Si bien toda la filosofía de la imaginación bachelardiana está afectada por un materialismo simbólico y este puede ejercer las funciones de mediación o acompañamiento en el viaje de la ensoñación, también es cierto que la finalidad del arte –en este caso, de la poesía– es el relámpago, la búsqueda de la verdad, la aprehensión profunda del ser de las cosas; experiencia esta que difícilmente se puede dar si mediamos, entre el ser de la cosa y el ser del hombre, (...) conceptos o categorías que, al buscar una mayor comprensión de los fenómenos operativos que allí se están dando, acaban por ahogar el propio decir de lo que tenuemente se nos muestra. La imagen poética debe ser el vehículo capaz de simbolizar la realidad conectándola con el imaginario, siendo a la vez aquella fuerza a-causal que traiga la novedad ontológica capaz de construir un nuevo antropocosmos. Palabras clave: imagen poética; límite; símbolo; ética; belleza. (shrink)

Contiene tres trabajos sobre Arturo Ardao: sobre la noción de sujeto (Yamandú Acosta); sobre la interpretación de Andrés Bello (Arturo A. Roig); y sobre su libro Filosofía de lengua española (ver HLAS 36:5047). Mencionamos algunas de las otras contribuciones: el tema de la historia de la filosofía latinoamericana (Horacio Cerutti Guldberg); el batllismo (Manuel A. Claps); el tema de Calibán (Roberto Fernández Retamar); el pensamiento de Pedro Figari (Juan Fló); la universidad latinoamericana en el siglo XVIII (Gregorio Weinberg); (...) el pensamiento socialista en el Uruguay (Carlos Zubillaga). Es de lamentar que no se agregara al volumen una bibliografía de Ardao"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58. (shrink)

The brain displays both the anatomical features of a vast amount of interconnected topological mappings as well as the functional features of a nonlinear, metastable system at the edge of chaos, equipped with a phase space where mental random walks tend towards lower energetic basins. Nevertheless, with the exception of some advanced neuro-anatomic descriptions and present-day connectomic research, very few studies have been addressing the topological path of a brain embedded or embodied in its external and internal environment. Herein, by (...) using new formal tools derived from algebraic topology, we provide an account of the metastable brain, based on the neuro-scientific model of Operational Architectonics of brain-mind functioning. We introduce a “topodynamic” description that shows how the relationships among the countless intertwined spatio-temporal levels of brain functioning can be assessed in terms of projections and mappings that take place on abstract structures, equipped with different dimensions, curvatures and energetic constraints. Such a topodynamical approach, apart from providing a biologically plausible model of brain function that can be operationalized, is also able to tackle the issue of a long-standing dichotomy: it throws indeed a bridge between the subjective, immediate datum of the naïve complex of sensations and mentations and the objective, quantitative, data extracted from experimental neuro-scientific procedures. Importantly, it opens the door to a series of new predictions and future directions of advancement for neuroscientific research. (shrink)

No es posible una comprensión integral del influyente pensamiento de Anselmo de Canterbury (1033-1109) sin incluir su concepción de la verdad. La articulación entre la famosa demostración de Dios en el "Proslogion" con sus ideas acerca de la libertad en su "Tratado sobre la libertad del albedrío", mediadas por sus planteamientos sobre el origen y el significado del mal en su "Tratado sobre la caída del demonio", requiere centrarse en la presente obra. La presente edición está acompañada de una serie (...) de ensayos sobre el problema de la verdad en la Antigüedad y en la Edad Media que pasa por Aristóteles, Agustín de Hipona, Boecio, Dionisio Areopagita, Tomás de Aquino, Ockham y otros. (shrink)

Here are crucial data for any theory of the self, self-consciousness or the structure of experience. We discuss the fundamental structure of both indexical reference, especially first-term reference, and quasi-indexical reference, used in attributing first-person reference to others. Chisholm's ingenious account of direct awareness of self is tested against the two sets of data. It satisfies neither. Chisholm's definitions raise serious questions both about philosophical methodology and about the underlying ontology of individuation, identity, and predication. Chisholm's adverbial account of non-physical (...) contents of consciousness is also examined; several questions are raised about the possible success of the linguistic technique of ontological reduction by hyphenation and creation of grammatical devices. (shrink)

