Bridging the gap between the world of science and the realm of the spiritual, B. Alan Wallace introduces a natural theory of human consciousness that has its roots in contemporary physics and Buddhism. Wallace's "special theory of ontological relativity" suggests that mental phenomena are _conditioned_ by the brain, but do not _emerge_ from it. Rather, the entire natural world of mind and matter, subjects and objects, arises from a unitary dimension of reality that is more fundamental than these dualities, as (...) proposed by Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung. To test his hypothesis, Wallace employs the Buddhist meditative practice of _samatha_, refining one's attention and metacognition, to create a kind of telescope to examine the space of the mind. Drawing on the work of the physicist John Wheeler, he then proposes a more general theory in which the participatory nature of reality is envisioned as a self-excited circuit. In comparing these ideas to the Buddhist theory known as the Middle Way philosophy, Wallace explores further aspects of his "general theory of ontological relativity," which can be investigated by means of _vipasyana_, or insight, meditation. Wallace then focuses on the theme of symmetry in reference to quantum cosmology and the "problem of frozen time," relating these issues to the theory and practices of the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism. He concludes with a discussion of the general theme of complementarity as it relates to science and religion. The theories of relativity and quantum mechanics were major achievements in the physical sciences, and the theory of evolution has had an equally deep impact on the life sciences. However, rigorous scientific methods do not yet exist to observe mental phenomena, and naturalism has its limits for shedding light on the workings of the mind. A pioneer of modern consciousness research, Wallace offers a practical and revolutionary method for exploring the mind that combines the keenest insights of contemporary physicists and philosophers with the time-honored meditative traditions of Buddhism. (shrink)

Bridging the gap between the world of science and the realm of the spiritual, B. Alan Wallace introduces a natural theory of human consciousness that has its roots in contemporary physics and Buddhism. Wallace's "special theory of ontological relativity" suggests that mental phenomena are _conditioned_ by the brain, but do not _emerge_ from it. Rather, the entire natural world of mind and matter, subjects and objects, arises from a unitary dimension of reality that is more fundamental than these dualities, as (...) proposed by Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung. To test his hypothesis, Wallace employs the Buddhist meditative practice of _samatha_, refining one's attention and metacognition, to create a kind of telescope to examine the space of the mind. Drawing on the work of the physicist John Wheeler, he then proposes a more general theory in which the participatory nature of reality is envisioned as a self-excited circuit. In comparing these ideas to the Buddhist theory known as the Middle Way philosophy, Wallace explores further aspects of his "general theory of ontological relativity," which can be investigated by means of _vipasyana_, or insight, meditation. Wallace then focuses on the theme of symmetry in reference to quantum cosmology and the "problem of frozen time," relating these issues to the theory and practices of the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism. He concludes with a discussion of the general theme of complementarity as it relates to science and religion. The theories of relativity and quantum mechanics were major achievements in the physical sciences, and the theory of evolution has had an equally deep impact on the life sciences. However, rigorous scientific methods do not yet exist to observe mental phenomena, and naturalism has its limits for shedding light on the workings of the mind. A pioneer of modern consciousness research, Wallace offers a practical and revolutionary method for exploring the mind that combines the keenest insights of contemporary physicists and philosophers with the time-honored meditative traditions of Buddhism. (shrink)

After History, the Event ? Our aim in this article is to reflect on the reasons lying behind the current fascination with the concept of the event. A belief in the Event has taken the place of the belief in History. The concept of the Event in no sense constitutes a step beyond the metaphy-sical. It is, on the contrary, the new guise of the latter. Our initial aim is therefore to outline our hypothesis, placing it alongside other possible dia-gnoses. (...) We then seek to attempt the pragmatic validation of our argument concerning the concept of the Event, arguing that the advantage of our hypothesis is that it offers a more adequate account of our present historical moment, which may perhaps be qualified as merely the precarious conjunc-tion between the Event, Globalisation, and Memory. And so it is that, after History, our moment is that of the Event, understood as the categorical hypo-stasis of the event. As such, the concept is, we argue, one which is not to be celebrated too hastily, in case one were to end up howling with the wolves. (shrink)

On amalgame souvent, sous le terme d' « échange », le sauvage du contrat social avec celui du marché. Il s'agit ici a contrario de les distinguer en montrant comment ces deux personnages répondent en réalité à deux modes d'argumentation tout à fait différents que les Lumières ont contraints à coexister selon des modalités très diverses. Or le syntagme moderne de« société civile» n'ajamais résorbé cette ambiguïté et nous trouvons là matière à bien des enseignements car cela permet de réfléchir (...) à la fois sur ce qu'est un« concept», une« historicité » et un « citoyen ». Méthodologie, anthropologie et politique apparaissent ainsi comme les trois horizons d'une analyse qui ne veut nullement réduire l'équivoque, mais bien plutôt en mesurer les richesses. (shrink)

