Necesitamos una nueva economía del agua que se atreva a ver y a abordar las cuestiones que son relevantes en el contexto actual con los conceptos que sean adecuados para ese contexto. Ya no estamos en España en una economía agraria expansionista que necesita más embalses y trasvases para satisfacer las “necesidades” de los pobres agricultores. Al contrario, necesitamos gestionar el agua. La razón es que la escasez ya no tiene sólo un origen estrictamente físico (llueve poco) sino que es, (...) fundamentalmente, de carácter económico y social (despilfarramos el agua). El reconocimiento de este diagnóstico, a pesar de toda la confusión creada institucionalmente, exige cambiar las preguntas y los conceptos que son funcionales para la comprensión real y adecuada de las alternativas existentes que no van sólo a ser técnicas sino, también, de organización social. (shrink)

To make the case for non-conceptualism, Heck draws on an apparent dichotomy between linguistic and iconic representations. According to Heck, whereas linguistic representations have conceptual content, the content of iconic representations is non-conceptual. Based on the case of cartographic systems, the authors criticize Heck’s dichotomous distinction. They argue that maps are composed of semantically arbitrary elements that play different syntactic roles. Based on this, they claim that maps have a predicative structure and convey conceptual content. Finally, the authors argue that, (...) despite their differences, maps and sentences can logically interact with each other through heterogeneous inferences. These considerations not only challenge the view that conceptual content and inferential processes necessarily involve linguistic representations; furthermore, they provide a new perspective for thinking about maps, their semantics and syntax, and their interaction with linguistic systems. (shrink)

This article explores the issues of phenomenon and genesis in Early Buddhist thought through a comparative analysis with the Eleatic tradition, aiming to enrich the understanding and dialogue between these philosophical and religious traditions. By examining the comparability of Buddhist thought and Parmenidean philosophy, the study challenges the notion that these traditions are fundamentally alien to each other. The focus is on the concept of genesis, not as creation from nothingness—rejected by both the Buddha and Parmenides—but as the manifestation of (...) the world to the human observer. The article argues that the world reveals itself in particular forms and appearances, which are intimately linked to the phenomenon and its perception by humans. This process is not solely a domain of rigid logical propositions but can be expressed through mythological and religious narratives. The study posits that the poetic expressiveness found in archaic philosophies of both India and Greece provides a valid medium for engaging in philosophical discourse. By adopting this comparative and dialogical perspective, the article aims to generate new philosophical insights and inspire future philosophical inquiry. The reflection on phenomenon and genesis, framed through this comparative lens, highlights the nuanced ways in which different traditions address the nature of reality and human perception, ultimately advocating for a broader, more inclusive understanding of philosophy that transcends conventional boundaries. (shrink)

This article explores the issues of phenomenon and genesis in Early Buddhist thought through a comparative analysis with the Eleatic tradition, aiming to enrich the understanding and dialogue between these philosophical and religious traditions. By examining the comparability of Buddhist thought and Parmenidean philosophy, the study challenges the notion that these traditions are fundamentally alien to each other. The focus is on the concept of genesis, not as creation from nothingness—rejected by both the Buddha and Parmenides—but as the manifestation of (...) the world to the human observer. The article argues that the world reveals itself in particular forms and appearances, which are intimately linked to the phenomenon and its perception by humans. This process is not solely a domain of rigid logical propositions but can be expressed through mythological and religious narratives. The study posits that the poetic expressiveness found in archaic philosophies of both India and Greece provides a valid medium for engaging in philosophical discourse. By adopting this comparative and dialogical perspective, the article aims to generate new philosophical insights and inspire future philosophical inquiry. The reflection on phenomenon and genesis, framed through this comparative lens, highlights the nuanced ways in which different traditions address the nature of reality and human perception, ultimately advocating for a broader, more inclusive understanding of philosophy that transcends conventional boundaries. (shrink)

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is said to pose many risks, be they catastrophic, existential and otherwise. This paper discusses whether the notion of risk can apply to AGI, both descriptively and in the current regulatory framework. The paper argues that current definitions of risk are ill-suited to capture supposed AGI existential risks, and that the risk-based framework of the EU AI Act is inadequate to deal with truly general, agential systems.

