Mathematics, nature and cryptography: Insights from philosophy of information

One influential image that is popular among scientists is the view that mathematics is the language of nature. The present article discusses another possible way to approach the relation between mathematics and nature, which is by using the idea of information and the conceptual vocabulary of cryptography. This approach allows us to understand the possibility that secrets of nature need not be written in mathematics and yet mathematics is necessary as a cryptographic key to unlock these secrets. Various advantages of such a view are described in this article.

The Problem of Implementation and its Relation to the Philosophy of Cognitive Science

According to certain arguments, computation is observer-relative either in the sense that many physical systems implement many computations (Hilary Putnam), or in the sense that almost all physical systems implement all computations (John Searle). If sound, these arguments have a potentially devastating consequence for the computational theory of mind: if arbitrary physical systems can be seen to implement arbitrary computations, the notion of computation seems to lose all explanatory power as far as brains and minds are concerned. David Chalmers and B. Jack Copeland have attempted to counter these relativist arguments by placing certain constraints on the definition of implementation. In this thesis, I examine their proposals and find both wanting in some respects. During the course of this examination, I give a formal definition of the class of combinatorial-state automata , upon which Chalmers s account of implementation is based. I show that this definition implies two theorems (one an observation due to Curtis Brown) concerning the computational power of combinatorial-state automata, theorems which speak against founding the theory of implementation upon this formalism. Toward the end of the thesis, I sketch a definition of the implementation of Turing machines in dynamical systems, and offer this as an alternative to Chalmers s and Copeland s accounts of implementation. I demonstrate that the definition does not imply Searle s claim for the universal implementation of computations. However, the definition may support claims that are weaker than Searle s, yet still troubling to the computationalist. There remains a kernel of relativity in implementation at any rate, since the interpretation of physical systems seems itself to be an observer-relative matter, to some degree at least. This observation helps clarify the role the notion of computation can play in cognitive science. Specifically, I will argue that the notion should be conceived as an instrumental rather than as a fundamental or foundational one.

Philosophy as a Path to Happiness : Attainment of Happiness in Arabic Peripatetic and Ismaili Philosophy

The aim of the dissertation is to explore the idea of philosophy as a path to happiness in classical Arabic philosophy. The starting point is in comparison of two distinct currents between the 10th and early 11th centuries, Peripatetic philosophy, represented by al-F��r��b�� and Ibn S��n��, and Ismaili philosophy represented by al-Kirm��n�� and the Brethren of Purity. They initially offer two contrasting views about philosophy in that the attitude of the Peripatetics is rationalistic and secular in spirit, whereas for the Ismailis philosophy represents the esoteric truth behind revelation. Still, they converge in their view that the ultimate purpose of philosophy lies in its ability to lead man towards happiness. Moreover, they share a common concept of happiness as a contemplative ideal of human perfection, which refers primarily to an otherworldly state of the soul s ascent to the spiritual world. For both the way to happiness consists of two parts: theory and practice. The practical part manifests itself in the idea of the purification of the rational soul from its bodily attachments in order for it to direct its attention fully to the contemplative life. Hence, there appears an ideal of philosophical life with the goal of relative detachment from the worldly life. The regulations of the religious law in this context appear as the primary means for the soul s purification, but for all but al-Kirm��n�� they are complemented by auxiliary philosophical practices. The ascent to happiness, however, takes place primarily through the acquisition of theoretical knowledge. The saving knowledge consists primarily of the conception of the hierarchy of physical and metaphysical reality, but all of philosophy forms a curriculum through which the soul gradually ascends towards a spiritual state of being along an order that is inverse to the Neoplatonic emanationist hierarchy of creation. For Ismaili philosophy the ascent takes place from the exoteric religious sciences towards the esoteric philosophical knowledge. For Peripatetic philosophers logic performs the function of an instrument enabling the ascent, mathematics is treated either as propaedeutic to philosophy or as a mediator between physical and metaphysical knowledge, whereas physics and metaphysics provide the core of knowledge necessary for the attainment of happiness.

