Against Facts

Against Facts PDF Author: Arianna Betti
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262029219
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
An argument that the major metaphysical theories of facts give us no good reason to accept facts in our catalog of the world. In this book Arianna Betti argues that we have no good reason to accept facts in our catalog of the world, at least as they are described by the two major metaphysical theories of facts. She claims that neither of these theories is tenable—neither the theory according to which facts are special structured building blocks of reality nor the theory according to which facts are whatever is named by certain expressions of the form “the fact that such and such.” There is reality, and there are entities in reality that we are able to name, but, Betti contends, among these entities there are no facts. Drawing on metaphysics, the philosophy of language, and linguistics, Betti examines the main arguments in favor of and against facts of the two major sorts, which she distinguishes as compositional and propositional, giving special attention to methodological presuppositions. She criticizes compositional facts (facts as special structured building blocks of reality) and the central argument for them, Armstrong's truthmaker argument. She then criticizes propositional facts (facts as whatever is named in “the fact that” statements) and what she calls the argument from nominal reference, which draws on Quine's criterion of ontological commitment. Betti argues that metaphysicians should stop worrying about facts, and philosophers in general should stop arguing for or against entities on the basis of how we use language.

Against Facts

Against Facts PDF Author: Arianna Betti
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262029219
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Get Book Here

Book Description
An argument that the major metaphysical theories of facts give us no good reason to accept facts in our catalog of the world. In this book Arianna Betti argues that we have no good reason to accept facts in our catalog of the world, at least as they are described by the two major metaphysical theories of facts. She claims that neither of these theories is tenable—neither the theory according to which facts are special structured building blocks of reality nor the theory according to which facts are whatever is named by certain expressions of the form “the fact that such and such.” There is reality, and there are entities in reality that we are able to name, but, Betti contends, among these entities there are no facts. Drawing on metaphysics, the philosophy of language, and linguistics, Betti examines the main arguments in favor of and against facts of the two major sorts, which she distinguishes as compositional and propositional, giving special attention to methodological presuppositions. She criticizes compositional facts (facts as special structured building blocks of reality) and the central argument for them, Armstrong's truthmaker argument. She then criticizes propositional facts (facts as whatever is named in “the fact that” statements) and what she calls the argument from nominal reference, which draws on Quine's criterion of ontological commitment. Betti argues that metaphysicians should stop worrying about facts, and philosophers in general should stop arguing for or against entities on the basis of how we use language.

There Are No Facts

There Are No Facts PDF Author: Mark Shepard
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262047470
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
The entanglements of people and data, code and space, knowledge and power: how data and algorithms shape the world—and shape us within that world. With the emergence of a post-truth world, we have witnessed the dissolution of the common ground on which truth claims were negotiated, individual agency enacted, and public spheres shaped. What happens when, as Nietzsche claimed, there are no facts, but only interpretations? In this book, Mark Shepard examines the entanglements of people and data, code and space, knowledge and power that have produced an uncommon ground—a disaggregated public sphere where the extraction of behavioral data and their subsequent processing and sale have led to the emergence of micropublics of ever-finer granularity. Shepard explores how these new post-truth territories are propagated through machine learning systems and social networks, which shape the public and private spaces of everyday life. He traces the balkanization and proliferation of online news and the targeted distribution of carefully crafted information through social media. He examines post-truth practices, showing how truth claims are embedded in techniques by which the world is observed, recorded, documented, and measured. Finally, he shows how these practices play out, at scales from the translocality of the home to the planetary reach of the COVID-19 pandemic—with stops along the way at an urban minimarket, an upscale neighborhood for the one percent, a Toronto waterfront district, and a national election.

There's No Ham in Hamburgers

There's No Ham in Hamburgers PDF Author: Kim Zachman
Publisher: Running Press Kids
ISBN: 0762498080
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
From hot dogs and hamburgers to ice cream and pizza, this fascinating book is full of fun facts and stories of the origins of some of America's most popular foods. Why is there no ham in hamburgers? How did we make ice cream before we could make ice? How did hot dogs get their name? From the origins of pizza (which got a big boost from Clarence Birdseye, of all people) to the Cornell professor who invented chicken fingers, There's No Ham in Hamburgers has all the ingredients for an entertaining and educational middle-grade read. Packed with informative sidebars, recipes, and experiments, along with fabulously funny illustrations by Peter Donnelly, this book is a reading recipe that kids will sink their teeth into!

Too Big to Know

Too Big to Know PDF Author: David Weinberger
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465038727
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
"If anyone knows anything about the web, where it's been and where it's going, it's David Weinberger. . . . Too Big To Know is an optimistic, if not somewhat cautionary tale, of the information explosion." -- Steven Rosenbaum, Forbes With the advent of the Internet and the limitless information it contains, we're less sure about what we know, who knows what, or even what it means to know at all. And yet, human knowledge has recently grown in previously unimaginable ways and in inconceivable directions. In Too Big to Know, David Weinberger explains that, rather than a systemic collapse, the Internet era represents a fundamental change in the methods we have for understanding the world around us. With examples from history, politics, business, philosophy, and science, Too Big to Know describes how the very foundations of knowledge have been overturned, and what this revolution means for our future.

