Means or end? On the Valuation of Logic Diagrams

From the beginning of the 16th century to the end of the 18th century, there were not less than ten philosophers who focused extensively on Venn’s ostensible analytical diagrams, as noted by modern historians of logic (Venn, Gardner, Baron, Coumet et al.). But what was the reason for early modern philosophers to use logic or analytical diagrams? Among modern historians of logic one can find two theses which are closely connected to each other: M. Gardner states that since the Middle Ages certain logic diagrams were used just in order to teach “dull-witted students”. Therefore, logic diagrams were just a means to an end. According to P. Bernhard, the appreciation of logic diagrams had not started prior to the 1960s, therefore the fact that logic diagrams become an end the point of research arose very late. The paper will focus on the question whether logic resp. analytical diagrams were just means in the history of (early) modern logic or not. In contrast to Gardner, I will argue that logic diagrams were not only used as a tool for “dull-witted students”, but rather as a tool used by didactic reformers in early modern logic. In predating Bernhard’s thesis, I will argue that in the 1820s logic diagrams had already become a value in themselves in Arthur Schopenhauer’s lectures on logic, especially in proof theory

Schopenhauer's World. The System of The World as Will and Presentation I

in recent years, the research on Schopenhauer has shown a change in the interpretation of his main work, «The World as Will and Presentation», from (1) a normative and linear instruction which guides the reader from idealism to mysticism, pessimism and nothingness to (2) value-free and independent descriptions of the world with all phenomena (like idealism, mysticism, nothingness etc.) in it. thus Schopenhauer’s main work has become an empirical or baconian approach—something like a «philosophical cosmography»—. this fundamental change of interpretation radically puts into question what Schopenhauer means by characterizing his main work as an «organic system». the present paper attempts to give an answer to this question, reviewing the self-reflexive, methodological and metaphilosophical hints which Schopenhauer gives in the first volume of his «World» («as Will and presentation»)

Periods in the Use of Euler-type Diagrams

Logicians commonly speak in a relatively undifferentiated way about pre-euler diagrams. The thesis of this paper, however, is that there were three periods in the early modern era in which euler-type diagrams (line diagrams as well as circle diagrams) were expansively used. Expansive periods are characterized by continuity, and regressive periods by discontinuity: While on the one hand an ongoing awareness of the use of euler-type diagrams occurred within an expansive period, after a subsequent phase of regression the entire knowledge about the systematic application and the history of euler-type diagrams was lost. I will argue that the first expansive period lasted from Vives (1531) to Alsted (1614). The second period began around 1660 with Weigel and ended in 1712 with lange. The third period of expansion started around 1760 with the works of Ploucquet, euler and lambert. Finally, it is shown that euler-type diagrams became popular in the debate about intuition which took place in the 1790s between leibnizians and Kantians. The article is thus limited to the historical periodization between 1530 and 1800

Fatigue life prediction of z-fibre pinned composite laminate under mode I loading

A hybrid method is presented combining linear elastic fracture mechanics with nonlinear damage mechanics that can predict the fatigue crack growth rate in z-fibre pinned composites under mode I loading. The strain energy release rate is evaluated using the virtual crack closure technique via finite element analysis. Cohesive elements are used in the pinned region to represent the crack bridging force generated by the pins. The reduction of the pins' bridging force under the fatigue loading is accommodated by applying a degradation law, based on damage mechanics with empirical fitting parameters. A modified degradation law is proposed which is capable of accumulating fatigue damage under varying crack opening displacement ranges experienced by the pins during fatigue loading. Fatigue testing was performed with a z-pinned double cantilever beam at two different values of applied displacement amplitude. The predictions show reasonably good agreement with the test results in terms of the fatigue crack propagation rate and fatigue life

Schopenhauers Gebrauchstheorie der Bedeutung und das Kontextprinzip: Eine Parallele zu Wittgensteins ›Philosophischen Untersuchungen‹

In previous research, Schopenhauer is regarded as a consistent representative of a classical picture theory of language. The paper shows, however, that Schopenhauer does not only present a use theory of meaning in his lectures on logic, but also justifies it with the help of the context principle. Furthermore, it is discussed to what extent Schopenhauer's use theory of meaning is similar to the semantic theory of Ludwig Wittgenstein and his successors

Charge stripes due to electron correlations in the two-dimensional spinless Falicov-Kimball model

We calculate the restricted phase diagram for the Falicov-Kimball model on a two-dimensional square lattice. We consider the limit where the conduction electron density is equal to the localized electron density, which is the limit related to the S_z=0 states of the Hubbard model. After considering over 20,000 different candidate phases (with a unit cell of 16 sites or less) and their thermodynamic mixtures, we find only about 100 stable phases in the ground-state phase diagram. We analyze these phases to describe where stripe phases occur and relate these discoveries to the physics behind stripe formation in the Hubbard model.Comment: (34 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Journal of Statistical Physics to celebrate Elliott Lieb's 70th birthday

Traditional and emerging ethical concerns in advertising

Ethical issues surrounding advertising have been well-discussed. However, over time and alongside societal and media changes, different questions have moved to the forefront in the discussion on advertising ethics. This paper presents an overview of traditional ethical issues of importance in the United States, and analyzes the changes that have come about as a result of newer, more interactive media for ad placements. Although many of the traditional ethical dilemmas remain, the more personalized and interactive nature of new media and an expanded landscape for advertisers to stake their claims have introduced new issues that were previously not of concern, such as privacy