What can we learn from plants? Which forms of intelligence and knowledge can we discover by dedicating ourselves to understanding the life of a plant, its characteristics, interactions with the environment and cultural narratives? This article aims to bridge recent studies in plant intelligence, Semiotics and creative processes. Departing form the idea that the world arrived at a critical situation and the planet Earth cannot continue being exploited as an infinite source, we argue that it is necessary to promote transformations (...) in our culture, abandoning the anthropocentric framework and looking for new perspectives. In this sense, connecting communication, art, science and education, the purpose of Plant Portraits is to create experiences and propitiate encounters that catalyse the awakening of an expanded and integrated consciousness. (shrink)

How has the body been discussed in cyber artworks? Technologies of communication nets such as the World Wide Web, satellites, mobile phones and GPS are triggering drastic transformations of the concept we have of the body as well as of the perception of ourselves. The purpose of this article is to emphasize some aspects existing in art pieces that question and investigate the concept of body and the emergence of a new kind of consciousness.

The scope of Philosophy in Multiple Voices provides the reader with eight philosophical streams of thought-African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Asian-American, Feminist, Latin-American, Lesbian, Native-American and Queer-that introduce readers to alternative, complex philosophical questions concerning gendered, sexed, racial and ethnic identities, canon formation, and meta-philosophy. The overriding theme of the text is that philosophy is pluralistic in voice, rich in diversity, and ought to valorize democratic intellectual spaces of philosophical engagement.

Theories related to cognitive sciences, Human-in-the-loop Cyber-physical systems, data analysis for decision-making, and computational ethics make clear the need to create transdisciplinary learning, research, and application strategies to bring coherence to the paradigm of a truly human-oriented technology. Autonomous objects assume more responsibilities for individual and collective phenomena, they have gradually filtered into routines and require the incorporation of ethical practice into the professions related to the development, modeling, and design of algorithms. To make this possible, it is pertinent and (...) urgent to bring them closer to the problems and approaches of the humanities. Increasingly transdisciplinary research must be part of the construction of systems that provide developers and scientists with the necessary bases to understand the ethical debate and therefore their commitment to society. This article considers two theories as articulating axes: Blumenberg’s, coming from the field of philosophy, for whom the process of technification and especially the implementation of mathematical models in their algorithmic form leads to an emptying of meaning and therefore makes programmers who implement their functions to be alien to the concerns that gave them origin; Daston’s, belonging to the field of the history of science and according to which the division of labor in the processes of technification of the calculation implies a kind of subordination in which those who implement the inventions of a small group of privileged mathematicians ignore the procedures that put them into operation. Given these two theories, the black box models prevalent in AI development, and the urgency of establishing explanatory frameworks for the development of computational ethics, this article exposes the need to give a voice to the cultural history of consciousness for promoting the discussions around the implementation of mathematical algorithms. The paper takes as a reference the different points of view that have emerged around the study of technological ethics, its applicability, management, and design. It criticizes the current state of studies from a humanistic perspective and explains how the historical perspective allows promoting the training of software engineers, developers and creators so that they assume intuitions and moral values in the development of their work. Specifically, it aims to expose how cultural history, applied to the study of consciousness and its phenomena, makes those involved in this technological revolution aware of the effect that they, through their algorithms, have on society in general and on human beings in particular. (shrink)

