This book explores sustainability and social responsibility from the point of view of accountability reporting systems. The contributions to this volume open up discussions about the theory and application of sustainability and social responsibility across various corporate sectors and assists the reader in applying sustainable corporate social responsibility reporting across those sectors. As a central theme, the book addresses how the theory and application in sustainability and social responsibility has different dimensions and aspects which are impossible to apply across different (...) sectors. This point of view is supported by chapter contributions from countries around the world including Turkey, Serbia, Malaysia, United States, South Africa, Italy, China, Brasil, Romania, Serbia, Puerta Rico, Algeria. Academics worldwide will discover in Sustainability and Social Responsibility of Accountability Reporting Systems: A Global Approach the latest developments about corporate social responsibility and sustainability of accountability reporting systems. (shrink)

Los procesos de industrialización provenientes de la primera Revolución Industrial alcanzaron a España y a Aragón con un importante retraso. Dentro del amplio abanico de sectores industriales, el de la generación energética resultó indispensable para acelerar los procesos productivos y promover mejoras tecnológicas. En Aragón, al igual que en otros lugares, las estructuras nacidas del sector energético modificaron paisajes y dinamizaron el territorio en el que se ubicaron, constituyendo una fuente de riqueza y modo de vida para sus gentes. Muchas (...) de esas estructuras generadoras de energía ya cerraron sus puertas, pero, en la actualidad, forman parte de un rico Patrimonio industrial estudiado por disciplinas como la Arqueología industrial. Lamentablemente, en Aragón, los poderes públicos encargados de su protección y reutilización mantienen sumido en un profundo abandono a los vestigios industriales relacionados con la generación energética a pesar de su evidente importancia histórica, económica y social. Palabras clave: industrialización, sector energético, patrimonio industrial, inventarios, protección patrimonial, abandono patrimonial.Industrialization processes from the first Industrial Revolution reached Spain and Aragon with a significant delay. Within the wide range of industrial sectors, energy generation was essential to accelerate production processes and promote technological improvements. In Aragon, as in other places, structures born from the energy sector modified landscapes and energized the territory in which they were located, constituting a source of wealth and way of life for its people. Many of these energy-generating structures have already closed their doors but, at present, they are part of a rich industrial heritage studied by disciplines such as industrial archeology. Unfortunately, in Aragon, the public authorities in charge of their protection and reuse keep industrial vestiges related to energy generation in deep abandonment despite their obvious historical, economic and social importance. Key words: industrialization, energy sector, industrial heritage, patrimonial inventory, patrimonial protection, patrimonial abandonment. (shrink)

Das primäre Ziel dieses Open-Access-Buches besteht in der Entwicklung einer Theorie pluraler epistemischer Autoritäten. Epistemische Autoritäten spielen in unserer durch Spezialisierung geprägten und hochgradig arbeitsteilig organisierten modernen "Informations-" oder "Wissensgesellschaft" eine zentrale Rolle. Die Philosophie hat diesem Umstand in den letzten Jahren durch eine zunehmend intensive Diskussion Rechnung getragen. Ein entscheidendes Defizit dieser Debatte besteht nach Diagnose des Autors allerdings darin, dass sie sich fast ausschließlich auf individuelle epistemische Autoritäten konzentriert hat. In unserer epistemischen Praxis sind plurale epistemische Autoritäten - (...) d.h. wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaften, Expertengremien, Geschworenenjurys usw. - aber mindestens genauso bedeutsam. Wir berufen uns auf "wissenschaftlichen Konsens", orientieren uns an "herrschenden Meinungen" usw. und stützen uns damit auf plurale epistemische Autoritäten. Das Buch möchte die Potentiale, aber auch die Herausforderungen und Fallstricke analysieren, die diese Praxis des Sich-Stützens auf plurale epistemische Autoritäten mit sich bringt. Der Autor Rico Hauswald ist Privatdozent am Institut für Philosophie der TU Dresden und Teilprojektleiter im BMBF-geförderten interdisziplinären Forschungsvorhaben "Verantwortungsvoller Umgang mit künstlicher Intelligenz in der Medizin". Arbeitsschwerpunkte liegen u. a. in der Wissenschafts-, Erkenntnis- und Medizintheorie. (shrink)

