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This study explores the impact of appearance and speech on human perceptions of faces in human- robot interactions. Three videos were generated depicting the real face of an artist and two virtual versions of the same artist, with increasing resolution and fidelity. Each video was presented with and without speech, with matching levels of fidelity to the faces (real human speech and machine- generated speech of two levels of realism). Participants viewed all six videos and rated them on measures such as convincing, trustworthy, realistic, likable, showed biological movement, reassuring, friendly, familiar, and humanness. We found that the inclusion of speech (real) had a significant positive impact on the impression formation of real human appearance. In contrast, perceptions of the virtual avatars were more negative when speech (machine-like) was incorporated. This study illustrates the differential effects that speech can have on virtual faces in interactive settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral pathology is a challenging yet intriguing subject. By comparing pathological traits to things we typically encounter, it is possible to reduce the difficulty of memorising these qualities. Hence, the usage of various analogical methods, like the usage of metaphors, conveys likeliness or similarities between two items and can help the students. A lot of pathological features have a resemblance to animals we see on a frequent basis. Students might find comparing, examining and comprehending oral pathology easier when the information is compared with familiar animals. This article is an attempt to compile animal metaphors related to oral pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophy is beginning to pay problems of linguistic justice the attention they deserve in today's heavily interconnected and migrant world. Contemporary philosophy itself, however, has a particular problem of linguistic justice that deserves metaphilosophical attention. At least in the philosophical tradition that is mainstream in much of the world today, viz., analytic philosophy, methodological and sociological mechanisms make it the case that the voices of non‐(native) Anglophone philosophers are substantially less heard. Among the mechanisms responsible for this situation, argues this paper, is the emphasis given by influential philosophical institutions to linguistic style and appearances as signs of clarity, precision, and rigour in the treatment of philosophical problems. Such an emphasis is not justifiable, in part because it deprives philosophy of a wider variety of perspectives. The paper concludes by presenting and motivating a recent initiative that aims to foster greater linguistic and cultural diversity within the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social phenomena—quite like mental states in the philosophy of mind—are often regarded as potential troublemakers from the start, particularly if they are approached with certain explanatory commitments, such as naturalism or social individualism, already in place. In this paper, we argue that such explanatory constraints should be at least initially bracketed if we are to arrive at an adequate non-biased description of social phenomena. Legitimate explanatory projects, or so we maintain, such as those of making the social world fit within the natural world with the help of, e.g., collective intentionality, social individualism, and the like, should neither exclude nor influence the prior description of social phenomena. Just as we need a description of the mental that is not biased, for example, by (anti)physicalist constraints, we need a description of the social that is not biased, for example, by (anti)individualist or (anti)naturalist commitments. Descriptive social ontology, as we shall conceive of it, is not incompatible with the adoption of explanatory frameworks in social ontology; rather, the descriptive task, according to our conception, ought to be recognized as prior to the explanatory project in the order of inquiry. If social phenomena are, for example, to be reduced to nonsocial (e.g., psychological or physical) phenomena, we need first to understand clearly what the social candidates for the reduction in question are. While such descriptive or naïve approaches have been influential in general metaphysics (see Fine 2017), they have so far not been prominent in analytic social ontology (though things are different outside of analytic philosophy, see esp. Reinach (1913). In what follows, we shall outline the contours of a descriptive approach by arguing, first, that description and explanation need to be distinguished as two distinct ways of engaging with social