Bringing Luciano Floridi’s conceptions of distant writing and narrative isotropy in connection with Italo Calvino’s praxis and philosophy of literature yields a fundamental insight into the virtual interaction (the spasmodic tango) of human and Large Language Model (LLM) in the production of literary texts. Floridi’s concept of ‘distant writing’ is a methodology for using LLMs to produce text, with the writer taking on the role of designer, rather than producer, of the text. Floridi conceptualizes the ‘boundless narrative isotropy’ of distant (...) writing as: “the principle that any narrative domain is equally workable in any direction, provided coherence is maintained”. Calvino’s work provides metaphorical models of isotropic narrative exploration that emphasize both the potential of distant writing and the importance of the reader for the constitution of literature, thereby anticipating Floridi’s conclusions. By exploring the mapping of Floridi’s LLM and Calvino’s tarot decks onto the explication of distant writing the paper shows that there is continuity between close and distant writing. Distant writing as process of literary production aligns with Calvino’s creative practice and vision of a combinatorial writing in which a machine could replace the human writer: Calvino’s practice is the _disautomated_ counterpart of distant writing. The result is the navigation of narrative space, while maintaining narrative isotropy: a de-anthropomorphized conception of what it is to produce narrative literature that undermines any technological exceptionalism about LLMs' narrative capabilities, and refutes Floridi’s idea of a qualitatively new access to narrative modality via LLMs. Finally, this conclusion is connected to the multiplicity of reading and an informational conception of authorship; the problem of automating cultural universalism is raised; and literary reductionism is conceptualized as threat for the AI-generated literature to come. (shrink)

Generational differences in societies are characteristics generally attributed to people’s age that constitute a sociocultural phenomenon. Divisions in the generations differ across nations and extend even to civilizations. Perception and recognition of the different characteristics of each generation affect the cooperation between people in social, political, and economic capacities, and subsequently extend to entities in the public, informal, commercial, and nongovernmental sectors. From the perspective of social justice, it is important to draw attention to how workplace management techniques are (...) used to promote equal opportunities among representatives of various generations. (shrink)

摘要/Abstract 本文结合《老-杨创世纪宇宙观》的哲学理念和现代行星科学，分析了月球的生成及其在太阳-地球–月球三体体系中的作用。讨论内容包括巨撞假说、三体动力学稳定、潮汐调节、气候稳定和生命起源条件。研究表明，“二生 三”不仅是哲学表达，也是宇宙生成的物理必然，为生命和文明出现奠定基础。 This paper combines the philosophical ideas of the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology with modern planetary science to analyze the Moon’s formation and its role in the Sun-Earth–Moon three-body system. Topics include the Giant Impact Hypothesis, three-body dynamical stability, tidal regulation, climate stability, and conditions for the origin of life. The study shows that “Two Gives Rise to Three” is not just a philosophical concept but a physical necessity in cosmic generation, laying the foundation for life and civilization. 关键词 (...) / Keywords： 二生三、地球、月球、三体体系、宇宙生成、生命起源 Two Generates Three, Earth, Moon, Three-Body System, Cosmic Evolution, Origin of Life. (shrink)

The connection between whole and part is intimate: not only can we share the same space, but I’m incapable of leaving my parts behind; settle the nonmereological facts and you thereby settle what is a part of what; wholes don’t seem to be an additional ontological commitment over their parts. Composition as identity promises to explain this intimacy. But it threatens to make the connection too intimate, for surely the parts could have made a different whole and the whole have (...) had different parts. In this paper I attempt to offer an account of parthood that is intimate enough but not too intimate: the parts generate the whole, but they are not themselves the whole. (shrink)

K. Lüscher, M. Sánchez, A. Klimczuk, Generations, intergenerational relationships, generational policy: A multilingual compendium, 12 languages, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz 2016, 300pp.

This dialogue between the old and new editorial board marks the 10thanniversary of plaNext–Next Generation Planning, reflecting on its evolution as an experimental and inclusive platform for earlycareer scholars. Born out of the AESOP Young Academics Network, plaNexthas advocated the principles of open peer review, aiming to foster constructive, transparent and mentorship-driven academic publishing. As a fully online and open-access journal, it has served as both a publishing outlet and a pedagogical space where academic writing is cultivated collaboratively. Now (...) indexed in Scopus, plaNextenters a new phase—grappling with questions of visibility, institutional expectations and the sustainability of its original mission. This dialogue gathers founding and current editorial board members to examine key milestones, reflect on the ideological and operational implications of open review, and strategize on maintaining the journal’s core identity while embracing global relevance and growth. Through honest discussion of challenges, aspirations and future pathways, the conversation offers critical insights into the journal’s past decade and its renewed commitments for the next. (shrink)

Introduction Generation Z (Gen Z), born approximately between 1997 and 2012, represents the first true generation of digital natives. As the successors of Millennials and the predecessors of Generation Alpha, they have grown up in a world marked by rapid technological advancements, globalization, and increasing social and environmental awareness. Gen Z has been shaped by distinctive events such as the 2008 global financial crisis, the acceleration of climate change debates, social justice movements, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These (...) experiences have contributed to their identity as a generation that is both socially conscious and technologically fluent. This paper explores the characteristics, values, challenges, and potential contributions of Generation Z, supported by scholarly references and real-world examples. -/- . (shrink)

