El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad mostrar cómo la regla hermenéutica tal cual es descripta por Hans-Georg Gadamer en Wahrheit und Methode representa un sistema de significación que produce texto. Para ello se utilizará la semiótica de Iuri Lotman y la semiótica connotativa de Hjelmslev como cooperaciones teóricas que posibilitan describir con mayor analiticidad la regulación de la regla hermenéutica en el fenómeno de la comprensión.

Ratio Juris, Volume 35, Issue 3, Page 310-326, September 2022.

Rawls propõe uma “divisão do trabalho” entre as instituições que compõem a estrutura básica da sociedade e as regras diretamente aplicáveis a indivíduos e associações. O artigo expõe e refuta o argumento de que é compatível com a concepção rawlsiana de justiça defender um ideal de justiça não distributivo para o direito privado. Alega-se, em suma, que o direito privado é necessário para manter o que Rawls chama de “justiça de fundo”, bem como que esse papel pode ser desempenhado sem (...) abrir mão de uma relativa simplicidade normativa. (shrink)

RESUMO O artigo examina se há alguma incompatibilidade entre práticas de discriminação privada e as duas partes do segundo princípio da justiça de Rawls, o princípio da equitativa igualdade de oportunidades e o princípio da diferença. Argumento que a discriminação no trabalho e em outras áreas importantes para o desenvolvimento das aptidões inatas somente atenta contra o PEIO quando tem como efeito geral o de tornar substancialmente desiguais as chances de cidadãos com similares aptidões inatas e motivação exercerem determinadas ocupações. (...) Comento também algumas dificuldades para considerar vedados pelo PEIO dois casos comuns de discriminação, a discriminação baseada em qualidade de reação e a discriminação por indicadores. Em relação ao PD, defendo que a proibição à discriminação privada se relaciona ao bem primário das bases sociais do autorrespeito e está circunscrita aos casos de discriminação degradante, como tal entendida, de acordo com Hellman, aquela cujo sentido expressivo é o de negar o igual status moral das pessoas pertencentes a um certo grupo. ABSTRACT This paper investigates the incompatibility between practices of private discrimination and the two parts of Rawls' second principle of justice, the fair equality of opportunity and the difference principle. I submit that discrimination at workplace and other sectors that are crucial for the development of natural talents only violates FEO when possessing the general effect of rendering substantially unequal the occupational chances of citizens with similar innate talents and motivation. I also point to some difficulties in proscribing, according to FEO, two common instances of discrimination, reaction qualification and proxy discrimination. Regarding the DP, my main statement is that a ban on private discrimination is related to the primary good of the social bases of self-respect and is circumscribed to instances of demeaning discrimination, defined, according to Hellman, as discrimination whose expressive meaning is denying people belonging to a given group their equal moral status. (shrink)

O trabalho apresenta diferentes interpretações sobre a “democracia decidadãos proprietários” (DCP), um regime que permite a propriedadeprivada dos meios de produção e se mostra superior, segundo Rawls, aocapitalismo de bem-estar. Discuto, primeiro, se a dispersão do capitalambicionada pela DCP deve ser tomada como algo distinto de dispersãoda riqueza. Trato, em segundo lugar, da questão de saber se o que importapara a caracterização da DCP é apenas o resultado – seja ele a dispersãodo capital ou da riqueza – ou também o (...) meio de obtê-lo, caso no qual a DCPpoderia ser entendida como regime predistributivo (em contraposição ao“welfare state”, um regime eminentemente redistributivo). Minha conclusão,em suma, é que, afora o que concerne ao “capital humano”, há razões parapreferir uma conceituação simples, que defina a DCP como regime que logradispersar a riqueza em considerável medida. A última seção responde, ainda,a algumas críticas à DCP como alternativa ao capitalismo de bem-estar. (shrink)

