This collection of essays by scholars from Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America offers new perspectives of the phenomenological investigation of experiential life on the basis of Husserl’s phenomenology. Not only well-known works of Husserl are interpreted from new angles, but also the latest volumes of the Husserliana are closely examined. In a variety of ways, the contributors explore the emergence of reason in experience that is disclosed in the very regions that are traditionally considered to be “irrational” or (...) “pre-rational.” The leading idea of such explorations is Husserl’s view that perception, affectivity, and volition are regarded as the three aspects of reason. Without affectivity, which is supposedly irrational, no rationality can be established in the spheres of representation and volition, whereas volitional and representational acts consistently structure the process of affective experience. In such a framework, it is also shown that theoretical and practical reason are inseparably intertwined. Thus, the papers collected here can be regarded as a collaborative phenomenological investigation into the entanglement and mutual dependency of the supposedly “rational” and the “irrational” as well as that of the “practical” and the “theoretical.”. (shrink)

The topic of the present reflection is Christian religious belief. Specifically, we will use Husserlian tools in order to examine the positional nature of this particular type of belief. We will be less interested in the question concerning the success conditions of this experience and more in its noetic structure. According to our proposal, to believe by faith supposes (although it is not exhausted by) accepting the existence of mundane evidence speaking against this fundamental belief. The believer acknowledges the existence (...) of this contradicting en-doxical basis and nevertheless believes what she believes. We will refer to this simultaneous movement of accepting and cancelling as the concessive structure of the religious attitude. The para-doxical movement of experiencing conflicting evidence as being subjectively ineffective is a key component of this attitude. At least some inchoative conflict with the world is required in order for the religious belief to be religious. Lastly, we will try to show that, with a distinctive terminology, the idea that the Christian religious attitude involves a conflict between subjectivity and world is present not only in Kierkegaard but also in phenomenological figures like Scheler and even Husserl. (shrink)

El presente trabajo analiza el debate reciente sobre operatividad, técnica y cultura en la Teoría de los medios alemana, en el cual se enfrentan, por un lado, el enfoque tecnicista radical, y por el otro, el giro antropológico de los Estudios de las técnicas culturales. Asimismo, analiza la manera en que Simondon fue recientemente incorporado a la discusión y propone, en distancia crítica con ello, un nuevo modo de considerar los posibles aportes simondonianos al debate. Uno de los principales aportes (...) que el presente trabajo destaca es el siguiente: la noción simondoniana de operación técnica ofrece un enfoque no antropológico sobre la técnica y a la vez una consideración no tecno-céntrica de la dimensión técnica de la cultura. (shrink)

Si se considera que Heidegger ha reflexionado permanentemente sobre el sentido que la experiencia humana de Dios puede ofrecer a la filosofía, incluso durante aquella fase de su pensamiento en la que rechazó el recurso filosófico a la experiencia de Dios, entonces se puede hablar de una continuidad de la cuestión de Dios en el pensar de Heidegger. Ahora bien, esta noción amplia de continuidad requiere un análisis más detenido. El problema es el siguiente: ¿Cómo hemos de entender el recurso (...) afirmativo a la experiencia de Dios tras la crisis de Ser y Tiempo! ¿Es que Heidegger retomó el curso original de su pensar, del cual se había apartado durante la aventura malograda de la ontología fundamental? ¿O se trata más bien de un desarrollo sui generis surgido tras la crisis de Ser y Tiempo, que solo puede ser explicado si se tiene en cuenta el proceso mismo de crisis y transición? El presente trabajo defiende la segunda hipótesis. Se intentará mostrar que la referencia explícita a Dios y lo divino realizada por Heidegger a partir de los años treinta, más allá de toda posible vinculación retrospectiva que pudiera tener con los "orígenes teológicos", tiene una especificidad que no puede entenderse como un carácter previo a Ser y Tiempo, sino como posterior a este. (shrink)

El presente trabajo intenta poner de relieve algunos de los principales desafíos que trae consigo la tarea de situar a Husserl en el debate entre conjuntivistas y disyuntivistas. Para ello, realizaremos un análisis crítico de la discusión desarrollada por Overgaard. Sobre la base de dicho análisis, expondremos tres desafíos: en primer lugar, el desafío de sistematizar apropiadamente las discrepancias fundamentales y los elementos en común entre las posiciones conjuntivista y disyuntivista; en segundo lugar, el desafío de utilizar con claridad y (...) precisión las nociones básicas en las que tradicionalmente se ha articulado el debate. Por último, abordaremos desafíos específicos relativos a la interpretación de la fenomenología de Husserl. (shrink)

