In the thesis, Fodor’s arguments against computationalism are defeated. His arguments appeal to syntactic constraints and intractability. We argue that arguments based on syntactic constraints are not satisfactory. We then argue that the argument via intractability is not satisfactory either. We also discuss various approaches to the problem of abduction in a computationalist setting. We argue that the social solution that human everyday cognitive activity is not isotropic and Quinean is correct. Secondly, we argue that the local solution is too preliminary a proposal. We give our objections concerning the calculation of the effect to effort ratio and the claim that memory organization leads one to relevant information. Thirdly, we argue that the natural language approach is circular. Fourthly, we arguedthat the web search approach provides a partial account of finding relevant information but leaves out the key problem of evaluating the search results. Fifthly, we argue that the global workspace approach relegates the most important part of the solution to consciousness. In the end, we give a framework sketching mechanisms that could solve the problem of abduction. / published_or_final_version / Philosophy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Zürich.

Abstract argumentation frameworks are a widely used formalism in the field of artificial intelligence. They are used to represent conflicting information by means of a set of arguments and an attack relation. The main problem studied in the literature is their evaluation, i.e., the determination of the justified points of view on the status (accepted or not) of the arguments. The research in this thesis is motivated by the idea that this is not a static process, and that there are many real life examples in which external information plays a role. We address this issue from three points of view.First, we look at intervention and observation in argumentation. These are notions usually studied in the context of causal networks, which are structures used to encode causal connections between events. In these models, an intervention represents the active causation of an event in the interest of predicting the effects, while the passive observation of an event allows one to infer both the most likely causal explanation as well as the effects. In argumentation, intervention captures a hypothetical mode of arguing, where we hypothetically fix the status of an argument in the interest of determining the effects.An observation, on the other hand, captures a revision process: changing the status of an argument requires us to retrace our steps in the line of reasoning that led to the initial status and to accept the most likely hypothesis that explains the new status. We propose models for these two types of reasoning and analyze them using a postulate-based approach. Second, we develop a model of abduction in argumentation, where changes to an argumentation framework act as hypotheses to explain an observation. We present dialogical proof theories for the main decision problems (i.e., finding hypotheses that explain an observation) and show that this model can be instantiated on the basis of abductive logic programs.Third, we look at change in preference-based argumentation. Preferences have been introduced in argumentation to encode, for example, relative strength of arguments.An underexposed aspect in these models is change of preferences. We present a dynamic model of preferences in argumentation, based on what we call property-based argumentation frameworks. It is based on Dietrich and List's model of property-based preference and provides an account of how and why preferences in argumentation may change. The idea is that preferences over arguments are derived from preferences over properties of arguments and change as the result of moving to different motivational states. We also provide a dialogical proof theory that establishes whether there exists some motivational state in which an argument is accepted. / Abstract argumentation frameworks are a widely used formalism in the field of artificial intelligence. They are used to represent conflicting information by means of a set of arguments and an attack relation. The main problem studied in the literature is their evaluation, i.e., the determination of the justified points of view on the status (accepted or not) of the arguments. The research in this thesis is motivated by the idea that this is not a static process, and that there are many real life examples in which external information plays a role. We address this issue from three points of view.First, we look at intervention and observation in argumentation. These are notions usually studied in the context of causal networks, which are structures used to encode causal connections between events. In these models, an intervention represents the active causation of an event in the interest of predicting the effects, while the passive observation of an event allows one to infer both the most likely causal explanation as well as the effects. In argumentation, intervention captures a hypothetical mode of arguing, where we hypothetically fix the status of an argument in the interest of determining the effects.An observation, on the other hand, captures a revision process: changing the status of an argument requires us to retrace our steps in the line of reasoning that led to the initial status and to accept the most likely hypothesis that explains the new status. We propose models for these two types of reasoning and analyze them using a postulate-based approach. Second, we develop a model of abduction in argumentation, where changes to an argumentation framework act as hypotheses to explain an observation. We present dialogical proof theories for the main decision problems (i.e., finding hypotheses that explain an observation) and show that this model can be instantiated on the basis of abductive logic programs.Third, we look at change in preference-based argumentation. Preferences have been introduced in argumentation to encode, for example, relative strength of arguments.An underexposed aspect in these models is change of preferences. We present a dynamic model of preferences in argumentation, based on what we call property-based argumentation frameworks. It is based on Dietrich and List's model of property-based preference and provides an account of how and why preferences in argumentation may change. The idea is that preferences over arguments are derived from preferences over properties of arguments and change as the result of moving to different motivational states. We also provide a dialogical proof theory that establishes whether there exists some motivational state in which an argument is accepted.