Normal 0 21 false false false ES-CO X-NONE X-NONE La hermenéutica filosófica de Gadamer ha restituido la historia global de la hermenéutica para el pensamiento contemporáneo. Su proyecto filosófico se alinea a una historia que incluye pensadores como Heidegger, Dilthey o Schleiermacher. Pero en esta línea histórica la hermenéutica durante su etapa ilustrada ha quedado olvidada. La hermenéutica ilustrada de los siglos XVII y XVIII no ha sido tenida en cuenta por los proyectos hermenéuticos contemporáneos. Nuestro interés radica en observar (...) cómo esta etapa, a pesar de haber sido relegada, influye en el proyecto contemporáneo de la hermenéutica gadameriana. Según esto, nos abocaremos a dilucidar cómo actúa la naciente hermenéutica profana durante la modernidad. Para ello nos centraremos en algunos autores modernos como Chladenius y Dannhauer, a través de los cuales observaremos las problemáticas que trabajan en el campo hermenéutico y sus intentos de resolución. Y por último, intentaremos delinear aquellos aportes propios de estos autores en el proyecto contemporáneo de Gadamer. (shrink)

RESUMENEn el presente trabajo tiene como fin exponer la función de la reflexión en la propuesta hermenéutica de Hans Georg Gadamer. Para ello se mostrará la opacidad trascendental que muestran los términos de «lenguaje» e «historia» como condiciones de posibilidad de la comprensión. Esto tiene como fin descubrir que la hermenéutica de Gadamer se estructura a partir de una semántica inefable y de una doble dimensión del lenguaje donde la reflexión crítica se sitúa como eje del diálogo hermenéutico a partir (...) de la dialéctica de la pregunta y respuesta.PALABRAS CLAVEGADAMER, OPACIDAD TRASCENDENTAL, DIALÉCTICA DE LA PREGUNTA Y RESPUESTA, SEMÁNTICA INEFABLE, REFLEXIÓN HERMENÉUTICAABSTRACTThis paper aims to present the function of reflection in the hermeneutic proposal of Hans-Georg Gadamer showing the transcendental opacity inherent to the terms «language» and «history» as conditions of possibility for understanding. Our objective is to demonstrate that the hermeneutic of Gadamer is framed on the basis of indescribable semantics and a double dimension of language in which critical reflection constitutes the axis of the hermeneutic dialogue based on the question-answer dialectics.KEYWORDSGADAMER, TRASCENDENTAL OPACITY, DIALECTIC OF THE QUESTION AND ANSWER, INDESCRIBABLE SEMANTICS, HERMENEUTIC REFLECTION. (shrink)

This paper aims to show two things. On the one hand, it aims to discover that the interpretation executed by Gadamer of the Dilthian hermeneutic project ends up being one sided and reductionist in several respects, and therefore does not do justice to the fundamental hermeneutical plan of the critique of historical reason. Furthermore, we will show how Gadamerian hermeneutics continue with the Dilthian project assimilating trascendental elements that, ultimately, structurally operate the philosophical hermeneutics.

RESUMENA partir de las problemáticas desarrolladas por Charles Taylor y su explí­cita adhesión al programa gadameriano de la hermenéutica se intentará desarrollar la noción de fusión de horizontes con respecto a dos cuestiones inherentes a ella. Por un lado el papel que cumple en el entendimiento entre esquemas comprensivos diferentes; y por otro lado, la ambigüedad del carácter de la misma fusión. Esto en referencia a lo siguiente: o bien se trata de la fusión de horizontes distintos o bien se (...) trata de una fusión interna en un solo horizonte, con lo cual lo primero resulta ser sólo una mera apariencia.PALABRAS CLAVEHERMENÉUTICA, GADAMER, FUSIÓN DE HORIZONTES, ALTERIDADABSTRACTIn this paper I analyse Charles Taylor’s notion of horizons fusion, which comes from Gadamer’s Hermeneutics (as Taylor avows). Two problems are discussed: on the one hand, the role of this notion regarding the understanding between different comprehensive schemes and, on the other hand the ambiguity of fusion in itself, insofar as it can be seen either as the fusion of different horizons, or as an internal fusion in the context of one horizon. Thus the first possibility becomes a mere appearance.KEY WORDSHERMENEUTICS, GADAMER, HORIZONS FUSION, OTHERNESS. (shrink)

