: Este artigo tem por objetivo sustentar a hipercognição, resultado da interação da cognição humanacom os artefatos interativos provenientes da Convergência Tecnológica NBIC,como perspectiva factível perante as teses pós-humanistas que esboçam uma transformação ontológica doser humano a partir da fusão com máquinas. A factibilidade da hipercognição está alicerçada na concepçãode cognição sustentada pelo externalismo ativo, em especial o de Andy Clark, para o qual o ambiente possuicaracterísticas relevantes o suficiente para desempenhar um papel protagonista no processo de cognição,uma vez que (...) os humanos já seriam, por natureza, peritos na tarefa de incorporar material não biológico emsuas rotinas físicas e cognitivas. A simbiose entre humanos e máquinasseria algo que decorreria naturalmente, sobretudo na acepção de que os processos cognitivos seriamdependentes de ajuda externas. No contexto da Convergência Tecnológica NBIC, essa simbiose é o quepossibilita a hipercognição. (shrink)

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a postura antirrepresentacionista da abordagem incorporada da cognição em sua tentativa de fazer frente às possíveis limitações da ciência cognitiva clássica. Tal abordagem, propagada a partir da década de 1980, teve suas raízes na perspectiva ecológica de Gibson, com a noção de affordances, podendo uma versão mais acentuada ser identificada no texto Radical embodied cognitive science, de Chemero, em que o autor procura apontar a desnecessidade das representações mentais para a compreensão da cognição, tendo (...) como apoio a noção de affordances, porém numa perspectiva distinta de Gibson. Ao apresentar a distinção conceitual de affordances entre os autores em questão, pretende-se, por fim, discutir a contribuição epistemológica da abordagem radical de cognição incorporada de Chemero para o futuro da ciência cognitiva. (shrink)

Este artigo é uma apresentação dos fundamentos da teoria modular desenvolvida por Jerry A. Fodor e uma reflexão sobre seus principais desafios. A noção de modularidade da mente de Fodor, por um lado, procura superar as insuficiências metodológicas e epistemológicas do associacionismo e do localizacionismo a respeito das explicações da estrutura e do funcionamento mental; por outro lado, é uma oposição à postura culturalista de Vygotsky, para o qual as funções superiores da mente, como a cognição, são produtos artificiais, culturais. (...) A psicologia cognitiva de Chomsky converteu esse produto "artificial" em "natural", postulando a existência de módulos inatos para desempenhar funções cognitivas específicos. Com base nessa ideia de Chomsky, Fodor procura explicar a mente como um conjunto de módulos. No entanto, sua principal contribuição para as ciências cognitivas é a apresentação da arquitetura mental em dois níveis e a afirmação da existência de módulos centrais responsáveis pelas atividades cognitivas superiores, como criatividade, reflexão ou imaginação. (shrink)

This article investigates the metaphor of the “black box” in artificial intelligence, a representation that often suggests that AI is an unfathomable power, politically uncontrollable and shrouded in an aura of opacity. While the concept of the “black box” is legitimate and applicable in deep neural networks due to the in- herent complexity of the process, it has also become a generic pretext for the perception, which we seek to critically analyze, that AI systems are inscrutable and out of control, (...) as well as supposedly endowed with intel- ligence and creativity. To challenge these ideas, we will address what we call the supremacy of patterns and the two significant phenomena that result from it: enchanted determinism and the dictatorship of the past. (shrink)

A partir da hipótese de que a inteligência artificial como tal não representaria o fim da supremacia humana, uma vez que, na essência, a IA somente simularia e aumentaria aspectos da inteligência humana em artefatos não biológicos, o presente artigo questiona sobre o risco real a ser enfrentado. Para além do embate entre tecnofóbicos e tecnofílicos, o que se defende, então, é que as possíveis falhas de funcionamento de uma inteligência artificial – decorrentes de sobrecarga de informação, de uma programação (...) equivocada ou de uma aleatoriedade do sistema – poderiam sinalizar os verdadeiros riscos existenciais, sobretudo quando se considera que o cérebro biológico, na esteira do viés da automação, tende a assumir de maneira acrítica aquilo que é posto por sistemas ancorados em inteligência artificial. Além disso, o argumento aqui defendido é que falhas não detectáveis pela provável limitação de controle humano quanto ao aumento de complexidade do funcionamento de sistemas de IA representam o principal risco existencial real. Palavras-chave: Inteligência artificial, risco existencial, superinteligências, controle humano. (shrink)