There is a collection of words being used by Kant when it comes to his discussion of the various processes associated with the English word “generation.” The closest German word, Erzeugung, can be used either generically—to form an idea, to create an effect or event—or as part of a scientific theory. Kant used Erzeugung in both senses repeatedly across his corpus and referred from his earliest works to scientific theories regarding cosmological formation, the generation of earthquakes and volcanoes, (...) and the production of biological life, all by way of Erzeugung. The constellation of theories revolving around questions of organic generation were of special interest to Kant, and he spent time throughout his career considering the various processes by which the generation and subsequent development of an individual might occur. (shrink)

Arthur C. Danto did not live to witness the proliferation of AI in artistic creation. However, his philosophy of art offers key ideas about art that can provide an interesting perspective on artwork generated by artificial intelligence (AI). In this article, I analyze how his ideas about contemporary art, intention, interpretation, and authorship could be applied to the ongoing debate about AI and artistic creation. At the same time, it is also interesting to consider whether the incorporation of AI into (...) artistic creation marks a new chapter in the narrative, which seems to have reached its end, or if it represents a significant rupture with past artistic traditions. (shrink)

This article offers a normative analysis of some of the most controversial incidents involving police—what I call police-generated killings. In these cases, bad police tactics create a situation where deadly force becomes necessary, becomes perceived as necessary, or occurs unintentionally. Police deserve blame for such killings because they choose tactics that unnecessarily raise the risk of deadly force, thus violating their obligation to prioritize the protection of life. Since current law in the United States fails to ban many bad tactics, (...) police- generated killings often are treated as “lawful but awful.” To address these killings, some call on changes to departmental policies or voluntary reparations by local governments, yet such measures leave in place a troubling gap between ethics and law. I argue that police-generated killings merit legal sanctions by appealing to a relevant analogy: self-generated self-defense, where the person who engages in self-defense started the trouble. The persistent lack of accountability for police-generated killings threatens life, police legitimacy, and trust in democratic institutions. The article closes by identifying tools in law and policy to address this challenge. (shrink)

While many different mechanisms contribute to the generation of spatial order in biological development, the formation of morphogenetic fields which in turn direct cell responses giving rise to pattern and form are of major importance and essential for embryogenesis and regeneration. Most likely the fields represent concentration patterns of substances produced by molecular kinetics. Short range autocatalytic activation in conjunction with longer range “lateral” inhibition or depletion effects is capable of generating such patterns (Gierer and Meinhardt, 1972). Non-linear reactions (...) are required, and mathematical criteria were derived to design molecular models capable of pattern generation. The classical embryological feature of proportion regulation can be incorporated into the models. The conditions are mathematically necessary for the simplest two-factor case, and are likely to be a fair approximation in multi-component systems in which activation and inhibition are systems parameters subsuming the action of several agents. Gradients, symmetric and periodic patterns, in one or two dimensions, stable or pulsing in time, can be generated on this basis. Our basic concept of autocatalysis in conjunction with lateral inhibition accounts for self-regulatory biological features, including the reproducible formation of structures from near-uniform initial conditions as required by the logic of the generation cycle. Real tissue form, for instance that of budding Hydra, may often be traced back to local curvature arising within an initially relatively flat cell sheet, the position of evagination being determined by morphogenetic fields. Shell theory developed for architecture may also be applied to such biological processes. (shrink)

Most models of generational succession in sexually reproducing populations necessarily move back and forth between genic and genotypic spaces. We show that transitions between and within these spaces are usually hidden by unstated assumptions about processes in these spaces. We also examine a widely endorsed claim regarding the mathematical equivalence of kin-, group-, individual-, and allelic-selection models made by Lee Dugatkin and Kern Reeve. We show that the claimed mathematical equivalence of the models does not hold. *Received January 2007; revised (...) April 2008. †To contact the authors, please write to: Elisabeth Lloyd, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, 130 Goodbody Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; e-mail: [email protected]; Richard Lewontin, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; Marcus Feldman, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; e-mail: [email protected]. (shrink)

In times of climate change and public debt, a concern for intergenerational justice should lead us to have a closer look at theories of intergenerational justice. It should also press us to provide institutional design proposals to change the decision-making world that surrounds us. This book provides an exhaustive overview of the most important institutional proposals as well as a systematic and theoretical discussion of their respective features and advantages. It focuses on institutional proposals aimed at taking the interests of (...) future generations more seriously, and does so from the perspective of applied political philosophy, being explicit about the underlying normative choices and the latest developments in the social sciences. It provides citizens, activists, firms, charities, public authorities, policy-analysts, students, and academics with the body of knowledge necessary to understand what our institutional options are and what they entail if we are concerned about today's excessive short-termism. (shrink)

