Dans les tentatives pour donner à la philosophie un fondement nouveau, le concept d’essence constitue le point central de la discussion, La phénoménologie de Husserl aussi bien que Feidétique de Scheler et de ses successeurs avait pour but de fonder, grâce à la doctrine de l’essence, une connaissance absolument certaine des vérités intemporelles. Cette prétention montre que la doctrine moderne de l’essence est la dernière étape de la pensée bourgeoise dont l’origine est la philosophie de Descartes. L’article se propose d’interpréter (...) les différentes conceptions de l’essence en tant que moments de l’évolution historique de cette pensée bourgeoise. La bourgeoisie dans sa période ascendante exigeait des vérités essentielles qu’elles fussent capables de se justifier devant la raison critique autonome de l’individu : au contraire la philosophie moderne fait de l’essence l’objet d’une intuition que la raison doit accepter telle quelle. Les tendances rationnelles de la doctrine de l’essence sont refoulées : la raison devient réceptrice, hétéronome. Cette démission de la raison critique reflète l’adaptation de la philosophie à l’idéologie antirationaliste des systèmes nouveaux d’autorité : dans la dernière phase de l’évolution, la doctrine de l’essence devient mythologie politique. Le positivisme représente l’opposition non dialectique à cette doctrine de l’essence : il veut entièrement chasser de la science le concept d’essence, mais du même coup il tombe dans le défaut de rabaisser tous les faits sur le même plan, sans établir entre eux de différences. Dans l’idée d’essence opposée au phénomène sont contenus des éléments positifs, critique de la réalité « mauvaise », processus de réalisation des possibilités aflxthentiques de l’homme et des choses. Ces éléments positifs, la doctrine dialectique de l’essence les conserve. — La deuxième partie du travail cherche à montrer la formation du concept d’essence dans la philosophie dialectique qui, grâce à ce concept, surmonte le relativisme sans retomber dans la métaphysique dogmatique. L’opposition de l’essence et du phénomène est conçue ici comme une relation historique, et dans la constitution de celle-ci les intérêts sociaux de la théorie pénètrent à titre d’élément constitutif. La praxis historique à laquelle la théorie est liée et qui doit supprimer (aufheben) l’opposition, rend les intérêts particuliers vraiment généraux et fonde un type nouveau de vérité universelle. Le concept d'essence qui est au centre de la doctrine dialectique et qui détermine tous les autres concepts est le concept de l’homme. Le souci d’atteindre l’homme véritable remplace le souci de connaissance absolument certaine qui caractérise la philosophie idéaliste. De même que les formes phénoménales de l’henime et des choses ont leur origine dans la structure sociale présente, ainsi cette structure dessine à l’avance l’image de l’essence et des possibilités humaines que l’homme doit comprendre comme des tâches historiques, dont la voie de réalisation est marquée par la réalité elle-même.During the last decades the concept of essence has been widely discussed in the various attempts to seek a new foundation for philosophy. Both the phenomenology of E. Husserl and the theory of essence of M. Scheler and his followers were devoted to discovering through their theories of reality the unconditioned and exact knowledge of eternal verities. This attempt characterizes modern theory of reality as the last stage of bourgeois thought which began with Descartes. — The article endeavors to interpret the various conceptions of essence as specific stages of the historical development of that thought. With the rise of modern society the demand was made that the essential verities justify themselves before the critical and autonomous reason of the individual, whereas contemporary theory regards them as objects of an intuition and believes that reason has to accept them in the way in which they manifest themselves. The critical and rational tendencies in the theory of reality are abandoned, reason becomes receptive and heteronomous. This abdication of autonomous critical reason mirrors the adjustment of philosophy to the anti-rational ideology of the new form of authoritarian state. In the last phase of development the theory of reality turns out to be political mythology. — Positivism represents the undialectical opposition to this theory of reality. It wishes to remove completely the concept of essence from science, but thereby arrives only at an indifferent levelling of all facts. The idea of reality as opposed to appearance contains the positive elements of a critique of reality and of the process of realization of the essential potentialities of man and things. They are preserved in the dialectical conception of reality. — The second part of the essay attempts to point out the function of the concept of reality in dialectical philosophy, with the help of which it overcomes relativism. The opposition between appearance and reality is here conceived as a historical relationship, in the determination of which enter as integral elements the social interests of the theory. In the course of the historical trend, with which the theory is bound up and which is supposed to abolish the opposition between appearance and reality, the particular interests become truly general, and a new kind of universally valid truth arises. Reality which stands at the center of the dialectical theory and determines all other concepts, refers primarily to the essence of man. Concern about concrete man is taking the place of concern about the unconditioned exact truth of idealist philosophy. In the same way as man’s (and thing’s) forms of appearance is grounded in the present social structure, likewise the idea of his essence and the process of its realization arise out of this structure, and its realization must be conceived as a historical task. (shrink)

