The “flusserian” phenomenology regards itself as a process, a strategy and, sirnultaneously as a criticism: it would be named an “interrogative phenomenology” or paraphenomenology whose researches are authentic points of “repere”, features that distinguish boundaries and establish paths, connecting them in referential webs that creatively construct a describing and interpretative map of our experience such as it really is. Thus, it is a phenomenology supported by hermeneutics, being its purpose onto-existential. The proposed analysis, from the problematic core of the phenomenological (...) questioning, is that of grabbing the attention to something always expressed and, quite often, ignored or indifferent: a reftection on the gesture. This possible philosophy of the gesture enables the understanding of the relationship of a society/civilization in which the abyss between real and virtual was nullified, where it is possible to think things (Dinge) and the non-things/non-objects (Undinge), as much absurd as this last expression may seem. More important, though, is the openness to the understanding of a new emerging human condition and the strangeness of a society ruled by non-historical criteria: the entrance to the so called post-history. (shrink)

Provability, Computability and Reflection.

Résumé — L’Encyclopédie hégélienne n’indique pas ce que devrait être une philosophie systématique, mais rend ce système effectif. Et, pourtant, sa présentation rigoureuse, sous forme de paragraphes, accepte le voisinage intermittent et désordonné d’un certain nombre de remarques, munies du laissez-passer tout relatif que leur offre leur brièveté, et récusant souvent par leur longueur cette justification même. On tente d’abord ici de saisir l’origine des remarques, en s’intéressant aux différents voisinages du système encyclopédique : la parole philosophique et populaire, le (...) parcours phénoménologique, les explications préliminaires, les esquisses d’encyclopédie non publiées et l’énigmatique « encyclopédie autre, habituelle » à laquelle se réfère régulièrement Hegel. Le désordre des remarques s’explique alors par la rencontre entre différents ordres .On en déduit finalement qu’il y a place chez Hegel pour une logique de la non-rigueur, qui fonde l’invention des remarques, en acceptant toutes les rencontres. Cette logique révèle, selon ses propres termes, les parentés et les divergences entre les connaissances non philosophiques et la pensée pure ; elle assure la brièveté et la complétude de l’exposition. Bref, elle réalise toutes les exigences d’une encyclopédie philosophique, elle la fait être.Die hegelianische Enzyklopädie weist nicht darauf hin, wie eine systematische Philosophie beschaffen sein sollte, sondern sie verwirklicht dieses System selbst. Ihre strenge Darstellung, organisiert inParagraphen, lässt das zeitweilig unterbrochene und ungeordnete Nebeneinander zahlreicher Anmerkungen zu. Deren Kürze verleiht ihnen auf befremdliche Art einen Freibrief, eine Rechtfertigung, die jedoch durch die Länge einiger Anmerkungen zurückgewiesen wird. Der vorliegende Artikel versucht zunächst, den Ursprung dieser Anmerkungen zu erfassen, indem er sich den verschiedenen Nebenbereichen des enzyklopädischen Systems zuwendet : der philosophischen und der populären Rede, dem phänomenologischen Verlauf,den vorläufigen Erklärungen, den unveröffentlichten Entwürfen der Enzyklopädie und schliesslich der rätselhaften « anderen, gewöhnlichen Encyclopädie », auf die sich Hegel regelmässig bezieht. Im Lichte dieser Beziehungen erklärt sich die Unordnung der Anmerkungen alsdann als das Ergebnis eines Zusammentreffens unterschiedlicher Ordnungen .Aus diesen Untersuchungen ergibt sich die Feststellung, dass Hegel einen Platz einräumt für eine Logik der Nicht-Strenge, die die Erfindung der Anmerkungen begründet, indem sie ein jegliches Zusammentreffen zulässt. Diese Logik enthüllt, nach ihren eigenen Worten, die Verwandtschaften und Abweichungen zwischen den nicht-philosophischen Kenntnissen und dem reinen Denken ; sie sichert die Kürze und die Vollkommenheit der Ausführungen. Kurz gesagt, sie erfüllt alle Anforderungen einer philosophischen Enzyklopädie, sie verwirklicht ihr Sein. (shrink)

