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The article delves into the historical evolution of causal theory, tracing the shift from thing-causation to event-causation in philosophy. It discusses how prominent philosophers like David Hume challenged traditional causal realism, paving the way for a reevaluation of event causation. The text also explores the unintended consequences of advocating for agent causation, which ultimately led to the dominance of event-causation in modern philosophical discourse. This examination raises important questions about the implications of this shift for ongoing debates on causation in contemporary philosophy. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the influence of philosopher Richard Rorty on David Foster Wallace's short story "Incarnations of Burned Children." It discusses Rorty's belief in the contingency of truth and the power of metaphor, which is reflected in Wallace's story. The article also examines different interpretations of the story's ending and compares it to Thom Jones' "The Pugilist at Rest." Overall, the text provides insights into the themes and techniques used by these authors and philosophers. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Life Without God: An Outsider's Look at Atheism" by Rik Peels explores the motivations and causes behind atheism, aiming to understand the perspectives of atheists and their reasons for adhering to atheism. Peels challenges the polarized debate between new atheists and their opponents, delving into topics such as independent thinking, scientific heroes, traumatic experiences, and moral aversion to religious ideas. The text also discusses atheistic frameworks, the presumption of atheism, and arguments against belief in God, ultimately encouraging readers to engage in the adventure of seeking the truth about God. [Extracted from the article]

There is prima facie evidence that Theophrastus naturalized nous to the extent that he spoke of it in naturalizing terms. But our evidence also suggests that Theophrastus accepted the reasons Aristotle had for excluding nous from the reach of natural philosophy. We show that, far from revealing an inconsistency on Theophrastus' part, this apparent tension results from a consciously adopted strategy. Theophrastus is developing one aspect of Aristotle's account of nous he found underdeveloped and feared might be misunderstood, namely the infrangible organic unity of the whole human being, including its nous. That is why he insists that nous , although 'from outside,' is 'grown together' with us, why he speaks of it as a nature (phusis), and why he insists that thought is a motion (kinêsis). We show how these striking claims can be understood against the broader background of Theophrastus' natural philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper draws on the thinking of the nineteenth-century Italian philosopher and poet Giacomo Leopardi and scholars who studied his thoughts on the relationship between nature and humans. Leopardi's philosophy of nature recognizes the alienness of nature in relation to humankind, thus challenging human governance of the planet. The poet's thoughts align with the dilemma identified in the Anthropocene literature: who speaks for nature? This dilemma has accounting implications in terms of the frameworks and disclosures to be adopted. Therefore, Leopardi's thoughts can become the basis for a more articulated and complex understanding of some key concepts and issues at the roots of SEA. Design/methodology/approach: The paper utilizes content analysis to examine four essays by Giacomo Leopardi, which serve as the source of our data. Findings: Leopardi recognizes the alienness of nature with respect to humanity and the voicelessness of nature as a generative of conflict. He also warned of the consequences of human governance that does not take nature's needs into account. These findings open a discussion on the complex accounting implications of the distance between humanity and nature. They can inspire SEA scholars to change the status quo by developing new accounting frameworks from the perspective of nature and adopting forms of governance of nature that recognize the need to protect it as a voiceless stakeholder. Originality/value: Through Leopardi's humanistic and poetic philosophy, the perspective of nature can be infused into SEA studies, thereby promoting the need for a multidisciplinary and complex approach to the discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charms were a commonplace form of medical intervention in late‐medieval England, as they allowed afflicted and ailing devotees to seek the aid of saints and biblical figures. Those holy dead who had suffered something on earth were considered particularly adept at posthumously treating the same in their devotees, with the words used to recount their travails believed to possess curative power. This essay examines a selection of pox, earwig and worm charms circulating in England ca. 1300–1550, specifically those powered by the fifth‐century saint Nicasius of Rheims and Old Testament figure Job. It begins by demonstrating how charms aligned with contemporary medicine, natural philosophy and orthodox Christian devotion, particularly regarding the use of words as material ingredients. Then, this essay reconstructs how these otherwise static texts, at the nexus of religion and medical science, could transform into living, curative performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We combine unsupervised machine learning and econometric methods to study England's print culture in the pivotal sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Machine learning synthesizes the content of 57,863 texts comprising 83 million words into 110 topics. Topics include the expected, such as Natural Philosophy, and the