Examina-se a função da dialética, da indução e da inteligência intuitiva na aquisição dos primeiros princípios em Aristóteles, enfatizando a análise de Segundos Analíticos I 18, II 19 e Tópicos I 2. Afirma-se que o processo de aquisição requer a indução, que leva a perceber o universal nos particulares, a dialética, com seus critérios e testes baseados em endoxa para que, então, os primeiros princípios possam ser apreendidos de forma inequívoca pela inteligência, disposição responsável por conhecer os princípios. Vê-se a (...) indução como o método pelo qual se conhece o universal por meio de particulares, a dialética como instrumento metodológico auxiliando na busca pelos princípios, mais especificamente, pelas definições e o nous como faculdade, movimento noético, que opera de forma infalível na intuição dos indemonstráveis. (shrink)

RESUMO O escopo da pesquisa é a análise de 1142b 17-28 da “Ética Nicomaqueia”, trecho em que Aristóteles disserta sobre a correção, tendo em vista que a boa deliberação é uma espécie de correção. A passagem não é clara e sugere que: i) na boa deliberação, a moralidade restringe-se aos fins, cabendo aos meios apenas a característica de serem eficazes na obtenção dos fins; ou que ii) na boa deliberação, a moralidade recai sobre meios e sobre fins pois, com a (...) expressão “usar os meios corretos na obtenção do fim”, Aristóteles estaria incluindo o critério moral dos meios como condição necessária à boa deliberação. Opto por “i)” e defendo que a boa deliberação consiste tão somente em uma habilidade exitosa na obtenção de um fim bom, habilidade que leva em conta o que é melhor, mais fácil, mais eficaz, feita em tempo oportuno. ABSTRACT The scope of research is the analysis of “Nicomachean Ethics”, section 1142b 17-28, a passage in which Aristotle discusses the correction, since good deliberation is a kind of correction. The passage is not clear and suggests that: i) in good deliberation, morality is restricted to the ends, the means having only the characteristic of being effective in attaining the ends; or that ii) in good deliberation, morality pertains to means and ends since, in the expression "to use the right means in obtaining the end", Aristotle seems to include the moral criterion of means as a necessary condition for good deliberation. I opt for “i)” and argue that good deliberation consists only in a successful ability to attain a good end, a skill that takes into account what is better, easier, more effective, done in a timely manner. (shrink)

Resumo: A proposta desse trabalho é repensar a linguagem, tema central da filosofia contemporânea, não mais como um instrumento do qual o sujeito se apropria e desapropria de acordo com a própria vontade, mas, juntamente com Heidegger, como a própria casa do ser. A função de comunicação é apenas uma das múltiplas possibilidades da linguagem. Com Heidegger é desenvolvida a questão de como a fenomenologia transforma-se em hermenêutica e de como a autocompreensão surge paralela a toda compreensão. A filosofia autêntica (...) é aquela na qual, ao questionar-se sobre algo, o sujeito é inserido na própria questão. A compreensão nunca é impessoal, pois a aletheia perpassa o sujeito que, ao compreender algo, está compreendendo a si mesmo. Palavras-chave: Filosofia. Martin Heidegger. Linguagem. Lógica. Verdade. Metafísica.: The purpose of this paper is to rethink the language, the central theme of contemporary philosophy, not as an instrument to which the subject is appropriate and unappropriate according to their will, but, along with Heidegger, as the house of being. The function of communication is only one of the many possibilities of language. With Heidegger is developed the question of how phenomenology turns to hermeneutics and how the selfunderstanding is parallel to all understanding. The authentic philosophy is that in which is questioned about something and the subject is inserted in the issue. The understanding is never impersonal, therefore Aletheia permeates the subject that by understanding something is to understand yourself. Keywords: Philosophy. Martin Heidegger. Language. Logic. Thuth. Metaphysics. (shrink)

