JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
Most Cited
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Organismic Traits and the Explanatory Scope of Natural Selection Abstract: Could natural selection explain why an individual organism has the traits it does? Debates over this topic have lasted for decades in the philosophy of biology. Indeed, the negative view and the positive view have different interpretations of the very why-question. The two sides have posited different explananda: a whole explicit fact (for the positive view) vs. a particular contrastive focal aspect of the explicit fact (for the negative view). Both explananda are reasonable and acceptable. However, elimination of misinterpretation does not render the negative view true. Rather, I argue that the negative view as a universal proposition is indeed untenable, for there are counterexamples for it in cases of symbiosis, lateral gene transfer, and genic selection. Key Words: Organismic traits; Natural selection; Scientific explanationPublished: 2025.6.10
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The Diversity of Mathematics and Its Relationship to School of the Mind in the Middle Ming Dynasty Abstract: For a long time, the academic community has generally regarded the emptiness of xinxue (i.e. school of the mind in the middle Ming dynasty) as a key factor in the decline of mathematics and even science during the Ming dynasty. Since Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, abolished School of Mathematics at the Imperial University, scholars’ understanding of the relationship between mathematics and Confucianism was largely shaped by Zhu Xi’s influence. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, xinxue gained prominence, with Wang Yangming considering mathematics an insignificant branch of his xinxue. However, some of his followers, such as Gu Yingxiang and Tang Shunzhi, engaged deeply traditional mathematics. As a result, there was no theoretical consensus on the relationship between mathematics and xinxue. This divergence was linked to the coexistence of multiple mathematical practices in the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. On the one hand, Gu Yingxiang, Tang Shunzhi, and Zhou Shuxue devoted considerable efforts to study problems relating to right-angle triangle as well as arc-sagitta of circles. However, since the mathematical manuscripts available at that time may not have included detailed procedural explanations using rod numerals, these scholars struggled to fully understand the operations of the Celestial Source method. On the other hand, mathematics continues to thrive in various practical domains, including commerce, military strategy and music. From the perspective of mathematical practice, mathematics and xinxue were relatively independent. The rise of xinxue did not, in itself, present a substantial obstacle to the development of mathematics and science. Key Words: Mathematical practice; School of the Mind; Gu Yingxiang; Tang Shunzhi; Zhou ShuxuePublished: 2025.6.10
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Philip Warren Anderson: The Founder of Condensed Matter Physics Abstract: Philip Warren Anderson is revered as a “giant” in the field of condensed matter physics. Since the 1940s, he has delved into research on magnetic theory, superconducting theory, and the electronic structure of disordered systems, proposing the concept of Anderson localization. Furthermore, he made pivotal contributions to the Anderson-Higgs mechanism, which laid the foundation for the Standard Model of particle physics. In 1972, Anderson penned the renowned article “More Is Different”, whose core idea of “emergence” is considered a profound philosophical insight of the 20th century, and the article itself stands as a manifesto proclaiming the autonomy of condensed matter physics. Key Words: Philip Warren Anderson; Condensed matter physics; Symmetry breaking; Emergence; Anderson localizationPublished: 2025.6.10
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Dr. Edward Hume: The Intermediary Who Promoted the Rockefeller Foundation’s Initial Public Health Practice in China Abstract: The Rockefeller Foundation intended to carry out hookworm disease treatment and prevention campaigns in many countries around the world at its initiation. Dr. Edward Hume, as the founder of the Yali Hospital and the Hsiang-ya Medical College in Hunan, tried to seek financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation in order to fulfill his plan in public health education in China. He used his connections and influence in Hunan to help the Rockefeller Foundation introduce the hookworm disease treatment and prevention project into China. In this transnational undertaking, Dr. Hume essentially played the role of an intermediary, who considerably promoted the Rockefeller Foundation’s earliest public health practice in China.Published: 10 January
JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
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