Ce qu'en dit l'éditeur Nous n'aimons pas les obstacles. Nous les voyons comme des empêchements. Ils nous feraient perdre du temps, mettraient en danger notre vie. Pourtant, les obstacles ne sont pas que des défauts à éliminer: ils sont aussi une des composantes essentielles de nos mouvements et de notre existence. Dès qu'il est question de rester ou de passer quelque part, de trajet ou de migration, de frontière ou de mur, mais aussi de corps-à-corps, de contact entre les chairs, (...) d'épreuve, il y a toujours quelque chose, ou quelqu'un, ou une foule, qui fait obstacle et qu'on ne peut effacer. Pour Jérôme Lèbre, cette omniprésence oblige à poser une question d'une importance capitale: et si le monde était avant tout la somme de ces obstacles? Et si, par conséquent, plutôt que de les ignorer, il s'agissait avant tout d'apprendre, en les contournant et les surmontant, à en devenir un soi-même--à devenir une résistance aux mouvements d'appropriation ou de destruction? Et si, en somme, il n'y avait rien de plus politique qu'un obstacle? Car penser l'obstacle, c'est aussi penser une manière nouvelle de repartir--malgré tout."--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

This paper investigates the role of a pre-existing body-model that is an enabling constraint for the incorporation of objects into the body. This body-model is also a basis for the distinction between body extensions (e.g., in the case of tool-use) and incorporation (e.g., in the case of successful prosthesis use). It is argued that, in the case of incorporation, changes in the sense of body-ownership involve a reorganization of the body-model, whereas extension of the body with tools does not involve (...) changes in the sense of body-ownership. (shrink)

Starting from a phenomenological understanding of the body, this article discusses the understanding of body awareness in health and illness. I question the common way to understand our relationship to our bodies in terms of subjective and objective perspectives on it, and furthermore, how this opposition has been used in the phenomenological literature to outline an understanding of health and illness as states where the body stays unnoticed versus resurfaces to our attention as dysfunctional. Using examples from an ongoing interview (...) study, I argue for an understanding of the dialectical interplay between body and world in our awareness, and how it can be understood as an approaching or distancing movement to body and world. I furthermore describe how the interplay between body and world effects and is effected by our existence in health and illness. Finally, I suggest what implications this new way of understanding the lived body has for health care practice in general, and for the development of a person‐centred care in particular. I suggest that we leave the dichotomous understanding of subjective and objective perspectives behind, and start to investigate how we move between different kinds of body awareness in health and illness. Illness, as a situation where that which has been taken for granted becomes questioned, can be said to be characterized by mistrust, and by a distancing from world and body. It is thus of importance for caregivers to provide the time, space and trusting atmosphere needed in order to make the approaching movement possible. (shrink)

Derrida n’entend pas simplement hériter de Hegel mais interrompre sa relève, précisant que l’enjeu est ici « énorme ». Pourquoi? Parce qu’il est question ici de la relation entre la vérité et sa transmission, entre l’enseignement et la pratique de la philosophie en Allemagne et en France, entre un système de pensée qui articule la politique, l’art, la religion et sa désarticulation contemporaine. Confronté à un texte « majeur » de la tradition philosophique, Derrida l’interrompt alors en recourant aux textes (...) mineurs, en particulier la correspondance de Hegel, qu’il détourne pour rendre possible une correspondance entre dialectique et déconstruction, mais aussi entre deux philosophes qui s’adressent toujours à un autre et sont hantés par ce tiers, fantôme ou pierre impossibles à relever. (shrink)