Doxastic voluntarism is the philosophical doctrine according to which people have voluntary control over their beliefs. Philosophers in the debate about doxastic voluntarism distinguish between two kinds of voluntary control. The first is known as direct voluntary control and refers to acts which are such that if a person chooses to perform them, they happen immediately. For instance, a person has direct voluntary control over whether he or she is thinking about his or her favorite song at a given moment. (...) The second is known as indirect voluntary control and refers to acts which are such that although a person lacks direct voluntary control over them, he or she can cause them to happen if he or she chooses to perform some number of other, intermediate actions. For instance, a person untrained in music has indirect voluntary control over whether he or she will play a melody on a violin. Corresponding to this distinction between two kinds of voluntary control, philosophers distinguish between two kinds of doxastic voluntarism. Direct doxastic voluntarism claims that people have direct voluntary control over at least some of their beliefs. Indirect doxastic voluntarism, however, supposes that people have indirect voluntary control over at least some of their beliefs, for example, by doing research and evaluating evidence. This article offers an introductory explanation of the nature of belief, the nature of voluntary control, the reasons for the consensus regarding indirect doxastic voluntarism, the reasons for the disagreements regarding direct doxastic voluntarism, and the practical implications for the debate about doxastic voluntarism in ethics, epistemology, political theory, and the philosophy of religion. (shrink)

Orphaned in her early teens and shuttled between abusive foster homes, Tatiana Forero Puerta found herself in her early twenties in New York City, haunted by the memories of her tumultuous youth and suicidal. Following emergency hospitalization, she was advised by her doctor to take up yoga. Over days, weeks, months, and then years, she embraced yoga's honesty and discipline--delving more deeply into its wisdom, literature, and, vitally, its practice. In so doing, yoga healed her scars, opened her soul (...) to forgiveness, and allowed her to reconcile herself with a past that had threatened to snuff out her life. Yoga for the Wounded Heart is an unsparingly honest memoir of a childhood lost and of courage and resilience gained. It's also an exploration of the fundamentals of yoga: as a technology that focuses our awareness; as a practical application of mindfulness and attention to what is really going on in our lives and bodies; and as a vehicle for the body to guide the mind and heart toward healing. (shrink)

This article explores Heidegger's later philosophy with regard to the problem of a philosophical interpretation of religious language. In what follows, I will draw upon the work of Wittgenstein and refer to the cosmological argument to read Heidegger in terms of a post-theistic understanding of religious language that avoids the shortcomings of both theistic realism and non-cognitivism. At the same time, I am proposing a new interpretation of Heidegger's later philosophy against this background. I will show that, in spite of (...) its hermeticism, Heidegger's later philosophy has a specific relevance to philosophy of religion that still needs to be explored. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to explain Hume’s account of the way both the scope and the degree of benevolent motivation is limited. I argue (i) that Hume consistently affirms, both in the Treatise and in the second Enquiry, that the scope of benevolent motivation is very broad, such that it includes any creature that is conscious and capable of thought, and (ii) that the degree of benevolent motivation is limited, such that a person is naturally inclined to feel (...) benevolence more strongly for one with whom he or she has a ‘connexion’—e.g., a family member or friend. (shrink)

In this paper, I argue that Hume’s account of sympathy is substantially unchanged from the Treatise to the second Enquiry. I show that Hume uses the term ‘sympathy’ to refer to three different mental phenomena (a psychological mechanism or principle, a sentiment, and a conversion process) and that he consistently refers to sympathy as a cause of benevolent motivation. I attempt to resolve an apparent difficulty regarding sympathy and humanity by explaining how each is an ‘original principle’ in Hume’s sense. (...) I conclude by suggesting how my interpretation might make a contemporary evaluation of Hume’s account of benevolent motivation possible. (shrink)

