In answer to the question "Should ethnobiology and ethnomedicine more decisively foster hypothesis-driven forefront research able to turn findings into policy and abandon more classical folkloric studies?", in this essay I argue that a major strength of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine is their ability to bridge theories and methods from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Hypothesis-driven research is a powerful way to structure thinking that can lead to forefront research findings. But hypothesis-driven research is not the only (...) way to structure thinking and is not a necessary condition to impact policymaking. To increase policy impact, ethnobiology and ethnomedicine should continue nurturing a mixture of complementary methods and inclusive approaches as fragmentation through opposing different approaches might weaken the discipline. Moreover, with the aim to play a fundamental role in building bridges between different knowledge systems and co-producing solutions towards sustainability, the discipline could benefit from enlarging its epistemological grounds through more collaborative research. Ethnobiologists' research findings, hypothesis-driven, descriptive, or co-constructed can become leverage points to transform knowledge into actionable outcomes in different levels of decision-making. (shrink)

Gerard of Abbeville's inception speech, which he delivered during the 1250s as a graduating master in theology at the University of Paris, stands out among the extant principia. While many thirteenth-century inception speeches drew clear distinctions between philosophy and theology, and metaphysics and revealed theology in particular, Gerard - who was the foremost secular master of his day - adopted a different strategy in order to establish the preeminence of theology with regard to all other sciences. Consciously avoiding to pit (...) theology against philosophy, he proposed to redefine the relations between both within the conceptual frame of sapiential knowledge. The article analyses how Gerard argues in favor of a supreme wisdom, capable of accommodating Aristotle's first philosophy and Christian theology. Showing that Gerard's approach did not remain uncontested, it traces the remarkable influence of his principium. (shrink)

What is consciousness? Although some philosophical approaches propose that could be some kind of emergent property of matter, the integration of different neurobiological and psychological evidence allow us to suggest that there is a simpler explanation: consciousness is an inescapable loop of stimuliresponse, a process that brains with very specific characteristics do. Through the integration of the theoretical frameworks of the Neurobiological Naturalism, the Two-Stage Model of perception and the Neuronal Global Workspace, the INMC tries to support the scientific conceptualization (...) of consciousness and its ethical, physicalist and non-anthropocentric approach. (shrink)

Gandhi wanted the Indian economy to center around autonomous village republics rather than work on the back of large-scale industries or consumption expenditure. Gandhi's principles for formulating his economic thoughts were based on a call to 'return to the nature'. He would have liked people to reduce their wants in lives and to concentrate instead on development of their faculties for achievement of spiritual goals. This would not require people in villages to madly rush to cities in search of work. (...) All people would live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. He would justify use of machines and industrial production systems in the economy only when the outcomes serviced the fundamental and most basic needs of people. This paper describes Gandhi's economic principles in order to analyze how they contrast with the free operation of the market today which has created multiple new inequalities in society. The liberalized rapid economic growth model in India has made development of the rural sector secondary to rapid growths in trade and manufactures of consumer commodities in the urban centers. This has gone the opposite way from the paths Gandhi outlined for his country, and it has exacerbated the same societal inequalities he wanted to see reduced. (shrink)

One of the most important topics of discussion in recent years within the international research on Catharism is the construction of this movement's narrative as a historical and literary phenomenon. This process is likewise of prime importance as regards the historiography of Catharism in Catalonia, since not only does it put in place the elements necessary for determining how the historical narrative ('memòria') of Catharism has been constructed, but also acknowledges the impact that this narrative has had in distorting the (...) image of the Cathars. This topic has constituted one of the themes of interest in my research. Under no circumstances, however, does the study of such a process presuppose that one has adopted as one's own the arguments expressed in such a construction. Here, I will respond to a misunderstanding on my view on this topic. (shrink)

