This book makes a significant contribution to the standard decision theory, that is, the theory of choice built around the principle of maximizing expected utility, both to its causal version and to the more traditional noncausal approach. The author’s success in clarifying the foundations of the standard decision theory in general, and causal decision theory in particular, also makes the book uniquely suitable for a person whose research in philosophy has led her to want to learn about contemporary decision theory. (...) The book presupposes some mathematical sophistication, and it contains more philosophical and mathematical argumentation per page than may be suitable for an undergraduate level course; but it stands out as an ideal textbook for a graduate-level course focused on the foundations of the standard decision theory. (shrink)

Filozofię można nazwać „matką” naukowych teorii: czysto empirycznych i czysto matematycznych. Historia elektryczności i magnetyzmu ukazuje ważne jednoczenie się obu podejść. Unifikacja dokonująca się w nauce pozwala oczyszczać filozofię z mitycznych naleciałości, zaś nauce daje realistyczne odniesienie do świata, bez którego groziłby jej pusty formalizm. Omawiane tu problemy ukazują, że formy matematyczne są właściwą bazą dla nauki i przez to wskazują na filozoficzną, racjonalnie precyzyjną podstawę naszej rzeczywistości.

Fr. Roberto Busa was an Italian Jesuit. In this article his biography will briefly be presented, and some issues raised by his philosophy analyzed. Busa was known as a pioneer of computerized research in the humanities. With the support of IBM he constructed the Index Thomisticus, containing all the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. He believed that expressions of the human can be mathematically modeled. He was the originator of a specific conception of hypertext, in which logically structured programs are (...) able to challenge the general linguistic mode of thinking, in order to make better communication and understanding possible. However, Busa was also con- scious of the general ethical problems involved (Babel), and he hoped that the basic logic of objects could progress towards the truth of being. (shrink)

Filozofia elektryczności i magnetyzmu ma bardzo bogatą historię. Trudne do wytłumaczenia zjawiska elektryczne i magnetyczne nie poddawały się łatwo ujęciom racjonalny, tym naiwniej mówiono o nich na sposób fantastyczny, mityczny. W artykule omawiana jest pobieżnie historia opisu tych zjawisk, która doprowadziła do sformułowania pierwszych problemów filozoficznych. Dzisiejsza fizyka matematyczna dokonała unifikacji tych oddziaływań nie na podstawie zmysłowych intuicji „pierwotnych”, ale na podstawie matematycznego modelu. Zatem formy matematyczne i matematyczne struktury nie tylko stanowią właściwą bazę opisu naukowego, ale także wskazują na (...) filozoficzną podstawę naszej rzeczywistości. (shrink)

In the article some philosophical issues regarding the emergence of the modern cosmology are discussed. The mathematical field equations enabled for the first time in the history to set a cosmological problem as a physical one. The “power” of mathematics was not easy to be read by the pioneers of cosmology. Also the philosophical perspective on the Universe changed in front of this “power” expressed by Einstein and de Sitter in their models. In the paper we propose also some new (...) ideas related to the mathematics of cosmology as a physical science. (shrink)

In the article some philosophical issues regarding the emergence of the modern cosmology are discussed. The mathematical field equations enabled for the first time in the history to set a cosmological problem as a physical one. The “power” of mathematics was not easy to be read by the pioneers of cosmology. Also the philosophical perspective on the Universe changed in front of this “power” expressed by Einstein and de Sitter in their models. In the paper we propose also some new (...) ideas related to the mathematics of cosmology as a physical science. (shrink)

One can speak about mathematics too simplistically. On the one hand, school programs are such examples. On the other hand, the function of mathematics in elementary physics very much indicates the profound philosophical significance of mathematics: the author claims that mathematical language is a kind of command language, i.e. it is not just a description, but a control which has a specific power to manage the reality. This language has its proper hierarchy and structures which humans only are just starting (...) to understand and to use in basic ways, not without errors. Therefore some ethics regarding human mathematical thinking are needed: the affirmation of life. (shrink)

Paul Edwards' October 1989 essay, ‘Heidegger's Quest for Being’ illustrates the wisdom of the dictum that the only legitimate criticism of a philosopher's position is a constructive criticism. His negative critique amounts to no more than expressions of distaste, dislike, and displeasure, and nothing of philosophical interest follows from his assertions, as the discourse is primarily an argument ad hominem . He grossly misinterprets Heidegger on some elemental and fundamental matters as well. In particular, he sorely misinterprets what he refers (...) to as the ‘Quest for Being’, which only further contributes to the objectionable character of the essay. (shrink)

Attentional bias and emotion in older adults: Age-related differences in responses to an emotional Stroop task The purpose of the study was to examine whether older adults show an emotional interference effect in a Stroop task, and whether their RTs differ with regard to age, gender and tendencies of mood regulation. The sample consisted of 60 participants at the age from 65 to 85. Emotional version of Stroop task and the Mood Regulation Scales were used. The results showed no significant (...) differences in RTs to emotional and neutral words. Unexpectedly, a speeding effect was observed with the age of women. It appeared also that the effect of mood regulation tendencies was not significant for RTs. The last two effects are not consistent with the literature on cognitive and emotional aging. (shrink)

In Dystopia: A Natural History, Gregory Claeys observes that the collectivist ethos is one of the common features of both utopia and dystopia. The crucial difference is that in utopia cooperation is free and voluntary, whereas in dystopia it takes the form of what Leszek Kołakowski has called compulsory solidarity, that is, solidarity imposed by means of coercion and thus deprived of its actual value.1 And yet, just as dystopia and utopia may well be two sides of the same coin, (...) dystopian compulsory fraternity is often counterbalanced by voluntary cooperation within an actual social system or a textual representation thereof. This is precisely what happens in the social science fiction of Janusz A. Zajdel... (shrink)

These comments, on the paper by Branden Thornhill-Miller and Peter Millican 1 and on the critique of that paper by Janusz Salamon 2, divide into four sections. In the first two sections, I briefly sketch some of the major themes from the paper by Thornhill-Miller and Millican, and then from the critique by Salamon. In the final two sections, I provide some critical thoughts on Salamon’s objections to Thornhill-Miller and Millican, and then on the leading claims made by Thornhill-Miller (...) and Millican. I find much to commend, but also some things to dispute, in both papers. As is so often the way, I shall focus on areas of disagreement. (shrink)