Rolf Niedermeier
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198566076
- eISBN:
- 9780191713910
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198566076.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Combinatorics / Graph Theory / Discrete Mathematics
This book provides an introduction to the concept of fixed-parameter tractability. The corresponding design and analysis of efficient fixed-parameter algorithms for optimally solving combinatorially ...
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This book provides an introduction to the concept of fixed-parameter tractability. The corresponding design and analysis of efficient fixed-parameter algorithms for optimally solving combinatorially explosive (NP-hard) discrete problems is a vividly developing field, with a growing list of applications in various contexts such as network analysis or bioinformatics. The book emphasizes algorithmic techniques over computational complexity theory. It is divided into three parts: a broad introduction that provides the general philosophy and motivation; followed by coverage of algorithmic methods developed over the years in fixed-parameter algorithmics forming the core of the book; and a discussion of the essentials of parameterized hardness theory with a focus on W[1]-hardness which parallels NP-hardness, then stating some relations to polynomial-time approximation algorithms, and finishing up with a list of selected case studies to show the wide range of applicability of the presented methodology.Less
This book provides an introduction to the concept of fixed-parameter tractability. The corresponding design and analysis of efficient fixed-parameter algorithms for optimally solving combinatorially explosive (NP-hard) discrete problems is a vividly developing field, with a growing list of applications in various contexts such as network analysis or bioinformatics. The book emphasizes algorithmic techniques over computational complexity theory. It is divided into three parts: a broad introduction that provides the general philosophy and motivation; followed by coverage of algorithmic methods developed over the years in fixed-parameter algorithmics forming the core of the book; and a discussion of the essentials of parameterized hardness theory with a focus on W[1]-hardness which parallels NP-hardness, then stating some relations to polynomial-time approximation algorithms, and finishing up with a list of selected case studies to show the wide range of applicability of the presented methodology.
Pavol Hell and Jaroslav Nesetril
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198528173
- eISBN:
- 9780191713644
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528173.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Combinatorics / Graph Theory / Discrete Mathematics
Graph theory is now an established discipline but the study of graph homomorphisms has only recently begun to gain wide acceptance and interest. This text is devoted entirely to the subject, bringing ...
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Graph theory is now an established discipline but the study of graph homomorphisms has only recently begun to gain wide acceptance and interest. This text is devoted entirely to the subject, bringing together the highlights of the theory and its many applications. It looks at areas such as graph reconstruction, products, fractional and circular colourings, and constraint satisfaction problems, and has applications in complexity theory, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and statistical physics. It has a wide focus on algebraic, combinatorial, and algorithmic aspects of graph homomorphisms. A reference list and historical summaries extend the material explicitly discussed. The book contains exercises of varying difficulty. Hints or references are provided for the more difficult exercises.Less
Graph theory is now an established discipline but the study of graph homomorphisms has only recently begun to gain wide acceptance and interest. This text is devoted entirely to the subject, bringing together the highlights of the theory and its many applications. It looks at areas such as graph reconstruction, products, fractional and circular colourings, and constraint satisfaction problems, and has applications in complexity theory, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and statistical physics. It has a wide focus on algebraic, combinatorial, and algorithmic aspects of graph homomorphisms. A reference list and historical summaries extend the material explicitly discussed. The book contains exercises of varying difficulty. Hints or references are provided for the more difficult exercises.
Jonathan Wolff and Avner De-Shalit
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278268
- eISBN:
- 9780191707902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278268.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
If disadvantage is plural, how could we know who are the least advantaged? One possible way of treating this ‘indexing problem’ is to claim that pluralism is not the problem but the solution: that ...
