Earlier Theories Research Articles

Leaven of Dough, Ferment of Gold: The Breadmaking Analogy in Medieval Metallic Transmutation

This paper traces the analogy between the making of bread with ferment (leaven or yeast) and theories of metallic transmutation throughout the Middle Ages. For this purpose it surveys several medieval alchemical writings, including Hortulanus’s influential Commentary on the Emerald Tablet. In this work, the ferment, an essential ingredient of the philosophers’ stone, is portrayed less as an active agent and more as the passive, nutritive earth (terra nutrix) which combines with the soul (anima) in order to yield the stone (lapis). I argue that the background of these theories has both a practical and a medical-theoretical dimension. The practical aspect derives from historical everyday practices of making bread from sourdough, and using old yeast “starter” as a kind of inoculum to speed up the fermentation of a new batch of fresh dough. The medical-theoretical framework for the understanding of ferment action was likely provided by the widely influential Galenic idea of whole substance action (Gr. καθ᾽ὅλην τὴν οὐσίαν, Lat. tota substantia), initially developed by Galen in pharmacology and later imported into alchemy via Arabic medicine. Together, these aspects converge into a successful model of “inoculation-emergence,” which underlies many medieval and early modern theories of fermentation, both medical and alchemical.

Борьба против идеализма в квантовой химии в СССР и дискуссии XXI в.

At the end of the last century and at the beginning of this century, a number of historical and methodological papers was published on the ideological and political campaigns that took place in the USSR in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This article continues this historical and scientific line. It examines an ideological attack on one of the early quantum chemical theories, the theory of resonance, which took place in Soviet science in the 1949–1951’s (more broadly, the expression “antiresonance campaign” can be rewritten as follows: “a campaign to fight against idealism in quantum chemistry” or “the struggle for ideological correctness of Soviet quantum chemistry”), provides an overview of the literature on the history of criticism of chemical and physical theories in the course of these ideological and political campaigns and highlights two ideological dominants of these campaigns: the struggle against physical idealism and the struggle against so-called cosmopolitanism. It is noted that the anti-resonance campaign followed other ideological, or better to say ideological-political, events conducted by the leadership of the Soviet Union. The campaign is also interesting as a cultural phenomenon of the late Stalinist era with its bizarre symbiosis of scientific, rational and mystical values. It allows us to better understand the situation in Soviet natural science, which used ideological rhetoric and nevertheless retained creative potencies, as well as why quantum chemistry, which included the theory of resonance, was not defeated like genetics, why it, having lost pace of development, was preserved as a scientific area.

‘The Private is Political’. The Problem of the Private/Public Divide in the Light of Feminist Theory of the Second Half of the 20th Century

Starting from the slogan ‘The Private is Political’, resounding in the American women’s liberation movement, a feminist critique of the separation of the private (domestic/family) sphere and the public sphere, in its early modern form, is presented. The private sphere, with women assigned to it, is, on the grounds of early modern political theory, outlawed from the rules deemed to apply to the public world, and impregnated from sound analysis and possible reform. The separation of the private and the political masks the interdependence between the two spheres and serves to legitimise gender inequality. Feminist theory problematizes this divide and reveals the complex interplay between private and public. Two themes stand out in the analysis: the subsumption of women under the family based on liberal theories of the social contract, and the idealisation of the domestic sphere, imagined as an emotional and moral refuge, in opposition to the public world, marked by egoism and impersonality. This construction serves an ideological function, reinforcing the separation attributing women to the home and family.

Measuring Adaptive Intelligence of the Gifted Through Critical Problem Analysis

ABSTRACT Procedures for identifying the gifted often make use of tests of general intelligence, among other assessments. Robert J. Sternberg recently suggested that identification of the gifted should further involve assessment of what he refers to as adaptive intelligence—the ability to adapt to real-world environments. Such a conception of intelligence is consistent with that of early theorists of intelligence, such as Alfred Binet and David Wechsler, and also fits in with more recent ecological approaches to intelligence. This article presents a first attempt at measuring adaptive intelligence in the gifted and presents the results of two exploratory studies measuring the construct.

