Heredity and reproduction have always been matters of concern. Eugenics is a story that began well before the Holocaust, but the Holocaust completely changed the way eugenics was perceived at that time. What began with Galton as a scientific movement aimed at the improvement of the human race based on the theories and principles of heredity and statistics became by the beginning of the 20th century an international movement that sought to engineer human supremacy. Eugenic ideas, however, trace back to (...) ancient Greek aristocratic ideas exemplified in Plato’s Republic, which played an important role in shaping modern eugenic social practices and government policies. Both positive and negative eugenics focused on the encouragement of healthy and discouragement of unhealthy reproduction. All these practices were often based on existing prejudices about race and disability. In this article, we will focus on the rise of eugenics, starting with the publication of Origin of Species to the Holocaust. This examination will be multidisciplinary, utilizing genetics, legal history and bioethical aspects. Through this examination, we will discuss how provisional understandings of genetics influenced eugenics-based legislation. We will also discuss the rise of biopolitics, the change of medical ethos and stance towards negative eugenics policies, and the possible power of bioethical principles to prevent such phenomena. (shrink)

Previous research indicates positive effects of a person’s attractiveness on evaluations of opposite-sex persons, but less positive or even negative effects of attractiveness on same-sex evaluations. These biases are consistent with social motives linked to mate search and intrasexual rivalry. In line with the hypothesis that such motives should not become operative until after puberty, 6- to 12-year-old participants (i.e., children) displayed no evidence for biased social evaluations based on other people’s attractiveness. In contrast, 13- to 19-year-old participants (i.e., adolescents) (...) displayed positive and negative attractiveness biases toward opposite- and same-sex targets, respectively. Moreover, these biases increased with the age—and thus the reproductive relevance—of the targets being evaluated. Findings corroborate the relevance of mating-related motives for social judgment and illustrate how such biases can grow during human development. At a broader conceptual level, this research demonstrates the utility of investigating proximate social judgment processes through the lens of adaptationist thinking. (shrink)

While dreaming amputees often experience a normal body image and the phantom limb may not be present. However, dreaming experiences in amputees have mainly been collected by questionnaires. We analysed the dream reports of amputated patients with phantom limb collected after awakening from REM sleep during overnight videopolysomnography . Six amputated patients underwent overnight VPSG study. Patients were awakened during REM sleep and asked to report their dreams. Three patients were able to deliver an account of a dream. In all (...) dreaming recalls, patients reported that the amputated limbs were intact and completely functional and they no longer experienced phantom limb sensations. Phantom limb experiences, that during wake result from a conflict between a pre-existing body scheme and the sensory information on the missing limb, were suppressed during sleep in our patients in favour of the image of an intact body accessed during dream. (shrink)

Most scholars of emotions concede that although cognitive evaluations are essential for emotion, they are not sufficient for it, and that other elements, such as bodily feelings, physiological sensations and behavioral expressions are also required. However, only a few discuss how these diverse aspects of emotion are related in order to form the unity of emotion. In this essay I examine the co-presence and the causal views, and I argue that neither view can account for the unity of emotions. In (...) particular, both views face the problem of fortuitous connection, and, as a result, they fail to identify and distinguish an emotion from other mental states. Consequently, they fail to account for our first person authority over our emotions. I finally argue that only an internal, conceptual relation between the cognitive/evaluative and affective/physiological aspects of emotion can avoid such problems, and suggest that the Aristotelian distinction of form and matter can provide such internal relation. (shrink)

In this beautifully illustrated book Maria Antonella Pelizzari traces the history of photography in Italy from its beginnings to the present as she guides us through the history of Italy and its ancient sites and Renaissance landmarks. Pelizzari specifically considers the role of photography in the formation of Italian national identity during times of political struggle, such as the lead up to Unification in 1860, and later in the nationalist wars of Mussolini’s regime. While many Italians and foreigners— such (...) as Fratelli Alinari or Carlo Ponti, John Ruskin or Kit Talbot—focused their lenses on architectural masterpieces, others documented the changing times and political heroes, creating icons of figures such as Garibaldi and the brigands. Pelizzari’s exploration of Italian visual traditions also includes the photographic collages of Bruno Munari, the neorealist work of photographers such as Franco Pinna, the bold stylized compositions of Mario Giacomelli, and the controversial images created by Oliviero Toscani for Benetton advertising in the 1980s. Featuring unpublished works and a rare selection of over one hundred images, this book will appeal to art collectors and students of art history and Italian culture. (shrink)

In this article I discuss about the options anthropology has to study practices of production of knowledge into science and technology as normative frames throughout specific practices and representations as part of the schooling processes. In the construction of this object I consider the theoretic..

