Michel Onfray e André Comte-Sponville são os dois mais famosos representantes do ateísmo filosófico francês contemporâneo, que continua uma tradição iniciada no século XVIII de negação irreligiosa da noção monoteísta de Deus. Embora compartilhando várias ideias, como o naturalismo e, obviamente, a rejeição do monoteísmo, suas propostas têm diferenças importantes. Onfray imputa à religião a maioria dos males enfrentados pela humanidade, recusando-se a fazer qualquer concessão à tradição religiosa monoteísta, e propondo uma filosofia libertária de tipo hedonista e materialista. Comte-Sponville (...) vê aspectos positivos na religião no tocante à manutenção da unidade social e propõe uma espiritualidade mística ateia. O artigo faz uma breve apresentação de suas teses e formula críticas a ambas as propostas. Onfray está muito mais preocupado em convencer de uma proposta política do que em argumentar filosoficamente em favor de uma tese e Comte-Sponville não parece perceber as consequências auto-refutadoras do naturalismo, que também torna muito problemática a própria noção de moralidade. Palavras-chave: Michel Onfray; Comte-Sponville; ateísmo; neoateísmo; naturalismo.Michel Onfray and André Comte-Sponville are the most famous representatives of philosophical contemporary French atheism, which is a continuation of a tradition begun in the 18 th Century of irreligious denying of the monotheistic notion of God. Although sharing many ideas, like naturalism and, obviously, the rejection of the monotheistic conception of God, their proposals show important distinctions. Onfray blames on religion most of evils faced by humanity, refusing to make any concession to monotheism, and proposing a libertarian, hedonistic, materialistic philosophy. Comte-Sponville sees positive aspects in religion regarding the keeping of social unity, and puts forward an atheistic spirituality. The article makes a brief presentation of both theses and formulates criticisms to each of them. Onfray is much more concerned with convincing of a political proposal than with arguing in favour of his thesis philosophically, and Comte-Sponville does not seem to notice the self-defeating consequences of naturalism, which also makes very problematic the very notion of morality. Keywords: Michel Onfray; Comte-Sponville; atheism; neoatheism; naturalism. (shrink)

Based on the readings of the philosophers Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Michel Onfray, the present article aims to carry out a critical assessment based on what is meant by “control society” and then, inspired by the Nietzschean philosophy of “Super human” [Übermensch], verify the feasibility of flourishing a human type whose creative and courageous posture surpasses the most adverse hypotheses of postmodernity. That said, the research adopts the following method: first, succinctly, to present the development of the different record (...) productions, as presented in The Anti-Oedipus; second, after the Deleuzian work opens up the scope for thinking about the “schizo”, that is, the individual below the social impositions, we complement with the hypothesis of the onfraryan typology of the “condottiere”, making it a model of resistance and insubmission, inspiring, therefore, the possible appearance of a fourth record production analyzed by Deleuze and Guattari. (shrink)

Resumo: O artigo analisa o desenvolvimento da relação existente entre arte, ciência e filosofia no pensamento do jovem Nietzsche. Para tanto, recorre-se especialmente à consulta dosFragmentos Póstumosentre os anos de 1872 a 1875, possibilitando destacar os seguintes pontos: primeiro, a descoberta da filosofia pré-platônica como exemplo de conciliação das forças artística e científica e, segundo, a contribuição desses escritos para observância emHumano, demasiado humano da tipologia do “médico da cultura”, cuja função, similar a dos filósofos jônicos, será a de restaurar (...) no mundo moderno a harmonia das mesmas pulsões, garantindo a manutenção de uma cultura elevada.: The article analyzes the development of the relationship between art, science and philosophy in the thinking of young Nietzsche. Therefore, it is especially necessary to consult thePosthumous Fragmentsbetween the years 1872 to 1875, making it possible to highlight the following points: first, the discovery of pre-Platonic philosophy for example conciliation of artistic and scientific forces and, second, the contribution of these writings to observance inHuman, all too human of the typology of the “doctor of culture”, whose function, similar to that of the Ionian philosophers, will be to restore in the modern world the harmony of the same drives, ensuring the maintenance of a high culture. (shrink)

