RESUMEN: El presente texto pretende analizar la sociedad actual. En ella la tecnociencia tiene una presencia importante y ésta, a su vez, no es muy diferente con respecto a las demandas intelectuales, culturales y sociales del Barroco. Es decir, en la sociedad actual podríamos decir que sucede lo mismo, interesa más obtener resultados, que se nos asombre, más que comprender el cómo funciona o se realizan. Si bien, como aconteció en el Barroco, sectores de la sociedad emprendieron acciones para dotar (...) de más identidad y cultura a la sociedad e ir en contra de lo institucionalmente establecido. La sociedad actual, se puede decir que es una prolongación del barroco, y nos encontramos en el neobarroco. Este al igual que en el pasado se rebela contra el sistema que sólo está preocupado por la acumulación de dinero, así como contra la ausencia de libertad y, por tanto, contra la represión y la violencia institucionalizada. En definitiva, con este artículo se trata de dar una visión desde la hermenéutica de las similitudes del Barroco con nuestra sociedad actual. ABSTRACT: This paper aims to analyze current society, where techno-science has a major presence while at the same time not differing greatly from that of the Baroque era with respect to intellectual, cultural, and social demands. As in the Baroque era, we are today more interested in getting results than in understanding how things works or how things are done. Also as in the Baroque era, sectors of society are taking action to encourage more identity and culture in society and are going against what is institutionally established. Today we can say that our society is an extension of the Baroque, and that we are in the neo-Baroque era. As in the past, there is now a rebellion against a system that is only concerned with the accumulation of money, as well as a rebellion against the lack of freedom and therefore against repression and institutionalized violence. In short, this article aims to present, from the point of view of hermeneutics, similarities between our current society and that of the Baroque era. (shrink)

El siguiente artículo plantea una reflexión sobre la historiografía del arte centroamericano y latinoamericano, para establecer algunas tendencias en cómo se han estudiado y qué aportes han realizado estos campos de conocimiento al entendimiento de las artes visuales regionales y la historia cultural centroamericana. Adicionalmente, en contraste con este estado de la cuestión, se plantean las contribuciones que realiza la tesis doctoral “Hacer exportable a Centroamérica: activación de circuitos artísticos internacionales y su impacto en la consolidación de los museos de (...) arte moderno y sus colecciones en Guatemala y Costa Rica, 1950-1996”, al conocimiento de esta historiografía. Se analizan dos aportes puntuales que realiza la tesis: por un lado, la investigación evidencia contundentemente que determinados/as artistas centroamericanos/as participaron con vigor de las redes artísticas internacionales en la segunda mitad del siglo XX; esto se logra reconstruir mediante un mapeo de los eventos en los que participaron. Seguidamente, se abarca otro aporte, en el que la investigación problematiza lo que se ha dicho sobre las características del arte moderno centroamericano mediante un análisis de las colecciones de tres museos regionales. (shrink)

In The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, published in 1868, Darwin used the metaphor of the architect to argue in favor of natural autonomy and to clarify the role of chance in his theory of adaptive change by variation and natural selection. In this article, I trace the history of this important heuristic instrument in Darwin's writings and letters and suggest that this metaphor was important to Darwin because it helps him to explain the role of chance, and (...) gives an argument in favor of the free will. (shrink)

An important historical relation that has hardly been addressed is the influence of Prosper Lucas's Treatise on Natural Inheritance on the development of Charles Darwin's concepts related to inheritance. In this article we trace this historical connection. Darwin read Lucas's Treatise in 1856. His reading coincided with many changes concerning his prior ideas on the transmission and expression of characters. We consider that this reading led him to propose a group of principles regarding prepotency, hereditary diseases, morbid tendencies and atavism; (...) following Lucas, he called these principles: laws of inheritance. (shrink)

We may succeed in the fulfillment of our desires but still fail to properly own our practical life, perhaps because we acted as addicts, driven by desires that are alien to our will, or as “wantons,” satisfying the desires that we simply happen to have (Frankfurt, 1988). May we equally fail to own the outcomes of our epistemic life? If so, how may we attain epistemic ownership over it? This paper explores the structural parallelism between practical and epistemic rationality, building (...) on Williamson’s (2002) suggestion that we should commence with successful performances as the foundation for both domains, be it action or knowledge. By highlighting the limitations of higher-order regulative approaches in epistemology, exemplified by Sosa (2007, 2011, 2015, 2021), the paper introduces a form of teleological epistemic constitutivism inspired by Velleman (2000, 2009). The proposal is that epistemic ownership is not attained in the mere pursuit of truth or knowledge, but requires furthermore a struggle to understand what we know. (shrink)

