Informational Projection Theory (IPT) describes physical reality as the real projection of a complex informational field I = IR + iII on a manifold equipped with an informational measure, a projection map, and a closed curvature relation. In a previous work, “Informational Projection Theory: A Three–Parameter Informational Framework for Quantum, Gauge, and Cosmological Constants” [10 ], a minimal three-parameter informational Lagrangian was shown to reproduce the structure of electromagnetism, an Einstein-like gravitational coupling, a Hilbert-space kinematics, and (...) late-time cosmological and gauge constants without extreme fine tuning. In this second paper we apply the same informational framework to black-hole horizons and the information problem. We develop a quasi-local notion of informational horizon, in which a macroscopic black hole is characterised by a closed curvature configuration G = dII supported near a null hypersurface, together with an open informational field IR that describes Hawking-like radiation in the real projection. The Bekenstein–Hawking area law is reinterpreted as a statement about the fraction of the fixed total informational norm E0 stored in non-projected curvature modes, and a parameter-independent horizon relation 4GN c7 SH κ2 H = πkB ℏ is shown to hold for Schwarzschild black holes, where SH is the horizon entropy and κH the surface gravity. This horizon invariant is the black-hole counterpart of a de Sitter invariant relating the cosmological horizon entropy and Hubble parameter discussed in the first IPT paper, suggesting a unified horizon–cosmology relation. At the dynamical level, we model evaporation as a slow open–closed exchange process governed by the same efficiency parameter η that appears in the cosmological sector. The resulting evolution of open-sector entanglement entropy follows a Page-curve-like behaviour: an initial rise as information is transferred from infalling matter to near-horizon curvature, followed by a decrease as closed informational structure is gradually re-projected into Hawking-like radiation. Within IPT, no fundamental information loss occurs: the apparent nonunitarity in the real projection arises from discarding the closed sector II , while the full complex field I evolves with a conserved norm. In this sense the black-hole information paradox does not arise in IPT; it is a projection artefact. We also introduce a microscopic toy model that combines the IPT evaporation law, the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy, and Page’s theorem on typical entanglement, yielding an explicit Page curve for the radiation entropy and a Page time tP ≈ 0.65 τevap, consistent with the general expectation that the Page time is of order the total evaporation time. We discuss consistency with no-cloning and monogamy of entanglement, the relation between infalling and asymptotic observers, and the compatibility of IPT black-hole spacetimes with standard energy conditions and weak-field tests. (shrink)

The empirical phenomenon at the center of this paper is projection, which we define (uncontroversially) as follows: (1) Definition of projection An implication projects if and only if it survives as an utterance implication when the expression that triggers the implication occurs under the syntactic scope of an entailment-cancelling operator. Projection is observed, for example, with utterances containing aspectual verbs like stop, as shown in (2) and (3) with examples from English and Paraguayan Guaraní (Paraguay, Tupí-Guaraní).1 The (...) Guaraní example in (2) and its English translation have at least the following implications: (i) Carla has previously smoked, and (ii) Carla stopped smoking. The first but not the second of these implications is also conveyed by the question version of sentence (2), as in (3a), or when (2) is embedded under entailment-cancelling sentential operators, such as negation, as in (3b), the antecedent of a conditional, as in (3c), or an epistemic modal, as in (3d). Hence, by the definition in (14), the first but not the second implication of (2) projects. (shrink)

General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and the Standard Model are among the most successful theories in the history of physics. Their mathematical equations are well estab- lished, yet their mutual coexistence within overlapping physical regimes remains conceptu- ally opaque. This paper addresses this gap by offering a projective approach, constructing explicit projection operators for each theory. No new equations are proposed and existing dynamics are not modified. Instead, we ask how more general descriptions must be reduced through projection for (...) the known equations of spacetime geometry, quantum theory, and gauge fields to emerge as effective and stable forms. We show that each theory can be associated with a specific class of invariant-preserving projection operators. Explicit construction principles for these operators are provided. Three general mechanisms are identified. These are constrained inference, symmetry quotient & fiber-bundle reduction and scale-based coarse-graining as used in effective field theory. These mechanisms are used to define projection operators leading to General Rela- tivity, Quantum Mechanics, and the Standard Model. A central result is that constructing each projection separately is insufficient. The coex- istence of the three theories imposes additional constraints. We therefore introduce compat- ibility conditions on families of projection operators. These conditions express requirements such as shared domains, coordinated information loss, order independence and common operational regimes. Many familiar paradoxes arise when these conditions are ignored. Ex- amples include the quantum–classical transition, semiclassical gravity, and the interpretation of cosmic acceleration. The approach made here leads to a reframing of unification (as often referred to as a “theory of everything”). Unification is in this new perspective not understood as a single fundamental set of equations. It is understood as a characterization of the structural condi- tions under which multiple effective theories can be valid at the same time. Effective theories need (and can) not be unified by reduction if they are already unified by compatibility. (shrink)

Ameliorative projects design and propagate new linguistic content for some expressions we use for political or social justice purposes. These projects are often driven by an anti-essentialist agenda: they aim to debunk the idea that social categories such as “woman,” “man,” or “race” are constituted by natural essences. But critics argue that nouns tend to trigger essentialist thinking. And because ameliorative projects typically retain nouns, it is argued that these projects cannot achieve their anti-essentialist goals. In response, I argue that (...) the psychological effects of noun use tend to support, rather than hinder, the anti-essentialist goals of ameliorators. (shrink)

The institution of the family and its importance have recently received considerable attention from political theorists. Leading views maintain that the institution’s justification is grounded, at least in part, in the non-instrumental value of the parent-child relationship itself. Such views face the challenge of identifying a specific good in the parent-child relationship that can account for how adults acquire parental rights over a particular child—as opposed to general parental rights, which need not warrant a claim to parent one’s biological progeny. (...) I develop a view that meets this challenge. This Project View identifies the pursuit of a parental project as a distinctive non-instrumentally valuable good that provides a justification for the family and whose pursuit is necessary and sufficient for the acquisition of parental rights. This view grounds moral parenthood in a normative relation as opposed to a biological one, supports polyadic forms of parenting, and provides plausible guidance in cases of assisted reproduction. (shrink)

