Faculty of Philosophy

There has been increased interest recently in cognitive and behavior-based agent architectures and cognitive models of human behavior. This interest results in part from advances in agent technology, cognitive neuroscience and emotion research that make such models possible, and in part from maturing applications that require, or benefit from, the inclusion of different emotion-related aspects (e.g., adaptive human-computer interfaces, social and expressive robots, autonomous agents, decision support systems, etc). The objective of this paper is to present an architecture within which a large variety of modules/mechanisms are decomposed by function and structure and are interconnected by situated recomposition methods. The result of such recomposition is different types of perceptions, cognitive methods and behaviours. Another aspect is also presented which has not been commonly addressed in most architectures of this type: the distinction between cognition as a control structure fo...

"The Kantian Critique as a whole was a great preparation geared towards finally answering the question as to whether the existence of God is proven. To this end, Kant had called together and interrogated all the different faculties that make up human reason as a whole, i.e., the investigation was entirely enclosed within the [conscious] subject." 1 Schelling takes up Kant's project, but alters the subjectivity of human thought so as to base thinking on an objective, nonindividual, common, preconscious ground. Schelling's modification of the usual ontological argument must therefore be understood as and from this newalready always prior-ground. In The Berlin Lectures, Schelling states a startlingly concise and apparently enthymemic argument for the existence of God: If that which necessarily exists is God, then this and that consequence-we want to say, then a, b, c, and so on-become possible; but if according to our experience a, b, c, and so on, really exist, then the necessary conclusion is that which necessarily exists is really God. 2 The formulation is that of a hypothesis which is verifiable in or by experience. It is important to note that it is not existence which is verified but the nature of the necessary existent, an essential quality that identifies God. 3

A knowledge-based environment for configuration design studies is presented which assists in the conceptual stage design of spacecraft. During this stage, major decisions need to be taken on spacecraft design drivers such as spacecraft mass. power, size, launch vehicle. cost. reliability, etc. This requires a deep understanding of the interacting subsystems of the spacecraft and a thorough examination of the feasible design options and tradeoffs. The environment aids the effective integration of heterogenous data and methods from various disciplines. The dynamic sequencing and control of the design procedure is also highly flexible. The tool has been utilised satisfactorily at the ISRO Satellite Centre for the configuration design of a geosynchronous communications and multipurpose spacecraft.

It is a study on the latest book by Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice. The study focuses on Sen's rejection of any theory of justice, and argues for the necessity of foundational views on justice so that ethical deliberations can be properly carried out.

This article (originally a foreword to a book titled Rush to Riches: The War on Creation by Rayappa A. Kasi, published by Dharmaram Publications in Bangalore 2011) deals with the status of the environment and human contribution to its destruction and nurturing. It calls for a constructive symbiotic relationship established between the nature and the human.

At the very outset, I congratulate the organizers and the participants of this workshop of moral theologians in India, as it is, probably, a first of its kind in India, in its attempt to pool together persons and resources from across the country, with the hope that "Moral Theology in India Today" can be further developed, not in isolation, but in communion and continuity.

Abstract on the Book: Against the theoretical framework of the sociological theories of secularization and institutionalization, Christianity in India: Sociological Investigations highlights the recent trends in Indian Christianity in the light of empirical data drawn from sociological surveys that the author has conducted over the past three decades.  Topics discussed include the proliferation and popularity of Pentecostal Sects, challenges in the life and ministry of the pastoral clergy and the religious of India, effectiveness of the formation of priests and religious, and the Christian contribution to social transformation through education.