El nivel cultural del Nuevo Mundo y de sus habitantes ha sido cuestionado en innumerables ocasiones, especialmente por europeos, partiendo de diferentes argumentos (el mestizaje, el clima, etc.), pero siempre con unas mismas bases comunes: el desconocimiento y los prejuicios que genera. Ante esa ignorancia y prejuicios, y como respuesta a los mismos, numerosos autores a lo largo de los siglos han elaborado respuestas en forma de autodefensas. Entre esos escritos encontramos muchos catálogos bibliográficos a través de los cuales se (...) pretendía dar muestra del desarrollo cultural de aquellos territorios y de las capacidades de sus moradores. En este contexto, los estudios y ediciones de obras que llevó a cabo Agustín Millares nos permiten acceder a muchas de estas bibliografías y la función que pretendían jugar y jugaron a lo largo del tiempo, cuyo interés sigue vigente para nosotros, tanto como arma argumental como contenedores de cultura en sí mismos. (shrink)

We explore the distinctive characteristics of Mexico's society, politics and history that impacted the establishment of genetics in Mexico, as a new disciplinary field that began in the early 20th century and was consolidated and institutionalized in the second half. We identify about three stages in the institutionalization of genetics in Mexico. The first stage can be characterized by Edmundo Taboada, who was the leader of a research program initiated during the Cárdenas government (1934-1940), which was primarily directed towards improving (...) the condition of small Mexican farmers. Taboada is the first Mexican post-graduate investigator in phytotechnology and phytopathology, trained at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota, in 1932 and 1933, respectively. He was the first investigator to teach plant genetics at the National School of Agriculture and wrote the first textbook of general genetics, Genetics Notes, in 1938. Taboada's most important single genetics contribution was the production of "stabilized" corn varieties. The extensive exile of Spanish intellectuals to Mexico, after the end of Spain's Civil War (1936-1939), had a major influence in Mexican science and characterizes the second stage. The three main personalities contributing to Mexican genetics are Federico Bonet de Marco and Bibiano Fernández Osorio Tafall, at the National School of Biological Sciences, and José Luis de la Loma y Oteyza, at the Chapingo Agriculture School. The main contribution of the Spanish exiles to the introduction of genetics in Mexico concerned teaching. They introduced in several universities genetics as a distinctive discipline within the biology curriculum and wrote genetics text books and manuals. The third stage is identified with Alfonso León de Garay, who founded the Genetics and Radiobiology Program in 1960 within the National Commission of Nuclear Energy, which had been founded in 1956. The Genetics and Radiobiology Program rapidly became a disciplinary program, for it embraced research, teaching, and training of academics and technicians. The Mexican Genetics Society, created by de Garay in 1966, and the development of strains and cultures for genetics research were important activities. One of de Garay's key requirements was the compulsory training of the Program's scientists for at least one or two years in the best universities of the United States and Europe. De Garay's role in the development of Mexican genetics was fundamental. His broad vision encompassed the practice of genetics in all its manifestations. (shrink)

Following the death of the Prophet, many different understandings have emerged in the Islamic world to make life meaningful. There is no doubt that understanding of Quran and Hadith texts is the basis of these understandings. The effort to understand Nass, sometimes, has opened the doors of constructive criticism; sometimes it has shown a destructive character. Understanding efforts in Islamic world has been more active on the hadiths in modern times. As a matter of fact, while the groups who claim (...) to live their lives as in the time of the Prophet were affected by modernity, the discourses that did not need any trace from the time of the Prophet paid attention to the hadith-sunnah. In this study, the idea of contradiction to the Qur'an is emphasized, whose traces go back to the classical period and which has moved in a different direction with the abuses of the Quranist-Mealist discourse in modern times. In the first period, the criticism activities which focused on isnad have led to the training of the specialists of jarh-tadîl over time and by this way, the defects that may have happened to isnad were eliminated to a certain extent. In parallel with isnad examinations, text-based critics have also been introduced in the evaluation of hadiths. One of the text-based criticism methods is submitting hadiths to the Qur'an. In this study, the abuse of “submitting hadiths to the Quran”, which has an important place in the Islamic science tradition, but reached a dimension contrary to its natural methodology in the modern period, will be discussed. (shrink)