This study aims to discuss the crisis in which philosophy of science finds itself from the weakening of positivist logic, based on Marcelo Dascal’s proposal that defends the idea that a closer study to the controversy could collaborate in the process of evolution of scientific questions. For this purpose, the philosopher suggests a pragmatic perspective, that is, the perspective of the language in use. Therefore, the relationship between language and science, the controversies generated by science and the relationship between pragmatics (...) and controversy are addressed. This investigation, allows to demonstrate the solidity of the foundations used by Dascal, which authorizes to give controversy and pragmatics a prominent place in the philosophy of science, guiding the modern philosophies of language towards the use of language and controversy as an open space for the new, for the ‘real world’, every day. Keywords: Philosophy of science. Dascal. Controversy. Pragmatics. (shrink)

Não é possível ter pleno desenvolvimento da virtude moral e, consequentemente, uma boa educação sem entender o uso da razão e dos recursos metodológicos que orientam à ação moral. A partir de conceitos da ética aristotélica, seu método e sua finalidade, o objetivo deste estudo é apontar à necessidade de compreendê-los adequadamente para poder indicar possíveis contribuições para o debate em torno da necessidade de formação moral e ética nos ambientes educativos. "Saber viver", para além do conhecimento científico e mesmo (...) do conhecimento do bem, significa desenvolver habilidades de deliberar bem, de escolha acertada no rumo da vida, visando sempre ao melhor dos bens: a felicidade. Isso exige entender a estrutura e as funções das partes anímicas responsáveis pelo ato moral da proposta aristotélica, cuja tarefa da filosofia prática é ensinar a "agir bem" e tornar os homens bons e virtuosos e, consequentemente, verdadeiros cidadãos. (shrink)

In "Beyond the Myth of the Myth: A Kantian Theory of Non-Conceptual Content", Robert Hanna argues for a very strong kind of non-conceptualism, and claims that this kind of non-conceptualism originally has been developed by Kant. But according to "Kant's Non-Conceptualism, Rogue Objects and the Gap in the B Deduction", Kant's non-conceptualism poses a serious problem for his argument for the objective validity of the categories, namely the problem that there is a gap in the B Deduction. This gap is (...) that the B Deduction goes through only if conceptualism is true, but Kant is a non-conceptualist. In this paper I argue, contrary to what Hanna claims, that there is not a gap in the B Deduction. (shrink)

Recuperating the sibling -- Sibling logic -- Fraternity and revolution -- The shadows of fraternity -- Economizing desire : the sibling (in) law -- Genealogical sciences -- Living languages : comparative philology and evolution -- The east comes home : race and religion.

My paper is concerned with the relation between ought-statements and intentions in Wilfrid Sellars’s philosophy. According to an entrenched view in Sellars scholarship, Sellars considers ought-statements as expressions of we-intentions. The aim of my paper is to question this reading and to propose an alternative. According to this alternative reading of Sellars, ought-statements are metalinguistic statements about the implication relations between intentions. I show that the entrenched understanding faces many unacknowledged problems and generates incompatibilities with Sellars’s commitments about intentions. I (...) argue that the alternative account can help to resolve these problems. A second reason in support of the alternative understanding of Sellars is provided by historical considerations. I argue that my alternative account can be discerned in Sellars’s most developed views about intentions and ought-statements. I also discuss problems and questions which the alternative reading itself faces. (shrink)

Pode-se afirmar que a filosofia crítica kantiana é uma espécie de suporte para a fundamentação epistemológica de Schopenhauer, mas que a teoria schopenhaueriana de modo algum a ela se reduz até porque Schopenhauer reprova desde a compreensão de Kant a respeito do papel que desempenham intuição e razão até a arquitetônica kantiana que exige doze categorias como alicerce do processo de conhecer. Nosso texto versará sobre a importância que Schopenhauer concede à intuição e, principalmente, sobre a justificação de Schopenhauer acerca (...) da causalidade como única “categoria” necessária e suficiente para a percepção dos objetos. (shrink)

