The paper introduces a special issue of the journal Philosophical Problems in Science (ZFN) on the topic of the nature and norms of scientific explanation.

"Verzeichnis der Schriften Hans Posers": p. [463]-480.

While scientific inquiry crucially relies on the extraction of patterns from data, we still have a far from perfect understanding of the metaphysics of patterns—and, in particular, of what makes a pattern real. In this paper we derive a criterion of real-patternhood from the notion of conditional Kolmogorov complexity. The resulting account belongs to the philosophical tradition, initiated by Dennett :27–51, 1991), that links real-patternhood to data compressibility, but is simpler and formally more perspicuous than other proposals previously defended in (...) the literature. It also successfully enforces a non-redundancy principle, suggested by Ladyman and Ross, that aims to exclude from real-patternhood those patterns that can be ignored without loss of information about the target dataset, and which their own account fails to enforce. (shrink)

A replicator is simply something that makes copies of itself. There are hypothetical replicators (e.g., self-catalyzing chemical cycles) that are suspected to be unable to exhibit heritable variation. Variation in any of their constituent molecules would not lead them to produce offspring with those new variant molecules. Copying, such as in DNA replication or in xerox machines, allows any sequence to be remade and then sequence variations to be inherited. This distinction has been used against non-RNA-world hypotheses: without RNA replication (...) systems have no capacity to exhibit heritable variation. However, is copying the only way to have heritable variation? This article suggests that evolution can happen without anything being copied and that, in fact, RNA copying is too complex to arise spontaneously as the first pre-biotic system. There would then be a historical gradation of systems from non-alive to alive in which the capacity to have heritable changes would progressively increase and in which copying, as in template-based RNA-replication, would be a crucial but relatively late event. In addition, this article proposes a way by which RNA replication could have arisen, after systems able to evolve arose, as a crucial innovation and how that innovation spread over existing evolutionary systems and became a major driver of subsequent evolution. (shrink)

El registro de la personalidad de Pablo, su formación intelectual y su misión hacen de él un hombre de controversias y de originalidades en su discurso. Este artículo pretende describir: (a) la estructura argumentativa de la llamada 'carta a Filemón' (Fm), texto considerado de autoría paulina, y (b) las maniobras estratégicas que desarrolla el autor del documento para resolver la discusión crítica, específicamente a partir del uso de estrategias de cortesía verbal. En términos generales, desde un análisis dialéctico, la carta (...) nos presenta el pedido del prisionero para que Filemón reciba a Onésimo de regreso en su casa, así como los argumentos que favorecen esta postura. Al insertar las maniobras estratégicas, es decir, el elemento pragmático y retórico, se puede observar un cambio en el punto de vista y en el argumento. Las estrategias de cortesía verbal ayudan, por un lado, a que la comunidad acoja a Onésimo y, por otro lado, aprenda que los cristianos han sido generados por la fe en Cristo. Por tanto, no sólo se declara la petición, sino una nueva verdad de fe y una práctica de vida eclesial y social. Pablo salvaguarda la imagen negativa, apelando a un nuevo estilo de autoridad y a una renovada forma de vida comunitaria que va más allá del contexto específico en el que fue escrita la carta. Todo hombre y mujer de fe son miembros dignos de la comunidad porque son “mis entrañas” (Fm 12b). (shrink)

The essays in _The Philosophy of Spirituality_ address spirituality as a subject of philosophical interest independent of religion and respecting diverse spiritual traditions: African, atheist, Indigenous, Indian, Stoic, and Sufic perspectives, as well as Western analytic and continental views.

In _Creating a Shared Morality_, Heather Salazar develops a plausible account of ethical constructivism that rivals realism and subjectivism. Enlightenism resolves difficulties within constructivism, builds bridges between the two traditional views of metaethics and employs concepts from Eastern (Buddhist) philosophy.

