Pratītyasamutpāda, often translated as "dependent origination" or "dependent arising," is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy that describes the nature of existence and the interconnectedness of all phenomena. It explains how all things arise in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions rather than existing independently or inherently. The concept is often summarized in the phrase "when this is, that is; when this arises, that arises.
The Deductive-Nomological (DN) model, also known as the Hempel-Oppenheim model, is a framework in the philosophy of science that describes scientific explanation. It was primarily developed by philosophers Carl Hempel and Paul Oppenheim in the 20th century. According to the DN model, a scientific explanation consists of two main components: 1. **General Laws (Nomological)**: These are universal laws or general statements that describe regularities or patterns in nature.
The terms "hard science" and "soft science" are used to classify different fields of scientific study based on their methodologies, rigor, and the nature of the phenomena they investigate. ### Hard Science: - **Definition**: Hard sciences typically refer to fields that rely on empirical data, quantitative measurements, and rigorous experimental methods. They often produce results that can be consistently replicated and verified.
Impact evaluation is a systematic assessment that aims to determine the changes that can be attributed to a particular intervention, program, or policy. It seeks to identify the causal effects of an intervention on specified outcomes by comparing the results of the intervention group to a counterfactual—what would have happened in the absence of the intervention. Key features of impact evaluation include: 1. **Causality**: It focuses explicitly on establishing a causal link between the intervention and observed changes.
The Lakatos Award is a distinguished recognition in the field of philosophy of science. It was established in 2002 by the London School of Economics (LSE) in memory of the Hungarian philosopher Imre Lakatos, who made significant contributions to the philosophy of mathematics and science. The award is given annually to a research project or a book that makes a notable contribution to the philosophy of science.
"Not even wrong" is a phrase coined by physicist Wolfgang Pauli, often used to describe a theory or idea that is so far from reality or empirical evidence that it cannot even be classified as incorrect. Essentially, it implies that the argument or hypothesis is so misguided that it fails to meet the basic criteria for being considered a legitimate scientific theory; it's not just wrong, but fundamentally misguided.
Observation is the process of closely monitoring and examining something to gather information and gain insights. It involves using one's senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—to detect and record details about an object, event, or phenomenon. In various contexts, observation can serve different purposes: 1. **Scientific Observation**: In scientific research, observation is used to collect data and test hypotheses. Scientists may conduct experiments or make field observations to study natural phenomena systematically.
A Ramsey sentence is a specific type of formal statement used in logic and philosophy to express the essential content of a theory without committing to the specific nature of its unobservable entities. Named after the philosopher Frank P. Ramsey, a Ramsey sentence allows for the formulation of a theory in a way that abstracts away from underlying assumptions about the existence or nature of the theoretical entities involved.
Science studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical dimensions of science and technology. It seeks to understand how scientific knowledge is produced, disseminated, and applied, as well as the implications of scientific research on society and vice versa. Key areas of focus in science studies include: 1. **History of Science**: Investigating how scientific ideas have developed over time and how historical contexts influence scientific practices.
"Special sciences" refer to fields of study that are focused on specific areas of inquiry or particular subjects, as opposed to the "general sciences" that encompass broad and fundamental scientific principles. The term is often used in the context of the philosophy of science to highlight the relationship between different scientific disciplines and their unique methodologies, theories, and domains. The special sciences typically include areas such as: 1. **Biology**: The study of living organisms and their interactions with the environment.
Trial and error is a problem-solving method characterized by experimenting with various solutions until a satisfactory one is found. It involves a process of testing different approaches, learning from mistakes, and refining strategies based on the outcomes of previous attempts. This technique is often used when there is no clear or straightforward solution to a problem, and it can be applied in various fields, including science, engineering, education, and everyday life.
In statistics, "validity" refers to the degree to which a test, measurement, or experiment accurately represents the concept or construct it is intended to measure. It is a crucial aspect of research and data collection, as it influences the reliability and interpretability of results. Validity can be broken down into several types: 1. **Content Validity**: This assesses whether a measurement instrument covers the full domain of the concept being measured.
Paternalism is a concept that refers to the practice of managing or governing individuals or groups in a manner that is intended to protect their welfare, often overriding their personal autonomy or decision-making rights. The term derives from the Latin word "pater," meaning "father," and reflects the idea of a parental figure making decisions for others, typically with the belief that those decisions are in the best interest of the individuals concerned.
Role ethics is a philosophical perspective that emphasizes the importance of social roles and the responsibilities that come with them in determining moral behavior and ethical obligations. This approach focuses on the relationships individuals occupy in society—such as parent, teacher, friend, employee, or citizen—and the duties and expectations associated with those roles.
Elektronorgtechnica, often abbreviated as EOT, refers to a Soviet-era enterprise and research organization that specialized in the development and production of electronic components and equipment. Established during the height of the Soviet Union, it played a significant role in advancing technology within the country, particularly in areas related to electronics, telecommunications, and radio technology. The organization encompassed various facilities, including research and development centers, and was involved in both production and innovation.
The Soviet Union had a variety of computer hardware manufacturers that contributed to the development of computing technology during its existence. Here's a list of notable manufacturers and research organizations involved in the production of computer hardware in the Soviet Union: 1. **Moscow Institute of Electronic Machine Engineering (MIEM)** - Known for developing various early computers and electronic systems. 2. **Kiev Institute of Cybernetics** - Contributed significantly to computer science and hardware development.
RELCOM, which stands for "REsearch on Language and COmmunication," is a term that may refer to different concepts or organizations depending on the context. In the field of linguistics, RELCOM may pertain to research initiatives focused on language and communication studies.
The Yerevan Computer Research and Development Institute (Yerevan CRDI) is a research organization based in Yerevan, Armenia. It focuses on the fields of computer science, information technology, and software development. The institute is involved in a range of activities, including applied research, technology development, and scientific collaboration, aimed at advancing knowledge and fostering innovation in computing and related disciplines.
Online payments refer to the process of making financial transactions over the internet. This process allows users to pay for goods and services online using various methods, eliminating the need for cash or physical checks. Online payments are widely used in e-commerce, subscriptions, and various services, and they can be conducted through different platforms and devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets. Common methods of online payment include: 1. **Credit and Debit Cards**: Users enter their card information to complete transactions.

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