Argumentation as the public exchange of reasons is widely thought to enhance deliberative interactions that generate and justify reasonable public policies. Adopting an argumentation-theoretic perspective, we survey the norms that should govern public argumentation and address some of the complexities that scholarly treatments have identified. Our focus is on norms associated with the ideals of correctness and participation as sources of a politically legitimate deliberative outcome. In principle, both ideals are mutually coherent. If the information needed for a correct deliberative (...) outcome is distributed among agents, then maximising participation increases information diversity. But both ideals can also be in tension. If participants lack competence or are prone to biases, a correct deliberative outcome requires limiting participation. The central question for public argumentation, therefore, is how to strike a balance between both ideals. Rather than advocating a preferred normative framework, our main purpose is to illustrate the complexity of this theme. (shrink)

Recently, psychological phenomena have been expanded to new domains, crisscrossing boundaries of organizational levels, with the emergence of areas such as social personality and ecosystem learning. In this contribution, we analyze the ascription of an individual-based concept (personality) to the social level. Although justified boundary crossings can boost new approaches and applications, the indiscriminate misuse of concepts refrains the growth of scientific areas. The concept of social personality is based mainly on the detection of repeated group differences across a population, (...) in a direct transposition of personality concepts from the individual to the social level. We show that this direct transposition is problematic for avowing the nonsensical ascription of personality even to simple electronic devices. To go beyond a metaphoric use of social personality, we apply the organizational approach to a review of social insect communication networks. Our conceptual analysis shows that socially self-organized systems, such as isolated ant trails and bee’s recruitment groups, are too simple to have social personality. The situation is more nuanced when measuring the collective choice between nest sites or foraging patches: some species show positive and negative feedbacks between two or more self-organized social structures so that these co-dependent structures are inter-related by second-order, social information systems, complying with a formal requirement for having social personality: the social closure of constraints. Other requirements include the decoupling between individual and social dynamics, and the self-regulation of collective decision processes. Social personality results to be sometimes a metaphorical transposition of a psychological concept to a social phenomenon. The application of this organizational approach to cases of learning ecosystems, or evolutionary learning, could help to ground theoretically the ascription of psychological properties to levels of analysis beyond the individual, up to meta-populations or ecological communities. (shrink)

Most arguments for moral vegetarianism rely on the premise that non-human animals can suffer. In this paper I evaluate problems that arise from Peter Carruthers’ Higher-Order Thought theory of consciousness. I argue that, even if we assume that these problems cannot be overcome, it does not follow that we should not subscribe to moral vegetarianism. I conclude that we should act as if non-human animals have subjective experiences for moral reasons, even if we cannot be certain that they do.

In the book The Insect Societies, Wilson proposed categories of sociality that were presented as a landmark unification of terminology in the study of social behavior. Since then, many new behavioral patterns have been described, but they could not be fitted into any of the available categories, undermining the consensus around that well-established classification. New general classifications tried to circumvent the limitations shown by Wilson’s categorization, but with little success. Among the proposals, some maintain the form of discrete categorization, while (...) others advance a quantitative model to characterize sociality. These proposals have failed to clarify the use of the categories of sociality, and none of them has become widely accepted or overcome the problems faced by the classification of social behaviors. Here we explore whether an analysis of types of concepts proposed by Carnap can help to move forward in this discussion. His distinction between qualitative concepts and quantitative concepts is used here as an epistemological basis for analyzing the development of the proposed conceptual changes and classifications of sociality. Recently, social behavior has come to be considered a complex phenomenon, and quantitative concepts could bring a lot of informative data to understanding its development and perhaps its evolution. We conclude that a new metric of sociality should be built, using characteristics that are nonarbitrary, evolutionarily meaningful, and amenable to comparing all social animals. Finally, we advocate for an integrative view of social complexity based on individuals’ interactions as a useful metric of sociality. This approach still needs further development. (shrink)