El artículo muestra una conexión conceptual que no ha sido aun considerada por los especialistas, asaber: la cercanía entre la primera noción de existencia, surgida en la teología latina del s. IV, y lanoción fenomenológico-husserliana de existencia. No se trata de una reconstrucción filológica, dirigidaa mostrar una supuesta influencia de la teología latina en Husserl. El trabajo ofrece, en cambio, unaindagación sistemática acerca de dos líneas de pensamiento que, si bien no se relacionarondirectamente entre sí, muestran convergencias temáticas que merecen (...) nuestra atención. (shrink)

Ce travail expose et discute la réception de Hans Jonas effectuée au sein de la « science de l’image » (Bildwissenschaft). On présente, en premier lieu, le débat actuel sur l’image dans le cadre de cette Bildwissenschaft. En second lieu, on expose les principaux moments de la réception de Jonas dans ledit contexte et on analyse les positions fondamentales de Jonas à propos de l’image et de l’imagination. Enfin, on évalue les avancées et les limites de la réception de Jonas (...) et on prend en considération quelques positions jonassiennes qui peuvent représenter un apport au débat actuel sur l’image. (shrink)

El presente trabajo analiza críticamente la propuesta de Kittler de renovar las ciencias sociales y humanas mediante una reflexión orientada hacia los medios de comunicación. Para ello, se sitúa tal propuesta en el debate, impulsado por el giro medial en Filosofía de los Medios, acerca de la pertinencia (o no) del enfoque trascendentalista sobre los medios. En un primer momento, se presenta en términos generales el planteo kittleriano en cuanto enfoque trascendentalista. En un segundo momento, se reconstruye y analiza la (...) estrategia kittleriana consistente en eliminar la noción de sentido para concentrarse, en cambio, en la noción de información. (shrink)

El debate central en filosofía de la imagen se articula en torno a la oposición entre un enfoque semiótico, que considera a la imagen como un determinado tipo de signo, y uno perceptualista, que se orienta hacia la captación de imágenes y la caracteriza en su relación con la percepción sensible. Se señalan algunas dificultades de dicha articulación y se analiza el enfoque hermenéutico y la ontología heideggeriana de la imagen para mostrar cómo puede contribuir a renovar el debate, afectando (...) incluso su pregunta conductora. (shrink)

Este artículo analiza dos proyectos de renovación programática de las Humanidades, los cuales se centran en la noción de información. Consideraremos, por una parte, la propuesta de Friedrich Kittler acerca de un materialismo teórico-informacional, y por otra, la axiomática de las ciencias humanas de Gilbert Simondon. La pregunta que guía nuestro examen crítico es la siguiente: ¿de qué manera, en cada uno de esos proyectos, la noción de información funge como centro para una propuesta renovadora de las Humanidades? Nuestra hipótesis (...) sostiene que hay un común denominador en ambas propuestas, el cual puede formularse en términos foucaultianos del siguiente modo: la información es entendida allí como el a priori histórico actual. (shrink)

El debate de la reciente filosofía de la imagen está estructurado en la oposición entre enfoques semióticos y perceptualistas. Entre estos últimos, los especialistas suelen incluir a la fenomenología. Ahora bien, ¿es correcto caracterizar a la fenomenología como una posición perceptualista acerca de la imagen? Defenderé la tesis de que la fenomenología representa un perceptualismo indirecto o débil. Con todo, el lugar que pueda ocupar la fenomenología en el debate no se restringe a su cercanía con el perceptualismo. Intentaré mostrar (...) que la fenomenología plantea temáticas puntuales, tales como la relación entre sentido y presencia, las cuales puede conducir hacia un análisis crítico de los supuestos en los que se apoya el encuadre actual de la discusión. The debate of the recent philosophy of the image is organized in the opposition between semiotic and perceptualistic approaches. Scholars often include the phenomenology into the perceptualistic view. Yet, ¿is it right to characterize the phenomenology as a kind of perceptualism about the image? The first goal of the paper is to demonstrate that phenomenology represents an indirect or weak perceptualism. Anyway, the place of the phenomenology in the debate does not consist only in being a kind of perceptualism. The second goal of the paper is to show that phenomenology raises certain questions, like the relationship between sense and presence, which can lead us to criticize the assumptions the current articulation of the debate is based on. (shrink)

