Grouping severe mental disorders into a global category is likely to lead to a “theory of everything” which forcefully explains everything and nothing. Speculation even at the phenotypic level of the single disorder cannot be fruitful, unless specific and testable models are proposed. Inclusive fitness must be incorporated in such models. (Published Online November 9 2006).

Social desirability can be conceived as a proxy for self-deception, as it involves a positive attribution side and a denial side. People with mental disorders have lower scores on measures of social desirability, which could depend on cognitive load caused by symptoms. This suggests that self-deception is an active strategy and not merely a faulty cognitive process.

TGiulio Preti, born in Pavia (Italy) in 1911 and dead in Djerba (Tunisia) in 1972, represents one of the most subtle Italian thinkers of the latter half of the twentieth century. After graduating in 1933 discussing a thesis about The Husserl’s historical significance, he connected more and more to the Antonio Banfi’s lesson of critical rationalism and he elected him as his master. Starting from Banfi’s The principles of a reason theory (1927), Preti studied in depth the (...) program of historization of the Kantian transcendental both in books such as Idealism and positivism (1942), and in Praxis and empiricism (1957), in Rhetoric and logic (1968), and then in his numerous essay studies, later collected in fundamental posthumous volumes, Philosophical essays (1976, 2 vol.). Preti’s decisive problem is the following question: how is it possible to historicize human knowledge without a relativization? According to Preti, in order to answer this question, it is necessary to acknowledge the objectivity of scientific knowledge. The objective knowledge mustn’t be confused with an absolute knowledge or, least of all, with a subjective, or toutcourt relative, knowledge. Therefore it is necessary to avoid either opposite poles, but specular, in which the different epistemologicaltraditions of the last century are, on the contrary, stopped. In Preti’s opinion, the objectivity of knowledge arises from the eidetic, linguistic and operative structures, within the limits of which develops a determinate form of human scientific knowledge. In other words: every scientific knowledge, structured into a particularscientific theory and relating to a particular technological heritage, consists of a precise theoretical-practical horizon, that determines, with Husserl’s words, a specific “ontological region”, or, with Bachelard’s words, a specific “ontogenesis”. So Preti recovers the heuristic rule of the Kant’s transcendental reason. Nevertheless, unlike Kant, Preti believes the aprioristic structures of our ideas always have a conventional and historical foundation. In this way, the Kantian a priori changes into an historical and relativistic a priori. Certainly in Kant’s opinion an historical and relativistic a priori would have looked like a “round-square”, an authentic contradiction, a pure logical impossibility. According to Preti, on the contrary, this paradoxical aspect is the true distinctive feature of scientificknowledge objectivity, which has no more any eternal or absolute value, but is always built by men born to die and is always bound to determinate historical forms of civilization. Starting from these assumptions, Preti builds, in this way, a research programme on the possibility to individualize a form of “critic ontologism”, which hasn’t any more connection with the claims and the traditional metaphysical structures of the “Being qua Being”. On the contrary, Preti thinks the only “being” we can rationally talk about is the one constituted within the different cognitive ambits. Philosophy then must be able to develop a “meta-reflection” on different knowledge elaborated by single sciences. According to Preti, in fact, philosophy is the formality of human culture, it is, in other words, a form of self-reflection by the human culture about itself. Therefore philosophy has no more any privileged subject, but it must be always able to reflect, with great theoretical humility, on the different cognitive forms, in order to study languages, structures, methods, extension and limits of the human knowledge. In this way Preti’s “critic ontologism” is a kind of historical-objective transcendentalism, able to study the different configurations of the technical-scientific heritage produced by mankind during his history. (shrink)

