"This reviewer had to be restrained from stopping people in the street to urge them to read it: They would learn something of the way science is done,...

I analyze the deimopolitical functioning of cisgender-straight-bolsonarist masculinity as a norm of recognition characterized not only by the fear of penetrating the anus, but essentially marked by the fear of having an anus. I seek to analyze the production of fear of the existence of the anus as an intrinsic element in the fabrication of supposed social threats in cisgender-straight-bolsonarism. Through a topographic metaphorization that locates/means the excluded as the anus of the social, the “enemy” appears as a mark of (...) the anal memory, reminding that the anus exists. If it exists, it can be penetrated. In this way, the existence of the anus organizes the differential distribution of humanity in this regime, as the minimum condition of being a human being is that of being a man, that is, not having an anus. This condition is reaffirmed by other markers of absence: not having a vagina, not having black skin, not belonging to ethnic and religious minorities... Cisgender-straight-bolsonarism behaves like an anatomical engineering in which the anus works as a catalyst for a masculinist reaction. The dermal tube is then reformatted in this regime. With this, I try to show that the fear of the existence of the anus is a central element of subjective enunciation and fascist recognition in this community. (shrink)

There has been a long debate on whether demonstratives are directly referential as Kaplan originally argued, or indirectly referential like a definite description. I propose a new analysis of demonstratives that combines intuitions from both direct and indirect approaches. The demonstrative is analyzed as an indirectly referential expression with a binary maximality operator that takes two arguments, where the second argument can be a deictic pointing, an anaphoric index, or a relative clause. Direct reference is encoded not in the meaning (...) of the demonstrative but in the meaning contributed by the pointing gesture, thus capturing both direct and indirect uses. I further propose that some pronouns in English function as demonstratives, realizing the binary structure and competing with the demonstrative. The main advantages of this proposal include (a) deriving the distribution of pronominal and adnominal demonstratives systematically; (b) capturing the unique interaction that demonstratives have with a pointing gesture; and (c) locating English demonstratives against a larger, cross-linguistic picture. (shrink)

In this chapter, Dorothy Walsh argues that any ethical theory requires an underlying speculative metaphysics.

O presente trabalho pretende dar forma à ideia de cisheteronormatividade, a partir de conceitos de teóricos de gênero e sexualidade que apresentam a normatividade como heteronormatividade e cisnormatividade ou cissexismo, convertendo tais conceitos, até então distintos, em conjunto delimitado e único, que oprime e marginaliza sujeitos inadequados à cisheteronorma. Corroborando tal pressuposto - da cisheteronorma como força única e não separadamente como heteronormatividade e cissexismo - será feita uma leitura cruzada com o conceito de “instituições totais”, instituições disciplinares que têm (...) como principal objetivo a modelagem da subjetividade dos indivíduos que nela vivem, comparando ações de violência (que se supõem corretivas) contra a comunidade LGBT com ações de reforço e punições presentes nas instituições totais caracterizadas por Goffman na obra Manicômios, prisões e conventos (1961). Dessa forma, a sociedade pode ser globalmente compreendida como uma instituição total que tem como objetivo a modelagem da subjetividade dos corpos para que estes naturalizem identidades cisgêneras e heterossexuais, através de esquemas de reforços e punições bem delimitados, tais quais as instituições estudadas por Goffman. (shrink)

