The present work critically examines two assumptions frequently stated by supporters of cognitive neuroenhancement. The first, explicitly methodological, assumption is the supposition of effective and side effect-free neuroenhancers. However, there is an evidence-based concern that the most promising drugs currently used for cognitive enhancement can be addictive. Furthermore, this work describes why the neuronal correlates of key cognitive concepts, such as learning and memory, are so deeply connected with mechanisms implicated in the development and maintenance of addictive behaviour so that (...) modification of these systems may inevitably run the risk of addiction to the enhancing drugs. Such a potential risk of addiction could only be falsified by in-depth empirical research. The second, implicit, assumption is that research on neuroenhancement does not pose a serious moral problem. However, the potential for addiction, along with arguments related to research ethics and the potential social impact of neuroenhancement, could invalidate this assumption. It is suggested that ethical evaluation needs to consider the empirical data as well as the question of whether and how such empirical knowledge can be obtained. (shrink)

An important distinction between phonology and syntax has been overlooked. All phonological patterns belong to the regular region of the Chomsky Hierarchy, but not all syntactic patterns do. We argue that the hypothesis that humans employ distinct learning mechanisms for phonology and syntax currently offers the best explanation for this difference.

Toleration and respect belong to those concepts that in contemporary political debates are very frequently used, but also misused. This review article is an attempt to enter these discussions and clarify the meaning of the concepts. It is done through reference to the most advanced theory on toleration today, by the German philosopher Rainer Forst. Since his approach allows for ill-considered implications, in the final part of my article I introduce arguments that question some of them. It seems too far-reaching (...) to presuppose an ongoing process of advancement in toleration. Furthermore, one cannot argue that we have to establish a ranking in universal morality at the bottom and the particular ethicality above. Forst, however, explains toleration as a balanced conflict between universally accepted moral norms and particular ethical world-views. (shrink)

Palaeontology is an historical science comparable to prehistory, archeology, and history, in that it deals with living beings from past times. The documents needed to write the history of life are the remains of organisms contained in geological deposits from the last four billion years. They are called “fossils.”.

Keine ausführliche Beschreibung für "Gott existiert" verfügbar.

Heimsoeth enters boldly into the historical drama of Western philosophical thought at its deepest level and tells a story focused not so much on actors as on the plot itself: the great metaphysical questions about philosophy and life.

A teoria da implicatura constitui o principal legado de Paul Grice aos modernos estudos da pragmática linguística. Embora associado à filosofia da linguagem ordinária, seu pensamento não se apresenta marcado pela aversão à sistematização teórica que, segundo se diz, caracterizou essa corrente filosófica. Pelo contrário, a obra do filósofo inglês, apesar de dispersa em artigos só postumamente reunidos em livro, constitui um esforço coerente e rigoroso de analisar os princípios que explicam o comportamento racional do homem. Este ensaio oferece uma (...) tentativa de interpretação da análise que ele propôs para o fenômeno da implicatura, buscando integrar tal análise, progressivamente, ao quadro mais geral de sua filosofia da linguagem e de sua psicologia filosófica. De passagem, é sugerida uma aproximação, quanto aos propósitos, entre o programa filosófico de Grice e certa ensaística crítica do poeta argentino Jorge Luis Borges, sugestão talvez surpreendente, mas que pode se mostrar instrutiva. (shrink)