Tra le figure più importanti del dibattito filosofico italiano del Novecento, Antonio Banfi ha svolto nell'Italia del secondo dopoguerra anche un ruolo politico di rilievo come senatore del PCI. La sua interpretazione del marxismo ha presentato una forte accentuazione umanistica. Tra i suoi scolari filosofi e storici della filosofia come Giulio Preti, Enzo Paci, Remo Cantoni, Paolo Rossi. Il saggio prende in esame la prima fase della riflessione filosofica di Banfi, nella quale ha una importanza decisiva la conoscenza (...) diretta del dibattito tedesco tra le due guerre mondiali, in primo luogo della fenomenologia di Husserl e della ontologia di N. Hartmann. I Principi di una teoria della ragione - libro apparso alla fine degli anni '20 - e poi una serie di incisivi saggi degli anni '30 documentano una conoscenza approfondita e critica di un dibattito di cui mostrerà di nutrirsi in misura decisiva l'interpretazione di Banfi non solo di Hegel, ma anche di Marx. Among the leading philosophers in Italy during the 20th century, Antonio Banfi played an important role not only in the cultural debate during the 1930s and the 1940s, but also in the political scene of post-war Italy, advocating - as a representative of the Italian Communist Party in Italian Senate - a liberal, humanist view of Marxism. Among his students were influential philosophers and historians of philosophy such as Giulio Preti, Enzo Paci, Remo Cantoni and Paolo Rossi. This paper investigates the first phase of Banfi's philosophical development, an analysis of which must include a scrutiny of Banfi's deep indebtedness to German debate between the two World Wars, primarily Husserl's phenomenology and Hartmann's critical ontology. Banfi's phenomenological apprenticeship at the school of Husserl, and the sensitive and critical attitude of his presentation of the German debate in his Principi di una teoria della ragione, are of substantial importance in nourishing his later interpretation of Hegel and Marx. (shrink)

Freud propôs uma teoria da personalidade a partir do estabelecimento da psicanálise. Nosso objetivo é percorrer alguns de seus primeiros textos, os quais foram escritos em conjunto com Breuer, buscando delimitar o que Freud compreendeu a respeito de alterações da personalidade, tal como a múltipla personalidade. Este fenômeno ganhou um importante destaque no século XIX, gerando discussões no campo da psicologia e da filosofia, uma vez que implicava ruptura da unidade da personalidade. Freud, por sua vez, ofereceu uma interpretação original (...) de tais alterações à luz de suas investigações sobre a histeria. Para explicar os desdobramentos da personalidade, Freud focou numa teoria da defesa, colocando o recalque (_Verdrängung_) como um mecanismo modelo para compreender a personalidade e suas patologias. (shrink)

El tratado exegético ort. et obit. de Isidoro incluye la presentación detallada de tres mujeres que representan, cada una según su historia, las virtudes femeninas más destacadas en la Escritura. Isidoro presenta sus perfiles basándose en el texto bíblico y en la tradición teológica que ya en su época si había ido configurando y asentando. Una atención especial merece el capítulo dedicado a María que no solamente sintetiza la reflexión mariológica anterior, sino que constituye una de las bases para su (...) desarrollo posterior. (shrink)

El artículo trata sobre la negación estoica y su crítica a la fórmula aristotélica según los testimonios de Apuleyo, Alejandro de Afrodisias y Boecio. La crítica se divide en tres aspectos: (i) sistematicidad (ya que una misma regla no se aplica a todo tipo de proposición); (ii) universalidad (ya que todo par contradictorio no divide la verdad y la falsedad sin excepción alguna); y (iii) rigurosidad (ya que el sujeto de la proposición puede no existir o no ser lo que (...) creemos que es). Se concluye que el fondo de la crítica no se relaciona con que una fórmula es inconsistente o hace imposible la lógica y sus operaciones, sino que tiene relación con cuál fórmula es más ambigua y menos preferible. (shrink)

The formation of the moral point of view in Bernard Williams’ work might be understood as taking place between two central concepts: the individual and the community. It is through the tension between these two poles that some form of knowledge is acquired. In Williams’ work, the individual virtue takes the name of authenticity, and the communitarian knowledge is, importantly, ethical confidence. A philosophical peer of Williams, Alasdair MacIntyre, has dealt with the same question, although in very different ways. They (...) are usually taken to be philosophical rivals in many respects, especially regarding their political views, their views on religion and their thoughts on Aristotle. But if we look deeper into their claims, we should discover that not only do they have similar ethical concerns, as their responses to those concerns are not, in essence, as different as they seem. My purpose with this paper, however, is not to deny the important differences between the two philosophers, but rather to make conspicuous Williams’ demanding ideas on the formation of the moral point of view by (1) connecting significant portions of his work and (2) contrasting his ideas with that of a philosophical “rival,” namely by interpreting MacIntyre’s own declarations on Williams’ work. It will stand out that both philosophers’ motivation to do ethics is to grant an equilibrium between the individual conscience and the moral knowledge that is acquired within a community. (shrink)

