I discuss Edouard Machery’s claim that philosophers and psychologists when using the term ‘concept’ are really theorizing about different things. This view is not new, but it has never been developed or defended in detail. Once spelled out, we can see that Machery is right that the psychological literature uses a different notion of concept. However, Machery fails to acknowledge that the two notions are not only compatible but complementary. This fits more with the traditional view according to which philosophers (...) and psychologists are merely interested in different aspects of the same kind. The main aim of this paper is then to show how precisely the two notions of ‘concept’ relate. Distinguishing them resolves the long-standing debate on whether concepts can be prototypes and allows me to formulate success conditions of a theory of categorization that are independent of the success conditions of a theory of concepts. (shrink)

In der analytischen Handlungstheorie streiten seit einigen Jahren Kausalisten und Teleologen über die angemessene Erklärung menschlichen Handelns aus Gründen. Mit Fokus auf das Problem abweichender Kausalketten zielt der Beitrag auf eine reflektierte Einschätzung des Stands dieses Disputs sowie der Vorzüge und Defizite der involvierten Ansätze und konstatiert ein Patt. Während Kausalisten ein kausaltheoretischer Begriff der Abweichung fehlt, ringen Teleologen mit der Abwägung kontrafaktischer Situationen.

Interference phenomena are a well-known and crucial feature of quantum mechanics, the two-slit experiment providing a standard example. There are situations, however, in which interference effects are (artificially or spontaneously) suppressed. We shall need to make precise what this means, but the theory of decoherence is the study of (spontaneous) interactions between a system and its environment that lead to such suppression of interference. This study includes detailed modelling of system-environment interactions, derivation of equations (‘master equations’) for the (reduced) state (...) of the system, discussion of time-scales etc. A discussion of the concept of suppression of interference and a simplified survey of the theory is given in Section 2, emphasising features that will be relevant to the following discussion (and restricted to standard non-relativistic particle quantum mechanics.[1] A partially overlapping field is that of decoherent histories, which proceeds from an abstract definition of loss of interference, but which we shall not be considering in any detail. (shrink)

In a recently published study combining transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG), an early component of TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs), i.e., M1-P15, was proposed as a measure of transcallosal inhibition between motor cortices. Given that early TEPs are known to be highly variable, further evidence is needed before M1-P15 can be considered a reliable index of effective connectivity. Here, we conceived a new preregistered TMS-EEG study with two aims. The first aim was validating the M1-P15 as a cortical index of transcallosal (...) inhibition by replicating previous findings on its relationship with the ipsilateral silent period (iSP) and with performance in bimanual coordination. The second aim was inducing a task-dependent modulation of transcallosal inhibition. A new sample of 32 healthy right-handed participants underwent behavioral motor tasks and TMS-EEG recording, in which left and right M1 were stimulated both during bimanual tasks and during an iSP paradigm. Hypotheses and methods were preregistered before data collection. Results show a replication of our previous findings on the positive relationship between M1-P15 amplitude and the iSP normalized area. Differently, the relationship between M1-P15 latency and bimanual coordination was not confirmed. Finally, M1-P15 amplitude was modulated by the characteristics of the bimanual task the participants were performing, and not by the contralateral hand activity during the iSP paradigm. In sum, the present results corroborate our previous findings in validating the M1-P15 as a cortical marker of transcallosal inhibition and provide novel evidence of its task-dependent modulation. Importantly, we demonstrate the feasibility of preregistration in the TMS-EEG field to increase methodological rigor and transparency. (shrink)

