This essay discusses the possibility, relevance, and pertinence of a reactivation of philosophy as a way of life today on the basis of Pierre Hadot’s account and recent scholarly approaches to the topic. In the wake of John Sellars, it regards philosophy as a way of life as a metaphilosophical option that can still be applied today. The essay starts by addressing John Cooper’s criticism of philosophy as a way of life in the contemporary philosophical landscape and shows that, against (...) the background of the model defined by Hadot, Cooper’s objections do not apply. It then illustrates the clear expression of the model in contemporary philosophy through the particular case of Nietzsche. It concludes by outlining some of the considerations that, in the wake of Hadot, Sellars, Michael Chase, and others, might persuade researchers, teachers, and academics to embrace philosophy as a way of life in their work and lives. (shrink)

The distinction between theory and practice, as well as their specific role, function, and relevance within philosophy is at the core of most metaphilosophical discussions of philosophy as a way of life (PWL). At the same time, Hadot’s emphasis on the practical dimension of ancient philosophy and its alleged privilege of practice over theory is one of the most polemic and controversial aspects of his account of PWL. In this paper I will discuss three alternative ways of interpreting Hadot’s characterization (...) of PWL and the roles and functions of theory and practice in his account: John Cooper’s, Miranda Vilchi’s and Matthew Sharpe’s. After critically evaluating each one of these readings, I will present my own view on the matter and conclude with some reflections on the relevance (or irrelevance) of maintaining the opposition between theory and practice in our account of PWL. -/- . (shrink)

The comparative study of mysticism and inter-religious spirituality has gained more space in universities and research centers that radiate everywhere. They are also research involving Eastern religions, in its peculiar mystical trait. Also in the context of Buddhism one can talk on spirituality, understood as a search path of liberation. This article presents the theme of Zen Buddhist spirituality based on the reflection of Eihei Dogen Zenji (1200 – 1253), one of the most important and prominent teachers of the Soto (...) Zen Tradition. This text aims to show the richness of spirituality and its peculiarity concerning the everyday reality. To promote understanding of the central question presented, the theme of spirituality was situated within the historical context of the birth of Zen Buddhism and the insertion of the presence of Dogen in its field of action. The theme of Zen spirituality was becoming evident in the approach to the problem of search of the Dharma in Dogen and his attention to small signs of everyday life. Keywords: Spirituality. Buddhism. Zen. Daily life. Religions. Resumo Os estudos de mística comparada e de espiritualidade interreligiosa vão ganhando espaço cada vez mais singular nas universidades e núcleos de pesquisa que se irradiam por toda parte. São pesquisas que envolvem também as religiões orientais, em seu traço místico peculiar. Também no âmbito do budismo pode-se falar em espiritualidade, entendida como um caminho de busca da libertação. Esse artigo visa apresentar o tema da espiritualidade zen budista, com base na reflexão de Eihei Dôgen Zenji (1200-1253), um dos mais importantes e destacados mestres da tradição Soto Zen. O objetivo é mostrar a riqueza dessa espiritualidade e sua peculiaridade de adesão à realidade cotidiana. Para favorecer a compreensão da questão central apresentada, visou-se situar a temática no âmbito do contexto histórico do nascimento do zen budismo e da inserção da presença de Dôgen em seu campo de ação. A temática da espiritualidade zen foi se evidenciando na abordagem da problemática da busca do Dharma em Dôgen e de sua atenção aos pequenos sinais do cotidiano. Palavras-Chave : Espiritualidade. Budismo. Zen. Cotidiano. Religiões. (shrink)

Acompanhamento da crítica de Wittgenstein às teorias do significado assentadas na filosofia da representação. A demolição da 'imagem agostiniana da linguagem' permite entender melhor conceitos como 'linguagem privada e solipsismo.

