Kuhnian Incommensurability Between Two Paradigms of Contemporary Linguistics
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In the Later Philosophy of Paul Feyerabend
Durham E-Theses Pluralism and the 'Problem of Reality' in the Later Philosophy of Paul Feyerabend KIDD, IAN,JAMES How to cite: KIDD, IAN,JAMES (2010) Pluralism and the 'Problem of Reality' in the Later Philosophy of Paul Feyerabend, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/864/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Kidd Pluralism and the ‘Problem of Reality’ in the Later Philosophy of Paul Feyerabend Abstract Feyerabend’s later philosophy was a sustained defence of cultural and epistemic diversity. After Against Method (1975) Feyerabend argued that his rejection of methodological monism challenged the presumed unity and superiority of scientific knowledge and practices. His later philosophy was therefore dedicated to a reassessment of the merits of a wide range of ‘non-scientific’ traditions present throughout non-Western indigenous cultures. -
Language and Definitions
This asset is intentionally omitted from this text. It may be accessed at Language and Definitions www.mcescher.com. (Waterfall by 1 Language Functions M.C. Escher) 2 Emotive Language, Neutral Language, and Disputes 3 Disputes and Ambiguity 4 Definitions and Their Uses 5 The Structure of Definitions: Extension and Intension 6 Definition by Genus and Difference 1 Language Functions When people reason, they typically do so using language, manipulating proposi- tions in a logical or informative spirit. But language is used in a great variety of ways, only some of which are informative. Without the intention to inform, we may express ourselves using language: “That’s really great!” we may say; and the poet, overcome by the beauty of an ancient city, channels his emotions in writing these lines: Match me such marvel, save in Eastern clime— A rose-red city—“half as old as time.”1 Of course, some expressive discourse also has informative content, and may express attitudes as well as beliefs. Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life for which the first was made.2 Moreover, some discourse is directive, with or without expressive or informa- tive elements. It seeks to guide or to command. “Step on the scale, please,” we may be told, or we may receive this good advice: Drive defensively. The cemetery is full of law-abiding citizens who had the right of way. A mixture of functions is a natural feature of almost all our uses of language. We can see this in our own speech and writing. -
Paul Feyerabend
Against Method Fourth Edition Paul Feyerabend VERSO London • New York Analytical Index Being a Sketch of the Main Argument Introdnction 1 Science is an essentially anarchic enterprise: theoretical anarchism is more humanitarian and more likely to encourage progress than its law-and-order alternatives. 1 7 This is shown both by an examination of historical episodes and by an abstract analysis of the relation between idea and action. The only principle that does not inhibit progress is: anything goes. 2 13 For example, we may use hypotheses that contradict well-confirmed theories and/or well-established experimental results. We may advance science by proceeding counterinductively. 3 17 The consistency condition which demands that new hypotheses agree with accepted theories is unreasonable because it preserves the older theory, and not the better theory. Hypotheses contradicting well-confirmed theories give us evidence that cannot be obtained in any other way. Proliferation of theories is beneficial for science, while uniformity impairs its critical power. Uniformity also endangers the free development of the individual. 4 ~ There is no idea, however ancient and absurd, that is not capable of improving our knowledge. The whole history of thought is absorbed into science and is used for improving every single theory. Nor is political interference rejected. It may be needed to overcome the chauvinism of science that resists alternatives to the status quo. xxx ANAL YTICAL INDEX 5 33 No theory ever agrees with all the facts in its domain, yet it is not always the theory that is to blame. Facts are constituted by older ideologies, and a clash between facts and theories may be proof ofprogress. -
FURTHER REMARKS on DEFINITION and ANALYSIS 19 Cf
