On 11thOctober 2007, at the first international conference on Integrated History and Philosophy of Science (&HPS1) hosted by the Center for Philosophy of Science in Pittsburgh, Ernan McMullin (University of Notre Dame) portrayed a rather gloomy scenario concerning the current relationship between history and philosophy of science (HPS), on the one hand, and mainstream philosophy, on the other hand, as testified by a significant drop in the presence of HPS papers at various meetings of the American Philosophical Association (APA).

: Neste artigo argumento contra a interpretação muito difundida segundo a qual o ano de 1769 representou um marco na formação da filosofia transcendental e a Dissertação de 1770 corresponde ao primeiro texto crítico. O objetivo deste artigo é investigar a origem das antinomias nas Reflexões da década de 1770. Não se trata de esboçá-las, pois sobre elas Kant é reticente nesse período. Elas são objeto da atenção dele somente às vésperas da redação da Crítica da razão pura. Eu me (...) ocupo apenas com alguns dos elementos que possibilitarão sua formulação e solução na Crítica da razão pura. (shrink)

The ‘triumph of the anti-phlogistians’ is a familiar story to the historians and philosophers of science who characterize the Chemical Revolution as a broad conceptual shift. The apparent “incommensurability” of the paradigms across the revolutionary divide has caused much anxiety. Chemists could identify phlogiston and oxygen, however, only with different sets of instrumental practices, theoretical schemes, and philosophical commitments. In addition, the substantive counterpart to phlogiston in the new chemistry was not oxygen, but caloric. By focusing on the changing visions (...) of chemical body across the revolutionary divide with a more sensitive probe into the historical actors’ material manipulations and linguistic usage, we can historicize their laboratory realities and philosophical agenda. An archeology of chemical bodies that configures the fragile stability of the material worlds chemists created in succession promises a philosophical horizon that would recognize our hybrid (natural–artificial) environment as an evolving investigative object of science. (shrink)

This article addresses Kant's distinction between a synthetic and an analytic method in philosophy. I will first consider how some commentators have accounted for Kant's distinction and analyze some passages in which Kant defined the analytic and the synthetic method. I will suggest that confusion about Kant's distinction arises because he uses it in at least two different senses. I will then identify a specific way in which Kant accounts for this distinction when he is differentiating between mathematical and philosophical (...) syntheses. I will examine Kant's arguments in the Critique of Pure Reason with the latter sense of the distinction in mind. I will evaluate if he uses the analytic or the synthetic method and if the synthetic method is able to identify, without a previous consideration of some sort of given knowledge, sufficient conditions for deriving some aspects of our knowledge. (shrink)

What factors in the organizational culture of an ethically exemplary corporation are responsible for encouraging ethical decision making? This question was analyzed through an exploratory case study of a top pharmaceutical company that is a global leader in ethics. The participating organization is renowned in public opinion polls of ethics, credibility, and trust. This research explored organizational culture, communication in issues management and public relations, management theory, and deontological or utilitarian moral philosophy as factors that might encourage ethical analysis. Our (...) understanding of organiza tional ethics is enhanced by elucidating factors the case revealed as encouraging ethical analysisan organizational culture that emphasizes the importance of ethics, Theory Y management, a symmetrical worldview valuing innovation and dialogue, a counseling role for issues management or public relations in the dominant coalition, rewarding ethical behavior, ethical analysis using moral philosophy, consistency between individual values and organizational philosophy, and ethics training. These factors, and perhaps others as yet unidentified, worked together to create an environment that encouraged ethical decision making at the exemplar organization. (shrink)

بر اساس اندیشۀ کانت در دوران نقدی، ایدۀ خدا به عنوان یکی از ایده‌های استعلایی عقل محض مطرح است که عقل نظری با توجه به محدودیت‌هایش نمی‌تواند له یا علیه آن برهانی اقامه کند. اما در دوران پیشانقدی، کانت رسالۀ مستقلی با عنوان «تنها حجت ممکن در تأیید برهان وجود خدا» تألیف کرده و در آن سعی کرده است تا وجود خدا را از طریق براهین عقل نظری اثبات کند. اهمیت این رساله در این است که از یک سو بر (...) خلاف اندیشۀ دوران نقدی برای عقل نظری شأن برهان‌آوری در اثبات وجود خدا قائل می‌شود و از سوی دیگر، بر خلاف سنت ولفی‌ـ‌لایبنیتسی، به جای برهان جهان‌شناختی، برهان طبیعی‌ـ‌الهیاتی را مطرح می‌کند. به علاوه، با محور قرار دادن مفهوم امکان در تقریر برهان وجودی، با تقریر فیلسوفان پیشین - علی‌الخصوص دکارت - مخالفت می‌کند و تقریر جدیدی از آن ارائه می‌دهد. در این مقاله ابتدا مسیر اختصاصی استدلال کانت مبنی بر اثبات وجود خدا را بر مبنای رسالۀ مذکور توضیح داده‌ایم و در مرحلۀ دوم، مستند به برخی پژوهش‌های جدیدتر، نشان داده‌ایم که تعارض بین عنوان کتاب و محتوای آن ، که برخی دیگر کانت‌شناسان را به این گمان انداخته که کانت متهافت سخن گفته است، یک تعارض بدوی و برآمده از ترجمۀ خطای اصطلاح Beweisgrund از آلمانی به انگلیسی است. (shrink)