The ability to use and make technical artifacts has been considered exclusive to human beings. However, recent findings in ethology in light of observations made in nature and in laboratory show the opposite. In the area of philosophy of technology there are few exceptions that take into account the ability of some non-human animals to manufacture and use tools. In this paper I want to show some reasons to reconsider other possibilities. It seems that capacities such as intentionality, culture or (...) even the complexity of the structures of manufactured object are not exclusive to human beings. I will suggest a different way of analyzing objects created by non-human animals, one that tries to explain the gradualness of the structure, but also the plasticity of the behavior exhibited by non-human animals. These two elements allow a deeper understanding of the great variety of objects that other animals also manufacture and use. (shrink)

The ability to use and make technical artifacts has been considered exclusive to human beings. However, recent findings in ethology in light of observations made in nature and in laboratory show the opposite. In the area of philosophy of technology there are few exceptions that take into account the ability of some non-human animals to manufacture and use tools. In this paper I want to show some reasons to reconsider other possibilities. It seems that capacities such as intentionality, culture or (...) even the complexity of the structures of manufactured object are not exclusive to human beings. I will suggest a different way of analyzing objects created by non-human animals, one that tries to explain the gradualness of the structure, but also the plasticity of the behavior exhibited by non-human animals. These two elements allow a deeper understanding of the great variety of objects that other animals also manufacture and use. (shrink)

In this paper we present a functional analysis of biotechnology and identify the particular status that genetic engineering has relative to other biotechnological techniques such as domestication. The analysis builds on work by Dan Sperber and characterises biotechnology in primarily technical and biological functional terms as symbiotic interactions in which humans modify other organisms. We identify three main routes by which these interactions are established in biotechnology. We argue that two of these routes have in-built mechanisms for preventing an uncontrolled (...) dissemination of the modified organisms, and that one has an in-built mechanism for promoting such dissemination. The three routes are available to traditional forms of biotechnology as to state-of-the-art genetic engineering. Drawing now on work by Alfred Nordmann on the uncanniness of modern technologies, we show that genetic engineering is set apart by the epistemic consequences of the microscopic size of its progeny: genetically modified organisms, when disseminating, do so beyond our perceptual and conceptual control. Existing strategies against unwanted dissemination of organisms modified in traditional biotechnology are therefore typically not adequate against possible unwanted dissemination of genetically modified organisms, giving this dissemination a status similar to that of untraceable natural disasters. (shrink)

In this paper, the different theories about science and technology relationships are analyzed. All of them have some virtues, but also one main defect: these theories do not take into account other well-founded possible relationships. The origin of this problem is the narrow view about science and technology. In this paper another characterization about technology based on Ronald Giere’s perspective is suggested. In the light of this new description, six different relationships between science and technology arise. Some of these relations (...) had been explained in the before analyzed theories, but others emerge from the new portrayal. (shrink)

This paper suggests revising the notion of in consideration of the naturalist position. I analyze whether the characterizations of technical artifacts proposed by the philosophy of technology can be extended to include the technical creations of other organisms. This will be done using the theories of “niche construction” and “organisms as ecosystem engineers.” Those theories would allow us to understand human technical creations within what human beings do naturally and in gradual continuity with what other species do.

Human technological capabilities have been analyzed as a distinctive feature of the species. However, recent discoveries in the field of ethology show that other species besides humans are also able to use and make tools. Ihde and Malafouris (2019) have suggested analyzing nonhuman animals’ technical capabilities using an enactivist framework, as they do for humans. This paper explores a pragmatist approach, combining gradual evolutionary continuity with enactivism. I will characterize nonhuman animals’ technical capacities using John Dewey’s notions of experience, problematic (...) situation, accommodation, adaptation, and inquiry. The technical capabilities of nonhuman animals are better explained in a non-dichotomic fashion, avoiding anthropocentric explanations. (shrink)

The Post-genomic Era includes features both from a methodological and epistemic point of view and from an ontological perspective. Firstly, it incorporates new methods of high-throughput sequencing of DNA and RNA, and the development of complete genomes that allow a precise reference of the molecular results obtained. In addition, from an ontological perspective, the centre of gravity of the molecular processes is placed on the expression of genes, and the way in which such expression is regulated; these features turn the (...) attention towards the study of Gene Regulatory Networks, and in particular to the role of RNA. This new molecular-biological perspective based on new methodologies and approaches is affecting the existing Molecular Genetics Theory including the definition of gen and Central Dogma of Molecular Biology. An important philosophical challenges posed by this new situation is the question whether there is a sophistication of the present theory or a New Theory of Molecular Genetics and whether there is an incommensurability between this theory and the accepted theory. In this work we evaluate these changes in the light of Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolution in order to propose an alternative between a moderate and a strong view. According to the moderate one, the Post-genomic changes do not properly involve a paradigm shift or, if they do, they constitute a minor revolution. The strong view considers that, the anomalies disclosed in the Molecular Genetics Theory at conceptual and methodological level and the Post-genomic changes they lead to suppose a scientific paradigm shift. (shrink)