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is revolutionizing interactive technology, making it more immersive, adaptive, and personalized. This paper explores the potential of AI in generating virtual and augmented experiences, discussing its applications in various industries such as gaming, education, healthcare, and retail. AI algorithms enhance user experiences through intelligent interactions, procedural content generation, and real-time environmental adaptation. The study also examines the challenges and ethical considerations in AI-driven AR and VR (...) environments, alongside the future prospects of these technologies. (shrink)

摘要/Abstract “Dao Generates One” (Dao Sheng Yi), the foundational cosmological proposition of Laozi, has traditionally been interpreted as a metaphysical principle. However, within the framework of contemporary astrophysics, this proposition can be reformulated as an empirically grounded model of cosmic generation. Based on the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, this study proposes that the Milky Way Galaxy is the modern physical manifestation of “Dao,” and the Solar System represents the first stable emergent node generated by this cosmic Dao. Integrating complex systems (...) science, galactic dynamics, molecular cloud collapse, protoplanetary disk self-organization, and planetary accretion with Laozi’s philosophical system—particularly “Dao Follows Nature” and “Dao Generates One”—this work constructs a unified cosmological chain model (Galaxy → Solar System → Earth → Life → Civilization). The study shows that the Milky Way exhibits strong characteristics of a complex adaptive system, with self-organizing processes coordinating spiral density waves, star formation, black-hole feedback, and dark-matter tidal structures. The formation and long-term stability of the Solar System are not accidental; they are necessary outcomes of galactic-scale self-organization. This paper provides a logically coherent and scientifically verifiable model that maps the philosophical “Dao” to the physical galaxy and the philosophical “One” to the solar–disk–gravity system. In doing so, it achieves a deep integration between philosophy and modern astrophysical science. 《道生一》作为老子宇宙论的核心命题，被传统哲学视为形而上之源始。然而，在当代宇宙科学背景下，该命题可以被重新诠释为一种具有物理可证性的宇宙生成模型。本研究依托“老–杨创世纪宇宙观”，提出银河系是“道” 的现代物理显化，而太阳系则是“道生一”的首级稳定节点。本论文通过跨学科方法，将复杂系统科学、银河动力学、分子云坍缩、行星盘自组织等现代天文学成果，与老子“道法自然”“道生一”的哲学框架整合，形成一个哲 学—科学统一的宇宙生成链条模型（Galaxy → Solar System → Earth → Life → Civilization）。 研究指出：银河具有明显的复杂适应系统特征，自组织过程决定了旋臂密度波、恒星形成、黑洞反馈及暗物质潮汐结构之间的整体协调；太阳系的形成与稳定性并非偶然，而是银河层级自组织的必然产物；“道生一”从哲学上说 明秩序从整体向局部生成，从科学上则对应分子云坍缩—原恒星形成—原行星盘演化的可观测过程。 本论文旨在构建一个可逻辑推演、可科学验证的宇宙生成模型，将哲学的“道”与物理的“银河”，哲学的“一”与物理的“太阳—行星盘系统”建立一一对应关系，最终实现哲学与自然科学的深度统一。 关键词 道生一；老子；银河系；太阳系形成；复杂系统；自组织；熵结构；宇宙生成链条；老–杨创世纪宇宙观 Keywords Dao Generates One; Laozi; Milky Way; Solar System formation; complex adaptive systems; self-organization; entropy structures; cosmic generative chain; Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology. (shrink)

In A Theory of Justice, Rawls attempts to ground intergenerational justice by "virtual representation" through a thickening of the veil of ignorance. Contractors don't know to what generation they belong. This approach is flawed and will not result in the just savings principle Rawls hopes to justify. The project of grounding intergenerational duties on a social contractarian foundation is misconceived. Non-overlapping generations do not stand in relation to one another that is central to the contractarian approach.

The members of the International Network for the Analysis of Intergenerational Relations (Generationes) proudly present the most recent issue of the jointly produced compendium “Generations, Intergenerational Relations and Generational Policy”. This new version includes seven languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish (New) and Portuguese (New)). Its layout is designed for using it to translate the specific concepts and terminology of research into generations and intergenerational relations from one language into another. -/- .

The main objective of this collection of papers is to explore ideas of generation and transformation in the context of postdependency discourse as it may be traced in women’s writing published in Bengali, Polish, Czech, Russian and English. As we believe, literature does not have merely a descriptive function or a purely visionary quality but serves also as a discursive medium, which is rhetorically sophisticated, imaginatively influential and stimulates cultural dynamics. It is an essential carrier of collective memory and (...) a significant indicator of group identity. Along with philosophy, literature explores the intellectual and emotional, aesthetic and ethical components of our lives, and, while focusing on a single feeling or unique event or phenomenon, aspires to capture the universal attributes of human experience. Hence, we intend to juxtapose interpretations of literature originating in very different cultural milieus, such as the Central East European and South Asian,with the literary treatment of the philosophical dilemmas that challenge authors of various nationalities in times of great political, economic and social upheaval and transformation following long periods of dependency and suppression, caused either by colonial and imperialist domination or by communist ideology. (shrink)