The use of war to expand the limits of Christianity or the limits of the power of the Christian Church was, from an early age, regular. This theme, which over the centuries has been the subject of intense debates among intellectuals who tried to justify the morality of this war or, by contrast, served to develop various attacks on the Church, is the focus of the present work. In this way, we seek to understand here the development of the concept (...) of just war in St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, it's way of justifying the use of war, the moments when its use is legitimate, the applicability of the Double Effect Doctrine in this concept and also the influence that his thought exercised on chronologically closer thinkers, but also contemporary philosophy, using to this purpose, the work of Elizabeth Anscombe, a striking figure in twentieth-century philosophy, to understand the pertinence of the medieval theologian thought in this matter. (shrink)

This paper argues that there was considerably more philosophy of action in moral theory before 1958 (when Anscombe complained of its lack under the banner 'philosophy of psychology') than there has been since. This is in part because Anscombe influenced the formation of 'virtue theory' as yet another position within normative ethics, and her work contributed to the fashioning of 'moral psychology' as an altogether distinct (and now increasingly empirical) branch of moral philosophy.

Elizabeth Anscombe is well-known for her insistence that there are absolutely prohibited actions, though she is somewhat obscure about why this is so. Nonetheless, I contend in this paper that Anscombe is more concerned with the epistemology of absolute prohibitions, and that her thought on connatural moral knowledge - which resembles moral intuition - is key to understanding her thought on moral prohibitions. I shall identify key features of Anscombe's moral epistemology before turning to investigate its sources, examining the roots (...) of connaturality in Aquinas and comparing it with rationalist ethical intuitionism, which Anscombe differs from in rejecting "good" as a simple, non-natural property. I then develop a two-stage argument about absolute prohibition: The first will be loosely Thomistic, while the second will suggest how Anscombe's absolute prohibitions can be seen as a continuation of Wittgenstein's anti-scepticism in On Certainty. I develop an account of absolute prohibitions as a form of Wittgensteinian hinge proposition - they are not the conclusions of deductive arguments, but the foundations for intelligibility in action. (shrink)

Under one particular reading of it, Anscombe's 'Modern Moral Philosophy' is considered a seminal text in the revival of virtue ethics. Seen thus, Anscombe is implying that it is possible to do ethics without using concepts such as 'moral ought' or 'moral obligation', the perfect example being Aristotelian ethics. On the other hand, Anscombe claims that it is not useful at present to engage in moral philosophy since she finds that 'philosophically there is a huge gap… which needs to be (...) filled by an account of human nature, human action, …and above all of human "flourishing"' (Anscombe, 1958: 18). The gap Anscombe refers to appears where there should be a 'proof that an unjust man is a bad man'. My aim in this paper is to discuss the various ways in which Anscombe's theses can be interpreted, recalling two other philosophers for whom Aristotelian virtue ethics was also essential: P. Foot and J. McDowell. I will argue that Anscombe did not expect Aristotelian ethics to answer the problems modern ethics poses. (shrink)

This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of social value theoretical traditions, such as religious studies, social psychology, indigenous knowledge, economics, sociology, and philosophy. We introduce a novel transdisciplinary conceptual framework that revolves around concepts of 'lenses' and 'tensions' to help navigate value diversity. First, we consider the notion of lenses: perspectives on value and valuation along diverse dimensions that describe what values focus on, how their sociality is envisioned, and what epistemic and (...) procedural assumptions are made. We characterise fourteen of such dimensions. This provides a foundation for exploration of seven areas of tension, between: (1) the values of individuals vs collectives; (2) values as discrete and held vs embedded and constructed; (3) value as static or changeable; (4) valuation as descriptive vs normative and transformative; (5) social vs relational values; (6) different rationalities and their relation to value integration; (7) degrees of acknowledgment of the role of power in navigating value conflicts. In doing so, we embrace the 'mess' of diversity, yet also provide a framework to organise this mess and support and encourage active transdisciplinary collaboration. We identify key research areas where such collaborations can be harnessed for sustainability transformation. Here it is crucial to understand how certain social value lenses are privileged over others and build capacity in decision-making for understanding and drawing on multiple value, epistemic and procedural lenses. (shrink)

