In this paper I defend an intermediate position between the ‘bare mathematical results’ view and the ‘transmission’ view of mathematical explanations of physical phenomena (MEPPs). I argue that, in MEPPs, it is not enough to deduce the explanandum from the generalizations cited in the explanans. Rather, we must add information regarding why those generalizations obtain. However, I also argue that it is not necessary to provide explanatory proofs of the mathematical theorems that represent those generalizations. I illustrate this with the (...) bridges of Königsberg case. -/- . (shrink)

The Enhanced Indispensability Argument appeals to the existence of Mathematical Explanations of Physical Phenomena to justify mathematical Platonism, following the principle of Inference to the Best Explanation. In this paper, I examine one example of a MEPP—the explanation of the 13-year and 17-year life cycle of magicicadas—and argue that this case cannot be used defend the EIA. I then generalize my analysis of the cicada case to other MEPPs, and show that these explanations rely on what I will call ‘optimal (...) representations’, which are representations that capture all that is relevant to explain a physical phenomenon at a specified level of description. In the end, because the role of mathematics in MEPPs is ultimately representational, they cannot be used to support mathematical Platonism. I finish the paper by addressing the claim, advanced by many EIA defendants, that quantification over mathematical objects results in explanations that have more theoretical virtues, especially that they are more general and modally stronger than alternative explanations. I will show that the EIA cannot be successfully defended by appealing to these notions. (shrink)

This book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated (...) for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time. (shrink)

The bridges of Königsberg case has been widely cited in recent philosophical discussions on scientific explanation as a potential example of a structural explanation of a physical phenomenon. However, when discussing this case, different authors have focused on two different versions, depending on what they take the explanandum to be. In one version, the explanandum is the _failure_ of a given individual in performing an Eulerian walk over the bridge system. In the other version, the explanandum is the _impossibility_ of (...) performing an Eulerian walk over the bridges. The goal of this paper is to show that only the latter version amounts to a real case of a structural explanation. I will also suggest how to fix the first version, and show how my remarks apply to other purported cases of structural explanations. (shrink)

Both scientific evidence and folklore have suggested that madness is associated with creativity, especially in the arts. Recently, more rigorous studies have confirmed to some extent these previous observations. The current view is that it is not severe and acute insanity that is related to heightened creativity, but the personality roots and soft manifestations of both schizophrenic and bipolar psychoses. The affective and cognitive peculiarities associated with schizotypic and hypomanic personalities may be preferentially related to different kinds of creative endeavours, (...) such as the sciences and arts, respectively. The connection between personality traits and creativity is produced because they share some biological-cognitive-personality features, such as cognitive disinhibition. Additionally, it has been shown that the genetic liability for both bipolar and schizophrenic psychoses is related to creativity. A prevailing hypothesis is that creativity may be one type of 'compensatory advantage' for those carrying the genes for psychosis. (shrink)

We argue that there is no tension between Reid's description of science and his claim that science is based on the principles of common sense. For Reid, science is rooted in common sense since it is based on the idea that fixed laws govern nature. This, however, does not contradict his view that the scientific notions of causation and explanation are fundamentally different from their common sense counterparts. After discussing these points, we dispute with Cobb's and Benbaji's interpretations of Reid's (...) views on causation and explanation. Finally, we present Reid's views from the perspective of the contemporary debate on scientific explanation. (shrink)

In the Principles of Philosophy, Descartes explains several observable phenomena showing that they are caused by special arrangements of unobservable microparticles. Despite these microparticles being unobservable, many passages suggest that he was very confident that these explanations were correct. In other passages, however, Descartes points out that these explanations merely hold the status of “suppositions” or “conjectures” that could be wrong. My main goal in this chapter is to clarify this apparent conflict. I argue first that for Descartes it was (...) indeed possible to have knowledge of unobservable particles and structures, and that the possibility of natural explanations being wrong should be understood as these explanations not being absolutely certain, but only morally certain. I use the debate in contemporary philosophy of science between scientific realism and antirealism as a framework to understand how Cartesian explanations work. Especifically, I argue that Cartesian explanations rely on what Ernan McMullin calls retroduction, which is a mode of inference that justifies beliefs in concrete unobservable entities and processes, based on considerations such as simplicity, coherence, etc. This kind of justification is of common use among scientific realists. Thus, another goal of this chapter is to highlight the relevance of Descartes’ ideas about explanation in the contemporary debate on scientific realism. (shrink)