Resumen En el presente artículo se abordará la medicina espiritual de San Gregorio de Nisa como un aporte para los retos de una Iglesia en salida. Para ello se partirá de una aproximación a la Iglesia en salida misionera, para luego abordar al Niseno y examinar en sus textos la importancia de la medicina en su reflexión especulativa, mística y pastoral, así como para la comprensión de su quehacer teológico como medicina espiritual. Finalmente, se recogerán algunos aportes para los desafíos (...) de una Iglesia en salida.This article will analyze the approach to the spiritual medicine of Saint Gregory of Nyssa, like a contribution for the challenges of an outgoing Church. For this purpose, it will start with an approach to the Church in a missionary outing, to then approach Gregory’s life and examined in his texts the importance of medicine and his speculative, mystical and pastoral reflection, as well as for the understanding of its theological work as spiritual medicine. Finally, some contributions will be collected for the challenges of an outgoing Church. (shrink)

En las últimas décadas, el espacio caribeño y la figura del afrocostarricense se han convertido en germen propulsor creativo que bien se podría interpretar como una celebración de los símbolos de un espacio y etnicidad oprimidos. Sin embargo, una lectura detallada muestra que sus propuestas podrían no pasar de lo anecdótico, estereotípico y exótico. Esta supuesta inserción del Caribe y los sujetos afrocostarricenses logran más bien, marginar y eliminar cualquier posibilidad deinserción, así como consolidar los discursos hegemónicos tradicionales, en los (...) que se refuerza un nacionalismo del Valle Central, presentando los otros espacios como ajenos. Bajo esta impronta se inscribe Caribe (2004) de Esteban Ramírez. Este filme muestra al Caribe como un espacio exótico en donde los sujetos que conviven no pasan de ser forasteros, foráneos a cualquier discurso nacional verdadero e inclusivo. El ensayo reflexiona cómo a través de la introducción del Caribe y los sujetos afrocostarricenses, dentro de una problemática que les involucre como parte de la patria y una disyuntiva del Caribe como idilio o barbarie, reconstruye un sentido de exotismo que demuestra una contemporaneidad fragmentada. Es mediante una fetichización de la imagen del Caribe lo que permite que las líneas de la hegemonía relacionadas con el debate de la etnicidad y la identidad nacional sean reposicionadas para crear lo que el crítico Jerome Branche (1999) llama “nuevo consensus o ‘definición’ de la realidad, dirigida en última instancia a mantener el status quo” de la clase dominante. (shrink)

Desde el surgimiento del cine, la filosofía ha estado presente en la creación de las películas como un elemento imprescindible que acompaña a la expresión audiovisual y el lenguaje narrativo de los films. Sin embargo, el cine ecuatoriano no cuenta con un método específico de análisis filosófico de las problemáticas que tratan las películas. Es por ello que, en este estudio, se estableció el objetivo de desarrollar una propuesta metodológica de análisis filosófico mediante una revisión bibliográfica y cinematográfica para conocer (...) las incidencias filosóficas en el cine ecuatoriano/contemporáneo. Para lo cual, se implementó una metodología cualitativa, basada en una teoría fundamentada y una revisión bibliográfica, teórica y cinematográfica sobre la constitución del método de análisis y la relación entre filosofía y cine. En este sentido, se llegó a concluir que el cine ecuatoriano contemporáneo necesita de una propuesta metodológica para su análisis filosófico, debido a que, las problemáticas abordadas tienen fundamental importancia para conocer las condiciones sociales, económicas, políticas, psicológicas, éticas y morales que atañan a los individuos de la sociedad ecuatoriana. (shrink)