FURTHER REMARKS ON DEFINITION AND ANALYSIS 19 Cf. C. G. Hempel and Paul Oppenheim, "The Logic of Explanation," Philosophy of Science, vol. 15 (1948). While this definition is adequate for many purposes, it is oversimplified in some ways. Theorem 1 depends on the form of this definition, but our general approach is consistent with any explieatum of 'explain.' 1~ Cf. footnote 6. i~ For example, T'~ may state that T~ holds under specified conditions. le Cf. H. Feigl's contribution to the symposium on operationism in the Psychological Review, vol. 52, no. 5 (September 1945). Further Remarks on Definition and Analysis by IRVING M. COPI UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN A NUMBER of acute criticisms have been directed against some of the views presented in my essay "Analytical Philosophy and Analytical Propositions" (this journal, December 1953). I welcome them as providing stimulation and opportunity for penetrating more deeply into the issues involved. The central notion in my discussion is that of a theoretical de/init/on. A theoretical definition of a term is intended to formulate a theoretically adequate characterization of the objects to which that term applies. One gives a theoretical definition of a term to attach to the term, as intension, that property which in the context of a given theory is most useful for understanding or predicting the behavior of those entities which comprise the (usual) extension of that term. In his "Definitions in Analytical Philosophy" (this journal, April 1954) Michael Scriven has correctly observed that a given theoretical definition is compatible with a wide range of different theories (p. -
Towards a Vibrant & Broad African
Library.Anarhija.Net Towards a Vibrant & Broad African-Based Anarchism Ashanti Alston Ashanti Alston Towards a Vibrant & Broad African-Based Anarchism 2003 Retrieved on 17 August 2015 from http://www.newformulation.org/3alston.htm lib.anarhija.net 2003 Contents Wole Soyinka’s Anarchism ................. 3 African Anarchism: The History of a Movement . 10 Conclusion .......................... 14 Notes ............................. 16 2 I am always on the search for cutting edge, challenging think- ing within anarchism and other fields of revolutionary theory: the search for how to get beyond ’stuck.’ As a Black anarchist I have looked for writings specifically related to the problems and chal- lenges that I face, and that my people face here in the United States, and that can help us organize for self-determination and destroy the very basis upon which all oppressive systems operate. Of the activist ”isms,” anarchism, at least in theory, promotes the kind of openness and risk-taking that actually encourages the constant re- generation necessary to meet new revolutionary challenges. The price to pay, often, is getting ”uncomfortable,” being ”jarred,” even in terms of what one understood as the anti-authoritarian or anar- chist canon. The two works reviewed here, Post-Colonial African Theory and Practice: Wole Soyinka’s Anarchism and African Anarchism: The His- tory of a Movement, come from authors trapped in vicious post- colonial hells. They have ”stretched their necks” to see andun- derstand differently in order to just ”breathe” and fight back. The stretching and openness to new information, new insights, is what keeps anarchism and other radical perspectives fresh and evolving to meet our planetary needs. -
Developing a Theoretical Framework of Responsiveness In
DEVELOPING A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF RESPONSIVENESS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS by DIVYA NARENDRA BHEDA A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Education Studies and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2013 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Divya Narendra Bheda Title: Developing a Theoretical Framework of Responsiveness in Educational Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Education Studies by: Dr. Ronald Beghetto Co-Chair Dr. Joanna Goode Co-Chair Dr. Mia Tuan Member Dr. Patricia A. Curtin Outside Member and Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy Vice President for Research & Innovation/Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2013 ii © 2013 Divya Narendra Bheda iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Divya Narendra Bheda Doctor of Philosophy Department of Education Studies June 2013 Title: Developing a Theoretical Framework of Responsiveness in Educational Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations A number of education institutions and non-profit organizations seek to be responsive toward the stakeholders they serve. They engage in numerous organizational and evaluative processes to be perceived as responsive. They consider evaluating and improving responsiveness, important to their practice. Unfortunately, such efforts are often impeded because there is a lack of clear understanding regarding what “responsiveness” means. One reason is that the current professional literature on responsiveness provides fragmented, ambiguous, and limited definitions of responsiveness. -
Rigid Strings and Flaky Snowflakes
