Madison Kilbride recently argued that insurance ) should cover in vitro fertilisation with preimplantation genetic testing services for couples at high risk of having a child affected with a genetic condition. She argues that IVF-PGT meets CMS’s definition of ‘medically necessary care’, where such care includes ‘services or supplies needed to diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, disease or its symptoms’. Kilbride argues that IVF-PGT satisfies this definition in two ways: as a diagnostic tool and as a treatment. Contradicting (...) Kilbride, however, I argue that IVF-PGT provides neither diagnosis nor treatment under CMS’s definition. Thus, as long as we accept CMS’s definition of medically necessary care—which Kilbride does, explicitly—it follows that IVF-PGT does not count as medically necessary care. Still, there may be other reasons to conclude that IVF-Preimplantation genetic testing should be covered, and so, it would be a mistake to reject Kilbride’s conclusion altogether. The problem is simply that Kilbride’s argument—that the procedure should be covered because it is medically necessary per CMS’s definition—is not sound. I conclude by discussing a number of other genetic services that are not currently being covered despite the fact that they do seem to satisfy CMS’s definition of ‘medically necessary diagnosis or treatment’. These services, I argue, should be provided under CMS before we consider expanding coverage to include elective procedures such as IVF-PGT. (shrink)

This paper argues that Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People constitutes one his most ambitious literary and political achievements. In literary terms, the play seeks to reinvent the genre of history drama in a manner deliberately opposed to Hegelian aesthetics. Ibsen does so by systematically deepening the play’s central conflict. What at first appears to be a problem grounded in personal rivalries, reveals itself to be a social and political struggle, which in turn yields a moral crisis, to, finally, a (...) problem of history. In this manner, Ibsen combines two positions that at first sight seem incompatible: the most relativistic impulses of the historicism of his day and a metaphysical form of tragedy that he identifies with Shakespeare. Politically, Ibsen stages what might be characterized as a profoundly pessimistic form of messianism. On that view, it is necessary to categorically reject any existing political project and instead champion the possibilities articulated by those in society who have no investment in the present. This is not because those individuals have greater access to utopian ideals that should be actualized, since any political success automatically invalidates the ideals in question. Instead, the defense of the socially marginalized is grounded in the view that their saving power lies with their ability to articulate ideals that have no stake in the persistence of our world. Against this background it becomes possible to fully understand the structure and continuing significance of this play. (shrink)

This study investigates the performance measurement systems adopted by companies to manage their social responsibility activities, a theme that remains under-researched despite the important role that these mechanisms may play in helping firms control and improve their social performance. An integrative model is developed to examine how the three fundamental drivers of corporate social strategies, i.e., business motivations, perceived stakeholder pressures, and top management’s social commitment, influence the use of social performance indicators for internal decision-making and control and how such (...) use impacts companies’ social and economic performance. The results from a survey of 97 Italian companies suggest that economic motivations and top management’s commitment are associated with a more intensive use of social performance indicators for decision-making and control, whereas perceived pressures from stakeholders do not represent a significant determinant of such use. The use of social performance indicators, in turn, is found to directly influence a firm’s social performance and, indirectly, its bottom line. (shrink)

According to the usual interpretation, Plato's last dialogue, the Laws, indicates a substantial change in his political thought, namely the defence of the Rule of Law as the best possible political order. Therefore, he has been considered the first representative of this central concept for the modern State. The present paper points to the radical differences between Plato'sconception and the contemporary understanding of the Rule of Law. It also explains his interpretation of the function of the law in a well-ordered (...) State and to the opposition of his view to ourcontemporary doctrine of democracy. (shrink)

Un método de investigación en historia de la filosofía basado en las estructuras conceptuales parte del supuesto de que las doctrinas filosóficas, en autores y épocas diversas, se relacionan en función de semejanzas y diferencias, no tanto por motivos puramente históricos (sucesión de sistemas) o textuales (declaraciones expresas de los auto res), cuanto por las relaciones que guardan entre sí las estructuras en que se organizan los conceptos que las constituyen. Las estrucuras concep tuales de las filosofías se articulan en (...) torno a dos principios básicos, pro venientes ambos del aristotelismo: la unión preconstitutiva de materia y forma y el uso de una doble lógica analógica de proporcionalidad propia y de atribución. La historia de la filosofía, desde el método de investigación de las estruc turas analógicas de los conceptos, trata de establecer un diálogo más fecundo entre el pasado del pensamiento occidental y la actualidad de las nuevas producciones del intelecto humano. (shrink)

