56 research outputs found
Epistemic Actions, Abilities and Knowing-How: A Non-Reductive Account
No full textThe aim is to provide a synoptic view of the epistemic landscape in respect of epistemic actions, abilities and knowing how. The resulting view consists of the following propositions: (1) knowledge-by-acquaintance cannot be reduced to propositional knowledge or to knowing-how or some combination of these; the same point holds for propositional knowledge in relation to knowledge-by-acquaintance and knowing-how, and to knowing-how in relation to knowledge-by-acquaintance and propositional knowledge; (2) These categories of knowledge are, nevertheless, interdependent in a number of senses; (3) Abilities are not the same thing as know-how; (4) Epistemic actions need to be distinguished from behavioral actions; (5) Judgements are epistemic actions which, if successful, result in knowledge and, therefore, the sharp contrast drawn between, on the one hand, comings to believe and, in particular, judgments and, on the other hand, actions – with respect to being freely chosen – is not sustainable; (6) Judgements manifest both abilities and know-how.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Joint epistemic action: Some applications
No full textThe notion of a joint action is a familiar one in the philosophical literature. Moreover, the notion of epistemic action has recently been discussed in the literature. Elsewhere I have suggested that these two notions can be brought together to yield the notion of joint epistemic action and provided a relational individualist analysis of joint epistemic actions. In this article I extend this analysis and show how this extended analysis applies to different kinds of important epistemic institutional phenomena: (1) voting in a democracy; (2) financial benchmarks, e.g. LIBOR (the London interbank offered (interest) rate) and; (3) profiling using computer databases. Each of these institutional mechanisms is important in its own right. Moreover, each is a species of a more widespread generic social form that I refer to as joint institutional mechanisms which, I suggest, are ubiquitous yet somewhat diverse in character. Accordingly, there is a need to distinguish them from the more basic phenomenon of joint action but also to taxonomise them. The latter is a large task to which this article is a first step.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Joint Abilities, Joint Know-how and Collective Knowledge
No full textIn this article, I introduce and analyze the notion of joint abilities; a species of ability possessed by agents who perform joint actions of a certain kind (or kinds). Joint abilities are abilities possessed by individual agents; however, they are possessed jointly. I also introduce and analyze an important species of joint abilities, namely, joint epistemic abilities - the exercise of which consists of joint epistemic action. (I also distinguish joint epistemic abilities from the related notion of joint know-how.) Joint epistemic actions yield collective knowledge of various kinds and many, but by no means all, joint epistemic actions consist of the exercise of joint epistemic abilities. Joint epistemic abilities are an important phenomenon since, it turns out, they underpin a good deal of collective knowledge, including a good deal of scientific knowledge. Finally, I address some problems that arise for my notion of joint epistemic abilities.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Whither the University? Universities of Technology and the Problem of Institutional Purpose
No full textThere is a need to provide an appropriate normative conception of the modern university: a conception which identifies its unifying purposes and values and, thereby, gives direction to institutional role occupants, governments, public policymakers and other would-be institutional designers. Such a conception could admit differences between modern universities; differences, for example, between so-called universities of technology and other universities. Indeed, it is preferable to frame the issue at the level of higher education or university systems rather than at the level of individual universities. According to the teleological normative theory of social institutions, social institutions are organizations or systems of organizations that provide collective goods by means of joint activity; universities are no exception. So what are the fundamental collective good(s) that universities of technology, or the larger systems of which they are a part, ought to be providing and how are they travelling in this regard? This is the question addressed in this paper.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Chemometric Optimization Studies in Catalysis Employing High-Throughput Experimentation