"A theoretical juice extractor: The role of mathematics in scientific explanation". There have recently been proposed cases where, supposedly, mathematics would play a genuinely explanatory role in science. These have been divided into those situations where the explanatory role would be played by mathematical operations, and those where it would be played by mathematical entities. In this article, I analyze some of these purported cases and argue that claims that mathematics can be genuinely explanatory are unfounded. Throughout my discussion, I (...) emphasize the representational role of mathematics, as opposed to its supposed explanatory role: the role of mathematics, even in the cases that I discuss, is to represent physical facts and help draw inferences about those facts. (shrink)

“Structuralism, Fictionalism, and the Applicability of Mathematics in Science”. This article has two objectives. The first one is to review some of the most important questions in the contemporary philosophy of mathematics: What is the nature of mathematical objects? How do we acquire knowledge about these objects? Should mathematical statements be interpreted differently than ordinary ones? And, finally, how can we explain the applicability of mathematics in science? The debate that guides these reflections is the one between mathematical realism and (...) anti-realism. On the other hand, the second objective is to discuss the arguments that use the applicability of mathematics in science to justify mathematical realism, and show that none of them reaches its aim. To this end, we will distinguish three aspects of the problem of the applicability of mathematics: the utility of mathematics in science, the unexpected utility of some mathematical theories, and the apparent indispensability of mathematics in our best scientific theories - in particular, in our best scientific explanations. Finally, I argue that none of these aspects constitutes a reason to adopt mathematical realism. (shrink)

This book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated (...) for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time. (shrink)

Se presenta una reflexión reposada y en tono más bien familiar y desde la perspectiva de la epistemología axiológica acerca de las enseñanzas que elZeitgeist, o espíritu de los tiempos intenta insuflar en la comunidad académica y en la sociedad total, a raíz de los dos años y más de la pandemia del Covid-19 que ha padecido gran parte de la humanidad. Tales enseñanzas no solo pueden, sino que, además, deben marcar el derrotero para la construcción y promoción de nuevas (...) y reinventadas formas de sentido común. Para ello, la propuesta del viraje o transformación epistémica, tanto desde la dimensión meramente informativa, como de la funcional del conocimiento hacia el ámbito de lo axiológico, se presenta como la atención a un reclamo impostergable del viviente humano contemporáneo, urgido de articular su doble acceso al conocimiento, aquel que le es relativo a su subsistencia y el que le permite situarse en lo profundo de la existencia misma para integrar desde allí todo lo que en él converge. (shrink)

In a 2008 paper, Justin Barrett designed a conceptual scale to measure the level of counterintuitiveness of concepts, “Barrett’s counterintuitiveness coding and quantifying scheme”. According to Barrett, the higher a concept scores in this scale, the more counterintuitive it is. The scale is meant as an auxiliary tool for one of the mainstream theories in the cognitive science of religion, namely, the Minimal Counterintuitiveness Hypothesis. For a concept to be adherent, i.e., to survive across cultures and across time, it has (...) to score points in the counterintuitiveness scale, but it has to score low. Concepts that score too high or that don’t score at all are non-adherent. In this paper the case is made that at least some varieties of religious belief involve concepts that resist accurate measuring. The case study presented here features Spiritual Oneness, the belief that “all things are one”, frequently prompted by mystical experiences and frequently described as being very adherent. We purport that the failure of Barrett’s scale to allow for an examination of the concepts at stake in Spiritual Oneness is to be explained by the fact that the background assumptions about counterintuitiveness underpinning the scale are too narrow. (shrink)

In this paper I analyze the temporal structures that are appropriate to study the notion of point of view. When we analyze the points of view and their structure, it seems clear that we must take into account the time t in which a point of view is attributed to a subject. A two-dimensional temporal logic which combines a modal dimension for possibilities and a temporal one for the flow of time, offers a clear view of the temporary location of (...) a point of view. In this logic, we have histories, thanks to the temporal dimension, and evaluation is in two indices, time and history. These stories can be seen as different scenarios, providing a clear advantage when applying to the analysis of the notion of point of view. The conclusion is that, in order to give a proper approach for the notion of point of view, all these aspects should be combined. (shrink)

