v. 1. Pensadores navarros, siglos XII-XX.

Pedro de Atarrabia , filósofo escotista, se plantea en una cuestión quodlibetal la diferencia entre la intuición y la abstracción en lo que se refiere al conocimiento de la existencia. Piensa Atarrabia que la abstracción se distingue de la intuición por necesitar dos especies vicarias. Además la intuición precisa de la existencia actual "exterior" del objeto conocido. Atarrabia rechaza la pretensión de su contemporáneo Pedro Aureolo sobre el conocimiento intuitivo de lo no existente.Pedro of Atarrabia , scotist philosopher, arrives, through (...) a quodlibetal suject, to the difference between intuition and abstraction, in all that refers to the knowledge of existence. Atarrabia thinks that abstraction needs subordinate > while intuition does not need them. He rejects his contemporary, Petrus Aureolus, who pretends that non-existent objects can be known by intuition. (shrink)

In The Laboratory of the Mind, James Brown considers some of the Kuhn’s thesis in “A Function for Thought Experiment”. I will question one of Brown’s conclusions, namely his interpretation according to which Kuhn maintains that from thought experiments we learn about our conceptual scheme and only derivatively about the world. I arn inclined to think that this particular interpretation does not accurately represent Kuhn’s wording. Accordingly, I will outline some of the issues concerning the relation between ‘learning about the (...) concepts’ and ‘learning about the world’, which is, as Brown states, the field of disagreement between him and Kuhn. And finally, I will consider whether Kuhn’s ‘incommensurability thesis’ is in contradiction with ‘thought experiment thesis’, as Brown seems to imply. (shrink)

After decades of receiving a lot of attention on the epistemological level, the so-called ‘problem of intuitions’ is now in the center of debates on the metaphilosophical level. One of the reasons for this lies in the unfruitfulness of the epistemological discussions that recently subsided without producing any significant or broadly accepted theory of intuitions. Consequently, the metaphilosophical level of discussion of the ‘problem of intuitions’ inherits the same difficulties of the epistemological level. The significance of Max Deutsch’s book The (...) Myth of the Intuitive is his effort to resolve these problems in a clear and persuasive way. He is not only trying to debunk problems behind the vagueness of the ‘intuition-talk’ by drawing important distinctions that usually go under the radar in the contemporary literature, but also develops his own account of philosophical methodology. In this paper I will present some of his arguments against the traditional view of intuitional methodology, as well as his own solutions to the presented problems. Regardless of Deutsch’s insightful account of the ‘problem of intuitions’, I find that some difficulties in his own proposal are inherited from the unresolved issues of intuitions on the epistemological level. (shrink)

This article argues that thinking about entrepreneurship as a potential instrument for relief from endemic poverty and disadvantage, especially among the Indigenous, has all too often been captive to a concept of entrepreneurship that is built out of constrained economic and cultural assumptions. The authors develop this argument from a critical discussion of contributions by Karl Polanyi and Robert Heilbroner. The result is that approaches to venture have been encouraged that are sometimes a poor fit for the circumstances of those (...) they are meant to benefit, and other forms that could have considerable promise have gone unexplored. This article outlines some features of Indigenous culture and build on the analysis of David Harper to construct an improved notion of entrepreneurship that allows for these distinctive features. The article concludes that research and policy making concerning entrepreneurship as an instrument of development among the Indigenous need to be undertaken with this reconstructed understanding of entrepreneurship that is a better fit for the realities of Indigenous culture. (shrink)

I argue that valid informed consent is ethically required for organ donation from individuals declared dead using neurological criteria. Current policies in the U.S. do not require this and, not surprisingly, current practices inhibit the possibility of informed consent. Relevant information is withheld, opportunities to ensure understanding and appreciation are extremely limited, and the ability to make and communicate a free and voluntary decision is hindered by incomplete disclosure and other practices. Current practices should be revised to facilitate valid informed (...) consent for organ donation. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo es contribuir a un conocimiento más exhaustivo de la historia socio-económica de al-Andalus en general y del tema de la pobreza involuntaria en particular. La literatura paremiológica andalusí proporciona un caudal de información nada desdeñable en relación con los diferentes aspectos relativos al tema en cuestión, tales como la concepción de la pobreza, sus causas y consecuencias, así como las distintas formas de contrarrestarla por parte de los afectados y del prójimo. El refranero andalusí pone (...) a nuestra disposición una serie de imágenes establecidas con respecto a los pobres y a su estado, permitiéndonos conocer los estímulos que esta realidad social provocaba entre la población. Desde este punto de vista, este tipo de documentación permite apreciar las prácticas sociales existentes en al-Andalus, las cuales dejan traslucir los valores morales y éticos de esta sociedad. (shrink)

