Consciousness, cosmology, and science: an advaitic 1 analysis

One of the major debates in classical Indian philosophy concerned whether consciousness is present or absent in dreamless sleep. The philosophical schools of Advaita Vedānta and Yoga maintained that consciousness is present in dreamless sleep, whereas the Nyāya school maintained that it is absent. Consideration of this debate, especially the reasoning used by Advaita Vedānta to rebut the Nyāya view, calls into question the standard neuroscientific way of operationally defining consciousness as “that which disappears in dreamless sleep and reappears when we wake up or dream.” The Indian debate also offers new resources for contemporary philosophy of mind. At the same time, findings from cognitive neuroscience have important implications for Indian debates about cognition during sleep, as well as for Indian and Western philosophical discussions of the self and its relationship to the body. Finally, considerations about sleep drawn from the Indian materials suggest that we need a more refined taxonomy of sleep states than that which sleep science currently employs, and that contemplative methods of mind training are relevant for advancing the neurophenomenology of sleep and consciousness.

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The governance of innovative bioscience could extensively influence the growth of science, economy, society and law of every country. Similar to many countries, Muslim nations are experiencing a variety of socio-cultural and political conflicts relating to emerging bioscience, including human embryonic stem (hES) cell research and therapy. Among Muslims, the discussion of the ethics and regulatory policy related to hES cell research is mostly seen as a restrictive position, however, some Muslim nations take an intermediate stance, e.g. Iran as a leading country among Muslim nations. Islam, similar to other religions, significantly influences the moral, social and legal debates around hES cell science. The main argument is about the level of protection of the human embryo as it is used to obtain stem cells and then destroyed. This essay broadly portrays the fundamental moral constructions of Islamic deliberations on bioscience and technology in general, and particularly hES cell science in Shi’a tradition. The paper helps us to understand how scientific knowledge, bioethical discourses and legal deliberations are produced in the Muslim countries. After introducing some background information, it delves into the core themes framing the discussion, with reference to the moral controversy surrounding hES cell science and Islamic faith. This account is intended to present the main highlighted debates and controversial questions. The essay concludes that given continuing conflicts between science, politics and religion in many countries, in some countries, for example in the Shi’a Iran, hES cell science converges with religious beliefs and government policies.

Accomplishments of Hellenistic science and technology in some fields, such as mathematics, physical cosmology and engineering, has recently been re-evaluated and can be considered as of the same level that the scientific revolution in Western Europe reached at the beginning of the XVII century CE. Information on the level of chemical science is scanty; however, independent ancient sources such as the Jewish Talmud can yield significant clues. The still existing dietary laws include a practice to assess the acceptability of food mixtures with two complementary assessment techniques. One enforces a specific minimum mixing ratio (1:60) of unacceptable-to-acceptable ingredients, the other uses a sensory assessment to exclude the presence of a tasty unacceptable ingredient. This practice is likely the first historical example of quantitative analytical chemistry. This article collects clues that this approach is rooted in the implicit acceptance by Hellenistic chemical science of an atomic paradigm and on the awareness that interaction of different matter yields product that are different from the starting ones. Quantitative assessment of the presence of unacceptable ingredients by sensorial assessment or by mixing ratio likely points to a forgotten practice of Hellenistic experimental pharmacology and physiology to test the efficacy of drugs and poisons, that was performed in animals, with the use of a control group, and on human subjects.

Push and Pull Between the Public and Professional

I came from a scientific home, with a father who was a professor of nutrition and an older brother who studied biochemistry. I chose physics largely because I found the nature of the issues more interesting than the other sciences. I was particularly inspired by a session we had at school on relativity, and by lectures I attended on cosmology.

Neste breve ensaio, procuramos refletir sobre como a razão consagrou a divisão do homem em corpo e alma e sobre como essa dualidade se revelou na tradição hierárquica de estratificação do saber e do conhecimento científico, servindo para justificar dicotomias com alto e poderoso capital simbólico (teoria e prática). Mais do que refutar uma educação do corpo baseada no conhecimento disciplinar ou na ciência cartesiana, que, aparentemente, só reconhecem um ponto de vista sobre ele - como se a pessoa fosse apenas uma dimensão -, desejamos ousadamente, a partir dessa herança histórica, argumentar, embora de forma breve, que, através do movimento do corpo, ao longo dos tempos, podemos compreender o movimento da própria ciência como resultado de nossa visão sobre corpo e mundo. Nessa construção foram utilizados contributos teóricos que dissertam sobre epistemologia científica (ARDOINO, 1998), teoria da complexidade (MORIN, 2003), corpo (NIETZSCHE, 2012a, 2012b, 2013, 2014, 2015).