Time has a highly unstable place between the objective and the subjective. On the one side, there are very well known philosophical arguments trying to show that time has only a subjective reality, even that it is merely a subjective epiphenomenon. On the other side, we are compelled to take points of view as non dispensable elements of reality, at least of a reality capable of containing beings like us. And points of view offer a world of temporal entities existing (...) in an objective way. Moreover, points of view themselves appear to be temporal entities among other temporal entities. We analyse both aspects of time. Our main focus will be McTaggart’s arguments against the reality of a fluent time, what he called temporal series of kind A. We will distinguish three very different arguments in McTaggart works. We analyse them in detail. And we reject their conclusive character. Our final target is to maintain that there is a room for fluent time in what is internal to points of view but external to the subjects adopting those points of view. (shrink)

This book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present, and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated (...) for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time. (shrink)

This paper argues that the existing definition of pandemics is not nuanced enough, because it is predicated solely on the criterion of spread, rather than on the criteria of spread and severity. This definitional challenge is what I call ‘the conflation problem’: there is a conflation of two different realities of global health, namely global health emergencies (i.e., severe communicable diseases that spread across borders) and nonemergencies (i.e., communicable or noncommunicable diseases that spread across borders and that may be severe). (...) To put this argument forth, this paper begins by discussing the existing and internationally accepted definition of pandemics, its requirements, as well as its strengths (section 1). Section 2 then considers the problem with the standard definition of pandemics (i.e., the conflation problem) and some examples of it. Finally, section 3 evaluates some practical implications of the conflation problem to then explore conceptual clarity as the adequate solution. (shrink)

El artículo analizó la conformación y el desarrollo en la provincia de las organizaciones políticas kirchneristas teniendo en cuenta el espacio político santiagueño. Anclamos el análisis en las prácticas políticas de los integrantes de organizaciones kirchneristas. En este sentido interesó conocer aspectos vinculados a su conformación, a las trayectorias de sus principales dirigentes y las modalidades que asume su organización territorial.El trabajo de campo se realizó entre los años 2011 y 2013. Se trabajó con registros de observación participante y con (...) entrevistas semi-estructuradas a dirigentes, referentes territoriales y militantes de las organizaciones Kirchneristas. A éstos medios de interrogación, se sumó el trabajo de archivo y el análisis de documentos y de diarios de la provincia. (shrink)

O texto consiste em uma tradução do artigo Penser l’après : Sciences, pouvoir et opinions dans l’après Covid-19 escrito pela professora e filósofa de ciências Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent. A tradução foi autorizada pela autora e sua eventual publicação deve seguir as diretrizes do jornal The Conversation, no qual o artigo foi originalmente publicado. A partir das medidas implementadas mundialmente para o combate ao coronavírus, a autora analisa o vínculo entre as comunidades científicas e o governo. A gestão da crise sanitária, segundo (...) Bensaude-Vincent, baseia-se não só em dispositivos atuais, mas recorre a um modelo bastante arcaico: o confinamento generalizado. A diferença, segundo a filósofa, estaria no fato de hoje tal medida visar a salvar, sobretudo, o sistema hospitalar. Tal contexto nos remete a imagens de um passado que se considerava superado, lançando, assim, uma dúvida sobre o vínculo entre ciências e poder das últimas décadas. Os interesses locais, políticos, econômicos, religiosos e mesmo os interesses e valores dos próprios pesquisadores mostram-se, por vezes, incompatíveis com o “dever do ceticismo organizado que resta como um dos grandes princípios do éthos científico”. Daí a desconfiança do público que, por sua vez, é reduzido ao silêncio por pertencer ao inferior âmbito da doxa. A ideia de uma hierarquia na ordem do conhecimento que estabelece a opinião como um saber inferior não é nova, no entanto, segundo a autora, para os antigos isso não implicaria, como atualmente, uma hierarquia política. Bensaude-Vincent convoca, assim, a reabilitação dos "saberes de campo não científico como fontes de invenção e de soluções" em regime, como o nosso, de incerteza. (shrink)