Editorial

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The roles of language and executive function in Mandarin-speaking children's theory of mind development.

Research has indicated that language and executive function relate closely to first-order false belief reasoning, yet their roles in second-order false belief reasoning are under-explored, and their interplay in theory of mind development remains obscure. This study assessed 160 Mandarin-speaking preschoolers' and early primary schoolers' language, executive function, and theory of mind abilities to examine the unique roles and interplay of language and executive function in first-order and second-order false belief reasoning. Results showed that language significantly uniquely predicted the children's first-order as well as second-order false belief reasoning when controlling for the effects of age and executive function. Although executive function significantly predicted first-order FB reasoning when controlling for age, it was no longer a significant predictor of first-order FB reasoning when language was included in the model. However, executive function played a significant unique role in second-order FB reasoning when controlling for the effects of age and language. The current findings suggest that language plays a greater role than executive function in Mandarin-speaking children's theory of mind development and the contributors to theory of mind development vary in different levels of false belief reasoning.

Mechanisms of whole body, respiratory, acid-base buffering: a first computer-model test of three physicochemical, acid-base theories.

Acid-base disorders are currently analyzed and treated using a bicarbonate-centered approach derived from blood studies prior to the advent of digital computers, which could solve computer models capable of quantifying the complex physicochemical nature governing distribution of water and ions between fluid compartments. An alternative is the Stewart approach, which can predict the pH of a simple mixture of ions and electrically charged proteins; hence, the role of extravascular fluids has been largely ignored. The present study uses a new, comprehensive computer model of four major fluid compartments, based on a recent blood model, which included ion binding to proteins, electroneutrality constraints, and other essential physicochemical laws. The present model predicts quantitative respiratory acid-base buffering behavior in the whole body, as well as determining roles of each compartment and their species, particularly compartmental electrically charged proteins, largely responsible for buffering. The model tested an early theory that H+ was conserved in the body fluids; hence, when changing Pco2 states, intracellular buffering could be predicted by net changes in bicarbonate and protein electrical charge in the remaining fluids. Even though H+ is not conserved in the model, the theory held in simulated respiratory disorders. Model results also agreed with a second part of the theory, that ion movements between cells and interstitial fluid were linked with H+ buffering, but by electroneutrality constraints, not necessarily by some membrane-related mechanisms, and that the strong ion difference (SID), an amalgamation of ionic electrical charges, was approximately conserved when going between equilibrium states caused by Pco2 changes in the body-fluid system.NEW & NOTEWORTHY For the first time, a physicochemically based, whole body, four-compartment, computer model was used to study respiratory whole body acid-base buffering. An improved approach to quantify acid-base buffering, previously used by this author, was able to determine contributions of the various compartmental fluids to whole body buffering. The model was used to test, for the first time, three fundamental theories of whole body acid-base homeostasis, namely, H+-conservation, its linkage to ion transport, and strong ion difference conservation.

The return of the king’s two bodies: liberal arguments for the moderating powers of monarchy in post-revolutionary France and Portugal*

ABSTRACT Arguments analogous to those found in the late medieval theory of the king’s two bodies, popularized by Ernst Kantorowicz, were resurrected in early nineteenth-century constitutional theories of the moderating powers of monarchy. Post-revolutionary French liberal thought, echoed by its Portuguese counterpart, rediscovered the virtues of the institution of royalty, notably the immaterial and immortal body of the king. This rediscovery was prompted by the uncertainties of different national political contexts which made many contemporaries believe it desirable to integrate restored monarchies within modern constitutional models for state stability. This first occurred with the Bourbons’ return to post-Napoleonic France and the restoration of the monarchy in 1814, and then with the Braganza royal family’s return to Portugal in 1821 after thirteen years of rule from Brazil. Using arguments similar to those previously made in late medieval European political and legal thought, French and Portuguese liberals developed a theory of the king’s two powers, according to which the monarch at once exercised a moderating power, defined by the abstract institutional nature of the king’s person, and an executive power, embodied within his physical person. This conceptualization of royal duality was intended to make it possible to delegate executive power to ministers, leaving the king only the attributes of a largely symbolic power. Liberals thereby hoped to confine the monarch to his purely institutional body in a de-politicized constitutional role.