Drawing on the relevant alternatives framework and Mary Kate McGowan’s work on conversational scorekeeping, I argue that usage of the term ‘conspiracy theory’ in ordinary language and public discourse typically entails the performance of what I call a dismissive conversational exercitive, a kind of speech act that functions to exclude certain propositions from (or prevent their inclusion in) the set of alternatives considered relevant in a given conversational context. While it can be legitimate to perform dismissive conversational exercitives, excluding alternatives (...) that deserve to be taken seriously can be highly problematic for a variety of reasons. For one, it can give rise to what I call the problem of premature conclusions when subjects illegitimately dismiss certain propositions as irrelevant and, as a result, prematurely take certain conclusions or claims to be warranted. Depending on the kind of conclusion or claim, the problem can come in different variants, three of which I shall examine in more detail: the problem of premature knowledge claims, the problem of premature causal claims, and the problem of premature generic generalizations. (shrink)

In this paper, I elucidate Hume's account of doxastic virtues and offer three reasons that contemporary epistemologists ought to consider it as an alternative to one of the broadly Aristotelian models currently offered. Specifically, I suggest that Hume's account of doxastic virtues obviates (1) the much-debated question about whether such virtues are intellectual, "moral," or some combination thereof, (2) the much-debated question about whether people have voluntary control of their belief formation, and (3) the need to make the kind of (...) thick metaphysical commitments about essentialism and final causation that Aristotelian accounts of such virtues require. (shrink)

This paper presents a variable neighborhood descent algorithm for the service restoration problem (SRP) in electrical distribution systems. The restoration problem appears when a permanent fault occurs in the system. The fault must be localized and isolated from the rest of the system. As a consequence of the isolation, the downstream area is de-energized and requires restoration. The variable neighborhood descent algorithm features its ability to solve the SRP for radial distribution systems and introduces a strategy that helps to deal (...) with the system’s radiality. Tests are performed using a 53-node test system. The results show that the proposed algorithm can efficiently solve the SRP in a distribution system, and as a deterministic algorithm, the results can be used to help nondeterministic algorithms. (shrink)

Die Behauptung der Unerkennbarkeit Gottes hat eine lange Tradition, die vom biblischen Bilderverbot über die negative Theologie und Mystik bis zur spätmodernen Dekonstruktion reicht. Zu dieser Tradition gehört die zeitlose Frage, wie Gott zu denken ist, wenn er nicht als ein buchstäblich existierendes Wesen im Sinne des Theismus verstanden werden kann. Diesem Problem nähern sich die Texte des Bandes mit zahlreichen historischen wie systematischen Schwerpunkten. -/- Es geht um das Verhältnis der Transzendenzdimensionen zu den Grenzen der menschlichen Erkenntnis, damit verbunden (...) um die sprachliche Präzisierung der Grenzproblematik, wie sie sowohl in der Tradition der negativen Theologie wie auch in zentralen Ansätzen der modernen Philosophie angezielt wird. Weitere Schwerpunkte bilden das Verhältnis von Rationalität und Theologie sowie die theologischen Aspekte der Dekonstruktion. -/- Die Ansätze der Beiträge verfolgen stets die Frage nach dem Status der Rede von Gott im Horizont der Erkenntnisgrenzen. Sie zeigen so, dass und wie diese Frage mit dem Welt und Selbstverständnis des Menschen im Angesicht der Unbegreiflichkeit seiner Situation verbunden ist und bleibt. (shrink)

