Intuitive Concept Research Articles

Web Consequence Untangled

AbstractUnder the standard modal explication of consequence, a conclusion is a consequence of some premises just in case necessarily, if the latter are true, so is the former. Notoriously, this explication yields some results that at first glance are counter-intuitive. In particular, a necessary truth is a consequence of arbitrary premises, and premises that cannot all be true together entail arbitrary conclusions. In his paper ‘On Ground and Consequence’ (Synthese, 2021), Benjamin Schnieder introduces a novel notion of web consequence, defined on the basis of the concept of ground, which, he argues, fits our intuitive conception better. Building on his idea, the present paper examines the concept of web consequence in more detail. In particular, I provide three alternative, and simpler semantic characterizations of Schnieder’s propositional logic of web consequence, two within a form of truthmaker semantics, one within a many-valued setting. I then consider some natural variations on that logic and establish their connections to well-known subclassical logics such as FDE, $$\hbox {K}_3$$ K 3 , and LP. Finally, I provide sound and complete tableaux-based proof systems for each of the logics of web consequence so obtained.

Does Interference Between Intuitive Conceptions and Scientific Concepts Produce Reliable Inter-individual Differences? A Psychometric Analysis

AbstractStatement-verification studies indicate the coexistence of intuitive conceptions and scientific concepts within learners. The underlying assumption is that the intuitive conceptions typically built in childhood never disappear, but are co-activated with scientific concepts when we face relevant situations. This is visible in increased reaction times and error rates when confronting statements for which intuitive conceptions and scientific concepts disagree. Studies that have tried to relate individual differences in this phenomenon to other variables such as inhibition have yielded inconclusive results. In the present study, we examine the structure of individual differences in the statement-verification paradigm by Shtulman and Valcarcel (2012). Using factor analytic model comparisons, we find that there is little stable variation in individuals’ increases of reaction times and error rates across items covering scientific concepts from different domains, as well as across topics within domains. This finding suggests that a reason for inconsistent findings is the absence of stable individual differences in statement-verification tasks. One explanation for this finding is that the answer process draws more strongly on variable cognitive resources (e.g., content knowledge) than on more stable resources (e.g., inhibition ability). The occurrence and handling of interference between intuitive conceptions and scientific concepts appear to be driven by contextual factors rather than by stable cognitive processes. We discuss alternative explanations for the lack of reliable individual differences and implications for theories and the statistical modeling of cognitive pluralism.

An Analysis of the Development of Preschoolers’ Natural Science Concepts from the Perspective of Framework Theory

The aim of the study was to explore children’s learning of natural science, and the authors chose a literature review as the means to achieve this aim. As the research into children’s emerging science is fragmented into many different theoretical perspectives and many kinds of studies are included, research results deriving from the field can be difficult to summarize. To resolve this issue, Vosniadou’s framework theory was used as the tool for data analysis. Results show emergence as a dynamic interaction between intuitive and counter-intuitive concepts leading to synthetic and scientific models in combination with developing epistemological and ontological skills. The accumulation of synthetic concepts seems to be the most common result of early formal educational input. Both intuitive and synthetic models are predecessors for scientific concepts and models, and these models as such are very important for emerging science. The conclusions suggest that diverse science experiences should bring about more synthetic models. This subsequently creates a wider basis for further development. Another important factor of emergence is the development of children’s epistemic skills and ontological shifts. Research results suggest that it is important for teachers to support children’s epistemic and ontological skills. Enhancing children’s understanding about causality and ontology is an important step towards developing formal concepts of science.

