Background Neuroimaging and lesion studies suggested that the dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices mediate visual metacognitive awareness. The causal evidence provided by non-invasive brain stimulation, however, is inconsistent. -/- Objective/hypothesis Here we revisit a major figure discrimination experiment adding a new Kanizsa figure task trying to resolve whether bilateral continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) over these regions affects perceptual metacognition. Specifically, we tested whether subjective visibility ratings and/or metacognitive efficiency are lower when cTBS is applied to these two (...) regions in comparison to an active control region. -/- Methods A within-subjects design including three sessions spaced by one-week intervals was implemented. In each session, every participant was administered bilateral cTBS to either prefrontal, control or parietal cortices. Two concurrent tasks were performed, a real and an illusory figure task, stabilising objective performance with use of an adaptive staircase procedure. -/- Results When performing the replicated task, cTBS was found insufficient to disrupt neither visibility ratings nor metacognitive efficiency. However, with use of Kanizsa style illusory figures, cTBS over the dorsolateral prefrontal, but not over the posterior parietal cortex, was observed to significantly diminish metacognitive efficiency. -/- Conclusion(s) Real and illusory figure tasks demonstrated different cTBS effects. A possible explanation is the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in the creation of expectations, which is necessary for efficient metacognition. Failure to replicate previous findings for the real figure task, however, cannot be said to support, conclusively, the notion that these brain regions have a causal role in metacognitive awareness. This inconsistent finding may result from certain limitations of our study, thereby suggesting the need for yet further investigation. (shrink)

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of past traumatic war experiences on preadolescents in the Gaza Strip, which could be useful for psychological intervention with current and future child victims. Participants were 521 preadolescents from United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools, aged 11 and 13 years old. Sections I to IV from Iraqi Version-Arabic of Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess trauma experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress (...) Disorder (PTSD). The results show that the preadolescents in the Gaza Strip witnessed the destruction of their homes and the murder of family members and friends. A quarter of the individuals assessed either suffered torture or witnessed others undergoing it, including sexual assaults. Almost half of them experienced a lack of food and clean water. The traumatic and torture experiences seriously affected preadolescents’ mental health as 26.29% met criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD. The data analysis revealed two PTSD modalities, with the severity of impact depending on whether social implications were involved. Further research is required to check whether these two modalities fit to PTSD and complex PTSD. Understanding the effects of past wars on preadolescents in Gaza and distinguishing between different PTSD types could enhance comprehension of the impacts of current attacks on child victims. It can also aid in determining the type of intervention needed to minimize the impact on the mental health of Palestinian youth, enhancing their resilience through psychological and social support. (shrink)

Elise Crull claims that by invoking decoherence it is possible to obviate many “fine grained” issues often conflated under the common designation of measurement problem, and to make substantial progresses in the fields of quantum gravity and quantum cosmology, without any early incorporation of a particular interpretation in the quantum formalism. We point out that Crull is mistaken about decoherence and tacitly assumes some kind of interpretation of the quantum formalism.

Persuasive technologies can adopt several strategies to change the attitudes and behaviors of their users. In this work I synthesize the lessons learned from three empirical case studies on automated persuasion that have been carried out in the last decade in the contexts of: persuasive news recommendations, social robotics, and e-commerce, respectively. In particular, such studies have assessed, in the technological domain, the effects of nudging techniques relying on well known persuasive argumentation schemas and on framing strategies. In discussing the (...) main findings, I will argue that the obtained persuasive effects are due to the fact that such techniques leverage on cognitive mechanisms that refer to the “system 1” types of automatic processes hypothesized in the context of the dual process theory of reasoning. As a consequence of this state of affairs, any automated persuasive systems (used for ethical purposes: e.g. suggesting good health habits) should be able to re-use these types of system 1 strategies in order to gradually take the users in an argumentation territory where system 2 processes can take place. -/- . (shrink)

I will present the rationale followed for the conceptualization and the following development the Dual PECCS system that relies on the cognitively grounded heterogeneous proxytypes representational hypothesis [Lieto 2014]. Such hypothesis allows integrating exemplars and prototype theories of categorization as well as theory-theory [Lieto 2019] and has provided useful insights in the context of cognitive modelling for what concerns the typicality effects in categorization [Lieto, 2021]. As argued in [Lieto et al., 2018b] a pivotal role in this respect is played (...) by the use of the conceptual spaces framework and by its integration with a symbolic knowledge representation layer. (shrink)

