Epistemology is more than the theory of knowledge. Its range of concern includes not only knowledge proper but also rational belief, probability, plausibility, evidentiation, and not least, erotetics, the business of raising and resolving questions. Aristotle indicated that human inquiry is grounded in wonder; when matters are so out of the ordinary we puzzle about the reason why and seek for an explanation. With increasing sophistication, the ordinary as well as the extraordinary excites the intellect, so that questions gain an increasing prominence within epistemology. Inquiry Dynamics focuses on the phenomena and theory of rational inquiry, focusing on its concern for questions and their management. An introductory chapter lays the groundwork of the book's deliberations, followed by chapter 2, explaining the basic concepts involved in the abstract logic of questions and answers and sets out the generic fundamentals of the domain. Chapters 3 and 4 expound the theoretical principles that characterize the field of question epistemology in general, clarifying the fundamental themes and theses of the subject. Chapters 5 through 9 then explore the landscape of question epistemology within science. Rescher seeks to show that there are limits-restrictions of basic principle-to our ability to resolve scientific questions. The concluding chapter argues in particular that the grand goal of an ultimate theory, one resolving all explanatory questions, has to be approached with great caution. Throughout Rescher emphasizes that a question-oriented approach to the process of inquiry serves to highlight the inherent limitations of the cognitive project. Rescher's question-oriented treatment of epistemology proceeds in the tradition of Kant and stands in decided contrast to the dominant knowledge-oriented approach originating with Descartes. He demonstrates that a concern for the issue of plausible question resolution is a necessary component of the epistemological enterprise. Inquiry Dynamics will be of interest to philosophers, scientists, and social scientists.

This book considers the role of system dynamics as both a soft and hard approach to system enquiry. It aims to formalize both aspects of the subject and presents both qualitative and quantitative system dynamics. The former is centred on diagrammatic modelling as a means of describing and analyzing complex systems and the latter is based on converting these diagrams into formal simulation techniques, and are presented using both DYSMAP2 and STELLA simulation languages.

Whether youOCOre a stream studies novice or a veteran aquatic monitor, Watershed Dynamics gives you abundant practical resources to extend your studentsOCO investigations into local water quality and land-use issues. This two-part set is ideal for teaching biological and ecological concepts and research techniques. It also shows how the interplay between scientific data and human judgment can shape public policy decisions on zoning, flood control, and agricultural practices."

This book explores the two major elements of Hintikka’s model of inquiry: underlying game theoretical motivations and the central role of questioning. The chapters build on the Hintikkan tradition extending Hintikka’s model and present a wide variety of approaches to the philosophy of inquiry from different directions, ranging from erotetic logic to Lakatosian philosophy, from socio-epistemologic approaches to strategic reasoning and mathematical practice. Hintikka's theory of inquiry is a well-known example of a dynamic epistemic procedure. In an interrogative inquiry, the inquirer is given a theory and a question. He then tries to answer the question based on the theory by posing questions to nature or an oracle. The initial formulation of this procedure by Hintikka is rather broad and informal. This volume introduces a carefully selected responses to the issues discussed by Hintikka. The articles in the volume were contributed by various authors associated with a research project on Hintikka's interrogative theory of inquiry conducted in the Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (IHPST) of Paris, including those who visited to share their insight.

This collection of ideas for lessons provides school librarians with inspiration for meeting the tsunami of new standards dictating change for today's next generation learners. Today's school librarian has less and less time to prepare for instruction. This book delivers lesson plans for the librarian to implement immediately, as is or with a little adaptation. Using the new AASL standards and an Information Literacy scope and sequence carefully crafted for K–6 students, the authors package lessons that are both engaging and challenging. This book inspires librarians to go beyond their usual role in literacy promotion and instruction only and moves to preparing students to be inquiry learners by embracing inquiry-based learning. Lessons include the Essential Question (begin with the end in mind); pre- and post-assessment ideas; technology integration ideas, where applicable; reading and research ideas; and collaboration ideas when applicable. AASL Standards and others are noted via an "integrated standards checklist," while new educational research demonstrates that standards can be met via engaging, collaborative, and interesting lessons, modeled throughout the text.

The scientific discovery that chaotic systems embody deep structures of order is one of such wide-ranging implications that it has attracted attention across a spectrum of disciplines, including the humanities. In this volume, fourteen theorists explore the significance for literary and cultural studies of the new paradigm of chaotics, forging connections between contemporary literature and the science of chaos. They examine how changing ideas of order and disorder enable new readings of scientific and literary texts, from Newton's Principia to Ruskin's autobiography, from Victorian serial fiction to Borges's short stories. N. Katherine Hayles traces shifts in meaning that chaos has undergone within the Western tradition, suggesting that the science of chaos articulates categories that cannot be assimilated into the traditional dichotomy of order and disorder. She and her contributors take the relation between order and disorder as a theme and develop its implications for understanding texts, metaphors, metafiction, audience response, and the process of interpretation itself. Their innovative and diverse work opens the interdisciplinary field of chaotics to literary inquiry.

The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education is an international, peer-reviewed journal of educational foundations. San Jose State University hosts the journal. It publishes essays that examine contemporary educational and social contexts and practices from critical perspectives. The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education is interested in research studies as well as conceptual, theoretical, philosophical, and policy-analysis essays that challenge the existing state of affairs in society, schools, and (in)formal education. The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education is necessary because currently there is not an exclusively international foundations of education journal. For instance, three of the leading journal in education foundations journals (e.g., The Journal of Educational Studies, British Journal of Sociology of Education, The Journal of Educational Foundations) solicit manuscripts and support scholarship mainly from professors who reside in Britain and the United States. This journal is also unique because it brings together scholars and practitioners from disciplines outside of educational foundations, who are equally committed to social change and promoting equity and social justice inside and outside of K–16 schools. The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education’s audience is K–12 teachers, K–12 teacher educators, educational leaders, social activists, political economists, and higher education personnel across the globe. The journal is marketed to Educational Foundation, Teacher Education, and Educational Leadership programs, which have embraced the intellectual work of the various editorial members.