Álvarez J.F. (2016) Conflicts, Bounded Rationality and Collective Wisdom in a Networked Society. In: Scarafile G., Gruenpeter Gold L. (eds) Paradoxes of Conflicts. Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning (Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Humanities and Social Sciences), vol 12. Springer, Cham -/- The adoption of an individualistic perspective on reasoning, choice and decision is a spring of paradoxes of conflicts. Usually the agents immerse in conflicts are drawn or modelled as rational individuals with targets well defined and full capabilities to access to (...) information, without both temporal limitations and perfect reasoning abilities to obtain their preferences are taken account. -/- However, other models of agent, in the bounded rationality perspective, could help to understand better the interrelationships. I adopt embedded argumentative reasoning processes as satisfying criteria to analyze the expert function in a new socio technical environment that has changed deeply the mechanism and tools to access and to aggregate information. The open access to information and institutional arrangements addressed towards team knowledge could offer other kind of tools to affront the conflict, even its possible benefits. -/- The “crowd expertise” is emerging as an actual possibility and it must be incorporated to affront with conflicts. The very possibility of obtaining knowledge generated by “many minds”, collective wisdoms, brings up a real challenge to the conservative or elitist conception of the masses, because masses now emerge as a smart collective user, with new mechanisms to select and produce quality knowledge. These new collective actions differ deeply from the traditional modes of social organization. A new mass society is emerging now as a hybrid one that breaks some conceptual traditional models, such as Ortega y Gasset’s ones, and induces a structured way of flourishing both new practices and new knowledge with transforming capabilities. (shrink)

Abstract:This article is about how a very specific section of the Rio Grande was transformed through human intervention over the course of the twentieth century. Geographically, I focus on the stretch of river between and around the twin border towns of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. This is an important area of analysis not only because of the historic importance of the urban complex to U.S.-Mexico relations, but also because it is a desert. I analyze two major river (...) engineering projects, one in the 1930s, the other in the 1960s, as well as the transformation of the water itself due to increased toxicity beginning in the 1990s. In sum, the river was straightened, completely relocated, lined in concrete, and poisoned. No other place on the entire international divide underwent such extreme changes. I explain this by arguing that both political forces and environmental conditions combined to produce such totalizing interventions in the riverine ecosystem. I also argue that these processes reversed the age-old meaning of water in the desert. Historically, water in the desert has been associated with life and biodiversity, but over the course of the twentieth century the desert section of the Rio Grande border was converted into a deadened zone. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Defending a Phenomenological–Behavioral Perspective: Culture, Behavior, and ExperienceMarino Pérez-Álvarez (bio), José M. García-Montes (bio), Adolfo J. Cangas (bio), and Louis A. Sass (bio)KeywordsBehavior, contextual phenomenology, culture, experienceWe should like to express our sincere thanks to all the authors for their commentaries on our articles. Given the restrictions of space (a limitation they too had to contend with), we can only respond to a few aspects of their interesting remarks. (...) We shall reply of course on the basis of our own approach—an approach that sets out to integrate culture, behavior, and experience, and that might be termed contextual phenomenology, phenomenological behaviorism, or perhaps most accurately (albeit more awkwardly), the phenomenological–behavioral perspective.In her commentary, Ibáñez-Guerra (2008), referring to the target articles “Phenomenology and behaviorism” (Pérez-Álvarez, Sass, and Cangas 2008) and “The role of superstition in psychopathology” (García-Montes et al. 2008), wonders whether our maintaining of the spirit of Skinner, as well as our recourse to phenomenology, might not themselves represent forms of superstitious behavior. She points out that it is not always a good idea to put new wine in old barrels. For her, the new wine and new barrels would be represented by social constructivism, of which she is reminded by some aspects of our work. But in making her own case, Ibáñez-Guerra (2008) reveals certain common prejudices concerning behaviorism, prejudices that have apparently persisted even after reading our article. Thus, for example, she does not see operant behavior as incorporating intentionality (what, in the target article, is presented in terms of final causality), because she assumes that intentionality would necessarily imply a mentalist and dualist notion involving a supposed internal mental entity that causes behavior. Skinner (1974) himself noted and rejected this very assumption in a passage that clearly distinguishes his own approach from what he calls a “stimulus-response formula”: “Possibly no charge,” he wrote,is more often leveled against behaviorism or a science of behavior than that it cannot deal with purpose or intention. A stimulus-response formula has no answer, but operant behavior is the very field of purpose and [End Page 281] intention. By its nature it is directed toward the future: a person acts in order that something will happen, and the order is temporal.(pp. 55–6)The place Skinner gives to intentionality and purpose is elaborated in our target article.Furthermore, Ibáñez-Guerra (2008) assumes that, on methodological grounds, Skinner rejects all that is not observable, or at least that cannot be operationalized. This, however, is simply incorrect, at least as regards Skinner’s radical behaviorism. As the reader may recall, radical (as opposed to methodological) behaviorism is neither operationalist nor does it reject private or subjective events because of their unobservability. Indeed, Skinner specifically acknowledges that such events are in fact observable—at least for one person: the subject him- or herself. The question for Skinner is to understand how the part of the world that is only observable and experiential for oneself is constructed or formed. In the end, it turns out that radical behaviorism is more radical, in the Aristotelian ontological sense (see Pérez-Alvarez, Sass, and García-Montes 2008), than post-modern constructionism. Indeed, as we remarked, radical behaviorism can still surprise us today. Similarly, phenomenology is starting to be missed in the clinical context (Andreasen 2007). We believe that radical behaviorism and phenomenology, mutually readjusted, are in fact excellent wines for the times we live in—if only we knew how to appreciate them.In their commentary on “Phenomenology and behaviorism: A mutual readjustment,” Fletcher and Hayes (2008) argue that the philosophy and theory of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)/Relational Frame Theory (RFT) already contain the salutary aspects of phenomenology that we highlight in our target article. Their insistence on reducing the affinities we find between phenomenology and behaviorism to ACT/RFT consists, in our view, in a scientific–technical argument that is more scientistic than strictly philosophical in nature. Their insistence on the scientific–technical argument itself implies an unclarified philosophical assumption. On what grounds do experimental data constitute the last word? Has... (shrink)