Heidegger's philosophy between Being and Time and «The Origin of the Work of Art» shows a twofold consideration of production. On the one hand, Heidegger criticizes the ontological tradition for its orientation to the produced-being . On the other hand, he develops his own ontological conception of production. This paper focuses on the analysis of the latter consideration by showing its motivations, characteristics and scope. The main thesis is that the transition from Heideggerian Schematism to Heidegger's reflections on art is (...) a transition from a visual to a plastic conception of the production of pictures. (shrink)

RESUMEN El debate central en filosofía de la imagen se articula en torno a la oposición entre un enfoque semiótico, que considera a la imagen como un determinado tipo de signo, y uno perceptualista, que se orienta hacia la captación de imágenes y la caracteriza en su relación con la percepción sensible. Se señalan algunas dificultades de dicha articulación y se analiza el enfoque hermenéutico y la ontología heideggeriana de la imagen para mostrar cómo puede contribuir a renovar el debate, (...) afectando incluso su pregunta conductora. ABSTRACT The central debate in the field of philosophy of mage concerns the opposition between a semiotic approach, which considers images to be a certain type of signs, and a conceptualist approach, focused on the apprehension an images and its relation to sensory perception. The article points out some of the difficulties of this formulation and analyzes Heidegger's hermeneutical approach and ontology of the image in order to show how it can contribute to enriching the debate and even modify its guiding question. (shrink)

Resumen A fines del siglo pasado, con especial notoriedad en los años 80 y 90, surgieron diversos intentos de revuelta anti-hermenéutica que propusieron una transformación materialista de las Ciencias sociales y las Humanidades. Resulta especialmente llamativo el hecho de que algunas de las propuestas más influyentes en ese contexto hayan recurrido explícitamente al pensamiento de Martin Heidegger. En efecto, tanto Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht cuanto Friedrich Kittler reconocen a Heidegger como una de sus principales influencias. ¿Cómo es posible que el pensamiento de (...) Heidegger, un referente de la filosofía hermenéutica, se haya convertido en un eficaz apoyo para la revuelta contra la orientación hermenéutica de las Ciencias del Espíritu? Esta cuestión exige, por una parte, tomar en consideración el contexto académico de la época, especialmente las tensiones intergeneracionales y el surgimiento de nuevas orientaciones interdisciplinares. Por otra parte, la cuestión reclama una tarea de indagación temática. Es preciso explicitar qué planteamientos de problemas y qué desarrollos específicos provenientes de Heidegger fueron objeto de una recepción creativa conducente a un rediseño materialista de las Ciencias del Espíritu.Diverse anti-hermeneutical attempts that proposed a materialist transformation of the Social Sciences and the Humanities developed in the late 20th century, particularly during the 80s and 90s. It is striking that some of the most influential proposals in that context explicitly appealed to Martin Heidegger's thought. In fact, Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht and Friedrich Kittler acknowledged Heidegger as one of their main influences. How is impossible that Heidegger's thought, a well-known referent of hermeneutics, became a productive resource for the revolt against the hermeneutical orientation of the ‘Geisteswissenschaften? On the one hand, this question requires us to consider the academic context of that time, especially the intergenerational tensions and the birth of new interdisciplinary orientations. On the other hand, it demands a thematic inquiry. We need to explain what problems and specific developments of Heidegger's thought mere interpreted in a materialist fashion in order to reshape the ‘Geisteswissenschaften ’. (shrink)

Resumen El presente trabajo analiza críticamente la propuesta de Kittler de renovar las ciencias sociales y humanas mediante una reflexión orientada hacia los medios de comunicación. Para ello, se sitúa tal propuesta en el debate, impulsado por el giro medial en Filosofía de los Medios, acerca de la pertinencia del enfoque trascendentalista sobre los medios. En un primer momento, se presenta en términos generales el planteo kittleriano en cuanto enfoque trascendentalista. En un segundo momento, se reconstruye y analiza la estrategia (...) kittleriana consistente en eliminar la noción de sentido para concentrarse, en cambio, en la noción de información.This work critically analyzes Kittler's proposal to renew the social and human aspects through a media-oriented reflection. For this, such proposal is placed in the debate, driven by the medial turn in Media Philosophy, about the relevance of the transcendentalist approach to the media. At first, the Kittlerian approach is presented in general terms as a transcendentalist approach. In a second moment, the Kittlerian strategy consisting of eliminating the notion of meaning is reconstructed and analyzed to concentrate, instead, on the notion of information. (shrink)