Resumo: Com o auxílio do acadêmico e filósofo Julio Ramon Cabrera, o presente artigo desenvolve o estudo sobre uma filosofia desde o Brasil, dividindo-se em três momentos: primeiro, a denúncia contra os efeitos paralisantes causados a partir da colonização europeia, tendo assim obstaculizado há bastante tempo a atividade filosófica, nos países latino-americanos; segundo, a exposição dos elementos teóricos capazes de desconstruir a visão eurocêntrica da Filosofia e, por último, a apresentação da “ética negativa” cabreriana enquanto modelo de um pensar para (...) além do regionalismo. O objetivo dessa investigação é corroborar a viabilidade de produções autóctones, cuja qualidade das pesquisas acadêmicas brasileiras garanta, sem qualquer margem de dúvidas, uma profícua interlocução junto aos filósofos já consagrados na tradição ocidental.: With the help of the academic Julio Ramon Cabrera, this article develops the study of a Philosophy from Brazil, dividing into three moments: first, the denounce it against the paralyzing effects caused starting by European colonization, having thus hampered philosophical activity for a long time in Latin American countries; second, the exposure of theoretical elements which are able to deconstruct the Eurocentric vision of Philosophy and the last one, the presentation of Cabrera’s “negative ethics” as a model of a thinking beyond regionalism. The purpose of this investigation is to corroborate the feasibility of autochthonous productions, whose quality of Brazilian academic research guarantees, without any doubts, a fruitful dialogue with philosophers already consecrated in the western tradition. (shrink)

Com as frequentes tragédias ocorridas no âmbito das instituições prisionais no Brasil, surge a necessidade de debater a crise penitenciária e identificar as suas possíveis causas. O artigo propõe uma análise da falência da pena de prisão sob a abordagem das teorias do filósofo Michel Foucault, contidas principalmente em sua obra Vigiar e Punir: história da violência nas prisões. Utilizando-se de método similar ao do próprio autor, serão realizadas comparações de medidas punitivas anteriores à reforma penal com a conjuntura do (...) atual ordenamento jurídico brasileiro. Com base no conteúdo histórico-filosófico da referida obra, será exposto o conceito de gestão dos ilegalismos, o qual se mostrará pertinente para explicar um dos fatores que contribui para a tão debatida crise no sistema penal. Em síntese, esperamos aproximar as teorias foucaultianas da ineficiência do sistema penal brasileiro. (shrink)

Nietzsche e seu olhar sobre os estabelecimentos de ensino alemães como reflexo da cultura moderna Resumo: O artigo desenvolve um panorama no que tange às instituições de ensino alemãs sob a visão de Friedrich Nietzsche. Para tanto, inicialmente é realizado o balanço crítico dos estabelecimentos ginasial, técnico e universitário de modo a atribuí-los ao problema da degenerescência cultural sofrida a partir do processo das reformas econômica e política na Alemanha do século XIX. Em complemento a essa investigação, serão tratados os (...) assuntos do filisteu da cultura e das considerações do jovem pensador acerca do Estado e da cultura grega, segundo ele, entendida como o melhor meio de ilustrar o sentido de força [Kraft] e vitalidade [Vitalität]. Por fim, a pesquisa apresenta, na postura de Arthur Schopenhauer, a referência de combate ao filisteísmo e de resistência contra os valores do estilo de vida moderna. Palavras-chave: Cultura; Estado; Filisteus; Nietzsche; Schopenhauer. Nietzsche and his point of view about the Germany educational system while reflectof the modern culture Abstract: The article develops an overview regarding to German educational institutions under the vision of Friedrich Nietzsche. To this end, the critical assessment of junior high, technical and university establishments is initially carried out in order to attribute them to the problem of cultural degeneration suffered from the process of economic and political reforms in 19th century Germany. In addition to this investigation, the subjects of the Philistine culture and young thinker considerations about the state and the Greek culture will be treated, according to him, understood as the best way to illustrate the sense of force [Kraft] and vitality [Vitalität]. Ultimately, research presents, in Arthur Schopenhauer's stance, the reference to combat philistineism and resistance to the values of modern lifestyle. Keyword: Culture; State; Philistines; Nietzsche; Schopenhauer. Nietzsche et son regard sur les établissements d’enseignement allemands comme reflet de la culture moderne Resumé: L'article développe une vue d'ensemble des institutions éducatives allemandes selon la vision de Friedrich Nietzsche. À ce titre, un bilan critique est d'abord fait des établissements du secondaire, des établissements techniques et universitaires afin de les rattacher au problème de la dégénérescence culturelle subie par le processus de réformes économiques et politiques dans l'Allemagne du XIXe siècle. En complément de cette recherche, seront traités les sujets du philistin de la culture et les considérations du jeune penseur sur l'Etat et la culture grecque, qui selon lui, est comprise comme la meilleure façon d'illustrer le sens de la force [Kraft] et de la vitalité [Vitalität]. Enfin, la recherche présente, dans la posture d'Arthur Schopenhauer, la référence de la lutte contre le philistinisme et la résistance aux valeurs du mode de vie moderne. Mots Clé: Culture; Éta; Philistin; Nietzsche; Schopenhauer. Data de registro: 19/12/2020 Data de aceite: 1º/12/2021. (shrink)

