This dissertation has three parts. In "Quantum Entanglement, Bohmian Mechanics, and Humean Supervenience," I defend David Lewis's metaphysical doctrine of Humean supervenience, and traditional metaphysical reductionism more generally, against an alleged holistic threat encapsulated in the non-separability argument from quantum entanglement. I argue that, contrary to popular belief, realism about quantum mechanics is compatible with Humean reductionism. / Philosophy

The main aim of my work - "Matter and Explanation. On Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Η" - is to show the argumentative unity of Book Η (VIII), which has been usually regarded as a mere collection of appendices to the previous Book Ζ. In my thesis I take on the main suggestion provided by M. Burnyeat in "A Map of Metaphysics Ζ" (2001). According to Burnyeat, Η accomplishes the enquiry of Ζ by developing Ζ17's fresh start into the analysis of sensible substances. Starting from Ζ17, Aristotle regards the notion of substance in its explanatory role as "principle and cause" and, as a consequence, he searches for "the cause by reason of which a certain matter is some definite thing". Burnyeat's suggestion has been so far followed in order to look at Η as at that place where this search is accomplished. Thus, Η would play a didactical-expository role. In my work I aim at showing how in Book Η Aristotle does not confine himself to a mere exposition of the previous outcomes. By contrast, he provides a deep revision of the status of matter's substancehood. Namely of that ontological subject whose organization must be explained. Such a revision concerns those criteria, which in Book Ζ have provided a deflationary reading of the notion of ὕλη. On the contrary, in Η matter is read as subject of physical changes and in its dispositional role within the biological wholes. Such a framework is accomplished in Η6, where Aristotle shows the explanatory primacy of his own hylomorphism over the Platonic Doctrine of Forms.

This thesis discusses epistemological and ethical issues in classifi cation and diagnosisof psychiatric conditions, and briefly discusses realism about psychiatric conditions. I use autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a case study to examine whether the explanatory and predictive power of classi fication and diagnosis could be improved if psychiatry adopts a cause-based framework in place of a symptom-based framework. However, there is signifi cant debate regarding the sort of explanatory pattern that will adequately represent the complex causation involved in psychiatric conditions. I develop a preliminary list of criteria for adequate explanatory patterns in psychiatry, and use these criteria to analyze explanations of ASD. I show that explanatory patterns unable to meet these criteria limit the validity and reliability of diagnosis. However, I argue that an integrated pattern that includes biological, cognitive and social levels of explanation may meet the criteria. Thus, diagnosis of ASD could improve if psychiatry adopted a cause-based framework informed by an intergrated explanation pattern. More accurate diagnosis of ASD may allow earlier access to Intensive Behaviourial Intervention/Applied Behavioural Analysis treatment programs, which may increase the effectiveness of this treatment and reduce the amount of resources individuals with ASD require from governments over their lifespans. Explaining these conditions using an integrated pattern of explanation can further challenge myths regarding the causes of ASD, and may provide support for Canadian lawsuits petitioning for expanded public funding of IBI/ABA programs.

Technological knowledge is of many different kinds, from experience-based know-how in the crafts to science-based knowledge in modern engineering. It is inherently oriented towards being useful in technological activities, such as manufacturing and engineering design. The purpose of this thesis is to highlight special characteristics of technological knowledge and how these affect how technology should be taught in school. It consists of an introduction, a summary in Swedish, and five papers: Paper I is about rules of thumb, which are simple instructions, used to guide actions toward a specific result, without need of advanced knowledge. One off the major advantages of rules of thumb is the ease with which they can be learnt. One of their major disadvantages is that they cannot easily be adjusted to new situations or conditions. Paper II describes how Gilbert Ryle's distinction between knowing how and knowing that is applicable in the technological domain. Knowing how and knowing that are commonly used together, but there are important differences between them which motivate why they should be regarded as different types: they are learnt in different ways, justified in different ways, and knowing that is susceptible to Gettier type problems which technological knowing how is not. Paper III is based on a survey about how Swedish technology teachers understand the concept of technological knowledge. Their opinions show an extensive variation, and they have no common terminology for describing the knowledge. Paper IV deals with non-scientific models that are commonly used by engineers, based on for example folk theories or obsolete science. These should be included in technology education if it is to resemble real technology. Different, and partly contradictory, epistemological frameworks must be used in different school subjects. This leads to major pedagogical challenges, but also to opportunities to clarify the differences between technology and the natural sciences and between models and reality. Paper V is about explanation, prediction, and the use of models in technology education. Explanations and models in technology differ from those in the natural sciences in that they have to include users' actions and intentions. / <p>QC 20140512</p>

