Traditional studies have shown that the moral judgments are influenced by many biasing factors, like the consequences of a behavior, certain characteristics of the agent who commits the act, or the words chosen to describe the behavior. In the present study we investigated a new factor that could bias the evaluation of morally relevant human behavior: the perceived similarity between the participants and the agent described in the moral scenario. The participants read a story about a driver who illegally overtook (...) another car and hit a pedestrian who was crossing the street. The latter was taken to the hospital with a broken leg. The driver was described either as being similar to the participant (a student, 21 years old, the same gender as th­e participant) or dissimilar (a retired person, 69 years old, different gender as the participant). The results show that the participants from the increased similarity group expressed more lenient evaluations of the immorality of the driver’s behavior compared to the participants from the decreased similarity group. The results are discussed within a framework which puts emphasis on motivational and protective reasons. (shrink)

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is a groundbreaking regulatory framework that integrates technical concepts and terminology from the rapidly evolving ecosystems of AI research and innovation into the legal domain. Precise definitions accessible to both AI experts and lawyers are crucial for the legislation to be effective. This paper provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the concepts of AI system, general purpose AI system, foundation model and generative AI across the different versions of the legal text (Commission proposal, (...) Parliament position and Council General Approach) before the final political agreement. The goal is to help bridge the understanding of these key terms between the technical and legal communities and contribute to a proper implementation of the AI Act. We provide an analysis of the concept of AI system considering its scientific foundation and the crucial role that it plays in the regulation, which requires a sound definition both from legal and technical standpoints. We connect the outcomes of this discussion with the analysis of the concept of general purpose AI system and its evolution during the negotiations. We also address the distinct conceptual meanings of AI system vs AI model and explore the technical nuances of the term foundation model. We conclude that rooting the definition of foundation model to its general purpose capabilities following standardised evaluation methodologies appears to be most appropriate approach. Lastly, we tackle the concept of generative AI, arguing that definitions of AI system that include “content” as one of the system’s outputs already captures it, and concluding that not all generative AI is based on foundation models. (shrink)

O artigo trata da articulação entre a tratativa platônica acerca da escrita, notadamente no diálogo Fedro, e a letra de Clarice Lispector quando se propõe pensar o ato de escrever. Salvaguardadas as diferenças, o abismo temporal e o ponto de partida que está na criação literária e filosófica, a saber, todo o anacronismo de que faço uso para colocar Clarice e Platão em diálogo, o caráter vital, de uma escrita inquietante, forma e conteúdo ao mesmo tempo, não será essa também (...) a empreitada de escrita dos diálogos? Se for assim, como vamos construir um objeto filosófico em Platão que se enquadre nas duas margens? Como saberemos de que se trata essa filosofia? O objetivo é comparar a crítica de Platão, sugerindo que, diferente da leitura usual, de que o filósofo condena a escrita por se filiar à cultura da oralidade, aos textos em que Clarice propõe o ato de escrever como uma espécie de terapia da alma e como phármakon contra a incompreensão. Palavras-chave: Escrita; Farmácia; Filosofia; Literatura; Terapia. Clarice and Plato's pharmacy: writing and self-knowledge Abstract: The article deals with the articulation between Plato's dealings with writing, notably in the dialogue Fedro, and Clarice Lispector's texts when she proposes to think about the act of writing. Safeguarding the differences, the temporal abyss and the starting point that is in literary and philosophical creation, namely, all the anachronism that I use to put Clarice and Plato in dialogue, the vital character of a disturbing writing, form and content at the same time, isn't this also the task of writing the dialogues? If so, how are we going to construct a philosophical object in Plato that fits both sides? How do we know what this philosophy is about? The objective is to compare Plato's criticism, suggesting that, unlike the usual reading, that the philosopher condemns writing for being affiliated with the culture of orality, with the texts in which Clarice proposes the act of writing as a kind of therapy of the soul and as a pharmakon against misunderstanding. Key-words: Writing; Pharmacy; Philosophy; Literature; Therapy. La pharmacie de Clarice et Platon : écriture et connaissance de soi Résumé: L'article traite de l'articulation entre le rapport de Platon à l'écriture, notamment dans le dialogue Fedro, et les des textes de Clarice Lispector lorsqu'elle propose de penser l'acte d'écriture. Sauvegarder les différences, l'abîme temporel et le point de départ qui est dans la création littéraire et philosophique, à savoir tout l'anachronisme que j'utilise pour faire dialoguer Clarice et Platon, le caractère vital d'une écriture inquiétant, forme et fond à la fois, n'est-ce pas aussi le travail d'écriture des dialogues? Si oui, comment va-t-on construire chez Platon un objet philosophique qui va des deux côtés? Comment savons-nous de quoi parle cette philosophie? L'objectif est de confronter la critique de Platon, suggérant que, contrairement à la lecture habituelle, que le philosophe condamne l'écriture comme étant affiliée à la culture de l'oralité, avec les textes dans lesquels Clarice propose l'acte d'écrire comme une sorte de thérapie de l'âme et comme un pharmakon contre l'incompréhension. Mots-clés: Ecriture; Pharmacie; Philosophie; Littérature; Thérapie. Data de registro: 01/08/2023 Data de aceite: 30/102024. (shrink)