This article can be read as an Editorial for the first issue of the Journal of Catalan Intellectual History (JOCIH) in its new stage at de Gruyter Open. It offers, first, a methodical review of the concept, roles, and trends of intellectual history in the 20th century. Next, it looks into the particular Catalan tradition, historiography, and cultural analysis to position the aim and the role of the Journal with regard to similar initiatives. It tries to give an answer to (...) the crisis of intellectual history as a discipline, at the end of the past century. The third part of the article describes some of the available resources. The fourth section introduces the contents of the present issue, focussing on the construction of a collective identity and the literary engagement of Catalan writers between 1920 and 1980, either in their country or in exile. The Notes of the present issue highlight the importance of technology, natural language processing, and Semantic Web developments in carrying out contemporary research in this field. (shrink)

The Faculties of Engineering Sciences at Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile regard teacher training as a necessary tool for its academics' professional development and as a fundamental way to improve their teaching quality. The Teaching Unit for Innovation in Engineering has developed a new curriculum and training programme which seeks to support the faculty in its implementation. This article presents some of the outcomes of a study aimed at qualitatively examining the development of the faculty's conceptions and philosophy of (...) teaching and improvements in pedagogical competencies as a result of the implementation and transfer of the training programme. The teaching philosophy is described in different ways, but overall it considers teaching an act of disciplinary knowledge transfer based on students' interests, skills and attitudes, and with a heavy emphasis on building students' core values. Interviews reveal changes in the participants' learning and competencies due to the training, along with a positive impact on the teachers' lesson planning assessment strategies, students' feedback and the willingness to engage in more reflexive teaching practice. (shrink)

Paul Tompkins and Jordi Nomen discuss how to teach philosophy to children and adolescents, and examine the role that language and dialogue play in the development of critical thinking.

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552.

Brief introduction to the project on Petrus Hispanus and the papers presented at the Symposium that was part of SOFIME's Congress "De relatione". It includes a sketch of the corpus petrinicum and a presentation of some literary, philosophical and doctrinal problems involved, with a consecutive bibliography of the published works and key studies.

This article can be read as an Editorial for the first issue of the Journal of Catalan Intellectual History (JOCIH) in its new stage at de Gruyter Open. It offers, first, a methodical review of the concept, roles, and trends of intellectual history in the 20th century. Next, it looks into the particular Catalan tradition, historiography, and cultural analysis to position the aim and the role of the Journal with regard to similar initiatives. It tries to give an answer to (...) the crisis of intellectual history as a discipline, at the end of the past century. The third part of the article describes some of the available resources. The fourth section introduces the contents of the present issue, focussing on the construction of a collective identity and the literary engagement of Catalan writers between 1920 and 1980, either in their country or in exile. The Notes of the present issue highlight the importance of technology, natural language processing, and Semantic Web developments in carrying out contemporary research in this field. (shrink)

W.B. Yeats's search of wisdom through self-knowledge is reflected in his philosophical and poetical works. I explore the relevant relation between his philosophical beliefs, exposed in A Vision, and his later poetry. I defend that W.B. Yeats's search of wisdom was centred in matters of the Self displaying different Greek philosophic concepts such as the partition of the human soul, the antinomies of the Self, death, reincarnation and fate. Lastly, to proof my thesis, my study inspects 'Ego Dominus Tuus', 'A (...) Dialogue of Self and Soul' and 'The Man and the Echo'. (shrink)

Obra ressenyada: Visa A. J. KURKI and Tomasz PIETRZYKOWSKI, Legal Personhood : Animals, Artificial Intelligence and the Unborn. Springer International Publishing, 2017.

Cavendish's organic materialism defends that humankind's prowess of nature is unattainable due to nature's greatness and heterogeneity. Accordingly, our cognitive processes are at times unavailing at providing accurate accounts of nature. Cavendish argued that subjectivity is our best tool to inquire about nature. Equipped with this argument she took a stance against the Royal Society's empirical and objective method of exploring nature with optical devices; at the same time, this allowed her to develop an intricate notion of identity that led (...) her to an original authorial performance. (shrink)