This research study aims to determine the ontological arguments related to the existance of God. Some recent studies also proposed the argument that God is not a person, and this argument in pantheism and Swinburnian is mismatched with the statement that God is a person. Some people believe in pantheism and think that God is a part of the world, but in Swinburnian, people think that God is not a part of the world as these two thoughts conclude that God (...) is not a person. Based on these two ideas, the religious philosophers have choices, and they do not evidence that pantheism and Swinburnian reject the argument that God is a person. This philosopher also thinks that they cannot believe anymore in God. Some philosophers also believed this idea was new and not accepted by most religions. Overall research concluded that the existence of God and ontological arguments related to it are complex research and have glinted debate for centuries. Earlier, Anselm's argument against current debates on God's existence faced abundant criticism. In philosophy, the existence of God remains a challenging question. These topics endure lies to discuss about God's existence, and this conversation continues for argument and criticism by different philosophers and religious leaders. (shrink)

Pretendemos analisar a crítica ao direito marxiana exposta nos comentários à obra Lectures on the early history of institutions, do jurista inglês Henry Sumner Maine, presentes nos "assim chamados" Cadernos Etnológicos. Para tal, passaremos pela crítica de Karl Marx à teoria do direito de Maine, passando também por considerações sobre os juristas analíticos John Austin e Jeremy Bentham, nos quais o autor das Lectures se baseia fortemente. Em seguida, trataremos das críticas à concepção de Maine sobre a origem do Estado (...) e do direito. Então, explicaremos como Marx se contrapõe a Maine voltando-se para o solo da história real, e assim analisa a gênese e o desenvolvimento direito na Irlanda e sua associação com a religião cristã, tanto antes quanto durante a colonização inglesa, observando também a violência por trás da imposição das leis coloniais. (shrink)

Chronic pain is a serious public health problem with a strong affective-motivational component that makes it difficult to treat. Most patients with chronic pain suffer from severe depression; hence, both conditions coexist and exacerbate one another. Brain inflammatory mediators are critical for maintaining depression-pain syndrome and could be substrates for it. The goal of our paper was to review clinical and preclinical findings to identify the neuroinflammatory profile associated with the cooccurrence of pain and depression. In addition, we aimed to (...) explore the regulatory effect of neuronal reorganization on the inflammatory response in pain and depression. We conducted a quantitative review supplemented by manual screening. Our results revealed inflammatory signatures in different preclinical models and clinical articles regarding depression-pain syndrome. We also identified that improvements in depressive symptoms and amelioration of pain can be modulated through direct targeting of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and molecular inhibitors of the inflammatory cascade. Additionally, therapeutic targets that improve and regulate the synaptic environment and its neurotransmitters may act as anti-inflammatory compounds, reducing local damage-associated molecular patterns and inhibiting the activation of immune and glial cells. Taken together, our data will help to better elucidate the neuroinflammatory profile in pain and depression and may help to identify pharmacological targets for effective management of depression-pain syndrome. (shrink)

