Metrication in Chile refers to the process of converting measurements and units from the imperial system to the metric system. This transition began in the 19th century and was largely completed in the mid-20th century, aligning with international trends promoting the metric system as a standard. In Chile, metrication involved adopting units such as meters, liters, and kilograms for length, volume, and weight, respectively. The goal was to improve consistency, efficiency, and compatibility with global trade and scientific research.
Philippa Foot (1920–2010) was a prominent British philosopher known for her work in moral philosophy and ethics. She is best known for her contributions to virtue ethics and her role in the development of the "trolley problem," a thought experiment in moral philosophy that explores the ethical implications of decision-making in life-and-death scenarios. Foot's work emphasized the importance of moral virtues and human flourishing, contrasting with more consequentialist approaches that focus solely on the outcomes of actions.
Robert C. Koons is an American philosopher known for his work in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. He is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and has contributed significantly to discussions on realism, the nature of property, and the philosophy of science. Koons is also recognized for his advocacy of a form of "realist" metaphysics that draws on both contemporary philosophy and classical philosophical traditions.
Robert Kane is an American philosopher known primarily for his work in the fields of free will, moral responsibility, and the philosophy of action. He is best known for his advocacy of a form of libertarianism regarding free will, which argues that individuals have the capacity to make free choices that are not determined by prior events. Kane's influential book, "The Significance of Free Will" (1996), articulates his views on the nature of free will and moral responsibility.
William L. Rowe (1931–2020) was an American philosopher known primarily for his work in the philosophy of religion, particularly on arguments for and against the existence of God. He is best known for his formulations of the problem of evil, which questions how to reconcile the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent God with the existence of suffering and evil in the world.
William Lane Craig is an American philosopher, theologian, and Christian apologist known for his work in the philosophy of religion and the defense of theism. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Birmingham and has authored numerous books and articles on topics such as the existence of God, the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, and moral philosophy.
William Lycan is an American philosopher, known for his work in the philosophy of mind, language, and epistemology. He is particularly noted for his contributions to discussions regarding consciousness, the nature of language, and the relationship between thought and language. Lycan has written extensively on topics such as the nature of perception, the mind-body problem, and the theory of reference in linguistics.
Zeno Vendler is a philosopher known for his work in the fields of philosophy of language, logic, and metaphysics. He was particularly influential in discussions about the nature of events, actions, and the semantics of verbs and their tenses. Vendler is best known for his analysis of verb classifications, where he categorized verbs into different types based on their temporal properties and aspectual features. This work has had significant implications for understanding how language relates to time and events.
"The Myth of the Framework" is a concept primarily associated with the Austrian economist and philosopher Friedrich Hayek. The phrase refers to the idea that societies operate within certain frameworks of rules, beliefs, and institutions but that these frameworks can sometimes become constraining or misleading. Hayek argued that the complexities of human societies cannot be fully understood or managed by rigid, predetermined frameworks or theories. In his work, Hayek emphasized the importance of spontaneous order and the adaptive nature of social systems.
"Dictum de omni et nullo" is a Latin phrase that translates to "the saying about all and none." It is a principle from medieval scholastic philosophy and logic, particularly associated with the works of Peter Abelard and later in discussions of categorical logic. The principle addresses the scope of quantification in logical statements and can be understood as dealing with the relationships between universal affirmative (all) and universal negative (none) statements.
The anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan emerged primarily in response to the country's historical experience with nuclear weapons testing and the environmental and health repercussions of these activities. After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited the Semipalatinsk Test Site, where the Soviet government conducted over 450 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1989. These tests had devastating effects on local populations and the environment.
Gregory S. Chirikjian is a prominent figure in the fields of robotics, applied mathematics, and engineering. He is a professor known for his work related to robotics, particularly in kinematics, robot motion planning, and robotic control systems. Chirikjian has contributed significantly to theoretical and practical advancements in these areas, often focusing on the mathematical foundations of robotics. In addition to his research, he has published various academic papers and articles and may be involved in teaching at a university level.
Rom Harré is a prominent philosopher and psychologist known for his work in social psychology, philosophy of science, and the philosophy of psychology. He has contributed significantly to discussions on social constructionism and has explored how language, narratives, and social contexts shape human behavior and identity. Harré's research often emphasizes the importance of social interactions and the ways in which individuals understand themselves and others within cultural frameworks. He has also been involved in promoting the integration of philosophical insights into psychological practice and research.
Ruth Barcan Marcus (1921–2012) was an influential American philosopher and logician, best known for her work in the fields of modal logic, philosophy of language, and feminist philosophy. One of her significant contributions is the development of the Barcan formula, which connects modal logic and quantification. This formula has implications for understanding necessity and possibility in relation to existential quantifiers.
Samuel Scheffler is an American philosopher known for his work in ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of death. He is a professor at New York University and has made significant contributions to discussions about the meaning of life, moral philosophy, and the implications of our mortality. One of his notable works is "Death and the Afterlife," where he explores how concepts of death affect our understanding of life and values.
Scott Aikin is a philosopher known for his work in areas such as epistemology, the philosophy of language, and argumentation theory. He has contributed to discussions on issues like the nature of understanding, the role of disagreement in philosophical discourse, and the relationship between argumentation and reasoning. Aikin often engages with contemporary philosophical debates and is involved in teaching and writing about critical thinking, philosophy of science, and other related topics.
Stephen Mumford is a philosopher known for his work in metaphysics, particularly in the areas of causation, properties, and the philosophy of science. He has developed theories regarding the nature of causation, including the concept of "dispositional properties" and the distinction between categorical and dispositional properties. Mumford has also contributed to discussions on the relationships between science and philosophy, addressing issues such as realism and the interpretation of scientific theories.
Timothy Sprigge (1932–2007) was a British philosopher known for his work in the areas of metaphysics, ethics, and philosophy of mind, particularly related to panpsychism and the nature of consciousness. He is noted for advocating a form of idealism that posits that reality is fundamentally mental. Sprigge's philosophical contributions include analyzing the implications of consciousness and the subjective experience of reality.
Wilfrid Sellars (1912–1989) was an influential American philosopher known for his contributions to philosophy of mind, epistemology, and language. He is perhaps best known for articulating the distinction between the "manifest image" (the way we understand the world based on everyday experience) and the "scientific image" (the way the world is understood scientifically). This distinction highlights the relationship and potential conflicts between our intuitive understanding of the world and the scientific explanations that describe it.
William Alston (1921–2009) was an influential American philosopher known primarily for his work in epistemology, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of language. He is best known for his defense of a form of epistemological relativism called "relational epistemology" and for his contributions to the understanding of religious experience and justification. Alston argued for the validity of religious experiences as sources of knowledge and was critical of naturalism's dismissive stance toward non-empirical forms of knowledge.