C-tin Cristescu and A.M. Preda and I. M. Popescu Influence of Laser Irradiation on the Morphology of Fractal Electrodeposition Applied Surface Science 1996 101 114-119 10.1016/S0169-4332(96)00447-3 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications physics Anna Alexandrova; Nancy Cartwright; Sophia Efstathiou; Andrew Hamilton Frank Jackson and Michael Smith Philosophy of Science: Laws The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Analytic Philosophy Oxford University Press 2005 792-818 Oxford http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60971838&referer=brief_results Philosophy of Science 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications laws of nature Marta Petreu and Mircea Flonta (I only revised and redacted this entry) E. Craig Philosophy in Romania Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Routledge 2004 London http://www.rep.routledge.com/ 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications Cory Wright Hinman, L., Brey, P., Floridi, L., Grodzinsky, F. and Introna, L. Autonomous Agency, AI, and Allostasis: A Biomimetic Perspective (abriged version of the paper published in Pragmatics and Cognition) WP 07-05 Proceedings of CEPE 2007 : The 7th International Conference of Computer Ethics; Philosophical Enquiry ITT 2007 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications cognitive science Cory Wright Autonomous Agency, AI, and Allostasis: A Biomimetic Perspective Pragmatics and Cognition 2007 15 November 485-513 3 We argue that the concepts of mechanism and autonomy appear to be antagonistic when autonomy is conflated with agency. Once these concepts are disentangled, it becomes clearer how autonomy emerges from complex forms of control. Subsequently, current biomimetic strategies tend to focus on homeostatic regulatory systems; we propose that research in AI and robotics would do well to incorporate biomimetic strategies that instead invoke models of allostatic mechanisms as a way of understanding how to enhance autonomy in artificial systems. http://www.benjamins.nl/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=P%26C%2015%3A3 1. Refereed Publications Special issue on 'Mechanicism and autonomy: what can robotics teach us about human cognition and action?' cognitive science Henry Chadwick "Augustine" (1986) Humanitas 1998, 2006 Bucharest http://humanitas.ro/carti/carte.php?id=417 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation Jonathan Barnes: "Aristotle" (1982) Humanitas 1996, 2006 Bucharest http://humanitas.ro/carti/carte.php?id=270 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation I published in Romanian about ten reviews of philosophical books Krisis, Revue Roumaine de Philosophie, etc. 1995-2002 3. Book Reviews Haluk Ogmen, Bruno Breitmeyer: The First Half Second: The Microgenesis and Temporal Dynamics of Unconscious and Conscious Visual Processes (MIT Press, 2006) Philosophical Psychology 2009 21 Winter 1(?) http://mechanism.ucsd.edu/~pp/current%20issue.html 3. Book Reviews Dennis Dieks Mechanisms of Unification in Kaluza-Klein theory The Ontology of Spacetime, II Elsevier 2008 4 275-300 Philosophy and Foundations of Physics Amsterdam In this paper I discuss two attempts by Theodor Kaluza (1921) and by Oskar Klein (1926) to unify electromagnetism (EM) and general relativity (GR) within a five-dimensional Riemannian manifold. I follow Kaluza-Klein unification by comparing Kaluza's results to Klein's. Klein's theory gains explanatory power and unificatory strength on the one hand, and on the other hand, it uses fewer types of brute facts than Kaluza's. The specificity of Klein's theory is that it relies on an extrinsic element of unification, i.e. the wavefunction behavior, which is not intrinsic to EM or GR. Finally, I discuss these two theories in the context of Tim Maudlin's (1996) ranking of unification and I clarify in what sense they constitute counterexamples to some of Margaret Morrison's recent (2000) assertions about unification. http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/714789/description#toc 10.1016/S1871-1774(08)00015-6 Philosophy of Physics 1. Refereed Publications unification, physics Dynamics and Emergence in the definition of living systems 2008 March John Collier and Cliff Hooker attempted to explain life and intelligence as “complexly organized systems”. Their analysis is two dimensional: the systems are classified according to complexity and organization and living systems are complex systems, self-organized in which redundancy is global and of higher order. The question I ask in this paper is whether the dynamical explanation, in particular the Collier&Hooker dynamical explanation is intrinsically linked to emergence. I want to explore the strength of this connection in this context as well as in the general discussion about emergence and dynamics. I conclude that the dynamical explanation, albeit powerful in itself, can not grant emergentism. 