The 21st century faces one of the most singular challenges of all times. How to react to the obstacles that follow the cycle of the Anthropocene, with all its disastrous and putrid consequences? There are two possible ways: acceptance of the situation or the critical and prophetic reaction, that lies on the ground of hospitality and dialogue. When ethnocentrism, xenophobia and fundamentalism grow, dialogue and acceptance of the other urge with a special meaning. Dialogue and Hospitality are expressions that interact (...) and complement each other. Facing the current situation that is asking for interconnection, we must broaden the fabrics of this reception, including not only human beings, but opening the scope to a wider dimension of all creation. Humankind is related, is linked to a larger web that weaves the universe. Inhabiting the Earth gains a new meaning, to be part of life itself. (shrink)

El autor pretende desentrañar a través de la interpretación jurídica el o los sistemas jurídico penal que los legisladores tomaron en consideración para crear y dar vigencia a los Códigos Penal y de Procedimientos penales vigentes en el Estado Libre y Soberano de México, que fueron tomado como ejemplo, para demostrar que la ley no solo se crea de aspectos abstractos sino también de los criterios que han emitido los juristas en su trabajo.

The notion of care is a fundamental and constitutive element of any conception of therapy. It is present throughout history in diverse therapeutic practices, from the philosophical schools of antiq...

This paper aims to discuss the coherence and consistency of the Stoic and the Nietzschean “art of dying at the right time”. Throughout this paper, we will use this expression to refer to the Stoics’ and Nietzsche’s treatment both of involuntary and voluntary death, inasmuch as both seem to be strongly connected to and grounded on the notion of timeliness. Taking this notion as a guiding thread, we will emphasize the several similarities that link their approach to suicide. Indeed, as (...) will be shown, it is plausible to assume that Nietzsche’s understanding of voluntary death is particularly influenced by the Stoic tradition. At the same time, we will point out the relevant differences that make these two approaches differ. In dealing with the Stoic and the Nietzschean attitude towards suicide, the underlying question will be whether the legitimization and defense of voluntary death is compatible—and if so, to which extent—with their teachings, in particular, with their notions of happiness and affirmation of life, on the one hand, and their ideals of living in accordance with nature and amor fati, on the other. (shrink)

Nas últimas décadas do século passado Pierre Hadot e Michel Foucaultrevolucionaram a história da filosofia ao, nos seus Exercices spirituels et philosophie antique e L’herméneutique du sujet, respectivamente, colocarem um imperativo ético nas origens do pensamento filosófico ocidental e firmarem que, nessa altura, a filosofia era essencialmente uma “escolha de vida” ou “modo de vida”, no caso do primeiro, e um “cuidado de si”, na expressão do último. Uma vez que ambos os autores contrastam a orientação e função originais da (...) filosofia com a sua forma contemporânea, as suas análises têm, para além da sua clara relevância históricofilosófica, um forte potencial de crítica contra a prática académica e institucionalizada da filosofia actual. Tomando a ideia da filosofia como modo de vida como forma de dissidência contra a filosofia universitária contemporânea, e como forma de experimentação com uma compreensão e prática alternativas da filosofia, este ensaio delineia as principais características do modelo da filosofia como modo de vida no seu contraste com a prática académica conteporânea e defende a relevância do modelo para uma eventual restruturação da filosofia profissionalizada perante a actual crise nas humanidades e desafios sociais, culturais e ambientais inéditos. (shrink)

Ce volume est consacré à la notion d'homme entier, telle qu'elle a été définie et diffusée par quelques-uns des principaux philosophes de l'âge moderne et de l'époque contemporaine. Le but poursuivi par cette publication est double. Sur le plan historiographique, elle enregistre les étapes les plus importantes d'un débat, trace les lignes de fond d'une discussion vive, quoique fragmentée dans le temps, au cours de laquelle les auteurs tantôt se rencontrèrent tacitement, tantôt s'apostrophèrent l'un l'autre explicitement. D'un autre côté, elle (...) propose à l'attention du lecteur différents modèles anthropologiques passés qui, en fournissant une image holistique de l'homme, contribuent à dépasser certaines formes de réduction théorique implicite avancées par des recherches de type naturaliste, scientiste, ou par des modèles d'enquête analytico-linguistiques. (shrink)

