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When birds spot a tree in the gutter and decide to land and give their tired wings a break, it is up to the reader to help them find the perfect balance on the tree.

Rationalization occurs when a person has performed an action and then concocts the beliefs and desires that would have made it rational. Then, people often adjust their own beliefs and desires to match the concocted ones. While many studies demonstrate rationalization, and a few theories describe its underlying cognitive mechanisms, we have little understanding of its function. Why is the mind designed to construct post hoc rationalizations of its behavior, and then to adopt them? This may accomplish an important task: transferring information between the different kinds of processes and representations that influence our behavior. Human decision making does not rely on a single process; it is influenced by reason, habit, instinct, norms, and so on. Several of these influences are not organized according to rational choice (i.e., computing and maximizing expected value). Rationalization extracts implicit information – true beliefs and useful desires – from the influence of these non-rational systems on behavior. This is a useful fiction – fiction, because it imputes reason to non-rational psychological processes; useful, because it can improve subsequent reasoning. More generally, rationalization belongs to the broader class of representational exchange mechanisms, which transfer information between many different kinds of psychological representations that guide our behavior. Representational exchange enables us to represent any information in the manner best suited to the particular tasks that require it, balancing accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility in thought. The theory of representational exchange reveals connections between rationalization and theory of mind, inverse reinforcement learning, thought experiments, and reflective equilibrium.

In the current article, we discuss the wormhole geometries in two different gravity theories, namely F ( Q , T ) gravity and F ( R , T ) gravity. In these theories, Q is called a non-metricity scalar, R stands for the Ricci scalar, and T denotes the trace of the energy–momentum tensor (EMT). The main goal of this study is to comprehensively compare the properties of wormhole solutions within these two modified gravity frameworks by taking a particular shape function. The conducted analysis shows that the energy density is consistently positive for wormhole models in both gravity theories, while the radial pressure is positive for F ( Q , T ) gravity and negative in F ( R , T ) gravity. Furthermore, the tangential pressure shows reverse behavior in comparison to the radial pressure. By using the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov (TOV) equation, the equilibrium aspect is also described, which indicates that hydrostatic force dominates anisotropic force in the case of F ( Q , T ) gravity theory, while the reverse situation occurs in F ( R , T ) gravity, i.e., anisotropic force dominates hydrostatic force. Moreover, using the concept of the exoticity parameter, we observed the presence of exotic matter at or near the throat in the case of F ( Q , T ) gravity while matter distribution is exotic near the throat but normal matter far from the throat in F ( R , T ) gravity case. In conclusion, precise wormhole models can be created with a potential NEC and DEC violation at the throat of both wormholes while having a positive energy density, i.e., ρ > 0 .

Space tourism is rapidly advancing in both feasibility and popularity, yet architects still lack established frameworks for designing in outer space. Science fiction films increasingly depict expansive space megastructures with biophilic elements that are not only visually captivating but also serve as conceptual experiments for potential future habitats beyond Earth. This research employs a two-phase mixed-methods approach: first, a visual analysis of scenes from the film  Passengers , using Kellert’s biophilic design framework to identify and quantify design elements and attributes; second, a comparative analysis of three recent biophilic design frameworks. The paper introduces the Biophilic Architecture Integration Model (BAIM), a tailored framework for designing in extreme environments, such as outer space, offering guidance for future architectural projects in artificial and challenging settings. By exploring how cinematic portrayals of space settlements shape our perceptions of life beyond Earth, the study highlights the significance of these representations in influencing our understanding of nature in futuristic contexts. Ultimately, the paper calls for expanding biophilic design beyond Earth-based architecture, advocating for its incorporation into speculative designs in cinema and artificial environments.

All human beings seek a balanced life in the world which is achieved when one undergoes various stages in life from either equilibrium or disequilibrium. The transition from equilibrium to disequilibrium plays an intrinsic role in the personal growth of humans. Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian literary theorist, proposes the narrative theory of fantasy to explore the stages of equilibrium in fantasy and other genres. Narrative theory provides a lens to discover how narratives play a major role in blurring the boundary between fantasy and reality. His theory enriches the perception of literature as an artistic expression and an impression of the human quest for balance. This theory is a systematic study to analyse the structure, organization, and meaning of literary works that reflect the complexities of life. Rebecca Ross is an American young adult fantasy writer whose writings explore the journey of young adults who face the challenges of the equilibrium theory and transformations in the world to achieve harmony in life. This research article analyses Rebecca Ross's The Queen's Rising (2018) through Todorov's equilibrium theory.The novel is set with the characters having an equilibrium stage of life, hindered by disruptions that transform them as they progress with the restoration of harmony and purpose in their life. Her narration reflects how the characters travel through various phases of life, crossing impediments to attain a balanced life through selfrealisation and resilience. It shows how Ross's novel spotlights the narrative construction in terms of emotion and moral growth. It exemplifies the narrative structure that bridges the gap between the real and the unreal.

There is, in this quite unsettled, 'atomising' or 'entropie' 21st century of ours (dixit Michel Houellebecq), an emerging and ongoing interest, in both fiction and non-fiction, in 19th and early 20th century psychiatry which, it too, had to find ways to deal with the mental or psychological fallout of massive social and cultural change. In this contribution an attempt will be made to explore the work of one pioneering alienist, i.e. Dr Joseph Guislain (1797-1860), whose work may, arguably, still hold relevance today. A visionary physician-cum-philosopher, as well as an amateur architect, Guislain himself drew up the plans for a Hospice (or asylum), a work of art in its own right, and a piece of technology for the purpose of healing or making whole again. Indeed, Guislain's biological and physiological insights, rooted in vitalist Naturphilosophie, held clues, and still do today, as to the art of healing, a notion that is not irrelevant in attempts to de-atomise communal life and culture.

