This paper discusses the development of integrated design-to-production frameworks for Robotic Concrete 3D Printing (RC3DP) of context-specific urban furniture projects. The study focuses on two main objectives: developing computational methods for continuous toolpath planning of bespoke components and examining integrated frameworks to make design-to-production systems more socio-environmentally inclusive and tailored to specific contexts. Following an introduction to outline the key challenges of continuous robotic concrete 3D printing, the paper is organized into two sets of case studies. The first set explores (...) curved-based continuous 3D printing for surface-based design strategies, and the second set investigates voxel-based approaches for volumetric design 3D printing. Curve-based projects consisted of three case studies. The first case uses an AI-enabled generative system to translate a porous, cellular structure to a continuous toolpath with variable heights. The second case study is based on a workflow using a controlled reaction-diffusion algorithm as a generative strategy to create continuous infill for complex geometries. The third project focuses on growing larger than the size of the production setup by testing the assembly of multiple printed components, all produced with continuous toolpaths. The workflows and projects are developed as an integral part of a graduate-level digital design and fabrication course focusing on inclusive automation and robotic concrete 3D printing. Therefore, in addition to sharing the details of the developed computational design to production methodologies, the paper discusses the research findings from pedagogical lenses. Building on these cases, the investigation advances to the development of a generative system centered on voxels, employing a tetrahedron structure. This volumetric approach simultaneously produces external surface tectonics and internal infill through a seamless toolpath. The paper concludes by presenting sets of guidelines and future directions for both the introduced curve and voxel-based approaches in Robotic Concrete 3D printing, emphasizing the early integration of computational and fabrication intelligence into the design process. (shrink)

In this chapter, we examine different views of the structure of justification, including foundationalism, infinitism, and coherentism. We investigate how well or poorly they seem to do in responding to the regress problem, accommodating a robust connection between justification and truth, and getting the contours of justification right—i.e., making justification neither too easy nor too hard to get. We end by briefly discussing some challenges to finding a single sense of “foundational belief” defining the debate.

Recently there is an increasing technological development in intelligent tutoring systems. This field has become interesting to many researchers. In this paper, we present an intelligent tutoring system for teaching information security. This intelligent tutoring systems target the students enrolled in Advanced Topics in Information Security in the faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Through which the student will be able to study the course and solve related problems. An evaluation of the intelligent tutoring systems (...) was carried out and the results were promising. (shrink)

The replication crisis shook the discipline of psychology and has led to reforms such as open science and large-scale replication projects. Yet, it is not psychology’s first crisis, and it is likely not the last. In this paper, we look at three major crisis discussions in the history of psychology: discussions in the early 20th century about the possibility of psychology as a natural-scientific discipline; discussions in the 1960s–70s about the methods, relevance and scientific status of the discipline; and discussions (...) in the 2010s about replication. We compare these crises to determine what generates crisis discussions in psychology and how they tend to unfold and be resolved. We argue that, despite differences across these crisis discussions, some fundamental questions about the object of research and proper methods of psychology recur, as do considerations related to epistemology, ontology, ethics and politics. Our analysis indicates that the current responses to the replication crisis, although valuable, are not ultimate solutions because they deflect fundamental questions and postpone the reconsideration of the ideals of psychology as a science. (shrink)

A natural starting point for theories of perceptual states is ordinary perception, in which a subject is successfully related to her mind-independent surroundings. Correspondingly, the simplest theory of perceptual states models all such states on perception. Typically, this simple, common-factor relational view of perceptual states has received a perfunctory dismissal on the grounds that hallucinations are nonperceptual. But I argue that the nonperceptual view of hallucinations has been accepted too quickly. I consider three observations thought to support the view, and (...) argue that all three are dealt with equally well by an alternative view, illusionism, on which hallucinations do involve perception. Since this is so, adopting a common-factor relational view of all perceptual states remains a tenable option. (shrink)

Luck (2009) argues that gamers face a dilemma when it comes to performing certain virtual acts. Most gamers regularly commit acts of virtual murder, and take these acts to be morally permissible. They are permissible because unlike real murder, no one is harmed in performing them; their only victims are computer-controlled characters, and such characters are not moral patients. What Luck points out is that this justification equally applies to virtual pedophelia, but gamers intuitively think that such acts are not (...) morally permissible. The result is a dilemma: either gamers must reject the intuition that virtual pedophelic acts are impermissible and so accept partaking in such acts, or they must reject the intuition that virtual murder acts are permissible, and so abstain from many (if not most) extant games. While the prevailing solution to this dilemma has been to try and find a morally relevant feature to distinguish the two cases, I argue that a different route should be pursued. It is neither the case that all acts of virtual murder are morally permissible, nor are all acts of virtual pedophelia impermissible. Our intuitions falter and produce this dilemma because they are not sensitive to the different contexts in which games present virtual acts. (shrink)

