Download or read book Carving Nature at Its Joints written by Joseph Keim Campbell and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-10-28 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reflections on the metaphysics and epistemology of classification from a distinguished group of philosophers. Contemporary discussions of the success of science often invoke an ancient metaphor from Plato's Phaedrus: successful theories should "carve nature at its joints." But is nature really "jointed"? Are there natural kinds of things around which our theories cut? The essays in this volume offer reflections by a distinguished group of philosophers on a series of intertwined issues in the metaphysics and epistemology of classification. The contributors consider such topics as the relevance of natural kinds in inductive inference; the role of natural kinds in natural laws; the nature of fundamental properties; the naturalness of boundaries; the metaphysics and epistemology of biological kinds; and the relevance of biological kinds to certain questions in ethics. Carving Nature at Its Joints offers both breadth and thematic unity, providing a sampling of state-of-the-art work in contemporary analytic philosophy that will be of interest to a wide audience of scholars and students concerned with classification.
Download or read book Nature in Wood written by George Lehman and published by Fox Chapel Publishing Company Incorporated. This book was released on 1991 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nature in Wood is a title by Fox Chapel Publishing
Download or read book Thinking About Statistics written by Jun Otsuka and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-30 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simply stated, this book bridges the gap between statistics and philosophy. It does this by delineating the conceptual cores of various statistical methodologies (Bayesian/frequentist statistics, model selection, machine learning, causal inference, etc.) and drawing out their philosophical implications. Portraying statistical inference as an epistemic endeavor to justify hypotheses about a probabilistic model of a given empirical problem, the book explains the role of ontological, semantic, and epistemological assumptions that make such inductive inference possible. From this perspective, various statistical methodologies are characterized by their epistemological nature: Bayesian statistics by internalist epistemology, classical statistics by externalist epistemology, model selection by pragmatist epistemology, and deep learning by virtue epistemology. Another highlight of the book is its analysis of the ontological assumptions that underpin statistical reasoning, such as the uniformity of nature, natural kinds, real patterns, possible worlds, causal structures, etc. Moreover, recent developments in deep learning indicate that machines are carving out their own "ontology" (representations) from data, and better understanding this—a key objective of the book—is crucial for improving these machines’ performance and intelligibility. Key Features Without assuming any prior knowledge of statistics, discusses philosophical aspects of traditional as well as cutting-edge statistical methodologies. Draws parallels between various methods of statistics and philosophical epistemology, revealing previously ignored connections between the two disciplines. Written for students, researchers, and professionals in a wide range of fields, including philosophy, biology, medicine, statistics and other social sciences, and business. Originally published in Japanese with widespread success, has been translated into English by the author.
Download or read book Carving Cypress Knees written by Carole Jean Boyd and published by Fox Chapel Publishing Company Incorporated. This book was released on 2005 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noted carvers and authors Carole Jean Boyd and Jack A. Williams bring you the ultimate resource for unlocking the whimsical characters and wood spirits from within one of nature's most unique woods: cypress knees.
Download or read book Natural and Artifactual Objects in Contemporary Metaphysics written by Richard Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-10 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is an object? How do we look at them? Why do they matter? This collection presents a lively, timely discussion of natural and artifactual objects, considering the relationship between them from a range of philosophical perspectives, including the philosophy of biology, the metaphysics of space and the philosophy of perception. Beginning from the starting point that natural objects are bona fide, endowed with some natural border between themselves and everything else, while artifactual objects depend on the observation of tacit conventions and may include the ordinary objects of everyday life, this volume explores, contextualises and interrogates objects. Contributors discuss a variety of objects including physical, scientific and mental ones, as well as things that appear to question the limits of object-hood, including holes, Quinean 'posits' and language. The very first collection to address this growing topic within analytic philosophy, Natural and Artifactual Objects in Contemporary Metaphysics represents a highly original work, showcasing some of the most important and influential philosophers working in Europe today.
Download or read book Inductive Inference and Its Natural Ground written by Hilary Kornblith and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hilary Kornblith presents an account of inductive inference that addresses both its metaphysical and epistemological aspects. He argues that inductive knowledge is possible by virtue of the fit between our innate psychological capacities and the causal structure of the world. Kornblith begins by developing an account of natural kinds that has its origins in John Locke's work on real and nominal essences. In Kornblith's view, a natural kind is a stable cluster of properties that are bound together in nature. The existence of such kinds serves as a natural ground of inductive inference.Kornblith then examines two features of human psychology that explain how knowledge of natural kinds is attained. First, our concepts are structured innately in a way that presupposes the existence of natural kinds. Second, our native inferential tendencies tend to provide us with accurate beliefs about the world when applied to environments that are populated by natural kinds.
Download or read book Classic Carving Patterns written by Lora S. Irish and published by Taunton. This book was released on 1997 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A treasury of classic wood patterns and techniques for creative woodworking embellishment. Woodcarving artist Lora Irish gives carvers, woodburners and painters a wide variety of designs they can transfer directly to projects or use to develop ideas of their own. Themes include natural patterns such as grapes, oak leaves and acorns, animals like lions and eagles, and intricate floral and fantasy designs. 180 drawings.