We defend, from a contractarian perspective, that the fair price of an insurance policy is the amount that the contracting parties agree when they are both equally uncertain about the insured event. Drawing on the approach developed by R. Sugden in _The Community of Advantage_, we answer two standard objections raised against contractarianism in the actuarial sciences: (1) people are not wise enough to assess their actuarial risks; (2) they are not rational enough to decide which insurance policy suits them (...) better. We show under which circumstances people can make fair actuarial agreements, without presupposing any objective risk or rationality benchmarks. (shrink)

Afirma-se inicialmente que a filosofia oferece elementos formativos para o ser humano, seja quando acessa produções filosóficas, seja quando se dá ao trabalho do filosofar dialogando com estas produções filosóficas. Daí os três itens que compõem o texto: formação humana e filosofia; papel formativo da filosofia segundo alguns autores; perspectivas relativas ao papel formativo da filosofia.

En el presente artículo tratamos algunos de los desafíos que un constitucionalismo global tiene actualmente respecto a la consecución de una justicia cosmopolita: pluralismo jurídico más allá del monismo jurídico y cultural del Estado moderno, sociodiversidad e interculturalidad, y sostenibilidad socioecológica de los modos de vida legitimados jurídicamente. Para ello consideraremos cómo entiende la tradición escolástico-católica de la Modernidad temprana las exigencias de lo común que atraviesan todo fenómeno jurídico en la vida colectiva y entre los pueblos, atendiendo específicamente a (...) algunas contribuciones clave de Francisco Suárez. De otra parte, como contrapunto del humanismo escolástico católico trataremos la visión de la Modernidad liberal, la cual plantea un modelo racional unívoco y ahistórico de configuración tanto de las exigencias de justicia entre los pueblos, como del modo de propiedad, el cual se identifica con una única forma de propiedad individual desvinculada de las exigencias del bien común. (shrink)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion.

An ontology of Leibnizian relationalism, consisting in distance relations among sparse matter points and their change only, is well recognized as a serious option in the context of classical mechanics. In this paper, we investigate how this ontology fares when it comes to general relativistic physics. Using a Humean strategy, we regard the gravitational field as a means to represent the overall change in the distance relations among point particles in a way that achieves the best combination of being simple (...) and being informative. (shrink)

The present paper analyses the relationship between the figures of the Arbeiter and the Krieger, described by Ernst Jünger, and their metaphysical context, that is, the becoming in which the catastrophe of war takes place. The analysis is conducted through a theoretical comparison with Simone Weil’s thought, in which war is considered as an extreme case of malheur, i.e., the manifestation of divinity as pure grace devoid of power. Two useful paradigms are thus outlined to explain the condition of the (...) human being in the becoming: the paradigm of dominion (Jünger) and the paradigm of waiting (Weil). In the second part of the paper, those two options are associated with two art pieces, in order to visually represent the characteristics of dominion and waiting, showing the dramatic issue of the choice for dominion in the face of the catastrophe produced by technology. (shrink)

The paper discusses from a metaphysical standpoint the nature of the dependence relation underpinning the talk of mutual action between material and spatiotemporal structures in general relativity. It is shown that the standard analyses of dependence in terms of causation or grounding are ill-suited for the general relativistic context. Instead, a non-standard analytical framework in terms of structural equation modeling is exploited, which leads to the conclusion that the kind of dependence encoded in the Einstein field equations is a novel (...) one. (shrink)