Peter Abelard (1079–1142 ce) was the most wide‐ranging philosopher of the twelfth century. He quickly established himself as a leading teacher of logic in and near Paris shortly after 1100. After his affair with Heloise, and his subsequent castration, Abelard became a monk, but he returned to teaching in the Paris schools until 1140, when his work was condemned by a Church Council at Sens. His logical writings were based around discussion of the “Old Logic”: Porphyry's Isagoge, aristotle'S Categories and (...) On Interpretation and boethius'S textbook on topical inference. They comprise a freestanding Dialectica (“Logic”; probably c.1116), a set of commentaries (known as the Logica [Ingredientibus], c. 1119) and a later (c. 1125) commentary on the Isagoge (Logica Nostrorum Petititoni Sociorum or Glossulae). In a work Abelard called his Theologia, issued in three main versions (between 1120 and c.1134), he attempted a logical analysis of trinitarian relations and explored the philosophical problems surrounding God's claims to omnipotence and omniscience. The Collationes (“Debates,” also known as “Dialogue between a Christian, a Philosopher and a Jew”; probably c.1130) present a rational investigation into the nature of the highest good, in which the Christian and the Philosopher (who seems to be modeled on a philosopher of pagan antiquity) are remarkably in agreement. The unfinished Scito teipsum (“Know thyself,” also known as the “Ethics”; c.1138) analyses moral action. (shrink)

The suppression of the Modus Ponens inference is described as a loss of confidence in the conclusion C of an argument “If A1 then C; If A2 then C; A1” where A2 is a requirement for C to happen. It is hypothesised that this loss of confidence is due to the derivation of the conversational implicature “there is a chance that A2 might not be satisfied”, and that different syntactic introductions of the requirement A2 (e.g., “If C then A2”) will (...) lead to various frequencies in the derivation of this implicature, according to previous studies in the field of causal explanation. An experiment is conducted, whose results support those claims. Results are discussed in the light of the Mental Logic and Mental Model theories, as well as in the light of the pragmatic approach to uncertain reasoning. (shrink)

The suppression of the Modus Ponens inference is described as a loss of confidence in the conclusion C of an argument ''If A1 then C; If A2 then C; A1'' where A2 is a requirement for C to happen. It is hypothesised that this loss of confidence is due to the derivation of the conversational implicature ''there is a chance that A2 might not be satisfied'', and that different syntactic introductions of the requirement A2 (e.g., ''If C then A2'') will (...) lead to various frequencies in the derivation of this implicature, according to previous studies in the field of causal explanation. An experiment is conducted, whose results support those claims. Results are discussed in the light of the Mental Logic and Mental Model theories, as well as in the light of the pragmatic approach to uncertain reasoning. (shrink)

La comparaison, trop commode, du langage avec un code amène à penser que la fonction fondamentale de la communication linguistique est la transmission d'informations. On est alors conduit à croire que tout ce qui est dit l'est au même titre, avec le même statut d'assertion. En fait, les diverses indications qu'apporte un acte d'énonciation se situent souvent à des niveaux tout à fait différents. Il y a ce dont on entend explicitement informer l'auditeur, mais il y a aussi ce qu'on (...) présente comme un acquis indiscutable dont on fait le cadre du dialogue. Et il y a enfin ce qu'on laisse à l'auditeur le soin de deviner, sans prendre la responsabilité de l'avoir dit. Une sémantique qui s'en tiendrait au niveau de l'explicite serait totalement artificielle : elle rendrait incompréhensible le discours, l'activité effective accomplie au moyen de la parole. Mais surtout, elle défigurerait la langue elle-même ; c'est en effet un trait inhérent à la langue, et l'un de ses traits les plus constants et les plus fondamentaux, que de permettre aux interlocuteurs d'instituer entre eux un réseau de rapports implicites. (shrink)

