Physicalism demands an explication of what it means for something to be physical. But the most popular way of providing one—viz., characterizing the physical in terms of the postulates of a scientifically derived physical theory—is met with serious trouble. Proponents of physicalism can either appeal to current physical theory or to some future physical theory (preferably an ideal and complete one). Neither option is promising: currentism almost assuredly renders physicalism false and futurism appears to render it indeterminate or trivial. The purpose of this essay is to argue that attempts to characterize the mental encounter a similar dilemma: currentism with respect to the mental is likely to be inadequate or contain falsehoods and futurism leaves too many significant questions about the nature of mentality unanswered. This new dilemma, we show, threatens both sides of the current debate surrounding the metaphysical status of the mind.
The article defends the possibility of using evolutionary schemes in historical sciences, as models for interpreting cultural-historical changes. It points out the possibilities for maintaining certain space within master narratives for explaining the theories of partial developmental processes. The demographic data could, then, be used as hypothetical indicators of the processes of cultural-historical change., Jan Horský., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In the post-Baroque era, science in the developed states of Europe gradually turned from theological scepticism to practical goals. The growing interest in the search for new sources of wealth resulted in the policy of mercantilism that developed in European powers from the Baroque period to the 1830s; this policy directly affected the nature of scholarly research, and in non-colonial states, it focussed, in the form of cameralist system, on the development of state administration and the improvement in and exploitation of economically marginal or directly poor regions. In connection with the Enlightenment ideal of a harmonious society, states aimed at a functional normalisation of relations among individual social strata; the scholarly interest, in the primary pursuit of economic and developmental objectives, focusses for the first time on folk culture, providing valuable reports on it and, last but not least, contributing to the popularization of its selected segments, with which Romantic philosophy as well as anthropology subsequently worked; in the period under study, anthropology was rather a natural science dealing with human evolution, including related cultural expressions. The aforementioned factors brought about the first ethnographic monographs applying the theories and methods that formed the basic building blocks of the future independent discipline; the treatise observes their development up to a noticeable ideological breakthrough in the pre-March period.
Assessment of people’s views with an emphasis on sociological aspects is mainly associated with the tradition of the European public opinion research. American authors introduced empirical and socio-psychological approaches to this eld of study. Hadley Cantril was one of those who pioneered “scienti c” public opinion research inspired by George Gallup. This paper reviews Cantril’s work, recalling some of his most important theoretical and methodological ndings and empirical projects, to conclude that his studies remain a rich source of knowledge for all present-day and future public opinion researchers, Ján Mišovič., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This interview with Ilyia Budraitskis touches on the keystones of his book Dissidents among Dissidents: Ideology, Politics and the Left in Post-Soviet Russia (Verso, 2022). Ilyia Budraitskis presents the turning points in the development of the left dissident movement in the Soviet Union, the various streams and faces of the left in post-Soviet Russia, and their understanding of new issues such as the “color revolutions.” The original interview, published in the Ukrainian journal Commons, was completed with questions from the Czechoslovak perspective.
Theoretical modelling is often overlooked in photosynthesis research even if it can significantly help with understanding of explored system. A new model of light-induced photosynthetic reactions occurring in and around thylakoid membrane is introduced here and used for theoretical modelling of not only the light-induced chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence rise (FLR; the O-J-I-P transient), reflecting function of photosystem II (PSII), but also of the 820 nmtransmittance signal (I820), reflecting function of photosystem I (PSI) and plastocyanin (PC), paralleling the FLR. Correctness of the model was verified by successful simulations of the FLR and I820 signal as measured with the control (no treatment) sample but also as measured with 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone- (inhibits electron transport in cytochrome b 6/f) and methylviologen- (accepts electrons from iron-sulphur cluster of PSI) treated samples and with the control sample upon different intensities of excitation light. From the simulations performed for the control sample, contribution of the oxidised donor of PSI, P700, and oxidised PC to the I820 signal minimum (reflects maximal accumulations of the two components) was estimated to be 75% and 25%, respectively. Further in silico experiments showed that PC must be reduced in the dark, cyclic electron transport around PSI must be considered in the model and activation of ferredoxin-NADP+-oxidoreductase (FNR) also affects the FLR. Correct simulations of the FLR and I820 signal demonstrate robustness of the model, confirm that the electron transport reactions occurring beyond PSII affect the shape of the FLR, and show usefulness and perspective of theoretical approach in studying of the light-induced photosynthetic reactions.
