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JOURNAL OF DIALECTICS OF NATURE
A Comprehensive, Academic Journal of the Philosophy, History, Sociology and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology
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Browse
Published ahead of Print
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More Content
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Author Guidelines
About Us
About the Journal
Editorial Board
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The Analysis of Three Ontological Positions of Scientific Models
Abstract: With the extensive application of scientific models in contemporary scientific practice, Philosophical issues related to models have become a topic of general interest. A basic problem among the concern of this article is the ontologic stance of models. By analysing three main ontologic stance of models-model as mathematical structure of theory, model as fictional abstract entity and model as tool-and their advantages and flows, this article drew a conclusion that the monistic ontological stance is not sufficient for the diversity of model kinds nor to serve as a valid premise for the epistemological problems of models. Based on this conclusion, we proposed a pluralist ontological stance of models. Key Words: Scientific model; Ontology; Fiction; Tool; Pluralism
Author:
ZHANG Hang
Issue:Volume 46, lssue 10, October 2024
Page: 1-8
Artificial Moral Advisor and SocrAI: Two Approaches to Research on Moral Artificial Intelligence Abroad
Abstract: The original intention of the proposal of moral artificial intelligence was to avoid the opposition of biological conservatism to Biomedical Moral Enhancement (BME). With the deepening of research, scholars have found that although Artificial Moral Advisors (AMA) can effectively avoid the opposition of biological conservatism to the interference of Biomedical Moral Enhancement in human freedom, they also fall into the trap of affecting human autonomy. The Ethics Enhancement Program of Artificial Moral Advisor is committed to achieving highly developed ethical artificial intelligence to help people make ethical decisions. A perfect moral machine can easily lead to dependence on moral actions, and there is a risk of human moral life being dominated by moral machines. In response to this, SocrAI was proposed to transform the positioning of artificial intelligence from a moral advisor to a tool for moral education, helping people to reason morally and enhance their moral abilities through moral dialogue. Key Words: Moral enhancement; Artificial moral advisor; SocrAI; Artificial intelligence
Author:
ZHU Guoyi
WU Jinjing
Issue:Volume 46, lssue 10, October 2024
Page: 33-41
A Study on the Directions of Number Theory in China from the 1950s to the 1970s
Abstract: From the 1950s to the 1970s, analytic number theory was one of the few fields where Chinese mathematicians made the most important achievements, among which their contributions to Goldbach conjecture were the most prominent. The investigation of the archives shows that the main goal of number theory plan formulated by Hua Loo-keng in 1953 was not analytic number theory, but algebraic number theory. In the 12-Year Program for the Development of Science and Technology, both analytic number theory and algebraic number theory were emphasized; and Goldbach conjecture was not one of the priority directions in analytic number theory. Why did algebraic number theory fail to develop as expected in the actual development process, while the achievements on Goldbach conjecture far exceeded the expectations of the plans? Were the plans improperly formulated in the key directions? This article will give a multiple-perspective investigation on these issues. Key Words: Analytic number theory; Algebra number theory; Goldbach conjecture; Plan of mathematics; Hua Loo-keng
Author:
WEI Lei
ZOU Dahai
Issue:Volume 46, lssue 10, October 2024
Page: 58-67
Scientific-related Populism in Contemporary Western Society: A New Scientific Culture Phenomenon
Abstract: Numerous surveys indicate that western societies are generally facing significant challenges related to scientific-related populism, especially in contentious scientific issues that involve high levels of public engagement, profound ethical implications, and issues of trust and transparency. These issues include environmental and climate matters, matters of life and medicine, data and artificial intelligence, and more. Individual attitudes towards scientific-related populism may be influenced by various personal factors, including age, gender, education level, political ideology, ethnicity, scientific interests, and media exposure. Societal attitudes towards scientific-related populism may be shaped by factors such as the politicization and commercialization of science, the relationship between the general public and scientific elites, and the diversity of expert opinions. In recent years, there have also been signs of scientific-related populism emerging in Chinese society, primarily manifested in a crisis of trust in experts. However, there are differences between Chinese and western societies in terms of the focal areas, target subjects, political dynamics, and communication media associated with scientific-related populism. In the future, it will be essential to carefully consider the varying connotations of similar concepts in different contexts, actively explore explanatory connections between classical theories and emerging phenomena, and prudently anticipate and address the potential negative consequences that scientific-related populism may bring about. Key Words: Scientific-related populism; Trust in science; Crisis of trust in experts; Public; Elites
Author:
WANG Shuo
Issue:Volume 46, lssue 10, October 2024
Page: 76-86
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov: A Pioneer in the Institutionalization of Chemistry in Russia
Abstract: Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was an 18th-century encyclopedic scientist who enjoyed a high reputation in Russia. Seizing the opportunity of the times, he entered the academic university of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1736, and was later sent to study in Germany, where he systematically studied natural sciences such as chemistry, physics and mineralogy. In 1745, he became the first Russian academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. His efforts contributed to the establishment of Russia’s first scientific research chemistry laboratory in 1748. In his laboratory, Lomonosov was engaged in physical chemistry research and development of industrial products, discovered the phenomenon of the conservation of mass, and trained talents. This laboratory was the first chemical institution in Russia to combine scientific research, teaching, and production functions, promoting the institutionalization of chemistry in Russia. Key Words: Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov; St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences; Chemical laboratory
Author:
LIU Mingfei
Issue:Volume 46, lssue 10, October 2024
Page: 119-126
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How Could AI Develop Its Self-consciousness?