Testing a sequential path analysis from early complex trauma to regulation of psychological needs

Classical and contemporary theoretical approaches emphasize that significant events during childhood have important implications throughout life regarding developmental psychopathology and psychological health. Previous research has shown significant associations between early complex trauma, affective temperament, and maladaptive parenting with symptomatology. However, how trauma experiences are amplified and/or augmented and how they impact the regulation of psychological needs remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aims to explore a sequential path model from early complex trauma to psychological needs with multiple mediators. Data were collected from a convenience sample (N = 644) who responded to several questionnaires in a cross-sectional design. Early complex trauma correlated positively with early maladaptive schemas and affective temperament. A significant sequential path model showed that early complex trauma is related to difficulties in the regulation of psychological needs, with significant contributions from affective temperament, maladaptive parenting, and early maladaptive schemas. Results support the notion that several variables may mediate relationships between trauma experiences and the regulation of psychological needs. Implications for the development of an integrative early disorder determinants theory are discussed.

Az apaszerep funkciói és az engedelmesség foka a kora újkori államelméletekben

In the early modern theories of the state, thinking about governance started from the idea of body politic, through the introduction of passions and the family, to the patriarchal theory of the state, in which the monarch governs the people as a family as head of the family. To the head of the family, like to the monarch, the members of the family, like the people, owe obedience according to the laws of nature. The family has become the interpretative framework for the description of society, in which the monarch, by right of his supremacy, has been transformed into the head of the family. At the same time, the concept of the head of the family has undergone a significant change. The change in the role of the father has been accompanied by a change in the content of obedience as well.

Gas Sorption Characterization of Porous Materials Employing a Statistical Theory for Bethe Lattices.

In the present work, a recently developed statistical theory for adsorption and desorption processes in mesoporous solids, modeled by random Bethe lattices, has been applied to obtain pore size distributions and interpore connectivity from sorption isotherms in real random porous materials, employing a robust and validated methodology. Using the experimental adsorption-desorption N2 isotherms at 77.4 K on Vycor glass, a porous material with random pore structure, we demonstrate the solution of the inverse problem resulting in extracted pore size distribution and interpore connectivity, notably different from the predictions of earlier theories. The results presented are corroborated by the analysis of 3D digital images of reconstructed Vycor porous glass, showing excellent agreement between the predictions of geometric analysis and the new statistical theory.

Tracing the Origins of an Anthropic Vitrified Structure with “Pre-Bleached with Blue LED” Thermoluminescence Dating: The Enigmatic Serravuda Hilltop Fortification in Calabria, Italy

The Serravuda site on a hill near Acri, Calabria in Italy was discovered in 1970. The site presents a unique vitrified lithoid structure. Early theories speculated on its vitrification, ranging from forest fires to extraterrestrial impacts. The structure consists of vitrified Paleozoic rock fragments forming a 45-m-long wall, possibly once extending further. Analysis suggests that humans transported these fragments for construction, with subsequent partial vitrification occurring due to high temperatures from wood combustion. Thermoluminescence dating, using the innovative “Pre-bleached with Blue LEDs” protocol, indicates origins between the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, aligning with settlement periods in the region. Fading studies were conducted to correct the error in the age data due to signal loss. The scenario suggests that the vitrification of the structure may have been a consequence of human utilization of timber for construction, with combustion resulting from random events such as forest fires or lightning strikes. This description has remarkable similarities with to those proposed for Iron Age vitrified forts in Northern Europe, suggesting that Serravuda could be seen as a precursor to such forts. Moreover, this prompts intriguing inquiries into the origins and evolution of Nordic engineering techniques focused on fire utilization in construction.