Language and Cognition http://journals.cambridge.org/LCO Additional services for Language and Cognition: Email alerts: Click here Subscriptions: Click here Commercial reprints: Click here Terms of use : Click here Rigid strings and aky snowakes GEOFFREY SAMPSON Language and Cognition / FirstView Article / June 2015, pp 1 - 17 DOI: 10.1017/langcog.2015.10, Published online: 23 June 2015 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1866980815000101 How to cite this article: GEOFFREY SAMPSON Rigid strings and aky snowakes. Language and Cognition, Available on CJO 2015 doi:10.1017/langcog.2015.10 Request Permissions : Click here Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/LCO, IP address: 78.143.198.117 on 05 Jul 2015 Language and Cognition (2015), Page 1 of 17 . doi:10.1017/langcog.2015.10 © UK Cognitive Linguistics Association, 2015 Rigid strings and fl aky snowfl akes GEOFFREY SAMPSON University of South Africa ( Received 26 February 2015 – Revised 15 April 2015 – Accepted 15 April 2015 ) Christina Behme, Evaluating Cartesian Linguistics: from historical antecedents to computational modeling (Potsdam Linguistic Investigations, vol. 12). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2014. 1. A philosopher contemplates Chomsky Christina Behme, although now living in Canada, was born and educated in the former East Germany, where compulsory classes in dialectical materialism perhaps immunized her against accepting spurious intellectual authority just because those around her defer to it. A philosopher with particular interest in language, CB (as I shall refer to her) in this book takes apart the “Chomsky phenomenon” from a philosophical point of view. 1 CB’s initial concern, as her title indicates, is Chomsky’s claim (in Cartesian Linguistics , Chomsky, 1966 , and elsewhere) to be using the data of linguistics to revive Descartes’ rationalist account of human cognition, long out of favour in the English-speaking world. -
Anarchism in Hungary: Theory, History, Legacies
CHSP HUNGARIAN STUDIES SERIES NO. 7 EDITORS Peter Pastor Ivan Sanders A Joint Publication with the Institute of Habsburg History, Budapest Anarchism in Hungary: Theory, History, Legacies András Bozóki and Miklós Sükösd Translated from the Hungarian by Alan Renwick Social Science Monographs, Boulder, Colorado Center for Hungarian Studies and Publications, Inc. Wayne, New Jersey Distributed by Columbia University Press, New York 2005 EAST EUROPEAN MONOGRAPHS NO. DCLXX Originally published as Az anarchizmus elmélete és magyarországi története © 1994 by András Bozóki and Miklós Sükösd © 2005 by András Bozóki and Miklós Sükösd © 2005 by the Center for Hungarian Studies and Publications, Inc. 47 Cecilia Drive, Wayne, New Jersey 07470–4649 E-mail: [email protected] This book is a joint publication with the Institute of Habsburg History, Budapest www.Habsburg.org.hu Library of Congress Control Number 2005930299 ISBN 9780880335683 Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 PART ONE: ANARCHIST SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY 7 1. Types of Anarchism: an Analytical Framework 7 1.1. Individualism versus Collectivism 9 1.2. Moral versus Political Ways to Social Revolution 11 1.3. Religion versus Antireligion 12 1.4. Violence versus Nonviolence 13 1.5. Rationalism versus Romanticism 16 2. The Essential Features of Anarchism 19 2.1. Power: Social versus Political Order 19 2.2. From Anthropological Optimism to Revolution 21 2.3. Anarchy 22 2.4. Anarchist Mentality 24 3. Critiques of Anarchism 27 3.1. How Could Institutions of Just Rule Exist? 27 3.2. The Problem of Coercion 28 3.3. An Anarchist Economy? 30 3.4. How to Deal with Antisocial Behavior? 34 3.5. -
Towards a Vibrant & Broad African-Based Anarchism
Towards a Vibrant & Broad African-Based Anarchism Ashanti Alston 2003 Contents Wole Soyinka’s Anarchism ......................... 3 African Anarchism: The History of a Movement ............. 8 Conclusion .................................. 11 Notes ..................................... 12 2 I am always on the search for cutting edge, challenging thinking within anar- chism and other fields of revolutionary theory: the search for how to get beyond ’stuck.’ As a Black anarchist I have looked for writings specifically related to the problems and challenges that I face, and that my people face here in the United States, and that can help us organize for self-determination and destroy the very basis upon which all oppressive systems operate. Of the activist ”isms,” anarchism, at least in theory, promotes the kind of openness and risk-taking that actually encourages the constant regeneration necessary to meet new revolutionary chal- lenges. The price to pay, often, is getting ”uncomfortable,” being ”jarred,” evenin terms of what one understood as the anti-authoritarian or anarchist canon. The two works reviewed here, Post-Colonial African Theory and Practice: Wole Soyinka’s Anarchism and African Anarchism: The History of a Movement, come from authors trapped in vicious post-colonial hells. They have ”stretched their necks” to see and understand differently in order to just ”breathe” and fight back. The stretch- ing and openness to new information, new insights, is what keeps anarchism and other radical perspectives fresh and evolving to meet our planetary needs. Wole Soyinka’s Anarchism Post-Colonial African Theory and Practice by Joseph Walunywa, a Kenyan stu- dent who wrote in requirement for a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English at Syracuse University in New York, was a rare find. -