Download or read book Little Book of Whittling Gift Edition written by Chris Lubkemann and published by Fox Chapel Publishing. This book was released on 2018-07-10 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whittle away the hours! Now available in a handsome new hardcover gift edition, this friendly guidebook features 18 step-by-step whittling projects for knives, forks, birds, animals, trees, flowers, and more. Also includes chapters on proper whittling tools and materials, what woods are best to carve, and how to start projects by selecting and safely sharpening the best knife for each project.
Download or read book Natural Kinds and Classification in Scientific Practice written by Catherine Kendig and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume of 13 new essays aims to turn past discussions of natural kinds on their head. Instead of presenting a metaphysical view of kinds based largely on an unempirical vantage point, it pursues questions of kindedness which take the use of kinds and activities of kinding in practice as significant in the articulation of them as kinds. The book brings philosophical study of current and historical episodes and case studies from various scientific disciplines to bear on natural kinds as traditionally conceived of within metaphysics. Focusing on these practices reveals the different knowledge-producing activities of kinding and processes involved in natural kind use, generation, and discovery. Specialists in their field, the esteemed group of contributors use diverse empirically responsive approaches to explore the nature of kindhood. This groundbreaking volume presents detailed case studies that exemplify kinding in use. Newly written for this volume, each chapter engages with the activities of kinding across a variety of disciplines. Chapter topics include the nature of kinds, kindhood, kinding, and kind-making in linguistics, chemical classification, neuroscience, gene and protein classification, colour theory in applied mathematics, homology in comparative biology, sex and gender identity theory, memory research, race, extended cognition, symbolic algebra, cartography, and geographic information science. The volume seeks to open up an as-yet unexplored area within the emerging field of philosophy of science in practice, and constitutes a valuable addition to the disciplines of philosophy and history of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Download or read book How To Book of Christmas Carving written by Editors of Woodcarving Illustrated and published by Fox Chapel Publishing. This book was released on 2023-08-29 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ·A collection of more than 40 all-time favorite Christmas carving projects from the last decade of Woodcarving Illustrated ·Features step-by-step instructions, coordinating photography, insightful tips, and ready-to-use patterns ·Projects range across all carving styles and include original patterns for reindeer, snowmen, elves, and penguins, plus an entire Santa section ·Patterns and projects contributed by today's leading carving experts, including Dave Stetson, Dwayne Gosnell, Carol Leavy, Russell Scott, Sara Barraclough, Betty Padden, Tom Hindes, Nikki Reese, and many others
Download or read book Easy Wood Carving for Children written by Frank Egholm and published by . This book was released on 2018-08-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Swiss Army Knife Whittling Book, specially designed for children.
Download or read book A Metaphysics of Psychopathology written by Peter Zachar and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2014-03-28 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of what it means to think about psychiatric disorders as “real,” “true,” and “objective” and the implications for classification and diagnosis. In psychiatry, few question the legitimacy of asking whether a given psychiatric disorder is real; similarly, in psychology, scholars debate the reality of such theoretical entities as general intelligence, superegos, and personality traits. And yet in both disciplines, little thought is given to what is meant by the rather abstract philosophical concept of “real.” Indeed, certain psychiatric disorders have passed from real to imaginary (as in the case of multiple personality disorder) and from imaginary to real (as in the case of post-traumatic stress disorder). In this book, Peter Zachar considers such terms as “real” and “reality”—invoked in psychiatry but often obscure and remote from their instances—as abstract philosophical concepts. He then examines the implications of his approach for psychiatric classification and psychopathology. Proposing what he calls a scientifically inspired pragmatism, Zachar considers such topics as the essentialist bias, diagnostic literalism, and the concepts of natural kind and social construct. Turning explicitly to psychiatric topics, he proposes a new model for the domain of psychiatric disorders, the imperfect community model, which avoids both relativism and essentialism. He uses this model to understand such recent controversies as the attempt to eliminate narcissistic personality disorder from the DSM-5. Returning to such concepts as real, true, and objective, Zachar argues that not only should we use these metaphysical concepts to think philosophically about other concepts, we should think philosophically about them.
Download or read book Carving Out a Living on the Land written by Emmet Van Driesche and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2019 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When he first envisioned becoming a farmer, author Emmet Van Driesche never imagined his main crop would be Christmas trees, nor that such a tree farm could be more of a managed forest than the conventional grid of perfectly sheared trees. Carving Out a Living on the Land tells the story of how Van Driesche navigated changing life circumstances, took advantage of unexpected opportunities, and leveraged new and old skills to piece together an economically viable living, while at the same time respecting the land's complex ecological relationships. From spoon carving to scything, coppicing to wreath-making, Carving Out a Living on the Land proves that you don't need acres of expensive bottomland to start your land-based venture, but rather the creativity and vision to see what might be done with that rocky section or ditch or patch of trees too small to log. You can lease instead of buy; build flexible, temporary structures rather than sink money into permanent ones; and take over an existing operation rather than start from scratch. What matters are your unique circumstances, talents, and interests, which when combined with what the land is capable of producing, can create a fulfilling and meaningful farming life.
