Kinds Of Things Research Articles

Mutual recognition across generations

‘Sovereignty’, Arendt says, ‘is contradictory to’ the human condition. It is not, in any event, the kind of thing that can be shared across generations. Subsequent generations lack sovereignty to the precise degree that they are bound by the decisions of their predecessors. It is no answer to say that contemporary citizens participate in the sovereignty of a whole, transgenerational people. To paraphrase de Tocqueville, later generations are not free because they are not entirely equal, and they are not equal because they are not entirely free. Where ‘sovereignty’ is a metaphysical concept that transcends time, recognition is an act of the imagination that extends empathy diachronically in both directions. An earlier generation treats its successors with recognition and respect by bequeathing the best system it can manage and entrusting later generations to exercise the same freedom that it enjoyed. Democratic law can exist across generations only through negation. Later citizens may accept as valid the law made by their predecessors. But, in doing so, they implicitly affirm their right to alter, amend, or abolish what came before. Only by freely affirming the choices of their predecessors can current citizens participate in something approaching freedom.

Desert or dignity? Rethinking injustice in wages

Abstract A common idea, both in ordinary discourse and in the desert literature, is that wages can be deserved. The thought is not only highly intuitive, but it is also often appealed to in order to explain various injustices in employment income – pay gaps, for instance. In this paper, I challenge the idea that income from employment is the kind of thing that can be deserved. I argue that once one gets clear on the metaphysics of jobs and wages within the context of economic exchange more generally, there are natural principles concerning such exchanges which generate puzzles for that view. The puzzles, I argue, are especially acute for meritocrats who conceive of justice in wages in terms of desert. Additionally, I argue that appealing to dignity (rather than desert) offers better hope of explaining the kinds of injustices in wages that motivate the appeal to desert. In that case, no explanatory gap is left by abandoning the idea that wages can be deserved either, and so, I argue, we have good reason to doubt it.

207 ’You can get that on a treadmill, but it’s just not the same kind of thing’. Experiences of VI parkrunners in local green spaces

207 ’You can get that on a treadmill, but it’s just not the same kind of thing’. Experiences of VI parkrunners in local green spaces

Large models of what? Mistaking engineering achievements for human linguistic agency

In this paper we argue that key, often sensational and misleading, claims regarding linguistic capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) are based on at least two unfounded assumptions: the assumption of language completeness and the assumption of data completeness. Language completeness assumes that a distinct and complete thing such as “a natural language” exists, the essential characteristics of which can be effectively and comprehensively modelled by an LLM. The assumption of data completeness relies on the belief that a language can be quantified and wholly captured by data. Work within the enactive approach to cognitive science makes clear that, rather than a distinct and complete thing, language is a means or way of acting. Languaging is not the kind of thing that can admit of a complete or comprehensive modelling. From an enactive perspective we identify three key characteristics of enacted language; embodiment, participation, and precariousness, that are absent in LLMs, and likely incompatible in principle with current architectures. We argue that these absences imply that LLMs are not now and cannot in their present form be linguistic agents the way humans are. We illustrate the point in particular through the phenomenon of “algospeak”, a recently described pattern of high-stakes human language activity in heavily controlled online environments. On the basis of these points, we conclude that sensational and misleading claims about LLM agency and capabilities emerge from a deep misconception of both what human language is and what LLMs are.

Comparing comparison: Smith and Davidson

Comparison, as a method in the study of religion, has received considerable criticism in recent years. Much of the discussion addresses what we call the dilemma of religious comparison: either similarities between the cases compared are real and the differences accidental, or the differences are real and the similarities merely apparent. The first path is held to artificially impose similarity by wrongly privileging one of the things being compared, which imposes an essentialist view, taking its characteristic as the measure of all comparable cases. The other path exaggerates differences between comparands, undermining the very premise of comparison. We argue that this apparent dilemma presupposes a representational conception of meaning, namely that the task of comparison is to discover what kind of thing is represented by the cases being compared. However, there are other conceptions of meaning that might can potentially avoid or resolve the dilemma, by reorientating the basic conception of comparison, as opposed to entering into details of recent critical debates. This article argues that interpretationism, an approach to meaning associated with philosopher Donald Davidson does just this. JZ Smith did not explicitly adopt any semantic theory. But we demonstrate that he implicitly endorsed all of its main elements in his work on comparison. Smith’s writings represent a rich and detailed model of how comparison can be carried out under an interpretationist semantics. This article has two important implications for the study of religion. First, it dissolves the dilemma of religious comparison, suggesting a firmer theoretical and methodological basis for comparative studies. Second, it underlines that Smith’s work serves as a powerful and practical model of comparative method, as constructed on this basis. As a corollary, an interdisciplinary side-benefit, reading Smith in light of Davidson also makes important contributions to philosophy of language.

