In this article, we shed light on the debate about the financial performance of socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds by separately analyzing the contributions of before-fee performance and fees to SRI funds' performance, and by investigating the role played by fund management companies in the determination of those variables. We apply the matching estimator methodology to obtain our results and find that in the period 1997–2005, US SRI funds had better beforeand after-fee performance than conventional funds with similar characteristics. (...) The differences, however, are driven exclusively by SRI funds run by management companies specialized in SRI. While these funds significantly outperform similar conventional funds, funds run by companies not specialized in SRI underperform their matched conventional funds. We find no significant differences in fees between SRI and conventional funds except in one case: SRI funds are cheaper than conventional funds run by the same management company. (shrink)

In this article Jason Brennan’s arguments about the moral duties relating to our practice of voting are examined. These arguments provide an epistocratic approach of politics and present a conception of abstention at four levels: abstention as a personal choice, as a moral responsibility, as a duty legally enforceable and as an obligation decided by lot. The contrast with John Stuart Mill’s positions helps to highlight the postdemocratic ambivalences and the latent paternalism behind Brennan’s rejection of massive voting and electoral (...) democracy. A deliberative, Millian-inspired understanding of abstention also allows questioning the assumption in Brennan’s successive proposals that there is no significant loss in overlooking the political valence of qualified abstention. (shrink)

In this article, we identify various kinds of injustice at work in the global care chains by looking at the damages they entail and at some of their ties. Taking as our point of reference an invidious privileges dilemma that poses a real challenge to feminist theories, we analyze first the moral harm that, as Eva Kittay maintains, follows the fracturing of central, interpersonal and affective relationships of the women migrant workers. This specific moral harm of care relationships is not (...) reducible to other kinds of social injustice. These other kinds are identified by applying Nancy Fraser’s questioning of the frame problem to the global care chains. We can then talk of an interdependence of several genres or axes of injustice (maldistribution, misrecognition and misrepresentation) that work and intersect at several scales. (shrink)

La teoría discursiva afirma que la razón que la tradición filosófica ha concebido ante todo como razón moral y como razón política puede ser reformulada con una racionalidad práctico-comunicativa que está incorporada en los procesos de diálogo y en los procedimientos argumentativos. El artículo indaga en la propuesta habermasiana de la transformación de la razón práctica. En la parte central se analizan además los conceptos básicos de la formulación del principio del discurso, entendido como un principio general de justificación fundado (...) en la racionalidad comunicativa. Finalmente se extraen algunas consideraciones sobre las modulaciones del uso público de la razón práctica. (shrink)

El artículo propone una lectura de la obra de Jürgen Habermas tomando dos temas vertebradores: su convicción metafilosófica de que tras la muerte de Hegel existe un clausura infranqueable en el destino de la filosofía, cuya actual condición postmetafísica es estructuralmente análoga a la situación legada por los jóvenes hegelianos; y su convicción kantiana de que la concepción crítica y pública de la racionalidad va unida de suyo a ese destino de la filosofía, la cual queda hoy posicionada entre las (...) culturas de expertos y el sentido común y se hace cargo de los principales impulsos del pensamiento postmetafísico contemporáneo. (shrink)

En este artículo se analizan algunas de las implicaciones que tienen las prácticas de triaje para la ética de desastres. Se considera la centralidad técnica de la cuantificación en los modelos algorítmicos y numéricos de triaje y se incide en la prevalencia normativa de los criterios consecuencialistas, incluso cuando éstos hayan de ajustarse a sistemas de múltiples principios. Finalmente se sugiere que una concepción ética de los desastres precisa de una perspectiva compleja y integral de la gestión de los desastres (...) que no se limite a la fase de respuesta inmediata a los mismos y que supere a la par que integre los principios de la bioética y la indispensabilidad de los criterios consecuencialistas en las decisiones de triaje. (shrink)