Modal knowledge accounts like sensitivity or safety face a problem when it comes to knowing propositions that are necessarily true because the modal condition is always fulfilled no matter how random the belief forming method is. Pritchard models the anti-luck condition for knowledge in terms of the modal principle safety. Thus, his anti-luck epistemology faces the same problem when it comes to logical necessities. Any belief in a proposition that is necessarily true fulfills the anti-luck condition and, therefore, qualifies as (...) knowledge. Miščević shares Pritchard’s take on epistemic luck and acknowledges the resulting problem. In his intriguing article “Armchair Luck: Apriority, Intellection and Epistemic Luck” Miščević suggests solving the problem by supplementing safety with a virtue theoretic condition-“agent stability”-which he also spells out in modal terms. I will argue that Miščević is on the right track when he suggests adding a virtue-theoretic component to the safety condition. However, it should not be specified modally but rather in terms of performances that manifest competences. (shrink)

In this paper, I defend the heterogeneity problem for sensitivity accounts of knowledge against an objection that has been recently proposed by Wallbridge in Philosophia. I argue in, 479–496, 2015) that sensitivity accounts of knowledge face a heterogeneity problem when it comes to higher-level knowledge about the truth of one’s own beliefs. Beliefs in weaker higher-level propositions are insensitive, but beliefs in stronger higher-level propositions are sensitive. The resulting picture that we can know the stronger propositions without being in a (...) position to know the weaker propositions is too heterogeneous to be plausible. Wallbridge objects that there is no heterogeneity problem because beliefs in the weaker higher-level propositions are also sensitive. I argue against Wallbridge that the heterogeneity problem is not solved but only displaced. Only some beliefs in the weaker higher-level propositions are sensitive. I conclude that the heterogeneity problem is one of a family of instability problems that sensitivity accounts of knowledge face and that Wallbridge’s account raises a further problem of this kind. (shrink)

Hassin recently proposed the “Yes It Can” (YIC) principle to describe the division of labor between conscious and unconscious processes in human cognition. According to this principle, unconscious processes can carry out every fundamental high-level cognitive function that conscious processes can perform. In our commentary, we argue that the author presents an overly idealized review of the literature in support of the YIC principle. Furthermore, we point out that the dissimilar trends observed in social and cognitive psychology, with respect to (...) published evidence of strong unconscious effects, can better be explained by the way how awareness is defined and measured in both research fields. Finally, we show that the experimental paradigm chosen by Hassin to rule out remaining objections against the YIC principle is unsuited to verify the new default notion that all high-level cognitive functions can unfold unconsciously. (shrink)

Invariantists argue that the notion of concept in psychology should be reserved for knowledge that is retrieved in a context-insensitive manner. Contextualists argue that concepts are to be understood in terms of context-sensitive ad hoc constructions. I review the central empirical evidence for and against both views and show that their conclusions are based on a common mischaracterization of both theories. When the difference between contextualism and invariantism is properly understood, it becomes apparent that the way the question of stability (...) is currently investigated will not lead to a consensus. Instead of focusing directly on stability, we should turn our attention to other desiderata on a theory of concepts. In particular, I show that invariantism, but not contextualism, fails to account for compositionality and abstract concepts. (shrink)

Cognitive load theory has been widely used to help understand the process of learning and to design teaching interventions. The Cognitive Load Scale developed by Leppink and colleagues has emerged as one of the most validated and widely used self-report measures of intrinsic load, extraneous load, and germane load. In this paper we investigated an expansion of the CLS by using a multidimensional conceptualization of the EL construct that is relevant for physical and online teaching environments. The Multidimensional Cognitive Load (...) Scale for Physical and Online Lectures goes beyond the CLS's operationalization of EL by expanding the EL component which originally included factors related to instructions/explanations with sub-dimensions including EL stemming from noises, and EL stemming from both media and devices within the environment. Through three studies, we investigated the reliability, and internal and external validity of the MCLS-POL using the Partial Credit Model, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and differences between students either attending a lecture physically or online. The results of Study 1 provide initial evidence for the validity and reliability of the MCLS-POL within a higher education sample, but also highlighted several potential improvements which could be made to the measure. These changes were made before re-evaluating the validity and reliability of the measure in a new sample of higher education psychology students, and psychological testing students. Together the studies provide evidence for a multidimensional conceptualization cognitive load and provide evidence of the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the MCLS-POL and provide suggestions for future research directions. (shrink)

