From the most prominent thinkers in Latin American philosophy, literature, politics, and social science comes a challenge to conventional theories of globalization. The contributors to this volume imagine a discourse in which revolution requires no temporalized march of progress or takeovers of state power but instead aims at local control and the material conditions for human dignity.

_Enrique Dussel was by any meaningful measure a giant representative of Latin American and world philosophy. This personal reflection sheds light on his intellectual trajectory and his contributions to liberation philosophy, world philosophy, South-South and South-North dialogues, and the decolonial turn._.

Ésta es una contribución al debate originado por Guillermo Hurtado y proseguido por Manuel García-Carpintero y Horacio Luján Martínez, con relación al sentido y a los objetivos de la filosofía analítica, especialmente en Iberoamérica. En ella se defiende que las tesis de Hurtado también se pueden aplicar al cultivo de filosofías no analíticas, pues en realidad conciernen a la filosofía profesional que se practica dentro y fuera de Iberoamérica. Se sostiene, además, que si bien la profesionalización y la masificación de (...) la filosofía son fenómenos en sí mismos positivos, tienen consecuencias colaterales negativas respecto de la calidad de la filosofía que se produce. También se aduce que el que una propuesta filosófica no tenga una inmediata relevancia existencial o política no la hace menos importante, siempre que en algún sentido amplíe las fronteras del conocimiento. This is a commentary on a debate originated by Guillermo Hurtado and followed up by Manuel García-Carpintero and Horacio Luján Martínez, in regards to the meaning and objectives of analytic philosophy, especially in Latin America. This paper holds that Hurtado's theses are also true about non analytic philosophy, since they are about professional philosophy, as practiced both inside and outside Latin America. Professionalization and popularization of philosophy, while positive phenomena in themselves, have negative collateral consequences on the quality of philosophy produced in the present moment. it is also held that the fact that a given philosophical proposal has no immediate existential or political relevance doesn't make it less important, as long as in some sense it widens the frontiers of knowledge. (shrink)

After the viral outbreak that hit populations across the planet in the first half of 2020, it has been argued that the coronavirus pandemic can be described as a quintessential phenomenon of the Anthropocene, i.e. the result of a particular stage of socionatural relations in which wild habitats are invaded and anthropogenic climate change creates the conditions for the emergence of more frequent viral pathogens. Likewise, it has also been argued that the pandemic is an event that shares structural features (...) with climate change itself and, consequently, offers some lessons about how best to fight the latter. I will consider these arguments, offering an alternative view of the relationship between the pandemic and the Anthropocene. I will argue that although the pandemic should not be primarily seen as an event of the Anthropocene, it can end up reinforcing the Anthropocene frame for several reasons. (shrink)

The ideal of emancipation has been traditionally grounded on the premise that human activity is not restrained by external boundaries. Thus the realisation of values such as autonomy or recognition has been facilitated by economic growth and material expansion. Yet there is mounting evidence that the human impact on natural systems at the planetary level, a novelty captured by the concept of the Anthropocene, endangers the Earth’s habitability. If human development is to be limited for the sake of global sustainability, (...) can emancipation be kept as a mobilising ideal? As opposed to alternative views such as that of degrowth, this article argues that it can. The key lies in the ability of the Anthropocene to produce planetary subjectivities. By recognising the bounded quality of human embeddedness, the possibility of a different emancipation is opened up. The latter does not give up material well-being, yet it makes sure that the latter does not endanger planetary habitability. (shrink)

This high-level study discusses Newtonian principles and 19th-century views on electrodynamics and the aether. Additional topics include Einstein's electrodynamics of moving bodies, Minkowski spacetime, gravitational geometry, time and causality, and other subjects. Highlights include a rich exposition of the elements of the special and general theories of relativity.

Paul W. Kahn, profesor de la facultad de derecho de la Universidad de Yale, ha sido uno de los principales impulsores de los estudios culturales del derecho en los Estados Unidos.1 Esta aproximación a la investigación jurídica, poco discutida en América Latina, tiene como principal objetivo examinar las estructuras simbólicas que constituyen la imaginación jurídico-política de los individuos. Busca, más precisamente, explorar la manera como el derecho construye nociones de sujeto...

La tradición filosófica se ha asentado sobre una serie de presupuestos a propósito de lo que significa pensar, que ha naturalizado una forma dogmática del ejercicio filosófico y que se ha expandido en general a todas las áreas del hacer y del saber. El presente artículo intenta ofrecer, a la luz de la obra de Gilles Deleuze, un diagnóstico de tales presupuestos.

Recordando a Bachelard a medio siglo de su muerte (2011) -- Filosofia de la relatividad (2011) -- La proliferación de los conceptos de especie en la biología evolucionista (2010).