Este ensaio acadêmico sobre a infância de terreiro está redigido segundo uma leitura de mundo do candomblé. Há muitas leituras de mundo. Nossas experiências de vida colocaram-nos diante de, pelo menos duas delas: a leitura religiosa como a do candomblé e a leitura laica da pedagogia. No desenrolar dessas experiências observamos no cotidiano de nossas salas de aula - nos cursos de formação de professores e no cotidiano da Educação Infantil - um grande desconhecimento sobre a população de terreiro, em (...) especial sobre suas crianças. O texto aborda o conceito de infância afrodescendente, com base em pesquisas realizadas nos últimos dez anos pelo Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisa Educação, Diversidade e Religião em comunidades religiosas tradicionais situadas no estado do Rio de Janeiro e no estado da Bahia, cujo objetivo é identificar, levar em consideração, compreender de forma pluridisciplinar formas de apropriação, expropriação do legado ancestral africano e afro-brasileiro. No texto trabalhamos com a escuta sensível, inspirado na abordagem italiana segundo a experiência de Reggio Emillia, e com o conceito de vivência de Lev Semenovitch Vigotsky, onde o conceito de vivência como é apreendido como caminho possível para uma educação libertadora, onde a tomada de consciência pela criança possibilita que ela entenda que é autora do próprio mundo. Uma realidade onde a escola valorize e dê visibilidade a infância afrodescendente pertencente as comunidades religiosas tradicionais. (shrink)

A temática do estudo é o ensino de sociologia no ensino médio direcionado aos jovens do campo. Tem-se o seguinte problema de pesquisa: A práxis pedagógica do ensino de sociologia está embasada no modo de vida dos jovens rurais e dos jovens rurais assentados, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento humano (capacitações)? Para responder a esta questão foram pesquisadas três escolas no município de Abelardo Luz, Santa Catarina, uma escola em área urbana e duas escolas no assentamento do MST. O estudo teve (...) abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, juntamente com o método das representações sociais. Conclui-se que os jovens ainda não conseguem transpor a fronteira entre conhecimento de senso comum e conhecimento científico, mesmo que em nível de ensino médio. Compreende-se que, para que o ensino de sociologia contribua ao desenvolvimento rural, além dos pontos sobre formação docente, currículo, participação, acessos e recursos voltados a educação e demais serviços, a práxis pedagógica em sociologia necessita ser resultante da utilização da teoria para analisar a própria prática docente, ou seja, pesquisar o próprio ensino de sociologia e as características dos sujeitos que fazem parte da mediação pedagógica, sem estereotipar seu modo de vida e potencializando o engajamento. (shrink)

Este artigo é um recorte de pesquisa realizada na Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, tendo como objetivo articular as propostas de políticas públicas de educação e trabalho para juventude. Trata-se de uma pesquisa bibliográfica, fundamentada no método do materialismo histórico dialético. Para fundamentarmos nossa proposta, dividimos este texto em quatro momentos. Inicialmente analisamos a construção histórica do conceito de juventude e sua representação no contexto social; posteriormente, foram levantados dados estatísticos das condições sociais, emprego, renda e escolarização em que estes jovens (...) se encontram. Seguimos, discorrendo sobre o perfil pretendido do jovem trabalhador, nas matrizes do capitalismo, atrelados aos propósitos da educação e finalizamos com discussões pertinentes as políticas educacionais para juventude e suas determinações por meio dos organismos multilaterais. A maioria das políticas de educação e trabalho possui caráter neoliberal, adotando um enfoque estratégico de ações para juventude pobre e vulnerável em favor de desenvolvimento econômico. . (shrink)

Response to Don Baxter, Don Garrett and Jennifer Marusic regarding my book Imagined Causes: Hume's Conception of Objects; initially delivered at the 2016 Hume Conference in Sydney, Australia as part of the Author Meets Critics session.

