Contemporary Theory Research Articles

Petrification in Contemporary Set Theory: The Multiverse and the Later Wittgenstein

Abstract This paper has two aims. First, we argue that Wittgenstein’s notion of petrification can be used to explain phenomena in advanced mathematics, sometimes better than more popular views on mathematics, such as formalism, even though petrification usually suffers from a diet of examples of a very basic nature (in particular a focus on addition of small numbers). Second, we analyse current disagreements on the absolute undecidability of CH under the notion of petrification and hinge epistemology. We argue that in contemporary set theory the usage of construction techniques for set-theoretic models in which the Continuum Hypothesis holds and those in which it fails have petrified into the normative demand that CH remain undecidable. That is, the continuous and successful practices involving the construction of various set-theoretic models now act as a normative hinge shared among practitioners, i.e., have normative force in the discipline. However, not all hinges are universal, which is why we find disagreements in set theory. We will show that this is a refinement of, and partially conflicts with, the arguments presented by set theorist Joel David Hamkins.

A Preliminary Study of the Relevance of Zhu You Shu and Narrative Medicine

Abstract Zhu You Shu (祝由术 a form of traditional Chinese spiritual healing) originated in ancient times and was extensively utilized in China. This paper illustrates the origin, concept and techniques of Zhu You Shu in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and explores the correlation between Zhu You Shu and the three focuses and three elements of narrative medicine. The elements of Zhu You Shu, such as Zhu Shuo Bing You (祝说病由 explanation the original cause of the disease) and Qing Zhi Xiang Sheng (情志相胜 generation and restraint of emotions) share fundamental similarities with narrative medicine. Based on the principles of Zhu You Shu and narrative medicine, the doctor engages in active listening and communication with the patient to establish a trusting relationship. Utilizing the Qing Zhi Xiang Sheng technique, the doctor seeks to understand and regulate the patient's psychological processes. By integrating psychological cues, the aim is to restore emotional balance and enhance the patient's emotional and mental well-being while fostering a lasting emotional bond and providing spiritual support. Zhu You Shu has the potential to enhance the clinical pathway of narrative medicine in TCM. Simultaneously, the progress of narrative medicine will offer more sophisticated contemporary medical theories to assist the advancement of Zhu You Shu.

Beyond Urban Hinterlands. Political Ecology, Urban Metabolism and Extended Urbanization in Medieval England

Drawing on insights from contemporary urban theory, this contribution questions where medieval urbanization took place. It is proposed that urbanization is a process which extends beyond towns and cities, which are merely a representation of a more expansive and transformative process. Through discussion of building stone, grain production, salt extraction, woodland management and mineral exploitation, it is argued that medieval urbanization was generative of political ecological relations which challenge prevailing understandings of the rural/urban divide and re-frame urbanization as a metabolic process. The discussion utilizes contemporary concepts of ‘extended urbanization’, ‘urban metabolism’ and ‘political ecology’ to re-frame perceptions of medieval–urban relations and the notion of urban hinterland.

The historical transformation of individual concepts into populational ones: an explanatory shift in the gestation of the modern synthesis.

In this paper, I will conduct three interrelated analyses. First, I will develop an analysis of various concepts in the history of biology that used to refer to individual-level phenomena but were then reinterpreted by the Modern Synthesis in terms of populations. Second, a similar situation can be found in contemporary evolutionary theory. While different approaches reflect on the causal role of developing organisms in evolution, proponents of the Modern Synthesis refrain from any substantial change by reinterpreting and explaining individual-level phenomena from a population perspective. Finally, I will approach these historical and contemporary debates by arguing for the statistical reading of natural selection, which holds that explanations by natural selection are statistical. My main conclusion is that the historical conceptual reinterpretations belong to a new explanatory strategy developed by the Modern Synthesis based on population thinking. Adopting the statistical point of view has three advantages for the issues discussed in this paper. First, understanding historical conceptual change as part of an explanatory shift fits with the emergence of population biology as a discipline that employs statistical methods. Second, concerning current debates in evolutionary biology, the statisticalist reading can validate the goal of both sides of the dispute. It ascribes an invaluable role to the population statistical explanation of the MS and also commends the study of developmental and organismal causes of adaptive evolution. Finally, the division of explanatory roles in evolutionary biology, embarrassed by statisticalism, can be related to the different interpretations that important biological concepts have undergone throughout history and contemporary biology, i.e., that the division of explanatory roles allows for a division of conceptual interpretations.

