific Observation. Chicago - London: University of Chicago Press 2011, 460 pp.

Feminism and Tradition in Aesthetics takes a fresh look at the history of aesthetics and at current debates within the philosophy of art by exploring the ways in which gender informs notions of art and creativity, evaluation and interpretation, and concepts of aesthetic value. Multiple intellectual traditions have formed this field, and the discussions herein range from consideration of eighteenth century legacies of ideas about taste, beauty, and sublimity to debates about the relevance of postmodern analyses for feminist aesthetics. Forward (...) by Arthur C. Danto, 20 authors include Paul Mattick, Jr., Caroline Korsmeyer, Timothy Gould, Christine Battersby, Mary Devereaux, bell hooks, REnee Lorraine, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Elizabeth Ann Dobie, Adrian Piper, Anita Silvers, Susan Feagin, Mary D. Garrard, Ellen Handler Spitz, Noel Carroll, Joanne Waugh, Joseph Margolis, Rita Felski, and Hilde Hein, as well as Peg Brand's essay, "Revising the Aesthetic-Nonaesthetic Distinction: The Aesthetic Value of Activist Art.". (shrink)

Traditional epistemology treats ignorance as a passive absence of knowledge, overlooking its active production within socio-political structures. Feminist epistemology challenges this view by conceptualizing ignorance as a politically charged phenomenon shaped by power, privilege, and epistemic injustice. Drawing on thinkers such as Lorraine Code, Miranda Fricker, José Medina, and Nancy Tuana, this paper argues that ignorance is socially constructed and ethically consequential. Integrating Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy of integral knowledge, it further expands ignorance beyond social structures to include metaphysical and (...) ontological dimensions. The paper proposes epistemic responsibility and conscious knowing as forms of resistance that enable epistemic justice and transformative understanding. (shrink)

Kyle Stanford’s reformulation of the problem of underdetermination has the potential to highlight the epistemic obligations of scientists. Stanford, however, presents the phenomenon of unconceived alternatives as a problem for realists, despite critics’ insistence that we have contextual explanations for scientists’ failure to conceive of their successors’ theories. I propose that responsibilist epistemology and the concept of “role oughts,” as discussed by Lorraine Code and Richard Feldman, can pacify Stanford’s critics and reveal broader relevance of the “new induction.” The (...) possibility of unconceived alternatives pushes us to question our contemporary expectation for scientists to reason outside of their historical moment. (shrink)

Článek se zabývá vybranými aspekty dvou známých publikací o mnohosti světů a mimozemském životě, které vyšly na konci 17. století. Jedná se o Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes Bernarda de Fontenelle a Cosmotheoros Christiaana Huygense. V první části se článek soustředí především na to, jak oba autoři chápou postavení člověka v obydleném a neohraničeném univerzu. Fontenelle a Huygens poskytují ve svých textech přesvědčivé vyvrácení často opakované představy, že idea neohraničeného vesmíru probouzela v novověkých lidech hrůzu a obavy. Ve skutečnosti (...) pro ně neohraničený vesmír znamenal oslavu rozumu, který se dokáže vymanit z geocentrické pověry a antropocentrismu. Současně se v protoosvícenském duchu jednalo i o oslavu vesmírné všudypřítomnosti rozumu. Ve druhé části se článek zabývá tzv. kognitivními vášněmi: zejména strachem, úžasem a zvědavostí. Analýza děl Huygense a Fontenella potvrzuje některé poznatky Lorraine Dastonové a prohlubuje je. Ukazuje se, že na konci 17. století strach i obdiv byly již jednoznačně chápány jako projev nevědomosti a zaostalosti, ačkoliv dříve byly spojovány se zbožností a počátkem filosofování. Proti tomu dříve odsuzovaná zvědavost se stala legitimní, ba dokonce žádoucí vlastností opravdového badatele. (shrink)

In his 1615 letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Lorraine, Galileo argues for a “principle of limitation”: the authority of Scripture should not be invoked in scientific matters. In doing so, he claims to be following the example of St Augustine. But Augustine’s position would be better described as a “principle of differing purpose”: although the Scriptures were not written in order to reveal scientific truths, such matters may still be covered by biblical authority. The Roman Catholic Church (...) has rejected Galileo’s principle, opting rather for Augustine’s, leaving open the possibility of future conflicts between scientists and Church authority. (shrink)