_Riassunto_: In questo articolo cercheremo di delineare le caratteristiche di una fenomenologia dell’attenzione incentrata sui concetti di interesse e selezione. Partiremo dall’analisi del concetto di attenzione in Husserl per poi concentrarci sulle riflessioni di William James, Alfred Schutz ed Erving Goffman che riconoscono un ruolo fondamentale dell’attenzione nei processi con cui gli attori sociali inquadrano e definiscono la realtà e, infine, analizzeremo la proposta teorica di Bernhard Waldenfels che propone un’etica dell’attenzione che è sia un’etica dell’apertura e del riconoscimento dell’altro (...) sia, soprattutto, una risposta e un antidoto alla xenologia e alla xenopolitica. _Parole chiave_: Edmund Husserl; Alfred Schutz; Bernhard Waldenfels; Fenomenologia; Attenzione _Delineating a phenomenology of attention: From Husserl to Waldenfels_ _Abstract_: In this paper we will attempt to outline a phenomenology of attention centered around the concepts of interest and selection. We will start with an analysis of Husserl’s notion of attention, then turn to the reflections of William James, Alfred Schutz and Erving Goffman, all of whom recognized the fundamental role attention plays in the processes by which social actors frame and define reality. Finally, we will consider Bernhard Waldenfels’ ethics of attention. He offers an ethics based on openness to and recognition of the other that, above all, offers both a response and an antidote to xenology and xenopolitics. _Keywords_: Edmund Husserl; Alfred Schutz; Bernhard Waldenfels; Phenomenology; Attention. (shrink)

This paper employs the interpretative lens provided by stakeholder theory to garner novel insights for research and managerial practices within the framework of high-reliable organizations (HROs). It proposes an interpretative matrix for analyzing and explaining how stakeholders’ behaviors and interactions can transition from a “strategic” to a “responsibility” approach in the context of risk management. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on a case study of the Italian Civil Protection—an HRO—during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the analysis of institutional sources (...) and reports, we apply two theoretical frameworks to examine how the organization's engagement strategy changed in response to an unexpected event. This case serves to illuminate the main implications and practical applications of shared conceptual reflections. The principal implications are traced in terms of theory, practice, and policy, focusing on the joint examination of organizational reliability and stakeholder engagement theory, the potential utility of the proposed case study, and the feasible policy actions. The main limitations of this study lie in the purely qualitative methodology employed, the nature of the organization analyzed, and the territorial scope of the study. Future works will address an empirical investigation of the theoretical relations uncovered herein, as well as the expansion of the spectrum of analysis (e.g., private organizations) and a cross-country widening of the level of analysis. (shrink)

Las siguientes líneas presentan un análisis de las connotaciones de la utopía, a través del cual es posible un cuestionamiento certero acerca de si, hasta el momento, por medio de lo institucional/académico, se ha estado considerando, y con ello, proyectándose didácticamente, una utopía que, lejos de la ambigüedad, no es el mismo sueño para estamentos privilegiados que para la mayoría de las personas que no ostentan dichos privilegios. Desde el pasado a la más rabiosa actualidad, se trata de mostrar cómo (...) hay otra forma de enseñar la utopía, que puede ser un pensamiento racional, y algo más pragmático, de lo que quizás nos inculcaron, algo con una vigencia y una potencialidad que diversas fuentes, desde la investigación social, y educativa, pueden atestiguar. (shrink)

This paper elaborates on relationalism about space and time as motivated by a minimalist ontology of the physical world: there are only matter points that are individuated by the distance relations among them, with these relations changing. We assess two strategies to combine this ontology with physics, using classical mechanics as example: the Humean strategy adopts the standard, non-relationalist physical theories as they stand and interprets their formal apparatus as the means of bookkeeping of the change of the distance relations (...) instead of committing us to additional elements of the ontology. The alternative theory strategy seeks to combine the relationalist ontology with a relationalist physical theory that reproduces the predictions of the standard theory in the domain where these are empirically tested. We show that, as things stand, this strategy cannot be accomplished without compromising a minimalist relationalist ontology. (shrink)

The goal of this essay is twofold. First, it provides a quick look at the foundations of modern relational mechanics by tracing its development from Julian Barbour and Bruno Bertotti's original ideas until present-day's pure shape dynamics. Secondly, it discusses the most appropriate metaphysics for pure shape dynamics, showing that relationalism is more of a nuanced thesis rather than an elusive one. The chapter ends with a brief assessment of the prospects of pure shape dynamics in light of quantum physics.