The Difference That Makes a Difference: Derrida, Peirce and Biosemiotics

In Of Grammatology Derrida called upon Charles Sanders Peirce as a partial ally in his ‘deconstruction of the transcendental signifier’. Here Derridean thought and biodeconstruction are brought into a comparative relation with contemporary Peircean biosemiotic theory. The discussion examines an intertwining of philosophical currents and trajectories that run through both Peirce and the philosophical hinterland of biosemiotics. What can be seen to emerge here is an evolution or transformation from idealism (the legacies of Hegel and Kant in Peirce and biosemiotic thought, respectively) to a novel configuration of relational realism. This configuration is, in turn, thought alongside Derridean notions of différance, arche-writing and generalized textuality. A productive dialogue is opened up between biodeconstruction and biosemiotics. The latter can be shown to complement the former, offering a realist, post-metaphysical theoretical framework and methodology for biology that has the potential to inform the activity and research of working biologists.

The Cognitive Order of Society: Radicalizing the Ontological Turn in Critical Theory

Investigating Habermas’s radicalization of the ontological turn in the philosophy of language that eventuated in his universal or formal pragmatics, this article finds that he has not pursued his avowed radicalization far enough. By contrast with his claim that due to its conceptual thrust his type of formal pragmatics is required over and above the empiricist approach to sharpen social analysis, it emerges that his three world-concepts are social-theoretically underspecified. The direction in which the proposed radicalization beyond Habermas is pursued is determined by the core assumption that the ontological properties at issue are of a cognitive nature. The central argument is therefore that the ontological turn in Critical Theory represented by Habermas needs to be cognitive-sociologically radicalized, the result of which is the introduction of the concept of the cognitive order of society. The unique ontological status of the cognitive order thus also needs explication. Finally, that the lack of this concept systematically leaves a conspicuous theoretical gap in contemporary Critical Theory is briefly indicated with reference to some recent key publications by Honneth and Forst and Günther.

Weird Ghosts of the Anthropocene: The Spectral Encounter in New Weird Fiction as a Conceptual Metaphor for Ecocritical Theory

In The Great Derangement, Amitav Ghosh links the reluctance of contemporary fiction to tackle the environmental crisis to the inadequacy of realism, with which Western “high” literature has been associated since the rise of the modern novel, to describe the “hyperobject” quality (Clark 140) of the Anthropocene. This paper argues that the genre labeled as New Weird, which strives to portray the Unheimlich, the eerie, or precisely the weird in our familiar reality, offers an answer to this aesthetic challenge, having found an especially powerful literary device in spectral encounters. In the works of New Weird author China Miéville, environmental concerns are often embodied by the encounter of human protagonists with the ghostly apparitions of non-human entities, from icebergs floating in the sky over London to a sunken oil platform re-emerging from the sea. A close reading of three stories from his collection Three Moments of an Explosion, “Polynia”, “Covehithe” and “Estate”, will show how Miéville’s portrayal of people’s behavior in encountering ‘weird’ spectral presences bear a specific ecological significance. This significance, which is common to many different authors of New Weird fiction, reverberates in the use of spectrality as a conceptual metaphor in contemporary ecocritical theory, thus corroborating the claim of this genre as the most productive for our historical times.

Teologi Islam dan Kosmologi: Penciptaan Alam Semesta Menurut Al-Qur'an, Konsep Multiverse, dan Hubungan Teori Evolusi dengan Ajaran Islam dalam Perspektif Sains Modern

The development of modern science, particularly in cosmology and evolutionary biology, raises questions about how Islamic theology can engage in dialogue with contemporary scientific theories such as the Big Bang theory, the multiverse concept, and the theory of evolution. The objective of this research is to explore Islamic theology and cosmology, focusing on the aspects of the Creation of the Universe according to the Qur'an, the Multiverse Concept, and the Relationship between Evolutionary Theory and Islamic Teachings from the perspective of modern science. The method used in this study is a Systematic Literature Review by analyzing previous relevant studies on Islamic theology and cosmology. The findings show a connection between Islamic theology and the science of the creation of the universe, the multiverse, and evolutionary theory. The Qur'an presents creation as the will of God, encompassing both physical and spiritual dimensions. The concept of the multiverse is acceptable as long as it does not contradict the oneness of God (tawhid), while the theory of evolution is understood as part of the divine plan. Dialogue between theology and science enriches our understanding of the cosmos and opens up opportunities for relevant interdisciplinary research.