Through his theory of the iconic difference, Boehm has emphasized the differential character of the image. This has led some researchers to relate Boehm’s approach to the thought of Jacques Derrida. Following that line of interpretation, we propose a deconstructive approach to Boehm’s theory about the iconic difference. This means, specifically, that we will bring out internal tensions in Boehm’s proposal between emphases directed towards the differential character of the image, on the one hand, and dualistic approaches, as well as (...) hierarchical distinctions that could cover up such character, on the other hand. Starting from these tensions, we attempt to radicalize the orientation towards the differential structure of the image by incorporating Derrida’s proposals, but making clear, at the same time, the challenges that this would bring to Boehm’s theory and the open questions that would arise therefrom. (shrink)

La publicación de los escritos y los cursos impartidos por Heidegger en la primera mitad de los años veinte ha dejado en claro la importancia de Aristóteles en el camino filosófico que conduce hacia Ser y tiempo. El presente trabajo intenta explicitar aspectos centrales de esa relación. En concreto, se mostrará que la influencia de Aristóteles es decisiva para el paso de la fenomenología de la vida fáctica hacia la ontología del Dasein, y esto a partir de un doble aporte: (...) por una parte, Heidegger encuentra en los estudios aristotélicos de la praxis un modelo donde enriquecer e integrar las determinaciones de la vida fáctica anteriormente obtenidas. Por otra parte, los estudios de Aristóteles sobre las significaciones del ser le ofrecen el acceso a la perspectiva ontológica, desde la cual, y presentando su propia posición, ha de reinterpretar las estructuras de la praxis como estructuras del Dasein. (shrink)

El presente trabajo intenta mostrar la importancia del Esquematismo Trascendental Kantiano para el programa de “Ser y Tiempo”. El hilo conductor de la argumentación es el siguiente: La pregunta por el sentido del ser interroga por el ser en su darse en cuanto sentido. El tiempo, como sentido del ser, es la dinámica unitaria de la formación de sentido (Sinnbildung). El artículo explica de qué modo Heidegger encuentra en la teoría kantiana acerca de los esquemas trascendentales y de la imaginación (...) trascendental elementos decisivos para elaborar la función ontológica del tiempo como formación y configuración de sentido. (shrink)

Seit der Veröffentlichung von Heideggers Text Kant und das Problem der Metaphysik sehen sich die Kant-Interpreten mit der Problematik der ontologischen Bedeutung von Kants Subjektivitätsstudien konfrontiert. Dies ist eine Grundmotivation des Buchs von Herrn Rosales, dessen Fragestellung den subjektiven Ursprung der Kategorien betriftt. Absicht des Buchs ist, zur Diskussion über das Verhältnis zwischen den Seinsprädikaten und der Subjekts¬struktur beizutragen, und zwar durch die Erörterung der Verwurzelung der Kategorien in der Subjektivität.

