From Inexactness to Certainty: The Change in Hume's Conception of Geometry

Although Hume's analysis of geometry continues to serve as a reference point for many contemporary discussions in the philosophy of science, the fact that the first Enquiry presents a radical revision of Hume's conception of geometry in the Treatise has never been explained. The present essay closely examines Hume's early and late discussions of geometry and proposes a reconstruction of the reasons behind the change in his views on the subject. Hume's early conception of geometry as an inexact non-demonstrative science is argued to be a consequence of his attempt to discredit geometrical proofs of infinite divisibility of extension by anchoring the meaning of geometrical concepts in inherently inexact qualitative measurement procedures. This measurement-based attack on the exactness and certainty of geometry is analyzed and shown to be both self-refuting and inconsistent with the general epistemological framework of the Treatise. The revised conception of geometry as a demonstrative science in the first Enquiry is then interpreted as Hume's response to the failure of his earlier attempt to discredit geometrical proofs of infinite divisibility of extension. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

DONNA HARAWAY'S METATHEORY OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION: CYBORGS, TRICKSTER, AND HERMES

Abstract. This article is a close reading of two essays by Donna Haraway on feminist philosophy, the biophysical sciences, and critical social theory. Haraway's strong social constructionist approach to science is criticized by colleague Sandra Harding, resulting in an epistemological reconceptualization of objectivity by Haraway. Haraway's notion of “situated knowledges” provides a workable epistemology for all social and biophysical sciences, while inviting the reintegration of religions as critical conversation partners in an emancipatory hermeneutics of nature, culture, and technology.     

注意对半视野识别汉字的影响

用视觉外周呈现光点以控制注意的方法,对识别具体和抽象性汉字的脑功能偏侧化进行了研究。注意线索与刺激字在同侧视野呈现的间隔时间（ＳＯＡ）分为０、２９和５７ｍｓ。结果表明,具体性字在三种ＳＯＡ都表现出右视野左半球优势;而抽象性字在０ｍｓ两视野的识别成绩一样好。因此在偏侧视野识别汉字词中注意和脑结构因素似乎起着综合作用。     

汉字识别的计算机模拟

本文总结了作者近年来在连结主义的理论框架下 ,用计算机模拟汉字识别的工作。文章分三部分。第一部分说明了计算机模拟与人工智能的关系。第二部分介绍了作者提出的两个模型 :汉字识别与命名的连结主义模型和基于语义的词汇判断的计算模型。两个模型分别成功地模拟了汉字识别中的频率效应、形声字读音中的规则效应、声旁效应、语义启动效应、语境与频率的交互作用等。第三部分讨论了模拟工作的意义、分布表征、学习算法等问题。研究表明 :认知的计算机模拟能验证人类认知实验的结果 ,对结果提出合理的解释 ,并能指导进一步的实验研究。     

HOW EMPIRICAL IS WIEMAN'S THEOLOGY?

Abstract. The essay is a response to the papers written by Nancy Frankenberry and Charley Hardwick in the March 1987 issue of Zygon. Questions are raised about whether Wieman's theology is functionalist in the way described by Frankenberry and whether Hardwick's proposal to establish the logical possibility of naturalism as a framework for an existential interpretation of the Christian message is satisfactory. The most basic question raised by both papers is whether Wieman's theology is fully empirical when viewed from the point of view of the radical empiricist.     

Some aspects of medical hermeneutics: The role of dialectic and narrative

This essay constructs an argument for a dialectic between the scientific and clinical aspects of medicine using the hermeneutical approach of Paul Ricoeur as a theoretical and philosophical guide. Additionally, the relationship between this dialectic and narrative case histories is examined as a way of expressing this abstract and theoretical concept in more concrete terms.     

Making use of creationism. A case-study for the philosophy of science classroom

In this paper, I describe an approach to the teaching of philosophy of science that draws normally reluctant students into controversial issues in the philosophy of science. I have found that the topic of creationism is a good vehicle for introducing students to the more difficult issues in philosophy of science. I explore the use of creationism as a case-study in the philosophy of science and detail my own experience in the creationism debate.     

汉字识别中的语音效应

该实验用启动掩蔽法探讨了汉字词识别中语音的作用。以五类高、低频汉字词对为材料,在三种启动时间条件下发现:高频形似音同目标字在25毫秒启动下有显著促进效应,而形异音同目标字在25和35毫秒有显著抑制效应。在低频情况下与上述相应的目标字表现出不显著的促进和抑制效应。此结果似乎表明汉字词识别过程具有程度不同的语音自动激活效应。     

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DE LAS CASAS: A 1492 RESONANCE

Abstract. A comparison is made between two unlikely debates over intelligence. One debate took place in 1550 at Valladolid, Spain, between Bartolomé de las Casas and Juan Gines de Sepúlveda over the intelligence of the Amerindian. The other debate is contemporary, between John Searle and various representatives of the "strong" artificial intelligence (AI) community over the adequacy of the Turing test for intelligence. Although the contemporary debate has yet to die down, the Valladolid debate has been over for four hundred years. The question asked here is whether the contemporary debate can profit from the previous one. The common bond providing the basis for contrast is the issue of the "other" which is present in both debates. From this contrast, the observation is made that the question of meaning is intimately tied to the question of intelligence.     

图画与中、英文字词识别加工的比较

通过对不同材料进行加工的比较来探讨人脑的信息加工机制是认知心理学采用的主要研究方法之一。本研究采用了两个实验。实验一比较了图画、中文和英文字词在命名和分类任务中的差异。结果发现:中文是介于图画和英文之间的一种符号系统,在命名任务中,英文反应最快,图画反应最慢,中文居中;而在分类任务中,反应的快慢趋势却截然相反。实验二进一步探讨了言语及非言语信息的表征结构及加工特性,使用了图-图、图-字、字-图、字-字此四种组合材料进行命名一致性和语义分类两种任务,结果发现:字特征组(字-字,字-图)在命名一致性判断任务中的反应优于图特征组(图-图、图-字),而在语义一致性判断任务中则相反,这一结果很难用双编码理论和共同编码理论来解释。语词信息对语音码的接通是直接的,而对语义码的接通却是间接的,图画信息反之,而且由于某种策略产生了图特征组与字特征组的区别。