THE EVENT: ON SCREEN, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

This article analyzes the feature film The Happening (Audrey Diwan, 2021) based on the journey and experiences of its protagonist, a young French woman in the 1960s who seeks a safe abortion despite living in a patriarchal context marked by oppression, condemnation of women's bodies, and violence. The aim is to relate the aesthetic, visual, and sound analysis to the current and urgent debate on women's reproductive rights, with an emphasis on abortion. The theoretical framework is anchored in contemporary feminist theory and criticism, especially Federici (2018) and Diniz (2020), and the methodology of film analysis is understood here as a recreation of the original narrative, an exercise that prioritizes passages and frames allied to interlocutions with the theme addressed.

A Singular Enlightenment: C. L. R. James, Anti-Colonialism, and Transatlantic Political Thought

This article formulates an original account of the Enlightenment through an interpretation of C. L. R. James’s The Black Jacobins, a landmark work of transatlantic anti-colonial thought. It defends a dialectical account of the Enlightenment as a singular transatlantic historical process whose content and critical import changes across space and time. In The Black Jacobins, James shows the Enlightenment’s revolutionary and emancipatory political legacy by staging the dialectic of the Enlightenment in a colonial situation defined by a slave-plantation economy. James illustrates the Enlightenment’s political legacy as a “concrete universal” that has particular and singular aspects, each with its own unique contours. In doing so, the article considers other themes at the center of both historical and contemporary political theory such as how to best conceptualize colonialism; the traveling and misplacement of Enlightened ideas; and the critical importance of the dialectical legacy and critical theory in these efforts.

Versatile video assignment improves undergraduates’ learning and confidence

This mixed methods study examines an explanatory video assignment designed to operationalize contemporary theory about cognition, metacognition, and inclusive teaching. This project grew from a professional learning community of post-doctoral teaching fellows who were involved in course redesign as part of a campus-wide active learning initiative. A team of pedagogical experts, teaching fellows, and faculty designed this video assignment to increase opportunities for students to share their perspectives while practicing a powerful learning strategy. Instructional teams implemented different versions of the video assignment in three courses across two departments. An experimental research component isolated the impact of the assignment on learning and confidence, and a mix of quantitative and qualitative analyses provided evidence about students’ experiences with the assignment. We found that students expressed learning and confidence gains beyond those due to typical course activities. Qualitative evidence suggested that students experienced the assignment as valuable for their learning and that the assignment enhanced self-expression. The assignment was effective in both face-to-face and remote settings, implemented either as a course requirement or extra-credit option. This versatile video assignment presents a practical way to enrich the student experience.

Indian philosophy as a precursor of the string theory of consciousness. Part 2

Introduction. The article examines the formation of the Ancient Indian philosophy and its connection to consciousness. The Indian philosophy has come a long way from its onset, in parallel with the Chinese and Ancient Greek philosophy. At the same time, the ideas of some of its branches and schools differ in a number of features. Purpose setting. By the example of the Sankhya school of philosophy, we have explored the evolution of the views of Ancient Indian philosophers on the evolution of the Universe, nature and man. We have put particular emphasis on the concept of consciousness.Methodology and methods of the study. In Sankhya system, the fundamental Prakriti and Purusha principles are identified. Other elements are supplementary. Ancient philosophers laid special emphasis on the three vibrating gunas. These are sattva, rajas, and tamas. We have revealed the functional connections between the gunas. The way they interact, in balance or dominance, determines the entire variety of material and spiritual processes. The evolution of the Universe in the Sankhya interpretation is close to the scientific theory of the Big Bang. The development of nature can be traced through the complication of atoms starting from the influence of a stimulus on unconscious chaos. The result of human evolution is the emergence of consciousness derivatives: intellect, mind and I (Ego). This allows better understanding of the behavioral characteristics of an existing personality. Yoga complements Sankhya system and makes it possible to transform consciousness in a number of states.Results. The analysis was carried out using scientific articles and monographs relatively unknown in the Russian press. Cognitive development occurs in a spiral. The scientific theory of strings appeared two and a half millennia after the emergence of the gunas concept. We have made a number of analogies between Ancient Indian gunas and contemporary string theory. And have substantiated the theory of consciousness not with quantum theory, but with a deeper string theory. The concept of consciousness is supported in line with the scientific paradigm of T. Kuhn. The leading ideas are the ideas about information of D. Chalmers and the physicist J. Wheeler.Conclusion. Thus, the phenomenon of consciousness has a silicon and biological basis. We insist on using the semantic concept of artificial consciousness instead of artificial intelligence. Therefore, between human consciousness and artificial consciousness there may be dangerous risks of dominance of the latter.