John S. Bell introduced the notion of beable, as opposed to the standard notion of observable, in order to emphasize the need for an unambiguous formulation of quantum mechanics. In the paper I show that Bell formulated in fact two different theories of beables. The first is somehow reminiscent of the Bohr views on quantum mechanics but, at the same time, is curiously adopted by Bell as a critical tool against the Copenhagen interpretation, whereas the second, more mature formulation was (...) among the sources of inspiration of the so-called Primitive Ontology (PO) approach to quantum mechanics, an approach inspired to scientific realism. In the first part of the paper it is argued that, contrary to the Bell wishes, the first formulation of the theory fails to be an effective recipe for addressing the ambiguity underlying the standard formulation of quantum mechanics, whereas it is only the second formulation that successfully paves the way to the PO approach. In the second part, I consider how the distinction between the two formulations of the Bell theory of beables fares vis-a-vis the complex relationship between the theory of beables and the details of the PO approach. (shrink)

Our aim in this paper is to take quite seriously Heinz Post’s claim that the non-individuality and the indiscernibility of quantum objects should be introduced right at the start, and not made a posteriori by introducing symmetry conditions. Using a different mathematical framework, namely, quasi-set theory, we avoid working within a label-tensor-product-vector-space-formalism, to use Redhead and Teller’s words, and get a more intuitive way of dealing with the formalism of quantum mechanics, although the underlying logic should be modified. We build (...) a vector space with inner product, the Q-space, using the non-classical part of quasi-set theory, to deal with indistinguishable elements. Vectors in Q-space refer only to occupation numbers and permutation operators act as the identity operator on them, reflecting in the formalism the fact of unobservability of permutations. Thus, this paper can be regarded as a tentative to follow and enlarge Heinsenberg’s suggestion that new phenomena require the formation of a new “closed” (that is, axiomatic) theory, coping also with the physical theory’s underlying logic and mathematics. (shrink)

This paper reviews the different meanings of vulnerability in the AI Act (AIA). We show that the AIA follows a rather established tradition of looking at vulnerability as a trait or a state of certain individuals and groups. It also includes a promising account of vulnerability as a relation but does not clarify if and how AI changes this relation. We spot the missing piece of the AIA: the lack of recognition that vulnerability is an inherent feature of all human-AI (...) interactions, varying in degree based on design choices and modes of interaction. Finally, we show how such a meaning of vulnerability may be incorporated into the AIA by interpreting the concept of “specific social situation” in Article 5 (b). (shrink)

The concept of individuality in quantum mechanics shows radical differences from the concept of individuality in classical physics, as E. Schrödinger pointed out in the early steps of the theory. Regarding this fact, some authors suggested that quantum mechanics does not possess its own language, and therefore, quantum indistinguishability is not incorporated in the theory from the beginning. Nevertheless, it is possible to represent the idea of quantum indistinguishability with a first-order language using quasiset theory (Q). In this work, we (...) show that Q cannot capture one of the most important features of quantum non-individuality, which is the fact that there are quantum systems for which particle number is not well defined. An axiomatic variant of Q, in which quasicardinal is not a primitive concept (for a kind of quasisets called finite quasisets), is also given. This result encourages the searching of theories in which the quasicardinal, being a secondary concept, stands undefined for some quasisets, besides showing explicitly that in a set theory about collections of truly indistinguishable entities, the quasicardinal needs not necessarily be a primitive concept. (shrink)

Generics (e.g., “Ravens are black”) express generalizations about categories or their members. Previous research found that generics about animals are interpreted as broadly true of members of a kind, yet also accepted based on minimal evidence. This asymmetry is important for suggesting a mechanism by which unfounded generalizations may flourish; yet, little is known whether this finding extends to generics about groups of people (heretofore, “social generics”). Accordingly, in four preregistered studies (n = 665), we tested for an inferential asymmetry (...) for generics regarding novel groups of animals versus people. Participants were randomly assigned to either an Implied Prevalence task (given a generic, asked to estimate the prevalence of a property) or a Truth-Conditions task (given prevalence information, asked whether a generic was true or false). A generic asymmetry was found in both domains, at equivalent levels. The asymmetry also extended to properties varying in valence (dangerous and neutral). Finally, there were differences as a function of property valence in the Implied Prevalence task and a small but consistent interaction between domain and prevalence in the Truth-Conditions task. We discuss the implications of these results for the semantics of generics, theoretical accounts of the asymmetry, and the relation between generics and stereotyping. (shrink)