Inventing novel knowledge to solve problems is a crucial, creative, mechanism employed by humans, to extend their range of action. In this paper, we present TCL (typicality-based compositional logic): a probabilistic, non monotonic extension of standard Description Logics of typicality, and will show how this framework is able to endow artificial systems of a human-like, commonsense based, concept composition procedure that allows its employment in a number of applications (ranging from computational creativity to goal-based reasoning to recommender systems and affective (...) computing). -/- The framework relies on 3 main ingredients: a non monotonic extension of standard Description Logics (allowing to reason on exceptions to inheritance in standard knowledge bases) a probabilistic extension coming from the field of logic programming (the DISPONTE semantics) a cognitive heuristics known ad HEAD-Modifier determining preference rules for the inheritance mechanisms of the novel concepts to be generated via commonsense rules. -/- We report the obtained results and the lessons learned of this research path in the context of model-based AI applications. -/- . (shrink)

A lo largo de su evolución toda teoría suele enfrentarse con determinados retos o desafíos que, acreditan su vitalidad. El discurso de los derechos, en cuanto concepción teórica dirigida a su explicación y fundamentación, no se halla exento de la tarea permanente dirigida a responder a esos retos. En este ensayo se analizan los riesgos que se estiman más decisivos y acuciantes para el discurso de los derechos. Para ello, se estudian tres desafíos actuales a la teoría de los derechos (...) y se sugieren correlativamente, tres respuestas a los mismos. Eleatismo, particularismo y posthumanismo, se consideran los principales retos a los que se enfrenta hoy la reflexión sobre los derechos. La respuesta a esas actitudes se halla constituida por el historicismo, el universalismo y el humanismo. (shrink)

En los últimos años han adquirido especial relevancia dentro de la filosofía jurídica las teorías cosmopolitas. El cosmopolitismo supone una propuesta de gran potencial para insuflar nuevas fuerzas al ideal liberal democrático, debilitado ante los desafíos que presenta la globalización. Aunque los enfoques cosmopolitas actuales son valiosos, requieren complementarse con un análisis de las dinámicas de poder y control existentes en la sociedad tecnológica actual. La vía que se propone para ello es considerar las contribuciones recientes de Byung-Chul Han en (...) torno al concepto de psicopolítica. Han explica cómo la lógica del capitalismo neoliberal tardío logra mediante la tecnología someter al individuo a una nueva forma de control, cuestionando el carácter emancipatorio del proceso de globalización y señalando un aspecto pendiente de estudio en los debates acerca del valor actual del ideal cosmopolita. A partir de las teorías de Han es posible formular propuestas para fortalecer el cosmopolitismo. (shrink)

In this article, I argue that the artificial components of hybrid bionic systems do not play a direct explanatory role, i.e., in simulative terms, in the overall context of the systems in which they are embedded in. More precisely, I claim that the internal procedures determining the output of such artificial devices, replacing biological tissues and connected to other biological tissues, cannot be used to directly explain the corresponding mechanisms of the biological component(s) they substitute (and therefore cannot be used (...) to explain the local mechanisms determining an overall biological or cognitive function replicated by such bionic models). I ground this analysis on the use of the Minimal Cognitive Grid (MCG), a novel framework proposed in Lieto (Cognitive design for artificial minds, 2021) to rank the epistemological and explanatory status of biologically and cognitively inspired artificial systems. Despite the lack of such a direct mechanistic explanation from the artificial component, however, I also argue that the hybrid bionic systems can have an indirect explanatory role similar to the one played by some AI systems built by using an overall structural design approach (but including the partial adoption of functional components). In particular, the artificial replacement of part(s) of a biological system can provide i) a local functional account of that part(s) in the context of the overall functioning of the hybrid biological–artificial system and ii) global insights about the structural mechanisms of the biological elements connected to such artificial devices. (shrink)