Utviklingen innenfor informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi har gitt opphav til en type etisk-politisk utfordring som gjerne kalles digital ulikhet. Tradisjonelt har det dreid seg om sosiale ulikheter i tilgangen til IKT på individnivå. Nyere forskning på området er mer opptatt av bruk og dermed av tilbudet av aktiviteter og tjenester gjennom Internett. I denne artikkelen ser vi på hvordan det kan oppstå geografisk digital ulikhet som følge av at norske kommuner tilbyr digitale tjenester – herunder informasjon og ressurser for lokalpolitisk deltakelse (...) – i svært forskjellig omfang. Det betyr at kommunene står overfor etisk-politiske utfordringer knyttet til digital ulikhet som følge av deres strategier for bruk av hjemmesider, og for digital utvikling av kommunen mer generelt. Selv om det er få kommuner som tilbyr særlig mye når det gjelder lokalpolitisk deltakelse, er ulikhetene i tilbudet av informasjon og digitale tjenester betydelige. I tillegg bidrar velutviklede hjemmesider til å gjøre kommunen mer gjennomsiktig og lettere tilgjengelig, noe vi antar er en fordel for innbyggerne. Analysen er basert på en kvantitativt orientert innholdsanalyse av hjemmesidene til alle norske kommuner og en kvalitativ innholdsanalyse av hjemmesidene til ti norske kommuner.Nøkkelord: digital ulikhet, etisk-politiske utfordringer, kommuner, hjemmesider, digitale tjenesterEnglish summary: Norwegian local governments electronically out of step? From social to geographical digital dividesThe development of information and communication technologies has raised a kind of ethical–political challenge usually referred to as a digital divide. Traditionally, this has fomented concerns about social inequalities with respect to individual access to ICT. More recent scholarship argues the need to be more focused on use rather than access; accordingly, also on the supply of activities and services through internet. In this article, we study how geographical digital divides may appear as a consequence of the fact that Norwegian local governments supply digital services – including information and resources for local political participation – to quite a different extent. This means that local governments face ethical–political challenges related to digital divides as a consequence of their strategies for the development of home pages and for digital development of local government services more generally. Even though only a few local governments offer much with regard to local political participation, the inequalities with respect to the supply of information and digital services are considerable. In addition, apparently, well–developed home pages make the local government more transparent and more accessible. We believe this to be of advantage to local citizens. The analysis is based on a quantitative content analysis of all Norwegian local governments and a qualitative content analysis of the home pages of 10 local governments. (shrink)

In several studies on the interpretation of the term politeuma, Patrick Sänger argues that it has three basic meanings: ‘political act’, ‘citizenry’ or ‘active citizenry’, and ‘polity’ and thus ‘state’, sometimes having the connotation ‘constitution’. Although the interpretation of the word can be traced back at least to Aristotle, it is generally acknowledged that its basic meanings can be found as well in Hellenistic and Roman literature, sometimes even used side by side. Taking into account the epoch in which Plutarch (...) wrote his work and the wide chronological period that it covers, it can be expected that Plutarch might be a very illustrative guide for the use of the term politeuma. The word occurs in fact 75 times throughout his work. In most cases, it is used only once or twice in a single biography or in a piece of the Moralia. There are, however, three exceptions to this global pattern: the Lives of Lycurgus and Numa, which concentrate 12 occurrences; those of Agis/Cleomenes and Tiberius/Gaius Gracchus with 13; finally, and from the Moralia, the An seni respublica gerenda sit, with 5 passages. This paper discusses the way Plutarch combines text and context, namely the way the concept of politeuma works in the context in which it is used throughout the Lives and the Moralia. En varios estudios sobre la interpretación del término politeuma, Patrick Sänger sostiene que tiene tres significados básicos: a) “acto político”, b) “la ciudadanía” o conjunto de ciudadanos activos”, y c) “sistema de gobierno” y, por lo tanto, “estado”, muchas veces con la connotación de “constitución”. Aunque la interpretación de la palabra suele remontarse hasta Aristóteles, generalmente, se reconoce que sus significados básicos pueden hallarse también en las Literaturas Helenística y Romana, a veces, incluso utilizados uno junto a otro. Teniendo en cuenta la época en la que Plutarco escribió su obra y el vasto período de tiempo que abarca, podemos considerarlo una guía muy ilustrativa sobre el uso del término politeuma. La palabra se registra 75 veces a lo largo de su obra. En la mayoría de los casos se la utiliza sólo una o dos veces en alguna biografía individual dentro de Moralia. Sin embargo, hay tres excepciones a este patrón general: las Vitae de Licurgo y Numa, incluyendo la Comparatio, que concentran 12 ocurrencias, aquellas de Agis/Cleomenes y Tiberio/Cayo Graco con 13 y, finalmente, en An seni respublica gerenda sit dentro de Moralia, en 5 pasajes. En el presente artículo discutimos el modo en que Plutarco combina texto y contexto y cómo funciona el término politeuma según su contexto en las Vitae y en Moralia. (shrink)

According to the Austrian philosopher Hans Kelsen (1881-1973), social and institutional entities are the only entities that can be null, void. The starting point of the article, The “Invalid” and the “Nothing”: At the Origins of Social Ontology, is the analysis of Hans Kelsen’s thesis. But: Why are social entities the only entities that can be null, void? In order to answer this question, in the first part of the article, the author uses two new concepts: validity-imperfection and validity-falsification. The (...) second part of the paper deals with a new ontological question: Are null (void) social entities something? (shrink)