A partir de la crítica que Franz Hinkelammert emite al pensamiento trascendental-abstracto, el cual ostenta y soporta a la modernidad iluminista-capitalista a través de sus ciencias empíricas: derecho, economía, sociología, se ha realizado este texto. Éste resalta las repercusiones del pensamiento en la realidad histórica, de ahí que junto a Hinkelammert y la tradición del pensamiento crítico se considera que pensamiento-contexto social e histórico se implican e influyen entre sí. Por otro lado, el pensamiento trascendental-abstracto de la modernidad iluminista-capitalista ha (...) encubierto la realidad histórica, por ello sólo expone y mienta lo que le permite sostenerse y reproducirse en la historia. Asimismo, la crítica al pensamiento trascendental-abstracto no supone la renuncia respecto a la razón, sino preponderantemente la superación de una de sus formas, o sea, la versión científica-tecnológica. Así pues, criticar y superar la razón moderna iluminista-capitalista tiene por objetivo vislumbrar-proponer otras formas de reproducir la vida, mismas que no requieran la explotación y la violencia sistemática para persistir históricamente. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage propose une réinterprétation originale du rôle cognitif du Je pense kantien qui se veut pertinente pour la phénoménologie et pour la philosophie actuelle de l’esprit. L’étude du rapport entre temporalité phénoménale et cognition catégoriale constitue le fil conducteur de cette recherche. Elle mène à la question capitale du statut ultime du Moi, du sens du Je du Je pense. Que désigne-t-il : un épiphénomène contingent, une représentation sui generis, une métareprésentation, un acte indéconstructible, un événement fonctionnel, une forme (...) logique ? Recèle-t-il une véritable unité ou plutôt une multiplicité productrice d’unité ? Représente-t-il une identité réelle ou un changement identifiable, un référent vide ou ‘saturé’ ? La réponse à toutes ces questions dépend notamment de la façon de concevoir l’efficacité du Je, c’est-à-dire de l’articulation entre inconscient cognitif, conscience de soi et conscience de quelque chose en général. En pensant Kant avec la philosophie moderne et contemporaine, l’auteur tente d’élucider l’instabilité inévitable du passage critique à un Cogito postmétaphysique. (shrink)

In their recent book Radicalizing Enactivism. Basic minds without content, Dan Hutto and Erik Myin make two important criticisms of what they call autopoietic enactivism. These two criticisms are that AE harbours tacit representationalists commitments and that it has too liberal a conception of cognition. Taking the latter claim as its main focus, this paper explores the theoretical underpinnings of AE in order to tease out how it might respond to H&M. In so doing it uncovers some reasons which not (...) only appear to warrant H&M’s initial claims but also seem to point to further uneasy tensions within the AE framework. The paper goes beyond H&M by tracing the roots of these criticisms and apparent tensions to phenomenology and the role it plays in AE’s distinctive conception of strong life-mind continuity. It is highlighted that this phenomenological dimension of AE contains certain unexamined anthropomorphic and anthropogenic leanings which do not sit comfortably within its wider commitment to life-mind continuity. In light of this analysis it is suggested that AE will do well to rethink this role or ultimately run the risk of remaining theoretically unstable. The paper aims to contribute to the ongoing theoretical development of AE by highlighting potential internal tensions within its framework which need to be addressed in order for it to continue to evolve as a coherent paradigm. (shrink)

During the last few months, several pioneer genome‐wide transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies have revolutionised the understanding of bacterial biological processes, leading to a picture that resembles eukaryotic complexity. Technological advances such as next‐generation high‐throughput sequencing and high‐density oligonucleotide microarrays have allowed the determination, in several bacteria, of the entire boundaries of all expressed transcripts. Consequently, novel RNA‐mediated regulatory mechanisms have been discovered including multifunctional RNAs. Moreover, resolution of bacterial proteome organisation (interactome) and global protein localisation (localizome) have unveiled an (...) unanticipated complexity that highlights the significance of protein multifunctionality and localisation in the cell. Also, analysis of a complete bacterial metabolic network has again revealed a high fraction of multifunctional enzymes and an unexpectedly high level of metabolic responses and adaptation. Altogether, these novel approaches have permitted the deciphering of the entire physiological landscape of one of the smallest bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Here, we summarise and discuss recent findings aimed at defining the blueprint of any prokaryote. (shrink)

Una larga tradición le atribuye a Sócrates la preocupación por transformar la vida de quienes dialogan con él; atribución que se opone a la imagen, rastreable en los Diálogos de Platón, de su fracaso al momento de influir en la vida de sus interlocutores más recalcitrantes. Para disminuir esta tensión y, con ello, disolver la impresión de dicho fracaso, se examinan elementos de la representación platónica del élenchos en favor de la idea de que Sócrates no busca convertir a los (...) demás. Al final, se añade una crítica al optimismo con que Pierre Hadot sí le adjudica la función de agente de conversión. (shrink)

The main objective of this article is to provide a critique of the pandemic strategy suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) and implemented by various countries from March 2020 onwards in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Based on the theories of Michel Foucault, this critique aims to show that, in the first instance, the pandemic may be understood in terms of the art of governing human beings at the point of interaction between politics and medicine; (...) secondly, in Foucauldian terminology, such interaction may be referred to as ‘noso-politics’, that is, a mechanism used to control the body of the population via authoritarian measures exercised in the name of the health of the population; thirdly, such a mechanism exercises its power by invoking a mechanistic truth about the SARS-CoV-2 virus which may be countered by an argument that takes a historical perspective on the virus; fourthly, the pandemic strategy may be opposed by a syndemic approach that takes into account interactions between emerging diseases such as COVID-19 and non-communicable illnesses, as well as the biological and socio-economic conditions that the well-being of the population depends on. In short, by providing a critique of the politics of truth about the pandemic, the virus, and health measures, the article aims to encourage a critical attitude that will challenge both the authorities and the truth they invoke to prevent the pandemic strategy being used as a mechanism for governing, given the predictions of the recurrent emergence of new viruses. (shrink)

The following paper proposes an analysis of cartoons published between 1900-1930, featured in over a dozen Costa Rican magazines and papers that comment on socio-political events of the time. Over a hundred cartoons created by Costa Rican intellectuals portray the tumultuous tensions between Central American nations and the United States of America, especially through the iconic figure of Uncle Sam. This paper analyses the complex depiction of anti-imperialistic notions conveyed through cartoons on Costa Rican newspapers and magazines of important circulation. (...) This paper analyses the context that surround the creation of this images and the characteristics that define this corpus of anti-imperialistic images. These cartoons not only register the convulsive times Central America faced at the beginning of the 20th century, they also manifest and urge a sense of resistance through the satirical streak that characterizes these drawings. These are testimonies of the complicated relationship, and veritable love-hate saga, between Central Americans fascination with American culture, but utter disgust towards American foreign policy towards Costa Rica and its neighbouring nations. (shrink)

Las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) han ganado gran relevancia derivado de la situación de salud producida por el Covid-19, por lo que se plantean nuevas dinámicas en la formación docente. El estudio es de corte cualitativo descriptivo y se utilizó el estudio de casos, el análisis de contenido y del discurso. Los docentes exponen la adaptación del diseño tecnopedagógico, motivándolos al autoaprendizaje proactivo de sus estudiantes. El sentido pedagógico del uso de TIC propició un escenario de (...) aprendizaje para favorecer el enriquecimiento de las prácticas de los docentes, donde se logra la democratización del conocimiento. (shrink)

Resumen: La teoría de probabilidad rara vez diferencia su concepto de su determinabilidad cuantitativa. Para definir su objeto, ésta comienza por la exposición abstracta de la probabilidad y sus determinaciones o bien referidas a la esfera del ser, o bien a la esfera del pensar. Este estudio pretende, siguiendo el automovimiento de estas determinaciones en la Lógica, criticar la limitación de ambas proposiciones y presentar una concepción especulativa del fenómeno probabilístico.

En el contexto del conflicto armado interno en Colombia, la atrocidad en las acciones violentas también se transmite a los conflictos familiares y comunitarios, y aumenta el desplazamiento político forzado, que provoca fuertes choques culturales al generar debilitamiento en la estructura familiar patriarcal, en los roles de los géneros y en las prácticas de la sexualidad. El artículo destaca el apoyo brindado por organizaciones no gubernamentales y agencias de cooperación internacional a este fenómeno, presentando los casos de tres núcleos de (...) mujeres desplazadas. (shrink)

This paper seeks to propose the peacebuilding as an activity that favors and facilitates interreligious dialogue in Colombia. The eradication of symbolic violence requires the collaborative work of all citizens and institutions, particularly the religious institution. Religions and their organizations have legal constitutional conditions, which recognize, respect and promote freedom of religion and worship, against which they are expected to continue making a significant contribution to peacebuilding. The golden rule, which is part of the reservation of meaning, present in each (...) of them, can serve as an inspiration to take decisions that lead to the social transformation that peacebuilding requires. (shrink)

El escrito busca argumentar la postulación de san Basilio como un relato de Dios para la Iglesia de todos los tiempos. Se recoge información de las obras del mismo personaje y de aquellos que compartieron con él, además, se apela a comentarios de especialistas que se destacan por el conocimiento del personaje y sus obras. La exposición aborda la experiencia familiar, algunos hechos significativos de su proceso formativo, su incursión en la vida monacal, su ejercicio pastoral como presbítero y obispo (...) de Cesarea, y el carácter contextual de sus escritos. (shrink)