_ Source: _Page Count 21 In the past two and a half decades, Frank Ankersmit has developed a complex notion of historical experience. Despite its many virtues it has at least one major difficulty: it implies a sharp separation between experience and language. This essay aims to bridge this gap, while preserving the positive aspects of Ankersmit’s theory. To do this, I will first present the ontological and epistemological implications of Ankersmit’s notion of historical experience. Next, I will present my (...) objections to his idea. Finally, I will propose two modifications to his notion of historical experience: first, in the epistemological sense by considering historical experience as a form of Louis Mink’s configurational comprehension and, second, in the ontological sense by relating historical experience with the _vitalist_ ontology of José Ortega y Gasset. (shrink)

Temas aristotélicos en La determinación autoperceptiva de la Nada, de Nishida Kitarô Resumen: El texto que ahora presento es un examen del diálogo continuado de Nishida con Aristóteles según lo podemos ver en el volumen VI de las Obras completas de Nishida Kitarô. El resultado nos permite ver la especial atención que en 1932 Nishida presta a cinco temas básicos que se desarrollan en 16 puntos de la siguiente manera: la expresión, la autopercepción, la base del conocimiento, los universales y (...) dos importantes aspectos de la intuición. En este sentido, los contenidos del diálogo nishidiano con Aristóteles en el volumen VI de las Obras completas de Nishida Kitarô, nos remiten al tema del conocimiento. Palabras clave: Aristóteles. Nishida. Diálogo. Autopercepción. Conocimiento. Universal. Some aspects of Nishida’s dialogue with Aristotle: My present text is a study of the continuous dialogue of Nishida with Aristotle as can be seen in volume VI of his Complete Works. As a result, we can see the special attention that in 1932 Nishida gave to five basic themes. I have presented their content under sixteen headings as follows, expression, self-perception, the basis of knowledge, universals, and two important aspects of intuition.As a result, we can see that the contents of Nishida’s dialogue with Aristotle in volume VI of his Complete Works, primarily touches on the theme of knowledge. Keywords: Aristotle. Nishida. Dialogue. Self perception. Knowledge. Universal. Temas aristotélicos em A determinação autoperceptiva do nada, de Nishida Kitarô Resumo: O texto que apresento agora é um exame do diálogo contínuo de Nishida com Aristóteles, como podemos ver no Volume VI das Obras Completas de Nishida Kitarô. O resultado nos permite ver a atenção especial que em 1932 Nishida presta a cinco temas básicos que são desenvolvidos em 16 pontos da seguinte forma: expressão, autopercepção, base de conhecimento. -11), os universais e dois aspectos importantes da intuição. Nesse sentido, o conteúdo do diálogo nishidiano com Aristóteles, no volume VI das obras completas de Nishida Kitarô, remete-nos à questão do conhecimento. Palavras-chave: Aristótles. Nishida. Diálogo. Autopercepção. Conhecimento.Universal. Data de registro: 29/07/2020 Data de aceito: 21/10/2020. (shrink)

The relationship between society and nature has an outstanding importance in the fields of environmental philosophy and sociology. It is dominated by the opposition between realism and constructivism, i.e., between those who argue that nature is an entity independent of society and those who respond that nature is a social construction. Such conflict is usually solved by accepting that nature exists, but our knowledge of it can only be socially mediated. However, a new version of constructivism can be defended, one (...) which pays enough attention to the material dimension of society and nature’s interaction. Society has always intervened upon nature and the final outcome of such historical process has been the transformation of nature into human environment. A realistic constructivism allows us to highlight that decisive feature of socio-natural interaction. (shrink)

The relationship between society and nature has an outstanding importance in the fields of environmental philosophy and sociology. It is dominated by the opposition between realism and constructivism, i.e., between those who argue that nature is an entity independent of society and those who respond that nature is a social construction. Such conflict is usually solved by accepting that nature exists, but our knowledge of it can only be socially mediated. However, a new version of constructivism can be defended, one (...) which pays enough attention to the material dimension of society and nature’s interaction. Society has always intervened upon nature and the final outcome of such historical process has been the transformation of nature into human environment. A realistic constructivism allows us to highlight that decisive feature of socio-natural interaction. (shrink)

La ciudad de Antigua, en Guatemala, ha sido y continúa siendo evocada a través de la palabra diluida en la historia y la memoria. Prueba de ello es el libro Poesía-documento, titulado Antigua Luna (2017), de la escritora costarricense Magda Zavala, publicado en 2017 por la editorial Letra Maya, dentro de la Colección Kayab, en Costa Rica. Este poemario, dividido en tres secciones; I. Capital de los Confines, II. Espacios y voces y III. La visitante, recoge entre sus versos (...) los resabios coloniales de un pasado épico, que convive con un presente transnacional y postmoderno. Ahí es donde los cimientos indígenas sostienen identidades en permanente reconstrucción, aprendida a través de cinco siglos de sobrevivencia en la desigualdad. (shrink)