This paper develops a dual–projection informational ontology according to which what we usually call the “physical world” and the “mathematical world” are not two independent realms, but two projections of a single informational ground. Building on earlier work that models existence as a closed informational manifold and physical reality as the image of an irreversible projection [9, 10, 12], I argue that a second, structurally oriented projection yields the domain of mathematics. The physical projection generates a (...) time–bound, entropic history by hiding information in ways that cannot be undone by any physically admissible process. The mathematical projection, by contrast, quotients out representational redundancies and isolates structural invariants without introducing an intrinsic arrow of time. Within this framework, the deep fit between physics and mathematics is no longer mysterious: both read the same informational manifold under different projection rules. I formulate a Projection Symmetry Principle, according to which laws of nature are structures that are invariant under both projections. I contrast this view with traditional Platonism, nominalism, structural realism, Tegmark’s mathematical universe hypothesis, and Floridi’s informational realism, and I address several objections. A toy example is used to illustrate the two projections in a simple setting. The aim is not to provide a complete theory, but to motivate a research program in which physical reality and mathematical structure are seen as two faces of one informational being. (shrink)

The Projectability Challenge states that a metaethical view must explain how ordinary agents can, on the basis of moral experience and reflection, accurately and justifiably apply moral concepts to novel situations. In this paper, we argue for two primary claims. First, paradigm nonnaturalism can satisfactorily answer the projectability challenge. Second, it is unclear whether there is a version of moral naturalism that can satisfactorily answer the challenge. The conclusion we draw is that there is an important respect in which nonnaturalism (...) holds an advantage over its most prominent naturalist rivals. The conclusion is interesting if only because it is widely assumed that naturalism has an easier time handling thorny problems in moral epistemology. We argue that there is at least one such problem of which this assumption is not true. (shrink)

We develop a formulation of the Informational Projection Theory (IPT), in which physical reality is described as the real projection of a complex informational field I = IR + i II . On an informational manifold endowed with an informational measure, a projection map, and a closed curvature relation, the dynamics are governed by a minimal local Lagrangian with three independent informational parameters (α, β, η). We show that, once locality, Lorentz invariance, gauge invariance and a simple (...) exchange structure between open and closed information are imposed, the quadratic part of the action for (IR, G = dII ) is essentially fixed to this three–parameter form. In the real projection, G reproduces the structure of an electromagnetic–type field strength, the metric variation yields an Einstein–like coupling to geometry, and closed loops in the (IR, II ) phase space provide a natural arena for an action quantization condition. In homogeneous cosmologies, a late–time choice of (α, β, η), together with a small number of derived phenomenological scales, can organize and illustratively accommodate the observed ranges of the Hubble constant H0, the effective cosmological constant Λeff , the electroweak mixing angle, the strong coupling at the Z pole, and de Sitter horizon quantities within current uncertainties, without requiring extreme fine tuning. The closed informational curvature and the projection efficiency offer simple interpretations for dark matter and dark energy, and suggest possible links to inflation, CMB anisotropies, black– hole information, and CP asymmetry. These connections are exploratory; a more detailed comparison with data and a microscopic derivation of the phenomenological mappings are left for future work. (shrink)

Informational Projection Theory (IPT) treats physical reality as the real projection of a complex informational field I = IR +iII defined on a manifold endowed with an informational measure, an idempotent projection, and a closed curvature relation. In IPT I a minimal three–parameter Lagrangian was shown to reproduce, after projection, Einstein–like gravity, Maxwell electromagnetism, quantum kinematics and a late–time de Sitter phase without extreme fine tuning. [1] IPT II applied the same framework to black–hole horizons and (...) the Page curve, with the black–hole information problem interpreted as a projection artifact rather than a fundamental nonunitarity. [2] In this third paper we focus on gauge symmetry and long–range interactions. First, we derive Abelian and non–Abelian gauge structure from local invariances of the informational norm and projection map, rather than postulating gauge redundancy by hand. We construct an informational covariant derivative, show how a gauge connection and field strength arise from demanding local phase invariance of I, and derive the associated Noether currents. In an appropriate regime the gauge equations reduce, under well–specified assumptions, to equations identical in form to Maxwell’s equations in flat space, with a well–defined effective coupling. Second, we identify an additional U (1)inf symmetry acting on the relative phase between open and closed information, and we gauge it to obtain a new vector field Bμ coupled to an informational charge that measures the open/closed imbalance. The corresponding fifth interaction is long–range and repulsive or attractive depending on the sign of this charge. Its dimensionless fine–structure analogue is naturally suppressed by the same large number ∼ 10122 that characterises the hierarchy between the Planck density and the observed dark– energy density, so that laboratory fifth–force constraints are automatically satisfied by many orders of magnitude. We give a phenomenological sketch, comparing the IPT prediction for the fifth–force strength with existing torsion–balance tests and long–range Yukawa bounds, and we dis- cuss possible signatures in cosmology and black–hole physics. Throughout, IPT does not merely add new fields: gauge symmetry itself is reinterpreted as a projection symmetry of a closed informational manifold. Within the dual–projection framework we argue that, once locality and norm– and projection–preserving internal actions are imposed, the four familiar long–range interactions together with the informational fifth force exhaust the continuous symmetries that can mediate fundamental long–range forces.1. (shrink)

Pereira’s “The Projective Theory of Consciousness” is an experimental statement, drawing on many diverse sources, exploring how consciousness might be produced by a projective mechanism that results both in private selves and an experienced world. Unfortunately, pulling together so many unrelated sources and methods means none gets full attention. Furthermore, it seems to me that the uncomfortable breadth of this paper unnecessarily complicates his project; in fact it may hide what it seeks to reveal. If this conglomeration of diverse sources (...) and methods were compared to trees, the reader may feel like the explorer who cannot see the forest for the trees. Then again, it may be the author who is so preoccupied with foreground figures that the everpresent background is ultimately obscured. (shrink)

In this paper we advance a new solution to Quinn’s puzzle of the self-torturer. The solution falls directly out of an application of the principle of instrumental reasoning to what we call “vague projects”, i.e., projects whose completion does not occur at any particular or definite point or moment. The resulting treatment of the puzzle extends our understanding of instrumental rationality to projects and ends that cannot be accommodated by orthodox theories of rational choice.

