Volume 29 issue 2 (2024)

Farrington Daniels (1889–1972), professor of physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), championed solar energy as an alternative energy source. While solar developments prior to Daniels were few and a mix of large and small-scale projects directed at industrialised and nonindustrialised countries, Daniels promoted the development and use of small, inexpensive, and easily constructed solar units, such as refrigerators, cookers, and stills, by rural inhabitants in nonindustrialised countries. His research and lecture trips made him familiar with living conditions in many of these countries and convinced him that the introduction of technologies that these societies seemed to need and easily could adopt was the best way to increase their self-reliance and improve their well-being. Daniels’s goal of finding the technology that best fit the situation, without causing environmental and social disruptions and problems, anticipated the spirit of the later, and independently developed, intermediate (appropriate) technology movement.

It is well known that John Venn introduced an ingenious diagrammatic scheme in his 1880 paper “On the Diagrammatic and Mechanical Representation of Propositions and Reasonings.” It is less known that Venn also described there two plans for logical machines, inspired by his diagrams. These machines were said to be analogous to the machine that William S. Jevons constructed a few years earlier. However, Venn had “no high estimate . . . of the interest or importance” of such machines. He argued that such devices perform only a small part of the process required to solve logical problems. Consequently, the help that is offered is very slight. Given that Venn’s machine is founded on his diagrams, one may wonder what Venn’s discussion of logic machines teaches us about his diagrams. The paper argues that Venn failed to notice that his diagrams are vulnerable to the same criticisms that he raised against logic machines.

The article focuses on the philosophical aspects of the study of energy efficiency culture in the context of social security. Issues related to the culture of energy-saving consumption of energy resources are raised in the context of energy ethics as a subset of applied ethics, which is a branch of the philosophy of science. The study explores elements of social security and their importance in modern conditions, considering their relationship and dependence on the level of consumption of energy resources among the population. The relevance of the problem is substantiated with an analysis of the economic and social factors of energy consumption, in particular prices, which affect the level of social security and that of energy consumption. The conducted analysis is complemented by empirical research, involving 997 respondents from Ukraine, who today are found in different parts of the world. A philosophical reflection on the formation of frugal energy consumption behaviour emphasises that personal ethics, knowledge, and societal structures must be aligned to foster responsible energy use. The results highlight the need for both internal (personal development and awareness) and external factors (technical infrastructure and information support) in shaping the culture of energy-saving behaviour.
The article highlights the main components of the behaviour culture that should be considered in relation to energy consumption—namely, values, norms, and responsibility. A survey of respondents involved in activities related to the energy sector was carried out and factors influencing the formation of a culture of behaviour regarding energy consumption were determined, including knowledge and experience, readiness for changes, and interest in using innovative energy-saving technologies.

During World War II, highly kinetic metal-filled armour-piercing shells (APS) were fired from tanks and cannons to penetrate adversaries’ armour. Scientific analysis of penetration was traditionally challenging. Empirical equations, derived from past test results with varied APS and armours, were used to predict fairly accurately the minimal velocity required for a complete penetration, when minor changes were made to APS or armour in use. The major changes and new models, introduced during the war, required a deeper understanding. The wartime studies looked for a more scientific approach, although theories on metal contacting another metal were at an early stage. Two US studies and a German one are well known; however, they were initiated for different reasons. The studies demonstrate a similar use of classical mechanics, empirical equations, and practical tests, albeit with varying level of emphasis, and none of the three studies provided comprehensive solutions. The article also discusses their practical application.

In many ways, ideas about humans and humanity (often contested in modern decolonisation studies) are rooted in the Western European tradition. The humanities themselves arise from the European Renaissance. Thus, addressing the question of the importance of technology for modern humanities research leads to the question of the essence of the human and the technical. To answer this question, the authors turn to the interpretations of twentieth-century Western European thinkers, since Europe is the source of (sometimes contradictory) ideas about humanity. Every attempt at a philosophical analysis of the problem of modern technologies returns to the question about humans, their past, their future and, of course, their present.
This article considers some philosophical, anthropological, and medical aspects of the process of cyborgisation of a modern human—from the implantation of microchips into human organs to the complete replacement of some organs with artificial ones, or even the creation of additional organs that do not exist in nature. The problem statement is accompanied by a philosophical analysis of texts by different European authors who have addressed the problems of technology. Technology, which inevitably accompanies humanity throughout the history of its existence, puts a person face to face with the radically Other, inhuman machine. Thus, a technical object is a product of culture and at the same time produces an ethos, a habitat. Cyborg, the technical improvement of human nature, derives from a purely human way of existence, but also produces a special world of technically advanced people—those who already possess non-human properties and qualities. What, then, is a cyborg? Is domestication possible by introducing technical, inanimate objects into living human beings? Will this process lead to the creation of a new cyborg ethics or to the destruction of humans and their replacement by the machine?

Plastic materials and products were a truly remarkable phenomenon in the postwar period, influencing not only material reality but, through their symbolic validity, also the value settings of society. The production of plastic materials was a cornerstone of the postwar chemicalisation of industry, and their widespread adoption due to their multiple advantageous properties, led not least to the rapid development of scientific research on polymers. The Czechoslovak Communist regime also sought to exploit the advantages and popularity of plastics ideologically, and positioned them as a symbol supporting the legitimacy of the political course of the time.

Virtual reality is now being used to enhance the travel experience by offering extra marketing tools for destinations, attractions, and companies, altering customer experiences, and creating a new tourism paradigm. This study was inspired by a rapidly changing world in which virtual reality is gradually becoming the norm in which we live, work, and play…