The Megaric Possibility Paradox

Abstract In Metaphysics Theta 3 Aristotle attributes to the Megarics and unknown others a notorious modal thesis: (M) something can φ only if it is φ-ing. Aristotle does not tell us what motivated (M). Almost all scholars take Aristotle’s report to indicate that the Megarics defended (M) as a highly counterintuitive doctrine in modal metaphysics. But this reading faces several problems. First: what would motivate the Megarics to hold such a counterintuitive view? The existing literature tries, in various ways, to motivate (M) in a way neither trivial nor absurd. But, as we will argue, the main approaches end up attributing an unsustainable position to the Megarics. Second: most historical evidence for the Megaric lineage presents the group’s philosophical practice as dialectical or negative. So why think that the claim reported in Theta 3 presents a positive, and highly controversial, metaphysical claim? This paper addresses these problems by proposing a dialectical (or negative) reading of the Megarics in Theta 3. By ‘dialectical’ we here mean a mode of philosophizing that neither seeks to establish the truth or falsity of certain theses, nor takes a skeptical stance. There are different reasons why a philosopher might want to take up such a mode; in the case of the Megarics we argue that they might have wanted to put pressure on Aristotle’s idea of possibility and the ‘test’ for possibility that Aristotle mentions in several works. Reading, as we do, (M) as (part of) a paradox about possibility and actuality, we argue that the Megarics’ dialectical approach here aims to highlight a shortcoming of an intuitive conception of possibility, which underpins Aristotle’s idea of possibility and which features in his test for possibility.

A review and reformulation of macroscopic realism: resolving its deficiencies using the framework of generalized probabilistic theories

The notion of macrorealism was introduced by Leggett and Garg in an attempt to capture our intuitive conception of the macroscopic world, which seems difficult to reconcile with our knowledge of quantum physics. By now, numerous experimental witnesses have been proposed as methods of falsifying macrorealism. In this work, I critically review and analyze both the definition of macrorealism and the various proposed tests thereof, identifying a number of problems with these (and revisiting key criticisms raised by other authors). I then show that all these problems can be resolved by reformulating macrorealism within the framework of generalized probabilistic theories. In particular, I argue that a theory should be considered to be macrorealist if and only if it describes every macroscopic system by a strictly classical (i.e., simplicial) generalized probabilistic theory. This approach brings significant clarity and precision to our understanding of macrorealism, and provides us with a host of new tools – both conceptual and technical – for studying macrorealism. I leverage this approach i) to clarify in what sense macrorealism is a notion of classicality, ii) to propose a new test of macrorealism that is maximally informative and theory-independent (unlike all prior tests of macrorealism), and iii) to show that every proof of generalized contextuality on a macroscopic system implies the failure of macrorealism.

Sobre intuição intelectual como consciência da liberdade em Fichte

Although controversial, the concept of intellectual intuition is central and basic to the doctrine of science, delimiting both its notion of subjectivity and commenting on that of rationality. The aim of this article is to understand the concept of intellectual intuition as consciousness of freedom, as established by Fichte in the later Jena exposition of the doctrine of science. Our thesis is that the doctrine of intersubjectivity plays a fundamental role in its constitution.

Definition of information in computer science

Purpose of this study is to formulate a working definition of information to meet the needs of computer science. There is currently no strict definition of this term. There is a methodological contradiction: the development and application of information technologies requires accuracy and rigor, but at the same time the development is based on a vague, intuitive concept. Materials and methods. The materials for the study are existing classical approaches to understanding information, and the main method is the analysis of these approaches. The proposed definition is constructed taking into account two mathematical transformations: the selection of a certain subset and the mapping between sets. To formalize the allocation procedure, it is used apparatus of fuzzy sets. Results. A definition of information is proposed as the result of a mapping in which the selection of a subset from a set of prototypes leads to the selection of a corresponding subset from a set of images. The selected subset can be understood as fuzzy, then an equivalent definition of information is acceptable as a result of mapping, in which an increase in the heterogeneity of the distribution of the presence indicator on the set of prototypes leads to an increase in the heterogeneity of the distribution of the corresponding indicator on the set of images. The essence of the new definition is demonstrated using models of population dynamics in discrete time. The significance of the proposed approach for information technology is revealed using the example of the numerical method of multi-extremal optimization. It is shown that the proposed definition makes it possible to formulate effective stopping conditions for the numerical method of stochastic optimization, which guarantees the receipt of a given amount of information. Conclusion. The proposed understanding of information allows us to overcome the shortcomings of previous approaches to understanding the essence of information, retains all the advantages of the classical approach and is consistent with other well-known approaches in the field of computer science. This definition can be used to improve numerical optimization methods, as well as other information technology tools.

