I develop an argument that key theses from Ayn Rand's ethics and political philosophy are incompatible with one another. Her ethical egoism is not compatible with her rights theory. Though Rand's version of rights theory is libertarian, the argument does not depend upon any claims peculiar to her theory, but would apply to the (in)compatibility of ethical egoism and almost any plausible rights theory.

RESUMO:A hipótese apresentada neste texto é a de que a piedade, que Rousseau também denomina “segundo princípio”, encontrado por ele “ao meditar nas primeiras e mais simples operações da alma humana”, não é um princípio antagônico ao amor de si. Pretende-se mostrar como o dualismo radical dos princípios se renderia diante da evidência de uma unidade representada por um duplo movimento: o de fixar-se ou aderir-se em si e o de expansão, que seria a expressão da piedade. Desse ponto de (...) vista, o segundo princípio teria um status complementar do amor de si e não opositivo a ele, como algumas interpretações propõem. Entretanto, é uma discussão complexa, uma vez que nela estão implicadas as controvérsias entre os intérpretes de Rousseau em relação à possível divergência da noção de piedade, no Segundo Discurso, no Emílio e no Ensaio sobre a Origem das Línguas, além das discussões em torno da datação do Ensaio. ABSTRACT:The hypothesis presented in this article is that pitié, or the “second principle”, which Rousseau claims to have found by “contemplating the first and simplest operations of the human soul”, is not antagonistic to the first principle. I intend to show how the radical dualism of the principles can yield before the evidence of a unity represented by a double movement: rentrer sur soi and self-expansion. From this point of view, the “second principle” has a complementary status to love of self, and not an opposing one as some interpretations propose. However, this is a complex discussion involving controversies among the interpreters of Rousseau, a discussion which concerns the possible divergence of the concept of compassion in the Discourse on Inequality, Émile, and the Essay on the Origin of Languages, and also involves questions about the date of the writing of the latter work. (shrink)

There is a class of views about our moral relations with non-human animals that share the idea that animals do not matter directly for ethical purposes: whatever duties or obligations we have with respect to animals are indirect, connected somehow to other duties or obligations – to other human beings, for example – in which the well-being or interests of animals do not figure. Criticisms of indirect duty theories have often focused either upon denying the link that is supposed to (...) exist between how we treat animals and how or whether we discharge other obligations or upon denying that the indirect duty theorist has an adequate account of the animal-related duties we are confident that we have. I shall not pursue either of these options. Instead, I shall argue, first, that there is a tension within the indirect duty theorist’s view that makes it doubtful that anything will enable him to get what he wants from a theory, and second, that even if the necessary link between the way animals and humans are treated is assumed to be present, it will turn out that its best explanation will imply that there are direct duties to animals after all. (shrink)

The article intends to show that MacIntyre’s notion of friendship (which, according to him, would be a reappropriation of Aristotle’s notion of philia), while ignoring the political aspect explicitly emphasized by Aristotle, reduces the notion of friendship to its social or civic aspect, thereby weakening the political nature of man.

El artículo intenta realizar una síntesis de la cuestión de la libertad y los valores, su sentido ético y su anclaje onto-antropológico con el fin de señalar el contexto amplio en que éstos se sitúan en el pensamiento de Francisco Leocata. Uno de los objetivos principales de la obra de Leocata ha sido fortalecer el concepto de persona, su racionalidad y sus raíces metafísicas en respuesta a corrientes filosóficas contemporáneas que ponen en peligro la consistencia y el destino de la (...) existencia humana. (shrink)

El estudio evalúa el rol de las prácticas de servicio comunitario donde la reflexión intencional acompaña el programa. Mediante un diseño cuali-cuantitativo, se revelan los efectos de las prácticas reflexivas sobre el desarrollo reflexivo de los alumnos y asimismo pone de manifiesto el impacto de es..