phenomena. Secondly, we defend the claim that the descriptive project ought to be regarded as prior to the explanatory project in the order of inquiry. We begin, in Section 2, by considering two different ways of engaging with mental phenomena: a descriptive approach taken by descriptive psychology and an explanatory approach utilized in analytic philosophy of mind. We take these two ways of approaching the study of the mind to be analogous to the distinction we want to draw in social ontology between a descriptive and an explanatory approach to the study of social phenomena. We consider next, in Section 3, how our approach compares to neighboring perspectives that are familiar to us from general metaphysics and philosophy more broadly, such as Aristotle's emphasis on "saving the appearances", Strawson's distinction between descriptive and revisionary metaphysics, as well as Fine's contrast between naïve and foundational metaphysics. In Section 4, we apply the proposed descriptive/explanatory distinction to the domain of social ontology and argue that descriptive social ontology ought to take precedence in the order of inquiry over explanatory social ontology. Finally, in Section 5, we consider and respond to several objections to which our account might seem to be susceptible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the development of race alongside Machiavelli’s writing on difference and his theorization of the relationship between truth and appearances. I focus on the rise of blood purity statutes in early modern Spain, showing how racialization responded to anxieties regarding the ability to discern subjects’ true identity.Whereas race functioned to cover over the potential gap between truth and appearances, I argue that Machiavelli insisted upon the impossibility of bridging this gap. He thus offers us a theory of subjecthood that resists racialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to show how Kant's epistemological conception of the transcendental faculties of cognition relates to his ontological conception of the transcendental distinction between mind-dependent, ideal appearances (viz., empirical objects) and mind-independent, transcendentally real things in themselves, as they relate to the self. I engage the metaphysical foundations of Kant's account of self-consciousness and how this account relates to the self as an empirically perceivable and conceptualizable object of observation. This paper also connects Kant's work in the Transcendental Deduction on the transcendental unity of apperception with Kant's work on "clear" and "obscure" representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some Kant scholars argue that appearances and things in themselves are distinct things (Two Objects View). Others argue that they are the same things (One Object View). This last view is often understood as the claim that appearances and things in themselves are numerically identical (Numerical Identity). However, Walker (2010) and Stang (2014) show that Numerical Identity clashes against Kant’s claim that we lack knowledge of things in themselves (Noumenal Ignorance). I propose a weaker version of the One Object View that is not couched in terms of Numerical Identity and, consequently, avoids the problem raised by Walker and Stang. My case is based on a sustained analogy with perceptual experience that aims at showing that appearances and things in themselves are the same things in the following sense: the very same things can be presented under the mode of sensory intuition or (possibly) under the mode of intellectual intuition. Those things presented under the mode of sensory intuition are appearances; presented under the (possible) mode of intellectual intuition are things in themselves. This way of construing appearances and things in themselves preserves the core insight of the One Object View. At the same time, as it does not entail any isomorphism between appearances and things in themselves, it does not clash against Noumenal Ignorance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his second book on being and event, Logics of Worlds, Alain Badiou describes Plato’s late dialogue, The Sophist as “one of the first transcendental inquiries in the history of thought”. In this dialogue, Plato introduces what he calls the Idea of the Other, the possibility of a being of non-being, an inevitable break with the Parmenidean tradition. However, according to Badiou, Plato fails to provide an example of how this Idea of the Other can manifest itself or be effective in a world, or in other words, appear. This paper argues that not only there is such an example in Plato’s Sophist, namely, the phantasma, but also that it can be strongly related to Badiou’s philosophical system.

