El objeto de este trabajo es analizar el concepto de la sociedad civil presentado por Jürgen Habermas y su lugar en el contexto de los debates sobre la teoría democrática. Se introducirá el concepto de democracia deliberativa, haciendo hincapié en su relación con la noción de comunicación y opinión pública. De acuerdo a esta perspectiva la capacidad de la sociedad civil para influir en el campo público-político puede tender un puente entre las concepciones de la democracia de raíz liberal y (...) las de raíz republicana. (shrink)

Este texto analizará críticamente la actual fase económica para mostrar la importancia de los bienes comunes intangibles. Sondea la tesis de un nuevo modo de producción «en ciernes», basado en la gestión colaborativa. Analiza los intangibles de acuerdo a su calidad y carácter. Compara los sistemas de patentes y derechos de propiedad intelectual que permiten su apropiación y las resistencias a su «comoditización» desde el software libre y las propuestas de flexibilización de derechos de autor. Advierte sobre el «fetichismo tecnológico» (...) y propone un marco mínimo de discernimiento en dilemas vinculados a estas materias.It will scan critically the current economic phase to show the importance of the intangible commons. Investigate the thesis of a new mode of production based on collaborative knowledge management. Analyze the specificities of the intangible commons according to their quality and character. We will compare the patent and intellectual property rights that allow its appropriation. Study the resistance to its «commoditization» from the free software paradigm and the proposed relaxation of copyright. Warn of the risks of new forms of «technological fetishism» and conclude by proposing a minimum framework of discernment dilemmas in these matters. (shrink)

Este artículo tiene como objetivo sistematizar los avances del enfoque narrativo en bioética con el fin de proponer una fundamentación de las prácticas de salud intercultural que facilite su complementariedad con el conjunto del sistema sanitario. Para ello revisará críticamente los fundamentos de la bioética narrativa y su vinculación con las corrientes hermenéuticas en las éticas aplicadas y con el movimiento de la medicina narrativa. A la vez relacionará el enfoque narrativo con el paradigma intercultural en salud, en orden a (...) evaluar sus capacidades de complementación y articulación con la sabiduría ancestral mapuche, desde su raigambre y especificidad. Finalmente informará sobre las posibilidades de desarrollo de una bioética narrativa en clave intercultural, adecuada a las prácticas en el ámbito sanitario que se basan en el acervo de la sabiduría ancestral mapuche. This article aims to systematize the progress of the narrative approach in bioethics in order to propose a groundwork for intercultural health practices. Seeks propose a basis for intercultural health practices that facilitate the complementarity of the health system through the recovery of ancestral Mapuche Worldview, their roots and specificity. It will critically review the basics of narrative bioethics and its relationship with the hermeneutical currents in applied ethics and the movement of Narrative Medicine. At the same time relates the narrative approach to the intercultural paradigm in health, in order to assess its capabilities complementation and articulation. And finally it will report on the possibilities of developing an intercultural key Narrative Bioethics appropriate to the intercultural practices in health care based on the acquis of the Mapuche Ancestral Wisdom. (shrink)

Resumen El presente artículo busca problematizar la corrupción institucional desde una perspectiva sistémica. Examina su alcance y sus implicaciones ético-sociales para proporcionar una interpretación clave, que analice la crisis de la Iglesia católica chilena. Para este propósito se utiliza una metodología bibliográfica que revisa a autores contemporáneos que trabajan en la ética de las instituciones, identificando elementos fundamentales para entender la corrupción institucional. También repasa el magisterio del Papa Francisco, quien da pistas para enfrentarla. Se propone, junto con una necesaria (...) renovación eclesiológica, nuevas perspectivas éticas de organización institucional, basadas en el buen gobierno y la transparencia.The paper seeks to problematize institutional corruption from a systemic perspective.lt examines its scope and ethical-social implications, to provide a key interpretation that analyzes the crisis of the Chilean Catholic Church. For this purpose a bibliographic methodology is used, reviewing contemporary authors who work on the ethics of institutions, identijying fundamental elements to understand institutional corruption. He abo reviews the teaching o/Pope Francis, who gives clues to face it. It is proposed along with a necessary ecclesiological renewal, new ethical perspectives of institutional organization, based on good governance and transparency. (shrink)

