This book provides an overview of the institutional and intellectual development of sociology in Brazil from the early 1900s to the present day; through military coups, dictatorships and democracies. It charts the profound impact of sociology on Brazilian public life and how, in turn, upheavals in the history of the country and its universities affected its scientific agenda. This engaging account highlights the extent of the discipline’s colonial inheritance, its early institutionalization in São Paulo, and its congruent rise and fall (...) during repeated regime changes. The authors’ analysis draws on original research that maps the concentration of research interests, new developments, publications and centers of production in Brazilian sociology, using qualitative and quantitative data. It concludes with a reflection on the potential impact of the recent far-right turn in Brazilian politics on the future of the discipline. This book contributes a valuable country study to the history of sociology and will appeal to a range of social scientists in addition to scholars of disciplinary historiography, intellectual and Brazilian history. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, and in Africa, given the lack of resources, they are likely to be even more acute. The usefulness of Traditional African Healers in helping to mitigate the effects of pandemic has been neglected. We argue from an ethical perspective that these healers can and should have an important role in informing and guiding local communities in Africa on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Particularly, we argue not only (...) that much of the philosophy underlying Traditional African Medicine is adequate and compatible with preventive measures for COVID-19, but also that Traditional African Healers have some unique cultural capital for influencing and enforcing such preventive measures. The paper therefore suggests that not only given the cultural context of Africa where Traditional African Healers have a special role, but also because of the normative strength of the Afro-communitarian philosophy that informs it, there are good ethical reasons to endorse policies that involve Traditional Healers in the fight against COVID-19. We also maintain that concerns about Traditional African Healers objectionably violating patient confidentiality or being paternalistic are much weaker in the face of COVID-19. (shrink)

Jiren (畸人), literally translated as irregular (Ji) person (ren), is a critical concept in the classical Daoist text the Zhuangzi (5th–3rd century BC.).1 The concept refers to individuals with atypical body shapes. Some of them lack body parts of the standard human body, like a leg or toes. Some others have an atypical anatomy, like having a chin stuck down their navel; and some of them are, by social standards of the time, considered to be extremely ugly.1 These individuals are (...) described as incredibly virtuous. The description of Jiren individuals as virtuous does not simply aim to show there may be hidden virtues that social conventions blur. The point is not to show that we should also care for those with atypical bodies who have a hidden virtue. Rather, the point is to show that all human beings have an unconditional intrinsic value and moral worth. So, Jiren prescribes that an atypical body shape does not reflect inferiority. The variation of body anatomies should be understood as how the world is, not a value hierarchy. The concept of Jiren encourages, therefore, to consider one’s own and others’ value beyond their physical appearance. What’s more, Jiren encourages individuals to resist social pressures to fit a standard and to search inward for who they really are and accept it. This ethical groundwork set by the Jiren aims at freeing people from existing physical and mental boundaries to their well-being and helping them rethink …. (shrink)

This article is intended to present a proposal for dialogic digital ethics on a critical reading of the European Commission's independent high-level expert group’s document Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI (2019). These would be digital ethics with a normative horizon for action and criteria for justice based on dialogue and possible agreement between all agents involved and affected by the digital reality. The aim is to show that the participation of all parties involved is not merely advisable but morally required (...) as part of the Commission’s effort to generate common European willingness and governance to deal with the fourth industrial revolution now going on. The acknowledgement of equal dignity implied by people-centric artificial intelligence (AI) is utterly unthinkable without this possibility of equal participation. Without it, trust cannot be generated or guaranteed. As we intend to show, the new principle of explicability plays a decisive role in this objective as a principle with a moral as well as an instrumental. El presente artículo tiene como objetivo presentar los rasgos básicos de una ética digital dialógica a partir de una lectura crítica del documento elaborado por grupo independiente de expertos de alto nivel para la Comisión Europea Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI (High-level expert Group on Artificial Intelligence, 2019). Una ética digital que tiene en el diálogo y acuerdo posible de todos los agentes implicados y afectados por la realidad digital su horizonte normativo de actuación, su criterio de justicia. La finalidad es mostrar que, en su esfuerzo por generar una voluntad común y una gobernanza europeas ante la actual revolución industrial, la participación de todas las partes implicadas no solo es recomendable sino moralmente exigible. El reconocimiento de la igual dignidad que implica una Inteligencia Artificial centrada en las personas no es ni siquiera pensable sin el horizonte de una participación igual. Sin ella, la confianza no puede generarse ni garantizarse. Como pretendemos mostrar, en este objetivo juega un papel decisivo el nuevo principio de explicabilidad, principio que posee un valor moral y no solo instrumental. (shrink)

