Political theorists are often interested in the problems that arise in more than one context; for example, problems that arise on a global level or among different cultural contexts. However, when political theorists engage with such problems, they face a methodological challenge. They need to decide how to evaluate differences both across and within the contexts in which the studied problem arises and determine how to create theories that are sensitive to the pluralism of real-life experiences. This article investigates the (...) methodological challenge of selection, and offers a method for accommodating difference across and within different contexts. To demonstrate both the significance of this challenge and the suitability of the proposed solution, this article focuses on a set of empirically inspired arguments concerned with the normative questions of urban life. Even though their authors declare an explicit focus on the pluralism of lived experiences when constructing a theory, the selected arguments reflect a surprisingly narrow scope of urban experiences. This article investigates this tension. (shrink)

Cancer research is experiencing ‘paradigm instability’, since there are two rival theories of carcinogenesis which confront themselves, namely the somatic mutation theory and the tissue organization field theory. Despite this theoretical uncertainty, a huge quantity of data is available thanks to the improvement of genome sequencing techniques. Some authors think that the development of new statistical tools will be able to overcome the lack of a shared theoretical perspective on cancer by amalgamating as many data as possible. We think instead (...) that a deeper understanding of cancer can be achieved by means of more theoretical work, rather than by merely accumulating more data. To support our thesis, we introduce the analytic view of theory development, which rests on the concept of plausibility, and make clear in what sense plausibility and probability are distinct concepts. Then, the concept of plausibility is used to point out the ineliminable role played by the epistemic subject in the development of statistical tools and in the process of theory assessment. We then move to address a central issue in cancer research, namely the relevance of computational tools developed by bioinformaticists to detect driver mutations in the debate between the two main rival theories of carcinogenesis. Finally, we briefly extend our considerations on the role that plausibility plays in evidence amalgamation from cancer research to the more general issue of the divergences between frequentists and Bayesians in the philosophy of medicine and statistics. We argue that taking into account plausibility-based considerations can lead to clarify some epistemological shortcomings that afflict both these perspectives. (shrink)

A partir de los desafíos pedagógicos que se diseñaron en los pilares educativos de este siglo a raíz del Informe Delors, planteamos el reto que debe asumir el educador en relación a los contextos de aprendizaje de valores a partir de propuestas dinámicas desde un entorno pragmático, teniendo en cuenta el aprendizaje de competencias que comprende el actual diseño educativo. Enmarcamos esta propuesta pedagógica como desafío al que se enfrentan los educadores al hacer frente a la formación social de la (...) ciudadanía en relación al manejo de los conflictos como propuesta axiológica para el desarrollo de competencias axiológicas en la ciudadanía. Por ello proponemos algunos recursos pedagógicos desde la dimensión moral, desde la educación en valores, sobre los que construir una conjunción armónica de las identidades y de las diferencias en nuestras sociedades plurales y de inicios de este siglo.From the pedagogical challenges that were designed in the educational pillars of this century following the Delors Report, we posed the challenge to be assumed by the teacher in relation to the contexts of learning values from dynamic proposals from a pragmatic environment, taking into consideration the learning of skills that includes the current educational design. We frame this as a pedagogical challenge that educators face in dealing with the social formation of citizens in relation to conflict management as a proposal for developing axiological skills in citizenship. We, therefor propose some educational resources from the moral dimension, from education on values, on which to build a harmonious conjunction of identities and differences in our diverse societies and the beginning of this century. (shrink)

This paper focuses on the third chapter of Fides et ratio, entitled Intellego ut credam This sentence is usually connected with the preambula fidei, truths which are supposed to prepare human mind to receive the gift of faith. But in this case, Pope John Paul II develops this sentence in a different, more existential way according to which the real preambula fidei are not so much a set of truths as the real man who seeks the truth with his entire (...) life. This interpretation remarks the practical dimmension of the relationship between man and truth. (shrink)

Through a comprehensive analysis of sixteen European legal systems, based on an assessment of national answers to a factual questionnaire, Causation in European Tort Law sheds light on the operative rules applied in each jurisdiction to factual and legal causation problems. It highlights how legal systems' features impact on the practical role that causation is called upon to play, as well as the arguments of professional lawyers. Issues covered include the conditions under which a causal link can be established, rules (...) on contribution and apportionment, the treatment of supervening, alternative and uncertain causes, the understanding of loss-of-a-chance cases, and the standard and the burden of proving causation. This is a book for scholars, students and legal professionals alike. (shrink)