RESUMEN Introducción: La dimensión ambiental constituye un proceso esencial en la formación de profesionales, de modo que en el desempeño de su profesión puedan educar hacia el desarrollo sostenible a las futuras generaciones. Objetivo: Representar en un modelo pedagógico la lógica de la dimensión ambiental en la formación laboral investigativa de los profesionales en la universidad. Materiales y métodos: Se utilizaron métodos teóricos, empíricos y matemáticos-estadísticos. Resultados: Elaboración del modelo pedagógico de dimensión ambiental en la formación laboral investigativa de los (...) profesionales en formación. El modelo está estructurado en tres subsistemas: uno teórico, se centra en la integración de saberes pedagógico ambientales a partir de las relaciones que se establecen entre sus componentes, otro metodológico, el cual resume la proyección ambiental de la formación laboral investigativa y un subsistema procedimental, que manifiesta la instrumentación transformadora ambiental que debe ocurrir en los estudiantes. El modelo aporta una cualidad sinérgica que le imprime identidad, totalidad y contribuye a su autodesarrollo. Conclusiones: Con la elaboración del modelo se revelan nuevas interpretaciones que se manifiestan como relaciones teóricas funcionales surgidas entre los componentes de los subsistemas que lo integran y a la vez, entre los subsistemas como macro componentes. La validación del modelo resultó estadísticamente significativa, mediante la instrumentación de una estrategia pedagógica para la dimensión ambiental en la formación laboral investigativa. ABSTRACT Introduction: The environmental component is an essential process in the training of professionals, that enables them to educate future generations towards sustainable development. Objective: To represent in a pedagogical model the logic of the environmental dimension in the research training of professionals. Materials and methods: Theoretical, empirical and mathematical-statistical methods were used. Findings: The development of the pedagogical model of environmental dimension in research and labor training of professionals. The model is structured in three subsystems: the first focuses on the integration of environmental pedagogical knowledge from the relationships established between its components; the second is of a methodological character and summarizes the environmental projection of research training; whereas the third one is procedural, expressing the environmental transformative instrumentation that must occur in students. The model provides a synergistic quality that consolidates identity, totality and contributes to its self-development. Conclusions: With the elaboration of the model new interpretations are revealed that are manifested as functional theoretical relations arising between the components of the subsystems that integrate it and at the same time, between the subsystems as macro components. The evaluation of the model was statistically significant, through the instrumentation of a pedagogical strategy for the environmental dimension in the research and labor training. (shrink)

Resumen El artículo tiene como objetivo revisar y analizar los pasajes referentes al territorio chileno en los poemas épicos que cantaron la Guerra de Arauco en el siglo XVI. Aun cuando su argumento central consistió en los acontecimientos bélicos, algunos pasajes dieron cabida a la descripción del espacio como un paisaje épico. Así como se demostrará, su representación no solo se configuró atendiendo a las condiciones fisonómicas del territorio, sino también a los recursos literarios propios de la epopeya que caracterizaron (...) al sur de Chile como un escenario desafiante y peligroso, espacio histórico y a la vez literario, representativo de la condición heroica e indomable del Reino de Chile.The aim of this article is to review and to analyze the passages relating to the Chilean territory in the epic poems that reported Arauco's War in the 16th century. Even if their central argument consisted of the warlike events, some passages gave content to the description of the space as an epic landscape. As it will be demonstrated, the representation of the territory not only was formed attending to the physical conditions of the land, but also to the literary resources of the epic that characterized to the south of Chile as a challenging and dangerous scene, historical and simultaneously literary space, representative of the heroic and indomitable condition of the Kingdom of Chile. (shrink)

En contraposición a la predominancia cultural de lo urbano y en medio de un contexto de desenfrenado capitalismo globalizador, el VIII Congreso sobre Pensamiento Filosófico Contemporáneo se planteó el desafío de recoger algunas voces y discursos a menudo marginados por el canon del pensamiento occidental metrocentrista. A lo largo de esos tres días de octubre, en el congreso se analizaron pormenorizadamente las situaciones de sujetos, comunidades y geografías rurales, situaciones que tienden a ser activamente desescuchadas en un presente espacial que (...) encuentra la globalización, la híper-densificación de las principales zonas urbanas-metropolitanas, y el vaciamiento forzoso de las geografías rurales, como uno de sus marcos de conflicto. Estos análisis profundizaron en las necesidades específicas de dichas comunidades, arrojando luz sobre sus desafíos y ofreciendo una perspectiva crítica a propósito de la complejidad de la interacción entre lo rural y lo urbano. Desde estas inquietudes, el VIII Congreso se articuló como una plataforma a través de la que celebrar la diversidad de discursos filosóficos emergentes producidos en los marcos de lo comúnmente entendido como «rural», reconociendo su importancia crucial en la construcción de un diálogo integral sobre los desafíos que definen nuestro presente; y este monográfico es resultado de ese intercambio de saberes. (shrink)

Este artículo examina las ruralidades queer como campo de estudios en el Estado español. Se abordarán detalladamente algunos de los conceptos clave que fundamentan este campo a nivel internacional, y se proporcionará un análisis del breve, pero a la vez prolífico, desarrollo que este campo de estudios ha experimentado en el Estado español durante la última década. Finalmente, se presentarán algunas de las propuestas culturales, políticas y artísticas que están enriqueciendo las ruralidades queer y ampliando sus horizontes políticos e interpretativos.

Causal approaches to explanation often assume that a model explains by describing features that make a difference regarding the phenomenon. Chirimuuta claims that this idea can be also used to understand non-causal explanation in computational neuroscience. She argues that mathematical principles that figure in efficient coding explanations are non-causal difference-makers. Although these principles cannot be causally altered, efficient coding models can be used to show how would the phenomenon change if the principles were modified in counterpossible situations. The problem is (...) that efficient coding models also involve difference-makers that, prima facie, cannot be characterized as non-causal in this sense. Mathematical principles always involve variables which have counterfactual relations between them. However, we cannot simply assume that these difference-makers are causal. They can also be found in paradigmatic non-causal explanations and therefore they must be characterized as non-causal in some sense. I argue that, despite appearances, Chirimuuta's view can be applied to these cases. The mentioned counterfactual relations presuppose the counterpossible conditionals that describe the modification of a relevant mathematical principle. If these conditionals are the hallmark of non-causal relations, then Chirimuuta’s criterion has the desired implication that variables in mathematical principles are non-causal difference-makers. (shrink)

Based on onto–epistemological pluralism and social practices this work maintains that the proclamation of cultural neutrality originating in the idea of equality without any distinction of color, sex, language, religion or political opinion, really favors white racism and cultural imperialism of the liberal way of life. This article argues that the process of reasoning which justifies human rights is distorted by particular interests, such as the colonization of American territory in the case of the Declaration of the Good People of (...) Virginia in 1776. As no–one questioned the reasons upon which the false belief that some human beings were classified as inferior or superior according to their physical features, it was reiterated as if it were a truth and, consequently acted upon, thereby fixing this belief in stereotypes. In this article I argue that the present Declaration of Human Rights is the result of continuing inherited presuppositions from the 18th Century. These have not been questioned and have constituted the world in which we live as a racist world in which the liberal tradition has consolidated its political power. (shrink)

The debate between the amodal and the grounded views of cognition seems to be stuck. Their only substantial disagreement is about the vehicle or format of concepts. Amodal theorists reject the grounded claim that concepts are couched in the same modality-specific format as representations in sensory systems. The problem is that there is no clear characterization of format or its neural correlate. In order to make the disagreement empirically meaningful and move forward in the discussion we need a neurocognitive criterion (...) for representational format. I argue that efficient coding models in computational neuroscience can be used to characterize modal codes: These are codes which satisfy special informational demands imposed by sensory tasks. Additionally, I examine recent studies on neural coding and argue that although they do not provide conclusive evidence for either the grounded or the amodal views, they can be used to determine what predictions these approaches can make and what experimental and theoretical developments would be required to settle the debate. (shrink)

This book constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the mechanisms of knowledge construction and a rare attempt to bridge the gap between biological and connectionist models, on the one hand, and cognitive models on the other. The volume documents a revolution now occurring in the cognitive sciences and in the field of epistemic complexity, a revolution that permits the approach to the problem of knowledge construction from the standpoint of both theoretical models and simulation.The first chapter of the (...) book presents an up-to-date account of a number of recent trends in the field of self-organization theory. In particular, entropy, algorithmic complexity, self-referentiality and cellular automata are widely discussed. The second chapter focuses on some advances obtained, from a modelistic point of view, in biological computing. The alternative splicing and the interface between ruler and coder constitute the essential backbone of the chapter. This chapter also introduc .. (shrink)

Abstract:I defend that the distinctive object of our aesthetic evaluation of films is the full emotional experience, taken as a unified whole, that we go through as we watch a film and that I call the viewer's film emotional life. The aesthetic value itself—the positive quality we perceive in the experience of having had a certain film emotional life—is in the significance we experience in that film emotional life insofar as it contributes to the discovery and the exploration of the (...) viewer's human and individual emotional nature. I finally suggest that the explanation of the positive felt quality of such experience is in the progress it represents regarding our resourcefulness as emotional subjects toward the realization of our individual ideal of life. (shrink)

One of the most prominent ethical concerns regarding emerging neurotechnologies is mental privacy. This is the idea that we should have control over access to our neural data and to the information about our mental processes and states that can be obtained by analyzing it. A key issue is whether this information needs more stringent protection than other kinds of personal information. I will articulate and support the view, underlying recent regulatory frameworks, that mental privacy requires a special treatment because (...) of its relation to relevant aspects of personal identity. It has been suggested that this approach could be supported by the idea that mental privacy constitutes a fundamental psychological dimension of privacy. The connection between this psychological view of privacy and identity can be traced back to Irwin Altman’s idea that privacy is an interpersonal boundary regulation process. However, it is not clear whether this notion of privacy can be associated with a conception of identity that is relevant in contemporary neuroethics. I will suggest that the narrative and relational approach to identity, a prominent view in recent ethical discussions of neurotechnology, lines up with key aspects of Altman’s proposal. I suggest that if mental privacy is an essential component of identity, the latter could be affected by technological mind-reading. (shrink)

Teniendo en cuenta la intensa migración actual de diversos grupos culturales a otros Estados, en este artículo defiendo la tesis de que miembros de diferentes culturas con normas y valores antagónicos pueden llegar a acuerdos de convivencia intercultural. Comienzo explicando la concepción política de la justicia de Rawls para indicar que esta postura democrática liberal no puede responder de forma adecuada a los contextos actuales de multiculturalidad. Posteriormente, expongo las propuestas principales de la ética universalista de J. Habermas con el (...) fin de contraponerla a lo que llamo la "ética pluralista" de J. Dewey y H. Putnam, y justifico por qué las normas, los hechos y los valores son contextuales. con base en ello, concluyo que es posible establecer acuerdos éticos plurales que pueden variar de una cultura a otra y, no obstante, ser legítimos como normas mínimas de convivencia. Given the intense current migration of diverse cultural groups to other States, in this article i defend the thesis that members of different cultures with norms and values in conflict are able to reach intercultural agreements of coexistence. I start explaining Rawls' political conception of justice to point out that this liberal democratic stance cannot respond adequately to the current context of multiculturality. i show then the main points of J. Habermas' universalist ethics in order to contrast it with what i call the "pluralist ethics" of J. Dewey and H. Putnam, and justify why norms, facts and values are contextual. Based on this, I conclude that it is possible to achieve plural ethical agreements that might differ from one culture to another and yet still be legitimate as minimum norms of coexistence. (shrink)

Rorty holds that it is possible to defend a liberal democratic policy without having to substantiate it according to universal criteria linked to corresponding notions of truth, instead, he affirms that this democratic policy can be founded on a notion of truth narrowly linked to justification. Following this idea one would expect Rorty to take a position committed to pluralism understood in a strong sense, where different positions are justified and validated in relation to specific existential conditions, however, this does (...) not happen. As we will demonstrate, Rorty´s proposal, although it is partly inspired by Nietzsche´s perspectivism, as well as the ethical-political reading of plurality based on Wittgenstein´s proposal of language games, it goes no further than a contextualized pretence which is not based on a real posture of pluralism. In this article we maintain that the Rortian position, far from being pluralist, tends toward ethno-centrism and even domination through persuasion. (shrink)

El interés de este ensayo es presentarun acercamiento a la teoría de los sueñosen Nietzsche, particularmente en su asíllamado período ilustrado, y sugerir algunasrelaciones y diferencias respecto del análisisonírico en Freud. Se pretende reconstruirla forma en que la teoría de los sueños deNietzsche fue desarrollada de la mano conuna teoría de la subjetividad que comportaelementos del análisis antropológico, de lapsicología fisiológica y de una teoría de lacultura, y que confluye en una propuestaontológica sobre el instinto y sobre sugénesis natural. En (...) el marco de esta ontologíadel instinto, se intenta reconstruir la relaciónentre el concepto de vida y el concepto devalor, planteando la pregunta sobre el valorde lo onírico para la vida.The interest of this paper is to presentan approach about theory of dreams byNietzsche, particularly in what is calledhis illustrated period, and also suggest somerelationships and differences from theanalysis of dreams made by Freud. It isintended to reconstruct how Nietzsche’stheory of dreams was developed as onesubjectivity’s theory composed by elementsfrom anthropological analysis, physiologicalpsychology and culture’s theory; all whatresult in an ontological propose aboutthe instinct and its natural history. In thecontext of this ontology of instinct, we intendto reconstruct the relationship between theconcept of life and the concept of value byraising the question about value of dreamsfor life. (shrink)

Durante la crisis sanitaria mundial, gobiernos dictan medidas de emergencia; universidades peruanas interrumpieron la labor académica e inician enseñanza remota. Se analizan los cambios en el proceso de enseñanza no presencial y la adaptación de docentes a la enseñanza virtual. Es una investigación mixta, realizando regresiones y caracterizando cada componente. Se identifican brechas de conectividad, conocimiento en herramientas digitales, enfoque pedagógico y, tecnológico; que afectan eficiencia y productividad docente del proceso de enseñanza no presencial. La comunidad universitaria requiere desarrollar y (...) reforzar nuevas capacidades tecnopedagógicas hacia la educación híbrida en un escenario de nueva normalidad. (shrink)

Although it has been argued that mechanistic explanation is compatible with abstraction, there are still doubts about whether mechanism can account for the explanatory power of significant abstract models in computational neuroscience. Chirimuuta has recently claimed that models describing canonical neural computations must be evaluated using a non-mechanistic framework. I defend two claims regarding these models. First, I argue that their prevailing neurocognitive interpretation is mechanistic. Additionally, a criterion recently proposed by Levy and Bechtel to legitimize mechanistic abstract models, and (...) also a criterion proposed by Chirimuuta herself aimed to distinguish between causal and non-causal explanation, can be employed to show why these models are explanatory only under this interpretation. Second, I argue that mechanism is able to account for the special epistemic achievement implied by CNC models. Canonical neural components contribute to an integrated understanding of different cognitive functions. They make it possible for us to explain these functions by describing different mechanisms constituted by common basic components arranged in different ways. (shrink)

Este ensayo aporta una visión distinta a la interpretación de los resultados comparados de PISA 2000 contra 2015. Donde no se sobredimensiona a los países con mejores condiciones iniciales, ni se estigmatiza a aquellos cuyas condiciones de partida son más difíciles. Por tanto, México no puede ser considerado como el país de la OCDE con el sistema educativo más ineficaz. No existe evidencia que demuestre que estas evaluaciones hayan tenido como consecuencia mejoras en la calidad de la educación. Palabras clave: (...) Calidad de la educación, Evaluación educativa. PISA 2015. (shrink)

Este artículo analiza los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría del conocimiento expuestos en el curso dictado por fray Juan de Fuica (OFM), en 1689, en el Colegio San Diego de Alcalá (Santiago de Chile). Presentamos primero una breve descripción de los Comentarios filosóficos del fraile, volumen en el que se incluyen los Comentarios Acerca del alma sobre el que centraremos nuestro estudio. Luego, analizamos la doctrina del conocimiento ad mentem Scoti expuesta en este manuscrito inédito, testimonio exclusivo de la enseñanza (...) filosófica de la época. El principal aporte de este trabajo es visibilizar parte del patrimonio filosófico colonial del país, lo que permitirá futuras investigaciones en esta área de la disciplina. (shrink)

El artículo ofrece, en un inicio, algunos aspectos biográficos novedosos de la vida de Manuel Antonio Talavera, un teólogo paraguayo y abogado de la Real Audiencia que enseñó filosofía en Chile a finales del siglo XVIII. Luego, se presenta la transcripción de parte del curso de filosofía natural (De corporibus coelestibus) preparado para los alumnos del Real Convictorio Carolino de Santiago de Chile. Hasta ahora, Talavera es conocido sobre todo como el primer cronista de la Independencia de Chile. Por ello, (...) hacemos público por primera vez de manera íntegra un trabajo suyo relativo a su actividad docente en aulas santiaguinas, con lo que descubrimos también su condición de filósofo en Chile durante el fin del período colonial. (shrink)

Although much has been written on Descartes’ thought on animals, not so much has originated in, or has taken full account of, Descartes’ views on emotions. I explore here the extent to which the latter can contribute to the debate on whether he embraced, and to which extent, the doctrine of the bête machine. I first try to show that Descartes’ views on emotions can help offer new support to the skeptical position without necessarily creating new tensions with other central (...) aspects of his philosophy. And second, I sketch the type of theory of animal passions which Descartes could have accepted. The general conclusion I draw is not that Descartes did not hold the view of the bête machine but rather that we can find within his thought a solid stream of ideas, which became stronger towards the end of his life, that points in the opposite direction. (shrink)