This paper discusses two novels by contemporary writer Inga Iwasiów (b. 1963), Bambino (2008) and Ku słońcu [Towards the Sun] (2010), in the context of geopolitical, ideological, social and psycho-cultural transformations as they specifically affect different generations of inhabitants of the Polish city of Szczecin (pre-1945 German Stettin) from 1945 until the first decade of the 21st century. Bambino covers the years 1945–1981, but also contains flashbacks to pre-war memory of Stettin and to the suppressed experiences of the new post-war (...) inhabitants, as well as ‘flash-forwards’ to post-1989, post-communist reality; Ku słońcu covers 1981 to the first decade of 2000s. It shows how the novels portray these transformations through the experience primarily of women (but not only) — in Bambino, through the main protagonists: Ula (formerly Ulrike), Anna and Marysia, and through that of the hidden narrator Magda (Marysia’s daughter born in the same year as the author, Iwasiów, 1963); and in Ku słońcu, primarily through the experience of Magda herself, as well as through that of two generations of ‘feminist’ academics: Małgorzata and Sylwia (in which it is hard not to perceive the personal experience of the author, though she is at pains to emphasize elsewhere that her work is a collective biography of the city, not so much of herself). The analysis follows Katarzyna Chmielewska’s supposition that contemporary Polish fiction dealing with the past ‘constantly oscillates between memory and genealogy’, and that it raises raw issues not yet addressed by historians; it also derives inspiration from the new ‘postdependency’ studies proposed by Hanna Gosk and Ryszard Nycz. It also attempts to capture the specific nature of Iwasiów’s use of language, her style of feminism, her method of portraying place, and the connections in her prose between place and memory. (shrink)

German-Jewish Neo-Kantian philosopher Hermann Cohen (1842-1918) develops a theory of self-generation (Selbsterzeugung) in his three-part System of Philosophy, published between 1902 and 1912, which includes the Logic of Pure Cognition, Ethics of Pure Willing, and the two-volume Aesthetics of Pure Feeling. Cohen assigns different functions of self-generation to logic, ethics, and aesthetics, with the most robust form of selfhood coming in the aesthetic sphere. My purpose in this paper is to explore Cohen’s account of the contributions aesthetics makes (...) to self-generation beyond those of logic and ethics, especially in connection with his theory of artistic genius. I begin with two preliminary considerations necessary for understanding the rest. The first is the sense in which Cohen is a neo-Kantian. The second is a brief outline of the accomplishments the logical-cognitive moment and the ethical moment make to self-generation. The body of my paper is devoted to genius. The first section discusses pure feeling as a systematic structure of consciousness. The second identifies the historical situatedness of the genius and its significance. The third examines the importance of technical skill for the genius and the implications of skill for soul-body unity and thus for an embodied self-consciousness. (shrink)

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to groundbreaking advancements in the realm of video games and interactive experiences. This paper explores how AI is being utilized to generate dynamic, adaptive, and immersive game worlds that evolve based on player interactions. From procedural content generation to the development of AI-driven narratives and characters, AI is reshaping the way games are created and experienced. This study investigates the methodologies behind AI integration, reviews the state of current research, and explores (...) the potential future developments in this exciting intersection of technology and entertainment. (shrink)

The members of the International Network for the Analysis of Intergenerational Relations proudly present the most recent issue of the jointly produced compendium "Generations, Intergenerational Relations and Generational Policy". This new version includes 17 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Hungarian, Turkish, Romanian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Bosnian, Ukrainian, Russian and Chinese. The layout of the compendium is designed for using it to translate the specific concepts and terminology of research on generations and intergenerational relations from one language into (...) another. **** K. Lüscher, A. Klimczuk, Generations, intergenerational relationships, generational policy: A multilingual compendium, 17 languages, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz 2017, 428pp. (shrink)

In their thoughtful article, Malm and Navin (2020) raise concerns about a potentially unjust generational welfare tradeoff between children and adults when it comes to chicken pox. We share their c...

The paper proposes a simple method for constructing ontological theories—an ‘ontology generator’. It shows that such a generator manages to produce major existing ontological theories, e.g., Realism, Nominalism, Trope theory, Bundle theory, Perdurantism, Endurantism, Possibilism, Actualism and more. It thus turns out, surprisingly, that all these seemingly unrelated different ontological theories that were designed by thinkers hundreds of years apart, can all be generated using the same simple mechanism. Moreover, this same generator manages to produce entirely novel ontological theories, that (...) fare no worse than existing ones in meeting the same common metaphysical challenges. (shrink)

Jennifer Lackey ('Testimonial Knowledge and Transmission' The Philosophical Quarterly 1999) and Peter Graham ('Conveying Information, Synthese 2000, 'Transferring Knowledge' Nous 2000) offered counterexamples to show that a hearer can acquire knowledge that P from a speaker who asserts that P, but the speaker does not know that P. These examples suggest testimony can generate knowledge. The showpiece of Lackey's examples is the Schoolteacher case. This paper shows that Lackey's case does not undermine the orthodox view that testimony cannot generate knowledge. (...) This paper explains why Lackey's arguments to the contrary are ineffective for they misunderstand the intuitive rationale for the view that testimony cannot generate knowledge. This paper then elaborates on a version of the case from Graham's paper 'Conveying Information' (the Fossil case) that effectively shows that testimony can generate knowledge. This paper then provides a deeper informative explanation for how it is that testimony transfers knowledge, and why there should be cases where testimony generates knowledge. (shrink)