BackgroundAlcohol use is one of the main risk factors that leads to detrimental health effects and support for a transdiagnostic approach to alcohol use disorders is growing. However, the role of transdiagnostic predictors of problematic alcohol consumption in Ecuador are understudied.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine gender differences in psychological stress and inflexibility as transdiagnostic predictors of problematic alcohol consumption in a large sample of college students in Ecuador.MethodsA total of 7,905 college students were surveyed using the following (...) standardized scales: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Perceived Stress Scale-14, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire. Macro Process for SPSS was used to analyze mediation and moderation effects.ResultsReported alcohol consumption was significantly higher in men than women students. On the other hand, women reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress and psychological inflexibility than men students. Gender, age, psychological stress, and inflexibility were significant predictors of alcohol consumption. Moreover, psychological inflexibility mediated the impact of stress on alcohol consumption, particularly in women.DiscussionResults of this study support psychological stress and psychological inflexibility as critical transdiagnostic variables related to increased rates of alcohol consumption among Ecuadorian college students. These conclusions contribute to the development of transdiagnostic comprehensive programs, which encompasses promotive, preventive, and treatment services that allow to alleviate the burden of alcohol, as well as to enrich the growing research on alcohol consumption in this population from a gender perspective. (shrink)

BackgroundYouth substance use is a public health problem globally, where alcohol is one of the drugs most consumed by children, and youth prevention is the best intervention for drug abuse.ObjectiveReview the latest evidence of alcohol use prevention programs in empirical research, oriented to all fields of action among children and youth.MethodsA narrative and critical review was carried out within international databases in August 2021 and was limited to empirical studies that appeared in the last five years. A flow diagram was (...) used according to the PRISMA statements. Empirical research articles in English with RCTs and quasi-experimental design that included alcohol, children, and young people up to 19 years of age were included. The authors examined the results and conceptual frameworks of the Prevention programs by fields of action.ResultsTwenty-two articles were found from four fields of action: school, family, community, and web-based, representing 16 alcohol prevention programs. School-based alcohol prevention programs are clinically relevant [Theory of Planned Behavior, Refuse, Remove, Reasons, Preventure, The GOOD Life, Mantente REAL, Motivational Interviewing, Primavera, Fresh Start, Bridges/Puentes], they are effective in increasing attitudes and intentions toward alcohol prevention behavior, while decreasing social norms and acceptance of alcohol, reducing intoxication, and increasing perceptions with regards to the negative consequences of drinking.DiscussionThis narrative and critical review provides an updated synthesis of the evidence for prevention programs in the school, family, community, and web-based fields of action, where a more significant number of programs exist that are applied within schools and for which would have greater clinical relevance. However, the prevention programs utilized in the other fields of action require further investigation. (shrink)

Cantor argued that absolute infinity is beyond mathematical comprehension. His arguments imply that the domain of mathematics cannot be grasped by mathematical means. We argue that this inability constitutes a foundational problem. For Cantor, however, the domain of mathematics does not belong to mathematics, but to theology. We thus discuss the theological significance of Cantor’s treatment of absolute infinity and show that it can be interpreted in terms of negative theology. Proceeding from this interpretation, we refer to the recent debate (...) on absolute generality and argue that the method of diagonalization constitutes a modern version of the vianegativa. On our reading, negative theology can evoke an attitude of humility with respect to the boundedness of the human condition. Along these lines, we think that the foundational problem of mathematics concerning its domain can be addressed through a methodological attitude of humility. (shrink)

