The following dialogue is a product of the accessibility and attention of the master Raul Fornet-Betancourt (virtues that are rarely found at this level and height of thought which the philosophy of Fornet-Betancourt enjoys internationally) for students who like my self, are initiating the ac..

Abstract.The biological and cognitive approach to religion has matured somewhat and reveals interesting results. Nevertheless, some questions arise about its foundation and development. The essay offers a review of current research in the cognitive field, focusing on its conclusions, the internal discussions, and the problems that need more study or correction. Emphasis is placed on a more intricate account of the factors involved in religious experience, discussing the proper use of the discoveries of biocognitive research and the limits that should (...) be placed on said conclusions. (shrink)

In this paper I will examine Vandana Shiva’s ecofeminist thought with two goals: on the one hand, I will argue that her ecofeminism defines a vitalist materialist approach of feminine roots, since Shiva concedes an epistemological value to the practices and knowledge historically originated from the sustainability tasks that women have carried out. On the other hand and as a consequence, I will defend that she presents a political proposal, which entails a suggestive and radical redefinition of the traditional concept (...) of politics. Finally, I will try to show that the ability of attributing political meaning to experiences and actions of specific women allows for a change in perspective that Shiva accomplishes in an extremely fruitful double movement: the recognition of the existing and the affirmation of politics as present. (shrink)

este trabajo se dividirá en dos puntos: i) exponer las similitudes y las diferencias entre la teoría del materialismo eliminativista de los esposos Churchland y la teoría del funcionalismo de Daniel Dennett con respecto a su conceptualización sobre la concienci; y ii) analizar de manera crítica los planteamientos del materialismo eliminativista y del funcionalismo con respecto a su conceptualización acerca de la conciencia. Además, se sostendrá que en el ámbito de las ciencias cognitivas no existe un consenso, como tampoco una (...) base teórica y conceptual sobre qué es la conciencia. Así mismo, se tendrá en cuenta que, sobre el concepto de conciencia se indaga por la pertinencia del término ―si existe o no―; y de existir: si responde a patrones deterministas o si es un fenómeno ajeno a toda realidad empírica; lo cual lleva, de manera inevitable, a indagar por el debate acerca del libre albedrío. (shrink)

Reseña del libro Ciencia y política en Karl Popper. Más nueve ensayos sobre otros temas de su obra. Blanca Inés Prada Márquez (2018). Windmills Editions. 366 pp.

The article chronicles the different panels devoted tothe cognitive science of religion at the meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) in Tampa, Florida, in November 2007. The aim is to verify the state of this subdiscipline and to check how much this work-in-progress affects the present state of the dialogue between science and religion. Several signs point to a positive development in this scientific branch and favor a sound reception in theology, which should not ignore (...) the new research. (shrink)

¿Cuántas imágenes hacen un poema? ¿Cuántas palabras se necesitan para construir un pensamiento? Vemos palabras de la misma manera que vemos árboles y casas, pero no vemos el bosque ni la ciudad como no vemos el poema y el pensamiento; lo verdaderamente esencial de ambos permanece oculto a nuestra simple y cotidiana mirada. El ojo y el oído se han acostumbrado a ver y a oír, es natural, es lo que se espera de dos órganos que están hechos para cumplir (...) esta misión. Pero ni vemos ni oímos más allá de los límites creados por la rutina de nuestra cotidianidad, hemos fijado a la superficie el paisaje y todo cuanto lo contiene: colores, olores, sonidos y texturas; vemos sin ver, oímos sin oír, olemos sin oler, tocamos sin sentir; esto es, sin diferenciar. Sin duda, establecer la diferencia, en cada acontecimiento particular, nos permitiría ir más allá de lo que simplemente se pone frente a nosotros; estamos tentados a nombrar esta diferencia como profundidad, pero mucho me temo que la profundidad también es una trampa, se trataría más bien de saber moverse entre ambas; sería algo así como dejarse sorprender por lo nuevo que hay en lo mismo, por lo imperceptible e invisible que existe en lo real y visible de la cotidianidad. (shrink)

Es paradójico cómo la vida suele entenderse de manera menos equivocada desde la ficción, la realidad en sí y por sí se convierte en una trampa donde la razón que la justifica termina por dibujarle sus propios barrotes. Tal vez lo que sucede es que la razón no tiene tan completamente asegurada una razón, de la misma manera que la locura no está ausente de razón y de sentido; es evidente que siempre hallaremos una razón en la locura y una (...) locura en cada razón. Exacerbar la razón o la locura nos pondrá siempre en el ojo del huracán, nos hará visibles ante los demás, nos personalizará, es decir, descubrirá en cada uno de nosotros a un personaje. (shrink)

Ficción y mito son algo más que lenguajes o formas narrativas, son estructuras arquitectónicas a través de las que se fija el pensamiento y su forma manifiesta de aparecer en la cotidianidad; este texto pretende rastrear la fundación de América Latina a través de la literatura en su forma de ficción y mito.