Athenian citizens deliberate in the assembly, but the theatre also becomes a place for public debate. In addition to being a consequence of economic or cultural aspects, democracy is a consequence of the development of a democratic imaginary. Located in that imaginary, Greek tragedies, regarded as «democratic myths», work to reaffirm Athenian democracy. Far from being dogmatic, the tragic myth explores the contradictions of social and personal life and implicitly or explicitly seeks their correction. This dramatic genre encourages participation from (...) the spectator (citizen) that greatly exceeds the schematic reduction in Aristotelian theory of catharsis. Greek tragedy proposes the existence of an «audience», of spectators who need a sufficient level of maturity to make that assessment. Democracy is a path, or perhaps an active utopia, which should combine the political order with a coherent culture and art.Los ciudadanos atenienses deliberaban en la asamblea, pero también el teatro se convierte en un lugar de debate público. Porque una democracia (también la ateniense) no solo es consecuencia de aspectos económicos o de orden cultural, sino también del desarrollo de un imaginario democrático. Y es en dicho imaginario donde se inscriben las tragedias griegas, consideradas como «mitos democráticos» que servían para reafirmar la democracia ateniense. Lejos de cualquier dogmatismo, el mito trágico explora las contradicciones de la vida social y personal, y se pregunta, de manera expresa o tácita, por su posible corrección. Este género dramático induce a una participación del espectador (ciudadano), que va más allá de la esquemática reducción de la teoría aristotélica de la catarsis. El teatro griego propone la existencia de un «público», de unos espectadores que precisan de una gran madurez para emitir ese juicio. La democracia es un camino, o quizás una utopía activa, que debe conjugar el orden político con una cultura y un arte coherentes. (shrink)

This paper is concerned with certain ontological issues in the foundations of geographic representation. It sets out what these basic issues are, describes the tools needed to deal with them, and draws some implications for a general theory of spatial representation. Our approach has ramifications in the domains of mereology, topology, and the theory of location, and the question of the interaction of these three domains within a unified spatial representation theory is addressed. In the final part we also consider (...) the idea of non-standard geographies, which may be associated with geography under a classical conception in the same sense in which non-standard logics are associated with classical logic. (shrink)

This short book sets out to explore the concept of nature in the context of a changing reality, in which the extent of our transformation of the environment has become evident: What is nature and to what extent has humanity transformed it? How do nature and society relate to one another? What does the idea of a sustainable society entail and how can nature be understood as a political subject? What is the Anthropocene and how does it affect nature as (...) both an idea and a material entity? Has nature perhaps "ended?" In addressing these questions, the author delivers a concise but meaningful study of contemporary understandings of nature, one that goes beyond the limits posed by a single discipline. Adopting a truly comprehensive perspective, the work incorporates classical disciplines such as philosophy, evolutionary theory and the history of ideas; new and mixed approaches ranging from environmental sociology to neurobiology and ecological economics and the emerging area of the environmental humanities and represents a growing branch of political thought that views nature as a new political subject. (shrink)

Introduction: an imaginary crisis? reframing green politics -- Nature and society: society within nature; nature within society; from nature to human environment -- Sustainability after the end of nature: the principle of sustainability; the politics of sustainability -- Towards a green liberal society: green politics, democracy and liberalism; can we democratise sustainability?; ecological citizenship and sustainability -- Conclusion: the future of green politics.

This book brings together the most current thinking about the Anthropocene in the field of Environmental Political Theory ('EPT'). It displays the distinctive contribution EPT makes to the task of thinking through what 'the environment' means in this time of pervasive human influence over natural systems. Across its chapters the book helps develop the idea of 'socionatural relations'--an idea that frames the environment in the Anthropocene in terms of the interconnected relationship between human beings and their surroundings. Coming from both (...) well-established and newer voices in the field, the chapters in the book show the diversity of points of view theorists take toward the Anthropocene idea, and socionatural relations more generally. However, all the chapters exemplify a characteristic of work in EPT: the self-conscious effort to provide normative interpretations that are responsive to scientific accounts. The Introduction explains the complicated interaction between science and EPT, showing how it positions EPT to consider the Anthropocene. And the Afterword, by a pioneer in the field, relates all the chapters to a perspective that has been deeply influential in EPT. This book will be of interest to scholars already engaged in EPT. But it will also serve as an introduction to the field for students of Political Theory, Philosophy, Environmental Studies, and related disciplines, who will learn about the EPT approach from the Introduction, and then see it applied to the pressing question of the Anthropocene in the ensuing chapters. The book will also help readers interested in the Anthropocene from any disciplinary perspective develop a critical understanding of its political meanings. (shrink)

A critical survey of the main philosophical theories about events and event talk, organized in three main sections: (i) Events and Other Categories (Events vs. Objects; Events vs. Facts; Events vs. Properties; Events vs. Times); (ii) Types of Events (Activities, Accomplishments, Achievements, and States; Static and Dynamic Events; Actions and Bodily Movements; Mental and Physical Events; Negative Events); (iii) Existence, Identity, and Indeterminacy.