Inspiradas no modelo schumpteriano de inovação nos segmentos produtivo e tecnológico, as diretrizes das agências multilaterais (Banco Mundial, Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Econômico, Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento) em favor da agenda inovadora no setor público têm tido, desde o final do século passado, uma ampla capilaridade entre os países. No caso brasileiro, as experiências pontuais tiveram início mais precisamente já na segunda década, possuindo, portanto, um breve histórico de atuação nas instâncias municipais e estaduais e no âmbito federal. (...) O presente artigo busca investigar o nascedouro e as ações, princípios e valores do Pólen - Laboratório de Inovação em Gestão Pública (ENSP-Fiocruz) bem como os principais desafios frente ao estabelecimento de projetos em favor da inovação organizacional. Visando o alcance do referido objetivo, serão recuperadas conceitualmente as categorias inovação e laboratórios de inovação. Para a realização do estudo, será efetuada uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, aliada à técnica da observação participante, caracterizada pelo fato de os participantes do projeto serem também investigadores do fenômeno. Tem-se como hipótese que os programas de inovação no campo da gestão têm conquistado as várias instâncias do setor público, todavia tal agenda pode encontrar resistências de setores em função de fatores políticos, ideológicos e organizacionais. Como as categorias “protagonismo das pessoas e usuários”, “transparência” estão presentes nos programas inovadores, torna-se igualmente fundamental destacar o papel da cultura organizacional para as ações de inovação. (shrink)

Summary During the nineteenth century French chemistry was marked by an outstanding number of Alsation chemists whose scientific contributions cannot be ignored. Especially following the Franco-Prussian War, their regional origin was given a particular importance as a means of affirming their singularity on the French scientific scene. However, some questions may be raised: can we distinguish the Alsatians from other French chemists before 1870? Were they a homogeneous group sharing a common origin? The aim of this article therefore, is, to (...) show that by their theoretical options within chemistry, their personal and professional relationships, as well as by their participation in various common initiatives, they organized themselves both formally and informally within the Parisian scientific community. Amongst these forms of organization the research school of Charles Adolphe Wurtz (1817?84) emerges as the nucleus of what we may envisage as a network of Alsatian chemists working in Paris, in the second half of the nineteenth century. (shrink)

Sameness and difference, seen through the use of the term symbiosis, are tooled for the construction of other, future realities. Two examples from literature will describe how symbiosis is, in science fiction, used as means to propose connections with Otherness, through a return to a nature recovered, and as part of rational human deliberate actions towards the recovery of our present damaged planet. Science fiction is where the methodological approach is formulated, as thought experiments, within Ursula Le Guin's literature, from (...) where to develop the process to create two visual artworks. These visual artworks, both different series of images, depart from the term symbiosis, to reflect on what is different within the same, and on the construction of sameness in what is different. (shrink)

Partindo do pressuposto de que os obstáculos epistemológicos, propostos por Gaston Bachelard, provocam situações de imobilidade frente ao conhecimento, impossibilitando, na maioria das vezes, o desenvolvimento científico e bloqueando as capacidades dos sujeitos para uma atuação crítica e questionadora, característica da nova ciência, este artigo tem a finalidade de refletir sobre as contribuições da formação inicial do pedagogo para a desconstrução da experiência primeira. Para tanto, optou-se por uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental pautada nos estudos de Bachelard que trata dos (...) obstáculos epistemológicos à formação do espírito científico, nas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Pedagogia e dados de Programas de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu de 08 Instituições Públicas e Privadas de Ensino Superior dos Estados do Rio Grande do Sul e de Santa Catarina, no recorte temporal de 2018. Tal relação, entre o que descreve as Diretrizes e o que Bachelard pontua na formação do espírito científico, apresenta-se como possibilidade de compreensão e abertura de discussões a respeito do distanciamento de profissionais pedagogos dos espaços de pesquisa e experiências científicas em educação. A partir do contato com as obras pesquisadas e as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para o Curso de Pedagogia, Licenciatura, percebeu-se entendimentos sobre a formação do pedagogo pesquisador, assim como pretextos para a necessidade de se continuar insistindo nessa dimensão formativa. Ainda, constatou-se que a formação inicial pode colaborar para a constituição do espírito científico do pedagogo, ampliando suas atuações enquanto cientista da educação. Para isso, torna-se necessário que os cursos de formação inicial tenham como fundamento a existência de obstáculos que podem, de modo negativo, contribuir para a inércia de seus estudantes. Palavras-chave: Espírito científico. Formação de pedagogos. Diretrizes Curriculares da Pedagogia. (shrink)

