The figural go-between in the Cartesian conception of science

ABSTRACT

The article addresses the early-modern conception of figuration, and more specifically the form in which it appears in Descartes’ early writings. There is textual evidence suggesting that Descartes was aware both of the mathematical and of the poetical characters of figures, contributing to the design of methodical processes. It is argued that figures play a central role in the Cartesian conception of method, in which figuration, leaning on the universal laws of geometry, is being used as carrier of data from reality to the observing mind and back, as well as from one domain of inquiry to another. It is therefore a central binder of the Cartesian ‘Unity of Science’, being responsible for the interconnectedness of various domains of inquiry.     

Art and science in the UK: a brief history and critical reflection

ABSTRACT

This paper begins by reviewing the historical construction of ‘SciArt’, and the way in which its supposed interdisciplinarity often shaded into science communication. Early discussions about the complementarity of art and science were conceived in terms of epistemology, notably the qualities of imagination and curiosity. The paper moves on to discuss how, during the current decade, Art and Science (A&S) discourse has altered due to changes in the cultural politics of both its constituent fields, emerging as a ‘transdiscipline’ characterized by ‘creativity’. Eighteen in-depth surveys with leading practitioners in A&S form a substantial part of the research material, yielding an evaluation of what the disciplinary, economic and cultural implications of this changed discourse may be. Though potentially angled towards the solution of ‘wicked’ problems, transdisciplinarity also sacrifices the specific critical expertise of art, fetishizes tech at the expense of science and selectively ignores institutional problems inherent in funding and power structures.     

The potential of destruction in art and science

ABSTRACT

Artist and researcher Neal White argues for the potential role of radical engagements in science by drawing on the work of pioneers of conceptual art: John Latham (1921–2006), Gustav Metzger (1926–2017) in the UK, and György Kepes (1906–2001) and Robert Smithson (1938–1973) in the US. Starting with destruction as a positive force in artistic practice, White examines the ideas developed by these artists as a conceptual framework for thinking through time, chemical process and event structures within the context of the Cold War. In further examining the social context and contemporary landscape of cultural forms servicing science in terms of the communication of ideas, or underpinning further a knowledge economy, he argues for artists to engage science on their own terms, through a renewal of radical practices. This would in turn create new and critically framed work of benefit to culture and society more generally.     

Status,Estate, or Profession?

This article focuses on how social stratification was performed in everyday practice in 1730s Sweden. By studying the titles people were given in the court material of three communities – Uppsala town, Lagunda härad, and Sala town with its silver mine – three factors defining social categorization can be identified: status, estate, and profession. Only people who rose above the commoners were entitled, which means that all titles denoted status. Some titles were shared by different social groups that had little in common, and therefore cannot be said to mark anything other than status. Other titles were exclusive to definable groups. Among those, some were given to groups whose exclusivity was based on legal and fiscal privileges, rather than education or competence. They were simply feudal corporations, or estates. In other groups – all defined by occupations – the members had completed specialist education that included formal exams. In those, social stratification was the result of professionalism.     

Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age‐Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy,II: Chemical Biomarkers and Microbial Signatures

As discussed in Part I, a large accumulation of mammalian faeces at the mire site in the upper Guil Valley near Mt. Viso, dated to 2168 cal ¹⁴C yr., provides the first evidence of the passage of substantial but indeterminate numbers of mammals within the time frame of the Punic invasion of Italia. Specialized organic biomarkers bound up in a highly convoluted and bioturbated bed constitute an unusual anomaly in a histosol comprised of fibric and hemist horizons that are usually expected to display horizontal bedding. The presence of deoxycholic acid and ethylcoprostanol derived from faecal matter, coupled with high relative numbers of Clostridia 16S rRNA genes, suggests a substantial accumulation of mammalian faeces at the site over 2000 years ago. The results reported here constitute the first chemical and biological evidence of the passage of large numbers of mammals, possibly indicating the route of the Hannibalic army at this time. Combined with the geological analysis reported in Part I, these data provide a background supporting the need for further historical archaeological exploration in this area.     

论构建和谐社会与发展社会地理学问题

自改革开放以来,尤其在全球化、国际化和地方化的宏观背景下,国家产业结构基本实现重构和转移,人口流动的规模和范围不断加大,在中国经济快速增长的同时,区域和城乡差距也在迅速扩大,由于社会劳动分配和收入差距的不同,出现新的社会问题,例如结构性调整导致下岗人员增加和新贫困阶层,按劳动技能支付报酬派生社会极化现象,流动人口集聚导致城市新贫民区等等。从社会发展和政府功能的转变趋势看,比较重要的社会问题温床已经形成。本文试图从国家需求出发,分析现状存在的社会问题以及正在造成的地理空间影响,尤其从城市社会问题着手梳理相关的成因和演化机理,倡导发展中国特色的社会地理学,为国家建设和谐社会提供地理学的理论和方法。     

试论民族旅游的行业特征及其社会价值

作为第三产业重要组成部分的民族旅游业,摆脱了物质产品体系的既有规格和规范,依托各民族恒常的自然景观、鲜活的人资源,借助游客这一消费群体的流动,来实现其市场价值。此外,又能驱动各民族之间的化交流和化互动,发挥其它产业不可替代的社会价值。     

崧泽遗址墓葬分区现象初探

崧泽墓地可以划分南北两个埋葬区,对墓葬资料的分析表明,崧泽遗址的这种墓葬分区埋葬现象与横向的社会分化有关,它反映了同一社会集团内部小团体间的分化。     

当前困扰党内和谐的突出问题及对策探析

党内和谐在社会和谐中处于核心位置。当前,党内和谐建设面临着一些突出的问题,而切实解决这些问题必须坚持党执政兴国的第一要务,大力发展社会生产力,注重协调党内不同主体之间的利益关系;必须构建和谐的党内文化,切实巩固党内和谐建设的思想基础;必须建立和完善保证党内和谐的有效机制。