A pesquisa acadêmica exige uma gama de procedimentos. Cada área desenvolve seus métodos, que são avaliados pelos resultados da qualidade das pesquisas. Para quem se inicia nesse processo, conhecer esses passos e procedimentos é muito significativo e definidor da formação do pesquisador. O presente texto, nascido na área de Ciências da Religião e Teologia, tem por objetivo a apresentação do método que foi desenvolvido pelo autor, professor convidado do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência da Religião da UFJF – PPCIR-UFJF, em (...) mais de três décadas de orientação, pesquisa e aprendizado. O artigo foi produzido a partir da experiência adquirida das orientações e mostra as condições fundamentais para o trabalho acadêmico, especialmente indicadas por João Batista Libanio, mas também por outros pesquisadores. A parte central do texto é a sistematização do método de orientação acadêmica denominado “método eletrônico”, termo criado por Libanio, e assumido pelo autor em suas mais de cinquenta orientações. Além de indicar os passos desse método, com observações importantes e práticas, há um exemplo de aplicação sobre como elaborar um artigo. (shrink)

Preview: Philosophy as a way of life (PWL) is an emerging field of study which in the last decades has experienced a vibrant and multifaceted development. Particularly proliferous in the areas of metaphilosophy and the history of philosophy, PWL has also been applied to a wide variety of knowledge domains beyond the academic world. Ever more prominent in contemporary debates, PWL has become a banner under which a very diversified work is being developed by scholars with originally very different areas (...) of research and expertise, who gather under PWL by their dissatisfaction with what has become of philosophy (an abstract and purely theoretical undertaking) and their hopes about what philosophy can be (a way of thinking about and transforming one’s life). Despite the dynamic development of PWL and the wealth of literature it has inspired in recent years – or precisely because of it – there is still no consensus on what it precisely means. What exactly does this expression contain? What does it entail? To what extent is it clear and univocal? And how clear and univocal should it be? (shrink)

The paper has two aims: firstly, to present Fichte’s transcendental ontology as a theory of the analogia entis. This allows to comprehend in which sense his Doctrine of science is different from Kant’s or Hegel’s thought. Secondly, i aim to outline the twofold nature of Fichte’s analogical ontology, depending on whether the intellectual concept or the concept of love is in the foreground. i distinguish these two approaches and evaluate them both with regard to the relation between the Absolute and (...) his manifestations and to the immanent connections among the creatures. (shrink)

Marta Faustino and Gianfranco Ferraro present a collection of essays by esteemed academics on the ethical and political questions present in Michel Foucault's late work. As one of the most important and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century, the philosopher's last works are at the centre of much current academic research and debate. Comprising 15 essays written by specialists on Foucault's thought from 10 different countries, the perspectives offered by the contributors and the thinker himself can help us to (...) unravel modernity and give us the tools to understand and ethically and politically transform our present. (shrink)

É um dever diário atuar para que não se repita Auschwitz e tudo o que representou esse fato histórico para a humanidade. A memória deve ser sempre mantida como forma de garantir que algo tão horrível não se repita. A discussão, as lembranças são fundamentais, mas mais do que isso, devem existir ferramentas que possibilitem a sua não reprodução novamente. Nesse ponto surge a educação, como sugerido por Adorno, como instrumento garantidor da “lembrança” de Auschwitz e, portanto, um meio de (...) evitar a sua repetição. A importância da educação nesse processo se mostra fundamental, principalmente, em um mundo marcado pela volatilidade da informação e conhecimento, por uma cultura de pós verdade. E se a pós-verdade evidencia a desnecessidade da verdade nos tempos atuais, somente por meio da educação é que a verdade volta a ser central para a construção de mundo. A educação combate a pós-verdade e evita a repetição de Auschwitz. O presente artigo utiliza metodologia de pesquisa filosóficoteórica, por meio do raciocínio dedutivo e análise da sociedade atual, bem como leitura de bibliografia sobre o tema. (shrink)