O presente artigo insere-se no quadro da Didática da Matemática, alicerçando na Teoria Antropológica do didático, uma teoria que tem o objeto de saber como seu foco, analisando-o a nível epistemológico e institucional e tem entre os seus elementos primitivos de analise, a abordagem ecologia, praxeológica e a noção de relação ao objeto. É sobre a relação ao objeto que o artigo concentra a sua discussão, a nível teórico, objetivando mostrar como a DM pode contribuir para um debate sobre a (...) decolonização epistemológica de saberes no ensino da Matemática. Em nossa analise, destacamos a abordagem ecológica como o principal elemento de análise na TAD que, ao se situar na análise das condições e restrições de vida do objeto em seu ambiente conceitual, procura compreender como o objeto está posto nos currículos, ao questionar sobre o que existe? o que não existe? o que desapareceu e porquê? o que existe em outros ambientes de vida e não estão aqui? Porque que não estão aqui? Etc. A DM procura por este meio, questionar e denunciar as práticas de ensino que tem as epistemologias do pensamento moderno colonial, eurocêntrico/ocidental como únicas formas de produção do conhecimento matemático, e que por via disso, tendem a subjugar, subalternizar, primitivizar sabedorias outras, não eurocêntricas/ocidentais. Ao mesmo tempo que denuncia, por meio da abordagem praxeológica, propõe ações, mecanismos que possibilitem trazer e discutir as sabedorias não eurocêntricas/ocidentais em espaços escolares, para participarem do processo de produção do conhecimento científico, através do processo de circulação de saberes ou praxeologias entre instituições. (shrink)

Este texto aborda o paradoxo entre a indústria cultural e a formação humana, com base na teoria crítica. O texto utiliza uma metodologia bibliográfica, discutindo temas como educação, formação, semiformação, indústria cultural, capitalismo e emancipação. O objetivo é debater como a indústria cultural interfere na formação dos indivíduos. A contribuição dos processos educativos para o desenvolvimento da civilização é destacada, enfatizando a importância da criticidade e autorreflexão para evitar a barbárie. Os fundamentos da teoria crítica ressaltam a necessidade de um (...) pensamento filosófico que oriente o sujeito para o esclarecimento. A educação para a emancipação é considerada a mais eficaz para a formação humana em uma sociedade explorada pelo capital. O estudo reconhece que novas questões surgirão, indo além dos limites desta pesquisa. (shrink)

In this article, we will make the case for an intercultural philosophy of religion with a special focus on interculturality between Chinese and African philosophies. We will provide an overview of the kind of intercultural philosophy that has already been undertaken between the East and the South and point out that a philosophy of religion has been left out. We will then make the case for a global philosophy of religion approach and why Chinese and African philosophies of religion should (...) engage in philosophical interchanges. We will then highlight some directions for carrying out such a philosophy and explain why the problem of evil may be better addressed from an intercultural perspective. (shrink)

Edition of the opuscules by D. Báñez on De auxiliis controversy. There is the critical edition of three manuscripts and the first Spanish annotated translation of the opuscules. The Latin text is disposed together with the translation. An introduction situates the opuscules in its systematic and historical context.

Gregorio de Nacianzo, uno de los padres capadocios, es denominado por la tradición oriental como “el Teólogo”. Sin embargo, su faceta de filósofo es menos conocida y a menudo minusvalorada. Nos proponemos presentar cuál es el modo específico de filosofía que se encuentra en los discursos de Gregorio. Comenzaremos por examinar el primero de sus discursos teológicos, donde establece las condiciones en las que el ser humano puede hablar sobre la divinidad. En segundo lugar, examinaremos su dedicación a la literatura (...) y la oratoria, para caracterizar su pensamiento como “filosofía retórica” o “retórica filosófica”. El tercer apartado nos llevará a la confrontación del Nacianceno con los nuevos arrianos de su tiempo, especialmente Aecio de Antioquía y Eunomio de Cízico. Rechaza el nominalismo de estos herejes y su abuso de los recursos de la lógica aristotélica, que denomina “tecnología”. Nuestro autor concede mayor importancia a la realidad de Dios que a las palabras que nombran lo divino. Por último, trataremos de resumir las relaciones entre razón y fe, siguiendo su conocida fórmula: “la fe es plenitud de la razón”. (shrink)