Participation in deliberative arenas is often lauded for its transformative impact on citizens? attitudes, sense of agency and ability to formulate concrete policy proposals. The focus of this paper is the first ever deliberative mini public in Belgrade, centred on the topic of expanding the pedestrian zone and rerouting traffic in the city core. By relying on a set of qualitative and quantitative data collected before and after the deliberation, we aim to explore the effects of the public deliberation on (...) the participants? knowledge, attitudes and preferences. Our hypothesis was that participation in this deliberative process led to better understanding (enhanced knowledge) of the discussed topic and change in attitudes and preferences regarding its realization. The scope of this study is limited, given the non-experimental design and small sample. Overall, the results indicate that participants` knowledge on the topic of deliberation is enhanced, becoming more precise, elaborate and encompassing different perspectives. As for the attitudes and preferences, in most cases, around two-thirds of the sample changed their positions, while about a third of the sample changed sides, mostly agreeing less with the expansion of the pedestrian zone. The findings support the conclusion that, on a local level, deliberation has the capacity to inform and enhance competence for greater political participation. (shrink)

El libro La Corte Enrique Santiago Petracchi II que se reseña muestra la impronta de Enrique Santiago Petracchi durante su segundo período a cargo de la presidencia de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación Argentina, ocurrida entre los años 2003 y 2006. La Corte se estudia tanto desde el punto de vista interno, con sus reformas en busca de transparencia y legitimidad, como desde el punto de vista externo, contextual y de relación con el resto de los poderes (...) del Estado y la sociedad civil. El recuento incluye una mención de los hitos jurisprudenciales de dicho período y explica cómo la figura de Petracchi es central para comprender este momento de la Corte. (shrink)

Los avances científicos han hecho posible que las mujeres puedan gestar criaturas para terceras personas. Esta práctica ha sido objeto de numerosas consideraciones éticas y bioéticas con el fin de esclarecer su legitimidad. Por ello, y dada su plena actualidad política, consideramos necesario revisar la consistencia teórica de las argumentaciones favorables a esta práctica. Con ello, deseamos esclarecer si gozan del sustento ético necesario y suficiente para que pueda reclamarse su legalización y aceptación social o si, por el contrario, la (...) utilización de los argumentos que se convocan en su defensa, relativos a las nociones de derecho, libertad o diversidad, no son oportunos para concluir dicha legitimidad. (shrink)

Studies of non-standard, project-based forms of work prevalent in the creative industries have typically theorized the relational dynamics of work as a competitive process of social capital accumulation involving an individualistic, self-enterprising, zero-sum, and winner-takes-all struggle for favourable social network-positioning. Problematizing this prevailing conceptualization, our empirical case study draws on fifty in-depth interviews and two focus groups with creative workers in Ghana to show how relations of mutual aid, including elaborate efforts to live harmoniously with others, are intricately intertwined with (...) economic practices of getting by and getting ahead. Our analysis abductively mobilizes insights from Afro-communitarian ethics to theorize the mutual aid we observed as a complex socio-economic practice of relational resource redistribution contingent on degrees of social proximity. In applying “a theory from the South” to foreground the role of moral obligations, social harmony, and hands-on practices of mutual aid in non-standard forms of work, we contribute a “decolonial critique” of relationality of relevance to scholars of creative work and business ethicists. (shrink)

Este trabajo es parte de un amplio proyecto de investigación, formación continuada y aplicación de nuevas tecnologías, a través de una alianza entre la municipalidad de una ciudad del interior del estado de São Paulo/Secretaría de Asistencia Social con la Maestría Profesional en Prácticas Institucionales en Salud Mental. Este es un esquema de la formación de profesionales del servicio institucional de atención a niños, niñas y adolescentes en situación de vulnerabilidad y riesgo, que requieren una protección especial e integral, de (...) alta complejidad. Los profesionales que trabajan en esta institución necesitan espacios para pensar en la práctica y desarrollar recursos con el propósito de minimizar las enfermedades en el trabajo y mejorar su desempeño. El objetivo de este relato de experiencia es reflexionar sobre la experiencia de las autoras al respecto de uno de los cursos de capacitación para los profesionales de esta institución. Quince profesionales participaron de una reunión de 3 horas de duración, a través de una dinámica de calentamiento, seguida de la división en dos grupos para preparar una obra de teatro con el tema “cómo te sentiste cuando llegaste por primera vez a trabajar en la institución”, para después conversar con todos los profesionales. Como resultado, los profesionales reportaron la importancia del espacio para compartir experiencias, así como la posibilidad de conocer las prácticas de otros y reflexionar sobre su desempeño profesional. En esta experiencia, las autoras pudieron pensar en la importancia de los momentos de compartir como recurso para elaborar sentimientos emergentes en el trabajo diario y a partir de esto en la construcción conjunta de nuevas posibilidades de acción. Se concluye que esta experiencia permitió iniciar el desarrollo del trabajo integrado, con mejor calidad en la prestación de los servicios, aspectos esenciales para el desarrollo del trabajo con responsabilidad social. (shrink)