Most researchers of emotions agree that although cognitive evaluations such as beliefs, thoughts, etc. are essential for emotion, bodily feelings and their behavioral expressions are also required. Yet, only a few explain how all these diverse aspects of emotion are related to form the unity or oneness of emotion. The most prevalent account of unity is the causal view, which, however, has been shown to be inadequate because it sees the relations between the different parts of emotion as external and (...) contingent. I argue that an adequate account of unity would require internal or conceptual relations between the aspects of emotion, and I suggest that such an account can be found in Aristotle's metaphysics and theory of emotion, and specifically, in his form and matter distinction. After I show that emotions are intentional pleasures and pains or distresses, I argue that the characteristic intentional pleasure and pain of an emotion, along with its other intentional elements , are the form of the emotion, whereas the bodily feelings are its matter. Form and matter constitute a conceptual unity, which cannot be accounted for in conglomeration accounts that see emotions as mixtures of different parts related only through efficient causation. (shrink)

Businesses and societies face increasingly complex problems. Collaborative relationships are needed to leverage the differences among participants and to balance stakeholder concerns. The article takes a discursive, constructionist approach in exploring the relations of five factions involved in resolving a town-gown conflict. The case data are narratives collected during a pivotal community-wide meeting in which the town-gown factions participated. The findings underscore the characteristics and roles of language in constructing and organizing meanings. In particular, the focal data reveal the influence (...) of “contraversation”—that is, dialectical and dialogical conversation particularly and publicly directed against one faction, in constructing antagonisms and thwarting collaboration. The focal findings added insight into the demographic and historical characteristics of the factions, the socially embedded understandings, and the role of conversations in developing discursive resources that create collective identities and translate them into integrating rather than disintegrating intergroup performance in facing problematic concerns. (shrink)

El punto de partida de este artículo es que tanto el trabajo de J. Rawls La teoría de la Justicia, como la Teoría Feminista han contribuido enormemente al resurgimiento de la Filosofía Moral y Política. Mi objetivo aquí es mostrar las relaciones existentes entre la Teoría de Rawls y la Teoría Feminista, y particularmente analizar las críticas feministas de "justice as fairness" en el contexto de un estudio más general sobre Teorías contemporáneas de la Justicia y sobre la relación de (...) la Justicia en Teorías Feministas. (shrink)

Os atuais documentos oficiais elaborados pelo Ministério da Educação no Brasil têm preconizado o ensino da produção textual por meio do gênero -discursivo ou textual. Seguindo essa linha, o exame vestibular de ingresso a uma das maiores universidades paulistas de 2011 também solicitou dos candidatos a elaboração de três textos, de diferentes gêneros. Com o objetivo de verificar que horizontes teórico-metodológicos fundamentaram a elaboração daquele exame, analisamos os textos do Manual do Candidato, da Prova de redação e da Expectativa da (...) banca. Nosso parâmetro teórico é o conceito de gênero discursivo conforme desenvolvido pelos membros do Círculo de Bakhtin desde 1920. Observamos, então, como essa nova proposta visa avaliar as características que a Universidade espera encontrar em cada um de seus alunos; como utiliza o arsenal teórico nos textos analisados e como garante a avaliação da capacidade argumentativa dos candidatos. Finalmente, sugerimos a possibilidade de trabalho com o gênero "dissertação escolar".Today's official documents drawn up by the Ministry of Education in Brazil have advocated that textual production should be taught by the concepts of speech genre or textual genre. Following this guideline, the 2011 edition of the entrance exam, vestibular, of one of the most important universities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, asked its candidates to write three texts, each one belonging to a different genre. In order to verify the theoretical-methodological horizons that motivated the elaboration of that exam, we analyzed the texts of the candidate's guidelines, the examination essay and the expectations set by the examiners. Our theoretical perspective is the concept of discursive genre as developed by the members of the Bakhtin Circle since 1920. Then, we observe how this new proposal aims at evaluating the characteristics that the University expects to find in each one of its students; how the theoretical perspectives are used in the analyzed texts and how the assessment of the candidates' argumentative ability is ensured. Finally, we suggest the possibility of working with the genre "scholar essay". (shrink)

In proposing this reflection about the relationship between dogmatic theology and Christian spiritual experience, we want to demonstrate in this article how a great 20 th century theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar, invites the reader to enter into the reading and understanding of the historical and theological reasons that have guided some options and postures assumed, as well as to recognize the impacts caused both in the theology and in the spiritual experience and yet, more widely, in Christianity and its (...) mission. The path chosen for this study starts from one of his works, L’amour seul est digne de foi, and relies, then, in the impressive intellectual patrimony of the author, by researching in the same the transversality of the theme. We will be, in the present work, vigilant to the threat of disruptions, particularly analyze the conception and the possibility of the Christian spiritual experience by inquiring the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Holy Fathers. What is the hope delineated in this dialogue? It will be possible to infer partial conclusions from the route made. Further researches will be essential in order to reach the understanding of everything that is at stake in the search for intelligibility of the Theology and of the Christian experience itself. (shrink)

This edited collection considers how feminist strategies and philosophies might initiate, reshape, and critique approaches to library reference services.

