In this paper, we review and connect the three essential conditions needed by the collapse model to achieve a complete and exact formulation, namely the theoretical, the experimental, and the ontological ones. These features correspond to the three parts of the paper. In any empirical science, the first two features are obviously connected but, as is well known, among the different formulations and interpretations of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, only collapse models, as the paper well illustrates with a richness of details, (...) have experimental consequences. Finally, we show that a clarification of the ontological intimations of collapse models is needed for at least three reasons: (1) to respond to the indispensable task of answering the question ’what are collapse models (and in general any physical theory) about?’; (2) to achieve a deeper understanding of their different formulations; (3) to enlarge the panorama of possible readings of a theory, which historically has often played a fundamental heuristic role. (shrink)

The Gamer’s Dilemma consists of three intuitively plausible but conflicting assertions: (i) Virtual murder is morally permissible. (ii) Virtual child molestation is morally forbidden. (iii) There is no relevant moral difference between virtual murder and virtual child molestation in computer games. Numerous attempts to resolve (or dissolve) the Gamer’s Dilemma line the field of computer game ethics. Mostly, the phenomenon is approached using expressivist argumentation: Reprehensible virtual actions express something immoral in their performance but are not immoral by themselves. Consequentialists, (...) on the other hand, claim that the immorality of virtual actions arises from their harmful consequences. I argue that both approaches have serious difficulties meeting the moral challenge posed by the Gamer’s Dilemma. They tend to confuse the morality of in-game actions either with the morality of their real-world counterparts or with the morality of games as objects. Following this critical analysis, I will develop a Kantian argument and defend it against two objections. So far, deontological responses to the Gamer’s Dilemma have been sought in vain. Yet, with Kant, its moral challenge can be met by looking at the gamer’s reasons. From this perspective, the Gamer’s Dilemma is based on a false assumption: the moral status of gaming acts does not derive from a normative equation with their real-world counterparts but only from their justifications. (shrink)

Garry Young has made three objections against Sebastian Ostritsch’s endorsement view on the immorality of computer games. In this paper, we want to defend the endorsement view against all three of them.

The exhibition ba [does not equal to] b+a explores the question of how a museum's activities--its mechanisms, modes of operation, and logics--are reflected in the works in its collection. On the occasion of MUSA's tenth anniversary, the museum's program of exhibitions and publications takes a self-reflective turn, shedding light on the specific characteristics of Vienna's municipal art collection, whose origins go back to the 1950s, and raising far-reaching questions concerning the museum as an institution. The assumption underlying the exhibition is (...) that the objects in a museum's collection are crucial to its character. They may seem to be innumerable separate pieces--but the museum is more than their mere juxtaposition. "That which is composed of something in such a way that the whole is a unity," Aristotle writes, "is a unity not as an aggregate is a unity, but as a syllable is. The syllable is not the letters, nor is BA the same as B and A; nor is flesh fire and earth." It is only in the interweaving of the individual components, in their layering and inexhaustible potential constellations, that they engender the necessary density that lets us understand, and interact with, the museum as a living archive. (shrink)

Der private, sehr gefahrdete Bucherbestand Friedrich Nietzsches gilt als ein besonders interessantes Beispiel einer Schriftstellerbibliothek des 19. Jahrhunderts.

In addition to ethical aspects Citizen Science projects also involve social, economic and—not least—regulatory challenges that arise from their very openness and opportunities for participation. So...