Fundado em 14 de janeiro de 1933 como remanescente das associações culturais criadas pelo movimento anarquista e anarco-sindicalista nas primeiras décadas do século XX, o Centro de Cultura Social de São Paulo tem por objetivo o aprimoramento intelectual, a prática pedagógica e os debates públicos. Nesse intuito, organiza palestras, cursos, seminários, filmes, peças teatrais, entre outros, além de manter um acervo de arquivo e biblioteca voltada principalmente para os estudos. Desenvolve formas de ação e formação de militantes e de livres (...) pensadores, tendo sido comum a formação de diversos centros de cultura ou congêneres em meados do século XX. A obra Pedagogia, sujeitos e resistências é resultado de um seminário promovido pelo Centro de Cultura Social de São Paulo em Junho de 2009 com o propósito de discutir o funcionamento das verdades do poder e dos poderes da verdade que circundam as várias práticas políticas e pedagógicas na contemporaneidade. Nesse sentido, a obra em questão, como bem apresenta Silvio Gallo, é resultado do esforço intelectual de jovens pesquisadores que transformaram um encontro de estudos em matéria concreta e viva de resistência ao instituído em prol da liberdade de expressão e de criação de novos modos de vida. Esta coletânea de textos apresenta-se extremamente inovadora no que concerne a educação e a pedagogia porque apresenta o funcionamento de micropolíticas cotidianas capazes de mobilização-transformação do mesmo e da mesmidade político,pedagógica e educacional tão correntes nos dias de hoje. (shrink)

In order to explore the relationship between research and universities with a Christian identity, it is important to be clear about the identity of social realities and the meaning of ‘Christian identity’ when applied to universities. In my view, the latter requires three elements: (1) assigning a central role to theological reflection, (2) recognizing a mediating role to philosophy, and (3) encouraging a reflective posture in all disciplines. These three aspects should be considered and secured through adequate research policies that (...) manage external constraints with internal ones. (shrink)

Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht den philosophischen Begriff der _epistrophé_ im ursächlich-metaphysischen Kontext. Die _epistrophé_ bildet das letzte Element der berühmten neuplatonischen Trias von _moné_, _próodos _und _epistrophé _(Verharren, Hervorgang und Rückwendung). Das zentrale Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, den Begriff der _epistrophé_ bei Proklos, seinem paganen Nachfolger Damaskios und Dionysios Pseudo-Areopagita, dem wirkungsmächtigsten christlichen Rezipienten von Proklos, vergleichend zu untersuchen. Beide Denker bewegen sich in unterschiedlicher Abhängigkeit von der Philosophie des Proklos, die ihre Grundlage darstellt, und entwickeln gleichzeitig ihre eigene (...) Autonomie. Die vergleichende Analyse des Begriffs der _epistrophé_ dient auch dazu, die Eigenheiten dieser drei Denker herauszuarbeiten und die komplexen Beziehungen zwischen ihnen aufzuzeigen. Der Artikel beginnt mit einer Darstellung des Proklischen Begriffs der _epistrophé_, wobei besonders auf seine _Theologische Grundlegung_ Bezug genommen wird. Anschließend wird auf die Kapitel 75-77 von Damaskios’ _Aporien und Lösungen bezüglich der ersten Prinzipien_ eingegangen. Damaskios thematisiert hier einige Probleme und Schwierigkeiten, die den neuplatonischen Begriff der _epistrophé_ betreffen und sich aus Proklos’ Formulierungen ergeben. Durch seine Problemstellungen klärt und vertieft er den von Proklos geprägten Begriff der _epistrophé_, wobei seine Grundanschauung im Wesentlichen mit der des Proklos übereinstimmt. Im Gegensatz dazu erfolgt bei Dionysios eine Neuinterpretation des Begriffs der _epistrophé_. Um Dionysios’ Transformation des Begriffs zu verdeutlichen, werden drei Schlüsselstellen aus dem Werk _Über göttliche Namen_ ausführlich analysiert. Dabei werden auch relevante Passagen aus dem späten Neuplatonismus und der Patristik herangezogen. Hierdurch wird gezeigt, dass Dionysios den Begriff der _epistrophé_ vom Ontologischen ins Christlich-Soteriologische umdeutet. Auf diese Weise überschreitet er die neuplatonische triadische Kausalstruktur und entwickelt eher eine Tetrade, in der die _epistrophé_ bereits als _apokatástasis_ verwendet und mit der Totenauferstehung verbunden wird. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch der fundamentale Unterschied zwischen den Begriffen der _epistrophé_ und der _apokatástasis_ in Proklos’ Philosophie beleuchtet. (shrink)

