In this paper, we review the history of quasicrystals from their sensational discovery in 1982, initially “forbidden” by the rules of classical crystallography, to 2011 when Dan Shechtman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. We then discuss the discovery of quasicrystals in philosophical terms of anomalies behavior that led to a paradigm shift as offered by philosopher and historian of science Thomas Kuhn in ‘The Structure of Scientific Revolutions’. This discovery, which found expression in the redefinition of the concept (...) crystal from being periodically arranged to producing sharp peaks in the Bragg diffraction pattern, is analyzed according to the Kuhn Cycle. We relate the quasicrystal revolution to the non-Euclidean geometry revolution and argues that since “great minds think alike” there is a diffusion of ideas between scientific revolutions, or a resonance between different disciplines at different times. The story behind quasicrystals is an excellent example of a paradigm shift, demonstrating the nature of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Journal of the History of Ideas 67.4 (2006) 713-734 MuseSearchJournalsThis JournalContents[Access article in PDF]India and the Identity of Europe: The Case of Friedrich Schlegel 1Chen Tzoref-Ashkenazi University of HeidelbergAbstractThis paper examines Friedrich Schlegel's conception of an Oriental Renaissance through the study of ancient India. In his book Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier Schlegel compared his project of Sanskrit studies to the Humanistic Renaissance, but in practice (...) hoped the study of India would reverse the modernizing effects of the original Renaissance. His study of India was aimed at a redefinition of European and German cultural and national identities rather than broadening the horizons of Europe to a global perspective."If only Indian studies could find such cultivators and patrons as in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries suddenly kindled in Italy and Germany an ardent appreciation of Greek studies, and in so short a time achieved so much that the reawakened knowledge of antiquity changed and rejuvenated wisdom and science, indeed one could even say the world itself. Not less grand and universal, I dare to assert, would be the effect of Indian studies even now, if it were seized with similar force and introduced into the circle of European learning." 2 [End Page 713]These enthusiastic words were used by Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829) to recommend the study of Indian literature to the readers of his 1808 Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier. 3 In this book, Schlegel offered the fruits of his studies of Sanskrit and Indian literature, which began in Paris in 1803. Here he introduced to the educated public of Continental Europe the theory about the affinity of Sanskrit to Greek, Latin and German, twenty-two years after this theory, which is now called "the Indo-European relationship," was presented by Sir William Jones to the members of the Asiatick Society in Calcutta. The presentation of this linguistic relationship, together with a call to study languages by a historical-comparative method, comprised the first part of the book. The second part dealt with Indian philosophy, which according to Schlegel, belonged to the tradition of all Oriental philosophy. The third part suggested how the study of Indian literature might benefit the study of history in general. Central to this view was the speculation that Indian civilization had emigrated to Europe, supported by the linguistic affinity between Sanskrit and European languages.The recommendation in the quotation above was well received. The publication of Schlegel's book excited the intellectual community of continental Europe, and, by 1809, large parts of the book had appeared in French translation. 4 The most important outcome of this excitement was the arrival of Franz Bopp and August Wilhelm Schlegel, Friedrich's elder brother, in Paris to study Sanskrit. The excitement stirred by Schlegel's book reflected the growing interest in India and the East among European intellectuals. This was a very complex process that was a product of Europe's growing colonial power in Asia but was also a part of the modernization of European thought. Interest in India swelled during the last third of the eighteenth century, as the British were becoming the dominant power in the subcontinent and began collecting, analyzing, and distributing information on Indian civilization, mainly through the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, which was established by William Jones in 1783 under the patronage of the Governor-General Warren Hastings. 5 [End Page 714]What interested European intellectuals most about the ancient cultures of India and other oriental countries, was what they could learn about the ancient religions of these countries. The region from Egypt to India was thought to be the "cradle of humanity," with various thinkers believing the "Urheimat" to be in another center of oriental civilization, be it Egypt, Mesopotamia or Persia. India became popular with the publication of John Holwell's Interesting Historical Events Relating to Bengal in 1765, 6 which was the main source for Voltaire's ideas on India. 7 Statements concerning the nature of Hinduism became important... (shrink)

Ḥelek 2. Toroto shel Rabenu bi-lesh. ha-ḳ. ... maʼamarim shonim be-Idish ... sheʼelot u-teshuvot ba-ʻavodat ha-Sh. yit ... shivḥo shel tsadiḳ.