Critical thinking about international politics often involves reasoning about the beliefs, goals, appraisals, actions, and plans of actors such as countries, governments, politicians, etc. We analyzed arguments in interpretive reports about international politics, in order to develop a prototype argument diagramming tool for this domain, AVIZE (Argument Visualization and Evaluation). The purpose of AVIZE is to aid users in the construction and self-evaluation of real-world arguments in the domain of international politics. AVIZE provides a set of argument schemes as cognitive (...) building blocks for constructing argument diagrams. Most of the schemes are related to concepts from the field of automated plan recognition in artificial intelligence. While some currently available argument diagramming tools provide schemes, they are not tailored to the domain of international politics. This paper describes the argument schemes for this domain and the design of the argument diagramming tool. (shrink)

This article suggests that Buber's idea of the community may hint at an alternative to the more common foundations of political thought, usually grounded on notions of power or rationality. Showing how Buber's idea of the community developed from a neo-romantic form (in his early writings) to a principle informed by the dialogical dimension of human life (from I and Thou onwards), I will point out the vertical dimension of political life ensuing from Buber's discourse. A discussion of the theopolitical (...) principle as expressed in Buber's Kingship of God will lead to the conclusion that, both descriptively and normatively, politics needs an openness to transcendence. (shrink)

The article delves into the need for an anthropological exploration of consciousness in the modern context. While anthropology's core focus has always been the study of the human subject, this study argues that consciousness has emerged as a fundamental aspect that underpins all human phenomena. The historical trajectory of anthropology, from its positivist leanings to contemporary shifts like the phenomenological and ontological turns, is examined to highlight the evolving perspective on subjectivity and alterity. The author's ethnographic studies, particularly within the (...) realm of contemplative practices like traditional Buddhist meditation and mindfulness, reveal a crucial connection between consciousness and anthropological inquiry, challenging the inherent bias and dualistic thinking within anthropology, particularly concerning the dichotomy of self and other, evident even in studies of meditation. The proposal of “mindful ethnography” is introduced as a means to transcend this dualism, drawing inspiration from Buddhist philosophy. The study presents consciousness as a central concern for anthropology, calling for a reevaluation of traditional frameworks and the adoption of a more mindful and non-dualistic approach to anthropological research. Through a thorough investigation of consciousness, the article seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of human experience and reshape the trajectory of anthropological inquiry in a modern context. (shrink)

This paper presents the past and present efforts of developing real-life applications of argumentation with the Gorgias preference-based structured argumentation framework of Logic Programming with Priorities. Since its free availability on the web in 2003, the Gorgias system has been used by different groups in a variety of real-life applications in areas such as medical support, network security, business computing, ambient intelligence and, recently, in the area of cognitive personal assistants. We briefly review the Gorgias framework and its past applications (...) and present an emerging general methodological approach for developing “decision making” applications of argumentation. This approach allows the development of real world applications directly from their high-level requirements expressed in the language of the application without the need for familiarity with the underlying technical details of argumentation. A new tool, called Gorgias-B, supports this high-level development of applications and automatically generates the underlying argumentation theory in Gorgias code. The paper also reports on ongoing real-life applications in two domains: an eye-clinic assistant for first level support, and systems for patient data access and data sharing agreements according to the relevant legislation and contracts or policies of the several stakeholders involved. The proposed approach is quite general for this type of applications of argumentation and, thus, it can be used with any preference-based argumentation framework. (shrink)

The ANGELIC methodology was developed to encapsulate knowledge of particular legal domains. In this paper we describe its use to build a full scale practical application intended to be used internally by Weightmans, a large firm of legal practitioners with branches throughout the UK. We describe the domain, Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), the intended task, the sources used, the stages in development and the resulting application. An assessment of the project and its potential for further development is discussed. The (...) project shows that current academic research using computational models of argument can prove useful to legal practitioners confronted by real legal tasks. (shrink)

This paper connects two notions: Hart and Mas-Colell’s ‘potential’, related to the value of coalitional games, and Coleman’s earlier notion of ‘power of a collectivity to act’, related to the easiness to make decisions by means of a voting rule.