While in Europe the debate over clinical ethics consultants’ expertise and professionalization is ongoing, in France it remains rather marginal. In this article, we illustrate how the “commitment model” adopted by the Clinical Ethics Center of the Greater Paris University Hospitals situates itself in such a debate. We first present the commitment model by drawing upon an emblematic case of consultation, and then describe, in turn, its understandings of democratic expertise and of the professionalization of clinical ethics consultation. Accordingly, the (...) commitment model advocates against individual consultants’ certification, but it does not rule out the need for training nor a certain form of professionalization of clinical ethics consultation services. (shrink)

El objetivo principal de este artículo es mostrar el tratamiento de lo sagrado en el pensamiento del filósofo y poeta Ramón Xirau. Autor de gran profundidad, perteneció, al igual que su padre, el filósofo y pedagogo Joaquín Xirau, a la tradición humanista cristiana. Después de exponer brevemente su biografía intelectual, nos detendremos en su particular concepción de la filosofía, en su interés por la poesía, para pasar a analizar uno de los temas que más le preocuparon, junto con la crisis (...) del mundo occidental: la búsqueda de Dios y de lo sagrado. (shrink)

The state members of the European Union have witnessed the emergence of equality policies which target discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. These are usually based on the single issue model focusing exclusively on discrimination suffered by LGBT people, however there are other approaches to this issue which take into account the interaction of different axes of inequality, namely, the multiple and intersectional discrimination models. This article analyses the implications of these three models from a theoretical (...) and empirical perspective, pointing out their respective advantages and disadvantages. (shrink)

Human individuals often exhibit important differences in their sensitivity to ionising radiation. Extensive literature links radiation sensitivity with impaired DNA repair which is due to a lack of correct functioning in many proteins involved in DNA‐repair pathways and/or in DNA‐damage checkpoint responses. Given that ionising radiation is an important and widespread diagnostic and therapeutic tool, it is important to investigate further those factors and mechanisms that underlie individual radiosensitivity. Recently, evidence is accumulating that telomere function may well be involved in (...) cellular and organism responses to ionising radiation, broadening still further the currently complex and challenging scenario. BioEssays. BioEssays 28: 1172–1180, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Poco se ha escrito hasta el momento sobre quien podría ser denominado el traductor más prolífico de la posguerra española: Juan G[onzález-Blanco]. de Luaces. En la década de los cuarenta publicó más de cien traducciones al español. Biógrafo, novelista y poeta, Luaces fue uno de tantos intelectuales españoles cuya trayectoria profesional se vio truncada por el estallido de la Guerra Civil española y la victoria del bando “nacional”. La imposición de la dictadura franquista y la subsiguiente censura le obligó a (...) dejar de lado su labor de escritor para dedicarse en cuerpo y alma al oficio de la traducción y poder, así, mantener a su familia. El objeto del siguiente artículo es relatar la vida de este personaje abandonado en el olvido con el afán de contribuir a completar, de forma modesta, la memoria histórica de un período de nuestra historia en el que aún quedan muchas ausencias por suplir. (shrink)

This paper offers an answer to the ontological question based on the notion of relationship from Aristotelian-Thomistic philosophy. To this end, individualist and collectivist arguments are analyzed, as well as arguments by authors who propose to overcome this antinomy by means of the notion of relationality. Since these authors stop at the phenomenic level, this paper offers an analysis that provides an adequate metaphysical foundation to interactions. These real relation-ships modify its subjects in an accidental way composing a different reality, (...) but not a substantial reality. The company is presented as a relational and synergic reality ordered by a structure, a culture and leaders that modifies its members in shared skills, capabilities and habits. (shrink)