Resumo: Neste artigo, procura-se evidenciar que a genealogia nietzschiana representa um conceito novo para a história da filosofia, que ela não deve ser confundida com a “filosofia histórica” de Humano, demasiado humano, mantendo antes uma identificação não utilitarista da história e da filosofia. Com isso, a genealogia dá origem a um tipo original de narrativa em que Nietzsche finalmente resolve satisfatoriamente uma de suas preocupações mais antigas, na medida em que a genealogia celebra o casamento da especulação e do empirismo (...) à igual distância da história dos historiadores, das filosofias da história e da pseudo-história dos empiristas.: This article aims to show that the Nietzschean genealogy represents a new concept for the history of philosophy, that it should not be confused with a historical philosophy, maintaining instead a non-utilitarian identification of history and philosophy. I show how it gives rise to an original type of narrative in which Nietzsche finally satisfactorily resolves one of his oldest concerns, as genealogy celebrates the marriage of speculation and empiricism at an equal distance from the history of historians, of the philosophies of history and pseudo-history of empiricists. (shrink)

The Two Principles of Liberalism. The aim of our article is to construct a substantive definition of liberalism. To do so, the article brings together two principles which are entirely distinct, both in historical and in logical terms. The first is the principle of lesser government, according to which the State should allow the individual to carry out those actions which the latter is best fitted to perform – and, to begin with, those actions where the individual’s own safety is (...) at stake. The second is the principle of differential government, which stipulates that liberty is only possible when several, heterogeneous systems of constraint – laws, morals, etc. – are simultaneously in operation. Liberalism, in the strict sense of the term, that is, understood as a body of thought which explicitly defined itself as such at the start of the nineteenth century, emerged from the encounter between these two principles. What is today called « neo-liberalism », that is, the subsumption of all modes of endeavour under the sole rule of economic exchange, thus proves to be the negation rather than the accomplishment of liberalism. (shrink)

Partisans et adversaires, acteurs et spectateurs de la Révolution française réfléchirent d’emblée celle-ci comme la mise en oeuvre, triomphale ou désastreuse, de la théorie — entendons la philosophie des « Lumières ». Ce faisant, ils s’enfermèrent dans une alternative — pour ou contre la théorie? — que l’on put tenter de forcer dans trois directions bien distinctes: 1) en substituant une théorie à une autre, aux droits de l’homme l’utilité (Bentham); 2) en instituant le pratique (das Praktische) au fondement de (...) la théorie elle-même (Fichte); 3) en déployant dans le temps nouveau de la perfectibilité indéfinie la réalisation de la théorie dans la pratique (Condorcet, Godwin, Fichte), toute la difficulté se focalisant alors dans la signification précise qu’il s’agissait d’accorder à l’épithète « indéfinie ». (shrink)

The essay analyzes the conflict which opened after the French Revolution between public opinion and ideology. In this space of reflection the second seemed sometimes as the hidden face of the first one. Public opinion historically represented the institutionalization of the possibility of a disagreement on the legitimacy of the body politic. It has thus made possible a speech on the political detached from religion. As is clear from the controversy of Napoleon against the ideologues and the Marxian critique, ideology (...) does not get to be the science of social discourse and its alienation, to become a set of sophistry on social conditions. Discussing the arguments of Tocqueville, Bourdieu and Reynié about the deficit of reflexivity of public opinion, the author affirms its distance from the ideology, because it requires anyway an investment for religious believe his propositions. (shrink)

En France, Nietzsche fut un temps l'emblème oraculaire de toutes les subversions et son nom côtoyait couramment ceux d'Artaud et de Bataille. Puis vint l'âge de son académisation qui permit bien des avancées et où on lui attribua l'insigne mérite d'avoir élaboré un système tout à fait cohérent dont la reconstitution méticuleuse pouvait occuper toute une vie. Le présent ouvrage fait le pari que le moment est venu de mettre en avant un autre Nietzsche, celui d'un philosophe dont l'oeuvre obéit (...) à une dynamique originale où s'enchevêtrent des registres dont l'homogénéité ne va pas de soi. C'est le concept d'historicité qui est mobilisé à cette fin. Le passé lointain auquel doit régresser le savoir généalogique ; la réitération indéfinie du même présent que la sagesse de l'éternel retour doit inciter à vouloir ; le futur un peu brumeux de très long terme auquel doit oeuvrer le véritable créateur : trois temps, trois registres et trois problèmes aussi - objectivité, répétition, évolution. On ne doit pas trop vite présumer que ces trois discours n'en font qu'un. Au contraire : toute la difficulté est de savoir comment tirer ensemble ces fils, si seulement il faut les nouer et si oui, selon quelles modalités qui ne sont pas forcément celles du système. On peut encore dire ce qui précède autrement : si Dieu est mort et si Nietzsche s'est efforcé à tout prix de conjurer la posture du prêtre, le lecteur doit en tirer les conséquences. Interpréter, c'est ruminer, pas refermer. (shrink)