The objective of this paper is to examine how artificial intelligence systems (AI) can reproduce phenomena of social discrimination and to develop an ethical strategy for preventing such occurrences. A substantial body of scholarship has demonstrated how AI has the potential to erode the rights of women and LGBT+ individuals, as it is capable of amplifying forms of discrimination that are already pervasive in society. This paper examines the principal approaches that have been put forth to contrast the emergence of (...) biases in AI systems, namely causal, counterfactual reasoning, and constructivist methodology. This analysis demonstrates the necessity of considering the sociopolitical context in which AI systems are developed when evaluating their ethical implications. To investigate this conjunction, we apply the theory of gender performativity as theorized by Judith Butler and Karen Barad. This illustrates how AI functions within the social fabric, manifesting patriarchal configurations of gender through an analysis of the notorious case of the COMPAS system for predictive justice. In conclusion, we demonstrate how reframing of gender performativity theory, when applied to AI ethics, permits us to consider the social context within which these technologies will operate. This approach enables an expansion of the interpretation of the concept of fairness, thereby reflecting the complex dynamics of gender production. In the context of AI ethics, the concept of "fairness" pertains to the capacity of an algorithm to generate results dealing with sensitive categories, such as gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and disability, in a manner that does not engender forms of discrimination and prejudice. The gender dimension needs to be reconsidered not as an individual feature but as a performative process. Moreover, it enables the identification of pivotal issues that must be addressed during the development, testing, and evaluation phases of AI systems. (shrink)

Early adversity and trauma can have profound effects on children’s affective development and mental health outcomes. Interventions that improve mental health and socioemotional development are essential to mitigate these effects. We conducted a pilot study examining whether a reading-based program improves emotion recognition and mental health through socialization in Syrian refugee and Jordanian non-refugee children aged 7–12 years old living in Jordan. To measure emotion recognition, children classified the expression in faces morphed between two emotions, while mental health was assessed (...) using survey measures of optimism, depression, anxiety, distress, and insecurity. Prior to the intervention, both groups of children were significantly biased to interpret ambiguous facial expressions as sad, while there was no clear bias on the fear–anger spectrum. Following the intervention, we found changes in Syrian refugee children’s bias in emotion recognition away from sad facial expressions, although this returned to pre-intervention levels 2 months after the end of the program. This shift in the bias away from sad facial expressions was not associated with changes in self-reported mental health symptoms. These results suggest a potential positive role of the reading intervention on affective development, but further research is required to determine the longer-term impacts of the program. (shrink)

In this collection of essays, Aristotle's Politics, a complex text which has been the object of multiple readings and continuously stimulates new interpretative challenges, is analyzed from various points of view that range from the material transmission of the text and its controversial reception to the main subjects covered by the treatise (methodology, philosophy of law, citizenship, economy). Aristotle's ability to base his political analysis on concrete and real facts is highlighted by the different approaches of the scholars who have (...) contributed to this volume.00Based on the collection of more than 150 existing political constitutions and of an intensive study of the theoretical works on the subject, this treatise brings to light the different ways to harmonise the conflicts inherent in every human community, but particularly in classical Greece. Its universal value for different regimes explains the enormous influence Aristotle's text has had in the history of western political thought and practice. (shrink)

Ultrasociality refers to the social organization of a few species, including humans and some social insects, having a complex division of labor, city-states, and an almost exclusive dependence on agriculture for subsistence. We argue that the driving forces in the evolution of these ultrasocial societies were economic. With the agricultural transition, species could directly produce their own food and this was such a competitive advantage that those species now dominate the planet. Once underway, this transition was propelled by the selection (...) of within-species groups that could best capture the advantages of (1) actively managing the inputs to food production, (2) a more complex division of labor, and (3) increasing returns to larger scale and larger group size. Together these factors reoriented productive life and radically altered the structure of these societies. Once agriculture began, populations expanded as these economic drivers opened up new opportunities for the exploitation of resources and the active management of inputs to food production. With intensified group-level competition, larger populations and intensive resource exploitation became competitive advantages, and the “social conquest of Earth” was underway. Ultrasocial species came to dominate the earth's ecosystems. Ultrasociality also brought a loss of autonomy for individuals within the group. We argue that exploring the common causes and consequences of ultrasociality in humans and the social insects that adopted agriculture can provide fruitful insights into the evolution of complex human society. (shrink)

Del anormal al sujeto ce la resistencia -- Subjetividad y resistencia -- Vida cotidiana del habitante de calle -- Reflexión sobre el concepto de irrealidad como forma de resistencia y ejercicio de la libertad en la experiencia cinematográfica -- Poesía y resistencia.

