This paper presents the Constraint Language for Lambda Structures(CLLS), a first-order language for semantic underspecification thatconservatively extends dominance constraints. It is interpreted overlambda structures, tree-like structures that encode -terms. Based onCLLS, we present an underspecified, uniform analysis of scope,ellipsis, anaphora, and their interactions. CLLS solves a variablecapturing problem that is omnipresent in scope underspecification andcan be processed efficiently.

In this article, I present a novel approach to the scientific understanding of consciousness. It is based on the hypothesis that the full range of phenomenal qualities is built into the frequency spectrum of a ubiquitous background field and proceeds on the assumption that conscious systems employ a universal mechanism by means of which they are able to extract phenomenal nuances selectively from this field. I set forth that in the form of the zero-point field (ZPF) physics can offer a (...) promising candidate that is qualified for playing the dual role as both the carrier of energy and consciousness. The appropriate mechanism, which rests upon the principle of dynamical coupling of ZPF modes, is a unique feature of quantum systems, suggesting that the dividing line between conscious and non-conscious systems is defined by the differentiation between quantum systems and classical systems. The presence of this mechanism in the brain is supported by the neurophysiological body of evidence, leading to a consistent explanation of the dynamical properties of the neural correlates of consciousness. Building on these findings, I lay the foundations for the conceptually coherent integration of consciousness into the physical worldview, derive an indicator for the quantity of consciousness of a given system, and outline the further steps toward a theory of consciousness. (shrink)

Excerpt from Die Entwicklung des Bewusstseinsbegriffes im XVII. Und XVIII. Jahrhundert Dunkelheit der Perzeptionen. Perceptions sans appet ception. Grunde für deren Annahme. Wesen der Apperzeption. Arten der Perzeptionen. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, (...) an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. (shrink)

Change happens to us. It's measured in gains or losses: you find a spouse or lose a loved one; you receive a promotion or lose a job. Change happens around us. It's marked by natural and social factors: a good harvest, a natural disaster; an economic boom, a stock market plunge. Change is initiated by us. It's weighed by its outcome: you make a decision that improves your life; you make a choice that shatters your dreams. Transitional tides-whether personal or (...) cultural-can bring on stress, confusion, and even panic. Only a small percentage of people respond to change in truly effective ways. Yet how we deal with change determines whether it will ultimately be a positive or negative force in our lives. Best-selling author Dr. Myles Munroe explains how we can tap into the positive power of change-no matter what the source of that change-enabling us to thrive while fulfilling our God-given purposes in life. (shrink)

Five Unpublished Letters by Friedrich Nietzsche. Five unpublished letters by Nietzsche to Louise Röder-Wiederhold, as well as an unknown letter (draft) from her own hand suggest that Nietzsche’s negative judgment of her, which has dominated biographical Nietzsche research up to now, was anything but definitive and can be strongly relativized. The new documents also prove that Röder-Wiederhold was not only a temporary “secretary” for Nietzsche, but also an intellectual and humorous, interested, compassionate and independent-thinking correspondence partner, even if she did (...) not enter into a closer friendship with him. What particularly connected the two and remained an almost constant theme of their correspondence was the difficult life situation of their mutual friend, the unsuccessful composer Heinrich Köselitz, and how one could help him to get access to orchestras and opera stages in German-speaking countries which might perform his works. (shrink)

In his essay “Peter’s Denial,” René Girard draws a parallel between mimesis and Martin Heidegger’s concept of being-with. In this essay I explore this parallel through a third, intermediate term—addiction—on the assumption that living in a world governed by mimesis, according to Girard, and living in the modus of Mitsein, according to Heidegger, can both be characterized as a kind of addiction. The clarification of the parallel between mimesis and Mitsein through this intermediate term may contribute to a better understanding (...) of a central concept of Heidegger’s philosophy and, at the same time, bring into view the philosophical dimension of Girard’s mimetic theory. In my conclusion I propose Levinas’s ethical approach as a possible cure to the addiction to mimesis and being-with. (shrink)

A new and thorough investigation of Leibniz's calculator has been carried out. When Burkhardt investigated the calculating machine between 1894 and 1896 he concluded that it could never have functioned since the multiple decimal carrying mechanism was defective. Burkhardt overlooked, however, the fact that the two phases of the adding process are to a great extent independent of each other. By means of a reconstruction it has now been proved that Leibniz's calculator was completely functional.

