The Dynamics of Progress
The Dynamics of Progress

Author: Samuel L. Macey

Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Published: 2010-11-01

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 082033796X

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The development of increasingly precise measurements is an essential part of what Samuel L. Macey identifies as the West's wide-ranging effort to rationalize human activity--to simplify and standardize the way we work and communicate with one another. In The Dynamics of Progress, Macey examines the history of such rationalizations as they have manifested themselves. He identifies a symbiotic relationship among these different types of rationalization, demonstrating that without the rationalizing of time, weights and measures, numbers, and language, the scientific, technological, and industrial advances of the past three hundred years would have been inconceivable. In addition to discussing rationalization in its various forms, Macey also addresses reactions against it, and closes with some observations on the future. Increasing demands for material goods have the potential for spreading wealth, but such demands strain the earth's limited resources. How we address the challenge posed by this depletion of resources, Macey suggests, will be the ultimate test of our rationalizing powers.

Critical Appraisal of Physical Science as a Human Enterprise
Critical Appraisal of Physical Science as a Human Enterprise

Author: Mansoor Niaz

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-02-07

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1402096267

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It is generally believed that doing science means accumulating empirical data with no or little reference to the interpretation of the data based on the scientist’s th- retical framework or presuppositions. Holton (1969a) has deplored the widely accepted myth (experimenticism) according to which progress in science is presented as the inexorable result of the pursuit of logically sound conclusions from un- biguous experimental data. Surprisingly, some of the leading scientists themselves (Millikan is a good example) have contributed to perpetuate the myth with respect to modern science being essentially empirical, that is carefully tested experim- tal facts (free of a priori conceptions), leading to inductive generalizations. Based on the existing knowledge in a field of research a scientist formulates the guiding assumptions (Laudan et al. , 1988), presuppositions (Holton, 1978, 1998) and “hard core” (Lakatos, 1970) of the research program that constitutes the imperative of presuppositions, which is not abandoned in the face of anomalous data. Laudan and his group consider the following paraphrase of Kant by Lakatos as an important guideline: philosophy of science without history of science is empty. Starting in the 1960s, this “historical school” has attempted to redraw and replace the positivist or logical empiricist image of science that dominated for the first half of the twentieth century. Among other aspects, one that looms large in these studies is that of “guiding assumptions” and has considerable implications for the main thesis of this monograph (Chapter 2).

The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Development
The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Development

Author: Adam Szirmai

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2005-01-20

Total Pages: 760

ISBN-13: 1107717566

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Why are poor countries poor and rich countries rich? How are wealth and poverty related to changes in nutrition, health, life expectancy, education, population growth and politics? This modern, non-technical 2005 introduction to development studies explores the dynamics of socio-economic development and stagnation in developing countries. Taking a quantitative and comparative approach to contemporary debates within their broader context, Szirmai examines historical, institutional, demographic, sociological, political and cultural factors. Key chapters focus on economic growth, technological change, industrialisation, agricultural development, and consider social dimensions such as population growth, health and education. Each chapter contains comparative statistics on trends from a sample of twenty-nine developing countries. This rich statistical database allows students to strengthen their understanding of comparative development experiences. Assuming no prior knowledge of economics the book is suited for use in inter-disciplinary development studies programmes as well as economics courses, and will also interest practitioners pursuing careers in developing countries.

Dynamics Among Nations
Dynamics Among Nations

Author: Hilton L. Root

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2013-11

Total Pages: 347

ISBN-13: 0262019701

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An innovative view of the changing geopolitical landscape that draws on the science of complex adaptive systems to understand changes in global interaction. Liberal internationalism has been the West's foreign policy agenda since the Cold War, and the West has long occupied the top rung of a hierarchical system. In this book, Hilton Root argues that international relations, like other complex ecosystems, exists in a constantly shifting landscape, in which hierarchical structures are giving way to systems of networked interdependence, changing every facet of global interaction. Accordingly, policymakers will need a new way to understand the process of change. Root suggests that the science of complex systems offers an analytical framework to explain the unforeseen development failures, governance trends, and alliance shifts in today's global political economy. Root examines both the networked systems that make up modern states and the larger, interdependent landscapes they share. Using systems analysis—in which institutional change and economic development are understood as self-organizing complexities—he offers an alternative view of institutional resilience and persistence. From this perspective, Root considers the divergence of East and West; the emergence of the European state, its contrast with the rise of China, and the network properties of their respective innovation systems; the trajectory of democracy in developing regions; and the systemic impact of China on the liberal world order. Complexity science, Root argues, will not explain historical change processes with algorithmic precision, but it may offer explanations that match the messy richness of those processes.