Las normas internacionales, como la Convención sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, suponen un avance hacia la equidad. Asimismo, im­plican tanto un incremento de la legislación nacional y autonómica, como una mayor complejidad institucional, para hacer efectivos estos derechos. Por ello, queremos conocer cómo se ha implementado el derecho a la accesibilidad univer­sal en la legislación. Se realizó un análisis de contenido de 36 normas relaciona­das con la discapacidad y la dependencia en Aragón. Finalmente, se detectó que, a (...) pesar de ciertos avances, la adaptación de la normativa no se ha consolidado, afectando al reconocimiento de derechos de las personas con discapacidad, espe­cialmente de las más jóvenes y aquellas con grandes necesidades de apoyo. (shrink)

In this paper we argue that the best way to explain the normative framework of science is to adopt a model inspired in the democratic characterization of a public sphere. This model assumes and develops some deliberative democratic principles about the inclusiveness of the concerned, the parity of the reasons and the general interest of the subjects. In contrast to both bargaining models and to power-inspired models of the scientific activities, the model of scientific public sphere proposes to account for (...) the self-legislative capacity of science, the public nature of the scientific results and the epistemic virtues of scientific research in terms of the deliberative process carried out by individuals who are engaging in the public use of reason. This perspective provides new insights into the normative conditions of a democratic science. (shrink)

De entre las múltiples posibilidades de estudio filosófico que ofrece el fértil asunto de la fotografía, en este ensayo propongo un acercamiento especialmente interesado en explorar y clarificar su extraño vínculo con la idea de muerte. Para ello, me serviré de una explicación en clave genealógica con la que propiciar al lector una adecuada inmersión a través de diferentes etapas diferenciadas en las que será posible advertir la progresiva evolución de este concepto hacia la contemporaneidad que habitamos. Con este trazado (...) se cuestionará su procedencia, hoy heredada como algo perfecto y sin fisuras. Mostrar el equívoco de esto mismo, haciendo hincapié en su fragmentación, en su dispersión y en el viraje que este ha experimentado a lo largo del tiempo, constituirá el principal objetivo de estas páginas. (shrink)

El patrimonio cultural ha adquirido un sentido cada vez más complejo, amplio y dinámico. De una parte, se ha trascendido el antiguo paradigma monumental; de otra, el patrimonio se ha extendido a innumerables ámbitos epistemológicos y prácticos que lo interpretan y aplican según sus intereses.Desde una perspectiva teórica, este trabajo pretende una aproximación conceptual al patrimonio cultural a través de algunas claves que deberían estar presentes en toda reflexión patrimonial. Esta investigación se extenderá también a la noción de Paisaje Urbano (...) Histórico y al ámbito de la arquitectura vernácula a fin de mostrar esa complejidad y su problemática real. (shrink)

Miranda Fricker characterizes the most basic or primary form of epistemic, testimonial injustice by way of a set of negative delimitations. In this paper I raise some doubts about how these delimitations are drawn, about the wrongful harms and disadvantages the testimonial injustice is supposed to entail and produce,and about the way Miranda Fricker clarifies the perfectionist character of the corrective virtue on the part of hearers, the ethical and intellectual virtue of testimonial justice.

Este trabajo presenta las posibilidades didácticas que tiene la Web Our World in Data como recurso docente para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la Historia Económica. Our World in Data, editado por la Universidad de Oxford, es una publicación en línea que, basándose en la evidencia empírica, analiza y presenta datos completos sobre diversas temáticas a escala global. El trabajo muestra varios ejemplos de prácticas de Historia Económica a partir de los datos de PIB per cápita y gasto público social que facilita (...) la web. Se evidencia que didáctica y recursos online no se pueden considerar incompatibles, sino que se presentan interconectadas. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar dos confusiones o puntos ciegos asociados a la teoría de la secularización, fundamentalmente en lo que respecta a la relación que establece entre lo secular y lo religioso. Para ello tomamos como punto de partida el trabajo de José Casanova titulado Genealogías de la secularización, en el que estudia las tres sub-tesis a partir de las que se articula dicha teoría: diferenciación entre esferas seculares y religiosas, declive generalizado de la creencia y de (...) la práctica religiosa y privatización de lo religioso. Una vez señalado lo anterior, el primero de los «blindspots» que analizaremos parte de abordar la secularización desde la perspectiva de la primera sub-tesis y se manifiesta en forma de euro-centrismo o de cristiano-centrismo. Desde esta perspectiva, la particularidad cristiano-europea se utiliza como patrón general de secularización; el segundo «blindspot» se centra en la segunda sub-tesis (aunque en menor medida también en la tercera) y parte de una identificación absoluta entre lo religioso y la religión. Desde este punto de vista, la teoría de la secularización reduce el fenómeno religioso a la religión, dejando fuera de esta ecuación una importante cantidad de formas religiosas que no consiguen (o no buscan) sistematizarse (tal y como la religión exige). (shrink)