8. Philosophy of Science Adrian Nita Identitatea în timp: câteva repere metafizice [Identity in Time and its Metaphysics] Identitate si individuatie Pelican 2008 Giurgiu, Romania 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) nita08identitatetimp.pdf Unificatory and approximately true theories: a case study 2008 March Is an approximately true (albeit false) theory that unifies important for the general advancement of science? I investigate the connection between unification as a theoretical virtue of a theory and its verisimilitude, I argue for the relevance of unificatory theories which are approximately true and I address a couple of counterarguments by analyzing a case study: Kaluza-Klein model used to unify general relativity with electromagnetism. I unveil some of its major theoretical virtue—unification in connection with its power of explanation, parsimony, simplification. I discuss in what sense Kaluza-Klein is an approximately true theory. I end this paper by addressing some counterarguments against the relevance of the contemporary Kaluza-Klein theory. 8. Philosophy of Science Leibniz and the Mathematization of Forces Revue Roumaine de Philosophie 2007 51 100-120 1-2 Firstly, I revise the argument for the existence of primitive forces as found in some writings of Leibniz from the late 1680s (especially in Specimen Dynamicum) and his classification of forces in primitive and derivative after 1680. Secondly, I raise a question concerning the representation of forces by mathematical equations in the calculus. I echo some of Leibniz’s worries about the power of mathematics to represent active forces. Mathematics as ‘calculus with infinitesimals’ is not suitable to describe active forces. Leibniz anticipated other methods to deal with classification of active forces, especially the algebraic methods based on meta-properties of theories like symmetries and conservation. As a conclusion I present a reason to view active forces as non-mathematical in the sense of not being describable by calculus, but reasonable enough to be captured by an “analysis of ideas”. Leibniz actually did not reject the impossibility of any mathematics to represent his primitive forces, but at least he would say that calculus (with infinitesimals) is not enough to represent the primitive forces. This will conciliate somehow mathematics per se and Leibniz’s metaphysics. http://ifilosofie.uv.ro/revue51.html published 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications history of philosophy, Leibniz leibnizforces3.pdf Adrian Nita Este timpul reductibil la cauzalitate? [On the Reduction of Time to Causation] Natura timpului Pelican 2006 155-187 Giurgiu, Romania 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) nita06timpcauzalitate.pdf 'Third Theories' and Batterman's Argument for Emergentism 2005 March In this paper I discuss R. Batterman’s third theory approach to emergentism of scientific theories. I criticize his argument on three bases: there are too many third theories, they face the multiple realizability problem as well as they are too dependent on empirical and observational data. 8. Philosophy of Science battermanthird2.pdf Information and the Asymmetry of Explanation 2005 June 8. Philosophy of Science "Natures" in Meinwald's Reconstruction of Plato's Parmenides 2005 April 8. History of Philosophy How to Apply Structures to the World: the Role of Logic in Structural Realism 2005 December In this paper I intend to provide another argument against apriorism. I discuss firstly the connection between structural realism as a doctrine in philosophy of science and structuralism in mathematics and secondly I emphasize the role of logic in the economy of this connection. Logic is used in this case as an application scheme of mathematical structures to structures in the world. As a consequence, the ‘revisability’ of logic as well as its dependence on the world (advocated by Tarski and Quine among others) is restated. 