BackgroundThe psychological condition of university students has been the focus of research since several years. In this population, prevalence rates of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety disorders and substance abuse are higher than those of the general population, and medical students are more likely to have mental health issues than other students.AimsThis study deals with the psychological condition of medical students, with a focus on correlations between depression, suicidal ideation and the quality of the perceived parenting style. Gender differences were also (...) considered.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on a population of medical students, with an online questionnaire consisting of a personal data sheet for demographic and anamnestic data, and of three self-rating scales: the Beck Depression Inventory II, for the screening of depressive symptoms; the Beck Hopelessness Scale, to assess suicidal ideation; the Parental Bonding Instrument, to investigate the memory of the attitude of one’s parents in the first 16 years of life. Two main affective dimensions were considered by PBI: “care” and “protection”. Four different patterns of parenting styles are so evidenced: Neglectful Parenting, Affectionless Control, Optimal Parenting, and Affectionate Constraint.ResultsOverall, 671 students participated. Females, compared to males, experienced more distress and self-injurious behaviors, while males experienced more drugs or alcohol abuse. The BHS and BDI-II scores correlated positively with the PBI score for “protection” and negatively with that for “care.” Affectionless Control and Neglectful Parenting were associated with higher medians of BHS and BDI-II scores.ConclusionThe study confirms that the undergraduate medical student population has higher prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation than those detectable in the general population and that some specific parenting styles correlate with these two clinical variables. The impact of Affectionless Control and Neglectful Parenting on suicidal ideation and depressive symptomatology was more pronounced in females than in males. For males, the role of the father seemed to have less impact on the affective roots of suicidal thoughts and depression. (shrink)

Humans are always interested in distinguishing natural and artificial entities although there is no sharp demarcation between the two categories. Surprisingly, things do not improve when the second type of entities is restricted to the arguably more constrained realm of physical technical artifacts. This paper helps to clarify the relationship between natural entities and technical artifacts by developing a conceptual landscape within which to analyze these notions. The framework is developed by studying three definitions of technical artifact which arise from (...) different perspectives. All these perspectives share two intuitions: that technical artifacts are physical objects that exist by human intervention; and that technical artifacts are entities to be contrasted to natural entities. Yet the perspectives are different in the way they spell out these intuitions: the relevant human intervention may range from intentional selection to intentional production; and the contrast between technical artifacts and natural entities may be introduced by a constitution relation or by defining properties that set technical artifacts apart. The three perspectives are compared and their similarities and dissimilarities are explored with the help of ontological analysis. (shrink)

The book presents a reconstruction of the development of Kant’s ethical thought from the 1760s till the "Metaphysics of Morals" of 1797 with a focus on the evolution of Kant’s overall project in practical philosophy. The main steps in the development of his practical philosophy are interpreted as successive attempts to connect normative ethics with an innovative preliminary descriptive inquiry. The book reconstructs the different ways in which Kant focuses this plan, stressing both the unity and the breaks in Kant’s (...) development. I thus distinguish three main phases, characterised by a different systematic project. The first part is devoted to Kant’s work on moral theory up to 1769. The second part examines Kant’s new ethical project from 1770 to 1785, while the third part considers the further developments from the second "Critique" to the "Metaphysics of Morals". (shrink)

Płonka sums consist of an algebraic construction similar, in some sense, to direct limits, which allows to represent classes of algebras defined by means of regular identities. Recently, Płonka sums have been connected to logic, as they provide algebraic semantics to logics obtained by imposing a syntactic filter to given logics. In this paper, I present a very general topological duality for classes of algebras admitting a Płonka sum representation in terms of dualisable algebras.

The concern of this book is to see whether the phenomenological effervescence of politics is still possible to retrace the nucleolus of the political in its archetypical form.

The Kant-Lexikon is a guide to the philosophical work of Immanuel Kant and incorporates the latest scholarship. This textbook edition presents the most important entries contained in the comprehensive, three-volume lexicon released in 2015.