Driving behaviours and fitness to drive have been assessed using different tools over time: standardized neuropsychological, on-road and driving simulation testing. Nowadays, the great variability of topics related to driving simulation has elicited a high number of reviews. The present work aims to perform a scientometric analysis on driving simulation reviews and to propose a selective review of reviews focusing on critical issues related to validity and fidelity. A scientometric analysis of driving simulation reviews published from 1988 to 2019 was (...) conducted. Bibliographic data from 298 reviews were extracted from Scopus and WoS. Performance analysis was conducted to investigate most prolific Countries, Journals, Institutes and Authors. A cluster analysis on authors’ keywords was performed to identify relevant associations between different research topics. Based on reviews extracted from cluster analysis, a selective review of reviews was conducted to answer questions regarding validity, fidelity and critical issues. USA and Germany are the first two Countries for number of driving simulation reviews. USA is the leading Country with 5 Institutes in the top-ten. Top Authors wrote from 3 to 7 reviews each and belong to Institutes located in North America and Europe. Cluster analysis identified three clusters and eight keywords. The selective review of reviews showed a substantial agreement for supporting validity of driving simulation with respect to neuropsychological and on-road testing, while for fidelity with respect to real-world driving experience a blurred representation emerged. The most relevant critical issues were the a) lack of a common set of standards, b) phenomenon of simulation sickness, c) need for psychometric properties, lack of studies investigating d) predictive validity with respect to collision rates and e) ecological validity. Driving simulation represent a cross-cutting topic in scientific literature on driving, and there are several evidences for considering it as a valid alternative to neuropsychological and on-road testing. Further research efforts could be aimed at establishing a consensus statement for protocols assessing fitness to drive, in order to a) use standardized systems, b) compare systematically driving simulators with regard to their validity and fidelity, and c) employ shared criteria for conducting studies in a given sub-topic. (shrink)

We appreciate the depth and breadth of comments we received. They reflect the interdisciplinary challenge of our inquiry and reassured us of its broad interest. We believe that our target article and the criticisms, elaborations, and extensions of the commentators can be an important contribution to establishing human ultrasociality as a new field of social science inquiry. A few of the commentators questioned our definition of ultrasociality, and we begin our response with an elaboration of that definition and a defense (...) of our argument that human ultrasociality began with agriculture. We then respond to the second major area of controversy, namely, our use of group selection to explain the economic drivers behind the agricultural transition. We then focus on the issue of human intentionality raised by the phenomenon of collective intelligence. The intriguing question is to what extent can an entire culture change its own destiny? We then address the issue of the division of labor raised by a number of commentators. The complex division of labor was both a driver and a defining characteristic of ultrasociality, even though it was present in simpler forms in earlier societies. The remaining issues addressed include energy and complexity, expansion and sustainability, and the accelerating evolution of human ultrasociality. These were raised by only a few commentators, but their importance warrants further elaboration. (shrink)

Many ecological and environmental economists take a microeconomic approach to envi­ronmental valuation and view the macroeconomy as an amalgam of firms whose primary task is to efficiently allocate scarce resources. In this framework, replacing freely provided ecosystem services with costly human-provided substitutes is by definition inefficient. Although destroying and replacing the free gifts of nature can sometimes be an economic benefit, in the case of apple-tree pollination in Maoxian County, China, the positive economic benefits do not justify eliminating the natural (...) processes. To the contrary, the Maoxian case illustrates the danger of allowing the logic of the market and its apologetic models to drive conservation policy. The conflict between the market economy and the natural world must be recognized and addressed in a more substantial way. The bees of Maoxian County are a parable for the relationship between humans and the natural world and show clearly the danger of leaving the fate of nature to the whims of the markets even if prices are “corrected.”. (shrink)

El trabajo analiza la significación de los mitos en la obra platónica partiendo del uso del término en los diálogos y lo compara con la utilización de logos. Se distinguen las diferentes formas en las que se utiliza el término para delimitar un uso propiamente platónico. En esa forma, el mito no se opone al logos escrito. --- “Myth in Plato. Some Reflections on a Recurrent Issue”. The paper analyzes the signification of myths in the Platonic work starting from the (...) use of the term in the dialogues and comparing it with the use of the term logos. The different ways in which the term is used are distinguished in order to delimitate a properly Platonic use. In that way, myth does not oppose written logos. (shrink)