The correct understanding of the Qurʾān verses is possible by examining the concepts in them linguistically and revealing the meaning they express in the integrity of the Qurʾān. The verb “h-m-m” is one of these concepts. This verb has been used as sulasi mucerred in a total of seven verses in Āl-i 'Imrān 3/122, al-Nisāʾ 4/113, al-Māʾidah 5/11, at-Tawba 9/13, 74, Yūsuf 12/24, al-Mu'min 40/5. In our study, the aforementioned verses in which the verb “h-m-m” is used, have been examined (...) through the sources of tafsir and based on the meaning of the mentioned word in the unity of the Qurʾān, the verse of "Woman had tend to him. He also tended to the woman. If he had not seen the proof of his Lord. This is what We did to drive away evil and immorality from him. Surely, he is one of Our sincere servants." (Yūsuf 12/24) has been analyzed. First of all, information about the verb “h-m-m” was given within the scope of the conceptual framework, then it was emphasized that in which verses the related verb is used and how it can be considered within the context of the verse in Yūsuf Surah and narrations about revelation reasons of this verse. In the context of the relevant verse, the views in the "Manar Tafsir" have been handled separately since it differs from almost all commentaries in terms of approach. Although it is examined how the relevant verse in Yūsuf Surah is handled in the Bible, this aspect of the subject has not been mentioned because it will not contribute to our study and because of the limited structure of the article. In the handling of our subject, as a method, the integrity of the Qurʾān within the scope of the verb “h-m-m”, the narrations about the revelation reasons and the context of the verse were taken as basis. The aim of our study is to reveal what is meant by the verb “h-m-m” in the mentioned verse, based on the uses of the verb in the Qurʾān and considering the context of the relevant verse and narrations about its revelation reasons. In this context, it can be said that the verb “h-m-m” in the relevant verse of Yūsuf Surah means to decide and attempt an attack in connection with sexual impulses. (shrink)

ABSTRACTCurrent theoretical approaches suggest that mathematical anxiety manifests itself as a weakness in quantity manipulations. This study is the first to examine automatic versus intentional processing of numerical information using the numerical Stroop paradigm in participants with high MA. To manipulate anxiety levels, we combined the numerical Stroop task with an affective priming paradigm. We took a group of college students with high MA and compared their performance to a group of participants with low MA. Under low anxiety conditions, participants (...) with high MA showed relatively intact number processing abilities. However, under high anxiety conditions, participants with high MA showed higher processing of the non-numerical irrelevant information, which aligns with the theoretical view regarding deficits in selective attention in anxiety and an abnormal numerical distance effect. These results demonstrate that abnormal, basic numerical process... (shrink)

It is evident that the Ottoman state made radical reforms to overcome the crises it had fallen in various fields, especially since the Tanzimat era. In this context, the preparation and codification of “Majalla-i Ahkām-i Adliyya” is undoubtedly one of the most important events of both the Ottoman legal history and the history of Islamic law. It is not a whole and complete civil law since it mainly covers debts, partly property and judicial /procedural law. “Munākahāt ve Mufārakāt” subjects corresponding (...) especially to the field of family law and the related law articles are not included in Majalla. The work that forms the basis of our paper was written precisely to fill this gap. The work in the nature of translation and commentary of Kadri Pasha’s book, al-Ahkām al-shar'iyya fi al-Ahvāl al-shahsiyya, which is a draft law, was born out of the need for a compact text on family law. It is also a response to the criticisms in his era towards the Islamic Family Law verdict. Its preparation about twenty years before the Family Law Decree is also a helpful clue in analyzing the nature of the work. In addition to translation, Hasan Riza strives to make the marriage contract, the responsibilities of the spouses, divorce, lineage and alimony subjects understandable, and to respond to the criticisms on these issues. When his effort is evaluated together with the religiously referenced commentary he made to Qānūn-i Asāsī, it can be described as the proof of the accuracy of the family law judgment, especially in the classical fiqh literature, and the defense of the conformity of these provisions to intact human nature. While this article mainly examines the nature of this work, it also aims to describe the criticism issues that the author’s era produced regarding the jurisprudence. The eight blurbs (taqrīz) at the beginning of the work are indicative in this regard. Bureaucratic and scientific relations and controversial issues on the agenda can be understood from these blurbs. In these blurbs, some references are made to the feminist movement along with the observations concerning the status of women. When approaches handled here are combined with the informtion as to the historical roots and the phases of feminist movement, it would be possible to reach the intellectual memory of that period. Determination and analysis of Darguzīnī’s identity and status is an indispensable requirement of this study. (shrink)