The encounter of the medieval Muslims with Greek philosophy undeniably shaped the course of their philosophical and theological thought. This encounter led to the complex and contentious issue of ‘philosophy versus theology’. Medieval Muslim thinkers needed to develop a response to the issue of philosophy versus theology. The present article will first highlight the response of the Islamic theologians to their encounter with Greek philosophy in the form of three major trends in medieval Islamic theology: (1) strong opposition to the (...) application of reason and rationalist approach to Islamic doctrines, and strict adherence to the actual text of the Qur’an and the Hadith, (2) the adoption of Greek philosophy, and the application of reason and rationalist approach to explain and defend Islamic religion and (3) acknowledging the significance of reason in exploring the matters related to the natural world but, at the same time, stressing the subordination of reason to revelation. This article will discuss Atharism, Muʿtazilism and Ashʿarism as the representatives of the first, second and third trends, respectively. The response of the medieval Islamic theologians to the issue of philosophy versus theology serves as a context in which medieval Muslim philosophers carried out their philosophy–theology debate. The article will proceed to show that some medieval Muslim philosophers, such as Abu Bakr Al-Razi, subordinated religion or revelation to philosophy or reason. Other medieval Muslim philosophers, such as Al-Ghazali, subordinated philosophy to theology. The third group of medieval Islamic philosophers represented by Alfarabi argued for the reconciliation and harmonious co-existence of philosophy and religion. Contribution: This article highlights the response of medieval Islamic theologians and philosophers to the issue of philosophy versus theology that was caused by their encounter with Greek philosophy. (shrink)

Philosophy and religion were the two important sources of knowledge for medieval Arab Muslim polymaths. Owing to the difference between the nature of philosophy and religion, the interplay between philosophy and religion often takes the form of conflict in medieval Muslim thought as exemplified by the Al-Ghazali versus Averroes (Ibn Rusd) polemic. Unlike the Al-Ghazali versus Averroes (Ibn Rushd) polemic, the interplay between philosophy and religion in the political philosophy of Abu Nasr Alfarabi takes the form of harmonious co-existence. Although, (...) for Alfarabi, religion is an inferior form of knowledge as compared to philosophy, the present article will show that philosophy and religion play equally significant roles in Alfarabi’s virtuous city and that in the absence of either philosophy or religion, the political system proposed by Alfarabi cannot exist. (shrink)

A widely held assumption is that hallucinations are not a type of perception. Coupled with the idea that hallucinations possess phenomenal character, this assumption raises a problem for naive realism, which maintains that phenomenal character is at least partly constituted by perceived worldly objects. Naive realists have typically responded by adopting a disjunctive view of phenomenal character. But in what follows, I argue that to resolve the conflict we should instead reject the idea that hallucinations are not a type of (...) perception. I argue that this idea is supported by six alleged differences between hallucination and perception, but these differences are all accommodated for in a particular type of perception, picture perception. Drawing on picture perception’s resources, I offer an account of hallucinations which construes them as a type of perception, and does so in a way that that preserves their idiosyncrasies and varieties, and in a way compatible with naive realism. (shrink)

There are two dominant approaches towards understanding medieval Muslim philosophy: Greek ancestry approach and religiopolitical context approach. In the Greek ancestry approach, medieval Muslim philosophy is interpreted in terms of its relation to classical Greek philosophy, particularly to the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. The religiopolitical context approach, however, views a thorough understanding of the religious and political situation of that time as the key to the proper understanding of medieval Muslim philosophy. Notwithstanding the immense significance of the two approaches (...) for understanding medieval Muslim philosophy, the question on the reason behind medieval Muslim philosophers’ preference for Plato’s Republic over Aristotle’s Politics in political philosophy is not accurately answered. This preference is usually attributed either to the availability or unavailability of the text or to the suitability or unsuitability of the text for Islamic theological views. However, this article shows that neither the availability or unavailability of text nor its suitability or unsuitability for Islamic religious and theological views can appropriately explain medieval Muslim philosophers’ preference for Plato’s Republic over Aristotle’s Politics in their political thought. This article proposes that the key to understand this preference lies in understanding the transmission of Greek philosophy to medieval Muslim philosophers. Contribution: This study highlights the significance of the thorough understanding of the transmission of Greek philosophy to medieval Muslim world as one of the important approaches towards proper understanding of medieval Muslim philosophy, particularly medieval Muslim political philosophy. (shrink)

In this paper, we distinguish between different sorts of assessments of algorithmic systems, describe our process of assessing such systems for ethical risk, and share some key challenges and lessons for future algorithm assessments and audits. Given the distinctive nature and function of a third-party audit, and the uncertain and shifting regulatory landscape, we suggest that second-party assessments are currently the primary mechanisms for analyzing the social impacts of systems that incorporate artificial intelligence. We then discuss two kinds of as-sessments: (...) an ethical risk assessment and a narrower, technical algo-rithmic bias assessment. We explain how the two assessments depend on each other, highlight the importance of situating the algorithm within its particular socio-technical context, and discuss a number of lessons and challenges for algorithm assessments and, potentially, for algorithm audits. The discussion builds on our team’s experience of advising and conducting ethical risk assessments for clients across dif-ferent industries in the last four years. Our main goal is to reflect on the key factors that are potentially ethically relevant in the use of algo-rithms, and draw lessons for the nascent algorithm assessment and audit industry, in the hope of helping all parties minimize the risk of harm from their use. (shrink)

