The appearance of nuclear weapons suddenly made the extinction of humanity a distinct possibility. In view of this obverse side of scientific progress, attitudes toward science in the general population became ambivalent, at times bordering on hostility. It is argued that to a great extent the scientists themselves are responsible for the tarnished image of science. Accordingly they should restore science to its role of furthering human welfare and, above all, as a source of enlightenment. In our age enlightenment entails (...) emancipating humanity from superstitions generated by the cooptation of science in the service of power. (shrink)

In relating the problem of comparison to that of conceptualization, Dr. Sjoberg brings into focus a central methodological problem of social science. For to compare is to discover unity in diversity and differences among similarities, that is, to uncover structure. The first act in this process is to name the parts and the relations among them, and naming, of course, both stems from and induces conceptualizations.

Let us begin by proposing a sort of common denominator of the various conceptions of rationality, some feature that underlies practically all its definitions.

Almost anyone seriously interested in decision theory will name John von Neumann's (1928) Minimax Theorem as its foundation, whereas Utility and Rationality are imagined to be the twin towers on which the theory rests. Yet, experimental results and real-life observations seldom support that expectation. Over two centuries ago, Hume (1739–40/1978) put his finger on the discrepancy. “Reason,” he wrote “is, and ought to be the slave of passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey (...) them.” In other words, effective means to reach specific goals can be prescribed, but not the goals. A wide range of experimental results and daily life behavior support this dictum. (shrink)

It remains to summarize the contributions which each of the three disciplines discussed here is making toward the development of a science of man. "Significs" makes a study of the effects on human behavior of the linguistic aspects of the evaluative process, the most distinctly human aspect of the behavior of the human organism. "Mathematical Biophysics" seeks to describe the events associated with evaluative processes in physico-mathematical terms. "Cybernetics" is discovering important invariants common to these processes and others, particularly those (...) observed in man-made machines and in situations which lend themselves to description in thermo-dynamic or statistical (order -- chaos) terms. (shrink)

It remains to summarize the contributions which each of the three disciplines discussed here is making toward the development of a science of man. "Significs" makes a study of the effects on human behavior of the linguistic aspects of the evaluative process, the most distinctly human aspect of the behavior of the human organism. "Mathematical Biophysics" seeks to describe the events associated with evaluative processes in physico-mathematical terms. "Cybernetics" is discovering important invariants common to these processes and others, particularly those (...) observed in man-made machines and in situations which lend themselves to description in thermo-dynamic or statistical terms. (shrink)

Originally used to decipher the 1950s nuclear stalemate, the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” might reveal how resources are unfairly distributed today.

Vladimir Lefebvre's mathematical model of cognitive reflexion, together with applications; plus thirteen evaluations by relevant authorities. Lefebvre's chapter is an algebraic description of a special hypothetical -processor-, intrinsic to in humans, that models the self and others. The model's -predictions- of personality constructs, culture conflicts, musicological scales and quantum models are presented, together with experimental confirmations. Most of the critics (Jack Adams-Webber, William Batchelder, Konstantin Bogatyrew, Louis Kauffman, Victorina Lefebvre, L.B. Levitin, Ernest McClain, Anatol Rapoport, Richard Sacksteder, Frederick (...) Turner, Harvey Wheeler and Robert Zajonc) are favorable. Some offer different interpretations and propose modifications.". (shrink)

En 1981 dio a conocer Axelrod el planteamiento y los resultados de un torneo entre programas de computadora mediante el cual intentó fijar cuál es la mejor estrategia para jugar al Dilema del Prisionero iterado. Cada programa codificó una estrategia. La estrategia ganadora, según Axelrod, fue la conocida como Tit for Tat, codificada por el programa presentado por Anatol Rapoport.El trabajo de Axelrod es experimental. Por tanto, ha de ser posible su repetición por cualquiera. Este ensayo es un (...) estudio de algunos aspectos de dicho experimento. En primer lugar, de los conceptos de «torneo tipo liga» y «ganador de un torneo tipo liga». En segundo lugar, de los resultados de someter a análisis la tabla 2 de Axelrod. (shrink)