Speaking of ‘violence’: Figleaf use in sexualized violence contexts

Abstract In this project, I develop the concept of a sexualized violence figleaf, a speech mechanism often used in sexualized violence discourse to dismiss or characterize assault as some other kind of thing: a misunderstanding, a change of heart by the victim, a mischaracterization of the perpetrator, or any other number of things which are not rape, or violence. Sexualized violence figleaves are an extension of Jennifer Saul's work on racial and gender figleaves, as the underlying mechanics of the utterance track those of Saul's figleaves. In other words, I am developing a figleaf variant, showing that this conceptual tool is useful for analysing utterances beyond racist, sexist, and conspiracist speech, upon which Saul focuses. Rather, bringing figleaves into the realm of sexualized violence discourse illuminates features of the discourse which are often obscured by the prevalence of strong social intuitions about rapists and their corresponding character.

Implementation Of Strengthening Numeration Literacy And Adaptation Of Technology

It turns out that education held in elementary schools still experiences many obstacles. The obstacles in question include the lack of professional teachers, low student ability, limited infrastructure, and so on. This is the kind of thing that is still being experienced by SDN KI Hajar Dewantara 01. Therefore, the aim of this service is that the team wants to inform the school about the causes of students' low ability in numeracy literacy. Apart from that, the team wants to provide solutions to teachers to improve students' abilities, especially in terms of strengthening numeracy literacy. Not only that, another goal is that the team wants to increase teachers' knowledge in adapting technology for learning. This service includes solving cases so that the suitable method used to analyze data is descriptive qualitative. The research results show that it is not enough to rely solely on school teachers to increase the strengthening of numeracy literacy. For this reason, contribution, collaboration and consistency from various interested parties are needed. Thus, the success of education at the elementary level needs to be fought for better continuity of further education.

‘It's mostly an accompaniment to something’

‘It's mostly an accompaniment to something’

Debunking robot rights metaphysically, ethically, and legally

In this work we challenge the argument for robot rights on metaphysical, ethical and legal grounds. Metaphysically, we argue that machines are not the kinds of things that may be denied or granted rights. Building on theories of phenomenology and post-Cartesian approaches to cognitive science, we ground our position in the lived reality of actual humans in an increasingly ubiquitously connected, controlled, digitized, and surveilled society. Ethically, we argue that, given machines’ current and potential harms to the most marginalized in society, limits on (rather than rights for) machines should be at the centre of current AI ethics debate. From a legal perspective, the best analogy to robot rights is not human rights but corporate rights, a highly controversial concept whose most important effect has been the undermining of worker, consumer, and voter rights by advancing the power of capital to exercise outsized influence on politics and law. The idea of robot rights, we conclude, acts as a smoke screen, allowing theorists and futurists to fantasize about benevolently sentient machines with unalterable needs and desires protected by law. While such fantasies have motivated fascinating fiction and art, once they influence legal theory and practice articulating the scope of rights claims, they threaten to immunize from legal accountability the current AI and robotics that is fuelling surveillance capitalism, accelerating environmental destruction, and entrenching injustice and human suffering.

Gli eph’hemin e l’unidirezionalità degli abiti – una conciliazione possibile tra le Etiche di AristoteleThe eph’hemin and the Unidirectionality of Habits – One Possible Reconciliation between the Ethics of Aristotle

Abstract In the Eudemian Ethics Aristotle states that human beings are starting points of things that could be otherwise and that the eph’hemin are this kind of things. Famously, in the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle endorses the thesis of habits’ unidirectionality, according to which the agent who already possesses moral habits, hexeis, will perform only actions consistent with the habits she possesses. Despite this apparent inconsistency, I aim to show that the two texts can be harmonized and that the Eudemian Ethics can actually provide a theoretical background for habits’ unidirectionality.

