Wither away individuals

In this paper we deal with the problem of identity and individuality in quantum mechanics. We analyze three definitions of the concept of an individual and propose to check their merits in relation to the theory. In order to achieve our goals our approach also ties those definitions of individuality to two distinct kinds of naturalism in ontology: a strong version, according to which quantum mechanics must somehow authorize in a positive fashion the ontological concepts being dealt with, and a weak naturalism, according to which quantum mechanics must be only compatible with those ontological concepts. We conclude that strong naturalism is incompatible with the three concepts of individuality in quantum mechanics, and we argue that weak naturalism is not completely motivated, so that the best position to be assumed, in the end, is that the entities are simply not individuals. That is, in its craving to be compatible with strong naturalism, individuality ends up evaporating and we are left with non-individuals.     

学习科学,破除迷信,提高素质

二十年以前就有过一场争论,是关于耳朵认字的问题.当时一批科学家起来揭露它的虚伪性,但也有一批科学家却出来支持它,认为这是人体的特异功能.九十年代初,这种伪科学越演越烈,越说越神奇.这两年似乎不大听说了.但另一种歪门邪说却又泛滥起来,这就是法轮功.当然法轮功已成为残害人民、残害社会的邪教组织,与一般相信特异功能是两种不同性质的问题.但是究其思想基础却同出一源,即迷信二字.     

破除迷信科普先行

尊重知识,普及科学知识是一件十分重要的事情.破除迷信,需要科普先行.由于我们在这方面做得不够,再加上其它一些原因,使某些伪科学猖獗.例如,气功是祖国医学中重要的一部分,正确的、科学的应用则可以起到健身强体、防病治病的作用.然而,现今社会上却有那么一些人,利用人们对气功的信任,大搞伪科学来诈骗民众的钱财,同时,那些受骗者不仅仅是损失了钱与物,也使健康受到了损害,甚至使一些人死亡.因此,我们每一个人都应当加强学习,增长知识,谨防形形色色的骗子.……     

风行60年，销量1700万辆——意大利经典小型机车

经典的设计可不是三十年河东,三十年河西。它是包含深刻而独具匠心的设计理念在其中,它是隽永的,是人们可以将之视为留名设计史册的传世佳作。当格里高利·派克(Gregory Peck)和奥黛丽·赫本(Audrey Hepbum)在《罗马假日》中骑着那辆经典的Vespa小摩托穿过古老的欧罗巴街道时,全世界的影迷都为之着魔。那么这款传世之作是谁设计的呢?让我们为你解开这个疑团。     

中国无神论学会理事李力研同志逝世

李力研,男,1961年11月15日生于山西省长治县,国家体育总局体育科学研究所研究员。1982年10月山西大学体育系本科毕业,分配到山西省晋东南地区会计学校执教。1984年9月考入北京体育学院攻读体育理论专业硕士学位,1987年7月毕业,分配到国家体委体育科学研究所从事体育理论研究工作。1993年3月加入中国民主同盟。1996年6月任国家体育总局体育科学研究所体育理论研究室副主任,2000年12月被评为研究员,2001年6月任群众体育研究中心副主任,2002年8月在体育社会科学研究中心从事研究工作至今。2005年9月28日在台湾参加两岸运动科学学术研讨会期间突…     

斯人已去 道风长存——缅怀兰州志公道观住持陈涵谷道长

兰州红泥沟志公道观住持、全真教龙门派第二十四代玄裔、著名道医陈涵谷道长.于1999年夏历八月二十三日在西固柳沟大坪,无疾无苦,端坐而逝,享年八十六岁.今已过数年,而陈道长言谈笑语音容宛在.念及老人家谈<易>说道、讲医论武之情,如在昨日.而今却驾鹤西游,人去楼空,广陵散绝,悲哉!     