Este ensaio teórico tem o objetivo de apresentar as Tertúlias Dialógicas Científicas (TDC) como alternativa metodológica de desenvolvimento da aprendizagem de Ciências da Natureza. Para tanto, são apresentados aspectos do atual contexto social e a decorrente necessidade de acesso a conhecimento científico. Em seguida, é realizada uma breve conceituação da origem e do desenvolvimento teórico e prático dessa Atuação Educativa de Êxito (AEE), elencando os princípios da Aprendizagem Dialógica nos quais as TDC estão fundamentadas. Por fim, argumenta-se em favor desta AEE como promotora de Educação Científica e Tecnológica sintonizada com o desenvolvimento de autonomia, crítica e manejo do conhecimento no atual contexto da Sociedade da Informação e Conhecimento.

Cosmology is not limited to the questions of the origin and the end of all beings or to the law and order of the universe from the perspective of modern sciences. One can perceive cosmology as a knowledge model of the universe which sets in a non-Western model of knowing. The Sundanese cosmology is an example of this model. Instead of mathematical and physical explanation, it focuses on the mythological description of the universe. Such description can be found in narrative poems ( pantun ) and pious lessons. This paper observes the non-western knowledge model and puts it in its context, which is geographically equivalent to Southern and Eastern Asia. An overview of the Rig Veda and Daodejing is included to describe the cosmological models in these cultural contexts. The Sundanese cosmology reverberates these models. An elaboration of Sundanese narrative poems and an old Sundanese manuscript, Sewaka Darma , indicates the similarities of the Sundanese cosmology to the cultural contexts and the knowledge models referred to. The Sundanese model enacts ‘mountain’ and the metaphor of ‘filled nothingness’ as the cosmological model. The Sundanese cosmological model portrays a down-upward journey to experience ‘moksa’ (the ultimate enlightment). This journey utilizes meditative practices and everyday deeds by means of our social and cultural roles.

In this essay, first, I concentrate on the issue of miracle, divine action and divine interventionaccording to Enlightenment thinkers. Liberal teologians such as Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976),after Laplacian determinist metaphysics was added to the Newtonian mechanics, found thatdivine action in the world is contrary to the necessity of natural laws, i.e., to their beingsecientific and they defended a semi-deist view of “hand-off theology.” Many moderntheologians defended outdated Laplacian determinist metaphysics for the sake of complyingwith scientific standards. Then, I discuss famous causality debate between al-Ghazali and IbnRushd in the light of the divine action and the New Scientific Picture that is intensivelydebated in the contemporary philosophy of religion. Here, contrary to the claim of Ibn Rushd, Iargue that if quantum mechanics is correct, then al-Ghazali do not uproot science and his viewthat causality is contingent is more scientific and more modern than that of Ibn Rushd'sposition. Finally, I point out that outside of the theological project of al-Ghazali, in hisepistemological project, al-Ghazali believes that natural laws are certain and I argue that hefollows a middle way in this regard.

Scientific argumentation is given the main emphasis in science education due to the fact that it is able to promote students’ reasoning skills and content knowledge. Literatures have shown that students have various difficulties in generating scientific arguments. Thus, this study aims to investigate errors made by students in constructing scientific arguments. The study conducted was a combination of qualitative and quantitative research to examine in-depth the errors made by students in scientific argumentation. A total of 75 form four students from Pasir Gudang District participated in this study. Data were collected from students’ responses in Scientific Argumentation Test (UPS) and interviews. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 19.0 software and content analysis technique. Results showed that the most frequent errors exist in students’ arguments is from category argument with irrelevant grounds, followed by argument with alternative frameworks. Ground indicates a combination of the elements data, warrant and backing that supports an argument. Besides, chi-squared test showed that there was a significant difference between the categories of arguments constructed by students. Hence, the teaching of science in school should focus on argumentative activities that enhance the mastery of scientific argumentation in order to eliminate students’ alternative frameworks and foster the understanding of scientific concepts.