Advances in assisted reproductive technologies can give rise to several ethical challenges. One of these challenges occurs when the reproductive desires of two individuals become incompatible and conflict. To address such conflicts, it is important to unbundle different aspects of (non)parenthood and to recognize the corresponding reproductive rights. This article starts on the premise that the six reproductive rights—the right (not) to be a gestational, genetic, and social parent—are negative rights that do not entail a right to assistance. Since terminating (...) or continuing a pregnancy is a form of assistance, the right (not) to be a gestational parent should enjoy primacy in conflicts. However, while refusing assistance may hinder the reproductive project of another person, “prior assistance” does not entitle someone to violate a reproductive right. Therefore, our analysis provides reasons to argue that someone has a right to unilaterally use cryopreserved embryos or continue the development of an entity in an extracorporeal gestative environment (i.e., ectogestation). Although this could lead to a violation of the right not to be a genetic parent, it does not necessarily entail a violation of the right not to be a social parent. (shrink)

Il fascino di un libro, tra Reuchlin e Bruno. -/- RINASCIMENTO ESOTERICO Speciale V centenario De arte cabalistica (1517-2017) -/- Nella sua rinomata libreria antiquaria, nel cuore di Firenze, Paolo Pampaloni sta sfogliando un grazioso volumetto in ottavo, rilegato in pelle scura. Si tratta di un esemplare del De incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum di Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim.

Fregeans and Russellians defend different conceptions on the truth-conditions of reports of attitude ascriptions. Very often, they appeal to our intuitions and to pragmatic aspects to support their view. In this paper I propose a principle of adequacy of attitude-ascriptions. In the first section, I review the old puzzle concerning the failure of the principle of substitution salva veritate in attitude ascriptions. In the second section, I present my principle, which is based on the claim that by choosing a designator (...) for an attitude-ascription a competent speaker is usually oriented by her supposition of the hearer’s epistemic state concerning the referent. In section 3, I apply my conception to some traditional tricky examples of attitude ascriptions in the literature. In section 4, I argue that even in non-standard situations (e.g. context of irony) a competent speaker must take into account the hearer’s epistemic state. Then, in the fifth section I suggest a consequence of my proposal for the discussion on exportation. Finally, in the concluding remarks I sketch some thoughts about the possibility of extending my pragmatic proposal to a semantic account of the truth-conditions of attitude-ascriptions. Keywords: Attitude ascriptions, exportation, contextualism, pragmatic adequacy. (shrink)

Este artigo pretende ser uma exposição crítica da teoria de ter-mos singulares de Russell. Nos seus textos sobre a semântica dos nomes próprios Russell defende uma forma mista de descritivismo . Infelizmente esses textos são extremamente imprecisos. Minha principal crítica será a con-fusão de Russell entre aspectos semânticos e epistemológicos.This paper is intended as a critical exposition of Russell’s theory of singular terms. In his texts about the semantics of proper names Rus-sell defends a mixted form of descritivism . Unfortunately (...) these texts are extremely imprecise. My main criticism aims Russell’s confusion between semantical and epistemological issues. (shrink)

These books are telling examples which demonstrate that at least some contemporary philosophers have again attained the high level of ‘scholastic’ sophistication which was typical of men like Aristotle, Diodorus Cronus, Chrysippus, Aquinas or Ockham. It can even be said that in an important respect this classical level has been surpassed: Prior’s presentation of the different calculi of tense logic in Past, Present and Future documents the recent progress of symbolic formalization in a domain where the classics had to struggle (...) laboriously with Greek or Latin sentences. (shrink)