In Jurismania, Paul Campos asserts that our legal system is beginning to exhibit symptoms of serious mental illness. Trials and appeals that stretch out for years and cost millions, 100 page appellate court opinions, 1,000 page statutes before which even lawyers tremble with fear, and a public that grows more litigious every day all testify to a judicial overkill that borders on obsessive-compulsive disorder. Campos locates the source of such madness, paradoxically, in our worship of reason and the (...) resulting belief that all problems are amenable to legal solutions. In insightful discussions of a wide range of cases, from NCAA regulations of student-athletes to the Simpson trial, from our most intractable social disputes over abortion and physician-assisted suicide to the war on drugs and the increasingly fastidious attempts to regulate behavior in public spaces, Campos shows that the mania for more law exacerbates the very problems it seeks to remedy. In his final chapter, the author calls instead for a humbling recognition of the limits of reason and a much more modest role for our legal system. Clearly written and laced with a delicious wit, Jurismania gives us a CAT-scan of the American legal mind at work. It reveals not only that the patient is even worse off than we imagined, but also clarifies the many reasons why. (shrink)

ABSTRACT “Speculative cannibalism” names here some kind of transcendental logic that only works through figuration, in the specific form of an analogical matrix. This article tracks these configurations in the philosophical works of Jacques Derrida and in the anthropological foundations of Eduardo Viveiros de Castro. This article states that as transcendental, this analogical matrix is the condition of possibility of the meaning of alterity and difference—but as analogical works as a transcategorial function that is neither beyond nor before experience, only (...) irreducible to a given explanatory category of judgment or being. This function is figurative, that is, constitutes meaning by an operation of comparison in Viveiros de Castro’s nomenclature, and of supplementation, in Derrida’s terminology. In both cases this function posits difference or equivocation as the main operator. Finally, this article argues that even though they are very similar speculative proposals, analogy works a bit differently for deconstruction and for post-structural anthropology: for the first, analogy is based on a supplementary logic that is only taken to be a formal operation, while for the former, analogy it is treated not only as a formal operation, but also as fixed within the material categories of Amerindian thought. (shrink)

From the scene of the singing cicadas in the _Phaedrus_, we will show the affinities between the mention of the dangerous sleep at noon (_Phdr_. 258e6-259d8) and a mythical episode in the life of Epimenides. Next, we will look at the possible affinities between the description of Dionysian madness (_Phdr_. 244d5-245a1) and the type of divination practiced by Epimenides of Crete (DK 3 B 1-25). From these approaches, we intend to describe and elucidate the common imaginary with which Plato elaborates (...) his reception and assimilation of the archaic poetic tradition in his philosophy. (shrink)

Understanding positive emotions' shared and differentiating features can yield valuable insight into the structure of positive emotion space and identify emotion states, or aspects of emotion states, that are most relevant for particular psychological processes and outcomes. We report two studies that examined core relational themes (Study 1) and expressive displays (Study 2) for eight positive emotion constructs—amusement, awe, contentment, gratitude, interest, joy, love, and pride. Across studies, all eight emotions shared one quality: high positive valence. Distinctive core relational theme (...) and expressive display patterns were found for four emotions—amusement, awe, interest, and pride. Gratitude was associated with a distinct core relational theme but not an expressive display. Joy and love were each associated with a distinct expressive display but their core relational themes also characterised pride and gratitude, respectively. Contentment was associated with a distinct expressive display but not a core relational theme. The implications of this work for the study of positive emotion are discussed. (shrink)

This article describes the current state of knowledge on pro‐environmental behavior in the workplace by analyzing 17 empirical studies that (1) examined individuals' pro‐environmental behavior at work and (2) performed some type of quantitative analysis to explore antecedents of this behavior. Detailed descriptions of these studies are provided in terms of (1) types of pro‐environmental behavior examined, (2) measures of pro‐environmental behavior, (3) internal factors investigated, (4) external factors investigated, (5) samples examined, and (6) theoretical frameworks used. This article further (...) provides researchers interested in this research topic with directions for future research. Using the information presented in this article, future business ethics studies can offer more comprehensive insight into one's decision to engage in various types of pro‐environmental behavior in the workplace and provide important implications for environmental protection. (shrink)

We show a sentence and modal square of opposition and equivalence to be expanded into an hexagon according to oe suggestion from William of Sherwood. This expansión is permittedby two sentence and modal rules.The logical relations of the square allow us to formulate several theorems in order to show a glimpse of the Medieval Logic complexity.

