The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg remains largely unexplored as far as social science is concerned. An excellent study in electoral sociology by Jules Gérard-Libois gives interesting insights and points out rather convincingly that Luxembourg is endowed with a political system that has a marked degree of specificity, be it from the point of view of the electoral system, electoral habits or the social structure in general. It shows in particular that owing to the rather peculiar electoral system, a large (...) party diversity and a dynamic regionalism is fostered.Consequently, the systematic study of small political entities such as Luxembourg enables a considerable and genuine refinement of political analysis. (shrink)

Forensic psychiatry is a particular subspecialty within psychiatry, dedicated in applying psychiatric knowledge and psychiatric training for particular legal purposes. Given that within the scope of forensic psychiatry, a third party usually intervenes in the patient-doctor relationship, an amendment of the traditional ethical principles seems justified. Thus, 47 articles, two book chapters and the guidelines produced by the World Psychiatric Association, the American Association of Psychiatry and the Law, as well as by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of (...) psychiatrists, were analyzed. The review revealed that the ethics of correctional forensic psychiatry and those of legal forensic psychiatry do not markedly differ from each other, but they are incongruent in terms of implementation. In an effort to better understand which ethical principles apply to forensic psychiatry, a chronological review of the literature published from 1950 to 2015 was carried out. The ethics of correctional forensic psychiatry are primarily deontological. The principle of justice translates into the principle of health care equivalence, the principle of beneficence into providing the best possible care to patients, and the principle of respect of autonomy into ensuring confidentiality and informed consent. The ethics of legal forensic psychiatry are rather consequentialist. In this latter setting, the principle of justice is mainly characterized by professionalism, the principle of beneficence by objectivity and impartiality, and the principle of respect of autonomy by informed consent. However, these two distinct fields of forensic psychiatry share in common the principle of non maleficence, defined as the non collaboration of the psychiatrist in any activity leading to inhuman and degrading treatment or to the death penalty. (shrink)

This article offers a new theory about how using lotteries to distribute scarce benefits satisfies beneficiaries' claims. In the first section of the article I criticize John Broome's view and on the basis of these criticisms set out four desiderata for a philosophically adequate account of claim satisfaction by lottery. In section II I propose and defend a new view called the dual structure view, so called because it posits that claimants have two types of claims in the relevant scarce (...) benefit distribution cases under discussion. This view meets all the desiderata set out in section I. Section III draws out the practical implications of my view for a variety of temporally extended cases, including the distribution of corneas to patients who have suffered corneal degeneration. (shrink)

Extra destinatum -- The philologist and the Epicurean -- Homer atomized -- The pervasive influence.

This work challenges the textbook assessment of Schopenhauer as militant atheist and absolute pessimist. In examining Schopenhauer's grappling with religion, theology and Kant's moral philosophy, Mannion suggests we can actually discern a 'religious' humility in method in Schopenhauer's work, seen most clearly in his ethics of compassion and his doctrine of salvation. Given current debates between theologians and philosophers in relation to 'postmodernity' and 'postmodern thought', this book illustrates that Schopenhauer should be a key figure in such debates.

La tradition utopique compte autant de projets de société promettant l’avènement d’une ère de loisirs que de projets dans lesquels le travail demeure le pilier de la cohésion sociale. Cette double lignée continue d’inspirer certains programmes politiques, mais à la différence des années 1970 une sorte de résignation semble s’être répandue. Cet article propose, au contact de l’histoire des idées politiques et de la philosophie politique contemporaine, de réexaminer les paradigmes de la conception du travail et de sa place dans (...) la société, et de dresser un bilan des théories et utopies sociales qui ont imaginé comment le règne de la liberté peut s’établir sur le règne de la nécessité. La relecture de la tradition utopique permet de faire justice d’une série de lieux communs. Par exemple la crainte qu’une organisation communautaire trop parfaite, « communiste », ne dissuade de travailler – un argument qui ne cesse de polluer toute réflexion sur une conception sociale globale (et non libéraleindividuelle) de la question du travail. (shrink)

Computational dialectics is concerned with the formal representation of argument and dispute. The field emerged from developments in philosophy, artificial intelligence and legal theory. Its goal is to suggestalgorithms, procedures and protocols to investigate the tenability of logical claims, on the basis of information in the form of rules and cases. Currently, the field slowlyconverges to the opinion that dispute is the most fair and effective way to investigate claims. The basic assumption of this field is that dispute is the (...) most fair and effective way to investigate claims. The definition of a formal dispute varies throughout the literature, butis considered not to vary within one and the same logical system. In this paper it is shown that parts of the definition of a dispute may change within one logical system.To this end, the notion of partial protocol specification (PPS) is introduced. A PPS is a part of the definition of the protocol. A modification to the protocol, in the form of a PPS, can be put forward, disputed, established and incorporated as aneffective `point of order. The paper demonstrates the existence of self-undermining PPSs, it discusses the relevance of PPSs for dialectical models of legal argument and concludes with a description of how PPSs can be built into existing argumentation systems. (shrink)

In the fourth chapter of the Hippocratic treatise De mortis II 1 an unnamed illness is discussed which arises allegedly from an overabundance of blood in the vessels around the brain. The author of the chapter, however, disputes this aetiology.