No full textThe main topic of this thesis is the investigation of the synergies between High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) and Chemometric Optimization methodologies in Catalysis research and of the use of such methodologies to maximize the advantages of using HTE methods. Several case studies were analysed including: 1) the exploration of a terpene addition reaction parameter space, in this case a hydration reaction, using a multi-step Design of Experiments approach. From this investigation insights on the main reactivity trends were obtained. 2) The optimization of the reaction conditions for the hydrogenation of cyanohydrin esters to N-acylated-ß-amino alcohols, using again a multi-step Design of Experiments approach. 3) The planning and modelling of catalytic benchmark response surfaces using Design of Experiments is performed. A library of 189 mixed-oxide catalysts was prepared and their activity tested and modelled for the CO oxidation reaction in both the absence (COOX) and presence (SELOX) of hydrogen. The COOX and SELOX benchmarks were used to access the optimization performance of selected Global optimization algorithms. 4) The optimization procedure of employing the Global Optimization Genetic algorithm and the influence of the algorithm settings on its optimization efficiency is studied. Both the COOX and SELOX benchmarks obtained were used to validate the Genetic algorithm performance. A Design of Experiments approach was used to select the configurations to be tested and study the effects of the chosen parameter settings. 5) The optimization performance of several algorithms was tested on the SELOX benchmark. The studied algorithms include Evolutionary Algorithms, Genetic Algorithms, Simulated Annealing, Taboo Search, and Hybrid Genetic Algorithms. Altogether, it was shown that the use of HTE, as a powerful method for catalysis research, is further improved by the application of appropriate experimental planning techniques. Strategies involving Chemometric methods like Design of Experiments and Global Optimization techniques can help in avoiding exhaustive experimental investigations and enhance the power of exploring large parameter spaces and locate the optimum catalytic system conditions.Mechanical Maritime and Materials Engineerin
Assertions, joint epistemic actions and social practices
No full textEthics & Philosophy of Technolog
National security intelligence activity: a Philosophical analysis
No full textThis article provides philosophical analyses of some of the key notions involved in national security intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination. In Section 1, and relying on the intelligence studies literature, the notion of intelligence is characterized by means of an outline its main features or, at least, those features typically ascribed to it. In Section 2, an analysis of the notion, or rather inter-related set of notions, of knowledge (broadly understood) that lies at the heart of intelligence activity is provided. In Section 3, the focus shifts to the activity, or rather inter-related activities, of intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination and, in particular, the notion of joint epistemic action.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Epistemic institutions: A joint epistemic action-based account
No full textEthics & Philosophy of Technolog
Rethinking `five eyes security intelligence collection policies and practice post Snowden
No full textThe Edward Snowden leaks challenge policy makers and the public's understanding and perspectives on the role of security intelligence in liberal democratic states. This article explores the challenges confronting security intelligence collection by the ‘Five Eyes’ countries – particularly those most affected by the leaks. We argue that the debate now needs to move beyond simplistic notions of privacy vs. security to a more detailed understanding of the policy and ethical dilemmas confronting policy makers and intelligence agencies. To that end, we provide a schematic framework (methods, context and target) to promote a better understanding of the practical, policy and ethical problems for security intelligence collection emerging post Snowden. The framework is a first step in identifying common principles that could be used develop an ethically informed set of policy guidelines to help decision makers better navigate between citizen's two basic rights: security and privacy.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Ethics & Philosophy of Technolog
Differential expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β-1, TNFα-1 and IL-8 in vaccinated pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon juveniles
No full textLaboratory-reared pink and chum salmon juveniles (∼2g) received an intraperitoneal injection with a commercial, unadjuvanted Aeromonas salmonicida bacterin or sterile saline. Relative to elongation factor-1A, expression levels of genes encoding the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β-1 (IL-1β), tumour necrosis factor-α-1 (TNFα) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in pools of kidney and liver were examined 6- and 24-h after injection. Expression of IL-1β was significantly elevated in pink and chum salmon by 6-h, and declined in pink salmon but not in chum salmon by 24-h. Similarly, expression of TNFα was significantly elevated in both species at 6h and only in chum salmon after 24-h. Expression of IL-8 was significantly elevated in both species at 6- and 24-h after injection. Expression of the three proinflammatory cytokine genes differed between salmon species both in the timing and magnitude of their expression. The significance of these differences with respect to immune function in these fish requires further research.Source type: Electronic(1
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