破除迷信要常抓不懈--记中国科协捍卫科学尊严、破除愚昧迷信、反对伪科学论坛第十次研讨会

2003年9月19日,中国科学“捍卫科学尊严、破除愚昧迷信、反对伪科学”论坛第十次研讨会在京举行,会议的主题是“破除迷信要常抓不懈”。中国科协书记处书记宋南平.中国科协第六届常委     

科学家越轨行为的多维分析与道德防范

科学家越轨行为是对科学规范的违背,它妨碍有计划、有目的、有秩序的科学发展过程。本文从生理学、社会学、心理学等学科对其产生的原因进行分析,并从伦理学角度提出道德防范的三种途径。     

破除迷信就在我们身边

关于算命,到底灵验不灵验呢?我爱人陈俊英有过这样一段经历:她年轻时,她大伯是个算命先生,曾给她算命。因为是叔侄关系,一定很用心的。这位算命先生说我爱人只有49岁的寿命。可是事实呢,老伴已活到60多岁了。老伴对我说:“算命先生的话,不听也罢”。我老伴曾好奇地把这件事告诉另外的算命先生,让其解答“为什么那个算命先生算得不准”?回答是:“因为你心善,上天又给你增加了寿命。”表面上看,此种解释似有道理,然而你认真想一想,就发现破绽:人的寿命能以善恶为依据吗?显然是一种迷信之说,骗人的把戏。据说,算命者不仅能“算”出人的寿命,还…     

Remembering a location makes the eyes curve away

Working memory is a system that keeps limited information on-line for immediate access by cognitive processes. This type of active maintenance is important for everyday life activities. The present study shows that maintaining a location in spatial working memory affects the trajectories of saccadic eye movements toward visual targets, as the eyes deviate away from the remembered location. This finding provides direct evidence for a strong overlap between spatial working memory and the eye movement system. We argue that curvature is the result of the need to inhibit memory-based eye movement activity in the superior colliculus, in order to allow an accurate saccade to the visual target. Whereas previous research has shown that the eyes may deviate away from visually presented stimuli that need to be ignored, we show that the eyes also curve away from remembered stimuli.     

The poehlman case: running away from the truth

Eric T. Poehlman, Ph.D., was an internationally recognized, tenured professor at the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington when, in October 2000, a junior member of Poehlman’s laboratory became convinced that he had altered data from a study on aging volunteers from the Burlington area. This suspicion developed into one of the most significant cases of scientific misconduct in the history of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Research Integrity (ORI), launching a US Department of Justice (DOJ) civil and criminal fraud investigation and, eventually, to a much publicized guilty plea and felony conviction. In the end, Dr. Poehlman admitted to 54 findings of scientific misconduct made by the UVM and ORI, agreed to retract or correct ten of his publications and to exclude himself from federal procurement and nonprocurement transactions for life. The United States Government’s handling of this case was distinguished by a highly cooperative approach that integrated the resources of the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont (USAO) and both ORI and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in HHS in the common goal of prosecuting research fraud. The content of this article represents the personal views of the authors and does not express the opinion or policy of DHHS or its components. A paper on this topic was presented at the 6th International Bioethics Conference on the subject of ‘The Responsible Conduct of Basic and Clinical Research’, held in Warsaw, Poland, 3–4 June 2005.     

Pushing mom away: Embodied cognition and avoidant attachment

The objective of this research was to examine embodied psychological defense—the way in which defensive processes are manifest in basic motor responses. Forty-one participants were instructed to physically push or pull a lever in response to lexical stimuli presented on a computer display. Participants who were relatively avoidant with respect to attachment were faster to push the lever away from themselves when presented with the word “mom.” These results suggest that basic avoidant motives are automatically primed when attachment-related stimuli are processed, and that these tendencies manifest themselves in basic, motor-specific ways.     

破除迷信一席谈

好人的一个缺点,就是容易受骗.在生活中,无端地受小人、奸人所骗的事,时有发生.特别是对那些假借“科学“或“神通“之名行骗的伎俩,人们受自己知识见闻所限,更感到一时难以识别.而现代骗子的一个高招,恰恰是通过种种手法,让你面对一种似乎是“客观存在的事实“,同时打着科学或哲学的旗号,加以似是而非的解释,借以诱你上当受骗.这正是现代迷信及其歪理邪说的常用伎俩.……     

The "process" of running away: a redefinition

Unlike much of the research on runaway behavior in the last half decade, the present effort does not use legal definitions or individual motives to define a runaway. Rather, it views the designation as a "social process." The concept of "career" is central to this effort in that it allows for an identification of where in the overall process young persons see themselves. In general, becoming a runaway is conceived as a process of action and reaction, which unfolds over time. Becoming a runaway is the end product of a person's actions, reason, and symbols.