This study used the Relevance of Science Education (ROSE) survey (Sjoberg & Schreiner, 2004) to examine topics of interest and perspectives of secondary science students in a large school district in the southwestern U.S. A situated learning perspective was used to frame the project. The research questions of this study focused on (a) perceptions students have about themselves and their science classroom and how these beliefs may influence their participation in the community of practice of science; (b) consideration of how a future science classroom where the curriculum is framed by the Next Generation Science Standards might foster students' beliefs and perceptions about science education and their legitimate peripheral participation in the community of practice of science; and (c) reflecting on their school science interests and perspectives, what can be inferred about students' identities as future scientists or STEM field professionals? Data were collected from 515 second year science students during a 4-week period in May of 2012 using a Web-based survey. Data were disaggregated by gender and ethnicity and analyzed descriptively and by statistical comparison between groups. Findings for Research Question 1 indicated that boys and girls showed statistically significant differences in scientific topics of interest. There were no statistical differences between ethnic groups although. For Research Question 2, it was determined that participants reported an increase in their interest when they deemed the context of the content to be personally relevant. Results for Research Question 3 showed that participants do not see themselves as youthful scientists or as becoming scientists. While participants value the importance of science in their lives and think all students should take science, they do not aspire to careers in science. Based on this study, a need for potential future work has been identified in three areas: (a) exploration of the perspectives and interests of non-mainstream students and urban students whose representation in this study was limited; (b) investigation of topics where students expressed low interests topics; and (c) development and design of authentic communities of practice in the science classroom.

Continuing Humanity’s Dialogue with Nature and Itself

As the Cosmology and Fundamental Physics (CFP) panel is fully aware, the next decade will see major advances in our understanding of these areas of research. To quote from their charge, these advances will occur in studies of the early universe, the microwave background, the reionization and galaxy formation up to virialization of protogalaxies, large scale structure, the intergalactic medium, the determination of cosmological parameters, dark matter, dark energy, tests of gravity, astronomically determined physical constants, and high energy physics using astronomical messengers. Central to the progress in these areas are the corresponding advances in laboratory astrophysics which are required for fully realizing the CFP scientific opportunities within the decade 2010-2020. Laboratory astrophysics comprises both theoretical and experimental studies of the underlying physics which produce the observed astrophysical processes. The 5 areas of laboratory astrophysics which we have identified as relevant to the CFP panel are atomic, molecular, plasma, nuclear, and particle physics. Here, Section 2 describes some of the new scientific opportunities and compelling scientific themes which will be enabled by advances in laboratory astrophysics. In Section 3, we provide the scientific context for these opportunities. Section 4 briefly discusses some of the experimental and theoretical advances in laboratory astrophysics required to realize the CFP scientific opportunities of the next decade. As requested in the Call for White Papers, Section 5 presents four central questions and one area with unusual discovery potential. Lastly, we give a short postlude in Section 6.

This article departs from the author's anxiety about Islamic epistemology vis a vis the Islamization of science in the worldview of interdisciplinary Islamic epistemology, Syed Muhammad Naqueb al-Attas regarding the Islamization paradigm of science with a concept with an approach based on the paradigm of Islamic epistemology. In this case, the problem of Islamization is fundamental epistemologically. However, al-Attas does not want to contradict one another, in fact, it further strengthens the Islamization of science under Islamic epistemology’s spirit or values. The epistemology of Islamic thought of Syed Muhammad Naqueb al-Attas regarding the concept of epistemology vis a vis the Islamization of science is not only built on revelation and religious belief. However, it is built on a cultural tradition strengthened by philosophical speculation related to secular life that focuses on humans as rational beings. As a result, science and ethical and moral values, governed by human reason, are constantly changing. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas’ Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies is a conception of the need for the Islamization of science related to reality and truth is understood by the unification method where there is a unity between inductive and deductive, empirical, and rational principles. The approach and theory used in this paper explore the historical roots of the epistemological paradigm of Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas by combining esoteric and ecstical elements as well as the combination of secularism and religion. However, it must be an interdisciplinary scientific discipline in Islamic studies.