The starting point of this paper is that both J Rawls's work "A theory of Justice" and feminist theory have contributed greatly to the revival of the moral and political philosophy. My aim here is to show the relationships between Rawls's and feminist theories, and particularly to analyze feminist criticism of "justice as fairness" in the context of a more general study on contemporary theories of justice and on the relevance of justice in feminist theories.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue demostrar la utilidad de los problemas de reparto para el aprendizaje de las fracciones. El enfoque de la investigación fue cuasi-experimental; los instrumentos utilizados fueron un cuestionario y una entrevista. Los resultados de la investigación demostraron que los problemas de reparto son una estrategia útil para mejorar el aprendizaje de las fracciones. Palabras clave: Fracciones, problemas de reparto, enseñanza de las matemáticas.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:1. The impetus of Herbert Grundmann's work on researching the religious lives of women in the thirteenth century has led to a reinterpretation of many aspects of this complex subject. Even today, some points remain unclear. At times it seems as if we are confronted with a play in which the actors – the sisters, friars and the papal curia – move in a manner which is difficult to (...) decipher and could even be described as contradictory.In particular, Herbert Grundmann carried out a study on the development of female forms of monastic life which were linked with both the Franciscan and Dominican Friars; however, he neglected to give sufficient attention to the role of the papal curia in both Orders. The action of the papacy was considered merely an answer to demands made by nuns or friars – without grasping the fact that such decisions were due to a complex papal design in the reorganization of regular life.The history of the development of regular communities of religious women has a clear and systematic development. The women originally known as the pauperes dominae inclusae were not institutionally linked to the Order of Friars Minor until 1227, indicating the emergence of Apostolic guidelines to establish and build a new form of monastic life for women which was directly subject to papal authority. Until now, this aspect of religious foundations has not been the subject of scholarly attention, which has instead focused on the initiatives of the "founders" and risked taking the actual work out of context.The present article outlines the steps in the gradual legalization of the "Dominican" Sisters. Its findings are largely based on Jordan of Saxony's correspondence, which has not been given adequate scholarly consideration. Jordan was a Parisian master who entered the Order in 1220. He was subsequently elected Provincial Superior of Lombardy and in the following year until his death in 1237 was General Master of the Order. He also played a significant role in the foundation of the monastery of St. Agnese in Bologna.2. The complexity of the correspondence poses various problems. Not only because its very composition is based on continual discovery but also because of an almost total absence of historical information, which makes certain aspects difficult to interpret. Despite this, there is great interest in the reconstruction of significant moments in the constitutional history of the Order of Friars Preachers – a subject which has been enriched by the studies of Gert Melville as well as those of Sonderforschungsbereich himself.Jordan of Saxony's correspondence is composed of thirty-seven letters addressed to Diana of Andalo, who had professed religious vows before Dominic, and had played a leading role in creating the convent of St. Agnese in Bologna . Five of Jordan's letters were sent to Diana's convent and a further eight were sent to the general community.Beginning with the valuable observations of Angelo Walz, the most studied aspect of the correspondence has been feminine religious life with a particular focus on the spiritual themes which were elaborated on by Jordan. This is evident simply by referring to the observations of Raoul Manselli and Andrea Tilatti. The survival of Jordan's letters is due to the need to prove both their origins and their institutional link to the Order of Preachers. Since the 1430s, the nuns understood that by convincing both the Order and the Roman Curia of this, they might avoid the danger of losing the continued cura of the friars.Using this collection as a starting point, I intend to consider the institutional developments of the Bolognese Monastery, as well as female monasticism linked to the Order of Preachers.3. The Vita beatae Dianae was composed shortly after the middle of the thirteenth century. Despite its title, it primarily.. (shrink)