In this dissertation, I examine the role that intentional descriptions play in our scientific study of the mind. Behavioural scientists often use intentional language in their characterization of cognitive systems, making reference to “beliefs”, “representations”, or “states of information”. What is the scientific value gained from employing such intentional terminology? I begin the dissertation by contrasting intentional descriptions with mechanistic descriptions, as these are the descriptions most commonly used to provide explanations in the behavioural sciences. I then examine the way that intentional descriptions are employed in various scientific contexts. I conclude that while mechanistic descriptions characterize the underlying structure of systems, intentional descriptions allow us to generate predictions of systems while remaining agnostic as to their mechanistic underpinnings. Having established this, I then argue that intentional descriptions share much in common with statistical models in the way they characterize systems. Given these similarities, I theorize that intentional descriptions are employed within scientific practice as a particular type of phenomenological model. Phenomenological models are used to study, characterize, and predict the phenomena produced by mechanistic systems without describing their underlying structure. I demonstrate why such models are integral to our scientific discovery, and understanding, of the mechanisms that make up the brain. With my account on the table, I then look back at previous accounts of intentional language that philosophers have offered in the past. I highlight insights that each brought to our understanding of intentional language, and point out where each ultimately goes astray. I conclude the dissertation by examining the ontological implications of my theory. I demonstrate that my account is compatible with versions of both realism, and anti-realism, regarding the existence of intentional states.

In this paper, the psychological aspects of clearness in teaching mathematics are considered and some suggestions for the achieve the clearness are given.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-265).

Este trabalho aborda um estudo sobre os STI - Sistemas Tutores Inteligentes - dando uma visão geral do que esta sendo feito nesta área e quais são as tendências futuras que direcionam os STI a trabalhar com arquiteturas de agentes. Para simular as mudanças que ocorrem em certos estados mentais dos agentes, fizemos uma unido dos STI com a IAD - Inteligência Artificial Distribuída - e construímos os modelos dos agentes com base no ambiente dos STI e na arquitetura SEM - Sociedade dos Estados Mentais - [CORM que baseia seu formalismo na Teoria das Situações. Exploramos e adotamos a ideia da arquitetura aberta dos STI [OLI92], pois, através dela, foi possível criar um ambiente cooperativo de aprendizagem no qual o tutor e o aluno podem ensinar e aprender. Trabalhamos com dois agentes globais, a saber, o tutor e o aluno, sendo cada um deles composto por quatro agentes locais associados a determinados estados mentais do agente. Os agentes locais correspondem aos estados mentais: crença, desejo, intenção e expectativa, definidos na arquitetura SEM como agentes locais, e tratados individualmente nesta, que se preocupa com o comportamento particular de cada um. Optamos por usar a arquitetura SEM, que é uma arquitetura de agentes, no lugar de uma funcional tradicional, ou seja, composta por módulos, que é característica dos STI, porque nela podemos tratar os estados mentais como agentes locais, e assim é possível modelar o comportamento individual de cada estado e as mudanças que a interação entre os agentes provoca em cada um Abordamos três situações de ensino/aprendizagem com peculiaridades diferentes nas quais os agentes globais interagem cooperativamente com o objetivo de um ensinar o outro. Para cada dialogo, estabelecemos objetivos específicos: no primeiro, nosso interesse é na maneira como o aluno ensina uma nova estratégia ao tutor; no segundo, analisamos as mudanças das crenças do tutor sobre o conhecimento do aluno; no terceiro, nos preocupamos com as estratégias de ensino utilizadas pelo tutor. O processo de ensino/aprendizagem que acontece no desenrolar da interação entre os agentes é realizado usando o método de aprendizagem simbólica automática EBL - Explanation-Based Learning - [MIT86],[COS90] Este método proporciona a generalização do exemplo de treinamento que é incorporado as crenças e as estratégias do agente que desempenha o papel daquele que aprende, enriquecendo-as. As estratégias, que são fundamentais para os STI, são tratadas como pianos de ensino, utilizadas para promover a aprendizagem, pois definem a maneira como determinado conteúdo deve ser ensinado. Tratamos aqui as estratégias de uma maneira inovadora e diferente da tratada anteriormente [COR94]. Elas são um conjunto de ações e possuem armazenados procedimentos que são usados pelos agentes durante a interação. São determinadas e controladas conforme a intenção e usadas de acordo com as crenças, no sentido de selecionar a mais adequada para cada situação. / This study focuses on the Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) and aims at presenting a general view concerning what has been developed in this field as well as the coming trends which lead the ITS to deal with agents' architecture. In order to simulate the changes which occur in certain mental states of the agents, we linked ITS with Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI) and then we built the agents' modules based on ITS environment and on SEM - Sociedade dos Estados Mentais that means Mental States Society - architecture [COR94]. Such an architecture bases its formalism on the Situation Theory. We explored and adopted the idea of the ITS open architecture [OLI92] for, through it, it has been possible to create a cooperative learning environment in which both the tutor and the student are able to teach and learn. The two global agents we worked on - tutor and student - both of them are made up of four local agents which are their mental states. The mental states involved are: belief, desire, intention, and expectation. These mental states are treated individually and defined as local agents according to SEM architecture. Instead of using a functional architecture - characteristic of ITS - we chose an agent architecture, for this latter makes it possible to treat the mental states as subagents. It is possible, therefore, to model the individual behavior of each state as well as the changes resulted from the agents' interaction. We focused on three teaching/learning situations that present different situations in which the global agents interact co-operatively in such a way that they teach each other. Specific aims were meant to each dialogue, as follows: the first dialogue concern has to do with the way the student teaches the tutor a new strategy; the second dialogue aim is to explore the tutor's "belief revision" about the student's knowledge; the third dialo gue goal has to do with the teaching strategies used by the tutor. The teaching/learning process brought about as the interaction between the agents happens is applied by using the Explanation-Based Learning (EBL) method [MIT86],[COS 90]. This method makes it possible to generalize the test example which is added to the learning agent's beliefs and strategies, making them more complete. The strategies, which are vital to the ITS, are treated as teaching plans and used to bring about learning, for they define the way in which a certain content is supposed to be taught. The strategies are treated here in a new manner, differently from the way they had formerly been [COR94]. They are a set of actions and present procedures on file that are used by the agents during the interaction. Also, the strategies are chosen and controlled by the intention and consulted by the beliefs so as to select the most suitable one, according to the situation.