The key instrument providing for a worldwide regulation of international parental child abduction has long been the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child.  The Convention has been in force since 1983 and has proved a phenomenal success. Within the European Union, the operation of the 1980 Convention has been modified by certain provisions of the Council Regulation (EC) No. 2201/2003 of 27 November 2003 concerning Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgements in Matrimonial Matters and the Matters of Parental Responsibility, repealing Regulation (EC) No. 1347/2000.  The Regulation entered into force on 1 March 2005 and applies to child abduction cases between the EU Member States except for Denmark.  This regional instrument aims at creating even more ambitious rules on child abduction by imposing stricter obligations to assure the prompt return of a child. Despite the ambitious goal of strengthening the deterrence of child abduction within the borders of the Union, the new child abduction regime did not receive a warm welcome by commentators. The thesis aims at critically evaluating the evolution of the new intra-EU child abduction regime, and examining to what extent the European Union complied with its standards of good legislative drafting during the negotiations on the Brussels II<i>bis</i> Regulation.  It also seeks to demonstrate that there was no real legal need for the involvement of the European Union in the area of child abduction, and tightening the 1980 Hague Convention return mechanism. Not less importantly, the thesis aspires to reveal how effectively the new return mechanism operates and what are the points of concern in respect to the functioning of the new child abduction scheme.

The alien abduction phenomenon has garnered considerable media attention in the last fifteen years, including many representations in books, film, and television. An overview of significant abduction literature is presented. Contrasts and comparisons are noted between popular written accounts and both the visual representations they engender and reports outside the mainstream, such as those compiled and statistically compared by folklorists. Also considered are comparisons between popular fictionalizations of victims of abduction and the relevant psychological literature on this population. Theories bordering on the psycho-spiritual and New Age are briefly introduced in regards to their connection to UFO phenomena and the popular belief in a changing collective consciousness. Throughout, it is argued that most forms of cultural production featuring themes of alien abduction, being subject to marketplace demand, alter or fictionalize their source content for dramatic purposes. This popularization and commodification of anomalous phenomena negatively impacts serious study by encouraging dismissive attitudes towards evidence, reports, and those individuals involved, informants, victims, and investigators. This commodification thus serves to protect the status quo, in the form of a consensus reality, from challenges by unknown or anomolous phenomena. / Graduation date: 1999

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

No description available.