El presente trabajo tiene como fin describir la relación entre retórica y hermenéutica en la obra de Hans-Georg Gadamer. Un primer paso consiste enreconocer los elementos de la retórica en el contexto de Verdad y Método.Apartir de allí se intentará mostrar lo que Gadamer entiende por la recuperación hermenéutica de la retórica antigua sobre la base de tres tópicos. Elprimero radica en mostrar que la retórica, al igual que la hermenéutica, alcanzaun estatus ontológico. En segundo lugar, que la retórica es (...) parte fundamentalen la formación de los conceptos mediante el elemento de la analogía.Y en tercer lugar, la íntima relación que mantiene la hermenéutica con laretórica a un nivel de argumentación racional sobre la base de la noción deverosimilitud (eikós). (shrink)

El reemplazo de la idea heideggeriana del ser-para-la muerte por la noción gadameriana del ser-para-el-texto tiene consecuencias de importantes desarrollos dentro de la hermenéutica filosófica. El presente trabajo aborda, en un primer momento, el llamado "principio de indisponibilidad del lenguaje" ..

Das Crises às possibilidades da Educação Superior no Brasil: uma leitura a partir de Hannah Arendt Resumo: O texto procura entender os pressupostos da educação superior no Brasil e faz considerações sobre seus limites e potencialidades à luz de Hannah Arendt. Segundo Hannah Arendt, a crise da educação remete-se a uma crise de estabilidade de todas as instituições políticas e sociais. E para o enfrentamento dessa crise, Hannah Arendt sugere reconsiderar a crise da modernidade para se repensar criticamente o papel (...) da educação no mundo contemporâneo. De fato, sua reflexão assevera que a educação está entre as atividades mais elementares e necessárias da sociedade humana, e, por isso, tem de ser continuamente repensada em função das transformações do mundo no qual nascem novos seres humanos. Hannah Arendt, questiona e faz pensar como que a crise da e na educação impede todo desenvolvimento de tarefas e dinâmicas que ajudem, especialmente aos estudantes (em qualquer área de conhecimento) a possuírem e produzirem um conhecimento que leve a um enfrentamento de situações críticas do quotidiano. Palavras-Chave: Hannah Arendt; Educação Superior; Crise na Educação; Cidadania; Direito Educacional. From Crises to Possibilities of Higher Education in Brazil: a Reading Based on Hannah Arendt Abstract: The text aims to understand assumptions of higher education in Brazil and makes considerations about limits and potentialities concerning those assumptions in the light of Hannah Arendt. According to Hannah Arendt, the crisis in education refers to a crisis of stability of all political and social institutions. And to envisage this crisis, Hannah Arendt suggests reconsidering the crisis of modernity to critically rethink the role of education in the contemporary world. In fact, her reflection asserts that education is among the most fundamental and necessary activities of human society, and, therefore, it must be continually rethought considering transformations in the world in which new human beings are born. Hannah Arendt, questions and makes us think about how the crisis of and in education prevents any development of tasks and dynamics that help, especially for students (in any area of knowledge) to possess and produce knowledge that leads to facing critical situations in the everyday. Keywords: Hannah Arendt; Higher Education; Crisis on Education; Citizenship; Educational Law. Des crises aux possibilités d e l’enseignement supérieur au Brésil : une lecture chez Hannah Arendt Résumé: Le texte a le but de comprendre les présupposés de l'enseignement supérieur au Brésil et fait des considérations sur ses limites et ses potentialités à la lumière d'Hannah Arendt. Selon Hannah Arendt, la crise de l'éducation renvoie à une crise de stabilité de toutes les institutions politiques et sociales. Et pour faire face à cette crise, Hannah Arendt propose de reconsidérer la crise de la modernité afin de repenser de manière critique le rôle de l'éducation dans le monde contemporain. En effet, sa réflexion affirme que l'éducation fait partie des activités les plus élémentaires et les plus nécessaires de la société humaine et qu'elle doit, donc, être continuellement repensée à la lumière des transformations du monde dans lesquelles de nouveaux êtres humains voient le jour. Hannah Arendt, interroge et fait réfléchir sur la façon dont la crise de et dans l'éducation empêche tout développement de tâches et de dynamiques qui aident, en particulier pour les étudiants (dans n'importe quel domaine de la connaissance) à posséder et produire des connaissances qui conduisent à faire face à des situations critiques dans le quotidien. Mots-Clés : Hannah Arendt; Enseignement supérieur; crise de l'éducation; citoyenneté; droit éducatif. Data de registro: 23/12/2021 Data de aceite: 15/03/2022. (shrink)