Davidson has attempted to offer his own solution to the problem of self-knowledge, but there has been no consensus between his commentators on what this solution is. Many have claimed that Davidson’s account stems from his remarks on disquotational specifications of self-ascriptions of meaning and mental content, the account which I will call the “Disquotational Explanation”. It has also been claimed that Davidson’s account rather rests on his version of content externalism, which I will call the “Externalist Explanation”. I will (...) argue that not only are these explanations of self-knowledge implausible, but Davidson himself has already rejected them. Thus, neither can be attributed to Davidson as his suggested account of self-knowledge. I will then introduce and support what I take to be Davidson’s official and independent account of self-knowledge, that is, his “Transcendental Explanation”. I will defend this view against certain potential objections and finally against the objections made by William Child. (shrink)

There is a tendency among scholars to identify Alfarabi’s political philosophy in general and his theory of the state in particular with that of Plato’s The Republic. Undoubtedly Alfarabi was well versed in the philosophy of Plato and was greatly influenced by it. He borrows the Platonic concept of the philosopher king and uses it in his theory of the state. However, we argue that the identification of Alfarabi’s virtuous city with that of Plato’s The Republic is an inaccurate assessment (...) as it involves overlooking Alfarabi’s unique religiopolitical context. Alfarabi was a Muslim political philosopher, and the present article intends to understand Alfarabi’s theory of the state in light of his historical context. The article shows that, viewed through the prism of Islamic religion and political history, Alfarabi’s virtuous city seems distinct from that of Plato’s The Republic. (shrink)

The manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly, becoming more complex, more interconnected, and more geographically distributed. Competitive pressure and diversity of consumer demand are driving manufacturing companies to rely more and more on improved knowledge management practices. As a result, multiple software systems are being created to support the integration of data across the product life cycle. Unfortunately, these systems manifest a low degree of interoperability, and this creates problems, for instance when different enterprises or different branches of an enterprise interact. (...) Common ontologies (consensus-based controlled vocabularies) have proved themselves in various domains as a valuable tool for solving such problems. In this paper, we present a consensus-based Additive Manufacturing Ontology (AMO) and illustrate its application in promoting re-usability in the field of dentistry product manufacturing. (shrink)

A central debate in the philosophy of virtual reality (VR) focuses on the reality of virtual items. Broadly, there are two main disagreements. Some views accept a metaphysical orientation to VR, and disagree on the reality of virtual items. For instance, David Chalmers (Disputatio 9(46):309-352, 2017, Disputatio 11(55):453- 486, 2019, 2022) defends digitalism, the view that virtual items are real digital items. Neil McDonnell & Nathan Wildman (Disputatio 11(55):371-397, 2019), by contrast, defend fictionalism, which maintains that virtual items are unreal (...) fictions. Other views, like Grant Tavinor’s (2021), reject the metaphysical orientation, argu- ing that focusing on the reality of virtual items is a mistake. In what follows I evalu- ate these two disagreements. I argue that experiences of virtual items depend on episodes of picture perception. Recognizing this reveals that the current debates are either easily resolved in favor of one view, or are not disagreeing about the reality of virtual items, but about what virtual items are. (shrink)

In his political treatise, Mabadi ara ahl al-madina al-fadhila, Abu Nasr Alfarabi, the medieval Muslim philosopher, proposes a theory of virtuous city which, according to prominent scholars, is modeled on Plato’s utopia of the Republic. No doubt that Alfarabi was well-versed in the philosophy of Plato and the basic framework of his theory of city is platonic. However, his theory of city is not an exact reproduction of the Republic’s theory and, despite glaring similarities, the two theories do differ in (...) many aspects. In both, Alfarabi’s Mabadi ara ahl al-madina al-fadhila and Plato’s Republic, the theory of virtuous city is accompanied by a theory of the soul. Since the theory of soul plays a foundational role in both theories of the virtuous city, the present article intends to provide an explanation for the differences between the two theories of the city in terms of the differences between the two theories of the soul. (shrink)

In Justification without Awareness (2006), Michael Bergmann presents a dilemma for internalism from which he claims there is “no escape”: The awareness allegedly required for justification is either strong awareness, which involves conceiving of some justification-contributor as relevant to the truth of a belief, or weak awareness, which does not. Bergmann argues that the former leads to an infinite regress of justifiers, while the latter conflicts with the “clearest and most compelling” motivation for endorsing internalism, namely, that for a belief (...) to be justified its truth must not be an accident from the subject’s perspective. Bergmann’s dilemma might initially seem to have the force of a knock-down argument against the classical foundationalist accounts he considers, if not against all forms of internalism. I argue, however, that the weak-awareness horn of Bergmann’s dilemma is unsuccessful. Classical foundationalists can hold on to the main motivation for internalism and avoid a vicious regress of justifiers. (shrink)

The “problem of memory” in epistemology is concerned with whether and how we could have knowledge, or at least justification, for trusting our apparent memories. I defend an inductive solution—more precisely, an abductive solution—to the problem. A natural worry is that any such solution would be circular, for it would have to depend on memory. I argue that belief in the reliability of memory can be justified from the armchair, without relying on memory. The justification is, roughly, that my having (...) the sort of experience that my apparent memory should lead me to expect is best explained by the hypothesis that my memories are reliable. My solution is inspired by Harrod’s (1942) inductive solution. Coburn (1960) argued that Harrod’s solution contains a fatal flaw. I show that my solution is not vulnerable to Coburn’s objection, and respond to a number of other, recent and likely objections. (shrink)