Autour de la méthode intuitive : intuition esthétique et sympathie interspécifique dans la pensée de Bergson

This article seeks to mobilise Bergson's philosophy to show that closer knowledge relations with other species are possible. More specifically, we will see that in addition to considering the expansion of singular human consciousness in the sense of an immediate experience of itself as a temporal flux (as an intuition of its duration) and in the sense of the immediate experience of the movement of life or even of a consciousness in general or Supraconsciousness ; Bergsonism also makes it possible to consider the expansion of singular consciousnesses towards the immediate experience of other singular consciousnesses, whether these consciousnesses are coextensive with the form of life that characterises our species or coextensive with other forms of life engendered by the same vital impulse. We believe that this perspective can be supported by a reading of the intuitive method proposed by Bergson in L'Évolution créatrice - in which he makes the convergence between intelligent consciousness and instinctive consciousness - under the prism of his conception of aesthetic intuition - through which he proposes a sympathy between singular consciousnesses.

Bypassing Stationary Points in Training Deep Learning Models.

Gradient-descent-based optimizers are prone to slowdowns in training deep learning models, as stationary points are ubiquitous in the loss landscape of most neural networks. We present an intuitive concept of bypassing the stationary points and realize the concept into a novel method designed to actively rescue optimizers from slowdowns encountered in neural network training. The method, bypass pipeline, revitalizes the optimizer by extending the model space and later contracts the model back to its original space with function-preserving algebraic constraints. We implement the method into the bypass algorithm, verify that the algorithm shows theoretically expected behaviors of bypassing, and demonstrate its empirical benefit in regression and classification benchmarks. Bypass algorithm is highly practical, as it is computationally efficient and compatible with other improvements of first-order optimizers. In addition, bypassing for neural networks leads to new theoretical research such as model-specific bypassing and neural architecture search (NAS).

Visualizing the dynamic mechanical power and time burden of mechanical ventilation patients: an analysis of the MIMIC-IV database

BackgroundLimiting driving pressure and mechanical power is associated with reduced mortality risk in both patients with and without acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, it is still poorly understood how the intensity of mechanical ventilation and its corresponding duration impact the risk of mortality.MethodsCritically ill patients who received mechanical ventilation were identified from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. A visualization method was developed by calculating the odds ratio of survival for all combinations of ventilation duration and intensity to assess the relationship between the intensity and duration of mechanical ventilation and the mortality risk.ResultsA total of 6251 patients were included. The color-coded plot demonstrates the intuitive concept that episodes of higher dynamic mechanical power can only be tolerated for shorter durations. The three fitting contour lines represent 0%, 10%, and 20% increments in the mortality risk, respectively, and exhibit an exponential pattern: higher dynamic mechanical power is associated with an increased mortality risk with shorter exposure durations.ConclusionsCumulative exposure to higher intensities and/or longer duration of mechanical ventilation is associated with worse outcomes. Considering both the intensity and duration of mechanical ventilation may help evaluate patient outcomes and guide adjustments in mechanical ventilation to minimize harmful exposure.

Praxis, Diagramm, Körper. Die epistemologischen turns und die Rehabilitation von Kants Euklidizitätsthese

Abstract This paper aims to show how Kant’s concept of mathematical intuition and his thesis of the Euclidicity of space have been rehabilitated by recent interpretations that refer to the concepts of practice, diagrams, and the body. This involves criticising the idea of mathematics as a purely logical and axiomatic science, reading Kant’s theory of geometric intuition as a theory of diagrammatic visualizations, and showing how Kant’s idea of the Euclidicity of space can be justified with reference to embodied experience. These readings contradict the critique of Kant voiced by logicism and logical empiricism. They show that Kant’s notion of non-empirical intuition refers to the embeddedness of human cognition in embodied, media-based practices that function as a third epistemological realm alongside the conceptual and the empirical.

Dispersion Interactions in Condensed Phases and inside Molecular Containers.