¿Estamos los seres humanos predeterminado o somos creadores de nuestro propio destino? La respuesta puede ser inmediata, algo parecido al texto de Erich Fromm que nos sirvió de epigrafe, o demorarse un poco en algunas consideraciones históricas que nos permitan hacer el recorrido de aquello que hemos pensado a lo largo de una historia en la cual no nos conformamos con simplemente ser o existir, sino que buscamos razones que expliquen esos modos de ser y de existir, intentando claridad sobre (...) nuestro ethos. (shrink)

El presente número de la Revista Escritos recoge algunos artículos cuyos resultados fueron presentados en el II Congreso Iberoamericano de Bioética e Investigación, llevado a cabo por la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana en convenio con la Corporación Universitaria Lasallista, entre el 17 y 19 de agosto de 2016. Así mismo, se incluyen algunas de las ponencias leídas por los invitados centrales del evento.

¿En qué momento la palabra “crisis” se convirtió en un lugar común para interpretar el presente? ¿De qué vocabularios filosóficos disponemos y/o necesitamos crear para pensar el presente? En este artículo, mi objetivo consiste en plantear un diálogo entre el feminismo posthumano de Rosi Braidotti y la práctica teórica de la descolonización de Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui para elaborar una lectura afirmativa del presente a partir de la visión que estas pensadoras proponen sobre el tiempo, problemática común en la obra de (...) ambas autoras. Se trata de dos prespectivas contemporáneas de pensamiento y práctica política densas e imaginativas que, hasta el momento, no han sido puestas en relación. Establecer y desarrollar los términos conceptuales en que esta conversación puede ser relevante para el análisis crítico de nuestra contemporaneidad y para configurar una comprensión creativa de la temporalidad constituirá el principal aporte de este trabajo. Para abordar esta temática, en primer lugar, atenderé al análisis de la experiencia contemporánea del tiempo como la vivencia de una “crisis sin fin” y me preguntaré, con Myriam Revault, acerca de la capacidad explicativa del término “crisis” para dar cuenta del presente. En segundo lugar, expondré el estudio llevado a cabo por Braidotti sobre la experiencia temporal en el capitalismo actual y discutiré su noción de “sincronización”. Por último, explicaré las fuentes y repercusiones de la multiplicidad y heterogeneidad de los tiempos según la epistemología ch’ixi de Rivera Cusicanqui. (shrink)

Supervised injectable opioid assisted treament prescribes injectable opioids to individuals for whom other forms of addiction treatment have been ineffective. In this article, we examine arguments that opioid-dependent people should be assumed incompetent to voluntarily consent to clinical research on siOAT unless proven otherwise. We agree that concerns about competence and voluntary consent deserve careful attention in this context. But we oppose framing the issue solely as a matter of the competence of opioid-dependent people and emphasize that it should be (...) considered in the context of inequities in access to siOAT as a medical treatment. Consequently, we suggest that bioethics literature on nonexploitation, which focuses on clinical research in low-income countries, is helpful due to locating ethical issues within systemic social conditions. Finally, we consider the implications of our argument for the ethics of clinical research on siOAT. (shrink)

En el presente análisis se realiza un análisis filosófico y político sobre el proceso de dominación en Colombia, haciendo una mirada de las razones que han mantenido la existencia del conflicto social, político, económico y cultural que ha tenido unas expresiones armadas; posteriormente se abordaran, los efectos culturales que generan la dominación en relación a la dignidad humana y la imagen social. Igualmente se hará una mirada a las salidas políticas, económicas y sociales que se le ha dado al fenómeno (...) en Colombia y por último, algunas conclusiones sobre el tema en cuestión, que más que conclusiones son caminos o alternativas para pensar el problema. (shrink)

Theology and other human sciences present concerns against artificial intelligence (AI) that are often limited to ethical issues, as they appear as the most pressing problems and challenges derived from these new technologies. However, by reviewing the published literature, the article shows that theologians have ventured into broader areas, with a specific focus on the anthropological consequences of current technological advances. New developments and achievements in AI invite further exploration from a theological perspective, and they offer some opportunities and useful (...) applications for theologians. The article moves from the ethical territory toward the more neutral but highly engaging dialogue between science, technology, and religion, their interactions and mutual enrichment. Within this transdisciplinary area, new insights are gained about the role a more committed theology can play in issues like designing the best approaches between religious faith and intelligent systems to achieve a sustainable and equitable future. (shrink)