Descartes’s concern with the proper method of belief formation is evident in the titles of his works—e.g., The Search after Truth, The Rules for the Direction of the Mind, and The Discourse on Method of rightly conducting one’s reason and seeking the truth in the sciences. It is most apparent, however, in his famous discussions, both in the Meditations and in the Principles, of one particularly noteworthy source of our doxastic errors—namely, the misuse of one’s will. What is not widely (...) recognized, let alone appreciated and understood, is the relationship between his concern with belief formation and his concern with virtue. In fact, few seem to realize that Descartes regards doxastic errors as moral errors and as sins both because such errors are intrinsically vicious and because they entail notably deleterious social consequences. Reforming the Art of Living seeks to rectify this rather common oversight in two ways. First, it aims to elucidate the nature of Descartes’s account of virtuous belief formation. Second, it aims both (i) to illuminate the social significance of Descartes’s philosophical program as it relates to the understanding and practice not of science, but of religion and (ii) to develop a kind of Leibnizian critique of this aspect of his program. More specifically, it aims to show that Descartes’s project is “dangerous,” insofar as it is subversive not only of traditional Christianity but also of other traditional forms of religion, both in theory and in practice. (shrink)

Heterodox ideas face an uphill battle. This is not least the case for heterodox conspiracy theories. As an empirical observation, this is hardly controversial. What is controversial is whether and to what extent this should be the case. Some authors have gone so far as to argue that heterodox conspiracy theories should be generally dismissed, and that it is precisely their heterodox status that justifies such dismissal. Most particularists are likely to object strongly to such an assessment, arguing that conspiracy (...) theories – whether heterodox or orthodox – should not be dismissed before careful examination of the relevant evidence. But even particularists will probably concede that proponents of heterodox conspiracy theories have to bear a special epistemic burden. The main aim of this paper is to take a closer look at this particular epistemic burden. Drawing on the literature about peer disagreement, genealogical debunking arguments, and related philosophical debates, I focus in particular on the question of whether and under what conditions it can be rational to defend heterodox conspiracy theories, and argue that what I will call theories of error play a crucial role in this context. (shrink)

Im Zentrum von Heideggers Denken steht eine quasireligiöse Umwendung des Menschen. Davon ausgehend entwickelt diese Arbeit das Konzept einer post-theistischen Religiosität, das nicht nur zum philosophischen Verständnis der religiösen Rede beiträgt, sondern auch eine neue Interpretation von Heideggers Spätwerk ermöglicht. In beiden Fällen geht es um die Unbegreiflichkeit der menschlichen Situation, die Religion wie Philosophie gleichermaßen herausfordert.

En el presente trabajo se pretende reconstruir la noción de imaginación expuesta por Kant en la "Crítica de la razón pura", en su primera edición, y en la "Crítica del juicio" con el fin de poder dilucidar un posible papel de este concepto en el marco de la ética kantiana. -/- .

This article presents a conceptual analysis of the European educational policy concerning the phenomenon of early school leaving (ESL). It addresses the literature on ESL, emphasizing the importance of studying policies from the perspective of the constructions made of the leaving subject. The concept of lifelong learning is examined, along with its relevance in shaping the subject who leaves within European policies. Additionally, the presence of “double gestures” in educational policies is explored, where, while promoting inclusion, they simultaneously produce exclusion (...) of certain individuals. The influence of the neoliberal approach on the conception of ESL is discussed, and the need to consider alternative approaches to avoid homogenizing the group of young individuals who leave school prematurely is proposed. (shrink)

The barest awareness of the ubiquity and influence of the media today provides proof enough that our fate is in the hands of the image. But when and how was this fate sealed? _Image, Icon, Economy_ considers this question and recounts an essential thread in the conceptualization of visual images within the Western tradition. This book argues that the extraordinary force of the image in contemporary life—the contemporary imaginary—can be traced back to the Byzantine iconoclastic controversy of the eighth and (...) ninth centuries. It was during this period that the church was compelled to produce an account of the theological status of the religious image that would nevertheless not be open to even the slightest suspicion of idolatry. The solution arrived at was the dual doctrine of the _image_, _invisible_ and the _icon_, _visible_, and thus perfectly fitted to be placed at the center of a pedagogical and political strategy serving the temporal power of the church. The foundations of this immense philosophical enterprise were laid in no less than the multifarious, interwoven strands of the divine _economy_, God's overall plan for the salvation of humanity. (shrink)