ConspectusThe past decade has seen significant progress in the understanding and appreciation of the importance of London dispersion interactions (LDIs) in supramolecular systems and solutions. The Slater-Kirkwood formula relates LDIs to the molecular polarizabilities of the two interacting molecular species (α) and their interaction distance (a dependence of R-6). When advancing arguments related to intermolecular interactions, it is frequently assumed that molecules with larger molecular polarizabilities are more amenable to larger LDIs. However, arguments related to molecular polarizabilities are not always transferable to the condensed phase. In fact, the underlying bulk and molecular polarizabilities of common solvents show opposing trends. The intuitive concept that aromatic molecules are more polarizable than saturated hydrocarbons and that perfluorinated molecules are less polarizable than saturated hydrocarbons applies to the condensed phase only. When treating association phenomena in solution, where LDIs are generally very attenuated, the use of bulk polarizabilities is recommended, which are experimentally accessible through either refractive index measurements or suitable solvatochromic probes. Such probes can also be used to assess polarizabilities inside molecular container compounds, such as cucurbit[n]urils (CBn), cyclodextrins, calixarenes, and hemicarcerands. These macrocyclic cavities can have extreme microenvironments. For example, the inner concave phase of CB7 has been shown to be weakly polarizable, falling in between the gas phase and perfluorohexane; those of β-cyclodextrin and p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene have been found to be similarly polarizable as water and alkanes, respectively, and the inside of hemicarcerands displays a very large bulk polarizability, exceeding that of diiodomethane. CBn compounds are privileged molecular container compounds, which we exemplify in this Account through case studies. (1) CBn macrocycles are prime water-soluble receptors for hydrocarbons, allowing for the reduction of the binding free energies to two components: the hydrophobic effect and dispersion interactions. To understand hydrocarbon binding, we initiated the HYDROPHOBE challenge, which revealed the shortcomings of both quantum-chemical and molecular dynamics approaches. (2) The smallest CBn receptor, CB5, is uniquely suited to bind the entire noble gas series, where hydrophobic effects and dispersion interactions operate in opposite directions. CB5 was revaled to be a unique synthetic receptor for noble gases, with the dominant driving force being the recovery of the cavitation energies for the hydration of noble gases in aqueous solution. Computational methods that encounter challenges in predicting hydrocarbon affinities and trends for CB6 and CB7 perform well for noble gases binding to CB5. (3) The larger homologue, CB8, allows one to set up intermolecular interaction chambers by the encapsulation of a (first) aromatic guest, thereby tuning LDIs inside the receptor cavity. In this manner, CB8 can be modulated to preferentially bind unsaturated and aromatic rather than saturated hydrocarbons, while the unmodified cavities of the smaller macrocycles CB6 and CB7 show selective binding of saturated hydrocarbons. (4) The (charged) host-guest complexes of CBn hosts are sufficiently stable in the gas phase, allowing for the study of the influence of LDIs on inner-phase chemical reactions. These studies are particularly interesting for the theoretical analysis of isolated host-guest LDIs, as experimental and computational data are directly comparable in the gas phase due to the absence of the solvation effect.

Mondrian’s rendition of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and disinterested aesthetic experience

Despite the pivotal role of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) in the sophistication of Modern aesthetics and art theories in the 20th century and his special attention to aesthetic experience, considerably little is known about the impacts of his aesthetic theory, particularly pertaining his account on conception disinterested aesthetic experience formed based on his metaphysics of will, on some of the most enriched Modern art theories like Piet Mondrian’s Neo-Plasticism. On the other side of the spectrum, Mondrian’s Neo-Plastic paintings, his universal pure abstract style, have been well examined through historical approaches and Modernist theories, especially about the Greenbergian account and Modern styles like De Stijl art movement in the last few decades. Moreover, his quasi-philosophical writings have been vastly scrutinized in the light of their impacts on Theosophic, Platonic, and Hegelian doctrines. Interestingly, Mondrian, in his theoretical writings, explicitly refers to the Schopenhauerian conception of disinterested contemplation and the requirements for having a universal aesthetic experience. Yet, Mondrian’s account of Schopenhauer’s notion of disinterested contemplation, namely for notions like individual will, Will, intellect, cessation of subserviency of intellect to the will, and so on, has not been scrutinized through an aesthetic lens. Hence, this article first aims to investigate Mondrian’s rendition of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and his account of disinterested aesthetic experience. Indeed, this article proposes this hypothesis that Mondrian, who always sought to unveil the Platonic Idea of an objective manifestation of a universal equilibrium (harmony) or pure beauty as truth through his universal Neo-Plastic art, was heavily influenced by Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and his attitude toward aesthetic contemplation which is disinterested and objective. At the end of this article, it becomes clear that Mondrian’s conception of pure intuition and his contemplative approach to aesthetic experience intimately conform to Schopenhauer’s view on the notion of disinterested aesthetic attention or contemplation narrated within his metaphysics of will.

