Study of Jaina logic and philosophy with reference to Tattvabodhavidhāyinī of Abhayadeva, 10th century, commentary on Sammatitarkaprakaraṇa of Siddhasena Divakara.

This paper looks at cognition from the perspective of Yaśovijaya-sūri’s Jaina-tarka-bhāṣā. Considering the nature of sensory cognition (mati-jñāna), represented by the four stages (sensation, speculation, perceptual judgement, retention) and of verbal cognition (śruta-jñāna), it reflects on the form and rendering of the word as a raw, physical sound or the meaningful particle of language linked to an infinite number of other such particles, deeply rooted in reliance on linguistic convention. The author considers here what properties such cognition recognises and relates (...) to them especially in light of the theory of viewpoints, providing a contribution to reflections on its meaning. The other questions posed in the article are: which prerequisites are met by people between whom this kind of communication takes place and what role do the scriptures play? Yaśovijaya-sūri’s thought is set in the broader context (Siddhasena Divākara, Jinabhadra Gaṇi, Vādideva-sūri, Dharmabhūṣana, Vinayavijaya Gaṇi), with emphasis of his sources of inspiration. (shrink)

Modern moral and political philosophy is in debt with natural law theory, both in its ancient and mediaeval elaborations. While the very notion of a natural law has proved highly controversial among 20th Century scholars, the last decades have witnessed a renewed interest in it. Indeed, the threats and challenges as result of multiculturalism, plural societies and global changes have generated a renewed attention to natural law theory. Clearly, it offers solid basis as possible framework to a better understanding of (...) human goods without contradictions and partial bias. The purpose of the present volume is to provide an overview of the history of this concept (Cicero, St. Paul, Aquinas, Melanchthon, Montaigne, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, Burke, Kant, MacIntyre, etc.) as well as a deep understanding of ongoing research, both in Europe and in America. Furthermore, the specificity of these studies will be of particular value to philosophers, law-philosophers, historians, anthropologists, sociologists and theologians, and those concerned on such issues as the relation between law and moral norm, law and practical reason, and the presence of the idea of natural law in several prominent thinkers. It includes a selected bibliography on natural law. The book also provides an excellent introduction to several of the major topics in natural law theory making it useful both as a reference text and as a sourcebook for academics alike. Natural law is a rich, complex, and highly disputed term. Since its first appearances in the history of Western civilization, it has been used both to point to God as the source of the moral order and to assert that there is an objective order of justice in nature that men and their laws ought to respect. In modern times, natural law theory gave birth to what we usually call "human rights." Unlike the meaning of the term, the importance of an ongoing debate on natural law and on the theories related to it is undisputable. This is why I welcome today this new collection of essays edited by Alejandro Nèstor Garcìa Martìnez, Mario Å ilar and Josè M. Torralba. Natural Law: Historical, Systematic and Juridical Approaches includes a wide variety of studies, covering key authors and issues in natural law theory. Younger students will appreciate the clarity of the chapters, and more trained readers the detailed and accurate bibliographical references that each of them offers. The editors's choice to go from a historical approach to contemporary theories, and then to theoretical and more practical issues is also commendable. Students in philosophy and in legal theory will greatly benefit from this book. Fulvio Di Blasi, author of God and the Natural Law: A Rereading of Thomas Aquinas. (shrink)

Las paradojas socráticas y la utilidad de la filosofía en la construcción del hombre.--El clima religioso de lo espiritual en el Fedón.--La actividad de lo espiritual según el Fedón.--El papel del cuerpo en la antropología platónica.--El cuerpo del hombre según el Timeo.

Puede ser hoy marxista la teoría de la cultura? -- Reproducción social y subordinación ideológica de los sujetos -- Cómo se forman las culturas populares -- Cultura y poder.

Puede ser hoy marxista la teoría de la cultura? -- Reproducción social y subordinación ideológica de los sujetos -- Cómo se forman las culturas populares?

Ante el relativo estancamiento en la investigación del lenguaje artístico y su relación con el fenómeno social, el estudio de García Canclini constituye un valioso aporte, pues logra superar las insuficiencias de los estudios inscritos en las corrientes idealistas y penetra la corriente marxista, buscando nuevas posibilidades teóricas.

Verse work on the author's philosophical experiences; includes interpretive notes.

On the life and works of Śaṅkarācārya, Hindu saint and philosopher; includes selections from his works with translations.

Classical work on Jain philosophy; includes a Hindi supercommentary by Jayasundaravijaya.

