Neste artigo, concentro-me sobre quatro variedades possíveis de ausência da vergonha. Minha esperança é a de que a reflexão sobre essas variedades possa, de alguma maneira, nos dar uma imagem mais completa acerca do papel que a vergonha desempenha sobre nosso caráter moral e nas discussões a respeito da atrocidade. Observo que a vergonha que emerge de uma exposição à atrocidade pode em parte constituir aquilo que nos leva a identificar oevento como atroz. Prossigo então argumentando que quando a vergonha (...) está ausente, esta ausência pode servir para nos cegar para a atrocidade que está à nossa frente, e que é nossa tarefa tentar evitar. Sentir vergonha faz parte de ver a atrocidade pelo que ela é de uma maneira apropriada emocionalmente engajada. Ela é, portanto, uma parte vital de ser humano, e sua ausência em certos casos é uma insuficiência demasiadamente humana de humanidade. (shrink)

Segundo Alasdair MacIntyre, existem três características problemáticas que perpassam grande parte das contendas morais e políticas contemporâneas e às quais não se têm dado atenção suficiente: a) existe uma incomensurabilidade conceitual dos argumentos adversários nos debates travados; b) as argumentações em curso se fazem passar por argumentações racionais impessoais; c) as premissas conceitualmente distintas dos argumentos usados têm uma grande diversidade de origens históricas. A partir dessas três colocações e das consequências delas advindas, vamos aplicar o raciocínio crítico de MacIntyre (...) a um conjunto específico de argumentos em conflito no terreno do multiculturalismo. Nosso intuito com isso é explorar as diferentes concepções e princípios que estão na base das posições vistas e também realizar um pequeno balanço acerca da justificação comunitarista para um modelo político multicultural. (shrink)

Despite a long history of researchers who combine phenomenology with qualitative or quantitative methods, there are only few examples of working with a phenomenological mixed method—a method where phenomenology informs both qualitative and quantitative data generation, analysis, and interpretation. Researchers have argued that in working with a phenomenological mixed method, there should be mutual constraint and enlightenment between the qualitative and quantitative methods for studying consciousness. In this article, we discuss what a framework for phenomenological mixed methods could look like (...) and we aim to provide guidance of how to work within such framework. We are inspired by resources coming from research in mixed methods and existing examples of phenomenological mixed-method research. We also present three cases of phenomenological mixed methods where we study complex social phenomena and discuss the process of how we conducted the studies. From both the research inspiration and our own studies, we depict the landscape of possibilities available for those interested in mixing phenomenology with qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as the challenges and common pitfalls that researchers face. To navigate in this landscape, we develop a three-fold structure, focusing on the phenomenological frame, the phenomenologically informed generation of qualitative and quantitative data, and the phenomenologically informed analysis and interpretation of data. (shrink)

Tradução de Willian Kuhn e Ademir Menin.

This paper explores the scope and limits of rational consensus through mutual respect, with the primary focus on the best known formal model of consensus: the Lehrer–Wagner model. We consider various arguments against the rationality of the Lehrer–Wagner model as a model of consensus about factual matters. We conclude that models such as this face problems in achieving rational consensus on disagreements about unknown factual matters, but that they hold considerable promise as models of how to rationally resolve non-factual disagreements.

Este artigo objetiva sustentar a hipótese de que sob o procedimento metodológico-filosófico assumido por Guilherme de Ockham em suas Oito questões, subjaz, de forma velada, uma possível metodologia de ensino de Filosofia, a qual poderia representar uma significativa diretriz frente às atuais discussões concernentes ao ensino de Filosofia na Educação Básica. Nesse sentido, buscaremos estabelecer algumas aproximações, ainda que breves, entre o pensamento de Ockham e a nova Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC), homologada em 2018, sobretudo no que se refere (...) às competências a serem desenvolvidas, no Ensino Médio, na área de Ciências Humanas e Sociais Aplicadas. (shrink)

Este artigo visa analisar a gestão do processo de revisão do Plano Diretor de São Luís - MA, identificando os fatores responsáveis pela supressão e configuração, bem como a efetividade dos instrumentos institucionais de gestão participativa. A partir disso, foi feita a seguinte indagação: a revisão do Plano Diretor de São Luís atende a quais interesses? Os resultados extraídos dos registros escritos das reuniões do Conselho da Cidade constataram que os principais determinantes da dinâmica de conformação espacial de São Luís- (...) MA são os movimentos de expansão urbana em conjunto com a especulação imobiliária, agronegócio e atividades industriais conduzidos por políticas desenvolvimentistas. (shrink)

