The objective of this paper is to discuss the relationship between the functional properties and information-processing modes of the human brain and the evolution of scientific thought. Science has emerged as a tool to carry out predictive operations that exceed the accuracy, temporal scale, and intrinsic operational limitations of the human brain. Yet the scientific method unavoidably reflects some fundamental characteristics of the information-acquisition and -analysis modes of the brain, which impose a priori boundary conditions upon how science can develop (...) and how the physical universe can be “understood.” A brief description of physical and biological interactions is given, with emphasis on the defining role played by the concept of information. Current views on the information-processing and information-generating mechanisms of the human brain are briefly reviewed. It is shown how some particular features of superstition, natural philosophy, physical thought, and intuition can be linked to certain characteristic information-processing modes of the brain. A discussion is given of how greatly expanded knowledge of brain functions might affect the future of science and technology. (shrink)

La filosofía pragmatista norteamericana ha adquirido en estos últimos tiempos una gran relevancia. En ese contexto destaca particularmente la figura de John Dewey. A partir de la reciente publicación en lengua española de dos de sus obras de filosofía social y política más significativas —Viejo y nuevo individualismo y La opinión pública y sus problemas—, este trabajo repasa sus ideas sobre el individualismo, el liberalismo, la comunidad, la opinión pública y la democracia, sin perder nunca de vista su pertinencia para (...) los problemas y desafíos de nuestros días. (shrink)

My advocacy is teachers’ continuing professional growth, the practice and beliefs of which must be constantly fine-tuned with the school’s philosophy. One must purposely get out of the comfort zone to get a more philosophical view. I teach in a learner-centered school, which puts the learner at the center of the educative process. Some pedagogical techniques are recognized as more learner-centered than others, but other methods could be transformed as well. It helps to consult literatures on how to grow more (...) learner-centered. In this article, I share how I used McCombs and Miller’s attributes of learnercentered leaders and best teachers, and Blumberg’s model for transitioning to learner-centered instruction. I realize that I have yet to improve on sharing the responsibility in learning with my students. I anticipate pleasure and pain in shifting my beliefs on the boundary between teacher and students. The exercise demonstrates that the learner-centered mindset compels planning and adapting; preparing the classroom, lessons and instruction; and seeking new information and technology, all for making a teaching moment more helpful to each learner. For this reason, the learner-centered pedagogy contributes not only to the learner’s growth but also to the teacher’s growth in his or her own pedagogy. (shrink)

This paper constitutes my philosophy of teaching. I aim to model self-examination of teaching practice with the use of philosophical actionresearch. I use the method of triangulation and a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to validate and to strengthen my assertions. The analysis was grounded on empirical information, relevant current literature, and reflection. I argue that self-examination of practice is a worthy exercise for educators. When conducted systematically, self-examination efforts should not be regarded as merely subjective. It can be (...) harnessed as a tool to improve an educator's academic performance and personal wellbeing. It should rather be viewed as a basic or foundational discipline to sustain one's growth and love for teaching. The reflections on experience, insights, and the external validation one gathers in the process are worth the challenge. An examined life becomes worth living. (shrink)

This article examines the complex relationship between culture, values, and ethics in mental health care. Cultural competence is a practical, concrete demonstration of the ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence (doing good), nonmaleficence (not doing harm), and justice (treating people fairly)—the cornerstones of modern ethical codes for the health professions. Five clinical cases are presented to illustrate the range of ethical issues faced by mental health clinicians working in a multicultural environment, including issues of therapeutic boundaries, diagnosis, treatment choice, (...) confidentiality and informed consent, and the just distribution of limited health care resources. (shrink)

The present article, more than to deepen in the polemic classic Popper - Kuhn regarding the progress of the science, seeks to indicate some fundamental pillars that should be kept in mind as possibility for the elaboration of a curriculum in the teaching of the sciences. It is rescued of this discus..

