Artificial intelligence (AI) is viewed as one of the technological advances that will reshape modern societies and their relations. While the design and deployment of systems that continually adapt hold the promise of far-reaching, positive change, they simultaneously pose significant risks, especially to already vulnerable people. This work explores the meaning of AI, and the important role of critical understanding and its phenomenological foundation in shaping its ongoing advances. The values, power, and magic of reason are central to this discussion. Critical theory has used historical hindsight to explain the patterns of power that shape our intellectual, political, economic, and social worlds, and the discourse on AI that surrounds these worlds. The authors also delve into niche topics in philosophy such as transcendental self-awareness, post-humanism, and concepts of space-time and computer logic. By embedding a critical phenomenological orientation within their technical practices, AI communities can develop foresight and tactics that can better align research and technology development with established ethical principles — centering vulnerable people who continue to bear the brunt of the negative impacts of innovation and scientific progress. The creation of a critical–technical practice of AI will lead to a permanent revolution in social, scientific, and political communities. The years ahead will usher in a wave of new scientific breakthroughs and technologies driven by AI research, making it incumbent upon AI communities to strengthen the social contract through ethical foresight, a capability which only phenomenology can deliver, ultimately supporting future technologies that enable greater well-being, with the goal of delivering practical truths. A Critical Understanding of Artificial Intelligence: A Phenomenological Foundation is an essential read for anyone interested in the complex debate and phenomenology surrounding AI and its growing role in our society.

Transpersonal psychology is the study of human nature and development that assumes that human beings possess potentials that exceed the limits of ego developed normally. The main goal of transpersonal psychology is to integrate the spiritual experience within a broader understanding of the human psyche and consciousness. Transpersonal Psychology: Altered States of Consciousness, Biofeedback and Neurotechnology introduces the use of biofeedback and neurotechnology for the transpersonal therapist to induce and measure altered states of consciousness to deal with persons having mental conditions. The therapist and the patient can benefit from self-exploration and self-realization of altered consciousness that could be responsible for the mental condition of the patient. Chapters in the book start with an introduction to the theory of consciousness and transpersonal psychology followed by an explanation of the relationship of quantum physics to consciousness model. The book then progresses towards in depth topics such as biofeedback which covers the measurement parameters for understanding consciousness and computer-based technologies that help induce altered states of consciousness. Finally, the book concludes by linking all the concepts together to guide the transpersonal psychologist to measure and support transpersonal psychotherapy through a cybertherapy system. Transpersonal Psychology: Altered States of Consciousness, Biofeedback and Neurotechnology is an ideal guide for the transpersonal psychologist and psychotherapist and the enthusiast who wants to understand the science behind altered states of consciousness from a theoretical and experimental framework.

Changing Humanities and Smart Application of Digital Technologies is a collection of research articles relevant to digital humanities (the use of technology to advance our understanding of the humanities). A key aim of this volume is to demonstrate the potential of using computer technology to creating new humanistic knowledge-based systems through innovative applications. Readers will learn about applications in digital humanities through 11 chapters which explore a variety of computer applications in education and social research. Topics covered in the volume range from the role of internet in understanding, to the more technical domains of GIS and mobile device applications in studying religion, literature, geography, history and games. This volume is a useful reference for scholars and graduate students involved in humanities and social science research, as it provides readers with creative insights into digital technology applications to build on their research goals.

Most scientists and engineers are familiar with the name Josef Stefan primarily from the Stefan-Boltzmann law, which relates the amount of energy transferred by radiation to the absolute temperature raised to the fourth power. Stefan determined this law from experimental data, and it was later theoretically verified by his former student, Ludwig Boltzmann. However, it is interesting to know that this is the same Stefan who lent his name to the solid-liquid phase change problem, and concepts related to molecular diffusion and convective motion driven by surface evaporation or ablation. Stefan counted among his students Sigmund Freud, who was so inspired by his physics instructor that he incorporated scientific methods into psychoanalysis. This invaluable book details not only Josef Stefan’s original contributions in these areas, but the current state-of-the-art of his pioneering work.

In Architecture in Cinema, more than 40 architects, writers, thinkers, and academicians examine the magnificent works of cinema that contribute to the art of architecture and bring them to the attention of the architectural community. The contributors have compiled essays on fifty masterpieces of classic and contemporary cinema, including films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Ben Hurr, The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Nomadland and more. The book aims to stimulate the imagination of readers and offer approaches to understanding fantasy, sociological concepts, ecological problems, and political ideas. The contributors also focus on the elements of creativity, such as utopian or dystopian themes, aesthetics and artistry. Architecture in Cinema is an informative reference for anyone interested in how architecture is featured in the cinematic medium. Scholars of architecture, urban planning, fine arts, humanities, social sciences, and various design disciplines, will also find the book refreshing.