Cette thèse vise à étudier l’interaction pédagogique par visioconférence entre sept futurs professeurs de français langue étrangère en formation professionnelle à l’Université de Lyon et douze apprenants de français langue étrangère inscrits dans une école de commerce à Dublin City University. A partir de données écologiques, nous avons construit un corpus audiovisuel de vingt-huit séances et de quinze heures et demie d’interactions. Par une démarche inductive, en nous appuyant sur des méthodes développées dans le cadre de l’analyse conversationnelle, nous avons identifié 295 séquences d’explication lexicale. Nous avons analysé celles-ci par une approche multimodale qui adopte une vue holistique de la communication et prend en compte l’utilisation de l’ensemble des ressources sémiotiques sans privilégier par défaut le langage oral. Nos analyses multimodales montrent de quelles façons les enseignants utilisent les ressources à leur disposition pour se focaliser sur la forme des items lexicaux, pour se focaliser sur leur sens et pour impliquer les apprenants dans les séquences d’explication. Nos données permettent également de mener des comparaisons interindividuelles grâce au fait que plusieurs enseignants, ayant reçu les mêmes consignes et se trouvant dans des situations similaires, expliquent les mêmes items lexicaux. / This thesis aims to study videoconferenced pedagogical interaction between seven future teachers of French who are undergoing professional development at the University of Lyon and twelve learners of French who are enrolled in a business school at Dublin City University. From naturally occurring interaction, we have constructed an audiovisual corpus comprised of twenty-eight sessions and fifteen and a half hours of interaction. Through an inductive approach, and relying on methods developed in the field of conversation analysis, we have identified 295 lexical explanation sequences. We have analyzed them using a multimodal approach which adopts a holistic view of communication and takes into consideration the entire palette of semiotic resources used without automatically prioritizing spoken language. Our multimodal analyses show the ways in which the teacher trainees use the resources at their disposal to focus on the form and meaning of lexical items as well as how they involve their learners in the explanation sequences. Our corpus also allows us to conduct an interindividual comparison due to the fact that several teacher trainees, having received the same instructions and being put in similar situations, explain the same lexical items.

The Unconscious in Social Explanation”. The proper range and contentof the unconscious in the human sciences should be established by referenceto its conceptual relationship to the folk psychology that informs the standardform of explanation therein. A study of this relationship shows that humanscientists should appeal to the unconscious only when the language of theconscious fails them, that is typically when they find a conflict between people’sself-understanding and their actions. This study also shows that human scientistsshould adopt a broader concept of the unconscious than the one developedby Freud, that is, one free from his ahistorical concept of the instincts and hisahistorical emphasis on the sexual experiences of childhood. The unconscious,understood in this way, has an ambiguous relationship to more recent linguisticand narrativist strands of psycho-analysis. / El verdadero alcance y contenido de lo inconsciente en las CienciasHumanas debería ser establecido en referencia a su relación conceptual con lapsicología popular que moldea a la forma estándar de explicación allí en juego.Un estudio de dicha relación muestra que los científicos de las Ciencias Humanasdeberían apelar al inconsciente solo cuando el lenguaje de lo consciente lesfalla, esto es, especialmente cuando encuentran un conflicto entre la autocomprensiónde las personas y sus acciones. Este estudio muestra también que loscientíficos de las Ciencias Humanas deberían adoptar un concepto más ampliode lo inconsciente que aquel desarrollado por Freud, es decir, un concepto queesté libre de la concepción freudiana ahistórica de los instintos y su énfasisahistórico en las experiencias sexuales de la niñez. Lo inconsciente, entendidode esta manera, tiene una relación ambigua con las más recientes vertienteslingüísticas y narrativas del Psicoanálisis.