This chapter contains sections titled: “Talking about Santa is not lying” Why Might Lying Not Be Wrong? The Platonic Account of Why Lying is Not Wrong.

At the beginning of Posterior Analytics 2.19 Aristotle reminds us that we cannot claim demonstrative knowledge ( epistêmê apodeiktikê ) unless we know immediate premisses, the archai of demonstrations. By the end of the chapter he explains why the cognitive state whereby we get to know archai must be Nous . In between, however, Aristotle describes the process of the acquisition of concepts, not immediate premisses. How should we understand this? There is a general agreement that it is Nous by (...) means of which we acquire both premisses and concepts. I argue that this cannot be the case. Since concepts are simples while premisses are composites (predications of concepts), the two cannot be objects of the same cognitive state. I further argue that, whereas Nous is responsible for our grasp of concepts, the state Aristotle elsewhere calls non-demonstrable knowledge is the one whereby we get to know the premisses of demonstrations. (shrink)

Lee and Schwarz made considerable theoretical advances in the psychology of cleansing by proposing that cleaning actions might serve as separation procedures between two psychological entities. Here, we propose that the effectiveness of the separation process may be modulated by the available amount of executive resources, and that separation may operate as a load-dependent resetting procedure.

There has been increasing emphasis on professionalism in medical education over the past several decades, initially focusing on bioethical principles, communication skills, and behaviors of medical students and practitioners. Authors have begun to discuss professional identity formation (PIF), distinguishing it as the foundational process one experiences during the transformation from lay person to physician. This integrative developmental process involves the establishment of core values, moral principles, and self-awareness. The literature has approached PIF from various paradigms—professionalism, psychological ego development, social interactions, (...) and various learning theories. Similarities have been identified between the formation process of clergy and that of physicians. PIF reflects a very complex process, or series of processes, best understood by applying aspects of overlapping domains: professionalism, psychosocial identity development, and formation. In this study, the authors review essential elements of these three domains, identify features relevant to medical PIF, and describe strategies reported in the medical education literature that may influence PIF. (shrink)

A. Raghuramaraju has curated and edited this volume, which proposes a major breakthrough in the field of philosophical studies. The volume reproduces not only Desire and Liberation and Kalidas Bhattacharyya's introduction to it, but also the letters that Bhattacharyya wrote to Chandidas, and Chandidas's own commentary on his text. In Desire and Liberation Vaddera Chandidas creates a new metaphysical system. The author rejects major convergences inphilosophy from both India and the West, especially on the ontological primacy of non-being that results (...) in permanence. He is especially opposed to the idea of permanence, which renders unreliable anything that is not permanent but changing. Chandidas points out that contradictoriness is the structural 'tinge' ofreality. (shrink)

This essay introduces this special issue on virtue ethics in relation to military AI. It describes the current situation of military AI ethics as following that of AI ethics in general, caught between consequentialism and deontology. Virtue ethics serves as an alternative that can address some of the weaknesses of these dominant forms of ethics. The essay describes how the articles in the issue exemplify the value of virtue-related approaches for these questions, before ending with thoughts for further research.

At the intersection of modern cultural and political history, security studies and debates about freedom of expression and international human-rights law, this article aims to contribute to a better understanding of political cartooning and its implications in multicultural societies of Europe, which have shifted in a geographical, cultural, normative, communicational, political and many other respects through the last two centuries. Through comparison of the Serbian cartoons from late nineteenth-century Croatia and the recent Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, the article (...) reveals that both modern and postmodern European cartoons have been centred around equally discriminatory narratives: a 'clash of civilizations' and 'racialization of religion'. Since open racial stereotyping in cartoons became illegal in the postmodern international regulations, traditional discriminatory practices of cartooning have shifted towards subtle, 'liquid' racism. This decodes some of the twelve Danish cartoons as ambiguous strategies of racialization of Muslim immigrants in Europe but also as hate speech which is illegal in the European Union, and member states of the Council of Europe. The author concludes that the most current European and international regulations of hate speech, whether concerning offline media or online media, actually protect free speech. While a truly clear-cut regulation of liquid racism might remain problematic in Europe due to the lack of a universally accepted definition of hate speech, neither strict legal regulations nor different definitions of hate speech could diminish the role of political cartooning as a viable free speech platform in the multicultural landscape of Europe. Ultimately, what diminishes its viability is the enduring lack of diversity in the creation of visual satire, which could and should reflect the multicultural reality of communities, politics and societies in Europe. (shrink)