It is intended to problematize the concept of essence, based on Edmundo Huserl’s menology, which is directly related to the zero of knowledge, which takes place from the process of époche, or suspension of the degree of judgment, to apprehend the knowledge of to intentional experiences (Husserl, 1907). Would we be able to reach the zero degree of knowledge? Would it be possible to apprehend the essence of things? Would the phenomenological method give us elements that allow it to aim (...) at things? Would we be able to overcome, through suspension of judgments, the concepts that we use on a daily basis? What essence would this be, when we are formed and conformed to the concept of essence, as a pure form deriving from the Platonic doctrine (Plato, 1972). What conclusion can we reach on this matter? And what are the consequences for a rigorous reading of the concept of essence in Husserl? This is our intention in this article, as a reflective challenge. (shrink)

Por meio de sua fisiopsicologia, isto é, da morfologia e doutrina do desenvolvimento da vontade de potência, Nietzsche avalia a condição impulsional de indivíduos e culturas. Assim, produções que afirmam a vida como um movimento contínuo de autossuperação são sintomas de uma dinâmica saudável; mórbidos são os organismos que procuram estratégias de conservação e paralisação das mudanças, como, por exemplo, a metafísica. Nesse contexto teórico, este artigo pretende investigar a reação de Nietzsche em face de um grande terremoto ocorrido em (...) Nice no ano de 1887, vivenciado pelo próprio filósofo. Nietzsche acredita ter a grande saúde, o que o habilita a rejeitar a busca, imposta por uma catástrofe à maioria dos seres humanos, de valores eternos em instâncias transcendentes. (shrink)

The paper shows how the Bohmian approach to quantum physics can be applied to develop a clear and coherent ontology of non-perturbative quantum gravity. We suggest retaining discrete objects as the primitive ontology also when it comes to a quantum theory of space-time and therefore focus on loop quantum gravity. We conceive atoms of space, represented in terms of nodes linked by edges in a graph, as the primitive ontology of the theory and show how a non-local law in which (...) a universal and stationary wave-function figures can provide an order of configurations of such atoms of space such that the classical space-time of general relativity is approximated. Although there is as yet no fully worked out physical theory of quantum gravity, we regard the Bohmian approach as setting up a standard that proposals for a serious ontology in this field should meet and as opening up a route for fruitful physical and mathematical investigations. (shrink)

ABSTRACTSome firms are initiating pro-stakeholder activities and policies that transcend conventional corporate social responsibility conceptions and seem inconsistent with their business interests or economic responsibilities. These initiatives, which are neither legally nor morally obligatory, are responding to calls for a more active role of business in society and for a broader interpretation of CSR. In fact, they benefit stakeholders in a superior and an innovative way and are difficult to reconcile with commonly used rationales in the extant CSR literature, such (...) as win-win opportunities, creating shared value, or corporate philanthropy. For better insight, we develop a qualified account of the concept of supererogation from ethical theory. This account, which examines voluntary responses to moral obligations from which a business is normally excused, is applied to identify the unique features of the initiatives that are not readily understood within conventional reasoning, which is generally focused on a business case. (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.

Instead of the currently prevailing competitive model, a more collaborative strategy is needed to address the concerns related to the unsustainability of today’s business. This article aims to explore collaborative approaches where enterprises seek to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with all stakeholders and want to produce sustainable values for their whole business ecosystem. Cases here analyzed demonstrate that alternative ways of doing business are possible. These enterprises share more democratic ownership structures, more balanced and broader governance systems, and a (...) more comprehensive view of organizational goals and performance – which goes beyond the narrow concept of financial bottom line and into a stronger and systematic care of the needs and requirements of the different stakeholder groups. Thanks to this evidence and different theoretical and empirical contributions, we suggest that the strength and sustainability of enterprises come from their ability to fit into the environmental, social, and cultural context in which they operate. By creating values for all stakeholders, enterprises can involve them and gain deep support based on their commitment. This may lead to superior performance from a multiple-bottom-line perspective. (shrink)

