When it comes to evaluating reductive hypotheses in metaphysics, supervenience arguments are the tools of the trade. Jaegwon Kim and Frank Jackson have argued, respectively, that strong and global supervenience are sufficient for reduction, and others have argued that supervenience theses stand in need of the kind of explanation that reductive hypotheses are particularly suited to provide. Simon Blackburn's arguments about what he claims are the specifically problematic features of the supervenience of the moral on the natural have also been (...) influential. But most discussions of these arguments have proceeded under the strong and restrictive assumptions of the S5 modal logic. In this paper we aim to remedy that defect, by illustrating in an accessible way what happens to these arguments under relaxed assumptions and why. The occasion is recent work by Ralph Wedgwood, who seeks to defend non-reductive accounts of moral and mental properties together with strong supervenience, but to evade both the arguments of Kim and Jackson and the explanatory challenge by accepting only the weaker, B, modal logic. In addition to drawing general lessons about what happens to supervenience arguments under relaxed assumptions, our goal is therefore to shed some light on both the virtues and costs of Wedgwood's proposal. (shrink)

Socializing Metaphysics supplies diverse answers to the basic questions of social metaphysics, from a broad array of voices.

In this article, we offer an approach of how participative stakeholder innovation can be evaluated in complex multistakeholder settings that address wicked issues. Based on the principle of mutual value creation, we present an evaluation framework that accounts for the social interaction process during which stakeholders integrate their resources and capabilities to develop innovative products and services. To assess this evaluation framework, we collected multiple data from the case study of the Swiss Cardiovascular Network, which represents a multistakeholder setting related (...) to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Our findings indicate that the evaluation dimensions of the stakeholders’ mindsets, the process and context of the stakeholder interactions, as well as the outcomes are useful concepts to account for a cooperative process of innovation in a multistakeholder setting. We discuss both the theoretical and practical insights of our analysis for participative stakeholder innovation. (shrink)

In this article, I explain how and why different attempts to defend absolute divine simplicity fail. A proponent of absolute divine simplicity has to explain why different attributions do not suppose a metaphysical complexity in God but just one superproperty, why there is no difference between God and His super-property and finally how a absolute simple entity can be the truthmaker of different intrinsic predications. It does not necessarily lead to a rejection of divine simplicity but it shows that we (...) may consider another conception of divine simplicity compatible with some metaphysical complexity in God. (shrink)

The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy, published in 1988, offers a balanced and comprehensive account of philosophical thought from the middle of the fourteenth century to the emergence of modern philosophy. This was the first volume in English to synthesise for a wider audience the substantial and sophisticated research now available. The volume is organised by branch of philosophy rather than by individual philosopher or school, and the intention has been to present the internal development of different aspects of the (...) subject in their own historical context. The structure also naturally emphasises the international nature of philosophy in the Renaissance. (shrink)

Theorists of education have long debated the ultimate aims of education, often proposing one or another cognitive aim, such as true belief or critical thinking. I will argue first that there are no ultimate aims common to all kinds of education, apart from the vacuous ones of transmitting cognition and improving the student's cognition. In light of this conclusion, the matter to investigate is the ultimate aims of certain broad kinds of education. I will restrict my inquiry here to cognitive (...) ultimate aims, and I will focus on liberal arts education. I will propose that the organizing cognitive ultimate aim of liberal arts education is justified belief rather than true belief. (shrink)

Social epistemology may be defined as the conceptual and normative study of the social dimensions of knowledge. It studies the bearing of social relations, interests, roles, and institutions – what I will term “social conditions” – on the conceptual and normative conditions of knowledge. It differs from the sociology of knowledge in being a conceptual and normative, and not primarily empirical, study, and in limning the necessary and not merely the contingent social conditions of knowledge. The central question of social (...) epistemology is whether, and to what extent, the conditions of knowledge include social conditions. Is knowledge a property of knowers in isolation from their social setting (and in what sense of “isolation”), or does it involve a relation between knowers and their social circumstances? This question can take various forms and admit diverse answers, depending on the kinds of knowers, knowledge, and social relations we ask about. (shrink)

The classic and contemporary readings in this collection represent the four most influential theories of truth – correspondence, pragmatist, coherence, and deflationary theories. A collection of classic and contemporary philosophical reflections on the nature of truth. Opens with an introduction to theories of truth, designed for readers with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Divided into four sections on the most important theories of truth - correspondence, pragmatist, coherence, and deflationary theories. Brings together articles in the recent debate (...) over the correspondence theory and deflationism that are not otherwise available in one place. Includes contributions by C.S. Peirce, William James, Bertrand Russell, Alfred Tarski, Hartry Field, Dorothy Grover, Anil Gupta and others. Concludes with an extensive bibliography of recent articles on truth. (shrink)