O presente artigo tem por objetivo apresentar com base no pensamento de Gaston Bachelard a relação entre a complexidade das noções científicas e sua relação com a metodologia matemática utilizada pelas ciências. A ciência contemporânea ao utilizar como ferramenta metodológica a teorização matemática, descobre que os fenômenos estudados por ela são compostos por diversos tipos de relações que escapam a analise puramente empírica. A matemática consegue examinar de maneira mais profunda o fenômeno, e descobre que aquilo que parece simples aos (...) sentidos, é na realidade, complexo, pelo fato de ser composto por uma diversidade de elementos. A epistemologia da complexidade de Bachelard se opõe ao ideal reducionista de tipo cartesiano que procurava estudar os fenômenos partindo da sua simplicidade aparente. O pensamento cartesiano ao simplificar os fenômenos, mutila características que os compõem e sempre busca iniciar a análise daquilo que é imediatamente captado pelos sentidos. A epistemologia não-cartesiana procura compreender o avanço científico contemporâneo, em relação ao uso de sua metodologia matemática, e a preservação de todas as características que fazem parte do fenômeno. A simplicidade só existe para um pensamento de primeira aproximação. Dessa forma, utilizaremos como exemplo, a ideia de complexidade partindo de um exemplo preciso da física, procurando realizar a conexão entre a complexidade e o saber matemático a partir de Bachelard. (shrink)

O seguinte artigo tem como objetivo apresentar o problema das ideias de natureza simples para o desenvolvimento da ciência. Partindo da perspectiva de Gaston Bachelard, apresentaremos dois casos específicos da geometria e da física em relação ao problema da simplicidade de suas noções de base, desde as dificuldades ocasionadas pela simplificação até a superação realizada pelo desdobramento das ideias simples de “paralelas” e “simultaneidade” através do desdobramento dessas noções. A ciência contemporânea ao utilizar como ferramenta metodológica a teorização matemática, descobre (...) que os fenômenos estudados por ela são compostos por diversos tipos de relações que escapam a análise puramente empírica. A matemática consegue examinar de maneira mais profunda o fenômeno, e descobre que aquilo que parece simples aos sentidos, é na realidade, complexo, pelo fato de ser composto por uma diversidade de elementos. O pensamento científico moderno com base no cartesianismo procurava sempre partir da análise daquilo que é considerado simples, e desse modo, acaba mutilando algumas características que compõe os fenômenos. O método matemático possibilita a deformação das ideias simples, permitindo que a ciência contemporânea altere quando necessário suas noções de base. Os avanços na área da física e da geometria são exemplos de reformulação de pensamento, devido à alteração dos princípios simples sobre os quais estavam assentados. (shrink)

No primeiro capítulo do livro intitulado “A ética de Max Scheler e a essência do cuidar do outro” os autores Alan Dionizio Carneiro e Marconi José Pimentel Pequeno iniciam tecendo uma análise sintética do conceito de pessoa, sua etimologia e a contextualização de tal conceito dentro da obra do autor. Carneiro e Pequeno (2021) trazem à lume o debate de outros filósofos em torno do tema do homem e a sua relação com a vida, como é o caso de Nietzsche, (...) Dilthey e Bergson, autores de peso na discussão que Scheler quer desenvolver, visando com isso assentar as bases sobre as quais o pensamento scheleriano é fundado. (shrink)

At least since Kuhn’s Structure, philosophers have studied the influence of social factors in science’s pursuit of truth and knowledge. More recently, formal models and computer simulations have allowed philosophers of science and social epistemologists to dig deeper into the detailed dynamics of scientific research and experimentation, and to develop very seemingly realistic models of the social organization of science. These models purport to be predictive of the optimal allocations of factors, such as diversity of methods used in science, size (...) of groups, and communication channels among researchers. In this paper we argue that the current research faces an empirical challenge. The challenge is to connect simulation models with data. We present possible scenarios about how the challenge may unfold. (shrink)

The concept of evidence has gone unanalysed in much of the current debate between proponents and critics of evidence-based medicine. In this paper I will suggest that part of the controversy rests on an understanding of the word “evidence” that is too broad, and therefore contains the contradictions that allow both camps to defend their position and charge their adversaries. I will argue that reconciling the different meanings of the word ‘evidence’ in “evidence-based medicine” should help put EBM in its (...) rightful place. (shrink)