O programa de pesquisa em Inteligência Artificial, desde sua origem, tem a inteligência humana como modelo, e sua reprodução como escopo. Com o objetivo de sustentar a necessidade de um novo modelo de investigação sobre inteligência, a presente pesquisa destaca inicialmente o caráter imitativo da IA clássica mediante as críticas de Searle e Dreyfus ao projeto da IA. Procuramos sustentar que uma abordagem mais ampla de inteligência, como a sugerida por Bickhard, que tem comoreferência os sistemas físicos autossustentáveis recursivamente, partindo (...) da investigação do funcionamento de inteligências primitivas, é a perspectiva mais produtiva para a IA. Para isso, apresentamos o advento dos “xenobots”, os organismos vivos programados, como um marco nesta perspectiva de pesquisa em IA que se desprende do modelo imitativo de inteligência, sem desconsiderar a dimensão interacionista dos organismos vivos, para promover uma “inteligência biológica artificializada”. (shrink)

The first set of topics is dedicated to the theoretical framework I employ in my target article. I will explain (a) why sense-making is participatory from the beginning and (b) how a personal communication with a place is possible. The second set of topics tackles my proposal’s ethical and political significance. I will consider (c) the objection on how it is possible to love the unlovable and (d) the question of what should change for us to love nature.

According to the essential arguments of post-modernism (relativism and subjectivism in particular), which was popular in last decades, there is no point in dealing with moral philosophy. Post-modernists admit, however, that moral is worth discussing yet with a different approach then before. This new approach is totally opposed to the morality of the bygone decades and lacks a wide spectrum of values such as the objective truth, norms or principles and other generally accepted values. The new morality is supposed to (...) compete effectively with the past morals because it is better. In order to prove that post-modernists characterize morality of the past as a set of norms and legal principles which rule the social life. This kind of ethics was bound to heteronymous obligation which determined human life and thus ruined human freedom and autonomy. Every deed which was at variance with the standards was regarded as an offence. In such circumstances people avoid making decisions and rejected responsibility. They felt comforted to obey regulations imposed by authorities. Post-modernists are unable to prove the superiority of their new approach since they have no rational or theoretical arguments. In this approach there is no unchanging human nature or fixed norms or values. Ethics is basically a question of sensitivity and imagination; it is depended on the instinct and impulse – therefore on something subjective, elusive and fastidious. There is no absolute certainty that human decisions and deeds are reasonable and good. If we pursue ethics in this particular way it will become senseless and will result in subjectivism, irrationalism, nihilism, relativism, etc. On the grounds of such ethics it would be possible to both praise and condemn the same deed. (shrink)

Artykuł jest odpowiedzią na polemikę Stanisława Ruczaja z argumentem z Wcielenia, który został zaprezentowany w książce Ukrytość i Wcielenie. Teistyczna odpowiedź na argument Johna L. Schellenberga za nieistnieniem Boga. Ruczaj zarzuca tzw. obronie inkarnacyjnej, że nie rozważa ona możliwości, zgodnie z którą Bóg jest zarazem wcielony, jak i nieukryty. W niniejszym artykule koncentruję się na uzasadnieniu, dlaczego uważam, że jest możliwe, iż owa opcja jest dla Boga wykluczona. Według mnie istnieją racje przemawiające za tym, że jest ona (a) logicznie sprzeczna, (...) (b) niespójna z doskonałym moralnie charakterem Boga, (c) nie skutkowałaby wyeliminowaniem niewiary bez oporu we Wcielenie. (shrink)