1. As Graham Priest claims in Priest (forthcoming), blocking semantic paradoxes is not hard. It just requires giving up (at least) one of the principles involved in the derivation of the undesirabl...

Comment on Joseph Raz, From Normativity to Responsibility.

Zusammenfassung Dieser Aufsatz untersucht Emil Lasks kritische Auseinandersetzung mit der Philosophie Johann Gottlieb Fichtes, insbesondere bezüglich der Konzeptualisierung von Irrationalität und Realität im Rahmen der transzendentalen Philosophie. Lask interpretiert Fichtes Ansatz zu Wissen und Realität durch eine einzigartige Perspektive und vertritt die Ansicht, dass die Realität, obwohl sie jenseits des Wissens existiert, dieses von einer externen, doch integralen Perspektive aus formt. Diese Interaktion spiegelt eine fundamentale Irrationalität wider, die dem Ursprung des Wissens innewohnt und empirische Grenzen übersteigt. Der Aufsatz hebt (...) hervor, wie Fichte und Lask die traditionellen Grenzen des Rationalismus und Realismus herausfordern, indem sie ein dynamisches Zusammenspiel zwischen dem Rationalen und dem Irrationalen vorschlagen. Lasks Analyse belebt nicht nur Fichtes Ideen neu, sondern leistet auch einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur aktuellen Debatte über Realismus, indem sie für ein philosophisches Verständnis wirbt, das die nicht-empirischen Dimensionen der Realität und ihre wertgetriebenen Implikationen berücksichtigt. (shrink)

O presente trabalho visa mostrar a diferença substancial entre o projeto de psicologia descritiva de Brentano e a fenomenologia transcendental de Husserl e seu impacto na filosofia contemporânea da consciência. Em particular, consideraremos a questão da autorreflexividade da primeira pessoa ou, em outras palavras, o problema da referência do deíctico “eu” do ponto de vista da fenomenologia. Duas teorias de nível único, a teoria da consciência pré-reflexiva e a teoria da autorrepresentação, serão analisadas bem como a relação entre a consciência (...) fenomênica e a intencionalidade. (shrink)

This paper offers a critical assessment of the Successive Addition Argument (SAA) in support of past finitism, i.e., the thesis that the past of the universe is finite in duration. This old philosophical argument, re-popularized by William Lane Craig in modern times, contends that the universe’s past cannot be infinite because an infinite series cannot be formed by successive addition. I first address a recently popular objection to the argument, namely the Zeno Objection, showing that it can be easily dismissed (...) once each addition is taken to have the same duration. Nevertheless, I contend that the _onus_ of the proof lies on those who propose the SAA, and that their main argumentative strategies fail. Indeed, many of their arguments are based on the supposedly uncontroversial claim that one cannot traverse the infinite by starting somewhere. I argue that a complete traversal of the infinite, with a beginning infinitely far from its end, is logically and metaphysically possible. Other popular arguments against traversed infinities are based on thought experiments such as the backward counter or the Tristram Shandy thought experiments. I argue that, once infinitely far beginnings are granted, none of the arguments based on such thought experiments prove effective, so that the SAA must be rejected. (shrink)

Recently, there has been much debate about the role and nature of political theories. Jeremy Waldron has argued that we misconstrue a theory’s purpose if we summarize it in terms of ‘What Plato Would Allow’, because a normative theory is a conceptual exploration and should not be reduced to a policy wish list. To make sense of such phrases beyond Waldron’s critique, this paper provides some conceptual tools to clarify the practical purpose of normative political theories. First, it draws on (...) Bernard Williams’ distinction between the enactive and structural models in political theory. Second, it seeks to reconstruct normative political theories as sets of speech acts having an illocutionary point that expresses the relation between theory and practice. Third, the paper outlines five types of illocutionary points (Intervention, Justification, Reconciliation, Critique, and Imagination of alternatives). The idea of an illocutionary point can make sense of the practical import of a theory in a multifaceted manner and without subscribing to a specific conception of practicality. (shrink)