New Proposals for New Questions Nuevas propuestas para nuevas cuestiones In six sections, the volume deals with different questions of political philosophy. The first section focuses on democratic theories, the second on conceptual debates, discussing topics such as collective rights, the terrorist phenomenon, Libertarianism and conceptions of freedom. In a third section on contemporary debates, perspectives on sovereignity and legitimacy as well as discourse theory versus political liberalism are discussed. The volume also features essays on democracy and law, and in (...) a section entitled oJudicial construction of democracyo papers on constitutional reviews by judges in the Netherlands as well as the construction of democracy in the context of Latin-American democracies. Finally, in the last section the volume deals with the European Constitutional Treatise, analysing the arguments and examining the legitimacy crisis and the main objections displayed against this treatise. Contents I. On Democratic theory / Teoria de la democracia: Eerik Lagerspetz: The Problem of the Common Good in Democratic Theory Sergiy Maksymov: The Kantian Project of the Law Governed Society and New Democracies II. Conceptual debates / Debates conceptuales: Martin Blanchard: Recognition and the Case of Indigenous Reparations: A Habermasian Critique of Habermas Bronik Matwijkiw: The failed Model of Terrorism Susumu Morimura: The Libertarian View of Human Nature Jonathan E. Soeharno: Freedom as Second Nature. Exploring the value of Hegel's concept of Autonomous Personality for Global institutional theory Hashimoto Tsutomu: On the Concept of Positive and Negative Liberty III. Contemporary debates / Debates contemporaneos: Terhi Kiiskinen: Sovereignty Revisited: On Inalienable Constitutional Power Luiz B. Leite Araujo: A Decade of Debate: Discourse Theory versus Political Liberalism IV. Democracy and law / Democracia y derecho: Kenneth E. Himma: Does it really mather whether a Judicial Decision is morally Legitimate? The practical implications of Judicial Illegitimacy in a otherwise Legitimate State Carl Lebeck: Commitments, Rules and the limits of Constitutionalism Oliver W. Lembcke: Exception Rules? Freedom and the Order in a State of Exception Bart van Klink: Does Necessity knows no Laws? Application of Law in a State of Exception Costanza Margiotta: Ideas and Values of the oLegalo State Jiri Priban: Constitution-Making. Morality and Legal Symbolism: on Identity, Temporality and Differentiation of the legal, political and moral Systems V. Judicial construction of democracy / Construccion judicial de la democracia: Maurice Adams: Judging the Constitution: the Third Way. Some reflections on the introduction of Constitutional Review by Judges in The Netherlands Larry Alexander: What is the Problem of Judicial Review? Roberto Corona Copado: Las reglas del juego democratico. La Suprema Corte de Justicia de Mexico en la solucion de controversias entre organos del poder politico desde 1995 Jose de J. Ibarra Cardenas: La construccion judicial de la Democracia en Iberoamerica VI. Deliberation on European constitutional norm / Deliberacion sobre la nueva constitucion europea: Olaf Tans: Deliberating European Constitucional Norms. An Analysis of arguments Carla M. Zoethout: The Court and the Charter or Who Guards the Court of Justice of the EU under the new Constitution?. (shrink)

In the last few years, biologists and computer scientists have claimed that the introduction of data science techniques in molecular biology has changed the characteristics and the aims of typical outputs (i.e. models) of such a discipline. In this paper we will critically examine this claim. First, we identify the received view on models and their aims in molecular biology. Models in molecular biology are mechanistic and explanatory. Next, we identify the scope and aims of data science (machine learning in (...) particular). These lie mainly in the creation of predictive models which performances increase as data set increases. Next, we will identify a tradeoff between predictive and explanatory performances by comparing the features of mechanistic and predictive models. Finally, we show how this a priori analysis of machine learning and mechanistic research applies to actual biological practice. This will be done by analyzing the publications of a consortium—The Cancer Genome Atlas—which stands at the forefront in integrating data science and molecular biology. The result will be that biologists have to deal with the tradeoff between explaining and predicting that we have identified, and hence the explanatory force of the ‘new’ biology is substantially diminished if compared to the ‘old’ biology. However, this aspect also emphasizes the existence of other research goals which make predictive force independent from explanation. (shrink)

In the last few years, biologists and computer scientists have claimed that the introduction of data science techniques in molecular biology has changed the characteristics and the aims of typical outputs (i.e. models) of such a discipline. In this paper we will critically examine this claim. First, we identify the received view on models and their aims in molecular biology. Models in molecular biology are mechanistic and explanatory. Next, we identify the scope and aims of data science (machine learning in (...) particular). These lie mainly in the creation of predictive models which performances increase as data set increases. Next, we will identify a tradeoff between predictive and explanatory performances by comparing the features of mechanistic and predictive models. Finally, we show how this a priori analysis of machine learning and mechanistic research applies to actual biological practice. This will be done by analyzing the publications of a consortium—The Cancer Genome Atlas—which stands at the forefront in integrating data science and molecular biology. The result will be that biologists have to deal with the tradeoff between explaining and predicting that we have identified, and hence the explanatory force of the ‘new’ biology is substantially diminished if compared to the ‘old’ biology. However, this aspect also emphasizes the existence of other research goals which make predictive force independent from explanation. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to theorize how materials can play an active, constitutive, and causally effective role in the production and sustenance of cultural forms and meanings. It does so through an empirical exploration of the Museum of Modern Art of New York (MoMA). The article describes the museum as an “objectification machine” that endeavors to transform and to stabilize artworks as meaningful “objects” that can be exhibited, classified, and circulated. The article explains how the extent to which (...) the museum succeeds in this process of stabilization ultimately depends on the material properties of artworks and, more specially, on whether these behave as “docile” or “unruly” objects. Drawing on different empirical examples, the article explores how docile and unruly objects shape organizational dynamics within the museum and, through them, the wider processes of institutional and cultural reproduction. The article uses this empirical example to highlight the importance of developing a new “material sensibility” that restores heuristic dignity to the material within cultural sociology. (shrink)