This paper critically investigates the implementation of the UN guiding principles on business and human rights (UNGPs) into the corporate setting through the concept of ‘translation’. In the decade since the creation of the UNGPs, little academic research has focussed specifically on the corporate implementation of human rights. Drawing on qualitative case studies of two multinational corporations—an oil and gas company and a bank—this paper unpacks how human rights are translated into the corporate context. In doing so, the paper focuses (...) on the “resonance dilemma” translators encounter, the strategies used to make human rights understandable and palatable, and the difficulties that emerge from this process. We contend that the process of making human rights understandable and manageable can change their form and content, which may act as an obstacle to human rights realisation and corporate accountability for human rights. (shrink)

Psychonarratology is an approach to the empirical study of literary response and the processing of narrative. It draws on the empirical methodology of cognitive psychology and discourse processing as well as the theoretical insights and conceptual analysis of literary studies, particularly narratology. The present work provides a conceptual and empirical basis for this interdisciplinary approach that is accessible to researchers from either disciplinary background. An integrative review is presented of the classic problems in narratology: the status of the narrator, events (...) and plot, characters and characterization, speech and thought, and focalization. For each area, Bortolussi and Dixon critique the state of the art in narratology and literary studies, discuss relevant work in cognitive psychology, and provide a new analytical framework based on the insight that readers treat the narrator as a conversational participant. Empirical evidence is presented on each problem, much of it previously unpublished. (shrink)

What is considered normal determines clinical practice in medicine and has implications at an individual level, doctor-patient relationship and health care policies. With the increase in medical information and technical abilities it is urgent to have a clear concept of normality in medicine so that crucial discussions can be held with unequivocal terms.The different meanings for normality were analyzed throughout the literature and grouped according to their relevance in the academic community in models, namely the Biostatistical Theory (BST), Health, Ideal, (...) Process and Biological advantage. The BST is the most established naturalistic approach, however normal variability can arguably constitute a problem. Health is similar and raises the question of setting the boundaries of pathology. Normality as an Ideal is an useful tool but is naturally unrealistic. As a Process it is comprehensible but is hard to frame for practical purposes. If considered as a Biological Advantage, seems intuitive but abnormality should tend to disappear.After, three examples were presented to discuss these models. They were Anemia, Psychiatric diseases and Psychopathy. In the case of Anemia the BST was applied and the arbitrary boundaries but with social impact were exposed. Psychiatric diseases was discussed under the process of self-organization and non-suffering ideal. With Psychopathy the boundaries of biological advantage are questioned.This review appeals to the importance of redesigning of the concept of normality in medicine according to current times and stresses the importance of integrating concepts such as variability and autonomy. (shrink)

"In this densely imbricated volume Derrida pursues his devoted, relentless dismantling of the philosophical tradition, the tradition of Plato, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger—each dealt with in one or more of the essays. There are essays too on linguistics and on the nature of metaphor, the latter with important implications for literary theory. Derrida is fully in control of a dazzling stylistic register in this book—a source of true illumination for those prepared to follow his arduous path. Bass is (...) a superb translator and annotator. His notes on the multilingual allusions and puns are a great service."—Alexander Gelley, _Library Journal_. (shrink)

The New Economic Windows Series, derived from Massimo Salzano's ideas and work, incorporates material from textbooks, monographs and conference proceedings that deals with both the theoretical and applied aspects of various sub-disciplines ...

Citizen science projects have started to utilize Machine Learning to sort through large datasets generated in fields like astronomy, ecology and biodiversity, biology, and neuroimaging. Human–machine systems have been created to take advantage of the complementary strengths of humans and machines and have been optimized for efficiency and speed. We conducted qualitative content analysis on meta-summaries of documents reporting the results of 12 citizen science projects that used machine learning to optimize classification tasks. We examined the distribution of tasks between (...) citizen scientists, experts, and algorithms, and how epistemic agency was enacted in terms of whose knowledge shapes the distribution of tasks, who decides what knowledge is relevant to the classification, and who validates it. In our descriptive results, we found that experts, who include professional scientists and algorithm developers, are involved in every aspect of a project, from annotating or labelling data to giving data to algorithms to train them to make decisions from predictions. Experts also test and validate models to improve their accuracy by scoring their outputs when algorithms fail to make correct decisions. Experts are mostly the humans involved in a loop, but when algorithms encounter problems, citizens are also involved at several stages. In this paper, we present three main examples of citizens-in-the-loop: when algorithms provide incorrect suggestions; when algorithms fail to know how to perform classification; and when algorithms pose queries. We consider the implications of the emphasis on optimization on the ideal of science and the role of citizen scientists from a perspective informed by Science and Technology Studies and Information Systems. Based on our findings, we conclude that ML in CS classification projects, far from being deterministic in its nature and effects, may be open to question. There is no guarantee that these technologies can replace citizen scientists, nor any guarantee that they can provide citizens with opportunities for more interesting tasks. (shrink)