Le présent volume conjoint deux grands soucis, en droit distincts. Le premier est méthodologique. Il vise à élaborer ce qui n'existe ni en France ni ailleurs, à savoir une histoire comparée des philosophies. Par là, il faut entendre une histoire qui brouille les partages universitaires et reconstruit ses objets propres par les voies expérimentales auxquelles les vrais historiens sont accoutumés depuis longtemps. C'est alors l'activité philosophique elle-même qui apparaît autrement, dans la singularité de pratiques nationales qui l'effectuent toujours dans une (...) conjoncture donnée. L'Europe spirituelle n'existe pas. La seconde préoccupation ordonnant ces analyses est anthropologique. Elle se présente comme une histoire polémique des historicités observables de Vico à aujourd'hui, où l'Événement est devenu la pierre philosophale. On y comprend mieux comment les hommes, pour simplement vivre, doivent s'installer dans un temps donné. Ils y nouent présent, passé et futur selon des modalités indéfiniment variables, mais toujours illusoires ainsi se définit chaque époque. L'Histoire universelle n'existe pas. Dans ces pages, il n'existe donc que des philosophies comme il n'existe que des historicités. On n'y proclame pas la mort de Dieu : soyons plutôt polythéistes! (shrink)

Objective: To evaluate feasibility of the guidelines of the Groupe Francophone de Réanimation et Urgence Pédiatriques for limitation of treatments in the paediatric intensive care unit .Design: A 2-year prospective survey.Setting: A 12-bed PICU at the Hôpital Jeanne de Flandre, Lille, France.Patients: Were included when limitation of treatments was expected.Results: Of 967 children admitted, 55 were included with a 2-day median delay. They were younger than others , had a higher paediatric risk of mortality score , and a higher paediatric (...) overall performance category score at admission ; all p<0.002. 34 children died. A limitation decision was made without meeting for 7 children who died: 6 received do-not-resuscitate orders and 1 received withholding decision. Decision-making meetings were organised for 31 children, and the following decisions were made: 12 DNROs , 4 withholding , with 14 withdrawing and 1 continuing treatment . After limitation, 21 children died and 10 survived . 13 procedures were interrupted because of death and 11 because of clinical improvement . Parents’ opinions were obtained after 4 family conferences , 3 days after inclusion. The first meeting was planned for 6 days after inclusion and held on the 7th day after inclusion; 80% of parents were immediately informed of the decision, which was implemented after half a day.Conclusions: GFRUPs procedure was applicable in most cases. The main difficulties were anticipating the correct date for the meeting and involving nurses in the procedure. Children for whom the procedure was interrupted because of clinical improvement and who survived in poor condition without a formal decision pointed out the need for medical criteria for questioning, which should systematically lead to a formal decision-making process. (shrink)

The _Platform Sutra_ records the teachings of Hui-neng, the Sixth Patriarch, who is revered as one of the two great figures in the founding of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. This translation is the definitive English version of the eighth-century Ch'an classic. Phillip B. Yampolsky has based his translation on the Tun-huang manuscript, the earliest extant version of the work. A critical edition of the Chinese text is given at the end of the volume. Dr. Yampolsky also furnishes a lengthy and detailed (...) historical introduction which contains much information hitherto unavailable even to scholars, and provides the context essential to an understanding of Hui-neng's work. He gives an account of the history and legends of Ch'an Buddhism, with particular attention to the traditions associated with Hui-neng, quoting or summarizing the most important narratives. He then discusses the various texts of the _Platform Sutra_, and analyzes its contents. (shrink)

The late Jacob Klein’s important book is, remarkably, a lucid presentation of esoteric argument. Dealing with the famed Platonic triad, Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman, Klein settles the dispute about the missing dialogue, "The Philosopher," by first denying that it is missing and second showing that it is unnecessary. He argues, in short, that the triad is a dyad. That argument is reinforced by the distinction Klein strongly implies between the Socratic Theaetetus and the Eleatic Sophist and Statesman. "We can now (...) understand why the conversations of the ‘trilogy’ occur in two, not three, days and why the Sophist, the Statesman, and the Philosopher are dealt with in two, not three, dialogues". (shrink)

'The problem of the twentieth-century is the problem of the color-line.' Originally published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk is a classic study of race, culture, and education at the turn of the twentieth century. With its singular combination of essays, memoir, and fiction, this book vaulted W. E. B. Du Bois to the forefront of American political commentary and civil rights activism. The Souls of Black Folk is an impassioned, at times searing account of the situation of African (...) Americans in the United States. Du Bois makes a forceful case for the access of African Americans to higher education, memorably extols the achievements of black culture (above all the spirituals or 'sorrow songs'), and advances the provocative and influential argument that due to the inequalities and pressures of the 'race problem', African American identity is characterized by 'double consciousness'. This edition includes a valuable appendix of other writing by Du Bois, which sheds light on his attitudes and intentions. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. (shrink)

While the question of free will does not figure as prominently in Buddhist writings as it does in western theology, philosophy, and psychology, it is a topic that was addressed in the earliest Buddhist writings. According to these accounts, for pragmatic and ethical reasons, the Buddha rejected both determinism and indeterminism as understood at that time. Rather than asking the metaphysical question of whether already humans have free will, Buddhist tradition takes a more pragmatic approach, exploring ways in which we (...) can acquire greater freedom to make wise choices that are truly conducive to our own and others' genuine well-being. One key to achieving such freedom is the cultivation of attentional skills so that one can deliberately focus one's attention with continuity and clarity on one's chosen object. A second theme is the cultivation of insight into the manner in which our own attitudes shape experience, allowing for the possibility of altering not only the way we experience events in the present, but also how we are influenced by our memories of the past. Finally, the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes the realization of the deepest dimension of consciousness -- pristine awareness -- which transcends the nexus of causality. This is regarded as the ultimate source of freedom and the ultimate nature of human identity. (shrink)

Knowledge of mechanisms is critical for causal reasoning. We contrasted two possible organizations of causal knowledge—an interconnected causal network, where events are causally connected without any boundaries delineating discrete mechanisms; or a set of disparate mechanisms—causal islands—such that events in different mechanisms are not thought to be related even when they belong to the same causal chain. To distinguish these possibilities, we tested whether people make transitive judgments about causal chains by inferring, given A causes B and B causes C, (...) that A causes C. Specifically, causal chains schematized as one chunk or mechanism in semantic memory led to transitive causal judgments. On the other hand, chains schematized as multiple chunks led to intransitive judgments despite strong intermediate links. Normative accounts of causal intransitivity could not explain these intransitive judgments. (shrink)

Transformations in the biological, medical and legal processes of infertility, substantial modifications in family structure and the advancement of methods and techniques of reproductive technology will affect the next step in both legal and medical terms to address the regulation of bioethics and law in Kosovo. There is a need to establish perspectives in both ethical and professional terms, since the Republic of Kosovo is in the process of drafting a Civil Code. Many of these issues have been raised and (...) addressed during the review and evaluation of family law in the context of harmonisation and inclusion of this law in the Civil Code of the Republic of Kosovo. During the several meetings of official members with different interest groups regarding family law, the need has been raised to regulate family law to be included in the Civil Code for motherhood and fatherhood in the case of reproduction with biomedical assistance, as well as for the birth contract as a donation for another person (so-called surrogate motherhood). These bioethical and legal issues indicate the urgent need for legal harmonisation of a multidimensional platform specifically based on the principles of public health and universal human rights Conclusion. These bio-ethical and legal interferences indicate the urgent need for legal harmonization of a multidimensional platform specifically designed based on the principles of public health and universal human rights. (shrink)

A guide for scientists who would like to contribute to the professional development of science teachers for elementary schools. Based on information from over 180 programs, describes what activities work and why, and suggests how to identify programs teachers have found to be effective and take the initial steps to become involved. Also provides vignettes illustrating the daily work of science teachers. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

The author has made this treatise on Madhva’s realistic school of Ved?nta philosophy convincing to the modern mind by employing western logical apparatus in substantiating Madhva’s ideas. Following the Indian classical tradition, the author has examined the validity of Advaitaved?nta, the Absolute Monism of ?a?kara and Bh?skara as P?rvapak?a, and logically proved its inconsistencies. He has then established the Dvaitasiddh?nta i.e., the Monotheistic Dualism of Madhva. He has successfully brought out the nuances of the realistic school of Indian philosophical thought (...) in this work. A Modern Introduction to M?dhva Philosophy is Prof B H Kotabagi’s posthumous publication. (shrink)