El presente artículo busca dar razón de la categoría paideia como estructura fundamental del quehacer teológico de Gregorio de Nisa. En función de este propósito se hace un acercamiento a la noción de paideia propia de los griegos y, posteriormente se señala la manera como el Niseno apropió dicha categoría configurando la paideia cristiana, apelando a ejemplos de su obra De Vita Moysis. This article seeks to give reason for the category paideia as a fundamental structure of the theological enterprise (...) of Gregory of Nyssa. According to this purpose is made an approach to the concept of paideia own of the Greeks and subsequently notes how the bishop of Nyssa appropriated that category by configuring the Christian paideia, appealing to examples of his work De Vita Moysis. (shrink)

El pensamiento está relacionado con un modo de ser. La forma de pensar que privilegia la ciencia pasa por alto el contexto, pareciera que eso es irrelevante, pues se cree que el pensamiento está alejado de la realidad natural e histórica. Sin embargo, el cómo se piensa incide en la relación que los sujetos mantienen con las cosas, los objetos, las situaciones y también entre sí. La razón moderna en cuanto científica y dominante, no sólo ha permitido el desarrollo técnico, (...) también objetualiza lo diferente a sí misma, ese es el punto desde el cual filosofa Esther Díaz, dicho filosofar es recuperado e interpretado en este documento. La crítica a la ciencia en cuanto dominante y unívoca no invalida a los conocimientos dados a partir de ella, no se aboga por una clausura de la razón, sino que se confía en ella, siempre y cuando, sea capaz de abrirse a las distintas perspectivas. La apertura repercutiría a nivel político, en el sentido de que los sujetos se curarían del delirio de la dominación. El filosofar de Esther invita a ser libres, afrontar la vida con lucidez y pasión. (shrink)

Grit, which is originally conceptualized as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, has been associated with optimal performance. Although previous meta-analytic and systematic reviews summarized how grit relates to performance outcomes, they possess considerable shortcomings, such as (a) absence of summary on the association of grit with well-being outcomes; (b) absence of discussion on social, psychological, and emotional mechanisms linking grit to well-being; and (c) lack of elaboration on how alternative models can resolve fundamental problems in the grit construct. This (...) integrative review provides a comprehensive summary on the link of grit to performance and well-being outcomes. Importantly, it elaborates how alternative models can potentially address flaws in the existing grit theory. Future research directions are discussed on how to move forward the science of grit. (shrink)

In this paper, an attempt is made to solve various problems posed to current theories of verisimilitude: the problem of linguistic variance; the problem of which are the best scientific methods for getting the most verisimilar theories; and the question of the ontological commitment in scientific theories. As a result of my solution to these problems, and with the help of other considerations of epistemological character, I conclude that the notion of 'Tarskian truth' is dispensable in a rational interpretation of (...) the scientific enterprise. As a logical result, however, falsificationism will be vindicated. (shrink)

According to enactivism all living systems, from single cell organisms to human beings, are ontologically endowed with some form of teleological and sense-making agency. Furthermore, enactivists maintain that: there is no fixed pregiven world and as a consequence all organisms “bring forth” their own unique “worlds” through processes of sense-making. The first half of the paper takes these two ontological claims as its central focus and aims to clarify and make explicit the arguments and motivations underlying them. Our analysis here (...) highlights three distinct but connected problems for enactivism: these arguments do not and cannot guarantee that there is no pregiven world, instead, they end up generating a contradiction whereby a pregiven world seems to in fact be tacitly presupposed by virtue of a reliance on a tacit epistemic perspectivalism which is also inherently representationalist and as a consequence makes it difficult to satisfactorily account for the ontological plurality of worlds. Taking these considerations on board, the second half of the paper then aims to develop a more robust ontologically grounded enactivism. Drawing from biosemiotic enactivism, science and technology studies and anthropology, the paper aims to present an account which both rejects a pregiven world and coherently accounts for how organisms bring forth ontologically multiple worlds. (shrink)