Článek se zaměřuje na debaty o vztahu teorie, metody a praxe v meziválečné americké sociologii. Toto období je často vnímáno jako "zlatý“ věk empirického zkoumání, během něhož bylo zformováno mnoho metodologických přístupů. Na druhé straně, jak naznačuje zde rozpracovaná argumentace, požadavky profesionalizace a specializace vytvořily výzkumný model, jenž sice úspěšně analyzoval specifické problémy, současně však selhal v kontextu kkrize“ a "rozvratu“ americké společnosti, kdy se projevilo, že vědění, jež americká sociologie produkuje, je irelevatní ve vztahu k obecnému problému logiky vývoje společnosti., The article provides a historical contextualization of the debates on theory and method within interwar American sociology. This period is often portrayed as the “golden” age of empirical inquiry resulting in proliferation of methodological orientations. It is argued that the demands of professionalization and specialization within the discipline produced a research model which succeeded in analyzing specific issues, but failed to find (in the context of the “crisis” and “disruption” of American society) a convincing answer to the general question of the logic of society’s development., and Jan Balon.
Housing regime’ is a term that is used relatively often in (macrosocial) research comparing housing policies and systems. However, there is no generally accepted definition of this term. In this paper I shall first scrutinise previous uses of the concept, starting with a discussion of the most famous regime concept – the welfare regime. The discussion paves the way for a redefinition of a ‘housing regime’: the set of fundamental principles according to which housing provision operates in some defined area (municipality, region, state) at a particular point in time. Such principles are thought to be embodied in the institutional arrangements that relate to housing provision, in the political interventions that address housing issues, and as in the discourses through which housing issues are customarily understood. This definition is compatible with the path-dependence approach that has been adopted here and with the aspects of reality that researchers want to capture using the ‘regime’ concept.
Autorka v této přehledové stati představuje relativně nový společenskovědní obor Human-Animal Studies se zaměřením na jeho sociologickou dimenzi. Cílem článku není podrobná kompilace existujících publikací na toto téma, ale syntéza klíčových myšlenek, které stojí v základu sociologického chápání Human-Animal Studies, včetně odkazů na zásadní díla a vybrané webové portály, kde mohou zájemci najít podrobnější informace. Autorka představuje základní východiska a teoretické předpoklady tohoto oboru a zasazuje jej do širšího interdisciplinárního rámce. Poukazuje na různorodost přístupů jak z hlediska teoretického, tak metodologického. Poskytuje základní přehled historického vývoje tohoto oboru a jeho postupného etablování v rámci odborných center, univerzit i vědeckých časopisů. Autorka rovněž přibližuje vybraná témata, kterými se tento komplexní obor dnes zabývá, a v závěru nastiňuje jeho možnou budoucí perspektivu., The author of this review article introduces the relatively new social science field of human-animal studies, focusing on its sociological dimension. Her aim is not a particularized compilation of existing publications on the topic, but a synthesis of the key ideas behind the sociological perspective on human-animal studies. The author includes references to crucial works and selected web portals where one can find more detailed information. She introduces the fundamental premises and theoretic assumptions of the field and contextualizes it in a wider interdisciplinary framework. She presents a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. She provides an elementary outline of the historical development of this field and its successive establishment within academic centres, universities and scientific journals. The author also introduces selected topics which this complex field examines today and, finally, outlines its possible future prospects., Tereza Vandrovcová., and Seznam literatury
Nedávné vědecké poznatky týkající se lidského vnímání a lidského konání naznačují, že nejenom není konání bez vnímání (což není až zase tak překvapivé), ale že není ani vnímání bez konání (což už je mnohem překvapivější). Zcela se mění pohled na to, jak lidé vnímají (nejlépe zdokumentováno je to v případě vidění); a objevují se dokonce i extrémní názory, že vnímání a konání jsou vlastně jednou a toutéž věcí. Podobně se v důsledku zkoumání motivačních struktur stojících v základu tvorby teorií rozmývá ostrou hranici mezi teorií a praxí. Zdá se mi, že tohle všechno je poněkud překvapivá voda na mlýn filosofického pragmatismu., Recent scientific results concerning human perception and human action indicate, that not only there is no action without perception (which would not be so surprising), but also that there is no perception without action (which is much greater surprise). The view of how humans perceive has completely changed (as best documented in the case of vision); and there appear even such extreme views as that perception and action are in fact one and the same thing. Similarly, the research of the motivation structures in the foundation of theory forming erases the sharp boundary between theory and praxis. It seems to me that this is a somewhat surprising grist to the mill of philosophical pragmatism., and Jaroslav Peregrin.