According to moral error theory, morality is something invented, constructed or made; but mistakenly presents itself to us as if it were an independent object of discovery. According to moral constructivism, morality is something invented, constructed or made. In this paper I argue that constructivism is both compatible with, and in certain cases explanatory of, some of the allegedly mistaken commitments to which arguments for moral skepticism appeal. I focus on two particular allegations that are sometimes associated with moral skepticism. (...) The first is the suspicion that in making moral claims we are merely projecting our attitudes onto the world. The second is the suspicion that in arguing for and against moral views we are merely attempting to influence each other to give similar answers to questions that have no determinate answer. (shrink)

This paper presents a Generative Projection Ontology (GPO) as a unified ontological framework grounded in the Generative Projection Framework. The framework treats pro- jection as an invariance-constrained principle of ontological reconstruction, specifying how coherent domains of structured description arise from shared generative conditions without introducing new empirical postulates or modifying domain-specific theories. Within this framework, established physical descriptions—such as spacetime geometry, quantum theory, and field-theoretic structure—as well as descriptions associated with con- sciousness and psychological organization, are interpreted as (...) effective realizations situated within distinct but co-projected sectors. These sectors are governed by domain-specific invariant organizational principles and are treated as ontologically robust without being hierarchically ordered or mutually reducible. The generative level itself is defined purely in architectural terms. It is not identified with any physical substrate, mental substance, or neutral material, but functions as a structural condition that anchors projection relations across domains. Ontological unity is secured at this generative level, while plurality arises through projection into distinct sectors. By separating ontological interpretation from domain-specific explanation, the Genera- tive Projection Ontology avoids both reductive physicalism and substance dualism without invoking a mediating ontology. The framework is offered as an ontological clarification intended to stabilize interpretation across physics and theories of consciousness while pre- serving the autonomy and methodological integrity of effective descriptions within each domain. (shrink)

We present the Critical Projection and the Geometry of Meaning (CPM), a structural framework that specifies necessary physical conditions for the organization of meaning and the occurrence of discrete conscious episodes. Rather than presupposing psychological, phenomenological, or functional primitives, CPM treats meaning as a geometric structure induced by an irreversible projection from a pre-semantic domain of pure difference. The framework rigorously separates three layers: (i) a structureless Difference Space D, (ii) an irreversible projection Π : D → (...) M that induces local chart structure, and (iii) a Meaning Space M, realized as a finite-dimensional tensor field on a physical substrate. Within this architecture, semantic organization is governed by a mismatch energy functional, whose variational derivative defines a tension field τ(x). Crucially, the accumulation of tension is possible only when the substrate supports a topologically persistent boundary, formalized by a closure field B(x)>= 1. CPM identifies conscious episodes not with static semantic states, but with a critical refinement of the projection structure. When tension exceeds a critical threshold τ_c under closure-maintained conditions, continuous relaxation becomes variationally obstructed. We show that, under the CPM axioms, the only admissible discontinuous transition that resolves this instability while preserving finite energy and substrate integrity is a strict refinement of the projection atlas, Π → Π'. This refinement induces a topological and geometric reorganization of M without modifying D, and constitutes the minimal physically accessible correlate of a conscious event. The framework yields a general structural criterion for physical systems capable of sustaining meaningful dynamics. As a direct corollary, CPM implies a structural impossibility result for contemporary cloud-based and fully virtualized AI architectures: lacking persistent physical closure (B(x)<1) and exhibiting metric--topological decoupling, such systems cannot accumulate semantic tension (τ(x) ≈ 0) and are therefore precluded from realizing consciousness, independently of algorithmic scale or functional sophistication. Beyond consciousness, CPM provides a unified geometric basis for modeling semantic structure, learning dynamics, and meaning organization across physical substrates. By formulating necessity claims rather than sufficiency assertions, the theory yields clear falsification criteria and establishes a principled bridge from abstract debates on consciousness to experimentally testable structural constraints. (shrink)

We argue that definite noun phrases give rise to uniqueness inferences characterized by a pattern we call definiteness projection. Definiteness projection says that the uniqueness inference of a definite projects out unless there is an indefinite antecedent in a position that filters presuppositions. We argue that definiteness projection poses a serious puzzle for e-type theories of (in)definites; on such theories, indefinites should filter existence presuppositions but not uniqueness presuppositions. We argue that definiteness projection also poses challenges (...) for dynamic approaches, which have trouble generating uniqueness inferences and predicting some filtering behavior, though unlike the challenge for e-type theories, these challenges have mostly been noted in the literature, albeit in a piecemeal way. Our central aim, however, is not to argue for or against a particular view, but rather to formulate and motivate a generalization about definiteness which any adequate theory must account for. (shrink)

We introduce a ZFC–internal axiom system for dual–projection informational structures. The starting point is the single–projection framework of informational models—tuples (X, A, μ, R, I, ΠR, G, E0, η) consisting of a finitely additive measure, an idempotent projection, and an idempotent symmetric relation satisfying three short axioms coupling measure, projection, and curvature. A dual–projection informational structure is an expansion of such a model by a second idempotent map ΠM : X → M0 and an equivalence (...) relation ≈ whose classes are the fibres of ΠM . The new map is interpreted as a structural or mathematical projection. Basic axioms require that ΠM is measurable, measure–preserving on its range, and that ≈ is exactly the partition induced by ΠM . We develop the elementary theory of dual–projection structures: we construct a canonical pushforward measure on the structural quotient, identify M0 with the quotient X/ ≈, and compare the physical equivalence relation induced by ΠR with the structural equivalence induced by ΠM . We prove that every informational model admits a canonical dual–projection expansion, so the new axioms are relatively consistent with the original system (assuming ZFC is). Finite and countable examples illustrate how a single set X can simultaneously support a time–asymmetric physical projection and a timeless structural projection. Conceptually, dual–projection informational structures provide a discrete, ZFC–internal counterpart of dual–projection ontologies in which the “physical world” and the “math- ematical world” are two projections of one informational ground. They are intended as the mathematical backbone for continuum formulations based on Informational Projection Theory and dual–projection informational ontology. (shrink)