In this work, our aim is to investigate the impact of a non-Kolmogorov predator-prey-subsidy model incorporating nonlinear prey refuge and the effect of fear with Holling type II functional response. The model arises from the study of a biological system involving arctic foxes, lemmings, and seal carcasses. The positivity and asymptotically uniform boundedness of the solutions of the system have been derived. Analytically, we have studied the criteria for the feasibility and stability of different equilibrium points. In addition, we have (...) derived sufficient conditions for the existence of local bifurcations of codimension 1. It is also observed that there is some time lag between the time of perceiving predator signals through vocal cues and the reduction of prey’s birth rate. So, we have analyzed the dynamical behaviour of the delayed predator-prey-subsidy model. Numerical computations have been performed using MATLAB to validate all the analytical findings. Numerically, it has been observed that the predator, prey, and subsidy can always exist at a nonzero subsidy input rate. But, at a high subsidy input rate, the prey population cannot persist and the predator population has a huge growth due to the availability of food sources. (shrink)

In “Willpower with and without effort”, G. Ainslie advances our understanding of selfcontrol by theoretically unifying multiple forms of willpower. But one crucial question remains unanswered: How do agents pick the right forms of willpower in each situation? I argue that willpower requires tactical skill, which detects willpower-demanding contexts, selects context-appropriate tactics, and monitors their implementation. Research on tactical skill will significantly advance our understanding of willpower.

A critical issue in executive control is how the nervous system exerts flexibility to inhibit a prepotent response and adapt to sudden changes in the environment. In this study, force measurement was used to capture “partial” unsuccessful trials that are highly relevant in extending the current understanding of motor inhibition processing. Moreover, a modified version of the stop-signal task was used to control and eliminate potential attentional capture effects from the motor inhibition index. The results illustrate that the non-canceled force (...) and force rate increased as a function of stop-signal delay, offering new objective indices for gauging the dynamic inhibitory process. Motor response was a function of delay in the presentation of novel/infrequent stimuli. A larger lateralized readiness potential amplitude in go and novel stimuli indicated an influence of the novel stimuli on central motor processing. Moreover, an early N1 component reflects an index of motor inhibition in addition to the N2 component reported in previous studies. Source analysis revealed that the activation of N2 originated from inhibitory control associated areas: the right inferior frontal gyrus, pre-motor cortex, and primary motor cortex. Regarding partial responses, LRP and error-related negativity were associated with error correction processes, whereas the N2 component may indicate the functional overlap between inhibition and error correction. In sum, the present study has developed reliable and objective indices of motor inhibition by introducing force, force-rate and electrophysiological measures, further elucidating our understandings of dynamic motor inhibition and error correction. (shrink)

Justo Lipsio publicó en 1598 la primera ed. de _Admiranda sive de magnitudine romana libri IV_, una de las fuentes bibliográficas del _Decline and Fall_ de Gibbon. El trabajo presenta las relaciones entre ambos proyectos historiográficos y revisa el análisis que de esa relación realizó J. G. A. Pococken _Barbarism and Religion. __Volume Three. The First Decline and Fall_ (2003).

Background: The field of voice and speech analysis has become increasingly popular over the last 10 years, and articles on its use in detecting neurodegenerative diseases have proliferated. Many studies have identified characteristic speech features that can be used to draw an accurate distinction between healthy aging among older people and those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Speech analysis has been singled out as a cost-effective and reliable method for detecting the presence of both conditions. In this research, (...) a systematic review was conducted to determine these features and their diagnostic accuracy.Methods: Peer-reviewed literature was located across multiple databases, involving studies that apply new procedures of automatic speech analysis to collect behavioral evidence of linguistic impairments along with their diagnostic accuracy on Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. The risk of bias was assessed by using JBI and QUADAS-2 checklists.Results: Thirty-five papers met the inclusion criteria; of these, 11 were descriptive studies that either identified voice features or explored their cognitive correlates, and the rest were diagnostic studies. Overall, the studies were of good quality and presented solid evidence of the usefulness of this technique. The distinctive acoustic and rhythmic features found are gathered. Most studies record a diagnostic accuracy over 88% for Alzheimer's and 80% for mild cognitive impairment.Conclusion: Automatic speech analysis is a promising tool for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The reported features seem to be indicators of the cognitive changes in older people. The specific features and the cognitive changes involved could be the subject of further research. (shrink)

