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Logical Structure (logical + structure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Logical structures extracted from metastasis experiments

CANCER SCIENCE, Issue 11 2009
Yoshiro Maru
An inductive argument of metastasis with a metaphor of seed and soil was made by Stephen Paget in 1889. It is commonly held that metastasis is dependent on both the organ from which the primary tumors originate, and the organs to which the tumor cells travel. The assumption is based on the statistical observation of a number of autopsy samples. Here I attempt to establish a theory on the mechanisms of metastasis with experimental evidence. I propose that dysregulation of pro-inflammatory Toll-like receptor 4 signaling, stimulated by its endogenous ligands, establishes pre-metastatic soil. Once specific parameters are established, deductive judgments could be possible to predict to which organ a given tumor metastasizes. (Cancer Sci 2009) [source]

The Future of the Philosophy of Historiography

HISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2001
Aviezer Tucker
This article argues that the perception of decline among philosophers of history reflects the diffused weak academic status of the discipline, as distinct from the booming research activity and demand for philosophy of history that keeps pace with the growth rate of publications in the philosophies of science and law. This growth is justified and rational because the basic problems of the philosophy of history, concerning the nature of historiographical knowledge and the metaphysical assumptions of historiography, have maintained their relevance. Substantive philosophy of history has an assured popularity but is not likely to win intellectual respectability because of its epistemic weaknesses. I suggest focusing on problems that a study of historiography can help to understand and even solve, as distinct from problems that cannot be decided by an examination of historiography, such as the logical structure of explanation (logical positivism)and the relation between language and reality (post-structuralism). In particular, following Quine's naturalized epistemology, I suggest placing the relation between evidence and historiography at the center of the philosophy of historiography. Inspired by the philosophy of law, I suggest there are three possible relations between input (evidence)and output in historiography: determinism, indeterminism, and underdeterminism. An empirical examination of historiographical agreement, disagreement, and failure to communicate may indicate which relation holds at which parts of historiography. The historiographical community seeks consensus, but some areas are subject to disagreements and absence of communication; these are associated with historiographical schools that interpret conflicting models of history differently to fit their evidence. The reasons for this underdetermination of historiography by evidence needs to be investigated further. [source]

Learning to Think: A Response to the Language of Thought Argument for Innateness

MIND & LANGUAGE, Issue 3 2005
Christopher Viger
I argue that because the logical/formal terms of natural languages are given a use-theory of meaning, unlike predicates, logical/formal terms might be learned without a mediating internal representation. In that case, our innate representational system might have less logical structure than a natural language, making it possible that we augment our innate representational system and improve our ability to think by learning a natural language. [source]

Merleau,Ponty on the Body

RATIO, Issue 4 2002
Sean Dorrance Kelly
The French philosopher Maurice Merleau,Ponty claims that there are two distinct ways in which we can understand the place of an object when we are visually apprehending it. The first involves an intentional relation to the object that is essentially cognitive or can serve as the input to cognitive processes; the second irreducibly involves a bodily set or preparation to deal with the object. Because of its essential bodily component, Merleau,Ponty calls this second kind of understanding ,motor intentional'. In this paper I consider some phenomenological, conceptual, and cognitive neuro,scientific results that help to elucidate and defend the distinction between intentional and motor intentional activity. I go on to argue that motor intentional activity has a logical structure that is essentially distinct from that of the more canonical kinds of intentional states. In particular, the characteristic logical distinction between the content and the attitude of an intentional state does not carry over to the motor intentional case. [source]

Affecting the perception of verbal cues to deception

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Leif A. Strömwall
An important but overlooked factor in deception detection research is how the perception of verbal cues to deception can be affected by situational factors. This study examined how participants' (N,=,200) perceptions were influenced by presentation mode (Experiments 1 and 2) and repeated exposure/assessment (Experiment 3). As predicted, presentation mode affected the perception of several verbal cues. Participants who watched a videotaped testimony rated the degree of the cues richness of detail, completeness, logical structure and plausibility, higher than those who read the transcript of the same testimony. Furthermore, repeated exposure to the testimony, in combination with repeated assessments, lowered the participants' ratings of the verbal cues. People's perception of the verbal content of a testimony can thus be affected by situational factors. The results are discussed in psycho-legal terms. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The importance of experimental design in detecting the effects of protection measures on fish in Mediterranean MPAs

AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 6 2002
P. Guidetti
Abstract 1.Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are currently proliferating in the Mediterranean Sea. The assessment of their role in the protection and recovery of overexploited fish populations, however, is not yet completely supported by an adequate body of scientific evidence. This is in part because the number of studies that unambiguously assess changes induced by protection is limited. 2.Sampling to detect and measure the expected effects of protection on commercial fish (e.g. increase in mean abundance and size) is made difficult by intrinsic natural spatial and temporal variability. Ideally, temporal replication before and after the establishment of MPAs is necessary for estimating the average conditions in time. Spatial replication of control locations, on the other hand, is essential to prevent confusion in interpreting a difference between protected and unprotected locations. Until now, the basic requirements for appropriate experimental designs in MPAs were seldom satisfied, especially in the Mediterranean region. 3.In the present paper, an ideal experimental design aimed at overcoming many of the confounding influences that could result in misinterpretations of the results is considered, with a discussion of implications of applying less and less appropriate designs because of pragmatic constraints. Experimental design should thus be adapted to each individual MPA under study on the basis of the specific constraints that researchers face (e.g. ,before' (i.e. pre-designation) data are lacking; there is a single or more than one protected locations). 4.The issues related to MPAs, chiefly in the Mediterranean region, need to be considered to enable the identification of unambiguous hypotheses prior to sampling, based on clear logical structures. The importance of appropriate sampling and the subsequent interpretation of data would progressively reduce the degree of uncertainty of environmental analyses about the effects of MPAs on fish, with important implications for their management and further proliferation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]