O presente artigo discute o conceito de cidadania e sua relação com as questões educacionais, sobretudo, as relacionadas ao campo da Educação de Jovens e Adultos. Constitui-se como resultado de pesquisa intitulada “Cidadania e EJA: concepções e desafios que marcam a escola pública brasileira” no âmbito do Núcleo de Estudos sobre Trabalho e Educação da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. O texto destaca como o conceito de cidadania se desenvolveu historicamente, buscando seus fundamentos ideológicos e (...) políticos no liberalismo, correlacionando-o com a perspectiva de Estado e de educação defendida por essa corrente. Demonstra que a concepção burguesa de cidadania se desdobra sobre o campo educacional, expondo sua relação com a acumulação flexível de cunho capitalista. A concepção marxista de educação rompe com essa unilateralidade, apresentando a universalização do trabalho e da educação como expressão do humano, da pluralidade cultural e das concepções de mundo que marcam as experiências coletivas e individuais. Nesse modelo, as exigências educacionais para jovens e adultos são direcionadas a tornar esses sujeitos capazes de enfrentar, mesmo que minimamente, o mercado globalizado e assumir projetos de vida pautados no mérito das ações econômicas – por meio de uma educação ao longo da vida, com o objetivo de se manterem na condição de empregáveis. Portanto, o texto que se segue visa contribuir com as reflexões de educadores que almejam a construção de uma educação socialista e democrática. Esse processo, que se estabelece nos âmbitos coletivo e social – possível apenas com o rompimento e a superação do modelo social de capital e com a instauração de uma sociedade com novas formas de sentir, pensar e agir no mundo. Palavras-chave: Cidadania. Liberalismo. Educação. Jovens. Adultos. (shrink)

Knowledge, like other things of value, can be faked. According to Hawley (2011), know-how is harder to fake than knowledge-that, given that merely apparent propositional knowledge is in general more resilient to our attempts at successful detection than are corresponding attempts to fake know-how. While Hawley’s reasoning for a kind of detection resilience asymmetry between know-how and know-that looks initially plausible, it should ultimately be resisted. In showing why, we outline different ways in which know-how can be faked even when (...) a given performance is successful; and in doing so, we distinguish how know-how can be faked (no less than know-that) via upstream and downstream indicators of its presence, and within each of these categories, we’ll distinguish (in connection with detection resilience) both faking symptoms and (various kinds of) criteria. The unappreciated resilience of faked knowledge-how to successful detection highlights a largely overlooked dimension of social-epistemic risk – risk we face not just in our capacity as recipients of testimony, but in our capacity as both (would-be) apprentices and clients of knowledge-how. (shrink)

An epistemic notion of verisimilitude (as the 'degree in which a theory seems closer to the full truth to a scientific community') is defined in several ways. Application to the structuralist description of theories is carried out by introducing a notion of 'empirical regularity' in structuralist terms. It is argued that these definitions of verisimilitude can be used to give formal reconstructions of scientific methodologies such as falsificationism, conventionalism and normal science.

Scientists can choose different claims as interpretations of the results of their research. Scientific rhetoric is understood as the attempt to make those claims most beneficial for the scientists' interests. A rational choice, game-theoretic model is developed to analyze how this choice can be made and to assess it from a normative point of view. The main conclusion is that `social' interests (pursuit of recognition) may conflict with `cognitive' ones when no constraints are put on the choices of the authors (...) of scientific papers, as in an `ideal free speech situation'. Scientific institutions may help to solve this conflict. Lastly, some empirical predictions are offered that can inspire future social research of the refereeing process. (shrink)

A critical interpretation on Zubiri is put forward as an essential element for grasping the current importance of his thought, since this puts his potential contributions to the test and proposes corrections and creative extensions within the contemporary horizon of philosophy, with regard to phenomenology, hermeneutics, neurosciences and emergentism. The book focusses mainly on the evolution of Zubiri’s philosophy, his metaphysics, noology, anthropo- logy and the relationship between science and philosophy, but also on his serious crises. It should be placed (...) in context by associating this with today’s proposals for a new realism, linked to new forms of both ontology and hermeneutics. (shrink)

Some peculiarities of the evaluation of theories within scientific research programmes and of the assessing of rival SRPs are described assuming that scientists try to maximise an ‘epistemic utility function’ under economic and institutional constraints. Special attention is given to Lakatos' concepts of ‘empirical progress’ and ‘theoretical progress’. A notion of ‘empirical verisimilitude’ is defended as an appropriate utility function. The neologism ‘methodonomics’ is applied to this kind of studies.

Scientific research is reconstructed as a language game along the lines of Robert Brandom's inferentialism. Researchers are assumed to aim at persuading their colleagues of the validity of some claims. The assertions each scientist is allowed or committed to make depend on her previous claims and on the inferential norms of her research community. A classification of the most relevant types of inferential rules governing such a game is offered, and some ways in which this inferentialist approach can be used (...) for assessing scientific knowledge and practices are explored. Some similarities and differences with a game-theoretic analysis are discussed. (shrink)