Echeverría, Alberdi y Bilbao pueden ser considerados tres de los pensadores más representativos de las lecturas que el siglo XIX hiciera sobre la Revolución independentista en América. Sus construcciones teóricas fueron elaboradas a la luz de las consecuencias políticas de la Revolución, pero también a partir de la lectura de una serie de teóricos políticos franceses que, de manera contemporánea, pensaban el proceso revolucionario francés. Situar a estos autores en el contexto de los debates intelectuales del momento es un modo (...) de ampliar la lectura y de descubrir las principales particularidades de un pensamiento que se define ante las nuevas condiciones de la política moderna.Echeverría, Alberdi and Bilbao may be considered to be three of the finest 19th Century's interpreters of the Latin American Revolution of the Independence. Their theories were developed in light of the political consequences of the Revolution, but also based on an assessment of a series of French political philosophers that, at the same time, were thinking the French revolutionary process. Placing these authors in the context of the theoretical discussions of their time is a way to extend the understanding and to identify the singularities of a view defined on the horizon of the new conditions of the modern politics. (shrink)

In current debates about coming to terms with individual and collective wrongdoing, the concept of forgiveness has played an important but controversial role. For a long time, the idea was widespread that a forgiving attitude — overcoming feelings of resentment and the desire for revenge — was always virtuous. Recently, however, this idea has been questioned. The contributors to this volume do not take sides for or against forgiveness but rather examine its meaning and function against the backdrop of a (...) more complex understanding of moral repair in a variety of social, circumstantial, and cultural contexts. The book aims to gain a differentiated understanding of the European traditions regarding forgiveness, revenge, and moral repair that have shaped our moral intuitions today whilst also examining examples from other cultural contexts (Asia and Africa, in particular) to explore how different cultural traditions deal with the need for moral repair after wrongdoing. -/- . (shrink)

This paper considers Cicero’s political and legal philosophy, focussing on the ciceronian concepts of republic, law and virtue, on which Cicero’s systematic construction of the State and the Right rests.

A large part of the Latin–American literature of the 19th and 20th century tried to deal with the national question intertwining different dimensions: the weight of colonial legacy, the cultural peculiarity of the nation and the inner relations between social classes and ethnic groups. Thinking the nation implied, in any case, to think the difference and the conflict with others, as well as the inner conflict and the logic of local colonialism. Analyzing some of these essays that played a central (...) role in such process of recasting the origin of the nation, the author moves around three main axes: the formulation of dualist writings (colonial/national; white /indigenous; civilization/wilderness), the issue of language (the language inherited from the colonial experience versus the multilingual nature of indigenous Latin American societies), and the hypothesis about the birth of the nation – appointed to different groups – and its normal functioning as legitimization of the order sprung from independences. (shrink)

Se realiza una lectura de algunos relatos de Jorge Luis Borges para trazar, a partir de ellos, la pregunta acerca de los lí­mites y la superación del lenguaje. Se ha afirmado que, ante la insuficiencia del lenguaje para reproducir una experiencia determinada, se abre el ámbito del silencio que trasciende la palabra en el éxtasis. El silencio, entonces, no aniquilarí­a la palabra sino que engendrarí­a la posibilidad de la polisemia. Además, se agrega que ésta apertura a la ausencia del verbo (...) va más allá de las múltiples significaciones y expresa la presencia de un sentido imposible de ser englobado y contenido dentro de las estructuras racionales de la conciencia."œBorges: The silent word"A reading of some of Jorge Luis Borges "™ short stories is done in order to trace, using these stories as a starting point, the question about the limits and the triumph over language. It has been stated that, faced with the insuficiency of language to reproduce a certain experience, the sphere of silence is opened that transcends the word in extasis. Silence, thus, would not annihilate the word but instead it would engender the possibility of polysemy. In addition, it is added that this opening to the absence of the verb goes beyond multiple meanings and expresses the presence of a meaning which is impossible to be included and contained within the rational structures of the consciousness. (shrink)

The article investigates the evolution of views of a prominent Ukrainian philosopher S. Krymskyi proceeding from logics and methodology of science to philosophy of culture and spirituality.

Multiculturalism, namely the coexistence of different cultural traditions within the framework of a single socio-political structure, is one of the most salient characteristics of western democratic societies. This situation is due mainly to two factors. On the one hand, we find a plurality of historical communities within the State that have different cultural roots, and each one of them defends the right to have its cultural identity recognised. On the other hand, there is a growing exodus of people from less (...) developed countries into western ones. In this paper I analyse from a philosophical point of view the multicultural situation that has its origin in immigration, paying attention to a public debate on this topic that has been held in Spain recently. I also analyse some conditions that must be taken into account by educators if they want to promote an adequate integration of immigrants into society, being respectful both of their cultural identity and the rights of the society of destination. (shrink)