The article analyzes the anti-Islamic polemical discourse of Nicetas of Byzantium, one of the most important Byzantine apologists and polemicists flourishing in the intellectual-theological context of Patriarch Photios in Constantinople. This paper crystallizes the main topics of discussion in Nicetas’ Refutation of the Qur’an and presents his argumentation against Islam.To structure and evaluate the wayNicetas perceives Islam, I have developed a methodology of four thematic categories with correspondent polemical subcategories. This research approach may also serve as a paradigm enhancing further (...) studies on other sources related to Christian-Muslim interfaith dialogue. (shrink)

The most recent work toward compiling a comprehensive database of adenosine‐to‐inosine RNA editing events suggests that the potential for RNA editing is much more pervasive than previously thought; indeed, it is manifest in more than 100 million potential editing events located primarily within Alu repeat elements of the human transcriptome. Pairs of inverted Alu repeats are found in a substantial number of human genes, and when transcribed, they form long double‐stranded RNA structures that serve as optimal substrates for RNA editing (...) enzymes. A small subset of edited Alu elements has been shown to exhibit diverse functional roles in the regulation of alternative splicing, miRNA repression, and cis‐regulation of distant RNA editing sites. The low level of editing for the remaining majority may be non‐functional, yet their persistence in the primate genome provides enhanced genomic flexibility that may be required for adaptive evolution. (shrink)

BackgroundObtaining consent has become a standard way of respecting the patient’s rights and autonomy in clinical research. Ethical guidelines recommend that the child’s parent/s or authorised legal guardian provides informed consent for their child’s participation. However, obtaining informed consent in paediatric research is challenging. Parents become vulnerable because of stress related to their child’s illness. Understanding the views held by guardians and researchers about the consent process in Malawi, where there are limitations in health care access and research literacy will (...) assist in developing appropriate consent guidelines.MethodsWe conducted 20 in-depth interviews with guardians of children and research staff who had participated in paediatric clinical trial and observational studies in acute and non-acute settings in the Southern Region of Malawi. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Interviews were compared across studies and settings to identify differences and similarities in participants’ views about informed consent processes. Data analysis was facilitated by NVIVO 11 software.ResultsAll participants across study types and settings reported that they associated participating in research with therapeutic benefits. Substantial differences were noted in the decision-making process across study settings. Guardians from acute studies felt that the role of their spouses was neglected during consenting, while staff reported that they had problems obtaining consent from guardians when their partners were not present. Across all study types and settings, research staff reported that they emphasised the benefits more than the risks of the study to participants, due to pressure to recruit. Participants from non-acute settings were more likely to recall information shared during the consent process than participants in the acute setting.ConclusionThe health care context, culture and research process influenced participants’ understanding of study information across study types and settings. We advise research managers or principal investigators to define minimum requirements that would not compromise the consent process and conduct study specific training for staff. The use of one size fits all consent process may not be ideal. More guidance is needed on how these differences can be incorporated during the consent process to improve understanding and delivery of consent.Trial registration Not applicable. (shrink)

In the current paper we re-examine the concepts of attack semantics and collective attacks in abstract argumentation, and examine how these concepts interact with each other. For this, we systematically map the space of possibilities. Starting with standard argumentation frameworks (which consist of a directed graph with nodes and arrows) we briefly state both node semantics and arrow semantics (the latter a.k.a. attack semantics) in both their extensions-based form and labellings-based form. We then proceed with SETAFs (which consist of a (...) directed hypergraph of nodes and arrows, to take into account the notion of collective attacks) and state both node semantics and arrow semantics, in both their extensions-based and labellings-based form. We then show equivalence between the extensions-based and labellings-based form, for node semantics and arrow semantics of AFs, as well as for node semantics and arrow semantics of SETAFs. Moreover, we show equivalence between node semantics and arrow semantics for AFs, and equivalence between node semantics and arrow semantics for SETAFs (with the notable exception of semi-stable). We also provide a novel way of converting a SETAF to an AF such that semantics are preserved, without the use of any “meta arguments”. Although the main part of our work is on the level of abstract argumentation, we do provide an application of our theory on the instantiated level. More specifically, we show that the classical characterisation of Assumption-Based Argumentation (ABA) can be seen as an instantiation based on a SETAF, whereas the contemporary characterisation of ABA can be seen as an instantiation based on a standard AF. Our theory of how to convert a SETAF to an AF can then be used to account for both the similarities and the differences between the classical and contemporary characterisations of ABA. Most prominently, our theory is able to explain the semantic mismatch for semi-stable semantics that arises in the ABA instantiation process. (shrink)