We refine the Initial Spark in the two-component Time Field Model (TFM) as a singularity-free, quantum-gravitational nucleation event that triggers a macro–Big Bang (the “Spark”) outside our observable domain. This drives inflation-like ex pansion in distinct cosmic regions, potentially leaving multiverse-like bubble collisions as observational imprints. Building on wave-based quantum gravity, cosmic inflation, and high-frequency gravitational-wave phenomenology, TFM unifies these phenomena under a single two-field formalism. Observational probes include CMB V-modes, bubble collisions, and ultra-high-frequency gravitational waves (f > 109 Hz) (...) accessible to next-generation detectors. (shrink)

This paper aims to engage with J. L. Schellenberg’s problem of divine hiddenness. While there has been considerable discussion on this topic, few responses incorporate a Muslim perspective. I aim to fill this gap by engaging with the argument from the perspective of a reflective Muslim. To this end, I draw on the tradition of Islamic Theism to critically evaluate the first premise of Schellenberg’s argument, namely: if a perfectly loving God exists, then there exists a God who is always (...) open to a personal relationship with any finite person. There are several reasons to doubt this premise, and drawing on the Quran, I argue that consent may also have a role to play. I contend that finite persons may consent to divine hiddenness, thus allowing God to limit openness to personal relationship. (shrink)

This paper presents the Time Field Model (TFM), a unified theory of gravity where gravita tional attraction arises from time wave compression by mass-energy. We introduce space quanta merging to explain why quantum-scale objects (e.g., electrons) exert negligible gravity, while macroscopic aggregates (e.g., stars) significantly warp spacetime. A critical radius rc demarcates the quantum-to-classical transition, modeled via a logistic function. Observational validation includes the Sun’s extended gravitational sphere (∼ 1.059 × 109 m), galactic rotation curves matching SPARC data without dark (...) matter, and black hole entropy derivations from time wave fluctuations. TFM predicts new gravitational wave polarizations (scalar-longitudinal), testable via pulsar timing arrays or advanced interferometers, and replaces dark energy with continuous micro–Big Bangs that generate space quanta. These results bridge quantum mechanics, general relativity, and cosmology under a single theoretical framework. (shrink)

The Recurring Big Bang Mechanism (RBBM)positsthat micro–Big Bangs—localized energy bursts occurring continuously in a fluid-like, two-component time field—collectively drive the expansion of the universe. Building on Paper #1 (The Time Field Model), where time is decomposed into two fields T+(x,t) and T−(x,t), we show how construc tive interference between T+ and T− produces small inflation-like bursts (micro–Big Bangs). Despite these local surges, global near-zero net energy is preserved due to near-destructive interference on large scales (see Paper #1, Sec. 2.3). Wederive (...) the energy-threshold condition for micro–Big Bangs, referencing the TFM Lagrangian from Paper #1 (α1,α2 definitions). We outline wave equations in a sta ble background, and describe numerical simulations illustrating how localized anoma lies nucleate and then dissipate. Comparisons with observational data—including Planck 2018 CMB measurements (fNL = −0.9 ± 5.1) and cosmic-acceleration con straints—demonstrate that RBBM can replicate key features of ΛCDM without in voking dark matter or dark energy, while offering novel predictions (e.g. a stochastic gravitational-wave background from bubble collisions, overlaid with the NANOGrav 12.5-year sensitivity). This framework sets the stage for Paper #3, wherein an ex tremely rare macro–Big Bang (the “Initial Spark”) triggers large-scale expansion out side our observable domain. Micro- vs. Macro-Big Bangs: Micro–Big Bangs are frequent, lo calized expansions. Macro–Big Bangs differ fundamentally in scale/trigger condition (Paper #3), involving Planck-scale wave interference collapses beyond δEc. The Ini tial Spark (Paper #3) requires δESpark ≫ δEc, governed by β/α2 1. (shrink)

This paper introduces the Time Field Model (TFM) as a spacetime quantization approach, wherein time is promoted to a fundamental scalar field with wave-like excitations. When the energy density of these time waves surpasses a Planck-scale threshold (ρcritical ∼ c5 ℏG2), discrete space quanta nucleate—initiating a phase-transition-like process closely resembling cosmic infla tion. We incorporate a Lagrangian derivation to explain how the time field couples to emergent space quanta, and show how a lattice-based formulation avoids contradictions between discrete and continuum (...) pictures: on small scales, space is inherently discrete, but on large scales, the metric recovers smooth geometry consistent with general relativity. Building on TFM Papers #1–3, which established time as a two-component field driving micro– and macro–Bang expansions, this work unifies those concepts under a single threshold-driven mechanism, providing a testable blueprint for a quantum–gravitational basis of cosmic expansion and emergent spacetime, with signatures detectable by next-generation cosmological surveys. (shrink)