Poetics of the Nameless Middle : Japan and the West in Philosophy and Music of the Twentieth Century

This study investigates the affinities between philosophy, aesthetics, and music of Japan and the West. The research is based on the structuralist notion (specifically, on that found in the narratology of Algirdas Julius Greimas), that the universal grammar functions as an abstract principle, underlying all kinds of discourse. The study thus aims to demonstrate how this grammar is manifested in philosophical, aesthetic, and musical texts and how the semiotic homogeneity of these texts can be explained on this basis. Totality and belongingness are the key philosophical concepts presented herein. As distinct from logocentrism manifested as substantializations of the world of ideas , god or mind, which was characteristic of previous Western paradigms, totality was defined as the coexistence of opposites. Thus Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, D��gen, and Nishida often illustrated it by identifying fundamental polarities, such as being and nothing, seer and seen, truth and illusion, etc. Accordingly, totality was schematically presented as an all-encompassing middle of the semiotic square. Similar values can be found in aesthetics and arts. Instead of dialectic syntagms, differentiated unity is considered as paradigmatic and the study demonstrates how this is manifested in traditional Japanese and Heideggerian aesthetics, as well as in the aspects of music of Claude Debussy and T��ru Takemitsu.

Proofs, Paradoxes, and Probabilities : The Logical Turn of Philosophy in Finland

This monograph describes the emergence of independent research on logic in Finland. The emphasis is placed on three well-known students of Eino Kaila: Georg Henrik von Wright (1916-2003), Erik Stenius (1911-1990), and Oiva Ketonen (1913-2000), and their research between the early 1930s and the early 1950s. The early academic work of these scholars laid the foundations for today's strong tradition in logic in Finland and also became internationally recognized. However, due attention has not been given to these works later, nor have they been comprehensively presented together. Each chapter of the book focuses on the life and work of one of Kaila's aforementioned students, with a fourth chapter discussing works on logic by authors who would later become known within other disciplines. Through an extensive use of correspondence and other archived material, some insight has been gained into the persons behind the academic personae. Unique and unpublished biographical material has been available for this task. The chapter on Oiva Ketonen focuses primarily on his work on what is today known as proof theory, especially on his proof theoretical system with invertible rules that permits a terminating root-���rst proof search. The independency of the parallel postulate is proved as an example of the strength of root-first proof search. Ketonen was to our knowledge Gerhard Gentzen's (the 'father' of proof theory) only student. Correspondence and a hitherto unavailable autobiographic manuscript, in addition to an unpublished article on the relationship between logic and epistemology, is presented. The chapter on Erik Stenius discusses his work on paradoxes and set theory, more specifically on how a rigid theory of definitions is employed to avoid these paradoxes. A presentation by Paul Bernays on Stenius' attempt at a proof of the consistency of arithmetic is reconstructed based on Bernays' lecture notes. Stenius correspondence with Paul Bernays, Evert Beth, and Georg Kreisel is discussed. The chapter on Georg Henrik von Wright presents his early work on probability and epistemology, along with his later work on modal logic that made him internationally famous. Correspondence from various archives (especially with Kaila and Charlie Dunbar Broad) further discusses his academic achievements and his experiences during the challenging circumstances of the 1940s.

Relook into the historical progress and philosophy of Indian space exploration

A study of the history and philosophy of the contribution of India towards the exploration of space since antiquity provides interesting insights. The contributions are described during the three periods namely: (1) the ten millenniums from 10,000 BC with a twilight period up to 900 AD; (2) the ten centuries from 900 AD to 1900 AD; and (3) the ten decades from 1900 AD to 2000 AD; called mythological, medieval, and modern respectively. Some important events during the above periods provide a reference view of the progress. The Vedas during the mythological period and the Siddhantas during the medieval periods, which are based on astronomical observations, indicate that the Indian contribution preceded other cultures. But most Western historians ignore this fact time and again in spite of many proofs provided to the contrary. This chapter also shows that Indians had the proper scientific attitude of developing any physical theory through the triplet of mind, model, and measurements. It is this same triplet that forms the basis of the present day well known Kalman filter technique. Up to about 1500 BC the Indian contribution was leading but during foreign invasion and occupation it lagged and has been improving only after independence.