Research in phenomenology has benefitted from using exceptional cases from pathology and expertise. But exactly how are we to generate and apply knowledge from such cases to the phenomenological domain? As researchers of cerebral palsy and musical absorption, we together answer the how question by pointing to the resource of the qualitative interview. Using the qualitative interview is a direct response to Varela’s call for better pragmatics in the methodology of phenomenology and cognitive science and Gallagher’s suggestion for phenomenology to (...) develop its methodology and outsource its tasks. We agree with their proposals, but want to develop them further by discussing and proposing a general framework that can integrate research paradigms of the well-established disciplines of phenomenological philosophy and qualitative science. We give this the working title, a “phenomenological interview”. First we describe the what of the interview, that is the nature of the interview in which one encounters another subject and generates knowledge of a given experience together with this other subject. In the second part, we qualify why it is worthwhile making the time-consuming effort to engage in a phenomenological interview. In the third and fourth parts, we in general terms discuss how to conduct the interview and the subsequent phenomenological analysis, by discussing the pragmatics of Vermersch’s and Petitmengin’s “Explicitation Interview”. (shrink)

Nurse clinician‐scientists are increasingly expected to show leadership aimed at transforming healthcare. However, research on nurse clinician‐scientists' leadership (integrating researcher and practitioner roles) is scarce and hardly embedded in sociohistorical contexts. This study introduces leadership moments, that is, concrete events in practices that are perceived as acts of empowerment, in order to understand leadership in the daily work of newly appointed nurse clinician‐scientists. Following the learning history method we gathered data using multiple (qualitative) methods to get close to their daily (...) practices. A document analysis provided us with insight into the history of nursing science to illustrate how leadership moments in the everyday work of nurse clinician‐scientists in the “here and now” can be related to the particular histories from which they emerged. A qualitative analysis led to three acts of empowerment: (1) becoming visible, (2) building networks, and (3) getting wired in. These acts are illustrated with three series of events in which nurse clinician‐scientists' leadership becomes visible. This study contributes to a more socially embedded understanding of nursing leadership, enables us to get a grip on crucial leadership moments, and provides academic and practical starting points for strengthening nurse clinician‐scientists' leadership practices. Transformations in healthcare call for transformed notions of leadership. (shrink)

We present a syntactical cut-elimination proof for an extended sequent calculus covering the classical modal logics in the \(\mathsf{K}\), \(\mathsf{D}\), \(\mathsf{T}\), \(\mathsf{K4}\), \(\mathsf{D4}\) and \(\mathsf{S4}\) spectrum. We design the systems uniformly since they all share the same set of rules. Different logics are obtained by “tuning” a single parameter, namely a constraint on the applicability of the cut rule and on the (left and right, respectively) rules for \(\Box\) and \(\Diamond\). Starting points for this research are 2-sequents and indexed-based calculi (...) (sequents and tableaux). By extending and modifying existing proposals, we show how to achieve a syntactical proof of the cut-elimination theorem that is as close as possible to the one for first-order classical logic. In doing this, we implicitly show how small is the proof-theoretical distance between classical logic and the systems under consideration. (shrink)

É recente a evocação do termo de “fake news” em comunicações científicas da comunidade acadêmica brasileira inscrita na grande área de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas. Este artigo objetiva identificar a presença do conceito “fake news” em artigos científicos no domínio da grande área das Ciências Sociais Aplicadas por meio de levantamento na Base de Dados em Ciência da Informação. Metodologicamente, a pesquisa é exploratória com abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, em que a perspectiva cientométrica foi utilizada para representação dos resultados. Apresenta discussões (...) que reforçam o entendimento do papel da comunicação científica para a consolidação de conceitos que visam refletir demandas presentes na sociedade. Considera positivo o aspecto exploratório das discussões para estudos que podem oferecer contribuições no campo dos estudos métricos, da Biblioteconomia e da Ciência da Informação, no intuito de entender a práxis de elaboração conceitual presente em uma comunidade científica circunscrita. (shrink)

Two quantum Macro-states and their Macroscopic Quantum Superpositions (MQS) localized in two far apart, space-like separated sites can be non-locally correlated by any entangled couple of single-particles having interacted in the past. This novel “Macro-Macro” paradigm is investigated on the basis of a recent study on an entangled Micro-Macro system involving N≈105 particles. Crucial experimental issues as the violation of Bell’s inequalities by the Macro-Macro system are considered.