A busca por explicações de fatos ou fenômenos é algo que sempre permeou o raciocínio humano. Desde a antiguidade, o ser humano costuma observar fatos e, de acordo com eles e o conhecimento presente, criar hipóteses que possam explicá-los. Um exemplo clássico é quando temos consulta médica e o médico, após verificar todos os sintomas, descobre qual é a doença e os meios de tratá-la. Essa construção de explicações, dado um conjunto de evidências que o indiquem, chamamos de \\textit{abdução}. A abdução tradicional para a lógica clássica estabelece que o dado meta não é derivado da base de conhecimento, ou seja, dada uma base de conhecimento $\\Gamma$ e um dado meta $A$ temos $\\Gamma ot \\vdash A$. Métodos clássicos de abdução buscam gerar um novo dado $H$ que, juntamente com uma base de conhecimento $\\Gamma$, possamos inferir $A$ ($\\Gamma \\cup H \\vdash A$). Alguns métodos tradicionais utilizam o tableaux (como em \\cite) para a geração da fórmula $H$. Aqui, além de lidarmos com a abdução baseada em corte, através do KE-tableaux, que não necessita assumir que o dado meta não seja derivado da base de conhecimento, lidaremos também com a lógica probabilística, redescoberta por Nilsson, em \\cite, onde temos a atribuição de probabilidades a fórmulas. Dizemos que uma instância em lógica probabilística é consistente se existe uma distribuição probabilística consistente sobre as valorações. Determinar essa distribuição probabilística é que o chamamos de problema PSAT. O objetivo de nosso trabalho é definir e estabelecer o que é uma abdução em Lógica Probabilística (abdução em PSAT) e, além disso, fornecer métodos de abdução para PSAT: dada uma instância PSAT $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ na forma normal atômica \\cite e uma fórmula $A$ tal que existe uma distribuição probabi bylística $\\pi$ que satisfaz $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ e $\\pi(A) = 0$, cada método é capaz de gerar uma fórmula $H$ tal que $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle \\!\\!|\\!\\!\\!\\approx A$ onde $\\pi(A) > 0$ para toda distribuição $\\pi$ que satisfaça $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle$. Iremos também demonstrar que alguns dos métodos apresentados são corretos e completos na geração de fórmulas $H$ que satisfaçam as condições de abdução. / The search for explanations of facts or phenomena is something that has always permeated human reasoning. Since antiquity, the human being usually observes facts and, according to them and his knowledge, create hypotheses that can explain them. A classic example is when we have medical consultation and the doctor, after checking all the symptoms, discovers what is the disease and the ways to treat it. This construction of explanations, given a set of evidence, we call \\textit. In traditional abduction methods it is assumed that the goal data has not yet been explained, that is, given a background knowledge base $\\Gamma$ and a goal data $A$ we have $\\Gamma ot \\vdash A$. Classical methods want to generate a new datum $H$ in such way that with the background knowledge base $\\Gamma$, we can infer $A$ ($\\Gamma \\cup H \\vdash A$). Some traditional methods use the analytical tableaux (see \\cite) for the generation of $H$. Here we deal with a cut-based abduction, with the KE-tableaux, which do not need to assume that the goal data is not derived from the knowledge base, and, moreover, with probabilistic logic (PSAT), rediscovered in \\cite, where we have probabilistic assignments to logical formulas. A PSAT instance is consistent if there is a probabilistic distribution over the assignments. The aim of our work is to define and establish what is an abduction in Probabilistic Logic (abduction for PSAT) and, moreover, provide methods for PSAT abduction: given a PSAT instance $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ in atomic normal form \\cite and a formula $A$ such that there is a probabilistic distribution $\\pi$ that satisfies $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ and $\\pi(A)=0$, each method is able to generate a formula $H$ such that $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle \\!\\!|\\!\\!\\!\\approx A$ where $\\pi(A) > 0$ for all distribution $\\pi$ that satisfies $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle$. We demonstrated that some of the our methods, shown in this work, are correct and complete for the generation of $H$.