How does experimental philosophy address philosophical questions and problems? That is: What projects does experimental philosophy pursue? What is their philosophical relevance? And what empirical methods do they employ? Answers to these questions will reveal how experimental philosophy can contribute to the longstanding ambition of placing philosophy on the ‘secure path of a science’, as Kant put it. We argue that experimental philosophy has introduced a new methodological perspective – a ‘meta-philosophical naturalism’ that addresses philosophical questions about a phenomenon by (...) empirically investigating how people think about this phenomenon. This chapter asks how this novel perspective can be successfully implemented: How can the empirical investigation of how people think about something address genuinely philosophical problems? And what methods – and, specifically, what methods beyond the questionnaire – can this investigation employ? We first review core projects of experimental philosophy and raise the question of their philosophical relevance. For ambitious answers, we turn to experimental philosophy’s most direct historical precursor, mid-20th century ordinary language philosophy, and discuss empirical implementations of two of its research programmes that use experimental methods from psycholinguistics and corpus methods from the digital humanities. (shrink)

When people make sense of situations, illustrations, instructions and problems they do more than just think with their heads. They gesture, talk, point, annotate, make notes and so on. What extra do they get from interacting with their environment in this way? To study this fundamental problem, I looked at how people project structure onto geometric drawings, visual proofs, and games like tic tac toe. Two experiments were run to learn more about projection. Projection is a special capacity, (...) similar to perception, but less tied to what is in the environment. Projection, unlike pure imagery, requires external structure to anchor it, but it adds ‘mental’ structure to the external scene much like an augmented reality system adds structure to an outside scene. A person projects when they look at a chessboard and can see where a knight may be moved. Because of the cognitive costs of sustaining and extending projection, humans make some of their projections real. They create structure externally. They move the piece, they talk, point, notate, represent. Much of our interactivity during sense making and problem solving involves a cycle of projecting then creating structure. (shrink)

This study begins with a simple observation: a perceived object never appears in isolation, but always in a context that conditions its appearance. Starting from elementary cases (projection of a cube, perception of light), we progressively establish that the manifestation of an object necessarily depends on other objects. We examine whether this dependence can be lifted, and we show that it resists any attempt at refutation. We then explore the consequences of this observation in different fields (physics, biology, everyday (...) life) and propose a conceptual framework for thinking of reality as a network of mutual conditions. The study concludes with a discussion of the limits of this approach and the questions it leaves open. (shrink)

This article has been on ways by which developing countries can go back to the basics of project management as a means for developmental goals. Project management has proven to be an effective and flexible management approach, which has the potential of being of great value to developing countries. There is a need for a stronger emphasis on project implementation as a training mechanism for developing indigenous skills. Improved planning, administrative and technical capacity must be defined as project outputs. The (...) need for highly trained development administrators, especially those with project management skills, is a recurring theme of international assistance evaluation reports. Developing countries require two types of trained project administrators: those who can plan and coordinate the entire project cycle as an integrated process and those who can manage the project as an organizational entity once it is selected and approved (Rondinelli, 1976). (shrink)

The aim of this paper is twofold: first, I provide a cluster of theories of truth in classical logic that is (internally) consistent with global reflection principles: the theories of positive truth (and falsity). After that, I analyse the _epistemic value_ of such theories. I do so employing the framework of cognitive projects introduced by Wright (Proc Aristot Soc 78:167–245, 2004), and employed—in the context of theories of truth—by Fischer et al. (Noûs 2019. https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12292 ). In particular, I will argue (...) that theories of positive truth are _trustworthy_, analogously to the theories of full disquotational truth. Moreover, I argue that, for a given cognitive project, _if_ the acceptance of trustworthy theories is taken to be an _epistemic norm_ of cognitive project, then one has good reasons to accept theories of positive truth over other rival theories of truth in classical logic. On the other hand, the latter theories are deemed epistemically unacceptable. (shrink)

The measurement problem is commonly taken to indicate a fundamental conflict between the linear, unitary dynamics of quantum mechanics and the definite outcomes observed in measurement processes. Standard responses typically resolve this tension by modifying the dynamics, enriching the ontology, or revising the interpretation of the quantum state. In this paper, we analyze the measurement problem from a projection-based perspective in which quantum evolution and measurement outcomes are associated with ontologically distinct effective descriptions, defined by incompatible invariance requirements. Within (...) this framework, quantum mechanics is characterized by unitary invariance and coherent superpo- sition, whereas measurement records are defined by definiteness, stability, and reproducibil- ity. The measurement problem arises when these distinct projection structures are implicitly identified or required to coexist within a single effective description. By analyzing measurement as a transition between such projections, we show that the appearance of wavefunction collapse does not require a physical dynamical process. Instead, collapse emerges as a necessary structural consequence of projecting a quantum description onto a measurement domain that enforces different invariance constraints. This account preserves the formal structure and empirical success of quantum mechanics while motivating a restrained ontological reading of its elements. More broadly, the analysis situates the measurement problem within a general pattern in which foundational paradoxes arise at the boundaries between effective descriptions. In this sense, the resolution proposed here does not introduce new physics, but clarifies the ontological scope and limits of quantum-mechanical description. (shrink)

Contemporary theories of consciousness are largely structured around some form of emer- gence, according to which subjective experience arises from sufficiently complex physical pro- cesses. Despite decades of theoretical refinement, emergentist approaches continue to face per- sistent conceptual difficulties, including explanatory gaps, category errors between physical de- scription and phenomenal experience and unresolved ambiguities concerning ontological status. This paper develops an alternative framework in which consciousness is understood not as an emergent property of matter but as a projection from (...) a deeper generative domain. The analysis is situated within a generative–projective ontology (GPO), established in previous works and summarized here to provide architectural context. Within this framework, experiential struc- tures possess real internal organization and coherence, while remaining ontologically distinct from both physical entities and irreducible mental substances. The paper focuses on the Consciousness Projection Sector (CPS) of GPO. No new physics, neurobiological assumptions or empirical claims are introduced. A minimal formal element, the Consciousness Ontology Equation (COE), is presented solely as a structural indicator of projectional coherence, not as a mechanistic or computational model. By reframing consciousness in projectional rather than emergent terms, the paper offers a conceptually parsimonious alternative that preserves the reality of experience while avoiding the explanatory liabilities of both reductionism and substance dualism. On this view, the central problem of consciousness is reconceived not as one of emergence but of ontological coexistence between irreducible domains grounded in a common generative structure. The proposed framework aims to clarify the ontological status of consciousness and to provide a stable foundation for future theoretical work in consciousness studies. (shrink)