Das vorliegende Buch enthaJt den Text einer Dissertation, die im Sommer-Semester 1970 von der Philosophischen Fakultat der Universitat Freiburg i. Br. angenommen wurde. An dieser Stelle mochte ich meinem Lehrer, Herrn Prof. Dr. Werner Marx, fUr die stete Forderung meiner Arbeit meinen zu­ tiefst empfundenen Dank aussprechen. Herrn Prof. Dr. H. L. Van Breda, O. F. M., Direktor des Husserl-Archivs zu Lowen, bin ich auch fUr seine Unterstutzung und die Erlaubnis, aus unver­ offentlichten Manuskripten Husserls zitieren zu durfen, besonders zu (...) Dank verpflichtet. Dank schulde ich auch dem "Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienst" fur die Gewahrung des Stipen­ diums, das die Abfassung dieser Arbeit ermoglichte. EINLEITUNG § I. Die "Reprrisentationstheorie" und das Form-Inhalt-Modell Die Repdisentationstheorie Husserls, die er zum ersten Mal in LUI formulierte, ist moglicherweise nicht die Grundidee, wohl aber eine der wichtigsten Hypothesen seiner erst en phanomeno­ logischen Untersuchungen. Sie muBte zwar mit der Entdeckung der transzendentalen Subjektivitat und der transzendentalen Konstitution einen neuen Sinn annehmen, indessen blieb der Hauptgedanke dabei stets derselbe: die Gegenstande unserer Er­ kenntnis stellen sich selbst aufgrund intuitiver Inhalte im Erleb­ nisstrom des BewuBtseins dar, wobei der intuitive Inhalt erst mittels einer subjektiv vollzogenen Auffassungssynthese zu einem 2 (den Gegenstand) darstellenden wird. Schon auf der untersten Erkenntnisstufe ist der intuitive Inhalt der bloBe Bestand an sinnlichen Merkmalen, welche "auBer der Auffassung" bloB "Empfindungsdaten" sind. (shrink)

Binding needs to be task dependent, and cannot usefully be driven by properties of the stimulus alone. However, task dependent binding can only take place after the patterns in a stimulus have been identified. Thus pattern recognition needs to be done prior to binding. Synchronisation may be a consequence of pattern recognition and can be used to localise the pattern and tag its attributes at different levels of information processing.

As Jasper Reid argues in his book, there are plenty of reasons for taking More’s philosophy seriously, both as an example of early modern metaphysics and a speculative effort in its own terms. More’s metaphysics was experimental, fictional, and theological at once, for it deliberately and passionately engages with the study of nature, stories of preternatural apparitions and the mysteries of revealed religion. More’s philosophical inquiry feeds on experiments, stories, and visions, and these become an organic part of his metaphysical (...) equipment. This, of course, was a hazardous and edgy undertaking, which no doubt contributed to the bad... (shrink)

For the majority of people, death is a threat and the very idea of being dead a vexation. Dying is usually associated with pain which never goes away, pain which is the source of one’s anxiety. Bringing a child into this world can also be a painful process, and sometimes requires surgical procedures, but after a time the pain goes away and one can resume one’s normal life. The pain that leads to death, however, is a definitive pain, a final (...) experience which can no longer bear fruit. Death is haunted by the ghost of annihilation, of no longer existing, of an enduring frustration that human history will continue, perhaps even quite satisfactorily, without us.The mysterious and unknown dimension which surrounds the event of death, and what follows in its wake, is a threat to most human beings and a source of anxiety. No one likes the idea of ‘not knowing’ what will happen next, that curiosity is left unfulfilled.When the ‘expiry date’ is more or less established and approaching fast, something of a psychological crisis situation is induced in many people’s lives, one which in most circumstances has been latent all the while. Such a crisis can sometimes express itself in moments of troubled questioning. The three classical questions — in ‘philosophical crescendo’ — are: Can one expect anything after death, and if so, what? After death, will one have to give an account for the way one has lived this life? Is it really normal that one must die? (shrink)