While there are studies of Grant's political philosophy and theology, there is no sustained study of his teaching, and specifically its inextricable relation to his political philosophy and theology. No study to date has drawn extensively on the collected works--including his talks to teachers and his D.Phil. thesis--or upon his biography, letters, and the considerable secondary literature, all of which are referenced here extensively.This is a synoptic text for prospective and practising teachers that shows the significance of the scholarship of (...) George Grant for teaching today. While there are studies of Grant's political philosophy and theology, there is no sustained study of his teaching, and specifically its relation to his political philosophy and theology. No study to date has drawn extensively on the collected works--including talks to teachers and his D.Phil. thesis at Oxford--or upon his biography, the collected letters, and the vast secondary literature, all of which I cite extensively in this comprehensive and original study of the teachings of George Grant. Aside from its synoptic status--it can serve a reference book for students of Grant as well as textbook for students of education--original features include 1) the characterization of Grant as Progressive Christian Platonist, the first term an acknowledgement of his imprinting as a child and of his (inadvertent) affinities with John Dewey, 2) the linking of his critiques of time, teaching, and technology into one critique: idolatry, 3) an extension of his preference for Eastern Christianity and its emphasis upon icons, associated also with his study of Simone Weil, from whose work I quote, 4) the extension of Grant's critique through the elaboration of a concept of attunement, and 5) the explication of one of Grant's keywords: eternity, juxtaposed with time (the subject of Chapter 3). My teaching of Grant emphasizes its timeliness, accenting his prescience, identifying several educational issues today--academic vocationalism, educational technology, privatization of schooling, the ascendency of research over teaching--that Grant identified and critiqued fifty years ago. Grant's prescience is also demonstrated by his concerns over the fate of what he termed particularity within Canada and globally, worried that economic globalization will erase distinctive national histories and cultures. Replacing these would be a world state, universal and homogeneous, representing the worst tyranny humanity has known. Current issues of right-wing populism--notably in the U.K. and the U.S.--Grant foresaw as reactions against these historical tendencies. I conclude with a long epilogue wherein I review the main points and show Grant's profound pertinence for students today. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to show how modern genetics reached Spain through the Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas (JAE) during the decade of 1920s, the role played by key persons, and the level of development this discipline achieved from its different points of inception and under the conditions of financial scarcity and political turmoil that prevailed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In addition, the effect of the war on the continuity of the lines (...) of research already began is outlined, identifying the main area in which genetics first reappeared: agronomy. (shrink)

This article has two interrelated purposes, one of historical and one of contemporary significance. It first seeks to challenge the common view in the literature that Article 82EC is a product of ordoliberalism. This is done by directly examining the travaux préparatoires of the competition rules of the EC Treaty to discover the intent of the drafters of Article 82EC. This inquiry is important for a modernized approach to Article 82EC since it must be determined whether Article 82EC can be (...) applied with a ‘consumer welfare’ standard without a Treaty amendment. This is because, if the provision is ‘ordoliberal’, its objective cannot be the enhancement of ‘consumer welfare’. As its second and policy-driven purpose, this article suggests that the intent of the drafters of Article 82EC provides the EC Commission and the courts with the means to apply Article 82EC in a modernized manner with a ‘more economic approach’. The article shows that the drafters of Article 82EC were mainly concerned with increasing ‘efficiency’. Hence, adopting a welfarist objective would not imply a fundamental change in the goals of Article 82EC. On the contrary, including efficiencies in the assessment would be a late but welcome recognition since efficiency is already imbedded in the provision. (shrink)

Maxine Greene is arguably the most important philosopher of education in the US today, but until now she has not been the subject of sustained scholarly analysis and investigation. This study of Green's contribution is organized from several points of view: studies of her four books; studies of the intellectual and aesthetic influences upon her theory; and her influence on the various specialization within the broad field of education-the teaching of English, arts education, philosophy of education, curriculum studies, religious education, (...) cognitive theory, and theory of teaching. (shrink)

With advances in research environments and the accompanying increase in the complexity of research projects, the range of skills required to carry out research calls for an increase in interdisciplinary and collaborative work. CogNovo, a doctoral training program for 25 PhD students, provided a unique opportunity to observe and analyze collaborative processes. We propose a process-oriented framework for understanding research collaborations along two dimensions: interpersonal and project-related. To illustrate the utility of this process-oriented framework, we apply the framework matrix to (...) several collaborations that emerged within the CogNovo program. The framework that we introduce has several advantages over existing metrics. Firstly, we offer a process-oriented—as opposed to product-oriented—evaluation of interdisciplinary and collaborative endeavors. Secondly, we propose a means of assessment that preserves the distinctive profile (or “fingerprint”) of a given collaborative project, thus capturing the uniqueness of each project and its environment. (shrink)