unexpected, such as Baconian Theology. Timelines suggest that religious and political discourse gradually became less antagonistic and economic topics more prominent. The epistemology associated with Bacon was present in theological debates already before Bacon's epistemological contributions. Vector autoregression estimates provide insight into the coevolution of ideas on religion, science, and institutions. Innovations in religious ideas stimulated focus on science, especially at times when Puritanism was prominent in religious discourse. Neither science nor institutional thought evidence secularization. The Glorious Revolution and the Civil War did not spur debates on institutions nor did the founding of the Royal Society markedly elevate attention to science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper bridges contemporary neuroscience theories and Hegelian philosophy, centering on Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle (FEP). Neuroscience models like the Bayesian brain hypothesis and predictive coding depict the brain as a predictive machine, echoing Hermann von Helmholtz's concept of unconscious inference, where perception is shaped by prior knowledge. The FEP, rooted in information theory and statistical physics, suggests organisms minimize sensory surprise through unconscious and active inference, providing a model for behavior and explaining the purposiveness of biological systems. Some scholars assert that Georg W. F. Hegel's view of living beings in his Philosophy of Nature aligns with the FEP, portraying them as purposive and enactive systems. This paper extends this idea, proposing that Hegel's 'System of Science' in the Phenomenology of Spirit functions as a free energy-minimizing system. It discusses predictive coding and the FEP, establishing criteria for a system that minimizes free energy, and applies these criteria to Hegel's work. The paper argues that the dialectical narrative in the Phenomenology operates as a reflective system driven to minimize logical or conceptual free energy, ultimately advancing the spirit towards absolute spirit. This Hegelian predictive model generates expectations essential for dialectical progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Hegel's conception of experience, positing it as the entry point for grasping the implications of the philosophy of nature. The article briefly examines Hegel's view of nature, focusing on its transformative journey from externality to integration with the conscious I. Subsequently, the purpose of Hegel's philosophy of nature is discussed, and recent interpretations are compared. The article unfolds the notion of experience as a bridge between the subjective dimension explored in the Phenomenology of Spirit and the understanding of reality presented in the Encyclopedia. Experience, considered in its threefold meaning of unveiling, actively interpreting, and generating rationality within nature, dynamically shapes both the self‐conscious subject and the natural world across logic, nature, and spirit. Finally, the article highlights experience as mediating both the epistemological and the metaphysical relationship between nature and spirit. The article concludes by arguing that the transformative power of experience plays a central role in overcoming the separation between spirit and nature, fostering a mediated unity between the human subject and the natural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the relationship between philosophy, science, and history, highlighting the conflicting views on their intellectual importance. It discusses the perspectives of Platonism and Aristotelianism, with Platonism prioritizing philosophy as a non-empirical pre-science and Aristotelianism subordinating philosophy to science. The article also delves into the role of history in these disciplines and emphasizes the importance of understanding the past in order to anchor truth and avoid the loss of freedom. Overall, it provides a nuanced examination of these subjects without adopting a specific judgment. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the book "Wonders and Rarities: The Marvelous Book That Traveled the World and Mapped the Cosmos" by Travis Zadeh. The book explores the concept of wonders and rarities and provides examples of things considered wondrous and rare. It focuses on the life and work of ʿImād al-Dīn Zakariyyāʾ al-Kammūnī al-Qazwīnī, particularly his natural history book "ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt" (Wonders of Things Created and Rarities of Matters Existent). The book is divided into three parts, discussing Qazwīnī's influences, his study of natural philosophy, and the dissemination of his work in manuscript and print. The article also touches on the transformation and reception of Qazwīnī's work in the modern era. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the impact of Jesuit translations of Chinese classics on European culture during the early modern period. The Jesuits aimed to convert China to Catholicism by adapting Confucianism to Christianity, which influenced Enlightenment political theory and values such as secularism and religious tolerance. The article discusses the challenges faced by the Jesuits in translating Chinese culture and the controversies surrounding their translations. A collection of essays further explores the historical and cultural exchanges between East and West through the translation of canonical texts, emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity and dialogue between different intellectual traditions. These translations have fostered a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures and have contributed to a more nuanced understanding between Western and Chinese intellectual traditions. [Extracted from the article]