Biological regulation is what allows an organism to handle the effects of a perturbation, modulating its own constitutive dynamics in response to particular changes in internal and external conditions. With the central focus of analysis on the case of minimal living systems, we argue that regulation consists in a specific form of second-order control, exerted over the core regime of production and maintenance of the components that actually put together the organism. The main argument is that regulation requires a distinctive (...) architecture of functional relationships, and specifically the action of a dedicated subsystem whose activity is dynamically decoupled from that of the constitutive regime. We distinguish between two major ways in which control mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of a biological organisation in response to internal and external perturbations: dynamic stability and regulation. Based on this distinction an explicit definition and a set of organisational requirements for regulation are provided, and thoroughly illustrated through the examples of bacterial chemotaxis and the lac-operon. The analysis enables us to mark out the differences between regulation and closely related concepts such as feedback, robustness and homeostasis. (shrink)

In this paper, we develop an organizational account that defines biological functions as causal relations subject to closure in living systems, interpreted as the most typical example of organizationally closed and differentiated self-maintaining systems. We argue that this account adequately grounds the teleological and normative dimensions of functions in the current organization of a system, insofar as it provides an explanation for the existence of the function bearer and, at the same time, identifies in a non-arbitrary way the norms that (...) functions are supposed to obey. Accordingly, we suggest that the organizational account combines the etiological and dispositional perspectives in an integrated theoretical framework. IntroductionDispositional ApproachesEtiological TheoriesBiological Self-maintenance Closure, teleology, and normativityOrganizational differentiationFunctions C1: Contributing to the maintenance of the organization C2: Producing the functional trait Implications and Objections Functional versus useful Dysfunctions, side effects, and accidental contributionsProper functions and selected effectsReproductionRelation with other ‘unitarian’ approachesConclusions. (shrink)

This paper aims to provide a philosophical and theoretical account of biological communication grounded in the notion of organisation. The organisational approach characterises living systems as organised in such a way that they are capable to self-produce and self-maintain while in constant interaction with the environment. To apply this theoretical framework to the study of biological communication, we focus on a specific approach, based on the notion of influence, according to which communication takes place when a signal emitted by a (...) sender triggers a change in the behaviour of the receiver that is functional for the sender itself. We critically analyse the current formulations of this account, that interpret what is functional for the sender in terms of evolutionary adaptations. Specifically, the adoption of this etiological functional framework may lead to the exclusion of several phenomena usually studied as instances of communication, and possibly even of entire fields of investigation such as synthetic biology. As an alternative, we reframe the influence approach in organisational terms, characterising functions in terms of contributions to the current organisation of a biological system. We develop a theoretical account of biological communication in which communicative functions are distinguished from other types of biological functions described by the organisational account (e.g. metabolic, ecological, etc.). The resulting organisational-influence approach allows to carry out causal analyses of current instances of phenomena of communication, without the need to provide etiological explanations. In such a way it makes it possible to understand in terms of communication those phenomena which realise interactive patterns typical of signalling interactions – and are usually studied as such in scientific practice – despite not being the result of evolutionary adaptations. Moreover, this approach provides operational tools to design and study communicative interactions in experimental fields such as synthetic biology. (shrink)

In this paper, we advocate the idea that an adequate explanation of biological systems requires appealing to organizational closure as an emergent causal regime. We first develop a theoretical justification of emergence in terms of relatedness, by arguing that configurations, because of the relatedness among their constituents, possess ontologically irreducible properties, providing them with distinctive causal powers. We then focus on those emergent causal powers exerted as constraints, and we claim that biological systems crucially differ from other natural systems in (...) that they realize a closure of constraints, i.e. a second-order emergent regime of causation such that the constituents, each of them acting as a constraint, realize a mutual dependence among them, and are collectively able to self-maintain. Lastly, we claim that closure can be justifiably taken as an emergent regime of causation, without admitting that it inherently involves whole-parts causation, which would require to commit to stronger ontological and epistemological assumptions. (shrink)