En estas páginas abordamos la importancia del paisaje dentro de la obra unamuniana y la manera en que está conectado con sus planteamientos filosóficos, culturales e identitarios. A medida que Unamuno va conociendo el paisaje y el paisanaje español y portugués, se va modificando su idea de patria, trascendiendo ésta el marco nacional en pro de una unidad mayor: la ibérica. El punto final de este proceso es el iberismo que encarnó y defendió Unamuno, un iberismo de carácter cultural y (...) espiritual, alejado del iberismo político. Para ello nos centramos en sus principales escritos sobre el paisaje español y portugués y en su correspondencia epistolar con portugueses (citando algunas cartas hasta hoy inéditas). (shrink)

Diplomatic relations carried out between the states are fulfilled under the protocol ruled out by the actors within the international system, which prevents any possible problems that might affect the course of bilateral relations from coming out. However, work and actions in the public arena are carried out under the protocol rules, some of which are in written form, and some of which are based on traditions used for a long period of time. Conducting the mentioned work and actions under (...) the protocol rules not only creates a discipline prevailing work environment, but also encourages employees to perform their duties in a more relaxed, peaceful, happier and more productive manner. Therefore, it is an absolute necessity to act with the attitudes and behaviors under the protocol rules both in the fulfillment of diplomatic relations and in the fulfillment of public activities. But as the protocol rules are not known well enough in Turkey, the necessity mentioned above is not obeyed. This case leads to occurance of significant defects during the implemention of services provided by public institutions in Turkey and the implementation of diplomatic relations. As a matter of fact; when examining the proceduces concerning public work and functions, and diplomatic relations in detail; one can obviously see that numerous problems are encountered which result from not implementing or mis-implementing protocol rules. This study aims to prove that more importance must be given to education on protocol rules in Turkey. (shrink)

En este articulo abordo la concepcion educativa del pensador espanol Miguel de Unamuno. haciendo especial hincapie en los principios e ideas que respecto a la eduaction aparecen en sus primeros articulos y en su promera novela, Paz en la guerra (la cual contiene muchas de las ideas que seran el tema central de Amor y pedagogia, su novela pedagogica, o mas bien antipedagogica, por exelencia. Hasta el momento, no se habian tenido presente estos escritos a la hora de analizar su (...) labor educativa y sus ideas pedagogicas, a pesar de que son de gran importancia a la hora de ver como se va fraguando su conception de la education u como esta va evolucionado. Considero que las ideas que el vasco mantuvo en el ambito educativo son todavia de actualidad y dignas de tener en cuenta. Su propuesta educativa encaja perfectamente y defiende los principios de educacion continua, integral y personalizada o indyvidualizada que ahora estan en boga. Por ello, es nescesario hacer una relectura de los escritos unamunianos desde la perspectiva educativa u ver que nos aportan para el momento presente. (shrink)

The Turing Test is one of the most disputed topics in artificial intelligence, philosophy of mind, and cognitive science. This paper is a review of the past 50 years of the Turing Test. Philosophical debates, practical developments and repercussions in related disciplines are all covered. We discuss Turing's ideas in detail and present the important comments that have been made on them. Within this context, behaviorism, consciousness, the 'other minds' problem, and similar topics in philosophy of mind are discussed. We (...) also cover the sociological and psychological aspects of the Turing Test. Finally, we look at the current situation and analyze programs that have been developed with the aim of passing the Turing Test. We conclude that the Turing Test has been, and will continue to be, an influential and controversial topic. -/- (This paper was reprinted in: The Turing Test: The Elusive Standard of Artificial Intelligence, J. H. Moor, ed., Kluwer Academic, pp. 23-78, 2003.). (shrink)

Autobiography and Teacher Development in China investigates the roles of autobiography in teacher education, as several scholars in China recontextualize Western conceptions of teacher development, combining them with uniquely Chinese cultural conceptions to articulate a reconceptualization of teacher development that holds worldwide significance. Framed by the work of Zhang Hua and William F. Pinar, these theoretical and practical essays point to an internationally inflected reconceptualization of teachers' professional development, pre-service and in-service. This volume addresses multiple movements of teacher education reform (...) worldwide, focused on crafting a nationally distinctive course not only internationally, but also culturally, historically, and locally. (shrink)