Deep learning is a kind of machine learning which happens in a certain type of artificial neural networks called deep networks. Artificial deep networks, which exhibit many similarities with biological ones, have consistently shown human-like performance in many intelligent tasks. This poses the question whether this performance is caused by such similarities. After reviewing the structure and learning processes of artificial and biological neural networks, we outline two important reasons for the success of deep learning, namely the extraction of successively (...) higher level features and the multiple layer structure, which are closely related to each other. Then some indications about the framing of this heated debate are given. After that, an assessment of the value of artificial deep networks as models of the human brain is given from the similarity perspective of model representation. Finally, a new version of computational functionalism is proposed which addresses the specificity of deep neural computation better than classic, program based computational functionalism. (shrink)

In standard Relevance Theory, hyperbole and metaphor are categorized together as loose uses of language, on a continuum with approximations, category extensions and other cases of loosening/broadening of meaning. Specifically, it is claimed that there are no interesting differences between hyperbolic and metaphorical uses. In recent work, we have set out to provide a more fine-grained articulation of the similarities and differences between hyperbolic and metaphorical uses and their relation to literal uses. We have defended the view that hyperbolic use (...) involves a shift of magnitude along a dimension which is intrinsic to the encoded meaning of the hyperbole vehicle, while metaphor involves a multi-dimensional qualitative shift away from the encoded meaning of the metaphor vehicle. In this article, we present three experiments designed to test the predictions of this analysis, using a variety of tasks (paraph. (shrink)

From 1912, Alejandro Korn and José Ingenieros began to publish articles that then would be part of their historical works, respectively, Influencias filosóficas en la evolución nacional and La evolución de las ideas argentinas. Therefore, they started to generate some discussion in reference to sections that they knew of each other's work. Being the first major works from a developing philosophical field about the history of Argentine thought, their authors sought to create cultural traditions to affirm their own academic, cultural (...) and political positions. Thus, they based their positions about their academic situation through their interventions in the debate on the evaluation of the various features of the intellectual past of the country and national identity during the academic professionalization of historical studies, and actively participated in discussions on the function of culture and philosophy in a national project. Yet, besides, in order to address their history of ideas, the two most important teachers of the philosophical sphere around 1918 tested very different methodological approaches that worked under different conceptions of philosophical and historical practice and two different ways of thinking the reception and circulation of ideas from Europe. (shrink)

Although expected utility theory has proven a fruitful and elegant theory in the finite realm, attempts to generalize it to infinite values have resulted in many paradoxes. In this paper, we argue that the use of John Conway's surreal numbers shall provide a firm mathematical foundation for transfinite decision theory. To that end, we prove a surreal representation theorem and show that our surreal decision theory respects dominance reasoning even in the case of infinite values. We then bring our theory (...) to bear on one of the more venerable decision problems in the literature: Pascal's Wager. Analyzing the wager showcases our theory's virtues and advantages. To that end, we analyze two objections against the wager: Mixed Strategies and Many Gods. After formulating the two objections in the framework of surreal utilities and probabilities, our theory correctly predicts that (1) the pure Pascalian strategy beats all mixed strategies, and (2) what one should do in a Pascalian decision problem depends on what one's credence function is like. Our analysis therefore suggests that although Pascal's Wager is mathematically coherent, it does not deliver what it purports to, a rationally compelling argument that people should lead a religious life regardless of how confident they are in theism and its alternatives. (shrink)

Summary The portrayal of Pontius Pilate as a single-handed prefect is one of the many incongruous and implausible elements found in the Gospel accounts of Jesus of Nazareth’s passion. Moreover, a striking imbalance in these accounts emerges: whilst Romans appear only at the last phase of the story, earlier the only people plotting against Jesus are Jews. There is every indication that some key information has been dropped. The present paper, after taking into account the traces of anti-Roman aspects in (...) Jesus’ career, surveys what is known about the consilia of Roman provincial governors and the sources of information available to them, and, for the first time, applies this knowledge to a critical reconstruction of the story underlying the Gospels, thereby providing a missing link to understand it. (shrink)