Changing Anarchism.Pdf
Changing anarchism Changing anarchism Anarchist theory and practice in a global age edited by Jonathan Purkis and James Bowen Manchester University Press Manchester and New York distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave Copyright © Manchester University Press 2004 While copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in Manchester University Press, copyright in individual chapters belongs to their respective authors. This electronic version has been made freely available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC- ND) licence, which permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction provided the author(s) and Manchester University Press are fully cited and no modifications or adaptations are made. Details of the licence can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Published by Manchester University Press Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NR, UK and Room 400, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for ISBN 0 7190 6694 8 hardback First published 2004 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Typeset in Sabon with Gill Sans display by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Manchester Printed in Great Britain by CPI, Bath Dedicated to the memory of John Moore, who died suddenly while this book was in production. His lively, innovative and pioneering contributions to anarchist theory and practice will be greatly missed. -
About the Conventionality of Simultaneity and Synchronization
20th IMEKO TC4 International Symposium and 18th International Workshop on ADC Modelling and Testing Research on Electric and Electronic Measurement for the Economic Upturn Benevento, Italy, September 15-17, 2014 About the conventionality of simultaneity and synchronization Luigi Maxmilian Caligiuri1, Alfonso Nastro2 1 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy, [email protected] FoPRC – Foundation of Physics Research Center, Celico (CS), Italy, [email protected] 2 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy, [email protected] Abstract – The conceptual and operative definition of possible inertial frames [1], whose origin is substantially simultaneity is fundamental not only from a purely “electrodynamics” because it describes a specific theoretical point of view but also in order to ensure property of light arising from Maxwell equations and it is the correctness of metrological practices, because of not required by the internal consistence of STR itself [1]. its implication upon synchronization procedures. In It has been shown, in fact, that it is possible, by this paper we’ll critically analyze the main possible considering only homogeneity of empty space and time definitions of simultaneity, discussing the consequence and the Relativity Principle (RP), to build “alternative” of each of them upon the synchronization process and versions of Special Theory of Relativity (STR), without how the choice of the right method is far from assuming the invariance of light velocity in vacuum [1]. obvious. When these alternatives are considered they give rise to different conceptual and operative versions of definition I. -
The Epistemology of Measurement: a Model-Based Account
The Epistemology of Measurement: A Model-Based Account by Eran Tal A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Philosophy University of Toronto © Copyright by Eran Tal 2012 The Epistemology of Measurement: A Model-Based Account Eran Tal, Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, 2012 Thesis abstract Measurement is an indispensable part of physical science as well as of commerce, industry, and daily life. Measuring activities appear unproblematic when performed with familiar instruments such as thermometers and clocks, but a closer examination reveals a host of epistemological questions, including: 1. How is it possible to tell whether an instrument measures the quantity it is intended to? 2. What do claims to measurement accuracy amount to, and how might such claims be justified? 3. When is disagreement among instruments a sign of error, and when does it imply that instruments measure different quantities? Currently, these questions are almost completely ignored by philosophers of science, who view them as methodological concerns to be settled by scientists. This dissertation shows that these questions are not only philosophically worthy, but that their exploration has the potential to challenge fundamental assumptions in philosophy of science, including the distinction between measurement and prediction. ii The thesis outlines a model-based epistemology of physical measurement and uses it to address the questions above. To measure, I argue, is to estimate the value of a parameter in an idealized model of a physical process. Such estimation involves inference from the final state (‘indication’) of a process to the value range of a parameter (‘outcome’) in light of theoretical and statistical assumptions.