Nous sommes des mutants : la science des mutations du vivant reste indissociable des techniques qui rendent nos corps modifiables. Nous sommes des mythants : nous gardons la tendance à nous réapproprier la vie en lui donnant un sens qui la surplombe, si bien que le don de la vie comme celui des organes restent pris dans la logique mythique du don et du sacrifice. Nous sommes dans une mutation, dit J.-L. Nancy : dans une époque où la vie s’exploite (...) ou se transmet, se marchande ou se partage, où elle (se) demande sans s’imposer. C’est ainsi qu’une mutation historique sort de l’histoire. (shrink)

In most western countries, there is a ‘human organ shortage’ with waiting lists for the performance of transplantation. In a recent report of the UNOS Ethics Committee it is stated that there are approximately 31,000 potential recipients on waiting lists, but only one fourth of potential donors gave their specific consent.Xenotransplantation – defined as the transplantation of animal cells, tissues or organs into human beings – is associated with particular ethical dilemmas, namely the problems of efficiency and safety of this (...) medical procedure. The objective of this study is to analyse the ethical dilemmas in xenotransplantation with the background of a personal view of moral life. Also, xenotransplantation will be evaluated as far as the legal regulation of transplantation is concerned. In particular, we will consider patients rights in accordance with existing laws on organ and tissue transplantation, animal research and clinical trials. (shrink)

Background: Dignity is a multidimensional construct that includes perception, knowledge, and emotions related to competence or respect. Attitudes to aging are a comprehensive personal view of the experience of aging over the course of life, which can be influenced by various factors, such as the levels of health and self-sufficiency and social, psychological, or demographic factors. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes to aging of home-dwelling and inpatient older adults, and whether dignity and other selected (...) factors belong among the predictors influencing attitudes to aging in these two different groups of older adults. Research design: Cross-sectional study using a set of questionnaires: Patient Dignity Inventory, Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire, and Barthel Index. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses and multivariable linear regression were used for statistical processing. Participants and research context: 233 inpatients and 237 home-dwelling older adults participated in the research in two regions of the Czech Republic. Ethical considerations: Institutional Review Board approval was received from the authors’ university. Findings: The inpatients had more negative attitudes to aging (M = 74.9±10.9; P <0.0001). The predictors of their attitudes to aging were gender and dignity. Women ( β = −2.969, P = 0.045) and inpatients with poor dignity ratings ( β = −0.332, P <0.0001) had more negative attitudes to aging. The predictors for home-dwelling older adults were education, living arrangement, and dignity. More negative attitudes to aging were found in older adults with lower levels of education ( β = 2.716, P = 0.007) who lived alone ( β = 2.163, P = 0.046) and rated their dignity as low ( β = −0.325, P <0.0001). Discussion and Conclusions: The results of this study add to the understanding that a sense of dignity is an important predictor of attitudes to aging for both home-dwelling older adults and inpatients. (shrink)

Storchak, Ehlis, and Fallgatter provide an extensive literature review on electrophysiological measurements, which indicate that general predictive deficits in self‐monitoring are associated with various positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

The European Commission has recently proposed the introduction of legally binding quotas for women on corporate boards of European companies. This proposal has put the spotlight on the question of whether increasing female representation on the board brings economic benefits to the firm. In order to shed light on the issue, this study investigates the direct and indirect effects of women on the board on firm value. We use a simultaneous equation model to estimate the effects of women on the (...) board on firm value, financial performance, and compliance with ethical and social principles adopted by the firm. We find no evidence that a higher female representation on the board directly affects firm’s value. However, we find indirect effects. Women on the board are positively related with financial performance (measured in terms of return on assets and return on sales) and with ethical and social compliance, which in turn are positively related with firm value. The findings in this study suggest that greater female representation on corporate boards of large European firms can increase firm value indirectly. Further, part of the indirect effect comes from stronger compliance with ethical principles, something that is not captured by accounting-based financial performance. (shrink)