L’article explore les rapports entre l’espace, les publics, l’argent et le temps à travers une évolution de divers lieux de rassemblement à Saint-Pétersbourg dans les années 1990-2010. Prenant leur essor durant la période de « l’entre-deux » systèmes, les clubs émergent tels une expérience « underground », un temps continu vécu par une communauté dans un lieu régulier affranchi des impératifs de rentabilité. Durant les années 2000, les clubs subissent une marchandisation, irrégulière et décalée, qui les amène à passer (...) à une ouverture quasi-permanente en diversifiant l’offre de programmation et de consommation. Une partie des clubs, des bars, ainsi que les « time-cafés » émergeant dans les années 2010, visent dès lors à se constituer des noyaux de publics fidèles, à les maintenir longtemps sur place en soignant un « entre-soi », des sociabilités à la fois ouvertes et exclusives, protégées par certains mécanismes de sélection. Cette composante « sociabilité » l’emporte progressivement sur la composante artistique, elle suspend le principe de maximisation du profit et tend à privilégier un usage libre du temps. Cette tendance semble être reprise par certains établissements culturels d’Etat en quête de modernisation, se positionnant dès lors comme des lieux de rassemblement de proximité. (shrink)

argues that moral questions raised by the need to ration health care will have to be faced by health professionals and other groups.

Bd. 1. System des menschlichen Erkennens -- Bd. 2. Die stammesgeschichtliche Entwicklung des menschlichen Sprechens -- Bd. 3. Die Entwicklung der Operation "Messen" -- Bd. 4. Die Evolution der instrumentellen Wahrnehmung -- Bd. 5. Die Genesis des schlussfolgernden Denkens -- Bd. 6. Die evolutionären Stufen der Analyse (des Scheidens und Unterscheidens) -- Bd. 7. Das Werden des Vorstellens (Geistes) -- Bd. 8. Die Mechanisierung und Automation der erkennenden Akte und Operationen -- Bd. 9. Die Entstehung des beziehenden Denkens -- Bd. (...) 10. Der phylogenetische Weg der Zeichengebung (Entwicklung der Elemente der Verständigung) -- Bd. 11. Der Irrtum -- Bd. 12. Kritik der Erkenntnislehre des transzendentalen Idealismus Immanuel Kants. (shrink)

Comment un État constitutionnel peut-il faire face aux menaces terroristes d’une façon qui soit compatible avec son engagement démocratique, les droits fondamentaux et l’état de droit? En pleine opposition tant avec les arguments juridiques avancés par l’administration Bush qu’avec la thèse selon laquelle les menaces et les défis posés par le terrorisme peuvent être gérés dans le cadre constitutionnel et réglementaire actuel, Bruce Ackermann rejette la caractérisation du 11 septembre comme le début d’une « guerre » tout autant que quelque (...) chose qui pourrait être traité comme un crime ordinaire. Sur le terrain prescriptif, Bruce Ackermann appelle à des mesures qui relèvent de la « Constitution d’un état d’urgence ». La loi-cadre qu’il appelle de ses vœux doit garantir que les institutions de l’État soient bien équipées pour faire face à cette menace et que les pouvoirs conférés ne soient pas utilisés pour anéantir les droits fondamentaux et les libertés. Bruce Ackerman pense notamment que le pouvoir du Gouvernement de déclarer l’état d’urgence doit rapidement être endossé par le Congrès mais aussi qu’un système dit d’escalateur supermajoritaire doit rendre de plus en plus difficile de l’obtenir. (shrink)