Con este volumen se da inicio a la Serie Estudios del Lenguaje de la C tedra Jaime Torres Bodet. Son nueve los art culos que integran esta obra. Cuatro de ellos abordan alg n aspecto del sistema de una lengua en particular; dos se dirigen al sentido de un texto; en uno se perfila un modelo de an lisis de textos jur dicos; otro presenta un panorama de los estudios sobre cuantificaci n, y uno m s expone los problemas con (...) los que se enfrentan los sistemas computacionales de un procesamiento de la lengua natural, en cuya resoluci n podr an ser tiles ciertas aportaciones de la sem ntica. stos son los terrenos a los que los autores del presente volumen dirigen el instrumento sem ntico. (shrink)

Nuestra época está marcada por el movimiento de poblaciones diaspóricas arrojadas al centro de las paradojas entre los derechos humanos y el sistema político global organizado en torno a la Nación-Estado. Refugiados que son criminalizados y abandonados a morir en el Mediterráneo e inmigrantes indocumentados recluídos en campos de detención en la frontera de Estados Unidos con México. Prisioneros torturados abiertamente por Estados liberales como se vio en Abu Gharib o, personas declaradas "enemigos combatientes" presas en Guantánamo sin que medie (...) ninguna acusación de delito o en proceso judicial. En India y otros países están siendo desnacionalizados aquellos que no cumplen con los criterios fundamentalistas de definición de la nacionalidad que impone el Estado, y así, sucesivamente. Mientras tanto, los partidos y movimientos de la derecha extrema, xenofóbica y racista, están en ascenso en distintas partes del mundo. Ante este alarmante escenario, la pertinencia de este libro que aborda la crisis de los "derechos humanos" desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria en la que se destacan el entrecruzamiento conceptual de las ópticas vinculadas al Derecho, Psicoanális, las Ciencias Sociales, la Filosofía y la Historia. Más importante aún, Derechos y reveses de lo humnao demuestra la potencia del pensamiento teórico para comprender los problemas del mundo contemporáneo"--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

El concepto de acción -- Teoría y lógica de las normas -- Los predicados jurídicos y su base empírica -- La identificación del fenómeno jurídico -- Lagunas y criterios de decisión -- La revolución informático-jurídica -- Secuencias y niveles en el sistema normativo -- Ciencia jurídica e irracionalismo.

La nueva enfermedad del coronavirus de 2019 (Covid-19), producida por el coronavirus del Síndrome Respiratorio Agudo Severo 2 (SARS-CoV-2), es una pandemia que está creando una creciente crisis sanitaria mundial, dada su novedad, su alcance y sus inicialmente limitadas opciones de tratamiento eficaz. En efecto, se sabe poco acerca de las intervenciones no farmacéuticas óptimas para evitar la morbilidad y mortalidad causadas por él, y también se conoce poco sobre la rentabilidad y aspectos éticos de dichas intervenciones. Por lo tanto, (...) éste es el primer análisis ético y de rentabilidad de las medidas de contención del Covid-19 que se conoce (así como de las medidas de cuarentena de la población para cualquier pandemia en particular), con el fin de ayudar a los sistemas de salud y a los gobiernos a garantizar la atención clínica más rentable que pueda proporcionarse equitativamente al mayor número posible de pacientes, durante esta pandemia y en las futuras crisis mundiales que sean similares. Este análisis utilizó la metodología adoptada por los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC), cifras comúnmente aceptadas como entradas, y los supuestos mínimos tanto extremos como del mundo real para proporcionar los resultados más sólidos y confiables posibles. El análisis de costos indicó que en los escenarios extremos, o en el mejor de los casos para las medidas de contención del Covid-19 durante la cuarentena de la población, hay una relación de costo-efectividad de $154.86 millones de dólares gastados por cada muerte evitada, y un costo neto de $1.92 billones a nivel mundial. En el mundo real, esta intervención tiene una proporción de 2,520 millones de dólares gastados por cada muerte evitada y un costo neto de 1,99 billones de dólares. La ética del contrato social personalista, tal y como se articula en el popular sistema ético de derechos y deberes de las Naciones Unidas, pone de manifiesto la especial preocupación por el hecho de que estos confinamientos pueden derivar en injusticias poco éticas perpetuadas por los Estados, de manera que socavan las vidas y las libertades individuales, al tiempo que afectan de manera des- proporcionada a las comunidades de menores ingresos, especialmente a las minorías raciales. Este estudio sugiere, por tanto, que la práctica prevalente de la cuarentena entre la población, en comparación con las precauciones de tipo estándar y las intervenciones más específicas, puede proporcionar un beneficio neto inadecuado por su costo financiero y ético. En un momento de escasez mundial, que pone a prueba la capacidad de los sistemas sanitarios para detectar y atender adecuadamente a los pacientes con Covid-19, especialmente en los países en desarrollo y en las comunidades desatendidas, este estudio respalda que se dediquen menos recursos a intervenciones con una relación costo- beneficio poco clara, y más recursos a intervenciones más asequibles, éticas y equitativas, con mayores pruebas de sus beneficios netos para salvar vidas. (shrink)

Interesante y muy bien lograda aproximación al universo teórico construido por Ricardo Guastini, filósofo del derecho italiano.