L’héritage paulinien fut transmis à Luther surtout par la tradition de l’Ordre des Ermites de St Augustin, auquel il appartenait, c’est-à-dire pour l’essentiel par l’interprétation de Paul proposée par Augustin. La propre relecture de sa vie par Luther dit déjà l’importance de cet héritage, et dans le tournant réformateur de sa théologie comme d’une ouverture vers la juste distinction entre la Loi et l’Evangile, point culminant du rapport exégétique intense de Luther à Paul. Sa réception de Paul fait particulièrement ressortir (...) l’Epître aux Romains qui, comme point de référence principal représente la figure matérielle, la concrétisation le plus importante du principe herméneutique permanent du réformateur, constitué par la règle « sacra scriptura sui ipsius interpres ». Par ailleurs, le double front du combat paulinien contre l’ « enthousiasme » et contre le légalisme fut appliqué par Luther d’un côté à la papauté, de l’autre aux spiritualistes et « illuminés ».The Pauline legacy was transmitted to Luther especially by the tradition of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, to which he belonged, that is to say for the essential, by the interpretation of Paul proposed by Augustine. Luther’s own rereading of his life already speaks of the importance of this legacy, and in the reforming bent of his theology as an opening towards the legitimate distinction between the Law and the Gospel, a culminating point of the intense exegetic rapport of Luther to Paul. His reception of Paul particularly highlights the Epistle to the Romans which, as a principle point of reference represents the material figure, the most important solidification of the permanent hermeneutical principle of the reformer, constituted by the rule “sacra scriptura sui ipsius interpres.” Furthermore, the double front of the Pauline combat against “enthusiasm” and against legalism was applied by Luther on the one hand to the papacy, and on the other to the spiritualists and “illuminated ones.”. (shrink)

L’héritage paulinien fut transmis à Luther surtout par la tradition de l’Ordre des Ermites de St Augustin, auquel il appartenait, c’est-à-dire pour l’essentiel par l’interprétation de Paul proposée par Augustin. La propre relecture de sa vie par Luther dit déjà l’importance de cet héritage, et dans le tournant réformateur de sa théologie comme d’une ouverture vers la juste distinction entre la Loi et l’Evangile, point culminant du rapport exégétique intense de Luther à Paul. Sa réception de Paul fait particulièrement ressortir (...) l’Epître aux Romains qui, comme point de référence principal représente la figure matérielle, la concrétisation le plus importante du principe herméneutique permanent du réformateur, constitué par la règle « sacra scriptura sui ipsius interpres ». Par ailleurs, le double front du combat paulinien contre l’ « enthousiasme » et contre le légalisme fut appliqué par Luther d’un côté à la papauté, de l’autre aux spiritualistes et « illuminés ».The Pauline legacy was transmitted to Luther especially by the tradition of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, to which he belonged, that is to say for the essential, by the interpretation of Paul proposed by Augustine. Luther’s own rereading of his life already speaks of the importance of this legacy, and in the reforming bent of his theology as an opening towards the legitimate distinction between the Law and the Gospel, a culminating point of the intense exegetic rapport of Luther to Paul. His reception of Paul particularly highlights the Epistle to the Romans which, as a principle point of reference represents the material figure, the most important solidification of the permanent hermeneutical principle of the reformer, constituted by the rule “sacra scriptura sui ipsius interpres.” Furthermore, the double front of the Pauline combat against “enthusiasm” and against legalism was applied by Luther on the one hand to the papacy, and on the other to the spiritualists and “illuminated ones.”. (shrink)

Good explanations are not only true or probably true, but are also relevant to a causal question. Current models of causal explanation either only address the question of the truth of an explanation, or do not distinguish the probability of an explanation from its relevance. The tasks of scenario construction and conversational explanation are distinguished, which in turn shows how scenarios can interact with conversational principles to determine the truth and relevance of explanations. The proposed model distinguishes causal discounting from (...) causal backgrounding , and makes predictions concerning the differential effects of contextual information about alternative explanations on: (a) the kind of mental models constructed; (b) belief revision about probable cause; and (c) the perceived quality of a focal explanation. Four experiments are reported that test these predictions. The significance of the notion of explanatory relevance for research on causal explanation is then discussed. (shrink)