Laurence BonJour and more recently James Beebe have argued that the best way to defend the claim that abduction or inference to the best explanation is epistemically justified is the rationalist view that it is justified a priori. However, rationalism about abduction faces a number of challenges. This chapter focuses on one particular, highly influential objection, that there is no interpretation of probability available which is compatible with rationalism about abduction. The rationalist who wants to maintain a strong connection between (...) epistemic justification and probability would do best to rely on a Keynesian interpretation of probability. However, the latter is vulnerable to Ramsey’s famous criticism that we do not seem to perceive or be aware of such probabilities. The chapter argues that Ramsey’s criticism is unsuccessful, and that there are good reasons to be optimistic about our ability to have access to probabilities relevant to abductive inference. (shrink)

According to foundationalism, some beliefs are justified but do not depend for their justification on any other beliefs. According to access internalism, a subject is justified in believing some proposition only if that subject is aware of or has access to some reason to think that the proposition is true or probable. In this paper I discusses a fundamental challenge to internalist foundationalism often referred to as the Sellarsian dilemma. I consider three attempts to respond to the dilemma – phenomenal (...) conservatism, BonJour’s classical foundationalism, and Fumerton’s classical foundationalism. I argue that, of these three, only the last seems to avoid getting impaled on one or the other horn of the dilemma. I end by responding to some concerns with Fumerton’s account. (shrink)

We demonstrate that the Time Field Model (TFM) accounts for galactic rotation curves through spacetime geometry distortions, eliminating the need for dark matter. Building on baryogenesis (Paper #12), we derive parameters λ and β from first principles and validate them against NGC 3198’s rotation curve. This work establishes TFM as a viable framework for galactic dynamics, with gravitational lensing and cosmic structure formation deferred to future study. We also expand the mathematical derivations in an appendix, detail the χ² methodology for (...) multiple galaxies, and discuss current limitations regarding clusters and large-scale structure. (shrink)

Relative blindsight is said to occur when different levels of subjective awareness are obtained at equality of objective performance. Using metacontrast masking, Lau and Passingham reported relative blindsight in normal observers at the shorter of two stimulus-onset asynchronies between target and mask. Experiment 1 replicated the critical asymmetry in subjective awareness at equality of objective performance. We argue that this asymmetry cannot be regarded as evidence for relative blindsight because the observers’ responses were based on different attributes of the stimuli (...) at the two SOAs. With an invariant criterion content , there was no asymmetry in subjective awareness across the two SOAs even though objective performance was the same. Experiment 3 examined the effect of criterion level on estimates of relative blindsight. Collectively, the present results question whether metacontrast masking is a suitable paradigm for establishing relative blindsight. Implications for theories of consciousness are discussed. (shrink)

Miriam Schoenfield argues that moral realism and moral vagueness imply ontic vagueness. In particular, she argues that neither shifty nor rigid semantic accounts of vagueness can provide a satisfactory explanation of moral vagueness for moral realists. This paper constitutes a response. I argue that Schoenfield's argument against the shifty semantic account presupposes that moral indeterminacies can, in fact, be resolved determinately by crunching through linguistic data. I provide different reasons for rejecting this assumption. Furthermore, I argue that Schoenfield's rejection of (...) the rigid semantic account is based on a presupposition that ultimately implies the very same claim that is under dispute: the vagueness of moral predicates in imperfect languages persists in the perfect language, as well. (shrink)

The paper introduces the "Paradigm of Rationality" (PoR) as a formal philosophical concept. The PoR is defined as a culture's historical transcendental ; the contingent, pre-discursive framework that provides the a priori conditions of possibility for all intelligible experience, discourse, and praxis. The paper uses the PoR to provide a formal, structural analysis of the core thesis of Horkheimer and Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment, arguing that their "instrumental reason" can be precisely mapped as a hegemonic PoR whose internal logic necessitates (...) its own reversal into a new form of myth and domination. This is followed by a comparative analysis of the dominant PoRs in contemporary British, French, and American public discourse, and a postcolonial critique of Orientalism as an act of epistemic violence. This PoR operates through a logic of auto-concealment, pathologizing any "Other" grounded in an alternative metaphysics. The ultimate purpose of this concept is therefore diagnostic and liberatory. By making a culture's own PoR visible, the concept serves as a propaedeutic to overcoming this "rationality solipsism," providing the necessary tools for a phenomenological engagement with the Other, aiming not for agreement, but for the expansion of reason through the pursuit of mutual intelligibility. (shrink)

I defend external world realism. I assume that the principle of inference to the best explanation is justified: roughly, a hypothesis that provides a better explanation of the total evidence is more probable than one that does not. I argue that the existence of a world of spatial objects provides a systematic explanation of the spatial contents of visual experience, and that it provides a better explanation than traditional skeptical hypotheses. This paper thus pursues the explanationist strategy of Laurence BonJour (...) and Jonathan Vogel. It is an improved, more compelling defense, for at least two reasons. First, the attention to spatial properties, and in particular to what I call perspectival projections, makes the explanatory power of the realist hypothesis much more vivid and concrete. Second, the argument preserves and elucidates much that seems correct in the explanationist arguments others have offered while avoiding significant problems and shortcomings. (shrink)

The Indeterminacy of Translation and Radical Interpretation The indeterminacy of translation is the thesis that translation, meaning, and reference are all indeterminate: there are always alternative translations of a sentence and a term, and nothing objective in the world can decide which translation is the right one. This is a skeptical conclusion because what it … Continue reading The Indeterminacy of Translation and Radical Interpretation →.