The main objective of this study was to analyze the influence of tactical and situational variables on offensive sequences during elite European handball matches. A sample of 55 games and 5.857 offensive sequences from the European Handball Federation Champions League, the selected teams were classified as the top eight teams in the league, were analyzed using X2 and logistic regression analyses. Results indicated that positional attacks [odds ratio = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.28–0.42; p < 0.001] and fast attacks decreased the (...) probability of success for an offensive sequence by 66% and 54% when compared with counterattacks. Offensive sequences that start in the attacking zone seem to be less effective than those that start from a situation of “ball in center.” Additionally, offensive sequences that finished in the defensive zone of the observed team were 3.19 times more effective than those that ended before the 9 m zone. We concluded that compared with offensive sequences where the shot is performed from the 9 m zone, the chances of an offensive sequence ending successfully are 3.65, 3.60, and 2.21 times higher, for offensive sequences where the shot is performed from 9 m, 6 m, and the defensive zone, respectively. On the other hand, many variables seem to impact the performance of handball teams. Nevertheless, a significant challenge remains, and more research needs to be conducted to analyze the obstacles that teams need to overcome while attacking in the most effective way possible. (shrink)

Riassunto: Questo lavoro sviluppa due elementi, apparentemente lontani, ma per alcuni aspetti non secondari, convergenti. Per un verso l’attenzione è rivolta all’origine delle regole che disciplinano il comportamento sociale umano, oltrepassando le regole di matrice istituzionale e convenzionale, che sono spesso considerate le più nobili e le più umane, nel tentativo di far affiorare le regole più remote del nostro agire, legate al patrimonio genetico degli individui della nostra specie, al parlamento dei nostri istinti, sviluppatisi durante l’evoluzione filogenetica. Lungo questo (...) primo tratto del percorso l’articolo fa riferimento in particolare al pensiero di Konrad Lorenz e della sua scuola. Per altro verso, si seguono le tracce del pensiero etico di Lévinas, soffermandosi su alcuni punti fondamentali: il volto dell’altro, la passività, la responsabilità, al fine di porre in evidenza come tra il filosofo e l’etologo, pur nelle evidenti differenze di linguaggio, di approccio e di orizzonti, siano ravvisabili tratti e conclusioni comuni. Parole chiave: Alterità; Relazione; Istinto; Etica; Responsabilità Autrui: Ethics and anthropology in Lévinas: This paper moves along two seemingly distant paths, that turn out to converge in some significant ways. The first path leads us to the origin of what are often considered the most noble and essentially human principles that regulate our social behaviour, going beyond institutional and conventional norms. This allows us to highlight the deepest and most evolutionarily remote rules of human behaviour, related to our genetic code and instincts, which developed over phylogenetic evolution. As we move along this first path, we pay special attention to the work of Konrad Lorenz and his school. The second path follows the traces of Lévinas’ ethical thought, dwelling on some fundamental issues: the face of the other, passivity, and responsibility, and helps us shed light on some ideas and conclusions that are common to the philosopher and the ethologist, despite their clear differences in language, approach, and horizons. We hope this will show how the insights of each can be used to support of the theories of the other. Keywords: Otherness: relationship; Instinct; Ethics; Responsibility. (shrink)

L’auteur propose ici un commentaire sur les points les plus importants de son entretien de février 2003 avec Paul Ricœur consacré aux rapports entre herméneutique et psychanalyse. Bien que le philosophe se situe dans une réelle continuité par rapport à sa contribution de 1965, il enrichit toutefois sa réflexion philosophique sur la psychanalyse en proposant plusieurs innovations, en ce qui concerne plus particulièrement les thèmes du récit, du soi et de l’éthique. Dans les conclusions de son commentaire, l’auteur souligne l’importance (...) des concepts d’“irreprésentable” et d’“intraduisible”: non seulement, en effet, ces concepts sont dans la ligne de nombreuses contributions de la psychanalyse contemporaine, mais la profondeur de la réflexion ricœurienne augmente en outre leur potentiel théorique et même clinique. (shrink)

