News tagged with philosophical
Science historian cracks the 'Plato code'
(PhysOrg.com) -- A science historian at The University of Manchester has cracked "The Plato Code" - the long disputed secret messages hidden in the great philosopher's writings.
Jun 28, 2010 |
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Physicists continue work to abolish time as fourth dimension of space
(Phys.org) -- Philosophers have debated the nature of time long before Einstein and modern physics. But in the 106 years since Einstein, the prevailing view in physics has been that time serves as the fourth ...
Apr 14, 2012 |
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Professor examines the complex evolution of human morality
(PhysOrg.com) -- Although the question of what makes humans different from other animals doesn't have a single obvious answer, one seemingly conspicuous human trait is morality. Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, an ...
May 19, 2010 |
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Researches find poop-throwing by chimps is a sign of intelligence
(PhysOrg.com) -- A lot of people who have gone to the zoo have become the targets of feces thrown by apes or monkeys, and left no doubt wondering about the so-called intellectual capacity of a beast that would ...
Nov 30, 2011 |
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The solution to a 200-year-old encryption
(PhysOrg.com) -- The mathematician who deciphered the final, encrypted page of a letter sent to President Thomas Jefferson in 1801 will visit the University of Oregon to tell how he did it.
Jan 11, 2010 |
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Self-reflective mind: Psychologists report on continuing advances in animals
(PhysOrg.com) -- According to one of the leading scholars in the field, there is an emerging consensus among scientists that animals share functional parallels with humans' conscious metacognition -- that ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Mar 22, 2012 |
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Prediction or cause? Information theory may hold the key
(PhysOrg.com) -- "A perplexing philosophical issue in science is the question of anticipation, or prediction, versus causality," Shawn Pethel tells PhysOrg.com. "Can you tell the difference between something predicting an eve ...
Sep 30, 2011 |
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The ethical robot (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Philosopher Susan Anderson is teaching machines how to behave ethically.
Nov 09, 2010 |
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What the Romans learnt from Greek mathematics
Greek mathematics is considered one of the great intellectual achievements of antiquity. It has been decisive to the academic and cultural development of Western civilisation. The three Roman authors Varro, Cicero and Vitruvius ...
Mar 01, 2009 |
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Experimental philosophy opens new avenues into old questions
Philosophers have argued for centuries, millennia actually, about whether our lives are guided by our own free will or are predetermined as the result of a continuous chain of events over which we have no control.
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Mar 17, 2011 |
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First life may have arisen above serpentine rock, researchers say
(PhysOrg.com) -- About 3.8 billion years ago, Earth was teeming with unicellular life. A little more than 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth was a ball of vaporous rock. And somewhere in between, the first organisms ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 23, 2011 |
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ANU philosopher urges consensus on 50-year debate
(PhysOrg.com) -- Misinterpretation of a key scientific concept has led to decades of fierce debate according to an Australian National University philosopher.
Dec 20, 2011 |
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Cooperation vs. Competition: Greed is good -- but only a moderate amount
(PhysOrg.com) -- Relationships between cooperation, competition, and society have long been pondered by psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, philosophers, and mathematicians. While (as ...
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Jul 21, 2011 |
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Thinking man's mystery: Stolen Descartes letter returned (Update)
A stolen letter written by 17th-century thinker Descartes and found in the United States was returned to France on Tuesday, ending a detective tale featuring a Google search and a thieving Italian count.
Jun 08, 2010 |
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Researchers mine millions of metaphors through computer-based techniques
Metaphors cannot be taught, asserted the great philosopher Aristotle. "It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others." But a computer scientist and literary historian say he's wrong.
Technology / Computer Sciences
Mar 03, 2009 |
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