Objective: The aim of this research was to study the mediation of body dissatisfaction, physical self-concept, and body mass index (BMI) on the relationship between physical activity and self-concept in adolescents. Materials and Methods: A sample of 652 Spanish students between 12 and 17 years participated in a cross-sectional study. Physical self-concept and general self-concept were assessed with the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire (CAF), body dissatisfaction with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), and physical activity was estimated with the International Physical Activity (...) Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). BMI was utilized as a measurement of body composition. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the results. Results: The resulting models showed good fit indexes. Physical activity had a positive and indirect effect on self-concept (β = 0.29, p < 0.01) and direct effects on dissatisfaction (β = -0.26, p < 0.01) and physical self-concept (β = 0.20, p < 0.01). BMI had a direct effect on dissatisfaction (β = 0.31, p < 0.01) and on physical self-concept (β = -0.10, p < 0.01) and an indirect effect on general self-concept (β = -0.24, p < 0.01). However, it was only associated with physical activity in males, playing a mediating role between physical activity and body dissatisfaction. Conclusion: Physical activity can help individuals to achieve a positive self-concept and promote psychological well-being in adolescents through the improvement of physical perceptions and body satisfaction. The importance of BMI, body dissatisfaction, and physical self-concept on the configuration of the self-concept are also emphasized. Educational policymakers and Physical Education teachers should implement strategies to promote physical activity in the schools and provide a Quality Physical Education programs to increase physical activity during adolescence. (shrink)

To learn about real world phenomena, scientists have traditionally used models with clearly interpretable elements. However, modern machine learning (ML) models, while powerful predictors, lack this direct elementwise interpretability (e.g. neural network weights). Interpretable machine learning (IML) offers a solution by analyzing models holistically to derive interpretations. Yet, current IML research is focused on auditing ML models rather than leveraging them for scientific inference. Our work bridges this gap, presenting a framework for designing IML methods—termed ’property descriptors’—that illuminate not just (...) the model, but also the phenomenon it represents. We demonstrate that property descriptors, grounded in statistical learning theory, can effectively reveal relevant properties of the joint probability distribution of the observational data. We identify existing IML methods suited for scientific inference and provide a guide for developing new descriptors with quantified epistemic uncertainty. Our framework empowers scientists to harness ML models for inference, and provides directions for future IML research to support scientific understanding. (shrink)

In this review, we describe some of the central philosophical issues facing origins-of-life research and provide a targeted history of the developments that have led to the multidisciplinary field of origins-of-life studies. We outline these issues and developments to guide researchers and students from all fields. With respect to philosophy, we provide brief summaries of debates with respect to (1) definitions (or theories) of life, what life is and how research should be conducted in the absence of an accepted theory (...) of life, (2) the distinctions between synthetic, historical, and universal projects in origins-of-life studies, issues with strategies for inferring the origins of life, such as (3) the nature of the first living entities (the “bottom up” approach) and (4) how to infer the nature of the last universal common ancestor (the “top down” approach), and (5) the status of origins of life as a science. Each of these debates influences the others. Although there are clusters of researchers that agree on some answers to these issues, each of these debates is still open. With respect to history, we outline several independent paths that have led to some of the approaches now prevalent in origins-of-life studies. These include one path from early views of life through the scientific revolutions brought about by Linnaeus (von Linn.), Wöhler, Miller, and others. In this approach, new theories, tools, and evidence guide new thoughts about the nature of life and its origin.We also describe another family of paths motivated by a” circularity” approach to life, which is guided by such thinkers as Maturana & Varela, Gánti, Rosen, and others. These views echo ideas developed by Kant and Aristotle, though they do so using modern science in ways that produce exciting avenues of investigation. By exploring the history of these ideas, we can see how many of the issues that currently interest us have been guided by the contexts in which the ideas were developed. The disciplinary backgrounds of each of these scholars has influenced the questions they sought to answer, the experiments they envisioned, and the kinds of data they collected. We conclude by encouraging scientists and scholars in the humanities and social sciences to explore ways in which they can interact to provide a deeper understanding of the conceptual assumptions, structure, and history of origins-of-life research. This may be useful to help frame future research agendas and bring awareness to the multifaceted issues facing this challenging scientific question. (shrink)

Background: This research explores how public awareness and attitudes toward donation and transplantation policies may contribute to Spain's success in cadaveric organ donation. Materials and Methods: A representative sample of 813 people residing in Andalusia (Southern Spain) were surveyed by telephone or via Internet between October and December 2018. Results: Most participants trust Spain's donation and transplantation system (93%) and wish to donate their organs after death (76%). Among donors, a majority have expressed their consent (59%), and few nondonors have (...) expressed their refusal (14%). Only a minority are aware of the presumed consent system in force (28%) and feel sufficiently informed regarding the requirements needed to be an organ donor (16%). Participants mainly consider that relatives should represent the deceased's preferences and be consulted when the deceased's wishes are unknown, as is the case in Spain. Conclusion: Public trust in the transplant system may contribute to Spain's high performance in organ donation. High levels of societal support toward organ donation and transplantation do not correspond with similar levels of public awareness of donation and transplantation policies in Spain. (shrink)

What role could have intrinsic motivation toward reading in an extraordinary situation like the recent confinement? This research examines the relationship between intrinsic reading motivation and reading habits in an adult population considering types of reading, gender, and distress generated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Participants were 3,849 adults from Spain who were surveyed about their reading practices: before, during the first weeks, and after several weeks of confinement. Linear mixed effects models were used to analyze data. Results showed (...) a three-way interaction between reading frequency, IRM, and type of reading. Also, distress seems to pose a differential impact depending on the type of reading. The higher the IRM, the lesser the time devoted to study/work reading and the more to social and news reading. In this sense, IRM can function as a protective factor of reading behavior but only for leisure reading. Results support previous findings of the importance of consciously promoting this type of motivation in all individuals beyond educational contexts, since it seems to be positively related to well-being. Other results and implications are discussed. (shrink)

Eusociality is broadly defined as: colonies consisting of overlapping generations, cooperative brood care, and a reproductive division of labour where sterile (or non-reproductive) workers help the reproductive members. Colonies of many complex eusocial insect species (e.g. ants, bees, termites) exhibit traits, at the collective level, that are more analogous to biological individuals rather than to groups. Indeed, due to this, colonies of the most complex species are typically a unit of selection, which has led many authors to once again apply (...) the concept of the superorganism to eusocial insects. However, unlike W. M. Wheeler, who originally employed the concept from a physiological and evolutionary perspective, today the superorganism is typically understood only from an evolutionary perspective, using group selection. This is because of the widely held view that eusocial colonies are self-organized systems. According to this view, even the most complex eusocial systems can be explained by appealing to a set of local interactions between parts of an initially disordered system (i.e. self-organization), without the need of any hierarchical control. In this paper we challenge the presupposition that hierarchical control and regulation is not possible in complex eusocial colonies. Using a case study of honey bees (Apis mellifera), we develop an alternative to the self-organization approach, that focuses on the hierarchical nature of the organization of complex eusocial systems—that we refer to as the hierarchical-organizational approach. In addition, we will analyse how colonies of eusocial insects show a complex set of interactions between the different organisms that bring forth a new cohesive collective organization, and how in turn the constitutive entities of this collective organization are transformed in this process. This paper argues that an inter-identity (namely the superorganism) emerges at the collective level in complex eusocial colonies, such as honey bees, due to the hierarchically-organized network of interactions within the colony. (shrink)

In this work, we present a new approach to solve the location management problem by using the reporting cells strategy. Location management is a very important and complex problem in mobile computing which aims to minimize the costs involved. In the reporting cells location management scheme, some cells in the network are designated as reporting cells . The choice of these cells is not trivial because they affect directly to the cost of the mobile network. This article is focused on (...) the use of high performance computing to execute a parallel heuristic that places optimally the RCs in a mobile network, minimizing its total cost. The main goal of this work is to demonstrate that the collaborative work of different evolutionary algorithms can obtain very good results. For this reason, we have implemented a parallel heuristic and six evolutionary algorithms that works in a parallel way on a cluster to solve the RCs problem. (shrink)