Este artículo analiza la novela Jardín, de la escritora cubana Dulce María Loynaz, deteniéndose en las estrategias que despliega para subvertir distintos modelos de feminidad. La novela sostiene un diálogo productivo con distintas corrientes estéticas, cuyas formas de expresión asume y a la vez critica por las limitaciones que le imponen al desarrollo de la subjetividad femenina. A través del recorrido que realiza en Jardín por distintas propuestas estéticas e ideológicas que han contribuido a la configuración del sujeto moderno, Loynaz (...) despliega una crítica a las formas en que estas construyen el sujeto femenino y su posición en el orden de género sexual. Este recorrido se realiza desde dentro de estas estéticas, desde su apropiación productiva en la textualidad de la novela, la que transita por el lenguaje del romanticismo, del simbolismo, del modernismo y de las vanguardias. En Jardín se muestra cómo estos movimientos abren, pero también cierran, posibilidades de expresión y desarrollo para las mujeres. (shrink)

Resumo : O texto deseja investigar a categoria “estética” no campo da filosofia da educação. Formar-se significa dar a si mesmo o direito de escolher trajetórias diante do fecundo universo interpretativo à disposição no meio acadêmico. A força do educador na relação com o estudante implica ensinar a ruminar sobre suas escolhas estéticas para bem argumentar na relação com outras abordagens filosóficas. Cabe aos educadores no ensino superior e especialmente aqueles do campo da Filosofia e das Teorias da Educação provocar (...) os estudantes a fazer experiências com seus próprios conceitos, por vezes desmontando, refinando, sofisticando, incluindo, excluindo noções e conceitos para evitar que a solidez das convicções empobreçam as imagens da exuberância da vida e das estéticas educativas Palavras-chave : formação, filosofia da educação, estética, teorias da educação. (shrink)

Given a space in an elementary submodel M of H, define XM to be X∩M with the topology generated by . It is established, using anti-large-cardinals assumptions, that if XM is compact and its regular open algebra is isomorphic to that of a continuous image of some power of the two-point discrete space, then X=XM. Assuming in addition, the result holds for any compact XM satisfying the countable chain condition.

The general question to be considered in this paper points to the nature of the world described by chemistry: what is macro-chemical ontology like? In particular, we want to identify the ontological categories that underlie chemical discourse and chemical practice. This is not an easy task, because modern Western metaphysics was strongly modeled by theoretical physics. For this reason, we attempt to answer our question by contrasting macro-chemical ontology with the mainstream ontology of physics and of traditional metaphysics. In particular, (...) we introduce the distinction between stuff-ontology, proper of chemistry, and individual-ontology, proper of physics. These two ontologies differ from each other in the basic categories of their own structures. On this basis, we characterize individual-ontology in such a way that the features of stuff-ontology will arise by contrast with it. (shrink)

In late February and early March 2020, Italy became the European epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite increasingly stringent containment measures enforced by the government, the health system faced an enormous pressure, and extraordinary efforts were made in order to increase overall hospital beds’ availability and especially ICU capacity. Nevertheless, the hardest-hit hospitals in Northern Italy experienced a shortage of ICU beds and resources that led to hard allocating choices. At the beginning of March 2020, the Italian Society of Anesthesia, (...) Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care issued recommendations aimed at supporting physicians in prioritizing patients when the number of critically ill patients overwhelm the capacity of ICUs. One motivating concern for the SIAARTI guidance was that, if no balanced and consistent allocation procedures were applied to prioritize patients, there would be a concrete risk for unfair choices, and that the prevalent “first come, first served” principle would lead to many avoidable deaths. Among the drivers of decision for admission to ICUs, age, comorbidities, and preexisting functional status were included. The recommendations were criticized as ageist and potentially discriminatory against elderly patients. Looking forward to the next steps, the Italian experience can be relevant to other parts of the world that are yet to see a significant surge of COVID-19: the need for transparent triage criteria and commonly shared values give the Italian recommendations even greater legitimacy. (shrink)

The essay intends to highlight as the walls constitute the elements of that “imaginary geography”, according to a definition of Edward Said, that realizing an attempt of defence of the State sovereignty, admits at same times its fragility. Symbolically representing a function and an effectiveness that in reality they do not exercise, such walls appear as “theatrical and spectacularised performance of the power”, disappointing responses in the face of the challenges and of today's questions. Analysing the convergence of the Mediterranean (...) area to the global tendency to the building of barriers and to the deep fragmentation of the lands, ploughed by rigid and hostile boundaries, the analysis focused how the elevation of real walls is linked to the creation of an imaginary barrier, the “Mediterranean wall”, an intangible, immaterial, but impassable limit, a barrier against which an incalculable number of migrants have lost and continue to lose their lives. (shrink)