Abstract: The danger of AI will come from its self-consciousness rather than its capacity. AI would be a challenge to mankind if it develops a capacity for reflection on the system of its own, so that it would know how to remake its system with new rules, especially when it could invent its own language for all purposes, equal in capacity to human natural language, it could do anything it would. And AI would be most dangerous if it would be able to learn human desires, emotions and values, because all hostilities are based upon human desires and values.
From A Man-Machine Relationship to Inter Human Relations: Definition and Strategy of Artificial Intelligence
Abstract: In order to distinguish the intelligent machine as a tool from the robot as a subject, the definition of human must change from essentialism to functionalism. So far, artificial intelligence has gone through three stages of development: formalization, empiricization and rationalization, but it is still not in the structure, but in the function of simulating human thinking. Only a functionalist definition of human beings can be compatible with the future of new species and new humans-"uncontrolled" robots. If "uncontrolled" robots emerge, the relationship between natural person and robot will develop from human-machine relationship to inter-human relationship. This relationship is neither the relationship between man and machine, nor the relationship between man and animal, nor the relationship between natural people. Natural people should not adopt the previous strategy to treat robots. Human supremacism is not self-evident. Natural man's self-re-evolution, man-machine parallel and man-machine fusion are feasible schemes for natural man to avoid being overtaken, replaced and eliminated by robots.
Non-Reductive Explanation in Biology: Context Arguments
Abstract: Biological practice over the last several decades has shown that in many cases we cannot properly explain a higher-level phenomenon of interest only in terms of phenomena or mechanisms provided by lowerlevel explanations; to properly explain the higher-level phenomenon, information provided by the higher-level is also indispensable. One typical case is the context dependence of biological phenomena, namely, the occurrence of a higher-level phenomenon depends on its relevant environmental factors (e.g. cellular environments) which cannot simply be reduced to the lower-level (e.g. molecules) . On the other hand, the occurrence of the higher-level phenomenon can sometimes be independent of its lower-level underpinnings, since a change to the lower-level underpinnings does not necessarily result in corresponding changes in the higher-level. Facts based on these two sides constitute a ground for rejecting explanatory reductionism. This essay, by reference to examples drawn from biological practice, will discuss how contextual facts pose a challenge to explanatory reductionism.
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.
Kinnosuke Ogura: A Pioneer in The Study of Social History of Mathematics
Abstract: Kinnosuke Ogura was a renowned mathematical historian and educator in modern Japan. He has made outstanding contribution to the study of mathematics education and the history of mathematics. In the filed of mathematical history, he began to study the social problems of mathematics in the late 1920s. He believed that the sociality of mathematics must be concretized in the study of mathematical history, and investigated the relationship between the ideology, the economic foundation and the development of mathematics. He was a pioneer in the social history of mathematics. Key Words: Kinnosuke Ogura; Mathematical history; Sociality
News & Events
Video Playback of the Ninth Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On May 8, at 9 p.m. Beijing time, the ninth session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Video Playback of the Eighth Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On April 10, at 9 a.m. Beijing time, the eighth session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Seminar 8. Empire and Gender(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar Seminar 8. Empire and Gender of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries .
Video Playback of the Seventh Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On March 13, at 6 p.m. Beijing time, the seventh session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Seminar 7. Optics and Astronomy(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar Seminar 7. Optics and Astronomy of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries .
Video Playback of the Sixth Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On February 13, at 9 p.m. Beijing time, the sixth session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Seminar 6. Imperial Economies and the Exchange of Natural Knowledge in the 17th and 18th Centuries(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 6. Imperial Economies and the Exchange of Natural Knowledge of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries .
Video Playback of the Fifth Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On January 9, at 9 a.m. Beijing time, the fifth session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled. The theme is The Chemical Revolution and Climate Change. The first speaker is Jan Golinski, whose speech title is : Climate Change and Society in Britain, 1790-1820. The next speaker is TONG Yichen, whose report title named Between Atomism, Elementalism, and Empiricism: The Chemical Studies of Étienne-François Geoffrey. The meeting was hosted by Professor Bernard Lightman.
Seminar 5. The Chemical Revolution and Climate Change(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 5. The Chemical Revolution and Climate Change(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries ).
Video Playbacks of the Four Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On December 12, at 12 noon Beijing time, the four session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Seminar 4. Gardens as Scientific Sites in the Early Modern Period(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 4. Gardens as Scientific Sites in the Early Modern Period(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries ).
Video Playback of the Third Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On November 14, at 10 p.m. Beijing time, the third session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled.
Seminar 3. Darwin and the Big Picture(New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 2. Imagination and Innovation in Natural Philosophy of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries.
Video Playback of the Second Session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
Welcome to join the Seminar 2. Imagination and Innovation in Natural Philosophy of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries .
Seminar 2. Imagination and Innovation in Natural Philosophy (New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 2. Imagination and Innovation in Natural Philosophy of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries .
Video Playback of the first session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
On September 19, at 9 a.m. Beijing time, the first session of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries was held online as scheduled. The theme of the first session is Issues in Nineteenth Century Astronomy. The first speaker is Huang Hsiang-Fu, whose speech title is Visual Technology and Religious Sentiment in Nineteenth-Century Popular Astronomy Lecturing. The next speaker is Robert Smith, whose report named The Retellings of the Discovery of Neptune. The seminar is hosted by Professor Bernard Lightman. The following is the video playback of the seminar.
Seminar 1. Issues in Nineteenth Century Astronomy (New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries )
Welcome to join the Seminar 1. Issues in Nineteenth Century Astronomy of New Perspectives on the History of British Science from the 17th to the 19th Centuries
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Robert S. Cohen Commemoration Symposium Held
Starting from the “Springtime for Science”—An Academic Symposium in Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Launch of the Journal of Dialectics of Nature and the 40th Anniversary of the Founding of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
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