While virtually everyone recognizes the moral permissibility of whistleblowing under certain circumstances, most theorists offer relatively conservative accounts of when it is allowed, and are reluctant to offer a full recommendation of the practice as an important tool towards addressing ethical failures in the workplace. We think that accounts such as these tend to overestimate the importance of professional or personal obligations, and underestimate the moral obligation to shine light on severe professional malfeasance. Of course, a whistleblower, even an anonymous (...) one, often faces serious threats of retaliation and harm to their professional livelihoods and well-being. To address these challenges we argue in favor of a practice that we will call Preemptive Anonymous Whistleblowing (PAW). Such whistleblowing is preemptive in that a whistleblower provides information about malfeasance to a party in a position to do something about it without first raising the worry to one’s immediate superiors. At first blush, such preemption may seem unsettling, and PAW admittedly raises a number of worrisome issues. We defend PAW, however, as part of a larger argument that whistleblowing is morally required more often than is commonly thought. The availability of PAW as an option provides a method for allaying the concern that whistleblowing can be overly burdensome due to the risks of job and career. Insofar as that concern can be allayed, it is feasible for there to be substantial moral requirements to engage in whistleblowing in cases where severe harms can be prevented. With high enough stakes, there is a moral requirement for whistleblowing. (shrink)

In a number of influential articles published since 1972, Dorothy Grover has developed the prosentential theory of truth. Brought together and published with a new introduction, these essays are even more impressive as a group than they were as single contributions to philosophy and linguistics. Denying that truth has an explanatory role, the prosentential theory does not address traditional truth issues like belief, meaning, and justification. Instead, it focuses on the grammatical role of the truth predicate and asserts that (...) “it is true” is a prosentence, functioning much as a pronoun does. Grover defends the theory by indicating how it can handle notorious paradoxes like the Liar, as well as by analyzing some English truth-usages. The introduction to the volume surveys traditional theories of truth, including correspondence, pragmatic, and coherence theories. It discusses the essays to come and, finally, considers the implications of the prosentential theory for other theories. Despite the fact that the prosentential theory dismisses the “nature of truth” as a red herring, Grover shows that there are important aspects of traditional truth theories that prosentential theorists have the option of endorsing. (shrink)

Book synopsis: Vagueness is currently the subject of vigorous debate in the philosophy of logic and language. Vague terms-such as "tall", "red", "bald", and "tadpole"—have borderline cases ; and they lack well-defined extensions. The phenomenon of vagueness poses a fundamental challenge to classical logic and semantics, which assumes that propositions are either true or false and that extensions are determinate. Another striking problem to which vagueness gives rise is the sorites paradox. If you remove one grain from a heap of (...) sand, surely you must be left with a heap. Yet apply this principle repeatedly as you remove grains one by one, and you end up, absurdly, with a solitary grain that counts as a heap. This anthology collects papers in the field. After an introduction that surveys the field, the essays form four groups, starting with some historically notable pieces. The 1970s saw an explosion of interest in vagueness, and the second group of essays reprints classic papers from this period. The following group of papers represent current work on the logic and semantics of vagueness. The essays in the final group are contributions to the continuing debate about vague objects and vague identity. (shrink)

Researchers have iterated that the future of synthetic biology and biotechnology lies in novel consumer applications of crossing biology with engineering. However, if the new biology’s future is to be sustainable, early and serious efforts must be made towards social sustainability. Therefore, the crux of new applications of synthetic biology and biotechnology is public understanding and acceptance. The RASVaccine is a novel recombinant design not found in nature that re-engineers a common bacteria to produce a strong immune response in humans. (...) Synthesis of the RASVaccine has the potential to improve public health as an inexpensive, non-injectable product. But how can scientists move forward to create a dialogue of creating a ‘common sense’ of this new technology in order to promote social sustainability? This paper delves into public issues raised around these novel technologies and uses the RASVaccine as an example of meeting the public with a common sense of its possibilities and limitations. (shrink)

Researchers have iterated that the future of synthetic biology and biotechnology lies in novel consumer applications of crossing biology with engineering. However, if the new biology’s future is to be sustainable, early and serious efforts must be made towards social sustainability. Therefore, the crux of new applications of synthetic biology and biotechnology is public understanding and acceptance. The RASVaccine is a novel recombinant design not found in nature that re-engineers a common bacteria to produce a strong immune response in humans. (...) Synthesis of the RASVaccine has the potential to improve public health as an inexpensive, non-injectable product. But how can scientists move forward to create a dialogue of creating a ‘common sense’ of this new technology in order to promote social sustainability? This paper delves into public issues raised around these novel technologies and uses the RASVaccine as an example of meeting the public with a common sense of its possibilities and limitations. (shrink)