Apres avoir établi et soumis à la revision les élements communs aux hypothèses de l’émergence connues jusqu’à présent, l’auteur tient compte de la possibilité de concilier l’émergence, considérée comme un processus particulier de la création dans la vie, avec le déterminisme. II cherche à rendre vraisemblable l’hypothèse que dans le monde vivant, à côté des lois préétablies telles que les a mises en lumière CI. Bernard, sont valides des lois « émergentes ». Le « réseau déterministe » grandit en quelque (...) sorte. C’est la possibilité de ces lois nouvelles, non celle de faits nullement déterminés, qui distingue ce « déterminisme » particulier. (shrink)

1. Bd. Individualstrukturen in der Rechtsordnung.

A. L. Kroeber, who together with C. Kluckhohn wrote a now classical review of the concept of culture (1958), claimed that the most significant accomplishment of anthropology in the first half of the twentieth century was the extension and clarification of the concept of culture. In the book mentioned they analyzed about 300 different definitions of the concept. In a critical review of Kroeber's and Kluckhohn's book their colleague L. A. White contests Kroeber's claims and writes: “On the contrary, I (...) believe that confusion has increased as conceptions of culture have been multiplied and diversified” (1954, p. 461). (shrink)

Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist der anthropologische Personenbegriff Heinrichs von Gent (vor 1240-1293). Die zentrale These lautet, Heinrich entwickele zwar keine geschlossene Theorie der menschlichen Person, verbinde aber ganz verschiedene philosophische Kontroversen seiner Zeit inhaltlich durch eine bestimmte Perspektive auf den Menschen in seinem Verhältnis zu Gott auf der einen Seite und der Natur auf der anderen Seite miteinander. Vor diesem Hintergrund widmet sich der Autor Heinrichs Beitrag zu den Fragen nach dem Prinzip der Individuation, der Ewigkeit der Welt sowie dem (...) Verhältnis von Verstand und Wille. Im Zentrum der Darstellung steht hierbei jeweils, wie Heinrich zu seiner Positionierung unter Rückgriff auf verschiedene Autoritäten ein Konzept entwickelt, hinter dem eine scharfe Grenzziehung zwischen den Bereichen Gott, Mensch und Natur steht. Die Bestimmung dessen, wie der Mensch einerseits aus reinen Naturkategorien herausgehoben wird, wie zugleich aber vermieden werden muss, den Menschen selbst zu Gott werden zu lassen oder Gott in denselben Strukturen wie die von ihm geschaffene Natur zu verstehen, verknüpft Heinrich von Gent immer wieder mit dem Begriff Person. Sich als Person gegenüber Naturkausalitäten frei verhalten zu können, begründet für Heinrich die Würde einer Person. Die philosophiehistorisch angelegte Studie zeigt durch die direkte Auslegung der Quellentexte auf, wie Heinrich von Gent eine solche Position entwickelt: Einerseits durch Rückgriff auf verschiedene Traditionen und andererseits in Auseinandersetzung mit anderen Denkern seiner Zeit, allen voran Thomas von Aquin. (shrink)

Classical aesthetics cherishes the image of a self‐contained author who expresses himself by creating a work of art. This definition is markedly challenged by authors who create their work in co‐operation with a congenial partner. Twin authors are a rare phenomenon but they show that it is possible to split up a literary project and to write novels in tandem. In 1997 I approached some joint authors, questioning them on their common experience, on the distribution of their work load and (...) the harmonisation of the style and content of their novels, as well as the individual steps of production. The material I accumulated was complemented by investigations on late writers such as the brothers Goncourt and the double author Ellery Queen.The project made it evident that twin authors display a number of common features which are characteristic of their trade. All authors asked reported that writing in tandem required a pervasive internal harmony and mutual calculability. A close personal relationship appears to be vital, in the sense that the partners complement each other in their skills and views. When they assemble the material for their plots, most twin authors draw on journalistic research rather than on inspiration and empathy. Their novels normally appeal to a down‐to‐earth taste and avoid digressions into poetry or copious descriptions of feelings and moods. (shrink)

What we mean when we use the word ‘nature’ critically affects design culture. Since nature has many different interpretations, the following lexicon is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of the word’s etymology or usage by designers. Instead, I offer ten archetypical perspectives of nature that can help designers and non-designers alike clarify the different, sometimes overlapping, sometimes conflicting ways in which we understand the fundamental relationships between humans and our environment.

The paper first defines palliative treatment and distinguishes it from symptomatic treatment. Then, the palliative situation is delineated as inseparably linked to the finitude of human life. Given the objectives of palliative treatment — responding to symptoms, damage to the patients' self-image, and the proximity of death — a subjective concept of disease is described, that is regarded as the focus of palliative treatment. The essence of the concept of disease is analysed as the patient's experience with a tendency of (...) reduction of her or his vitality. Palliative medicine is shown not to be symptom-oriented, but disease — directed as other domains of medicine. Implications and practical consequences, especially the status of objective findings, of this concept are discussed and therapeutic opportunities in the palliative situation reconsidered. (shrink)