In Mandarin, the English word 'nature' translates as ' ziran ' (自然zìrán) in science, biomedicine and everyday life. At the same time, ziran indexes a second older set of meanings that make little immediate sense in English. Current in many Chinese medical practices as well as in classical Chinese philosophy, these include 'what is spontaneously so' or 'let the character of the self unfold'. In this article we explore how these two families of meaning are related by particular Taiwanese Chinese medical practitioners as they describe how they negotiate the relations between biomedicine and Chinese medicine in daily professional practice. At the same time, inspired by related logic-shifting writing in anthropology, postcolonial studies and postcolonial STS, we draw on the 'art of patterning' (辨證 biàn zhèng) to understand how ziran-nature relations are specified in those accounts. Patterning is the art of specifying the shifting arrangements and misalignments that lead to ill health. Treating this as a way of thinking about ziran-related overlaps between biomedicine and Chinese medicine, we show that patterning attends not to objects 'out there' but to appearances (象xiang, xiàng). Put into use as an STS term of art it therefore shifts the epistemological basis of inquiry because case-stories no longer reveal underlying mechanisms, but instead narrate patterned appearances. One implication of this is that any particular pattern diagnosis lies alongside a galaxy of alternatives that might be equally good to think with. Within the limits set by referential academic conventions, we thus attempt a postcolonial shi (勢)-inflected STS in this paper by resisting the use of a single analytical framework, instead setting different forms of patterning alongside one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although existing studies have suggested that gender stereotypes affect human perceptions about robots, neither what type of robot tasks or roles are expected to show gender characteristics nor whether expected gender characteristics are directly related to conventional gender conceptions have been sufficiently investigated. To explore these issues, this study conducted two online surveys. In the first survey (N = 500) a total of 30 items related to interaction scenes asked whether male, female, or neutral gender was preferred in terms of the appearance of communication partners in these scenes, and five categories regarding the roles and tasks of robots were extracted based on expected gender appearances. The results revealed a weak effect showing higher gender conceptions inviting a female gender appearance preference in some categories. The second survey (N = 400) measured participants' gender conception, negative attitudes toward robots, gender appearance preferences for the categories of robot roles and tasks extracted in the first survey, and occupations to investigate relationships between them. The results revealed that the influence of gender stereotypes and negative attitudes toward robots on gender appearance preferences changed depending on human occupation, in particular, those with the occupations of counselor, adviser, nurse, and caregiver were not associated with stereotypes, attitudes, or gender preferences toward robots playing roles in their own field of expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an attempt to investigate the ability of different colors used in cinematic lighting designs to affect audience's impressions towards the appearance and mood of film characters. The study critically appraised existing cinematic lighting techniques and identified the two basic color groups (i.e., warm and cold colors) that should be examined in order to answer the research questions and formulate its conclusions. To provide the needed empirical evidence for this research work, some experiments with a representative sample of viewers were conducted. These experiments confirmed the existence of direct relationships between various colors of lighting and the perceived appearance and mood of film characters. Moreover, specific color hues of lighting appeared to be more effective than others in altering the perceived appearance and mood of film characters. The study concluded that audience's perception of appearances and moods within cinematic shots is linked, even in part, to different colors of lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract According to Aristotle, phainomena or “appearances” provide the basis from which researches proceed. This shows that in spite of phainomena often corresponding to what falsely appears to be the case, there is genuine cognition through them. In this paper, I focus on two features of phainomenal cognition: accessibility and epistemological limitation. A phainomenal cognition of x is limited in the sense that there is always a stronger cognition of x to be attained. In this way, a research always aims at surpassing the phainomenal cognition of its subject matter. On the other hand, phainomenal cognition is always somehow accessible. Resorting to the relation between phainomena and the distinction between the more intelligible to us and the more intelligible by nature, I intend to put forward a relative (as opposed to an absolute) understanding of both accessibility and epistemological limitation of phainomena.