Al situar como problemática nodal la relación entre mito y soberanía, este es- crito pretende: a) cuestionar el modo en que dichas nociones se vinculan para constituir una idea de democracia ávida de un principio teleológico y b) reflexionar sobre la manera en que tal idea ciega la constitución misma de la política yacente en la στάσις. Así pues, al usar una forma controlada del ana- cronismo, traemos al presente dos problemas del pasado: 1) el agotamiento del mito insinuado por (...) Gorgias y la retórica en el siglo v a. C.; 2) el problema de la obcecación de la στάσις estudiado por Nicole Loraux, Michel Foucault y Dimitris Vardoulakis, con el fin de posicionarse frente a los procesos contemporá- neos, en los cuales la inhospitalidad, la xenofobia y las sombras de los crímenes de odio se alimentan bajo el halo de una democracia atrapada por algún tipo de mito soberano. (shrink)

Chris Stewart’s account of his experiences after purchasing a farm in Andalusia, in an isolated farmhouse in the mountains adjacent to Granada, are far from the traditionally bucolic depictions of a pastoral landscape, in which the drawbacks of agricultural life become unquestionably compensated by the bliss of life in nature. Even though, as the title indicates, he seems to be a born romantic and optimist, undefeated by the inconveniences of a life without the everyday commodities of a First-World country in (...) the twenty-first century, his memoir narrative is soon balanced by his own testimony, which provides a realistic counterbalance to Stewart’s initial idealistic portrayal of life in rustic Alpujarras. Nonetheless, as this article intends to demonstrate, it is precisely this necessary demystification of the rural setting prevailing in certain areas in Andalusia that becomes crucial for the establishment of an essential complicity with the audience, thereby trained to appreciate—and even become enthralled by—the reality of the rural surroundings which the contemporary reader can no longer envision as merely a place of “vales and hills” softly covered by “a host of golden daffodils”. El relato que lleva a cabo Chris Stewart acerca de sus experiencias tras adquirir una finca en Andalucía, en un lugar apartado de la sierra lindante con Granada, se aleja de las descripciones bucólicas de paisajes pastorales en los que las desventajas de la vida agrícola quedaban incuestionablemente compensadas por el gozo de la vida en mitad de la naturaleza. Incluso pese a que, tal y como el título de su novela indica, Chris Stewart parece ser un romántico y un optimista de nacimiento, que no se deja vencer por los inconvenientes de una vida sin las comodidades cotidianas de un país del primer mundo en el siglo xxi, su memoria-narrativa se ve inmediatamente equilibrada por su propio testimonio, que proporciona un contrapunto realista al idealizado retrato inicial de la vida en las rústicas Alpujarras. No obstante, como el presente artículo pretende demostrar, es precisamente esta necesaria desmitificación del entorno rural de ciertas zonas de Andalucía lo que resulta crucial para poder establecer una esencial complicidad con el lector, que llega, de este modo, a valorar, e incluso, a sentirse fascinado, por la realidad del contexto agrario, el cual deja ya de percibir meramente como un lugar de «valles y colinas» delicadamente cubierto por «una cohorte de dorados narcisos». (shrink)

The following article has as aim identify how the analysis is carried out in Sartre’s work on the phenomenon of the language. Particularly, we will place in the problem of the intersubjective relationships and his relation with the language. We will do this interpreting the postulates on this subject matter, specifically from The nausea, The being and nothing and the Critique of the dialectical Reason. This will allow us to place the thought of our author in the context of the (...) contemporary philosophy. (shrink)

El pasado 4 de marzo el Ayuntamiento de Madrid reunió a 1000 personas, organizadas en 100 mesas de 10 personas cada una, para discutir sobre propuestas donde destinar los 100 millones de euros de los presupuestos participativos. Estas 1000 personas, además, fueron seleccionadas al azar para componer una muestra representativa de la ciudad. ¿A qué paradigma democrático responde esta experiencia? ¿Para qué se utiliza la selección de ciudadanos al azar? ¿Este ejemplo puede suponer una sustitución de la democracia representativa? Con (...) una aproximación teórica a la iniciativa y con una conversación con Yago Bermejo, coordinador del equipo que desarrolló el proceso, este artículo trata de resolver algunas de estas preguntas y abrir nuevas reflexiones. (shrink)

v. 1. Formación y liberación del pensamiento cubano (1515-1860). t. 1. Orígenes y formación del pensamiento cubano -- t. 2. Del liberalismo esclavista al liberalismo abolicionista.