One of the key questions in the contemporary analytic ontology concerns the relation between the Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles (PII) and the Bundle Theory (BT). The majority of authors believe that BT implies PII. Therefore, it is widely believed that the world violating PII presented by Max Black (1952. “The Identity of Indiscernibles.” Mind 61 (242): 153–64) is also devastating for BT. However, this has been questioned by Rodriguez-Pereyra (2004. “The Bundle Theory is Compatible with Distinct but Indiscernible Particulars.” (...) Analysis 64 (1): 72–81), who formulated an interpretation of BT with instances. Recently Robert (2019. “Can the Realist Bundle Theory Account for the Numerical Difference between Qualitavely Non-discernible Concrete Particulars?” Theorema 38 (1): 25–39) argued that this version of BT is not a constituent ontology and, therefore, Rodriguez-Pereyra’s solution comes at a price of excluding bundle theory from the domain of constituent ontologies, and, in this sense, it fails. I question Robert’s point by claiming that his account of constituent ontologies is too demanding. In particular, I show that the instance version of BT is compatible with the constrains defining constituent ontologies in general, and therefore Rodriguez-Pereyra’s argument is correct. (shrink)

La reconstrucción de lo común se ha convertido en el tema de nuestro tiempo. Las llamadas a la regeneración empiezan a ser escuchadas y encuentran respuesta en la filosofía, que se ve emplazada como en otros momentos a problematizar las categorías en curso, sometiéndolas a escrutinio ontológico, epistemológico, político… Pero siendo hoy, quizá, más sensibles, desde el pensamiento crítico, a la ambigüedad inherente a cualquier proyecto comunitario, a la vinculación de lo común y lo coercitivo, la reciprocidad y la dependencia, (...) lo emancipatorio y la violencia. De ahí la dificultad y necesidad de mirar hacia el afuera del excluido, como horizonte para una reconstrucción inacabable de lo común. Este libro aspira a poner de manifiesto la multiplicidad y complejidad con que dichas demanda afectan al pensar de nuestro tiempo. (shrink)

I argue that Rawls’ reading of Kant has been a major influence on the work of some contemporary Kantian scholars. Rawls’ influence on the new Kantian moral theory can be recognized in several points: a) the conception of philosophy as a “deeply practical project”, which leads to the adoption of a first-person approach to ethics; b) the reception of Kant’s philosophy within a pragmatic context, which leads to play down the metaphysical implications of Kant’s dualisms, in favor of an interpretation (...) which seems plausible within a political culture given in advance c) a characteristic interpretation of Kant’s moral constructivism, which while stressing the primacy of the right over the good, tries to specify the ways in which the good plays a role in morals, thereby opening a way to show the relevance of the empirical in Kant’s ethics d) an approach to Kant’s practical reason which stresses the complementarities between the Hypothetical and the Categorical Imperative, interpreted in the light of Rawls’ distinction between the Rational and the Reasonable; e) the central role played by the concept of “rational nature” in the new Kantian moral theory, which may likewise be related to Rawls’ concern for clarifying the conception of the person behind his approach to practical reason. (shrink)

I explore Hume’s argument for the existence of government, in which he articulates psychological and social elements. Given the human tendency to satisfy the proximate above the remote interests, the fulfilment of the rules of justice, which makes social cooperation possible, must be warranted by the artifice of government. Once the government is in place, it also performs a coordinating function, which strengthens preexistent activities, such as commerce. Indirectly, the government fulfils also a civilizing function -/- Resumen. Se explora el (...) argumento con el que Hume justifica la existencia del gobierno, articulando elementos psicológicos y sociales. Dada la tendencia natural a satisfacer antes los intereses próximos que los remotos, el cumplimiento de las normas de justicia, que hace posible una cooperación social efectiva, debe remediarse mediante un artificio, el gobierno. Una vez introducido, cumple también una función coordinadora, que potencia las actividades que naturalmente le preceden, especialmente el comercio. Indirectamente, ejerce también una función civilizadora. (shrink)

The present collection brings together a number of studies interested in highlighting the role of reflexivity and sentiment in Kant's philosophy. If philosophy is by definition a reflective endeavor, Kant's writings document a particularly powerful philosophical enterprise; not only because he constitutes reflexivity itself into the cornerstone of philosophical method, but also because, in doing so, he unveils fundamental structures of human subjectivity. Authors in this volume have succeeded in highlighting how Kant's commitment to reflexivity represents a privileged gateway of (...) exploring the complexity and richness of human experience. Aesthetic and moral experiences are particularly eloquent in this regard: aesthetic and moral sentiments represent for Kant a particular site of human reflexivity, which bring to light a specifically human world, marked by different kinds of normativity, in the midst of which humans actually live. (shrink)

Este artículo defiende la participación de valores contextuales en el modelado de contenidos y prácticas científicas a través de decisiones relativas a los problemas, métodos y fines de la investigación. Analizando el desarrollo de la sexología desde sus orígenes en la Alemania del siglo XIX hasta las críticas feministas al paradigma impuesto por Masters y Johnson se mostrará el modo en que valores contextúales marcan las prioridades epistémicas estableciendo así los criterios de aceptación o rechazo de teorías y prácticas.