During recent decades various researchers from health and social sciences have been debating what it means for a person to be disabled. A rather overlooked approach has developed alongside this debate, primarily inspired by the philosophical tradition called phenomenology. This paper develops a phenomenological model of disability by arguing for a different methodological and conceptual framework from that used by the existing phenomenological approach. The existing approach is developed from the phenomenology of illness, but the paper illustrates how the case (...) of congenital disabilities, looking at the congenital disorder called cerebral palsy (CP), presents a fundamental problem for the approach. In order to understand such congenital cases as CP, the experience of disability is described as being gradually different from, rather than a disruption of, the experience of being abled, and it is argued that the experience of disability is complex and dynamically influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Different experiential aspects of disability— pre-reflective, attuned and reflective aspects—are described, demonstrating that the experience of disability comes in different degrees. Overall, this paper contributes to the debates about disability by further describing the personal aspects and experience of persons living with disabilities. (shrink)

In recent decades much literature has been produced on disagreement; the puzzling conclusion being that epistemic disagreement is, for the most part, either impossible (e.g. Aumann (Ann Stat 4(6):1236–1239, 1976)), or at least easily resolvable (e.g. Elga (Noûs 41(3):478–502, 2007)). In this paper I show that, under certain conditions, an equally puzzling result arises: that is, disagreement cannot be rationally resolved by belief updating. I suggest a solution to the puzzle which makes use of some of the principles of Hintikka’s (...) Socratic epistemology. (shrink)

In this paper I analyze four so-called “principles of expertise”; that is, good epistemic practices that are normatively motivated by the epistemological literature on expert judgment. I highlight some of the problems that the four principles of expertise run into, when we try to implement them in concrete contexts of application (e.g. in science committees). I suggest some possible alternatives and adjustments to the principles, arguing in general that the epistemology of expertise should be informed both by case studies and (...) by the literature on the use of experts in science practice. (shrink)

In this paper I criticize the current standards for the acceptability of expert testimony in current US legislation. The standards have been the subject of much academic literature after the Frye and Daubert cases. I expose what I call the Paradox of Proof, and argue that the historical and current standards have sidestepped the problem of determining who is an expert and who is not in a court of law. I then investigate the problem of recognizing expertise from the layperson’s (...) standpoint, and suggest what courses of action the future research ought to take on the problem of identifying expertise. (shrink)

Some philosophers claim that perception immediately and prima facie justifies belief in virtue of its phenomenal character (Huemer, Skepticism and the veil of perception. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, 2001; Pryor, There is immediate justification. In: Steup M, Sosa E (eds) Contemporary debates in epistemology. Blackwell, London (2014), pp. 181–202, 2005). To explain this special justificatory power, some appeal to perception’s presentational character: the idea that perceptual experience presents its objects as existing here-and-now (Chudnoff, Intuition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013; Berghofer, (...) Husserl Stud 34(2):145–170, 2018). As some philosophers have noted, if perception justifies in virtue of its presentational character alone, the kind of content perception has should not matter for perceptual justification; more precisely, it should not matter whether perceptual content is propositional or not (e.g., Smithies, The epistemic role of consciousness. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2019; Kriegel, Australas J Philos, 2021). However, most philosophers tend to resist this conclusion, holding that perception must be propositional in order to justify, on the ground that all our model of justification are propositional (e.g., Gauker, Philos Perspect 26(1):19–50, 2012). This paper challenges this claim. The paper consists of a negative and a positive part. In the negative part, I discuss and reject the master argument for the propositionality of perception; the conclusion is that propositional content is neither sufficient nor necessary to explain perception’s justificatory power. In the positive part, I take this conclusion seriously and outline an objectual model of perceptual justification. I define objectual attitudes as mental states whose content is not a full proposition, but a sub-propositional representational item, such as the representation of objects, properties, and kinds (Grzankowski and Montague, Non-propositional intentionality. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2018), and show that it is plausible that some perceptions and some beliefs are attitudes of this kind. I then argue that objectual perceptual experiences have the right kind of phenomenal character and the right kind of structure to serve for immediate prima facie justification. I conclude by defending my objectual model from three objections. (shrink)

In this paper we analyze the resilience to decoherence of the Macroscopic Quantum Superpositions (MQS) generated by optimal phase-covariant quantum cloning according to two coherence criteria, both based on the concept of Bures distance in Hilbert spaces. We show that all MQS generated by this system are characterized by a high resilience to decoherence processes. This analysis is supported by the results of recent MQS experiments of N=3.5×104 particles.