This article presents what is understood as the “atheism of the French philosopher Michel Onfray”. To do so, become an investigation based on the work Treaty of Ateology in order to evaluate points of its reflections. Because Onfray blames Christian, Jewish and Islamic monotheisms for introjecting the consciences of guilt, sin and the pulse of death, preventing men from reconciling with what they understand as reality. The study of onfraryan philosophy does not yet lead to the thesis that its materialist (...) ontology presupposes the insertion of an ethical-hedonistic plan, capable of overcoming the psychological problems caused by monotheistic religions. In sequence, the critical analysis has the contribution of authors Irene Fernandez and Mathieu Baumier. The intention is to show how the arguments capable of pointing out a religious intolerance can also be motivated by the passionate contempt for religious life, consequently affecting the foundations willing to prove it possible to exist a world without gods, beliefs or religions. (shrink)

Erudite and timely, this book is a key contribution to the renewal of radical theory and politics.

This chapter examines the normative question of whether the cultivation of patriotic and nationalist ideals and attachments should have a central place in programs of civic education. It argues that the most useful way to draw the distinction between patriotism and nationalism focuses on their respective objects of loyalty; patriotism is loyalty to a country while nationalism is loyalty to a people. This way of distinguishing between patriotism and nationalism forms the background for the discussion of a variety of instrumental (...) and non-instrumental arguments for cultivating patriotic and nationalist political attachments in schools. It also examines an assumption common to these programs of civic education: that a shared identity is crucial for citizens to have a sense of belonging that supports social stability and desirable forms of political change. The final part of the chapter introduces a number of alternative educational proposals that aim to avoid some of the difficulties faced by patriotic and nationalist strategies. These alternative proposals aim to encourage good citizenship while taking into account new challenges generated by the political, social, and economic conditions of an increasingly globalized world. (shrink)

The political upheavals of China's Warring States period proved to be intellectually fertile, giving rise to one of history's greatest flowerings of political philosophy. The most eminent thinkers of the day sought to articulate models for good government amidst the ruins of the Zhou dynasty. Zhuangzi, on the other hand, appears to many readers to eschew these political questions. In this article, however, I contend that the Zhuangzi has a more practical political teaching than has often been appreciated. It is (...) intended to help others to navigate the treacherous political waters in which they might well find themselves, particularly in an era of profound instability, by teaching them how to understand their own... (shrink)

How will the adoption of genetically modified staple crops reconfigure labor processes in Sub-Saharan Africa? This article focuses on Uganda, where GM varieties of matooke, the country’s primary carbohydrate staple, are expected to be commercialized within the next few years. The paper draws on survey data and focus groups with a random sample of over one hundred and fifty growers to investigate the potential ways a variety engineered to be resistant to banana bacterial wilt might impact labor dynamics. A BBW (...) resistant GM variety will displace labor currently allocated to disease prevention and control, and increase the labor required for harvesting higher yields. How farmers can address the need for more harvesting labor varies significantly according to region. In the southwestern highlands, producers can increase their portion of hired labor. In the central and eastern regions, where farms tend to be smaller and subsistence-oriented, farmers are more likely to intensify their use of unpaid family labor, particularly that of wives. Hence, while GM technology may result in increased yields for small-scale farmers in Uganda, this is likely to come at the cost of intensifying the agricultural labor burdens of women in the central and eastern region. (shrink)

Recent theory suggests that action prediction relies of a motor emulation mechanism that works by mapping observed actions onto the observer action system so that predictions can be generated using that same predictive mechanisms that underlie action control. This suggests that action prediction may be more accurate when there is a more direct mapping between the stimulus and the observer. We tested this hypothesis by comparing prediction accuracy for two stimulus types. A mannequin stimulus which contained information about the effectors (...) used to produce the action and a point stimulus, which contained identical dynamic information but no effector information. Prediction was more accurate for the mannequin stimulus. However, this effect was dependent on the observer having previous experience performing the observed action. This suggests that experienced and na¨ıve observers might generate predictions in qualitatively difference ways, which may relate to the presence of an internal representation of the action laid down through action performance. (shrink)

