For infinite machines that are free from the classical Thomson’s lamp paradox, we show that they are not free from its inverted-in-time version. We provide a program for infinite machines and an infinite mechanism that demonstrate this paradox. While their finite analogs work predictably, the program and the infinite mechanism demonstrate an undefined behavior. As in the case of infinite Davies machines :671–682, 2001), our examples are free from infinite masses, infinite velocities, infinite forces, etc. Only infinite divisibility of space (...) and time is assumed. Thus, the infinite devices considered are possible in a Newtonian Universe and they do not conflict with Newtonian mechanics. Note that the classical Thomson’s lamp paradox leads to infinite velocities which may not be producible in acceptable models of Newtonian mechanics. Finally, it is shown that the “paradox of predictability” is similar to the inverted Thomson’s lamp paradox. (shrink)

Réflexions sur deux publications récentes en ecclésiologie : «Eclesiología 30 años después de Lumen Gentium. Pueblo de Dios - Cuerpo de Cristo - Templo del Espíritu Santo - Sacramento - Comuniοn», Pedro Rodríguez , Madrid : Rialp, 1994 et François Guillemette, «Théologie des conférences Episcopales. Une herméneutique de Vatican II», Montréal, QC : Médiaspaul, 1994.

In this chapter the debate between Habermas and Rorty on the issue of relativism is discussed critically. The developments in Rorty's position are pointed out, for example, his current acceptance of the epithet “relativist” against his earlier rejection of this self‐description in view of his denial that a pragmatist like himself has any, including a relativist, epistemology. Attention is also paid to Rorty's current denial of the relevance of the idea of “metaphors of making rather than finding” for this debate, (...) against his earlier espousal of this distinction. His main effort is to create a vocabulary that might transcend the obsolete distinctions of “Platonism” such as truth–falsity, rational–irrational and subjective–objective. In contrast to this effort lurks Habermas's unmasking of the undeniable and unavoidable performative contradiction in Rorty's work, as well as his argument that Rorty indeed fails to develop a “new vocabulary”: but rather succumbs to the well‐known social Darwinism of the nineteenth century. The author shows why Habermas comes out of this debate much better than Rorty. (shrink)

Comme le disent le titre et le sous-titre de l'article, l'auteur centre son attention sur la «proposition» faite par l'encyclique Ut Unum Sint aux responsables d'Eglises et aux théologiens, d'approfondir, en dialogue avec le successeur de Pierre, la distinction entre la «substance» du ministère de Pierre et les «formes d'exercice» qu'il pourrait prendre en fonction de la «nouvelle situation». L'article ne se propose pas de faire un commentaire, encore moins d'analyser en détails, le contenu doctrinal de l'encyclique; il se contente (...) d'examiner la «proposition papale» dans le contexte immédiat de l'encyclique. Cela implique certaines coordonnées quant à la méthode et au contenu, pour qu'un thème aussi brûlant soit situé en vue de porter une lumière nouvelle sur la «fonction papale». Approfondir l'essence du ministère. de Pierre représente un désir profond de la «conscience oecuménique», tant de Paul VI que de Jean Paul II. Celui-ci annonça, dès le début de son pontificat, que la «cause oecuménique» était -comme le rappelle la UUS, n. 99 - «une des priorités pastorales» de son pontificat. L'encyclique réaffirme l'«engagement oécuménique» de toute l'Eglise et du pape en personne. La UUS, «de caractère essentiellement pastoral» , ne se préoccupe pas tant de développer les principes doctrinaux contenus dans les décrets conciliaires que de faire appel avec insistance à la conscience des fidèles chrétiens, afin d'avancer ve. (shrink)