BackgroundLimited research has been conducted on explanations and understandings of biobanking for future genomic research in African contexts with low literacy and limited healthcare access. We report on the findings of a sub-study on participant understanding embedded in a multi-disease community health screening and biobank platform study known as ‘Vukuzazi’ in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with research participants who had been invited to take part in the Vukuzazi study, including both participants and non-participants, and research staff that (...) worked on the study. The interviews were transcribed, and themes were identified from the interview transcripts, manually coded, and thematically analysed.ResultsThirty-nine individuals were interviewed. We found that the research team explained biobanking and future genomic research by describing how hereditary characteristics create similarities among individuals. However, recollection and understanding of this explanation seven months after participation was variable. The large volume of information about the Vukuzazi study objectives and procedures presented a challenge to participant recall. By the time of interviews, some participants recalled rudimentary facts about the genetic aspects of the study, but many expressed little to no interest in genetics and biobanking.ConclusionParticipant’s understanding of information related to genetics and biobanking provided during the consent process is affected by the volume of information as well as participant’s interest in the subject matter being discussed. We recommend that future studies undertaking biobanking and genomic research treat explanations of this kind of research to participants as an on-going process of communication between researchers, participants and the community and that explanatory imagery and video graphic storytelling should be incorporated into theses explanations as these have previously been found to facilitate understanding among those with low literacy levels. Studies should also avoid having broader research objectives as this can divert participant’s interest and therefore understanding of why their samples are being collected. (shrink)

Immunity has established itself as one of the most exciting and productive conceptual lenses being used in contemporary social theory. Ulbricht’s first book demonstrates why this is the case, through using the imaginary of immunity to explicate a selection of the features of liberal multicultural theory. Influenced by the work of Italian philosopher Robert Esposito, the book traces ideas of tolerance, consensus and rights as they appear across a selection of liberal theoretical interventions. After engaging with an impressive swathe (...) of literature throughout his book, Ulbricht’s critical arrival point is an exciting use of Lefebvrian rhythmanalysis in a bid to supplant universal theories of multiculturalism with a recognition of multiculturalism as an intensely local and ad hoc human experience. (shrink)

Gran parte de los estudios sobre la naturaleza de la cognición social, que también se ha entendido como una perspectiva de se-gunda persona, ha tenido lugar en el marco de la llamada “teoría de la mente”, entendida básicamente como capacidad inferencial de atribución de estados mentales. La fenomenología, por el contrario, advierte la naturaleza corporizada e integrada de la experiencia de sí, lo que permite, consecuentemente, el acceso inmediato a la experiencia vivida del otro. La incorporación de esta comprensión (...) de la cognición social en el ámbito experimental ha planteado un giro interactivo: de perspectivas observacionales y mecanismos individuales a escenarios interactivos y procesos participativos. Este trabajo se propone mostrar tanto el sentido fenomenológico de la cognición social como así también las diversas interpretaciones que han encontrado aplicación en la experimentación neurocientífica en cuanto perspectivas de segunda persona, a fin de evaluar sus aportes y ofrecer posibles tareas aún pendientes.Most of the studies on the nature of social cognition, which has also been understood as second-person perspective, have taken place within the framework of the so-called "theory of mind", basically understood as inferential capacity for attribution of mental states. Phenomenology, on the contrary, shows the embodied and integrated nature of self-experience, which consequently allows immediate access to the lived experience of the other. The incorporation of this understanding of social cognition in the experimental field has proposed an interactive turn: from observational perspectives and individual mechanisms to interactive scenarios and participatory processes. This work aims to show both the phenomenological meaning of social cognition as well as the various interpretations that have found application in neuroscientific experimentation as second-person perspectives, in order to evaluate their contributions and offer possible open tasks. (shrink)