Após a obrigatoriedade da educação sexual (ES) nas escolas portuguesas em 2009, pretendemos conhecer que perspectiva têm os professores ( N = 307) sobre a ES. Através de um questionário on-line , analisado através de estatística descritiva e de análise factorial e inferencial, avaliámos as atitudes gerais sobre a ES, o conhecimento, o conforto e a disponibilidade para a ensinar, a importância atribuída a diversos tópicos de ES e o nível de escolaridade em que devem ser introduzidos. Os professores revelaram (...) atitudes ainda mais positivas do que em estudos anteriores. Consideraram ter um conhecimento, um conforto e uma disponibilidade moderados, realidade que se mantém inalterada na última década. Ao contrário de estudos anteriores, o início da ES foi proposto mais precocemente, entre o pré-escolar e o 5º ano.1 A perspectiva de ES defendida revela um modelo médico-preventivo, valorizando-se mais a saúde sexual e menos o comportamento sexual e as questões de género. A percepção de formação considerada suficiente, a erotofilia e pontualmente o sexo feminino destacam-se na adopção de uma perspectiva abrangente de ES. A análise de resultados foi, sempre que possível, comparada com resultados de estudos similares realizados no Brasil. (shrink)

Após a obrigatoriedade da educação sexual (ES) nas escolas portuguesas em 2009, pretendemos conhecer que perspectiva têm os professores ( N = 307) sobre a ES. Através de um questionário on-line , analisado através de estatística descritiva e de análise factorial e inferencial, avaliámos as atitudes ..

Digital services and products that expand human capabilities can help to overcome the limitations of individuals, but they facilitate the emergence of new types of inequalities. A new profile of inequality is emerging as a product of unexpected consequences of technological change and calls for institutional policy and social action measures to reduce these new inequalities. The Internet, social networking and mobile devices are helping to generate what Lee Rainie and B. W. Wellman have called a new social operating system (...) of networked individuals. I believe it is possible and necessary to define a programme of minimum requirements for living and enjoying the benefits of a digital society by reducing the risks of new types of exclusion. It is a question of advancing in the construction of citizenship with its corresponding rights in the network society. (shrink)

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's competitive career development award selects awardees annually. This paper describes changes DDCF made to its grants making process to improve gender representation in its applicant and awardee pools.