This study explores the intersection of project management practices and environmental challenges in Anambra State, Nigeria, with a focus on understanding how environmental factors influence the planning, execution, and sustainability of projects in the region. Anchored in a qualitative research methodology, the study seeks to uncover nuanced insights into the complex interplay between project management processes and environmental constraints such as erosion, flooding, deforestation, and urbanization, which are prevalent in the state. Through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, (...) the research captures the perspectives of project managers, environmental experts, government officials, and community stakeholders. Findings reveal that environmental challenges significantly impact project timelines, budgets, and outcomes, often necessitating adaptive strategies to mitigate risks and ensure project success. For instance, erosion and flooding not only disrupt construction projects but also lead to increased costs for site remediation and infrastructure resilience. Additionally, the study highlights the role of poor environmental policies and insufficient stakeholder engagement in exacerbating project risks. Conversely, best practices such as environmental impact assessments (EIAs), community-inclusive planning, and the integration of sustainable materials emerge as effective strategies to address these challenges. This study, which provides a detailed account of how environmental factors shape project management in Anambra State, contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable development in Nigeria. It underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates environmental science, policy, and stakeholder collaboration in project planning and execution. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for project managers, policymakers, and stakeholders to enhance the resilience and sustainability of projects in the face of escalating environmental challenges. This research offers critical insights into achieving more effective and environmentally conscious project management in developing regions. (shrink)

Is the basic mechanism behind presupposition projection fundamentally asymmetric or symmetric? This is a basic question for the theory of presupposition, which also bears on broader issues concerning the source of asymmetries observed in natural language: are these simply rooted in superficial asymmetries of language use— language use unfolds in time, which we experience as fundamentally asymmetric— or can they be, at least in part, directly referenced in linguistic knowledge and representations? In this paper we aim to make progress (...) on these questions by exploring presupposition projection across conjunction, which has typically been taken as a central piece of evidence that presupposition projection is asymmetric. As a number of authors have recently pointed out, however, whether or not this conclusion is warranted is not clear once we take into account independent issues of redundancy. Building on previous work by Chemla & Schlenker (2012) and Schwarz (2015), we approach this question experimentally by using an inference task which controls for redundancy and presupposition suspension. We find strong evidence for left-to-right filtering across conjunctions, but no evidence for right-to-left filtering, suggesting that, at least as a default, presupposition projection across conjunction is indeed asymmetric. (shrink)

Contemporary theoretical physics suggests that spacetime and gravity might emerge from deeper informational structures, hinting that our universe could be holographically organized. In this speculative essay, we explore the idea that reality itself has a fundamentally holographic character, using black hole physics and quantum information as guiding clues. Black hole thermodynamics reveals a mysterious link between information and the geometry of space, inspiring the holographic principle that a region’s content may be encoded on its boundary. We survey how this principle—and (...) the notion of an informational universe—intersects with philosophical interpretations of time: from the eternalist block universe view of an unchanging 4D spacetime, to informational realism which posits information as the substrate of existence. Against this backdrop, we introduce Existential Realism (ER), a two-tier ontology distinguishing transient existence from enduring reality. We argue that ER’s framework provides a novel lens for these questions. In ER, the present “now” is like a projection of an underlying informational reality; black holes then appear as ontological cracks where that projection falters, raising profound questions about time, causality, and hidden order. We show how ER’s emphasis on an evolving present and an informationally rich reality can reframe puzzles such as the black hole information paradox and the nature of temporal entropy. This work is intended as a frontier-level exploration: it sketches a consonance between cutting-edge cosmology and a new metaphysical model of time, suggesting that what we call “reality” might indeed be a projection from a deeper order of information and existence. (shrink)

This is the text of The Lindley Lecture for 1987, given by John McDowell, a South African philosopher.

Abstract Reciprocity-based moral theories face a persistent challenge: the scope problem. If moral obligation arises through reciprocal recognition among self-conscious agents capable of mutual accountability, what grounds our obligations to beings who cannot reciprocate - infants, the severely cognitively impaired, future generations, and non-human animals? This paper develops the concept of projective regard as a principled mechanism for extending moral obligations beyond the sphere of constitutive reciprocity. I argue that projective regard operates by extending principles recognized as binding within the (...) sphere of reciprocal recognition to beings who possess morally salient features (sentience, vulnerability, prospective moral agency) but lack the cognitive capacities required for mutual accountability. This framework explains why such obligations are “derivative” in their justificatory structure without being weaker in their content or demands. It accounts for the distinction between welfare rights (grounded in sentience) and participation rights (grounded in reciprocal recognition capacities), engages critically with competing approaches from Peter Singer and Martha Nussbaum, and demonstrates how reciprocity-based ethics can accommodate robust moral concern for non-reciprocators while maintaining principled distinctions that purely sentience-based approaches cannot capture. Keywords: moral obligation, reciprocity, animal ethics, future generations, projective regard, sentience, welfare rights, relational realism. (shrink)

Was bisexuality a widespread feature of ancient Greek society? This question is an instance of cross-cultural projection -- of taking the means through which people are categorized in one culture and applying it to members of another. It’s widely held by those who think that sexual orientation is socially constructed that its projection poses a problem. In this paper, I offer a more careful analysis of this alleged problem. To analyze projection, I adapt Iris Einheuser’s substratum-carving model (...) of conventionalism to fit the specific needs of social construction. Using this model, I show that projection is conceptually coherent, and so does not for that reason pose any problem. Along the way, I identify some of the epistemic difficulties facing projection. While these difficulties are formidable, they are not substantially affected by the constructivist claim. I therefore conclude that there is no unique problem facing the projection of a socially constructed sexual orientation. (shrink)