O presente artigo pretende situar a candente questão das teologias índias no tempo atual e o desafio essencial do reconhecimento da alteridade indígena e dos direitos que acompanham essa singularidade. Inicia-se com a reflexão sobre as controvérsias que envolvem o tema das teologias índias no contexto eclesial contemporâneo. A seguir, discute-se o difícil aprendizado que envolve a tomada de consciência dos povos indígenas como “povos distintos”. Nota-se na atual conjuntura da Igreja católica romana um particular embaraço nesse delicado campo, e (...) uma tendência a entender a diversidade religiosa como momento passageiro ou conjuntural. A questão da alteridade ganha uma peculiar atualidade para a teologia cristã, que vem provocada a ampliar o seu campo de compreensão. Tal aprendizado envolve a ampliação do olhar e também o resgate de valores que são fundamentais, e que nem sempre estão presentes no repertório cristão, como o resgate da espiritualidade terrenal desses povos indígenas. A vida espiritual expressa pela teologia índia revela-se “cosmoteândrica”. Nos rituais andinos celebra-se uma grande comunhão que integra a comunidade humana, o meio ambiente e a divindade geradora de vida. Encontra-se uma viva consciência da imanência de Deus e da sacralidade da criação, da transparência de Deus e de sua diafania por toda parte. Essa espiritualidade recupera valores que são essenciais para o ser humano e que estão esquecidos e abafados em nossa sociedade marcada por uma lógica egocêntrica e pela racionalidade do mercado. Palavras-chave: Teologia índia; alteridade; espiritualidade terrenal; espiritualidade cosmoteândrica. ABSTRACT The present article aims to situate the discussion of the Indian theologies nowadays. It also seeks to situate the essential challenge of the recognition of native alterity as well as the rights that go with such peculiarity. This paper first begins by reflecting on controversies that cover the question of the Indian theologies in the current days.. After that, a detailed discussion on the difficulties of general apprenticeship involving consciousness of the native people as “a different people ” is made. Expressive difficulties on the part of the Catholic Church in dealing with diversity as well as its tendency to comprehend diversity as a conjunctural and not a structural subject are currently observed. The discussion on alterity has required full attention on the side of Christian theology, which has broadened understanding on such issue. Apprenticeship concerning the question of alterity involves expansion of vision and also the recovering of those values which have always been present on Christian repertoire. It is important to emphasize here that one of those basic Christian values to be considered are those related to the recovering of terrestrial spirituality of native people. The spiritual life expressed by the Indian theology appears to be "cosmoteandric". In the Andean rituals, celebration and integration of human community, environment and divinity, are always present. A lively consciousness of the immanence of God, as well as awareness of the sacrality of the creation and the transparency of God and of his manifestation in everywhere is often found among Indian people. Such spirituality recovers values considered of strong importance for human being but unfortunately put aside in our society which is undoubtedly marked by an egocentric logic and by the rationality of economy and market. Key words : Indian theology; alterity; terrestrial spirituality; cosmoteandric spirituality. (shrink)

In this article, I discuss Frantz Fanon’s position regarding Hegelian dialectics. Dialektik von Herr und Knecht is one of the most important analytical keys of Phänomenologie des Geistes, published by G.W.F. Hegel in Jena in 1807. However, in his Peau Noire, Masque Blancs, written when he was 25 years old and published in 1952, Fanon argues that under the colonial yoke, reciprocity, a fundamental characteristic of dialectics, is not effective. The question I seek to answer in this study is: does (...) the argument presented by the author represent a rupture, reaffirmation or transfiguration of the Hegelian dialectic? Faced with this challenge, I place some excerpts from Phenomenology, and from Black Skins, White Masks, as well as other later writings by Fanon, in dialogue, to then problematize the closeness, tensions and ruptures between both. The argument I present here will revolve around Fanon’s defense of the existence of a transfigured appropriation of the dialectic, based on three interdependent elements: 1. Fanon shares the Hegelian assumption that identity is produced in the reciprocal relationship with its otherness. 2. Colonial estrangement interdicts this reciprocity by promoting a decay of political domination to the level of objectifying and bestialized denial; 3. Colonial negation is not ontological, but historical and, therefore, can be overcome by a practical-sensitive negation, carried out by the colonized themselves. Throughout this paper, I discuss some implications of the argument defended here in the context of the specialized literature on the thinking of both authors. (shrink)