This article focuses on some «disaster ethics» considerations on disaster preparedness and its related responsibilities. After recalling that concerns about preparedness and vulnerability have come to the fore in the domains of «disaster risk reduction» over the last decades, the article will endorse the view that the demarcation between natural disasters and human-induced disasters has becoming blurred and even questionable in many cases. Then, it will be argued that the ethical assessment of disasters needs to consider the entire disaster cycle (...) and that ethical duties extend to the phase of disaster preparedness and require a framework of prospective and shared responsibilities. Accordingly, a number of ethical duties concerning disaster preparedness will be commented upon. Finally, the article will discuss a specific socio-epistemic dynamics of blame assignment that unbalances the appraisal of both vulnerability conditions and moral responsibilities of certain worst-off disaster victims. (shrink)

This volume has 41 chapters written to honor the 100th birthday of Mario Bunge. It celebrates the work of this influential Argentine/Canadian physicist and philosopher. Contributions show the value of Bunge’s science-informed philosophy and his systematic approach to philosophical problems. The chapters explore the exceptionally wide spectrum of Bunge’s contributions to: metaphysics, methodology and philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of physics, philosophy of psychology, philosophy of social science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of technology, moral philosophy, social and political (...) philosophy, medical philosophy, and education. The contributors include scholars from 16 countries. Bunge combines ontological realism with epistemological fallibilism. He believes that science provides the best and most warranted knowledge of the natural and social world, and that such knowledge is the only sound basis for moral decision making and social and political reform. Bunge argues for the unity of knowledge. In his eyes, science and philosophy constitute a fruitful and necessary partnership. Readers will discover the wisdom of this approach and will gain insight into the utility of cross-disciplinary scholarship. This anthology will appeal to researchers, students, and teachers in philosophy of science, social science, and liberal education programmes. 1. Introduction Section I. An Academic Vocation Section II. Philosophy Section III. Physics and Philosophy of Physics Section IV. Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind Section V. Sociology and Social Theory Section VI. Ethics and Political Philosophy Section VII. Biology and Philosophy of Biology Section VIII. Mathematics Section IX. Education Section X. Varia Section XI. Bibliography. (shrink)

This study aims to determine possible associations between strength parameters, injury rates, and performance outcomes over six seasons in professional basketball settings. Thirty-six male professional basketball players [mean ± standard deviation : age, 30.5 ± 4.7 years; height, 199.5 ± 9.5 cm; body mass, 97.9 ± 12.9 kg; BMI 24.6 ± 2.5 kg/m2] participated in this retrospective observational study, conducted from the 2008–09 to the 2013–14 season. According to their epidemiological records, each player followed an individual plan designed within different (...) strength training programs: Functional, Eccentric, or Resistance. Seven hundred and fourteen valid records were obtained from 170 individual strength tests during 31 sessions. Tests performed were leg press, squat, and jerk. Parameters recorded were force, power, velocity, peak velocity, and time to peak velocity for strength; time loss injury and muscle injury for injury rate; and games won, games lost, and championships for performance outcomes. All the strength variables and injuries are independent of the strength programs. The correlation analysis showed very significant relationships between muscular injuries and time to peak velocity, significant relationships between force and games lost, and muscular injuries with games lost per season. Mean values per season described a possible association of force, time to peak velocity, and muscular injuries with performance outcomes. In this specific context, strength variables and injury rate data show no association with a single type of strength training program in this cohort of high-performance basketball players. (shrink)