Comme le disent le titre et le sous-titre de l'article, l'auteur centre son attention sur la «proposition» faite par l'encyclique Ut Unum Sint aux responsables d'Eglises et aux théologiens, d'approfondir, en dialogue avec le successeur de Pierre, la distinction entre la «substance» du ministère de Pierre et les «formes d'exercice» qu'il pourrait prendre en fonction de la «nouvelle situation». L'article ne se propose pas de faire un commentaire, encore moins d'analyser en détails, le contenu doctrinal de l'encyclique; il se contente (...) d'examiner la «proposition papale» dans le contexte immédiat de l'encyclique. Cela implique certaines coordonnées quant à la méthode et au contenu, pour qu'un thème aussi brûlant soit situé en vue de porter une lumière nouvelle sur la «fonction papale». Approfondir l'essence du ministère. de Pierre représente un désir profond de la «conscience oecuménique», tant de Paul VI que de Jean Paul II. Celui-ci annonça, dès le début de son pontificat, que la «cause oecuménique» était -comme le rappelle la UUS, n. 99 - «une des priorités pastorales» de son pontificat. L'encyclique réaffirme l'«engagement oécuménique» de toute l'Eglise et du pape en personne. La UUS, «de caractère essentiellement pastoral» , ne se préoccupe pas tant de développer les principes doctrinaux contenus dans les décrets conciliaires que de faire appel avec insistance à la conscience des fidèles chrétiens, afin d'avancer ve. (shrink)

As the title indicates, the author does not intend to comment on the Instruction Donum Veritatis, but to bring some precision regarding the function of the theologian in the Church in the light of the document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The subtitle qualifies the work of the theologian as ecclesial and scientific. The theme must be situated in the context of a global vision of the Church as mystery of communion and as mission, as this (...) is presented in the Instruction. The author starts from the theologico-anthropological roots of the function of the theologian and of theology; these are intrinsically connected with God's revelation and the gift of Christian truth which constitutes their object, and with faith as the response of the entire people of God and the theologian to God's call. Faith, as personal option and as content , is the primordial element of the epistemological status of theology. Theology is critical, systematic research, faithful to the demands of divine revelation. The body of the article attempts to situate the function of theology and the theologian in the triangle constituted by the people of God, to which the gift of divine revelation is addressed, and the Magisterium and the theologians who are at the service of the community of the faithful. In this service the Magisterium and the theologians fulfil proper and complementary functions in keeping with their place in the Church. The theologians have a functio. (shrink)

Comme le dit le titre, l'objet formel de l'étude est d'approfondir le thème de la réception dans l'Eglise. A cette fin, comme il s'agit d'un phénomène religieux, d'une réalité complexe et de caractère interdisciplinaire à l'intérieur de la théologie, des délimitations ultérieures s'imposent, qui se trouvent indiquées dans le sous-titre. On se propose d'approfondir les fondements théologiques de la réception dans l'Eglise et ses processus vitaux toujours actifs à différents niveaux de la communauté ecclésiale. Une fois délimité le thème, il (...) est nécessaire de partir de la notion de réception dans la sémantique ecclésiologique. Cette notion est purement descriptive. L'A. identifie toute une série de notions du phénomène de la réception et les analyse en profondeur du point de vue théologico-ecclésiologique. C'est seulement à partir d'une étude des principaux processus historiques de la réception dans l'Eglise ancienne qu'il est possible de démontrer que la notion proposée est adéquate. Les processus concrets de réception qui sont étudiés sont les suivants : 1. la formation du canon de l'Ecriture ; 2. la traditio symboli ; 3. la praxis de la communion ecclésiale ; 4. les lettres synodales ; 5. le consensus universel en questions de foi ; 6. le patrimoine liturgique ; 7. les conciles particuliers et oecuméniques. (shrink)