Much attention has recently been paid to the idea, which I label 'External World Acquaintance' (EWA), that the phenomenal character of perceptual experience is partially constituted by external features. One motivation for EWA which has received relatively little discussion is its alleged ability to help deal with the 'Explanatory Gap'. I provide a reformulation of this general line of thought, which makes clearer how and when EWA could help to explain the specific phenomenal nature of visual experience. In particular, I argue that by focusing on the different kinds of perceptual actions that are available in the case of visual spatial vs. colour perception, we get a natural explanation for why we should expect the specific nature of colour phenomenology to remain less readily intelligible than the specific nature of visual spatial phenomenology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is set to debate the interference between the attitude of the judge in respect to the proper and effective exercise of the defense and the possible lack of impartiality. As the subjective impartiality is difficult to be established, there is a pressing need to identify conducts that might be qualified as proper appearances out of which a lack of impartiality may be deduced, and a situation encountered in practice will be analyzed to establish if we are in the presence of an improper conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I argue that in the first Critique and in the Prolegomena Kant's distinction between Appearances and Things in themselves do not belong to a single, one-dimensional system, but actually entails six different layers. Each layer has a particular perspective on the concept of things in themselves, which is used for drawing specific boundaries regarding appearances and is related to a particular kind of illusion. I also argue that these six different meanings of things in themselves are systematically articulated according the broader use of reason in its theoretical and practical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of film illumination aptitude to influence audience's feelings and attitudes towards what is displayed in front of them of shots and scenes. Existing illumination procedures have been reviewed thoroughly, and two essential hue groups (i.e., warm and cold tones) have been distinguished and ought to be inspected to address the study questions and form its conclusions. To produce the required proof to this exploration work, a few analyses with a delegate sample of viewers took place. These tests proved the existence of straight associations between different hues of film illumination and the recognized look of film actors. Furthermore, some hues of illumination showed more ability compared to others in modifying the recognized look of film actors. The investigation wrapped up that viewers' opinion of looks and appearances within film shots is connected, even partially, to various illumination hues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faultless disagreement and faultless retraction have been taken to motivate relativism for predicates of personal taste, like 'tasty'. Less attention has been devoted to the question of what aspect of their meaning underlies this relativist behavior. This paper illustrates these same phenomena with a new category of expressions: appearance predicates, like 'tastes vegan' and 'looks blue'. Appearance predicates and predicates of personal taste both fall into the broader category of experiential predicates. Approaching predicates of personal taste from this angle suggests that their relativist behavior is due to their experience-sensitivity, rather than their evaluative meaning. Furthermore, appearance predicates hold interest beyond what they can teach us about predicates of personal taste. Examination of a variety of uses of appearance predicates reveals that they give rise to relativist behavior for a variety of reasons—including some that apply also to other types of expressions, such as epistemic modals and comparative terms. This paper thus serves both to probe the source of relativist behavior in discourse about personal taste, as well as to map out this kind of behavior in the rich and under-explored discourse about appearances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudies on the issues related to communities in the interior of West Kalimantan begin to take place when Dutch and other European scholars in the colonial period came to the region. But they have been limitedly documented. The amount of research by local and foreign scholars in the region is still not significant when compared to that of research in Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei which are also situated on the island of Borneo. In fact, the natural wealth, cultural heritage and the rural communities of West Kalimantan need serious attention and studies for the purpose of the development of the region. In addition, local elements such as human and cutural resources may become potential supports of development to improve the welfare of the communities. This study highlights the significant contribution of religious and cultural aspects within the communities living around the upper Kapuas riverside. Acculturation of local and Islamic cultures have occurred since the advent of Islam into the interior areas of Kalimantan through the Kapuas River. The acculturation of local religions and cultures also promotes a very important local religious institution in the process of social change of the communities of the Kapuas riverside in the interior of West Kalimantan. The local religious institutions serve as an infrastructure that has been proven to ensure the survival of the living Muslim community system that existed among indigenous people who were still in the local beliefs of their time. This study also finds that the Muslim communities of the Kapuas Riverside in the interior of West Kalimantan already have extensive networks, not just the kinship network, Islamic trade and da'wah but also the network of scholarship. Of course, the growth of these growing networks is influenced by the media that also develops in its name. Thus this work also describes a comprehensive analysis of cultural and religious aspects in the development of communities of the Kapuas riverside in the interior of West Kalimantan which is currently included in the administrative areas of Sintang and Kapuas Hulu Districts.