This article is about impathy (introversive empathy), understood as the ability to share in and understand one’s own feelings, which is considered a critical psychological construct relevant for the recovery and maintenance of mental health. However, while the ability to empathize with oneself has received considerable attention from the clinical community, this has not been paralleled by the same scientific scrutiny, which was subject to the ability to empathize with others. Impathy has not yet been operationally defined and thus has (...) remained relatively unexplored, both conceptually and empirically. This work describes an operational definition of impathy with four dimensions: Perceiving, Meta-Position, Accepting Attitude, and Understanding. Issues of differentiation from related constructs are discussed and avenues of clinical applicability are explored, suggesting that impathy exists as a distinct human capacity, which can be assessed and which has important clinical implications. The paper closes with future directions, including the assessment of impathy and possible research questions. (shrink)

On December 29, 1886, in Florence, Pope Leo XIII beatified Thomas More together with other English martyrs from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The canonization happened on May 19, 1935, conducted by Pope Pius XI at Vatican City. On October 31, 2000, also at Vatican City, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Thomas More "the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians," praising him for being capable of conciliating the natural and the supernatural. Perhaps it is exactly this capacity of amalgamating the (...) natural and supernatural that made it possible for More to create not only an entirely innovative book but also an entirely new literary form. However, the connection between More and Italy goes beyond the... (shrink)

Tom Moylan's Scraps of the Untainted Sky: Science Fiction, Utopia, Dystopia was first published in the year 2000. Seventeen years later, this work still enlightens discussions and catches the attention of both science fiction and Utopian studies. Still, we have to acknowledge the fact that we are facing a belated translation. This could easily be a problem if the present edition had not provided a new perspective on Moylan's Scraps. This edition, brought together by the Brazilian research group "Literature and (...) Utopia," not only shows the contemporaneity of Tom Moylan's insights but also sheds new light on the original book thanks to the introduction by Ildney Cavalcanti and Felipe Benicio, "Reflections" by Elton... (shrink)

DesignAgility is an adaptation of the design thinking method and was developed to meet the specific needs of the publishing industry and the media sector in general. The authors of the eponymous book embedded DesignAgility into an agile framework that allows its users to effectively develop and implement media innovations with a small team. This sample chapter of the book focuses on Ideation and describes the qualified brainstorming and idea-generating in the innovation process. The needs of the users aka the (...) ‘personas’ are reflected in so-called ‘user stories’. Through refinement the ideas are developed into possible product or service features. The chapter describes detailed steps from preparation to procedure and includes a checklist of how to easily follow the instructions for ideation. The visualization of the DesignAgility process shows where this step has to be taken within the whole innovation process. (shrink)

The distinction between the manifest and the scientific image of man- in-the-world is widely seen as crucial to Wilfrid Sellars's philosophical work. The present essay agrees with this view. It contends, however, that precisely because the distinction is important, we should not hurry to a quick and superficial understanding of it. The essay identifies several oversimplifications that can be found in the literature on the topic and argues that they are at least partly rooted in too rigid a view of (...) the role that the two-image distinction plays in Sellars's philosophy. It shows that this rigid approach is quite common in the secondary literature, either explicitly or by implication. It then presents a more cautious, flexible approach to the problem of the two images and explains why this approach is fruitful on the basis of textual evidence, along with the overall advantages of interpreting Sellars's thought as a whole. (shrink)

In this paper we explore quarantining as a more ethical method for delimiting the spread of Hate Speech via online social media platforms. Currently, companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google generally respondreactivelyto such material: offensive messages that have already been posted are reviewed by human moderators if complaints from users are received. The offensive posts are onlysubsequentlyremoved if the complaints are upheld; therefore, they still cause the recipients psychological harm. In addition, this approach has frequently been criticised for delimiting freedom (...) of expression, since it requires the service providers to elaborate and implement censorship regimes. In the last few years, an emerging generation of automatic Hate Speech detection systems has started to offer new strategies for dealing with this particular kind of offensive online material. Anticipating the future efficacy of such systems, the present article advocates an approach to online Hate Speech detection that is analogous to the quarantining of malicious computer software. If a given post is automatically classified as being harmful in a reliable manner, then it can be temporarily quarantined, and the direct recipients can receive an alert, which protects them from the harmful content in the first instance. The quarantining framework is an example of more ethical online safety technology that can be extended to the handling of Hate Speech. Crucially, it provides flexible options for obtaining a more justifiable balance between freedom of expression and appropriate censorship. (shrink)