Bu çalışmamızda Kur’an’da ifadesini bulan tufan, çekirge, haşere, kurbağa ve kan ayetleri ile onların karşılığı olarak Tevrat’ta aktarılan kan, kurbağa, sivrisinek/bit, sinek/böcek, veba/sığır hastalığı, çıban, dolu, çekirge, karanlık ve ilk doğanların ölümü belaları ; rivâyetler, Tevrat verileri ve bilimselci yaklaşım ekseninde ele alınmıştır. Çalışmamızda, Kur’an’da firavun ve âline karşı Hz. Musa’ya dokuz ayet verildiğinden bahsedilmesine binaen bu mucizelerin neler olduğunun ortaya konulması ve ilgili ayet, rivayetler ve Tevrat’taki verilerin tekâbüliyet, nedensellik, tutarlılık, kozmik-büyüsel algı ve bilimsel veriler ekseninde değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu (...) doğrultuda ilk olarak tefsir kaynaklarımızda dokuz ayetin neler olabileceğine dair ortaya konulan görüşler hakkında bilgi verilmiş ve tarafımızca da değerlendirmede bulunulmuştur. Ayrıca rivâyetler ile Tevrat’taki verilerin tekābüliyeti hususunda gerek ayetteki ilgili lafızların anlamsal çerçevesi gerekse bilimsel veriler üzerinden tarafımızca fikir yürütülmüş, söz konusu veriler; nedensellik ve tutarlılık gibi farklı açılardan değerlendirilmiştir. Konuyla ilgili olarak Doğu’da bilimselci yaklaşımların yok denecek kadar az olmasına bağlı olarak Batılı araştırmacıların Tevrat’taki veriler üzerinden geliştirdikleri bilimselci yorumlar üzerinde durulmuştur. Bu çerçevede dış faktör olarak Ege Denizi’ndeki Thera yanardağının patlaması üzerinde, iç faktör olarak da Mısır’da muhtemelen gerçekleşmiş olan tabii olaylar üzerinde durulmuştur. (shrink)

Çalışmamızda Kur’ân’da izzet ve mülk kavramlarının nasıl bir üslupla sunulduğu ve tefsir kaynaklarımızda izzet ve mülkün elde edilme keyfiyetine nasıl yaklaşıldığı hususu ele alınmıştır. Bu kapsamda mülk ve izzetin teminine dair âyetler incelenmiş, Fâtır sûresinin 10. âyeti ise diğer âyetlere nispetle daha ayrıntılı biçimde ele alınmıştır. Zikri geçen âyetin çalışmanın merkezinde olmasına bağlı olarak konuyla ilgili kavramsal çerçeveye söz konusu âyetteki kavramlar da dâhil edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda izzet, mülk, amel, sâlih ve kelime kavramları makalenin sınırlı alanı kapsamında incelenmiştir. Sözü edilen (...) kavramlar incelenirken genel bir çerçeve çizildikten sonra makaledeki teze destek olacak anlam çerçevesi üzerinde yoğunlaşılmıştır. Ele alınan kavramların pek çok çalışmada ele alınmasına binaen söz konusu kaynaklara da değinilmiş fakat sözlükler ve tefsirlerdeki açıklamalar esas alınmıştır. Kavramsal çerçeveden sonra izzet ve mülkün temini hususunda ilâhî meşîet ve ilâhî yasalar eksenindeki anlayışlara yer verilmiştir. Çalışmanın son kısmında özellikle Fâtır sûresinin zikri geçen âyeti ve sâlih amel kavramı çerçevesinde konuyla ilgili tarafımızca değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Bu değerlendirmelerde âyetlerin vakıa üzerinden tefsir edilmesi anlayışı ve tefsir kaynaklarında bu anlayışı yansıtan yaklaşımlar benimsenmiştir. (shrink)