Bien que Hegel occupe dans les préoccupations philosophiques d'aujourd'hui une place prépondérante, nos contemporains sont peu enclins à accepter, et même à comprendre, ses audaces métaphysiques et systématiques. Tout aussi inacceptable paraît, à première vue, sa prétention d'être l'héritier légitime de Kant, le couronnement nécessaire de l'idéalisme allemand. L'auteur du présent article ne s'attaque pas au problème de la valeur du système et de la méthode de Hegel. C'est en historien qu'il essaie de dégager leur allure propre, en les étudiant (...) à la lumière de l'évolution de l'idéalisme allemand à partir de Kant. Il montre combien les prétentions métaphysiques de Hegel, vues dans cette perspective, sont naturelles. Ce n'est pas, pourtant, que son analyse confirme l'idée d'une connexion nécessaire entre les systèmes. Il souligne l'originalité profonde des grandes idéalistes, dont chacun cherche sans doute son inspiration dans la problématique de son prédécesseur, mais plutôt sous la forme d'un schéma de pensée, qu'il étoffe d'une manière très personnelle. Chez les idéalistes, l'enthousiasme messianique de l'Aufklärung prend une allure presque eschatologique ; ce trait explique pour une part l'ardeur qu'ils ont mise à édifier leur système, ainsi que la tendance de Hegel à présenter sa philosophie comme le sommet de l'histoire. Dans son interprétation de Hegel, l'auteur s'appuie surtout sur la Préface et l'Introduction de la Phénoménologie de l'Esprit. Pour éclairer celles ci à la lumière de l'histoire de l'idéalisme, il suit l'itinéraire dressé par Hegel lui-même dans son premier essai philosophique, sur la différence entre le système de Fichte et celui de Schelling. Il décrit l'évolution de la philosophie depuis Kant jusqu'à Hegel comme une réalisation progressive de l'idée d'identité absolue, que Hegel hérite de Schelling mais qu'il interprète d'une manière différente. Cette analyse permet à l'auteur de préciser la méthode de Hegel, les relations entre la Phénoménologie et le système, ainsi que les concepts de vérité, de sujet, d'esprit, d'en soi et de pour soi, dont Hegel se sert pour définir l'Absolu. Par la force même des choses, elle trace également l'évolution de l'idée de Dieu dans l'idéalisme. La conception hégélienne de Dieu est susceptible d'interprétations diverses. Tout en ne cachant pas ses préférences personnelles, l'auteur estime que l'état des études hégéliennes ne permet pas encore de se prononcer avec certitude. C'est sur cette invitation au travail qu'il termine son article. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage ne présente pas un système complet et cohérent, méritant le nom d'une philosophie du droit international. Une telle entreprise serait à la fois trop vaste face à une société internationale de haute complexité et aussi un peu anachronique au regard de la perte de foi dans les systèmes trop parfaits et dès lors trop réductifs. C'est plutôt une série de réflexions personnelles sur les points de droit international qui m'ont paru importants au fil des années d'étude de (...) cette matière, que je veux ici présenter. Si ces points ne s'ordonnent pas en un système, ils ne sont néanmoins pas jetés sur le papier au hasard. Ces réflexions ont ceci en commun qu'elles tentent de serrer de plus près les aspects ordonnateurs et structurants du droit international, en un mot, ses chevilles ouvrières aux points charnière ou ses voûtes névralgiques. Ces réflexions s'ordonnent autour de trois axes. Dans une première partie, il s'agit de dégager quelques caractéristiques fondamentales du droit international, qui expliquent et imprègnent ses applications. Après une discussion des types possibles de droit international et de leur réalisation dans l'histoire, il est question des grandes phases d'évolution qu'a connues le droit international depuis le temps de Grotius. Ensuite, les caractéristiques propres des sources du droit international (les sources constituant une espèce de radiographie de tout ordre juridique) sont examinées. Parmi les autres caractéristiques de la règle internationale, ce sont notamment sa tendance à l'individualisation, à l'ouverture vers les circonstances particulières des espèces, ainsi que les incidences de cette tendance, qui font l'objet de considérations. Enfin, il est question de la règle " tout ce qui n'est pas interdit est permis ", renforcée en droit international par la souveraineté. De sa place et de ses rôles exacts dépend la nature et la force de l'ordre juridique en question. Dans une seconde partie, ce sont les relations multiples du droit et de la politique qui font l'objet d'analyses. Si la politique est un facteur essentiel de vie et de réalisation de tout droit (et aussi une menace pour lui), il en est à plus forte raison ainsi en droit international, où les deux branches, droit et politique, sont particulièrement proches. L'analyse ne se borne pas à des relations stéréotypées, mais tente de dégager en catégories d'espèces une multitude de pesées réciproques entre les deux branches, dans leurs vertus centripètes et centrifuges. Enfin, dans une troisième partie importante, c'est une série de notions juridiques cardinales qui forme l'objet des réflexions. Il s'agit du bien commun ; de la justice ; de la sécurité juridique ; de la réciprocité, de l'égalité et de la proportionnalité ; de la liberté ; de la morale et de la morale sociale ; de la volonté dans ses rapports avec la raison ; de la sanction. Il s'agit de voir quelle est la configuration que l'expérience juridique générale a donnée à ces notions et par la suite d'examiner comment elles peuvent s'insérer et agir au sein du droit international au regard des spécificités de la société internationale, avec quelles analogies mais aussi avec quelles altérations ou adaptations. C'est ainsi qu'on peut dégager ce degré d'orientation juridique inhérent au " droit international " dans ses forces et ses faiblesses. (shrink)

One of the great challenges of the modern world is the control and management of complexity. After the infinitely large and the infinitely small, we once again find ourselves confronting an unfathomable infinite?the infinitely complex. With its capability for simulation, the computer has become a macroscope. It helps us understand complexity and act on it more effectively to build and manage the large systems of which we are the cells?companies, cities, economies, societies, ecosystems. Thanks to this macroscope, a new vision (...) of the world is emerging, based on a unified approach to the self-organization and evolution of complex systems. On the basis of this comprehensive vision, it becomes possible to describe the origin of a new form of life on Earth, a planetary macro-organism made up of human beings and machines, networks, and nations?a still-embryonic macro-organism that is trying to live in symbiosis with the planetary ecosystem. This new vision of the world brings together two complementary modes of analysis and action: the analytic method and the systemic approach. It can be called the unified theory of the self-organization and dynamics of complex systems. More concisely, one can propose the term symbionomics to describe the range of phenomena covered by this unified theory. Symbionomics can be defined as the study of the emergence of complex systems through self-organization, self-selection, coevolution, and symbiosis. Symbiotic relationships form through coevolution with other organisms or organizations, and collective properties emerge. This information is transmitted to succeeding generations through the memorization of structures and reproductive and evolutionary mechanisms by means of chemical or electronic coding or by the culture. A complex organization is born. From a symbionomic perspective, it is then possible to trace the essential phases of the emergence of a new form of life on Earth, a macrolife, of which humanity, this time, is not the evolutionary end point, but the starting point and catalyst. (shrink)