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If disadvantage is plural, how could we know who are the least advantaged? One possible way of treating this ‘indexing problem’ is to claim that pluralism is not the problem but the solution: that is, the state should isolate each functioning and challenge each area of disadvantage separately (sectoral justice). It is argued this approach is unable to show how to set priorities between different budget heads. A method is suggested for indexing disadvantages relying on the idea of ‘weighting sensitivity’, which looks for convergence in ordering between different weighting schemes. However, this method is complex and a simpler, pragmatic method is proposed, which looks directly for clustering of disadvantage between six ‘high-weight’ functionings which appeared as the most important ones in the interviews: life, bodily health, bodily integrity, affiliation, control over environment, and sense of imagination and thought. Those who do poorly on several of these categories will be among the least advantaged in society.Less
If disadvantage is plural, how could we know who are the least advantaged? One possible way of treating this ‘indexing problem’ is to claim that pluralism is not the problem but the solution: that is, the state should isolate each functioning and challenge each area of disadvantage separately (sectoral justice). It is argued this approach is unable to show how to set priorities between different budget heads. A method is suggested for indexing disadvantages relying on the idea of ‘weighting sensitivity’, which looks for convergence in ordering between different weighting schemes. However, this method is complex and a simpler, pragmatic method is proposed, which looks directly for clustering of disadvantage between six ‘high-weight’ functionings which appeared as the most important ones in the interviews: life, bodily health, bodily integrity, affiliation, control over environment, and sense of imagination and thought. Those who do poorly on several of these categories will be among the least advantaged in society.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter defines major concepts in complexity theory, giving an overview of its foundations and describing the most important theoretical perspectives currently being explored. It links ...
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This chapter defines major concepts in complexity theory, giving an overview of its foundations and describing the most important theoretical perspectives currently being explored. It links complexity with crisis management, laying out the approach that will guide the discussion in the remainder of this book. It discusses the seven principles of complex systems: interacting agents, adaptability, self-organization, instability, influence of history, permeable boundaries, and irreducibility. It then presents the three approaches to complexity theory: reductionist complexity science, soft complexity science, and complexity-based thinking.Less
This chapter defines major concepts in complexity theory, giving an overview of its foundations and describing the most important theoretical perspectives currently being explored. It links complexity with crisis management, laying out the approach that will guide the discussion in the remainder of this book. It discusses the seven principles of complex systems: interacting agents, adaptability, self-organization, instability, influence of history, permeable boundaries, and irreducibility. It then presents the three approaches to complexity theory: reductionist complexity science, soft complexity science, and complexity-based thinking.
Henry Plotkin
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544950
- eISBN:
- 9780191594366
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544950.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
The book examines the issue of whether there is any general theory in the biological and social sciences that has similar explanatory power to the general theories of physics. Specifically selection ...
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The book examines the issue of whether there is any general theory in the biological and social sciences that has similar explanatory power to the general theories of physics. Specifically selection theory and niche construction are deemed to have wide explanatory scope within the transformation of species, certain forms of learning and knowledge gain, the operation of the vertebrate immune system, and the way science itself operates as a process. Cultural change in general is also assessed as a possible consequence of selection processes. It is concluded that in addition to the selection and construction processes themselves, the complexity of the multiple forms of co-evolving selection processes operating at different levels of selection must be considered as an essential part of any general theory.Less
The book examines the issue of whether there is any general theory in the biological and social sciences that has similar explanatory power to the general theories of physics. Specifically selection theory and niche construction are deemed to have wide explanatory scope within the transformation of species, certain forms of learning and knowledge gain, the operation of the vertebrate immune system, and the way science itself operates as a process. Cultural change in general is also assessed as a possible consequence of selection processes. It is concluded that in addition to the selection and construction processes themselves, the complexity of the multiple forms of co-evolving selection processes operating at different levels of selection must be considered as an essential part of any general theory.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
Managers, business owners, public relations practitioners, and others grapple daily with issues that have the potential to radically redefine the reputation of a person, company, or industry. They ...
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Managers, business owners, public relations practitioners, and others grapple daily with issues that have the potential to radically redefine the reputation of a person, company, or industry. They confront a fundamental question about contemporary crisis management: to what extent is it possible to control events and stakeholder responses to them, in order to contain escalating crises or safeguard an organization's reputation? This book addresses this question head-on. This book operates from a strong theoretical orientation. This book pairs real-world examples from across the globe with theory-based analysis to show why simplification often fails to alleviate crises, and can even intensify them. The book proposes a complexity-based approach to organizational learning that can allow organizations to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.Less
Managers, business owners, public relations practitioners, and others grapple daily with issues that have the potential to radically redefine the reputation of a person, company, or industry. They confront a fundamental question about contemporary crisis management: to what extent is it possible to control events and stakeholder responses to them, in order to contain escalating crises or safeguard an organization's reputation? This book addresses this question head-on. This book operates from a strong theoretical orientation. This book pairs real-world examples from across the globe with theory-based analysis to show why simplification often fails to alleviate crises, and can even intensify them. The book proposes a complexity-based approach to organizational learning that can allow organizations to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.003.0012
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
Most crisis experts agree that there are two essential areas that an organization must address before a crisis strikes. First, the organization needs to cultivate and maintain good relationships with ...