The aim of my paper is to show how the two concepts of psychology and anthropology are linked in the philosophical reflection of some german authors between the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century: I discuss in particular the theories of W. Dilthey, W. Wundt, T. Lipps, W. Windelband and H. Cohen. I find a line of demarcation that divides their theoretical positions and concerns the role that psychology should play in relationship to the investigation on (...) the human nature. In front of statements for which psychology represents the basis for an anthropological proposal there are philosophical assumptions according to which such an idea has to be comprehended as a form of anthropologism or psychologism. Instead of studying facts and connections of facts a well founded anthropological research should be transcendental and start from the Kantian question about the conditions of the possibility of the human nature. (shrink)

This postdoctoral project aims to investigate aspects of the development of algebraic thinking with blind and non-blind students that can contribute to mathematics teaching practices regarding the inclusion and promotion of learning opportunities in the early years of elementary school. The guiding research question is: “What are the potentialities and challenges of the development of algebraic thinking with blind and non-blind students in the early years of elementary school?”. Centered on a qualitative approach, this project will have as a context (...) of data production two classrooms from the early years of elementary school in a public school in the city of Belém, PA, Brazil, in which blind and non-blind students are enrolled. The initial criterion of choosing two classes participating in the research will be to have blind students enrolled in a regular class, as well as the availability of class teachers to discuss the texts and elaborate and develop tasks that involve the development of algebraic thinking. For this purpose, classes will be monitored for three months, considering the school’s availability. The data will be produced using the field diary, audio recordings, and video recordings of mathematics classes. During the data analysis, the videos and audios will be revisited several times, seeking to identify elements that help us respond to the research objective, and these will be transcribed and analyzed. We hope that the results of this study will contribute to the construction of inclusive educational practices in the early years of elementary school that enable blind and non-blind students to understand the fundamental concepts involved in the development of algebraic thinking. (shrink)

In this essay, I intend to show the evolution that the thought of Merleau-Ponty undergoes from the Phenomenology of Perception to The Visible and the Invisible. I do so by employing the Merleau-Pontyian notions of “radical reflection” and “hyper-reflection,” which I will consider as expressions of two alternative ways of resolving the task of philosophy: to highlight, in the first case, the immediate relation between the subject and the world, in the second case, the chiasm between the thinking and the (...) Being of the world. There are three main stages to my reasoning: 1) to show the conceptual differences that obtain between the first Merleau-Pontyian phenomenology and the Hegelian philosophy; 2) to illustrate the insufficiency, recognized ex post by Merleau-Ponty himself, of the existential analyses contained in the Phenomenology of Perception; 3) to identify the concept that allows him to formulate a new ontology, and to go beyond the Hegelian dialectic, in the “nature” which is spoken of in the positive philosophy of the late Schelling. (shrink)

Tendo como base os dados colhidos no último Censo do IBGE (2000), percebe-se um novo declínio de adeptos da Igreja Católica, que agora somam 73,8%. Começa a ocorrer uma perda da hegemonia católica sobretudo em razão do crescimento pentecostal. Mas na verdade, o Brasil continua a ser um país com grande pertença cristã (em torno de 90%). Mas já se começa a vislumbrar uma situação nova, marcada pela destradicionalização e pela pluralização do campo religioso. A teologia cristã se vê convocada (...) a pensar esta nova realidade, sendo desafiada a elaborar respostas novas e criativas para esta situação emergente. Palavras-chave: Catolicismo; Pluralismo religioso; Teologia; Religiões. ABSTRACT Based on data collected in the last IBGE Census (2000), one notices a decline in the number of Catholics, now reaching 73.8%. A loss of the Catholic hegemony can be felt, resulting mainly from the growth of the Pentecostal Church. In fact, Brazil goes on being a country of wide Christian adhesion (around 90%). However, a new situation, marked by the fall of tradition and a religious pluralism, begins to take shape. Christian theology is challenged to consider that new reality and to elaborate new and creative responses to the emerging situation. Key words: Catholicism; Religious pluralism; Theology; Religions. (shrink)