Cooperative, connected and automated mobility technologies have the potential to revolutionize transportation systems and enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability. However, the increasing reliance on digital technologies also introduces new cybersecurity risks that can compromise the safety and privacy of passengers and the integrity of transportation systems. The purpose of this article is to examine the most important threats, vulnerabilities, risks and challenges related to automated mobility and to review the status of the most promising standardization initiatives on cryptography in a (...) world where quantum computers will soon represent an actual threat. (shrink)

En este trabajo se analizan las reflexiones de Ernst Jünger sobre la idea de progreso para, después, ofrecer una hipótesis acerca de las bases metafísicas de este concepto. Para ello, se presenta una lectura de los textos fundamentales de Jünger en torno a esta cuestión, publicados durante la época de entreguerras, en los que el progreso aparece vinculado al desarrollo de la técnica y del nihilismo. Después, se propone una genealogía de la idea de progreso para descubrir sus cimientos filosóficos (...) desde una perspectiva crítica. Por último, se presenta la propuesta de superación del mundo configurado en torno al progreso planteada por Jünger. (shrink)

Este artículo se inscribe en el cruce de la crítica de la cultura, la filosofía política y el pensamiento utópico, y se propone tres objetivos muy concretos: 1º) Mostrar cómo el ejercicio de la dominación implica el control de la temporalidad. 2º) Dar a conocer el diagnóstico efectuado al respecto por la distopía (o utopía negativa, o utopía satírica), subgénero de la ciencia ficción especializado en esbozar representaciones de sistemas políticos explícita o implícitamente totalitarios sitos en el futuro. 3º) Valorar (...) los aciertos y errores de dicho diagnóstico contrastándolo con las transformaciones recientes de la temporalidad ligadas a las formas postmodernas de dominación. (shrink)

La extensiva proliferación de conflictos sociales de grupos que claman exclusión política, indiferencia institucional y menosprecio de sus formas de vida, evidencian la insuficiencia conceptual del fin de la historia del Hegel de Fukuyama. Estos sujetos colectivos no se perciben como parte de la unidad orgánica que es lo social, sino como fragmentos escindidos, carentes de relación con ella. Sugiero que es posible otorgar valor explicativo y ofrecer una solución normativa a esta fractura social mediante el concepto de reconocimiento desarrollado (...) por Hegel en su periodo jenense. Así, como actualización de este concepto, estos conflictos sociales pueden ser entendidos como luchas por el reconocimiento por alguna de sus dimensiones, afectiva, legal y/o social que les ha sido injustamente negada. (shrink)

Alguns autores de Filosofia do Direito, em especial Michel Villey, tentaram apresentar o que pensavam ser a teoria aristotélica da justiça, fundamentando a partir dela suas próprias teorias. Para Villey, em específico, "o direito" seria a correta tradução do grego τὸ δίκαιον. Defender com base em Aristóteles uma concepção de justo que recuse elementos subjetivos de uma teoria da ação é um erro. E esse erro parece estar em ignorar uma redefinição de τὸ δίκαιον feita por Aristóteles no Capítulo 9 (...) do Livro V da Ética Nicomaqueia. Ali, Aristóteles acrescenta às condições objetivas do justo e do injusto (EN V,1-7) algumas condições subjetivas referentes àquele que sofre a ação. Somente após entendermos essas condições seremos capazes de entender corretamente a teoria aristotélica da justiça. Como Villey e outros autores as ignoram, eles erram ao interpretar Aristóteles e utilizá-lo para fundamentar suas próprias ideias. (shrink)

Eunápio de Sardes, em sua Vida dos Sofistas (Eun.VS 6.6.5 – 6.9.15), apresenta a vida de Sosípatra de Pérgamo, uma jovem de poderes divinatórios e clarividentes que se tornou uma filósofa filiada à escola neoplatônica. Em meio às clarividências de Sosípatra, veremos os episódios que a levaram ainda muito jovem às iniciações teúrgicas e algumas poucas cenas adicionais de sua vida adulta. Veremos como o autor retoma lugares comuns derivados da ambiência do Fedro de Platão e, por fim, apresentaremos uma (...) tradução em português anotada para o trecho de Eunápio. (shrink)

El presente artículo se enmarca dentro de la polémica desatada por la postmodernidad, y persigue tres objetivos muy precisos: 1) Tantear los condicionantes subyacentes al giro postmoderno de la emancipación: 2) Determinar, a partir de las críticas elaboradas por Rorty y Zizek, las carencias de las políticas que inspira: 3) Invocar, con los ojos puestos en la actual crisis del capitalismo, el regreso de la teoría y la práctica política reivindicativas al paradigma de la igualdad económica.