Comme le dit le titre, l'objet formel de l'étude est d'approfondir le thème de la réception dans l'Eglise. A cette fin, comme il s'agit d'un phénomène religieux, d'une réalité complexe et de caractère interdisciplinaire à l'intérieur de la théologie, des délimitations ultérieures s'imposent, qui se trouvent indiquées dans le sous-titre. On se propose d'approfondir les fondements théologiques de la réception dans l'Eglise et ses processus vitaux toujours actifs à différents niveaux de la communauté ecclésiale. Une fois délimité le thème, il (...) est nécessaire de partir de la notion de réception dans la sémantique ecclésiologique. Cette notion est purement descriptive. L'A. identifie toute une série de notions du phénomène de la réception et les analyse en profondeur du point de vue théologico-ecclésiologique. C'est seulement à partir d'une étude des principaux processus historiques de la réception dans l'Eglise ancienne qu'il est possible de démontrer que la notion proposée est adéquate. Les processus concrets de réception qui sont étudiés sont les suivants : 1. la formation du canon de l'Ecriture ; 2. la traditio symboli ; 3. la praxis de la communion ecclésiale ; 4. les lettres synodales ; 5. le consensus universel en questions de foi ; 6. le patrimoine liturgique ; 7. les conciles particuliers et oecuméniques. (shrink)

En ce premier article sur le fondement biblique de la tâche évangélisatrice des évêques l'A. analyse les textes bibliques mis en oeuvres par Vatican II, là où le concile, se basant sur la succession apostolique, présente les évêques comme témoins du Christ et hérauts de l'évangile. Le concile se réfère aux paroles mêmes que, selon le témoignage des quatre évangélistes, le Christ ressuscité adresse à ses disciples et/ou apôtres, leur conférant de proclamer l'évangile à toutes les nations, et jusqu'aux extrémités (...) de la terre. (shrink)

Cet article constitue la troisième partie d'un travail ecclésiologique mené par l'A. qui s'interroge sur la tâche évangélisatrice de l'évêque dans son Eglise particulière et dans la conférence épiscopale qui le concerne. Son objectif est de préciser le contenu et la méthode de cette action évangélisatrice menée par l'évêque de tout diocèse. Cette action doit d'abord être christocentrique et jaillir de l'Eglise vers toute créature. Cette action doit préciser le point de départ de sa méthodologie, tenir compte du problème de (...) l'inculturation et renouveler l'évangélisation sans rompre avec sa continuité. (shrink)

L'objet de l'article est de considérer le document du magistère «Ordinatio sacerdotalis» dans le cadre de la gnoséologie théologique. Vatican II a légué, au sujet de l'objet et de l'étendue du magistère pontifical ordinaire trois critères-clé que l'ecclésiologiste doit appliquer pour l'interprétation des textes du magistère. a) La nature du document ; b) La proposition fréquente du thème en d'autres documents du magistère et sa transmission dans la tradition vivante de l'Eglise; c) Les formules employées pour déterminer le caractère de (...) l'acte magistériel et l'étendue de l'adhésion requise des destinataires. Il est de la compétence de l'ecclésiologiste, en accueillant en principe le document en la forme requise par sa présentation, d'approfondir la connexion véritable de la doctrine proposée avec le dépôt révélé et l'analogie de cette doctrine avec les autres vérités du message chrétien. Ainsi seulement pourra-t-on situer le document en raison de son contenu et de l'acte formel du magistère qui s'y exprime, dans le contexte qui lui correspond par rapport à l'entièreté du dépôt de la foi. (shrink)

In the current era patient autonomy is enormously important. However, recently there has also been some movement back to ensure that trust in the doctor's skill, knowledge and virtue is not excluded in the process. These new nuances of informed consent have been referred to by terms such as beneficent paternalism, experience-based paternalism and we would add virtuous paternalism. The purpose of this paper is to consider the history and current problematic nature of counselling and consent. Starting with the tradition (...) founded by Hippocrates we trace and seek to understand how relevant aspects of the patient-doctor relationship have evolved under the influences of subsequent moral theories. Finally we tentatively endorse certain modes of counselling in the current era in order to promote morally sound, good clinical practice. (shrink)

In this article, the main complexities of understanding and curbing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in (South) Africa, are discussed. These are: 1. Poverty as niche or social context of the pandemic, 2. Denial, lack of leadership and the politicization of the public discourse on AIDS, 3. Problems related to accomplishing behavior changes under conditions of deprivation and illiteracy, 4. Women's vulnerability, and 5. The disenchantment of intimacy brought about by the pandemic. In each case, some solutions are suggested, although the notion (...) of complexity does not allow for definitive solutions. Concluding remarks deal with the possible philosophical and moral sense that we might make of the pandemic. (shrink)

