We argue that a fashionable interpretation of the theory of natural selection as a claim exclusively about populations is mistaken. The interpretation rests on adopting an analysis of fitness as a probabilistic propensity which cannot be substantiated, draws parallels with thermodynamics which are without foundations, and fails to do justice to the fundamental distinction between drift and selection. This distinction requires a notion of fitness as a pairwise comparison between individuals taken two at a time, and so vitiates the interpretation (...) of the theory as one about populations exclusively. (shrink)

Ecological fitness has been suggested to provide a unifying definition of fitness. However, a metric for this notion of fitness was in most cases unavailable except by proxy with differential reproductive success. In this article, I show how differential persistence of lineages can be used as a way to assess ecological fitness. This view is inspired by a better understanding of the evolution of some clonal plants, colonial organisms, and ecosystems. Differential persistence shows the limitation of an ensemblist noncausal understanding (...) of evolution. Causal explanations are necessary to understand the evolution by natural selection of these biological systems. †To contact the author write to: Department of Philosophy, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Station Centre‐Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7 Canada; e‐mail: [email protected]. (shrink)

Following Wallace’s suggestion, Darwin framed his theory using Spencer’s expression “survival of the fittest”. Since then, fitness occupies a significant place in the conventional understanding of Darwinism, even though the explicit meaning of the term ‘fitness’ is rarely stated. In this paper I examine some of the different roles that fitness has played in the development of the theory. Whereas the meaning of fitness was originally understood in ecological terms, it took a statistical turn in terms of reproductive success throughout (...) the 20th Century. This has lead to the ever-increasing importance of sexually reproducing organisms and the populations they compose in evolutionary explanations. I will argue that, moving forward, evolutionary theory should look back at its ecological roots in order to be more inclusive in the type of systems it examines. Many biological systems can only be satisfactorily accounted for by offering a non-reproductive account of fitness. This argument will be made by examining biological systems with very small or transient population structures. I argue this has significant consequences for how we define Darwinism, increasing the significance of survival over that of reproduction. (shrink)

Geron recently announced that it had begun enrolling patients in the world's first-in-human clinical trial involving cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). This trial raises important questions regarding the future of hESC-based therapies, especially in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. We address some safety and efficacy concerns with this research, as well as the ethics of fair subject selection. We consider other populations that might be better for this research: chronic complete SCI patients for a safety trial, subacute (...) incomplete SCI patients for an efficacy trial, and perhaps primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients for a combined safety and efficacy trial. (shrink)

Catastrophe now forms part of our daily lives, as though the apocalypse could hit us every morning. Yet this crazed relation to the world is legitimate, constructed and not imaginary, entirely coherent with the postmodern socius. A biopolitics of catastrophe has come into being, in the attempt to include this new given and thereby conjure away the risks that, for Ulrich Beck, compose the measuring-stick of our post-progressive societies. However, by its very practices, this biopolitics seems to block the advent (...) of an ecopolitics that could act on the causes and not the effects of the injury that we are already suffering. (shrink)

Ces dix perspectives possibles pour l’Europe ne concluent pas le dossier, elles ouvrent le débat. Elles se veulent proposer des visions marquées par la raison mais aussi par la passion fédérale. Il faut que naissent des « tribuns » européens qui donnent à l’Europarlement un rôle prépondérant sur le Conseil et la Commission. Il est nécessaire d’étendre ses compétences à des sujets de société (les violences sexuelles, l’écologie) et des sujets éminemment stratégiques comme la guerre. L’Europe doit s’ouvrir au lieu (...) d’organiser la fermeture de ses frontières extérieures sous le joug de discours racistes. Les migrations internationales lui sont vitales, pour des raisons économiques et démographiques. Et puis, elle connaît une mutation extraordinaire de l’emploi. Quand la question d’un revenu universel européen financé directement par l’Union comme puissant vecteur de rattrapage et de fédéralisation des politiques sociales sera-t-elle intégrée dans les programmes d’une gauche européenne pour reconquérir les couches populaires perdues? (shrink)

This article reflects upon the notion of biopower deriving from Paul Rabinow’s work French DNA. This book undertakes an analysis of the relations between biotechnologies analysis of the relation between biotechnologies and bioethics in France informed by Foucault’s concept of biopower. We can retain two theses from this account: biotechnologies pluralise biopower and take it to the limit towards beings situated at the limits of life; bioethics fails to constitute a biopolitics because it is a discourse of sacralisation and not (...) one of resistance. Beyond these two theses, we must apply the concept of biopower to recent transformations in the sciences of life. (shrink)