Il principio di ripetizione ricopre un ruolo fondamentale in ogni forma d’espressione musicale e rappresenta uno dei più comuni ed efficaci espedienti compositivi. Oscillando fra stasi e movimento, i processi iterativi e le sequenze modulari influenzano in modo determinante la percezione dello spazio e del tempo e sfidano l’aspettativa dell’ascoltatore, originando architetture labirintiche e ossessive, e moduli ipnotici, che generano un impatto sulla sfera emotiva del fruitore. Il contributo esamina in chiave interdisciplinare l’impiego sistematico della ripetizione nella musica per violino (...) di due dei massimi violinisti compositori attivi nel tardo Seicento nell’area a cavallo delle Alpi: Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704) e Carlo Ambrogio Lonati (c. 1645-post1701). Entrambi, secondo modalità analoghe o difformi, sfruttarono la ripetizione tanto per sfidare la perizia esecutiva dell’interprete, quanto per consolidare, disgregare o rimodulare l’architettura formale e temporale delle composizioni, proponendo una bizzarra e ingegnosa disposizione degli episodi musicali. L’analisi di alcuni esempi di particolar rilievo e il confronto fra i due compositori permetterà di evidenziare un ventaglio di atteggiamenti ed espedienti compositivi, fornendo chiavi di lettura applicabili ad altri repertorî musicali e ambiti della conoscenza. (shrink)

The article contends that by cultivating the disposition of pedagogical tact, it is possible to encourage an ecological renewal of educational practices. Pedagogical tact will be introduced primarily through an episode involving jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and his mentor Miles Davis, which will be interpreted as an exemplar of tactful teaching. In this episode, the main features of the contemporary debate surrounding pedagogical tact will be presented. Subsequently, it will be asserted that pedagogical tact, as demonstrated by Davis, pertains to (...) a form of relationship not only with the mentee but also with the world. Finally, the argument will be made that a form of world-centered pedagogical tact aids in overcoming the rigid distinction among teacher, learner, and world, in favor of a reciprocal and ecological interchange. (shrink)

Resumen: Este trabajo examina uno de los argumentos más relevantes empleado para justificar que los integrantes de una misma comunidad política se deban mutuamente deberes de justicia distributiva más exigentes y fuertes que lo que tienen respecto al resto de seres humanos, hasta el punto de justificar un sistema de fronteras cerradas similar al actual. Se trata del que cabría denominar como “argumento de la singularidad de la coacción estatal”. El mismo asume como premisa empírica que dicha coacción es estructural (...) y funcionalmente diferente a la que podamos encontrar en el ámbito internacional, incluida la que se ejerce a través de la prevención y represión directa de la entrada de personas a una determinada comunidad política por medio de los controles fronterizos. Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine one of the most relevant arguments among those used to justify that the members of the same political community owe each other more demanding and strong distribu- tive justice duties than they have with respect to other human beings, to the point of justify a system of closed borders similar to the current one. It is the one that could be denominated like "argument of the singularity of the state coercion". It assumes as an empirical premise that such coercion is structurally and functionally different from what we can find in the international arena, including that which is exercised through the direct prevention and repression of the entry of persons into a given political community by means of border controls. (shrink)