Artykuł jest odpowiedzią na polemikę Stanisława Ruczaja z argumentem z Wcielenia, który został zaprezentowany w książce Ukrytość i Wcielenie. Teistyczna odpowiedź na argument Johna L. Schellenberga za nieistnieniem Boga. Ruczaj zarzuca tzw. obronie inkarnacyjnej, że nie rozważa ona możliwości, zgodnie z którą Bóg jest zarazem wcielony, jak i nieukryty. W niniejszym artykule koncentruję się na uzasadnieniu, dlaczego uważam, że jest możliwe, iż owa opcja jest dla Boga wykluczona. Według mnie istnieją racje przemawiające za tym, że jest ona (a) logicznie sprzeczna, (...) (b) niespójna z doskonałym moralnie charakterem Boga, (c) nie skutkowałaby wyeliminowaniem niewiary bez oporu we Wcielenie. (shrink)

The idea of “inner form” originates from Plotin, the founder of the so-called Neo-Platonism, and had a decisive influence on aesthetic theory from Renaissance to the 18th century. Lessing‘s assumption of “Raphael without hands” in Emilia Galotti embodies the ideal of Neoplatonist artist, who creates with his purely mental conception, untainted by the material world. Admittedly, the image of a painter who doesn‘t paint reflects the specific problematic nature of Neoplatonist conception of art. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the (...) Neoplatonist thesis that inner form precedes form on body challenged in many ways. For example, Konrad Fiedler advances the thesis that inner conception is finalised only when it is realised in some concrete matter. Nevertheless, 20th century “industrial design”, which puts conceptualisation before production, may still be described as a descendant of Neoplatonism, albeit an undesired one. Furthermore, by neglecting creation with hands as well as the material and thereby representing industrial mass products as works of art, Duchamp‘s ready made ironically testifies to the survival of Neoplatonist conception of art in the 20th century.Der Begriff der „inneren Form“ stammt vom Begründer des sogenannten Neuplatonismus, Plotin, und hatte entscheidenden Einfluss auf die ästhetische Theorie von der Renaissance bis zum 18. Jahrhundert. Lessings Annahme eines „Raphael ohne Hände“ in Emilia Galotti verkörpert das Ideal des neuplatonischen Künstlers, der mittels seiner rein geistigen Konzeption schafft, ohne durch die materielle Welt beeinträchtigt zu werden. Allerdings macht die Vorstellung eines Malers, der nicht malt, die spezifische Problematik der neuplatonischen Kunstauffassung offenbar. Im 19. und 20. Jh. wurde die neuplatonische These, dass die innere Form der Form am Körper vorausgehe, auf verschiedene Weise in frage gestellt. So vertritt z. B. Konrad Fiedler die These, dass die innere Konzeption erst dann vollendet wird, wenn sie sich in einer konkreten Materie realisiert. Jedoch lässt sich die „industrielle Formgestaltung“ im 20. Jh., die dem Konzipieren gegenüber dem Produzieren Priorität verleiht, als ein, wenn auch unerwünschter, Nachkömmling des Neuplatonismus bezeichnen. Ferner zeugt Duchamps ready made auf ironische Weise vom Überleben der neuplatonischen Kunstauffassung bis ins 20. Jahrhundert, sofern dieses sowohl das Schaffen mit den Händen als auch das Material vernachlässigt und darüber hinaus industrielle Massenprodukte als Kunstwerke zur Schau stellt.Pojam “unutrašnje forme” potječe od utemeljitelja tzv. neoplatonizma, Plotina, i imao je odlučujući utjecaj na estetičku teoriju od renesanse do 18. stoljeća. Lessingova pretpostavka “Rafaela bez ruku” u Emilia Galotti utjelovljuje ideal neoplatoničkog umjetnika, koji stvara putem čiste duhovne koncepcije, neoskvrnjen od materijalnog svijeta. Doduše, predstava slikara koji ne slika očituje specifičnu problematiku neoplatoničkog shvaćanja umjetnosti. U 19. i 20 stoljeću na različite se načine postavlja u pitanje neoplatonička teza da unutrašnja forma prethodi formi na tijelu . Tako npr. Konrad Fiedler zastupa tezu da se unutrašnja koncepcija upotpunjuje tek kad se realizira u konkretnoj materiji. Ipak, “industrijsko oblikovanje forme” u 20. st., koje poklanja prioritet koncipiranju nasuprot proizvodnji, može se opisati kao, ako i neželjeni, potomak neoplatonizma. Nadalje, Duchampovo ready made na ironičan način svjedoči o preživljavanju neoplatoničkog shvaćanja umjetnosti u 20. st., utoliko što zanemaruje stvaranje rukama jednako kao i materijal, te povrh toga postavlja industrijske masovne produkte kao umjetnička djela. (shrink)

