In der vorliegenden Arbeit soll das komplexe Zusammenwirken von unbewusst Psychischem, biologischem Körper in der Pubertät und gesellschaftlichen Verschiebungen hin zu multiplen Genderidentitäten untersucht und differenziert werden. Ausgangspunkt ist eine Gruppe von Jugendlichen, die sich in der Spezialsprechstunde für Geschlechtsdysphorie des Universitätsklinikums Hamburg-Eppendorf vorstellen und als »Transgender« identifizieren; meist ist der Anlass der Vorstellung der Wunsch nach einer medizinischen Transition (Hormonbehandlung etc.). Der Autor versteht die frühe Adoleszenz als einen sozio-psychischen Umschlagsplatz, der per se einer psychischen und körperlichen, zumal hochgradig (...) konflikthaften Transition nahekommt. Plädiert wird für eine offene und oszillierende Haltung gegenüber den Jugendlichen – und dafür, sich Zeit zu nehmen, auch im Hinblick auf medizinische Schritte, die Teil unserer kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Wirklichkeit geworden sind. (shrink)

La numérisation va de pair avec un changement fondamental des méthodes qui a le potentiel de changer la pensée, les décisions et les actions des gens. Sur la base de cette thèse, une structure est proposée pour l’analyse de le changement de méthode induit par la numérisation. L’article donne un bref aperçu des forces motrices, des formes et des effets de ce changement méthodologique.

Much of today’s international trade is conducted according to trade agreements that involve substantial and uniform protections of intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights are a socio‐economic tool that create a temporary monopoly for inventor firms and enable such firms to charge prices for their innovations that are many times higher than the marginal cost of production of the innovations. This allows the inventor firms to salvage their research‐costs and secure a profit on their innovations. A large body of contemporary (...) philosophical and interdisciplinary literature suggests that intellectual property rights give rise to a number of ethical problems. This review paper seeks to give an overview of what these problems are. It also offers an outline of proposals as to how these problems might be alleviated, and it briefly explains the two classical defenses of the ethical permissibility of intellectual property rights. The ethical issues surrounding intellectual property rights are most pertinent when it is socially valuable goods that are given intellectual property protection. The discussions in this paper revolve around just one product type in order to bring out the broader ethical issues surrounding intellectual property rights. In line with much contemporary literature on the ethical dimensions of intellectual property rights, the product type in question is life‐saving medicines. (shrink)

One objection that has been consistently raised for theorists who are committed to the idea that we have a positive duty to aid the global poor is the overdemandingness objection. This article is a critical discussion of this objection. First, the objection is laid out in some detail. A number of influential attempts to meet the overdemandingness objection are then discussed, and it is argued that they all fail in their intended purpose. The conclusion of the article is not that (...) the overdemandingness objection cannot be met. Rather, the conclusion is that the overdemandingness objection constitutes a serious challenge to anyone who accepts the objection and goes beyond the standard libertarian doctrine and commits herself to the existence of positive duties to aid the global poor. (shrink)

In 1675, Leibniz elaborated his longest mathematical treatise he everwrote, the treatise ``On the arithmetical quadrature of the circle, theellipse, and the hyperbola. A corollary is a trigonometry withouttables''. It was unpublished until 1993, and represents a comprehensive discussion of infinitesimalgeometry. In this treatise, Leibniz laid the rigorous foundation of thetheory of infinitely small and infinite quantities or, in other words,of the theory of quantified indivisibles. In modern terms Leibnizintroduced `Riemannian sums' in order to demonstrate the integrabilityof continuous functions. The (...) article deals with this demonstration,with Leibniz's handling of infinitely small and infinite quantities,and with a general theorem regarding hyperboloids. (shrink)

This paper is concerned with the expressivist account of moral supervenience that Simon Blackburn has offered. First, the account is presented, and an objection to it is thereafter discussed. In short, the objection is that the supervenience constraint in moral discourse is mysterious, given that no similar constraint governs speech and thought in other areas of discourse that seem to be prime candidates for an expressivist analysis. The conclusion of the paper is that this objection can be fended off.

