Challenges for Action Theories

Challenges for Action Theories PDF Author: Michael Thielscher
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3540455965
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Get Book Here

Book Description
A logic-based approach to the design of computing systems would, undoubtedly, offer many advantages over the imperative paradigm most commonly applied so far for programming and hardware design and, consequently, logic, again and again, has been heralded as the basis for the next generation of computer systems. While logic and formal methods are indeed gaining ground in many areas of computer science and artificial intelligence the expected revolution has not yet happened. In this book the author offers a convincing solution to the ramification problem and qualification problem associated with the frame problem and thus contributes to a satisfactory solution of the core problem and related challenges. Thielscher bases his approach on the fluent calculus, a first-order Prolog-like formalism allowing for the description of actions and change.

Challenges for Action Theories

Challenges for Action Theories PDF Author: Michael Thielscher
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3540455965
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Get Book Here

Book Description
A logic-based approach to the design of computing systems would, undoubtedly, offer many advantages over the imperative paradigm most commonly applied so far for programming and hardware design and, consequently, logic, again and again, has been heralded as the basis for the next generation of computer systems. While logic and formal methods are indeed gaining ground in many areas of computer science and artificial intelligence the expected revolution has not yet happened. In this book the author offers a convincing solution to the ramification problem and qualification problem associated with the frame problem and thus contributes to a satisfactory solution of the core problem and related challenges. Thielscher bases his approach on the fluent calculus, a first-order Prolog-like formalism allowing for the description of actions and change.

Central Problems in Social Theory

Central Problems in Social Theory PDF Author: Anthony Giddens
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520039759
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Get Book Here

Book Description
"One of the most creative among the younger generation of critical social theorists, Giddens stands alone in his concern for the classical tradition on sociology; but he also makes brilliant use of the latest philosophical and theoretical work of several contemporary schools and disciplines. A very important book for all of social science."—Jeffrey C. Alexander

The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology

The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology PDF Author: Jaan Valsiner
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199930635
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1149

Get Book Here

Book Description
The goal of cultural psychology is to explain the ways in which human cultural constructions -- for example, rituals, stereotypes, and meanings -- organize and direct human acting, feeling, and thinking in different social contexts. A rapidly growing, international field of scholarship, cultural psychology is ready for an interdisciplinary, primary resource. Linking psychology, anthropology, sociology, archaeology, and history, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the quintessential volume that unites the variable perspectives from these disciplines. Comprised of over fifty contributed chapters, this book provides a necessary, comprehensive overview of contemporary cultural psychology. Bridging psychological, sociological, and anthropological perspectives, one will find in this handbook: - A concise history of psychology that includes valuable resources for innovation in psychology in general and cultural psychology in particular - Interdisciplinary chapters including insights into cultural anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, culture and conceptions of the self, and semiotics and cultural connections - Close, conceptual links with contemporary biological sciences, especially developmental biology, and with other social sciences - A section detailing potential methodological innovations for cultural psychology By comparing cultures and the (often differing) human psychological functions occuring within them, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the ideal resource for making sense of complex and varied human phenomena.

The Problem of Negligent Omissions

The Problem of Negligent Omissions PDF Author: Michael Barnwell
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900418743X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book Here

Book Description
Negligent omissions, cases in which an agent unintentionally forgets to fulfill an obligation, are philosophically problematic. They are problematic because they are considered blameworthy despite the fact that the conditions for voluntariness often appear unfulfilled. In an attempt to explain how they may be voluntary, this book delves into the action theories of Aristotle, Anselm, Aquinas, Scotus, and Suárez. In doing so, not only is the philosophical (and theological) importance of negligent omissions demonstrated via new and insightful interpretations, but a complex model for explaining the voluntariness of negligent omissions is constructed. The result is an original solution to the problem of negligent omissions that demonstrates the utility of appealing to historical approaches to solve contemporary philosophical and theological problems.

Critical Issues in Social Theory

Critical Issues in Social Theory PDF Author: John K. Rhoads
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 0271032871
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 390

Get Book Here

Book Description
Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these &"critical issues&" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.