In this research article I reconstitute portfolio assessment of my work as a new faculty member in the form of critical reflexive dialogue. I reassemble artifacts of my works-in-process in a vocational portfolioin order to signal that quality in my work is nuanced as a calling to serve. This metaphor entails portfolio assessment that does not isolate the adult learner and worker from self-assessment and others’assessment. I structure my portfolio dialogically so that my evaluators and I can respond critically to (...) the processes and products of my teacher, researcher, and service worker identities. My artifacts ofdialogical occasions denaturalize the feminine in work and disrupt the hierarchy of knowledge over service. I reassemble my quality moments to support my espoused theory and theory-in-use that servingothers in response-able relationship constitutes the linked resemblance of quality across the three traditional evaluative categories of teaching, research, and service. (shrink)

Reflexões sobre Professoralidade, Profissionalização, Profissionalidade, Profissionalismo e sua relação com o Desenvolvimento Profissional Docente Resumo: Várias são as categorias teóricas que guardam relação com o tema desenvolvimento profissional docente. Professoralidade, profissionalização, profissionalismo são algumas delas, mas geralmente não aparecem conjuntamente nem em relação do DPD. Por isto, este trabalho visa a analisar estes conceitos em relação ao DPD. A investigação foi desenvolvida a partir de metodologia baseada na pesquisa bibliográfica. Os argumentos evidenciaram que o DPD, na atualidade, perpassa questões da (...) professoralidade, da profissionalização, da profissionalidade e do profissionalismo, mesmo que em intensidades diferentes. Profissionalidade e professoralidade são aqueles que mais dizem respeito a uma estreita vinculação com o desenvolvimento profissional docente por se relacionarem de forma imbricada sem que se possa separar um do outro, ao passo que no profissionalismo e na profissionalização não existe uma relação de complementariedade ou espontânea, mas sem dúvida ambos os lados da relação podem se beneficiar um do outro.Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento Profissional Docente, Professoralidade, Profissionalização, Profissionalidade, Profissionalismo. Reflections on professorality, professionalization, professionality, professionalism and its relationship with the teacher professional development: There are several theoretical categories that are related to the theme of teacher professional development. Professionality, professionalism, professorship, professionalization are some of them, but generally do not appear together in relation to the TPD. For this reason, this work aims to analyze these concepts in relation to the TPD. The investigation was developed based on a bibliographic research methodology. The arguments showed that the TPD, at present, runs through issues of teaching, professionalism, professionalism and professionalization, even if at different intensities. Professorship and professionality are those that most relate to a close link with the professional development of teachers because they relate in an interconnected way without being able to separate from each other, whereas in professionalism and professionalization there is no complementary or spontaneous relationship, but no doubt both sides of the relationship can benefit from each other.Keywords: Teacher Professional Development, Professorship, Professionalization, Professionality, Professionalism. Reflexiones sobre Profesoralidad, profesionalización, profesionalidad, profesionalismo y su relación con el desarrollo profesional de los docentes. Resumen: Existen varias categorías teóricas relacionadas con el tema del desarrollo profesional docente. Profesoralidad, profesionalización, profesionalidad, profesionalismo son algunos de ellos, pero generalmente no aparecen juntos o en relación con el DPD. Por esta razón, este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar estos conceptos en relación con el DPD. La investigación se desarrolló en base a una metodología basada en la investigación bibliográfica. Los argumentos mostraron que el DPD, en la actualidad, atraviesa problemas de enseñanza, profesionalización, profesionalismo y profesionalismo, incluso a diferentes intensidades. La profesionalidad y la enseñanza son las que más se relacionan con un vínculo cercano con el desarrollo profesional de los docentes porque se relacionan de manera interconectada sin poder separarse entre sí, mientras que en el profesionalismo y la profesionalización no existe una relación complementaria o espontánea. Pero sin duda ambos lados de la relación pueden beneficiarse el uno del otro.Palabras clave: Desarrollo profesional docente, profesoralidad, profesionalización, profesionalidad, profesionalismo. Data de registro: 04/02/2020Data de aceite: 28/08/2020. (shrink)