In this article I make a case for differentiating the process of decolonization in education from the process of dismantling the values of the empire and their continuing, subliminal role in our thought and practice (the gaze of the empire). I argue that ignoring the empire within (particularly the word ‘empire’ itself) is what sustains the colonial gaze and what constitutes decolonization’s greatest obstacle. I employ a poststructuralist, Foucauldian framework, which helps me explore notions of power and knowledge through language (...) and the gaze. To illuminate discussions, I make use of some of the historical context necessary to understand the spirit and the tragedy of empire, with its language as principal instrument, as well as some of the literary aspects (Magical Realism and poetry) that have been used to gaze at the colonized and redeem the conqueror. (shrink)

Background and ObjectiveThe outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 has raised increased challenges for older adults’ personal growth in diverse cultural settings. The aim of this study was to analyze negative emotions and their role on older adults’ self-growth in Mexico, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a cross-national qualitative research was carried out.MethodsData were collected from 338 community-dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Older adults were asked about negative emotions (...) that significantly contribute to their self-growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis was used to identify key themes.ResultsSeven main negative emotions significantly contributed to seven themes of self-growth, across the samples: sharing difficult experiences with others, supportive partner, spiritual practices, engagement with life, generativity, volunteering activities, and intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Sharing difficult experiences with others was most pertinent to Mexican and to Italian participants, and a supportive partner to Portuguese, and to Spanish participants.ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate that negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to their older adults’ self-growth. This study highlighted the cultural diversity of experiences during the pandemics and underlined the upside of negative emotions and its relation to older adults’ self-growth during this period. (shrink)

Journal of Philosophy of Education, EarlyView.

Environmental problems imply a dispute not only about what to do to solve them, but also about how these problems are defined or understood. These disputes involve different knowledge and approaches, and at the same time they are crossed by different interests, such as those mobilized by the private or business sectors. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the link between business strategies and knowledge asymmetries and omissions in a particular case: the socio-environmental problems related to bioethanol (...) production in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. For this purpose, an analysis of different written documents (judicial, academic, journalistic) and interviews with different social actors involved in the conflict were carried out. From the analysis, a hierarchization of the knowledge involved was observed, in which different levels of exclusion of knowledge led to certain approaches of Chemical Engineering being central to the judicial decisions taken. Likewise, different corporate strategies were recognized around the production and discussion of evidence in this conflict, highlighting the appeal to the multi-causality related to any polluting event. Finally, the phenomena of knowledge hierarchization and business strategies have worked together to dilute the company's responsibility for the reported damages and to allow the implementation of state measures that made possible the permanence of the factory in coexistence with residential dwellings. (shrink)

The New Alexandrian Library is to be inaugurated at the end of 1998 on the royal site of the great ancient metropolis, that is, on the site of the Museum founded by Ptolemy I to enclose his mythical collection of books. This ambitious project of a “public research library “ was undertaken on the initiative of the Egyptian government and has, since 1986, received the support of UNESCO.