The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements

The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements PDF Author: Donatella Della Porta
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199678405
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 865

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Handbook presents a most updated and comprehensive exploration of social movement research. It not only maps, but also expands the field of social movement studies, taking stock of recent developments in cognate areas of studies, within and beyond sociology and political science. While structured around traditional social movement concepts, each section combines the mapping of the state of the art with attempts to broaden our knowledge of social movements beyond classic theoretical agendas, and to identify the contribution that social movement studies can give to other fields of knowledge.

Advancing Reasoned Action Theory

Advancing Reasoned Action Theory PDF Author: Michael Hennessy
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1452242526
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Get Book Here

Book Description
Dedicated to Martin Fishbein, the premier social psychologist in the area of attitude and attitude change, this volume focuses on his work as the codeveloper of reasoned action theory—an approach to behavioral prediction and change that has been used in thousands of research studies. Immediately after Fishbein's death, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania established a memorial lecture series in his honor. This volume offers ten formal papers derived from those lectures, starting with a summary of the evolution of reasoned action theory and a quantitative analysis of the current approach, followed by a discussion of ways to expand the capacity of the theory, and concluding with current examples of state-of-the-art applications of reasoned action theory focusing on different types of behavioral interventions. These articles attest to the general applicability of the theory and the heterogeneous contexts in which the theory can be productively applied. Together, they compose the most up-to-date treatment of the quantitative analysis of reasoned action theory currently available, and they show that there is considerable justification for comparing the reasoned action approach to other well-known scientific theories. This volume will appeal to students of political sociology and public health; to a multidisciplinary scholarly audience in sociology, public affairs, and social work; and to public health practitioners and foundation grant specialists.

Electronic Governance and Open Society: Challenges in Eurasia

Electronic Governance and Open Society: Challenges in Eurasia PDF Author: Andrei Chugunov
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030392961
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 461

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th Conference on Electronic Governance and Open Society: Challenges in Eurasia, EGOSE 2019, held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in November 2019. The 32 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 82 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on smart city;digital government, society and economy; digital intelligence, data science and cybercrime; social networking and media.

Action, Decision, and Intention

Action, Decision, and Intention PDF Author: Robert Audi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400946961
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 138

Get Book Here

Book Description
Most of the papers in this collection are contributions to action theory intended to be of some relevance to one or another concern of decision theory, particularly to its application to concrete human behavior. Some of the papers touch only indirectly on problems of interest to decision theorists, but taken together they should be of use to both decision theorists and philosophers of action. Robert Audi's paper indicates how a number of questions in action theory might bear on problems in decision theory, and it suggests how some action-theoretic results may help in the construction or interpretation of theories of decision, both normative and empirical. Carl Ginet's essay lays foundations for the conception of action. His volitional framework roots actions internally and conceives them as irreducibly connected with intentionality. Hugh McCann's essay is also foundational, but stresses intention more than volition and lays some of the groundwork for assessing the rationality of intention and intentional action. In William Alston's paper, the notion of a plan as underlying (intentional) action is central, and we are given both a con ception of the structure of intentional action and a set of implicit goals and beliefs - those whose content is represented in the plan - which form an indispensable part of the basis on which the rationality of the action is to be judged.

A Pragmatic Approach to Agency in Group Activity

A Pragmatic Approach to Agency in Group Activity PDF Author: Herman Witzel
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110628627
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Get Book Here

Book Description
A Pragmatic Approach to Agency in Group Activity builds towards an action theory that explains how new forms agency develop in group activity. The approach starts from practical insights about group activity and develops a new understanding of agency from there. This study shows how practical interactions and structures in group activity disrupt individual agency. It is concluded that important features of agency can be realized on a group level. Different types of group activities are analyzed in order to better understand these mechanisms and, consequently, revisit our understanding of agency. It is argued that „intentionality,“ the key concept in individual action theory, merely serves as a pseudo-explanatory connection between specific features of agency and their realization in humans. This is contrasted with empirical research showing that how humans act is far from the idealized concept of intentionality. Consequently, intentionality as a key explanatory concept is rejected and replaced by a diverse set of features of agency for a similarly diverse set of kinds of agency. In this view, groups display new forms agency beyond individual agency without making the groups agents themselves. Such is the nature of group agency.