Experimental and numerical investigation of shelf flow crossing over a strait

Motivated by the phenomenon of Scotian Shelf Crossover events, the problem of a shelf flow that is interrupted by a strait is considered. Laboratory experiments in a rotating tank with barotropic and baroclinic flow over flat and sloping shelves confirm that the flow is steered by the bathymetric contours and mainly circumnavigates the gulf. In order to jump across the strait, as suggested by earlier theories, the flow must have unrealistically high Rossby numbers. However, the near bottom friction relaxes the bathymetric constraint and causes the formation of a peculiar jet crossing the strait diagonally. For the dissipation values such that a half of the transport goes around the gulf and half crosses the strait diagonally, the diagonal crossover jet becomes most evident. Numerical solutions for realistic values of the frictional parameter reproduce the results of the laboratory experiments and consideration of the actual Gulf of Maine bathymetry reproduces patterns similar to those observed by drift trajectories and in the satellite derived sea surface temperature fields.

To profit or not to profit: Founder identity at the intersection of religion and entrepreneurship

For more than a century, discussion of the connections between religion and entrepreneurship has pointed to what we would now label questions of identity. Our study of 25 participants in a program in Northern Kenya that aimed to introduce and stimulate capitalist entrepreneurship within extremely poor pastoralist communities shows that differences in participants' religious social identities strongly shaped whether or not they adopted new roles and role identities as capitalist entrepreneurs. This process also shifted the domains in which their religious and collectivist social identities were salient and helped to explain the emergence of important and contested changes in social and economic relations. We contribute to the development of founder identity theory by building research at the intersection of entrepreneurship and religion and at the intersection of entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation.

The Relationship between Liberal Tendency of Early Confucianism and Theory of Goodness of Men

The Relationship between Liberal Tendency of Early Confucianism and Theory of Goodness of Men

중일(中日) 근대문예론의 형성과 그 이동(異同)에 관한 소고(小考)

This paper attempts to compare the literary theory of Tsubouchi Shoyo(坪內逍遙), which was developed from the 'arts-the arts' examined throughout Wang Guowei's(王國維) literary theory, and Wang Guei's literary theory, which was established as the early modern Japanese literary theory. As Tsubouchi Shoyo's first statement, 'Novels are art(美術)' in 『Shosetsu Shinzui(小說神髓)』 opened the chapter of modern Japanese literary theory, this paper aims to explore Wang Guowei's literary theories in relation to the formation of modern literary theory in China. Therefore, in the case of the formation of Japanese modern art theory, Tsubouchi Shoyo's use of Western literary theory and logic in his own way within the magnetic field of pragmatic thought and literary dance theory that spread throughout Japanese society in the 1880s, while building a literary theory that incorporated the discourse of the Japanese art world at the time, was used as a guide to examine the formation of Chinese modern art theory and Wang Guowei's literary theory treatise. This was further utilized to examine the shifts in the theses that were common to their literary theories. In fact, the formation environment of Sino-Japanese modern literary theory was different in terms of its reception and paragraph situation according to the way the two countries experienced modern East Asia, but there are also similar points. It is also true that Wang Guowei's and Tsubouchi Shoyo's views and arguments on the literary arts developed in very different ways after they published their literary theory works and related papers, depending on their respective life trajectories and the circumstances of their respective countries. Nevertheless, neither Tsubouchi Shoyo nor Wang Guowei built a separate literary theory that completely excluded the dominant discourse in the academic and literary circles of their time. Rather, Wang Guowei, who studied a wide range of disciplines, including mathematics and natural sciences, could be said to have been more attuned to and thought about the axioms of modern China's time and built his literary theories in response to them.