La siguiente reseña explora el libro más reciente del historiador Tomás Pérez Vejo, el cual se adentra en un relato de nación construido a partir de los acervos pictóricos. El imaginario visual que se construye desde las exposiciones y críticas de pintura marca un ciclo crístico de nacimientos, tormentos, liberaciones y resurrecciones, cuyo interés primordial es su poderosa impronta en la historia oficial nacional y en cómo esta permea aún el presente.

Se presenta un estudio cuyo propósito es analizar la pertenencia, tendencia y desafíos de los estudios generales en currículos de programas académicos de Universidades peruanas. El estudio, realizado según el diseño fenomenológico, estuvo conformada por docentes universitarios conocedores del currículo elegidos hasta lograr la saturación. Se aplicó un cuestionario de preguntas abiertas enfocado en la apreciación de los informantes en el objeto de la investigación y como resultados se encontró que los estudios generales contribuyen: al desarrollo de habilidades blandas en (...) la formación integral del estudiante, a la identificación de fortalezas e intereses sobre la profesión, a la vida ciudadana, al descubrimiento y la reafirmación de la vocación; de ahí su pertinencia curricular. (shrink)

Neste artigo pretendemos compreender se, e de que forma, o cinema pode servir a uma cosmopoética do pensamento decolonial. Para tanto, nos apoiaremos em alguns conceitos dos estudos decoloniais, que buscam atualizar a tradição crítica do pensamento latino-americano a partir da problematização do pensamento hegemônico (eurocêntrico), oferecendo novas releituras histórias e novas possibilidades de produção dos saberes. A perspectiva decolonial opera fornecendo novos horizontes para o pensamento, promovendo uma ecologia dos modos de saber e conhecimento não reconhecidos pelas epistemologias dominantes. (...) Assim, buscamos entender a potência cosmopoética do cinema e como ele pode contribuir, dentro dos espaços de educação, como alternativa epistemológica para o pensamento decolonial. (shrink)

O artigo será dividido em introdução, onde apresentaremos _A Peste_ de Albert Camus, retratando a cidade de Oran que é acometida pela peste. Logo em seguida, em tópicos analisaremos cada personagem e/ou situação de Oran em paralelo com nossa realidade, a saber: à luz da pandemia do novo coronavírus. Situaremos a análise em países mundo a fora como exemplo para apresentarmos uma reflexão mais assertiva, daremos atenção maior na realidade brasileira e como a população enfrenta a pior e maior crise (...) sanitária. Trazendo com clareza a importância dos profissionais da área de saúde e pesquisa em um sistema de saúde precário onde falta o básico, a informação que toma proporção enorme de extrema velocidade e ao mesmo tempo a falsa informação em relação ao vírus. Contudo em um discurso negacionista das autoridades e empresários evidenciando ainda mais o sistema capitalista que cada vez mais consome os menos favorecidos de forma cruel na atual situação, além, das medidas de proteção que tem o distanciamento como uma das maiores formas de proteção, porém o momento revela a dificuldade encontrada no país para evitar a disseminação do vírus em meio a uma sociedade que vivencia uma das maiores desigualdades sociais do mundo. _Palavra-chave:_ Saúde; pandemia; informação. (shrink)

El artículo es producto de un estudio de enfoque mixto cuyo propósito fue analizar y comprender el valor del arte en la formación profesional en Educación, a partir de las opiniones de estudiantes, y los desafíos curriculares en torno al arte que implica las innovaciones. La muestra estuvo formada por estudiantes de Educación Primaria de una Universidad Nacional de Lima y para recoger información sobre la valoración del arte en la formación docente se aplicó un cuestionario cerrado de actitudes hacia (...) las actividades de expresión artística en la formación profesional en Educación y para los desafíos curriculares se administró un cuestionario abierto. Los resultados reflejan un significativo valor asignado al arte en la formación docente y la necesidad e importancia de incluir el arte como un área longitudinal en el currículo para que contribuya con la formación de competencias artísticas y habilidades blandas de los futuros docentes en el nivel. (shrink)