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Most crisis experts agree that there are two essential areas that an organization must address before a crisis strikes. First, the organization needs to cultivate and maintain good relationships with important constituencies such as employees, the community, suppliers, customers, stockholders, and media. Second, the organization needs to monitor its environment to ensure that it becomes aware of emerging problems and resolves them before they reach crisis proportions. This chapter considers each of these two efforts, showing how a complexity perspective enhances mainstream crisis management thinking.Less
Most crisis experts agree that there are two essential areas that an organization must address before a crisis strikes. First, the organization needs to cultivate and maintain good relationships with important constituencies such as employees, the community, suppliers, customers, stockholders, and media. Second, the organization needs to monitor its environment to ensure that it becomes aware of emerging problems and resolves them before they reach crisis proportions. This chapter considers each of these two efforts, showing how a complexity perspective enhances mainstream crisis management thinking.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.003.0013
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter adopts two perspectives to examine major assumptions about developing teams and carrying out crisis plans. It looks first at assumptions made by mainstream crisis management and then at ...
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This chapter adopts two perspectives to examine major assumptions about developing teams and carrying out crisis plans. It looks first at assumptions made by mainstream crisis management and then at how those assumptions are modified and extended by theories of complexity and organizational learning. Topics discussed include assumptions about teamwork, crisis planning, and crisis plans versus the enacted environment.Less
This chapter adopts two perspectives to examine major assumptions about developing teams and carrying out crisis plans. It looks first at assumptions made by mainstream crisis management and then at how those assumptions are modified and extended by theories of complexity and organizational learning. Topics discussed include assumptions about teamwork, crisis planning, and crisis plans versus the enacted environment.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.003.0014
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter examines mainstream and complexity-based approaches to postcrisis evaluation. Topics discussed include information gathering for postcrisis evaluation, and learning, debriefing and ...
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This chapter examines mainstream and complexity-based approaches to postcrisis evaluation. Topics discussed include information gathering for postcrisis evaluation, and learning, debriefing and revision of the crisis plan. It argues that crisis behaviors reflect underlying values of an organization, expressing its way of interacting with its environment and treating its stakeholders. Although these patterns of behavior are difficult to break, change can be brought about if managers have the mind-set and the skills to facilitate it.Less
This chapter examines mainstream and complexity-based approaches to postcrisis evaluation. Topics discussed include information gathering for postcrisis evaluation, and learning, debriefing and revision of the crisis plan. It argues that crisis behaviors reflect underlying values of an organization, expressing its way of interacting with its environment and treating its stakeholders. Although these patterns of behavior are difficult to break, change can be brought about if managers have the mind-set and the skills to facilitate it.
Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328721
- eISBN:
- 9780199869930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.003.0015
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter discusses principles that an organization can adopt if it regards itself as a learning organization and sees its relationships as part of a complex adaptive system that changes through ...
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This chapter discusses principles that an organization can adopt if it regards itself as a learning organization and sees its relationships as part of a complex adaptive system that changes through continuous interactions within itself and its context. It cites two types of change relevant in crisis management: the gradual diffusion of local change and an avalanche of pent-up disturbance. It recommends a paradigm shift for crisis management in which uncertainty, adaptiveness, and improvization replace certainty, goal orientation, and control.Less
This chapter discusses principles that an organization can adopt if it regards itself as a learning organization and sees its relationships as part of a complex adaptive system that changes through continuous interactions within itself and its context. It cites two types of change relevant in crisis management: the gradual diffusion of local change and an avalanche of pent-up disturbance. It recommends a paradigm shift for crisis management in which uncertainty, adaptiveness, and improvization replace certainty, goal orientation, and control.
Christopher Shields
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199253074
- eISBN:
- 9780191598401
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253072.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Aristotle regularly identifies philosophical and scientific concepts as homonymous; indeed, his preoccupation with homonymy influences his approach to many subjects and clearly structures his ...