The replication crisis has prompted many to call for statistical reform within the psychological sciences. Here we examine issues within Frequentist statistics that may have led to the replication crisis, and we examine the alternative—Bayesian statistics—that many have suggested as a replacement. The Frequentist approach and the Bayesian approach offer radically different perspectives on evidence and inference with the Frequentist approach prioritising error control and the Bayesian approach offering a formal method for quantifying the relative strength of evidence for hypotheses. (...) We suggest that rather than mere statistical reform, what is needed is a better understanding of the different modes of statistical inference and a better understanding of how statistical inference relates to scientific inference. (shrink)

The concept of fitness, central to population genetics and to the synthetic theory of evolution, is discussed. After a historical introduction on the origin of this concept, the current meaning of it in population genetics is examined: a cause of the selective process and its quantification. Several difficulties arise for its exact definition. Three adequacy criteria for such a definition are formulated. It is shown that it is impossible to formulate an adequate definition of fitness respecting these criteria. The propensity (...) definition of fitness is presented and rejected. Finally it is argued that fitness is a conceptual device, a useful tool, only for descriptive purposes of selective processes, changing from case to case, and thus devoid of any substantial physical counterpart. Any attempt to its reification is an apport to the metaphysical load evolutionary theory has inherited from Natural Theology. (shrink)

This book examines environmentalist thought through its connections to ancient philosophies and religions and a lineage which runs through romantic art and nineteenth-century science. The examination is conducted from a broad and skeptical utilitarian point of view.

"Nearly all the essays are theoretically informed, argumentative, and exceptionally interesting; nearly all try to paint the merits (and demerits) of utilitarianism as a political philosophy in the light of attempted solutions to theoretical problems that are explored in some detail. The result is a searching, thoughtful volume." --Ethics "The Utilitarian Response is unique in the breadth of problems and questions in utilitarian theory covered. It is more suggestive of strategies by which contemporary utilitarianism could be improved than a comprehensive (...) reply to recent objections to utilitarianism. It should be of great interest to scholars in ethical theory and political philosophy. It would also serve well as a text for a graduate level seminar, if accompanied with readings in the area of recent objections to utilitarianism." --Utilitas Utilitarianism is an important component of both popular and academic responses to the problems of ethics and public policy. Over the past two decades, it has lost some ground to rival theories, such as: contractarian, libertarian and natural rights. This book explores the capacity of utilitarianism and the existing challenge of reviving it in political theory. Primary attention is given to questions on the intellectual coherence and moral acceptability of utilitarian responses to practical dilemmas, including health care, punishment, and electoral arrangements. Also examined are the relationships between private ethics and public policy, utility and freedom, utility and democracy, and the role and limitations of states, both locally and internationally. The Utilitarian Response is a broad and contemporary account of utilitarian theory as it exists today. It explores the continuing applicability of utilitarian thought to current practical and interrelated issues of ethics, economics, and politics. An ideal resource for scholars in political philosophy and political theory. (shrink)

The most expressive account of explanations in neuroscience is currently the causal-mechanistic model formulated by Carl Craver. According to him, explanations in neuroscience describe mechanisms, in other words, it points out how parts organize themselves and interact to engender the phenomenon. Furthermore, neuroscience is unified as scientists from different areas that compose it work together to develop mechanisms. This model was extensively discussed in the last years and several criticisms were raised towards it. Still, it remains as the soundest model (...) for explanations in neuroscience nowadays. This paper is presented as a review of this model, as well as the critiques worked out against it and finishes with a brief consideration of the problem of explanation in neuroscience. (shrink)