This study examines the influence of religiousness on different components of marketing professionals' ethical decision making: personal moral philosophies, perceived ethical problem, and ethical intentions. The data are from a national survey of the American Marketing Associations' professional members. The results generally indicate that the religiousness of a marketer can partially explain his or her perception of an ethical problem and behavioral intentions. Results also suggest that the religiousness significantly influences the personal moral philosophies of marketers.

Del anormal al sujeto ce la resistencia -- Subjetividad y resistencia -- Vida cotidiana del habitante de calle -- Reflexión sobre el concepto de irrealidad como forma de resistencia y ejercicio de la libertad en la experiencia cinematográfica -- Poesía y resistencia.

Para muchos, el sujeto moderno se origina en la Reforma protestante. Si esto es así, deberíamos encontrar el embrión de estas ideas fundacionales en los textos políticos de Juan Calvino (1509-1564), reformador de Ginebra y padre de una de las corrientes principales del protestantismo. Sin embargo, frente al tópico, el lector encontrará en esta selección de escritos políticos, a un Calvino para quien Dios sigue siendo la fuente de toda autoridad, el pueblo carece de cualquier tipo de legitimidad política y (...) la Biblia ha de ser la fuente de inspiración moral y social. Sin embargo, su influencia es innegable en debates tan centrales para laposteridad como las disputas sobre el derecho de resistencia durante las guerras de religión en Francia, la tolerancia política en la Holanda del siglo XVII, o la vinculación entre libertad política y libertad de conciencia del siglo XVIII americano. Esta edición pretende poner en evidencia la complejidad del legado de Calvino. (shrink)

Priming and recollection are expressions of human memory mediated by different brain events. These brain events were monitored while people discriminated words from nonwords. Mean response latencies were shorter for words that appeared in an earlier study phase than for new words. This priming effect was reduced when the letters of words in study-phase presentations were presented individually in succession as opposed to together as complete words. Based on this outcome, visual word-form priming was linked to a brain potential recorded (...) from the scalp over the occipital lobe about 450 ms after word onset. This potential differed from another potential previously associated with recollection, suggesting that distinct operations associated with these two types of memory can be monitored at the precise time that they occur in the human brain. (shrink)

Emotions are a natural vector for acting together with others and are witnessed in human behaviour, perception and body functions. For this reason, studies of human-to-human interaction, such as multi-person motor synchronisation, are a perfect setting to disentangle the linkage of emotion with socio-motor interaction. And yet, the majority of joint action studies aiming at understanding the impact of emotions on multi-person performance resort to enacted emotions, the ones that are emulated based on the previous experience of such emotions, and (...) almost exclusively focus on dyadic interaction. In addition, tasks chosen to study emotion in joint action are frequently characterised by a reduced number of physical dimensions to gain experimental control and subsequent facilitation in data analysis. Therefore, it is not clear how naturalistically induced emotions diffuse in more ecological interactions with other people and how emotions affect the process of interpersonal synchronisation. Here, we show that positive and negative emotions differently alter spontaneous human synchronous behaviour during a multi-person improvisation task. The study involved 39 participants organised in triads who self-reported liking improvisational activities. The task involved producing improvisational movements with the right hand. Participants were emotionally induced by manipulated social feedback involving a personal ranking score. Three-dimensional spatio-temporal data and cardiac activity were extracted and transformed into oscillatory signals to compute behavioural and physiological synchrony. Our results demonstrate that individuals induced with positive emotions, as opposed to negative emotions or a neutral state, maintained behavioural synchrony with other group members for a longer period of time. These findings contribute to the emerging shift of neuroscience of emotion and affective sciences towards the environment of social significance where emotions appear the most—in interaction with others. Our study showcases a method of quantification of synchrony in an improvisational and interactive task based on a well-established Kuramoto model. (shrink)