Recent work has demonstrated how data-driven AI methods can leverage consumer protection by supporting the automated analysis of legal documents. However, a shortcoming of data-driven approaches is poor explainability. We posit that in this domain useful explanations of classifier outcomes can be provided by resorting to legal rationales. We thus consider several configurations of memory-augmented neural networks where rationales are given a special role in the modeling of context knowledge. Our results show that rationales not only contribute to improve the (...) classification accuracy, but are also able to offer meaningful, natural language explanations of otherwise opaque classifier outcomes. (shrink)

In the present paper, we will attempt to gain hints regarding the nature of tactile awareness in humans. At first, we will review some recent literature showing that an actual tactile experience can emerge in absence of any tactile stimulus (e.g., tactile hallucinations, tactile illusions). According to the current model of tactile awareness, we will subsequently argue that such (false) tactile perceptions are subserved by the same anatomo-functional mechanisms known to underpin actual perception. On these bases, we will discuss the (...) hypothesis that tactile awareness is strongly linked to expected rather than actual stimuli. Indeed, this hypothesis is in line with the notion that the human brain has a strong predictive, rather than reactive, nature. (shrink)

This essay discusses the ethical challenges and dilemmas in allocating scarce medical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the German legislative process as a starting point. It is guided by the right to non-discrimination of people with disability and generally contrasts utilitarian and rights-based principles of allocation. Three approaches that were suggested in the German discussion, are presented, the lottery principle, the first come first served principle and the probability to survive principle. Arguments in favour and against each principle are (...) discussed. The focus is on the utilitarian probability to survive principle, which was adopted in German legislation in 2022, and its discriminatory potential against people with disability. The essay suggests ways to mitigate the concerns of discrimination related to the probability to survive principle. It concludes that resolving the triage dilemma requires a balanced approach between utilitarian and rights-based concerns, which promotes both maximising the number of patients surviving and the right not to be discriminated against and be treated equally. It calls for a further debate on how many ethical values such as equity, fairness and non-discrimination we are willing to sacrifice for a higher number of survivors and when we are willing to sacrifice survivors to secure ethical values. (shrink)

Is it possible that children experience something we could judge as the sublime? Some pivotal conjectures have been elicited to positively answer these questions; however, this general topic still stands in need of fuller theoretical and empirical insights. Since taking up this challenge may have important implications in the ever-expanding field of aesthetic education, in this article I will give a philosophical account of the experience of the sublime in 8-10 children, identifying both its plau- sible components and its markers, (...) which opens up future empirical inquiries. (shrink)

While a large body of research has provided quantitative data on children’s levels of happiness, positive emotions and life satisfaction, the literature reflects a dearth of studies that analyze these dimensions from a narrative and qualitative point of view. Folk and fairy tales may serve as ideal tools for this purpose, since they are concerned with several concepts scientifically investigated by research in the field of positive psychology, such as resilience, self-realization, personal growth and meaning in life. The aim of (...) the present study was to explore children’s well-being and positive emotions using an innovative narrative approach, which involved interviews and group discussions, as well as the analysis of fairy tales written and discussed in a group context. The sample included 95 school children who were asked to report and discuss in a group setting situations or experiences which triggered positive emotions and happiness in them. Guided by their teachers and a school psychologist, they were then asked to write their own original fairy tale drawing on the positive emotions that had previously emerged. Positive emotions were found to be triggered mainly by interpersonal relationships with peers as well as with family members. Hobbies and leisure time were also strongly associated with happiness and hedonic well-being, while personal fulfilment, self-esteem and goal achievement emerged as highly significant for children. In sum, the findings suggest that this school psycho-educative intervention based on narrative strategies provided useful information on children’s well-being and yielded positive feedback, the implications and possible further applications of which are discussed. (shrink)