This study aims to analyze, genealogically, a sort of introductory topology of the problems of government at the thought of Foucault, especially as regards the conditions of possibility and the most relevant features of the invention of the concept biopolitics. What is the purpose here is not the simple application of the concepts in their historical perspectives, but to make the mapping of the concepts, the course on Foucault. For this, the governments in association with the pastoral power, with the (...) geneses and development of policial economy. (shrink)

Em 1377, o célebre bispo de Oviedo, Gutierre Gómez de Toledo, celebrou um sínodo reformista em que se promulgaram diretrizes para a ação do clero, incluindo uma constituição sobre a ação catequética na diocese. Apregoava o prelado que “como, segundo as ordenações dos santos padres, a principal carga e cura devem haver os que têm alguns súditos” consistia em ensiná-los as lições pelas quais seriam salvos”. Por isso, os arciprestes e curas eram obrigados a apresentar “aos seus súditos e paroquianos (...) os feitos divinais e virtuosos. (shrink)

We prove that Martin’s Axiom implies the existence of a Cohen-indestructible mad family such that the Mathias forcing associated to its filter adds dominating reals, while \ is consistent with the negation of this statement as witnessed by the Laver model for the consistency of Borel’s conjecture.

Higher education in the 21st century faces the challenge of changing the way in which knowledge is conveyed and how teachers and students interact in the teaching-learning process. The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has hastened the need to face up to this challenge and has furthered the need to approach the issue from the perspective of digitalisation. To achieve this, it is necessary to design training programmes geared towards teaching staff and which address both the use of technology and (...) instructional design aimed at promoting the development of self-regulated learning and automatic feedback systems. In this study, work was carried out with 23 teachers in a training programme conducted through Moodle. The aims were: to test whether there were any significant differences between the behaviour patterns of new teachers compared to experienced teachers, to determine whether clusters of behaviour patterns corresponded to the type of teacher and to ascertain whether the level of teacher satisfaction with the training activity in digital teaching will depend on the type of teacher. A quantitative as well as a qualitative design was applied. Differences were found in the behaviour patterns in the training activities for the development of rubrics and use of learning analytics systems in virtual learning environments. It was also found that the type of teacher did not correspond exactly to the behaviour cluster in the learning platform. In addition, no significant differences were found in the level of satisfaction between the two kinds of teacher. The main contribution this study makes is to provide a detailed description of the training stage as well as the materials required for its repetition. Further analytical studies are required on teacher perception of training programmes in digital teaching in order to provide personalised training proposals that lead to an effective use of teaching in digital environments. (shrink)

O presente artigo aborda a questão do outro no interior do pensamento de Martin Heidegger. Tal problemática, não obstante, será examina a partir da pressuposição das tonalidades afetivas, fenômeno caracterizado em toda a produção filosófica do pensador, embora, nessa ocasião, seja dada ênfase a obras anteriores a 1930. A convivência como modalidade do ser-com mostra-se imbuída e perpassada por afecções que regionalizam o mundo e plasmam espaços de interação e apropriação dos modos de ser. A pesquisa versa sobre algumas dimensões (...) e experiências as quais o ser-aí instaura em seu horizonte hermenêutico de maneira a se orientar por “afecções” específicas, mostrando a dinâmica da convivência em suas relações de proximidade e diferença por meio de tonalidades afetivas, bem como mediante estruturas existenciais, como a preocupação. O estudo pretende, por fim, mostrar alguns meandros da análise de Heidegger quanto ao “tema” do outro, já que esse é um assunto pouco debatido pelo pensador, uma vez que suas reflexões incidem precisamente no esforço de ruptura com a noção tradicional de “homem”, o que justifica seu ensejo por questões distintas daquela que na presente ocasião se visa discutir. (shrink)