A dynamic prediction model supporting individual life expectancy prediction based on longitudinal time-dependent covariates.

In the field of clinical chronic diseases, common prediction results (such as survival rate) and effect size hazard ratio (HR) are relative indicators, resulting in more abstract information. However, clinicians and patients are more interested in simple and intuitive concepts of (survival) time, such as how long a patient may live or how much longer a patient in a treatment group will live. In addition, due to the long follow-up time, resulting in generation of longitudinal time-dependent covariate information, patients are interested in how long they will survive at each follow-up visit. In this study, based on a time scale indicator-restricted mean survival time (RMST)-we proposed a dynamic RMST prediction model by considering longitudinal time-dependent covariates and utilizing joint model techniques. The model can describe the change trajectory of longitudinal time-dependent covariates and predict the average survival times of patients at different time points (such as follow-up visits). Simulation studies through Monte Carlo cross-validation showed that the dynamic RMST prediction model was superior to the static RMST model. In addition, the dynamic RMST prediction model was applied to a primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) population to dynamically predict the average survival times of the patients, and the average C-index of the internal validation of the model reached 0.81, which was better than that of the static RMST regression. Therefore, the proposed dynamic RMST prediction model has better performance in prediction and can provide a scientific basis for clinicians and patients to make clinical decisions.

Further investigation on fixed point theorems via C-class functions in extended b-metric spaces

The purpose of this research project is to develop new theories, discuss, and extend some recent common fixed point results established when the underlying ambient space is an extended b-metric space and the contraction condition involves a new class of ψ-φ-C-contraction type mappings where ψ is the altering distance function and φ is the ultra-altering distance function. The unique fixed point theorems for such mappings in the setting of ψ-φ-complete metric spaces are proven. We also prove the fixed point theorem in partially ordered metric spaces. Moreover, some examples supporting the main results are given. Our results extend and generalize corresponding results in the literature. The start of the development of the theory of fixed points is tied to the end of the 19th century. The method of successive approximations is used in order to prove the solution's existence and uniqueness at the beginning of differential and integral equations. This branch of nonlinear analysis has been developed through various classes of spaces, such as metric spaces, topological spaces, probabilistic metric spaces, fuzzy metric spaces, and others. In developing the theory of fixed points, achievements are applied in various sciences, such as optimization, economics, and approximation theory. A very important step in the development of fixed point theory was taken by A.H. Ansari through the introduction of a C-class function. Using C-class functions, we generalize some known fixed point results, and Kamran et al. introduced a new intuitive concept of distance measure to extend the notion of b-metric space by further weakening the triangle inequality.

The Formalized Semantics of Neologisms-Slangisms in the Context of the English Translation of A Military Narrative

Each new designation associated with a designation already fixed in the language is traditionally and automatically considered a case of semantic neology and is a case of polysemy. This simplistic analysis does not take into account morphological analysis and ignores the semantic laws that govern changes in meaning. The paper examines the meaning and evolution of semantic neologisms in military English discourse. In particular, three types of neologisms can be distinguished: neologisms-borrowings, neologisms-homonyms, and semantic neologisms. The emphasis is placed on semantic neologisms since they are the ones that become a problem for translators due to the tendency to polysemy. The paper examines the neologisms of military discourse in the context of the specifics of the narrative of translations of military texts by S. Zhadan. Unlike a large number of other linguistic concepts, such as a phoneme, morpheme, the concept of neologism seems to be well known to everyone, and in general, consensus means “new word”. Based on this, one might expect unanimity in the identification and analysis of neologisms and slangisms. However, there are many discussions about the neological status of a particular lexical item. Scientists emphasize a very high rate of dispersion of linguistic new formations, without a clear differentiation between neologisms and slangisms. Therefore, in the presented work we analyse the problems of translation of semantic neologisms and slangisms on the basis of English translations of the existential specificity of the narrative of the war-themed texts by S. Zhadan “Boarding School”. The issue of the newest intuitive concept of neology and the potential of slangisms to form a formal matrix, and neologisms - a semantic one, is actualized.