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Aristotle regularly identifies philosophical and scientific concepts as homonymous; indeed, his preoccupation with homonymy influences his approach to many subjects and clearly structures his philosophical methodology. In this book, Christopher Shields offers the first full‐length investigation of homonymy in Aristotle's work, in which he explicates and assesses Aristotle's commitment to homonymy in both critical and constructive contexts. Shields identifies homonymy as both a critical tool, with Plato as the target, by means of which Aristotle can emphasize the complexity of core philosophical concepts; and as a constructive method for the discovery of order in multiplicity, which is crucial for genuine scientific inquiry and philosophical progress. In Part I, Shields establishes and examines the general theoretical framework of Aristotle's approach to homonymy. In Ch. 1, Shields discusses the first characterization of homonymy in the Categories, with a view to assessing the role of homonymy in Aristotle's later works; in Chs. 2 to 4 Shields examines some objections to Aristotle's reliance to homonymy, the connection between homonymy and signification, and the notion of core‐dependent homonymy. Part II is an examination of five cases in which we see homonymy at work: Ch. 5 discusses Aristotle's appeal to the homonymy of the body, Ch. 6 to the concept of life, Ch 7, to the concepts of oneness and sameness, and Ch. 8 to goodness. Shields argues that Aristotle is successful in each of these endeavours, particularly so in the case of the homonymy of life, but only partially so in the case of goodness. In Ch. 9, Shield argues that Aristotle fails to establish that being is homonymous. Shields argues that, aside from the attempt to apply homonymy to being, Aristotle's commitment to homonym is well motivated, and it introduces a method of definition that is of genuine and lasting importance. Shields argues that Aristotle is right to advocate homonymy as a form of constructive philosophical analysis, and that it is a framework of enduring value and with prospects for genuine philosophical progress.Less
Aristotle regularly identifies philosophical and scientific concepts as homonymous; indeed, his preoccupation with homonymy influences his approach to many subjects and clearly structures his philosophical methodology. In this book, Christopher Shields offers the first full‐length investigation of homonymy in Aristotle's work, in which he explicates and assesses Aristotle's commitment to homonymy in both critical and constructive contexts. Shields identifies homonymy as both a critical tool, with Plato as the target, by means of which Aristotle can emphasize the complexity of core philosophical concepts; and as a constructive method for the discovery of order in multiplicity, which is crucial for genuine scientific inquiry and philosophical progress. In Part I, Shields establishes and examines the general theoretical framework of Aristotle's approach to homonymy. In Ch. 1, Shields discusses the first characterization of homonymy in the Categories, with a view to assessing the role of homonymy in Aristotle's later works; in Chs. 2 to 4 Shields examines some objections to Aristotle's reliance to homonymy, the connection between homonymy and signification, and the notion of core‐dependent homonymy. Part II is an examination of five cases in which we see homonymy at work: Ch. 5 discusses Aristotle's appeal to the homonymy of the body, Ch. 6 to the concept of life, Ch 7, to the concepts of oneness and sameness, and Ch. 8 to goodness. Shields argues that Aristotle is successful in each of these endeavours, particularly so in the case of the homonymy of life, but only partially so in the case of goodness. In Ch. 9, Shield argues that Aristotle fails to establish that being is homonymous. Shields argues that, aside from the attempt to apply homonymy to being, Aristotle's commitment to homonym is well motivated, and it introduces a method of definition that is of genuine and lasting importance. Shields argues that Aristotle is right to advocate homonymy as a form of constructive philosophical analysis, and that it is a framework of enduring value and with prospects for genuine philosophical progress.
Paul F. Lurquin and Linda Stone
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195315387
- eISBN:
- 9780199785674
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315387.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent ...