(June 2013) “The mind-body problem in cognitive neuroscience”, Philosophia Scientiae 17/2, Gabriel Vacariu and Mihai Vacariu (eds.): 1. William Bechtel (Philosophy, Center for Chronobiology, and Interdisciplinary Program in Cognitive Science University of California, San Diego) “The endogenously active brain: the need for an alternative cognitive architecture” 2. Rolls T. Edmund (Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, UK) “On the relation between the mind and the brain: a neuroscience perspective” 3. Cees van Leeuwen (University of Leuven, Belgium; Riken Brain Science Institute, (...) Japan) “Brain and mind” 4. Kari Theurer (Trinity College) and John Bickle (Philosophy, Mississippi State University) “What’s old is new again: Kemeny-Oppenheim reduction at work in current molecular neuroscience” 5. Bernard Andrieu (Staps Université de Lorraine) “Sentir son cerveau? Les dispositifs neuro-expérientiels en 1er personne” 6. Corey Maley and Gualtiero Piccinini (Philosophy, University of Missouri – St. Louis) “Get the latest upgrade: Functionalism 6.3.1” 7. Paula Droege (Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University) “Memory and consciousness” 8. Gabriel Vacariu and Mihai Vacariu (Philosophy, University of Bucharest) “Troubles with cognitive neuroscience”. (shrink)

Philosophers of science often suggest that the key feature of scientific research is striving for objectivity and that we should evaluate scientific practice by whether it is objective or not. In this paper, we will analyze several definitions of scientific objectivity to illustrate the complex meaning of this term and examine its role in evaluating scientific practice. First, we will introduce Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison's standpoint concerning the historical connection between the genesis and development of scientific objectivity and (...) the practices of visual representation in the research practice of the 19th and 20th centuries. We will accomplish that by outlining the process of establishing scientific objectivity as an epistemic virtue and a vital feature of the "scientific self ". Subsequently, using Heather Douglas and Mar-ianne Janack's conceptual analysis of scientific objectivity, we will show that scientific objectivity is characterized by an "irreducibility of meaning" and an "endemic instability" caused by the overuse of metaphors in defining this concept. In the final section, in light of contemporary problems such as the crisis of reproducibility, we examine to what extent philosophical definitions help test the objectivity of scientific practice and point to an intriguing attempt to define "objectivity for the research worker" using the model proposed by Noah van Dongen and Michał Sikorski. (shrink)

The Louvre Museum is the largest of the world's art museums by its exhibition surface. These represent the Western art of the Middle Ages in 1848, those of the ancient civilizations that preceded and influenced it (Oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman), and the arts of early Christians and Islam. At the origin of the Louvre existed a castle, built by King Philip Augustus in 1190, and occupying the southwest quarter of the current Cour Carrée. In 1594, Henri IV decided (...) to unite the palace of the Louvre with the palace of the Tuileries built by Catherine de Medicis. The Cour Carrée was built by the architects Lemercier and then Le Vau, under the reign of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The Department of Paintings currently has about 7,500 paintings (of which 3,400 are exposed), covering a period that goes from the Middle Ages to 1848 (date of the beginning of the Second Republic). By including the deposits, the collection is, with 12,660 works, the largest collection of ancient paintings in the world. With rare exceptions, the works after 1848 were transferred to the Musée d'Orsay when it was created in 1986. CONTENTS: Louvre Museum - Variety of exhibited works - The Royal Palace - The collections - - Eastern antiquities - - Arts of Islam - - Egyptian Antiquities - - Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities - - Paintings - - - French school - - - Northern Schools (Flanders, Netherlands, Germany) - - - Italian School - - - Other schools Painting - Definitions - Painting genres - - The landscape - - Still life Paintings - FRANCOIS BOUCHER - - Vulcan presenting arms to Venus for Aeneas - RAPHAEL - - Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione - RUBENS - - Helena Fourment with children - LOUIS DAVID - - Madame Récamier - REMBRANDT - - Portrait of Heindrickje Stoffels - VELAZQUEZ - - Portrait of the Infanta Margarita - SIMONE MEMMI - - Jesus Christ walking on Calvary - JAN STEEN - - The Bad Company - HANS HOLBEIN - - Erasmus - CORREGGIO - - Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine - LANCRET - - Conversation - JAN VAN DER MEER (VERMEER) - - The Lacemaker - VAN DYCK - - Charles I at the Hunt - FRANÇOIS CLOUET - - Elisabeth of Austria (1554-1592), Wife of Charles IX and Queen of France (1570 - 1574) - DELACROIX - - The Barque of Dante - EL GRECO - - Saint Louis, King of France, and a page - REMBRANDT - - Pilgrims at Emmaus (The Supper at Emmaus) - GERARD DAVID - - Marriage at Cana - RAPHAEL - - Portrait of Dona Isabel de Requesens, Vice-Queen of Naples - RUBENS - - La Kermesse (The Village Fête, or Noce de village) - FRANS HALS - - The Gypsy Girl - DECAMPS - - The Sonneurs - HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER - - Anne of Cleves - P. PRUD’HON - - Psyche transported to Heaven - PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE - - Portrait of Richelieu - LANCRET - - The Autumn - L. DAVID - - Madame Seriziat - COROT - - Recollection of Mortefontaine - LEONARDO DA VINCI - - La belle ferronnière - CORREGGIO - - Venus and Cupid with a Satyr - WATTEAU - - Pilgrimage to Cythera (The Embarkation for Cythera) - NICOLAS POUSSIN - - The Inspiration of the Poet - PRUD’HON - - The Empress Josephine (1763-1814) - FRAGONARD - - The Bathers - H. RIGAUD - - Louis XIV (1638–1715) - TERBURG - - The Concert - LEOPOLD ROBERT - - The Pilgrimage to the Madonna of the Arch - LARGILLIERE - - Family Portrait - MANTEGNA - - Parnassus - MEMLING - - The Virgin and Child between St James and St Dominic - FRAGONARD - - The Music Lesson - JEAN VAN EYCK - - The Virgin of chancellor Rolin - PAOLO VERONESE - - Susannah and the Elders - FRANÇOIS BOUCHER - - Diana leaving her bath - GÉRICAULT - - The Raft of the Medusa - MURILLO - - Assumption of the Virgin - CLAUDE GELLEE (LORRAIN) - - Ulysses returning Chryseis to her father (Marine, setting sun) - INGRES - - Madame Riviere - E. MURILLO - - The Young Beggar - GREUZE - - The Broken Pitcher - PIETER DE HOOCH - - Card players in an opulent interior - POUSSIN - - Et in Arcadia ego - QUENTIN MATSYS - - The moneylender and his wife - ANDREA SOLARIO - - Madonna with the Green Cushion - TITIEN - - Woman with a Mirror - DAVID TENIERS (the Younger) - - The Works of Mercy - LEONARDO DA VINCI - - Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) - Armand Dayot . (shrink)