Although alterations in Ras signalling are found in about 30% of human cancers, the transforming activity of oncogenic Ras is not fully understood. In a recent paper, a putative Ras1 effector in S. pombe, named Scd1, was reported to localize to mitotic apindies. Scd1 physically associates with Moe1, a factor that may contribute to the inherent inatability of microtubules (MTs) and appears to be needed for proper apindle function. Altered MT dynamics within the spindle are likely to affect spindle assembly (...) and chromosome capture, processes that need to be delicately controlled if cells are to guard against genome instability adn transformation. BloEssays 23: 307‐310,2001.©2001 John Willey & Sons, Inc. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:One Interpreter's Journey of Interpreting for Pregnancy LossMarisa Rueda WillInterpreters have to know everything." This is what I thought as I watched and shadowed a seasoned interpreter at a world-renowned medical center, during my J-term internship. The fact that I had gotten this opportunity was still hard to believe. There I was, shadowing medical interpreters at one of the best hospitals in the world during my senior year of (...) college after abruptly dropping my secondary education minor to pursue a career in medical interpreting. I felt fortunate for the opportunity and seized the chance to learn from the best of the best.When that same institution hired me after I graduated college in 2006, my training consisted of shadowing other interpreters and having them shadow me. There was no strict process, just one-on-one on-the-job training. The training I received was the best it could be at the time, but not even close to what it takes for an interpreter to become confident and prepared to interpret for most appointments.Growing up I hadn't been interested in the medical profession. When I started working as an interpreter, I soon learned that in addition to my A and B languages, I also needed to learn a C language—the language of medicine. Just as I learned Spanish, I had to learn that a CAT scan was a type of imaging study, and a creatinine level was a measure of kidney function. I was fascinated by the language of medicine. The acronyms, medications, diseases, body parts, hormones, markers, genes, everything.As fascinating as medicine was, it wasn't the reason I considered medical interpreting my calling. As soon as I started working as a volunteer healthcare interpreter at a local free clinic, I knew it was the way I wanted to make a difference in the world. The Spanish speakers I was helping were low-income, underprivileged people with serious medical conditions and a host of other socioeconomic problems. These were people who needed help. These were people who needed to be heard. These were people who needed to be seen. As an interpreter, I would be able to give them a voice. Fast forward 18 years and I am still making a difference in the lives of patients with Limited English Proficient (LEP) by giving them the gift of communicative autonomy, or the right to be in control of and responsible for their own communication.Communicative autonomy is one of the founding principles of the medical interpreting profession. It differentiates the professionals from ad-hoc interpreters and bilingual family and friends. This is because upholding communicative autonomy means that regardless of my personal beliefs, I must remain impartial in all situations. I must interpret what is said and allow all parties involved [End Page 156] to guide the conversation as they see fit. Ideally, I only intervene to mediate for cultural or linguistic reasons when needed.Some of the most ethically conflicting cases I have had to interpret have centered around pregnancy loss and abortion. When I started interpreting, I was a young single woman with a relatively liberal view on reproductive rights. However, one stillbirth and three healthy pregnancies later, my personal beliefs on the subject have become more complicated. Each time I interpret for a loss or induced abortion, I must dig deep and ask myself if I can remain impartial. I can still remember the first time I faced this dilemma.One evening, I was called to interpret for a labor and delivery case. When I arrived, I was informed that it was an induction of an 18-week-gestation fetus that had tested positive for Down syndrome on genetic testing. At the time, I didn't have strong beliefs about abortion. I had never been pregnant and really wasn't sure where I stood on the spectrum of a woman's body, a woman's choice, and abortion is murder. However, there I was, smack dab in the middle of an elective abortion on a weeknight.The bereavement nurse was seasoned and experienced. If it hadn't been for her guidance and poise, the ordeal would have been... (shrink)