This book offers an impressive collection of contributions on the epistemology of international biolaw and its applications, both in the legal and ethical fields. Bringing together works by some of the world’s most prominent experts on biolaw and bioethics, it constitutes a paradigmatic text in its field. In addition to exploring various ideologies and philosophies, including European, American and Mediterranean biolaw traditions, it addresses controversial topics straight from today’s headlines, such as genetic editing, the dual-use dilemma, and neurocognitive enhancement. The (...) book encourages readers to think objectively and impartially in order to resolve the ethical and juridical dilemmas that stem from biotechnological empowerment and biomedical techniques. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for courses on biolaw, law, bioethics, and biomedical research, as well as courses that discuss law and the biosciences at different professional levels, e.g. in the courts, biomedical industry, pharmacological companies and the public space in general. (shrink)

Recensión de G. Jaúregi, La democracia plantearia, Ediciones Nobel, Oviedo, 2000.

Juan A. Nicolás, Department of Philosophy II, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain © 2010 Juan A. Nicolás Sociedad Española Leibniz has started the project ‘Leibniz en español’Leibniz in Spanish...

Este trabajo analiza la presencia de la química en el pensamiento leibniciano. Se valora su contribución al nacimiento de la nueva química y la superación de la vieja alquimia. Se analizan los principales escritos consagrados por el filósofo a esta problemática, para establecer cómo evoluciona y qué relaciones tiene con sus trabajos en otras disciplinas.

This article asks the question, ``what is reliable machine learning?'' As I intend to answer it, this is a question about epistemic justification. Reliable machine learning gives justification for believing its output. Current approaches to reliability (e.g., transparency) involve showing the inner workings of an algorithm (functions, variables, etc.) and how they render outputs. We then have justification for believing the output because we know how it was computed. Thus, justification is contingent on what can be shown about the algorithm, (...) its properties, and its behavior. In this paper, I defend computational reliabilism (CR). CR is a computationally-inspired off-shoot of process reliabilism that does not require showing the inner workings of an algorithm. CR credits reliability to machine learning by identifying reliability indicators external to the algorithm (validation methods, knowledge-based integration, etc.). Thus, we have justification for believing the output of machine learning when we have identified the appropriate reliability indicators. CR is advanced as a more suitable epistemology for machine learning. The main goal of this article is to lay the groundwork for CR, how it works, and what we can expect as a justificatory framework for reliable machine learning. (shrink)

RESUMEN En las primeras páginas de la Ciencia de la lógica, el pensar tiene la pretensión de iniciar su propio movimiento sin aceptar ningún pensamiento dado o presuposición como la paradójica y pura autorreferencia del vínculo entre ser y nada. De acuerdo con esto, proponemos una lectura que afirma la presencia de una negatividad que explica la actividad inmanente del pensar en el inicio de la Ciencia de la lógica. ABSTRACT The opening pages of the Science of Logic present us (...) with thought beginning its own movement, without accepting any given thought or assumption, that is, as the paradoxical and pure self-reference of the link between being and nothing. In this sense, we suggest a reading that asserts the presence of a negativity that explains the immanent activity of thought at the beginning of the Science of Logic. (shrink)

El artículo analiza y problematiza el “método analógico” puesto en juego por la filosofía de la individuación de Gilbert Simondon. Plantea las condiciones del problema y reconstruye el debate que ha propiciado entre los intérpretes; precisa el carácter isodinámico y genético de la práctica analógica simondoniana, así como su objeto específico; analiza el vínculo teórico que mantiene con el Dialogue sur l’analogie (1946) de Bruno de Solages, y concluye con una reflexión relativa a las tensiones que recorren al método analógico (...) en tanto intermediario entre epistemología y metafísica. (shrink)

This text considers the results of the western powers’ recognition of Kososvo’s independence from three perspectives: firstly, the possible consequences (of which what is happening in Georgia already gives us some proof) of this independence proclaimed and recognised outside the provisions of international law, and which can be considered a precedent in other territories with similar problems; secondly, it proposes, following Hegel, a rational conception of the state, far removed from ideas of ethnicity based on race, language, and so on, (...) in which nationalism finds its inspiration. Finally, it analyses and criticises from the Hegelian perspective, as updated by the reasoning of authors such as Habermas, the foundations of nationalism, especially its mistaken defence of the pre-eminence of collective over individual rights. (shrink)

Intuitively, there is a difference between knowledge and mere belief. Contemporary philosophical work on the nature of this difference has focused on scenarios known as “Gettier cases.” Designed as counterexamples to the classical theory that knowledge is justified true belief, these cases feature agents who arrive at true beliefs in ways which seem reasonable or justified, while nevertheless seeming to lack knowledge. Prior empirical investigation of these cases has raised questions about whether lay people generally share philosophers’ intuitions about these (...) cases, or whether lay intuitions vary depending on individual factors (e.g. ethnicity) or factors related to specific types of Gettier cases (e.g. cases that include apparent evidence). We report an experiment on lay attributions of knowledge and justification for a wide range of Gettier Cases and for a related class of controversial cases known as Skeptical Pressure cases, which are also thought by philosophers to elicit intuitive denials of knowledge. Although participants rated true beliefs in Gettier and Skeptical Pressure cases as being justified, they were significantly less likely to attribute knowledge for these cases than for matched true belief cases. This pattern of response was consistent across different variations of Gettier cases and did not vary by ethnicity or gender, although attributions of justification were found to be positively related to measures of empathy. These findings therefore suggest that across demographic groups, laypeople share similar epistemic concepts with philosophers, recognizing a difference between knowledge and justified true belief. (shrink)

L’épuisement du biographique ? Le titre de cet ouvrage interpelle. Certes, travailler sur des sources biographiques, produire des biographies et penser à partir du biographique pose un certain nombre de questions, théoriques, épistémologiques comme méthodologiques. Faut-il cependant conclure à son épuisement, à une nouvelle éclipse, à la répétition de son histoire mouvementée, faite de soupçons récurrents et de revalorisations répétées ? Cet ouvrage part d’un constat : « le siècle passé sembl..

Climate and evolution represents an important contribution to evolutionary biogeography, that influenced several authors, notably Karl P. Schmidt, George S. Myers, George G. Simpson, Philip J. Darlington, Ernst Mayr, Thomas Barbour, John C. Poynton, Allen Keast, Léon Croizat, Robin Craw, Michael Heads, and Osvaldo A. Reig. Authors belonging to the “New York School of Zoogeography” –a research community including Matthew, Schmidt, Myers and Simpson– accepted Matthew’s “Holarcticism” and the permanence of ocean basins and continents, whereas others, especially panbiogeographers and cladistic (...) biogeographers, were extremely critical and reacted against these ideas. “Holarcticism” has been falsified and rejected by dispersalists and the “New York School of Zoogeography” disappeared in the 1970s. Matthew, however, continues being identified by panbiogeographers and cladistic biogeographers as a key representative of classic dispersalism, helping provide some cohesion to their research communities. (shrink)