Desde finales de la década de 1980 aparece como una constante en las teorizaciones de la Comunicación Pública de la Ciencia y la Tecnología (CPCT) y en el campo CTS en general un constructo denominado por Brian Wynne el “Modelo del Déficit” (MD), consistente en asumir como premisa la ignorancia del público general en temas de ciencia y tecnología. Martin Bauer asegura que la evolución de los paradigmas de la CPCT en las décadas siguientes respondió a sucesivos intentos de alejarse (...) de tal constructo, que, sin embargo, sostiene, sigue vigente. No obstante, el concepto de MD al que recurre Bauer parece diferente, lo que genera interrogantes sobre tal aseveración. Proponemos aquí una primera reconstrucción estructuralista de los tres paradigmas reconocidos por Bauer a fin de elucidar esta compleja cuestión clave de esta disciplina. (shrink)

In Groenendijk & Stokhof [1989] a system of dynamic predicate logic (DPL) was developed, as a compositional alternative for classical discourse representation theory (DRT ). DPL shares with DRT the restriction of being a first-order system. In the present paper, we are mainly concerned with overcoming this limitation. We shall define a dynamic semantics for a typed language with λ-abstraction which is compatible with the semantics DPL specifies for the language of first-order predicate logic. We shall propose to use this (...) new logical system as the semantic component of a Montague-style grammar (referred to as dynamic Montague grammar, DMG), which will enable us to extend the compositionality of DPL to the subsentential level. Furthermore, we shall extend this analysis also in this sense that we shall add new, dynamic interpretations for logical constants which in DPL were treated in a static fashion. This will substantially increase the descriptive coverage of DMG. (shrink)

Of course, although this view on meaning was the prevailing one for almost a century, many of the people who initiated the enterprise of logical semantics, including people like Frege and Wittgenstein, had an open eye for all that it did not catch. However, the logical means which Frege, Wittgenstein, Russell, and the generation that succeeded them, had at their disposal were those of classical mathematical logic and set-theory, and these indeed are not very suited for an analysis of other (...) aspects of meaning than those which the slogan covers. A real change in view then had to await the emergence of other concepts, which in due course became available mainly under the influence of developments in computer science and cognate disciplines such as artificial intelligence. And this is one of the reasons why it took almost a century before any serious and successful challenge of the view that meaning equals truthconditions from within logical semantics could emerge. (shrink)

We investigate the relationship between the dark triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) of managers and the practice of reporting manipulation using a primary survey of 837 professionals working in accounting and finance departments. We find that (a) managers who exhibit dark personality traits are associated with a higher prevalence of fraudulent accounting practices in their accounting and finance departments and (b) traditional risk management mechanisms are only partially effective in mitigating this effect. Internal audits are effective in curtailing (...) the negative behavior of managers with dark triad traits only if these internal audits are outsourced and performed by independent external personnel but not if they are conducted by internal personnel. This suggests that managers with dark triad traits are able to manipulate other employees quite effectively. Consequently, having external personnel perform the auditing task provides a safeguard against such unethical practices and manipulation. This finding has strong practical implications, as it provides support for outsourcing internal audits rather than keeping them in-house. (shrink)

Questions concerning the proof-theoretic strength of classical versus nonclassical theories of truth have received some attention recently. A particularly convenient case study concerns classical and nonclassical axiomatizations of fixed-point semantics. It is known that nonclassical axiomatizations in four- or three-valued logics are substantially weaker than their classical counterparts. In this paper we consider the addition of a suitable conditional to First-Degree Entailment—a logic recently studied by Hannes Leitgeb under the label HYPE. We show in particular that, by formulating the theory (...) PKF over HYPE, one obtains a theory that is sound with respect to fixed-point models, while being proof-theoretically on a par with its classical counterpart KF. Moreover, we establish that also its schematic extension—in the sense of Feferman—is as strong as the schematic extension of KF, thus matching the strength of predicative analysis. (shrink)

A mainstay of stakeholder management is the belief that firms create value when they invest more time, money, and attention to stakeholders than is necessary for the immediate transaction. This tendency to repeat interactions with the same set of stakeholders fosters what we call stakeholder friction. Stakeholder friction is a term for the collection of social, legal, and economic forces leading firms to prioritize and reinvest in current stakeholders. For many stakeholder scholars, such friction is close to universally beneficial, but (...) the associated costs—to both the firm and legitimate stakeholders—have been underspecified. Failure to account for the effects of stakeholder friction can cause managers to under-allocate attention and value to some legitimate stakeholders and to over-allocate attention and value to current stakeholders. We examine the concept of stakeholder friction and elaborate on three exemplar sources of friction prominent in the stakeholder literature. This is followed by an analysis of investments in stakeholder relationships and a consideration of the implications of stakeholder friction on the ability of firms to prioritize stakeholders. The tendency to reinvest in current stakeholders has, in addition to the oft-discussed benefits, a predictable downside. (shrink)