Un paralelismo antitetico le da forma a los fragmentos de los Pensamientos de Blaise Pascal, al prolongar el movimiento paradojico de la naturaleza humana desde el divertissement hasta los porticos de la conversion. En el primer foco de la figura, la diversion, contemplada de un modo alegorico, por la cual el hombre se aleja de Dios y hace del mundo el objeto de su concupiscencia. En el otro foco, la conversion, en la que el hombre se aleja del mundo y (...) se vuelve a Dios merced a un movimiento de la Gracia. La concupiscencia es el enves del orden de la Caridad, como el divertimento es el reverso de la partida que abre a la fe cristiana. Las paginas de este libro retratan el trayecto del unico jugador y dan razon de la complejidad de su existencia, que se debate entre el tedio, la angustia ante la muerte y el riesgo de una apuesta en la que la libertad empena el todo de su nada en vistas a una ganancia infinita. (shrink)

A natural starting point for theories of perceptual states is ordinary perception, in which a subject is successfully related to her mind-independent surroundings. Correspondingly, the simplest theory of perceptual states models all such states on perception. Typically, this simple, common-factor relational view of perceptual states has received a perfunctory dismissal on the grounds that hallucinations are nonperceptual. But I argue that the nonperceptual view of hallucinations has been accepted too quickly. I consider three observations thought to support the view, and (...) argue that all three are dealt with equally well by an alternative view, illusionism, on which hallucinations do involve perception. Since this is so, adopting a common-factor relational view of all perceptual states remains a tenable option. (shrink)

Besides having potential medical and biosafety applications, as well as challenging the foundations of biological engineering, xenobiology can also shed light on the epistemological and metaphysical questions that puzzle philosophers of science. This paper reviews this philosophical aspect of xenobiology, focusing on the possible multiple realizability of life. According to this hypothesis, what ultimately matters in understanding life is its function, not its particular building blocks. This is because there should, in theory, be many different ways to build the same (...) function. The possibility of multiple realizability was originally raised in the context of AI’s hypothesized capacity to realize mental functions. Because we still do not have any incontrovertible examples of digital minds, not to mention alien life of foreign biochemistry, the best way to test this philosophical idea is to examine the recent results and practices of synthetic biology and xenobiology. (shrink)

Since Darwin, Biology has been framed on the idea of evolution by natural selection, which has profoundly influenced the scientific and philosophical comprehension of biological phenomena and of our place in Nature. This book argues that contemporary biology should progress towards and revolve around an even more fundamental idea, that of autonomy. Biological autonomy describes living organisms as organised systems, which are able to self-produce and self-maintain as integrated entities, to establish their own goals and norms, and to promote the (...) conditions of their existence through their interactions with the environment. Topics covered in this book include organisation and biological emergence, organisms, agency, levels of autonomy, cognition, and a look at the historical dimension of autonomy. The current development of scientific investigations on autonomous organisation calls for a theoretical and philosophical analysis. This can contribute to the elaboration of an original understanding of life - including human life - on Earth, opening new perspectives and enabling fecund interactions with other existing theories and approaches. This book takes up the challenge. (shrink)

We introduce tame abstract elementary classes as a generalization of all cases of abstract elementary classes that are known to permit development of stability-like theory. In this paper, we explore stability results in this new context. We assume that [Formula: see text] is a tame abstract elementary class satisfying the amalgamation property with no maximal model. The main results include:. Theorem 0.1. Suppose that [Formula: see text] is not only tame, but [Formula: see text]-tame. If [Formula: see text] and [Formula: (...) see text] is Galois stable in μ, then [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a relative of κ from first order logic. [Formula: see text] is the Hanf number of the class [Formula: see text]. It is known that [Formula: see text]. The theorem generalizes a result from [17]. It is used to prove both the existence of Morley sequences for non-splitting and the following initial step towards a stability spectrum theorem for tame classes:. Theorem 0.2. If [Formula: see text] is Galois-stable in some [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] is stable in every κ with κμ=κ. For example, under GCH we have that [Formula: see text] Galois-stable in μ implies that [Formula: see text] is Galois-stable in μ+n for all n < ω. (shrink)