Is food’s naturalness conceptually connected to its healthiness? Answering the question requires spelling out the following: (1) What is meant by the healthiness of food? (2) What different conceptual meanings the term natural has in the context of food? (3) Are some of those meanings connected to the healthiness of food? In this paper the healthiness of food is understood narrowly as food’s accordance with nutritional needs of its eater. The connection of healthiness to the following five food-related senses of (...) the term “natural’’ is analyzed: naturalness as nutritive suitability, naturalness as moderate need satisfaction, naturalness as lack of human influence, naturalness as authenticity, and naturalness as familiarity. It is concluded that some very common current uses of the term “natural,” such as naturalness as lack of human influence, are not conceptually connected to the healthiness of food. Nevertheless, the first two senses of naturalness are strongly conceptually connected to healthiness in the food context and the last one may be indirectly related to it. Thus, desire for natural food is not necessarily mistaken and misguided. (shrink)

ver since the traditional criteria for medical decision-making capacity (understanding, appreciation, reasoning, evidencing a choice) were formulated, they have been criticized for not taking sufficient account of emotions or values that seem, according to the critics and in line with clinical experiences, essential to decision-making capacity. The aim of this paper is to provide a nuanced and structured overview of the arguments provided in the literature emphasizing the importance of these factors and arguing for their inclusion in competence evaluations. Moreover, (...) a broader reflection on the findings of the literature is provided. Specific difficulties of formulating and measuring emotional and valuational factors are discussed inviting reflection on the possibility of handling relevant factors in a more flexible, case-specific, and context-specific way rather than adhering to a rigid set of operationalized criteria. (shrink)

Owing to intensive development of the theory of self-organization of complex systems called also synergetics, profound changes in our notions of time occur. Whereas at the beginning of the 20th century, natural sciences, by picking up the general spirit of Einstein's theory of relativity, consider a geometrization as an ideal, i.e. try to represent time and force interactions through space and the changes of its properties, nowadays, at the beginning of the 21st century, time turns to be in the focus (...) of attention. It turns to be possible to represent space through time, because synergetics shows that historical and evolutionary stages of development of a complex structure can be found now, in its present spatial configuration. A whole series of paradoxical notions, such as "the influence of the future upon the present", a "possibility of touching of a rather remote future today", "availability of the past and the future now, in praesenti", "irreversibility and elements of reversibility in the course of evolutionary processes in time", "discrete unites, quanta of time", appear in synergetics. (shrink)

A well-established idea is that the powerless, even when they are angered by the relations of domination or their consequences, do not display this anger for fear of negative sanctions. Although in the first part of his Domination and the Arts of ResistanceJames Scott elaborates this idea in a creative manner, he challenges it in the second part of his book. He proposes that when autonomous spaces emerge in the systems of absolute domination, the powerless use them to develop their (...) own cultures of solidarity and dissent. These make it highly probable that the long-suppressed anger, rather than just simmering, will one day explode in the face of the oppressor with a satisfying full blast. In this article I use mostly Central European material to argue against Scott’s unorthodox view. I line up evidence in support of the thesis that, even where there are autonomous spaces and cultures of dissent, citizens display apathy and protesters start out with much anxiety and caution, afraid to provoke the anger of the powerful. Fear of repression and the wish to dilute one’s own and the onlookers’ anxiety, I argue, account for why, in this region after 1980, protest assumed ever more ambivalent, satirical and carnivalesque forms. Not anger, but rather a mixture of fear and hope – the latter propagated by the leading ÈmigrÈ and domestic dissidents – dictated the display of such emotions as anxiety, but also sorrow or joy. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to explore the Irish dancing body by combining the growing social science interest in mobility with the established area of the body as a site of culture. On the basis of ethnographic observations and interviews about dance and culture in Ireland, I will discuss the Irish dancing body in relation to the construction of social memory, the embodiment of values linked to Irish national identity, mobility, dance competitions and global touring. First, I will detail (...) three distinct movement sequences from different dance forms in Ireland: competitive Irish dancing, dance theatre and Riverdance(the commercial Irish dance show). Second, I will look at how dance can be said to travel around Ireland, north and south, as well as back and forth to Ireland. The idea of the Irish dancing body offers an example of the unity of body and mind in dance, revealing also that abstract dance and movement communicate stories about their societies. In Irish dance, these stories feature displacement, longing and resistance, often steeped in the history. I conclude that this social memory connects a distinct Irish tradition with European modernity. (shrink)

R. Rashed, Géométrie et dioptrique au Xesiècle, Ibn Sahl, al-Qūhī et Ibn al-Haytham ; OEuvres philosophiques et scientifiques d'al Kindī, vol. I: L'Optique et la catoptrique ; Les Catoptriciens grecs.