Commentary] On the Existence of Mem (מ)

We define a set of things of one singular kind as the set of all things that can causally affect one another. To enable causal interaction between such sets, we define a thing that is of a _non_-singular kind as consisting of more than one singular kind. Such a thing of a non-singular kind supervenes on things of singular kinds and is open to causally intervene between sets of things of different singular kinds without violating the definition of a set of things of one singular kind. With the empty set as a set of things of one singular kind, we define _Mem_ as ‘either the smallest element of intervening sets in the indefinite set of sets of things of a singular kind and the intermediate supervening sets, or, if nothing exists, the empty set’. Thus, Mem exists. _Comment_. The argument focuses on a definition of a supervening set of things of a non-singular kind. Besides that, it really only claims that if we define Mem as some set of existing things or the set without elements, Mem exists. That, though, is tautological. The argument, thus, can only be interesting if anything besides the empty set exists. That only the empty set would exist, however, is refuted by this very claim.

Commentary] On the Existence of Mem (מ)

We define a set of things of one singular kind as the set of all things that can causally affect one another. To enable causal interaction between such sets, we define a thing that is of a _non_-singular kind as consisting of more than one singular kind. Such a thing of a non-singular kind supervenes on things of singular kinds and is open to causally intervene between sets of things of different singular kinds without violating the definition of a set of things of one singular kind. With the empty set as a set of things of one singular kind, we define _Mem_ as ‘either the smallest element of intervening sets in the indefinite set of sets of things of a singular kind and the intermediate supervening sets, or, if nothing exists, the empty set’. Thus, Mem exists. _Comment_. The argument focuses on a definition of a supervening set of things of a non-singular kind. Besides that, it really only claims that if we define Mem as some set of existing things or the set without elements, Mem exists. That, though, is tautological. The argument, thus, can only be interesting if anything besides the empty set exists. That only the empty set would exist, however, is refuted by this very claim.

Smelling things

Abstract In this paper, we outline and defend a view on which in olfactory experience we can, and often do, smell ordinary things of various kinds—for instance, cookies, coffee, and cake burnings—and the olfactory properties they have. A challenge to this view are cases of smelling in the absence of the source of a smell, such as when a fishy smell lingers after the fish is gone. Such cases, many philosophers argue, show that what we perceive in olfactory experience are odour objects, and not ordinary things. On behalf of our opponent, we articulate a screening-off argument based on cases of lingering smells for the thesis that we do not smell ordinary things. We then develop an alternative account of these cases that is consistent with our view. In doing so, we call into question two claims that are typically built into the notion of an odour object.

Metaphor and Health Communication: Use of Metaphor in HIV and AIDS Discourse

Language plays a fundamental role in combatting HIV and AIDS. In Kenya, English and Kiswahili are used as the languages of communication in HIV and AIDS related issues. The literacy rate in Kenya stands at 87.4% but research has indicated that only 17% of the population speak and use English effectively while, 65% speak and understand Kiswahili. The use of Kiswahili in health communication cannot be underscored given the fact that majority of the Kenyan population can understand and interpret Kiswahili messages received in a communication string. The fight on HIV and AIDS includes use of songs and poetry. A number of Kenyan artists have invented ways of fighting this scourge in their use of music and this entails use of metaphor in their songs. One such musician is Jackoniah Oyoo who employs metaphor in his song Merimela. Human beings use metaphor to make sense of reality. Metaphor is defined as understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another. In this scenario, a concrete or clearly organized source domain, being more clearly related to physical and bodily experience, is used to talk about a more abstract and less clearly structured target domain. Metaphorical conceptualization of concepts is so natural and at times unconscious to human beings that they do not even realize that they are using metaphor. This article seeks to examine the metaphorical conceptualization and interpretation of the metaphors used in the song Merimela. The ubiquity nature of metaphors makes it possible for a number of metaphors to be used in the song Merimela. This article reveals how metaphor reflects and structures Kenyans understanding of reality particularly the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Those little things that cannot be reduced to the whole that make art a form of research (and vice versa): Composing-listening-playing is the same kind of thing

Those little things that cannot be reduced to the whole that make art a form of research (and vice versa): Composing-listening-playing is the same kind of thing