The project of this paper is to synthesize enactivist cognitive science and practice theory in order to develop a new account of pretend play. Pretend play is usually conceived of as a representationalist phenomenon where a pretender projects a fictional mental representation onto reality. It thus seems that pretense can only be explained in representationalist terms. In this paper, we oppose this usual approach. We instead propose not only new explanatory tools for pretend play, but also a fundamental reconceptualization of (...) the phenomena of pretend play, that is, of the very explanandum of theories of pretense. To do so, we suggest combining the turn to action and embodiment in the cognitive sciences with the practice turn in the humanities. From our point of view, pretend play has to be seen in its role in human life as a whole, which is to help children to learn to master the complex sociocultural contingencies of the manifold social practices that make up social reality. Pretend play should therefore be conceived as alternative sense-making that is always related, in varying ways, to ordinary social practices. Pretenders do not need to project mental representations onto reality, but make sense of their surroundings in different ways than encultured adults in ordinary practices. In the paper, we spell out this view and show how it enables an enactivist reconceptualization of imagination, intentions and knowledge, which are usually thought of as being available only to representationalist accounts of pretense. (shrink)

Die vier Studien dieses Bandes behandeln alle das Problem, wie sich ein gutes Leben zu einem moralisch guten Leben verhält. Jede untersucht dieses Verhältnis von einer anderen Seite her; jede führt auf ihre Weise zu dem Schluß, daß der Zusammenhang zwischen dem Guten und dem moralisch Guten weder als letztendliche Identität noch als begriffliche Priorität einer der beiden Komponenten verstanden werden darf. Zusammen bilden sie den Entwurf einer praktischen Philosophie, die die Begriffe des individuellen Guten und des moralisch Richtigen als (...) interdependente Grundbegriffe versteht. (shrink)

Prior research has demonstrated a strong relationship between team performance and team members’ team efficacy beliefs and perceptions of social integration. Performing well increases the feelings of collective ability that comprise team efficacy and the feelings of psychological connectedness that make up social integration, while performing poorly erodes them. In this article, we draw from the social cognitive base of ethical leadership theory to argue that ethical leadership moderates the relationship between team performance and team efficacy beliefs, and between team (...) performance and social integration, such that these important team attitudes are buffered against the negative effects of poor performance when leaders act ethically. Alternatively, when leaders act less ethically, team efficacy and social integration break down following poor performance. We test our hypotheses in a field study of U.S. military teams actively engaged in competition. The data support our arguments. We find that ethical leadership weakens the relationships among team performance and team efficacy and social integration, respectively, such that ethical leaders preserve team efficacy and social integration when their teams do not perform well. (shrink)

Drosophila flies began to be used in the study of species evolution during the late 1930s. The geneticists Natasha Sivertzeva-Dobzhansky and Elizabeth Reed pioneered this work in the United States, and María Monclús conducted similar studies in Spain. The research they carried out with their husbands enabled Drosophila population genetics to take off and reveals a genealogy of women geneticists grounded in mutual inspiration. Their work also shows that women were present in population genetics from the beginning, although their contributions (...) have previously remained unacknowledged. The similarities between their research biographies also illustrate their position in a genealogy of partnerships working on Drosophila genetics. (shrink)

The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 78, Issue 1, Page 101-105, Winter 2020.

Based on Moscovici’s classical study on the cultivation of psychoanalytic ideas in France in the 1950’s and our own research on modern biotechnology, we propose a paradigm for researching social representations. Following a consideration of the nature of representations and of the ‘iconoclastic suspicion’ that haunts them, we propose a model of the emergence of meaning relating three elements: subjects, objects, and projects. The basic unit of analysis is the elongated triangle of mediation : subject 1, object, project, and subject (...) 2, captured in the image of a ‘Toblerone’. Such social units cultivate, that is produce, circulate and receive representation which may be embodied in four modes–habitual behaviour, individual cognition, informal communication and formal communication–and in three mediums–words, visual images or non-linguistic sounds. We propose an operational definition of a ‘social representation’ as the comparison of four characteristics of communication systems: the content structures , the typified processes , and their functions , within the context of segmented social milieus. Seven implications for research on social representations are outlined: content and process; segmentation by social milieus rather than taxonomies; cultivation studies within social milieus; multi-method analysis; time structures and longitudinal data; the crossover of cultural projects and trajectories; the disinterested research attitude. This ideal type paradigm leads to an operational clarification to identify new research questions, and to guide the design and evaluation of studies on social representations. (shrink)