This article aims to describe the mind/ body problem from an Eastern philosophy point of view addressing firstly Kyudo, the Japanese martial art of archery; and secondly the Western philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Ethics is, in Western philosophy, what deals with the way we take decisions and act upon them. Decisions and actions consider rationality and intuition but seldom the body's own rationality and intuition -which Kyudo exercises. We can find in Deleuze's philosophy important concepts to better understand this: difference, repetition, (...) chaos, identity, energy, force, stage and micro-perceptions. To what extent can the dominant Eastern thought approach on the mind/ body topic be effective to fulfill the Ancient Greek aphorism «Know yourself» (γνθι σεαυτν) inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi? (shrink)

The paper explores the relationships and interconnections in the philosophical and sociopolitical concepts of Günther Anders and Hannah Arendt. Both philosophers, who were married to each other for a short time, not only shared a similar fate in that they both had to flee from National Socialism, but both dealt with similar questions, albeit in different manners: with Auschwitz and the Holocaust, with the problem of totalitarianism, with the development of the Modern, which is defined by technology and industrial labour. (...) A comparison shows that many themes in the thinking of these philosophers are near to each other, but the methods and foci are other. At the foreground of Anders' thinking is the question of the destructive influence of modern technology and weapons of mass destruction. However, Arendt concentrates on totalitarian political structures and the possibility of people to take action. Nevertheless, they both are concerned that people's humanity is at risk under the political and technological conditions of the Modern. (shrink)

Relationships between empirical and philosophical approaches to the law have not been always peaceful. Agreement seems the most natural way to build up and implementing regulations and justice within human-machine inter-faces (natural and artificial societies), and might help to bridge the gap between both theoretical approaches. Recent researches on relational law, relational jus-tice, crowdsourcing, regulatory systems and regulatory models are introduced. These concepts need further clarification, but they stand as political companions to more standard conceptions of law in the Semantic (...) Web. (shrink)

While this paper begins with a definition of phrenology and its theoretical foundations, the primary focus is on the efforts to spread phrenology in Catalonia undertaken by Marià Cubí and other mid-nineteenth century followers of the tenets of Gall and Spurzheim. Cubí saw the money-making potential of applying these ideas in diverse areas of society. In Catalonia, he and his followers took the view that it would be highly opportune to use phrenology to achieve reformist goals not only in education (...) and business but also in the selection of the best political candidates. The ideological ambiguity of their approach, however, undermined the credibility of the supposedly scientific parameters of applied phrenology because they sold it as a tool to any and all parties. The elite that took an interest in the supposedly reform-minded aspects of Catalan society put forward by phrenology proved to be the same bourgeoisie that wanted to oust the aristocratic, conservative and Spanish nationalist sectors that still clung to their monopoly over the institutions of greatest authority and social influence. Phrenology used reform as a pretext, while what it actually guaranteed was merely an easy-to-use pseudoscience that called for nothing more than a prominent skull, enormous powers of suggestion and a steady stream of imaginative, seductive verbiage. (shrink)

This article is a general introduction to the theoretical work of the philosophical formation of Eugeni D'Ors; that related to the ranting of a scholarship from the Diputació Provincial de Barcelona. It shows the process of creation and awarding starting with a quaint Commission of New Services formed ad hoc to publicize these scholarships. It then reviews the newspaper coverage which was published in parallel, which suggests a more or less direct intervention of d'Ors in the writing of the project (...) writing. Finally, it incorporates a previously unpublished document which shows the importance that Eugeni D'Ors gave to this theoretical production, which is still unpublished and almost completely unknown. (shrink)

Contemporary sciences use a wide and diverse range of computational simulations, including in the areas of aeronautics, chemistry, bioinformatics, social sciences, AI, the physics of elementary particles and most other scientific fields. A simulation is a mathematical model that describes or creates computationally a system process. Simulations are our best cognitive representation of complex reality, that is, our deepest conception of what reality is. In this paper we defend that a simulation is equivalent epistemologically and ontologically with all other types (...) of cognitive models of elements of reality. Therefore, simulations cannot be considered secondary nor weak instruments to approach to the reality analysis. (shrink)

The paper analyses the sequentiality of Dante's narrative in Inferno VIII-XI, and its pictorial translation by Sandro Botticelli. It intends to show the major intermedial differences of expression and their theological consequences. As a result, it argues that Botticelli's 'undramatic' representation of the journey eliminates the tropological meaning of Dante's poem and passes over the complexity of the compensational system. The drawings rather stress the organisational model and the longue durée of man's representation of hell.

This interview with Jorge Ferrer explores a wide number of themes, ranging from his psychology studies at the University of Barcelona and the roots of his interest in transpersonal psychology to his arrival to San Francisco and first years at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) as a doctoral student. Topics discussed include his dissertation research, the publication of his first book 'Revisioning Transpersonal Theory' (SUNY Press, 2002), the participatory turn in transpersonal psychology, his first publications in the 'Journal (...) of Transpersonal Psychology' and debate with Ken Wilber, and the development of the participatory paradigm in more recent years. Finally, Ferrer highlights what he considers to be the main issues and debates within transpersonal psychology, as well as shares his main current interests and future projects. (shrink)

Sociology has long lived in a stigmatized and pre-paradigmatic state that is highly counterproductive for its status as a scientific discipline. Analytical Sociological Theory (AST) constitutes an attempt to change that situation by clarifying sociological concepts and practices, as well as optimizing and systematizing good explanatory work in social sciences. This essay presents some basic epistemic and methodological principles of AST and discusses their implications for traditional or «pre-analytical» ways of understanding social science. Its main aim is to serve as (...) an introduction to the articles on AST that are compiled in this issue of Papers. (shrink)

Over the course of the 19th century, a new field of publishing would appear: that of school textbooks. Although classes had seen textbooks before, it would be over the course of an entire century that they would gain a huge foothold in schools. This article studies the school textbooks of a generation, that of 1817, and focuses on one figure: that of the Catalan thinker Jaume Balmes. Coverage is given to the first textbooks on grammar, rhetoric and philosophy to be (...) used in classes at the Vic Seminary, books that not only allow us to understand the education of said philosopher and the methods of an educational institution, but which also show us the ideological resources of an entire epoch and culture. (shrink)

This paper puts side by side philosophy and artistic creation in Catalonia in the twentieth century. We have to grasp how art and philosophy are able to generate and share thought and expression: a vision and a unique understanding of reality. This is a key reflection to understanding our times and reflects on the meaning and value of art and philosophy, humanism and the human condition in a society doomed to noise, to urgencies, and to lack of dialogue.

Eugeni d'Ors i Rovira was the most influential thinker in Catalan culture in the twentieth centur y. He stood at the forefront of Noucentisme, which he captures in his philosophical novelof 1911 La ben plantada [The Elegant Woman], the main focus of this essay. The contribution of d'Ors falls within the context of European debates on humanism, its meaning and its value, particularly in the aftermath of the First World War. His work is an interpretation of the Mediterranean and Greek (...) roots of European civilization. (shrink)

Josep-Lluís Blasco was an inspired ideologist to the political parties embodying nationalist and leftist positions in the Valencian Country. In regard to Philosophy, Blasco awoke an interest in analytic philosophy and took part in one of the most successful projects the Faculty of Philosophy of Valencia ever endeavored: the international symposia on Logic and Philosophy of Science and the publication of the journal Teorema. His work counts as one of the most solid contributions our culture has yielded within the field (...) of Epistemology. (shrink)

In this article we will do a survey of the life and works of Josep Lluís Blasco, who was professor of the Theory of Knowledge at the University of Valencia. We will see his relationship with the Marxism and politics during the Transition, the impact of logical positivism and Wittgenstein's work versus metaphysics in completing his thesis, the impressions from Quine's work and the challenges of his naturalism, etc. All in all, we will present Josep Lluís Blasco's change of viewpoint (...) from analytical philosophy to a more Kantian transcendentalism. (shrink)

With the arrival of Francoism to the University of Valencia, the academic world was mired in a decadent atmosphere unbearable to anyone with intellectual aspirations. It all began with a Falangist who, without receiving any orders, decided to assail the University; immediately the old professors were cast out. What followed was a period in which, in the Philosophy Department, ideology was more important than teaching preparation, and the ambition for power and prestige was the driving force in the professional careers (...) of the new professors. (shrink)