La notion de «catégorie» traverse de manière centrale l�histoire de la philosophie depuis sa première formulation par Aristote. Elle tient une place importante dans la logique développée par Husserl. Cet article a pour visée de montrer comment, au-delà d�une simple exposition d�ontologie formelle, les catégories relèvent de la constitution transcendantale. Comme tout objet, réel ou idéel, les catégories sont corrélées à un ensemble structuré d�actes intentionnels qui peut rendre compte de leur émergence et de leur thématisation explicite. Cela permettra de (...) montrer que la problématique de la constitution chez Husserl, que l�on situe à partir du tournant transcendantal de 1907, est déjà bien amorcée à l�époque des Recherches logiques. (shrink)

With its recent multi-partner environmental negotiations, France has sketched the outlines of a new growth model and a new regulation of capitalism, complete with the behavioral norms required by this model. Andre Gorz predicted all that, from 1974 onwards. To read Gorz is to understand the gradual onset of a biopolitical capitalism, an endurable capitalism. His texts are an assertion of autonomy, against what Illich called « the bureaucratic management of human survival ». With Gorz, we necessarily declare ourselves anti-capitalist. (...) A true understanding of political ecology knows that life cannot be capitalized. (shrink)

The European Constitution risks promoting a Europe cut off from two fundamental realities : the multitudes and the world. A double denial that could only be carried out in the form of a deadly neonationalism. In the face of that, let us recall that a Constitution is only one element in the self-organization of our societies. In the framework of the Great Deterritorialization of the planet, societies must now compose forms of reterritorialization open to the worlds that overflow them, and (...) they must give rights to all the forms of life they include. This inclusion, which is not assimilation, is what the author calls residence. A Europe able to encourage the powers of being would be quite the opposite of a power-hungry Europe. (shrink)

Economy, politics and ontology are entered into conjunction; immanency situation discribed by Empire’s authors. Our interrogation will be based on two hypotheses: 1°) immanency is the liberation of an infinity of outsides; 2°) desire of the multitude includes a counter-desire which prefers rest to movement, and reterritorialisation to deterritorialisation. How to deal with such a counter-desire?

We have the idea that philosophy is an unemotional way of considering human knowledge and testing its reliable logics. Is it not an essentially impersonal attempt to discover abiding truths and their orderly, more or less necessary, connection? The philosophers we are incited to respect are those whose logic is least susceptible to charges of idiosyncrasy and whose arguments are clean of rhetoric. When Russell remarked ‘the worse the logic, the more interesting the results,’ was he not warning us against (...) looking to him for entertaining theories or pyrotechnic display? Flashiness, we were intended to gather, is not a happy method in philosophy; the brightest are those who are not ashamed to be dull; our passion is best reserved for the dispassionate. Roughly speaking, one gathers, all philosophical objects are colourless. (shrink)

Le missionnaire et ethnologue Maurice Leenhardt affirme que le sujet n’existe pas dans la culture kanak précoloniale de Nouvelle Calédonie, et que seule la conversion au christianisme en assure l’émergence. La faille méthodologique de cet auteur consiste à induire des carences cognitives à partir de faits linguistiques. En réalité, le statut de sujet n’est pas absent de l’univers kanak, mais ce sont ses modalités d’expression et d’assomption qui sont inédites pour un regard occidental.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain (...) in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

Cette introduction au dossier de la Mineure donne le ton. Non, l’avenir de l’Europe n’est pas d’être un objet politique lâche, rancunier, nationaliste et fermé. Les auteurs déconstruisent une à une quelques idées fausses qui courent le long de la campagne électorale. Non, l’Europe n’est pas anti-démocratique. L’Europarlement est le seul à être élu directement par l’ensemble des citoyens du continent. Non, l’Europe n’est pas libérale, l’État-providence existe. Mais elle doit opérer des révolutions, dans le domaine du droit des femmes, (...) de l’écologie, des migrations, de la défense, de la garantie d’un revenu. Seul le saut fédéral et l’invention démocratique permettront l’aboutissement de ces grands chantiers. (shrink)