8. Philosophy of Science structuralismmath_2.pdf Relations among Vague Terms in Scientific Language 2005 June 8. Philosophy of Science The Primal Miracle and the Existence as Totality in Leibniz Arches, Revue Internationale des Sciences Humaines 2004 7 53-61 Nous tentons d'approcher la raison pour laquelle les miracles engagent, chez Leibniz, l'existence dans sa totalité. On sait qu'il veut adapter la doctrine chrétienne des miracles à son système métaphysique. Pour ce faire, Leibniz utilise trois voies: 1) le miracle comme transgression des lois de la nature, conçues en tant qu'instances de la Loi de l'Univers (λ). Ici, la difficulté est de démontrer comment il est possible qu'un événement qui enfreint les instances particulières de λ (lois de la nature) peut se soumettre aux λ elles-mêmes. 2) Un critère épistémologique pour distinguer les miracles des événements ordinaires, fondé sur les limitations de notre faculté de comprendre les raisons supérieures de Dieu. 3) Le mi racle "primigène" de la Création qui ne se réduit pas au langage de 1) ou 2) et qui est lié à la question fondamentale de la métaphysique: "pourquoi donc y a-t-il quelque chose plutôt que rien?" Les premières explications se retrouvent dans plusieurs textes de Leibniz (et largement discutées dans l'exégèse), alors que la troisième est mentionnée brièvement dans quelques textes moins connus. Nous voulons démontre r que la troisième est indépendante d'un langage des lois ou d'un langage de l'épistémologie et qu'elle est premièrement ontologique. Nous considérons cette troisième explication comme fondamentale pour le système de Leibniz. http://www.arches.ro/revue/no07/arches07.htm History of philosophy, Leibniz 2. Invited and Commissioned Publications Leibniz Who's Who in the Bohmian World 2004 July 8. Philosophy of Physics A Bohmian Answer to the Identity Crisis in Quantum Mechanics 2004 October In this paper I take into consideration the advantages Bohmian mechanics has in dealing with the problem of identical particles in quantum mechanics. I discuss two recent paper of Goldstein et al. (2004) and I try to show that they have the resources to answer the issues of identity raised by philosophers (J. Butterfield and M. Redhead for example) in respect to quantum mechanics in general. Moreover, Bohmian mechanics is able to provide interesting results in the statistics of quantum particles starting from some “metaphysical” postulates. I conclude that this interpretation scores better than standard interpretations of quantum mechanics in respect to the demands of a metaphysics of identity. 8. Philosophy of Physics bohm2.pdf How to Add Modality to Analytical Mechanics 2004 June 8. Philosophy of Physics Genetic Requirements for the Simulation of Consciousness 2004 May 9. Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind Who Is Afraid of Distributive Knowledge? Estlund's Arguments against Authoritarianism 2004 March 9. Political Philosophy Ways to Reject Rorty's "Unity" of Sciences 2004 May 9. Philosophy of Science Are Noise and Chaos Mechanistic? Ichiro Tsuda's model of Episodic Memory and Olfactory System 2004 November In this paper I take into account the interplay between chaos and noise in the model of episodic memory and olfactory system (Tsuda, 2001). At a first sight models based on chaos and noise are closely related to the holistic paradigm. In this paper I endorse the opposite view: Tsuda’s model is compatible with the mechanistic paradigm because noise and chaos are associated with system components. 8. Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind chaosbrain3.pdf Modal Fantasies of Factualism and what Are They about 2004 April 8. Metaphysics What can be Unified by a Quantum Field Theory? 2003 May 8. Philosophy of Physics Chasing Measurement in Relativistic Quantum Field Theory 2003 December 9. Philosophy of Physics Rise and Fall of Boundaries: The Classical Case 2003 July 9. Metaphysics Matching Laws of Physics and Symmetries: Earman's Project 2003 Match 9. Philosophy of Science Conceptual and Structural Aspects of Kant's "Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Sciences" 2003 June 9. History of Philosophy Physics without Metaphysics? Conservation and Continuity in Leibniz's Physics 2003 Match 9. Metaphysics A Semantics and an Ontology for Mechanism and Covariation Approaches 2003 May 9. Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind A "Field" Interpretation to Newton's Philosophy of Nature 2003 April 9. Philosophy of Physics Recurrent Networks as a Model of Learning 2003 April 9. Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind Learning "Dynamic" Networks: a Case for Emergence 2003 June 9. Cognitive Science/Philosophy of Mind Beyond Mechanics: Toiling for 'The'Principle Of Physics' in the Eighteenth Century 2003 April 9. Philosophy of Physics Time Intervals and the Structure of Time 2003 April 9. Metaphysics Bodea, Marcel Complexitatea în timp [Complexity in Time] Complexitatea. teme logice, ontologice şi epistemologice [Logic, ontology and epistemology of complexity] Casa Cartii de Stiinta 2002 Cluj-Napoca Article, time, metaphysics 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:metaphysics compl3rom.pdf Reacţii stoice şi neoplatonice la definiţia aristotelică a timpului [Stoic and Neoplatonic Reactions to Aristotle's Definition of Time] ORIGINI. Caiete Silvane, Revistă de Studii Culturale 2002 2 History of philosohy, time 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:ancient philosophy origini02reactiitimparistotel Ontologies and Mathematical Structures in Structural Realism 2002 December 9. Philosophy of Science Truthlikeness and Truth 2002 December 9. Metaphysics Thomas Hobbes "Leviathan" in E. Socaciu (coordinator), Filosofia politica a lui Thomas Hobbes Polirom 2001 Iasi, Romania 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Notes and translation for chapters 37, 42, 46, 47 Time Travel and Ontology 2000 July This paper is a survey of the theories of time travel in a perspective close to theories of time. In the last section we discuss the special ontology of the objects that exist on closed timelike curves. We simply assert that CTC need a new ontology and these objects are not simply impossible or unconcevaible. http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00000845/00/TTdraft.pdf 9. Philosophy of Physics W. H. C. Guthrie "A History of Greek Philosophy", volumes 1 and 2 (1962) Teora 1999 Bucharest 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Introduction by Ioan Muntean. Translation in collaboration with Moise Mihnea Iancu Lucica and C-tin Grecu Noile teorii ale timpului şi diferenţa ontologică [New Theories of Time and the Ontological Difference] Logică şi ontologie [Logic and ontology ] Editura TREI 1999 Paper, time 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:metaphysics C.F. Weizsäcker: Einige Begriffe aus Goethes Naturwissenschaft (1998) Secolul XX (Bucharest) 1999 4-5-6 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation Posibilitatea posibilităţii. Tipuri de modalităţi la Aristotel [Possibility of Possibility and Aristotelian Modalities] Krisis 1998 7 89-100 We try to investigate here the modal iteration of possibility in the philosophy of Aristotle. We want also to clarify the function reserved to the ‘possibility of possibility’ in his modal scheme, as well in our modern logic and philosophy. In order to emphasise the importance of second order possibility in Aristotle we expose and discuss shortly: 1) the statistical, the temporal and the potential types of modality revealed by J. Hintikka, S. Knuuttila, etc. and 2) the degrees of possibility correlated with these models: the statistical, the temporal and the probabilistic possibility. We want to suggest that admitting types and degrees of possibility (assumed now by N. Rescher and others) is a great advantage, not only for the exegetical interpretation of Aristotle, but also for the modern theories of possibility. Article, Metaphysics 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:metaphysics krisis98posofpos David Ross "Aristotle" (1923) Humanitas 1998 Bucharest http://humanitas.ro/carti/carte.php?id=1075 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation in collaboration with Rus Richard Interview with Alvin Plantinga Krisis 1998 7 173-181 Krisis 7 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Editing and translating P. Aubenque "Le Problème de l'Etre chez Aristote: Essai sur la Problématique Aristotélicienne"(1963) Teora 1998 Bucharest 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Foreword and revision of the translation by D. Gheorghe Dumnezeu şi lumea – procese complementare? Aspecte ale onto-teologiei lui A. N. Whitehead [God and World as Complementary Processes. Issues in the Onto-theology of A. N. Whitehead] Krisis 1997 5 36-42 5 Here we try to show that the last part of A.N. Whitehead’s Process and Reality (the ’Final Interpretation’) should be conceived as a standing alternative to the rule applied in the Western scientific thought. As we know, this rule asserts that «all scientific presuppositions must be free of any theological or metaphysical implications». By the refutation of this principle, Whitehead heeded that God and World had to be onceived as two complementary processes. If we accept this interpretation, science and theology can straighten out from the multiple antinomies that they