This is the first volume of a magnum opus in four volumes dedicated to the “evolutionary theory of knowledge.” Just a glance for comparison with some standard books on this subject, is sufficient, however, to point out the peculiarity of the approach chosen by Schüling. This is not a book on biology and physics, nor on models and hierarchies, nor does it deal with retentions, selections, or reductions. It is first of all a book on the anthropological settings conditioning the (...) process of human cognition. The title’s mention of a “system of human knowing,” does not, and this is important, imply a system of human cognition. Schüling maintains the distinction between knowing as an actus exercitus and cognition as an actus signatus, or as Heidegger says, between the “process of thought” and the “content of thought”. Within a judgment, Heidegger acknowledges, one has to distinguish between “the judgment as a real psychical procedure and what is judged as an ideal content”. (shrink)

To understand how complex dynamic systems, living or non-living, linguistic or non-linguistic, come to be organized as systems, to understand how their inherent dynamic nature gives rise to organisations and forms that have found a balance between potentiality for change and evolution on the one hand, and requisite stability in a given environment on the other, is the main ambition of the study of evolutionary systems. The aim of the present volume is to elucidate the scientific and philosophical backgrounds that (...) play a role in one of the major debates taking place in that field, namely that on the relation between selection and self-organization. The book represents a genuine interdisciplinary forum in which the major representatives of evolutionary systems take part. Audience: This volume will be interest to biologists, philosophers of science, systems scientists, mathematicians, physicists, sociologists of science. It is highly recommended to those interested in an interdisciplinary and complex approach to evolution, as well as to those interested in developing a genuinely historical viewpoint in the sciences. (shrink)

In this article, German federalism is analyzed through its implications for public spending and for public revenue. The structure of government spending and taxation has evolved in the direction of greater centralisation. This tendency reveals itself in the constitutional changes with regard to taxation, the major territorial reforms and in the increased influence of the federal state on the public spending of inferior levels of government. The evening out between authorities is too egalitarian and the effects on economic development are (...) nefarious. In contrast to a unitary system with a powerful central government, this cooperative federation suffers from a drawback, namely, that the federal state can often not make decisions without the agreement of member states. The consequence is that some reforms are hindered. It is in this way that the need of a fiscal competition between member states in order to better economic policy in Germany makes it felt.Dans cet article, le fédéralisme allemand est analysé à travers ses implications pour les dépenses publiques et pour les recettes publiques. L’évolution des compétences en matière d’imposition et de dépenses indique une tendance à la centralisation. Celle-ci apparaît dans les changements constitutionnels relatifs aux impôts, dans les grandes réformes territoriales, et dans l’augmentation de l’influence de l’État fédéral sur les dépenses publiques des autres niveaux gouvernementaux. La péréquation entre les collectivités est trop égalitaire et les effets sur le développement économique sont néfastes. Comparé à un système unitaire avec un puissant gouvernement central, ce fédéralisme coopératif a le désavantage d’un État fédéral qui ne peut pas souvent prendre une décision sans l’accord des états fédérés. Par conséquent, quelques réformes sont bloquées. C’est ainsi que se fait sentir un besoin de concurrence fiscale entre les fédérés afin d’améliorer a politique économique en Allemagne. (shrink)

Étienne Kola | : L’Afrique est riche de son patrimoine culturel. Cependant peut-elle se réjouir de l’apport de ses filles et de ses fils sur le double plan de la démocratie et de la rationalité moderne? Le relatif retard de ce continent dans certains domaines semble s’enraciner dans des écueils d’ordre éducatif. La plupart des systèmes éducatifs africains sont en effet perçus comme des structures inadaptées aux réalités socioculturelles des peuples. Le paradigme de la philosophie pour enfants consacre (...) la culture du débat sensé, de l’esprit critique, des valeurs éthiques et démocratiques à travers l’institution des communautés de recherche philosophique. Un usage judicieux du substrat culturel africain comme support heuristique dans les communautés de recherche peut s’avérer bénéfique pour l’éveil de la jeunesse. Cette expérience de la philosophie pour enfants vaut la peine d’être menée en Afrique. | : Africa enjoys a rich cultural heritage. Can it, however, rejoice over the contribution of its daughters and sons to both democracy and modern rationality? The relative delay of that continent in some domains seems to be rooted in failures in education. Most African systems of education are indeed perceived as unadapted to the sociocultural realities of the people. The paradigm of philosophy for children gives precedence to the culture of sensible debate, critical thinking, ethical and democratic values through the institution of philosophical research communities. Judicious recourse to the African cultural substrate as a heuristic support in the research communities may prove beneficial for the awakening of youth. This experience of philosophy for children is worth carrying out in Africa. (shrink)

Les systèmes éducatifs sont en pleine mutation. Ceci rend d’autant plus urgent de réfléchir sur les fondements, les enjeux et les stratégies de l’acte éducatif. Pour faciliter cette réflexion, ce livre propose une grille analytique qui permet de comprendre les enjeux de différentes propositions de changement et ainsi d’avoir des points de repère pour prendre des décisions judicieuses. Cet ouvrage comprend de nombreux tableaux explicatifs qui permettent d’accéder rapidement au coeur des principales philosophies contemporaines de l’éducation. Quand nous (...) parlons de l’acte éducatif, nous faisons référence à quatre grandes intentions, orientations différentes ou composantes prioritaires : connaître, apprendre, agir, devenir. Habituellement, les enseignants et les chercheurs mettent l’accent sur une de ces intentions quand vient le temps de définir une pédagogie ou un projet de changement pédagogique. Ce livre s’adresse aux parents qui veulent savoir de quoi il en retourne dans le monde contemporain de l’éducation. Il s’adresse également aux futurs enseignants afin de les aider à effectuer les meilleurs choix de stratégies éducatives. Il sera aussi très utile pour les professeurs qui veulent éclaircir les fondements des options éducatives et pédagogiques de leurs cours et de leurs programmes. (shrink)

Two computer simulations are investigated that model interaction of cultural evolution of language and biological evolution of adaptations to language. Both are agent‐based models in which a population of agents imitates each other using realistic vowels. The agents evolve under selective pressure for good imitation. In one model, the evolution of the vocal tract is modeled; in the other, a cognitive mechanism for perceiving speech accurately is modeled. In both cases, biological adaptations to using and learning speech evolve, even though (...) the system of speech sounds itself changes at a more rapid time scale than biological evolution. However, the fact that the available acoustic space is used maximally (a self‐organized result of cultural evolution) is constant, and therefore biological evolution does have a stable target. This work shows that when cultural and biological traits are continuous, their co‐evolution may lead to cognitive adaptations that are strong enough to detect empirically. (shrink)

The interrelation between the development of political institutions and the processes of scientific-technical revolution is twofold. On the one hand, there must exist the political preconditions of the rapid change in science and technology. On the other hand, the processes of rapid scientific and technical change produce important consequences in the politica life.From the point of view of the economic structure of the country, Poland has reached the threshold of scientific-technical revolution ; it now depends on the political conditions whether (...) the country wilt be able to achieve the stage of high technological development in reasonably short time.Three changes in the functioning of political institutions are directly related to the processes of scientific-technical revolution : they are changes in the system of management on all levels of authority, changes in the circulation of informations and development of autonomic structures of decision-making. Indirectly, however, other changes in the system of political institutions influence the processes of scientific and technological change. Two variants of future developments of the political institutions are discussed in this context : that of a rationalized centralism and the one of democratic self-management. The author expresses the opinion thatboth these variants would constitute conditions for rapid scientific and technological transformations but he favours the strategy of combining the strong elements of both and eliminating their weaknesses.In the second part of the paper, the author discusses the consequences of scientific-technological revolution for the political institutions. Five major factors could be hypothetically identified : 1° changes in classstructure and social stratification, particularly in the direction of increased role of the professional stratum and the increase of educational level of the working class ; 2° further political integration of the nation; 3° changesin the culture of work, increase of social discipline, and higher assessment of collective and individual efficacy of the Poles ; 4° achievement of the higher standard of living and on the basis of it leveling of economicinequalities; 5° increase of the amount of leisure time. All these changes wilt result in the formation of better and more harmonious society, which in its turn wilt make it both possible and necessary to considerablyincrease the scope of democratic self-management in all spheres of sociopolitical life. Potential restraints to this process may result from the inertia of old politica! institutions and/or from technocratic tendenciesamong some segments of the aparatus. Neither, however, is likely to become strong enough to stop the processes of democratic self-management.The main changes in the direction of greater self-management will include: 1° development of various forms of direct democracy on local levels ; 2° development of organizations which represent interests of varioussegments of the society; 3° bettering of the representative institutions ; 4° further differentiation between administrative and political authorities and further democratization of thelatter; 5° deepening of the leading role of the Communist party combined with development of its internal democracy. (shrink)

Evolutionary theory has gained some ground in the social sciences, but not without resistance. It must be said that at least some of the resistance on the part of social scientists is justified insofar as social and cultural phenomena such as sports are often much more complex than many evolutionary theorists seem to think. We propose in this paper an evolutionary approach to sports that takes into account its profoundly cultural character, thereby overcoming the traditional nature-culture dichotomies in the sociology (...) of sport. We argue that there are good reasons to view sports as culturally evolved signaling systems which serve a function similar to courtship rituals in other animals. Our approach combines the insights of evolutionary psychology, which states that biological adaptations determine the boundaries for the types of sport that are possible, and pure cultural theories, which describe the mechanism of cultural evolution without once referring to sport’s biological base. We substantiate this integrative theoretical framework by identifying several biological and cultural factors which may moderate the direct effect that signaling value has on a sport’s viability or popularity. A discussion of this framework’s implications for future theoretical and empirical research concludes this essay. (shrink)

This book addresses universal tendencies of human vowel systems from the point of view of self-organisation. It uses computer simulations to show that the same universal tendencies found in human languages can be reproduced in a population of artificial agents. These agents learn and use vowels with human-like perception and production, using a learning algorithm that is cognitively plausible. The implications of these results for the evolution of language are then explored.

The evaluation of the quality of the processes of educational and social inclusion of people with disabilities is considered a key element in the improvement of their living conditions. The research presented here is part of the analyses carried out in Italy and abroad on the identification of indicators and categories able to provide a representative picture of the processes of school inclusion by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the system in local contexts. Assessing the quality of inclusive education (...) is complex because the contextual aspects of educational interventions cannot be ignored. In a research-action approach, the study analyses the Italian situation in the regions of Lazio and Campania through the point of view of 291 specialized teachers or in the process of specialization in the support of pupils with special educational needs Their evaluations, based on a scale from 1 (insufficient) to 5 (excellent), were obtained through a structured questionnaire that collects their opinions on cultural and educational aspects, on management, organisational and collaborative activities between teachers, school directors, local authorities and families, and finally on elements of a pedagogical and didactic nature necessary for quality school inclusion. The descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the aggregate data sketches a school whose strength in terms of inclusion lies in pedagogical and didactic planning. On the other hand, collaborative aspects, especially synergies between schools and local authorities, are pointed out and hinder effective co-planning of different types of support. These results therefore argue in favour of a systematization of integrated networks of support services for all pupils with special educational needs Regarding training, teachers generally have a negative view of in-service training, which should be deepened and extended to all categories of teachers. The article concludes on the need to promote the development and systematization of qualitative research and documentary collections on good practices of inclusive education in schools. (shrink)

This book presents a systematic philosophical and historical analysis of operating systems (0S). The discussion starts with the evolution of OSs since before their birth. It continues with a comprehensive philosophical analysis grounded in technical aspects. Coverage looks at software and (where appropriate) hardware as well as their historical developments. The authors not only offer historical and philosophical reflections on operating systems. They also explore the programs they coordinate and trace the epsitemic and ontological consequences of their designs. Each chapter (...) investigates one or more overlapping fragments of this fascinating history. These include: the birth of the UNIX system and the development of early systems and prototypes; a conceptual analysis of the plurality of systems; an investigation into business, ethical, and aesthetics aspects related to operating systems; and logical principles of formal languages. This book will interest researchers from a diversity of backgrounds. It will appeal to historians, philosophers, as well as logicians and computer scientists who want to engage with topics relevant to the history and philosophy of programming and more specifically that of operating systems. (shrink)

Le terme de médecine personnalisée peut désigner indifféremment la médecine de précision et la médecine des systèmes. L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser les rapports entre ces deux faces de la médecine personnalisée, au prisme de l’histoire du développement des thérapies ciblées. Les thérapies ciblées ont été développées dans le cadre de la médecine de précision, en s’appuyant sur le concept d’addiction oncogénique et sur l’idée qu’à chaque biomarqueur permettant d’identifier un sous-type de cancer correspondrait un médicament précis. Ce (...) modèle a permis des succès thérapeutiques remarquables, mais a également rencontré des limites, notamment avec l’apparition des résistances aux thérapies ciblées. Pour mieux comprendre les raisons de ces limites, il me semble qu’il faut justement se tourner plutôt vers la médecine des systèmes. Je soutiens en particulier que cette dernière repose sur des concepts de robustesse et de redondance fonctionnelle, qui nous permettent de comprendre en quoi l’apparition des phénomènes de résistance est une conséquence inéluctable et non transitoire du développement des thérapies ciblées. Il s’agit donc de montrer comment la médecine des systèmes permet de penser différemment les stratégies thérapeutiques dans la prise en charge du cancer et l’évolution future de la médecine de précision. (shrink)

In this paper, we undertake a comparative study of the stress–strain response and slip activity of α- and γ-polymorph of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) under pressure loading using a rate-dependent single-crystal plasticity model. Texture evolution studies are performed to further understand the effects of the dominant slip systems. The simulations indicate that the difference in elastic moduli and lattice parameters for α- and γ-RDX lead to different elastic–plastic constitutive response in the two polymorphs. γ-RDX exhibits more plastic slip compared to α-RDX for (...) loading on (1 1 1) plane and the two polymorphs have different sets of dominant slip systems. We observe that the high-pressure slip system (0 0 1)[0 1 0] that is determined using molecular dynamics simulations is the most dominant slip system for this orientation. Whereas, for loading on (2 1 0) plane, α-RDX has marginally higher plastic slip than γ-RDX, though the same slip system is dominant for both the polymorphs. The texture evolution for loading on (1 1 1) and (2 1 0) planes follow the path towards the most dominant slip systems for both the polymorphs. We predict that the larger plastic slip in γ-RDX for loading on (1 1 1) plane might play an important role in understanding the reduced sensitivity for shock loading on (1 1 1) plane, when compared to (2 1 0) for which γ-RDX has lesser plastic slip, and (1 0 0) which is purely elastic. (shrink)

Recent sequencing of the metazoan Oikopleura dioica genome has provided important insights, which challenges the current understanding of eukaryotic genome evolution. Many genomic features of O. dioica show deviation from the commonly observed trends in other eukaryotic genomes. For instance, O. dioica has a rapidly evolving, highly compact genome with a divergent intron‐exon organization. Additionally, O. dioica lacks the minor spliceosome and key DNA repair pathway genes. Even with a compact genome, O. dioica contains tandem repeats, comparable to other eukaryotes, (...) and shows lineage‐specific expansion of certain protein domains. Here, we review its genomic features in the context of current knowledge, discuss implications for contemporary biology and identify areas for further research. Analysis of the O. dioica genome suggests that non‐adaptive forces such as elevated mutation rates might influence the evolution of genome architecture. The knowledge of unique genomic features and splicing mechanisms in O. dioica may be exploited for synthetic biology applications, such as generation of orthogonal splicing systems. (shrink)

This article conducts a literature review of current and future challenges in the use of artificial intelligence in cyber physical systems. The literature review is focused on identifying a conceptual framework for increasing resilience with AI through automation supporting both, a technical and human level. The methodology applied resembled a literature review and taxonomic analysis of complex internet of things interconnected and coupled cyber physical systems. There is an increased attention on propositions on models, infrastructures and frameworks of IoT in (...) both academic and technical papers. These reports and publications frequently represent a juxtaposition of other related systems and technologies. We review academic and industry papers published between 2010 and 2020. The results determine a new hierarchical cascading conceptual framework for analysing the evolution of AI decision-making in cyber physical systems. We argue that such evolution is inevitable and autonomous because of the increased integration of connected devices in cyber physical systems. To support this argument, taxonomic methodology is adapted and applied for transparency and justifications of concepts selection decisions through building summary maps that are applied for designing the hierarchical cascading conceptual framework. (shrink)

Toute oeuvre d’art est une construction de matériaux sensibles stylisés selon les lois de contre-points spéciaux. Sa seule valeur caractéristique est l’harmonie de ses combinaisons, non leur vérité ou leur moralité. Tout système philosophique est de même une combinaison polyphonique d'idées. Sa valeur scientifique ou de vérité est invérifiable. Sa valeur morale ou sociale n’est que celle des moeurs qui l’inspirent. Seule sa valeur esthétique est fondamentale et se suffit. Elle ne réside pas dans les ornements littéraires de son exposition, (...) mais dans le contre-point de sa structure même. — Vérification par le rapprochement de certaines courbes qui paraissent être communes aux évolutions artistiques et philosophiques dans l’individu et dans la société. (shrink)

iek's thinking departs from the Lacanian claim that we live in a symbolic order, not a real world, and that the Real is what we desire, but can never know or grasp. There is a fundamental virtuality of reality that points to the lie in every truth-claim, and there are two ways of dealing with this:repression and denial. An ideology, a system or a regime becomes totalitarian when it denies the virtual character of both its world and its subject (democracy (...) represses truth's basic lie, which makes it possible for the repressed to return). iek's analysis of totalitarianism, particularly Stalinism, shows how a totalitarian system denies its subject, which, being desire for the Real, cannot act in the name of truth but must acknowledge the contingency of its action (a political act can fail to reach its goal), whereas an established system can no longer fail and has to deny its flaws. Any political act disrupts the (evolution of) the symbolic order and thus is revolutionary, creating an event ex nihilo. An act is a jump into the inconsistency of the symbolic order, i.e. into das Ding, a jump both into and out of the nihil in which our world is grounded. Politics therefore can never be Realpolitik. The realization that politics is a symbolic phenomenon, supported not by the real, but by signifiers, is the Lacanian foundation of iek's political theory. (shrink)

In many countries consumers have shown an increasing interest to the way in which food products are being produced. This study investigates Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards different pig production systems by means of a conjoint analysis. While there has been a range of studies on Western consumers’ attitudes to various forms of food production, little is known about the level of Chinese consumers’ attitudes. A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 472 participants in 6 Chinese cities. Results indicate that Chinese (...) consumers prefer industrial pig production systems, where traditional pig breeds are raised, over large-scale and small family farms. Farms with maximum attention to food safety, which furthermore can provide lean meat with consistent quality, are also preferred. Imported pig breeds and tasty but variable meat were rejected. A 3-cluster solution found that consumers from cluster 1 focus almost exclusively on the food safety aspect (food safety focused). Consumers from cluster 2 (indifferent) show weak overall attitudes to pig production systems in general. Cluster 3 (industrial production oriented) stands out by being very positive about industrial, large-size farms and consistent quality. From a Chinese consumer’s perspective, the industrial approach seems to represent values such as achievement and evolution, as well as quality and safety, since pig production is moving away from low-cost, low-quality, and low-safety family-scale systems. A complex set of rural and environmental development, quality aspects, and food safety measures are challenges that must be met by the stakeholders of pig production systems in China. (shrink)

This article deals with the links between the enaction paradigm and artificial intelligence. Enaction is considered a metaphor for artificial intelligence, as a number of the notions which it deals with are deemed incompatible with the phenomenal field of the virtual. After explaining this stance, we shall review previous works regarding this issue in terms of artificial life and robotics. We shall focus on the lack of recognition of co-evolution at the heart of these approaches. We propose to explicitly integrate (...) the evolution of the environment into our approach in order to refine the ontogenesis of the artificial system, and to compare it with the enaction paradigm. The growing complexity of the ontogenetic mechanisms to be activated can therefore be compensated by an interactive guidance system emanating from the environment. This proposition does not however, resolve that of the relevance of the meaning created by the machine (sense-making). Such reflections lead us to integrate human interaction into this environment in order to construct relevant meaning in terms of participative artificial intelligence. This raises a number of questions with regards to setting up an enactive interaction. The article concludes by exploring a number of issues, thereby enabling us to associate current approaches with the principles of morphogenesis, guidance, the phenomenology of interactions and the use of minimal enactive interfaces in setting up experiments which will deal with the problem of artificial intelligence in a variety of enaction-based ways. (shrink)

We invite systematic consideration of the metaphors of cycles and circulation as a long-term theme in the history of the life and environmental sciences and medicine. Ubiquitous in ancient religious and philosophical traditions, especially in representing the seasons and the motions of celestial bodies, circles once symbolized perfection. Over the centuries cyclic images in western medicine, natural philosophy, natural history and eventually biology gained independence from cosmology and theology and came to depend less on strictly circular forms. As potent ‘canonical (...) icons’, cycles also interacted with representations of linear and irreversible change, including arrows, arcs, scales, series and trees, as in theories of the Earth and of evolution. In modern times life cycles and reproductive cycles have often been held to characterize life, in some cases especially female life, while human efforts selectively to foster and disrupt these cycles have harnessed their productivity in medicine and agriculture. But strong cyclic metaphors have continued to link physiology and climatology, medicine and economics, and biology and manufacturing, notably through the relations between land, food and population. From the grand nineteenth-century transformations of matter to systems ecology, the circulation of molecules through organic and inorganic compartments has posed the problem of maintaining identity in the face of flux and highlights the seductive ability of cyclic schemes to imply closure where no original state was in fact restored. More concerted attention to cycles and circulation will enrich analyses of the power of metaphors to naturalize understandings of life and their shaping by practical interests and political imaginations. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage se propose de décrire les tendances, considérées à travers certaines des manifestations les plus caractéristiques de la vie juridique, d'une société gagnée à la modernité et saisie par le doute. Les notions de droit et de modernité, en effet, s'éclairent l'une l'autre ; d'un côté, l'approche juridique fournit une grille d'analyse essentielle de la modernité, tant la référence au droit lui paraît intimement liée et imprègne la société moderne dans ses aspirations comme dans sa quotidienneté ; réciproquement, (...) seule la modernité rend intelligible un corps de règles disparates, contingentes, voire contradictoires, qu'une analyse purement technique ne permet plus de pénétrer dans sa globalité ni dans ses ressorts profonds. La modernité exprime une vision du monde : à ce titre, elle emporte à l'égard du droit des conséquences qu'on ne saurait réduire à la seule incidence des facteurs politiques, moral et économique, selon la fresque qu'en avait autrefois brossé le doyen Ripert dans des ouvrages mémorables ; on ne saurait davantage l'ignorer en s'enfermant dans une conception purement formaliste et normativiste du droit. Ces pages s'inscrivent dans une réflexion sur le sens de l'évolution d'un système juridique dont les lignes de force n'apparaissent pas toujours très nettement, en écho aux incertitudes de la modernité. Cet ouvrage s'efforce de mettre en lumière ces tendances multiples et d'en esquisser une explication. (shrink)

The definition of homology and its application to reproductive structures, external genitalia, and the physiology of sexual pleasure has a tortuous history. While nowadays there is a consensus on the developmental homology of genital and reproductive systems, there is no agreement on the physiological translation, or the evolutionary origination and roles, of these structural correspondences and their divergent histories. This paper analyzes the impact of evolutionary perspectives on the homology concept as applied to the female orgasm, and their consequences for (...) the biological and social understanding of female sexuality and reproduction. After a survey of the history of pre-evolutionary biomedical views on sexual difference and sexual pleasure, we examine how the concept of sexual homology was shaped in the new phylogenetic framework of the late 19th century. We then analyse the debates on the anatomical locus of female pleasure at the crossroads of theories of sexual evolution and new scientific discourses in psychoanalysis and sex studies. Moving back to evolutionary biology, we explore the consequences of neglecting homology in adaptive explanations of the female orgasm. The last two sections investigate the role played by different articulations of the homology concept in evolutionary developmental explanations of the origin and evolution of the female orgasm. These include the role of sexual, developmental homology in the byproduct hypothesis, and a more recent hypothesis where a phylogenetic, physiological concept of homology is used to account for the origination of the female orgasm. We conclude with a brief discussion on the social implications for the understanding of female pleasure derived from these different homology frameworks. (shrink)

Insight into worldviews is essential for approaches aiming to design and support sustainable pathways for society, both locally and globally. However, the nature of worldviews remains controversial, and it is still unclear how the concept can best be operationalized in the context of research and practice. One way may be by developing a framework for the understanding and operationalization worldviews by investigating various conceptualizations of the term in the history of philosophy. Worldviews can be understood as inescapable, overarching systems of (...) meaning and meaning making that to a substantial extent inform how humans interpret, enact, and co-create reality. Moreover, worldviews are profoundly historically and developmentally situated. An Integrative Worldview Framework can operationalize worldviews by differentiating five interrelated aspects: ontology, epistemology, axiology, anthropology, and societal vision. The evolution of the worldview concept is suggestive of an increasing reflexivity, creativity, responsibility, and inclusiveness—each of which are qualities that appear to be crucial for the global sustainable development debate. (shrink)

Two paradigms have guided emotion research over the past decades. The dual-system view embraces the long-held Western belief, espoused most prominently by decision-making and social cognition researchers, that emotion and reason are often at odds. The integrative view, which asserts that emotion and cognition work synergistically, has been less explored experimentally. However, the integrative view (a) may help explain several findings that are not easily accounted for by the dual-system approach, and (b) is better supported by a growing body of (...) evidence from human neuroanatomy that has often been overlooked by experimental neuroscience. (shrink)