Odio, violencia y emancipación son, sin duda, categorías hetero-géneas, que remiten a esferas nítidamente diferenciadas de la vida humana. Así, la primera —el odio— ha tendido tradicionalmente a ser recluida en la esfera de lo privado, esto es, a ser considerada como un sentimiento estrictamente individual. En consecuencia, se interpretaba que de su estudio debían ocuparse determinadas disciplinas (en especial la psicología, aunque no sólo ella), especializadas en el conocimiento de los diversos aspectos de la individualidad. Ahora bien, en los (...) últimos años se ha hecho evidente que la generalización del odio (junto con alguna otra categoría complemen-taria, como es el miedo) no puede seguir siendo analizada de forma tan restrictiva. Se odia y se teme demasiado (y a demasiadas cosas) como para seguir pensando que tales sentimientos son asunto de cada cual. Por tanto, el odio, como cualquier otro "sentimiento social", ha de ser puesto en conexión con esos otros vectores absolutamente básicos de la vida en común que son la violencia y la (expectativa de) emancipación. La insistencia en la conexión resulta particularmente importante para diferenciar, con la mayor nitidez posible, el plantea-miento seguido en estas páginas y el defendido por quienes consideran la violencia como una constante de carácter histórico-antropológico, presente desde siempre en la especie humana y que le lleva de modo inexorable a resolver sus conflictos por medios violentos. Se trata, en definitiva, de proponer una alternativa a la tesis conservadora que se resiste a aceptar que lo existente pueda dejar de ser como ha sido hasta ahora, esto es, a cualquier forma de emancipación. O de vida en común mínimamente buena. (shrink)

Classical verse work on Jain logic and metaphysics.

Hindu philosophical treatise; includes commentary.

OnN the essentials of Mimamsa philosophy; includes Hindi commentary.

The main point of our hypothesis “coloration undermines camouflage” is that many color patterns in plants undermine the camouflage of invertebrate herbivores, especially insects, thus exposing them to predation and causing them to avoid plant organs with unsuitable coloration, to the benefit of the plants. This is a common case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” and a visual parallel of the chemical signals that plants emit to call wasps when attacked by caterpillars. Moreover, this is also (...) a common natural version of the well‐known case of industrial melanism, which illustrates the great importance of plant‐based camouflage for herbivorous insects and can serve as an independent test for our hypothesis. We claim that the enormous variations in coloration of leaves, petioles and stems as well as of flowers and fruits undermine the camouflage of invertebrate herbivores, especially insects. We assume that the same principle might operate in certain animal–parasite interactions. Our hypothesis, however, does not contrast or exclude other previous or future explanations of specific types of plant coloration. Traits such as coloration that have more than one type of benefit may be selected for by several agents and evolve more rapidly than ones with a single type of advantage. BioEssays 26:1126–1130, 2004. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Many philosophers hold that the phenomenology of thinking (also known as cognitive phenomenology) reduces to the phenomenology of the speech, sensory imagery, emotions or feelings associated with it. But even if this reductionist claim is correct, there is still a properly cognitive dimension to the phenomenology of at least some thinking. Specifically, conceptual content makes a constitutive contribution to the phenomenology of at least some thought episodes, in that it constitutes what I call their thematic unity. Often, when a thought (...) episode has a phenomenal character, the various associated speech, sensory imagery, emotions or feelings are often organized around a common theme, constituted by the conceptual content of one's thinking. (shrink)

Inference has long been a concern in epistemology, as an essential means by which we extend our knowledge and test our beliefs. Inference is also a key notion in influential psychological or philosophical accounts of mental capacities, from perception via utterance comprehension to problem-solving. Consciousness, on the other hand, has arguably been the defining interest of philosophy of mind over recent decades. Comparatively little attention, however, has been devoted to the significance of consciousness for the proper understanding of the nature (...) and role of inference. It is commonly suggested that inference may be either conscious or unconscious. Yet how unified are these various supposed instances of inference? Does either enjoy explanatory priority in relation to the other? In what ways or senses, can an inference be conscious, or fail to be conscious, and how does this matter? This book brings together original essays from established scholars and emerging theorists that illustrate how several current debates in epistemology, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of mind can benefit from reflections on these and related questions about the significance of consciousness for inference. Contributors include: Kirk Ludwig and Wade Munroe; Michael Rescorla; Federico Bongiorno and Lisa Bortolotti; Berit Brogaard; Nicholas Allott; Jake Quilty-Dunn and Eric Mandelbaum; Corine Besson; Anders Nes; David Henderson, Terry Horgan, and Matjaž Potrč; Elijah Chudnoff; and Ram Neta. (shrink)

Considers two of the most fundamental realities of life: love and the human person. While both are ultimately related, the author treats of them individually so that we may understand them more deeply. Departing from the most evident examples -- mother and child, friends, and lovers -- the author shows that love consists essential of a will to promotion and, hopefully, to mutual promotion. Thus, love is viewed from within the person himself and from within the relationship that exists between (...) two people. Depending on the people involved, such love can range from egoism and deceit to the wholehearted giving of self to another. (shrink)