La physique sociale commence, dans le Cours, par prendre acte du cercle où s’enferme la modernité: l’esprit critique refuse toute perspective d’organisation sociale; l’esprit rétrograde refuse l’idée même de progrès. Comte, progressiste, considère que l’on ne pourra sortir de ce cercle qu’en assumant l’héritage des rétrogrades, de manière à dépasser le danger qu’enveloppe la critique. Notre époque, totalement révolutionnaire, n’a d’autre horizon que sa propre critique. Or, ce qu’enseigne le Moyen-Âge interprété par les rétrogrades, c’est que sans horizon positif, la (...) critique nécessairement en vient à faire le jeu de la force, et en ce sens à détruire la société. C’est donc la comparaison des rétrogrades et des révolutionnaires qui, non seulement justifie le recours au concept de pouvoir spirituel, mais permet de mesurer ce que devient une société qui prétend s’en passer. (shrink)

Résumé Le 3 octobre 2011, les zombies ont marché sur Wall Street. Cette parade carnavalesque, inspirée par les films de George A. Romero, agite les fantômes des laissés pour compte du capitalisme global. Mais le mythe du zombie est aussi le symbole d’une force politique informe, qui résiste à toute organisation, et sur laquelle se réfléchissent les désirs morts-vivants d’une société.

Il ne suffit plus de s'interroger sur l'art littéraire mis au service de la composition des récits bibliques ; il faut poser aux textes eux-mêmes la question de la littérature, discerner l'effet de la littérature sur ce qu'on appelle la Bible. Car la littérature n'est pas un simple effet construit, mais d'abord, culturellement, un mode d'expression qui induit également une réception, une compréhension de ce qu'il exprime. L'exemple de l'appel d'Abraham et de la “ ligature d'Isaac ”, le rappel de (...) la création et la figure de Job ouvrent à cette dimension littéraire essentielle à la Bible qui ne se contente pas d'échanger ou de transmettre des expériences, mais se définit elle-même comme expérience ou épreuve adressée à ses lecteurs.It is no longer enough to question oneself about literary art put to the service of the composition of biblical narratives. One must put the question of literature to the texts themselves, discern the effect of literature on that which one calls the Bible. For literature is just no simply composed, but above all a cultural type of expression that calls for a reception, an understanding of that which it expresses. The examples of the call of Abraham, and the "binding of Isaac ", the recall of creation and the figure of job, give this a literary dimension that is essential to the Bible, which does not stop at exchanging or transmitting some experiences, but defines itself as experience or test addressed to its readers. (shrink)

La physique sociale commence, dans le Cours, par prendre acte du cercle où s’enferme la modernité : l’esprit critique refuse toute perspective d’organisation sociale ; l’esprit rétrograde refuse l’idée même de progrès. Comte, progressiste, considère que l’on ne pourra sortir de ce cercle qu’en assumant l’héritage des rétrogrades, de manière à dépasser le danger qu’enveloppe la critique. Notre époque, totalement révolutionnaire, n’a d’autre horizon que sa propre critique. Or, ce qu’enseigne le Moyen-Âge interprété par les rétrogrades, c’est que sans horizon (...) positif, la critique nécessairement en vient à faire le jeu de la force, et en ce sens à détruire la société. C’est donc la comparaison des rétrogrades et des révolutionnaires qui, non seulement justifie le recours au concept de pouvoir spirituel, mais permet de mesurer ce que devient une société qui prétend s’en passer. Sociology begins by taking account of the circle in which modernity is caught. The critical stance refuses any prospect of social organisation ; the counter-revolutionary stance refuses the very idea of progress. As a progressive, Comte feels that, in order to find a way out and to overcome the danger involved in the critical way of thinking, we need to accept the conservative heritage. Our time is totally revolutionary and its horizon is only critical. The middle ages, as seen by the counter-revolutionaries, taught us that, without a positive horizon, the critical stance necessarily comes to side with force and, in the long run, to destroy society. It is therefore the comparison between conservatives and revolutionaries which not only justifies the use of the concept of spiritual power, but allows us to see what happens to a society which pretends to do without it. (shrink)

L’article étudie le mouvement vers un« grand renfermement » des « folles », notamment des « hystériques », qui culminaau tournant des xixe et xxe siècles. Les mesures de placement étaient de la responsabilité des maires et du préfet qui les confiaient aux aliénistes des asiles rouennais. La psychiatrisation des « vagabondes » contribuait ainsi au maintien de l’ordre à l’intérieur de la ville deRouen mais aussi à atténuer la « nocivité » des migrations des femmes aliénées indigentes, journalières ou (...) ouvrières du textile, autour de la capitale de la Haute-Normandie. De renommée régionale ou nationale, les aliénistes qui se succédèrent à la tête de ces asiles produisirent des études statistiques et des observations qui confortaient l’hypothèse que les pathologies féminines avaient des causes sociales et ne pouvaient trouver d’autre solution que l’isolement. (shrink)