must to confront with. The new encounter between theology and formal ontology (named here ontotheology) is a major result of Whitehead’s philosophy, inasmuch as it resolves the antinomies that each of them could not work out alone. Article, metaphysics 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:metaphysics krisis97dumnezeu_si_lumea.pdf Zygmunt Bauman, "Freedom" (1988) Du Style 1997 Bucharest 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Introduction and translation Robert Stalnaker "Possible Worlds" (1976) Krisis 1997 5 84-91 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation Fenomenologia polis-ului [Phenomenology of Polis] Krisis 1996 3 50-61 3 On applique ici la méthode phénoménologique au polis qui est le „contexte“ de la manifestation d'un modus vivendi. L’image du polis comme lieu de la mensonge et la conception opposée qui lui montre comme lieu privilégiée d'intersection entre plusieurs modes d'interpréter la vérité sont compatibles parce que, selon Heidegger, la ambiguïté de l'homme se manifeste dans le polis qui est le poros — le point d'intersection de toutes les voies possibles. Article, phenomenology 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:phenomenology krsisi96fenomenologia_polis.pdf Timpul ca parcurs hermeneutic [Time as a Hermeneutical Pathway] Krisis 1996 4 81-86 4 On à voulu exposer, tout d’abord, les traits fondamentaux de l'inter-prétation du texte, c’est-à-dire d’une technique du langage qui remon-te à l’Antiquité et au Moyen Age. À l'égard d’une „nouvelle“ méthode d'interprétation (exégétique) mé-diévale, il s’agit précisément de la concorde joachimite, on a fait un excursus, en montrant les traits généraux d’une exégèse typologique et, notamment, de son processus «spirituel» développé dans l’histoire mondaine, qui fonde la théorie d’une „eschatologie radicale“, en bouleversant l’espérance chrétienne dans la „plénitude“ transcendante. À la fin, on a rappelé la critique de Thomas d’Aquin à l'égard de l’exégèse et de l’histoire du salut joachimites, c’est-à-dire la réaction de l'autorité scolastique vers une interprétation fort originelle, mais, à la fois, pleine de mirages „dangereux“. Article, hermeneutics 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:phenomenology krisis96timphermenetutic.pdf Prezenţă şi interioritate [Presence and Innerness] Krisis 1995 1 12-23 1 Article, phenomenology 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) romanian:phenomenology krisis95presenta_interioritate.pdf Identitate şi identificare în Eneade [Identity and Identification in Plotinus' Enneads] Krisis 1995 2 21-38 1 La sélection des fragments d’Enneades traduits ci-dessous en roumain a eu pour critère les thèmes de l’identité, en tant que „catégorie“ de la matière et du „Nous“, de l'identification sujet/objet de la connaissance et de l'identification „âme de l’univers“/„âme individuelle“. Dans la première partie on prend en considération les degrés de l'identité et de l’altérité chez Plotin en y remarquant une dégradation progressive de l’identité: ainsi, la propriété de la matière „de ne pas sortir d’elle même“ (oÙk oekstasij) est-elle le degré inférieur de l’identité; même si l’âme possède plus d’identité que la matière, seulement dans le „Nous“ se trouve une identité absolue. Une deuxième partie est réservée à l’analyse des hypothèses de F. Heinemann, G. Nebel, K.-H. Volkmann Schluck et O. Langer; de même, on discute ici l'interprétation avancée par K. Jaspers selon laquelle les catégories représentent des principes dont l’âme a besoin afin de connaître le „Nous“ et la nature. Dans la troisième partie on montre qu’il y a des similitudes entre l’identification sujet-connaissant/objet-connu dans les Enneades d'une part et d'autre part dans le système de l'idéalisme transcendantal. Finalement, on discute la position de Plotin en ce qui concerne l’identification „âme de l’univers“/„âme individuelle“, en faisant remarquer les difficultés de sa psychologie „hénophanique“. Le présent étude s'évertue à ponctuer l’importance exceptionnelle de la philosophie de Plotin pour l’édification d’une possible philosophie de l'identité et de l’identification. Translation, commentary, History of Philosophy 5. Materials in Romanian (invited or commissioned) Notes and commentaries. Translation in collaboration with L. Zaschievici and I. Pintea romanian:ancient philosophy krisis96plotinidentitateidentificare.pdf Alfred North Whitehead: Abstraction (1926) Krisis 1995 1 60-67 6. Translations, Notes and Foreword (in Romanian) Translation and notes in collaboration with Matei Stroila