Jeff Wisdom has recently defended the proposition that any view of moral supervenience worth its salt must incorporate a diachronic view of base property exemplification. Let us call the proposition defended by Wisdom p. In this paper, I try to show that Wisdom has offered no good reasons for accepting p. My argumentative strategy proceeds along two separate tracks. First, I try to show that the thought experiment Wisdom employs in order to underwrite p does not offer the intended support (...) for the proposition. Secondly, I try to show that even if the problems with the thought experiment in question are ignored, there is at least one other reason for thinking that Wisdom has not offered a convincing argument in favor of p. (shrink)

Im Gegensatz zu dem Weltreisenden und Revolutionär Georg Forster (1754-1794) ist der Autor Forster, der Theoretiker der Wahrnehmung und der Beschreibung weniger bekannt. Der Band vereinigt Studien zu unterschiedlichen Werkgruppen Forsters, die befragt werden nach der Aneignung des 'Wirklichen' durch 'Erfahrung', 'Verstand', 'Idee', 'Bild' und 'Totaleindruck' im Spannungsfeld von Perzeption und Möglichkeitskonstruktion. Konkrete Textanalyse, Bestimmung der Wirkungsabsicht des Autors bzw. der Arbeitsverfahren des 'gesellschaftlichen Schriftstellers' eröffnen ein neues Forster-Bild.

Der »Digital Era Framework« ist ein Bezugsrahmen für das digitale Informationszeitalter. Gerichtet an Wissenschaft und Praxis gleichermaßen, bietet das Konzept einen umfassenden Ansatz zur Einordnung und Analyse von Phänomenen des Digitalen Wandels, der Digitalisierung und der Digitalen Transformation. Dem »Digital Era Framework« liegt dabei ein integrierter Ansatz zur Untersuchung des Wandels zugrunde, insofern als Ursprungszustand, Veränderung und Endzustand in einem einheitlichen Schema dargestellt werden können. Der Bezugsrahmen stellt die Information in den Mittelpunkt der Betrachtung und beruht auf zwei Ordnungsmomenten: der (...) Form der Manifestation von Information einerseits und der Art der Applikation von Information andererseits. Dadurch wird ein zweidimensionaler Bezugsrahmen aufgespannt, der eine differenzierte Einordnung von Phänomen, Objekten und Geschehen gestattet. Anhand dieses Ordnungsmodells lassen sich insbesondere Systeme und Prozesse untersuchen und aufzeigen, wie sich deren Struktur, Interaktionsgefüge und Konfiguration durch die Digitalisierung verändern. Durch die begründete Systematisierung schafft der Bezugsrahmen eine Grundlage für Analysen, Erklärungen und Prognosen. Zugleich dient er als Basis für die Entwicklung und Bewertung von Strategien. Mit der Vorstellung des »Digital Era Framework« ist darüber hinaus das Ziel verbunden, zur Ausprägung einer adäquaten Fachterminologie beizutragen, indem eine begründete Nomenklatur vorgeschlagen wird, welche auf dem Bezugsrahmen aufbaut. (shrink)

Das „Glossar der Öffentlichen Rede“ stellt prägnante Definitionen für zahlreiche Grundbegriffe im Bereich des öffentlichen Sprechens vor.

This article explores the epistemological ramifications of understanding Thomas Aquinas’ conception of truth in terms of a dynamic process of cognitive assimilation within the human psyche. In particular, the author addresses two potential pitfalls for his theory, namely ‘failed assimilation’ as the basis of false judgments and ‘negative assimilation’, i.e., correspondence to non-being: how is the human mind capable of assimilation to ‘nothing’ at all? Aquinas addresses these two problems in various passages throughout his works; the author connects and reviews (...) their arguments with regard to their philosophical cogency and attempts to answer the question of whether Aquinas ultimately succeeds in solving the several puzzles that ‘failed’ as well as ‘negative assimilation’ seem to create in his conception of truth. (shrink)

