Intellect can be defined as the ability to think, reason, and understand complex ideas. It encompasses various cognitive functions, including perception, memory, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. Intellect is often associated with intelligence, which can be measured in various ways, including IQ tests and other assessments aimed at evaluating cognitive abilities. Intellect can also refer to a person's knowledge, insight, and wisdom, often shaped by education, experiences, and cultural influences.
Intuition, as developed by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in the early 20th century, is a central concept in his philosophy, particularly in his exploration of time, consciousness, and reality. Bergson distinguishes between two forms of knowing: 1. **Intellectual Knowledge**: This type of knowledge is analytical, abstract, and primarily based on concepts and measurements. It tends to compartmentalize and categorize experiences, leading to a fragmented understanding of reality.
A bus mouse is a type of computer mouse that connects to a computer via a bus interface rather than a serial or PS/2 port. The term "bus mouse" originally referred to a mouse that used a specific bus architecture for communication, mainly in early personal computers. The bus mouse communicates with the computer's motherboard through a bus interface, allowing for faster data transfer and more efficient operation compared to earlier connection methods.
A mental event refers to any occurrence or process that takes place within the mind, encompassing thoughts, feelings, perceptions, memories, and cognitive processes. Mental events can include: 1. **Thoughts**: These are the ideas and concepts that arise in one's mind, including reasoning, problem-solving, and daydreaming. 2. **Emotions**: Feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, and fear that can influence behavior and thoughts.
The term "principle" can refer to several concepts, depending on the context in which it is used. Here are a few common interpretations: 1. **Fundamental Truth or Proposition**: A principle can refer to a basic truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior. For example, ethical principles guide moral conduct.
The term "user illusion" generally refers to the interface and experience design principles that aim to simplify and enhance user interactions with technology by creating a more intuitive and engaging environment. It can cover a range of concepts, including but not limited to: 1. **Design Aesthetics**: Utilizing visual elements that appeal to users while hiding complex underlying functionalities. This can lead to an experience that feels more seamless and natural.
Propositional attitudes are mental states that involve a relationship between an individual and a proposition. These states express the ways in which a person can relate to a proposition, which is a statement or assertion that can be either true or false. Common examples of propositional attitudes include beliefs, desires, hopes, fears, and intentions. For example, if someone believes that "it is raining," the propositional attitude is "belief," and the proposition is "it is raining.
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.

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!
We have two killer features:
  1. 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-calculus
    Articles 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/derivative
  2. 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.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    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.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
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