We propose a new way of looking at the quantum Maxwell’s demon problem in terms of conditional action. A “conditional action” on a system is a unitary time evolution, selected according to the result of a previous measurement, which can reduce the entropy of the system. However, any conditional action can be realized by an unitary time evolution of a larger system and a subsequent Lüders measurement, whereby the entropy of the entire system is either increased or remains constant. We (...) give some examples that illustrate and confirm our proposal, including the erasure of N qubits and the Szilard engine, thus relating the present approach to the Szilard principle and the Landauer principle that have been discussed as possible solutions of the Maxwell’s demon problem. (shrink)

Der Artikel geht der Frage nach, wie „Wir und die Anderen" in Rosenzweigs „neuem Denken" vorkommen, - und das über das Vorkommen als Thema bzw. Gegenstand hinaus im methodischen Sinne der Frage nach dem „Subjekt" dieses „neuen Denkens" selbst. Die These bezüglich dieser Frage lautet, dass Rosenzweig das Thema „Wir und die Anderen" in einer spezifischen „Dia-logik" von Verwurzelung im Eigenen und Verhältnis zum Anderen austrägt. Spezifisch ist insbesondere sein Rekurs auf die „Tatsachen" des „Welttags des Herrn", Schöpfung, Offenbarung und (...) Erlösung, als philosophische Kategorien. Durch sie wäre durchzudeklinieren, wer jeweils „Wir und die Anderen" sind. Denn im Vorgang des Stern gewinnt mit dem „Wir" ein „Subjekt" Gestalt, das den Horizont der Menschheit, des „Wir alle", gerade deshalb nicht unterbieten kann, weil es im „Gottesgeschehen" konstituiert und darin der „Weltgeschichte" ausgesetzt wird. Dass dem so ist, erfährt der Jude Rosenzweig Christen gegenüber und reflektiert er im „Stern der Erlösung" als Sprachgeschehen insbesondere in seinem Konzept „chorischen Sprechens". In diesem Artikel wird die These vermittelt durch den Umweg darüber einer Relecture unterzogen, wie Levinas Rosenzweig im „Wir" des modernen Judentums verortet.This essay is concerned with the question how Rosenzweig's „new thinking" deals with „We and the Others", - and this beyond tackling it as a topic or object but in a methodical sense as the question about the „subject" of the „new thinking" itself. Concerning this question, it is the thesis to explore that Rosenzweig ponders „We and the Others" in a specific „dia-logical" way of becoming deeply rooted in one's own while being related to the other. He specifically refers to the „facts" of the „World-Day of the Lord" as philosophical categories. They could give the cases of who it is particularly, „We and the Others": In the process of the Star a „We" becomes the „subject" which cannot deny the universal horizon of „We all" because it is constituted as such in „God's history", i.e. the temporal sequence of His World-Day, and therefore exposed to „universal world-history". That is Rosenzweig's experience as a Jew face to face with Christians which he reflects upon in the Star as a speech-process, especially in his concept of „choral speech". In this essay, the thesis is submitted to a relecture by means of a detour, which is made by following Levinas' way of locating Rosenzweig in the „We" of the modern Jewish community. (shrink)

We investigate the theory of finite observables, i.e., resolutions of the finite-dimensional identity by means of positive operators, that have a physical interpretation in terms of measurement schemes. We focus on extremal and rank-one observables and consider various constructions that reduce observables to simpler ones. However, these constructions do not suffice to generate all finite extremal observables, as we show by means of counter-examples.

The present volume contains 14 contributions presented at a colloquium on "Structure and Approximation in Physical Theories" held at Osnabruck in June 1980. The articles are presented in the revised form written after the colloquium and hence also take account of the results of the discussion at the colloquium. It is a striking feature that the problem of approximation in physical theories has only recently found some attention in the philosophy of science, although the working physicist is con stantly confronted (...) with those questions. No interesting theory of exact science exactly fits its experimental data; almost every relation between different theories is an approximate one. There fore an adequate reconstruction of physical theories must take into account and conceptualize the moment of approximation. The majority of the articles in this book is centered around this subject. There are at least two elaborate, 'structuralistic' approaches to the formalization of physical theories in which the aspect of approximation has been incorporated: the approach due to P. Suppes, J. Sneed, W. Stegmuller ("S-approach") and the approach of G. Lud wig and his co-workers ("L-approach"). The articles in this book correspondingly fall into three classes: presentation, elaboration and critique of the L-approach [Hartkamper/Schmidt, Ludwig, Neumann, Werner, Schmidt, Mayr, Kamiah, Majer, Grafe] or of the S-approach [Moulines, Balzer, Cooke], and articles referring to both approaches or concerned with related matters [Scheibe, Pfarr, Castrigiano]. Of course, this is only a rough classification and each article must be appraised in its own right. (shrink)

An exact formulation of the frequency interpretation of probability is proposed on the basis of G. Ludwig's concept of physical theories. Starting from a short outline of this concept, a formal definition of weak approximate reduction is developed, which covers the reduction of probability to frequency as a special case.