According to Aristotle, phainomena or "appearances" provide the basis from which researches proceed. This shows that in spite of phainomena often corresponding to what falsely appears to be the case, there is genuine cognition through them. In this paper, I focus on two features of phainomenal cognition: accessibility and epistemological limitation. A phainomenal cognition of x is limited in the sense that there is always a stronger cognition of x to be attained. In this way, a research always aims at surpassing the phainomenal cognition of its subject matter. On the other hand, phainomenal cognition is always somehow accessible. Resorting to the relation between phainomena and the distinction between the more intelligible to us and the more intelligible by nature, I intend to put forward a relative (as opposed to an absolute) understanding of both accessibility and epistemological limitation of phainomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When interpreters orient Kant's philosophy of time in relation to McTaggart's distinction among different ways of characterizing a temporal order, they claim that he is best described as endorsing an A series position according to which there is a metaphysically privileged present that determines the past and the future. Whether Kant might also be understood as a proponent of the B series - according to which there is no privileged present, but rather time is comprised of relations of earlier than, later than, and simultaneity - has not been discussed in the literature. I argue that, for Kant, the appearances can be described as an A series, while the phenomena are to be understood as a B series, neither of which is more fundamental than the other. Contra a common approach in the literature that neglects a metaphysical difference between appearances and phenomena, I argue Kant's transcendental idealism about time is best understood in relation to his account of appearances and phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, clearly one of the early modern doyens of Indian Philosophy, remained much enamored of Western thought—of which he took the ancient to classical tradition as his model—and he spent a good part of his speculative life attempting to reconfigure Indian thought to fit the vesture, maybe the toga, of his Greek heroes, namely Plato and Plotinus, and to an extent of Hegelianism that came across via F. H. Bradley: Occidental in form, and Indian in content. (Incidentally, an adage or motto that was also used to ground modernism in Indian art.) It was as if this 'fusion' or 'harmonization' was easy of making without compromising what since Max Müller has come to be called 'Indian Philosophy' (a trope coined to mimic the dominant movement of Western or Occidental Philosophy). The paper intends to demonstrate this worrisome yet compelling motif by advancing an analysis of certain representative texts and arguments from Radhakrishnan's prolific writing on Indian Philosophy and East-West Thinking; particularly as these relate to the question of the 'appearances' (māyā/avidyā), their alignment with Platonic 'shadows,' while finding their redemption in the realism propelled by modern empirical science (that was taken to be coterminous with scientific realism). The paper traces the justification for Radhakrishnan's variegated moves to 'save the appearances' through his strained reading of the Upaniṣadic texts and under-standing of Śaṅkara's nondualism, leading to the argument that although the world is brought about by māyā, it is not an illusion or nonexistent, or unhinged from the Absolute, but rather naïvely real. There may have been a supplementary political motivation as well inspired by the burgeoning nationalist spirit, after Gandhi, and the need for India to become culturally and morally strong in its own terms (svadeshi svarāj). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One common problem with anti-skepticism and skepticism alike is their failure to account for our sometimes conflicting epistemic intuitions. In order to address this problem and provide a new direction for solving the skeptical puzzle, I consider a modified version of the puzzle that is based on knowledge claims about appearances and does not result in a paradox. I conclude that combining the elements of both the original and modified puzzle can potentially guide us towards solutions that can fully explain the conflict of epistemic intuitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This articles studies different critiques to the conception of appearances as something treacherous and that should always be judged in reference to something transcendental. Based on such authors as Nietzsche, Bergson, Rosset, Lacan and Žižek, among others, we show that the relation between images and the real is a necessary one. The point of view that recognizes this complementarity between image and the real is more likely to affirm life – in Nietzschian terms – than conceptions that seek a metaphysical Real beyond this relation. To illustrate our argument, we make reference to movies such as Vertigo and Synecdoche, New York, among others.

