Primitive Entities Research Articles

The Silence of Physics

Although many find it hard to believe that every physical thing—no matter how simple or small—involves some form of consciousness, panpsychists offer the reassurance that their claims are perfectly compatible with everything physics has to say about the physical world. This is because although physics has a lot to say about causal and structural properties it has nothing to say about the intrinsic natures of physical things, and if physics is silent in this regard it is perfectly possible that everything physical has an experiential intrinsic nature. Following in Thomas Nagel’s footsteps, panpsychists have also argued that by revealing that everything is composed of the same fundamental ingredients, physics provides grounds for holding that if any physical things (e.g. our neural processes) have an experiential intrinsic nature then all must. My main contention in this paper is that the relationship between physics and panpsychism is considerably more complex than panpsychists have tended to assume. Nagel’s reasoning may be sound in the context of simplistic atomic theories which posit just one kind of fundamental particle. However, it begins to look distinctly dubious in the context of the diverse range of primitive entities that are to be found in the Standard Model of particle physics. Galen Strawson has suggested that mass-energy interconvertibility should be regarded as evidence that everything physical has the same intrinsic nature. I suggest Strawson’s claim relies on a dubious construal of the nature of energy. Special relativity is another of the cornerstones of contemporary physics, and it too makes life difficult for panpsychists, a fact which emerges when we consider what it would like to be a ray of light. However in this case I suggest that there is an interesting—if radical—move open to the panpsychist: they can simply deny that light exists. To conclude I briefly consider whether what QCD has revealed about the nature of mass poses a problem for panpsychism.

Four Bosons EM Conservation Laws

Electromagnetism is expressed from two basic postulates. They are light invarianceand charge conservation. At this work one extends the Maxwell scenario from macroscopic to microscopic electromagnetism by following the elementary particles electric charge microscopic behavior. It yields a triune electric charge interrelationship. Three charges {+, 0, −} be exchanged through a vector bosons quadruplet. It is called Four Bosons Electromagnetism. A systemic EM physics appears to be understood. Maxwell photon is not enough for describing the microscopic electric charge physics. An extension for electromagnetic energy is obtained. The fields quadruplet {Aµ, Uµ, Vµ±} are the porters of electromagnetic energy. They are the usual photon Aµ, massive photon Uµ and two charged photons Vµ±, A new understanding on EM phenomena has to be considered. A set determinism based on granular and collective fields is developed. A space-time evolution associated to a whole.Conservation laws are studied. The EM phenomena is enlarged to three charges interchanges to {+, 0, −}. Two novelties appear. New features on nonlinear fields acting as own sources and on electric charge physics. Properties as conservation, conduction, transmission, interaction are extended to a systemic electromagnetism. A whole conservation law for electric charge emerges from three charges interwoven. Electric charge has a systemic behavior. Although there is no Coulomb law for zero electric charge, the Four Bosons Electromagnetism contains an EM energy which provides a neutral electromagnetism. Particles with zero charge {Aµ, Uµ} are carrying EM energy. Another consideration is on EM energy being transported by four nonlinear fields. A new physicality appears. The abelian nonlinearity generates fields charges. Fields are working as own sources through mass terms, trilinear and quadrilinear interactions, spin couplings. Consequently the photon is more than being a consequence from electric charge oscillations. It is able to generate its own charge. Introduce the meaning of photonics.Thus, electric charge is no more the isolate electromagnetic source. There are another conservation laws. Fields sources appear through corresponding equations of motion, Bianchi identities, energy-momentum, Noether laws and angular momentum conservation laws. They move EM to a fields charges dependence. Together with electric charge they carrythe electromagnetic flux. Supporting the Ahranov-Bohm experiment of potential fields as primitive entities.

How Wide the Divide? - Theorizing 'Constructions' in Generative and Usage-Based Frameworks.

What is the nature and function of mental representations in cognitive science, and in human language in particular? How do they come into existence and interact, and how is the information attributed to them stored in and retrieved from the human mind? Some theories treat constructions as primitive entities used for structure-building, central in both production and comprehension, while other theories only admit construction-like entities as devices to map the structure into semantics or to relate them to specific morphophonological exponents. In this positional piece, we seek to elucidate areas of commonality across what have traditionally been divergent approaches to the role of constructions in language. Here we outline a robust specification of the differences in how chunks of structure containing information are treated in the two main approaches, and we seek to offer a path toward a more unified theoretical stance.