Liudijimo literatūros reikšmė žmogaus teisių sampratai

The paper analyses whether witness literature could supplement the existing discussion on the nature of human rights. Contemporary theories of human rights are divided into two main groups – ethical and political theories. The latter theories present different conception of human dignity which is the fundamental concept for the understanding of human rights. The author claims that witness literature, by virtue of its frequent focus on the issues of human dignity, can assist in evaluating the arguments presented by ethical and political theories, thus contributing to the ongoing discussion and to the better understanding of human rights.

Sovereignty across generations: The problem of divisive pluralism dismissed

The Rawlsian conception of constituent power in Alessandro Ferrara’s Sovereignty Across Generations is burdened by a deep contradiction that renders the central argument in the book highly questionable. On the one hand, Rawls is (correctly in my view) presented as the thinker that confronted contemporary political theory with the problem of divisive pluralism. On the other hand, Rawls is also presented (incorrectly in my view) as the thinker who then suddenly found a solution for this divisive pluralism in the ‘common values’ that all the members of these divisively pluralist societies share ‘unproblematically’. The combination of these two moves leaves one with the sense that Rawls rather frivolously put up the problem of divisive pluralism like a strawman that he could shoot down again without much ado. This article proposes a different reading of Rawls that considers him a serious thinker who did not amuse himself and his readers with strawman-problems. For this reading of Rawls, guidance is drawn from Hans Kelsen, the very thinker whom Sovereignty Across Generations casually dismisses for failing to grasp or appreciate the ‘common values’ that pluralist societies share so ‘unproblematically’.

Evolving Leadership Theories: Integrating Contemporary Theories for VUCA Realities

The present study examines the correlation between current leadership models and three key elements of contemporary society: the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, the rapid digital revolution occurring in our surroundings, and the emergence of the next generation within our organizations. This study presents a framework for successfully incorporating and applying several leadership paradigms in exploratory, reflective, and analytical operations. Effective leadership in the digital era necessitates the use of a variety of leadership styles. Companies must succeed in integrating into the varied and inclusive work environment required by modern society. Achieving the desired results requires not just the abandonment of past methods but also the commitment to applying “next practices”. The current leadership concepts should be in accordance with the prevailing working conditions and beliefs of the current employee and those of future employees. By adopting the viewpoint of the “next up”, existing leadership theories can better accommodate the emotional, historical, and intrinsically imperfect situations that present leadership usually perceives and utilizes to evaluate its activities. The complex structure of this study’s framework enables the use of a single, collaborative, robust leadership model to drive rapid and seamless digital transformation in both enterprises and the contexts that initiate and guide such changes. Furthermore, it enables the exploration of the possible benefits of this approach for both the leaders and team members who struggle with the complexity of these adjustments.

Attraction, Aversion, and Meaning in Life

Desire comes in two kinds: attraction and aversion. But contemporary theories of desire have paid little attention to the distinction, and some philosophers doubt that it is psychologically real. I argue that one reason to think there is a difference between the attitudes, and to care about it, is that attractions and aversions contribute in radically different ways to our well-being. Attraction-motivated activity adds to the good life in a way that aversion-driven activity does not. I argue further that the value of attraction-motivated activity is irreducible to the prudential value of pleasure or desire-satisfaction. Rather, it contributes in a distinctive way to the felt meaningfulness of life. In the end, I offer a hypothesis: when we are attracted to something, we see it as (noncomparatively) good; and it is only when we pursue the apparent good that we see ourselves as engaged with the type of value that makes our lives and the universe worth maintaining.