Interest in the intersection between bilingualism and cognitive control and accessibility to neuroimaging methods have resulted in numerous studies with a variety of interpretations of the bilingual cognitive advantage. Neurocomputational Emergentism (or Neuroemergentism for short) is a new framework for understanding this relationship between bilingualism and cognitive control. This framework considers Emergence, in which two small elements are recombined in an interactive manner, yielding a non-linear effect. Added to this is the notion that Emergence can be captured in neural systems (...) using computationally inspired models. This review poses that bilingualism and cognitive control, as examined through the Neuroemergentist framework, are interwoven through development and involve the non-linear growth of cognitive processing encompassing brain areas that combine and recombine, in symbiotic and parasitic ways, in order to handle more complex types of processing. The models that have sought to explain the neural substrates of bilingual cognitive differences will be discussed with a reinterpretation of the entire bilingual cognitive advantage within a Neuroemergentist framework incorporating its neural bases. It will conclude by discussing how this new Neuroemergentist approach alters our view of the effects of language experience on cognitive control. Avenues to move beyond the simple notion of a bilingual advantage or lack thereof will be proposed. (shrink)

Spontaneous brain activity has received increasing attention as demonstrated by the exponential rise in the number of published papers on this topic over the last thirty years. Such “intrinsic” brain activity, generated in the absence of an explicit task, is frequently associated with resting-state or default-mode networks. The focus on characterizing spontaneous brain activity promises to shed new light on questions concerning the structural and functional architecture of the brain and how they are related to “mind”. However, many critical questions (...) have yet to be addressed. In this review, we focus on a scarcely explored area, specifically the energetic requirements and constraints of spontaneous activity, taking into account both thermodynamical and informational perspectives. We argue that the “classical” definitions of spontaneous activity do not take into account an important feature, that is, the critical thermodynamic energetic differences between spontaneous and evoked brain activity. Spontaneous brain activity is associated with slower oscillations compared with evoked, task-related activity, hence it exhibits lower levels of enthalpy and “free-energy” (i.e. the energy that can be converted to do work), thus supporting noteworthy thermodynamic energetic differences between spontaneous and evoked brain activity. Increased spike frequency during evoked activity has a significant metabolic cost, consequently, brain functions traditionally associated with spontaneous activity, such as mind wandering, require less energy that other nervous activities. We also review recent empirical observations in neuroscience, in order to capture how spontaneous brain dynamics and mental function can be embedded in a non-linear dynamical framework, which considers nervous activity in terms of phase spaces, particle trajectories, random walks, attractors and/or paths at the edge of the chaos. This takes us from the thermodynamic free-energy, to the realm of “variational free-energy”, a theoretical construct pertaining to probability and information theory which allows explanation of unexplored features of spontaneous brain activity. (shrink)

The discrepancy between syntax and semantics is a painstaking issue that hinders a better comprehension of the underlying neuronal processes in the human brain. In order to tackle the issue, we at first describe a striking correlation between Wittgenstein's Tractatus, that assesses the syntactic relationships between language and world, and Perlovsky's joint language-cognitive computational model, that assesses the semantic relationships between emotions and “knowledge instinct”. Once established a correlation between a purely logical approach to the language and computable psychological activities, (...) we aim to find the neural correlates of syntax and semantics in the human brain. Starting from topological arguments, we suggest that the semantic properties of a proposition are processed in higher brain's functional dimensions than the syntactic ones. In a fully reversible process, the syntactic elements embedded in Broca's area project into multiple scattered semantic cortical zones. The presence of higher functional dimensions gives rise to the increase in informational content that takes place in semantic expressions. Therefore, diverse features of human language and cognitive world can be assessed in terms of both the logic armor described by the Tractatus, and the neurocomputational techniques at hand. One of our motivations is to build a neuro-computational framework able to provide a feasible explanation for brain's semantic processing, in preparation for novel computers with nodes built into higher dimensions. (shrink)

El siguiente artículo tiene por finalidad explorar el concepto de exilio desde el enfoque filosófico. Se trata de un examen de la construcción teórica del concepto, a partir del análisis situado en pasajes de dos obras centrales en la cultura de Occidente: La Il íada de Homero y Las leyes de Platón. Se atiende a estas obras a la luz del exilio, para esclarecer una problemática que subyace a la propia constitución de la comunidad política en la historia jurídica, ética (...) y política. La construcción conceptual se ve procedida, en el artículo, por la propuesta final en la aproximación crítica del exiliado con otras figuras como el indigente, el vagabundo, el paria o el refugiado; las cuales comparten rasgos cercanos, en su situación jurídico-política y existencial cualitativa, que en el exilio se esperaba generar: el abandono de la comunidad respecto a quien formó parte de ella. (shrink)

Physical and biological measurements might display range values extending towards infinite. The occurrence of infinity in equations, such as the black hole singularities, is a troublesome issue that causes many theories to break down when assessing extreme events. Different methods, such as re-normalization, have been proposed to avoid detrimental infinity. Here a novel technique is proposed, based on geometrical considerations and the Alexander Horned sphere, that permits to undermine infinity in physical and biophysical equations. In this unconventional approach, a continuous (...) monodimensional line becomes an assembly of countless bidimensional lines that superimpose in quantifiable knots and bifurcations. In other words, we may state that Achilles leaves the straight line and overtakes the turtle. (shrink)