This work presents a post-positivist research framework for explaining any surprising or anomalous fact in the evolutionary path of a complex, dynamic, and contingent social process. Firstly, it elaborates on the reconciliation betweenthe ontological and epistemological assumptions of Critical Realism with the principles of American Pragmatism. Next, the research method is presented: theoretical propositions about a social structure are translated into a set of grammar rules that acknowledge patterns of sequences of events, either involving individual action or interaction between actors (...) within a real social system. The result is a discrete mathematical model for a concrete category of social process based on these rules. Finally, data-grounded refinement of the theory is possible through comparison between cases belonging to the same category, but differing in some contingent pattern of sequences of event outcomes. Consequently, their grammars differ in some pairs of context-sensitive rules that explain this surprising fact, and the derivation of this alternative historical trajectory of event outcomes becomes an extension to the early category of social process. In this sense, the proposed framework suggests a hierarchy of classes of grammars for middle-range explanations based on the ontological assumption of the generative nature of social reality. (shrink)

La siempre fascínate escritura rulfiana continúa dialogando con el mundo. El así conocido “escritor de las letras mexicanas”, nos sigue ofreciendo un mar de posibilidades de acercamiento a otras áreas humanísticas entre las cuáles incluimos a la filosofía. Coincidentes en la época y en la geografía mexicana, Juan Rulfo y María Zambrano se encontraron en 1939. Exponentes ejemplares y creadores de nuevos caminos en la escritura literaria y filosófica, los exponemos como paralelos a través de dos piezas claves de sus (...) obras: Pedro Páramo y Los sueños y el tiempo. La antropología zambraniana viene propuesta como uno de estos senderos creativos y creadores de la búsqueda del propio ser y del sentido mismo del existir. Dicho pronunciamiento antropológico lo exponemos como perspectiva de lectura del viaje no sólo de Juan preciado, ansioso buscador de su padre, sino de todos los lectores de Rulfo que hemos tejido con sus letras —extractoras de sueños y productoras de anhelos— la frágil cuerda que sostiene la aventura del descubrir nuestro lugar en el oscuro pozo del mundo. Realismo mágico y Razón poética en armonía propositiva que revela el origen de ambos proveniente de la misma semilla del ser. Rulfo y Zambrano nos enseñan que hay encuentros más profundos y reales que aquellos sólo históricos. (shrink)

Book synopsis: Philosophers have long been fascinated by the connection between cause and effect: are 'causes' things we can experience, or are they concepts provided by our minds? The study of causation goes back to Aristotle, but resurged with David Hume and Immanuel Kant, and is now one of the most important topics in metaphysics. Most of the recent work done in this area has attempted to place causation in a deterministic, scientific, worldview. But what about the unpredictable and chancey (...) world we actually live in: can one theory of causation cover all instances of cause and effect? (shrink)

This paper provides a methodological schema for interpreting Hume's Dialogues concerning Natural Religion that supports the traditional thesis that Philo represents Hume's views on religious belief. To understand the complexity of Hume's ‘naturalism’ and his assessment of religious belief, it is essential to grasp the manner in which Philo articulates a consistently Humean position in the Dialogues.

The human body is becoming hot property, a resource to be “mined,” “harvested,” patented, and traded commercially for profit as well as scientific and therapeutic advances. Under the new entrepreneurial approach to the body old tensions take on new dimensions—about consent, the fair distribution of tissues and products developed from them, the individual and cultural values represented by the body, and public policy governing the use of organs and tissues.