Reprinted here, with kind permission from University of Chicago Press, is the text deriving from a lecture given in 1946. Hayek discusses what, in plain language, the word competition means, and affirms that meaning. He teaches that the plain-language meaning is different than, even in important respects opposite from, the meaning conceived by the science-fiction model known as \"perfect competition.\" Meanwhile, Hayek speaks of competition that is free, \"in the traditional sense,\" and he implies that, by and large, with greater freedom there is greater or more intense plain-language competition. The essay, then, is in large part about the argument that, because competition in some market is \"imperfect,\" government action is needed--action of a sort that, in Hayek's view, usually treads on freedom, reduces plain-language competition, and harms the common good.

My original intention was to call this paper “What’s the point of studying something that doesn’t exist?”. But that was likely to be understood as a rhetorical question and a bit of flag-waving for the view that surely there can be no point in it at all. Actually, I want to argue the opposite thesis, not on the familiar as if basis nor on any other nominalist basis, but nevertheless in a way in which the non-existent will be open to the interpretation of “existing in the mind only.” Such a thesis would seem to be uncongenial to what in my private terminology I call the New Realisms (scientific, transcendental, critical and so on). My understanding of these positions is very limited indeed, but it seems to me that what I intend to say is not incompatible with them. In fact, the suggestion to which these remarks will lead may even be quite useful in a Realist campaign. In order to have something to hang my remarks upon, I shall begin with an interpretation of a major, if not the major, theme of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and some of its antecedents and consequences. It is a fairly novel interpretation and may be of some interest in itself. Adam Smith’s writings are of course notoriously open to many interpretations.1 I believe that this one is in fact correct, but since the aim is not to produce a piece of hermeneutics but rather to illustrate how the non-existent may be used to discover and get a handle on the existent, not much effort will be spent in defending it against rivals. From a detailed analysis of the context in which Adam Smith used the invisible hand expression in the Wealth of Nations, the argument of the paper leads in stages to the conclusion that fictions may play a vital, or even essential, role in economic analysis, provided that fiction and reality are clearly distinguished. Section 2. discusses the wide variety of interpretations that the invisible hand has been given. Section 3. examines the context in which the expression was used and, on the basis of its apparent function there, section 4. proposes another interpretation of the invisible hand argument in the Wealth of Nations. Section 5. indicates how this argument fits into Smith’s wider vision of a market economy and suggests the rationale of his analysis of natural prices or value. Section 6. outlines this analysis and characterizes it as a case of heuristic reasoning, while section 7. tries to indicate the wide scope of such reasoning. Section 8. relates my argument to the New Realism and indicates why I call this realism new. The final section argues that not all theoretical constructs are descriptions or models and that non-descriptive theories may be more useful for obtaining fuller and more detailed descriptions of reality. It also urges that theory and reality be more clearly distinguished.

This article is a case study of the 1970s British girls' comics Spellbound (DC Thomson, 1976-1977) and Misty (IPC, 1978-1980). These mystery anthology comics followed the more famous American horror comics from publishers like EC Comics - but were aimed at pre-teen girls. The article situates these comics with respect to Gothic critical theory and within the wider landscape of British girls' comics. Firstly, it closely considers and compares the structure and content of their stories with respect to theories of the terror and horror Gothic. It discovers that both comics offer similar fare, with a subversive streak that undercuts established horror archetypes. The article then looks closely at both titles' aesthetics and their use of the page to draw comparisons. It uses comics theory and Gothic cinematic theory to demonstrate that the appearance of Misty is more strongly Gothic than the aesthetic of Spellbound. Finally, it considers a selection of stories from both comics and analyses their common themes using Gothic critical theory. It argues that both comics rework Gothic themes into new forms that are relevant to their pre-teen and teenage readers. It concludes by summarising the study's findings and suggesting that these comics offer a \"Gothic for Girls\" that is part cautionary tale and part bildungsroman. This article is published as part of a collection on Gothic and horror.

The doctrine of transferred intent (or transferred “malice” in England) generally provides that if A attempts to harm B but, because of bad aim, misses and accidentally causes the same harm to befall C, A’s harmful intent vis-à-vis B is transferred to C, thus rendering A guilty of intentionally harming C. Commentators acknowledge the doctrine to be a legal fiction, but they differ regarding whether the fiction produces just results, some believing it does, others believing that A is guilty at most of attempting to harm B rather than intentionally harming C. Commentators who agree that the fiction produces just results nevertheless differ regarding whether the fiction should be retained or whether A’s intent to harm “a” person, in this case, B, is the only intent that signifies for crimes of intentional harm, regardless of whom A eventually harms. Doug Husak sought to achieve reflective equilibrium between intuition and theory regarding bad-aim cases by proposing in 1996 that A be punished for attempting to harm B (rather than for harming C) but sentenced as if he had harmed B. I once believed that Husak was correct. But I now have doubts, in part because Husak, along with others, cannot explain why the strength of people’s intuitions regarding A’s responsibility in bad-aim cases depends upon (1) C’s being a reasonably foreseeable victim, and (2) C’s being harmed by the same threat of force that A initially unleashed against B. I argue that one cannot achieve reflective equilibrium in bad-aim cases without inquiring into why resulting harm matters in criminal law, and that when one does, one discovers that just as people’s intuitions regarding whether intentional harms are proximate depend upon how resulting harms occur, so, too, people’s intuitions regarding whether an actor is guilty of intentional harm depend upon how resulting harm comes about.