I will introduce and explain in this article the basic features of the philosophy of my friend and colleague at the School of Philosophy at the Universidad Central de Venezuela Frederic Riu i Farré. Riu is a thinker of the difference between real experience and rational system, and conceived of philosophy as a kind of sentry of the "Encyclopedia of Unified Sciences". Hence the critical attention given to the basic ontological positions held by Husserl, Heidegger, Hartmann and Sartre. And hence (...) his return to the examination of the philosophies of Kant and Hegel, in light of the conditions of twentieth century thought.. (shrink)

This text presents some of the central features of the philosophical and juridical thought of Ramon Martí d'Eixalà while also offering keys for interpreting his role in the establishment of the Catalan School of Philosophy and the Catalan Legal School in the nineteenth century. It draws attention to some unjustified interpretive clichés regarding his work, for example the attempt to link his theses with romantic postulates.

It is common knowledge that modern political societies, and to even greater extent contemporary ones, are characterized by pluralism. The term is used to describe situations which contain within the same society individuals and groups associated by various religions, various cultures, and various ethical systems. This is the consequence of several historical phenomena of widespread influence, which began in modern epoch and has intensified in the contemporary era, such as secularization, emigration, the establishment of democratic regimes in an even-larger number (...) of states. The thesis defended here is that the function of what Aristotle called the endoxa today can be performed by human rights, that is by the statements contained in the great declarations of rights found in national constitutional documents and in charters of the great international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, etc. (shrink)

The article highlights the similarities between ancient Greek philosophy and Indian Upanisadic thinking as projects of self-transformation that resort basically to rational means. The strategyadopted combines two basic sets of tools. On the one hand, we resort to elements of contemporary internal critique of 'philosophy' in the West with an emphasis on revised aspects of ancient Greek tradition. On the other, we point to peculiar features of Indian Upanisadic thinking in order to help locating, identifying, and recognizing possible dormant/forgotten characteristics (...) of western philosophical projects. By doing so, we hope both traditions might emerge re-dignified in their role of leading men, through judicious rationality, to the knowledge of the ultimate Truth of beings. (shrink)

The work analyzes the Cartesian expression "cogito ergosum" from the points of view of the traditional and the modern logics. The expression is shown to be an enthymeme with the major premise omitted. Two ways of the major premise interpretation are made clear: 1) as a conventional assertion ; 2) as a proposition containing an equivalence. It is shown that the equivalence of "thinking and being" assumed by Descartes has once opened up the logical-anthropological opportunity to proclaim as "non-existing" what (...) does not think. The last assertion provides the basis of "Ratiofundamentalism". The work demonstrates that the Cartesian enthymeme analysis concerns directly our understanding of the ontological status of man and is inseparable from the questions of biomedical ethics. (shrink)

In this essay, I will scrutinize the differences between Galileo's and Huygens's demonstrations of free fall, which can be found respectively in the Discorsi and the Horologium, from a mathematical, representational and methodological perspective. I argue that more can be learnt from such an analysis than the thesis that Huygens re-styled Galilean mechanics which is a communis opinio. I shall argue that the differences in their approach on free fall highlight a significantly different mathematical and methodological outlook.

The purpose of this paper is to examine epistemological connections between the words used by psychologists, the way words influence what methodology we use, and how methods influence our beliefs about causality and construct phenomena regarded a psychological "facts." These processes are considered in terms of a personal and historical perspective gained from nearly forty years of studying the psychology of women and gender. This paper focuses the history of the distinction between "sex" and "gender" and the continued attention of (...) researchers to the question of whether sex/gender differences exist. It argues that the issue continues to be researched because of the relative absence of sociostructural variables such as status and power from most psychological discourse and the current empirical focus of many feminist psychologists in the United States. I also argue that lack of attention to epistemology and to the connection between politics and scholarship has led to a definition of the psychology of women and/or gender that no longer attends to feminist theory and to a decline in socially activist scholarship. Women and men cannot be studied in isolation from other social constructions such as race/ethnicity, social class, sexual diversity, and cultural difference. Such synthesis will be difficult without a return to concerns about epistemology and question generation that are rarely addressed in U. S. feminist psychology today. (shrink)