Giulio Aleni's Xingxue cushu 性學觕述 (A Brief Introduction to the Study of Human Nature, 1623–1646) was a product of an ambitious project by the Jesuits in China to introduce Aristotle's natural philosophy to Chinese literati. The book, originally from the Cursus Conimbricensis (1592-1606), shows a good example of the interactions between transmitter and receptor in the encounter of Western culture with Chinese culture. This paper explores Aleni's linguistic strategy for placing Western concepts of human nature in dialogue with traditional Chinese thought. It argues that the work's favourable reception among Chinese scholars was due to Aleni's use of translation principles that anticipate transwriting. Namely, instead of direct translation Aleni adapted the text for his Chinese readers by rewriting partly, adding his own responses, borrowing Chinese classical terms and creatively interpreting these terms, quoting many Chinese classical allusions, and employing Chinesestyle arguments. These linguistic tools Aleni used facilitate the reader's understanding and acceptance of the Western philosophy of human nature. His linguistic success on communication between the two thoughts on human nature helps us redefine the concept of transwriting and find an in-between space for a rational philosophic and religious dialogue between China and the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reconsiders Hans Driesch's vitalism, as articulated in his English book The Science and Philosophy of the Organism, from a novel perspective. The central thesis posits that Driesch's vitalism was intricately intertwined with contemporary physical sciences, particularly the version of energy physics prevalent in the energetics movement at the turn of the twentieth century. More specifically, based on the conceptual framework provided by energeticists like Wilhelm Ostwald and Georg Helm, Driesch offered an intriguing treatment of the relationship between entelechy and energy within an updated Kantian philosophy of nature. This article reconstructs Driesch's approach by elucidating four points. First, Driesch asserted that an entelechy strictly adhered to the conservation of energy. Second, he posited that the entelechy was not a form of energy and thus did not constitute a special kind of bio-specific vital energy. Third, he identified the entelechy's most critical characteristic as its ability to suspend certain physico-chemical changes. Fourth, Driesch suggested that the entelechy influenced mechanical systems in a manner akin to Maxwell's demon, raising the possibility of contravening the second law of thermodynamics. This article also contextualizes Driesch's treatment within the broader development of energy physics in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In conclusion, this article offers some critical remarks on the peculiar historical phenomenon of chronic vitalism as identified by Driesch and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives the results of a successful search to uncover new biographical details about Margaret Bryan, the English author of several textbooks intended to educate young women: A compendious system of astronomy (editions in 1797, 1799 and 1805), Lectures on natural philosophy (1806) and Astronomical and geographical class book for schools (1815). Among the hitherto unknown information collected from contemporary wills, parish records, civil records and newspapers in England are the names of her parents and other family members, the year and place of her baptism, the year and place of her marriage, the names of her husband and two daughters and a possible year and place of her death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the concept of "joining" in the works of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. Cavendish believed in combining her texts into bound volumes, creating composite collections that required readers to engage with different disciplines and genres. The article discusses the presence of these bound collections, known as Sammelbände, in various European libraries, including the Antwerp Public Library, the Bibliothèque Mazarine in Paris, and the Cambridge University Library. The author suggests that further study of these collections would be valuable. The article also explores Cavendish's philosophy of joining and its relationship to her atomic philosophy, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary reading practices. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores four crucial problems regarding wu 無 (nothingness or nonexistence), a central concept in Chinese philosophy: (1) What is wu, and how does it relate to you 有 (somethingness or existence)? (2) Does ‘you arise from wu’ (you sheng yu wu 有生於無), and if so, how does this ‘arising’ occur? (3) Which takes precedence in Chinese philosophy, wu or you? (4) Does pursuing wu risk leading to nihilism? Drawing on Saul Kripke’s interpretation of possible worlds, I propose that wu represents a realm of potential possibilities. I align with Kripke’s view that possible worlds lack actual existence but are anchored in the actual world. This view clarifies the seemingly paradoxical nature of Chinese philosophy: it is rooted in the mundane world while embracing a transcendental wu. Moreover, it helps avoid the nihilism that might arise from interpreting wu as a groundless void. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alsatian engineer Gustave-Adolphe Hirn is best known to historians of science for his experimental determination of the mechanical equivalent of heat, first published in 1855. Since the 1840s, that equivalent has been closely associated with the conservation of energy, indeed often conflated with it. Hirn was one of Thomas Kuhn’s twelve ‘pioneers’ whose work he deemed relevant to the ostensible ‘simultaneous discovery’ of energy conservation. Yet Hirn never wholeheartedly embraced energy conservation. After reviewing his experimental work, his philosophical reflections, and his response to developments in heat theory, this article identifies three factors as having played central roles in this regard: Hirn’s deepest concerns were ontological, not energetic; none of the concepts basic to his natural philosophy were appropriate stand-ins for a quantitatively conserved energy; and, accurately reflecting the most common interpretation of the principle of the conservation of energy from the 1860s on – as exemplified already by Helmholtz in 1847 – Hirn associated its corpuscular-mechanical underpinning with the despiritualizing materialism he saw as dominating contemporary science. Hence although Hirn’s natural philosophy embraced sentiments quite in the spirit of the conservation of energy, he never explicitly subscribed to that principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Ambix special issue explores premodern alchemical ideas and practices in their entanglements with medicine. It employs diverse methods, from traditional close reading to the new distant-reading framework of computational humanities, to investigate alchemical thought over a timespan of several centuries. In medieval times, everyday practices could offer heuristic models of material transformation – such as the fermentation of bread as a model for metallic transmutation (Schmechel). Paracelsus relied on "fire" to link his natural philosophy with his medical alchemy; new computational methods show how his ideas evolved over time (Hedesan). Early modern medical pluralism favoured the thriving of chemical medicine in Italy; diplomatic efforts introduced chemical remedies into acknowledged pharmacopoeias (Clericuzio). An English physician offers William Cavendish both practical distillation recipes and the hope of learning more about the principles of chemistry (Begley). In eighteenth-century France, Diderot draws on chemical ideas to blur the conceptual boundary between living and non-living matter (Wolfe). The papers largely adhere to integrated history and philosophy of science (iHPS) and to a pragmatist "operational ideal of knowledge" (Chang). They showcase the interdisciplinarity of premodern scientific thought and examine how medicine and alchemy, but also theory and (everyday) practice informed each other fruitfully across the ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swiss physician and philosopher Theophrastus von Hohenheim, called Paracelsus (1493-1541) is known for his strong advocacy of medical alchemy. That his natural philosophy was tied to medical alchemy is perhaps uncontroversial, but just how it was so is less straightforward. This article provides an insight into the connection between the two by means of Paracelsus's concept of active agents, with an emphasis on fire, its master Vulcanus, and the associated term Archeus. I will show how these evolved in the thought of Paracelsus by taking an evolutionary view of his works. The complexity of his views comes to light as a result of employing the method of hybrid reading, which integrates the traditional close reading technique with the much more novel one of distant reading. The latter is part of the emerging field of digital and computational humanities, and involves the analysis of corpora by means of digital tools, including computer programming (Python). In the article, I will attempt to combine distant and close reading and showcase how such hybrid reading approaches may provide new insights into historical corpora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In criminal proceedings, offenders are sentenced based on doctrines of culpability and punishment that theorize why they are guilty and why they should be punished. Throughout human history, these doctrines have largely been grounded in legal-policy constructions around retribution, safety, deterrence, and closure, mostly derived from folk psychology, natural philosophy, sociocultural expectations, public-order narratives, and common sense. On these premises, justice systems have long been designed to account for crimes and their underlying intent, with experience and probabilistic assumptions shaping theoretical discourses on the nature of crimes and offenders' punishability. As scientific discoveries, inventions, and methodologies progressively developed to refine such doctrines and displace long-held assumptions, criminal courtrooms have increasingly witnessed counsels and judges relying on scientific evidence to submit, dispute, or validate claims. For instance, over the last century, criminal courtrooms have selectively admitted neuroscientific models, exams, and insights claiming to revolutionize our understanding of who is culpable and deserving of punishment. Most recently, advancements in epigenetics have promised even more profound challenges to long-standing criminal law doctrines. This article examines the reasons reversibility and inheritability of epigenetic markers might warrant revising culpability and punishment and concludes that epigenetic findings are not yet robust enough to justify such revisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a book titled "De mundi recentioribus phænomenis: Cosmologie et science dans l'Europe des Temps modernes, XV e – XVII e siècles" edited by Mehl, Pantin, and Granada. The book is a collection of papers presented at a conference held to honor Miguel Ángel Granada on his 70th birthday. The papers cover a wide range of topics related to the history of early modern philosophy and science, including celestial novelties, the Scientific Revolution, and the works of Kepler. The volume highlights Granada's contributions to the field and offers new insights into the interconnectedness of European and Islamicate science during this period. The article discusses a collection of essays that explore various aspects of Johannes Kepler's work and philosophy. The essays cover topics such as Kepler's interpretation of Platonic polyhedrons, his hypotheses about solar inhabitants and the solar mind, and the understanding of Kepler's astronomy and philosophy by philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. The collection also includes unpublished letters from Kepler and his circle, shedding light on his personal and professional life. The volume reflects the complexity of the Scientific Revolution and the broader history of science, highlighting the circulation of ideas across Europe. [Extracted from the article]