We survey the literature that has explored the implications of decision-making under ambiguity for financial market outcomes, such as portfolio choice and equilibrium asset prices. This ambiguity literature has led to a number of significant advances in our ability to rationalize empirical features of asset returns and portfolio decisions, such as the failure of the two-fund separation theorem in portfolio decisions, the modest exposure to risky securities observed for a majority of investors, the home equity preference in international portfolio diversification, (...) the excess volatility of asset returns, the equity premium and the risk-free rate puzzles, and the occurrence of trading break-downs. (shrink)

At Columbia University in 1906, William James gave a highly confrontational speech to the American Philosophical Association (APA). He ignored the technical philosophical questions the audience had gathered to discuss and instead addressed the topic of human energy. Tramping on the rules of academic decorum, James invoked the work of amateurs, read testimonials on the benefits of yoga and alcohol, and concluded by urging his listeners to take up this psychological and physiological problem. What was the goal of this unusual (...) speech? Rather than an oddity, Francesca Bordogna asserts that the APA address was emblematic—it was just one of many gestures that James employed as he plowed through the barriers between academic, popular, and pseudoscience, as well as the newly emergent borders between the study of philosophy, psychology, and the “science of man.” Bordogna reveals that James’s trespassing of boundaries was an essential element of a broader intellectual and social project. By crisscrossing divides, she argues, James imagined a new social configuration of knowledge, a better society, and a new vision of the human self. As the academy moves toward an increasingly interdisciplinary future, William James at the Boundaries reintroduces readers to a seminal influence on the way knowledge is pursued. (shrink)

é quase natural associarmos a fenomenologia a uma filosofia da consciência. A pretensão de Husserl de realizar um idealismo transcendental tendo o ego transcendental como o fundamento da razão não nos deixa muitas brechas para pensarmos diferente. O modo como Husserl foi lido na França também não nos ajuda a pensar de outro modo. Entretanto, seu aluno, Martin Heidegger, parece propor algo diferente. Sim, a consciência é uma questão fundamental do pensamento filosófico. Mas seria preciso reduzir a filosofia a uma (...) questão sobre a consciência? Esse texto busca mostrar que não. Seria possível pensarmos a fenomenologia de um outro modo. (shrink)

Em 1963, Derrida criticatrês páginas da A história da loucura naidade clássica (1961) de Foucault. Trata-se da interpretação de Foucault deuma passagem da Primeira Meditação deDescartes. Segundo Derrida, a leitura de Foucault está mergulhada no que eledenomina metafísica da presença. Istoé, apesar de se tratarem apenas de três páginas, para Derrida, Foucault não étão radical em sua obra ao pensar na noção de episteme, não vendo certa continuidade na tradição filosófica noque concerne ao seu fundamento: a presença viva. O que (...) isto significa; comoFoucault busca responder a este tipo de crítica; e, em que medida podemospensar que Foucault ainda estaria preso às amarras da filosofia da presença é oque buscamos investigar nesse texto. (shrink)

Issues of race have traditionally been addressed in medical school curricula in a didactic manner. However, medical school curricula often lack adequate opportunity for the application of learning material relating to race and culture. When confronted with acts of racism in clinical settings, students are left unprepared to respond appropriately and effectively. Forum Theatre offers a dynamic platform by which participants are empowered to actively engage with and become part of the performance. When used in an educational context, Forum Theatre (...) can be a powerful tool for students to interact with a wide variety of social issues. This paper describes the process by which one medical school designed a workshop in the Forum Theatre style to equip students to respond to racism observed in clinical settings. Based on real student experiences, the Responding to Racism in the Clinical Setting workshop was designed to give students an opportunity to combine cultural humility, communication theory and conflict resolution skills in order to prepare for interactions in clinical stages of medical education. As a result of workshop evaluations, surveys, and written reflections, the authors propose that Forum Theatre is a novel teaching modality for incorporating issues of race and culture into medical curriculum. (shrink)

A cavallo tra i due concili di Costanza e Basilea, che hanno fortemente influito sul giudizio della Chiesa in relazione alle donne visionarie, si staglia la figura di Francesca Bussa dei Ponziani. Le visioni politiche di Francesca rappresentano un fulgido esempio di come i modelli brigidini e cateriniani siano stati ripresi e rimodellati su un nuovo, mutato contesto storico. La sua consolidata autorità le consentì di ammonire a più riprese papa Eugenio IV riguardo alla sua partecipazione al concilio (...) di Basilea, intervenendo attivamente nello scenario religioso e politico romano. (shrink)

This paper is a critical response to Andreas Bartels’ sophisticated defense of a structural account of scientific representation. We show that, contrary to Bartels’ claim, homomorphism fails to account for the phenomenon of misrepresentation. Bartels claims that homomorphism is adequate in two respects. First, it is conceptually adequate, in the sense that it shows how representation differs from misrepresentation and non-representation. Second, if properly weakened, homomorphism is formally adequate to accommodate misrepresentation. We question both claims. First, we show that homomorphism (...) is not the right condition to distinguish representation from misrepresentation and non-representation: a “representational mechanism” actually does all the work, and it is independent of homomorphism – as of any structural condition. Second, we test the claim of formal adequacy against three typical kinds of inaccurate representation in science which, by reference to a discussion of the notorious billiard ball model, we define as abstraction, pretence, and simulation. We first point out that Bartels equivocates between homomorphism and the stronger condition of epimorphism, and that the weakened form of homomorphism that Bartels puts forward is not a morphism at all. After providing a formal setting for abstraction, pretence and simulation, we show that for each morphism there is at least one form of inaccurate representation which is not accommodated. We conclude that Bartels’ theory – while logically laying down the weakest structural requirements – is nonetheless formally inadequate in its own terms. This should shed serious doubts on the plausibility of any structural account of representation more generally. (shrink)

In recent years, bioethical discourse around the topic of ‘genetic enhancement’ has become increasingly politicized. We fear there is too much focus on the semantic question of whether we should call particular practices and emerging bio-technologies such as CRISPR ‘eugenics’, rather than the more important question of how we should view them from the perspective of ethics and policy. Here, we address the question of whether ‘eugenics’ can be defended and how proponents and critics of enhancement should engage with each (...) other. (shrink)

Normal and pathological are conceptions that seem to have a well-defined status in common sense. However, it is remarkable how few reflections we can find about this topic. Health sciences often adopt a statistic conception that can be measure in laboratory. For that, it would be necessary to have clear what is pathological. However, medicine finds itself in situations in which an ideal of normality cannot serve as guide in determining pathology. Psychiatry faces this problem when create a diagnostic manual. (...) Primarily we will reflect on how Frances justifies his utilitarian use of the notion of normal to establish DSM in its fourth version. Nevertheless, in medicine’s history there is a conception of normal and pathological that has not been carried forward, but still has a potential. It is about a reflection of Goldstein on the organism. What if we thought the normal as an action of establishing norms? (shrink)

Por razones de modificación en la estructura económica y política y ante la evidencia que el Estado fue retrayéndose de sus actividades de regulación y control sobre la vida política y social, comenzaron a crecer las llamadas "organizaciones sin fines de lucro". Nos encontramos con una coincidente proliferación de las ONG de diversos ámbitos durante décadas del '80 y '90 con diferentes objetivos, estructuras de instituirse y relacionarse, formas de relacionarse y subsistir que acompañan y son acompañadas de las normativas (...) tanto institucionales como nacionales. La impronta de fuerza que estas organizaciones sociales, llamadas ONG, y sus particulares dinámicas, no hizo más que estabilizar el imaginario de la omnipotencia y omnipresencia de los organismos internacionales de créditos, debido a que en su accionar también acentuaron las ineficiencias e ineficacias del Estado. La lectura que se intenta hacer es de vislumbrar lo que se escabulle en la construcción de las subjetividades sobre este esfuerzo mancomunado que la sociedad argentina realizó, quizás de forma atomizada y fragmentada, pero igualmente prolífero en expansión de ciertos valores sociales, en un contexto de creciente imaginario colectivo de individualismo, exitismo y consumismo. (shrink)