The classic and contemporary readings in this collection represent the four most influential theories of truth – correspondence, pragmatist, coherence, and deflationary theories. A collection of classic and contemporary philosophical reflections on the nature of truth. Opens with an introduction to theories of truth, designed for readers with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. Divided into four sections on the most important theories of truth - correspondence, pragmatist, coherence, and deflationary theories. Brings together articles in the recent debate (...) over the correspondence theory and deflationism that are not otherwise available in one place. Includes contributions by C.S. Peirce, William James, Bertrand Russell, Alfred Tarski, Hartry Field, Dorothy Grover, Anil Gupta and others. Concludes with an extensive bibliography of recent articles on truth. (shrink)

L’article interroge successivement l’éthique intellectuelle centrée sur les vertus et défendue par Roger Pouivet et celle centrée sur les normes rationnelles de la croyance défendue par Pascal Engel. En plus de thèmes propres à chaque éthique, on insistera sur la confrontation métaphysique au naturalisme ainsi que sur le possible caractère tragique de l’éthique intellectuelle. Ces exigences intellectuelles risquent de mener à des formes de mélancolie ou de misanthropie, sauf si l’éthique intellectuelle est solidement associée à une espérance religieuse ou rationnelle (...) qui n’est peut-être pas vraiment compatible avec ces mêmes exigences. (shrink)

Dans cette contribution, j'examinerai l'argument qui renvoie dos à dos le théisme et l'athéisme et qui structure la présentation de l'alternative que constitue le Dieu à venir. N'étant ni adhérant, ni sympathisant du réalisme spéculatif, je ne proposerai pourtant pas de critique externe de la philosophie de la religion proposée par Meillassoux. De manière heuristique, je vais tenir pour acquis Après la finitude et je montrerai ce qui me semble être les faiblesses de l'argument, critiques rendant finalement peu crédible l'affirmation (...) que peut encore venir un Dieu qui ne serait ni le Dieu métaphysique, ni le Dieu du sentiment religieux. Pour cela, je vais reprendre le dilemme spectral (Meillassoux) et discuter la cohérence du concept de Dieu à venir ainsi que sa pertinence pour résoudre le dilemme. Il apparaitra alors que si l'on admet la contingence absolue, on ne peut croire raisonnablement en un Dieu, même à venir. D'où le désespoir absolu. (shrink)

Version française: Dean Zimmerman défend l’affirmation œcuménique selon laquelle il est possible que toutes les personnes humaines survivent à la mort biologique du corps quelle que soit la théorie plausible de l’identité personnelle adoptée. Dans cet article, je présente certains principes à propos de la survie qui sont pertinents pour n’importe quelle théorie plausible de l’identité personnelle et pertinents pour une survie qui nous intéresserait. Appliqués à certains cas particuliers d’êtres humains, ces principes rendent l’affirmation œcuménique soit fausse, soit difficile (...) à croire rationnellement. -/- English version: Dean Zimmerman defends the ecumenical claim that it is possible for all human persons to survive the biological death of the body regardless of the plausible theory of personal identity adopted. In this paper, I present some principles about survival that are relevant to any plausible theory of personal identity and relevant to any survival of interest. When applied to some particular cases of human beings, these principles make the ecumenical claim either false or difficult to believe rationally. Keywords: Dean Zimmerman, Personal Identity, Survival. (shrink)

YS : Quelles sont, à vos yeux, les tâches d'un philosophe en ce qui concerne les religions? Peut-être que cette question en sous-entend une autre. Quelles sont les "choses" à ne pas faire pour un philosophe, en ce qui concerne l'étude des religions? JB : Pour être tout à fait franc, je ne suis pas certain d’être très bien placé pour répondre à cette question et je n’ai pas non plus essayé de le faire dans le livre dont nous parlons, (...) ne serait-ce que parce que, à la différence de Roger Pouiv... (shrink)

1 The magnitude of the current world war is greater than that of any previous conflict. Today we are fighting around the world for an order of the earth as a whole. The current conflagration, there...

Depuis plus d’une dizaine d’années, Albert Piette travaille à renouveler les méthodes et les concepts de l’anthropologie. Cette refondation s’appuie sur ses propres travaux empiriques, notamment sur le religieux, sur l’usage de méthodes plus pointillistes comme la photographie ou la description des détails, ainsi que sur des hypothèses relatives à la différence entre Sapiens et Néandertal. Les nouvelles propositions de travail qu’il avance empruntent souvent à la philosophie comme moyen d’une réflexion épistémologique, mais aussi parfois à la métaphysique. C’est pourquoi (...) je me propose de discuter en philosophe son ouvrage Contre le relationnisme. Lettre aux anthropologues. Il ne s’agit pas de réactiver la pratique philosophique de la science ultime couronnant les autres disciplines grâce à une réflexivité plus radicale, mais de suivre la démarche de Piette dans ses motivations profondes qui, comme il l’admet lui-même, l’oblige à passer par la philosophie. (shrink)

Recent writers on economics have conceded that capitalism suffers from serious shortcomings. But they argue that, in spite of that, preference should be given to capitalism over alternative systems, because it alone gives free rein to the universal, human desire for private gain and is therefore best adapted to human nature. I argue against this psychological defense of capitalism that the desire for private gain is not a universal trait of human beings. On the contrary, it is a defining trait (...) of capitalist society that in it persons are first and foremost motivated by that desire. My argument rests on reflections about the way in which we identify motives. We identify motives not by introspection but by reference to lists of actions that persons, who act from a given motive, may be expected to perform in suitable circumstances. To function in a capitalist society I must perform the sorts of actions by reference to which we identify the desire for private gain as a active. (shrink)

Résumé Le réalisme, en philosophie de la religion comme en théologie, suppose au moins qu’il existe bien un Dieu qui puisse rendre vraies les propositions théistes comme, ou. À partir de certaines remarques de Wittgenstein, il est possible de contester la pertinence de l’étude de contenus propositionnels associés aux croyances religieuses. L’article vise à critiquer ce refus de l’analyse théorique de ces contenus propositionnels. Il est montré que, loin de décrire les croyances et les pratiques religieuses, Wittgenstein impose une réforme (...) de ces croyances et pratiques à partir d’un fidéisme moral, lui-même dépendant d’un athéisme de principe qui accompagne son intérêt profond pour les questions religieuses. (shrink)

Robert Elsie ist derzeit einer der profiliertesten und vielseitigsten Albanienkenner. Dem an griechischer Kultur interessierten Leser wird seine Übersetzung der Gedichte von Konstantin Kavafis bekannt sein; seine albanologischen Monographien, die dem Byzantinisten wohl weniger vertraut sind (besonders Dictionary of Albanian Literature. Westport-New York-London 1986; History of Albanian Literature. 2 Bde. Boulder-New York 1995; Handbuch zur albanischen Volkskultur. Wiesbaden 2002), zählen zu den Standardwerken der Balkankunde. Elsie interessiert sich epochenübergreifend für albanische Kultur. Neben seiner fachwissenschaftlichen Tätigkeit hat er zahlreiche Übersetzungen albanischer (...) Literatur vorgelegt; und in den Rahmen seiner Übersetzungen von Albanica ist auch der zu besprechende Band zu stellen. Der Titel „Frühes Albanien“ ist für den mit der Epocheneinteilung in der balkanischen Volksgeschichte weniger Vertrauten auf den ersten Blick irreführend, umspannen die von Elsie vorgelegten Quellen doch den Zeitraum vom 11. bis an das Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts. Die Diskussion, wann in der Geschichte des albanischen Volkes das Mittelalter endet, wird offen und kontrovers geführt. Elsie setzt es an die Wende zum 18. Jahrhundert; andere Gelehrte sehen erst in den Anfängen einer Nationalbewegung im zweiten Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts das Anbrechen einer neuen Epoche. (shrink)

Penser le miracle oblige à repenser le sens que nous pouvons et désirons encore lui donner. Qu’il puisse exister des miracles apparaîtra aisément comme une éventualité dépassée, parce que nous serions devenus plus lucides, plus éclairés, moins fascinés par le merveilleux et le surnaturel. Pourtant, la contestation habituelle de la possibilité des miracles risque de reposer sur une conception des miracles trop simplifiée et par conséquent incompatible avec les exigences de la pensée qu’elle so...

This study investigates the role of sensory processing sensitivity as a predictor of employees’ proactive work behavior. SPS is a multidimensional concept that depicts differences in people’s sensory awareness, processing, and reactivity to internal and external influences. Based on research on SPS as grounded in a heightened sensitivity of the behavioral inhibition and activation systems, it was argued that the relationships with task proactivity and personal initiative as indicators of proactive work behavior differ for the three SPS dimensions. Furthermore, based (...) on the person–environment fit perspective, SPS was assumed to moderate the relationship between employees’ job complexity and proactivity. The hypotheses were tested in two two-wave studies. Across both studies, ease of excitation was unrelated to proactivity. Low sensory threshold was negatively related to personal initiative, only in Study 2, but it did not predict task proactivity. Meanwhile, aesthetic sensitivity was positively related to proactivity, but in Study 2, this relationship could only be established for personal initiative. Moreover, job complexity was positively related to proactivity for those employees high but not for those low in AES. EOE and LST did not act as moderators. This study offers evidence of positive behavioral implications among highly sensitive persons when dealing with job complexity. Overall, the study presents an interesting point of departure for the role of SPS in employee proactivity that calls for more research. (shrink)

Nobel laureate James Buchanan downplays any theory of ethical politicians, focusing instead on rules which economize personal restraint, setting lower moral expectations. Through a constructive critique of James Buchanan’s work, I argue these lowered expectations come at a cost: degraded character in politicians, leading to constitutional decay. Buchanan lacks a theory to address choices between (a) action which furthers the politician’s self-interest and (b) action which protects some already accepted, good rule, but which does not further their self-interest. I generate (...) a theory of the Principled Politician, an agent characterized by a prior commitment to fair play. (shrink)