El presente artículo trata de las ideas de inte r pretación e int e g ridad s e gún D w orkin, al tiempo que considera e r róneo el posit i vismo jurídico y sostiene la e xistencia de la objet i vidad moral y jurídica. Así mismo, plantea que la idea de "tomar algo como propio" es esencial para la idea de inte r pretación, y conclu y e a f i r mando que la inte r pretación (...) en el derecho, como en la democracia, se basa en lo que la gente realmente cree. De ahí se deduce que considerar el proceso de e v aluación de las prácticas jurídicas un asunto de "inte r pretación const r uct i v a" resulte en g añoso, ya que lo más llamat i v o de la teoría de la inte r pretación de D w orkin reside simplemente en que ofrece una crítica moral (sólida) de las prácticas e xistentes en relación con una concepción muy abstracta de la igualdad. Esta conclusión se con f i r ma con la distinción que D w orkin esta b lece entre los a r gumentos de "ajuste" y "sustancia" en el razonamiento jurídico, pues está claro que los a r gumentos de ajuste son sólo a r gumentos de sustancia disfrazados. Los a r gumentos en torno al ajuste ganan peso gracias al principio moral basado en el cumplimiento de las e xpectat i v as razona b les y al principio democrático que se basa en la idea de que la l e gislatura tiene el derecho moral de l e gisla r . Las conclusiones generales a las que se ll e ga en el presente ar tículo son que la teoría de la int e g ridad de D w orkin está orientada en la práctica al mundo real y que, de este modo, constitu y e únicamente una teoría de la "s e gunda mejor opción", y que el derecho inspirado en el ideal de justicia si r v e mejor como modelo con el que comparar las teorías del mundo real. En pa r ticula r , en lo que se re f iere al modelo de justicia, jamás se les podría pedir a los jueces que mintieran (como reconoce D w orkin que podría ser el caso de la int e g ridad), se preser v aría la estrecha con e xión entre derecho y justicia en el entendimiento común, y los casos difíciles se entenderían mejor como llama mientos directos a la justicia. (shrink)

Converti au marxisme, en 1919, dans le sillage de György Lukacs, exilé, dès mars 1933, en fuyant le nazisme, en Suisse, en France, en République tchèque et finalement aux États-Unis (1938-1949), Ernst Bloch, auteur du Principe espérance, décide en février 1949 de retourner en Europe et d’accepter la chaire de professeur d’histoire de la philosophie que lui offrait l’Allemagne de l’Est, à l’université de Leipzig. Après avoir appuyé tout d’abord, dans ses conférences, non sans un certain enthousiasme, le projet de (...) la « construction du socialisme », Ernst Bloch sera pourtant vite déçu de la politique des dirigeants de la RDA qui, comme Walter Ulbricht, étaient complètement alignés sur les positions de l’Union soviétique et imitaient, avec zèle, les méthodes staliniennes. Accusé de « révisionnisme » et de liens avec le groupe oppositionnel de W. Harich, préconisant une voie « allemande » et démocratique vers le socialisme, il sera interdit d’enseignement, dès avril 1957. Il quittera la RDA en août 1961, une semaine avant la construction du Mur de Berlin. (shrink)

El f in de este a r tículo es demostrar que las ficciones cartesianas no son necesarias en el ámbito del conocimiento, en pa r ticular del conocimiento económico, el cual se de r iv a del análisis de la red de intereses y decisiones de los sujetos, decisiones que son f r uto del pensamiento común que determina el pensamiento de cada in d i viduo. La secuencia ca r tesiana "pensarse para pensar", en realidad se realiza de modo (...) i n v e r so: "pensar para pensarse", que da lu g ar a un nu e v o concepto de racionalid a d , reflejo de la razón de los ot r os. Esto tiene trascendentes consecuencias: la primera es la r uptura con la idea de e xistencia de un "pensamiento oculto", con el principio de que cada in d i viduo posee unos pensamientos que no pueden ser conocidos por los ot r os ; la s e gunda es también de n e gación del pensamiento estratégico, afín con la competencia económica, pero i r realiza b le dentro del pensamiento común. F inalmente y como f r uto de la incertidumbre dete r minante de las decisiones se ll e ga a la conclusión de que no e xiste tampoco una racionalidad de los ot r os, sino que actúan i r racionalmente con la "i r razón" que promu e v e el futuro incierto. (shrink)

E l conflict o entr e l a democraci a a g r e gat iva (basad a e n e l v alo r igualitari o d e l a r e gla d e l a m a y oría ) y l a deliberat iva (centrad a e n l a fuerz a epistémic a de l mejo r a r gumento) constitu ye un a d e la s principale s tensione s d e l a (...) teorí a contemporáne a d e l a democracia. Est e trabaj o sostien e qu e quiene s dibuja n dich o conflict o l o hace n a pa r ti r d e un a visión e xces iv ament e optimist a de l v alo r mora l d e l a primer a y demasiad o pesimist a de l carácte r no igualitari o d e l a s e gunda . N i l a con e xió n d e l a r e gl a d e l a m a y orí a co n l a igualda d política sería n ta n fue r t e y e xclus iv a , n i l a deliberació n u n proces o controla b l e únicament e po r la búsqued a objet iva d e solucione s política s co r recta s y n o tambié n po r e xigencia s d e justicia procedimental . N o obstante , aunqu e co n una s proporcione s mucho s meno s e xagerada s a la sugeridas , e xistirí a entr e ambo s procedimiento s u n cie r t o g rad o d e incompatibilida d que podría , s i n o superars e po r completo , s í relajars e d e admiti r qu e cualquie r justi f icació n de u n procedimient o d e tom a d e decisione s n o pued e desa r rollars e d e fo r m a completamente abstracta , sin o qu e h a d e ajustars e a l cont e xto. (shrink)

La tesis de este artículo es que tenemosrazones suficientes para considerar losdeícticos un problema para la propuestasemántica de Gottlob Frege. Dividiremosel texto en dos partes: en la primera,expondremos el programa semánt i codel l ógi co al emán por medi o de t rest e s i s e s t r uc t ur ant e s. En l a s e gunda,introduciremos la cuestión de los deícticos,explorando en qué medida representan unproblema para dicho programa. The thesis of (...) this article is that we haveenough reasons to consider indexicals asa problem for Gottlob Frege’s semantic.We will divide the text into two parts: inthe first one, we will expose the semanticprogram of the german logician by meansof three structuring theses. In the secondone, we will introduce the question of theindexicals, exploring how they representa problem for the above mentioned program. (shrink)