Silence is reserved for what cannot be verbally expressed. The well-known Wittgensteinian quote summarizes an established understanding of the relationship between language and silence: because language is not enough to account for reality and thinking, it must be transcended by other means of expression, like music or silence. But what if the opposite is the case and silence is not the extension but the precondition of language, the ultimate source of meaning? This paper explores how this is the phenomenological and (...) Derridean philosophical framework of Coetzee’s novels, a literary universe created from the will to signify and build singular meanings. (shrink)

This article attempts to show the importance of the concept of superstition in understanding a range of psychological problems. With this aim, we critically analyze several constructs that, without actually using the term “superstition,” concern this phenomenon and its role in the development of mental disorders. First we discuss “Thought–Action Fusion” and “magical thinking,” two concepts from the cognitive tradition that view superstition as basically an ideational phenomenon. Second, we look at “Experiential Avoidance,” a post-Skinnerian concept that understands superstition as (...) a type of avoidance behavior for certain private events. Third, we discuss superstition as an emotional phenomenon, in particular, Jean-Paul Sartre’s phenomenological analysis of emotions as magical operations. Finally, we review a cultural approach to superstition and its influence on psychopathology. In this perspective, superstition is seen as a cultural form linked to the historical–social context, which is fostered by certain social practices or institutions, including (perhaps surprisingly) certain features of modernity. (shrink)

El antiguo convento del Carmen calzado de Sevilla fue uno de los edificios religioso más paradigmáticos de su ciudad. No ya sólo por sus dimensiones o por el enorme patrimonio artístico que llegó a albergar (del que hoy nos queda in situ sólo buena parte de su arquitectura), sino también por su amplio significado devocional. En él llegaron a establecerse en el s. XVI y hasta el s. XIX numerosas hermandades y cofradías. En este artículo no se pretende simplemente resumir (...) la historia de dichas corporaciones durante ese periodo carmelitano, sino ahondar en sus relaciones con respecto a los frailes que los acogían, y reflexionar sobre el estrecho paralelismo que hubo entre la evolución y posterior decadencia de esta comunidad religiosa con respecto a esas hermandades. (shrink)

Background People who are at elevated risk of suicide stand to benefit from internet-based interventions; however, research in this area is likely impacted by a range of ethical and practical challenges. The aim of this study was to examine the ethical issues and practical barriers associated with clinical studies of internet-based interventions for suicide prevention. Method This was a mixed-methods study involving two phases. First, a systematic search was conducted to identify studies evaluating internet-based interventions for people at risk of (...) suicide, and information pertaining to safety protocols and exclusion criteria was extracted. Second, investigators on the included studies were invited to complete an online survey comprising open-ended and forced-choice responses. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data. Results The literature search identified 18 eligible studies, of which three excluded participants based on severity of suicide risk. Half of the 15 suicide researchers who participated in the survey had experienced problems obtaining ethics approval, and none had encountered adverse events attributed to their intervention. Survey respondents noted the difficulty of managing risk in online environments and the limitations associated with implementing safety protocols, although some also reported increased confidence resulting from the ethical review process. Respondents recommended researchers pursue a collaborative relationship with their research ethics committees. Conclusion There is a balance to be achieved between the need to minimise the risk of adverse events whilst also ensuring interventions are being validated on populations who may be most likely to use and benefit from them. Further research is required to obtain the views of research ethics committees and research participants on these issues. Dialogue between researchers and ethics committees is necessary to address the need to ensure safety while also advancing the timely development of effective interventions in this critical area. (shrink)

This article seeks to identify the theoretical tools that supported Michel de Certeau's political discernment during the crisis of May 1968 in France. De Certeau's ability to elucidate the novelty and complexity of this event is linked to the intertwining of his experiences as a historian, traveller (voyageur), and Christian (specifically a Jesuit). De Certeau's articulation of a 'theology of difference' allowed him to construct the intellectual and spiritual tools that enabled a lucid discernment of May 1968. Through this theology, (...) derived from negative theology, de Certeau made the experience of faith operative at a moment of cultural crisis. The article also analyses possibilities involved in the ‘rupture’, that is, the fracture that is implied in modernity; in the notion of an event that highlights the deficiency of language, its incapacity to establish ‘a truthful communication’ in society; and the recognition of the poetic dimension of speech, which is capable of interweaving speech and action. The May 1968 event invites these elements mutually to redefine themselves. (shrink)

Las propuestas éticas de Javier Muguerza y Amartya Sen comparten profundas raíces igualitarias y libertarias. Al revisar el carácter del individualismo ético defendido por ambos, distinguiéndolo del metodológico y del ontológico, se percibe que van “más allá del contrato social” abriendo espacio a las características individuales al tiempo que incorporan la indispensable sociabilidad del individuo. Muguerza, al utilizar la autonomía como elemento focal sobre el que plantear la igualdad, se acerca al enfoque de Sen en La idea de la justicia (...) , donde se propone más que una teoría general de la justicia una práctica activa contra la injusticia. El against injustice que ha formulado Sen tiene claras conexiones con el imperativo del disenso que ha propuesto Muguerza. El individualismo ético expresa el núcleo de anudamiento social que supone adoptar al individuo como elemento último responsable de decisiones que comportan su responsabilidad moral. La autonomía como dimensión básica de la igualdad, a decir de Muguerza, converge con la importancia de tener en cuenta el acto mismo de elección, como responsabilidad personal,que ha destacado Sen. (shrink)