Point-free foundation of geometry looking at laboratory activities

Researches in “point-free geometry”, aiming to found geometry without using points as primitive entities, have always paid attention only to the logical aspects. In this paper, we propose a point-f...

Institutions and economic change: some notes on self-organization, power and learning in human organizations

This paper provides a compact overview of the interpretations of the “primitive entities” constituting the social fabric of economic systems according to different social science traditions. In our view, it is possible to reconstruct two meta-narratives on the origins of the theoretical primitives which are at the roots of different social sciences approaches. The first narrative argues that ‘once upon a time’ there were individuals with well-structured and coherent preferences and with adequate cognitive algorithms which allowed them to take systematically rationally consistent decisions. At the beginning of history, they met and, conditional on the technologies available, undertook mutually beneficial exchanges or, when this was not possible due to technological non-convexities, trading difficulties or problems of contract enforcement, built organizations. In the alternative tale, at the beginning of history, there were immediately factors of socialization like families and social norms, which shaped desires, representations and, possibly, cognitive abilities of the agents. In this perspective, non-exchange mechanisms of interactions (authority, violence and persuasion) which establish the adaptation of agents to specific social roles appear in the explanation from the start. Here ‘institutions’ are the primitives, while ‘preferences’ and the very idea of ‘rationality’ are derived entities. Which of the two meta-narrative is chosen bears far-reaching implications for the interpretation of institutions and organizations and their transformations.

Model checking for fragments of the interval temporal logic HS at the low levels of the polynomial time hierarchy

Some temporal properties of reactive systems, such as actions with duration and temporal aggregations, which are inherently interval-based, can not be properly expressed by the standard, point-based temporal logics LTL, CTL and CTL⁎, as they give a state-by-state account of system evolution. Conversely, interval temporal logics—which feature intervals, instead of points, as their primitive entities—naturally express them.We study the model checking (MC) problem for Halpern and Shoham's modal logic of time intervals (HS), interpreted on Kripke structures, under the homogeneity assumption. HS is the best known interval-based temporal logic, which has one modality for each of the 13 ordering relations between pairs of intervals (Allen's relations), apart from equality. We focus on MC for some HS fragments featuring modalities for (a subset of) Allen's relations meet, met-by, started-by, and finished-by, showing that it is in PNP. Additionally, we provide some complexity lower bounds to the problem.

Articles of Italian unite! Italian definite articles without allomorphy

AbstractThis article examines the various realizations of the Italian definite article and concludes, against all previous accounts of this phenomenon, that neither the singular nor the plural realizations constitute a case of allomorphystricto sensu. Significantly extending Larsen's (1998) analysis, the paper argues that all of the realizations of the definite article, including the problematic [i] and [ʎi], share a single underlying representation. It is proposed that the definite article is associated with a template with separate sites for definiteness and φ-features. It is further argued that [ʎ] is not a primitive entity in Italian; rather, it emerges from a very specific configuration in which /i/ and /l/ are conjoined and followed by a second realized vowel /i/. The templatic and segmental decompositions yield a morphologically unified analysis in which all of the realizations of the definite article are based on a single lexical representation followed by the application of regular phonology.

Synthesizing Functional Mechanisms From a Link Soup1

The synthesis of functional molecular linkages is constrained by difficulties in fabricating nanolinks of arbitrary shapes and sizes. Thus, classical mechanism synthesis methods, which assume the ability to manufacture any designed links, cannot provide a systematic process for assembling such linkages. We propose a new approach to building functional mechanisms with prescribed mobility by using only elements from a predefined “link soup.” First, we enumerate an exhaustive set of topologies, while employing divide-and-conquer algorithms to control the generation and elimination of redundant topologies. Then, we construct the linkage arrangements for each valid topology. Finally, we output a set of feasible geometries through a positional analysis step that minimizes the error associated with closure of the loops in the linkage while avoiding geometric interference. The proposed systematic approach outputs the ATLAS of candidate mechanisms, which can be further processed for downstream applications. The resulting synthesis procedure is the first of its kind that is capable of synthesizing functional linkages with prescribed mobility constructed from a soup of primitive entities.