O homem contemporâneo vive um mundo de incertezas, onde muitos dos antigos paradigmas que o senso comum considerava como absolutos se desmoronam com incrível velocidade. Esta volatilidade de sentidos é observada com ampla nitidez na busca do sagrado: as religiões tradicionais são deixadas de lado ou misturadas a práticas esotéricas, místicas e ocultas, tentativa humana de explorar o mundo através de um enfoque holístico, que reimprima na vida a magia outrora perdida. Neste contexto de construção de uma nova realidade, a (...) percepção e manifestação do sagrado não desaparecem, mas, seguindo a mentalidade de seu tempo, transformam-se. A religiosidade assume um caráter individualista, imediatista e descompromissado, restaurando conceitos e práticas da antigüidade, em uma tentativa clara de reencantamento do mundo, agora sob a perspectiva da sociedade globalizada. Filosofias orientais invadem a dimensão religiosa do mundo ocidental, numa mistura explicitamente paradoxal. Deste epicentro nasce a cultura da Nova Era, movimento que busca restaurar a tradição sagrada do homem postulando um saber místico, pretendendo conectar o ser humano ao transcendente partindo não de instituições específicas, mas de conhecimentos e práticas do esoterismo, ocultismo e magia. Palavras-chave: Nova Era; Subjetivismo; Consumismo. ABSTRACT Contemporary man lives in a world of uncertainties, where many of the old paradigms that common sense used to consider absolute are falling apart with incredible speed. Such volatility of senses is clearly noticed in the search for the sacred: traditional religions are left behind or mingled with esoteric, mystical and occult practices, in a human attempt to explore the world from a holistic viewpoint capable of rescuing life’s lost magic. In that context of construction of a new reality, the perception and manifestation of the sacred do not disappear; they rather change, following the mentality of the times. Religion assumes an individualistic, immediate and uncommitted feature, restoring old concepts and practices, in an attempt to render the world enchanted once more, now in the perspective of globalized society. Oriental philosophies invade the religion scope of the Western world, in an explicitly paradoxical blend. From that epicenter is born the New Age culture, a movement that tries to restore human sacred tradition by postulating a mystical dimension and connecting man to the transcendent, not through specific institutions, but through the knowledge and practice of esoterism, occultism and magic. Key words: New age; Subjectivism; Consumerism. (shrink)

Os movimentos espirituais tem atravessado o Primeiro Mundo e as camadas ilustradas do Terceiro Mundo ocidental. tanto mais surpreendentes quanto mais os profetas da Morte de Deus da década de 70 tinham anunciado um silêncio sepulcral a respeito de Deus. No seu diagnóstico, o mundo moderno se cansara dos discursos de Deus e na sua audaz autonomia ia desfazendo, um por um, os rincões habitados pelo Divino. Nada acontece na história por puro acaso, apesar de fatores aleatórios. Os abalos sísmicos (...) são anunciados pelo sistema metereológico das causalidades. Cabe-nos perguntar o porquê dessa onda espiritual, da qual a Nova Era é uma das expressõe mais significativas. (shrink)

Today most of us are awash with choices. The cornucopia of material goods available to those of us in the developed world can turn each of us into a kid in a candy store; but our delight at picking the prize is undercut by our regret at lost opportunities. And what's the criterion for choosing anything -- material, spiritual, the path taken or not taken -- when we have lost our faith in everything? In The Era of Choice Edward Rosenthal (...) argues that choice, and having to make choices, has become the most important influence in both our personal lives and our cultural expression. Choice, he claims, has transformed how we live, how we think, and who we are.This transformation began in the nineteenth century, catalyzed by the growing prosperity of the Industrial Age and a diminishing faith in moral and scientific absolutes. The multiplicity of choices forces us to form oppositions; this, says Rosenthal, has spawned a keen interest in dualism, dilemmas, contradictions, and paradoxes. In response, we have developed mechanisms to hedge, compromise, and to synthesize. Rosenthal looks at the scientific and philosophical theories and cultural movements that choice has influenced -- from physics to postmodernism, from Disney trailers to multiculturalism. He also reveals the effect of choice on the personal level, where we grapple with decisions that range from which wine to have with dinner to whether to marry or divorce, as we hurtle through lives of instant gratification, accelerated consumption, trend, change, and speed. But we have discovered, writes Rosenthal, that sometimes, we can have our cake and eat it, too. (shrink)

A Editora Contracorrente tem a satisfação de publicar o livro “A era do direito positivo: reflexões sobre política, Estado, Sociedade e Direito”, de autoria do ilustre João Antonio da Silva Filho, Conselheiro do Tribunal de Contas do Município de São Paulo. Nas palavras de Luís Fernando Massonetto, Professor de Direito Econômico da Universidade de São Paulo, esta obra se apresenta “como o esforço de reflexão de um militante político que forja sua consciência no processo de luta pelo direito e que (...) tenta expressar, em um momento mais maduro da sua vida, uma visão particular sobre o fenômeno jurídico a partir de uma leitura singular que ilumina os marcos do positivismo com reflexões sobre a política, a sociedade e o Estado”. (shrink)

Era uma vez..., de Benjamin Lacombe, é um livro que é arte pura, magistralmente sedutor pela sua arquitetura física e imagens insólitas. Um livro pop-up, com personagens dos contos clássicos para infância (Polegarzinha, Pinóquio, Madame Butterfly, Chapeuzinho Vermelho, Alice no País das Maravilhas, O Barba Azul, A Bela Adormecida e Peter Pan), que desfilam pelas páginas em dobraduras em três dimensões. Talvez Madama Butterfly se distancie das narrativas feéricas, mas por certo, Lacombe a introduziu com perfeição na sua insólita construção.