How well the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved will greatly influence the lives of today’s children and decisively shape the rest of the 21st century. Yet, children were largely excluded from opportunities to influence the selection of SDGs and their associated targets and indicators, and major barriers to meaningful child engagement remain. However, child-focused agencies have found that when children are intentionally enabled to participate in seeking accountability, they can influence their families, communities and governments to value their contributions (...) and increase their well-being. In furthering its strategy of building brighter futures for children, World Vision implements Citizen Voice and Action (CV&A), a strategic social accountability approach, into communities where children are severely impoverished. Drawing on empirical evidence from children’s CV&A experiences, this paper enquires into the circumstances under which children are empowered to seek accountability for SDGs. This article identifies shared processes which they and others use to strengthen children’s participation in seeking social justice through social accountability. This paper argues that children possess under-recognised research capabilities to think and reflect systemically, critique, understand, and pursue socially just and equitable outcomes conducive to the SDGs, which under the right circumstances, can influence practices, policies, laws and systems. (shrink)

En el presente trabajo se parte de que la innovación requiere transmisión de información. En la actualidad, el contenido de la transmisión de información se halla sometido a una regulación legal, habitualmente la propiedad intelectual, donde los agentes intervinientes y su requisito de sistema de permisos dificultan la transmisión libre. Para solucionar esta problemática, se están promoviendo dos tipos de soluciones: el primero mediante código legal y el segundo mediante código informático. Estas soluciones, que se fundamentan en razones morales, tienen (...) consecuencias políticas y determinan el modelo de sociedad que podemos construir mediante el conocimiento transmitido. (shrink)

Este artículo expone la posición frente al concepto de utopía adoptada por una serie de pensadores de la tradición dialéctica, de Hegel a Bloch y Ellacuría. Persigue poner de manifiesto y reivindicar el modo característico en que dicha tradición afronta la cuestión de la utopía. Un lugar especial en nuestra exposición lo ocupa el pensamiento de Ellacuría, pues en él resulta significativo que lleva a cabo toda una reivindicación de la utopía entendida como ideal en el marco de una filosofía (...) muy próxima al marxismo hegeliano. Ello nos permitirá poner de manifiesto la especificidad del planteamiento de Ellacuría y, al mismo tiempo, la pluralidad de posiciones respecto a esta problemática existentes dentro de la tradición de pensamiento hegeliano-marxista. (shrink)

Se presentan en este artículo los resultados que surgieron de incorporar lecciones de Autoconciencia por el Movimiento (ATM) -como estrategia pedagógica- para reconocer y actuar en pro de nuestro ambiente interno y externo, realizado con un grupo interprofesional de mujeres. El grupo se forma e investiga a sí mismo, bajo el enfoque de la Investigación Acción Participativa, y busca comprender mejor los procesos de formación ambiental en los campos de la salud y el ambiente.

Implementar el mapa de empatía para activar la autorregulación emocional del alumnado al inicio de la asignatura, es el objetivo de la investigación, la muestra es opinática, formada por treinta estudiantes. La metodología cuasi-experimental mixta verificará la hipótesis: el mapa de empatía activa la aproximación emocional. Los resultados demuestran una falta de correlación entre las percepciones a priori y a posteriori de la presentación de la asignatura, y una correlación positiva entre los esfuerzos y los resultados que se desean obtener. (...) Como conclusión, se descubre la importancia de proporcionar herramientas catalizadoras que aceleren la autodeterminación cognitiva y emocional del alumnado. (shrink)

Online education has become an essential component of education. Thus, several factors, such as the student’s learning strategy and motivation, generally contribute to their academic success. This study investigates the relationship between learning strategies, motivation, and online learning environment among 150 first-year college students. Employing correlational design, the statistical findings of the study reveal that the r coefficient of 0.59 indicates a moderate positive correlation between the variables. The p-value of 0.00, which is less than 0.05, leads to the decision (...) to reject the null hypothesis. Hence, a significant relationship exists between learning strategies, motivation, and the online learning environment. (shrink)

Despite its potential implications for the objectivity of scientific knowledge, the claim that “scientific instruments are perspectival” has received little critical attention. I show that this claim is best understood as highlighting the dependence of instruments on different perspectives. When closely analyzed, instead of constituting a novel epistemic challenge, this dependence can be exploited to mount novel strategies for resolving two old epistemic problems: conceptual relativism and theory-ladeness. The novel content of this article consists in articulating and developing these strategies (...) by introducing two fine-grained notions of perspectives as the key units of analysis: “broad perspectives” and “narrow perspectives.”. (shrink)