A Syntax-based Analysis of Predication

No abstract.

La noción de poder causal. Consecuencias de diferentes teorías modales y causales

This work tries to clarify the notion of causal power. It is contended that a causal power should be understood in relation with broader issues in modal and causal metaphysics. Four main alternative theories of causal powers are described: (i) causal powers as subjec-tive projections of our imagination or of our cognitive capabilities to conceive something, (ii) causal powers as the result of the resemblance between different possible worlds, (iii) causal powers as the result of the recombination of entities, independent between them, and (iv) causal powers as primitive entities, not reducible to other –more basic– states of affairs. It is contended that the adoption of one or other of these alternatives has impor-tant consequences in several debates where the notion of causal power has been used.

Homonymy as a logical term in Origen

The paper aims to deal with the problem of “homonymy” in Origen’s work from the point of logic. As far as Origen is concerned, this term expresses the difference between the literal and non-literal meanings of various Scriptural texts. Therefore, homonymy can be regarded as a primitive linguistic entity for the interpretation of the Scripture. Origen’s use of this term shows that a considerable part of the tools he classifies into the arsenal of logic is in close connection with linguistic entities, that is, with the Scripture. Nevertheless, as in the case of the difference between the literal and non-literal sense of the statements and commands of the Scripture, so too in connection with homonymy, the question of truth and falsity may emerge. Therefore, in this sense, homonymy has a logical character as well.

An axiomatic foundation of relativistic spacetime

An ab-initio foundation for relativistic spacetime is given, which is a conservative extension of Zermelo’s set theory with urelemente. Primitive entities are worldlines rather than spacetime points. Spacetime points are sets of intersecting worldlines. By the proper axioms, they form a manifold. Entities known in differential geometry, up to a metric, are defined and have the usual properties. A set-realistic point of view is adopted. The intended ontology is a set-theoretical hierarchy with a broad base of the empty set and urelemente. Sets generated from the empty set are mathematically interpreted, all other sets are physically interpreted.

Point-Free Geometries: Proximities and Quasi-Metrics

In the Euclidean geometry points are the primitive entities. Point-based spatial construction is dominant but apparently, from a constructive point of view and a naive knowledge of space, the region-based spatial theory is more quoted, as recent and past literature strongly suggest. The point-free geometry refers directly to sets, the spatial regions, and relations between regions rather than referring to points and sets of points. One of the approaches to point-free geometry proposes as primitives the concepts of region and quasi-metric, a non-symmetric distance between regions, yielding a natural notion of diameter of a region that, under suitable conditions, makes it possible to reconstruct the canonical model. The intended canonical model is the hyperspace of the non-empty regularly closed subsets of a metric space equipped with the Hausdorff excess. The canonical model can be enriched by adding more qualitative structure involving a distinguished family of bounded regions and a group of similitudes preserving bounded regions, so producing a metric geometry in which shape is relevant. The main purpose of this article is to highlight the role of nearness and emphasize the proximity aspects taking part in the construction by quasi-metrics of point-free geometries.

Cenancestor, the Last Universal Common Ancestor

Abstract Darwin suggested that all life on Earth could be phylogenetically related. Modern biology has confirmed Darwin’s extraordinary insight; the existence of a universal genetic code is just one of many evidences of our common ancestry. Based on the three domain phylogeny proposed by Woese and Fox in the early 1970s that all living beings can be classified on one of three main cellular lineages (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya), it is possible to reconstruct some of the characteristics of the Last Universal Common Ancestor or cenancestor. Comparative genomics of organisms from the three domains has shown that the cenancestor was not a direct descendant of the prebiotic soup nor a primitive cellular entity where the genotype and the phenotype had an imprecise relationship (i.e., a progenote), rather it was an organism similar in complexity to extant cells. Due to the process of horizontal gene transfer and secondary gene losses, several questions regarding the nature of the cenancestor remain unsolved. However, attempts to infer its nature have led to the identification of a set of universally conserved genes. The research on the nature of the last universal common ancestor promises to shed light on fundamental aspects of living beings.