John Venn and Charles L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) created systems of logic diagrams capable of representing classes (sets) and their relations in the form of propositions. Each is a proof method for syllogisms, and Carroll's is a sound and complete system. For a large number of sets, Carroll diagrams are easier to draw because of their self-similarity and algorithmic construction. This regularity makes it easier to locate and thereby to erase cells corresponding with classes destroyed by the premises of an (...) argument, a particularly difficult task in Venn diagrams for more than four sets. Carroll diagrams can represent existential propositions easily, so they are capable of clearly representing more complex problems than Venn's system can. Finally, both Carroll and Venn diagrams are maximal, in the sense that no additional logic information like inclusive disjunctions is able to be represented by them. Carroll's logic diagrams and logic trees constitute his visual logic system. (shrink)

It has been argued that the approximate number system (ANS) constitutes a problem for the grounded approach to cognition because it implies that some conceptual tasks are performed by non-perceptual systems. The ANS is considered non-perceptual mainly because it processes stimuli from different modalities. Jones (2015) has recently argued that this system has many features (such as being modular) which are characteristic of sensory systems. Additionally, he affirms that traditional sensory systems also process inputs from different modalities. This suggests that (...) the ANS is a perceptual system and therefore it is not problematic for the grounded view. In this paper, I defend the amodal approach to the ANS against these two arguments. In the first place, perceptual systems do not possess the properties attributed to the ANS and therefore these properties do not imply that the ANS is perceptual. In the second place, I will propose that a sensory system only needs to be dedicated to process modality-specific information, which is consistent with responding to inputs from different modalities. I argue that the cross-modal responses exhibited by traditional sensory systems are consistent with modality-specific information whereas some responses exhibited by the ANS are not. (shrink)

El extrañamiento de la universidad como centro de conocimiento ahora se encuentra vacío por culpa del confinamiento, lo que me ha llevado ha llevado a asumir algunos retos de vida. Pero ante todo lo digo con franqueza: “este encierro me ha enseñado a descubrirme en el tipo de personas que soy”. Prometo que seré mejor ser humano en cada faceta de lo que queda de mi precaria vida, si una vez superada esta pandemia no quede en el inventario de los (...) que se fueron. (shrink)

It is widely recognized that police performance may be hindered by psychophysiological state changes during acute stress. To address the need for awareness and control of these physiological changes, police academies in many countries have implemented Heart-Rate Variability biofeedback training. Despite these trainings now being widely delivered in classroom setups, they typically lack the arousing action context needed for successful transfer to the operational field, where officers must apply learned skills, particularly when stress levels rise. The study presented here aimed (...) to address this gap by training physiological control skills in an arousing decision-making context. We developed a Virtual-Reality breathing-based biofeedback training in which police officers perform deep and slow diaphragmatic breathing in an engaging game-like action context. This VR game consisted of a selective shoot/don’t shoot game designed to assess response inhibition, an impaired capacity in high arousal situations. Biofeedback was provided based on adherence to a slow breathing pace: the slower and deeper the breathing, the less constrained peripheral vision became, facilitating accurate responses to the in-game demands. A total of nine male police trainers completed 10 sessions over a 4-week period as part of a single-case experimental ABAB study-design. Results showed that eight out of nine participants showed improved breathing control in action, with a positive effect on breathing-induced low frequency HRV, while also improving their in-game behavioral performance. Critically, the breathing-based skill learning transferred to subsequent sessions in which biofeedback was not presented. Importantly, all participants remained highly engaged throughout the training. Altogether, our study showed that our VR environment can be used to train breathing regulation in an arousing and active decision-making context. (shrink)

I argue that our everyday evaluations of architecture are primarily evaluations of spaces and, in particular, of their inhabitability— that is, whether they serve or can serve to the realization of our individual ideal of life. Inhabitability is not only a functional criterion but an aesthetic one as well. It is aesthetic insofar as the evaluations about inhabitability include evaluations about the quality of the experience of actually doing something in —or simply occupying—a particular space. This aesthetic aspect of our (...) everyday evaluations explains, on one hand, the distinctive features of our everyday preferences for some architectonic spaces over others—namely, their very personal nature; their noticeable value in our daily lives; their inseparability from the activities we plan to realize in those spaces; and the importance of the spaces which are contiguous to the one we are evaluating. And on the other, it both reveals architecture’s significance for the quality of our daily life and serves as a guide for us to choose spaces that improve that quality. (shrink)