Simplifica����o do regime jur��dico do pequeno empres��rio: an��lise do projeto de lei complementar n�� 210/2004

An��lise do projeto de lei complementar n�� 210, de 2004, de iniciativa do poder executivo, que institui regime tribut��rio, previdenci��rio e trabalhista especial �� microempresa com receita bruta anual de at�� R$36.000,00 e d�� outras provid��ncias.

A reforma (im)poss��vel : uma an��lise da resist��ncia parlamentar �� proposta de reforma pol��tica apreciada pela C��mara dos Deputados sob a forma do Projeto de Lei n�� 1.210/2007

Analisa as raz��es da rejei����o da proposta de ado����o de listas partid��rias preordenadas fechadas, componente da reforma pol��tica expressa no Projeto de Lei n�� 1.210/2007. Apresenta e avalia os seguintes motivos : diverg��ncia quanto ao diagn��stico dos problemas institucionais do pa��s; incerteza quanto aos impactos da reforma na possibilidade pessoal de reprodu����o eleitoral; preocupa����o casu��stica com as elei����es presidenciais de 2010; perda de vantagens pessoais que det��m com as regras atuais.

Di��rio da Constituinte [grava����o de v��deo] : [programa n. 210 A]

O Presidente da CONTAG Jos�� Francisco defende a emenda popular da Reforma Agr��ria no Plen��rio da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (ANC). O Presidente da Sociedade Rural Brasileira Fl��vio Teles Menezes defende a emenda dessa entidade, que prev�� a desapropria����o apenas das terras n��o produtivas. Jos�� Mendon��a (PFL-PE) relata que a imiss��o de posse �� uma viola����o ao direito de cada cidad��o de defender a sua propriedade. O Deputado Renato Johnson (PMDB-PR) explica que a imiss��o de posse pode concretizar uma arbitrariedade contra o propriet��rio rural, cuja propriedade �� produtiva. O representante da CUT Valdir Ganzer informa que �� contra o pagamento em dinheiro no caso de terras desapropriadas que n��o est��o cumprindo sua fun����o social. O Presidente da Associa����o Brasileira de Imprensa (ABI) Barbosa Lima Sobrinho defende o monop��lio estatal do petr��leo e deseja o fim dos contratos de risco. Um dos temas que mais tem recebido emendas �� o do sistema de governo. O Deputado Expedito Machado (PMDB-CE) deseja o presidencialismo, com um Poder Legislativo forte. O Deputado M��rio Assad (PFL-MG) acredita que o parlamentarismo tem dado bons resultados em pa��ses evolu��dos e que o presidencialismo �� gerador de crises. O Deputado Jorge Leite (PMDB-RJ) define-se como presidencialista, porque o parlamentarismo exigiria partidos fortes. O Deputado Brand��o Monteiro (PDT-RJ) afirma que o mundo caminha para novas formas de governo que busquem uma realidade mais pr��xima do funcionamento harm��nico e aut��nomo dos poderes. O Senador Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB-SP) considera que chegou o momento de deixar de lado os preconceitos e experimentar o parlamentarismo.

Di��rio da Constituinte [grava����o de v��deo] : [programa n. 210]

O prazo de entrega para emendas ao substitutivo foi adiado. O Presidente da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (ANC), Deputado Ulysses Guimar��es explica que o prazo foi estendido para o consenso nas quest��es pol��micas. Apresenta����o do novo cronograma de trabalho da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte. Constituintes querem que um plebiscito popular aprove a nova Carta. O Deputado Gastoni Righi (PTB-SP) informa que �� invi��vel um plebiscito de toda a Constitui����o. O Deputado Jos�� Geno��no (PT-SP) e o Senador Carlos Chiarelli (PFL-RS) defendem a consulta popular em rela����o aos temas pol��micos. O Deputado M��rio Covas (PMDB-SP) �� favor��vel a um referendo de toda a Constitui����o e pensa que, al��m da escolha do sistema de governo, o tempo de mandato presidencial tamb��m poderia fazer parte de um plebiscito. Debate das emendas populares que pedem a manuten����o do sistema SESI/SESC/SENAI/SENAC. O Vice-presidente da FIESP Carlos Eduardo Moreira declara que �� contra a estatiza����o dessas entidades. Albano Franco (PMDB-SE), Presidente da CNI e Senador, confia na aprova����o da emenda popular.