Judith Butler es una filósofa que se apoya en elementos deconstructivistas y se encuadra en el clima de la diferencia para escapar a la dinámica de las políticas y economías de signo neoliberal y esencialista. La concepción butleriana de la subjetividad, de fuerte impronta contextualista, es una asunción de la democracia en términos radicales y plurales y, por ello, su filosofía política y ética propone un feminismo de tintes postmodernos cuyo enclave es una figura de la subjetividad aperturista. La política (...) de los nuevos movimientos sociales, más allá de los límites institucionales, así como el énfasis en las diferencias y en su reconocimiento, sirven para asumir al antagonismo como una posición deseable democráticamente. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to contextualize the study of metaphors within constructivist-informed research, in the hope that this process will orient cognitive scientists to the usefulness of implementing qualitative research methodologies, especially to using the person of the researcher as the primary research instrument. First, I explore some of the differences between Johnson and Lakoff’s Contemporary Metaphor Theory (CMT) and approaches evolving from it on one hand, and the clinical approach to metaphor based on a constructivist therapy model, (...) on the other. CMT has been one of the most significant forces that helped shift cognitive science toward an embodied approach to cognition. While it has succeeded to place physical experience back where it belongs in reason and meaning, CMT has, however, also fallen into some positivist traps which lead to problems such as a dualism, a split between the knower and the known, and with that, to a distrust of introspective, first-person accounts. In the process of finding conceptual metaphors — generalizations that govern metaphorical expressions — CMT often deletes the idiosyncratic characteristics and presuppositions implicit in linguistic metaphors; it divorces them from people’s sensory experiences, the “here and now” and the intent of their communications. The constructivist approach to metaphor that I present here accepts as a priori assumptions much of what workers of CMT are out to prove. In particular, it takes the correlation of conceptual metaphors and physical experience, as well as the unity of language and thought as pragmatic givens. Emulating the constructivist therapist’s approach to metaphors, I show how it is possible to deconstruct conceptual metaphors into minute sensory distinctions, using one’s own person as the main tool, for the purpose of helping people change their experiences in desired ways, at will. I illustrate this process by numerous examples from a wide field of applications, including mathematics education and psychotherapy. (shrink)

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar y reconstruir la postura de John Stuart Mill respecto del problema de la inducción. Mostraremos que Mill si bien conoció las objeciones de Hume, no se refiere a ellas en gran medida porque para él la justificación de la inducción es posible. La hipótesis principal será probada por medio de dos tesis: la primera, alude a la evasión de la argumentación circular respecto de la justificación de la inferencia inductiva; y la segunda, refiere (...) al tipo de inducciones que fundamentan el principio de regularidad: inducciones por enumeración simple. (shrink)

Además del concepto explícito de cultura como perfeccionamiento de la naturaleza, que podemos reconocer en muchos lugares del corpus kantiano, la entera empresa crítica puede considerarse cultura en un sentido más profundo: cultura como proyección de una subjetividad que busca en la naturaleza los indicios del destino racional y moral del hombre. Según esto, la filosofía kantiana puede verse como una filosofía de la cultura, posible, en última instancia, por la reflexividad de la razón, que advierte sus propios intereses, y (...) configura el mundo conforme a ellos. (shrink)

