God in the Mirror reconsiders the place of law in the existing bodies of knowledge. Navigating the texts of Ovid, Augustine, Roman jurists, medieval canon lawyers, Freud, Lacan, the notebooks of Leonardo de Vinci, and the paintings of Rene Magritte, this is a crucial landmark within Legendre's reconsideration of a 'revolution of interpretation'.

I have always considered that the two questions respecting God and the Soul were the chief of those that ought to be demonstrated by philosophical rather than ...

Is knowledge possible? If so, what can we know and how do we come to know it? What degree of certainty does our knowledge enjoy? In these two powerful works, Descartes, the seventeenth-century philosopher considered to be the father of modern philosophy, outlines his philosophical method and then counters the skeptics of his time by insisting that certain knowledge can be had. He goes on to address the nature and extent of human knowledge, the distinction between mind and body, the (...) existence of God, and the existence of external objects. (shrink)

Recently, an increasing number of scholars have been showing interest in old-fashioned racism again. While recent studies on old-fashioned racism apparently increase our knowledge of this psychological theory of racism, the studies actually shed light on a different type of racism, namely offensive racism. The aim of this text is to argue that psychological theories of racism, like old-fashioned racism and modern racism, depend on societies’ social norms. I will show that questionnaires are highly sensitive to social norms, and if (...) there is change in social norms, the original measurement object alters. The theory of old-fashioned racism implicitly assumes agents that follow (or conform to) the social norm to behave prejudiced. Today, however, this social norm does not exist in Western societies. If agents express the same prejudices today, they indicate their willingness to breach the social norm to behave unprejudiced. Thereby, classic old-fashioned racism measures reflect a new kind of racism today. (shrink)

10. Physico-mathematica. Compendium musicae. Regulae ad directionem ingenii. Recherche de la vérité. Supplément à la correspondance.

Can we hold agents responsible for their implicitly biased behavior? The aim of this text is to show that, from the nurturing stance, holding subjects responsible for their implicitly biased behavior is justified, even though they are not blameworthy. First, I will introduce the nurturing stance as Daphne Brandenburg originally developed it. Second, I will specify what holding somebody responsible from the nurturing stance amounts to. Third, I show how and why holding responsible can help a subject develop an impaired (...) capacity. Fourth, I analyze empirical data about holding prejudiced subjects responsible and highlight that the internal motivation to control prejudiced reactions decreases implicit attitudes’ influences. Furthermore, the data show that in order to be appropriate moral demands have to acknowledge the target's autonomy and competence. In sum, from the nurturing stance, holding implicitly biased subjects responsible is appropriate if they can adequately respond to the moral demands. (shrink)

'Those most capable of being moved by passion are those capable of tasting the most sweetness in this life.'Descartes is most often thought of as introducing a total separation of mind and body. But he also acknowledged the intimate union between them, and in his later writings he concentrated on understanding this aspect of human nature. The Passions of the Soul is his greatest contribution to this debate. It contains a profound discussion of the workings of the emotions and of (...) their place in human life - a subject that increasingly engages the interest of philosophers and intellectual and cultural historians. It also sets out a view of ethics that has been seen as a radical reorientation of moral philosophy.This volume also includes both sides of the correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, one of Descartes's keenest disciples and shrewdest critics, which played a crucial role in the genesis of The Passions, as well as the first part of The Principles of Philosophy, which sets out the key positions of Descartes's philosophical system.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. (shrink)

It is often assumed that trolling is an intentional action. The aim of the paper is to argue for a form of unintentional trolling. Firstly, we outline minimal conditions for intentional actions. Secondly, an unintentional trolling example is introduced. Thirdly, we will show that in some cases, an utterance can be expressive, while it is perceived as descriptive. On the basis of the justification-suppression model, we argue that the introduced trolling example is such a case. In order to bypass social (...) sanctions for expressing prejudices, agents unintentionally express their prejudices through stories that appear to be descriptive. Thereby, the characterized behavior does not fulfill the minimal conditions for intentional action. Fourthly, we give criteria that can be used to identify unintentional trolls. Finally, after unintentional trolling is analyzed, the trolls’ behavioral goals are considered. In conclusion, an analysis of unintentional trolling is given, which has explanatory benefits in contrast to the classic intentional trolling concepts. (shrink)

Daß Descartes – im Anschluß an den "Discours de la méthode" (1637) und die "Meditationes de prima philosophia" (1641) – mit der Veröffentlichung der "Principia" die Zäsur setzte, die seinen Rang als erster Denker der "Philosophie der Neuzeit" begründete, ist ein Topos der Philosophiegeschichte. Uneinigkeit besteht aber bis heute unter den Biographen und Interpreten über die Frage, ob Descartes selbst sich dessen bewußt war, daß alle Aussagen bzw. Erkenntnisse über das Geschehen in der Natur notwendig hypothetisch bleiben (unter metaphysischem Aspekt) (...) und dennoch (sofern methodisch gewonnen) die Wirklichkeit treffen und berechenbar machen. Oder ob er in den "Principia" nur deshalb darauf verfiel, alle seine Aussagen über die Prinzipien der körperlichen Dinge, die sichtbare Welt und die Erde in bloß hypothetischer Form vorzutragen, um der Verfolgung durch die Inquisition zu entgehen. Diese neue, zweisprachige Ausgabe der philosophiegeschichtlich Epoche machenden Schrift bietet neben dem lateinischen Originaltext und der völlig neu erstellten, terminologischen Unterscheidungen genau Rechnung tragenden Übersetzung erstmals auch eine umfassende Erschließung der von Descartes herangezogen Quellen, d. i. der zeitgenössischen Publikationen zur Untersuchung von Naturphänomenen, die wir heute – seit Descartes – als physikalische oder naturwissenschaftliche Untersuchungen einordnen können. (shrink)

We give a direct, purely arithmetical and elementary proof of the strong normalization of the cut-elimination procedure for full (i.e., in presence of all the usual connectives) classical natural deduction.