The Verb εἰμί and Its Benefits for Parmenides’ Philosophy

Abstract Parmenides believed that he had found the most reliable way of theorizing about ultimate reality. While natural philosophers conceptualized phenomenal differences to explain cosmic change, Parmenides used the least meaningful but most versatile verb in Ancient Greek to engage in a purely intellectual exploration of reality – one that transcended synchronous and asynchronous differences. In this article I explain how the verb εἰμί was useful to Parmenides in his attempt to overcome natural philosophy. First, I argue that the Eleatic philosopher regarded νοεῖν and εἶναι as equivalent because εἰμί-clauses enabled him to express arguably any conceivable content without providing significant additional meaning. I then show that Parmenides’ concept of being implies the present tense and the imperfective aspect but is grounded in the lexical content of the verb εἰμί, which entails no inherent temporal limits. This explains why ἔστι, ἐόν, and εἶναι could be used to indicate unbounded actuality, regardless of whether these forms represented lexical predicates or auxiliaries for predication. Finally, I maintain that the suitability of εἰμί for talking about all kinds of things without introducing temporal limits allowed Parmenides to avoid what he saw as two mistakes made by natural philosophers: identifying ultimate reality with something that cannot cover the full extent of thought and confusing actuality with present occurrence.

Impulsive buying behaviour of consumers for online purchases in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan

This article explores the phenomenon of consumers' impulsive buying behavior for online purchases and its influencing factors in an online context by analyzing previous research in this field. Impulsive purchases have increased in frequency in digital contexts due to the development of e-commerce and the COVID-19 pandemic. The study offers a framework for understanding impulsive purchasing behavior that considers its definition and the categories and variables influencing it. For the study's survey on impulsive purchases made online, 132 respondents in Kazakhstan participated. The study concentrated on internet shoppers between the ages of 18 and 37 who made irrational purchases. The study examined impulsivity, psychological perceptions, and social influence as factors impacting impulsive purchase behavior. External stimuli, such as marketing campaigns and the retail environment, were also considered. The results revealed insight into the survey respondents' demographic information, such as their gender, age, frequency of internet shopping, the kinds of things they bought, and whether they made planned or spontaneous purchases. Both marketers and consumers may improve their awareness of impulsive buying inclinations and inadvertent acquisition by being aware of the elements driving impulsive purchases in online environments. This will lead to better decision-making during online shopping experiences.

Analisis Ekonomi Islam tentang Perilaku Konsumtif Mahasiswa Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam UIN Alauddin Makassar

This study is entitled "Islamic Economic Analysis of Consumptive Behavior of Students of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business Uin Alauddin Makassar." The data source used is primary data, namely information that comes from direct observation at the research location after conducting observations and interviews. Meanwhile, secondary sources are data obtained from documentation or literature studies to complement primary data. Data collection was carried out by field research through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of this study indicate that generally, students are more likely to behave consumptively than those who do not based on the three forms of consumptive behavior, namely in terms of food, shopping for "fashion" appearances, and ways to fill free time such as shopping malls, and others. The review of Islamic Economics has not been properly implemented by students, as from the data obtained that some student expenses are greater than reporting, students often buy food and then don't finish it or buy things that are not really needed, this kind of thing is classified as a waste which is prohibited in Islam. Therefore it takes awareness from everyone, especially students to apply consumption behavior that has been taught in Islam. Keywords : consumptive economy.

Image semantic segmentation approach based on DeepLabV3 plus network with an attention mechanism

Image semantic segmentation is a technique that distinguishes different kinds of things in an image by assigning a label to each point in a target category based on its "semantics". The Deeplabv3+ image semantic segmentation method currently in use has high computational complexity and large memory consumption, making it difficult to deploy on embedded platforms with limited computational power. When extracting image feature information, Deeplabv3+ struggles to fully utilize multiscale information. This can result in a loss of detailed information and damage to segmentation accuracy. An improved image semantic segmentation method based on the DeepLabv3+ network is proposed, with the lightweight MobileNetv2 serving as the model's backbone. The ECAnet channel attention mechanism is applied to low-level features, reducing computational complexity and improving target boundary clarity. The polarized self-attention mechanism is introduced after the ASPP module to improve the spatial feature representation of the feature map. Validated on the VOC2012 dataset, the experimental results indicate that the improved model achieved an MloU of 69.29% and a mAP of 80.41%, which can predict finer semantic segmentation results and effectively optimize the model complexity and segmentation accuracy.

Metaphors for Wellbeing

Metaphors for Wellbeing