Dialogue between feminist and mainstream philosophy of science has been limited in recent years, although feminist and mainstream traditions each have engaged in rich debates about key concepts and their efficacy. Noteworthy criticisms of concepts like objectivity, consensus, justification, and discovery can be found in the work of philosophers of science including Philip Kitcher, Helen Longino, Peter Galison, Alison Wylie, Lorraine Daston, and Sandra Harding. As a graduate student in philosophy of science who worked in both literatures, I was (...) often left with the feeling that I had joined a broken family with two warring factions. This is apparent in the number of anthologies that have emerged on both sides in the aftermath of the “Science Wars” (Gross, Paul R., Norman Levitt, and Martin W. Lewis, eds. 1996; Koertge, Noretta, ed. 1998; Sokal, Alan and Jean Bricmont. 1998; etc.) Depending on one’s perspective on the Science Wars, the breadth of illustrative cases and examples found in Science and Other Cultures can either give more ammunition for the battle, or grounding for a much needed treaty of accord. The most important feature of this book is that it does not merely claim that science is only political, and it does not merely dismiss science as a social phenomenon to be deconstructed using the standard postmodern conceptual tools. Instead, the collection illustrates ways in which postcolonial analysis and multicultural examples can enrich our understanding of “good” science and ethics. Here, the concept of “strong objectivity” from Harding’s earlier books is fleshed out through a variety of cases. The anthology is the culmination of a series of research activities funded by a National Science Foundation grant to the American Philosophical Association. The grant, under the auspices of the NSF Ethics and Values Program, sponsored fourteen summer research projects and thirty-six presentations at four regional APA meetings. (shrink)

This paper examines the particular relevance of feminist critiques of epistemic authority in contexts of institutionalized violence. Reading feminist criticism of “experts” together with theorists of institutionalized violence, Stone-Mediatore argues that typical expert modes of thinking are incapable of rigorous knowledge of institutionalized violence because such knowledge requires a distinctive kind of thinking-within-discomfort for which conventionally trained experts are ill-suited. The author demonstrates the limitations of “expert” modes of thinking with reference to writings on the Iraq war by Michael Ignatieff (...) and Fouad Ajami. Finally, the author turns to a newly active group of epistemic agents—anti-war relatives of soldiers--to examine the role that undervalued epistemic traits can play in knowledge of war and other forms of structural violence. (shrink)

This article proposes the comparison of two methods of analysis, semiotics, and hermeneutics, to address contemporary issues in ethical and political philosophy, through the study of the phenomenon of epistemic injustice. Conceptualized by Fricker (2007), epistemic injustice is synonymous with the denial of the value of knowledge that an individual possesses because of prejudices about the social group to which he or she belongs or is affiliated. When epistemic injustice is studied in the empirical world, it poses some crucial issues (...) in terms of interpreting the meaning that the individual gives to the experience of injustice that he or she experiences. Although the interpretation of injustice is central to the understanding of the phenomenon itself, little research in ethical and political philosophy addresses these aspects, because of the failure to sufficiently mobilize analytical methods such as semiotics and hermeneutics. However, these two methods, usually used in other fields to deal with these aspects, allow us to question the treatment and the interpretative scope of the epistemic injustice by the different interlocutors involved in the interaction in which it is reconducted. The comparison of these two methods in the analysis of epistemic injustice finally allows us to argue in favor of the hermeneutic method, as defined by Gadamer and rethought by Code (2003), to enhance Gadamer's legacy through the analysis of ethical and political issues in human sciences research. (shrink)