Parameterization Method on B‐Spline Curve

The use of computer graphics in many areas allows a real object to be transformed into a three‐dimensional computer model (3D) by developing tools to improve the visualization of two‐dimensional (2D) and 3D data from series of data point. The tools involved the representation of 2D and 3D primitive entities and parameterization method using B‐spline interpolation. However, there is no parameterization method which can handle all types of data points such as collinear data points and large distance of two consecutive data points. Therefore, this paper presents a new parameterization method that is able to solve those drawbacks by visualizing the 2D primitive entity of scanned data point of a real object and construct 3D computer model. The new method has improved a hybrid method by introducing exponential parameterization method in the beginning of the reconstruction process, followed by computing B‐spline basis function to find maximum value of the function. The improvement includes solving a linear system of the B‐spline basis function using numerical method. Improper selection of the parameterization method may lead to the singularity matrix of the system linear equations. The experimental result on different datasets show that the proposed method performs better in constructing the collinear and two consecutive data points compared to few parameterization methods.

Programming with partially specified aggregates in Java

Various forms of data aggregates, e.g., arrays, lists, sets, etc., are usually provided by programming languages, either as primitive entities or as additional features made available by standard libraries. In conventional programming languages these data structures are usually specified by completely and precisely enumerating all their constituent elements. Conversely, in (constraint) logic programming languages it is common to deal with partially specified aggregates where either some elements or some parts of the aggregate are left unknown. In this paper we consider the case where partially specified aggregates can occur in a conventional O-O programming language. Specifically, we consider partially specified lists and sets as provided by the Java library JSetL. The definition of such data structures is strongly based on the notion of logical (or constrained) variable usually provided by languages and libraries to support constraint programming. We show through simple examples using Java and JSetL how partially specified lists and sets, along with a few basic constraints over them, can be conveniently exploited in a number of common programming problems.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Recent Work on Propositions

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Recent Work on Propositions

Artificial Companions as a New Kind of Interface to the Future Internet

This research report seeks to connect the future of the Internet to a new, even though relatively developed, technology; that of computer speech and language and its embodiment in a concept I shall call an Artificial Companion. I will argue here that such entities are coming into being and that they will change fairly rapidly from the rather primitive entities now available, largely in Japan, to being entities that will lead to profound social and psychological consequences; they will also constitute a new and much more personal way of dealing with information and its so-called 'overload' upon all of us.This is not a paper in social science, but rather in speculative technology: however, the underlying technologies exist already and I will briefly describe them, along with some account of the current debates over their consequences. The crucial move in the paper will be when, after describing Artificial Companions, real and possible, I go on to argue that they can be seen as links to the Internet, at least for vulnerable classes of people (the old, the young) but perhaps for all of us when faced with the coming torrent of information on the Internet, particularly information about ourselves. Most citizens will not be able to deal with this at all, let alone control or 'own' it, without some assistance, and one form that assistance will take will be the persistent, personal, Internet agent, or Companion.

THE IDENTITY OF ARGUMENT-PLACES

Argument-places play an important role in our dealing with relations. However, that does not mean that argument-places should be taken as primitive entities. It is possible to give an account of ‘real’ relations in which argument-places play no role. But if argument-places are not basic, then what can we say about their identity? Can they, for example, be reconstructed in set theory with appropriate urelements? In this article, we show that for some relations, argument-places cannot be modeled in a neutral way in V[A], the cumulative hierarchy with basic ingredients of the relation as urelements. We argue that a natural way to conceive of argument-places is to identify them with abstract, structureless points of a derivative structure exemplified by positional frames. In case the relation has symmetry, these points may be indiscernible.

PREDICATION AND EXTENSIONALIZATION

In his 2000 book Logical Properties Colin McGinn argues that predicates denote properties rather than sets or individuals. I support the thesis, but show that it is vulnerable to a type-incongruity objection, if properties are (modelled as) functions, unless a device for extensionalizing properties is added. Alternatively, properties may be construed as primitive intensional entities, as in George Bealer. However, I object to Bealer’s construal of predication as a primitive operation inputting two primitive entities and outputting a third primitive entity. Instead I recommend we follow Pavel Tichý in construing both predication and extensionalization as instances of the primitive operation of functional application.