In recent years, new forms of transnational regulation have emerged, filling the void created by the failure of governments and international institutions to effectively regulate transnational corporations. Among the variety of initiatives addressing social and environmental problems, a growing number of certification systems have appeared in various sectors, particularly agrifood. Most initiatives rely on independent third-party certification to verify compliance with a standard, as it is seen as the most credible route for certification. The effects of third-party audits, however, still (...) need to be empirically investigated. This article provides a critical assessment of the notion of ‘evidence’ which is at the heart of auditing practices. It focuses on the case of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and fieldwork carried out in Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil. In this country, some non-governmental organizations decided to participate in the RSPO in order to use this platform to tackle the issue of land conflicts. They managed to include important clauses regarding indigenous and land rights in the RSPO standard. In practice, however, auditors rarely recognize as valid evidence the forms of proof put forward by local communities. As a result, the whole process risks compounding local power imbalances. (shrink)

El texto analiza algunas de las propuestas que las agencias internacionales más directamente relacionadas con el sector educativo han ofrecido a fin de afrontar las situaciones creadas por la pandemia de covid-19 y reactivar la educación en condiciones similares, o al menos comparables, a las que se encontraba antes de pandemia. A partir de ese análisis, se trazan conexiones entre las agendas educativas, políticas y económicas que enmarcan las respuestas actuales en términos de mediciones, evaluaciones e inversión de recursos y (...) tiempos. Al cierre, despejadas algunas dudas y aclaradas algunas decisiones, se toma distancia frente a las estrategias sugeridas por los organismos multilaterales, y se les ve desde una perspectiva que hace énfasis en las personas y las comunidades, antes que en los sistemas y en el comercio de datos, para sacar conclusiones que permitan repensar las direcciones en las que las acciones han de apuntar. (shrink)

En la abundante historiografía del siglo XIX mexicano hay varias explicaciones sobre las causas del colapso económico y se distinguen tres etapas: un periodo de muy bajo crecimiento entre 1820 y 1850, un periodo de retroceso absoluto entre 1850 y 1870 y finalmente una recuperación moderada a partir de la década de 1870. Una forma de articular coherentemente todas estas explicaciones consiste en poner el énfasis en la cuestión fiscal, aprovechando algunas novedades teóricas que arrojan nuevas luces sobre discusiones añejas. (...) Así se abona a la discusión sobre la formación del Estado mexicano y su relación con el desarrollo económico. (shrink)

This essay has two goals. The first is to define the behavioristic study of natural events and to classify behavior. The second is to stress the importance of the concept of purpose.Given any object, relatively abstracted from its surroundings for study, the behavioristic approach consists in the examination of the output of the object and of the relations of this output to the input. By output is meant any change produced in the surroundings by the object. By input, conversely, is (...) meant any event external to the object that modifies this object in any manner. (shrink)

Arthur Danto believed that “style has to be expressed immediately and spontaneously.” Danto writes that “the question of when is a thing an artwork becomes one with the question of when is an interpretation of a thing an artistic interpretation”. His extensive art criticism focuses, then, on the way artworks are about. The presence of a metaphor and the demand for interpretation are insufficient to draw the demarcation line between art and not‐art. A work of art ought to be “a (...) piece of visual thought”. Danto's own style was an invitation, almost intimate, to engage his enticing and entertaining way of thinking. His writing creates the impression that he is speaking and simply registering his thoughts and imaginings as they come. (shrink)

Original, or 'old', institutional economics (OIE) – also known as 'institutionalism' – played a key role in its early stages; it could be said that it was once the 'mainstream economics' of the time. This period ran approximately from the first important contributions of Thorstein Veblen in 1898 to the implementation of the New Deal in the early 1930s, where many institutionalists played a significant role. However, notwithstanding its promising scientific and institutional affirmation, institutional economics underwent a period of marked (...) decline that spanned from the mid-1930s to the late 1980s, when a new season for institutional economics was set in motion. In order to cast some light on this complex issue – without any claim of completeness – we have organised the work as follows: in the first section we consider the main interpretations of this phenomenon. In the subsequent sections we analyse a number of 'endogenous' aspects which might have played a significant role in the period of decline: (i) the relations of institutional economics with Keynes's macroeconomic theory; (ii) the links between theoretical and empirical analysis and the supposed lack of a clear theory; (iii) the interdisciplinary orientation. (shrink)

La perspectiva de la amistad en la antigüedad tardía constituye un considerable horizonte de reflexión y análisis. Este trabajo pretende delimitar las características singulares de la amistad en el mundo cristiano del s. IV d. C. y, más concretamente, ahondar en el legado epistolar de Paulino de Nola, considerado uno de los grandes referentes de la época patrística, y cuyos postulados reflejan una incidencia notoria de la amistad. Por eso, en un primer momento, ofreceré una visión general de su vida; (...) a continuación, examinaré el tema de la amicitia en su epistolario; finalmente, desentrañaré la noción de amistad epistolar con Agustín de Hipona. (shrink)

ResumenEn este artículo me propongo realizar una defensa del naturalismo como fundamento metafísico de la ciencia, mostrando para ello que el “nuevo realismo” de Markus Gabriel es otra versión contemporánea del relativismo y del idealismo y a pesar de que Gabriel acepta la distinción fregeana de sentido y referencia, sus implicaciones son explícitamente antinaturalistas. En concreto, la defensa al naturalismo que intento ofrecer aquí es una crítica abierta a las consecuencias antinaturalistas y pseudocientíficas del “nuevo realismo” de Gabriel. Otra manera (...) de comprender este trabajo es mostrar que el naturalismo puede ser una pieza clave para entender la discusión contemporánea entre la ciencia y la pseudociencia.Palabras clave: Gabriel; naturalismo; nuevo realismo; demarcación; ciencia. (shrink)

The objective of this paper is to analyze the convergences and divergences between two conceptions of realism: Markus Gabriel’s “new realism” and Evandro Agazzi’s realism. Firstly, the main theses behind “new realism” will be presented, drawing on Gabriel’s text ‘_Why the World Does Not Exist’_ (2015), originally published in German as _Warum es die Welt nicht gibt_ in 2013. Secondly, the constitutive aspects of realism developed by Agazzi will be explored, primarily in works such as ‘_Temas y problemas de filosofía (...) de la física’_ (1978), ‘_Filosofia, scienza e verità’_, Rusconi, Milano (1989), ‘_El bien el mal y la ciencia_’ (1996), and ‘_Filosofía de la Naturaleza. Ciencia y Cosmología’_ (2000), among others. Finally, the convergences and divergences between these two conceptions of realism will be analyzed, allowing for an inference, based on sound reasoning, about the potential novelty of the so-called “new realism”. (shrink)

Neuroscientists are able to detect physical changes in information entropy in the available neurodata. However, the information paradigm is inadequate to describe fully nervous dynamics and mental activities such as perception. This paper suggests explanations to neural dynamics that provide an alternative to thermodynamic and information accounts. We recall the Banach–Tarski paradox, which informally states that when pieces of a ball are moved and rotated without changing their shape, a synergy between two balls of the same volume is achieved instead (...) of the original one. We show how and why BTP might display this physical and biological synergy meaningfully, making it possible to model nervous activities. The anatomical and functional structure of the central nervous system’s nodes and edges makes it possible to perform a sequence of moves inside the connectome that doubles the amount of available cortical oscillations. In particular, a BTP-based mechanism permits scale-invariant nervous oscillations to amplify and propagate towards widely separated brain areas. Paraphrasing the BTP’s definition, we could state that: when a few components of a self-similar nervous oscillation are moved and rotated throughout the cortical connectome, two self-similar oscillations are achieved instead of the original one. Furthermore, based on topological structures, we illustrate how, counterintuitively, the amplification of scale-free oscillations does not require information transfer. (shrink)

El resultado más importante de la epistemología de Evandro Agazzi ha sido probablemente la elaboración de un concepto analógico de ciencia, en el sentido de que, después de haber caracterizado la ciencia como conocimiento objetivo y riguroso, ha mostrado que estas dos características se satisfacen de forma diferente según las condiciones epistémicas, ontológicas y pragmáticas del conocimiento, dando lugar a las diferentes ciencias, naturales, humanas o sociales. El presente artículo subraya el hecho de que cada ciencia se caracteriza entonces por (...) su propia forma de racionalidad y, por lo tanto, el mismo concepto de racionalidad científica tiene un significado analógico bajo las mismas condiciones. Además, la analogía concierne a la racionalidad en cuanto tal y por esta vía se evita el dogmatismo que pretende reconocer una única forma de racionalidad, así como el relativismo que desconoce cualquier forma de racionalidad. Como introducción a este análisis se ofrece una presentación de los elementos fundamentales de la doctrina de la analogía según la tradición clásica y sus concepciones actuales y luego se procede a aplicar dichos requisitos al caso de la racionalidad, llegando a precisar el concepto de racionalidad analógica. (shrink)