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Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent Design) and classical creationism misinterpret the meaning of scientific theories. This is because these religious doctrines imply teleology and purpose in the natural world, which are not analyzable scientifically. In addition, the concept of “irreducible complexity” often invoked by ID proponents is based on a flawed interpretation of scientific data. It also demonstrates that evolutionary thinking in the sciences is a powerful tool that can be used in the study of the origin of the universe, the origin of life and its diversification, and human evolution. Creationism and ID do not belong in the realm of science and have contributed nothing to its advancement. Further, attempts to force the teaching of creationism and ID in schools can only weaken a science curriculum which already leaves much to be desired.Less
Intelligent Design (ID) thinking and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, neocreationism (Intelligent Design) and classical creationism misinterpret the meaning of scientific theories. This is because these religious doctrines imply teleology and purpose in the natural world, which are not analyzable scientifically. In addition, the concept of “irreducible complexity” often invoked by ID proponents is based on a flawed interpretation of scientific data. It also demonstrates that evolutionary thinking in the sciences is a powerful tool that can be used in the study of the origin of the universe, the origin of life and its diversification, and human evolution. Creationism and ID do not belong in the realm of science and have contributed nothing to its advancement. Further, attempts to force the teaching of creationism and ID in schools can only weaken a science curriculum which already leaves much to be desired.
GARY MARKS and LIESBET HOOGHE
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199259250
- eISBN:
- 9780191600968
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199259259.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks distinguish between contrasting visions from various literatures, which they label Type I and Type II multi‐level governance. Type I multi‐level governance echoes ...
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Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks distinguish between contrasting visions from various literatures, which they label Type I and Type II multi‐level governance. Type I multi‐level governance echoes federalist thought, conceiving the dispersion of authority as being limited to a ‘limited number of non‐overlapping jurisdictional boundaries at a limited number of levels’. In this view, authority is relatively stable and analysis is focused on individual governments rather than specific policies. Type II multi‐level governance provides a vision of governance that is ‘a complex, fluid, patchwork of innumerable, overlapping jurisdictions’. Here, jurisdictions are often overlapping and tend to be flexible as demands for governance change.Less
Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks distinguish between contrasting visions from various literatures, which they label Type I and Type II multi‐level governance. Type I multi‐level governance echoes federalist thought, conceiving the dispersion of authority as being limited to a ‘limited number of non‐overlapping jurisdictional boundaries at a limited number of levels’. In this view, authority is relatively stable and analysis is focused on individual governments rather than specific policies. Type II multi‐level governance provides a vision of governance that is ‘a complex, fluid, patchwork of innumerable, overlapping jurisdictions’. Here, jurisdictions are often overlapping and tend to be flexible as demands for governance change.
Fiona Randall and Robin Downie
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199547333
- eISBN:
- 9780191730405
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547333.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
A book for nurses, doctors and all who provide end of life care, this volume guides readers through the ethical complexities of such care, including current policy initiatives, and encourages debate ...
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A book for nurses, doctors and all who provide end of life care, this volume guides readers through the ethical complexities of such care, including current policy initiatives, and encourages debate and discussion on their controversial aspects. Dived into two parts, the book introduces and explains clinical decision making-processes about which there is broad consensus, in line with guidance documents issued by the WHO, BMA, GMC, and similar bodies. The changing political and social context where ‘patient choice’ has become a central idea, and the broadened scope of patients' best interests, have added to the complexity of decision-making in end of life care. The authors discuss issues widely encountered by GPs, nurses, and hospital clinicians. These include patient choice, consent, life-prolonging treatment, and symptom relief including sedation. Part two explores the more controversial current end of life care initiatives, such as advance care planning, preferred place of care and death, euthanasia and assisted suicide, extended ideas of ‘best interests’, and the view that there are therapeutic duties to the relatives. Throughout their discussion the authors draw attention to loose ends and contradictions in some of the proposals. Examining the current policy of consumerist choice, they reject its place in the health service, proposing a realistic, fair, humane and widely adoptable system of end of life care. An appendix on ethical theories and terms is available online.Less
A book for nurses, doctors and all who provide end of life care, this volume guides readers through the ethical complexities of such care, including current policy initiatives, and encourages debate and discussion on their controversial aspects. Dived into two parts, the book introduces and explains clinical decision making-processes about which there is broad consensus, in line with guidance documents issued by the WHO, BMA, GMC, and similar bodies. The changing political and social context where ‘patient choice’ has become a central idea, and the broadened scope of patients' best interests, have added to the complexity of decision-making in end of life care. The authors discuss issues widely encountered by GPs, nurses, and hospital clinicians. These include patient choice, consent, life-prolonging treatment, and symptom relief including sedation. Part two explores the more controversial current end of life care initiatives, such as advance care planning, preferred place of care and death, euthanasia and assisted suicide, extended ideas of ‘best interests’, and the view that there are therapeutic duties to the relatives. Throughout their discussion the authors draw attention to loose ends and contradictions in some of the proposals. Examining the current policy of consumerist choice, they reject its place in the health service, proposing a realistic, fair, humane and widely adoptable system of end of life care. An appendix on ethical theories and terms is available online.