According to the traditional nomological-deductive methodology of physics and chemistry [Hempel and Oppenheim, 1948], explaining a phenomenon means subsuming it under a law. Logic becomes then the glue of explanation and laws the primary explainers. Thus, the scientific study of a system would consist in the development of a logically sound model of it, once the relevant observables (state variables) are identified and the general laws governing their change (expressed as differential equations, state transition rules, maximization/minimization principles,. . . ) (...) are well determined, together with the initial or boundary conditions for each particular case. Often this also involves making a set of assumptions about the elementary components of the system (e.g., their structural and dynamic properties) and modes of local interaction. In this framework, predictability becomes the main goal and that is why research is carried out through the construction of accurate mathematical models. Thus, physics and chemistry have made most progress so far by focusing on systems that, either due to their intrinsic properties or to the conditions in which they are investigated, allow for very strong simplifying assumptions, under which, nevertheless, those highly idealized models of reality are deemed to be in good correspondence with reality itself. Despite the enormous success that this methodology has had, the study of living and cognitive phenomena had to follow a very different road, because these phenomena are produced by systems whose underlying material structure and organization do not permit such crude approximations. Seen from the perspective of physics or chemistry, biological and cognitive systems are made of an enormous number of parts or elements interacting in non-linear and selective ways, which makes very difficult their tractability through mathematical models. In addition, many of those interacting elements are hierarchically organized, in a way that the “macroscopic” (observable) parts behave according to rules that cannot be, in practice, derived from simple principles at the level of their “microscopic” dynamics.. (shrink)

Critics of multiple realizability have recently argued that we should concentrate solely on actual here-and-now realizations that are found in nature. The possibility of alternative, but unactualized, realizations is regarded as uninteresting because it is taken to be a question of pure logic or an unverifiable scenario of science fiction. However, in the biological context only a contingent set of realizations is actualized. Drawing on recent work on the theory of neutral biological spaces, the paper shows that we can have (...) ways of assessing the modal dimension of multiple realizability that do not have to rely on mere conceivability. (shrink)

How do we assign values to virtual items, which include virtual objects, properties, events, subjects, worlds, environments, and experiences? In this article, I offer a framework for answering this question. After considering different value theses in the literature, I argue that whether we think these theses mutually exclusive or not turns on our view about the number of value-salient kinds virtual items belong to. Virtual monism is the view that virtual Xs belong to only one value-salient kind in relation to (...) X. Virtual pluralism is the view that they belong to more than one value-salient kind. I argue for two claims. First, virtual monism is mistaken. Minimally some virtual Xs are Xs, while others are not. Second, dualistic virtual pluralism is also mistaken because it is too coarse grained. Instead, I argue for fourfold pluralism: virtual items either represent an original's properties or reproduce essential properties and do so to lesser or greater extents. This gives us four value-salient kinds of virtual X: virtual reproductions, simulations, representations, and simulacra of X. I apply this view to various debates in the literature and conclude with a discussion of less basic hybrid kinds. (shrink)

This paper presents the design and development of intelligent tutoring system for teaching Oracle. The Oracle Intelligent Tutoring System (OITS) examined the power of a new methodology to supporting students in Oracle programming. The system presents the topic of Introduction to Oracle with automatically generated problems for the students to solve. The system is dynamically adapted at run time to the student’s individual progress. An initial evaluation study was done to investigate the effect of using the intelligent tutoring system on (...) the performance of students. (shrink)

We prove the following main theorem: Let be an abstract elementary class satisfying the joint embedding and the amalgamation properties with no maximal models of cardinality μ. Let μ be a cardinal above the the Löwenheim‐Skolem number of the class. If is μ‐Galois‐stable, has no μ‐Vaughtian Pairs, does not have long splitting chains, and satisfies locality of splitting, then any two ‐limits over M, for, are isomorphic over M.