Este artigo discute o conceito de herdabilidade, empregado pela genética do comportamento, genética molecular e a teoria da herdabilidade, sob a perspectiva do modelo reticulado de racionalidade científica, de Larry Laudan. Analisa os argumentos contrários à utilização do termo herdabilidade focando principalmente nos resultados de experimentos da genética do comportamento. Conclui que algumas críticas ao termo herdabilidade são válidas tais como o termo poder ser confuso para o público em geral, mas podem ser extremas como as que propõem sua extinção. (...) A análise desenvolvida leva à conclusão de que a herdabilidade, tanto pela genética do comportamento, quanto pela genética molecular, é útil para seus respectivos fins. Os autores consideram que ao invés de ser extinto, o termo pode ser utilizado considerando mais análises, resultados e conclusões, sendo, portanto, essa a escolha mais racional e progressiva. (shrink)

Charity, as a social construct, is considered in various interpretative contexts, in a subjectively manner, social progress. The meta-narration about charity as Christian duty, by passing through the secular interpretive and atomizer context of postmodernity, becomes a narrative about social responsibility and equity in ethical dimension, and is translated into restorative community practices in social action plan. We will pursue the constructive interpretive contexts that generated the idea of social policies and social work practice as a contemporary deconstruction of charity. (...) The thesis of the article is that the process of deconstruction of charity, as a religious value which regulates in a Christian manner the reference to the other, is the foundation of restorative social policies and professionalized social work as a social action. We will analyze the deconstruction of Christian idea of charity from two perspectives, namely the secularization of charitable practices and constructive foundation of a particular meta-story of our times which we call secular society and/or knowledge society. (shrink)

O presente artigo examina como a obra historiográfica _Revoluções Cisplatinas_, de 1915, do político, diplomata e historiador Alfredo Augusto Varella, representa tanto disputa política como uma forma de escrita da história sobre a Farroupilha. A partir da hipótese de que na Primeira República, no Rio Grande do Sul, houve uma hegemonia social e política do PRR quer se investigar como a obra de Varella articulou-se com o seu contexto. Portanto, o objetivo é analisar como foi construída a narrativa sobre a (...) Farroupilha no contexto de disputas em torno do borgismo. Para atingir tal objetivo, usa-se o conceito de operação historiográfica de Michel de Certeau, isto é, como a partir de uma análise do lugar social, da prática científica e da escrita do texto pode-se perceber as transformações na escrita da história sobre a Farroupilha. Por fim, percebe-se que a obra analisada foi um objeto tanto de luta política como de virada interpretativa na escrita da Farroupilha. (shrink)

_Factory of Strategy_ is the last of Antonio Negri's major political works to be translated into English. Rigorous and accessible, it is both a systematic inquiry into the development of Lenin's thought and an encapsulation of a critical shift in Negri's theoretical trajectory. Lenin is the only prominent politician of the modern era to seriously question the "withering away" and "extinction" of the state, and like Marx, he recognized the link between capitalism and modern sovereignty and the need to (...) destroy capitalism and reconfigure the state. Negri refrains from portraying Lenin as a ferocious dictator enforcing the proletariat's reappropriation of wealth, nor does he depict him as a mere military tool of a vanguard opposed to the Ancien Régime. Negri instead champions Leninism's ability to adapt to different working-class configurations in Russia, China, Latin America, and elsewhere. He argues that Lenin developed a new political figuration in and beyond modernity and an effective organization capable of absorbing different historical conditions. He ultimately urges readers to recognize the universal application of Leninism today and its potential to institutionally -- not anarchically -- dismantle centralized power. (shrink)

The paper presents a program to construct a non-relativistic relational Bohmian theory, that is, a theory of N moving point-like particles that dispenses with space and time as fundamental background structures. The relational program proposed is based on the best-matching framework originally developed by Julian Barbour. In particular, the paper focuses on the conceptual problems that arise when trying to implement such a program. It is argued that pursuing a relational strategy in the Bohmian context leads to a more parsimonious (...) ontology than that of standard Bohmian mechanics without betraying the original motivations for adopting a primitive ontology approach to quantum physics. It is also shown how a relational Bohmian approach might clarify the issue of the timelessness of the dynamics resulting from the quantization of a classical relational system of particles. (shrink)

Proceedings of the Workshop on AI and Cognition.