A busca por explicações de fatos ou fenômenos é algo que sempre permeou o raciocínio humano. Desde a antiguidade, o ser humano costuma observar fatos e, de acordo com eles e o conhecimento presente, criar hipóteses que possam explicá-los. Um exemplo clássico é quando temos consulta médica e o médico, após verificar todos os sintomas, descobre qual é a doença e os meios de tratá-la. Essa construção de explicações, dado um conjunto de evidências que o indiquem, chamamos de \\textit{abdução}. A abdução tradicional para a lógica clássica estabelece que o dado meta não é derivado da base de conhecimento, ou seja, dada uma base de conhecimento $\\Gamma$ e um dado meta $A$ temos $\\Gamma ot \\vdash A$. Métodos clássicos de abdução buscam gerar um novo dado $H$ que, juntamente com uma base de conhecimento $\\Gamma$, possamos inferir $A$ ($\\Gamma \\cup H \\vdash A$). Alguns métodos tradicionais utilizam o tableaux (como em \\cite) para a geração da fórmula $H$. Aqui, além de lidarmos com a abdução baseada em corte, através do KE-tableaux, que não necessita assumir que o dado meta não seja derivado da base de conhecimento, lidaremos também com a lógica probabilística, redescoberta por Nilsson, em \\cite, onde temos a atribuição de probabilidades a fórmulas. Dizemos que uma instância em lógica probabilística é consistente se existe uma distribuição probabilística consistente sobre as valorações. Determinar essa distribuição probabilística é que o chamamos de problema PSAT. O objetivo de nosso trabalho é definir e estabelecer o que é uma abdução em Lógica Probabilística (abdução em PSAT) e, além disso, fornecer métodos de abdução para PSAT: dada uma instância PSAT $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ na forma normal atômica \\cite e uma fórmula $A$ tal que existe uma distribuição probabi bylística $\\pi$ que satisfaz $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ e $\\pi(A) = 0$, cada método é capaz de gerar uma fórmula $H$ tal que $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle \\!\\!|\\!\\!\\!\\approx A$ onde $\\pi(A) > 0$ para toda distribuição $\\pi$ que satisfaça $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle$. Iremos também demonstrar que alguns dos métodos apresentados são corretos e completos na geração de fórmulas $H$ que satisfaçam as condições de abdução. / The search for explanations of facts or phenomena is something that has always permeated human reasoning. Since antiquity, the human being usually observes facts and, according to them and his knowledge, create hypotheses that can explain them. A classic example is when we have medical consultation and the doctor, after checking all the symptoms, discovers what is the disease and the ways to treat it. This construction of explanations, given a set of evidence, we call \\textit. In traditional abduction methods it is assumed that the goal data has not yet been explained, that is, given a background knowledge base $\\Gamma$ and a goal data $A$ we have $\\Gamma ot \\vdash A$. Classical methods want to generate a new datum $H$ in such way that with the background knowledge base $\\Gamma$, we can infer $A$ ($\\Gamma \\cup H \\vdash A$). Some traditional methods use the analytical tableaux (see \\cite) for the generation of $H$. Here we deal with a cut-based abduction, with the KE-tableaux, which do not need to assume that the goal data is not derived from the knowledge base, and, moreover, with probabilistic logic (PSAT), rediscovered in \\cite, where we have probabilistic assignments to logical formulas. A PSAT instance is consistent if there is a probabilistic distribution over the assignments. The aim of our work is to define and establish what is an abduction in Probabilistic Logic (abduction for PSAT) and, moreover, provide methods for PSAT abduction: given a PSAT instance $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ in atomic normal form \\cite and a formula $A$ such that there is a probabilistic distribution $\\pi$ that satisfies $\\left\\langle \\Gamma, \\Psi ightangle$ and $\\pi(A)=0$, each method is able to generate a formula $H$ such that $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle \\!\\!|\\!\\!\\!\\approx A$ where $\\pi(A) > 0$ for all distribution $\\pi$ that satisfies $\\left\\langle \\Gamma \\cup H , \\Psi ightangle$. We demonstrated that some of the our methods, shown in this work, are correct and complete for the generation of $H$.

"The research primarily investigated the causes of abduction of women and children in conflict areas in Sudan. In doing this, it addressed the effects of abduction on women and children and considered some solutions to the problems identified. The study is significant because it examines an area hitherto not addressed that is, the abduction of women and children as a result of conflict between Sudanese tribes. It differs from earlier studies, which limit their examination to the abduction of children as soldiers. An additional aim of this research is to raise the awareness of the international community's efforts at stopping the practice of abduction, with a view of ensuring that the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) are educated about the problem. Though the main focus of my research is abduction that arises from clashes among tribes, a portion of it has been dedicated to the issue of abduction of children by the SPLA for the purpose of engaging them as soldiers. Some International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) described the abduction of women and children as slavery, this allegation arose from the fact that the abductees were subjected to forced labour such as cutting trees for fuel and herding cattle under harsh conditions. However, the Sudanese Government and other INGOs such as the Sudan Foundation in United Kingdom have challenged this claim. Sudan, which is the largest country in Africa, is approximately 2,505,810 sg Km. Its large size constitutes the main obstacle that sets back serious efforts in the area of resolving human rights violations. The illiteracy of the poeole, especially in rural areas, plays an important role in the perpetuation of some repugnant traditions and customs that decrease the chances of interaction among the different tribes and groups in some parts of the Sudan. Disputes of socio-economic nature occasionlly arise between tribes in the war zone areas due to scarcity of water and pasture for the people and the animals. These tribal disputes, which lead to the abduction of women and children of one tribe by another, caused the Ministry of Justice in Sudan to issue an order which led to the establishment of the Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC). The Committee of which I am a member, is mandated to investigate and trace abducted women and children for the purpose of retrieval." -- Introduction. / Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Sylvia Tamale at the Faculty of Law, Makerere University, Uganda / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM