Every day half a million passengers, 1.5 million e-mails and 1.5 trillion dollars cross international borders. In his Jihad versus McWorld — How the planet is both falling apart and coming together Benjamin Barber2 argues vividly that our modern world is torn apart by two opposite tendencies: On one hand is the globalization into enormous economic structures with one global marketplace for gigantic ‘global players’ like McDonald’s and Microsoft, accompanied by a shallow, universal, mass culture and the consumerist and materialistic (...) life-style of pop idols, video clips, soap series and popular brand names. And on the other hand is a flourishing fanatic nationalism claiming splintering independence of small ethnic communities and resulting in numerous bloody local wars: Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Timor. The refugees, that as a consequence of these conflicts flood the West, create there a multi-cultural, pluralistic society and consequently societal tension. (shrink)

Resumen Este artículo tiene el objetivo de realizar una aproximación crítica al pensamiento de Richard Sennett con la mirada puesta en las aportaciones que su obra puede realizar al desarrollo de la Ética Empresarial. De ahí que el estudio busca reconocer las transformaciones que están produciéndose en el nivel organizativo, y que se traducen en la implementación de nuevas formas de producción y trabajo en el seno de las relaciones capitalistas, aspectos sumamente relevantes para ser capaces de orientar dichas relaciones (...) en un sentido de justicia, prudencia y responsabilidad tal y como se plantea por la Ética Empresarial de corte discursivo.The objective of this article is to conduct a critical study of Richard Sennett’s thinking by focusing on the contributions his work can make to develop Business Ethics. This study aims to recognize the transformations that take place in organizational terms, and are then implemented into new forms of production and work at the heart of capitalist relations, which are extremely important aspects for guiding these relations in justice, prudence and responsibility terms, as it is proposed by discourse business ethics. (shrink)

Esta presentación se propone revisitar el legado teológico de Ignacio Ellacuría sobre «los pobres» y sugerir algunas claves bíblico-teológicas para su relanzamiento feminista. En cuanto al pensamiento del autor, en el marco de su soteriología histórica, se recupera su distinción fundamental entre pobres socio-económicos y pobres «con espíritu», su relación con el mensaje de las bienaventuranzas y la actualidad eclesial de su pensamiento. En vistas a un relanzamiento feminista del aporte ellacuriano, se retoman algunos estudios bíblicos de autoras como (...) class='Hi'>Elsa Tamez, sobre Agar (cf. Gn 16 y 21,8-21) e Ivoni Richter Reimer, sobre Isabel y María (cf. Lc 1,24-25 y 1,39-56). Estos textos se vinculan por tratar sobre mujeres que sufren, en cuanto tales, pobreza-opresión-humillación y son liberadas-bendecidas-exaltadas por la acción de Dios. Ellos muestran vidas de mujeres marcadas por una trama de opresión y una espiritualidad transformadora. El Magnificat, canto de una mujer humillada y exaltada, resume sin duda esa pobreza «con espíritu» que anticipa la llegada del Reino. En la reflexión final, se busca repensar a «los pobres» desde una perspectiva teológica interseccional, para mostrar la mutua imbricación entre las opresiones de género, clase, etnia y sexualidad. El uso de este enfoque permite ampliar la comprensión teológica de los pobres y desafía el lenguaje en un sentido inclusivo, todo lo cual favorece la visibilidad de la matriz de opresión padecida por las mujeres y el reconocimiento de su acción en procesos de resistencia, liberación y «espiritualización». (shrink)

Changes in the abundance of protein and RNA molecules can impair the formation of complexes in the cell leading to toxicity and death. Here we exploit the information contained in protein, RNA and DNA interaction networks to provide a comprehensive view of the regulation layers controlling the concentration‐dependent formation of assemblies in the cell. We present the emerging concept that RNAs can act as scaffolds to promote the formation ribonucleoprotein complexes and coordinate the post‐transcriptional layer of gene regulation. We describe (...) the structural and interaction network properties that characterize the ability of protein and RNA molecules to interact and phase separate in liquid‐like compartments. Finally, we show that presence of structurally disordered regions in proteins correlate with the propensity to undergo liquid‐to‐solid phase transitions and cause human diseases. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/kfpqibsNfS0. (shrink)

The way students perceive a learning climate (e.g. controlling or stimulating) is significantly influenced by feedback and assessment. However, at present much is unclear about the relation between feedback and motivational state. More specifically, the interplay with student characteristics is unclear. Since there is a strong increase of group work, the central research question is what are the effects of positive, neutral or negative feedback presented to collaborating teams of students, on students? intrinsic motivation, performance and on group processes? One (...) hundred thirty?eight higher education students participated in this study. There were no significant differences in performance across conditions. Multi?level analysis enabled a detailed comparison between groups and individual members of groups. Amongst others, it was found that feelings of competence facilitate the effect of positive feedback at the group level, which suggests that positive feedback boosts interest especially in groups of highly competent students. (shrink)

The proposal that there is an illusion of conscious will has been supported by findings that priming of stimulus location in a task requiring judgements of action-authorship can enhance participants’ experience of agency. We attempted to replicate findings from the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ task [Aarts, H., Custers, R., & Wegner, D. M. . On the inference of personal authorship: enhancing experienced agency by priming effect information. Consciousness and Cognition, 14, 439–458]. We also examined participants’ performance on this task in relation (...) to self-reported passivity experiences and hallucination-proneness. We found a significant effect of priming, with primes being found to increase the experience of agency. An interaction between gender and priming was also found, with priming enhancing feelings of agency in women but not in men. There were no significant correlations between levels of self-reported passivity experiences or hallucination-proneness and participants’ susceptibility to the priming effect on ratings of agency. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to a prominent model of passivity experiences. (shrink)

Resumo: O objetivo do presente artigo é contrapor à acusação de tecnofóbico, erroneamente dirigida a Hans Jonas, a sua proposta de uma ethical turn da tecnologia, cujas bases estariam na capacidade ética de impor contenções ao avanço utópico do progresso técnico, algo que leva a ética da responsabilidade ao polêmico conceito de “heurística do temor”. Para tanto, parte-se de um exame sobre o projeto jonasiano de uma filosofia da tecnologia, cuja terceira perspectiva seria valorativa, sendo esta a que ele melhor (...) desenvolveu. A partir daí, analisa-se qual seria o valor da tecnologia, com base no ponto de vista da vida para então se examinar, estrategicamente, a posição de Gerard Lebrun, para quem Jonas estaria entre os filósofos tecnofóbicos. O intuito, nesse caso, é demonstrar a incoerência de tal interpretação, precisamente porque o pensador francês, com grande atuação no Brasil, confunde a proposta da reorientação ética com a imposição de um poder exterior, de cunho paralisante.: The purpose of this article is to counter against the accusation of technophobic, wrongly directed to Hans Jonas, his proposal for an ethical turn of technology, whose bases would be on the ethical capacity to impose restraint on the utopian advance of technical progress, something that leads to the ethics of responsibility to the controversial concept of “heuristic of fear”. To do so, we started from an examination of the Jonasian project of a philosophy of technology, whose third perspective would be valuable, which is the one he developed best. From there, we will analyze what would be the value of technology from the point of view of life and then strategically analyze the position of Gerard Lebrun for whom Jonas should be placed among technophobic philosophers. Our aim, in this case, is to demonstrate the inconsistency of such an interpretation, precisely because the French thinker with an important presence in Brazil, confuses the proposal of ethical reorientation with the imposition of an external power, of a paralyzing type. (shrink)

Na era das tecnologias digitais, entender vieses algorítmicos por meio das teorias da verdade ajuda a fazer perguntas cujas respostas facilitam a filtragem da informação de forma mais eficaz. O ganho é a compreensão aprofundada da realidade.

RESUMO: Pretende-se, com este artigo, analisar como a noção de epistemologias do Sul possibilita pensar também em um ethos sulista, no sentido de que a crise ambiental que assola a civilização tecnológica, crescida sob os auspícios do saber científico moderno, acabou por levar ao maior impasse ético da história humana, aquele que põe em xeque a própria possibilidade de sua existência no futuro. Dessa forma, almeja-se analisar como as comunidades tradicionais representam a concretização fática daquilo que o filósofo alemão Hans (...) Jonas descreveu, em sua proposta de uma ética para a civilização tecnológica: um tipo de vida baseado na frugalidade e na temperança, diante da emergência da crise climática e da urgência de uma nova ética amparada na responsabilidade.: In this article we intend to analyze how the notion of epistemologies of the south enables us to think also of a southern ethos, in the sense that the environmental crisis that plagues the technological civilization, grown under the auspices of modern scientific knowledge ended up leading to the greatest impasse ethics of human history, one that calls into question the very possibility of its existence in the future. In this way, we intend to analyze how traditional communities represent the factual fulfillment of what the German philosopher Hans Jonas described in his proposal for an ethics for technological civilization: a type of life based on frugality and temperance in the face of the emergence of the climate crisis and the urgency of a new ethics based on responsibility. (shrink)

Resumo: O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar três aspectos do tema do amor na obra de Friedrich Nietzsche. Para tanto, parte de dois pressupostos: [1] o sentimento do amor deve ser entendido como parte do projeto de crítica à metafísica e aos idealismos presentes na moral, na religião e na arte; e como consequência, [2] como crítica às noções do amor que remete à tradição socrático-platônico, judaico-cristã e moderna. Para tanto, os três aspectos daí derivados, mostram que o amor (...) em Nietzsche 1] não é falta, [2] nem negação de si, [3] nem está baseado na ideia de posse; muito pelo contrário, [1] amor é exuberância, [2] depende da fruição de si e [3] está baseado nas diferenças próprias e desigualdades naturais entre os indivíduos. Tal procedimento analítico chega à afirmação da amizade como amor superior, cujo conteúdo remente a um sentimento de homens nobres, precisamente aquilo que se poderia chamar, em Nietzsche, de um grande amor.: This article aims to analyze three aspects of the theme of love in Friedrich Nietzsche’s work. For that, it starts from two assumptions: [1] the feeling of love must be understood as part of the project of criticism of metaphysics and the idealisms present in morals, religion and art; and as a consequence, [2] as a critique of the notions of love that refer to the Socratic-Platonic, Judeo-Christian and modern tradition. The three aspects derived from it, show that love in Nietzsche [1] is not lack, [2] nor self-denial, [3] nor is it based on the idea of possession; quite the contrary, the opposite link, [1] love is exuberance, [2] depends on the enjoyment of oneself and [3] is based on self-differences and natural inequalities between individuals. Such an analytical procedure comes to the affirmation of friendship as a superior love, whose content refers to a feeling of noble men, precisely what could be called, in Nietzsche, great love. (shrink)

Objectives To describe the distress experienced by Spanish podiatrists related to ethical dilemmas, organisational matters, and lack of resources. Design A 2008 email survey of a representative sample of 485 Spanish podiatrists presenting statements about different ethical dilemmas, values and goals at the workplace. Results The response rate was 44.8%. Of all the respondents, 57% described sometimes having to act against their own conscience as distressing. Time constraints is the main cause of moral distress (67%) and 58% of respondents said (...) that they found it distressing that patients have long waits for treatment. Distress related to inadequate treatment due to economical constraints or ineffectiveness was described by 60% of the podiatrists. Another 51% reported that time spent on administration and documentation is distressing. Female doctors experienced more distress than their male colleagues. Last, 36% of respondents reported that their workplace lacked strategies for dealing with ethical dilemmas. Conclusion These study results identify moral distress among Spanish podiatrists mainly related to time constraints, patient demands and lack of resources. Moral distress varies with sex and age. Organisational strategies such as moral deliberation and responsive evaluation offer the potential to address moral distress. (shrink)

BackgroundHIV molecular epidemiology is increasingly recognized as a vital source of information for understanding HIV transmission dynamics. Despite extensive use of these data-intensive techniques in both research and public health settings, the ethical issues associated with this science have received minimal attention. As the discipline evolves, there is reasonable concern that existing ethical and legal frameworks and standards might lag behind the rapid methodological developments in this field. This is a follow-up on our earlier work that applied a predetermined analytical (...) framework to examine the perspectives of a sample of scientists from the fields of epidemiology, public health, virology and bioethics on key ethical issues associated with HIV molecular epidemiology in HIV network research.MethodsFourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with scientists from the fields of molecular epidemiology, public health, virology and bioethics. Inductive analytical approaches were applied to identify key themes that emerged from the data.ResultsOur interviewees acknowledged the potential positive impact of molecular epidemiology in the fight against HIV. However, they were concerned that HIV phylogenetics research messages may be incorrectly interpreted if not presented at the appropriate level. There was consensus that HIV phylogenetics research presents a potential risk to privacy, but the probability and magnitude of this risk was less obvious. Although participants acknowledged the social value that could be realized from the analysis of HIV genetic sequences, there was a perceived fear that the boundaries for use of HIV sequence data were not clearly defined.ConclusionsOur findings highlight distinct ethical issues arising from HIV molecular epidemiology. As the discipline evolves and HIV sequence data become increasingly available, it is critical to ensure that ethical standards keep pace with biomedical advancements. We argue that the ethical issues raised in this study, whether real or perceived, require further conceptual and empirical examination. (shrink)

Schuklenk and van de Vathorst's paper is a very welcome addition to the literature on the assisted dying debate and will be of great interest to clinicians working in the field of mental health.1 Many psychiatrists will have had patients who have asked them to allow them to die, to desist in their efforts to prevent their suicide, and one of us has had personal experience, outside of professional life, of being asked to aid in someone's attempt to end their (...) life in the context of an episode of mood disorder. The person with depression asking professionals, friends and family members to aid them in ending their life is a very real phenomenon. In their discussion, Schuklenk and van de Vathorst's paper uses two principles that we endorse and add weight to their argument: namely, the reality of suffering in depression and the parity of mental and physical illness. Indeed, the case Schuklenk and van de Vathorst make is a strong one and our commentary will focus on the premise of the argument around choosing death and some empirical clarification about competence in depression and the nature of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and its prognosis. The conceptual concern we wish to discuss in relation to assisted dying, endorsed by the state and legislature, is not linked to any moral or religious concern, or even on grounds related to ‘slippery slope’ or ‘abuse’ arguments. Rather the worry is how one could operationalise decisions around assisted dying as based on competence and capacity and view such decisions as rational. I think this concern is not limited to depressive illness, but to all decisions regarding choosing non-existence. Schuklenk and van de Vathorst offer the following useful criteria to regulate assisted suicide:1. (shrink)

Pretende-se com este artigo, demonstrar como o niilismo é um dos conceitos centrais da obra de Hans Jonas. Para isso, analisaremos como o problema se desdobra em sua obra a partir de três perspectivas complementares: a identificação de um niilismo cósmico, cujo primeira aparição são os movimentos gnósticos da Antiguidade tardia e seus impactos sobre o cristianismo primitivo; um niilismo antropológico derivado dessa posição gnóstica e agravado pela filosofia existencialista; um niilismo ético e tecnológico, que tanto serve para diagnosticar a (...) tecnologia como “vontade de ilimitado poder” quanto para compreender a crise ambiental a partir da crise de valores que marca o Ocidente a partir da modernidade. Com isso, o niilismo, interpretado como velle nihil, ou seja, como vontade de negação e, mais especificamente, de destruição, é uma chave interpretativa para a crise ambiental. Dessa forma, a obra de Jonas pode ser considerada como uma tentativa de evitar que o “mais estranho dos hóspedes” destrua a própria morada. (shrink)

This paper concentrates on some aspects of the history of the analyticsynthetic distinction from Kant to Bolzano and Frege. This history evinces considerable continuity but also some important discontinuities. The analytic-synthetic distinction has to be seen in the first place in relation to a science, i.e. an ordered system of cognition. Looking especially to the place and role of logic it will be argued that Kant, Bolzano and Frege each developed the analytic-synthetic distinction within the same conception of scientific rationality, (...) that is, within the Classical Model of Science: scientific knowledge as cognitio exprincipiis. But as we will see, the way the distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments or propositions functions within this model turns out to differ considerably between them. (shrink)

Essentialism is one of the most pervasive problems in mental health research. Many psychiatrists still hold the view that their nosologies will enable them, sooner or later, to carve nature at its joints and to identify and chart the essence of mental disorders. Moreover, according to recent research in social psychology, some laypeople tend to think along similar essentialist lines. The main aim of this article is to highlight a number of processes that possibly explain the persistent presence and popularity (...) of essentialist conceptions of mental disorders. One such process is the general tendency of laypeople to essentialize conceptual structures, including biological, social, and psychiatric categories. Another process involves the allure of biological psychiatry. Advocating a categorical and biological approach, this strand of psychiatry probably reinforced the already existing lay essentialism about mental disorders. As such, the question regarding why we essentialize mental disorders is a salient example of how cultural trends zero in on natural tendencies, and vice versa, and how both can boost each other. (shrink)

Maladapting Minds discusses a number of reasons why philosophers of psychiatry should take an interest in evolutionary explanations of mental disorders and, more generally, in evolutionary thinking. First of all, there is the nascent field of evolutionary psychiatry. Unlike other psychiatrists, evolutionary psychiatrists engage with ultimate, rather than proximate, questions about mental illnesses. Being a young and youthful new discipline, evolutionary psychiatry allows for a nice case study in the philosophy of science. Secondly, philosophers of psychiatry have engaged with evolutionary (...) theory because evolutionary considerations are often said to play a role in defining the concept of mental disorder. The basic question here is: Can the concept of mental disorder be given an objective definition, or is it rather a normative concept? Thirdly and finally, evolutionary thinking in psychiatry has often been a source of inspiration for a philosophical view on human nature. Thus evolutionary psychiatrists have suggested, for example, that man's vulnerability to mental disorders may well be one of the defining features of our species. -/- Written by leading authors in philosophy, psychiatry, biology and psychology, this volume illustrates that many debates in contemporary philosophy of psychiatry are profoundly influenced by evolutionary approaches to mental disorders. Conversely, it also reveals how philosophers can help contribute to the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychiatry. It is important reading for a wide range of readers interested in mental health care and philosophy. (shrink)

Resumo: Pretende-se neste artigo analisar a noção nietzschiana de filósofo do futuro e sua contribuição para o surgimento do novo homem, tendo em vista, prioritariamente, Além de bem e mal. Para tanto, iniciaremos analisando de que forma esta obra pode ser considerada, segundo a pretensão de seu autor, como uma crítica da modernidade e, consequentemente, de que forma ela se constitui como o manifesto de uma tarefa que Nietzsche define como própria dos filósofos do futuro: a superação do passado, ou (...) seja, das formas metafísicas, dogmáticas e ascéticas que orientaram a filosofia ao longo da história, por meio dos “trabalhadores filosóficos”, que agora devem ceder lugar aos autênticos filósofos, cujas lentes fisiopsicológicas examinam o pensamento como sintoma da saúde ou da doença de seus autores. Com isso, Nietzsche substitui a antiga tarefa do filósofo por uma nova missão. Com essa reflexão, acredita-se margear alguns dos problemas centrais da pesquisa do homenageado desse dossiê, prof. Wilson Antonio Frezzatti Jr.: This paper intends to analyze the Nietzschean notion of philosopher of the future and its contribution to the emergence of the new man, having in mind, primarily, Beyond good and evil. In order to do so, we will begin by analyzing how this work can be considered, according to the author’s intention, as a critique of modernity and, consequently, in what way it constitutes the manifesto of a task that Nietzsche defines as proper to the philosophers of the future: the overcoming of the past, that is, of the metaphysical, dogmatic and ascetic forms that have guided philosophy throughout history, through the “philosophical workers”, who must now give way to authentic philosophers, whose physiopsychological lenses examine thought as symptom of the health or illness of its authors. With this, Nietzsche replaces the philosopher’s old task with a new mission. With this reflection, it is believed that some of the central problems of the research of the honoree of this dossier, prof. Wilson Antonio Frezzatti Jr., are bordered. (shrink)