The present article analyses the concept of lecture in the thought of Simone Weil. Lecture is connected to the rational activity of human being and it allows man to orientate inside the structure of reality, by virtue of the meaning lecture itself determines. The different levels of lecture culminate in the possibility, for lecture itself, to reach a dimension of self-knowledge, and therefore to convert itself into non-lecture. Non-lecture corresponds to the state of abandonment and detachment which is typical of (...) mysticism. When man reaches this condition, he can overcome the fallacy of form and affirm the real presence of the things, in order to access a superior knowledge of reality and to a full experience of divine love. Non-lecture permits human being to face the malheur, understanding that malheur is a contradictory sign of divine grace. (shrink)

O tema central desta monografia é a noção de realidade, tal como esta foi entendida por alguns cientistas naturais da primeira metade do século XX. Os cientistas-filósofos escolhidos são: Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger e Max Born. À guisa de comentário introdutório, devo observar que o tema da realidade não é o único aqui abordado, e que a presente monografia pode ser tomada como uma primeira introdução às ideias e teses filosóficas dos seis cientistas referidos. (...) Ao escrever este trabalho, o meu principal objetivo foi o de fazer com que os estudantes de graduação dos cursos de filosofia tenham a possibilidade de ler um comentário geral sobre as ideias filosóficas – em particular, as metafísicas, portanto referentes à natureza da realidade – de alguns dos físicos mais importantes do século passado. Um segundo público alvo possível pode ser encontrado entre os estudantes do ensino médio. Finalmente, este texto pode, eventualmente, ser definido como paradidático, atraindo a atenção de professores, principalmente daqueles que atuam neste último segmento. (shrink)

Este artigo destina-se a introduzir a conferência de Heisenberg "A doutrina goethiana e newtoniana das cores à luz da física moderna", proferida em 1941, cuja tradução é aqui publicada. Analisa-se primeiramente o projeto filosófico de uma ordenação da realidade, desenvolvido pelo físico no início da década de 1940, o qual subjaz à discussão sobre as doutrinas das cores em Goethe e Newton. No segundo momento, faz-se uma exposição de algumas das implicações filosóficas da teoria quântica, com ênfase na interpretação da (...) assim denominada escola de Copenhague. Por fim, procura-se mostrar como a querela entre Goethe e Newton é utilizada para defender as abstrações da física teórica dos ataques da assim denominada "física ariana" e, ao mesmo tempo, preservar o valor das considerações intuitivas de Goethe. This paper aims at exposing the Heisenberg's conference "The teachings of Goethe and Newton on colors in the light of modern physics", presented in 1941, whose translation is presented here. In the first place the paper analyzes the philosophical project of an ordination of the reality, developed by the physicist in the early 1940s and which is the basis for the discussion of the "Teachings of Goethe and Newton on colors". Secondly it exposes some philosophical implications of the quantum theory by emphasizing the point of view of the Copenhagen school. Finally, it shows how the dispute between Goethe and Newton is exploited to defend the abstractions of the theoretical physics against the attacks of the so called "German physicists" and, at the same time, to preserve the worth of the Goethe's intuitive analysis. (shrink)

This article defends the hypothesis that Ernst Mach employed naturalism — an attitude which has its origin in Mach’s acceptance of Darwinism — as a weapon against metaphysics, since the former would try to establish evalutions criteria, including those necessary to choose scientific theories, capable of being used by human beings.

The purpose of the article is to present the ideas that the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann developed on the role of classical mechanics in physics. He had elaborated them at a time when classical mechanics began to be considered as not being any more the ground for all other physical theories. Boltzmann never accepted this conclusion. He rejected it, developing at the same time some ideas on the epistemological nature of scientific theories. According to him, scientific theories are representations of (...) natural phenomena. (shrink)