Algunas consideraciones sobre la integración regional en el África Subsahariana. La experiencia del África Austral.

Nuevos espacios de participación de los afrodescendientes en América y el Caribe.

Putnam and others have argued that semantic externalism extends to artifactual kind words such as “pencil” or “doorstop”. I first show that, even with natural kinds, externalism applies to words for ground level kinds. The issue then arises of which categories of artifacts should be identified as kinds in the relevant, restricted sense. I argue that, though there are natural taxonomies of artifactual categories at least some of which have well-defined ground levels, even words for such kinds do not appear (...) to have externalist semantics, as they do not support ignorance or error arguments. Some think that membership to any kind is determined by objective features. Against this, I argue that the makers’ productive intentions are often crucial in selecting which pattern of features counts as constitutive of a kind. Though externalists may insist that membership to a kind is ultimately determined by sharing objective features, the resulting version of externalism can hardly be distinguished from internalism. (shrink)

Different notions of analysis have been both theorized and put to use in early analytic philosophy. Two of them stand out: connective analysis and analysis as paraphrase. The latter played a central role in the development of analytic philosophy from Frege to Quine and beyond. With the advent of formal semantics of natural language in the 1970s, paraphrase came to be characterizable as translation into a formal “target language”. While I claim that the method cannot achieve its original philosophical aims, (...) I insist that, in spite of them, it is far from being a theoretically empty operation and that it lives on in some contemporary philosophical enterprises. (shrink)

There are two prevalent accounts of semantic normativity: the prescriptive account, which can be found in some of Wittgenstein’s remarks, and the regularity account, which may have been Sellars’s view and is nowadays defended by some antinormativists. On the former account, meanings are norms that govern the use of words; on the latter, they are regularities of use which, in themselves, do not engender any prescriptions. I argue that only the prescriptive view can account for certain platitudes about meaning, which (...) motivate the very idea of semantic normativity. After some preliminary clarifications about the form that alleged semantic norms should take in order to be prima facie plausible, I argue—against some antinormativists—that whatever normativity is involved in the meaning of words cannot be brought back to a general norm of truth as distinct from specifically semantic norms, for semantic norms already involve a norm of truth. Next, I examine what I take to be the strongest objection to semantic normativity, namely the identification of meaning with use: as use is just a bunch of facts, it cannot be attributed any normative import. Nowadays, this view has been defended by Paul Horwich. After criticizing Horwich’s claim that meaning, though not normative in itself, has unmediated normative implications, I propose a different view of the relation between use and meaning, on which meaning is not quite identical with use but is grounded on use. I propose as a model the idea of a hyperconformist social system: a system in which customs, and only customs, generate norms. I suggest that language is such a system, and describe two reasons why it is plausible for language to work like that. Finally, I analyze statements of meaning on the model of Ruth Millikan “pushmi-pullyu” representations, i.e. as having both descriptive and normative import. I point out that, however, there are exceptions to meaning’s being grounded on use, as there are cases in which semantic norms are dictated by authorities of several kinds. Lastly, I briefly discuss the suggestion that meaning supervenes on use, showing that, aside from its inherent difficulties, it does not explain why meaning would supervene on use. (shrink)

We argue that the minimal biological requirements for consciousness include a living body, not just neuronal processes in the skull. Our argument proceeds by reconsidering the brain-in-a-vat thought experiment. Careful examination of this thought experiment indicates that the null hypothesis is that any adequately functional “vat” would be a surrogate body, that is, that the so-called vat would be no vat at all, but rather an embodied agent in the world. Thus, what the thought experiment actually shows is that the (...) brain and body are so deeply entangled, structurally and dynamically, that they are explanatorily inseparable. Such entanglement implies that we cannot understand consciousness by considering only the activity of neurons apart from the body, and hence we have good explanatory grounds for supposing that the minimal realizing system for consciousness includes the body and not just the brain. In this way, we put the brain-in-a-vat thought experiment to a new use, one that supports the “enactive” view that consciousness is a life-regulation process of the whole organism interacting with its environment. (shrink)

Evidence from many different paradigms (e.g. change blindness, inattentional blindness, transsaccadic integration) indicate that observers are often very poor at reporting changes to their visual environment. Such evidence has been used to suggest that the spatio-temporal coherence needed to represent change can only occur in the presence of focused attention. In four experiments we use modified change blindness tasks to demonstrate (a) that sensitivity to change does occur in the absence of awareness, and (b) this sensitivity does not rely on (...) the redeploy- ment of attention. We discuss these results in relation to theories of scene percep- tion, and propose a reinterpretatio n of the role of attention in representing change. (shrink)

Metacognition refers to any knowledge or cognitive process that monitors or controls cognition. We highlight similarities between metacognitive and executive control functions, and ask how these processes might be implemented in the human brain. A review of brain imaging studies reveals a circuitry of attentional networks involved in these control processes, with its source located in midfrontal areas. These areas are active during conflict resolution, error correction, and emotional regulation. A developmental approach to the organization of the anatomy involved in (...) executive control provides an added perspective on how these mechanisms are influenced by maturation and learning, and how they relate to metacognitive activity. (shrink)

Geographical and geospatial ontologies are receiving a considerable attention in information technology, due to three different factors: the growing diffusion of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), their use in different applications and the impulse given by Semantic Web to this research area. The aim of these pages is to describe what a geo-information ontology is, in order to systematize the contemporary debate. In the first part, we delineate the domain of ontology of geography within the contemporary philosophical context. In the second (...) part, we define the meaning of ontology in the information technology domain. In the last two parts, finally, we analyze contemporary geo-information ontologies, suggesting a potential classification. (shrink)

This paper presents an experimental study investigating artificial grammar learning (AGL) in monolingual and bilingual children, with and without dyslexia, using an original methodology. We administered a serial reaction time (SRT) task, in the form of a modified Simon task, in which the sequence of the stimuli was manipulated according to the rules of a simple Lindenmayer grammar (more specifically, a Fibonacci grammar). By ensuring that the subjects focused on the correct response execution at the motor stage in presence of (...) congruent or incongruent visual stimuli, we could meet the two fundamental criteria for implicit learning: the absence of an intention to learn and the lack of awareness at the level of resulting knowledge. The participants of our studies were four groups of 10-year-old children: 30 Italian monolingual typically developing children, 30 bilingual typically developing children with Italian L2, 24 Italian monolingual dyslexic children and 24 bilingual dyslexic children with Italian L2. Participants were administered the modified Simon task developed according to the rules of the Fibonacci grammar and tested with respect to the implicit learning of three regularities: (i) a red is followed by a blue; (ii) a sequence of two blues is followed by a red and (iii) a blue can be followed either by a red or by a blue. Results clearly support the hypothesis that implicit learning took place, since participants of all groups became increasingly sensitive to the structure of the input, implicitly learning the sequence of the trials and thus appropriately predicting the occurrence of the relevant items, as manifested by faster reaction times in predictable trials. Moreover, group differences were found, with bilinguals being overall faster than monolinguals and dyslexics less accurate than controls. Finally, an advantage of bilingualism in dyslexia was found, with bilingual dyslexics performing consistently better than monolingual dyslexics and, in some conditions, at the level of the two control groups. These results are taken to suggest that bilingualism should be supported also among linguistically impaired individuals. (shrink)

The ability to image the human brain has provided a new perspective for neuropsychologists in their efforts to understand, diagnose, and treat insults to the human brain that might occur as the result of stroke, tumor, traumatic injury, degenerative disease, or errors in development. These new ®ndings are the major theme of this special issue. In our article, we consider brain networks that carry out the functions of attention. We outline several such networks that have been studied in normal and (...) pathological states. These include networks for orienting to sensory stimuli, for maintaining the alert state, and for orchestrating volitional control. (shrink)

Several recent findings support the notion that changes in the environment can be implicitly represented by the visual system. S. R. Mitroff, D. J. Simons, and S. L. Franconeri (2002) challenged this view and proposed alternative interpretations based on explicit strategies. Across 4 experiments, the current study finds no empirical support for such alternative proposals. Experiment 1 shows that subjects do not rely on unchanged items when locating an unaware change. Experiments 2 and 3 show that unaware changes affect performance (...) even when they occur at an unpredictable location. Experiment 4 shows that the unaware congruency effect does not depend simply on the pattern of the final display. The authors point to converging evidence from other methodologies and highlight several weaknesses in Mitroff et al.’s theoretical arguments. It is concluded here that implicit representation of change provides the most parsimonious explanation for both past and present findings. (shrink)

Managing the relationship with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) is a key capability for most companies, because dialogue with stakeholders is a requested feature of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This paper analyses the relationship between businesses and NGOs in Spain. By applying grounded theory, the authors summarize this relationship in the dynamics of conflict and cooperation. NGOs' strategies vis‐à‐vis companies are categorized and the variables explaining different approaches on both companies' and NGOs' side are examined. The paper concludes by placing the private (...) relationship with NGOs in a wider context (the public arena), dominated by the approach‐withdrawal dynamics between firms and NGOs. Finally, this paper presents the theory that results from this research. (shrink)

Se pretende reconstruir los argumentos de la exposición metafísica de la Crítica de la razón pura, según los cuales nuestras representaciones de espacio y tiempo deben ser consideradas como intuiciones y no como conceptos. Para cumplir con este objetivo, en primer lugar, se determina un criterio de la intuición (singularidad e inmediatez) y, en segundo lugar, se demuestra que las representaciones de espacio y de tiempo cumplen con ese criterio.

Se pretende reconstruir los argumentos de la exposición metafísica de la Crítica de la razón pura, según los cuales nuestras representaciones de espacio y tiempo deben ser consideradas como intuiciones y no como conceptos. Para cumplir con este objetivo, en primer lugar, se determina un criterio de la intuición y, en segundo lugar, se demuestra que las representaciones de espacio y de tiempo cumplen con ese criterio. The paper reconstructs the arguments of the metaphysical presentation of the Critique of Pure (...) Reason, according to which our representations of space and time should be considered as intuitions and not as concepts. To this effect, a criterion for intuition is established in the first place, and then it is demonstrated that the representations of space and time do in fact fulfill that criterion. (shrink)

Este ensayo no es una interpretación metafísica del universo, sino de una interpretación científica, en donde la física contemporánea aparece como un sistema evolutivo y el universo como un sistema en expansión. Se pretende simplemente �averiguar si la imagen del universo físico que se forma la ciencia actual reclama o conduce a admitir la existencia de una realidad propia en y por sí misma, distinta realmente del universo y sin la cuál éste no podría existir ni ser lo que es�(A. (...) González). (shrink)

There are many differences between the theories of Bentham and StuartMili specially in the ways in which both characterize the concept of pleasure.The concept, in turn, obviously has great influence on the utilitarian calculus. I am concemed in this paper with the issue of which of the two versions is most compatible with the liberal doctrine. In the procesa of establishing the compatibility of both versions with the liberal doctrine serious difficulties cannot be avoided, but this difficulties can be resolved (...) easily in Bentham's theory. This conclusion has been disputed from many quarters. Ronald Dworkin has raised objections to Bentham's theory from the point of view of liberalism while Jonathan Riley has attempted at building a liberal utilitarianism based-precisely- on Mill's theory. I set out to demostrate that Dworkin's objection may be overcome and I introduce, with purpose in mind, the concept of voluntarily accepted extemal reasons. 1 also believe that Riley's intent is doomed to fail, because it introduces elements of perfectionism and patemalism into the theory. (shrink)

En el presente artículo se señala la tensión entre las pretensiones normativas de los textos políticos de Thomas Hobbes, y la identificación del método resolutivo-compositivo de las ciencias como aquél aplicado en esos textos. Para resolver esta dificultad se apela a los textos epistemológicos del autor en los que leer el ejemplo del reloj desde una nueva perspectiva. Así, si el método hobbesiano responde a la necesidad de la innovación normativa, no sólo niega una intencionalidad apologética para una realidad histórica (...) de la que se prescinde por completo, sino también que es posible realizar una descripción de la relación entre individuo y Estado distinta a la estándar. Según estas conclusiones el hombre deja de ser una parte mecánica para convertirse en causa y, por tanto, en medida de la eficacia y funcionalidad de un Estado. El individualismo feroz del hombre arrojado en la naturaleza no es el modelo, sino la causa que ha de justificar un Leviathan capaz de convertir al homo homini lupus, en homo homini deus. (shrink)