In this contribution, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges arising from memory institutions' need to redefine their archival strategies for contemporary collecting in a world of big data. We will reflect on this topic by critically examining the case study of the UK Web Archive, which is made up of the six UK Legal Deposit Libraries: the British Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales, Bodleian Libraries Oxford, Cambridge University Library and Trinity College Dublin. The UK Web (...) Archive aims to archive, preserve and give access to the UK web space. This is achieved through an annual domain crawl, first undertaken in 2013, in addition to more frequent crawls of key websites and specially curated collections which date back as far as 2005. These collections reflect important aspects of British culture and events that shape society. This commentary will explore a number of questions including: what heritage is captured and what heritage is instead neglected by the UK Web archive? What heritage is created in the form of new data and what are its properties? What are the ethical issues that memory institutions face when developing these web archiving practices? What transformations are required to overcome such challenges and what institutional futures can we envisage? (shrink)

Future global food insecurity due to growing population as well as changing consumption demands and population growth is sometimes suggested to be met by increase in aquaculture production. This raises a range of ethical issues, seldom discussed together: fish welfare, food security, human health, climate change and environment, and public concern and legislation, which could preferably be seen as pieces in a puzzle, accepting their interdependency. A balanced decision in favour of or against aquaculture needs to take at least these (...) issues into consideration. It is further argued that in the parallel discussion on increased livestock production animal welfare is an inevitable element both in relation to current legislation in many countries but also in relation to our perception of moral, whereas awareness of fish welfare is low. Both EU legislation and labelling concerning fish is mainly limited to environmental aspects. It is argued that EU shows a split perception of fish, on the one hand acknowledging scientific evidence of fish capacities but on the other excludes fish from detailed legislation. Combining the claim of the Treaty of Lisbon to pay full regard to animal welfare and scientific evidence fish are sentient it is concluded that fish welfare need to be considered in any farming practice and any ethical consideration of increased aquaculture. This might be facilitated taking a basis in our own vulnerability and interdependence, combined with moral responsibility to show sentient beings a ‘loving kindness’—an extension of Cora Diamond’s argument regarding mammals. (shrink)

The subject of this article is the attitude of a famous Polish philosopher of the twentieth century, Henryk Elzenberg towards practical work and theoretical achievements of Mohandas Karamczand Gandhi. The analysis of the issue focuses on a question: to what degree are Elzenberg’s opinions about Gandhi’s thought and work an attempt to understand the phenomenon of a moral revolution of the spiritual leader and to what degree are they a presentation of his own comprehension of philosophy? The analysis shows that (...) Elzenberg treats philosophy as an area of confrontation, where referring to others develops his own approach. (shrink)

This book takes performance studies in exciting new directions, exploring the ways in which ethics can be used to understand the complex questions facing contemporary spectators. Engaging with five key performances, the book reflects on the emotional and intellectual impacts of politically inflected performance on spectators, critics and theorists.

Servant leadership offers a compelling ideal of self-sacrificing individuals who put the needs of others before their own and cultivate a culture of growth in their organisations. Although the theory’s attempts to emphasise the moral, emotional and relational dimensions of leadership are laudable, it has primarily assumed a decontextualised view of leadership untouched by power. This article aims to problematise servant leadership by undertaking an intersectional analysis of an Asian cis-male heterosexual senior manager in Australia. Through in-depth interviews with the (...) manager and his staff, the article shows how his attempts to practice servant leadership were informed by intersecting power dynamics of race, gender, sexuality, age and class that subordinated him to white power. The findings demonstrate the ways servant leadership is necessarily embedded in wider power structures that shape who gets to be a “servant leader” and who remains merely a “servant”. (shrink)

Ethics, Policy & Environment, Volume 14, Issue 3, Page 329-344, October 2011.