Reviewing the last fifty years of interaction between religion and science in Catholicism in Southern Europe, common traits are clearly evident: a late awareness of the importance of this interaction and a theological reluctance to address science or to account for its progress. Early signs of the engagement between religion and science appear as a consequence of the work of the French anthropologist and theologian Teilhard de Chardin. In Italy and Spain in the last fifteen years, we see a substantive (...) growth in the rise of research centers and academic activities devoted to exploring the common ground between science, philosophy, and theology. However, despite all these efforts and the many positive signs, there remains a long way to go for theology to consider science as a true challenge and an inspiration and to integrate it into the theological curriculum. (shrink)

New scientific approaches to religion have delivered a considerable number of theories aimed at explaining it, despite its cognitive and adaptive oddities. These efforts were built on available theoretical frameworks, including those from cognitive science, biology, and anthropology. Many voices have raised criticism against several aspects in the cognitive and evolutionist program, even if recognizing their legitimacy and the fruits collected to date. A pressing issue is whether the problem with the new scientific study of religion is related, to some (...) extent, to the use of outdated views on human evolution, mind, and behavior. If this is the case, then a deep revision concerning current models is required. The new direction proposed should account for more complex aspects of human nature following multilevel models, and a specific human feature—language—that could better explain religion as a meaning system. Understanding religion as a language might open an alternative path inside cognitive studies that is closer to how it is lived by believers. (shrink)

Evolutionary studies have provided several explanations about how pain and suffering can be fitted into that framework, which tries to make sense of every biological and human feature in terms of evolution, survival, and fitness. These explanations point usually to how such apparently negative aspects become useful and contribute to an evolution that after all has delivered good outcomes. Such an approach might eventually render the theodicy question less sharp and critical for believers who are trying to cope with the (...) scandal of so great suffering in our world and history. Theologically we can welcome such new insights, less noticed in former tradition, but at the same time we need to be cautious before a development which could render less clear the message of Christian salvation. In any case, the new data and knowledge clearly invite to revise and reformulate the Christian salvific message, to better answer before the mystery of evil and suffering. (shrink)

In view of the decline of apologetics as a theological genre and Benedict XVI's repeated invitation to a deeper engagement in a dialogue of faith and reason, we claim a return to this style in fundamental theology, starting from a review of the historical process leading to its abandonment, then its relevance for other theological areas, to those tasks that should not be disregarded. We suggest methods and directions for renewing its style and content, also in the academic curriculum. The (...) purpose is to give life to a model of fundamental theology that is capable of sustaining the objections and stimuli of its socio-cultural context and to prepare a more interdisciplinary method. (shrink)

La astucia de separar la esfera pública de la privada, hurtando a esta última todo valor, empaña los orígenes de las teorías políticas más importantes de la actualidad, como es el caso de la teoría liberal de la justicia de Rawls, que presupone elementos no discutidos en el foro. La teoría feminista ha interrogado y desplazado la frontera entre estos dos mundos. Consecuencia de lo anterior es que, de manera sibilina, se produce una sistemática apropiación de la fuerza emocional y (...) afectiva y de las capacidades de cuidado de las mujeres, principales cuidadoras, con consecuencias negativas para ellas y para la cohesión social. La familia absorbe, a menudo, sin compensación, las acciones de las mujeres como constructoras de identidades, curadoras gratuitas de heridas de otros y alimentadoras de egos ajenos. Pero el amplio espectro de trabajos que deben desenvolverse para asegurar el relevo generacional y el funcionamiento social, algunos de ellos arduos pero invisibles, es responsabilidad colectiva. (shrink)

Fundamental Theology has undergone a slow evolution, as many other theological disciplines, since its inception in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. The lapsed time invites us to reflect about the current situation in this field and to what extent that theological section is pursuing its main objectives, especially for its teaching at different levels. After examining several issues that could have influenced that development, some suggestions for advancing the field and its teaching will also be given. Indeed, both (...) the internal and external contexts have changed quite a lot in the last 60 years, and this probably will influence a treaty that should be more contextually sensitive and very bound to developments in religious education. (shrink)

El propósito en el artículo es brindar un informe bibliográfico preliminar sobre el itinerario de la recepción de Hans Freyer en la Argentina, con el fin de arrojar luz sobre una figura del pensamiento alemán de la primera mitad del siglo XX que tuvo una repercusión soterrada en muchos intelectuales argentinos del periodo. Esa presencia se encuentra en gran parte oculta para la historia de las ideas argentinas, dada su problemática inscripción doctrinaria e ideológica en las políticas de la filosofía (...) y en las políticas de las ciencias sociales.The article offers a preliminary bibliographical report on the itinerary of the reception of Hans Freyer in Argentina. The objective is to shed light on a figure of the German thought of first half of the XX Century that influenced many Argentine intellectuals of the period. However that influential effect is hidden in the history of the Argentine ideas, given its problematic doctrinaire and ideological inscription in the politics of philosophy and social sciences. (shrink)