People tend to overestimate emotional responses to future events. This study examined whether such affective forecasting errors occur for feelings of regret, as measured by self-report and subsequent decision-making. Some participants played a pricing game and lost by a narrow or wide margin, while others were asked to imagine losing by such margins. Participants who experienced a narrow loss reported more regret than those who imagined a narrow loss. Furthermore, those experiencing a narrow loss behaved more cautiously in a subsequent (...) gambling task. Thus, the study provides self-report and behavioral evidence for a reversal of the affective forecasting phenomenon for feelings of regret. (shrink)

resumo : Redescoberta a partir da década de 1990, a obra de Gilbert Simondon coloca a técnica em uma posição central na reflexão filosófica. Mais do que uma faculdade do humano, a técnica aparece em Simondon como uma afecção determinante para todo regime do coletivo e do psíquico, fundadora de configuração do modo de estar no mundo. Este artigo visa retraçar o caminho pelo qual Simondon encontra a técnica como um problema filosófico antigo e escamoteado, cuja recuperação se torna urgente (...) com a contemporânea imbricação entre a tecnologia e o devir do fenômeno humano. abstract : The work of Gilbert Simondon, recovered in the 1990s, places technicity in a central position for philosophical thought. More than a human faculty, technicity appears in Simondon as a determinant affection for the entire regime of collective and psychic existence. It finds thus a plethora of configurations of the modalities of being in the world. This essay seeks to retrace the ways in which Simondon discovers technicity as an ancient philosophical problem that has been veiled, the recovery of which becomes ever more urgent given the contemporary interpenetration between technology and the becoming of the human phenomenon. (shrink)

As lawmakers produce norms, the underlying normative system is affected showing the intrinsic dynamism of law. Through undertaken actions of legal change, the normative system is continuously modified. In a usual legislative practice, the time for an enacted legal provision to be in force may differ from that of its inclusion to the legal system, or from that in which it produces legal effects. Even more, some provisions can produce effects retroactively in time. In this article we study a simulation (...) of such process through the formalisation of a temporalised logical framework upon which a novel belief revision model tackles the dynamic nature of law. Represented through intervals, the temporalisation of sentences allows differentiating the temporal parameters of norms. In addition, a proposed revision operator allows assessing change to the legal system by including a new temporalised literal while preserving the time-based consistency. This can be achieved either by pushing out conflictive pieces of pre-existing norms or through the modification of intervals in which such norms can be either in force, or produce effects. Finally, the construction of the temporalised revision operator is axiomatically characterised and its rational behavior proved through a corresponding representation theorem. (shrink)

En el siguiente trabajo se explicará el Principio de Tolerancia en Carnap y su relación con valores derivados del pragmatismo en la elección de sistemas lógicos. La intención es la de hacer un sucinto repaso a la filosofía de Carnap que nos lleve a comprender las bases de tal principio, en el cual existen premisas pragmáticas que incluyen valores Ilustrados en el ejercicio de la ciencia. Tales valores nos ayudarían a elegir entre sistemas científicos (matemáticas newtonianas o einstenianas; geometrías euclidianas (...) o no euclidianas) que aunque igualmente lógicos, son seleccionados acorde con su función práctica. Esto, siguiendo la línea interpretativa de A. W. Carus, representa cierta novedad en la exposición clásica de Rudolf Carnap. (shrink)

En el siguiente artículo se expondrán algunos apartados específicos de la obra Los principios de la ciencia de Eduardo Nicol y cómo tal texto tuvo una repercusión destacable dentro del pensamiento latinoamericano de la década de los sesenta. El planteamiento aquí expuesto gira en torno a la influencia de Nicol que se desprende del momento en que nuestro autor viaja y publica extensivamente por diversos países en América Latina, ejemplos de ello serían sus cursos en la Universidad de La Habana (...) en 1955 o su visita a Colombia a principios de los 60. Momento en que sus publicaciones estimuladas por la editorial Fondo de Cultura Económica le llevaron a ser estudiado en diferentes facultades de manera interdisciplinaria. A partir de esto, sin la pretensión de abarcar las ramificaciones que puede llegar a tener el pensamiento de Nicol en América Latina, nos centraremos en un caso específico, la presencia de su obra en el libro ¿Extensión o comunicación? del pensador Paulo Freire. (shrink)