Analysis is the resolution of an object whether of the senses or the intellect, into its component elements. In philosophy it is the mode of resolving a compound idea into its simple parts, in order to consider them more distinctly, and arrive at a more precise knowledge of the whole. Analysis is opposed to synthesis, by which we combine and class our perceptions, and contrive expressions for our thoughts, so as to represent their several divisions, classes, and relations.
In mathematics, analysis is, in the widest sense, the expression and development of the functions of quantities by calculation;
in a narrower sense the resolving of problems by algebraic equations. The analysis of the ancients was exhibited only in geometry, and made use only of geometrical assistance, whereby it is distinguished from the analysis of the moderns, which extends to all measurable objects, and expresses in equations the mutual dependence of magnitudes. Analysis is divided into lower and higher, the lower comprising, besides arithmetic and algebra, the doctrines of functions, of series, combinations, logarithms, and curves, the higher comprising the differential and integral calculus, and the calculus of variations.
In chemistry, analysis is the process of decomposing a compound substance with a view to determine either (a) what elements it contains (known as qualitative analysis), or (b) how much of each element is present (known as quantitative analysis). Thus by the first process we learn that water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, and by the second that it consists of one part of hydrogen by weight to eight parts of oxygen. Research Analysis
The Hegelian dialectic is an interpretive method developed by the German philosopher Georg Hegel, in which the contradiction between a proposition (thesis) and its antithesis is resolved at a higher level of truth (synthesis). Research Hegelian Dialectic
Neoplatonism is a philosophical system which was first developed in the 3rd century as a synthesis of Platonic, Pythagorean, and Aristotelian elements, and which, although originally opposed to Christianity, later incorporated it. It dominated European thought until the 13th century and re-emerged during the Renaissance. Research Neoplatonism
Palmistry is the science or art, depending upon one's belief, of the foretelling of the future or personal character traits through the study of the shape, colour, texture, temperature and lines of the hand. An ancient art, palmistry was traditionally used to foretell a person's future. Modern western fortune telling palmistry is the result of popularisation by Adrien Adolphe Desbarolles, a Frenchman and another Frenchman and compatriot, Casimir Stanislas d'Arpentigny, a French cavalry officer, who documented a system of interpretation based upon the shape and relative sizes of the fingers and palm.
The occult work of Desbarolles and d'Arpentigny was further popularised in the 20th century in books written by 'Cheiro' or ' Count Louis Hammond'. This occult form of palmistry forms the basis of what most people accept as palmistry as traditionally practised by seaside gypsy fortune tellers and other entertainers. A sensible scientific approach was the subject of the life' s work of an Indian, Julius Spier in conjunction with Carl Jung. Spier's system, which was never completed as a result of his ironically sudden and untimely death, aimed to enable people to analyse and interpret their self so that they may navigate the 'road of development which leads towards perfection, and to achieve the true synthesis of the personality.' In all forms of palmistry, the lines of the palm are given separate names and indications. The primary lines being the lines of: life, which curves from the edge of the palm around the thumb toward the wrist; head which runs across the middle of the palm; heart which runs across the top part of the palm below the fingers. The palm itself is divided into areas, known as mounds, and the fingers and thumb each have special significance. Research Palmistry
Autotrophism is a type of nutrition in which organisms synthesize the organic materials they require from inorganic sources. Chief sources of carbon and nitrogen are carbon dioxide and nitrates, respectively. All green plants are autotrophic and use light as a source of energy for the synthesis, i.e. they are photoautotrophic. Some bacteria are also photoautotrophic; others are chemoautotrophic, using energy derived from chemical processes. Research Autotrophism
Isidore Augusts Marie Francois Xavier Comte was a French philosopher. He was born in 1798 at Montpellier and died in 1857. His family were zealous Catholics and royalists and he was educated at the Ecole Polytechnique, and embraced enthusiastically the socialist tenets of St Simon. As one of his most distinguished pupils he was employed, in 1820, to draw up a formula of the doctrines professed by the St Simonian school, which he accordingly accomplished in his Systeme de Politique Positive (founding the 'positive' system of philosophy). This work did not, however, meet with the approbation of St Simon, who asserted that Comte had made a very important omission by overlooking the religious or sentimental part of human nature.
In 1826 Comte commenced a course of lectures on positive philosophy, but only four lectures were given when he became allegedly deranged in mind, and did not recover until the end of 1827. In 1830 he commenced the publication of his Cours de Philosophie Positive, which was completed in six volumes in 1842, and was freely translated into English and condensed by Harriet Martineau in two volums in 1853.
Some aspersions on his superiors at the Ecole Polytechnique, where he held the posts of teacher and examiner, cost him his job and he was sacked, and some English friends subscribed a temporary subsidy; and at a later period Monsieur Littre organized a general subsidy, which afforded him a moderate degree of comfort in his later years. In 1845 he made the acquaintance of Clotilde de Vaux, who seems to have inspired him with a depth and tenderness of moral and aesthetic feeling before unknown in him. This appears in his second great work, Positive Polity (1851-1854); the Positivist Catechism (1852); and his last work, Subjective Synthesis (1855). In his Religion of Humanity he himself assumed the office of high-priest, performing marriage and funeral rites on behalf of the disciples who had been induced to adopt his system. These, however, were never very numerous; and as a practical faith his system never took off, though as a philosophy of knowledge it was widely accepted. Research Isidore Comte
Joseph Needham was an English biochemist and sinologist. He was born in 1900 at London and died in 1995. The first volume of his Science and Civilization in China was published 1954 and by 1990 sixteen volumes had appeared. studied at Cambridge, where he spent his academic career. The arrival of some Chinese biochemists 1936 prompted him to learn their language, and in 1942-46 he travelled through China as head of the British Scientific Mission. The first volume of his Science and Civilization in China was published 1954 and by 1990 sixteen volumes had appeared. From 1946 to 1948 he was head of the Division of Natural Sciences at the United Nations, after which he returned to Cambridge. In 'Chemical Embryology' published in 1931, Needham concluded that embryonic development is controlled chemically. The discovery of morphogenetic hormones and later of the genetic material DNA confirmed this view. Needham became increasingly interested in the history of science, particularly of Chinese science, and he progressively reduced his
biochemical investigations. Science and Civilization in China is a huge synthesis of history, science, and culture in China. Research Joseph Needham
Saturnalia was the ancient Roman festival of the god Saturnus. It was held in the middle of December from the 17th to the 19th and later until the 24th, and was originally a rustic harvest-home. It was a time of general holiday and merry-making and of the interchange of presents between friends, and the streets were full of joyous crowds, dressed not in formal toga, but in a loose robe called a synthesis. Research Saturnalia
ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) or corticotrophin is a polypeptide hormone, secreted by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, that stimulates growth of the adrenal gland and the synthesis and secretion of corticosteroids. It is used in treating rheumatoid arthritis, allergic and skin diseases, and many other disorders. Research ACTH
Anatrofin is an anabolic steroid. It causes increased proteinsynthesis and amino acidconsumption, androgensisis, catabolism, and gluticocototitosis. It is used for sports performance enhancement, relief and recovery from common injuries, rehabilitation, weight control, anti-insomnia, and regulation of sexuality, aggression, and cognition. Research Anatrofin
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Analysis