Many viewers presented with a round plate tilted to their line of sight will report that they see a round plate that looks elliptical from their perspective. Alva Noë thinks that we should take reports of this kind as adequate descriptions of the phenomenology of spatial experiences. He argues that his so‐called enactive or sensorimotor account of spatial perceptual content explains why both the plate's circularity and its elliptical appearance are phenomenal aspects of experience. In this paper, I critique the (...) phenomenal adequacy of Noë's sensorimotor account of spatial perceptual content. I begin by showing that some of its central claims are in conflict with the phenomenology of perceptual experience. I then argue that shape appearances have no phenomenal reality, thus undermining this central motivation for his account. (shrink)

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), philosophe et poète américain du XIXe siècle, a orienté sa pensée sur des thèmes qui interpellent vivement notre monde contemporain. Attaché à la promotion de la liberté et de la création individuelle, critique de la vie sociale et de la pensée de masse, il n'en a pas moins été défenseur de causes opprimées, en théorie comme en action. Proche de la nature, il n'a cessé d'en affirmer les bénéfices pour l'homme, si on fait l'effort de mieux (...) la connaître, de communier avec elle et de la respecter. Attentif à la richesse de la vie intérieure, il a cherché un équilibre entre sa réflexion personnelle, les échanges intellectuels avec sa communauté, l'importance de la vie pratique, en vue d'un éveil collectif et d'une éthique partagée. Autant d'éléments de méditation pour notre temps."--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

Poser les fondements de toute philosophie et de tout savoir, en retraçant le chemin qui mène du doute radical à l'indubitable science : telle est l'entreprise de Descartes dans ses Méditations métaphysiques. Tout au long de cet ouvrage original où se conjuguent démonstration et ascèse, la vérité se fonde à mesure que le lecteur se découvre et se forme, en éprouvant, après l'incertitude de toute connaissance, l'existence du sujet pensant, de Dieu, des choses matérielles, la distinction de l'âme et du (...) corps et leur union en l'homme. Les Méditations, dont nous donnons ici les textes latin et français, sont suivies des Objections formulées par d'illustres théologiens et philosophes - dont Arnauld, Hobbes, Gassendi - et des Réponses de l'auteur, à travers lesquelles l'exposé de sa métaphysique se trouve prolongé. (shrink)

Le concept de « civilisation écologique » a initialement été développé par des intellectuels chinois, à la fin des années 1980, comme une critique de la modernité industrielle et du système capitaliste face à la catastrophe écologique planétaire en cours. À partir du milieu des années 2000, et suite à l’accentuation des contestations environnementales dans les grandes villes du pays, le Parti Communiste Chinois (PCC) a décidé de faire de cette notion un de ses slogans politiques phares, mais au prix (...) de vider ce concept de sa dimension critique pour l’instrumentaliser au service de la propagande d’État, de la croissance verte et du contrôle numérique des écosystèmes. La Chine serait-elle en train d’inventer de nouvelles normes de gouvernance? (shrink)

En el siguiente artículo tratamos de rastrear en la producción teórica y literaria del destacado médico y escritor zuliano Jesús Semprún (1882-1931), sus ideas fundamentales acerca de la literatura, el americanismo, y la organización social, así como la presencia de los diversos componentes humanistas en las reflexiones ofrecidas a lo largo y ancho de toda su trayectoria intelectual.

Recently, psychologists have developed indirect measurement procedures to predict suicidal behavior. A prominent example is the Death/Suicide Implicit Association Test (DS-IAT). In this paper, I argue that there is something special about the DS-IAT which distinguishes it from different IAT measures. I argue that the DS-IAT does not measure weak or strong associations between the implicit self-concept and the abstract concept of death. In contrast, assuming a goal-system approach, I suggest that sorting death-related to self-related words takes effort because death-related (...) words trigger avoidance-impulses, which suicide ideation weakens. The DS-IAT taps into weakened automatic responses from the self-preservation system. Additionally, the suggested cognitive structure, illuminated with the selfish-goal theory, explains predictable suicidal behavior. (shrink)

Tradução de correspondências trocadas entre Descartes e Elisabeth no ano de 1643, nas quais discutem a tese cartesiana da alma como imaterial e inextensa. [Trad. Marcelo Fischborn].

O artigo analisa a relação existente entre o poder e a violência, tendo por base a filosofia de Hannah Arendt. A tradição do pensamento político conceitua o poder a partir da fórmula de domínio, isto é, a capacidade de influência e controle que determinado grupo possui sobre o comportamento alheio, materializando-se em geral mediante o emprego dos implementos de violência. Ao distanciar suas reflexões desta concepção, Hannah Arendt fundamenta o poder na capacidade de ação conjunta das pessoas, e a política (...) no espaço criado pela reunião de mulheres e homens capazes de agir e de trazer a novidade ao mundo. (shrink)