The term "authoritarian personality" refers to a psychological profile characterized by a strong adherence to conventional values, an inclination toward rigid thinking, and a tendency to submit to and enforce authority. The concept was introduced by social psychologists Theodor W. Adorno and his colleagues in their 1950 book, "The Authoritarian Personality." This work was part of a broader effort to understand the sociopsychological roots of fascism and prejudice.
Condescension refers to an attitude or behavior in which a person looks down on others, treating them as inferior or less important. This often involves speaking or acting in a way that is patronizing or dismissive, suggesting that the person showing condescension considers themselves to be of a higher status, intelligence, or moral superiority. Condescension can manifest in various contexts, such as in communication, social interactions, or professional environments.
Infrahumanisation is a psychological concept that refers to the tendency of individuals or groups to perceive outgroup members (those belonging to different ethnic, cultural, or social groups) as less human than oneself or one’s ingroup. This phenomenon is often manifested in the perception of intergroup biases, where individuals attribute less complex emotions, traits, or moral consideration to members of an outgroup.
Moral sense theory is a philosophical idea that suggests that humans have an innate capacity or "sense" that allows them to perceive and understand moral truths, much like how we perceive sensory information from the world around us. This theory is closely associated with the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher Francis Hutcheson, who is one of its most prominent proponents. Hutcheson's version of moral sense theory posits that moral judgments arise from our natural feelings or intuitions.
A mathematical object is a fundamental entity or concept studied in mathematics. These objects can take many forms and can include: 1. **Numbers**: Integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, etc. 2. **Sets**: Collections of objects, which can include numbers, points in space, or other mathematical entities. 3. **Functions**: Mappings from one set of numbers (or other objects) to another, capturing the idea of a relationship between quantities.
The concept of the "general will" (French: "volonté générale") is most prominently associated with the political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In his work "The Social Contract," Rousseau articulates this idea as a collective will that represents the common interests of the people, transcending individual desires and preferences.
Svatantrya is a Sanskrit term that translates to "autonomy" or "self-determination." In various philosophical contexts, particularly in the traditions of Indian philosophy, Svatantrya can refer to the concept of self-governance, independence, or the inherent freedom of an individual to make choices.
"The Freedom of the Will" is often discussed in the context of philosophy, particularly in the areas of metaphysics, ethics, and philosophy of mind. The term generally refers to the concept that individuals have the capacity to make choices and exercise control over their actions. This notion raises significant questions about determinism, free will, responsibility, and moral accountability.
"Différance" is a key concept in the philosophy of Jacques Derrida, a French philosopher known for his work in deconstruction and post-structuralism. The term itself is a play on words in French, combining the ideas of "difference" (the state of being dissimilar) and "deferral" (the act of postponing).
Intension refers to the inherent meaning or conceptual content of a term, expression, or idea. It is often contrasted with "extension," which refers to the set of objects or instances that the term refers to in the real world. In philosophy and linguistics, intension is concerned with the qualities and attributes that define a concept. For example, the intension of the term "dog" would include characteristics like being a domesticated mammal, typically having four legs, and being a known species.
Generative anthropology is an interdisciplinary field that examines the origins and development of human culture, language, and social structures. It is particularly associated with the work of anthropologist Eric Gans, who developed the concept in the 1980s. The core idea of generative anthropology is to explore how human societies generate meaning through language and culture, emphasizing the role of human desire and imitation in the creation of social norms and communicative practices.
Interpretations of quantum mechanics are various theoretical frameworks that seek to explain the nature and implications of the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics, particularly how it relates to observations and the nature of reality. Quantum mechanics has been remarkably successful in predicting experimental outcomes, yet it leaves many philosophical questions unresolved.
Grammatical mood is a feature of verbs that conveys the speaker's attitude toward the action or state expressed by the verb. It reflects how the speaker feels about the likelihood of the action occurring, the reality of the situation, or the speaker's intent. Different languages may express mood through verb conjugation, affixes, or auxiliary verbs. The primary grammatical moods commonly recognized in many languages include: 1. **Indicative Mood**: Used for statements of fact, opinion, or questions.
Modal subordination is a concept in linguistics and philosophy that refers to the relationship between different modalities in a discourse, where one modal expression is contingent upon or dependent on another. In simpler terms, it involves situations where the truth or relevance of one statement (often involving necessity, possibility, obligation, etc.) relies on the context or assumptions established by another statement. It’s often discussed in relation to the use of modal verbs (like "must," "might," "could," etc.
In logic and philosophy, a **proposition** is a declarative statement that expresses a judgment or opinion that can be evaluated as true or false. Propositions are the building blocks of logical reasoning and are used in various fields, including mathematics, computer science, and linguistics. Here are some key points about propositions: 1. **Truth Value**: A proposition has a truth value, meaning it is either true (T) or false (F).
Tychism is a philosophical term that refers to the belief in or emphasis on chance or randomness as a fundamental aspect of the universe, particularly in the context of natural processes. The word is derived from the Greek "tykhē," meaning fortune or chance. In philosophy, zejchism is often associated with the ideas of William James and Charles Sanders Peirce, who argued that chance events play a significant role in the development of complex systems and the evolution of life.
A benthic lander is an instrument or platform designed for studying the benthic zone, which is the lowest ecological zone in a body of water, including oceans, lakes, and rivers. This zone encompasses the sediments and the organisms living on or in the sediments at the bottom of these water bodies. Benthic landers are typically equipped with various scientific instruments and sensors to collect data on physical, chemical, and biological parameters in the benthic environment.
Byung-Chul Han is a South Korean-born philosopher and cultural theorist based in Germany, known for his work on contemporary society, culture, and issues such as technology, capitalism, and the nature of happiness. Born on April 15, 1959, Han has written extensively on a variety of topics, often focusing on the implications of neoliberalism and digital culture. His ideas explore how these forces shape individual subjectivity, relationships, and social dynamics.
Donatella Di Cesare is an Italian philosopher and professor known for her work in contemporary philosophy, particularly her contributions to the fields of existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and political thought. She has written extensively on various topics, including issues related to immigration, politics, the philosophy of language, and the ethics of the human condition.
Kojin Karatani is a prominent Japanese philosopher, literary critic, and cultural theorist known for his interdisciplinary approach that combines elements of philosophy, literature, history, and economics. Born in 1941, Karatani has made significant contributions to contemporary thought, particularly in his exploration of the relationships between different cultural and social constructs. Karatani is perhaps best known for his concept of "the world of the text," where he examines how literary and cultural texts intersect with other social practices.
Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project
Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
Intro to OurBigBook
. Source. We have two killer features:
- topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculusArticles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
- a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
- a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.Figure 1. Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page. View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivativeVideo 2. OurBigBook Web topics demo. Source. - local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
- to OurBigBook.com to get awesome multi-user features like topics and likes
- as HTML files to a static website, which you can host yourself for free on many external providers like GitHub Pages, and remain in full control
Figure 3. Visual Studio Code extension installation.Figure 4. Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation.Figure 5. Web editor. You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.Video 3. Edit locally and publish demo. Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.Video 4. OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo. Source. - Infinitely deep tables of contents:
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact





