The authors of this volume discuss the relevance and influence of various Old and New Testament documents, and early Christian and Jewish texts in terms of their impact in shaping the moral character, identity, and behaviour of the specific communities in which they were produced as well as their ethical application throughout the centuries. Against a narrow understanding of ethics, the term "application" is not used to analyse the texts of the Bible as step-by-step manuals for moral conduct. Rather, the (...) contributors engage with biblical texts within the framework of a complex hermeneutical process of application of the relevance of these texts in contemporary ethical discourse. Contributors: Paul N. Anderson, Robert L. Brawley, Cilliers Breytenbach, Ulrich Busse, R. Alan Culpepper, Jan Willem van Henten, Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, Stephan Joubert, Craig R. Koester, Bart J. Koet, Michael Labahn, Tobias Nicklas, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, Udo Schnelle, Michael Theobald, D. Francois Tolmie, Joseph Verheyden, Ben Witherington, III, Ellen van Wolde, Michael Wolter, Mirjam Zimmermann, Ruben Zimmermann. (shrink)

For years, the number of opaque algorithmic decision-making systems (ADM systems) with a large impact on society has been increasing: e.g., systems that compute decisions about future recidivism of criminals, credit worthiness, or the many small decision computing systems within social networks that create rankings, provide recommendations, or filter content. Concerns that such a system makes biased decisions can be difficult to investigate: be it by people affected, NGOs, stakeholders, governmental testing and auditing authorities, or other external parties. Scientific testing (...) and auditing literature rarely focuses on the specific needs for such investigations and suffers from ambiguous terminologies. With this paper, we aim to support this investigation process by collecting, explaining, and categorizing methods of testing for bias, which are applicable to black-box systems, given that inputs and respective outputs can be observed. For this purpose, we provide a taxonomy that can be used to select suitable test methods adapted to the respective situation. This taxonomy takes multiple aspects into account, for example the effort to implement a given test method, its technical requirement (such as the need of ground truth) and social constraints of the investigation, e.g., the protection of business secrets. Furthermore, we analyze which test method can be used in the context of which black box audit concept. It turns out that various factors, such as the type of black box audit or the lack of an oracle, may limit the selection of applicable tests. With the help of this paper, people or organizations who want to test an ADM system for bias can identify which test methods and auditing concepts are applicable and what implications they entail. (shrink)

Das Verhaltnis von Dichten und Denken hat in seiner Geschichte viele unterschiedliche Bestimmungen erfahren. Schon immer war der Philosophie das Phanomen des Asthetischen eine eigentumliche Herausforderung, sei es, dass die Kunst als ein vorzuglicher Gegenstand galt, an dem eine ihrer selbst bereits bewusste Philosophie ihre Konzeptualisierungskraft bestatigt, sei es, dass sie als Medium diente, in dem die Philosophie sich allererst ihrer selbst zu vergewissern sucht, oder aber, dass die Philosophie um ihrer Selbstbehauptung willen den Wahrheitswert der Kunst im Ganzen disqualifizierte. (...) Die im vorliegenden Band versammelten Beitrage spuren diesem Verhaltnis von Dichten und Denken auf unterschiedliche Weise nach, seiner Geschichte und seinen Moglichkeiten unter gegenwartigen Bedingungen. (shrink)

Trotz anhaltender Debatten über Determinismus und Freiheit ist der Sinn von Freiheit weit davon entfernt, ein klar umrissenes philosophisches Problem darzustellen. Betrachtet man Versuche, menschliche Freiheit zu beweisen, und Diskussionen um die soziale Normierung von Freiheit, so ist selten klar, ob hier von einem einheitlichen Phänomen die Rede ist. Aufgrund der Komplexität der Debatten und der historischen Tiefe des Problems lässt sich die Freiheit nicht einer einzelnen Teildisziplin der Philosophie zuordnen. Wer sich auf einen Bestimmungsversuch des Begriffs einlässt, muss zugleich (...) das Verhältnis von Theorie und Praxis klären. Die Untersuchung der Freiheit führt daher nicht zuletzt zu einer immer wieder neu zu vollziehenden Selbstverortung der Philosophie. (shrink)

Perceptual fluency is the subjective experience of ease with which an incoming stimulus is processed. Although perceptual fluency is assessed by speed of processing, it remains unclear how objective speed is related to subjective experiences of fluency. We present evidence that speed at different stages of the perceptual process contributes to perceptual fluency. In an experiment, figure-ground contrast influenced detection of briefly presented words, but not their identification at longer exposure durations. Conversely, font in which the word was written influenced (...) identification, but not detection. Both contrast and font influenced subjective fluency. These findings suggest that speed of processing at different stages condensed into a unified subjective experience of perceptual fluency. (shrink)

Zeki and co-workers recently proposed that perception can best be described as locally distributed, asynchronous processes that each create a kind of microconsciousness, which condense into an experienced percept. The present article is aimed at extending this theory to metacognitive feelings. We present evidence that perceptual fluency—the subjective feeling of ease during perceptual processing—is based on speed of processing at different stages of the perceptual process. Specifically, detection of briefly presented stimuli was influenced by figure-ground contrast, but not by symmetry (...) or the font of the stimuli. Conversely, discrimination of these stimuli was influenced by whether they were symmetric and by the font they were presented in , but not by figure-ground contrast. Both tasks however were related with the subjective experience of fluency . We conclude that subjective fluency is the conscious phenomenal correlate of different processing stages in visual perception. (shrink)

If one takes Heidegger at his word then his philosophy is about pursuing different "paths" of thought rather than defining a single set of truths. This volume gathers the work of an international group of scholars to present a range of ways in which Heidegger can be read and a diversity of styles in which his thought can be continued. Despite their many approaches to Heidegger, their hermeneutic orientation brings these scholars together. The essays span themes from the ontic to (...) the ontological, from the specific to the speculative. While the volume does not aim to present a comprehensive interpretation of Heidegger's later thought, it covers much of the terrain of his later thinking and presents new directions for how Heidegger should and should not be read today. Scholars of Heidegger's later thought will find rich and original readings that expand considerations of Heidegger's entire oeuvre. (shrink)

Volume 20, Issue 8, August 2020, Page 72-75.

Johanna Knapstein,1 Daniel Grimm,1 Marcus A Wörns,1 Peter R Galle,1 Hauke Lang,2 Tim Zimmermann111st Department of Internal Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany; 2Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, GermanyIntroduction: Hepatitis C virus reinfection occurs universally after liver transplantation, with accelerated cirrhosis rates of up to 30% within 5 years after liver transplantation. Dual antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon-2a and ribavirin only reaches sustained virological response rates of ~30% after liver transplantation. With the approval of viral NS3/4A (...) protease inhibitors telaprevir, boceprevir, and simeprevir and the NS5B polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir, combination therapy offers new therapeutic options for HCV-infected patients, resulting in considerably higher sustained virological response rates in the nontransplant setting. Case presentation: We report three cases of TVR-based triple antiviral therapy in HCV genotype 1 reinfected patients after liver transplantation, of whom a 57-year-old Caucasian female and a 43-year-old Caucasian male were therapy naïve, and a 49-year-old Caucasian male patient was pretreated ineffectively. After 4 weeks of therapy, viral load decreased one to three log10 and became negative in weeks 6 to 8 in the therapy naïve patients. The pretreated patient showed a negative viral load in week 4. TVR was administered over 12 weeks, 750 mg thrice daily. Doses of immunosuppression with cyclosporine were reduced four to six fold. Initial peg-IFN and RBV doses ranged from 135–180 µg/week and 800–1,200 mg/day, according to the patient's body weight. Doses of peg-IFN and RBV were adapted to 90–135 µg/week and 400–800 mg/day after 2 to 12 weeks of protease inhibitor therapy. Dual therapy was continued for 36 weeks with total treatment duration of 48 weeks in the therapy naïve patients leading to a sustained virological response 12 weeks after the end of therapy. In the pretreated patient a breakthrough was detected in week 24 and therapy was discontinued. Overall, antiviral therapy was well tolerated. Side effects included dysgeusia and anemia leading to erythropoietin application and blood transfusions. Conclusion: This case series emphasizes that triple therapy with TVR is an efficient treatment for therapy naïve HCV genotype 1 reinfected patients after liver transplantation. But therapeutic options for pretreated patients require improvement. Keyword: cyclosporine, interferon, ribavirin, hepatitis C, protease inhibitor. (shrink)

Depression is a highly recurrent disorder with limited treatment alternatives for reducing risk of subsequent episodes. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and attention bias modification (ABM) separately have shown some promise in reducing depressive symptoms. This study investigates (a) if group-based ACT had a greater impact in reducing residual symptoms of depression over a 12-month follow-up than a control condition, and (b) if preceding ACT with ABM produced added benefits. This multisite study consisted of two phases. In phase 1, participants (...) with a history of depression, currently in remission (N= 244), were randomized to either receive 14 days of ABM or a control condition. In phase 2, a quasi- experimental design was adopted, and only phase-1 participants from the Sørlandet site (N= 124) next received an 8-week group-based ACT intervention. Self-reported and clinician-rated depression symptoms were assessed at baseline, immediately after phase 1 and at 1, 2, 6, and 12 months after the conclusion of phase 1. At 12-month follow-up, participants who received ACT exhibited fewer self-reported and clinician-rated depressive symptoms. There were no significant differences between ACT groups preceded by ABM or a control condition. There were no significant differences between ACT groups preceded by ABM or a control condition. Group-based ACT successfully decreased residual symptoms in depression over 12 months, suggesting some promise in preventing relapse. (shrink)

The German theologian and philosopher, Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, is important in hermeneutic history for at least two reasons. First, he initiated the transition of hermeneutics from rule‐governed interpretation in particular disciplines‐such as theology, law, and philology‐to a comprehensive analysis of human understanding as such. Second, he is not only the father of general hermeneutics, but also of modern theology. In developing his hermeneutic principles, Schleiermacher steers a middle path between the rationalist Enlightenment interpreters, and the historical‐critical philologists. The third (...) extreme he eschews is dogmatic biblical exegesis that, when it emphasizes the text's divine inspiration, results in disregard for historical particularity. Schleiermacher's hermeneutics tries to integrate the pre‐given ontological structures of language that shape an author's mind with the spiritual element. Every linguistic expression contains both the objective structural and subjective psychological aspects, which require the interpreter's corresponding grammatical (or comparative) and divinatory (or psychological) skills for determining meaning. (shrink)

Responding to recent concerns about the reliability of the published literature in psychology and other disciplines, we formed the X-Phi Replicability Project to estimate the reproducibility of experimental philosophy. Drawing on a representative sample of 40 x-phi studies published between 2003 and 2015, we enlisted 20 research teams across 8 countries to conduct a high-quality replication of each study in order to compare the results to the original published findings. We found that x-phi studies – as represented in our sample (...) – successfully replicated about 70% of the time. We discuss possible reasons for this relatively high replication rate in the field of experimental philosophy and offer suggestions for best research practices going forward. (shrink)

Providing a concise definition of hope is challenging. Psychologists alone have proposed 26 theories of hope and 54 definitions thereof. The difficulty of finding a universal definition of hope was summed up by the philosopher Joseph Godfrey who admitted, "I'd rather have hope than be able to define it". Part of the problem is that the concept is the object of scrutiny across many different scholarly disciplines, each of which have their own, sometimes divergent, methodologies and interests in the concept. (...) Notwithstanding these idiosyncrasies, many of the respective disciplines, if not all, have the potential to improve the understanding of... (shrink)

La question de la mémoire de la Shoah se pose, pour l'Allemagne, de façon très particulière. Cet article montre les deux modes de transmission de cette mémoire choisis par ce pays : d'un côté la conservation en musée, c'est-à-dire la fixation et la codification des événements historiques et de leurs conséquences sur le présent ; de l'autre coté, la mise en avant de l'expérience vivante de ces événe­ments, c'est-à-dire la mise en scène de ce fait historique à travers les mémoriaux (...) mais surtout les médias visuels.For Germany, the memory of the Holocaust raises issues in very specific ways. This article describes the two ways in which the country has chosen to pass on the memory: conservation in museums on the one hand, in other words fixing and codifying historical events and their consequences for the present; on the other hand bringing out actual experiences of those events, or in other words, staging historical fact through memorials and especially the visual media. (shrink)

1. IntroductionUn collègue niçois, Marcel Vuillaume, m'a dit souvent que la phonologie, en comparaison avec la sémantique à laquelle il s'intéresse, a cet avantage d'être ancrée dans le réel : elle peut s'appuyer sur la phonétique et donc décrire les catégories qui sont pertinentes pour elle de manière objective. La pauvre sémantique, elle, doit se servir, pour la description de ses observables, de son propre objet d'étude. En conséquence, la circularité la guette en permanence. Les phonologu...

Disposition ascription has been discussed a good deal over the last few decades, as has the revisionary metaphysical view of ordinary, persisting objects known as 'fourdimensionalism'. However, philosophers have not merged these topics and asked whether four-dimensional objects can be proper subjects of dispositional predicates. This paper seeks to remedy this oversight. It argues that, by and large, four-dimensional objects are not suited to take dispositional predicates.

The use of head-mounted displays (HMD) for virtual reality (VR) application-based purposes including therapy, rehabilitation, and training is increasing. Despite advancements in VR technologies, many users still experience sickness symptoms. VR sickness may be influenced by technological differences within HMDs such as resolution and refresh rate, however, VR content also plays a significant role. The primary objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the literature on HMDs that report Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) scores to determine the impact (...) of content. User factors associated with VR sickness were also examined. A systematic search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Fifty-five articles met inclusion criteria, representing 3,016 participants (mean age range 19.5-80; 41% female). Findings show gaming content recorded the highest total SSQ mean 34.26 (95%CI 29.57-38.95). VR sickness profiles were also influenced by visual stimulation, locomotion and exposure times. Older samples (mean age ≥35 years) scored significantly lower total SSQ means than younger samples, however, these findings are based on a small evidence base as a limited number of studies included older users. No sex differences were found. Across all types of content, the pooled total SSQ mean was relatively high 28.00 (95%CI 24.66-31.35) compared with recommended SSQ cut-off scores. These findings are of relevance for informing future research and the application of VR in different contexts. (shrink)

Appendix 1 was incomplete in the initial online publication. The original article has been corrected.

Selon Thomas d’Aquin, l’obéissance consiste à suivre les ordres d’un supérieur. La personne obéissante agit donc selon la raison d’un autre. Cet article étudie les fondements et les conditions d’une obéissance raisonnable. Il est montré que, pour Thomas, le caractère raisonnable de l’obéissance se fonde d’un côté sur un ordre objectif entre les personnes qui sont investies d’une autorité légitime et leurs subordonnés. À cet égard, il sera éclairci par rapport à qui et sous quelles conditions l’obéissance est soit nécessaire, (...) soit non nécessaire, soit illégitime, d’après Thomas. D’un autre côté, l’obéissance raisonnable exige que la personne obéissante discerne la légitimité de l’autorité du supérieur et de l’ordre donné et qu’il le mette en pratique en utilisant sa propre prudence, plutôt que de s’appuyer entièrement sur la prudence du supérieur. Selon Thomas, cela est nécessaire aussi pour les religieux qui font un vœu d’obéissance. Ils renoncent à leur propre volonté en suivant les ordres des supérieurs, mais ils ne renoncent pas à leur intelligence par laquelle ils les évaluent et les mettent en pratique. (shrink)

Circalunar clocks, which allow organisms to time reproduction to lunar phase, have been experimentally proven but are still not understood at the molecular level. Currently, a new generation of researchers with new tools is setting out to fill this gap. Our essay provides an overview of classic experiments on circalunar clocks. From the unpublished work of the late D. Neumann we also present a novel phase response curve for a circalunar clock. These experiments highlight avenues for molecular work and call (...) for rigor in setting up and analyzing the logistically complex experiments on circalunar clocks. Re‐evaluating classic experiments, we propose that (1) circalunar clocks in different organisms will have divergent mechanisms and physiological bases, (2) they may have properties very different from the well‐studied circadian clocks and (3) they may have close mechanistic and molecular relations to seasonal rhythms and diapause. (shrink)

Cet article se donne pour objectif de réfléchir à ce que la crise mondiale du Covid-19 a révélé de nos manières d’habiter les lieux où nous vivons, et parmi celles-ci, la pratique de la danse. La démarche adoptée ici est celle d’un dialogue entre trois courants philosophiques spécifiques : la phénoménologie, le pragmatisme et l’écoféminisme, au sujet de leur conception de l’expérience somatique, à la fois vécue, complexe et ordinaire. Nous cherchons ici les lignes communes à ces trois mouvements philosophiques, (...) dans le but d’esquisser une compréhensions nouvelle du corps, et par extension, une nouvelle approche de la danse par temps de crise pandémique. (shrink)

The consequences of experiences and exposures suffered by those living in poverty can last a lifetime and can even be passed on to the next generation. The challenges associated with poverty have been labeled the "social determinants of health" (SDoH), but this is something of a misnomer. A more appropriate label would be the "social determinants of disease." This essay is a broad overview of the processes, including allostatic load and epigenetic aging, that might contribute to prolonging the adverse effects (...) of the social determinants of disease. (shrink)

Cet article pose la question de savoir si les quarks — constituants élémentaires de la matière et dernières particules de la physique des hautes énergies à avoir été confirmées — peuvent être observés de manière directe ou indirecte. D’abord, des définitions antérieures de « l’observation » en physique seront examinées — en l’occurrence, celles proposées par Grover Maxwell, Bas van Fraassen et Dudley Shapere. Puis, leurs résultats seront comparés à une définition du concept d’observation et à une différenciation entre l’observation (...) directe et indirecte. Une possibilité de mettre en évidence les quarks de manière expérimentale est le phénomène des jet-events, qui représentent un type spécifique de désagrégation dans les détecteurs de particules. Ces jet-events contribuent à l’étude de cas ici centrale, puisqu’ils sont la preuve la plus convaincante à ce jour des quarks. L’examen de jet-events et leurs évaluations par des physiciens mènent à la conclusion que les quarks ne peuvent être observés, ni directement ni indirectement. Cette thèse sera comparée aux points de vue de Kristin Shrader-Frechette et Michela Massimi sur l’observabilité des quarks. On en tire la conclusion que les quarks ne sont pas observables, si l’on entend employer le terme « observation » dans un sens non métaphorique et en conservant une relation avec ses usages dans la vie quotidienne. (shrink)

Découvertes en 1940, les grottes de Lascaux et leurs peintures rupestres témoignent d’une volonté d’arrachement du sujet à une condition primaire : les dessins sur les murs sont une façon d’affirmer une forme d’expression différente de celle utilisée jusqu’alors. Une certaine idée de la sensibilité des individus, ou du groupe afférant à ces peintures est mise en lumière. Les grottes de Lascaux sont une marque du temps témoignant d’une temporalité en fuite vers l’arrière : en documentariste d...

The distinction of active potencies into will and nature is one of the most characteristic traits of Duns Scotus’s thought. Scotus distinguishes free and self-determining causality from natural and necessary causality. In this article I show how this distinction underlies large parts of his moral psychology, ethics, metaphysics, and Trinitarian theology.

Le présent article met en évidence deux fonctions distinctes du corpus : heuristique et validante. Chacun connaît la seconde : un corpus est utilisé afin de démontrer la plausibilité ou la véracité d'une hypothèse qui a une existence indépendante. A la différence de celle-ci, la première fonction montre, plutôt qu’elle ne démontre. Le linguiste ne cherche plus ici à convaincre ; il cherche à comprendre. Il part à la rencontre de l'inconnu avec un questionnement, mais sans solution, même hypothétique, pour (...) le puzzle dont il a identifié quelques pièces. La vertu du corpus ici est consubstantielle à son existence : le classement. Qui dit corpus dit en effet principe de classement. Le corpus heuristique a ceci de particulier qu'il est éphémère : sitôt ses services rendus, il sera transformé par le linguiste en corpus de validation (qui aura vocation à convaincre le monde). Ce changement d'objectif induit alors une organisation et une présentation très différentes de celles qui ont permis la découverte du fonctionnement linguistique en question. En remontant cette opération, le présent article essaie d'isoler les propriétés invariables des corpus heuristiques. Le propos est illustré par un cas particulier tiré de mon expérience personnelle, i.e. les alternances de longueur vocalique dans les itératifs tchèques. (shrink)

Au cours des trente dernières années, la critique a eu l’occasion de souligner l’importance de la religion dans la pensée de Benjamin. En particulier, elle a pu mettre en évidence l’influence du judaïsme dans sa critique de la métaphysique telle qu’on la trouve illustrée dans la notion chrétienne de grâce. Benjamin retourne l’idée d’une libération de l’individu par rapport à l’histoire et la remplace par celle d’une rédemption dans laquelle le passé historique est sauvé par le présent. Pourta...