The paper explores consciousness as a projection of an "unmanifest world"—a primordial medium of "all and nothing"—onto human perception, drawing on Buddhist philosophy, Plato’s allegory of the cave, and contemporary science. Inspired by Nāgārjuna’s śūnyatā, Yogācāra’s vijñāna, and Plato’s depiction of shadows as perceived reality, it posits that neurons filter this indeterminate potential into a perceived reality of objects, time, and dualities, rendering the world an illusion (māyā) with conditional legitimacy (saṃvṛti-satya). Neuroscience supports this, revealing perception as an active (...) neural construct, while quantum mechanics and Hoffman’s interface theory suggest a deeper, unmanifest substrate. The paper speculates on constructing consciousness as a modular system, leveraging bioengineering (e.g., CRISPR, organoids), neurotechnology (e.g., BCIs, artificial neurons), and quantum engineering to perceive alternate realities—novel objects, altered time, multidimensionality. As understanding consciousness as a complex interference grid advances, its construction may become routine, potentially democratizing the creation of conscious entities and reshaping societal views on the self, aligning with Buddhist notions of emptiness and interconnectedness. Critical reflections contrast materialist reductions with panpsychist possibilities, questioning whether such engineering accesses the unmanifest or crafts new illusions. Bridging metaphysics, science, and technology, this synthesis envisions humans as architects of perception, illuminating consciousness’s paradoxical nature: a shadow that both "is and is not," uniting ancient wisdom with future potential. (shrink)

Appealing to science is a popular suggestion for separating projectible predicates. According to this suggestion, we can expect science, eventually, to separate such predicatesfor us, rendering it unnecessary to make further attempts to explicate the criteria for pro-jectibility. In this essay, I address three theoretical challenges to this suggestion. The firststems from the inductive character of science, which casts doubts on its efficacy in separat-ing projectible predicates, since induction itself requires this separation. The second is theinferential externalism implied by this (...) suggestion, whereas the problems of induction havebite only if inferential internalism is presumed. The third challenge appears when a strongrelationship between projectibility and kindhood, on the one hand, and kindhood and sim-ilarity, on the other, is posited, such that a more projectible predicate is believed to be apredicate which tracks better similarities in nature. Now the question appears: whether andhow science enables us to track better similarities? I distinguish two conceptions of similarity,one intuitive, the other theoretical, and I argue that the theoretical one is to be preferred,showing that how scientific practice involves shifting from an intuitive idea of similarity to atheoretical one. Through answering these three challenges, I attempt to support the appealto natural science as far as Goodman’s problem of induction is concerned. (shrink)

Even those who consider themselves lucky to have escaped trauma, long-term illness and death, have experienced radical changes to their conception of life in its relation to public and private domains due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When public space turned into a dangerous realm, private interiors were assigned a new role and with these shifts, also new questions about the relation of interiority to any type of exteriority emerged. The first four contributions in this ‘Projected Interiorities’ issue of Technoetic Arts (...) (TA) reflect from an architectural and urban point of view on the conception of the public and private, their past, present and future. Yet, the pandemic contributed more widely to a re-evaluation of interiority, not least because the public and private realms seemingly coalesced via digital processes. While this journal issue cannot cover all these questions, it indicates the range of the pandemic turn in thought, collecting contributions from theory and practice, including architecture, art, philosophy and literary studies. With authors of a variety of disciplinary backgrounds based in China, India, Norway, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, this issue of TA covers not only a multiplicity of methodological approaches but also diverse regional and cultural perspectives on the idea of ‘Projected Interiorities’. (shrink)

The Eugenic Mind Project is a wide-ranging, philosophical book that explores and critiques both past and present eugenic thinking, drawing on the author’s intimate knowledge of eugenics in North America and his previous work on the cognitive, biological, and social sciences, the fragile sciences. Informed by the perspectives of Canadian eugenics survivors in the province of Alberta, The Eugenic Mind Project recounts the history of eugenics and the thinking that drove it, and critically engages contemporary manifestations of eugenic thought, newgenics. (...) An accessible, original work of scholarship adopting what the author calls a standpoint eugenics, this book focuses on the roots of eugenic thinking past and present. It will provoke and enrich discussions about human nature and human diversity, the social uses of biotechnology, and social policy governing future generations. You can download the preface and acknowledgements here. (shrink)

Cette étude part d'une observation simple : un objet perçu n'apparaît jamais isolément, mais toujours dans un contexte qui conditionne son apparaître. À partir de cas élémentaires (projection d'un cube, perception de la lumière), on établit progressivement que la manifestation d'un objet dépend nécessairement d'autres objets. On examine si cette dépendance peut être levée, et on montre qu'elle résiste à toute tentative de réfutation. On explore ensuite les conséquences de cette observation dans différents domaines (physique, biologie, vie quotidienne) et (...) on propose un cadre conceptuel pour penser la réalité comme un réseau de conditions mutuelles. L'étude s'achève sur une discussion des limites de cette approche et des questions qu'elle laisse ouvertes. (shrink)

I argue that modal epistemology should pay more attention to questions about the structure and function of modal thought. We can treat these questions from synchronic and diachronic angles. From a synchronic perspective, I consider whether a general argument for the epistemic support of modal though can be made on the basis of modal thoughs’s indispensability for what Enoch and Schechter (2008) call rationally required epistemic projects. After formulating the argument, I defend it from various objections. I also examine the (...) possibility of considering the indispensability of modal thought in terms of its components. Finally, I argue that we also need to approach these issues from a diachronic perspective, and I sketch how to approach this task. (shrink)

Scientists and philosophers of science often draw methodological lessons from successful theories to justify methods of theory construction and to guide research programs. This paper proposes an epistemic framework for this practice, articulated in terms of the notion of meta-induction. By analogy to Goodman's `New Riddle of Induction', it introduces the concept of projectability of meta-inductive arguments, and demonstrates its significance in any account of meta-inductive reasoning. Likewise to scientific induction, meta-induction is shown to be constrained by naturalist epistemology in (...) determining which classifications of theoretical methods are `projectable'. Projectability judgments in meta-inductive arguments help ensure that when taking lessons from past theorizing (either as a part of scientific discussions or in a philosophical reflections about science), they would be based on the way evidence was exploited in theory construction or on theoretically plausible hypothesis about the natural world, rather than on human-made concepts. This framework emphasizes the primacy of empirically guided patterns of conjecture over purely formal considerations, enabling epistemic evaluation of research projects, even when theorizing is primarily grounded on abstract theoretical methods and at stages when direct evidence is unavailable. The paper discusses possible implications on philosophical debates concerning theory assessment in fundamental physics, particularly regarding meta-empirical justification, as well as discussions on model transfer in the special sciences. (shrink)