Non-dispensing pharmacists integrated into general practices as a new interprofessional model: a qualitative evaluation of general practitioners’ experiences and views

BackgroundA new interprofessional model incorporating non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice teams can improve the quality of pharmaceutical care. However, results of the model are dependent on the context. Understanding when, why and how the model works may increase chances of successful broader implementation in other general practices. Earlier theories suggested that the results of the model are achieved by bringing pharmacotherapeutic knowledge into general practices. This mechanism may not be enough for successful implementation of the model. We wanted to understand better how establishing new interprofessional models in existing healthcare organisations takes place.MethodsAn interview study, with a realist informed evaluation was conducted. This qualitative study was part of the Pharmacotherapy Optimisation through Integration of a Non-dispensing pharmacist in primary care Teams (POINT) project. We invited the general practitioners of the 9 general practices who (had) worked closely with a non-dispensing pharmacist for an interview. Interview data were analysed through discussions about the coding with the research team where themes were developed over time.ResultsWe interviewed 2 general practitioners in each general practice (18 interviews in total). In a context where general practitioners acknowledge the need for improvement and are willing to work with a non-dispensing pharmacist as a new team member, the following mechanisms are triggered. Non-dispensing pharmacists add new knowledge to current general practice. Through everyday talk (discursive actions) both general practitioners and non-dispensing pharmacists evolve in what they consider appropriate, legitimate and imaginable in their work situations. They align their professional identities.ConclusionsNot only the addition of new knowledge of non-dispensing pharmacist to the general practice team is crucial for the success of this interprofessional healthcare model, but also alignment of the general practitioners’ and non-dispensing pharmacists’ professional identities. This is essentially different from traditional pharmaceutical care models, in which pharmacists and GPs work in separate organisations. To induce the process of identity alignment, general practitioners need to acknowledge the need to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care interprofessionally. By acknowledging the aspect of interprofessionality, both general practitioners and non-dispensing pharmacists will explore and reflect on what they consider appropriate, legitimate and imaginable in carrying out their professional roles.Trial registrationThe POINT project was pre-registered in The Netherlands National Trial Register, with Trial registration number NTR-4389.

TƏRCÜMƏ MÜMKÜNDÜRMÜ?

Is Translation possible? Summary The article discusses the myth that translation is impossible, tracing its origins to early thinkers like Sapir, Whorf and Wittgenstein. While they suggested linguistic relativity and the inherent limitations of language, modern linguistics has debunked these ideas. Contemporary understanding acknowledges that while language can influence thought, translation is feasible due to universal grammar and practical examples of successful translations. Moreover, the theological imperative to translate the holy books underscores the desirability and possibility of translation. Overall, the article argues that while early theories may have suggested otherwise, translation is both possible and essential for communication and knowledge dissemination across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Key words: translation, linguistic relativity, modern linguistics, universal grammar, communication

Understanding Spontaneous Symbolism in Psychotherapy Using Embodied Thought.

Spontaneous, unwilled subjective imagery and symbols (including dreams) often emerge in psychotherapy that can appear baffling and confound interpretation. Early psychoanalytic theories seemed to diverge as often as they agreed on the meaning of such content. Nevertheless, after reviewing key findings in the empirical science of spontaneous thought as well as insights gleaned from neuroscience and especially embodied cognition, it is now possible to construct a more coherent theory of interpretation that is clinically useful. Given that thought is so thoroughly embodied, it is possible to demonstrate that universalities in human physiology yield universalities in thought. Such universalities can then be demonstrated to form a kind of biologically directed universal "code" for understanding spontaneous symbolic expressions that emerge in psychotherapy. An example is given that illustrates how this can be applied to clinical encounters.

The Interrelation of Dialectic and Hermeneutics in Paul Ricœur’s Early Philosophy of the Self

While Ricœur's œuvre is commonly known as hermeneutic philosophy, it is evident that he also deals with major problems dialectically - a discipline often put in opposition to hermeneutics. In this paper, I offer an interpretation of the relationship between dialectic and hermeneutic regarding Ricœur's early theory of the self, which he developed in the 1960s, beginning with the second volume of his Philosophie de la volonté, Finitude et Culpabilité. I argue that hermeneutic and dialectic refer to each other by combining a structural model of reflexive self-consciousness and a mediation of consciousness with a transcendent other. Only their interrelation allows for a sufficient theory of concrete reflexion.