En este trabajo, presentamos las líneas claves de la posición sostenida por Hilary Putman y los principales contrastes que el autor señala respecto de la visión de Jürgen Habermas, en el marco de un caluroso debate acerca de la relación entre los valores y las normas. Entre los temas abordados, destacan la posibilidad (o no) de separar valores y normas, cual sea el contenido universal de los enunciados éticos, en qué se funda la obligatoriedad de las normas y qué papel (...) desempeña la discusión en la situación ideal de habla, base de la ética del discurso habermasiana. Según entendemos, el debate pone de manifiesto tanto las debilidades parciales de ambas posiciones, cuanto las fecundas y latentes posibilidades de complementariedad. (shrink)

This papers intends to show that Aristotle's theory on the political nature of man implies a specific difference in relation to other animals and that this does not arise from his understanding of human beings as naturally vulnerable animals that would seek in political life an artifice to redress their insufficiency or individual vulnerability to live. The qualitative difference of human beings in relation to other animals - including political species, such as bees or ants - drives them to an (...) equally specific type of life, whose foundation obeys values that ca be universalized. The political application of these values does not correspond to what is done in the domestic sphere, nor does it correspond to the mere transposition to a quantitatively superior community, because the universality of political values is extracted from what is understood by human beings as necessary for the realization of man as man, not man as an element of nature. (shrink)

Following a discourse analysis approach this study examines triadic encounters of nine medical consultations carried out in an outpatient cancer clinic in Santiago, Chile involving an oncologist, a patient and a patient’s companion. Consultations are fully transcribed and analysed to understand the participatory roles patients’ companions play in the medical exchanges. In addition, the type of linguistic functions associated with each role and the advantages or downsides of companions’ involvement in the encounters are also investigated. The analysis reveals seven prominent (...) roles that companions may engage in during the visits. These are studied in detail. The results show that although companions may not always provide information that is consistent with the patients’ views, they can be of great help. Relieving the patients of many daunting tasks, monitoring their well-being, establishing a partnership and bringing vital information to the clinic are instances where the controlling power that some may exercise in the medical encounter can be outweighed. (shrink)

The paper explores the contact between the literary notion of the end of the world as depicted in H.G. Wells’s science fiction novel _The Time Machine_ and the concept of extinction, in the sense developed by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier, who at the turn of the 19 th century formulated a thesis about the structure of the world with a built-in end. The time traveller in Wells’s novel is driven into the distant future by an obsessive desire to know (...) the fate of the world. He encounters it on the shores of an already dead sea, where he is greeted by the image of a dying world, unmoving in the dull red light of a never-setting sun. Cuvier, on the other hand, encounters the end of the world as a reader of traces of history as told by nature through its layering and piling up. Within these layers, Cuvier recognises moments of repetitive interruptions that have left behind not only whole species and genera, but also entire worlds in the great natural history. The key question, then, is the status of the end within the proposed mechanism of return and repetition. (shrink)

Starting for the good results reached in physics researchers in economics and finance have been interested in testing nonlinear dependence and chaos in economic models and data. A wide variety of reasons for this interest have been suggested, including an attempt to improve the forecasting accuracy of linear time series models and to better explain the dynamics of the underlying variables of interest using a richer class of models than that permitted by limiting the set to the linear case. But (...) chaos theory has not had the same impact in the economics as it has in the hard sciences like physics. The literature did not provide a solid support for chaos as a consequence of the high noise level that exists in most economic time series, the relatively small sample sizes of data, and the weak robustness of chaos tests for these data. (shrink)