Kategoria prawdy budzi kontrowersje od czasów filozofii starożytnej aż do współczesnej. W związku z dyskusjami na temat korespondencyjnej, klasycznej teorii prawdy powstały teorie nieklasyczne, łączące pojęcie prawdy z oczywistością, skutecznym działaniem, koherencją, powszechną zgodą itp. Ostra polemika próbuje w ogóle wyeliminować kategorię prawdy. Powstaje pytanie: czy taka radykalna krytyka jest słuszna i uzasadniona? Wydaje się, że jest ona przesadna. Celem artykułu jest argumentacja za tezą, że prawda — jako wartość i norma („wzorzec”, element systemu odniesienia itp.) — jest niezbywalna przy (...) epistemicznej ocenie twierdzeń, które mają swoje konsekwencje teoretyczne i praktyczne. Strukturę artykułu wyznaczają następujące punkty: (1) krytyka kategorii prawdy, (2) prawda jako wartość i (3) prawda jako norma w systemie odniesienia. W punkcie wyjścia przyjmuję syntetyczną charakterystykę prawdy sformułowaną przez Michaela P. Lyncha w jego monografii pt. Prawda i życie. Dlaczego prawda jest ważna (2020): (a) Prawda jest obiektywna. (b) Prawda jest wartością, jest dobra. (c) Prawda jest wartościowym celem dociekań. (d) Prawda jest wartościowa ze względu na nią samą. Prawda faktycznie jest wartościowa, umożliwia bowiem stwierdzenie, że ktoś myli się, kłamie, popełnia krzywoprzysięstwo, manipuluje kimś w życiu osobistym czy społecznym. Oprócz tego, bez kategorii prawdy nie można nawet stwierdzić — jak to usiłuje czynić sceptycyzm — że prawdą jest, iż prawda nie jest czymś wartościowym, godnym uwagi itp. Kategoria prawdy — pełniąca funkcję poznawczego celu i normy — pomimo różnych kontrowersji jest wciąż niezbywalna przy ocenie wartości logicznej zdań (i wyrażanych przez nie twierdzeń). Kategoria prawdy jest semantyczna, lecz jej rozpoznawanie — uznawanie zdania przez kogoś za prawdziwe (czyli asercja) — jest kategorią pragmatyczną. Stwierdzana post factum skuteczność działania, podjętego na podstawie jakiegoś zdania, jest mocną racją za tym, aby dane zdanie uznać za prawdziwe. Respekt dla prawdy jest lepszy niż jego brak. (shrink)