The Incentivised University
The Incentivised University

Author: Seán Mfundza Muller

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-01-24

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 3030844471

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The core thesis of this book is that to understand the implications of incentive structures in modern higher education, we require a deeper understanding of associated issues in the philosophy of science. Significant public and philanthropic resources are directed towards various forms of research in the hope of addressing key societal problems. That view, and the associated allocation of resources, relies on the assumption that academic research will tend towards finding truth – or at least selecting the best approximations of it. The present book builds on, and extends, contributions in philosophy and higher education to argue that this assumption is misplaced: with serious implications for modern higher education and its role in informing societal decisions and government policy. The book develops a philosophical foundation for the analysis of the connection between higher education incentives, scientific progress and societal outcomes. That in turn is used to demonstrate how the current approach to incentivising intellectual and scientific progress is likely not only to fail, but in fact to cause harm on the very dimensions it purports to improve. The arguments presented are illustrated with examples from medicine and academic economics, making the book one of the first to examine issues of scientific progress and social consequences across the human and social sciences. In doing so, it develops a novel critique of modern economics that in turn provides a more philosophically substantive foundation for popular critiques of economics than has existed to date.

Event-Related Dynamics of Brain Oscillations
Event-Related Dynamics of Brain Oscillations

Author: Christa Neuper

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2006-12-03

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 0080465595

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Research on brain oscillations and event-related electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related (de-) synchronization (ERD/ERS) in particular became a rapidly growing field in the last decades. A large number of laboratories worldwide are using ERD/ERS to study cognitive and motor brain function and the importance of this tool in neurocognitive research is widely recognized. This book is a summary of the most current research, methods, and applications of the study of event-related dynamics of brain oscillations. Facing the rapid progress in this field, it brings together, on the one side, fundamental questions of the underlying events, which still remain to be clarified and, on the other side, some of the most significant novel findings, which point to the key topics for future research. In particular, the chapters of this volume cover the neurophysiological fundamentals and models (Section I), new methodological approaches (Section II), current ERD research related to cognitive (Section III) and sensorimotor brain function (Section IV), invasive approaches and clinical applications (Section V), and novel developments of EEG-based brain-computer interfaces and neurofeedback (Section IV).

Rock Dynamics: Progress and Prospect, Volume 2
Rock Dynamics: Progress and Prospect, Volume 2

Author: Jianchun Li

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2023-05-28

Total Pages: 784

ISBN-13: 1000883248

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Rock Dynamics: Progress and Prospect contains 153 scientific and technical papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Rock Dynamics and Applications (RocDyn-4, Xuzhou, China, 17-19 August 2022). The two-volume set has 7 sections. Volume 1 includes the first four sections with 6 keynotes and 5 young scholar plenary session papers, and contributions on analysis and theoretical development, and experimental testing and techniques. Volume 2 contains the remaining three sections with 74 papers on numerical modelling and methods, seismic and earthquake engineering, and rock excavation and engineering. Rock Dynamics: Progress and Prospect will serve as a reference on developments in rock dynamics scientific research and on rock dynamics engineering applications. The previous volumes in this series (RocDyn-1, RocDyn-2, and RocDyn-3) are also available via CRC Press.

Dynamics of Software Development
Dynamics of Software Development

Author: Jim McCarthy

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780735623194

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Provides a candid look at the ups and downs of software development, providing tips on how to ship great software on. The book is divided into five sections that chart the progress from initial design to successful product. The Adobe Reader format of this title is not suitable for use on the Pocket PC or Palm OS versions of Adobe Reader.

The Pillars of Progress
The Pillars of Progress

Author: Anthony D. Hicks

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2013-11

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 9781493687473

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The Pillars of Progress is an absolute primary for personal and professional development. It begins with the idea that we are already "Perfectly Human" and experiences are there for us to learn from. It is so much easier to make our lives better when we have self acceptance instead of layers of guilt shame and grief that are disabling. From there it takes the reader through an understanding of how we are designed to function in the world and a reality check on the core competencies we all need to flourish. This is a powerful and common sense approach where anyone can recognize their own path of progress. It dives into the core of personal transformation and returns with the reader competent, empowered and ready for the world.