This book analyses an inconsistency within epistemic contextualism known as the factivity problem. It also provides key insights into epistemic contextualism, an important innovation in contemporary epistemology, enabling readers to gain a better understanding of the various solutions to the factivity problem. As the authors demonstrate, each explanation is based on a different interpretation of the problem. Divided into seven chapters, the book offers comprehensive coverage of this topic, which will be of major interest to philosophers engaged in epistemology and (...) the philosophy of language. After an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 presents the most common understanding of epistemic contextualism and its semantic basis. It also clarifies the epistemological implications of the theory’s semantic assumptions. This chapter also explains the main argument of the factivity problem. The next four chapters discuss the respective solutions proposed by Wolfgang Freitag, Alexander Dinges, Anthony Brueckner and Christopher Buford, Michael Ashfield, Martin Montminy and Wes Skolits, and Peter Baumann. Stefano Leardi and Nicla Vassallo highlight the similarities and commonalities, identifying three main approaches to the factivity problem. Chapter 7 provides a brief overview of the solutions proposed to solve the factivity problem and presents an outline of the conclusions reached in the book. (shrink)

This article, after tracing a precise classification of the exegetical trend known as iʿjāz ʿilmī, summarizes and discusses the criticism leveled at it and examines how the “scientific interpretation” of the Qur’ān is liable to blend with pseudoscience and conspiracy theories to the detriment of a solid harmonization of science and religion and of a genuine appreciation of natural science. Furthermore, the article offers some practical ideas that can be implemented in order to effectively and fairly address iʿjāz ʿilmī in (...) the Muslim world. (shrink)

Aim of this work is to investigate from a proof-theoretic viewpoint a propositional and a predicate sequent calculus with an ω–type schema of inference that naturally interpret the propositional and the predicate until–free fragments of Linear Time Logic LTL respectively. The two calculi are based on a natural extension of ordinary sequents and of standard modal rules. We examine the pure propositional case (no extralogical axioms), the propositional and the first order predicate cases (both with a possibly infinite set of (...) extralogical axioms). For each system we provide a syntactic proof of cut elimination and a proof of completeness. (shrink)

The focus of this monograph lies in the construction of a theory of legal obligation, understanding it as a discrete notion with its own defining traits. In this work, Bertea specifically addresses the question: how should legal obligation be distinctively conceptualized? The conceptualization of legal obligation he defends in this work gradually emerges from a critical assessment of the theories of legal obligation that have been most influential in the contemporary legal-theoretical debate. Building on such critical analysis, Bertea's study purports (...) to offer a novel and unconventional conceptualization of legal obligation, which is characterized as a law-engendered intersubjective reason for carrying out certain courses of conduct. (shrink)

We study a modal extension of the Continuous First-Order Logic of Ben Yaacov and Pedersen :168–190, 2010). We provide a set of axioms for such an extension. Deduction rules are just Modus Ponens and Necessitation. We prove that our system is sound with respect to a Kripke semantics and, building on Ben Yaacov and Pedersen, that it satisfies a number of properties similar to those of first-order predicate logic. Then, by means of a canonical model construction, we get that every (...) consistent set of formulas is satisfiable. From the latter result we derive an Approximated Strong Completeness Theorem, in the vein of Continuous Logic, and a Compactness Theorem. (shrink)

We introduce a propositional many-valued modal logic which is an extension of the Continuous Propositional Logic to a modal system. Otherwise said, we extend the minimal modal logic to a Continuous Logic system. After introducing semantics, axioms and deduction rules, we establish some preliminary results. Then we prove the equivalence between consistency and satisfiability. As straightforward consequences, we get compactness, an approximated completeness theorem, in the vein of Continuous Logic, and a Pavelka-style completeness theorem.

Mit diesem Text möchte ich zu der Debatte über den Status und die Legitimität prinzipientreuen Ungehorsams in einer demokratischen Gesellschaft beitragen. Nach der Einführung dieses Begriffs argumentiere ich dafür, dass sich prinzipientreuer Ungehorsam nicht nur als moralische und politische Haltung, sondern auch als rechtliche Verpflichtung darstellen lässt. Im Ergebnis vertrete ich, dass wir nicht nur prinzipientreu gegen das Gesetz verstoßen können, ohne notwendigerweise unsere rechtlichen Verpflichtungen zu verletzen, sondern dass rechtliche Verpflichtungen prinzipientreuen Ungehorsam sogar vorschreiben können. Mit dieser Rahmung des (...) Problems prinzipientreuen Gesetzesbruchs wird die Diskussion um eine neue Position erweitert, nach der wir nicht nur eine moralische Rechtfertigung haben können, das Gesetz zu missachten, sondern auch eine rechtliche Verpflichtung dazu, nämlich eine Verpflichtung, das Gesetz aus prinzipiellen rechtlichen Gründen zu brechen. (shrink)

The paper aims to argue that, despite his imposing elaboration of the question of Being, Heidegger’s major contribution to ontology is a critical one. The restatement of the Seinsfrage rests on presuppositions that are radically non-ontological i.e. phenomenological. Notwithstanding his suspicion of transcendental reduction, Heidegger subscribes to the Husserlian idea of a priority of the sense over the being. This thesis is supported by both the evolution of Heidegger comprehension of ontology and by the pivotal role of the Dasein in (...) the Seinsfrage. (shrink)