According to a leading view, emotions such as admiration, contempt, pride, and shame are important vehicles of agential development. Through admiration and contempt, we establish models and countermodels against which to shape our character; through pride and shame, we get a sense of how we measure up to them. Critics of this view object that these emotions always deliver uncompromising evaluations: admiration casts people in a completely positive light, while contempt casts aspersion on them. Therefore, insofar as they lack the (...) capacity for nuance, these emotions are systematically unfitting and misleading. This paper discusses this objection as originally formulated by John Doris as well as Macalester Bell’s response. Drawing from research on emotional intentionality, it will be argued that Doris’ and Bell’s accounts are respectively misguided criticisms and inadequate defences of these emotions. Their mistake lies in an invalid transition from the claim that these emotions are intentionally directed towards persons to the claim that they deliver global evaluations of those towards whom they are directed. By rejecting this inference, it will be shown that these emotions can deliver nuanced and fitting evaluations in a way Doris’ objection overlooks and Bell’s response precludes us from articulating. (shrink)

Este ensayo está dirigido a comprender, someramente, la relación del hegelianismo y Kierkegaard a través del contexto intelectual de Dinamarca en la primera mitad del siglo XIX. Para esta aproximación es necesario, en primer lugar, constatar bajo qué formas irrumpe el hegelianismo alemán en los círculos intelectuales de Copenhague; luego, sondear la relación existente entre este hegelianismo y las figuras que dan forma y contenido al hegelianismo danés; para, por último, entender qué tipo de relación mantuvo Søren Kierkegaard con el (...) hegelianismo. (shrink)

Ames, Roger. Confucian Role Ethics: A Vocabulary. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2011. 332 pp.

Self-determination theory considers motivation as a multidimensional phenomenon, with different levels of intensity, purposes, intentions, wills and autonomies. It distinguishes between intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation. In this paper, we are going to focus on extrinsic motivation, which is related to those tasks that the subject performs without having a purpose in themselves, and which is composed of identified regulation, introjected regulation and external regulation. The aim of this research is to analyse the relationship between them and emotional intelligence (...) in 165 students with university degrees related to Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. The main findings of this work lie mainly in the demonstration of the fact that emotional intelligence is a predictor of identified regulation, introjected regulation and external regulation. (shrink)

One of the best known arguments against the connectionist approach to artificial intelligence and cognitive science is that neural networks are black boxes, i.e., there is no understandable account of their operation. This difficulty has impeded efforts to explain how categories arise from raw sensory data. Moreover, it has complicated investigation about the role of symbols and language in cognition. This state of things has been radically changed by recent experimental findings in artificial deep learning research. Two kinds of artificial (...) deep learning networks, namely the convolutional neural network and the generative adversarial network have been found to possess the capability to build internal states that are interpreted by humans as complex visual categories, without any specific hints or any grammatical processing. This emergent ability suggests that those categories do not depend on human knowledge or the syntactic structure of language, while they do rely on their visual context. This supports a mild form of empiricism, while it does not assume that computational functionalism is true. Some consequences are extracted regarding the debate about amodal and grounded representations in the human brain. Furthermore, new avenues for research on cognitive science are open. (shrink)

Classic conceptions of model simplicity for machine learning are mainly based on the analysis of the structure of the model. Bayesian, Frequentist, information theoretic and expressive power concepts are the best known of them, which are reviewed in this work, along with their underlying assumptions and weaknesses. These approaches were developed before the advent of the Big Data deluge, which has overturned the importance of structural simplicity. The computational simplicity concept is presented, and it is argued that it is more (...) encompassing and closer to actual machine learning practices than the classic ones. In order to process the huge datasets which are commonplace nowadays, the computational complexity of the learning algorithm is the decisive factor to assess the viability of a machine learning strategy, while the classic accounts of simplicity play a surrogate role. Some of the desirable features of computational simplicity derive from its reliance on the learning system concept, which integrates key aspects of machine learning that are ignored by the classic concepts. Moreover, computational simplicity is directly associated with energy efficiency. In particular, the question of whether the maximum possibly achievable predictive accuracy should be attained, no matter the economic cost of the associated energy consumption pattern, is considered. (shrink)

Roberto Esposito is one of the most prolific and important exponents of contemporary Italian political theory.