This book addresses the difference between the mental processes of animals and those of the human mind.

This volume represents the first which interfaces with astronomy as the fulcrum of the sciences. It gives full expression to the human passion for the skies. Advancing human civilization has unfolded and matured this passion into the comprehensive science of astronomy. Advancing science’s quest for the first principles of existence meets the ontopoietic generative logos of life, the focal point of the New Enlightenment. It presents numerous perspectives illustrating how the interplay between human beings and the celestial realm has informed civilizational trends. Scholars and philosophers debate in physics and biology, the findings of which are opening a more inclusive, wider picture of the universe. The different models of the universal order and of life here presented, all aiming at the first principles of existence—accord with the phenomenology/ontopoiesis of life within the logos-prompted primogenital stream of becoming and action, which points to a future of progressing culture.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference of the 11th International Symposium on Computer Music Modeling and Retrieval, CMMR 2015, held in Plymouth, UK, in June 2015. The 30 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 126 submissions. This year’s post symposium edition contains peer-reviewed and revised articles centered around the conference theme “Music, Mind, and Embodiment”. It is divided into 6 sections devoted to various sound and technology issues with a particular emphasis on performance, music generation, composition, analysis and information retrieval, as well as relations between sound, motion and gestures and human perception and culture.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on Music Technology with Swing, CMMR 2017, held in Matosinhos, Portugal, in September 2017. The 44 full papers presented were selected from 64 submissions. The papers are grouped in eight sections: music information retrieval, automatic recognition, estimation and classification, electronic dance music and rhythm, computational musicology, sound in practice: auditory guidance and feedback in the context of motor learning and motor adaptation, human perception in multimodal context, cooperative music networks and musical HCIs, virtual and augmented reality, research and creation: spaces and modalities.

How the perception of shadows, studied by vision scientists and visual artists, reveals the inner workings of the visual system. In The Visual World of Shadows, Roberto Casati and Patrick Cavanagh examine how the perception of shadows, as studied by vision scientists and visual artists, reveals the inner workings of the visual system. Shadows are at once a massive problem for vision—which must distinguish them from objects or material features of objects—and a resource, signaling the presence, location, shape, and size of objects. Casati and Cavanagh draw up an inventory of information retrievable from shadows, showing their amazing variety. They present an overview of the visual system, distinguishing between measurement and inference. They discuss the shadow mission, the work done by the visual brain to parse, and perhaps discard, the information from shadows; shadow ownership, the association of a shadow with the object that casts it; shadow labeling, the visual system's ability to tell shadows from nonshadows; and the shadow concept, our knowledge about shadows as a category. Casati and Cavanagh then apply the theoretical apparatus they have developed for shadows to other phenomena: illumination, reflection, and transparency. Finally, they examine the art of the shadow, paying tribute to artists' exploration of shadow, analyzing a series of artworks (reproduced in color) from a rich and fascinating art historical corpus.

This book explores the fascinating and intimate relationship between music and physics. Over millennia, the playing of, and listening to music have stimulated creativity and curiosity in people all around the globe. Beginning with the basics, the authors first address the tonal systems of European-type music, comparing them with those of other, distant cultures. They analyze the physical principles of common musical instruments with emphasis on sound creation and particularly charisma. Modern research on the psychology of musical perception – the field known as psychoacoustics – is also described. The sound of orchestras in concert halls is discussed, and its psychoacoustic effects are explained. Finally, the authors touch upon the role of music for our mind and society. Throughout the book, interesting stories and anecdotes give insights into the musical activities of physicists and their interaction with composers and musicians.

Film music often tells us how to feel, but it also guides us how to hear. Filmgoing is an intensely musical experience, one in which the soundtrack structures our interpretations and steers our emotions. Hollywood Harmony explores the inner workings of film music, bringing together tools from music theory, musicology, and music psychology in this first ever book-length analytical study of this culturally central repertoire. Harmony, and especially chromaticism, is emblematic of the "film music sound," and it is often used to evoke that most cinematic of feelings-wonder. To help parse this familiar but complex musical style, Hollywood Harmony offers a first-of-its kind introduction to neo-Riemannian theory, a recently developed and versatile method of understanding music as a dynamic and transformational process, rather than a series of inert notes on a page. This application of neo-Riemannian theory to film music is perfect way in for curious newcomers, while also constituting significant scholarly contribution to the larger discipline of music theory. Author Frank Lehman draws from his extensive knowledge of cinematic history with case-studies that range from classics of Golden Age Hollywood to massive contemporary franchises to obscure cult-films. Special emphasis is placed on scores for major blockbusters such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Inception. With over a hundred meticulously transcribed music examples and more than two hundred individual movies discussed, Hollywood Harmony will fascinate any fan of film and music.

Highlights from one of the most successful international psychology conferences since the beginning of this century Diversity in Harmony distills the Proceedings of the 31st International Congress of Psychology into selected readings that highlight the Congress’s theme. The text includes research that offers recent insights gained from multidisciplinary perspectives and methodologies. The volume also contains chapters that put psychology at the center of our understanding and ability to address the many problems facing groups and individuals in modern society. As the contributors clearly show, the social problems often require multidisciplinary approaches. With contributions from experts from around the globe, the book explores a wealth of topics that examine new synergies such as artificial empathy, prosocial primates and understanding about others’ actions in chimpanzees and humans. The volume also contains readings on psychology confronting societal challenges with topics including: Culturally relevant personality assessment; Emotion-related self-regulation and Children's social, psychological and academic functioning. This vital resource: Presents readings from presentations that were highlighted at the 31st International Congress of Psychology Includes contributions from an international panel of renowned experts Offers information that compares the minds of primates and contemporary humans, and examines human cognitive capability Contains 24 chapters that explore a wide range of topics presented at the Congress Written for professionals and students in the field, Diversity in Harmony is filled with contributions from noted experts and offers a reflection of the state of psychology in the second decade of the 21st century.

Music Theory has a lot of ground to cover. Especially in introductory classes a whole range of fundamental concepts are introduced at fast pace that can never be explored in depth or detail, as other new topics become more pressing. The short time we spend with them in the classroom belies the complexity (and, in many cases, the contradictions) underlying these concepts. This book takes the time to tarry over these complexities, probe the philosophical assumptions on which these concepts rest, and shine a light on all their iridescent facets. This book presents music-theoretical concepts as a register of key terms progressing outwards from smallest detail to discussions of the music-theoretical project on the largest scale. The approaches individual authors take range from philosophical, historical, or analytical to systematic, cognitive, and critical-theorical-covering the whole diverse spectrum of contemporary music theory. In some cases authors explore concepts that have not yet been widely added to the theorist's toolkit but deserve to be included; in other cases concepts are expanded beyond their core repertory of application. This collection does not shy away from controversy. Taken in their entirety, the essays underline that music theory is on the move, exploring new questions, new repertories, and new approaches. This collection is an invitation to take stock of music theory in the early twenty-first century, to look back and to encourage discussion about its future directions. Its chapters open up a panoramic view of the contemporary music-theoretical landscape with its expanding repertories and changing guiding questions, and offers suggestions as to where music theory is headed in years to come.