Der Verfasser befasst sich zuerst mit den theoretischen und gesellschaftlich - geschichtlichen Voraussetzungen der Konzeption der Vernunft Kants. Kants Auseinandersetzung mit dem Problem der Metaphysik, wie auch die Aufgaben einer philosophischen Begr?ndung der Wissenschaft und einer Grundlegend der Ethik, haben die Einf?hrung eines Unterschieds zwischen Verstand und Vernunft, Kategorien und Ideen, bzw. der theoretischen und der praktischen Sph?re bedingt. Nach einer Betrachtung der Konstitution Rolle des Verstandes und des Regulativen Gebrauchs der Ideen in der theoretischen Sph?re untersuchte der Autor Kants (...) Auffassung?ber die Konsumtion Rolle der Vernunft in der praktischen Sph?re. Sich auf seine Lehre vom Primat der praktischen?ber die theoretischen Vernunft, bzw. vom Primat der Moralit?t?ber die Wissenschaft st?tzend, stellt der Verfasser fest, dass f?r eine Zivilisieren der Verstand gen?gt, aber f?r eine Moralisieren die Vernunft unentbehrlich ist. Bei seiner Betrachtung von Kants Versuch der?berbr?ckung des Abgrunds zwischen Natur und Freiheit durch die Einf?hrung der reflektierenden Urteilskraft, verweist der Autor auf eine?hnlichkeit zwischen der Vernunft und der reflektierenden Urteilskraft bez?glich ihrer Regulativen Rolle in der theoretischen Erkenntnis. Die Untersuchung des Verh?ltnisses zwischen Natur und Vernunft in der Philosophie von Kant, wie auch die Konfrontation der Konzeptionen der Vernunft von Kant und Hegel bietet die Voraussetzungen f?r das Verstehen eines ambivalenten Verh?ltnisses des K?nigsberg Denkers zur Revolution. Nach einer?berpr?fung des Urteils von Lukacs?ber Kant als einem typischen Vertreter des b?rgerlichen Denkens, er?rtert der Verfasser am Ende der Studie, ob uns Kants Philosophie helfen kann, die Krise zu?berwinden, in der sich die Menschheit heute befindet.. Autor najpre ispituje teorijske i drustveno-istorijske pretpostavke Kantove koncepcije uma. Kantovo suocavanje s problemom statusa metafizike, kao i zadaci filozofskog utemeljenja nauke i zasnivanja etike uslovili su uspostavljanje razlike izmedju razuma i uma, kategorija i ideja, odnosno teorijske i prakticke sfere. Nakon razmatranja konstitutivne uloge razuma i regulativne upotrebe ideja u teorijskoj sferi, autor ispituje Kantovo shvatanje konstitutivne uloge uma u praktickoj sferi. Oslanjajuci se na njegovo ucenje o primatu praktickog nad teorijskim umom, morala nad naukom autor zakljucuje da je za civilizovanost dovoljan razum, dok je za moralizovanost neophodan um. Posto je razmotrio Kantov pokusaj da uvodjenjem refleksivne moci sudjenja premosti ponor izmedju nuznosti i slobode, autor ukazuje na slicnost uma i refleksivne moci sudjenja u pogledu njihove regulativne uloge u teorijskom saznanju. Ispitivanje odnosa prirode i uma u Kantovoj filozofiji, kao i suceljavanje Kantove i Hegelove koncepcije uma nude pretpostavke za razumevanje ambivalentnog stava kenigsberskog mislioca prema revoluciji. Nakon preispitivanja Lukaceve ocene o Kantu kao tipicnom predstavniku gradjanskog misljenja, autor ne kraju rada raspravlja da li nam Kantova filozofija moze pomoci da prebrodimo krizu u kojoj se danas covecanstvo nalazi. (shrink)

U ovom radu pokušavam razviti ono što nazivam 'analitičkom, farabijanskom' koncepcijom orijentalizma. Motivacija za ovu koncepciju je to što nam pomaže sa zadatkom––koji je identificirao Wael B. Hallaq––da idemo dalje od 'rudimentarnih političkih slogana' vezanih za teoriju orijentalizma i umjesto toga da identificiramo orijentalističku 'psihoepistemičku patologiju' ( Hallaq 2018, 4). Da bismo to učinili ispravno, prema Hallaqu, moramo pronaći metodološku alternativu onoj koja orijentalistički diskurs čini mogućim. Hallaq identificira temeljni problem kao predanost sekularnom humanizmu, a rješenje njegovo napuštanje. Međutim, mislim (...) da je problem dublji, koji se grubo može izraziti na sljedeći način: kako možemo prihvatiti sveprisutnost ideološkog utjecaja bez napuštanja ideje da naše teorije ciljaju (i do neke mjere uspijevaju) predstavljati objektivnu stvarnost––tako da možemo reći da je orijentalizam stvaran fenomen, a ne samo nešto za što slučajno vjerujemo da je fenomen. Koncipiranje orijentalizma unutar farabijanske epistemologije i korištenje analitičkih alata za njegovo razumijevanje (za koje tvrdim da predstavlja jedinstvenu i osebujnu vrstu falibilizma) napreduje tamo gdje druge koncepcije ne uspijevaju. (shrink)