Ideology at Work? Rethinking Reproduction

The low value of reproductive labor, and the related “crisis of care,” are often attributed to gendered attitudes about work. This article traces this explanation to the attempted synthesis of Marxist and feminist theories of ideology in the 1970s and offers a sympathetic critique with implications for both contemporary theories of labor and the “new ideology critique.” It reconstructs the explanatory role of ideology in feminist analyses of unwaged housework and tracks its uptake in theories of “reproductive labor” more broadly, via what I call the “naturalization thesis.” While these analyses have been influential, I show that they do not provide a convincing account of either gender oppression or the low value of reproductive labor. I offer an alternative explanation for the latter rooted in labor processes and patterns of capital accumulation and argue for the reintegration of ideology critique with the critique of political economy.

A Case Study Applying a Framework of Contemporary Archival Theory to Lexicography Projects for Under-Resourced Languages

Archivy’s turn toward principles of inclusiveness and decolonization has been the topic of much recent scholarship (Cook, 2013; Lee, 2016). This ethical paradigm shift has been marked by an acknowledgment of the varied needs and desires of community stakeholders in archiving contexts, and ongoing efforts to explore the ways communities are participating in archiving their cultural heritage. There are parallels between this work and the preservation of endangered languages as one manifestation of cultural heritage although, traditionally, they are most readily observed in the domain of language archiving (Henke & Berez-Kroeker 2016; Wasson et al., 2016). This dissertation research initiates an exploration of community archiving principles that directly apply to lexicography (the creation of dictionaries). After conducting a rigorous scoping review of archival science literature and developing a framework of concepts from said literature that apply to lexicographic work, this research is pursuing a case study of four individual dictionaries for their respective languages (Frederick & Roeschley, 2024). Specifically, the case study aims to identify the extent to which the previously identified concepts of relationality and nontraditional conceptualizations apply to each dictionary project, the extent to which community archiving praxis is being utilized in each project, and the perceptions of each of the lexicographers regarding the applicability of the two aforementioned concepts to the scope of their work. An overarching goal of this research is to argue for enhanced collaboration and communication between two disciplines with similar histories and goals to create ethical and empowering outcomes for heritage communities.

A Cognitive -Semantic Study of Love Metaphor in Mawlawi Poems

This study is entitled "A Cognitive Semantic Study of Love Metaphor in Mawlawi Poems". It is an attempt to construe the semantic aspects of Mawlawi's poetic texts in light of the cognitive semantic approach. The study, through a linguistic and cognitive analysis, clarifies the way meaning is constructed in the selected poems. It adopts the theoretical framework proposed by the cognitive semantic theory of metaphor. That is, according to the cognitive theory of metaphor, it explores the metaphorization of LOVE in the selected poems. In cognitive approach to metaphor, an abstract concept named the target domain is understood in terms of another called the source domain (usually concrete). The source domain is a conceptual domain used metaphorically so as to understand the abstract target concept, i.e., the target domain is a conceptual domain interpreted through the source domain. The current study investigates the ways in which LOVE as an abstract target concept is construed in terms of other source conceptual domains. That is, the primary aim of the study is to scrutinize how LOVE is metaphorized in the poems, what are the source domains the poet relies upon so as to interpret the target domain of LOVE. In other words, what are the more concrete conceptual source domains that are metaphorically used in order to comprehend the abstract target concept of LOVE? Accordingly, the recent study is mainly concerned with conceptualization (the way LOVE is conceptualized) which is the cognitive processes of meaning-making. This means that, it illuminates meaning construction process in Mawlawi literature. The study first provides a brief introduction to Cognitive Linguistics and then the nature of meaning in cognitive semantic approach is highlighted. Following this, the cognitive approach to metaphor is presented. The last section is devoted to elucidating the metaphorical structuring of LOVE in Mawlawi's poems based on the contemporary theory of metaphor.

Embodied and Contextual Intelligence: Towards a Policy Framework for Higher Education

This article explores the diverse epistemic perspectives on intelligence, tracing its conceptual evolution across early Indian philosophy, Western philosophical thought and contemporary computational theories. Intelligence is examined as a dynamic, multifaceted phenomenon that transcends mere cognition, extending into embodied, ecological and meta-intelligent domains. The discussion juxtaposes traditional views—where intelligence is seen as a divine or innate quality, a product of sagacious prudence, or a computational system—with more contemporary understandings that emphasize the role of context, embodiment and ecological interaction. Through a critique of pancomputationalism and an exploration of the non-computable aspects of intelligence, the article argues for a more holistic view that recognizes intelligence as an adaptive, contextually grounded and evolutionarily emergent property.