Paul F. Lurquin and Linda Stone
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195315387
- eISBN:
- 9780199785674
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315387.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter rebuts irreducible complexity and creationism by explaining the reliability of dating techniques as well as sophisticated laboratory techniques that allow researchers to synthesize ...
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This chapter rebuts irreducible complexity and creationism by explaining the reliability of dating techniques as well as sophisticated laboratory techniques that allow researchers to synthesize extinct genes (genetic archaeology, gene resurrection) and study their homology to other genes. These techniques clearly demonstrate that the irreducible complexity of the eye, the immune system, and the bacterial flagellum are subjective impressions. On the contrary, phylogenetic trees based on gene homology show a deep evolutionary link between simple life-forms and complex ones. Finally, the chapter gives several examples of “poor design” that cast doubt on the principle of Intelligent Design.Less
This chapter rebuts irreducible complexity and creationism by explaining the reliability of dating techniques as well as sophisticated laboratory techniques that allow researchers to synthesize extinct genes (genetic archaeology, gene resurrection) and study their homology to other genes. These techniques clearly demonstrate that the irreducible complexity of the eye, the immune system, and the bacterial flagellum are subjective impressions. On the contrary, phylogenetic trees based on gene homology show a deep evolutionary link between simple life-forms and complex ones. Finally, the chapter gives several examples of “poor design” that cast doubt on the principle of Intelligent Design.
Giles Foden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265536
- eISBN:
- 9780191760327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265536.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Tipping points are set in complex systems. To make sense of them requires metaphor and narrative. Metaphor is a useful supplement to scientific enquiry, offering a different type of future-orientated ...
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Tipping points are set in complex systems. To make sense of them requires metaphor and narrative. Metaphor is a useful supplement to scientific enquiry, offering a different type of future-orientated knowledge that can provide a fresh perspective for reaction and accommodation. Metaphors allow for new ways of interpreting scientific prediction and construct, as science itself uses metaphors, so aiding the developing present, by redefining past circumstances for possible adaptive futures. Metaphors can liberate but they can also obstruct: they can communicate and they can trample. The key is to combine the freedom of thought with interdisciplinarity and flexibility of analysis. Metaphors also encourage narrative options and contingencies, thereby enabling a range of interpretative pathways for bifurcated futures.Less
Tipping points are set in complex systems. To make sense of them requires metaphor and narrative. Metaphor is a useful supplement to scientific enquiry, offering a different type of future-orientated knowledge that can provide a fresh perspective for reaction and accommodation. Metaphors allow for new ways of interpreting scientific prediction and construct, as science itself uses metaphors, so aiding the developing present, by redefining past circumstances for possible adaptive futures. Metaphors can liberate but they can also obstruct: they can communicate and they can trample. The key is to combine the freedom of thought with interdisciplinarity and flexibility of analysis. Metaphors also encourage narrative options and contingencies, thereby enabling a range of interpretative pathways for bifurcated futures.
Daniel L. Stein and Charles M. Newman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691147338
- eISBN:
- 9781400845637
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691147338.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
Spin glasses are disordered magnetic systems that have led to the development of mathematical tools with an array of real-world applications, from airline scheduling to neural networks. This book ...
