Revised entry by Angelika Kratzer on March 20, 2008. Changes to: Bibliography] Situation semantics was developed as an alternative to possible worlds semantics. In situation semantics, linguistic expressions are evaluated with respect to partial, rather than complete, worlds. There is

1888 - 1973) was a sociologist and social philosopher who, along with his close friend Franz Rosenzweig, and Ferdinand Ebner and Martin Buber, was a major exponent of speech thinking or dialogicism. The central insight of speech thinking is that

A powerful stellar explosion detected March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite has shattered the record for the most distant object that could be seen with the naked eye.

NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, March 26, to present new clues on the composition of the icy plumes jetting off the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan.

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.

The news at the NHS goes from crisis to crisis. Now, women in labor are being turned away from hospitals. From the story:Almost half of NHS hospitals were forced to turn women in labour away last year because they were

Peter Singer once again wants to shove human "non persons" out of the life boat. Not content with advocating infanticide, he also promotes futile care theory and suggests that patients with dementia be denied antibiotics and that other patients be

Not content with doctors killing the terminally ill, people with disabilities, the chronically ill, the depressed, and babies born with disabilities--not to mention the seriously ill who did not ask to be killed--the Dutch Parliament will now debate allowing doctors

The controversial Euthanasia group Dignitas has started helping people kill themselves by putting a plastic bag filled with helium over their heads - and filming it. There are at least four known cases of the new method of suicide. (Daily

Organ transplantation is truly one of the miracles of modern medicine, saving the lives of many patients and improving the quality of life for many more. Given the ever-increasing gap between the number of organs needed and the supply, clinicians

A group of pharmacists asked the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday to throw out a rule that forces them to dispense emergency contraception despite moral objections, claiming it amounts to illegal coercion. (AP)

As thousands of medical students await word this week on residency programs, two specialties concerned with physical appearance — dermatology and plastic surgery — are among the most competitive. (New York Times)

A call for papers from Archives of Surgery:During 2008, we are soliciting manuscripts on disparities in health care. The editorial board has selected this topic as our year-long theme. We will publish these manuscripts in each issue as the manuscripts

That horrible case in San Luis Obispo, in which Dr. Hootan Roozrokh, an organ transplant surgeon is accused of attempting to hasten the death of Ruben Navarro, a dependent adult to harvest his organs, is going to trial. From the

The ability to see requires healthy eyes, but it also requires that signals can get from the eyes to the parts of the brain involved in vision. A Boston neuroscientist hopes to deliver a ray of hope to the blind

The guidelines require physicians to make referrals for abortions or other procedures they don't wish to perform themselves. But there is still confusion over whether a doctor would actually lose his or her certification as a specialist for refusing to

There is evidence that brain imaging technology is being used to interrogate suspected terrorists despite concerns that it may not be reliable, and that it might inadvertently promote abuse of detainees, according to a Penn State researcher. He says the

Small-scale farmers in Malindi might soon be smiling all the way to the bank, thanks to a new agricultural initiative.

The ubiquity of tiny particles of minerals -- mineral nanoparticles -- in oceans and rivers, atmosphere and soils, and in living cells are providing scientists with new ways of understanding Earth's workings. Our planet's physical, chemical, and biological processes are