This paper examines the concept of equilibrium in the work of Michel Serres. It starts with analysis of Serres's philosophy of nature and, in particular, of the Lucretian cosmology he adumbrates in his 1977 text The Birth of Physics. By beginning here, we can see that his fundamental account of the material world is framed in terms of equilibrium or, rather, as a series of different equilibria that are dynamic, internally nested and reactive to each other in complex ways. In this respect, Serres's philosophy of nature resonates with work in contemporary Earth System Science that models the planet as a complex, adaptive system trending towards homeostatic regulation. But crucially, Serres goes further by extracting from this modelling important insights into human values. That is to say, he suggests that necessary and urgent questions about what sort of people we must be and what sort of social order we must pursue can be addressed through the prism of the concept of equilibrium. At the time of the Anthropocene, when planetary stability itself seems to be at stake, with potentially catastrophic implications for present and future life on earth, Serres's work thus shows itself to be timely and apposite across a range of disciplinary applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the connections between ghost fantasy and the meditation on dwelling in Salman Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which explores migration and human intimacy with the natural environment. I argue that the novel helps clarify and develop Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of nature, which associates thinking and dwelling with the ghostly. As a communicative device, fictionality plays an important role in both writers’ exploration of the rootless condition of modern society, influencing their understanding of essence, truth, and value. I contend that a conversation between Heidegger and Rushdie discloses how contemporary literary fiction can contribute to a dynamic interpretation of the human-nature relationship, which embraces mystery and challenges mechanistic theoretical frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the nineteenth-century devolution of natural philosophy into disciplines, scientific activity has expanded from single-disciplined research to comprehensive research. The flow of information between different research teams makes scientific research and its places increasingly social, which is no longer limited to the closed laboratory workbench. Reviewing the literature, we found that the development of scientific research buildings experienced a transition from efficiency to openness. And the new organization of research communities and its demand for space put forward higher requirements for scientific research buildings. To deeply explore the design trends of scientific research buildings at this stage, the sample database is established using space syntax and K-means clustering algorithm software to quantitatively analyze spatial layouts of 42 scientific research buildings worldwide from the perspective of sociology and innovation, clustered into five categories. Each category shows a different tendency in terms of accessibility, visibility, and the proportion of public space, and the different spatial configurations and openness somehow reflect the attitude of the research organization or group towards the use of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Distinctio divisionis terrae et paradisi deliciarum (Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Barb. lat. 2687, ff. 12v–16v) is an anonymous treatise on the place of the earthly Paradise. An unknown author asks whether the earthly Paradise could be located in the land of the Antipodes and rejects this hypothesis. This article demonstrates two points. First, it attributes the Distinctio to the Franciscan friar Gerard Odonis (d. 1349). In fact, this text is a distinction of his commentary on the Sentences (book II, d. 20, qq. 1–2). Second, the article argues that Odonis's opinion on the location of Paradise is quite unusual, since he reverses the Aristotelian order of elementary spheres. Odonis places the earthly Paradise so high on a mountain that it is necessary to deny the existence of the sphere of fire. While explaining how the Flood did not inundate Paradise, he asserts that water is naturally lower than earth. The article provides the first critical edition of the Distinctio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences" is a collection of essays by prominent scholars that explores the relationship between science and Christian theology. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the historical perspective of the science-faith interaction, the contributions of Catholic thinkers to the science-faith debate, and the theological analysis of the 21st-century scientific context. It emphasizes the limits of science and the need for religion to provide a new role in understanding nature. The book also discusses the importance of incorporating social sciences and environmental issues into the science-faith dialogue. Overall, the book offers valuable insights for students interested in exploring the complexities of the science-faith discussion. [Extracted from the article]