Este artigo traz uma apresentação operatória formal da derivação do conceito Ser para si apartir do conceito Finito, derivação que está desenvolvida na Doutrina do Ser, da Ciência da Lógica deHegel. Mostra-se que a derivação do conceito intermediário Infinito Verdadeiro requer, além damacrooperação progressão de etapa, com que se dão todas as etapas de derivação do conceito Finito,uma operação adicional, que é identificada como a operação de determinação do menor ponto-fixo demicrorrelações. Já a derivação do conceito Ser para si a (...) partir do conceito Infinito Verdadeiro requersomente a microoperação suprassunção. O método geral de execução do primeiro momento damacrooperação progressão de etapa é detalhado, evidenciando um dos papéis que desempenha, nodesenvolvimento da Lógica de Hegel, a análise lógica das representações do Entendimento. (shrink)

Nel contesto scientifico la plasticità e l’epigenesi sono divenuti due dei concetti più pregnanti del nostro tempo. Il primo, dislocato dal suo ambito originario, cioè l’estetica, continua a rivelare il suo potenziale filosofico, scientifico ed epistemologico. Nel pensiero di Catherine Malabou, la plasticità ha subito una vera e propria metamorfosi concettuale – dalla plasticità della temporalità alla plasticità cerebrale –, riferendosi alla capacità di ricevere e dare una forma. Allo stesso tempo, la “bomba al plastico” è una sostanza che provoca (...) violentissime deflagrazioni. Nel primo caso, la plasticità ha una valenza positiva, venendo concepita come una sorta di lavoro “scultoreo” in senso biologico. La plasticità struttura l’identità, costituisce la sua storia, la temporalità e l’avvenire di una soggettività vivente. Nel secondo, la plasticità è una pura negazione. Nessuno pensa alla “plasticità cerebrale” come il lavoro radicale del negativo all’opera nelle lesioni cerebrali, nella deformazione o nella rottura delle connessioni neuronali, nelle sofferenze psichiche, nelle strutturazioni che avvengono nel vivente, nei traumi vari, nelle catastrofi naturali e politiche, nelle malattie neurodegenerative. Nella sua evoluzione teorica la plasticità verrà articolata in stretta relazione con lo sviluppo neuronale. La neuroplasticità, come concetto scientifico, ci consente di stabilire un ancoraggio biologico alla questione della formazione e decostruzione della soggettività e della temporalità. In questo senso, la plasticità non è il semplice riflesso del mondo, ma è frutto di un’istanza biologica conflittuale che rivela la forma di un altro mondo possibile. Da un lato, l’elaborazione di un pensiero dialettico in ambito neuronale, inteso come sviluppo neuroplastico, ci permette di uscire dalla stretta alternativa tra riduzionismo e antiriduzionismo, la quale è sempre rappresento il limite teorico della filosofia occidentale degli ultimi anni. Dall'altro, è possibile assumere il carattere trascendentale del pensiero totalmente connessa alla sua materialità. La nozione di epigenesi, in questo caso, si afferma come una “nuova forma di trascendentale”. Come figura biologica l’epigenesi si pone come condizione di possibilità della conoscenza e della razionalità rivelando, pertanto, la sua caratteristica a priori. Per mezzo delle nozioni di plasticità ed epigenesi il tempo può essere indagato in stretta connessione con la vita, con lo sviluppo organico del vivente, oltre che a permetterci una nuova visione della soggettività. (shrink)

Se analizziamo la posizione dell’uomo nel Cosmo osserviamo che il modo di abitare la Terra e di essere in relazione con le altre realtà manifesta una trascendenza non solo nei confronti del proprio pianeta, ma anche dell’intero Universo. C’è bisogno, di un’analisi dell’uomo sia nella sua struttura materiale, organica e vivente, sia nelle sue relazioni con le altre realtà. Attraverso l’analisi dell’uomo, questo saggio tenta dunque non soltanto di confrontare le proprietà dei diversi esseri nel mondo, in modo particolare i (...) viventi, ma soprattutto di stabilire qual è l’essenza dell’esistenza umana. (shrink)

Russo, E. A. Consideraciones metodológicas acerca de la teoría del derecho.--Martino, A. A. En torno a la norma fundamental.--Warat, L. A. La función metodológica de la norma fundamental kelseniana.--Russo, E. A. Las fuentes en la aplicación judicial del derecho.--Warat, L. A. Los conceptos normativos en Kelsen y la desmitificación del modelo napoleónico.--Russo, E. A. Derecho subjetivo y derecho objetivo.--Warat, L. A. Interpretación de la ley.--Martino, A. A. Valores: ética y metaética.