Este trabalho pretende descrever a denominada questão normativa, apresentada pela Professora Christine M. Korsgaard em seu The Sources of Normativity, e, depois, apresentar a filosofia moral tomista, procurando, nela, uma possível resposta ao problema. O trabalho, primeiro, introduz o pensamento moral de Korsgaard, apresentando o problema, e o seu argumento para encontrar a fonte da normatividade. Em um segundo momento, apresenta os fundamentos da teoria moral de Tomás de Aquino, aprofundando-se, especialmente, no estudo do ato voluntário – dado seu caráter (...) central no estudo da moral – e da ordenação dos atos ao fim. Por fim, procura-se compreender a natureza da lei moral, com destaque para as noções de obrigação e de sanção. (shrink)

The present work provides a detailed account of the available data on ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baġdādī’s biography, an outline of his philosophical thought, and a detailed analysis of his reworking of pre-Avicennian Greek and Arabic metaphysics.

We present a sequent calculus for the modal logic S4, and building on some relevant features of this system we show how S4 can easily be translated into full propositional linear logic, extending the Grishin-Ono translation of classical logic into linear logic. The translation introduces linear modalities only in correspondence with S4 modalities. We discuss the complexity of the decision problem for several classes of linear formulas naturally arising from the proposed translations.

In this paper, I defend a tripartite metaphysics of intentional mental states, according to which mental states are divided into subject, content, and attitude, against recent attempts at eliminating the attitude component (e.g., Montague, Oxford studies in philosophy of mind, 2022, 2, Oxford University Press). I suggest that a metaphysics composed of only subject and content cannot account for (a) multisensory perceptual experiences and (b) phenomenological differences between episodes of perception and imagination. Finally, I suggest that some of the motivations (...) behind the rejection of the attitude component can be accommodated within the tripartite framework. (shrink)

Este artigo tenta dar uma visão geral sobre a epoché fenomenológica, relacionando-a ao problema da constituição do saber fenomenológico,e também da fundamentação da Ciência. A epoché, formulada assim de forma universal é considerada como uma alteração radical da atitude natural.

Cet article porte sur le crédit dans les ménages nobles au XIXe siècle, tel que permet de l’observer la fondation des nouveaux couples au moment du mariage. Centré sur l’articulation entre dimension économique et dimension relationnelle, il analyse, à partir des contrats de mariage, la manière dont sont définis, et juridiquement formalisés, les rapports de crédit intra-familiaux. Ces actes notariaux en effet spécifient non seulement le régime matrimonial et les traits fondamentaux des relations patrimoniales entre les époux, mais aussi, pour (...) employer les termes de l’époque, le « traitement » que le mari est censé garantir à son épouse en « contre-poids » de la dot. En suivant les transformations dont témoignent les contrats de mariage au cours du XIXe siècle, on observe une réduction de l’autonomie de gestion de l’épouse, et notamment de sa capacité à appuyer par des garanties économiques ses demandes de crédits en cas de défaillance du mari. (shrink)

Science progresses through debate and disagreement, and scientific controversies play a crucial role in the growth of scientific knowledge. However, not all controversies and disagreements are progressive in science. Sometimes, controversies can be pseudoscientific; in fact, bogus controversies, and what seem like genuine scientific disagreements, can be a distortion of science set up by non-scientific actors. Bogus controversies are detrimental to science because they can hinder scientific progress and eventually bias science-based decisions. The first goal of this paper is to (...) elucidate the distinction between bogus and genuine scientific controversies and provide a qualitative methodology, based on the literature on expertise, for distinguishing between the two. We will illustrate six epistemic criteria for distinguishing bogus from genuine scientific debates in science and medicine. This heuristic strategy applies directly to scientific reports, and it relies mostly on the social structure of science. We will then apply the above criteria to a case study: the controversy over statins, which are widely prescribed drugs for reducing the level of cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular disease. (shrink)

In this paper, I contend that evidence-focused strategies of science communication may be complemented by possibly more effective rhetorical arguments in current public debates on vaccines. I analyse the case of direct science communication - that is, communication of evidence - and show that it is difficult to effectively communicate evidential standards of science in the presence of well-equipped anti-science movements. Instead, I argue that effective rhetorical tools involve ad hominem strategies, that is, arguments involving claims of expertise. I provide (...) a rationale, and sketch a methodology, for using ad hominem arguments in science communication. (shrink)