The sciences occasionally generate discoveries that undermine their own assumptions. Two such discoveries are characterized here: the discovery of apophenia by cognitive psychology and the discovery that physical systems cannot be locally bounded within quantum theory. It is shown that such discoveries have a common structure and that this common structure is an instance of Priest’s well-known Inclosure Schema. This demonstrates that science itself is dialetheic: it generates limit paradoxes. How science proceeds despite this fact is briefly discussed, as is (...) the connection between our results and the realism-antirealism debate. We conclude by suggesting a position of epistemic modesty. (shrink)

Open science adoption among Generation Z students in developing contexts presents a critical test of technology acceptance frameworks developed in Western settings. This study examines factors predicting open science resource utilization among 1,422 Vietnamese undergraduate students using Bayesian regression analysis. We tested a theoretical framework integrating Self-Efficacy Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, Institutional Theory, and Mindsponge Theory through progressive model building. Model comparison via WAIC identified the main effects model as optimal. Results revealed Technical Self-efficacy (β = 0.25) and (...) Open Science Self-efficacy (β = 0.21) as the strongest predictors, with Institutional Support showing moderate effects (β = 0.12). All three predictors demonstrated highly credible positive effects with narrow uncertainty intervals. Contrary to Western technology acceptance models, Perceived Benefits showed minimal direct influence, and Value Alignment demonstrated no credible effect on Utilization. Hypothesized interaction effects between Technical Self-efficacy and Perceived Benefits were not supported by model comparison, suggesting additive rather than synergistic adoption mechanisms. These findings challenge the digital native assumption and reveal that Vietnamese students adopt open science for practical reasons, relying on skills and support rather than ideology. Interventions in resource-constrained settings should therefore prioritize technical skill development and institutional support. This pragmatic approach has implications for advancing open science in the age of AI. (shrink)

As businesses increasingly migrate to cloud environments, the need for robust and adaptive cloud security frameworks becomes paramount. Cloud services provide numerous benefits such as scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, but they also introduce significant risks in terms of privacy, compliance, and data protection. This paper explores the evolving landscape of cloud security, focusing on next-generation frameworks that aim to balance the often-competing demands of privacy, regulatory compliance, and data protection. We analyze emerging security models that incorporate advanced technologies such (...) as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), and Blockchain, all of which are reshaping cloud security. Additionally, we discuss the challenges organizations face in managing security across multi-cloud and hybrid environments, and the role of cloud service providers in ensuring compliance with global regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. The paper concludes by outlining best practices and strategies that organizations can adopt to enhance their cloud security posture and ensure the privacy and protection of sensitive data. (shrink)

According to generalism, the world is fundamentally general –– ultimately, there are no individuals. I distinguish two versions of this view. ‘Permissive generalism’ holds that facts involving individuals are non-basic: they are generated by purely general basic facts. I argue that permissive generalists will struggle to provide suitably systematic and non-arbitrary explanations for facts involving individuals. These problems are avoided by switching to ‘strict generalism’: the view that truths about individuals are non-perspicuous, and reduce to purely general perspicuous truths. I (...) illustrate this alternative approach by proposing a metaphysical semantics for individualist truths in general terms. This serves both as a recommendation to generalists and, more broadly, as a case study in two different approaches to metaphysical explanation: one centered on generation, the other on reduction. (shrink)

This article considers the question of the responsibility that present day generations bear as a result of the actions of their ancestors. Is it morally significant that we share a national identity with those responsible for the perpetration of historic injustice? The article argues that we can be guilty of wrongdoing stemming from past wrongdoing if we are members of nations that are responsible for an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties. This rests upon three claims: that the failure to (...) fulfil rectificatory duties is unjust; that nations can bear collective responsibility for the actions of their leaders; and that nations are comprised of overlapping generations rather than successive generations. The claim that present day parties should apologise for historic injustice is then considered, and it is argued that such an apology is best understood in relation to an ongoing failure to fulfil rectificatory duties. (shrink)

The APA has recently taken steps to address concerns related to teaching and supporting philosophers and students who come from less privileged backgrounds. I want to add to this project by fleshing out some concrete ways that philosophy professors contribute to the challenges faced by first-generation and financially disadvantaged philosophers and students. I hope that in making these behaviors explicit, it may be easier for faculty to acknowledge and overcome them.