This essay unpacks several arguments about the metaphilosophic nature of African philosophy and charts a way through the problems these arguments encounter. It argues that we must be careful in our attempt to define African philosophy conceptually. Because to define it is to limit it—and to limit it is to conserve it and lead it to a cesspool. It also argues that finding a single meaning for African philosophy is not a rich endeavour, because, just like Western philosophy, African philosophy should not be a thing but be a vast array of things. The argument, one hopes, is taken as a normative rather than a merely prescriptive enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humanities departments across the country Allan Bloom is condemned and reviled—but for what misconduct? The present investigation into our distorted view of Bloom begins by reframing his transgressions. Bloom has offended eminent philosophy professors by boosting students' desire for a philosophic education. He has emboldened promising young people by teaching them to bear up under the deforming forces of convention and corruption and edge their way towards the question, 'How should I live my life?' A philosophic education as Bloom sees it 'means precisely helping students to pose this question to themselves, to become aware that the answer is neither obvious nor simply unavailable, and that there is no serious life in which this question is not a continuous concern'. The philosopher's interests are not shared by most people. Hostility to philosophy is the natural condition of man. This surprising fact, plainly stated, invites so much anger that Bloom—standing in for the philosopher—is forced to defend himself. The story of Bloom, like Socrates', gives an account of philosophy's emergence, distinctive features and always imaginable suppression. Plato's artful writing captured Socrates' way of life for posterity. This essay explores the nature and function of Bloom's bestselling book The Closing of the American Mind (1987), as well as the purpose of Saul Bellow's final novel, Ravelstein (2000), a fictive account of Bloom's life and death. Together these books amount to the true Apology of Allan Bloom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the notion of the “sphere of action” (sphaera activitatis) as developed by a group of seventeenth-century Jesuit intellectuals: Hurtado, Arriaga, Oviedo, and Compton. The problem inherited from fourteenth-century natural philosophers was to describe natural action which is spatially limited and decreases with distance at a regular rate. To capture natural patterns, scholastic philosophers introduced various forms of regularity or “uniformity,” the relevant type for the present context being “uniform difformity.” While the scholastic tradition also defined more sophisticated forms of regularity, these were not part of the discussion in the analyzed corpus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Iuris Stetinensis is the property of Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecinskiego / University of Szczecin Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Iuris Stetinensis is the property of Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecinskiego / University of Szczecin Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on eco-translatology, this paper explores how to effectively preserve the ecological balance of classical Chinese poetry during the English translation process. Classical Chinese poetry, as a vital component of Chinese culture, reflects Chinese ecological concepts and the spirit of unity between man and nature. Rooted in Chinese philosophy, ecotranslatology resonates with ecological wisdom embedded in poems, sharing core similarities. However, past studies have often focused on literary and cultural transmission while neglect the ecological wisdom and poets' perceptions of natural environments and ecological balance embedded in classical poetry. Therefore, from the ecological perspective, this study employs the core translation method of eco-translatology--three-dimensional transformation (linguistic, cultural and communicative dimensions), to analyze whether translators effectively convey elements such as unity between man and nature, natural philosophy, and ecological ethics. It aims to help readers understand the ecological thoughts of ancient poets and to focus on preserving the ecological balance of poetry during translation, thereby conveying its unique ecological values in another context. This paper calls for researchers to pay more attention to the inheritance and preservation of ecological wisdom when translating classical poetry and thus promotes the dissemination and sharing of ecological values in cross-cultural exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay surveys Henry David Thoreau's extensive commentary on slavery and freedom in the 1840s and 50s, tracking the ways he toggles between the literal (i.e., the institutions of racial chattel and capital's value-form resisted by civil disobedience and reconfigured by civil war) and the figurative (i.e., the existential and spiritual slavery evaded by the individual and collective attainment of 'real values'), and how his natural philosophy at once illuminates and obscures the true stakes of his abolitionism and that of his fellow Transcendentalists. It notes that there is much to be said for and much yet to be done on the burgeoning intersectional critique of Transcendentalism, one that highlights both its strengths and limitations—or, at times, its outright problems—regarding race, nation, class, gender, sexuality et al. So too for the literature celebrating Thoreau 'as much for his politics as his aesthetics,' avowing how his 