The goal of this article is to introduce a philosophical analysis of a widely neglected condition which affects between 3% and 18% of the population. People affected by this condition experience a lower level of wellbeing than the average population and are discriminated against in both their professional and their personal life. I will argue that this form of discrimination should be taken more seriously in philosophical debate and that social, legal and medical measures ought to be taken in order (...) to improve the quality of life of people affected by this condition. (shrink)

Studying trust in the context of human-robot interaction is of great importance given the increasing relevance and presence of robotic agents in the social sphere, including educational and clinical. We investigated the acquisition, loss and restoration of trust when preschool and school-age children played with either a human or a humanoid robot in-vivo. The relationship between trust and the representation of the quality of attachment relationships, Theory of Mind, and executive function skills was also investigated. Additionally, to outline children’s beliefs (...) about the mental competencies of the robot, we further evaluated the attribution of mental states to the interactive agent. In general, no substantial differences were found in children’s trust in the play-partner as a function of agency (human or robot). Nevertheless, 3-years-olds showed a trend toward trusting the human more than the robot, as opposed to 7-years-olds, who displayed the reverse pattern. These findings align with results showing that, for 3 and 7-year-olds, the cognitive ability to switch was significantly associated with trust restoration in the human and the robot, respectively. Additionally, supporting previous findings, we found a dichotomy between attributions of mental states to the human and robot and children’s behavior: while attributing to the robot significantly lower mental states than the human, in the trusting game children behaved in a similar way when they related to the human and the robot. Altogether, the results of this study highlight that similar psychological mechanisms are at play when children are to establish a novel trustful relationship with a human and robot partner. Furthermore, the findings shed light on the interplay – during development – between children’s quality of attachment relationships and the development of a Theory of Mind, which act differently on trust dynamics as a function of the children’s age as well as the interactive partner’s nature (human vs. robot). (shrink)

Cryonics—also known as cryopreservation or cryosuspension—is the preservation of legally dead individuals at ultra-low temperatures. Those who undergo this procedure hope that future technology will not only succeed in reviving them, but also cure them of the condition that led to their demise. In this sense, some hope that cryopreservation will allow people to continue living indefinitely. This book discusses the moral concerns of cryonics, both as a medical procedure and as an intermediate step toward life extension. In particular, Minerva (...) analyses the moral issues surrounding cryonics-related techniques by focusing on how they might impact the individuals who undergo cryosuspension, as well as society at large. (shrink)

Con la obra de Poliziano se refuerza la idea de la existencia de un topos que, por su valencia de significado es adoptado por toda una serie de artistas que de alguna manera expresan en él su propia adhesión a la idea platónica de naturaleza, de lugar metafísico, ideal y abstracto. El "jardín", modelo instrumental y racionalizado, muestra el gusto de finales del siglo XV, que impregna todos los ámbitos de la creatividad, hasta el punto de que la Naturaleza termina (...) siendo una creación de la mente humana. El autor describe en este trabajo cómo el horizonte estético y filosófico trazado por Poliziano en sus Stanze, cuyos valores y gustos recrea, puede tomarse como clave para sondear la extrema complejidad del siglo XV. © Centro de Investigaciones sobre Vico. Cuadernos sobre Vico - Todos los derechos reservados. (shrink)

In this article, we intend to show how Merleau-Ponty’s reflections originated in Husserlian phenomenology without, however, being restricted by its general outline. This is due to his assimilation of the contemporaneous works of the Gestalt theorists, and to his original analysis of Husserl’s work, an analysis which draws its inspiration from a certain tradition that endeavors to think the concrete. We will begin with Merleau-Ponty’s definition of phenomenology and the necessity of retrieving a “lived world”, a discussion that will allow (...) us to enter into his debate with the Gestalt theorists. In turn, this will enable us to see how he restructured his reading of Husserl, leading him to think the subject of perception in bodily terms. (shrink)