Die Editionswissenschaft, aber auch die editorisch arbeitenden Fachdisziplinen haben sich bisher nicht besonders intensiv um das spezifische Verhältnis von Kanon und Edition bemüht. Der vorliegende Band legt in einem interdisziplinären Zugriff exemplarische Studien aus der Literaturwissenschaft, der Musikwissenschaft und der Philosophie vor, die theoretische Fragestellungen der Kanonforschung mit Fällen der fachgeschichtlichen Editionspraxis verbinden, um so Konturen einer fachübergreifenden Beziehungsbeschreibung von Kanonbildung und Editionspraxis sichtbar zu machen. Dazu schlägt der Band vier Wege ein. In einer ersten, wissenschaftsgeschichtlich orientierten Rubrik werden „Aspekte (...) der Fachgeschichtsschreibung" aus philosophischer und neu- wie altgermanistischer Perspektive in den Blick genommen. Die zweite Rubrik „Ausgabentypologische Aspekte" befragt die Editionsformen in ihrem Bezug zu Kanonbildungsprozessen. Wie sich Autor-, Editor- und Leser-/Benutzer-Perspektiven auf Kanonisierungsphänomene niederschlagen, erörtert die dritte Rubrik „Produktions- und rezeptionsästhetische Aspekte". Schließlich wirft die vierte Rubrik „Wissenschaftspolitische Aspekte" ein Augenmerk auf die Auswirkungen von institutionellen, lebensweltlichen und biografischen Rahmenbedingungen auf Kanonisierungsfragen im Kontext von Editionen. (shrink)

Unter dem Titel „Windelbands Psychologie-Projekte“ schließt Jörn Bohr mit seinem philosophiehistorischen Überblick zur Lage der Psychologie zwischen 1872 und 1915 am Beispiel Windelbands an die vorangehende Einleitung an und zeichnet damit in eins die wissenschaftliche Landschaft vor, in welche die folgenden Beiträge eingebettet sind. Bohr zeigt neben dem wissenschaftlichen Werdegang des Protagonisten dessen Bemühungen um einen eigenen Entwurf einer Psychologie und deren Wendungen. Desgleichen betont er seine bildungspolitische Funktion in Bezug auf den Lehrstuhlstreit im März 1913. Ein Positionsstreit, der nicht (...) allein den Versuch einer Selbstbehauptung der Philosophie gegenüber der experimentellen Psychologie betrifft, sondern vielmehr die Philosophie selbst in eine Krise stürzt, welche nicht zuletzt in der Gebundenheit der Philosophie an die Wissenschaften begründet liegt. Während Windelband anfangs Funktionen des Denkens als auf Naturgesetze gegründete versteht und später wiederholt Versuche unternahm, die Psychologie in die Philosophie zurückzuholen, wendet er sich gegen Ende seines Schaffens unter den Vorzeichen einer Philosophie der Werte gegen die Möglichkeit einer Gründung der Geschichtswissenschaft auf Psychologie. (shrink)

ExcerptWe are currently witness to a new rise of identity politics, only the content of which is prone to partisanship. On the one side of the political aisle, we are supposed to care about our particular place in a social hierarchy based on race, gender, or sexual orientation, while on the other side we are supposed to identify with our original geographical lineage. This approach to politics, which we commonly refer to as identity politics, has drawn the ire of liberal (...) critics that see it as a vehicle for division and conflicts that tears Western societies apart. Instead, rather than emphasize what divides us, these liberals wish to unite us by emphasizing that we are all cosmopolitan members of humanity. This essay shares the concerns that the liberals have with the rise of identity politics, but will argue that in one way, the liberal critics are no better then the identitarians they criticize. In both cases, there is a demand for a sacrifice of the individual for some greater good. When viewed in this way, it is irrelevant whether the sacrifice is made for the betterment of a particular identitarian group or humanity as a whole. (shrink)

Historical narration is a system of mental operations defining the field of historical consciousness. It is poetic in that it is the performance of creative activity by the human mind in the process of historical thinking. The purpose of historical narration is to make sense of the experience of time in order to orient practical life in the course of time. Three elements distinguish an historical narration from other forms of narration: an historical narration is tied to the medium of (...) memory; it organizes the three dimensions of time in a concept of continuity; and it establishes the identity of its authors and listeners. In order to develop the concepts of continuity and the stability of identity, an historical narration must fulfill four functions: affirmation, regularity, negation, and transformation. Four types of historical narration correspond to these four functions: traditional, exemplary, critical, and genetical. There is a natural progression through these four types of narration, with critical narration serving as a catalyst. The four types are present in all historical texts, one dominating, the others secondary. Modern historical studies are unique in being informed by theoretically and methodologically organized empirical research. The articulation of theories in history means a progress in reasoning. This affects the role of the concept of continuity of time, which is no longer a given and has become a subject of discussion. (shrink)

