JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Latest Issue
-
The Decline of Science in Britain: Crisis and Reform of British Science and Technology System in the Nineteenth Century Abstract: The idea of the “decline of science in England” was proposed in the 1930s by Charles Babbage in his book Reflections on the Decline of Science in England. From a perspective of the history of science and technology system, this article argues that the main factors hindering the development of science in Britain were the mechanism of private patronage and the resulting amateurism in scientific practice. Babbage implied that the situation of science in Britain could be changed essentially only by transforming private patronage into government sponsorship. He offered some advice for reform, in the areas of research funding, the organization, and the administration of scientific work. To some extent, these suggestions promoted the processes of government support for science, fostered the training of scientific personnel and the formation of professional research teams, and facilitated the founding of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the reform of the Royal Society of London. Key Words: Charles Babbage; Nineteenth century; British science; Science and technology system; Patronagepage: 1-9Testing, Challenging, and Developing: Is Integrated Information Theory Pseudoscience? Abstract: This article examines the recent controversy surrounding Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and its alleged pseudoscientific status, analyzing its theoretical connections and tensions with the Theory of Neuronal Group Selection (TNGS), weak IIT, and the Global Neural Workspace Theory (GNWT). On one hand, the paper acknowledges that IIT’s radical stance, limited applicability, and partially unfalsifiable axioms warrant criticism. On the other hand, it highlights IIT’s robust empirical tradition, capacity to generate independently testable predictions, and its potential to inspire new theoretical frameworks. Furthermore, the article argues that accusations of IIT’s panpsychist leanings are not entirely justified. Consequently, it advocates for an open-minded approach toward IIT, emphasizing the need to explore its empirical potential rather than prematurely dismissing it as “pseudoscience”, given its ongoing contributions to consciousness research. Key Words: Integrated information theory; Adversarial collaboration; Pseudoscience; Panpsychismpage: 28-37Opportunity or Challenge? The Establishment of the NCBRAS in the Context of Scientific Imperialism Abstract: This paper examines the establishment of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (NCBRAS), which was initially known as the Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, focusing on its merits and drawbacks from the perspective of scientific imperialism. It analyzes the founders’ motivations and their affiliation with the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (RAS), framing NCBRAS as a product of scientific imperialism. Unlike previous sinology-centric research, this study explores the benefits derived from scientific institutions, Orientalist traditions, and Europe’s overseas expansion. Despite the opportunity provided by all the merits, the NCBRAS also faced challenges due to Chinese and foreign hostilities, financial inadequacies, and cultural differences. This dual situation played a pivotal role in shaping the future trajectory of the NCBRAS. This inquiry into the context and drawbacks contributes to a deeper understanding of NCBRAS and offers new perspectives on natural history research in 1850s China. Key Words: NCBRAS (Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society); Scientific imperialism; Scientific institutionalization; Sinology traditionpage: 60-74An Examination of the Ethics of Care in Robotic Nursing Abstract: The use of care robots can be an effective way to alleviate the lack of competence in geriatric care in the context of aging; however, they have obvious limitations in providing true human care and fitting the elements of care. Based on an ethic of care perspective, this paper comparatively analyzes the gap between robotic care and traditional human care in terms of the four ethical elements of care: attention, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness, and points out that the essence of gerontological care should be more than just a simple practice, but rather lies in the concern for the vulnerability and dignity of older people, as well as in a social strategy for positive aging. As a result, a triple iterative technical design pathway of value-sensitive design (VSD) is utilized to integrate human care values into the design process of care robots, aiming to preserve and promote the core values of human care in the face of the great potential and obvious limitations of care robots. Key Words: Caregiving robots; Ethics of care; Human care; Geriatric care; Value sensitive designpage: 91-99JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
- Contact Us
- Address: No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
- Phone: +86-10-88256007
- Email:jdn@ucas.ac.cn
Follow Us© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences© 2014 Copyright of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