This paper examines the notion of silence by scrutinizing different types of silence that can be distinguished from multiple classificatory criteria and from a plurality of methodological and disciplinary perspectives: phenomenological, epistemological, axiological, sociological, and historical. The aim of this analysis of the versatility of silence is to argue that a conceptual history (Begriffsgeschichte) critical of silence is an essential requirement for making progress in our understanding of human beings and their social, cultural and historical productions.Keywords: silence, conceptual history, culture, (...) memory, expression. (shrink)

Martine Béland’s Kulturkritik et philosophie thérapeutique chez le jeune Nietzsche is an important contribution to the scholarly literature on Nietzsche in at least two respects. First, it exposes the therapeutic dimension of Nietzsche’s thought, which, despite recent interest, is a topic that remains largely unexplored. Second, it focuses on Nietzsche’s earliest writings, which tend to be—with the notable exception of The Birth of Tragedy—the least widely read of his...

Reinhold’s Elementary Philosophy is the first system of transcendental philosophy after Kant. Recent scholarship has understood it as a model of Grundsatzphilosophie, as a defense of the concept of freedom, or as a shift from philosophy to history of philosophy. The present book, translated from Italian language, emphasizes another golden thread in Reinhold’s works from 1784–94 and regards his philosophy as a system of transcendental psychology.

The paper shows how the transcendental assumptions of Kant’s Critique of Reason collects together two of the key moments that, in their various relationships, recur throughout the post-Kantian discussion: anti-psycologism respectively psychologism on the one hand, and anthropology on the other hand. Whereas the position of K.L. Reinhold’s Elementary Philosophy is characterized by a proposal for a superior factualism – that of consciousness as condition of possibility of human experience –, the arguments put forward by J.G. Fichte’s Doctrine of science (...) intend to overcome such a transcendental psychology in order to gain back the true meaning of Kant’s critical turning point, without accepting some too formalistic restrictions. (shrink)

The purpose of my article is twofold: firstly, it indicates the structure aswell as the main characteristics of the phenomenology of Theodor Lipps; secondly, it brings to light its peculiar significance within the discussion of the time. The thesis that I put forward consists in two parts: Lipps develops a pure psychology, that is a phenomenology of spirit as a response toHusserl’s charge of psychologism posed in the Logical Investigations; in his opinion such a response is sustainable to the extent (...) that it particularly emphasizes the metaphysical dimensionwhich distinguishes the phenomenological investigation. (shrink)

This paper aims to show how Th eodor Conrad’s theory of meaning goes beyond that of Husserl. By drawing on an unedited typescript dating from the 1950s in which the Munich phenomenologist outlines the controversy between Husserl and the so-called Munich-Göttingen group, I interpret the Bezeichnung–Kennzeichung opposition that Conrad introduces in an article from 1910 as a realist position opposing Husserl’s act-phenomenological concept of meaning. This position stands in contrast not only to the phansisch or phänologisch theory of meaning in (...) the Logical Investigations, but also to the new definition of meaning as phänomenologische Bedeutung that Husserl proposes in his 1908 lectures. Conrad advocates a Gegenstandsphänomenologie, for which the main point of a phenomenological theory of meaning is not, like for Husserl, the intentional acts of the subject but rather the qualities of the object to which the meaning refers. (shrink)

This paper analyzes the objections of Adolf Reinach to Kant’s transcendental apriorism, shedding light on (1) the speculative distance separating their conceptions of philosophy (namely Reinach’s phenomenology and Kant’s transcendental critique), and (2) the consequential misunderstanding which is at the core of Reinach’s confrontation with Kant. In particular, attention is paid to the issue of the transcendental constitution of objectness, i.e. the question of the givenness of an object with respect to certain functions proper to the subject. In order to (...) illustrate how such a concept is completely absent in Reinach, I will compare his position with those of Husserl, in their relations with Kant’s interpretation of Hume’s philosophy. (shrink)