The article describes the difficult establishment of two of the eight series of the so-called Academy Edition of Leibniz’s Complete Writings and Letters. In 1976, Series VII, Mathematical writings, was realized by means of a collaboration between Knobloch in Berlin and Contro in Hannover. Juridical, staff, and technical problems had to be solved before the editorial work could begin. Series VIII, Scientific, Medical, and Technical writings, was realized in 2001, this time as an official project of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy (...) of Sciences and Humanities. The international collaboration of co-workers from Berlin, Russia, and France was carried out through electronic means, especially through a digitalization of everything concerning the Leibnizian manuscripts. (shrink)

This study examines the influence of stakeholder pressures and family ownership on strategic decarbonization choices of German Mittelstand firms. It distinguishes between _symbolic_ strategies focusing on compensating CO 2 -emissions and _substantive_ strategies directed toward reducing carbon emissions. The relative pressure exerted by _internal_ and _external_ stakeholders on these strategic choices is examined. Data from 443 manufacturing firms reveal that overall stakeholder pressures increase the pursuit of decarbonization strategies. Internal stakeholders pressures are associated with increased reliance on substantive decarbonization strategies (...) both in family-owned and non-family-owned firms. Pressure from external stakeholders are associated with increased reliance on both substantive and symbolic decarbonization strategies only in non-family-owned firms. No effect of external pressures was found in family-owned firms. Implications for theory, management practice, and policy makers are discussed. (shrink)

This essay shows the difficulties inherent in the very term of ›culture‹ itself, spe- cifically in political and philosophical contexts between 1910 and 1933. Despite the eagerness and the striking idealism of its founders, Logos never offered an under- standing of culture that was able to resist the totalitarian tendencies of its own time. The term ›culture‹ thus continues to contaminate every attempt to formulate the legacy of the Logos project. From today’s perspective, that means recognizing the need to come (...) to terms with the connotations and the implications of such a project as Logos rather than rushing into a naive and simplistic affirmation. Al- though not the first, Klaus Christian Köhnke and Rüdiger Kramme were the most insistent researchers who brought up this painful subject of the modern history of philosophy. (shrink)

Otto von Guericke's scientific method was based on reason and experimental science. His cosmology was embedded in theology and can be interpreted as a refutation of Descartes's worldview. He used Nicolaus Cusanus's theory of quantities in order to characterize the space. The notion of space has to be distinguished from that of world or heaven. Forces play a crucial role in this respect described by Kircher in his ‘Celestial journey’. Guericke read this work very diligently. In spite of some obvious (...) similarities between Guericke's and Newton's scientific aims and methods there are crucial differences between the scientific convictions and results of these scholars. (shrink)

This article is about exit polls. It addresses the question of whether or not it is morally permissible to publish exit poll results. The conclusion of the article is that an affirmative answer should be given to this question. In section 2, the master argument in favor of the moral permissibility of the publication of exit poll results is introduced. This is a strong argument. It is, however, argued that it might be the case that the conclusion of this argument (...) should be rejected if there are other, and weightier, arguments against the idea that the publication of exit poll results is morally permissible. In section 3, the strongest arguments against the moral permissibility of the publication of exit poll results are outlined and discussed. The conclusion of this section is that all these arguments fail in their intended purpose. The conclusion of the article is therefore justified. (shrink)

Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem on a global scale. In both developed and developing countries, the unpleasant consequences of the phenomenon are being felt. This paper discusses wild-card patent extensions as a means to incentivize research and development of new antibiotics. The thesis defended in the paper is that the implementation of such patent extensions is an appropriate legislative response to the problem of antibiotic resistance. The general idea of wild-card patent extensions is presented in the first (...) part of the paper. A number of objections to the idea are thereafter discussed and rejected. (shrink)