In 1877 Louis Paul Cailletet in France and Raoul Pictet in Switzerland liquefied oxygen in the form of a mist. The liquefaction of the first of the so-called permanent gases heralded the birth of low-temperature research and is often described in the literature as having started a ‘race’ for attaining progressively lower temperatures. In fact, between 1877 and 1908, when helium, the last of the permanent gases, was liquefied, there were many priority disputes—something quite characteristic of the emergence of a (...) new research field. This paper examines Cailletet’s path to the liquefaction of oxygen, as well as a debate between him and the Polish physicist Zygmunt Wróblewski over the latter’s contribution to the liquefaction of gases. (shrink)

No seu livro de 1998 — What we owe to each other — T. M. Scanlon defendeu sistematicamente que a noção de “razão” é primitiva e não definível noutros termos quando se trata de explicar um curso de acção moralmente relevante. Suportando o seu argumento num modelo muito intuitivo para pensar o que são razões em termos de racionalidade prática, Scanlon defende que qualquer explicação conduz sempre à mesma ideia: uma razão é uma consideração que conta em favor de algo. (...) E conta como tal na medida em que fornece uma razão para aquilo que justifica, explica ou legitima. Parece, portanto, que este é o limite da definição. O meu argumento neste trabalho confronta a posição hiper-racionalista de Scanlon com o exemplo da Acrasia ou fraqueza da vontade, por se tratar de um típico curso de acção que não apenas seria erradamente caracterizado com racional, mas onde o próprio agente falharia sistematicamente na provisão de razões para o seu comportamento. (shrink)

El uso habitual del lenguaje reconocía hasta hace todavía relativamente poco tiempo un sentido ético-normativo en los términos "natural" y "naturaleza". De un tiempo a esta parte, sin embargo, ha penetrado profunda¬mente en el sentido común epocal la idea de la diferenciación del hombre con respecto a la naturaleza. De ahí que, ante la invitación a secundar la naturaleza, no sea infrecuente escuchar la respuesta: "¿por qué? ¡si yo soy un ser racional, una persona!". Esta mentalidad coexiste culturalmente con la (...) cre¬ciente conciencia ecológica, que puede interpretarse como una invitación a considerarnos de nuevo como seres naturales. La invitación nos llega cuando ya hemos aprendido a vernos como seres libres, y a defender nuestra libertad; cuando en el discurso ético, términos como "dignidad" y "persona" han pasado a desempeñar el papel privilegiado que en otro tiempo desempeñaba el término "naturaleza": la fuerza retórica que en otro tiempo tenía el término "naturaleza", la tiene hoy el término "libertad". El reto es ahora conciliar el logro principal de la filosofía moderna –somos libertad– con la herencia clásica -somos naturaleza-. La tesis que se defiende en este trabajo es que, lejos de representar un obstáculo para la dignidad y la libertad real del hombre, la apelación a la naturaleza es lo único que garantiza que el término dignidad sea algo más que una palabra cargada de fuerza retórica para los occidentales. (shrink)

Health regulators must carefully monitor the real-world safety and effectiveness of marketed vaccines through post-market monitoring in order to protect the public’s health and promote those vaccines that best achieve public health goals. Yet, despite the fact that vaccines used in collective immunization programmes should be assessed in the context of a public health response, post-market effectiveness monitoring is often limited to assessing immunogenicity or limited programmatic features, rather than assessing effectiveness across populations. We argue that post-market monitoring ought to (...) be expanded in two ways to reflect a ‘public health notion of post-market effectiveness’, which incorporates normative public health considerations: effectiveness monitoring should yield higher quality data and grant special attention to underrepresented and vulnerable populations; and the scope of effectiveness should be expanded to include a consideration of the various social factors that maximize a vaccine’s effectiveness at the population level, paying particular attention to how immunization programmes impact related health gradients. We use the case of the human papillomavirus vaccine in Canada to elucidate how expanding post-market effectiveness monitoring is necessary to close the gap between clinical practice and public health, and to ensure that vaccines are effective in a morally relevant sense. (shrink)