En tant que communaut? ethnique et groupe social d?favoris?, les Roms se heurtent quotidiennement aux probl?mes relatifs r l?obtention de papiers d?identit? ou autres documents, difficult? qui les prive de leur?galit? devant l?ensemble des citoyens, et les rend m?me inexistants. L?objet de cet te recherche porte sur les d?marches et probl?mes rencontr?s par les demandeurs en vue d?obtenir les documents suivants: a) num?ro d?immatriculation; b) extrait d?acte de naissance, dedans, de mariage; c) certificat de nationalit?; d) d?claration de s?jour et (...) de lieu de r?sidence; e) carte d?identit? et carte de travail, alors que les groupes vis?s par la recherche sont: employ?s et responsables d?offices d??tat civil; demandeurs, interm?diaires avec autorisations, militants roms et leurs associations, commissaires pour les r?fugi?s et personnes d?plac?es, fonctionnaires de certaines communes et secr?taires des communes, repr?sentants de MUP. Nous avons analys? le travail et les difficult?s de travail de certains organismes, ainsi que les probl?mes rencontr?s par les demandeurs et les interm?diaires avec autorisations en vue de se voir d? livrer des documents personnels ou lors des proc?dures d?obtention de documents personnels. En dernier lieu, nos recommandations concernent l?organisation et la coordination des organismes d??tat civil, une meilleure information s?adressant aux demandeurs, et contiennent le concept d?une am?lioration syst?matique de cet?tat de choses visant r ce que les roms de viennent des citoyens?gaux.. Kao deprivirana etnicka zajednica i socijalna grupa Romi se suocavaju u svakodnevnom zivotu sa problemima pribavljanja osnovnih licnih dokumenata, bez kojih su ne samo neravnopravni, nego cesto i neegzistentni gradjani. Predmet istrazivanja su bili postupci i problemi u sticanju sledecih dokumenata: a) jedinstveni maticni broj gradjana; b) izvodi iz maticnih knjiga rodjenih, umrlih, vencanih; c) uverenja o drzavljanstvu; d) prijava boravka i prebivalista e) licne karte i rad ne knjizice, a osnovne ciljne grupe istrazivanja bili su: sluzbenici i rukovodioci izmestenih maticnih ureda; neposredni podnosioci zahteva za izdavanje dokumenata; posrednici sa ovlastenjima ; romski aktivisti i udruzenja, javni zastupnici, poverenici za izbegli ce i raseljena lica; nacelnici pojedinih opstinskih sluzbi i sekretari opstina, predstavnici MUP-a. Analiziran je rad i poteskoce u radu maticnih i drugih sluzbi, problemi neposrednih podnosilaca zahteva za izdavanje nekog od licnih dokumenata i, posrednici sa ovlascenjima. Na kraju je u preporukama o organizaciji i koordinaciji rada maticnih sluzbi, preporukama za bolje informisanje Roma, podnosilaca zahteva i preporukama u korist podnosilaca zahteva sadrzan koncept sistematskog poboljsanja stanja, cime bi se Romima omogucilo da budu istinski ravnopravni gradjani Srbije. (shrink)