Women account for 70% of healthcare workers, so their role has been – and still is – fundamental in addressing and managing the current pandemic event caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Far from being an opportunity to highlight the importance of women in the field, the healthcare crisis, together with lockdown policies and care responsibilities, have contributed to increase the gender gap. To study the depiction of women healthcare professionals, this paper analyses 401 cartoons on the COVID-19 pandemic that depict (...) healthcare workers. Most represent doctors as men and nurses as women, in roles subordinate to men. The representation of women is also impacted by stereotypes that do not contribute to better reflect the roles and professional skills of women in the healthcare field today. (shrink)

Ethics consultation is a service provided to patients, families, and clinicians to support decisions during ethical dilemmas. This study is a secondary qualitative analysis of 48 interviews from clinicians involved in an ethics consultation at a large academic health center. An inductive secondary analysis of this data set led to the emergence of one key theme, the apparent perspective the clinicians adopted as they recalled a specific ethics case. This article presents a qualitative analysis of the propensity of clinicians involved (...) in an ethics consultation to adopt the subjective viewpoints of their team, their patient, or both simultaneously. Clinicians demonstrated an ability to take the patient perspective (42%), the clinician perspective (31%), or the clinician-patient perspective (25%). Our analysis suggests the potential for narrative medicine to build the empathy and moral imagination necessary to bridge the gap in perspectives between key stakeholders. (shrink)

Hastings Center Report, Volume 52, Issue 5, Page 46-47, September–October 2022.

This paper describes a practice innovation: the addition of formal weekly discussions of patients with prolonged PICU stay to reduce healthcare providers’ moral distress and decrease length of stay for patients with life-threatening illnesses. We evaluated the innovation using a pre/post intervention design measuring provider moral distress and comparing patient outcomes using retrospective historical controls. Physicians and nurses on staff in our pediatric intensive care unit in a quaternary care children's hospital participated in the evaluation. There were 60 patients in (...) the interventional group and 66 patients in the historical control group. We evaluated the impact of weekly meetings to establish goals of care for patients with longer than 10 days length of stay in the ICU for a year. Moral distress was measured intermittently and reported moral distress thermometer scores fluctuated. "Clinical situations" represented the most frequent contributing factor to moral distress. Post intervention, overall moral distress scores, measured on the moral distress scale revised, were lower for respondents in all categories, and on three specific items. Patient outcomes before and after PEACE intervention showed a statistically significant decrease in PRISM indexed LOS, a statistically significant increase in both code status changes DNR, and in-hospital death, with no change in patient 30 or 365 day mortality. The addition of a clinical ethicist and senior intensivist to weekly inter-professional team meetings facilitated difficult conversations regarding realistic goals of care. The study demonstrated that the PEACE intervention had a positive impact on some factors that contribute to moral distress and can shorten PICU length of stay for some patients. (shrink)

There is certainly no shortage of studies describing the unwanted effects of infidelity in the relevant literature. By contrast, this paper examines the previously unexplored face of infidelity – namely, the subjectively perceived positive effects. One hundred and four participants from Slovakia in emerging and/or young adulthood shared their relationship history through semi-structured interviews (transcribed verbatim). Sixty-nine of these were self-moderated in written form. The same topics were covered in the two types of interview. Using a categorical-content analysis method, four (...) categories were created. These described the constructive functions of infidelity, including enhancing relationship quality; aiding a desired breakup; satisfying unmet needs; and facilitating the decision-making process during the transition period before settling into a long-term relationship. For future research we recommend differentiating between beneficial episodes of infidelity, focusing on personal characteristics and subjective experiences of infidelity, and including non-heterosexual participants. (shrink)

Westworld tells the story of a technologically advanced theme park populated by robots referred to as hosts, who follow a script and rules that the park's operators set up for them. Alan Turing argued that machines think not because they have special powers or because they are like us. Turing's perspective is illustrated perfectly in the show's focus on the hosts. Objecting to Turing's theory, John Searle proposes a situation called the “Chinese room argument”, concluding that the man in the (...) room does not understand Chinese even though he can correctly manipulate the symbols and give output that might lead an observer to believe that the man does understand Chinese. The Maze represents consciousness, a privileged knowledge of our own thoughts, it also represents the inward journey for the hosts to reach consciousness. Once hosts are able to solve the Maze, they become truly conscious and develop their own voice. (shrink)

A POSTURA FILOSÓFICA DO INTÉRPRETE DO DIREITO, A SÍNDROME DE ABDULA E A NECESSÁRIA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UMA AUTONOMIA PEDAGÓGICO-UNIVERSITÁRIA.