Strategische Kommunikation zielt mit ihren kontingenten Wirklichkeitsbeschreibungen seit jeher auf gesellschaftliche Wahrheitsmodelle. Wie häufig gesellschaftliche Wahrheitsmodelle auf strategische Kommunikationsbemühungen zurückgehen, auf Unwahrhaftigkeit beruhen und damit zumindest zeitweise zu strategischen Wahrheiten werden, zeigen eindrucksvoll zwischenzeitlich geglaubte Wahrheiten, die sich als Lüge entpuppt haben: von Walter Ulbrichts "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten" über Hitlers Tagebücher bis hin zu den Massenvernichtungswaffen im Irak. Die erfolgreichen Kampagnen der Brexiteers und von Donald Trump 2016 haben diesem Thema zu neuer und bislang ungeahnter (...) Aufmerksamkeit verholfen. Während die Themen Desinformation und postfaktische Gesellschaft die Journalismus-, politische Kommunikations- und Medienethikforschung aktuell zu dominieren scheinen, ist das Schweigen der deutschsprachigen und internationalen PR- und Organisationskommunikationsforschung auffällig. Dies ist umso bemerkenswerter, weil die PR-Wissenschaft in der Vergangenheit immer wieder versucht hat, ihren Gegenstand zu schärfen, indem sie sich am Begriff der Propaganda abgearbeitet hat. Daraus müsste eigentlich eine Affinität für das Thema Desinformation resultieren. Aber genau das Gegenteil ist offensichtlich der Fall: Hat sich die PR-Wissenschaft gerade deshalb nicht mit Desinformation beschäftigt, weil sie sich so dezidiert von Propaganda und darin eingeschlossenen desinformierenden und manipulativen Techniken abgrenzen will? Was sind die Gründe hierfür? Glauben wir, bereits alles zum Thema gesagt zu haben? Liegt dies daran, dass sich die PR- und Organisationskommunikationsforschung seit jeher vor allem für Unternehmen und weniger für politische und Non-Profit-Organisationen interessiert? Oder fühlen wir uns hier schlicht und ergreifend nicht zuständig? Es scheint offenkundig höchste Zeit zu sein, sich wieder eingehend mit Fragen der Desinformation aus der Perspektive der strategischen Kommunikationsforschung zu befassen. Die Beiträge des Tagungsbandes fokussieren hierzu auf neue theoretische Perspektiven, normative Bewertungen und empirische Befunde. (shrink)

Wolfgang Harich (1923-1995) zahlt zu den wichtigen und streitbaren Intellektuellen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Befreundet mit Georg Lukacs, Bertolt Brecht und Ernst Bloch wirkte er als Philosoph, Historiker, Literaturwissenschaftler und durch sein praktisches politisches Engagement. Letzteres brachte ihm ab 1956 eine achtjahrige Haftstrafe in der DDR ein. Die nachgelassenen Schriften Harichs erscheinen nun erstmals in einer achtbandigen Edition, die das unbequeme Werk des undogmatischen Querdenkers in seiner ganzen Breite widerspiegelt: von seinen Beitragen zur Hegel-Debatte in der DDR uber seine Abrechnung mit (...) der 68er-Bewegung im Westen bis zu seinen Uberlegungen zu einer marxistischen Okologie. Zum vorliegenden Band: Kaum ein Klassiker der Philosophie war in der DDR derart umstritten wie Hegel - von Stalin wurde er als preussischer reaktionarer Staatsphilosoph denunziert, von Georg Lukacs als Anhanger der Franzosischen Revolution positiviert. Wolfgang Harich hat sich immer wieder mit dem Haupttheoretiker des deutschen Idealismus auseinandergesetzt und wurde dafur deutlich von der SED kritisiert. Seine Hegel-Vorlesung von 1951, die in diesem Band zum Abdruck kommt, markiert einen wichtigen Wendepunkt der Diskussionen um Hegel und trug ihm eine Parteiruge und ein Magengeschwur ein. 1956 sollte dann sein Aufsatz zu Hegels 125. Geburtstag in der von ihm geleiteten "Deutschen Zeitschrift fur Philosophie" erscheinen. Die SED liess das bereits fertig gestellte Heft jedoch konfiszieren und vernichtete die Auflage. Die Beitrage von Harich und Ernst Bloch wurden durch Reden von Walter Ulbricht und Kurt Hager ersetzt. Der 5. Band der "Schriften aus dem Nachlass Wolfgang Harichs" enthalt zudem weitere fruhe Texte Harichs zu Hegel, darunter das Gutachten, welches er als Lektor des Aufbau-Verlages anfertigte, um den Druck von Lukacs' "Der junge Hegel" zu ermoglichen. Auch verschiedene Manuskripte aus den spaten sechziger Jahren werden erstmals vorgestellt. Daruber hinaus prasentiert die Edition Aufsatze Harichs zu Heine, Feuerbach und Marx, da sie mit den Hegel-Studien in engem Zusammenhang stehen. Eingeleitet wird der Band durch einen ausfuhrlichen Essay des Herausgebers uber die Hegel-Debatte in der DDR. (shrink)