On September 1, 2023, Texas made important revisions to it its decades‐old statute granting legal safe harbor immunity to physicians who withhold or withdraw life‐sustaining treatment over the objection of critically ill patients’ surrogate decision‐makers. However, lawmakers left untouched glaring flaws in a key safeguard for patients—the transfer option. The transfer option is ethically important because, when no hospital is willing to accept the patient in transfer, that fact is taken as strong evidence that the surrogates’ treatment requests fall outside (...) accepted medical practice. But there are serious shortcomings in how the transfer option is carried out in Texas and many other states, which undermines the ethical usefulness of the process. We identify these shortcomings and recommend revisions to state statutes and professional guidelines to overcome them. (shrink)

Despite All Critique (2014) -- World Politics and Western Reason (1980) -- The Doubled Outsides of the Modern International (2005) -- The Subject of Security (1995) -- The Protection of Nature and the Nature of Protection (2005) -- Social Movements/World Politics (1994) -- Europe is Not Where It is Supposed to Be (2000) -- They Seek it Here, They Seek it There : Looking for Politics in Clayoquot Sound (2003) -- Violence, Modernity, Silence : From Weber to International Relations (1993) (...) -- Hobbes, Origins, Limits (2011) -- War, Terror, Judgement (2002) -- International, Imperial, Exceptional (2005) -- Which Democracy for Which Demos? (2013) -- The Political Theory of Boundaries and the Boundaries of Political Theory : Interview With Raia Prokhovnik (2012). (shrink)

A particular feature of this book is substantial "Stretch and Challenge" material throughout which allows students to develop further.

Bringing together Deleuze, Blanchot, and Foucault, this book provides a detailed and original exploration of the ideas that influenced Deleuze's thought leading up to and throughout his cinema volumes and, as a result, proposes a new definition of art. Examining Blanchot's suggestion that art and dream are "outside" of power, as imagination has neither reality nor truth, and Foucault's theory that power forms knowledge by valuing life, Eugene Brent Young relates these to both Deleuze's philosophy of time and his work (...) with Guattari on art. In doing so, he uses case studies from literature and popular film, including Kafka's Castle, Villeneuve's Arrival, and Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Providing important new insights for those working in literary and cinematic studies, this book advances a new definition of art as that which reverses the realities and truths of power to express obscure ideas and values beyond both our exterior and interior worlds. (shrink)

This book takes a bold new look at ways of exploring the nature, origins, and potentials of consciousness within the context of science and religion.

Dialogues generated over a year of weekly meetings with 8 children at a school in Edinburgh. The author and the children attempted to craft stories reflecting philosophical problems.

Background At the beginning of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, many non-Covid healthcare services were suspended. In April 2020, the Department of Health in England mandated that non-Covid services should resume, alongside the continuing pandemic response. This ‘resetting’ of healthcare services created a unique context in which it became critical to consider how ethical considerations did (and should) underpin decisions about integrating infection control measures into routine healthcare practices. We draw on data collected as part of the ‘NHS Reset Ethics’ project, (...) which explored the everyday ethical challenges of resetting England’s NHS maternity and paediatrics services during the pandemic. Methods Healthcare professionals and members of the public participated in interviews and focus group discussions. The qualitative methods are reported in detail elsewhere. The focus of this article is our use of Frith’s symbiotic empirical ethics methodology to work from our empirical findings towards the normative suggestion that clinical ethics should explicitly attend to the importance of relationships in clinical practice. This methodology uses a five-step approach to refine and develop ethical theory based on a naturalist account of ethics that sees practice and theory as symbiotically related. Results The Reset project data showed that changed working practices caused ethical challenges for healthcare professionals, and that infection prevention and control measures represented harmful barriers to the experience of receiving and offering care. For healthcare professionals, offering care as part of a relational interaction was an ethically important dimension of healthcare delivery. Conclusions Our findings suggest that foregrounding the importance of relationships across a hospital community will better promote the ethically important multi-directional expression of caring between healthcare professionals, patients, and their families. We offer two suggestions for making progress towards such a relational approach. First, that there is a change of emphasis in clinical ethics practice to explicitly acknowledge the importance of the relationships (including with their healthcare team) within which the patient is held. Second, that organisational decision-making should take into account the moral significance afforded to caring relationships by healthcare professionals, and the role such relationships can play in the negotiation of ethical challenges. (shrink)