The structural theory of metaphor (STM) uses techniques from possible worlds semantics to generate and interpret metaphors. STM is presented in detail in The Logic of Metaphor: Analogous Parts of Possible Worlds (Steinhart, 2001). STM is based on Kittay’s semantic field theory of metaphor (1987) and ultimately on Black’s interactionist theory (1962, 1979). STM uses an intensional calculus to specify truth-conditions for many grammatical forms of metaphor. The truth-conditional analysis in STM is inspired in part by Miller (1979) and Hintikka (...) & Sandu (1994). STM is by no means a toy theory. It has been successfully tested on dozens of large texts taken from real authors. Its methods can be applied in very large linguistic databases like WordNet or MindNet. (shrink)

Abstract A longstanding tension divides Logic and Hegel’s dialectical account of contradiction. Logic treats the law of non-contradiction as a foundational constraint on coherent thought, whereas Hegelian Dialectics takes contradiction to be universal and constitutive of development. Addressing this divergence, this paper proposes a unifying framework. Drawing selectively on phenomenology and radical constructivism, it takes insights concerning intentional directedness and the viability of knowledge, extends them to the ontological level, and advances the Principle of No Transcendental Objects. On this basis, (...) the paper reconstructs both Logic and Hegelian Dialectics within a single generative account of objectivity. Within this framework, objectivity is generated by cognition; however, cognition neither creates objects ex nihilo nor exercises ontological sovereignty over processes of object-change or object-collapse. Under the Principle of No Transcendental Objects, Logic articulates the conditions under which cognition generates and stabilizes objects, whereas Dialectics characterizes the structurally inevitable processes by which object-identity destabilizes, collapses, and is regenerated. Logic thus functions as a morphology of cognitive success, while Dialectics functions as a dynamics of cognitive failure. The two are therefore not competing metaphysical descriptions but complementary perspectives on the same generative process. The framework resolves the traditional opposition between Logic and Dialectics regarding contradiction and offers an ontological basis for their systematic integration. Keywords: Logic; contradiction; Dialectics; Principle of No Transcendental Objects; objectivity; identity;. (shrink)

Autonomous e-coaching systems offer their users suggestions for action, thereby affecting the user's decision-making process. More specifically, the suggestions that these systems make influence the options for action that people actually consider. Surprisingly though, options and the corresponding process of option generation --- a decision-making stage preceding intention formation and action selection --- has received very little attention in the various disciplines studying decision making. We argue that this neglect is unjustified and that it is important, particularly for designers (...) of autonomous e-coaching systems, to understand how human option generation works. The aims of this paper are threefold. The first aim is to generate awareness with designers of autonomous e-coaching systems that these systems do in fact influence their users' options. The second is to show that understanding the interplay between a person's options and the e-coaching system's suggestions is important for improving the effectiveness of the system. The third is that the very same interplay is also crucial for designing e-coaching systems that respect people's autonomy. (shrink)

Relational egalitarianism holds that people should live together as equals. We argue against the received wisdom amongst both friends and foes of relational egalitarianism that it fails to provide a theory of intergenerational justice. Instead, we argue that relational egalitarianism is concerned with social equality amongst future contemporaries, and that this commitment gives rise to duties of justice for current generations that can be grounded in the idea of generational overlap. In doing so, we argue that that the scope of (...) relational egalitarian concerns extends beyond generations amongst whom social relations exist. (shrink)

The debate over McTaggart’s A- and B-series – between a dynamic time of past, present, and future versus a static ordering of events – has structured over a century of metaphysical discourse on time. Yet this framework, and attempts like fragmentalism to reconcile its contradictions, may be fundamentally mis-framed. This paper introduces Existential Realism (ER) as a reframing that dissolves the A-/B-series opposition rather than taking a side within it. ER distinguishes existence (the privileged present moment) from reality (the broader (...) temporal domain of past traces and future possibilities), thereby preserving genuine becoming without requiring a fragmentation of the world. We diagnose McTaggart’s paradox as arising from a conflation of existence with reality, and show how separating these categories dissolves the apparent contradiction. In response to fragmentalism’s proliferation of “nows,” ER offers one unified present that migrates through time while encompassing rich temporal reality beyond the moment. The result is a view in which time’s flow is restored as generation without fragments – a single, continuous trajectory of events coming into existence – resolving the paradoxes of earlier frameworks while remaining consistent with relativity and our lived experience. (shrink)

The nature of human mind has been an open question for more than 2000 years and it is still today a mystery. There has been during the last 30 years a renewed interest from science and philosophy on that subject. Among the existing research domains is neurophilosophy, an interdisciplinary study of neuroscience and philosophy looking at neuronal aspects of access consciousness, of phenomenal consciousness and at functional aspects of consciousness. We propose here to look if self-consciousness could have a place (...) in neurophilosophy by using an existing evolutionary scenario that can introduce possible links between neural processing and some aspects of self-consciousness. The scenario is about an evolutionary nature of self-consciousness where evolutions of inter-subjectivity and meaningful representations may have led our ancestors to identify with their conspecifics. The scenario proposes that this process has brought our pre-human ancestors to represent themselves as existing entities like the conspecifics they identified with were represented. Such a representation of oneself as an existing entity may have created an elementary version of self-consciousness that we name “ancestral self-consciousness”. But identification with suffering or endangered conspecifics has also produced an important anxiety increase. To limit that anxiety our ancestors have developed mental states and behaviors like caring, imitation communication and simulation. These performances have introduced evolutionary advantages leading to an evolutionary engine that has favored the development of ancestral self-consciousness toward our human self-consciousness. We begin by presenting a model for the generation of meaningful information based on a system submitted to an internal constraint (the Meaning Generator System). We use that model to introduce meaningful representations as networks of meaningful information. We then present the evolutionary scenario for self-consciousness that uses meaningful representations and the performance of inter-subjectivity. The scenario leads to propose two links between self-consciousness and neural processes: mirror-neurons as neural introduction to inter-subjectivity and self-consciousness as neural computation on meaningful representations. Possible continuations are highlighted. (shrink)