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Spin glasses are disordered magnetic systems that have led to the development of mathematical tools with an array of real-world applications, from airline scheduling to neural networks. This book offers the most concise, engaging, and accessible introduction to the subject, fully explaining what spin glasses are, why they are important, and how they are opening up new ways of thinking about complexity. This one-of-a-kind guide to spin glasses begins by explaining the fundamentals of order and symmetry in condensed matter physics and how spin glasses fit into and modify this framework. The book then explores how spin-glass concepts and ideas have found applications in areas as diverse as computational complexity, biological and artificial neural networks, protein folding, immune response maturation, combinatorial optimization, and social network modeling. Providing an essential overview of the history, science, and growing significance of this exciting field, the book also features a forward-looking discussion of what spin glasses may teach us in the future about complex systems. This is a useful book for students and practitioners in the natural and social sciences, with new material even for the experts.Less
Spin glasses are disordered magnetic systems that have led to the development of mathematical tools with an array of real-world applications, from airline scheduling to neural networks. This book offers the most concise, engaging, and accessible introduction to the subject, fully explaining what spin glasses are, why they are important, and how they are opening up new ways of thinking about complexity. This one-of-a-kind guide to spin glasses begins by explaining the fundamentals of order and symmetry in condensed matter physics and how spin glasses fit into and modify this framework. The book then explores how spin-glass concepts and ideas have found applications in areas as diverse as computational complexity, biological and artificial neural networks, protein folding, immune response maturation, combinatorial optimization, and social network modeling. Providing an essential overview of the history, science, and growing significance of this exciting field, the book also features a forward-looking discussion of what spin glasses may teach us in the future about complex systems. This is a useful book for students and practitioners in the natural and social sciences, with new material even for the experts.
Joseph V. Femia
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280637
- eISBN:
- 9780191599231
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280637.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The futility thesis argues that power elites are necessary in society. Two different types of explanation are offered: psychological and organizational. The former is illustrated through a critical ...
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The futility thesis argues that power elites are necessary in society. Two different types of explanation are offered: psychological and organizational. The former is illustrated through a critical analysis of the ideas of Pareto; the latter, by exploring the thought of Mosca and Michels. The futility thesis is then updated through a discussion of how increasing social complexity impacts on democracy. It is concluded that the elitists were right to highlight a tension between democracy and modernity.Less
The futility thesis argues that power elites are necessary in society. Two different types of explanation are offered: psychological and organizational. The former is illustrated through a critical analysis of the ideas of Pareto; the latter, by exploring the thought of Mosca and Michels. The futility thesis is then updated through a discussion of how increasing social complexity impacts on democracy. It is concluded that the elitists were right to highlight a tension between democracy and modernity.
Joseph V. Femia
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280637
- eISBN:
- 9780191599231
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280637.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Summarizes the various arguments of the book and further explores the idea of unanticipated consequences and its significance for democratic and anti‐democratic thought. Anti‐democratic thinkers ...
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Summarizes the various arguments of the book and further explores the idea of unanticipated consequences and its significance for democratic and anti‐democratic thought. Anti‐democratic thinkers assume that their opponents ignore the unpredictable nature of reality but so do they. Most of their dire forecasts have not come to pass. Yet these ‘reactionaries’ have alerted us to the limitations of democratic thought: its indifference to the problems posed by cultural relativity and growing social complexity.Less
Summarizes the various arguments of the book and further explores the idea of unanticipated consequences and its significance for democratic and anti‐democratic thought. Anti‐democratic thinkers assume that their opponents ignore the unpredictable nature of reality but so do they. Most of their dire forecasts have not come to pass. Yet these ‘reactionaries’ have alerted us to the limitations of democratic thought: its indifference to the problems posed by cultural relativity and growing social complexity.
Michael Walzer
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280088
- eISBN:
- 9780191599927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280084.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Responding to the critical assessments of his Spheres of Justice, Michael Walzer rethinks the central aspects of the notion of complex equality. He addresses the following issues: the meaning and ...
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Responding to the critical assessments of his Spheres of Justice, Michael Walzer rethinks the central aspects of the notion of complex equality. He addresses the following issues: the meaning and possibility of complex equality; the centrality of democratic citizenship; the danger of complex inequality; the injustice of current international distributions; the role of ordinary morality in distributive justice; the importance of efficiency; and the need for a historical account of social differentiation and distributive complexity.Less
Responding to the critical assessments of his Spheres of Justice, Michael Walzer rethinks the central aspects of the notion of complex equality. He addresses the following issues: the meaning and possibility of complex equality; the centrality of democratic citizenship; the danger of complex inequality; the injustice of current international distributions; the role of ordinary morality in distributive justice; the importance of efficiency; and the need for a historical account of social differentiation and distributive complexity.