The current crisis is one outcome of the financialisation of contemporary capitalism. It arose in the USA because of the enormous expansion of mortgage-lending, including to the poorest layers of the working class. It became general because of the trading of debt by financial institutions. These phenomena are integral to financialisation. During the last three decades, large enterprises have turned to open markets to obtain finance, forcing banks to seek alternative sources of profit. One avenue has been provision of financial (...) services to individual workers. This trend has been facilitated by the retreat of public provision from housing, pensions, education, and so on. A further avenue has been to adopt investment-banking practices in open financial markets. The extraction of financial profits directly out of personal income constitutes financial expropriation. Combined with investment-banking, it has catalysed the current gigantic crisis. More broadly, financialisation has sustained the emergence of new layers of rentiers, defined primarily through their relation to the financial system rather than ownership of loanable capital. Finally, financialisation has posed important questions regarding finance-capital and imperialism. (shrink)

entry for the Entry for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:An Epiphany in Munich LINCOLN PERRY W hen I used to say the sentence (softly and to myself ) “I hate palms” or “Palms are not beautiful; possibly they are not even trees,” it was a composite palm that I had somehow succeeded in making without even ever having seen, close up, many particular instances. Conversely, when I now say, “Palms are beautiful,” or “I love palms,” it (...) is really individual palms that I have in mind. This quote from Elaine Scarry’s On Beauty and Being Just applies perfectly to an experience I recently had regarding a painting by an artist I had assumed I didn’t much care for. Perhaps it would be best to lead into my epiphany gradually, to recreate the preparation that might have been necessary to have my realization. Actually, I speak of a double epiphany, in that it was shared by the friend I was travelling with when we saw the artwork in question. He and I are both painters, and have much in common, both in terms of our own work and our voracious appetite for seeing museums, so when I planned a trip for late October 2018 to see thirty museums in two weeks in Germany and Austria, I knew just whom to call. David Carbone and I have known each other, and appreciated each other’s work, since leaving graduate school in 1975, meeting at the College Art Association held that year in Washington, DC, where people compete for jobs while trying to maintain a veneer of civility. David made less of an effort than most, and I vividly remember him in saddle shoes he had painted bright blue, wearing a tie featuring a burlesque dancer, sipping champagne in the garden courtyard of the National Gallery. All the nearby aspiring art historians were immaculately dressed and scrupulously behaved, but David finished his drink, and in imitation of a arion 27.1 spring/summer 2019 Russian toast, threw his empty glass against the wall, where it noisily shattered. I like this guy, thought I. Over the next few days, visiting DC’s museums together, I recognized the brilliance of his commentaries on the art we saw. And his wit: He told of studying with his painting professor, who became frustrated with David’s pace in painting and said “David, painting is really very simple!” The reply: “But, what if you’re not simple?” I can’t conjure a single artist about whose work we’ve disagreed in the course of the fortythree years we’ve known each other. Meeting often in New York, where he lives with his wife Donna (who, like my wife, is always perfectly willing to let us go museum schlepping without them), we’ve also travelled in central Italy, and even flew to Fort Worth to see a show of the Le Nain brothers. A very sweet guard there asked us, “Who ARE you?” and when we said we were painters, she said, “Oh, because I’ve never seen anybody look at paintings this long, or talk about them so much!” Berlin is a treasure trove, where we visited ten fine museums, then flew to Vienna, which was hosting an extensive exhibit of Bruegel’s paintings, though feast might be a more apt word. A visual feast, but one that didn’t leave one sated, jaded, or bloated, but rather improved, made less ambivalent about membership in a questionable species. Yes, the viewer consumed a meal of war, famine, foolishness, and pride, but the chef made it not just palatable but beautiful, thought-provoking and humorous. Bruegel and his contemporary Rabelais seem kindred spirits, skeptical but amused, bawdy but tender, creating not just works but micro to macro worlds, an alternate world view, in fact. Each painting mesmerized anyone looking long and carefully enough, discovering that a tiny girl on a sled is able to get a purchase on the ice not just with her diminutive sticks, but by the miniscule iron nails in which they end, painted with a one hair-brush. From this minutia we graduate to a wider and wider view, one that comes to imply infinity. Bruegel’s brilliant guidance doesn’t confront us... (shrink)

Rice, Lincoln Review of: The problems of evil and suffering, by John Cowburn , pp. 264.

Mormon Transhumanism is the idea that humanity should learn how to be compassionate creators. This idea is essential to Mormonism, which provides a religious framework consistent with naturalism and supportive of human transformation. Mormon Transhumanists are not limited to traditional or popular accounts of religion, and embrace opportunities and risks of technological evolution. Although usually considered secular, Transhumanism originates partly in religious Humanism and sometimes functions as religion. Accelerating change contextualizes Mormon Transhumanist narratives, which illustrate parallels between Mormonism and Transhumanism. (...) Mormon Transhumanists have produced secular arguments for faith in God and religious arguments for Transhumanism. This is a revision and update of “What Is Mormon Transhumanism?”. (shrink)

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