In a recent paper, Levy, Gadd, Kerridge, and Komesaroff attempt to defend the ethicality of homeopathy by attacking the utilitarian ethical framework as a basis for medical ethics and by introducing a distinction between evidence-based medicine and modern science. This paper demonstrates that their argumentation is not only insufficient to achieve that goal but also incorrect. Utilitarianism is not required to show that homeopathic practice is unethical; indeed, any normative basis of medical ethics will make it unethical, as a defence (...) of homeopathic practice requires the rejection of modern natural sciences, which are an integral part of medical ethics systems. This paper also points out that evidence-based medicine lies at the very core of modern science. Particular arguments made by Levy et al. within the principlist medical ethics normative system are also shown to be wrong. (shrink)

Upshot: Adam Toon’s book is a development in the fictionalist view of scientific modelling. Although his fictionalist account is realistic and representational, Toon’s input to the theory can contribute to the constructivist discourse. The introduction of a direct view on models’ fictions brings this theory close to non-dualism and living practice views.

The paper discusses artworks and artefacts considered as both cultural heritage and meaningful tokens for personal self-identity. The arguments come mostly from phenomenological understanding of self-identity and art, but the terminological toolkit comes mostly from the Extended Mind Thesis. While many museologists and theorists of culture argue that objects presented in a particular social context can shape group identity, I believe in taking this question to a lower, personal level. In this paper, I argue that we build our self-identity partially (...) by anchoring our memories with significant art and heritage objects. I state that artworks, mediated by cultural context immersion of museums and galleries, serve as self-identity extensions. Since I find both selfidentity and art structured as sets of cultural meanings wrapped in material scaffoldings, I draw a relation between those two, showing the crucial meaning of material cultural objects for the formation of our self-identity. (shrink)

The book edited by Massimiliano Cappuccio and Tom Froese is aimed at understanding non-sense in cognition and the process of sense-making. The authors of twelve chapters included in the book focus on different aspects of sense-making in diversified aspects of cognition. The texts included in the book show that sense-making is one of the most important aspects of cognition in general. They put the enactive perspective to the problem, which influences the overall reception of the book. Since enactivism has strong (...) philosophical implications, not everyone will agree with the positions proposed by the authors, and some of the chapters are non-canonical even in their views on enactivism. However, even readers not accepting this approach might find the book interesting and thought provoking. (shrink)