English summary: G.W. Leibniz's philosophy represents a fundamental chapter in the constitution of what we mean by modernity. Leibniz can be considered a source of inspiration for both the moment of the emergence of modernity as well as for the moment of the crisis of Enlightenment. Despite his influence on various authors, Leibniz does not let himself be identified with the core of Enlightenment thinking that was prevalent in the Western world in recent centuries. We are therefore faced with a (...) thinking that in its development depends neither on the enlightened modernity, nor on the principal alternative, hermeneutics. Thus, the span of Leibniz's thought ranges from the time before the Enlightenment through to post-hermeneutics. This volume presents a selection of articles from the "IV Congreso Internacional Leibniz: G. W. Leibniz entre la genesis y la crisis de la Modernidad" which was selected by the "Sociedad Espanola Leibniz" held in Granada. German, English, & French text. German description: Die Philosophie G. W. Leibniz stellt ein grundlegendes Kapitel fuer die Konstituierung dessen dar, was wir unter Modernitat verstehen. Leibniz kann als eine Inspirationsquelle sowohl im Moment der Entstehung der Modernitat als auch im Moment der Krise der Aufklarung verstanden werden. Trotz seines Einflusses auf verschiedene Autoren lasst sich Leibniz nicht mit dem Kern des aufklarerischen Denkens identifizieren, das in der westlichen Welt in den letzten Jahrhunderten vorherrschend war. Wir stehen also vor einem Denken, das in seinem Werdegang weder von der aufgeklarten Modernitat noch von deren hauptsachlicher Alternative, der Hermeneutik, abhangt. Somit spannt sich der Bogen des Denkens Leibniz von der Zeit vor der Aufklarung bis hin zur Post-Hermeneutik. Dieser Sammelband prasentiert eine Auswahl der Beitrage auf dem IV Congreso Internacional Leibniz: G. W. Leibniz entre la genesis y la crisis de la Modernidad, der von der Sociedad espanola Leibniz in Granada abgehalten wurde. Die Studien umfassen vier thematische Bereiche: Leibniz und die Entstehung der Modernitat, die Prinzipien der Philosophie und der Naturwissenschaften, die Sprachphilosophie und die Erkenntnistheorie, Ontologie und Theodizee. (shrink)

English summary: G.W. Leibniz's philosophy represents a fundamental chapter in the constitution of what we mean by modernity. Leibniz can be considered a source of inspiration for both the moment of the emergence of modernity as well as for the moment of the crisis of Enlightenment. Despite his influence on various authors, Leibniz does not let himself be identified with the core of Enlightenment thinking that was prevalent in the Western world in recent centuries. We are therefore faced with a (...) thinking that in its development depends neither on the enlightened modernity, nor on the principal alternative, hermeneutics. Thus, the span of Leibniz's thought ranges from the time before the Enlightenment through to post-hermeneutics. This volume presents a selection of articles from the "IV Congreso Internacional Leibniz: G. W. Leibniz entre la genesis y la crisis de la Modernidad" which was selected by the "Sociedad Espanola Leibniz" held in Granada. German, English, & French text. German description: Die Philosophie G. W. Leibniz stellt ein grundlegendes Kapitel fur die Konstituierung dessen dar, was wir unter Modernitat verstehen. Leibniz kann als eine Inspirationsquelle sowohl im Moment der Entstehung der Modernitat als auch im Moment der Krise der Aufklarung verstanden werden. Trotz seines Einflusses auf verschiedene Autoren lasst sich Leibniz nicht mit dem Kern des aufklarerischen Denkens identifizieren, das in der westlichen Welt in den letzten Jahrhunderten vorherrschend war. Wir stehen also vor einem Denken, das in seinem Werdegang weder von der aufgeklarten Modernitat noch von deren hauptsachlicher Alternative, der Hermeneutik, abhangt. Somit spannt sich der Bogen des Denkens Leibniz von der Zeit vor der Aufklarung bis hin zur Post-Hermeneutik. Dieser Sammelband prasentiert eine Auswahl der Beitrage auf dem IV Congreso Internacional Leibniz: G. W. Leibniz entre la genesis y la crisis de la Modernidad, der von der Sociedad espanola Leibniz in Granada abgehalten wurde. Die Studien umfassen vier thematische Bereiche: Leibniz und die Entstehung der Modernitat, die Prinzipien der Philosophie und der Naturwissenschaften, die Sprachphilosophie und die Erkenntnistheorie, Ontologie und Theodizee. (shrink)