Karl Rahner’s thinking can be understood by looking at several of its coordinates. First, it unfolds in close connection with the fundamental dynamics of human existence. Second, it is prompted by a personal and immediate experience of God, namely, the one of the author himself. Third, it is influenced by the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Fourth, it aims to show the reasonableness and, therefore, the credibility of the Christian faith. Fifth, it is guided by intellectual honesty that leads (...) to facing reality without reduction or concealment. Finally, it combines philosophy and theology, more precisely, treats philosophy as a necessary moment in theology. Karl Rahner is remembered for operating the “anthropological turn” in theology. This means that, in his view, one should not reflect on God without reflecting on the human being as well. Rahner is particularly interested in examining the human’s ability to receive what comes from God’s self-revelation. It is an aspect that gives occasion to the discussion that Hans Urs von Balthasar has with him. At the heart of Rahner’s anthropology is the “transcendental experience”. It is originated by the absolute mystery that is present in human existence, precisely that mystery that Christians call God. It is such a fundamental experience that it must be taken into account when leading one’s own existence. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to relate two trending topics in contemporary epistemology: the discussion of group knowledge and the discussion of knowledge-first approach. In social epistemology no one has seriously applied and developed Williamson’s theory of knowledge-first approach to the case of group knowledge yet. For example, scholars of group knowledge typically assume that knowledge is analyzed in terms of more basic concepts, such as group belief or acceptance, group justification, and so on. However, if Williamson’s theory of (...) knowledge is correct, these are not good analyzes for understanding group knowledge. For, in such framework, knowledge is not analyzed in terms of belief and justification, and the same should apply to group knowledge. Thus, we propose to analyze which consequences Williamson’s theory has for social epistemology, namely for an understanding of group knowledge. The questions that will guide this article are the following: What is a knowledge-first approach to group knowledge? And what does a knowledge-first approach teach us with regard to one of the most pressing issues of social epistemology, namely the dispute between summativists and non-summativists accounts of groups? We claim that a knowledge-first account of group knowledge can be offered and that it favors non-summativism. (shrink)

Philosophy Compass, Volume 17, Issue 8, August 2022.

Uma concepção de cosmopolitismo, de base eurocêntrica, é questionada por pensadores como K. A. Appiah, Walter Mignolo, Silviano Santiago entre outros, para buscar possíveis ressemantizações do termo no contexto contemporâneo, marcado pela globalização, pelo multiculturalismo e pela expansão das novas tecnologias de comunicação. Considerando esse confronto de noções de cosmopolitismo, indaga-se como se deu a interpretação do Brasil no início do século XX, quando recrudesceram as tensões entre cosmopolitismo e nacionalismo. Busca-se, por outro lado, confrontar tais interpretações com as que (...) surgem no início do século XXI, quando a nação vai deixando de ser o centro de um sistema de significação, em tempo heterogêneo e de globalização, em que se pode falar em “cosmopolitismo do pobre” (cosmopolitismo do subalterno), como formulou Silviano Santiago. (shrink)

In this paper, we have two goals: Firstly, we intend to examine the most robust recent formulation of the problem of religious diversity or disagreement. We will argue that Sanford Goldberg’s version is better than John Greco’s. Secondly, we aim to examine different solutions and develop a new one based on Ernest Sosa’s virtue epistemology as a response to the problem of religious diversity or disagreement.

Bioethics, Volume 36, Issue 3, Page 243-251, March 2022.

The idea of solidarity is in vogue, especially since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the term “solidarity,” as used in nursing, is imprecise and vague, lacking clear definition and connoting a variety of general meanings. Based on the original meaning of “solidarity” in ancient Roman law, this article captures the archetypical idea of solidarity from a historical and interdisciplinary perspective. This archetypical or primary meaning comes before the development of any other meanings of the word, and it is (...) therefore authentic and genuine because it does not derive from something else. After establishing the archetypical meaning of solidarity, the article translates this meaning into the area of nursing and demonstrates a deep connectivity between healthcare and solidarity. The second part of the article offers and develops a new definition of nursing solidarity as the responsibility for the healthcare of a person shared as a whole by that person and a nurse or a nursing team. This new definition has some implications for nursing practice and education, since the definition emphasizes the idea that solidarity helps to foster respect and avoid discrimination, promote cohesion in health communities, increase individual responsibility and a spirit of service, stimulate motivation, improve communication, create an engaging workplace, and develop leadership. (shrink)

In a recent article in this journal, Uchena Okeja, inspired by sources in African philosophy and military ethics, argued that war by agreement is the only morally justified war. The present piece is a response to Okeja's contention that agreement is both necessary and sufficient for waging war. Contrasting with Okeja, I contend that agreement is neither necessary nor sufficient for initiating a war. Regarding necessity, I contend that there may be overriding values at risk in a conflict and protecting (...) these values may require engaging in war without agreement. Further, I contend that in cases of self-defense, it is not necessary to have consensus for defending oneself from an attacker. With respect to sufficiency, I uphold that Okeja's perspective fails because his model does not provide just cause, conditions for meaningful consent, or the tools with which to avoid exclusion, elitism, and manipulation in deliberative settings. I conclude that Okeja's arguments are indeed valuable and provide inspirational ideas for how to avoid war, but overall, they do not hold up as a full-fledged theory. (shrink)