This work concerns the subjective impression of perceived illumination. The purpose of the study is to test attributes expressing qualitative experiences referring to ambient lighting that can be applied as descriptors. Seventy participants viewed an actual model room, with the fourth wall removed (viewing booth). Walls, floor, and ceiling were achromatic. Two achromatic cubes were placed inside the room: One was a reflectance increment to the walls, the other a decrement. The room was illuminated by two different light sources, Artificial Daylight (D65) or Tungsten Filament (F), the order of which was randomized across participants. The participants' task was to evaluate ambient illumination for each light source. A semantic differential method was employed with 27 pairs of adjectives on 1 to 7 rating scales, categorized in three groups: characteristics of atmosphere, time, and cross-modal. Only the ratings of nine pairs of adjectives were not influenced by the type of illumination. The most differentiated couples under different illuminants were hot/cold and modern/old, but large differences also appeared with the following couples: hard/soft, technological/primitive, summery/wintry, warm/cool, sensual/frigid, natural/artificial, and hospitable/inhospitable. The hypothesis that there would be consistency among the subjects in evaluations of the characteristics tested and that these would be differently perceived under different illuminants was confirmed. The results show that it is possible to identify subjective perceived illumination as a phenomenon endowed with specific filling-in qualities and that as a perceptual experience it can be categorized, with implications for application in architecture and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epistemic value of seemings is increasingly debated. Such debates are hindered, however, by a lack of consensus about the nature of seemings. There are four prominent conceptions in the literature, and the plausibility of principles such as phenomenal conservatism, which assign a prominent epistemic role to seemings, varies greatly from one conception to another. It is therefore crucial that we identify the correct conception of seemings. I argue that seemings are best understood as sui generis mental states with propositional content and a distinct phenomenal character. Rival conceptions are shown to succumb to numerous difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the organization of 'openings' in Skype video-mediated conversation. It uncovers order in their apparent complexity by showing the relevance of a particular sequential adjacent pair organization, the appearing/noticing sequence, and its particular instantiation as an appearance-for-the-first-time greeting. The paper shows how this is a crucial resource in establishing a joint video interactional frame for the parties involved. This accounts for the occurrence of some specific phenomena in Skype openings, such as multiple greetings, and for the use of greetings which reflexively index their being occasioned by an appearance and related greeting, such as the French 'coucou', even when these do not occur at the start of Skype calls. When analysed this way, Skype openings, though complex, can be seen as an accomplished 'dance of appearances and multiple greetings'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophers and psychologists often assume that mirror reflections are optical illusions. According to many authors, what we see in a mirror appears to be behind it. I discuss two strategies to resist this piece of dogma. As I will show, the conviction that mirror reflections are illusions is rooted in a confused conception of the relations between location, direction, and visibility. This conception is unacceptable to those who take seriously the way in which mirrors contribute to our experience of the world. My argument may be read as an advertisement of the neglected field of philosophical catoptrics, the philosophical study of the optical properties of mirrors. It enables us to recast familiar issues in the philosophy of perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following essay argues that Marx's method of critique, conception of science, and mode of presentation in Capital are all phenomenological in the sense first articulated by Enzo Paci in The Function of the Sciences and the Meaning of Man. In Capital, Marx places the phenomenological problem of appearances at the centre of his criticism of political economy. His analysis begins with the way in which things typically present themselves in a capitalist society, but this is merely the starting point for a systematic critique which tries to reveal the innerconnections and exploitative social relations hidden beneath those estranged outward appearances. Marx presumed that this phenomenological approach was the most appropriate method for demystifying the 'naturalized' semblance of the capitalist economy. According to Paci's reading of Capital, the task of Marxian critique is to show these superficial appearances for what they really are: i.e., reflections of the reified reality of modern life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that Kant's commitment to the existence of things in themselves takes the form of a commitment short of knowledge that does not violate the limitations on knowledge which he lays down. I will argue that Kant's commitment fits his description of what he calls 'doctrinal belief': acceptance of the existence of things in themselves which is subjectively sufficient but not objectively sufficient. I outline two ways in which we accept the existence of things in themselves which are subjectively sufficient. First, we must accept the existence of appearances, which requires us to accept the existence of things in themselves. Second, we must accept the existence of an unconditioned ground of appearances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthodontics offer young people the chance to improve their bite and adjust their appearances. The most common reasons for orthodontic treatment concern general dentists', parents' or children's dissatisfaction with the esthetics of the bite. My aim is to analyze how esthetic norms are used during three activities preceding possible treatment with fixed appliances. The evaluation indexes signal definitiveness and are the essential grounds for decision-making. In