This work represents the culmination of a multi-year evolution of the metamonic program. It proposes a radical reassessment of Zero-Point Energy (ZPE) through the lens of ffU-ontology. ZPE is considered not as a hidden “energy reservoir,” but as a universal reference relative to which all deviations and critical transitions are defined. The key innovation is the introduction of the universal Conflict–Moment–Impulse (CMI) operator, describing the dynamics of energy and form generation in all types of systems—from quantum fields to cognitive (...) processes. For its formalization, the “Formula of Chaos” is developed, based on KL-divergence and its dynamic extension [24]. This transforms the metaphysical idea into an operational tool accessible for experimental verification. Using examples from physics (dynamic Casimir effect [6], optomechanics [7]), biology (membrane processes, biophotonic emissions [?], transmutations), and cognitive sciences (insight [14], neural jumps), the universality of the CMI mechanism is demonstrated. The text incorporates a three-level system of auto-negation: (1) strict falsification criteria, (2) weak points as research horizons, (3) self reflection of the program. The main result is the formation of a new research direction that transcends individual disciplines and takes shape as a “science of critical transitions.” It unites physics, biology, cognitive sciences, and technology under a single methodological principle: energy and novelty emerge as events of deviation from the ZPE reference via the CMI operator. The monograph opens prospects for creating new measurement standards, experimental protocols, and interdisciplinary research centers. In applied terms, it lays the foundation for future technologies: controlled Chaos generators, critical transition-based biotechnologies, cognitive interfaces, and quantum computing architectures. (shrink)

This article aims to provide an explication of the Christian doctrine of eternal generation. A model of the doctrine is formulated within the ground-theoretic framework of Jonathan Schaffer and E. Jonathan Lowe, which enables it to be explicated clearly and consistently, and two often raised objections against the doctrine can be successfully answered.

The paper argues that members of future generations have an entitlement to natural resources equal to ours. Therefore, if a currently living individual destroys or degrades natural resources then he must pay compensation to members of future generations. This compensation takes the form of “primary goods” (in roughly Rawls’ sense) which will be valued by members of future generations as equally useful for promoting the good life as the natural resources they have been deprived of. As a result of this (...) policy, each generation inherits a “Commonwealth” of natural resources plus compensation (plus, perhaps, other things donated to the Commonwealth). It is this inherited “Commonwealth” which members of that generation must then pass on to members of the next generation.Once this picture is accepted, the standard bundle of property rights is problematic, for it takes the owner of a constituent of the Commonwealth (e.g. that gallon of oil) to have the right to “waste, destroy or modify” that item at will. This paper therefore presents a revised set of property rights which takes seriously the idea that each generation has an equal claim on the resources that nature has bequeathed us, whilst allowing certain effects on those natural resources by each generation, and a degree of exclusive use of those natural resources owned by an individual. (shrink)

The initial idea of fair equality of opportunity is that if two people are both capable of doing a job and would be equally good at it, then they should stand an equal chance of getting it, whereas if one is less capable then they should stand a less chance. Fair equality is recommended (mostly famously by John Rawls) with the hope of overcoming situations in which certain jobs are dominated by people of a certain social class. But it faces (...) what I call the problem of generational jobs: for a member of your family (or social network) to get one of these jobs normally requires adaptation by them for that end over generations: a clever child cannot do it without this preparatory work from previous generations, modifying the background of assumptions say. With this in mind, I discuss Diane Keaton, who recently died. Diane Keaton was known as an actress at the core of the world-famous American film industry and a stylish dresser, but she also directed films, for which she has no impressive reputation. She has a surprising image of herself in the role, looking to me like a military man’s housewife, and I think she is suggesting that this is a generational job and while she has built impressively upon the background of her ancestors as actress and style icon, she is no better than them here. I also comment on the relationship between the newspapers and the academic world. (shrink)

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer significant therapeutic opportunities for a variety of neurophysiological and neuropsychiatric disorders and may perhaps one day lead to augmenting the cognition and decision-making of the healthy brain. However, existing regulatory frameworks designed for implantable medical devices (IMDs) are inadequate to address the unique ethical, legal, and social risks associated with next-generation networked brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). In this article, we make nine recommendations to support developers in the design of BCIs and nine recommendations to support policymakers (...) in the application of BCIs, drawing insights from the regulatory history of IMDs and principles from AI ethics. We begin by outlining the historical development of IMDs and the regulatory milestones that have shaped their oversight. Next, we summarize similarities between IMDs and emerging implantable BCIs, identifying existing provisions for their regulation. We then use two case studies of emerging cutting-edge BCIs-the HALO (Hardware Architecture for LOw-power BCIs) and SCALO (SCalable Architecture for LOw-power BCIs) computer systems-to highlight distinctive features in the design and application of nextgeneration BCIs arising from contemporary chip architectures, which necessitate reevaluating regulatory approaches. We identify critical ethical considerations for these BCIs, including unique conceptions of autonomy, identity, and mental privacy. Based on these insights, we suggest potential avenues for the ethical regulation of BCIs, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and proactive mitigation of potential harms. The goal is to support the responsible design and application of new BCIs, ensuring their safe and ethical integration into medical practice. (shrink)