Friedrich von Hayek’s Unfinished Draft of a Sketch of a Biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein was the first attempt at the task of assembling a comprehensible picture of the life of his pre-eminent cousin, Ludwig Wittgenstein. As the title might suggest, von Hayek never finished this task, his efforts being stymied by both Wittgenstein’s literary executors and Wittgenstein’s sister, Margaret Stonborough. Here, and for the first time, Christian Erbacher presents the first real publication of this draft, with accompanying commentary, and an (...) afterword by Allan Janik. Perhaps the best way to describe Erbacher’s work here is as a ‘biography of a biography’. His introduction to von Hayek’s manuscript details the story behind its creation, beginning with an outline of von Hayek’s own relationship with Wittgenstein, and the parallels between their academic careers. In doing so, Erbacher not only also describes the history of von Hayek’s sketch, but also the history of Wittgenstein-biography as a genre in itself. For what emerges from Erbacher’s extensive work in researching the von Hayek sketch is that, despite never coming to fruition itself, the work that von Hayek put into collecting the materials for writing a biography of Wittgenstein was hugely influential in all future endeavours of chronicling Wittgenstein’s life. (shrink)

Resumo: Como escolher um exemplo? O que se passa como um simples dado pode ser o mais complexo: o critério de escolha. Alguns casos servem de exemplo e outros não. Por quê? O objetivo deste texto é tentar dar algum critério para esse tipo de escolha. O caminho escolhido para tal foi tomar um caso da psicopatologia freudiana: o caso Dora. Por que esse caso é considerado o exemplo de histeria? Para responder a essa questão, recorre-se ao pensamento de Agamben, (...) principalmente quando se diferencia o exemplo da exceção; além de outros pensadores contemporâneos, recorre-se também a Foucault, quando este nos mostra o que seria o pensamento do exterior. O texto busca determinar por que o exemplo recai no caso de singularidade - algo que nem é particular e nem universal. Há um paradigma em dar um exemplo: nem todos valem. Por quê?: How to choose an example? What happens in dealing with simple data could in fact be the most complex of things: the criterion of choice. Some cases are examples and others are not. Why? The purpose of this text is to try to give some criteria for this sort of choice. The path chosen for this was to take a case of Freudian psychopathology: the case of Dora. Why is this case considered an example of hysteria? To answer this question, we recurr to Agamben’s ideas, especially his distinction between example and exception. Foucault’s “thought from outside” is also discussed, along with the ideas of other thinkers. The text seeks to determine why an example lies in a case of singularity - something that is neither particular nor universal. There is a paradigm in providing an example: not all are worthwhile. Why? (shrink)

O texto busca questionar a posição do filósofo Badiou quando ele afirma que a ontologia é as matemáticas. Badiou parte de uma concepção de que teríamos duas vozes sobre o ser. Por um lado, poderíamos pensar como Heidegger: para se fazer uma ontologia seria preciso buscar a essência da linguagem; por outro, poderíamos pensar como Badiou que concebe as matemáticas sendo a própria ontologia. O texto não pretende desenvolver a concepção de Badiou, mas questioná-la. Para isso, busco retomar o pensamento (...) heideggeriano e mostrar como sua concepção parte de um questionamento sobre o espírito matemático ao contrário de Badiou que assume como verdadeiro o axioma: “matemáticas = ontologia”. (shrink)

Las críticas de Paul Ricoeur a la jerarquización de las instancias de la temporeidad en Ser y Tiempo nos conducen al análisis de la posibilidad y permanencia de la propiedad para el Dasein cotidiano en el nivel de la historicidad. Esta modalidad permite, en Heidegger, una historia propia, que se distingue de la historiografía tradicional en el uso vital que de ella hace el Dasein. Aquí es crucial la influencia de la Historia crítica de Friedrich Nietzsche. A lo largo de (...) este recorrido podremos también observar el problema de la movilidad de la existencia desde el punto de vista ontológico y el epistémico. (shrink)