We introduce a logic for a class of probabilistic Kripke structures that we call type structures, as they are inspired by Harsanyi type spaces. The latter structures are used in theoretical economics and game theory. A strong completeness theorem for an associated infinitary propositional logic with probabilistic operators was proved by Meier. By simplifying Meier’s proof, we prove that our logic is strongly complete with respect to the class of type structures. In order to do that, we define a canonical (...) model (in the sense of modal logics), which turns out to be a terminal object in a suitable category. Furthermore, we extend some standard model-theoretic constructions to type structures and we prove analogues of first-order results for those constructions. (shrink)

This article analyses the concept of the human in Primo Levi's works, as well as his use of the animal as way of characterizing the nonhuman element inside the human. To disclose the implicit assum...

The oncological disease experience is counted as a wound in the body and mind attributable to a traumatic experience that fragments and disorients the person’s biography. The neoplasia leaves marks and scars in both somatic and existential level. The illness experience suggests to patient to look for meaning that cannot be unheard. The literature associating the concept of liminality in oncological disease to understand the process of meaning making. The definition of new horizons of meaning, generated by crossing the limen, (...) opens up a new self-awareness and worldview. The autopoietic dimension present in oncological disease reveals new scenarios of generativity and existential planning in the direction of self-realization in the cipher of the possible. The contribution presents the story of Anastasia, a 41-years-old nurse. A few months after her new marriage and close to a professional promotion, she receives the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma: a very aggressive, low-incidence, neoplasia, without specific therapeutic lines and with a negative prognosis. Anastasia’s words, thoughts and emotions, collected in the course of some testimonies in a university classroom, are analyzed and deciphered within the pedagogical paradigm, refering to the perspective of pedagogical problematicism and phenomenological pedagogy. (shrink)

This essay discusses a foundation of the connection argued to exist between law and practical reason that has proved to be highly influential and debated in contemporary legal philosophy – Alexy’s. After reconstructing Alexy’s conception of practical reason as well as its foundation, I criticise the weak transcendental-pragmatic argument Alexy uses to ground the authority of practical reason. This argument, I argue, can only show why occasionally, as opposed to necessarily, we ought to follow the guidance of practical reason, and (...) consequently makes the authority of practical reason ultimately dependent on an individual decision. By building on this criticism, in the second part of the essay I introduce and discuss an alternative argument that, by appealing to the idea of constitutive necessity, can provide a non-contingent basis for the validity of practical reason. (shrink)

This volume explores the importance of constitutivism for legal studies. Constitutivism is the view that the normative force, or authority, of practical reasons is grounded in principles, capacities, aims, or functions that are essential to, and thus constitutive of, agency. While the implications that the constitutivist approach has on the fundamental meta-ethical disputes and central ethical debates have been extensively explored, the literature on the relations between constitutivism and law remains scarce, unsystematic and sporadic. This collection brings together world-renowned practical (...) philosophers and legal theorists to fill a noticeable gap in the literature. The authors systematically and innovatively address key dimensions of the relationships between constitutivism and the theoretical study of law, as well as programmatically offering novel insights into the conceptual connections between constitutivist claims, fundamental legal concepts and practices, legal issues, and, ultimately, the law as a distinctive concept. The book will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of Legal Philosophy, Legal Theory, Jurisprudence, Moral Philosophy and Meta-ethics. (shrink)

Pur essendo generalmente valutate in termini moralmente positivi, alcune azioni e attitudini morali non sono considerate come strettamente dovute, né tantomeno esigibili: si tratta delle attitudini e delle azioni che rientrano nell’ambito, vasto e molteplice, dell’amore. La tradizione morale ha coniato un termine tecnico per indicarle: “supererogatorio” (o “supererogazione”). Rispetto al minimo necessario di ciò che non può e non deve mancare – l’ambito di ciò che è appunto esigibile – il supererogatorio confi gura un “massimo”: va oltre ciò che (...) è strettamente esigibile ed è dunque generalmente considerato eccedente la sfera e le competenze dell’etica. L’ambizione di queste pagine è di mostrare come questo massimo sia anch’esso in qualche modo “necessario” e come – al contempo – dal ripensamento di questo massimo derivi un nuovo sguardo sull’etica in generale e sul dovere in particolare. Quel massimo eccede una certa fi gura del dovere, ma non il dovere in sé: confi gura dunque, a tutti gli effetti, un fenomeno etico. (shrink)