The history of encyclopedism seeks to trace the metamorphoses and various cultural adaptations of three essential components. The first of these is an intellectual endeavor, reflecting the conception, hierarchy, and articulation of knowledge in a given society: How is the map of knowledge organized and defined? How do human thought and memory gather together and master all accessible knowledge? The second component can take the form of a material object, the encyclopedia - whether conceived as a book that unites the (...) knowledge found in all other books, or again as the body of texts that, though not titled as such, belong nevertheless to an encyclopedic genre. The last constituent of the trilogy consists of the group of practices that fan out between these two poles, between the intellectual endeavor and the material object, and contribute to collecting, shaping, and transmitting the knowledge in a given society and time. (shrink)

Aesthetics is commonly considered a complicated field of inquiry, particularly for students. Nevertheless, aesthetic experiences often raise questions about the nature of music which philosophical aesthetics is intended to answer. To bring students in contact with aesthetics depends primarily on the choice of appropriate methods. Case studies exemplify aesthetic theory in a small story. They can engage students in aesthetic inquiry directly related to students' musical world. Case studies also offer further applications to music education in terms of performing, improvising, (...) or giving pre-concert lectures. Music education could use the opportunities which aesthetics offers in order to enhance making music and aesthetic experiences. (shrink)

This is an anthology of writings about art, art history, esthetics, and art theory from the 18th to 20th century.

A Reader of Philosophy from its Ancient Beginnings to the 20th Century.

Burnout is a risk for many music teachers, particularly the highly successful and effective teachers. Burnout is more than a personal feeling of discomfort or fatigue. It is an attack on professional efficiency and personal integrity. Burnout is affecting male and female music teachers in different ways, because women tend to react to stress in other ways than men and are in a different position in schools, often suffering from the various roles they have both in professional and private life. (...) The school environment, which is often male dominated, output-oriented, and focused on achievement, is sometimes not a good place for a female music educator's creativity, intuition, and search for personal growth. This paper explores ways philosophy of music education can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of female music teachers' burnout, also offering opportunities for prevention or treatment. (shrink)

Heidegger’s Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics controversially claims that the A deduction is superior to the B deduction because the imagination, as the“common root” of understanding and sensibility, opens the first Critique to metaphysical ground. Drawing on Dieter Henrich, this paper reinterprets Heidegger’sreading by moving beyond the Analytic and taking the Dialectic into account. This suggests a continuity between the A and B deductions, namely that the imagination, as more than an ontic faculty, remains a basic power that keeps (...) open a metaphysics of being in Kant—a metaphysics whose site is a radicalized unity of transcendental apperception. Revisiting Heidegger in this way shows how Kant is both linked to and differentiated from German Idealism’s debate about the imagination, a position suggested in both Heidegger and recent scholarly discussion. (shrink)

This article examines the topic of protest mapping during the rise of Occupy Wall Street in the United States in 2011–2012. It focuses on various practices of protest mapping, including a con­sideration of how space (public, urban, or of the protest camp) is represented in the visual sources discussed. It also addresses the qualitative difference between protest mapping and other mapping practices, as well as the categorization of protest mapping terms. Using the method of source analysis and online research, the (...) article adopts, as its key concept for studying protest as a multi-threaded phenomenon, the notion of détournement. This concept was first described in 1957 by Gil Wolman and Guy Debord, and from the early 1960s was used as a creative method and also a revolutionary strategy by the avant-garde artistic group, the Situationist International. The categories of stasis, dynamism, and spatiality will also be important points of reference. (shrink)

Are WEIRD societies unrepresentative of humanity? According to Henrich et al., they are not useful for generalizing about humans because they are at the extreme end of the distribution for societal formations. In their vision, it is best to stick with the traditional societies for speculations about human nature. This commentary offers a more realistic starting point, and, oddly enough, concludes that WEIRD populations may be more compatible with humans' evolved nature than are most traditional societies.

En el marco del debate suscitado por el último libro de Tommaso Greco, la re-flexión se centrará en el doble sentido evocado en el título del presente trabajo: confiar en el derecho y en el papel que la confianza juega dentro de él. Frente a la perspectiva antropológico-jurídica dominante, fundada en la desconfianza, la sospecha y el temor, abordamos un paradigma alternativo, basado en la necesidad de fiarse del otro y en el establecimiento de lazos cooperativos, cuyo núcleo reside en (...) un sentido profundo de la responsabilidad, el compromiso y la solidaridad. La fiabilidad y la fidelidad aparecerán, a lo largo de este breve diálogo con el autor, como elementos internos e incluso constitutivos del derecho y, por tanto, algo así como su “centro de gravedad permanente”. (shrink)