Beliefs are commonly attributed to groups or collective entities. But what is the nature of group belief? Summativism and nonsummativism are two main rival views regarding the nature of group belief. On the one hand, summativism holds that, necessarily, a group g has a belief B only if at least one individual i is both a member of g and has B. On the other hand, non-summativism holds that it is possible for a group g to have a belief B (...) even if no member of g has B. My aim in this paper is to consider whether divergence arguments for non-summativism and against summativism about group belief are sound. Such divergence arguments aim to show that there can be a divergence between belief at the group level and the corresponding belief at the individual level. I will argue that these divergence arguments do not decisively defeat a minimal version of summativism. In order to accomplish this goal, I have the following plan: In section 2, I will analyze the structure of two important counterexamples against the summativist view, which are based on divergence arguments. Such counterexamples are based on the idea that a group decides to adopt a particular group belief, even if none of its members holds the belief in question. However, in section 3, I will show that these counterexamples fail, because they can be explained without the need to posit group beliefs. More specifically, I argue that in these apparent counterexamples, we have only a ‘group acceptance’ phenomenon and not a ‘group belief’ phenomenon. For this conclusion, I advance two arguments: in subsection 3.1, I formulate an argument from doxastic involuntarism, and in subsection 3.2, I develop an argument from truth connection. Thus, summativism is not defeated by divergence arguments. Lastly, in section 4, I will conclude with some advantages of summativism. (shrink)

Este artigo pretende investigar que tipo de escuta é a de quem “ouve vozes”. Tenta-‑se mostrar, com ele, os efeitos que a análise de certas alucinações auditivas e espectros sonoros teria, se fosse realizada do ponto de vista da escuta, não do conteúdo do que é ouvido. Para isso, o artigo conecta o estudo de certos “fantasmas auditivos” com a análise – no território da ficção, especificamente um romance de Robert Silverberg – da perda do poder de um telepata. Pretende-‑se, (...) assim, mostrar uma maneira possível de entender como o ouvinte se ouve a si mesmo como se fosse outro, ou, inversamente, como ouve outro como se não estivesse cercado pela exterioridade, mas permanecesse na parte mais interna do si mesmo. (shrink)

Pinhas Sadeh was considered as an unorthodox writer as regards his environment, the “State Culture” in Israel. In the first part of this paper I present the biography of the author and his most representative work, Life as a parable, published in 1958, as well as his romantic and frankist roots and his leaning towards Christianity according to the Gospel. In the second part a mythical analysis of this work is made according to the inner journey of hero, through which (...) the main character is looking for his life meaning. In this second part I present my methodology, based on works of the Eranos Society (Mircea Eliade, C.G. Jung, Gilbert Durand). Afterwards, I analyse the mithems that I have found in Life as a parable. Finally, I make a mythical comparison between this novel and Siddharta, of Hermann Hesse. (shrink)

Dos sentidos del término conciencia han convivido desde que tenemos constancia del uso del mismo: el psíquico y el moral. Un rasgo distintivo del pensamiento moderno consiste en considerar que el primero ha de prevalecer sobre el segundo. Sin embargo, la propia evolución del concepto parece exigir en nuestros días una apelación a lo social para completar su determinación.

Carrying out research on brains is important for medical advances in various diseases. However, such research ought not be carried out on human brains because the benefits do not outweigh the potential risks. A possible alternative is the use of brain surrogates. Nevertheless, some scholars who uphold a threshold account of moral status suggest the possibility that, with technological advances in the near future, more advanced brain surrogates will have very similar features to humans. This may suffice for these having (...) the same moral status as humans, and as a result, the situation may have implications for brain research, indeed, leading to the implication that this ought also not to be carried out upon brain surrogates. In this article, we present a relational approach to moral status which upholds that brain surrogates do not have the same moral status as human beings. Hence, brain research ought not be rejected on the grounds of equality of moral status between humans and brain surrogates. (shrink)

ABSTRACT In this article, I will carry out an epistemic and interpretative project, drawing out the implications of African values for the morality of war. More precisely, I wish to interpret the African value system and tease out some conclusions as to what this value system entails in terms of the following: the morality of when to enter war, how to act in war, and what to do after war. I carry out this inquiry by articulating the African value of (...) Ubuntu in light of the actions and speeches of two prominent African leaders, Nelson Mandela and Amilcar Cabral. (shrink)