Download or read book Intrinsically Motivated Learning in Natural and Artificial Systems written by Gianluca Baldassarre and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-29 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has become clear to researchers in robotics and adaptive behaviour that current approaches are yielding systems with limited autonomy and capacity for self-improvement. To learn autonomously and in a cumulative fashion is one of the hallmarks of intelligence, and we know that higher mammals engage in exploratory activities that are not directed to pursue goals of immediate relevance for survival and reproduction but are instead driven by intrinsic motivations such as curiosity, interest in novel stimuli or surprising events, and interest in learning new behaviours. The adaptive value of such intrinsically motivated activities lies in the fact that they allow the cumulative acquisition of knowledge and skills that can be used later to accomplish fitness-enhancing goals. Intrinsic motivations continue during adulthood, and in humans they underlie lifelong learning, artistic creativity, and scientific discovery, while they are also the basis for processes that strongly affect human well-being, such as the sense of competence, self-determination, and self-esteem. This book has two aims: to present the state of the art in research on intrinsically motivated learning, and to identify the related scientific and technological open challenges and most promising research directions. The book introduces the concept of intrinsic motivation in artificial systems, reviews the relevant literature, offers insights from the neural and behavioural sciences, and presents novel tools for research. The book is organized into six parts: the chapters in Part I give general overviews on the concept of intrinsic motivations, their function, and possible mechanisms for implementing them; Parts II, III, and IV focus on three classes of intrinsic motivation mechanisms, those based on predictors, on novelty, and on competence; Part V discusses mechanisms that are complementary to intrinsic motivations; and Part VI introduces tools and experimental frameworks for investigating intrinsic motivations. The contributing authors are among the pioneers carrying out fundamental work on this topic, drawn from related disciplines such as artificial intelligence, robotics, artificial life, evolution, machine learning, developmental psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. The book will be of value to graduate students and academic researchers in these domains, and to engineers engaged with the design of autonomous, adaptive robots. The contributing authors are among the pioneers carrying out fundamental work on this topic, drawn from related disciplines such as artificial intelligence, robotics, artificial life, evolution, machine learning, developmental psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. The book will be of value to graduate students and academic researchers in these domains, and to engineers engaged with the design of autonomous, adaptive robots.
Download or read book Elucidating Law written by Julie Dickson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-05-12 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the aims of legal philosophy? Which questions should it seek to address? How should legal philosophers approach and engage with their subject-matter, and what constraints are incumbent on them as they do so? What are the criteria of success of theories of law, and how do we know if they have been met? Can there be progress in legal philosophy? In Elucidating Law, Julie Dickson addresses these and other questions concerning the methodology, or the philosophy, of legal philosophy and offers her own distinctive response to them. The book advocates that legal philosophers should espouse an approach that Dickson terms 'Indirectly Evaluative Legal Philosophy.' This distinctive approach can facilitate legal philosophers' understanding of aspects of the nature of law, whilst avoiding prematurely or inappropriately regarding law as inherently morally valuable. Law is a powerful, systemic, and institutionalized social tool. It should be understood in a manner appropriate to its character.
Download or read book The New Laws of Psychology written by Peter Kinderman and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2014-07-17 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This controversial new book describes how human behaviour - thoughts, emotions, actions and mental health - can be largely explained if we understand how people make sense of their world and how that framework of understanding has been learned. In this ground-breaking book, Peter Kinderman, presents a simple, but radical new model of mental well-being. Published following the publication of the new edition of the controversial, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the author challenges notions such as 'mental illness' and 'abnormal psychology' as old-fashioned, demeaning and invalid, and argues that diagnoses such as 'depression' and 'schizophrenia' are unhelpful. Kinderman argues that one consequence of our current obsession with a medical approach to human well-being and distress, is that human problems are too often merely diagnosed and treated, rather than understood. Written by an expert in his field, and accessible to all those interested in and affected by mental health issues, The New Laws of Psychology will change the way we define mental illness forever.
Download or read book Woodcarving Illustrated Issue 78 Spring 2017 written by Editors of Woodcarving Illustrated and published by Fox Chapel Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-28 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Spring 2017 issue of the world's best how-to magazine for woodcarvers is packed with patterns, techniques, tips, and projects for all skill levels. Meet the father/daughter team of Nairi & Larisa Safaryan, and see how they use an indescribable technique to create utterly unique art. Randall Stoner, a lifelong fan of fantasy novels, captures his favorite tales in wood. Ralph Beam shows how to build your own carver's frame that leaves both hands free for carving. A clever geometrical design and careful carving turn Bill Johnson's flat plate into a chip-carved optical illusion. Other projects include a textured panda cub, a folk art chess set, a comical elephant hanging hook, and a keepsake rose made from scrap wood. Discover new techniques for lino print blocks, low-relief portraits, coloring book patterns, and much more!