El artículo analisa el actual Estado de Derecho en conexión con la redescubierta del valor de la justicia, producida por la Filosofía de los Valores característica del siglo XX, cuya vertiente neokantiana e idealista tendrá un significativo impacto en el Derecho. La justicia surge como el centro simbólico de la experiencia del Derecho, asumiendo papel axial en sus procesos de construcción y concrección. En el marco de la llamada Escuela Iusfilosófica de Minas Gerais, investigase las interfaces (evidentemente interdisciplinares) entre lo (...) jurídico y lo ético. Al retomar la justicia, acabamos construyendo la experiencia del Imperio de los jueces, en el fenómeno llamado justicialización de la política. El gran riesgo de la Era de la Justicia es despolitizar el nomos y el Ethos, como pasa hoy en Brasil. En ese sentido, hay que asumirse la necesaria reconstitucionalización de Brasil, para impedirse el fortalecimiento de las prerrogativas autocráticas judiciales y bien así el vaciamiento de lo político, de lo ideológico y de lo democrático. Afirmase que una comprensión culturalista del Derecho podrá combater la desideologización del Estado y recuperar la dimensión ética del Derecho, sin expoliarlo de la política y la historicidad. (shrink)

We live in a digital era, which can be described in various aspects: the digitalization of analogue information storage, the emergence of web society, the replacement of the vertical mass communication model with horizontal social networks, the decrease in the influence of traditional media. The article deals with the main characteristics of the digital era: interactivity, momentariness, hypertextuality, and convergence. The discussion of social network phenomenon and traditional media crisis serves in revealing the following relevant issues of the information space: (...) the information content creation, dissemination, economic models, and changes in consumer behaviour. The oppositions between information reliability, freedom of speech, sociability and individuality are highlighted. (shrink)

With the publication of French Philosophy of the Sixties, Alain Renaut and Luc Ferry in 1985 launched their famous critique against canonical figures such as Foucault, Derrida, and Lacan, bringing under rigorous scrutiny the entire post-structuralist project that had dominated Western intellectual life for over two decades. Their goal was to defend the accomplishments of liberal democracy, particularly in terms of basic human rights, and to trace the reigning philosophers' distrust of liberalism to an "antihumanism" inherited mainly from Heidegger. In (...) The Era of the Individual, widely hailed as Renaut's magnum opus, the author explores the most salient feature of post-structuralism: the elimination of the human subject. At the root of this thinking lies the belief that humans cannot know or control their basic natures, a premise that led to Heidegger's distrust of an individualistic, capitalist modern society and that allied him briefly with Hitler's National Socialist Party. While acknowledging some of Heidegger's misgivings toward modernity as legitimate, Renaut argues that it is nevertheless wrong to equate modernity with the triumph of individualism. Here he distinguishes between individualism and subjectivity and, by offering a history of the two, powerfully redirects the course of current thinking away from potentially dangerous, reductionist views of humanity. Renaut argues that modern philosophy contains within itself two opposed ways of conceiving the human person. The first, which has its roots in Descartes and Kant, views human beings as subjects capable of arriving at universal moral judgments. The second, stemming from Leibniz, Hegel, and Nietzsche, presents human beings as independent individuals sharing nothing with others. In a careful recounting of this philosophical tradition, Renaut shows the resonances of these traditions in more recent philosophers such as Heidegger and in the social anthropology of Louis Dumont. Renaut's distinction between individualism and subjectivity has become an important issue for young thinkers dissatisfied with the intellectual tradition originating in Nietzsche and Heidegger. Moreover, his proclivity toward the Kantian tradition, combined with his insights into the shortcomings of modernity, will interest anyone concerned about today's shifting cultural attitudes toward liberalism. Originally published in 1997. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. (shrink)

This article argues that the neoclassical era in economics has ended and is being replaced by a new era. What best characterizes the new era is its acceptance that the economy is complex, and thus that it might be called the complexity era. The complexity era has not arrived through a revolution. Instead, it has evolved out of the many strains of neoclassical work, along with work done by less orthodox mainstream and heterodox economists. It is only in its beginning (...) stages. The article discusses the work that is forming the foundation of the complexity era, and how that work will likely change the way in which we understand economic phenomena and the economics profession. (shrink)