La tradición filosófica se ha asentado sobre una serie de presupuestos a propósito de lo que significa pensar, que ha naturalizado una forma dogmática del ejercicio filosófico y que se ha expandido en general a todas las áreas del hacer y del saber. El presente artículo intenta ofrecer, a la luz de la obra de Gilles Deleuze, un diagnóstico de tales presupuestos. Philosophical tradition has grounded itself in a series of assumptions regarding what it means to think. This has naturalized (...) a dogmatic form of philosophical practice, which has extended to all other areas of practice and knowledge. The article presents a diagnostic of those assumptions, on the basis of the work of Gilles Deleuze. A tradição filosófica tem sido estabelecida sobre uma série de pressupostos a propósito do que significa pensar, que tem naturalizado uma forma dogmática do exercício filosófico e que tem se expandido em geral a todas as áreas do fazer e do saber. O presente artigo pretende oferecer, à luz da obra de Gilles Deleuze, um diagnóstico desses pressupostos. (shrink)

RESUMENEn este trabajo se resume la influencia del pensamiento de Ockham en las corrientes de filosofía modernas de corte racionalista: racionalismo, Ilustración, idealismo y fenomenología y estructuralismo. Para notar dicho influjo, se atiende tanto al método cognoscitivo de dichas corrientes como al tema real por ellas tratado. A la par, se establece una sucinta corrección de sus tesis principales desde la filosofía de L. Polo.PALABRAS CLAVEOCKHAM, RACIONALISMO, ILUSTRACIÓN, IDEALISMO, FENOMENOLOGÍA, ESTRUCTURALISMO, L. POLOABSTRACTIn this paper we study the influence of the (...) philosophy of G. of Ockham in some rationalistic modern philosophies: rationalism, Illustration, idealism, phenomenology and structuralism. We focus on the principal method and theme of these philosophies. We also add a brief correction of these thesis according to the philosophy of L. Polo.KEY WORDSOCKHAM, RATIONALISM, ILLUSTRATION, IDEALISM, PHENOMENOLOGY, STRUCTURALISM, L. POLO. (shrink)

This note analyzes two recently published volumes: G. Di Palma, Cristo primizia dei morti e la risurrezione dei credenti. Studio su 1Cor 15, Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, Bern 2014, and A. Bizzozero, Una catechesi sulla risurrezione dei morti. Analisi dei Sermoni 361 e 362 di Agostino di Ippona, Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, Frankfurt am Main 2014. In it, the Author highlights the merits and the shortcomings of both volumes.

L a distribució n parlamentari a qu e ha n a r rojad o lo s resultado s d e la s pasada s elecciones generale s de l dí a 2 0 d e n o viembre , d e 2011 , h a ocasionado , sobr e tod o po r pa r t e d e la s fo r - macione s política s má s s e v erament e afectadas , tod a un a (...) cascad a d e crítica s a nuestr o sistema electoral , y pa r ticula r ment e sobr e l a fó r mul a idead a po r e l matemátic o belg a Vícto r D’Hont. Lo s distinto s pa r tido s tiende n a un a v aloració n sesgad a e n vi r tu d de l bene f ici o obtenido d e l a fó r mul a el e gid a po r e l L e gislado r e n un a etap a históric a dete r minada . ¿Cóm o afecta l a l e y D’Hon t a l a calida d d e l a democraci a española ? ¿E l pro b lem a resid e e n l a fó r mula D’Hont ? Co n l a f inalida d d e contribui r a l debat e abie r t o sobr e nuestr o sistem a electoral, m e centrar é e n alguna s modi f cacione s d e l a LORE G qu e todo s podría n acepta r , junt o a l a propuest a d e do s modelo s electorales , a cost e cero , d e do b l e pro r rate o y d e aplicación inmediata. (shrink)

Pinhas Sadeh was considered as an unorthodox writer as regards his environment, the “State Culture” in Israel. In the first part of this paper I present the biography of the author and his most representative work, Life as a parable, published in 1958, as well as his romantic and frankist roots and his leaning towards Christianity according to the Gospel. In the second part a mythical analysis of this work is made according to the inner journey of hero, through which (...) the main character is looking for his life meaning. In this second part I present my methodology, based on works of the Eranos Society (Mircea Eliade, C.G. Jung, Gilbert Durand). Afterwards, I analyse the mithems that I have found in Life as a parable. Finally, I make a mythical comparison between this novel and Siddharta, of Hermann Hesse. (shrink)