The Facts of Business Life

The Facts of Business Life PDF Author: Bill McBean
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118094964
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT: Being your own boss can be a great career choice Success is what you decide it is Doing what you have a passion and talent for can be very profitable Monetary risk, hard work, and new ideas should be financially rewarded Understanding the business basics every successful owner focuses on—and in what order—would be beneficial Success works for you only after you’ve worked for it Marketplace battles are won before they are played Knowing what owning a business is really like would make ownership success a lot easier Change can create great opportunities Knowing when to exit a business is as important a life and business decision as becoming an entrepreneur in the first place THEN THE FACTS OF BUSINESS LIFE IS FOR YOU! Written by a successful business owner with four decades of experience, The Facts of Business Life is full of real-world concepts that owners must use and embrace if they want to become and stay successful. This multiple award-winning book has been endorsed by some of America’s top business leaders, like Steve Forbes and Ken Fisher, and has been recognized as “one of the best five business books of the year” and “a must read for entrepreneurs or those wanting to be one.” McBean begins with clear explanations and real-life examples of the seven Facts of Business Life that every successful business owner knows and executes consistently, including exactly what they are as well as how and when to use them. He then goes on to show how those facts impact on the five levels every successful business passes through, from “Ownership and Opportunity” to “Moving On When It’s Time to Go,” explaining that while the facts themselves remain the same, as a business becomes successful and moves through its life cycle, the way they are applied must change to fit changing circumstances. But there are even more reasons why this breakthrough business book is a must read, including: Its principles are based on the author’s own experience in starting and running successful businesses in a variety of industries. It shows that the most successful businesspeople create profitable opportunities rather than wait for them to present themselves. It enables readers to analyze the likelihood of their own success based on the characteristics most successful owners have. It reveals the #1 priority for all owners and their employees, and why every owner needs to continually focus on it (Hint: it’s not being profitable). It emphasizes that becoming successful is no guarantee that success will last, and that success itself can be a trap that eventually leads to failure. It shows that a business’s culture isn’t just a mission statement but also the processes created to operate the business and the employees who implement them. It discusses the steps that must be taken even before a business is started to increase the odds of its becoming a lasting success. It covers every step in a business’ life cycle, including the last one, showing that the best time to exit a business is when you don’t have to, and that unless you pick that time, someone else will. MANY BUSINESS BOOKS INCREASE THEIR READERS’ KNOWLEDGE—THE FACTS OF BUSINESS LIFE NOT ONLY INCREASES THAT KNOWLEDGE, IT SHOWS YOU HOW TO TURN IT INTO PROFITS.

The Half-Life of Facts

The Half-Life of Facts PDF Author: Samuel Arbesman
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 159184651X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
New insights from the science of science Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing. Samuel Arbesman shows us how knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and how this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives. He takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries.

Post-Truth

Post-Truth PDF Author: Lee McIntyre
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262345986
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
How we arrived in a post-truth era, when “alternative facts” replace actual facts, and feelings have more weight than evidence. Are we living in a post-truth world, where “alternative facts” replace actual facts and feelings have more weight than evidence? How did we get here? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lee McIntyre traces the development of the post-truth phenomenon from science denial through the rise of “fake news,” from our psychological blind spots to the public's retreat into “information silos.” What, exactly, is post-truth? Is it wishful thinking, political spin, mass delusion, bold-faced lying? McIntyre analyzes recent examples—claims about inauguration crowd size, crime statistics, and the popular vote—and finds that post-truth is an assertion of ideological supremacy by which its practitioners try to compel someone to believe something regardless of the evidence. Yet post-truth didn't begin with the 2016 election; the denial of scientific facts about smoking, evolution, vaccines, and climate change offers a road map for more widespread fact denial. Add to this the wired-in cognitive biases that make us feel that our conclusions are based on good reasoning even when they are not, the decline of traditional media and the rise of social media, and the emergence of fake news as a political tool, and we have the ideal conditions for post-truth. McIntyre also argues provocatively that the right wing borrowed from postmodernism—specifically, the idea that there is no such thing as objective truth—in its attacks on science and facts. McIntyre argues that we can fight post-truth, and that the first step in fighting post-truth is to understand it.

Trump vs. the Media

Trump vs. the Media PDF Author: Mollie Ziegler Hemingway
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 1594039771
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
How bad is the problem of media bias? The answer can be summed up in a few words: President Donald J. Trump. Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no question that Trump gained a huge amount of support for his willingness to criticize the media in harsh and unsparing terms. The media seems baffled by the fact that it’s lost the trust of the American people. It has responded by being extraordinarily defensive and doubling down on histrionic attacks. However, the American system has always depended on a strong and trusted media to hold those in power accountable. Journalist Mollie Hemingway looks at the impressive list of media failure that led us to this unique moment and asks, Is it possible for the media to recover its credibility before it’s too late?

Facing Facts

Facing Facts PDF Author: Stephen Neale
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0191529990
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
This book is an original examination of attempts to dislodge a cornerstone of modern philosophy: the idea that our thoughts and utterances are representations of slices of reality.

Facts Are Facts

Facts Are Facts PDF Author: Benjamin Freedman
Publisher: Bridger House Publishers
ISBN: 9780979917660
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 117

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Book Description
INSCRIBED UPON THE CROSS WHEN JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED were the latin words "Jesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum." Pontius Pilate was the author of that famous inscription. Latin was Pontius Pilate's mother tongue. Authorities competent to translate and pass upon the correct translation into English agree that is "Jesus the Nazarene Ruler of the Judeans." There is no disagreement among them of that. THE WORD "JEW" did not occur anywhere in the English Language until the 18th Century. Jesus referred to himself as a Judean. The modern day "Jews" were historically Khazars or Chazars, a Mongolian Nordic tribe who roamed northern Europe.