Ce que l'on dit, c'est du langage si c'est dans la langue. A ce prix, la linguistique peut exister, instituant une partition entre l'agrammatical et le correct qui assujetit la langue. La linguistique n'est pourtant pas au bout de ses peines : les rapports du langage a l'inconscient et aux ideologies font toujours retour pour venir defaire les systemes etablis. La linguistique tente de masquer ces failles en usant de subterfuges : elle fait du langage un outil prompt a se (...) reveler mauvais, imagine un sujet maitre de l'ordre de la langue. C'est croire que tout peut se dire quand, du point de vue de la langue, tout est dans la maniere, quand l'inconscient et l'histoire nous assurent qu'on ne dit jamais n'importe quoi. (shrink)

BackgroundEverybody has the right to decide whether to receive specific medical treatment or not and to provide their free, prior and informed consent to do so. As dementia progresses, people with Alzheimer’s dementia (PwAD) can lose their capacity to provide informed consent to complex medical treatment. When the capacity to consent is lost, the autonomy of the affected person can only be guaranteed when an interpretable and valid advance directive exists. Advance directives are not yet common in Germany, and their (...) validity is often questionable. Once the dementia diagnosis has been made, it is assumed to be too late to write an advance directive. One approach used to support the completion of advance directives is ‘Respecting Choices’®—an internationally recognised, evidence-based model of Advance Care Planning (ACP), which, until now, has not been evaluated for the target group of PwAD. This study’s aims include (a) to investigate the proportion of valid advance directives in a memory clinic population of persons with suspected AD, (b) to determine the predictors of valid advance directives, and (c) to examine whether the offer of ACP can increase the proportion of valid advance directives in PwAD.MethodWe intend to recruit at leastN = 250 participants from two memory clinics in 50 consecutive weeks. Of these, the first 25 weeks constitute the baseline phase (no offer of ACP), the following 25 weeks constitute the intervention phase (offer of ACP). The existence and validity of an advance directive will be assessed twice (before and after the memory clinic appointment). Moreover, potential predictors of valid advance directives are assessed.DiscussionThe results of this study will enhance the development of consent procedures for advance directives of PwAD based on the ACP/Respecting Choices (R) approach. Therefore, this project contributes towards increasing the autonomy and inclusion of PwAD and the widespread acceptance of valid advance directives in PwAD.Trial RegistrationDRKS, DRKS00026691, registered 15th of October 2021,https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00026691. (shrink)

Ludwig Wittgenstein's _Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus_ and _Philosophical Investigations_ are among the most influential philosophical books of the twentieth century, and also among the most perplexing. Wittgenstein warned again and again that he was not and would not be understood. Moreover, Wittgenstein's work seems to have little relevance to the way philosophy is done today. In _Wittgenstein in Exile_, James Klagge proposes a new way of looking at Wittgenstein -- as an exile -- that helps make sense of this. Wittgenstein's exile was (...) not, despite his wanderings from Vienna to Cambridge to Norway to Ireland, strictly geographical; rather, Klagge argues, Wittgenstein was never at home in the twentieth century. He was in exile from an earlier era -- Oswald Spengler's culture of the early nineteenth century. Klagge draws on the full range of evidence, including Wittgenstein's published work, the complete Nachlaß, correspondence, lectures, and conversations. He places Wittgenstein's work in a broad context, along a trajectory of thought that includes Job, Goethe, and Dostoyevsky. Yet Klagge also writes from an analytic philosophical perspective, discussing such topics as essentialism, private experience, relativism, causation, and eliminativism. Once we see Wittgenstein's exile, Klagge argues, we will gain a better appreciation of the difficulty of understanding Wittgenstein and his work. (shrink)

We examine the influence of word choices on mathematical practice, i.e. in developing definitions, theorems, and proofs. As a case study, we consider Euclid’s and Euler’s word choices in their influential developments of geometry and, in particular, their use of the term ‘polyhedron’. Then, jumping to the twentieth century, we look at word choices surrounding the use of the term ‘polyhedron’ in the work of Coxeter and of Grünbaum. We also consider a recent and explicit conflict of approach between Grünbaum (...) and Shephard on the one hand and that of Hilton and Pedersen on the other, elucidating that the conflict was engendered by disagreement over the proper conceptualization, and so also the appropriate word choices, in the study of polyhedra. (shrink)