V článku diskutuji východiska knihy Tomáše Hříbka Jaké to je, nebo o čem to je? Cílem článku je ukázat, že přes Hříbkovy sympatie k Dennettovu postmetafyzickému pojetí vědomí lze v jeho výkladu vysledovat tendence k tradičně filosofickému myšlení o vědomí. Soustředím se přitom na Hříbkovu definici fyzikálního a na jeho charakterizaci Dennettova programu jako problematické redukce vědomí pomocí intencionality.

From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, new anatomical investigations of the brain and the nervous system, together with a renewed interest in comparative anatomy, allowed doctors and philosophers to ground their theories on sense perception, the emergence of human intelligence, and the soul/body relationship in modern science. They investigated the anatomical structures and the physiological processes underlying the rise, differentiation, and articulation of human cognitive activities, and looked for the “anatomical roots” of the specificity of human intelligence when compared (...) to other forms of animal sensibility. This edited volume focuses on medical and philosophical debates on human intelligence and animal perception in the early modern age, providing fresh insights into the influence of medical discourse on the rise of modern philosophical anthropology. Contributions from distinguished historians of philosophy and medicine focus on sixteenth-century zoological, psychological, and embryological discourses on man; the impact of mechanism and comparative anatomy on philosophical conceptions of body and soul; and the key status of sensibility in the medical and philosophical enlightenment. (shrink)

The focus of this paper is institutional change and the changing role of business in Germany. Back in the 1980s, the German institutional framework was characterized by implicit mandatory and obligatory regulations that set a clear context for responsible corporate behavior. Today, this framework has eroded and given way to a situation in which corporations explicitly and voluntarily take responsibility for social issues. This shift from implicit to explicit corporate social responsibility is an indication of a major institutional change epitomized (...) by the deconstruction of ‘old’ and the reconstruction of ‘new’ institutions. In the course of this change, corporations, state actors, and civil society organizations compete for their ideas and interests in what we call a fight for myths. The paper traces this fight for myths and the changing understanding of corporate responsibility in Germany. (shrink)

In this study, Limburgian and Dutch 2,5- to 4-year-olds and adults took part in a word learning experiment. Following the procedure employed by Quam and Swingley (2010) and Singh et al. (2014), participants learned two novel word-object mappings. After training, word recognition was tested in correct pronunciation (CP) trials and mispronunciation (MP) trials featuring a pitch change. Since Limburgian is considered a restricted tone language, we expected that the pitch change would hinder word recognition in Limburgian, but not in non-tonal (...) Dutch listeners. Contrary to our expectations, both Limburgian and Dutch children appeared to be sensitive to pitch changes in newly learned words, indicated by a significant decrease in target fixation in MP trials compared to CP trials. Limburgian and Dutch adults showed very strong naming effects in both trial types. The results are discussed against the background of the influence of the native prosodic system. (shrink)