The European Union’s policies regarding genetically modified food are based on the precautionary principle and the requirement of respecting consumers’ autonomy. We ask whether the requirement of respecting consumers’ autonomy regarding GMF implies that both GMF and non-GMF products should be available in the market. According to one line of thought, consumers’ choices may be autonomous even when the both types of products are not available. A food market with only GMF or only non-GMF products does not strictly speaking compel (...) people to buy the type of products available, and a possibility to refuse to buy is enough for consumers’ choice to be autonomous. According to another line of thought, the unavailability of GMF or non-GMF products restricts the autonomy of those consumers who are unwilling to use the only type of products available in the market. From the point of view of autonomy, a food market with only GMF or only non-GMF products does not offer enough alternatives for consumers. Moreover, the whole point of the European Union’s requirement of respecting consumers’ autonomy is to enable an autonomous choice between GMF and non-GMF—not just to give a possibility to refrain from buying. However, this does not imply that producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, or public authorities have a moral duty to see that there are both GMF and non-GMF products available in the market. The requirement to respect autonomy is prima facie in nature, and in the context of GMF, other prima facie requirements are often stronger and override it. Not only the consumers’ autonomy of choice but also environmental values, other people’s well-being, and the autonomous choice of farmers, retailers, and other relevant parties should be respected. Thus, according to the both lines of thought, the requirement to respect consumers’ autonomy of choice does not imply that there should be both GMF and non-GMF products available in the market. (shrink)

Deborah Britzman’s remarkable question, ‘What holds education back?’, appears more urgent than ever in a world of accelerating environmental crises, climate change, and what has been described as omnicide – the annihilation of everything. What, then, holds education back from initiating radical change under these urgent conditions? This paper introduces the notion of ‘institutional anxiety’ as a consolidating force and explores how it may condition possibilities for resistance. Bringing examples from ethnographic fieldwork and experiences of course development in conversation with (...) psychoanalytic and schizoanalytic thought, a key catalyst of institutional anxiety is discussed: Anxiety related to ‘the question of the animal’ as a threat to human exceptionalism in educational practice and research. Confronting these anxieties could open new modes of being and acting in academic space and give interspecies ethics, justice and sustainability a chance to develop in omnicidal times. (shrink)

Acting for the good of the patient is the most fundamental and universally acknowledged principle of medical ethics. However, given the complexity of modern medicine as well as the moral fragmentation of contemporary society, determining the good is far from simple. In his philosophy of medicine, Edmund Pellegrino develops a conception of the good that is derived from the internal morality of medicine via the physician-patient relationship. It is through this healing relationship that rights, duties, and privileges are defined for (...) both physicians and patients. Moreover, this relationship determines the characteristics or virtues that are necessary to engage in the medical telos. This paper addresses the role of the moral virtues in clinical medicine and the physician-patient relationship. First, it provides a brief background of the Aristotelian foundations of virtue-ethics. Second, it delves into Pellegrino’s philosophy of medicine understood as a practice oriented towards a teleological goal. Third, it relates the telos of medicine to the notion of the medical community as a fundamentally moral community. Finally, it concludes with a section that creates a dialogue between virtue ethics and principlism. (shrink)

This paper analyses the attitude of the contemporary philosophy to the problems associated with increasingly radical diagnoses concerning anthropogenic climate changes that may lead the human civilization on Earth to a global catastrophe. One can identify three approaches to this issue in contemporary philosophy: involvement in the breakthrough taking place; evaluation of the change process from an axiological perspective or ignoring the evolving phenomena on the grounds that it is not possible to define them meaningfully from the perspective of theoretical (...) orientations that currently dominate the contemporary philosophy. (shrink)

This is a jubilant and rewarding collection of Winterson scholarship--a superb group of essays from a host of fine authors.