هدف از پژوهش حاضر، بررسی مسائل اخلاق هوش مصنوعی در حوزۀ هنر است. به‌این‌منظور، با تکیه بر فلسفه و اخلاق هوش مصنوعی، موضوعات اخلاقی که می‌تواند در حوزۀ هنر تأثیرگذار باشد، بررسی شده است. باتوجه‌به رشد و توسعۀ استفاده از هوش مصنوعی و ورود آن به حوزۀ هنر، نیاز است تا مباحث اخلاقی دقیق‌تر مورد توجه پژوهشگران هنر و فلسفه قرار گیرد. برای دست‌یابی به هدف پژوهش، با استفاده از روش تحلیلی‌ـ‌توصیفی، مفاهیمی همچون هوش مصنوعی، برخی تکنیک‌های آن و موضوعات (...) اخلاقی هوش مصنوعی در هنر تبیین و بررسی شده است. نتایج پژوهش نشان می‌دهد موضوعات اخلاقی همچون حریم خصوصی و نظارت، دستکاری در رفتار، تاری و شفافیت، سوگیری در تصمیمات سیستم، و اتوماسیون و اشتغال حوزۀ هنر قابل‌بررسی است. این موضوعات اخلاقی، گاهی درتقابل و گاهی در ارتباط مستقیم و هم‌سو با یکدیگر قرار دارند. بررسی‌ها نشان می‌دهد پاسخ به پرسش‌های اخلاق هوش مصنوعی در حوزۀ هنر، نیازمند پاسخ به پرسش‌های اخلاقی به‌صورت عام در هوش مصنوعی است. The aim of this paper is to explore the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of art. Drawing on the philosophy and ethics of AI, this study examines the ethical challenges that may arise in the art domain. Given the increasing use and penetration of AI in the field of art, there is a need for more careful attention to the ethical dimensions of this phenomenon by scholars of art and philosophy. To achieve the objective of the paper, concepts such as AI, some of its techniques, and the ethical issues of AI in art are explained and analyzed using the analytical-descriptive method. The findings of the study reveal that ethical issues such as privacy and surveillance, manipulation of behavior, opacity and transparency, bias in decision systems, and automation and employment can be investigated in the field of art. These ethical issues are sometimes in conflict and sometimes in direct relation with each other. This study suggests that addressing the ethical questions of AI in the field of art requires addressing the ethical questions of AI in general. (shrink)

This paper proposes a layered, evolutionary framework for understanding human consciousness as a functional upgrade in neural decision-making. Rooted in neurobiol ogy, developmental psychology, and evolutionary anthropology, we build upon the Time Field Model’s foundational definition: consciousness is information processing it self, experienced from within. We trace this processing from its simplest forms in single-celled organisms to its most complex manifestations in human imagination, morality, and storytelling. We present a timeline from unconscious regulatory systems to the rise of recursive self-awareness (...) in Homo sapiens, arguing that consciousness evolved as a simulation engine to optimize behavior in increasingly complex environ ments. This theory aligns with experimental neuroscience and cross-species behavioral studies, offering a unifying model that integrates subjective experience with objective function while grounding both in the fundamental nature of information processing. (shrink)

Building on the gravitational framework established in Paper #11 [6], where gravity arises from time-wave compression and space quanta merging, this work unifies SU(3)× SU(2)× U(1) gauge symmetries under the Time Field Model (TFM). We demonstrate how mass generation, cosmic filament formation, and force hierarchy emerge from the dynamics of fundamental time-wave fields T+(x) and T−(x). We also explore coupling-constant drifts and collider phenomena that link quantum scales to cosmological evolution. This framework situates time itself as a unified origin for (...) forces, mass, and cosmic structure. (shrink)

Virtual reality (VR) offers a new medium for video games. But how does VR as a medium affect the aesthetics and design of VR video games? In this chapter my aim is to answer this question. I begin by introducing video games as an art form, then highlight two types of pitfalls that a game’s design can fall prey to. A game can be too permissive, or too restrictive, when structuring the player’s agential role given its aesthetic aims. I argue (...) that VR makes falling into either extreme easier because of the sense of presence VR elicits. After defining the sense of presence, I present a conceptual framework for designing virtual items, then apply this to the sense of presence. I argue that the resultant framework allows us to see how VR exacerbates the two pitfalls, and can help mitigate the difficulties of VR game design. (shrink)

Although Les Philosophes was an ordinary comedy, and Palissot was far from the caliber of Molière or Voltaire, it successfully consolidated conservative criticisms of the philosophes within a satirical framework, enjoying a successful three-month run in 1760. The reason behind its success was that it was at the center of a debate between the Enlightenment philosophers and the Counter-Enlightenment figures. In addition to being an example of 18th-century French comédie, the play serves as a valuable source for understanding the key (...) points of conservative discourse of the time. While Palissot seemed to focus on attacking individual philosophes’ personalities, he paired these attacks with conceptual critiques, and directed the most of his criticism primarily at Diderot and Rousseau. The play remains significant for two reasons: First, it captures almost all of the concerns and arguments of the conservative reaction to the Enlightenment. Second, it sheds light on Enlightenment thinkers' personal and intellectual struggles. This paper examines Palissot’s Les Philosophes not as a mere literary dispute but as a rich text that reveals the Counter-Enlightenment discourse that emerged in the second half of the 18th century. (shrink)