El problema del mal ha atormentado al ser humano desde tiempo inmemorial. De ahí que las reflexiones acerca de dicha cuestión y su compatibilidad o no con la existencia de un Dios todopoderoso, omnisciente y bueno no hayan dejado nunca de acompañarlo, especialmente en el mundo judeocristiano. San Agustín y Santo Tomás, entre otros, contribuyeron a forjar una respuesta filosófico-teológica a la cuestión, que se mantuvo durante mucho tiempo como una luz que, si bien no la esclarecía por entero, se (...) creía al menos que la iluminaba suficientemente. Sin embargo, después de Kant, muchos han rechazado radicalmente la posibilidad de la teodicea, concebida como reflexión especulativa de base metafísica acerca del problema del mal y su relación con Dios. En ese rechazo, dirigido especialmente a la justificación leibniciana de la inocencia divina, a menudo se incluyen también otras respuestas como la del propio San Agustín. Este trabajo se propone analizar ambas posturas para concluir, a la luz de los rasgos que Ricoeur cree esenciales en toda teodicea, si aquello de lo que suele acusarse a Leibniz afecta también a la posición agustiniana. (shrink)

En los estudios sobre la racionalidad aparece con frecuencia una oposición entre los mecanismos que se dice que caracterizan la elección racional y otros procesos que se suponen vinculados a nuestras emociones, a nuestras capacidades cognitivas y, en particular, a nuestra capacidad de ser sujetos agentes. Oposición que me parece inadecuada y que es preciso superar. Me parece posible defender una perspectiva complementarista o sintética de la racionalidad. No basta con hablar, por un lado, de la racionalidad instrumental y, por (...) otro, de la racionalidad expresiva, sino que, haciendo uso de una metáfora textil, parece conveniente comprender la racionalidad como el resultado de un proceso conformado tanto por la trama de la racionalidad instrumental como por la urdimbre de la racionalidad expresiva. Al esclarecer los elementos de integración y complementariedad tratamos de formular un agente integrado, más adecuado en sus aspectos descriptivos, con mayor complejidad normativa y predictivamente más preciso. Me parece que en algunos aspectos es una posición no demasiado alejada de la que algunas veces ha defendido Marcelo Dascal. (shrink)

Ciertas referencias biográficas son útiles para comprender un pensamiento tan articulado y complejo como el de Amartya Sen. Se destaca la importancia teórica de Sen para filósofos políticos, filósofos morales o filósofos de la ciencia. La reflexión filosófica, sobre métodos, sobre aspectos éticos y en general sobre cuestiones político culturales, es un asunto de primera importancia para la misma actividad interna a la ciencia económica. Para entender correctamente la obra de Sen resulta fundamental el trasfondo filosófico cultural, la comprensión del (...) individuo como parte de un compromiso social y la extracción sistemática de las consecuencias de ese tipo de compromiso. El desarrollo aparece como un proceso de expansión de las libertades reales que las personas disfrutan. La centralidad de la libertad para el proceso de desarrollo, la encuentra Amartya Sen en dos razones diferentes, una por razones evaluativas y otra por razones de eficacia. La evaluación del progreso podría hacerse teniendo en cuenta si de hecho se amplían las libertades que las personas tienen Se trata de interconexiones que ha encontrado Sen en muchos análisis empíricos que muestran cómo la responsabilidad “libre y sostenible” de los individuos emerge como la principal fuerza para el desarrollo. (shrink)

En The Idea of Justice de Amartya Sen se presenta una propuesta para comprender y defender la justicia global, alejada de las teorías de la justicia que se apoyan en el contrato social y en nociones institucionales trascendentales. El libro puede considerarse como un intento sistemático de defender la pertinencia de la tradición de la elección social para una noción robusta de justicia que no requiera una visión monolítica ni una única formulación institucional. Nos propone atender a las injusticias patentes, (...) aunque no tengamos una teoría de la justicia e incluso aunque no compartamos elementos centrales para esa teoría de la justicia. Es un auténtico desafío a la posición estándar en filosofía moral. (shrink)