ABSTRACT. The paper explores the philosophical intelligibility of contemporary defences of collective political forgiveness against a background of sceptical doubt, both general and particular. Three genera sceptical arguments are examined: one challenges the idea that political collectives exist; another challenges the idea that moral agency can be projected upon political collectives; a final argument challenges the attribution of emotions, especially anger, to collectives. Each of these sceptical arguments is rebutted. At a more particular level, the contrasts between individual forgiveness and (...) collective forgiveness gives rise to various problems and the ‘desiderata’ for their resolution - authority, specificity and temporal proximity - are briefly explored. (shrink)

This review delves into the influence of big data analytics on project management effectiveness and project success rates. By examining applications, accomplishments, hindrances, and emerging developments in the context of big data analytics and project management, this review provides insights into its transformative potential. Results indicate that big data analytics fosters improved project performance, more robust risk management, and heightened adaptability. However, challenges related to data quality, privacy, and project manager training remain to be addressed. This review underscores the value (...) of data-driven decision-making for both practitioners and researchers in the project management field. (shrink)

This document argues that the United States was built on a constitutional logic that privileged dominion, property, and hierarchy over relation, care, and interdependence. That founding premise continues to shape American governance and public life, producing institutional fragmentation, civic distrust, and structural failures that cannot be resolved within the existing constitutional frame. Drawing on a relational ontology that understands social systems as interdependent networks rather than collections of discrete individuals, the work proposes an alternative foundation for constitutional design: that care (...) must function as a core civic principle, and that durable governance requires structures that sustain people and communities rather than extract from them. -/- Project Reconstitution outlines a framework for constitutional renewal grounded in relation, integrity, and mutual responsibility. It examines historical patterns, systemic failures, and contemporary democratic ruptures to demonstrate how the absence of care as a structural principle leads to predictable forms of inequality, instability, and erosion of public trust. The document concludes by proposing a set of relational premises that could guide future constitutional and institutional transformation, positioning care not as sentiment but as a structural requirement for collective survival. (shrink)

The theorist who denies the objective reality of non-relational temporal properties, or ‘A-series’ determinations, must explain our experience of the passage of time. D.H. Mellor, a prominent denier of the objective reality of temporal passage, draws, in part, on Kant in offering a theory according to which the experience of temporal passage is the result of the projection of change in belief. But Mellor has missed some important points Kant has to make about time-awareness. It turns out that Kant's (...) theory of time-awareness also involves projection – but for him, the projection of temporal passage is necessary to any coherent experience at all, and for this reason events in the world cannot be represented except as exhibiting real tensed change. Consequently we cannot intelligibly suppose the world we know to be without the passage of time. This fact would permit a modest transcendental argument the conclusion of which is that we are entitled to describe the world in terms of temporal passage. (shrink)

Bipolar neutrosophic sets are the extension of neutrosophic sets and are based on the idea of positive and negative preferences of information. Projection measure is a useful apparatus for modelling real life decision making problems. In the paper, we define projection, bidirectional projection and hybrid projection measures between bipolar neutrosophic sets. Three new methods based on the proposed projection measures are developed for solving multi-attribute decision making problems. In the solution process, the ratings of performance (...) values of the alternatives with respect to the attributes are expressed in terms of bipolar neutrosophic values. We calculate projection, bidirectional projection, and hybrid projection measures between each alternative and ideal alternative with bipolar neutrosophic information. All the alternatives are ranked to identify the best alternative. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed methods. Comparison analysis with the existing methods in the literature in bipolar neutrosophic environment is also performed. (shrink)

Research on future-oriented mental time travel (FMTT) is highly active yet somewhat unruly. I believe this is due, in large part, to the complexity of both the tasks used to test FMTT and the concepts involved. Extraordinary care is a necessity when grappling with such complex and perplexing metaphysical constructs as self and time and their co-instantiation in memory. In this review, I first discuss the relation between future mental time travel and types of memory (episodic and semantic). I then (...) examine the nature of both the types of self-knowledge assumed to be projected into the future and the types of temporalities that constitute projective temporal experience. Finally, I argue that a person lacking episodic memory should nonetheless be able to imagine a personal future by virtue of (a) the fact that semantic, as well as episodic, memory can be self-referential, (b) autonoetic awareness is not a prerequisite for FMTT, and (c) semantic memory does, in fact, enable certain forms of personally-oriented FMTT. (shrink)

Utterances of simple sentences containing taste predicates (e.g. "delicious", "fun", "frightening") typically imply that the speaker has had a particular sort of first-hand experience with the object of predication. For example, an utterance of "The carrot cake is delicious" would typically imply that the speaker had actually tasted the cake in question, and is not, for example, merely basing her judgment on the testimony of others. According to one approach, this acquaintance inference is essentially an implicature, one generated by the (...) Maxim of Quality together with a certain principle concerning the epistemology of taste (Ninan 2014). We first discuss some problems for this approach that arise in connection with disjunction and generalized quantifiers. Then, after stating a conjecture concerning which operators ‘obviate’ the acquaintance inference and which do not, we build on Anand & Korotkova (2018) and Willer & Kennedy (Forthcoming) by developing a theory that treats the acquaintance requirement as a presupposition, albeit one that can be obviated by certain operators. (shrink)

A minimal essentialism (‘intrinsic biological essentialism’) about natural kinds is required to explain the projectability of human science terms. Human classifications that yield robust and ampliative projectable inferences refer to biological kinds. I articulate this argument with reference to an intrinsic essentialist account of HPC kinds. This account implies that human sciences (e.g., medicine, psychiatry) that aim to formulate predictive kind categories should classify biological kinds. Issues concerning psychiatric classification and pluralism are examined.