Public school as a constitutional condition of modern democracy can not deal with absolutistic and fundamentalistic claims of public morality in a neutral way. The problems resulting from this for a laicistic school are discussed in the context of liberal tradition in France and the “école laïque” as it originated in the 19th century.

Kann die Kritische Theorie im erziehungswissenschaftlichen und bildungspolitischen Diskurs noch Aktualität beanspruchen? In ihren Beiträgen befassen sich die Autorinnen und Autoren mit einzelnen erziehungs- und bildungstheoretischen Aspekten des aktuellen Diskurses sowie mit pädagogisch relevanten Themen aus dem gesellschaftspolitischen Bereich. Im Fokus steht die Frage, ob die Denkinstrumente der Kritischen Theorie noch zur Analyse von Entwicklungen und zur Aufklärung über Widersprüche im erziehungswissenschaftlichen Diskurs beitragen können.

Matthias Vogel challenges the belief, dominant in contemporary philosophy, that reason is determined solely by our discursive, linguistic abilities as communicative beings. In his view, the medium of language is not the only force of reason. Music, art, and other nonlinguistic forms of communication and understanding are also significant. Introducing an expansive theory of mind that accounts for highly sophisticated, penetrative media, Vogel advances a novel conception of rationality while freeing philosophy from its exclusive attachment to linguistics. Vogel's media of (...) reason treats all kinds of understanding and thought, propositional and nonpropositional, as important to the processes and production of knowledge and thinking. By developing an account of rationality grounded in a new conception of media, he raises the profile of the prelinguistic and nonlinguistic dimensions of rationality and advances the Enlightenment project, buffering it against the postmodern critique that the movement fails to appreciate aesthetic experience. Guided by the work of Jürgen Habermas, Donald Davidson, and a range of media theorists, including Marshall McLuhan, Vogel rebuilds, if he does not remake, the relationship among various forms of media -- books, movies, newspapers, the Internet, and television -- while offering an original and exciting contribution to media theory. (shrink)

Matthias Vogel challenges the belief, dominant in contemporary philosophy, that reason is determined solely by our discursive, linguistic abilities as communicative beings. In his view, the medium of language is not the only force of reason. Music, art, and other nonlinguistic forms of communication and understanding are also significant. Introducing an expansive theory of mind that accounts for highly sophisticated, penetrative media, Vogel advances a novel conception of rationality while freeing philosophy from its exclusive attachment to linguistics. Vogel's media of (...) reason treats all kinds of understanding and thought, propositional and nonpropositional, as important to the processes and production of knowledge and thinking. By developing an account of rationality grounded in a new conception of media, he raises the profile of the prelinguistic and nonlinguistic dimensions of rationality and advances the Enlightenment project, buffering it against the postmodern critique that the movement fails to appreciate aesthetic experience. Guided by the work of Jürgen Habermas, Donald Davidson, and a range of media theorists, including Marshall McLuhan, Vogel rebuilds, if he does not remake, the relationship among various forms of media--books, movies, newspapers, the Internet, and television--while offering an original and exciting contribution to media theory. (shrink)

This article aims principally at a reflection on the discursive reading of democracy and the democratic state of law as conceived by the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, with a view to confront them with some sociological theories concerning democracy. In these models, Habermas seeks to identify elements that put under risk all that he understands as deliberative processes opinion formation and as the citizens will, emphasizing his model of a deliberative democracy.

"Insgesamt betrachtet handelt es sich bei dem vorliegenden Werk um eine Festschrift, die der Jubliar wirklich verdient hat. SIe wird aufgrund der brillanten Beitrage nicht in den Regalen verstauben, sondern vielfach zur Hand genommen werden. DIe darin enthaltenen Aufsatze werden in der Zukunft sowohl in wissenschaftlichen Beitragen als auch in der praktischen Arbeit rege zitiert werden." Bernd Wolfl in: Goltdammer's Archiv fur Strafrecht 12/2009 "Insgesamt: Eine wurdige, eine gehaltvolle Festgabe. JEder Beitrag bietet Anlass zum Nachdenken, zum Weiterdenken und kann so (...) die wissenschaftliche Diskussion befruchten. WIssenschaft und Praxis in einem fruchtbaren Dialog: Kann sich Rainer Hamm eine schonere Festgabe wunschen?" Karl Heinz Gossel in: Juristische Rundschau 10/2009. (shrink)