Three things occur in this introductory article to a volume of the South African Journal of Philosophy in tribute of Hans- Georg Gadamer who died on March 14, 2002, at the age of 102. First, some historical details of Gadamer's life are provided. Second, the nine articles in the volume are briefly introduced. The authors are Denis Schmidt (the only non- South African), Anton van Niekerk, Bert Olivier, Andrea Hurst, Leon Fouché, Danie Strauss, Pieter Duvenage, Nirmala Pillay and Gerald (...) Pillay. Finally, short remarks are made about the relevance of Gadamer's work, and particularly his contribution to “understanding the nature of understanding”, for the South African situation. S. Afr. J. Philos. Vol.21(4) 2002: 219-222. (shrink)

The article investigates the extent to which recent developments in both the medical and the philosophical world have impacted on the nature and scope of medical ethics. A central question of the article has to do with the extent to which medical ethics itself is being transformed by that which it investigates. The author comes to the conclusion that these developments precipitate an ethics of responsibility. Such an ethics has the following characteristics: 1. It is a model according to which (...) people accept responsibility for all their actions, rather than hide behind heteronomous rules and regulations. 2. People are morally accountable in terms of the universal moral claim or appeal on us (in the Levinasian sense of the word). 3. Moral responsibility is also a responsibility toward future generations. 4. An ethics of responsibility must come to terms with the moral ambivalence of phenomena and developments. 5. It is an ethics that requires imaginative steps to empower people for the acceptance of their responsibilities, particularly in the higher education sector. S. Afr. J. Philos. Vol.21(1) 2002: 35-43. (shrink)

This article deals with the question of whether an increased teaching of business ethics can/will have a positive effect on the fight against corruption in companies. It is written from a (South) African perspective. Statistics about the alarming state of corruption in South African businesses are provided in the beginning. A Hegelian approach to the problem, in terms of which theory can and does influence practice, is compared to a Marxist approach, in terms of which theory is only a reflection (...) of practice. The author chooses a position that mediates between these two extremes. In the end, he develops a model that relies heavily on the idea of an ethics of responsibility that draws on Aristotle's idea of phronesis (practical wisdom based on deliberation). The practical implications of these ideas for the utilization of business ethics teaching in companies are consequently spelt out. While more teaching of this discipline cannot guarantee better morals in a company, it can better equip all involved to deal with the ever-increasing moral problems that business people have to deal with. S. Afr. J. Philos. Vol.22(2) 2003: 128–138. (shrink)

In this introductory article to the volume of the South African Journal of Philosophy in tribute of Hans- Georg Gadamer, the author, first, makes a few remarks about the nature of hermeneutics and Gadamer's views on the universality of the hermeneutical experience. This universality is, in particular, explained from the perspective of the “linguistic turn” in Gadamer's thought. Secondly, there is a brief discussion of certain particular aspects of Gadamer's contribution. Aspects of that contribution that are emphasized are: Gadamer's reevaluation (...) of prejudice, authority and tradition, his idea of “Wirkungs -geschichte”, his idea of meaning as a process rather than a given entity, his analogy between game- playing and the interpretation of art, and his dialogical conception of interpretation. The author concludes by developing his own estimate of the main thrust of Gadamer's contribution. This contribution consists of the way in which Gadamer's thought, on the one hand, represents a demonstration and embodiment of the kind of historical consciousness so typical of our times, but, on the other hand, also accomplishes this exemplification of historical consciousness while imaginatively avoiding the kind of relativistic historicism so typical of many other manifestations of the same trend. S. Afr. J. Philos. Vol.21(4) 2002: 228-241. (shrink)