A question arises regarding theology and its functions when trying to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Surely Christian faith – along with other religions – can play a role in helping to deal with this crisis, both for individuals and collectively. Theology connects with the effort religious faith and Churches perform and provides models and ideas to highlight the Christian sense of what is happening, that is, in reference to a saving God. Four keys, rooted in the Christian tradition, are (...) proposed that allow us to understand these difficult times in a meaningful way, that is, as revealing “signs of the times” for believers, assisting them in their struggle to cope with these challenging circumstances. (shrink)

“Meaning” and “religion” appear as deeply interlinked concepts in modern thought. Theology has often discovered religious faith as a “source of meaning” against a background of “meaninglessness”, as the XX century existentialist philosophies would remark. Beyond such an apologetic stance, some philosophies of religion have tried to better describe such a link: hermeneutics, phenomenology and even systems theory, may be accounted as main attempts to tackle this very complex framework, and to show how religion provides meaning, or is built trough (...) structures of meaning, or is a form of “meaning-construction”. Cognitive approach may add new perspectives to better explain this implication. Recent attempts combine scientific methods and philosophical analysis to show how meaning is built and works, and how religion provides a specific sort of meaning, distinct from other forms in which meaning displays itself: moral, aesthetic, or affective. Describing religion in terms of “meaning management” helps to better understand its specific role and function in the human mind, beyond the most reductivist programs, and offers a more balanced view on its cognitive dimensions. Different attempts to connect religion and meaning are reviewed in this paper in order to offer an alternative model to the new scientific study of religion. (shrink)

Forty years after the end of the Second Vatican Council, contrasting opinions dispute the range of its reception and its real effects as the Catholic Church struggles in a changing world of secularization and pluralism. The present paper tries to throw new light on the historical significance of that event, mobilizing different methods and applying some new ‘hermeneutical lenses’. Four topics will serve for this task: the ‘neo‐Enlightened’ mood that affected a fair amount of its reception; the evolutive process of (...) variations and selections associated with it; the forms of ‘rationalization’ and ‘expansion’, which the Council promoted; and the theological challenge of discerning the ‘signs of the time’. In conclusion, the historical judgment on the Council should keep in mind the complexity of the entire process of modernization it assumed. (shrink)

En el presente artículo analizaremos los artículos publicados por Mario Presas en la Revista Latinoamericana de Filosofía, en el período que va de 1975 a 2000. El propósito es esbozar una aproximación de conjunto a este corpus, distinguiendo básicamente dos períodos de su desenvolvimiento intelectual. El primero se centra en aspectos fenomenológicos y existenciales de la temporalidad y la corporalidad en el contexto de investigación del mundo de la vida. El segundo se aboca al análisis de problemas estéticos y hermenéuticos (...) de la recepción textual y artística, con particular énfasis en las operaciones constitutivas de la actividad lectora. En conformidad con el autor, puede resumirse esa evolución como una reflexión que lleva del ser a la palabra. En el trabajo sostenemos que el trayecto filosófico de Mario Presas, mediante un despliegue coherente de la temática que conecta el mundo de la vida con la identidad narrativa pasando por el acto de leer, permite comprender que la experiencia estética es una dimensión esencial del existente humano. (shrink)

Religion has been intensely studied in the last years inside an evolutionary frame, trying to discern to what extent it contributes to fitness or becomes an adaptive entity in its own. A similar heuristic can be tried regarding the opposite tendency: unbelief and atheism, since these cultural phenomena could help to better adapt to some social settings or become an adaptive socio-cultural niche on its own. The present paper examines some scenarios in which that question makes sense: the tradition of (...) sociology of religion, with its different strands, including recent studies on ‘non-religious’; the cognitive; and the philosophical-theological reflection. The proposed venues show to what extent the evolutionary model might reveal neglected aspects in the study of unbelief, and at the same time its limits or the open questions that such application raise. (shrink)

Free will is a very hot issue in several theoretical settings, but less in theology, or at least not as much as use to be in former times, when the discussions on sinfulness, grace and freedom were igniting a long season of controversies, especially in the Reformation time. Even in ecumenical dialogue apparently free will does not play a great role, since the reached consensus seems quite peaceful and agreement dominates over discussion. However, some theological insights, especially Karl Rahner reflections, (...) are still worthy to consider and possibly theological anthropology should pay more attention to the current debate and its consequences for the way we understand human nature and its relationship with God. (shrink)