"All the chapters in this volume somehow and quite diversely, directly or indirectly, address the relation of Wittgenstein's philosophy, or at least of Wittgenstein- inspired philosophical thought, with scepticism, here generally envisaged as a many-sided tradition and not as a uniform and once for all established theoretical posture.".

Invited Lecture at the SRM ACM Student Chapter, India, on Cognitive Heuristics for Commonsense Thinking and Reasoning in the next generation Artificial Intelligence. The lecture proposes a historical and technical overview of strategies for commonsense reasoning in AI.

Dynamic conceptual reframing represents a crucial mechanism employed by humans, and partially by other animal species, to generate novel knowledge used to solve complex goals. In this talk, I will present a reasoning framework for knowledge invention and creative problem solving exploiting TCL: a non-monotonic extension of a Description Logic (DL) of typicality able to combine prototypical (commonsense) descriptions of concepts in a human-like fashion [1]. The proposed approach has been tested both in the task of goal-driven concept invention [2,3] (...) and has additionally applied within the context of serendipity-based recommendation systems [4]. I will present the obtained results, the lessons learned, and the road ahead of this research path. -/- . (shrink)

Commonsense reasoning is a crucial human ability employed in everyday tasks. In this talk I provide a knowledge level analysis of the main representational and reasoning problems affecting the cognitive architectures for what concerns this issue. In providing this analysis I will show, by considering some of the main cognitive architectures currently available (e.g. SOAR, ACT-R, CLARION), how one of the main problems of such architectures is represented by the fact that their knowledge representation and processing mechanisms are not sufficiently (...) constrained with insights coming from cognitive science (Lieto 2021; Lieto, Lebiere, Oltramari, 2018). As a possible way out to such knowledge processing issues, I present the main assumptions that have led to the development of the Dual PECCS categorization system (Lieto, Radicioni, Rho 2017) and discuss some of the lessons learned and their possible implications in the design of the knowledge modules and knowledge-processing mechanisms of integrated cognitive architectures. (shrink)

Algunos defensores del realismo científico, particularmente Ilkka Niiniluoto y Philip Kitcher, han intentado moderar las tesis ontológicas más fuertes del realismo buscando la integración de la teoría de la verdad como correspondencia con alguna versión matizada del relativismo conceptual propugnado por Putnam, según el cual el mundo carece de una estructura propia y, por tanto, la ontología depende de nuestros esquemas conceptuales. No es claro, sin embargo, que ambas cosas se puedan armonizar fácilmente. Si nuestro conocimiento del mundo está mediado (...) por nuestras categorías y conceptos, y si además la elección de esas categorías y conceptos puede variar en función de nuestros intereses y no obedecen a la existencia de unos supuestos géneros naturales o a una estructura propia del mundo, se torna entonces problemático establecer a qué corresponden nuestros enunciados verdaderos. ¿Corresponden al mundo independiente de nuestra mente o al mundo estructurado por nosotros mediante nuestras categorías y conceptos? En este artículo se presentarán las principales dificultades que encuentra este proyecto de realismo moderado tanto en Niiniluoto como en Kitcher, se analizarán sus propuestas para solventar dichas dificultades, mostrando sus insuficiencias y, finalmente, se propondrá una modalidad de realismo ontológico moderado que, recogiendo algo del espíritu de la relatividad conceptual de Putnam, es lo suficientemente fuerte como para sustentar una teoría de la verdad como correspondencia. (shrink)

Scholars in the humanities and social sciences have turned to ethics to theorize politics in what seems to be an increasingly depoliticized age. Yet the move toward ethics has obscured the ongoing value of political responsibility and the vibrant life it represents as an effective response to power. Sounding the alarm for those who care about robust forms of civic engagement, this book fights for a new conception of political responsibility that meets the challenges of today's democratic practice. Antonio (...) Y. Vázquez-Arroyo forcefully argues against the notion that modern predicaments of power can only be addressed ethically or philosophically through pristine concepts that operate outside of the political realm. By returning to the political, the individual is reintroduced to the binding principles of participatory democracy and the burdens of acting and thinking as a member of a collective. Vázquez-Arroyo historicizes the ethical turn to better understand its ascendence and reworks Adorno's dialectic of responsibility to reassert the political in contemporary thought and theory. (shrink)