In three experiments, each of a set colour-unrelated distracting words was presented most often in a particular target print colour . In Experiment 1, half of the participants were told the word-colour contingencies in advance and half were not . The instructed group showed a larger learning effect. This instruction effect was fully explained by increases in subjective awareness with instruction. In Experiment 2, contingency instructions were again given, but no contingencies were actually present. Although many participants claimed to be (...) aware of these contingencies, they did not produce an instructed contingency effect. In Experiment 3, half of the participants were given contingency instructions that did not correspond to the correct contingencies. Participants with these false instructions learned the actual contingencies worse than controls. Collectively, our results suggest that conscious contingency knowledge might play a moderating role in the strength of implicit learning. (shrink)

Resumo O presente trabalho explora o expediente metodológico aplicado por Merleau-Ponty sobre a obra e a vida de Cézanne: a vida como exigência de uma obra. Discutimos como esse expediente oferece uma chave de leitura para as polêmicas relações entre a vida e a obra nietzschiana, tanto no sentido de verificar como Nietzsche se apresenta internamente à sua obra, quanto para analisar como as circunstâncias de sua vida podem ser interpretadas como exigências do tipo de obra que ele se propôs (...) a formular. Isso nos leva a uma nova estratégia para interpretar também a própria genealogia da obra nietzschiana e, com ele, de toda a história da filosofia.This paper explores the methodological expedient applied by Merleau-Ponty on the work and the life of Cézanne: the life as demand of a work. We discuss how this expedient offers a key to the controversial relations between Nietzsche’s life and Nietzsche’s work, both in terms of how Nietzsche presents himself internally in his work, and in analyzing how the circumstances of his life can be interpreted as demands of the kind of work he has set out to formulate. This brings us to a new strategy to interpret the genealogy of Nietzsche’s work and, with it, of the whole history of philosophy. (shrink)

Resumo: O propósito geral do presente texto consiste em introduzir o sentido e o alcance que noção de improvisação musical pode adquirir no filosofar nietzschiano, e, em especial, no assim chamado período de maturidade de seu itinerário intelectual. Tenciona-se indicar que tal ideia assume uma função reguladora em seu pensamento, possibilitando lançar uma intensiva luz sobre o seu legado e enfatizar, sobretudo, o caráter pluralista e dinâmico deste último.: The present text aims at introducing the meaning and the scope that (...) the notion of musical improvisation may acquire within Nietzsche’s thought - especially in the light of thehis latter writings. It also intends to show that such idea performs a regulatory function within his thought and allows us, at the same time, to shed a bright light on his legacy, serving first and foremost to emphasize its pluralistic and dynamic character. (shrink)

The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) concept is a knowledge assembly and communication tool to facilitate the transparent translation of mechanistic information into outcomes meaningful to the regulatory assessment of chemicals. The AOP framework and associated knowledgebases (KBs) have received significant attention and use in the regulatory toxicology community. However, it is increasingly apparent that the potential stakeholder community for the AOP concept and AOP KBs is broader than scientists and regulators directly involved in chemical safety assessment. In this paper we (...) identify and describe those stakeholders who currently—or in the future—could benefit from the application of the AOP framework and knowledge to specific problems. We also summarize the challenges faced in implementing pathway-based approaches such as the AOP framework in biological sciences, and provide a series of recommendations to meet critical needs to ensure further progression of the framework as a useful, sustainable and dependable tool supporting assessments of both human health and the environment. Although the AOP concept has the potential to significantly impact the organization and interpretation of biological information in a variety of disciplines/applications, this promise can only be fully realized through the active engagement of, and input from multiple stakeholders, requiring multi-pronged substantive long-term planning and strategies. (shrink)