In this introduction to the new edition of Durkheim and Mauss's Primitive Classification, I flesh out Durkheim and Mauss’s account of the acquisition of the concept of class, and I argue that their account steers a middle course between traditional strands of rationalism and empiricism.

Defeasible reasoning is concerned with the logics of non-deductive argument. As is described in the literature, the study of this type of reasoning is considerably more involved than the study of deductive argument, even so that, in realistic applications, there is often a lack of resources to perform an exhaustive analysis. It follows that, in a theory of defeasible reasoning, the order and direction in which arguments are developed, i.e. theprocedure, is important. The aim of this article is to show (...) that debate is the most efficient procedure to argue in the presence of limited resources. To do so, there is first some general theory on defeasible argumentation, which is followed by an introduction to the problem of dialectical search. The problem of dialectical search is (or at least, should be) the essential issue in every theory on argumentation, and emerges at every occasion that involves adjudication on competing arguments. Starting with an example, it is explained that dialectical search can be best scheduled according to classical debating techniques, that work along well-tried methods. These methods (which include various forms of curtailment, interruption, and interpretation) have proven their value in keeping debating efforts within reasonable bounds. How they apply in a theory of formal argument, will be shown in this article. (shrink)

Critical Cosmology takes up the task of establishing the much needed philosophical tools to think globalization by reading Kant's refoundation of ...

Summary The theory of research under development at this Institute aims at systematically describing and evaluating research and its products. It conceives research as an innovative sytem in which knowledge, problems and instruments are produced and processed. It proceeds by tacking between case studies of research enterprises (past or on-going) and constructing models over such features as data generation, hypothesis checking, systematization of pieces of knowledge, etc. Its auxiliaries are systems-theory, information theory, etc. It results should make possible a critical (...) examination of the factors that steer research processes — such as the perspective, criteria, ideals of science. A criticism informed by the results of this type of theory of research ought to be of value both for active researchers and for others concerned with research. (shrink)

This book will appeal to second- and third-year undergraduates, and graduates and academics in sociology and social theory, politics, cultural studies and other ...

Written by one of the most important founding figures of Western philosophy, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics represents a critical point in the study of ethics which has influenced the direction of modern philosophy. The Routledge Guidebook to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics introduces the major themes in Aristotle’s great book and acts as a companion for reading this key work, examining: The context of Aristotle’s work and the background to his writing Each separate part of the text in relation to its goals, meanings (...) and impact The reception the book received when first seen by the world The relevance of Aristotle’s work to modern philosophy, its legacy and influence. With further reading included throughout, this text is essential reading for all students of philosophy, and all those wishing to get to grips with this classic work. (shrink)

1. Badly understood words are the main hindrance to the discovery of truth. But they need not be, especially in physical science, where the senses, experience, and geometrical reasoning prevail. Reflection on motion led ancient philosophers into opinions about it so absurd that they are almost forgotten and merit no attention. But even the better presentday scientists, in their treatment of motion, employ language too abstract and of doubtful reference--for example, the attraction of gravity, effort, latent forces, and the like--which (...) make otherwise learned writings unintelligible. Hence this essay. (shrink)

Une enquête au sujet de l’influence d’Augustin sur Etty Hillesum, à la suite de sa lecture des Confessions, repose sur d’éventuelles traces littéraires repérables dans son Journal et, de manière plus diffuse mais peut-être plus significative, sur les indices d’une correspondance entre leur évolution humaine et spirituelle respective. N’y a-t-il pas défi à tenter cette enquête quand on sait qu’Etty affirme l’originalité de sa personnalité dans sa manière propre d’affronter le destin, communément tragique de ses compatriotes, avec les ressources de (...) son énergie intérieure ? N’est-ce pas tenter l’impossible et courir le risque d’un bilan négatif et d’un travail stérile ? S’il est de quelque profit, celui-ci consisterait à rendre Etty à elle-même en faisant droit à l’originalité de son talent, mais permettrait aussi le constat de correspondances ou de consonances éventuelles entre deux cheminements spirituels, la part d’influence ou de réminiscence augustiniennes s’étant si intimement intégrée à la personnalité d’Etty que son estampille s’en trouve oblitérée. En résumé, les éventuelles traces augustiniennes se détachent sur fond de dissimilitude.An investigation of Augustine’s influence on Etty Hilsum, following her reading of the Confessions, relies on any literary traces that can be found in her Journal and, in a more diffuse, but perhaps more significant way, on the signs of a correspondence between their respective human and spiritual evolution. Is there not a challenge in attempting this investigation when we know that Etty asserted the originality of her personality by her particular way of facing destiny, tragically shared with her compatriots, with the resources of her interior energy? Is this not attempting to do the impossible and running the risk of a negative result and fruitless work? If it were to have any benefit, it would consist in returning Etty to herself by recognizing the originality of her talent. It would also note correspondences or possible consonances between two spiritual itineraries, as Augustinian influence or reminiscences were so intimately incorporated into Etty’s personality that his stamp was obliterated. In short, any traces of Augustine stand out against a background of dissimilarity. (shrink)