For three centuries, concepts of the state have been animated by one of the most powerful metaphors in politics: the body politic, a claustrophobic and bounded image of sovereignty. Climate change, neoliberalism, mass migration, and other aspects of the late Anthropocene have increasingly revealed the limitations of this metaphor. Just as the human body is not whole and separate from other bodies--comprising microbes, bacteria, water, and radioactive isotopes--Stefanie R. Fishel argues that the body politic of the state exists in dense (...) entanglement with other communities and forms of life. Drawing on insights from continental philosophy, science and technology studies, and international relations theory, this path-breaking book critiques the concept of the body politic on the grounds of its very materiality. Fishel both redefines and extends the metaphor of the body politic and its role in understanding an increasingly posthuman, globalized world politics. By conceiving of bodies and states as lively vessels, living harmoniously with multiplicity and the biosphere, she argues that a radical shift in metaphors can challenge a politics based on fear to open new forms of global political practice and community. Reframing the concept of the body politic to accommodate greater levels of complexity, Fishel suggests, will result in new configurations for the political and social organization necessary to build a world in which the planet's inhabitants do not merely live but actively thrive. (shrink)

in kant’s account of cognition, Eric Watkins and Marcus Willaschek distinguish between a ‘broad’ and ‘narrow’ sense of Kant’s use of the term ‘cognition.’ Every “conscious representation that represents an object” counts as a cognition, taken in the broad sense.1 Every “conscious representation of a given object and of its general features” counts as a cognition in the narrow sense.2 In the case of finite beings, they argue, cognition in the narrow sense must fulfill two conditions: First, the object must (...) be given, since cognition must actually latch onto an object, and intuition satisfies that condition insofar as it immediately relates to the object represented in the intuition.... (shrink)

In all domains of life, transmembrane proteins from the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter family drive the translocation of diverse substances across lipid bilayers. In pathogenic fungi, the ABC transporters of the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) subfamily confer antibiotic resistance and so are of interest as therapeutic targets. They also drive the quest for understanding how ABC transporters can generally accommodate such a wide range of substrates. The Pdr5 transporter from baker's yeast is representative of the PDR group and, ever since (...) its discovery more than 30 years ago, has been the subject of extensive functional analyses. A new perspective of these studies has been recently provided in the framework of the first electron cryo‐microscopy structures of Pdr5, as well as emergent applications of machine learning in the field. Taken together, the old and the new developments have been used to propose a mechanism for the transport process in PDR proteins. This mechanism involves a “flippase” step that moves the substrates from one leaflet of the bilayer to the other, as a central element of cellular efflux. (shrink)

This book offers a biblically-based and research-centered exploration of the unique and important role of women in leadership across multiple domains. Divided into two sections, the chapters begin by examining biblical examples of women in leadership, such as Esther and the woman of Proverbs 31, and passages focused on women, such as 1 Timothy 2 and Romans 16, before presenting contemporary perspectives with discussions on topics such as submission, DEI, and work-life balance. Taking a neutral position not siding with feminist (...) or patriarchal extremes, this book will contribute to debates on leadership and gender in the fields of organizational behaviour, HRM, I/O psychology, and gender studies. (shrink)

Introduction: Placebo and nocebo effects are positive and negative health outcomes that can be elicited by the psychosocial context. They can be mediated by expectations, and may emerge in somatic symptoms even when people are aware of these effects. Interindividual differences could impact placebo and nocebo responding, but findings are inconsistent.Methods: The current work examined expectation as a mediator of the association between verbal placebo and nocebo suggestions and histamine-induced itch across three experimental studies. Moreover, we examined whether interindividual differences, (...) body ignorance) modulated: the direct association between VSs and itch, and the indirect, expectation-mediated association between VSs and itch. Positive VSs were compared to neutral instructions or negative VSs in an open-label or closed-label context using PROCESS. First, mediation of VSs effects on itch by expectations was tested. Next, moderation by individual traits was explored using conditional process analyses.Results: The effects of VSs on itch were significantly mediated by expectation in Study 1 and in the open-label contexts of Studies 2 and 3. Ignorance of bodily signals marginally moderated the direct effects of VSs on itch when closed-label suggestions were given: at low levels of body ignorance, effects of positive and negative VSs were stronger. Moreover, moderated mediation was observed in the open-label groups of Studies 2 and 3: The expectation-mediated effects of VSs on itch were stronger when BAS drive was lower.Conclusion: Overall, the effects of VSs on itch were mediated by expectations in the open-label, but not the closed-label context. Moreover, the current work suggests that placebo and nocebo effects may be moderated by ignorance of bodily signals and the BAS. There was limited evidence that other interindividual differences modulated placebo and nocebo responding in itch. (shrink)