In the face of environmental crises such as climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss—which all adversely impact on health—Gils-Schmidt and Salloch explore whether physicians can be justified in taking climate issues into account in clinical care.1 While their approach centres on the ‘climate-sensitive’ decisions, physicians can carry out on the micro-level of clinical decision-making, they encourage further discussions on how climate-related issues can be included across different levels of decision-making in healthcare. We propose a list of tasks and a model (...) to assist with navigating the range of factors and structural elements an environmentally sensitive ethics must address. Stephen Gardiner’s notion of a perfect moral storm is central to understanding these issues.2 Gardiner describes how a perfect moral storm occurs in the centre of three overlapping conditions for human action and policymaking in the face of climate change. This storm is driven by: (1) a lack of interest among current generations to meet global needs and accommodate the well-being of future generations, (2) a lack of ecological concerns for other parts of nature than humans and (3) weak ethical and political theories and institutions shaping policy decisions on issues with severe implications across borders and generations. Moreover, these conditions are embedded in the existing, complex world of ethically unjustified power imbalances and social injustice. The growing awareness of healthcare’s climate footprint has amplified and accelerated global, grassroots action to make healthcare more environmentally friendly. This includes incorporating environmental impacts into quality improvement methodologies, building communities of practice to explore how to make …. (shrink)

This study explores the impact of both individual ethics (IE) and organizational ethics (OE) on ethical intention (EI). Ethical intention, or the individual's intention to engage in ethical behavior, is useful as a dependent variable because it relates to behavior which can be an expression of values, but also is influenced by organizational and societal variables. The focus is on EI in international business decision-making, since the international context provides great latitude in making ethical decisions. Results demonstrate that both IE (...) and OE influence EL Ethical congruence is also discussed as a positive influence. Younger managers are more influenced by OE than older managers. The findings call for creating governance mechanisms to enhance ethical congruence, thereby increasing the likelihood of managers making ethical choices in organizational decision-making. (shrink)

Daniel Dennett is arguably one of the most influential yet radical philosophers in America today. In this volume, Dennett is confronted by colleagues and critics, from philosophy, biology and psychology. His reply constitutes an extensive essay which clarifies, and develops further, central themes in his philosophy. The debate ranges over Dennett's whole corpus, but special attention is given to his major work on consciousness, Consciousness Explained. The volume includes a critical assessement of Dennett's views on behaviouralism and the subjectivity of (...) consciousness, the nature of perception and mental representation, intentional laws and computational psychology, the rationality of thought, culture as a virus, the architecture of mind, and the role of artifacts in thinking. Also included is an introduction to Dennett's philosophy and a full bibliography of his publications. (shrink)

The main result of this paper is Theorem 3.1 which is a criterion for weak o-minimality of a linearly ordered structure in terms of realizations of 1-types. Here we also prove some other properties of weakly o-minimal structures. In particular, we characterize all weakly o-minimal linear orderings in the signature $\{ . Moreover, we present a criterion for density of isolated types of a weakly o-minimal theory. Lastly, at the end of the paper we present some remarks on the Exchange (...) Principle for algebraic closure in a weakly o-minimal structure. (shrink)

In _Speech and Phenomena,_ Jacques Derrida situates the philosophy of language in relation to logic and rhetoric, which have often been seen as irreconcilable criteria for the use and interpretations of signs. His critique of Husserl attacks the position that language is founded on logic rather than on rhetoric; instead, he claims, meaningful language is limited to expression because expression alone conveys sense. Derrida's larger project is to confront phenomenology with the tradition it has so often renounced--the tradition of Western (...) metaphysics. (shrink)

There is currently a debate over whether cognitive architecture is classical or connectionist in nature. One finds the following three comparisons between classical architecture and connectionist architecture made in the pro-connectionist literature in this debate: (1) connectionist architecture is neurally plausible and classical architecture is not; (2) connectionist architecture is far better suited to model pattern recognition capacities than is classical architecture; and (3) connectionist architecture is far better suited to model the acquisition of pattern recognition capacities by learning than (...) is classical architecture. If true, (1)-(3) would yield a compelling case against the view that cognitive architecture is classical, and would offer some reason to think that cognitive architecture may be connectionist. We first present the case for (1)-(3) in the very words of connectionist enthusiasts. We then argue that the currently available evidence fails to support any of (1)-(3). (shrink)