parallel, practitioners and patients refer to self-perceived satisfaction with appearances. Visualizations of divergences and the improved future bite become part of an interactive process that upholds what I conceptualize as "the exceptional normal." Insights into this process contribute to a better understanding of how medical practices intended to measure and safeguard children's and young people's health at the same time mobilize patients to look and feel better. The article is based on an ethnographic study at two orthodontic clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huemer defends phenomenal conservatism (PC) and also the further claim that belief in any rival theory is self-defeating (SD). Here I construct a dilemma for his position: either PC and SD are incompatible, or belief in PC is itself self-defeating. I take these considerations to suggest a better self-defeat argument for (belief in) PC and a strong form of internalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate the effect of adhesive interlining on the appearance of tailored jackets with different rigidity. Design/methodology/approach – Four tailored jackets having the same pattern and fabric and three different adhesive interlinings or no adhesive interlining were prepared as experimental samples. Criteria and characteristics for assessing jacket appearance were investigated in sensory tests. A paired comparison of the jacket appearance was conducted using a ranking method. Smoothness and constriction values were proposed and obtained using three-dimensional shape data. The smoothness value refers to the degree of wrinkling on the jacket surface and the constriction value refers to the degree of constriction of the waistline. A quantitative assessment model of jacket appearance was proposed using multiple regression analysis. Findings – The sensory test reveals that the number of wrinkles, acceptability of wrinkling and degree of constriction of the waist are important criteria in the assessment of jacket appearance. The smoothness value for the front body and the constriction value of the waist partially agreed with the normal scores of sensory test results. Sensory evaluation values for the entire jacket appearance were estimated employing multiple regression analysis with the constriction and smoothness values. The values of jacket appearance estimated using multiple regression analysis were in good agreement with the sensory test results. Originality/value – Criteria and characteristics to be used in the assessment of the appearance of a jacket with adhesive interlining were clarified. Employing the proposed methodology, it is possible to predict jacket appearance for different adhesive interlinings, quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that Sextus Empiricus’s Pyrrhonism is a form of relativism markedly different from the positions typically referred to by this term. The scholars who have explored the relativistic elements found in Sextus’s texts have claimed that his outlook is not actually a form of relativism, or that those elements are inconsistent with his account of Pyrrhonism, or that he is confusing skepticism with relativism. The reason for these views is twofold: first, when employing the term “relativism” one hardly has in mind the sort of relativistic stance adopted by the Pyrrhonist; and second, those scholars have misinterpreted Sextus’s relativistic remarks. The purpose of this paper is to show that he adopts a phenomenological kind of relativism that is compatible with his account of Pyrrhonism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent dichotomy between qualitative versus quantitative dimensions in science intersects with the domain of several disciplines, as well as different research fields within one and the same discipline. The perception of qualitative as 'poor quantitative,' however, is methodologically unsustainable, because there are perfectly rigorous ways to conduct qualitative research. A somehow different question is whether a science of qualities per se is possible: that is, whether a science of appearances can be devised, what its observables are, and its methodological implications. The article deals with this last issue, and especially from the point of view of experimental phenomenology. The weakness of the current approach to perception is discussed, and an alternative view that goes beyond veridicalism is presented. The analysis tackles crucial issues such as color and spatial appearances, the qualitative dimension of perceived depth, and the role of visual meaningful gestalten as information tools for the survival of living beings in the environment. If developed, a science of the qualitative dimensions of appearances may contribute to revising the ecological theory of perception by making its natural semantics more explicit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-known maxim instructs that justice should be seen to be done. When “seen” is understood in the sense of “observed”, the maxim is easily defended: open court proceedings protect against arbitrary and partial decisions. However, when “seen” is understood in the sense of “seem,” the maxim is more puzzling, since it is not obvious why courts should concern themselves with people's perceptions that justice has been done. This article addresses this issue, with a particular focus on the social and other benefits that result when judges observe procedures that are widely regarded as fair, especially in criminal trials. The article draws on empirical studies in social psychology that show that when legal authorities treat people in ways that accord with “lay” procedural expectations, they are more likely to view the authorities as legitimate, to cooperate with them, and to obey the law out of an internalized sense of obligation. The article explores the moral significance of these empirical findings, arguing that it would be superficial to see them as a recipe for social stability. The deeper truth conveyed by the empirical research is that relating to people in ways that are widely perceived to be fair is a way for authorities to engage people's moral sentiments and to enliven their virtuous capacity to put aside considerations of self-interest so as to do what is right. This dynamic provides a sound moral foundation for courts to concern themselves with perceptions of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]