Intercultural comparative historiography raises fundamental methodological problems: Is there any ground for comparison beyond the peculiarities and differences of cultures to be compared? One must avoid taking the Western cultural tradition of historical thinking as the basis for the comparison. Therefore one has to conceptualize the theoretical grounds for comparison and explicate elements of historical thinking which operate in every culture. Then cultural differences in historiography can be analyzed as peculiar constellations of these elements. In order to develop this comparative (...) groundwork, one has to start with some fundamental considerations about historical memory as the universal cultural means of orienting human practical life in its temporal dimensions. On this foundation one has to erect a theory of historical consciousness and its constitutive factors, procedures, and functions. In a systematized form the relationship of these elements can be used to identify the varieties of historical thinking in different contexts over time. This approach has as one objective an intercultural exchange of knowledge about history as a medium for identity-forming. It should enable the participants in this exchange to overcome the widespread logic of exclusion in favor of a more inclusive manner of historical self-understanding. (shrink)

Digitalization goes hand in hand with a fundamental change in methods that has the potential to change people’s thinking, decisions and actions. Departing from this thesis, a structure is proposed for the analysis of the method change induced by digitalization. The article provides a brief outline of the driving forces, the forms and the effects of this method change.

Infectious and parasitic diseases cause enormous health problems in the developing world whereas they leave the developed one relatively unscathed. Research and development (R&D) of drugs for diseases that mainly affect people in developing countries is limited. The problem that relatively few drugs are available for diseases that cause an enormous burden of disease in the developing world is called the 'availability problem'. In recent years, the availability problem has received quite a bit of attention. A number of proposals have (...) been fielded as to how this problem might be minimized. Wild-card patent extensions, advance market commitments, cash prizes and the Health Impact Fund are prominent examples of such proposals. These proposals can be thought of as pull-mechanisms for R&D of drugs for neglected diseases. What has been coined a 'priority review voucher' is another pull-mechanism. This paper is a critical discussion of this pull-mechanism. First, the original priority review voucher scheme, as proposed by Ridley et al. (2006), is described. A number of objections to this scheme are thereafter presented. A few amendments to the original scheme are then suggested, and it is argued that with these amendments in place, the priority review voucher scheme constitutes an attractive way of stimulating R&D of drugs for neglected diseases. (shrink)

Simon Blackburn’s supervenience argument against moral realism has been widely discussed since its first appearance more than thirty years ago. A number of different suggestions have been made as to how the argument can be countered. In a review of Blackburn’s Spreading the Word, Crispin Wright comments on the argument and rather briefly points out some technical difficulties with it that arise from the formula used in the definition of supervenience. In this paper, I try to show, building on Wright’s (...) criticism and taking a number of new objections into consideration, that the Moorean realist can meet Blackburn’s explanatory charge. (shrink)

This thesis contains a critical discussion of two metaethical theories: expressivism, as developed in the works of Simon Blackburn, and Cornell realism, as presented by Richard Boyd and David Brink. In the introduction, a distinction is made between external and internal accommodation projects for moral discourse and it is argued that the external accommodation project should be guided by acceptance of methodological naturalism. Expressivism and Cornell realism are then subjected to an extended comparative evaluation, and an answer is sought to (...) the question of which of the two should be favoured. The main conclusion of the thesis is that Cornell realism is rationally preferable to expressivism. This conclusion is arrived at by looking at how well the two theories, respectively, explain various deeply embedded features of moral discourse. Explaining such features is what the internal accommodation project for moral discourse consists in. The assertoric surface-form of moral discourse and the supervenience of moral predicates on natural predicates receive special attention in the study. It is argued that expressivism and Cornell realism do equally well on the issue of moral supervenience. But whereas expressivism is still vulnerable to a particular argument from the philosophy of language, Cornell realism can fend off the criticism that most persistently has been directed at it from this area of philosophy. In a comparative evaluation involving the selected issues, Cornell realism therefore fares better than expressivism. (shrink)

Turnhout: Brepols 2013. XVIII, 1416 S., € 120,00. ISBN 978‐2‐503‐54129‐7.

Ähnlich wie Adalbert Stifters Erzähler im Roman ,,Nachsommer” verband A. v. Humboldt auf seiner Amerikareise Erkundung und Erforschung, Reiselust und Erkenntnisstreben. Humboldt hat sein doppeltes Ziel klar benannt: Bekanntmachung der besuchten Länder, Sammeln von Tatsachen zur Erweiterung der physikalischen Geographie. Der Aufsatz ist in fünf Abschnitte gegliedert: Anliegen, Route, Methoden, Ergebnisse, Auswertung.