Resumen : Habermas realiza una contribución significativa a los estudios urbanos y a las ciencias de la educación. El mundo urbano representa un verdadero reto para la racionalidad comunicativa. La vida en las ciudades latinoamericanas parece ser, hasta cierto punto, un caos de códigos lingüísticos y de símbolos, donde mucha gente actúa de un modo individualista y apático. De ahí que sea difícil esperar que los habitantes urbanos sean capaces de cooperar mutuamente a fin de construi rsu sociedad sobre la (...) base de argumentos racionales y del consenso. Con todo, las ciudades son lugares en los que la comunicación alcanza grandes niveles de desarrollo. Una educación orientada comunicativamente, con la cual los estudiantes aprendan a argumentar persiguiendo un consenso fundamentado racionalmente en medio de la diversidad, puede ser un elemento decisivo para hacer de la acionalidad comunicativa una opción considerable para construir una mejor sociedad urbana. Palabras-clave : Habermas. Estudios urbanos. Educación. Teoría social. Consenso: Habermas makes a significant contribution to urban studies and education sciences. The urban worldrepresents a real challenge to communicative rationality. The life in Latin American cities seems to be, as it were, a chaos of linguistic codes and symbols, where many people act in an individualistic and apathetic way. It is therefore difficult to expect urban dwellers be able to cooperate with each other in order to build their society on the basis of rational arguments and consensus. However, cities are places where communication attains great levels of development. A communicative orientated education, in which students learn to argue pursuing a rationally founded consensus amid diversity, can be a decisive element to make communicative rationality a noteworthy option to build a better urban society. Keywords: Habermas. Urban studies.Education. Social theory. Consensus. (shrink)

Food systems are influenced by discourses held by individuals and institutions. Market oriented food security and food sovereignty are frequently presented as co-existing discourses in food systems. This paper documents how smallholder farmers embody market food security and food sovereignty discourses in their agricultural practices, and how these discourses prevent new forms of agriculture from developing given socio-political and institutional rigidity. A human ecology systems framework is used to analyse semi-structured interviews with 39 coconut producing smallholder farmers from Leyte, The (...) Philippines. The results document how smallholders perceive market food security discourse as the main way out of food insecure situations, and thus continue to seek institutional support for maintaining a coconut based agricultural system. Farmers also perceive elements of the food sovereignty discourse, notably decision-making agency and agricultural diversification, as parallel strategies to improve their food security. The ongoing support for coconut production and inequitable access to training and knowledge in rural systems traps farmers into an agricultural system influenced by a long history of colonial institutions and social structures. The paper demonstrates that farmers are aware of the interventions required to diversify food systems towards higher value commodities, yet sovereignty is unlikely to be enabled due to maladaptive institutions and the associated access to new training and extension opportunities. The use of human ecology advances food scholarship through embedding a systems analysis into qualitative studies to reveal the influence of food discourses on food systems’ behaviour and outcomes. (shrink)

It is often assumed that analytic philosophy cannot be treated in a Kuhnian way, since what characterizes philosophical practice is not a disciplinary matrix with paradigmatic exemplars of theoretical and empirical problem solving. We propose to challenge this assumption by arguing that at least in some areas of analytic philosophy one can find disciplinary matrices in the Kuhnian sense and, above all, exemplary cases that give rise to a metatheoretical problem-solving program. In particular, we will focus on meta-theoretical structuralism and (...) its notion of T theoricity. We will show that the work of historical-philosophical analysis carried out by Lorenzano (2008) is a paradigmatic example that has been replicated by several subsequent works, extending the range of application of the disciplinary matrix. (shrink)

The law of coherence helps us understand the physical force behind the increasing complexity of the evolutionary process, from quanta, to cells, to self-awareness and collective consciousness. The coherent electromagnetic field is the inner glue of every system, the "intelligent" energy-information communication that assures a cooperative and synergic behavior to all the components of the system, as a whole, allowing harmonious evolution and unity of consciousness. Neuropsychological experiments show that the different brain areas communicate with more or less coherence according (...) to different states of consciousness: high values are correlated with states of psychophysical integrity and well-being, whereas low values with states of conflict and depression. If we expand isomorphically these brain discoveries, we will have four main general states of coherence: from disgregation to unity, which represents an important element, in the General System Theory, to differentiate between inanimate and animate system, and to understand how billions cells become a single living organism, and then how billions of human beings could eventually generate planetary consciousness. In this light the resolution of the global ecosystem crisis implicates human transformation from a low to a highly coherent state of consciousness. The key to the entire process seems to be the coherent nature of consciousness. (shrink)