Abu Nasr Muhammad Alfarabi, the medieval Muslim philosopher and the founder of Islamic Neoplatonism, is best known for his political treatise, Mabadi ara ahl al-madina al- fadhila (Principles of the Opinions of the Inhabitants of the Virtuous City), in which he proposes a theory of utopian virtuous city. Prominent scholars argue for the Platonic nature of Alfarabi’s political philosophy and relate the political treatise to Plato’s Republic. One of the most striking similarities between Alfarabi’s Mabadi ara ahl al-madina al- fadhila (...) and Plato’s Republic is that in both works the theory of virtuous city is accompanied by a theory of soul. It is true that Alfarabi’s theory of soul differ considerably from that of Plato’s Republic. However, we propose that notwithstanding the differences, the two theories of soul do play an identically important role in the respective theory of virtuous city. The present article explores the relationship between the soul and the city in Plato’s Republic and Alfarabi’s Mabadi ara ahl al-madina al- fadhila, and intends to show that in both works the coexistence of the theory of soul and the city is neither coincidental nor a casual concurrence of two themes. Rather, the concept of soul serves as a foundation on which Plato and Alfarabi erect their respective theory of perfect association. Thus, Alfarabi’s treatise resembles Plato’s Republic not only in the coexistence of the theory of soul and the city, but also in the important role of the concept of soul in the theory of virtuous city. (shrink)

We present a unified formulation of the Law of Mass within the Time Field Model (TFM), augmented with a rigorous PDE/Lagrangian treatment and empirical mass-fitting formulas that achieve 100% agreement with experimental data for fermions, neutrinos, and bosons. We derive the TFM action, highlight how mass emerges from wave-based interactions in space quanta (embedding the Higgs for SM consistency), then incorporate new parametric formulas that match particle masses and neutrino oscillation data. While these parametric fits appear to yield perfect numerical (...) agreement, they may be viewed as simplified or toy-level. Nonetheless, they illustrate TFM’s capability to replicate known masses without requiring separate dark matter or exotic mechanisms for cosmic scales. -/- . (shrink)

We redefine black holes in the Time Field Model (TFM) as massive space quanta—a wave-based solution that removes central singularities and modifies evaporation. By treating black holes as high-density condensates of T±-field quanta, we derive a Schwarzschild-like metric with a Planck-core cutoff, link the horizon radius and entropy to prior TFM parameters (λβ²), and propose a wave-decoherence evaporation rate. Our calculations predict observable deviations of 1–10% in ringdown frequencies (LIGO/Virgo/LISA) at signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ≳ 30, and up to 1% changes (...) in black hole shadow sizes (EHT). We contrast TFM with loop-quantum black hole and fuzzball proposals, unifying cosmic and BH scales (Paper #13) via wave lumps. HPC simulations confirm Planck-core stability under wave-lump collapse, implemented via a modified Einstein Toolkit. Finally, we propose a time-wave accretion model for supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation at z > 7, testable in joint HPC–observational campaigns. (shrink)

Conventional cosmic inflation theories rely on a finely tuned inflaton field. The Time Field Model (TFM) offers a novel alternative by eliminating fine-tuning and replacing the inflaton with spacetime quanta generated through high-energy temporal waves. This unification explains the horizon, flatness, and monopole problems in a single framework while predicting observational signatures—e.g., gravitational wave spectral tilts. -/- Although cosmic inflation is the central focus of TFM, this paper includes a purely mathematical analogy to economic hyperinflation, illustrating how the same wave (...) driven operator formalism can model exponential growth in monetary systems. No physical equivalence is implied, but it showcases TFM’s versatility. Readers seeking detailed variational derivations, tensor perturbation proofs, and a Hamiltonian ap proach to the economic analogy may refer to the appendices. (shrink)

The reality is; there is something which exist but what that something is; remains a question. Either because we are not capable to reveal it yet or because with time and movement it changes itself and has no truth in it. But what’s the reason for its existence without having or revealing any truth, that’s the evidence we need to find. As with existence we desire to know how it begin and what was beyond it and how and why it (...) all happens. And if we can’t know it without believing or assuming or if there is no final answer to these questions then one assumption is; everything happens accidentally and have no purpose behind it. And we could have any meaning based upon our individual senses or reasons and live very well with it. But if there is no one end purpose for everything then no matter how we choose to live, the whole process of existence becomes tragic. Each one could hate any limitation in freedom, in having, and in the knowledge that’s why nothing is good enough; we must know and have it all. And if there is no evidence, then without assumptions we must find it. As to know and have it all is about individuality because each one has the right not to live under the mercy of anyone with more power. So, for freedom and protection, one desires to know and have it all, but the questions remain. (shrink)