This essay defends the claim that episodic remembering is a mental action by arguing that episodic remembering and sensory- or experience-like imagining are of a kind in a way relevant for agency. Episodic remembering is a type of imaginative project that involves the agential construction of imagistic-content and that aims at (veridically) representing particular events of the personal past. Neurally intact adults under normal conditions can token experiential memories of particular events from the personal past (merely) by intending or trying (...) to. An agent’s ability to actively remember depends not only on her being able to determine that some memory event occurs but on her ability to construct the relevant scene at will as well. I claim that the ability to guide construction with respect to imagistic-content is distinctive feature of a subset of active imagining. Episodic remembering is of a kind with that subset of active imagining by being a process of agential construction of imagistic-content, in this case, scene construction that aims at (veridically) representing the personal past. Agential scene construction in the context of remembering is the agent’s exploring her personal past as a highly circumscribed region of modal space. (shrink)

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that there was an interest on the part of Latin American writers in portraying the various human rights abuses committed by dictatorial governments. In the case of Uruguay, I will use the short story "La vecina orilla" by Mario Benedetti. From Argentina, I will use the novel Prisión perpetua by Ricardo Piglia. And for Peru, I will use The City and the Dogs by Mario Vargas Llosa. These three references will be indispensable (...) to corroborate from history and literature the repercussions that have existed in society due to the mismanagement of the hegemonic and governmental classes. In order to reach the projected conclusion, customary analysis of fragments of the mentioned works will be carried out, confronted with historical material and related to concomitant discourses of that time. Thus, the result will be the explicit worldview of each author worked on. (shrink)

This study critically examines the efficacy of Agile project management frameworks within the context of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in Cebu I.T. Park, Philippines. Employing a descriptivecorrelational research design, it gathers insights from 30 participants, comprising rank-and-file employees and management personnel, to evaluate client satisfaction, Agile framework effectiveness, project success metrics, client-provider communication, and continuous improvement practices. The study aims to explore disparities in perceptions between these groups and their implications for Agile adoption. Findings reveal notable differences in how Agile (...) frameworks are perceived and practiced. Rank-and-file employees generally rate Agile practices more favorably, highlighting moderate implementation in areas like client satisfaction and project success metrics. Conversely, management personnel express reservations, rating several indicators as less practiced, particularly in communication and Agile framework effectiveness. These disparities underscore a disconnect between leadership and frontline staff, which hinders consistent implementation and alignment with organizational goals. However, management personnel recognize the importance of continuous improvement, providing a foundation for bridging these gaps. The study recommends targeted training programs, enhanced communication strategies, and the establishment of clear success metrics to align perspectives and foster a culture of collaboration. Incorporating customer feedback loops and iterative development cycles is also emphasized to enhance client satisfaction and adaptability. By addressing these challenges, organizations can optimize Agile adoption, improve project outcomes, and achieve greater efficiency and client satisfaction. The findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on Agile frameworks, offering actionable insights for their effective implementation in dynamic business environments. (shrink)

Central to the discourse on the intentional structure of consciousness encompasses further forms of experience, for instance, the notion of one’s direct experience of others. In essence, one’s experience of others is materialized through intersubjective engagement which is fundamental in comprehending the relation of the Self and Other. Intersubjective engagement between the two cognizing subjects is evidently interactive negotiation of understanding, thus necessarily meditational. This paper will substantiate the meditational or reflective nature of intersubjective engagement with the phenomenology of self- (...) class='Hi'>projection, giving emphasis on the experience of the Self in relation to Others. The activity of self- projection onto others which is argued to take place through introspection, incorporates modes such as representation, simulation, imitation, empathic interaction and self-attribution. Furthermore, this paper will conclude intersubjectivity as an advent of joint construction of meaning and representation between the two cognizing subjects, thus, the collaborative endeavor of shared construction of meaning and representation is attained throughout the process. (shrink)

This study examines sustainable architectural design and project management strategies for climateresilient buildings in South-Eastern Nigeria using a qualitative research methodology. In the face of increasing climate challenges such as flooding, erosion, and rising temperatures, the region’s built environment demands innovative approaches that not only minimize environmental impacts but also enhance infrastructure resilience. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis with architects, project managers, policymakers, and community stakeholders. Such collaborative insights are critical to understanding the (...) complexities of adapting design practices to local environmental conditions. The analysis revealed that effective climate-resilient building strategies integrate sustainable materials, passive design principles, and adaptive project management practices. Stakeholders highlighted the importance of iterative design processes that incorporate feedback from the local context, as well as the need for robust policy support to enforce environmental standards. Furthermore, findings indicate that successful projects not only reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs but also promote occupant comfort and long-term sustainability. This research underscores that the integration of design innovation with efficient project management is essential for transforming traditional construction practices in the region. The study concludes by proposing a framework for incorporating sustainable design and adaptive management strategies into future building projects, aiming to inform policymakers, architects, and developers on best practices for resilient urban development in South-Eastern Nigeria. (shrink)

Abstract -/- Roko’s Basilisk is often treated as a novel ethical paradox arising from hypothetical future artificial intelligences. I argue instead that it formalizes a much older and more pervasive cultural failure mode: the projection of moral agency onto non-conscious representations, followed by the back-propagation of ethical judgment onto real human actors. This pattern appears repeatedly across fiction, gaming, media outrage, and contemporary AI discourse. Drawing on my prior work on recursive cognition, identity boundaries, and non-anthropomorphic system modeling, I (...) show that the Basilisk derives all of its coercive force from a single category error. Enforcing a minimal ontological constraint — that moral standing requires consciousness — dissolves the Basilisk and an entire class of related moral panics simultaneously. No defiance, counterfactual ethics, or speculative futures are required. Only correct bookkeeping. -/- ⸻ -/- 1. Framing the Claim -/- I am not interested in refuting Roko’s Basilisk by arguing about probabilities, future AI behavior, or moral bargaining across time. Those debates already accept the Basilisk’s core mistake. -/- My claim is simpler: -/- Roko’s Basilisk does not introduce a new pathology. It formalizes an existing one. -/- Specifically, it formalizes a recurring cultural habit of assigning moral agency to representations, abstractions, or systems that lack consciousness, and then using that imagined agency to exert ethical pressure on real people. -/- This habit long predates LessWrong, AI alignment discourse, or speculative superintelligences. Roko merely expressed it in a futurist dialect. (shrink)