AimThe aim was to explore the various associations between subjective well-being and internet use among older adults in two regions in Finland and Sweden.MethodsThe data was collected through a population-based survey as part of the GERDA project conducted in 2016. The connection between subjective well-being and internet use was studied by conducting binary regression analyses, calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. The analyses also controlled for key subjective well-being covariates.ResultsStatistically significant associations were found between perceived life meaningfulness and internet (...) use. When looking into the specific internet-based activities under study, activities related to leisure and entertainment showed statistically significant associations to perceived meaningfulness as well as perceived happiness, also after controlling for potential covariates. However, internet use and the different internet activities failed to show statistical significant associations to life satisfaction in the adjusted regression model.ConclusionThe things we do on the internet as well as how we conceptualize and measure subjective well-being in this type of research studies seem to matter when it comes to the relationship between subjective well-being and internet use in later life. Internet use and internet activities displayed various connections to the subjective well-being proxies used in this study. Therefore, the complexity and multidimensionality of both subjective well-being and internet use and related links need to be carefully explored in order to deepen our understanding of experienced well-being among older adults in a digitized world. (shrink)

The article presents an overview of the most interesting ideas, topics, and discussions among those constituting the problem field of social and political philosophy in post-Soviet Russia.

_The Bounds of Reason: Habermas, Lyotard & Melanie Klein on Rationality_ is a highly original yet accessible study of the debate between modernity and postmodernity. Emilia Steuerman clearly explains the modernity/postmodernity dispute by examining the problem that has driven the whole debate: whether the use of reason is an emancipatory or enslaving force. Steuerman clearly sets out this debate by critically examining the arguments of two of its key proponents, Jurgen Habermas and Jean-François Lyotard. She clearly explains Habermas' defence (...) of modernity and his attempt to salvage Enlightenment ideas of truth, justice, and freedom through the use of reason. She contrasts this with Lyotard's postmodernism and his scepticism about the use of reason, and its claims to universalism and objectivity. Throughout, Steuerman contrasts the Habermas-Lyotard debate with important insights from psychoanalytic theory, and shows how Habermas' notions of intersubjectivity and a community of shared language users can be compared and contrasted with Melanie Klein's theory of object relations. (shrink)

The commentaries by Warren Kinghorn and Giuseppe Butera provide me with the welcome opportunity to reaffirm and briefly address a concern that lies at the core of my work in recent years. It regards the lack of a metaphysical perspective and consequently metaphysically informed interventions, or what I recently came to term 'metaphysical care', in psychological and medical treatments when there are identifiable metaphysical assumptions at work both in clinicians and treated persons that affect the treatment and the well-being of (...) both. In the original article, this is exemplified in the failure of both psychotherapists and people affected by violence to operate with a metaphysically grounded... (shrink)

Do neuromodulation technologies change patients’ personal identities? Haeusermann et al. claim that there is not enough evidence to support this worry. In their study, participants, following a res...

Is medicalization always harmful? When does medicine overstep its proper boundaries? The aim of this article is to outline the pragmatic criteria for distinguishing between medicalization and over-medicalization. The consequences of considering a phenomenon to be a medical problem may take radically different forms depending on whether the problem in question is correctly or incorrectly perceived as a medical issue. Neither indiscriminate acceptance of medicalization of subsequent areas of human existence, nor criticizing new medicalization cases just because they are medicalization (...) can be justified. The article: (i) identifies various consequences of both well-founded medicalization and over-medicalization; (ii) demonstrates that the issue of defining appropriate limits of medicine cannot be solved by creating an optimum model of health; (iii) proposes four guiding questions to help distinguish medicalization from over-medicalization. The article should foster a normative analysis of the phenomenon of medicalization and contribute to the bioethical reflection on the boundaries of medicine. (shrink)

El estudio reflexiona sobre la relación entre la mística y la política a través del discurso de una serie de pensadoras contemporáneas que comprometieron su vida con la causa de los oprimidos y de las víctimas. Dorothy Day, Etty Hillesum, María Skobtsov, Edith Stein, Simone Weil y María Zambrano, con su escritura humanizadora y de resistente, nos proporcionan un mensaje con el que construir un pensamiento compasivo y poético para iluminar un mundo desencantado.

It has been alleged that Carolus Linnaeus practised Eurocentrism, sexism and racism in naming plant genera after famous botanists, and excluding ‘barbarous names’. He has therefore been said to practise ‘linguistic imperialism’. This paper examines whether Linnaeus applied ‘linguistic imperialism’ to the naming of Chinese plants. On the basis of examples such as Thea (¼Camellia), Urena, Basella, Annona, Sapindus (¼Koelreuteria), and Panax, I conclude that Linnaeus used generic names of diverse origins. However, he misidentified Chinese plants’ habitats, and acted on (...) these misapprehensions. (shrink)