Can we gain understanding from testifiers who themselves fail to understand? At first glance, this looks counterintuitive. How could a hearer who has no understanding or very poor understanding of a certain subject matter non-accidentally extract items of information relevant to understanding from a speaker’s testimony if the speaker does not understand what she is talking about? This paper shows that, when there are theories or representational devices working as mediators, speakers can intentionally generate understanding in their hearers by engaging (...) in relevant speech acts without understanding the topic of these speech acts themselves. More specifically, I argue that testifiers can intentionally elicit understanding of empirical phenomena in their hearers even if they themselves lack such understanding – granted that they properly understood the epistemic mediators involved. (shrink)

A general article discussing philosophical issues arising in connection with Aristotle's "Generation of Animals" (Chapter from Blackwell's Companion to Aristotle).

The burgeoning capacity of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate artworks has ignited substantial interdisciplinary interest. However, the absence of a shared conceptual framework has hitherto impeded effective communication and collaboration among cognitive science, computer science, and art theory. This study addresses this lacuna through a comprehensive literature review by developing a transdisciplinary definition of an AI-generated artwork. It is proposed that an AI-generated artwork constitutes the confluence of three essential elements: (1) an autonomous AI-production of a new and surprising idea (...) or artifact, (2) which passes an internal evaluation mechanism embedded in the very same AI, and (3) is considered a candidate of appreciation by a human audience. This definition provides a unified conceptual foundation to facilitate interdisciplinary research and deepen understanding of the nature of AI-generated art. Subsequent research should explore the applicability of this definition to diverse forms of AI-generated artworks and evaluate its implications for artistic practices. (shrink)

The Hydrogenic Universe: A Generator-Level Theory of Structure Creators Michael Nowlin, Michael K. (Producer) ORCID icon Description The Hydrogenic Universe: A Generator-Level Theory of Structure + or −, 1 or 0, yes or no, >2026 or 2026 / 2026 or <2026 Zero subjection, pure mathematics. A companion computational notebook enables independent construction, testing, and falsification. Acceptance or rejection is determined by structural closure, not proclamation. Note- due to upload limitations, companion notebook can be found at external link referenced.

It is plausible that current generations owe something to future generations. One possibility is that we have a duty to not harm them. Another possibility is that we have a duty to protect them. In either case, however, to satisfy the duties to future generations from environmental or political degradation, we need to engage in widespread collective action. But, as we are, we have a limited ability to do so, in part because we lack the self-discipline necessary for successful collective (...) action. Given that having an obligation hinges on being able to satisfy it, the apparent duty to future generations is at odds with our apparent inability to satisfy it. Thus, we either need to rethink our duties to future generations or rethink the nature of our abilities. I argue in this chapter that we should rethink the nature of our abilities. Specifically, we should enhance our self-discipline, which is distinct from enhancements of motivation, judgment, or emotion. Even the most intelligent, motivated, and empathetic actor is likely to slip up, which encourages others to withdraw their cooperation. Without the necessary self-discipline to sustain our public cooperative behavior, collective action is likely to fail, leaving us with one alternative: to abandon our duties to future generations. (shrink)

Text-guided image generation models can be prompted to generate images using nonce words adversarially designed to robustly evoke specific visual concepts. Two approaches for such generation are introduced: macaronic prompting, which involves designing cryptic hybrid words by concatenating subword units from different languages; and evocative prompting, which involves designing nonce words whose broad morphological features are similar enough to that of existing words to trigger robust visual associations. The two methods can also be combined to generate images associated (...) with more specific visual concepts. The implications of these techniques for the circumvention of existing approaches to content moderation, and particularly the generation of offensive or harmful images, are discussed. (shrink)

Generative AI is set to transform digital advertising, which remains a revenue juggernaut for much of the internet. In the current model, advertisers use personal data to target users with pre-made content. But with generative AI systems, they will soon be able to create novel advertisements, tailored in real time using individual behavioral and demographic profiles. Early studies suggest that these AI-generated, hyper-personalized ads are significantly more persuasive than traditional ones---even with today’s relatively limited models. As the technology advances, such (...) ads are likely to become the dominant form of digital persuasion. I argue that this development threatens to undermine longstanding constraints that help keep advertising roughly honest. In particular, generative systems can learn to exploit users’ epistemic blind spots---areas where they are especially prone to believe false or misleading claims. While this poses familiar risks in commercial contexts, the stakes are even higher in political advertising, where personalized generative content may produce fragmented "political underworlds" and new forms of targeted propagandizing. I conclude by assessing both technological and regulatory options for mitigating these risks. (shrink)