Todos los particulares pueden obtener ingresos extra y recuperar el poder adquisitivo perdido en el contexto de la crisis, anuncia Airbnb. Este estudio analiza la forma que adquiere el trabajo de los anfitriones -las personas que alquilan su vivienda o habitación- en Airbnb. Se plantea que la actividad de los anfitriones adquiere la forma de trabajo abstracto, pero que es un trabajo que se articula y se desarrolla sobre la propia vida y cotidianidad de los anfitriones: sobre la esfera reproductiva (...) de la persona y sobre actividades no económicas. Para que los anfitriones pueden maximizar los beneficios que obtienen, adoptan la forma de empresarios de sí mismos. Como resultado, los anfitriones reducen su precariedad económica pero la actividad de hospedar en Airbnb les genera nuevas formas de precariedad vital.Everyone can earn extra income and recover the lost consumption power due to the crisis, adevertises Airbnb. This study analyzes the form that the work of Airbnb hosts - people who rent their home or room on the platforma- acquires. It is stated that the activity of the hosts is a type of abstract labour, but that develops over the life of the hosts: over the reproductive sphere of the person and over non-economic activities. In order for hosts to maximize the benefits they can obtain on Airbnb, they become entrepreneurs of themselves. As a result, hosts reduce their economic precariousness but the activity of hosting on Airbnb generates new ways of vital precariousness. (shrink)

Reseña de Javier de Lucas: Decir No. EL imperativo de la desobediencia.

Available corpora for Argument Mining differ along several axes, and one of the key differences is the presence (or absence) of discourse markers to signal argumentative content. Exploring effective ways to use discourse markers has received wide attention in various discourse parsing tasks, from which it is well-known that discourse markers are strong indicators of discourse relations. To improve the robustness of Argument Mining systems across different genres, we propose to automatically augment a given text with discourse markers such that (...) all relations are explicitly signaled. Our analysis unveils that popular language models taken out-of-the-box fail on this task; however, when fine-tuned on a new heterogeneous dataset that we construct (including synthetic and real examples), they perform considerably better. We demonstrate the impact of our approach on an Argument Mining downstream task, evaluated on different corpora, showing that language models can be trained to automatically fill in discourse markers across different corpora, improving the performance of a downstream model in some, but not all, cases. Our proposed approach can further be employed as an assistant tool for better discourse understanding. (shrink)

An emotion-based lengthening effect on the perception of durations of emotional pictures has been assumed to result from an arousal-based mechanism, involving the activation of an internal clock system. The aim of this study was to systematically examine the arousal effect on time perception when different discrete emotions were considered. The participants were asked to verbally estimate the duration of emotional pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The pictures varied either in arousal level, i.e., high/low-arousal, for the same (...) discrete emotion (disgust or sadness) or in the depicted emotion, e.g., disgust/fear for pictures matched for arousal (high-arousal). The results systematically revealed a lengthening effect on the perception of the duration of the emotional compared to the neutral pictures and indicated that the magnitude of this effect increased with arousal level. Nevertheless, variations in time perception were observed for one and the same arousal level, with the duration of disgust-inducing pictures (e.g., body mutilation) being judged longer than that of fear-inducing pictures (e.g., snake). These results suggest that arousal is a fundamental mechanism mediating the effect of emotion on time perception. However, the effect cannot be reduced to arousal, since the impact of the content of pictures also plays a critical role. (shrink)

This volume is about ontological categories. The categories of an ontology are designed to classify all existents. They are crucial and characterize an ontology.

The starting point of this essay is that there is a contradiction at the heart of our current and hyperbolic understandings of life. To be more precise, on the one hand there is the historical novelty of biology as a modern science and set of technologies. On the other hand, life is simultaneously understood according to biological protocols that seem void of history.