Counterintuitive Concepts Across Domains: A Unified Phenomenon?

The minimally counterintuitive (MCI) thesis in the cognitive science of religion proposes that supernatural concepts are prevalent across cultures because they possess a common structure-namely, violations of intuitive ontological assumptions that facilitate concept representation. These violations are hypothesized to give supernatural concepts a memorability advantage over both intuitive concepts and "maximally counterintuitive" (MXCI) concepts, which contain numerous ontological violations. However, the connection between MCI concepts and bizarre (BIZ) but not supernatural concepts, for which memorability advantages are predicted by the von Restorff (VR) effect, has been insufficiently clarified by earlier research. Additionally, the role of inferential potential (IP) in determining MCI concepts' memorability has remained vague and only rarely controlled for. In a pre-registered experiment, we directly compare memorability for MCI and MXCI concepts, compared to BIZ concepts, while controlling for IP as well as degree of bizarreness. Results indicate that when IP and bizarreness are controlled for, memorability of counterintuitive and BIZ concepts-relative to intuitive control concepts-is similar across concepts with one, two, and three characteristics. Findings suggest that the MCI and VR effects may be manifestations of the same underlying mechanisms.

A Cognitive Analysis on Conceptual Metaphor in English Economic Discourse

As one of the major theories in cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor has received lots of attention from scholars at home and abroad since it was first brought up. Metaphor is a cross-domain mapping from one concrete conceptual domain to another. Cognitive linguists recognize that metaphor converts complex and abstract concepts into intuitive and specific concepts, which is conducive to the understanding of abstract concepts and conducting abstract thinking. This is also why conceptual metaphor was widely used in economic discourse utilizing familiar concepts to help people comprehend abstract and obscure economic concepts. Based on the related theories of cognitive linguistics, taking economic passages about Chinese economy and business activities in The Economist as an example, this paper aims to find out and analyze some representative conceptual metaphors describing Chinese economy in economic discourse by the methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis with the hope to help ESP learners with their learning of economic discourse.

An Ensemble Regulation Principle for Multiobjective Finite-Control-Set Model-Predictive Control of Induction Machine Drives

Finite-control-set model-predictive control (FCS-MPC) has been widely investigated in the electrical drive systems, thanks to its merits of intuitive concept, straightforward implementation, and fast transient response. Owing to the flexible inclusion of constraints, a combination of weighting parameters is derived in the objective function to balance the relationship between the control targets. However, it is a challenging and time-consuming task to optimize a series of weighting parameters. To cope with this issue, this article proposes an FCS-MPC scheme with an ensemble regulation principle for the removal of all the weighting parameters. On the basis of the dimension reduction of the optimization problem, the ensemble regulation principle initially selects the suboptimal solutions for all the control targets. The optimal solution is determined according to a high consistency with the suboptimal solutions via an adaptive mechanism, which not only achieves a decent performance but also avoids a worst case for all the control criteria. The experimental implementation is conducted on a 2.2-kW induction machine platform, which verifies that the proposed scheme outperforms a group of existing weighting factorless FCS-MPC schemes at both the steady state and the transient state.

Testing a hypothetical transient deviation from quantum mechanics: preliminary results

The conflict between quantum mechanics (QM) and the intuitive concepts of locality and realism is most noticeable in the correlation between measurements performed in remote regions of a spatially spread entangled state of photons. It has been hypothesized that a transient deviation (from the value predicted by QM) may occur if the correlation is measured in a time shorter than L / c , where L is the spatial spread of the entangled state, and c is the speed of light. This hypothesis solves the conflict by minimally modifying the interpretation of QM, and opens the door to interesting possibilities. Technical reasons make the hypothesis impossible to test directly nowadays, but a stroboscopic observation is attainable. We present preliminary, nonconclusive results of an experiment in progress aimed to perform that test.