Le propos s'intéresse à la limitation des créatures, plus précisément à la relation entre l'homme et Dieu au sein d'un univers voulu par ce dernier. Il expose les différentes tentatives réalisées par Leibniz, Budde puis Wolff pour concilier la liberté humaine et la nature divine. Plusieurs axes d'analyse doivent être mis en place afin de parcourir successivement les modèles respectifs de ces trois auteurs : celui qui, classiquement, oppose le volontarisme au rationalisme, et qui doit être contrasté, ainsi que celui (...) qui oppose l'anthropologie et la théologie. The paper deals with the limitations of creatures, namely, more precisely the relationship between man and God amid a universe wanted by the latter. It studies the several attempts by Leibniz, Budde and then Wolff to reconcile human freedom and divine nature. Several axes of analysis are to be set in order to wander along the several patterns of those three authors, i.e. the one which traditionally opposed voluntarism to rationalism and should be contrasted as well as the one which opposes anthropology and theology. (shrink)

Female sex steroids can affect the motor system, modulating motor cortex excitability as well as performance in dexterity and coordination tasks. However, it has not yet been explored whether FSS affects the cognitive components of motor behavior. Mu is a sensorimotor rhythm observed by electroencephalography in alpha and beta frequency bands in practices such as motor imagery and action observation. This rhythm represents a window for studying the activity of neural circuits involved in motor cognition. Herein we investigated whether the (...) alpha-mu and beta-mu power in the sensorimotor region and the alpha and beta power over frontal, parietal, and occipital regions are modulated differently in the menstrual, follicular, and luteal phases of menstrual cycles in right-handed dominant women. To do so, these women underwent MI and AO in the three menstrual cycle phases. The spectral activity of the cortical regions for the alpha and beta bands were compared between phases of the menstrual cycle and a correlation analysis was also performed in relation to estrogen and progesterone levels. For the hypothesis-based approach, beta-mu event-related desynchronization was significantly stronger in the C3 channel in the follicular phase than in the menstrual and luteal phases. For the data-driven approach, beta ERD during MI was higher in the follicular phase than in the menstrual and luteal phases in the frontal region. These findings suggest the effect of FSS on executive movement control. No effect of menstrual cycle phases was observed in cortical areas investigated during OA, but alpha and beta bands correlated positively with the follicular phase plasma estradiol level. Thus, the attenuation of alpha and beta bands referring to mirror neuron activities appears to be associated with inhibition of cortical activity when estradiol levels are lower, improving cognitive processing of motor action. (shrink)

Over the past few decades, the idea of philosophy as a way of life (PWL) has gained undeniable prominence in contemporary debates about the nature and function of philosophy. Pierre Hadot forged the notion to denote the specific way in which ancient philosophers conceived of and practiced philosophy, stressing its performative character and its potential for self-transformation on the basis of what he called “spiritual exercises.” Referring primarily to the Hellenistic and Roman eras, Hadot claimed that “philosophy was a mode (...) of existing-in-the-world, which had to be practiced at each instant, and the goal of which was to transform the whole of the individual’s life. Furthermore, he also implied that some modern and contemporary philosophers came close to this model of philosophical practice and described it as his own metaphilosophical ideal. As he comments in the same text: “Such is the lesson of ancient philosophy: an invitation to each human being to transform himself. Philosophy is a conversion, a transformation of one’s way of being and living, and a quest for wisdom.” This normative and pedagogic component is a crucial aspect of Hadot’s account of PWL. Indeed, Hadot is not just describing what philosophy was in the past, but also evaluating what it is in the present and considering what it could become beyond his (and our) time. This is one of the reasons that made his approach so popular and led to so many fruitful developments in the field of PWL. Inspired by Hadot’s account, which was complemented by the late Foucault’s own reflections on philosophy’s practical and performative potential, recent scholarship has characterized PWL as a metaphilosophical model that can be fruitfully used to criticize current academic practices and to develop innovative methodological approaches to the study, research, and teaching of philosophy, which in turn might enable a transformation of philosophical practices in the context of modern universities. (shrink)