The problem is not only with what’s right and wrong but the problem is with who decides about what’s right and wrong. The question is not only about; what actions are good and what is regarded as good. Rather the question is; what is the basis for good and from where it comes and is being good, right or not? These questions are not only necessary for thinking about morality, rather it’s also led toward questioning the good of everything here. (...) As the questions are already been asked, so the question is; can the question itself be protected or not? And for us the question itself belongs with our own individuality and provides reasons to questions and understanding, that’s why protecting it becomes necessary. (shrink)

We examine the normative and epistemological foundations of algorithmic decision-making (ADM) systems. We argue that a data-driven ADM system, by its very design, necessarily fails to discharge the duty to act fairly. This is not an accidental outcome due to flawed data or biased programming, but a necessary result of the system's core logic, which substitutes individualized assessment based on an agent's own actions with a populationalized judgment based on the actions of others. This substitution constitutes a fundamental breach of (...) the principles of justice. (shrink)

The Birth of Time, Consciousness, and Emergent Reality - Foundations of the Simulated Universe. -/- This paper proposes a pre-physical foundation for reality: non-existence is not emptiness, but a timeless domain of total informational potential. We name this domain the Omni-moment: a single, undivided “moment” containing all possible configurations, yet containing no events, because events require processing and processing requires sequence. We define consciousness in its minimal form as information processing itself (not a deity), and we define time as the (...) registered sequence of processed informational states. A universe is then a thin, realized trajectory through possibility-space, stabilized by emergent continuity (non-zero predictability) and experienced locally by subsystems (observers). This paper does not claim our universe must have originated through the specific construction described; rather, it demonstrates a logically coherent mechanism by which universes can emerge from non-existence without contradiction. (shrink)

Breaking the Cosmogenesis Paradox: We propose a radical ontology where vacuum is fundamentally composed of closed-loop faster-than-light (FTL) potential energy strings—Meta Energy Loops (MELs)—that self-cancel to maintain net-zero energy. This substrate spontaneously generates reality through geometric symmetry breaking: -/- Particles emerge as localized loop slowdowns (vₗₒₒₚ ≤ c) -/- Spacetime arises recursively from loop transformation dynamics -/- Fundamental constants (α, mₑ, m_μ, m_τ) derive from twist topology -/- QED and GR unify at Λₗₒₒₚ = 10¹⁷ GeV via loop braiding -/- (...) Crucially, we derive: (i) Maxwell's equations from loop twist currents (ii) Particle mass hierarchy via winding quantization (iii) Gravitational lensing from time field compression (iv) Planck-scale blackbody radiation from thermal loop collapse -/- Testable predictions: (a) Frequency-dependent photon deflection Δv/c ∝ Eᵧ² (b) Exotic lepton at 12.6 ± 0.3 TeV (c) CMB y-distortion enhancement at z > 10⁶ -/- This framework resolves the "something from nothing" paradox through geometric recursion—without presupposing spacetime or quantum fields—while maintaining full compatibility with established physics. (shrink)

Soft neutrosophic group and soft neutrosophic subgroup are generalized to soft neutrosophic bigroup and soft neutrosophic N-group respectively in this paper. Different kinds of soft neutrosophic bigroup and soft neutrosophic N-group are given. The structural properties and theorems have been discussed with a lot of examples to disclose many aspects of this beautiful man made structure.

Neutrosophic theory has many applications in graph theory, bipolar single valued neutrosophic graphs (BSVNGs) is the generalization of fuzzy graphs and intuitionistic fuzzy graphs, SVNGs. In this paper we introduce some types of BSVNGs, such as subdivision BSVNGs, middle BSVNGs, total BSVNGs and bipolar single valued neutrosophic line graphs (BSVNLGs), also investigate the isomorphism, co weak isomorphism and weak isomorphism properties of subdivision BSVNGs, middle BSVNGs, total BSVNGs and BSVNLGs.

This paper proposes that energy is not a fundamental substance but the physical manifestation (embodiment) of information within the Time Field. We argue that every fundamental particle acts as a primordial storage unit, and as these units aggre- gate into atoms, molecules, and biological systems, their capacity to store and process information increases exponentially. We redefine Entropy as the accumulation of pro- cessed historical data within the present energy state. By bridging physics, chemistry, and biology, we demonstrate that evolution is (...) a guided, directional process fueled by “Atomic Memory”the inherent ability of matter to store its own past states. This framework culminates in the emergence of consciousness and artificial intelligence as the next logical stages in the universe’s drive toward higher informational density. (shrink)

Al-Ghazali (1058-1111) was concerned that early Islamic philosophers were leaning too heavily and uncritically on Aristotelian and Neoplatonic ideas in developing their models of God and His relation to the world. He argued that their views were not only irreligious, but philosophically problematic, and he defended an alternative view aimed at staying closer to the Qur’an and the beliefs of the ordinary Muslim. Ibn Rushd (1126-1198) responded to al-Ghazali’s critique and developed a sophisticated Aristotelian view. The present chapter explores their (...) views in light of a problem facing any philosophical model of God in Islam or classical theism more generally, the problem of conceiving of God’s nature and relation to the world in a way that places an appropriate distance between God and humans. On the one hand, we want a notion of God that is not overly anthropomorphic, or that does not make him to be too much like us. On the other hand, we want to be able to say something positive and substantive about God. And we want to do this while preserving the harmony of reason and revelation, of philosophy and religion, as much as possible. (shrink)