This volume looks at the forms and functions of counterspeech as well as what determines its effectiveness and success from multidisciplinary perspectives. Counterspeech is in line with international human rights and freedom of speech and it can be a much more powerful tool against dangerous and toxic speech than blocking and censorship. In the face of online hate speech and disinformation, counterspeech is a tremendously important and timely topic. The book uniquely brings together expertise from a variety of disciplines. It (...) explores linguistic, ethical and legal aspects of counterspeech, looks at the functions and effectiveness of counterspeech from anthropological, practical and sociological perspectives and addresses the question of how we can use modern technological advances to make counterspeech a more instantaneous and efficient option to respond to harmful language online. The greatest benefit of counterspeech lies in the ability to reach bystanders and prevent them from becoming perpetrators themselves. This volume is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about counterspeech, its potential, importance, and future endeavors. This anthology is a great resource for scholars and students of linguistics, philosophy of language, media and communication studies, digital humanities, natural language processing, international human rights law, anthropology and sociology, and interdisciplinary research methods. It is also a valuable source of information for practitioners and anyone who wants to speak up against harmful speech. (shrink)

Wilfrid Sellars is usually read as claiming that only the unobservable, theoretical objects which science would postulate at the ideal end of inquiry are real. Against this, Willem deVries has suggested that we can develop a notion of practical reality in the context of Sellars's philosophy which would pertain primarily to commonsense objects. I use deVries's suggestion as a foil to clarify Sellars's own commitments about the practical. I show that the notion of practical reality is not necessary to secure (...) the ultimate legitimacy of practical concepts. We can retreat to the less committed notion of practical truth. I argue that the notion of practical truth may not be sufficient to ensure that ultimately legitimate practical concepts are commonsense concepts in Sellars's framework. Nevertheless, deVries's suggestion highlights that Sellars's vision of an ultimate conceptual system may have been richer than is often thought. (shrink)

BackgroundEverybody has the right to decide whether to receive specific medical treatment or not and to provide their free, prior and informed consent to do so. As dementia progresses, people with Alzheimer’s dementia (PwAD) can lose their capacity to provide informed consent to complex medical treatment. When the capacity to consent is lost, the autonomy of the affected person can only be guaranteed when an interpretable and valid advance directive exists. Advance directives are not yet common in Germany, and their (...) validity is often questionable. Once the dementia diagnosis has been made, it is assumed to be too late to write an advance directive. One approach used to support the completion of advance directives is ‘Respecting Choices’®—an internationally recognised, evidence-based model of Advance Care Planning (ACP), which, until now, has not been evaluated for the target group of PwAD. This study’s aims include (a) to investigate the proportion of valid advance directives in a memory clinic population of persons with suspected AD, (b) to determine the predictors of valid advance directives, and (c) to examine whether the offer of ACP can increase the proportion of valid advance directives in PwAD.MethodWe intend to recruit at leastN = 250 participants from two memory clinics in 50 consecutive weeks. Of these, the first 25 weeks constitute the baseline phase (no offer of ACP), the following 25 weeks constitute the intervention phase (offer of ACP). The existence and validity of an advance directive will be assessed twice (before and after the memory clinic appointment). Moreover, potential predictors of valid advance directives are assessed.DiscussionThe results of this study will enhance the development of consent procedures for advance directives of PwAD based on the ACP/Respecting Choices (R) approach. Therefore, this project contributes towards increasing the autonomy and inclusion of PwAD and the widespread acceptance of valid advance directives in PwAD.Trial RegistrationDRKS, DRKS00026691, registered 15th of October 2021,https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00026691. (shrink)