El peritaje es un medio de prueba. Desde la historiografía, se ha estudiado como referente de la monopolización que la mirada médica ejerció desde aproximadamente 1930 en el proceso judicial. Desde entonces, el peritaje se ha concebido como medicalizado. Si bien esto explica el proceso mediante el cual el conocimiento médico se inserta en los procesos penales, no agota la comprensión del peritaje, puesto que deja por fuera la reflexión sobre otros conocimientos que se involucran en el informe pericial. Para (...) explicar qué es el peritaje y qué tipo de conocimientos se involucran en él, a partir de una investigación de corte documental, este artículo realiza una lectura del peritaje desde la codificación como una expresión relacional de la experticia. Para hacerlo, propone un análisis de la codificación penal y procesal colombiana desde el año de 1873 hasta el año de 1980, con el fin de evidenciar que sus articulados traducen una visión del legislador donde el perito se muestra como una figura relacional en medio de conocimientos, partes, actuaciones procesales y decisiones del juez. Todo esto con el fin de demostrar que la concepción del peritaje debe entenderse en relación con la experticia y con la capacidad que tiene el perito de relacionar y validar su conocimiento en el proceso judicial. (shrink)

Understanding Aesthetics in it's etymological meaning as the "science of the perception" makes any study of the theory of the sensibility essential to understand a given aesthetics. Moreover, theories of sensibility and knowledge in Arabic and Islamic classical culture, have hardly been probed in it's aesthetic dimension. As a result of this, the spread of conceptualizations about Arabic and Islamic aesthetics has, in many cases, sunk in a sea of imprecisions and prejudgements. In the following pages, we present an approximation (...) of these topics through works of greats thinkers from Al-Andalus such as Ibn Hazm, Ibn Bayya, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rusd, Hazim al-Qartayanni, Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Jaldun, in whose works we appreciate a clear, though diverse, intention of constituting a cognizant and percipient human subject, ethically and aesthetically defined, across psychologies and concepts that we will also discover in the construction of Aesthetics in the West. (shrink)

The figure of Yusuf plays a leading role in Ibn Arabi's works as a paradigm of beauty, lord ofthe world of symbols and prophet in the broad fields of Imagination. This article follows him from the youth works of al-Shaykh al-Akbar, up to de texts of his years. In it, we can see how concepts in his books are gradually richer, and can appreciate the remarkable paralellism between Yusuf's coranic image and the mystic from Murcia himself.

Actualmente vivimos en una sociedad intensamente visual, sin embargo, desde las Ciencias Sociales se desprecia la imagen como herramienta didáctica y de investigación, quedando la misma relegada al mundo de las artes. Con esta cuestión de fondo, se quiere mostrar la experiencia del estudiantado de las asignaturas: Sociedad, Familia y Educación, y, Sociología de la Educación (de la Universidad de Almería), tras la utilización de la fotografía y el cortometraje social como instrumentos didácticos complementarios a la investigación. Así, se mostraran (...) las experiencias formativas de estos alumnos tras la utilización de estos recursos en sus proyectos. (shrink)

Pyrrhonian skepticism is usually understood as a form of quietism, since it is supposed to bring us back to where we were in our everyday lives before we got disturbed by philosophical questions. Similarly, the ‘therapeutic’ and ‘resolute’ readings of Wittgenstein claim that Wittgenstein’s ‘philosophical practice’ results in the dissolution of the corresponding philosophical problems and brings us back to our everyday life. Accordingly, Wittgenstein is often linked to Pyrrhonism and classified as a quietist. Against this reading, I will employ (...) Laurie Paul’s notion of epistemically transformative experience and argue that Pyrrhonian skepticism and Wittgenstein’s philosophy can be interpreted as a philosophical practice that changes our self-understanding in significant ways. I will argue that this practice can evoke transformative experiences and is thereby able to yield a non-propositional insight into the finitude of the human condition. This shows that Pyrrhonian skepticism and Wittgenstein’s philosophy go beyond quietism. (shrink)

This introduction highlights two of Mondzain's contributions in the chapter reproduced here, “Iconic Space and the Rule of Lands.” The first is her discussion of a link between images and power, which stresses the formal characteristics of paintings rather than their narratives. The second is her examination of the specific task which representation is called on to perform in religious as opposed to secular contexts, where spiritual, otherworldly figures are given physical shape and form.