As a distinctive voice in the current philosophy of technology, postphenomenology elucidates various ways of how technologies “shape” both the world and humans in it. Distancing itself from more speculative approaches, postphenomenology advocates the so-called empirical turn in philosophy of technology: It focuses on diverse effects of particular technologies instead of speculating on the essence of technology and its general impact. Critics of postphenomenology argue that by turning to particularities and emphasizing that technologies are always open to different uses and (...) interpretations, postphenomenology becomes unable to realize how profoundly technology determines our being in the world. Seeking to evaluate the postphenomenological ability to radically reflect on the human being conditioned by technology, I discuss the two most pertinent criticisms of postphenomenology: an “existential” one by Robert C. Scharff and an “ontological” one by Jochem Zwier, Vincent Blok, and Pieter Lemmens. Assessing the ontological alternative, I point to incapacity of Heidegger’s concept of Enframing to do justice to material technologies. Simultaneously, I acknowledge the necessity of speculating on technology as transcending concrete technologies. Such speculating would be instrumental in reviving Ihde’s idea of non-neutrality of technology in its full philosophical potency. (shrink)

The recent success of the Mars 2020 project and the high quality images relayed back to Earth have provided further impetus and expectations for human missions to Mars. To support space agency and private enterprise plans to establish a sustainable colony on Mars in the 2030s, synthetic biology may play a vital role to enable astronaut self-sufficiency. In this review, we describe some aspects of where synthetic biology may inform and guide in situ resource utilisation strategies. We address the nature (...) of Martian regolith and describe methods by which it may be rendered fit for purpose to support growth and yield of bioengineered crops. Lastly, we illustrate some examples of innate human adaptation which may confer characteristics desirable in the selection of colonists and with a future looking lens, offer potential targets for human enhancement. (shrink)

The first case of COVID-19 infection in Africa was recorded in Egypt on 14 February 2020. Following this, several projections of the possible devastating effect that the virus can have on the population of African countries were made in the Western media. This paper presents evidence for Africa’s successful responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and under-reporting or misrepresentation of these successes in Western media. It proceeds to argue for accounting for these successes in terms of Africa’s communitarian way of life (...) and conceptions of self, duty, and rights; and that a particular orientation in theorizing on global justice can highlight the injustices inherent in the misrepresentation of these successes and contribute shared perspectives to formulating a framework of values and concepts that would facilitate the implementation of global policy goals for justice. The paper is thus grounded in a rejection of the insular tenets of theorizing prevalent in the global justice debate and to persistent inclinations in Western scholarship to the thinking that theorizing in the African context that draws inspiration from the cultural past has little to contribute to the quest for justice globally. On the contrary, it argues that reflexive critique of cultural history is a necessary source of normative ideals that can foster tolerant coexistence and a cooperative endeavour toward shared conceptions of justice in the contemporary world. (shrink)

The idea that the changing entropy of a system is relevant to explaining why we know more about the system's past than about its future has been criticized on several fronts. This paper assesses the criticisms and clarifies the epistemology of the inference problem. It deploys a Markov process model to investigate the relationship between entropy and temporally asymmetric inference.

In this conversation, Berkeley-based philosopher Judith Butler offers insights into her understanding of the public sphere and its current transformations as a core dimension of political subjectivity. Beginning with her own understanding of Habermas’ classic, the interview centers around its connection to other classical texts (e.g. of Hannah Arendt) and timely political debates.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction: Questions of Meaning Theories of Meaning Language, Mind and Metaphysics: Questions of Priority Semantic Theories: Davidson's Programme Analysing the Concept of Meaning: Grice's Programme Pragmatics: Conversational Implicature and Relevance Theory.