Pincione argues that procedural constitutional guarantees of market freedoms best protect individuals from domination. If he is right, Philip Pettit's claim that various forms of state interference with private markets are needed to forestall domination will prove to be unwarranted. Pincione further contends that market freedoms are best protected by procedural rules for political decision-making, as opposed to constitutional guarantees of private property and other substantive rules.Central to his position are claims that the dispersion of economic power precludes domination, and (...) that free entry into markets furthers such dispersion. As against the idea that the state is in a better position to disperse economic power, Pincione argues that the constitutional provisions needed to implement that idea are contestable, and to that extent require interpretive powers that themselves involve domination. Only a constitution that, as a side effect of its procedures for political decision making, generates full private property rights holds out hope of shielding citizens from domination. This is so, because a plurality of suppliers of goods and services is a structural feature of the free market, in a sense of “structural” that matters for measurements of domination based on fairly uncontroversial claims about persons and resources. (shrink)

Due to the fact that advertising is produced, distributed, and received together with other elements of mass media, it stands to reason to include advertising in the media system – as did Niklas Luhmann. Given that most advertising is for commercial purposes, however, one might as well model advertising as a subsystem of the economica system – as did Siegfried J. Schmidt. Most advertising is indeed commercial, yet advertising is not necessarily limited to commercial purposes. Advertising neither follows the guiding (...) values of the media system nor those of the economic system exclusively. Therefore, advertising can reasonably be regarded as an autonomous social system – as did Guido Zurstiege. To emphasize the fact that, as a service provider, advertising has to account for different system logics, it can also be considered a zone in which the guiding principles of different systems are brought down to a common denominator – Gabiel Siegert and Dieter Brecheis have explicated this approach. Against the background of these four different systems theoretical approaches to advertising research this paper focuses on the power struggles and conflicts inherent in the advertising process. (shrink)

This article discusses how cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) for sustainability manage the paradoxical tension between stakeholder inclusiveness and administrative efficiency. Drawing on qualitative data from a case study of a CSP focused on urban sustainability, we show how the inclusiveness–efficiency paradox unfolded throughout the studied collaboration. We discuss how the paradox reemerged in a different guise within each phase of the partnership and how three practices of paradox management helped actors to cope with the tension: “customized inviting” (during the formation phase), (...) “sequential including” (during the preparation phase), and “tailored instructing” (during the implementation phase). On the basis of these findings, we argue that (a) the paradox reoccurred throughout the phases of the CSP because the three paradox management practices accentuated boundaries, thereby helping to resolve the paradox temporarily while at the same time creating grounds for the paradox to resurface, and (b) that the three paradox management practices can be theorized as a special type of boundary work that “plays up” relevant differences between actor groups and thereby ensures collaboration. (shrink)

Il saggio propone alcune osservazioni a margine delle tre lezioni tenute dal giudice federale statunitense Guido Calabresi a Macerata nel 2012. Le lezioni riguardano l'organizzazione delle corti di giustizia federale negli Stati Uniti, la forma e il ruolo delle sentenze giudiziarie all'interno di un sistema federale e il rapporto che intrattiene con la pena di morte un giudice a essa decisamente contrario. Secondo Melis queste lezioni restituiscono in maniera straordinariamente viva e precisa la struttura del sistema giudiziario e, al (...) tempo stesso, l'esperienza soggettiva di un giudice. (shrink)

Modern society is challenged by a loss of efficiency in national governance systems values, and lifestyles. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse builds upon a conception of organizational legitimacy that does not appropriately reflect these changes. The problems arise from the a-political role of the corporation in the concepts of cognitive and pragmatic legitimacy, which are based on compliance to national law and on relatively homogeneous and stable societal expectations on the one hand and widely accepted rhetoric assuming that all members (...) of society benefit from capitalist production on the other. We therefore propose a fundamental shift to moral legitimacy, from an output and power oriented approach to an input related and discursive concept of legitimacy. This shift creates a new basis of legitimacy and involves organizations in processes of active justification vis-à-vis society rather than simply responding to the demands of powerful groups. We consider this a step towards the politicization of the corporation and attempt to re-embed the debate on corporate legitimacy into its broader context of political theory, while reflecting the recent turn from a liberal to a deliberative concept of democracy. (shrink)

Cognitive Science, Volume 46, Issue 5, May 2022.