Sub-Saharan Africa is the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and in this issue of the Journal, seven authors discuss the moral, social and medical implications of having 70% of those stricken living in this area. Anton A. van Niekerk considers complexities of plague in this region (poverty, denial, poor leadership, illiteracy, women's vulnerability, and disenchantment of intimacy) and the importance of finding responses that empower its people. Solomon Benatar reinforces these issues, but also discusses the role of global politics (...) in sub-Saharan Africa, especially discrimination, imperialism and its exploitation by first world countries. Given the public health crisis, Udo Schüklenk and Richard E. Ashcroft defend compulsory licensing of essential HIV/AIDS medications on consequentialist grounds. Keymanthri Moodley discusses the importance of conducting research and the need to understand a moderate form of communitarianism, also referred to as "ubuntu" or "communalism", to help some Africans understand research as an altruistic endeavour. Godfrey B. Tangwa also defends traditional African values of empathy and ubuntu, discussing how they should be enlisted to fight this pandemic. Loretta M. Kopelman criticizes the tendency among those outside Africa to dismiss the HIV/AIDS pandemic, attributing one source to the ubiquitous and misguided punishment theory of disease. The authors conclude that good solutions must be cooperative ventures among countries within and outside of sub-Saharan Africa with far more support from wealthy countries. (shrink)

This paper discusses the impact of East Asian philosophical ideas on the origins and development of martial arts. The article argues that the ideas of Daoist philosophy were developed into ‘soft styles’ or ‘internal schools’ that are based on the doctrine of ‘wuwei’ (action through non-action, effortless action) which follows the path of Yin. These styles are in opposition to ‘external’ or ‘hard styles’ of martial arts that follow the path of Yang. Daoist philosophy of ‘ziran’ (naturalness, spontaneity) influenced ‘animal’ (...) or ‘imitation styles’ and the paradigm of natural, unplanned, and unforced combat movements. The influence of Buddhism on martial arts is found in techniques of mental tranquillity training for the extreme conditions of combat. The work also shows the significance of Confucianism for the formation of a code of honor for warriors, which includes the ethics of duty and respect. (shrink)

Partial combinatory algebras (pcas) are algebraic structures that serve as generalized models of computation. In this article, we study embeddings of pcas. In particular, we systematize the embeddings between relativizations of Kleene’s models, of van Oosten’s sequential computation model, and of Scott’s graph model, showing that an embedding between two relativized models exists if and only if there exists a particular reduction between the oracles. We obtain a similar result for the lambda calculus, showing in particular that it cannot be (...) embedded in Kleene’s first model. (shrink)

The main purpose of this article is to consider the significance of different types of memory and non-genetic inheritance and different biosemiotic systems for the origin and evolution of language. It presents language and memory as distributed, heteronomous and system-determined processes implemented in biological and social domains. The article emphasises that language and other sign systems are both ecological and inductive systems that were caused by and always correlate with the environment and deductive systems that are inherited by and depend (...) on the internal development of organisms, individuals, and societies. The article also claims that the origin, re-occurrence and evolution of naturally-emerging sign systems presuppose their retention and accumulation in physical, biological, individual, and social types of memory and reinforcement and maintenance by conventional and deliberate social regulation and accumulation. All of this allows language and other sign systems to be situation-relevant and to be transmitted through generations without their constant reinvention. The novelty of the proposed theory of language origin and evolution is in interdisciplinary integration of biosemiotic studies, systems approaches to language and studies of inheritance systems presented by ‘Extended evolutionary synthesis’. (shrink)

This paper introduces and discusses three models of future: a determinist model, a stochastic model, and the model of True Prophetic Knowledge. All three models coexist in natural languages and are represented both in their grammatical systems and in the text-building discourse strategies speakers and authors apply to.

Sustainability is currently the term dominating environmental policy. Its extensive political diffusion is in stark contrast, however, to the extent to which there is agreement over its meaning. Its ability to motivate is not in question, but a certain scepticism surrounds its ideological content. Since ideological terms have no objective basis, it is therefore important for the purposes of environmental policy to establish whether such scepticism is justified.