'reform writings and lectures alone have earned him the reputation of being a social activist who didn't rest on high-minded principles.' The focus here is adjacent and complementary: to consider the prospects of a Black Transcendentalism that is coeval with and prior to Thoreau's articulation of the principles of 'Elevation' and 'Emancipation.' Beyond that, it speculates about something like the blackness of Thoreau's own evolving relation to the political-intellectual movement of Transcendentalism itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The English medical missionary Benjamin Hobson (1816-1873) published one of his well known Chinese books, the Bowu Xinbian ('Natural Philosophy'), in Canton in 1854. Over forty years later, Chen Xiutang produced a lesser known book in Shanghai, the Bowu Xinbian Tushuo ('Illustrated Account of Natural Philosophy', 1898). Both books contributed to the circulation of Western natural knowledge in Chinese society. Yet their relationship and the content of Chen's book have never been explored. A comparative analysis of the two books reveals that the third part of Hobson's book, authored by both Hobson and Chen, provided the basis of Chen's own book. The removal of Chen's name from the second edition of Hobson's book probably served as a major cause behind the publication of Chen's book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article by Felix Lev explores the idea that finite mathematics can serve as the foundation for classical mathematics and quantum theory. Lev argues that a specific choice of finite mathematics can provide a more general framework for physical theories, including quantum theory. The article focuses on chapter 6 of Lev's book, which discusses why finite mathematics is more general than infinitary mathematics and why the latter is a degenerate case of the former. The text explores the concept of finite rings or fields versus classical integer arithmetic, and argues that if the number of elements in the finite rings or fields tends to infinity, classical integer arithmetic can be considered a degenerate case. The article also discusses the notion of generality in classical mathematics and its relationship to finite mathematics, drawing parallels with physical notions such as Planck's constant and the velocity of light. It references the work of the Hungarian logic and relativity school and discusses the equivalence of theories and the concept of translation between theories. The text concludes by highlighting the diversity of views on the relationship between mathematics and the real world. [Extracted from the article]

Jean W. Rioux's book, "Thomas Aquinas' Mathematical Realism," explores Aquinas' philosophy of mathematics and its relevance to contemporary problems in the field. Rioux contrasts Aquinas' views with those of Aristotle, highlighting their complementarity. Aquinas' philosophy emphasizes the conditions that mathematical objects must fulfill to be considered legitimate, rather than simply questioning their existence. Rioux also examines Aquinas' views on the construction of mathematical objects and their relationship to proof construction. The book provides insights into the nature of mathematics and its various aspects, making it a valuable resource for scholars in medieval philosophy and the philosophy of mathematics. [Extracted from the article]

This paper surveys the presentation of astronomical knowledge in two encyclopedic writings of Isidore of Seville, Etymologies and On the Nature of Things, as a transformative episode in the history of early medieval astronomy. In the section De Astronomia in Etymologies, Book III, Isidore provides a (re)formulation of the field of astronomy as follows: (1) he narrows and defines its scope under a Christian framework, demarcating it from astrology labelled 'superstitious' from the view of faith; and (2) he applies a characteristic etymological approach instead of mathematical calculations and geometrical models, changing the study of astronomy from an investigative enterprise into a text-based, hermeneutic learning. Sometimes this is at the expense of mathematical knowledge left available to him by earlier Latin authors. In the treatment of the seven planets in On the Nature of Things, Isidore more evidently imposes Christian themes on the basis of an Aristotelian--Ptolemaic cosmology, declaring the authority of scriptural assertions over 'pagan' natural philosophy on the structure of the heavens, and demonstrating the orderliness of the world as divine creation by a schema of concentric spheres. Through the works of Isidore, what took place was not simply the loss and decline of Greek and Hellenistic astronomy, but rather a conscious and methodological transformation of this area of knowledge, which was to become typical for medieval Latin encyclopedias, subsuming late Antique legacies of learning under the newly formed Christian world-picture and social realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of contemporary natural philosophy and its importance in promoting a broader understanding of knowledge that encompasses both science and philosophy. It emphasizes the need for interconnectedness and synthesis of knowledge in order to overcome the compartmentalization of different domains. The article also highlights the role of interdisciplinary collaboration between scientific and philosophical investigations in deepening our comprehension of the world. The topics covered in this special issue include the philosophy of nature, interdisciplinarity, the role of information, and the relationship between artificial intelligence and natural philosophy. The authors express their intention to continue this project in order to revive and sustain natural philosophy as a pursuit of integrated knowledge and understanding. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the philosophical questions raised by Immanuel Kant and his successors, particularly G.W.F. Hegel, regarding metaphysical knowledge and its relationship to empirical knowledge. The authors discuss Hegel's idealist notion of truth and his redefinition of the philosophies of nature and mind. They also examine the distinction between logic and the science of logic in Hegel's philosophy, arguing for a "spirit-neutral" interpretation. The article further explores the compatibility of Hegel's idealist commitment to subjectivity with a naturalist interpretation. It discusses Kant and Hegel's perspectives on individuation, evolution, and causality, with Hegel's views being seen as more satisfactory. The article concludes by analyzing Hegel's stance on evolution and development in nature, suggesting that an emergentist perspective provides a better understanding, and by examining his analysis of causality as a "manipulationist" approach. [Extracted from the article]

This paper explores Hegel's perspective on development within nature, his supposed rejection of evolution, and his concept of nature as a "system of stages." It argues that interpreting Hegel through the lens of emergentist thinking provides a more accurate understanding of his conception of nature and its development, as well as his critique of evolution. The paper is structured in three parts. First, we introduce emergentist theory, exploring its contemporary and historical meanings to establish where Hegel fits within this framework. Second, we carefully examine Hegel's critique of evolution, particularly his opposition to simple causal chains, and clarify what "evolution" meant in his time. Finally, we argue that viewing Hegel through emergentist theory not only rehabilitates his ideas but also resolves lingering concerns about his understanding of development within nature. This paper aims to open new avenues for interpreting Hegel's Philosophy of Nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the concept of resistance through an analysis of Theodor W. Adorno's work as a public intellectual. It categorizes resistance into different types based on its object and discusses the subject and impetus of resistance. The article explores the perspectives of Hannah Arendt and Adorno on resistance, as well as Caygill's argument that resistance should be seen as a capacity rather than specific acts. It also delves into Adorno's critique of late capitalist society and his theory and practice of resistance. Adorno emphasizes the importance of critical analysis, reflection, and cultivating a critical attitude in everyday life as forms of resistance. [Extracted from the article]

In recent decades historians of science have argued that observation became something of a way of life in the early modern period. This article expands this analysis by shifting focus from observational practices within natural and experimental philosophy to a number of discourses and practices of selfexamination and self-observation in eighteenth-century Germany. While the initial aim of these was therapeutic rather than scientific, therapeutic connotations were partly replaced by epistemic virtues and techniques adopted from natural and experimental philosophy toward the end of the century. The article further argues that the subordination of self-observation to scientific modes of procedure reflected the increasingly radical interest in human subjectivity and, by extension, the emergence of a modern civic and individual self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Philosophical Abstracts" provides summaries of various philosophical papers covering a wide range of topics. These summaries offer an overview of each paper's main arguments and conclusions, providing library patrons with a glimpse into the content of each article. The collection covers diverse perspectives on topics such as agency, rationality, instrumental thoughts, incompatibility, truth, representations, hope, punishment, open-mindedness, emotions, regret, mobility, well-being, intellectual humility, presupposition, skepticism, causal chains, and bounded rationality. The author also presents an objection to the doctrine of priority monism, arguing that it is problematic, and suggests that the opponent of priority monism, the pluralist, can avoid a similar objection to their view. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, medicine has been increasingly described as "Baconian", in reference to the scientific methodology laid out by Francis Bacon (1561–1626), who, in criticizing Aristotle's natural philosophy, called for cultivating useful knowledge in order to eradicate disease and extend human life by attenuating aging. Contemporary medicine is often described as "Baconian" insofar as it is devoted to the relief of suffering and the expansion of choice. These two features continue to exert pressure on medicine to expand understandings of both suffering and wellness. Recent attempts to reclassify human aging as a disease, for instance, bear witness to the Baconian impulse. In this article, I discuss and critique the religious origins of Bacon's call for a new kind of practical rationality in service of improving humanity, showing that they were deeply theological and considerably informed by events recorded in the biblical book of Genesis. I will also argue that the theological nature of Bacon's program, while theocentric in nature, suffers from inattention to Christology, which challenges Bacon's theology and the Baconian Project. Attending to Christological concerns modifies Bacon's approach to bioethics, which recognizes both the fallenness of creation and the power of medicine to address the human condition, especially human aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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