In diesem Aufsatz geht der Autor der Frage nach, ob und in wiefern die theologische Annahme, daß das Christusgeschehen paradigmatisch für den Begriff des Handeln Gottes ist, verständlich ist. Der Verfasser analysiert dafür die Geschichte der Leben-Jesu-Forschung und versucht die christologischen Konsequenzen der verschiedene Interpretationen für die Konstruktion eines Modells des Handeln Gottes herauszufinden. Er benützt Gedanken geschichtsphilosophischer Art um eine solche Ausdehnung der Vorstellung des Christusgeschehens zu verteidigen, daß auch andere Zeiten als das erste Jahrhundert einzuschließen sind. Damit zeigt (...) der Verfasser, daß Lessings Problem des garstigen Grabens und viele Formen der Leben-Jesu-Forschung theologisch von falschen Fragestellungen ausgehen. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie Jahrgang: 57 Heft: 1 Seiten: 138-154.

In this unprecedented time, there are many questions and plenty of speculation surrounding what life will be like after the South African nationwide lockdown. There is concern over the effects that the lockdown will have on worship services when churches are in a position to open their doors to the public once more. As a result of recognising the lockdown as a liminal phase, perspectives are shared when considering how the church will gather again in a post-lockdown context and therefore (...) a post-liminal phase. One prevailing perspective in considering this post-liminal phase involves koinonia and how an undiscriminating virus can remind those to further practise inclusivity and ubuntu, by embracing sameness and difference when ‘being church’. In contrast, another important perspective focuses on ritualising certain measures in the worship service to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019, when gathering in church buildings is permissible in a post-lockdown context. This is concluded by echoing the spirit of ubuntu, namely, ‘I am because we are’, in ‘being church’ during and after the crisis of the COVID-19 global pandemic.Contribution: From the perspective of Liturgical and Ritual Studies, this article aims to contribute to the Theological perspectives of COVID-19. (shrink)

O presente artigo tem como objeto o historicismo, a abordagem filosófica que considera a história como um fator crucial para a configuração dos valores e crenças e critérios dos homens e mulheres. De modo mais específico, eu exploro nas páginas seguintes alguns problemas que cercam a abordagem historicista e sua relação com a ação política e o discurso filosófico. Faço isso através da análise do pensamento de dois filósofos cuja contribuição tem sido considerada muito importante para a filosofia política hodierna: (...) Cornélius Castoriadis e Richard Rorty. Ambos os autores, além de decididamente historicistas, desenvolveram sua obra a partir de crítica e releitura de alguns elementos filosofia hegeliana e os dois procuram oferecer uma alternativa para a filosofia marxista. A minha análise de Castoriadis acompanha a sua crítica ao “universalismo objetivista do marxismo” e a sua proposta de uma “ontologia histórica” para daí então comentar alguns possíveis problemas decorrentes do seu historicismo. Em seguida eu exploro as possíveis virtudes da filosofia de Castoriadis, apontadas por Richard Rorty, para em seguida mostrar como o próprio Rorty oferece uma possível saída aos impasses do historicismo de Castoriadis. (shrink)

Illness is a reality that affects all people, and healing is the main reason why people attend worship services in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Ritual Studies scholar Ronald Grimes, illness is a social reality; it is socially imagined and constructed. Healing in the church is something that many believers experience, also in the context of worship and liturgy. In order to explore such healing as it occurs in liturgy a research project was undertaken making use of both empirical work (...) and a literature study. The aim of this research was to take the light off of direct pastoral care and investigate how the liturgy affects individuals within the congregation with regard to healing. A praxis-theory cycle was followed in the research, and a preliminary liturgical theory for praxis was developed based on the insight from the empirical study and ritual theory that healing through worship entails either transformation or reconciliation. (shrink)

This volume represents a translation of the majority of the essays in one of those collections.