En 1976, mientras Milton Friedman recoge el Premio Nobel de Economía por sus logros en los campos del análisis del consumo y la teoría monetaria, el punk expande su mensaje de disonancia empujando los límites de lo decible hacia espacios hasta entonces poco conocidos. En ese mismo momento bandas como Iron Maiden comienzan a generar imaginarios extraños que canalizan algunas tendencias sociales; las pistas de baile exploran nuevas formas de relación cultural, y el espíritu nihilista de Iggy Pop flota en (...) el ambiente. La década de 1970 es la década del extrañamiento, en la que el sueño económico de la posguerra se deshace provocando la aparición en el horizonte de una “nueva” forma de revisar la construcción de la vida cotidiana: el neoliberalismo. En paralelo a este proceso, y en dirección opuesta, existe una búsqueda de respuestas a nivel cultural. Respuestas que no pretenden salvar nada, sino ahondar en la miseria de ese mismo tiempo. Ahí aparecen el punk y otros movimientos que pronto son devorados por el mercado. Pero ¿desde dónde se nos ha contado esta historia de derrotas? ¿Hemos aceptado que la historia de nuestras derrotas culturales sea narrada por la maquinaria neoliberal? Quizá debamos plantarnos y pensar otras formas de narrar una década, la de los setenta, en cuya estela seguimos. Este libro es un intento radical y novedoso de explorar este periodo donde cultura y política se cruzan a través de la música"--Publisher's description. (shrink)

Esta obra aproxima al lector a los conceptos de acción, ética y racionalidad práctica tomando como eje de articulación el análisis del modo en que los clásicos de la historia de la filosofía, desde Platón hasta Donald Davidson, han reflexionado sobre ellos. Se abordan así problemas vinculados con la explicación y narración de la acción al igual que con la relación entre la razón y los deseos o entre la acción, la felicidad y la virtud. Y se analiza también el (...) sentido de la libertad y la autonomía, la distinción entre las acciones y los eventos de la naturaleza, la manera en que deben ser comprendidos la responsabilidad, el mal y el progreso moral, o incluso las complejas relaciones entre la razón práctica y la revelación divina. Con todo ello se proporciona una mirada lo más completa posible y desde diversas perspectivas sobre un problema central para la filosofía desde sus inicios. (shrink)

El adiós a las escuelas -- El capitalismo, motor de la modernidad tardía.

Este libro es un estudio sobre las teor as del desarrollo social y un an lisis de las estrategias, instituciones y pol ticas econ micas de los ltimos tiempos en varios pa ses.

No final do Lísis. Sócrates emprega o termo “demônios” (daímones), no momento em que se constata a aporia a que chega a investigação sobre a amizade. A propósito de uma recente tradução brasileira do diálogo, que, alinhando-se a uma interpretação tradicional, entende o termo no sentido negativo de “divindades maléficas”, este estudo procura defender tese bem diferente: apesar das aparências, lembremo-nos do célebre “demônio socrático” e veremos aqui o anúncio do fim da discussão sem qualquer coação externa à própria investigação, (...) e sim em virtude de necessidades que são internas a esta. Daí se seguirá que, apesar do final aporético, esse diálogo apresenta certo ensinamento positivo que o distingue dos outros diálogos platônicos de juventude. (shrink)

Este ensayo aporta una visión distinta a la interpretación de los resultados comparados de PISA 2000 contra 2015. Donde no se sobredimensiona a los países con mejores condiciones iniciales, ni se estigmatiza a aquellos cuyas condiciones de partida son más difíciles. Por tanto, México no puede ser considerado como el país de la OCDE con el sistema educativo más ineficaz. No existe evidencia que demuestre que estas evaluaciones hayan tenido como consecuencia mejoras en la calidad de la educación. Palabras clave: (...) Calidad de la educación, Evaluación educativa. PISA 2015. (shrink)