ACT[ua]L Writings

  A Tract On Linguistics > Image Above is Generated Using Stable Diffusion with [title] as the primary prompt  > Other images were generated in similar manner with section titles as primary prompt What Is Linguistics? Linguistics is the study of human language and its various aspects. including its nature, structure, development, cognition and socialisation. It is a multi-disciplinary field primarily situated between psychology, philosophy, and cognitive science. Traditional areas of linguistic analysis include syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, phonology, and pragmatics.  Broadly, linguistics can be split into theoretical and applied branches. Applied linguistics specifically encompasses pragmatics, historical linguistics, morphology, syntax, phonetics, phonology, typology, and cognitive semantics . Theoretical linguistics almost exclusively focuses on formal semantics . This is highly appropriate as, of the areas just listed, formal linguistics is the only ...

Newcomb’s Problem > Image Above is Generated Using Stable Diffusion Background Decision theory is a branch of mathematics (specifically probability). This branch analyses decision-making based on outcomes with known probabilities. The normative subsection of decision theory is concerned with identifying the most optimal decision that could be made by a fully rational agent. In this way, it is similar to the field of game theory . Indeed, one may advocate for identifying game theory as a subset of decision theory. Decision theory has both academic and practical impetus. As to the former; one may be interested in considerations of hyper-rationality as an a-priori task. In other words, one may treat decision theory scenarios as novel ‘puzzles’ to be solved for their own sake. However, as to the latter, the field also has a large implication in highly practical areas. For example; decision theory can be applied in microeconomic or sociological analysis. Particularly if such analysis is ...