According to preemptionism, a layperson should treat the fact that an epistemic authority believes p as a reason to believe p that replaces her other reasons relevant to believing p and is not simply added to them. Many authors have found the unqualified version of preemptionism, as defended by Linda Zagzebski, too strong. At the same time, a number of them have recently advocated weakened or qualified preemptionist accounts. In this paper, I criticise these accounts. I argue that some of (...) them cannot explain the possibility of rational persistent disagreements between laypeople and epistemic authorities, while those that can explain it fail to account either for the extent to which justification is a holistic phenomenon or for the role of what I call ‘control reasons’ in the laypeople's epistemic conduct. (shrink)

In this paper, I clarify Descartes’s account of belief, in general, and of judgment, in particular. Then, drawing upon this clarification, I explain the type of direct doxastic voluntarism that he endorses. In particular, I attempt to demonstrate two claims. First, I argue that there is strong textual evidence that, on Descartes’s account, people have the ability to suspend, or to withhold, judgment directly by an act will. Second, I argue that there is weak and inconclusive textual evidence that, on (...) his account, people have the ability to form a judgment directly by an act will. I conclude by suggestion that understanding the position Descartes actually endorses (which I call ‘negative direct doxastic voluntarism’) has implications, more broadly, for contemporary participants in the doxastic voluntarism debate. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie Jahrgang: 67 Heft: 3 Seiten: 373-391.

The Orthodox Church is one of the largest religious groups in the world. Yet, it remains an enigma in the West, especially among those who mistake it either for a Greek version of Roman Catholicism or for an exotic mixture of Christianity and eastern religion. Many, however, are coming to recognize the Orthodox Church for what it is: a worldwide community of Christian disciples that has been faithful to the apostolic command, “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were (...) taught, whether by word or by our epistle” (2 Thess 2:15). Consequently, growing numbers of people are finding their true home in the Church that has “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Among these converts are dozens of contemporary philosophers. Some are accomplished, world-renowned, senior scholars. Others are junior scholars in the earliest stages of their careers. As a group, they belong neither to any particular philosophical ‘school’ nor to any particular Orthodox jurisdiction. What they have in common is a desire to enter deeply into an authentic and loving communion with the Living God, with God’s people, and ultimately with all of God’s creation. Turning East is a collection of autobiographical essays in which sixteen of these philosophers describe their personal journeys to the Orthodox Church, explain their reasons for becoming Orthodox Christians, and offer a sense of how their conversions have changed their lives. (shrink)

Die Corona-Krise hat zugleich eine Krise der Wissens- und Informationsgesellschaft ausgelöst und tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf die Generierung und Vermittlung von Wissen mit sich gebracht. Von Beginn der Pandemie an mussten Politik und Öffentlichkeit unter erheblichen Unsicherheiten agieren, während sich die wissenschaftliche Forschung mit der Herausforderung konfrontiert sah, schnellstmöglich belastbare Erkenntnisse bereitzustellen. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellen sich zahlreiche Fragen zum Verhältnis von Wissenschaft, Politik und Öffentlichkeit in grundlegender Form: Fragen nach der Funktion von Wissenschaft in der Politikberatung, dem Zusammenhang zwischen Faktenwissen (...) und normativen Bewertungen sowie den Implikationen von "Fast Science", dem vernünftigen Umgang mit Nichtwissen und Unsicherheit, der Rolle von epistemischem Vertrauen, Skepsis und kritischem Denken im Experten-Laien-Verhältnis oder dem Einfluss von Fake News und Verschwörungstheorien - aber auch dem Einfluss von Vorwürfen, solche zu verbreiten - auf den öffentlichen Diskurs. Der Band versammelt eine Reihe von Originalbeiträgen, die aus wissenschafts- und erkenntnistheoretischer Perspektive versuchen, Antworten auf diese und ähnliche Fragen zu formulieren. Dabei bilden sie ein breites Spektrum teils deutlich unterschiedlicher Positionen ab. Ein Anliegen des Bandes besteht auch darin, die Pluralität dieser Positionen sichtbar zu machen und einen Dialog zwischen ihnen anzuregen. (shrink)

RESUMEN En este texto proponemos que el fundamento de la teoria mimética de René Girard, que le permitió construir una "antropología fundamental", se puede encontrar en el realismo estético. Expondremos algunas notas características de la relación mimética, para luego poder postular que Girard se opone no solo a la mentira romántica que evita aceptar la mimesis como elemento estructurador del deseo, sino también al falseamiento impresionista que oculta la violencia fundadora de las sociedades. Para esto, analizaremos su teoría de la (...) violencia mimética en dos de sus más importantes libros: Mentira romántica y verdad novelesca y La violencia y lo sagrado, y la expondremos de cara a los conceptos del Romanticismo, el Realismo y el Impresionismo, tomados de la historia del arte y la literatura. Por último, haremos una breve mención a la ausencia de evidencia empírica, como crítica a la antropología fundamental girardiana, para concluir que tal proceder no impide hablar de un realismo en esta teoría. ABSTRACT In this text, we propose that the basis of René Girard's mimetic theory, which allowed him to construct a "fundamental anthropology", can be found in Aesthetic Realism. We will expose some characteristic notes of the mimetic relation, to then be able to postulate that Girard opposes not only the romantic lie, which avoids accepting mimesis as a structuring element of desire but also the impressionistic falsification that hides the founding violence of societies. For this, we will analyze his theory of mimetic violence in two of his most important books, Romantic lie & romanesque truth [Deceit, Desire and the Novel: Selfand Other in Literary Structure] and Violence and the Sacred, and we will expose it facing the concepts of Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism, taken from the history of art and literature. Finally, we will briefly mention the absence of empirical evidence, as a criticism of Girardian fundamental anthropology, to conclude that this does not prevent us from speaking of realism in this theory. (shrink)

ΑΤΕΝΙΖΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΟ ΦΩΣ (Facing towards the Light) is the Greek translation of Turning East.

According to its quietist readings, skepticism can be dissolved by demonstrating that the notion of ‘absolute objectivity’ is confused. The dissolution of this confusion is supposed to lead us to acquiesce in our finite and plain everyday life without being bothered anymore about the supposed need for objective knowledge. In contrast, I want to propose a transformative reading of skepticism according to which the philosophical practice of skepticism can be ‘epistemically transformative’. To this end, I will transpose L.A. Paul's notion (...) of ‘epistemically transformative experience’ from decision theory to the realm of philosophical practice and argue that the modern skeptical problem of an external standpoint can evoke transformative experiences that lead to a new, albeit non-propositional, insight into the finitude of the human condition. (shrink)

Since antiquity, philosophy has aimed not only at theoretical insight, but also at personal development and transformation. This implies a new relationship to the self and the world, which can result, for example, from existential experiences triggered by the engagement with philosophical problems. Drawing on the examples of facticity and scepticism, this paper develops the thesis that transformative philosophical experience and a corresponding new view of the world can be accompanied by a new understanding of the philosophical problem that triggered (...) the experience. This would involve a non-propositional form of knowledge that is more than practical or phenomenal knowledge. A precise model of such a form of non-propositional insight could shed new light on the transformative dimension of philosophy and, with respect to, e. g., facticity and scepticism, provide a better understanding of limits of knowledge. (shrink)