The article deals with Kant's Copernican Revolution as an object of philosophical retrospection. It is suggested that Kant's Copernican Revolution can be understood in terms of the conditions of its possibility within the framework of a regressive transcendental argument. The regressive transcendental argument is equated with the universal philosophical method, which is circular in nature: starting with the facts of experience, it concludes about the necessary conditions for the possibility of a given experience and compares these conditions of possibility with (...) what is given in experience. It is shown that in the framework of such an approach, falsification of the initial premises of the Kantian project becomes inevitable. It is shown that the character of this falsification is essentially dialectical. By falsifying the transcendental project of the “Copernican revolution” as a whole, we question the “once and for all” boundary drawn by Kant between the epistemological premises (“idealism”) and ontological foundations (“realism”). (shrink)

The article discusses the methodological principle of reflexivity as formulated within the strong program of the sociology of scientific knowledge. The applicability of this principle in science and technology studies is analyzed from empirical and theoretical points of view. The principle of reflexivity expresses the requirement of scientific universalism: it forbids the exclusion of one’s own cognitive activity and its results from the world totality of objectively observable things and processes, in this case – beliefs. In D. Bloor’s imperative formulation, (...) the principle prescribes applying the explanatory methodology of the strong program in relation to the strong program’s own fundamental theoretical and methodological concepts. The implementation of this principle in STS faces practical problems and theoretical paradoxes. In line with the methodology of the strong program, the author asks the question about the social conditions of the failure of the principle of reflexivity. The author shows that empirically cognizable social conditions for the realization of the principle of reflexivity can be fulfilled. However, their fulfillment does not lead to reflexive work, which presupposes an external position of the one who explains in relation to what is explained. In accordance with the postpositivist concept of the underdetermination of theory by facts, the external position is achieved through the speculative transition from the factual given to the hypothesis explaining this given. The author shows that the external position taken by internal critics of the STS research community becomes the position of speculative philosophy. (shrink)

The author replies and comments on the critical remarks and ideas expressed by her opponents concerning the principle of reflexivity and its philosophical realization. The general idea of the opponents that philosophical reflection, even if addressed to itself, cannot ignore the results of empirical sciences, is highlighted.

Stamnos no. 5898 of the 3rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities has been restored from fragments which were found in an ancient well together with a large number of other broken vases during the course of an excavation on the site of no. 12 Ayiou Georgiou Karytsi at the corner of Praxitelous street. The foot and a number of fragments are missing, but the main décoration is complète. A meander encircles the vase, marking the line of the ground in (...) the scenes of the principal décoration. There is a tongue motive on the shoulder, a frieze of ovoli on the outside bevel of the lip, and a plant ornament on the handles. Both sides of the vase carry the representation of a warrior. The one on the principal side is turned to the left; he wears an Attic helmet and greaves and holds a lance in his right hand and a shield in his left; to the right of the shield a meaningless inscription can be read: MNONE. The second warrior is turned to the right; he wears a himation and holds a lance in his left hand and a Corinthian helmet in his right; he is accompanied by a dog who precedes him; to the right of the lance can be read: Ν Ο EN Δ Ν Ι. The drawing of the two scenes is carefully executed, with great attention to detail. On the principal side of the vase, the painter has depicted a warrior leaving for battle determined to win, and the second side shows the hero of the Median Wars. In view of the proportions of the vase, we would assign it to the class of the Louvre Kaineus Stamnos. The artistry and style of the drawing has similarities with the work of the Brygos Painter. The meaningless inscriptions, found on other works by the painter and probably serving as commercial brand marks, lend added support to this identification. The proportions, plant decoration and above ail the drawing, date the vase to 480 BC, between the artist's middle and final periods. The Athens stamnos no. 5898 is ail the more precious since Greek museums possess only a limited number of stamnoi, few works by the Brygos Painter and to date no other stamnos that has been attributed to this painter. (shrink)

In a metaphysics such as that of Duns Scotus, which is based on contingency, the question arises as to what possibility there is that man, insofar as he is a viator, might reach a true knowledge of nature, and what the value of such knowledge would be, since nature is a system that depends on the divine will as expressed in its potentia ordinata.

Burley ha de ser contado entre los más distinguidos comentaristas de Aristóteles en el siglo XIV. En el análisis de la teoría del número de los principios del ente natural y de su particular concepto de privación Burley enuncia su posición ultrarrealista en torno al problema de los universales. En efecto, los principios del ente natural son para Burley tres: materia, forma y privación que se distinguen según su esencia, y por tanto, también numéricamente. El Doctor Planus sostiene, así, una (...) perspectiva semántica donde la estructura del lenguaje es una función refleja respecto de la realidad, sustancialmente opuesta a la enunciada por Ockham en su Expositio librorum Physicorum ; y a la que combate enérgicamente. El presente trabajo reconstruye la doctrina en torno a los principios de la generación natural sostenida por el autor, establece sus fundamentos a partir de una particular posición gnoseo-ontológica y determina los vínculos de dependencia respecto de la doctrina del Venerabilis Inceptor, procurando reconstruir, así, un tramo de la historiografía física del siglo XIV. (shrink)

Since William of Ockham has never made a systematic and thorough analysis of the anthropological issue, the author reconstructs the theme on the basis of considerations taken from his several physical and theological works. The Ockhamist methodological approach is the same used to study the natural world: experience-based knowledge, individual- based terminist logic and the principle of economy. However, Ockham stresses the individual against the deterministic universe of matter. It is a privileged entity: with its nature of material being, it (...) takes part of the features and perfections of the natural world- both inanimate and animate beings; and with its freedom, it infinitely transcends the deterministic universe of physics. Taking the above as a starting point, the author considers, firstly, the physical and metaphysical definitions given by the philosopher; and she shows the consequences resulting from them and the specific limitations established by Ockham. Then, she analyzes the main constituent of both definitions: the spiritual soul; she does so by examining the main features is a central point in the Ockhamist anthropology where the mere reason is insufficient to reach the truth; it is the faith the one that should complete the scope of this knowledge. (shrink)

Ockham's view of time agrees with that of Aristotle (Phys. 218b 21- 219b 5) and Averroes (com. 98, 132 and 133), for whom time and movement always correspond and define one another. But the difference between Ockham and the above-mentioned philosophers was one of conception. Ockham considers time as nother facet of individual existence. Firstly, this work focuses on the determination of time reality and its definition. Secondly, It analyses the problem of the measurement of time: the circularity of time (...) and the measurement of motion had been already noticed by Augustinus; the details of Ockham's argument show dependence on Confessions XI, 21, 24; and especially 26. (shrink)

El tema de la libertad no ha sido considerado sistemáticamente por Ockham; por ello la autora lo analiza desde la circunscripción de los presupuestos metodológicos transitados por el Venerabilis Inceptor para llegar a su elaboración. Se fundamenta, en un primer momento, la nueva justificación gnoseo-ontológica de la realidad propuesta en el ockhamismo. Ello permite definir los límites en los cuales se inscribe el tema según un modelo fuertemente inspirado en el principio de la omnipotencia divina. La exposición ockhamista utiliza el (...) lenguaje y la doctrina aristotélica del libre arbitrio, pero desde una semántica completamente diversa; pues la libre elección aristotélica se produce a partir de un primer reconocimiento de opciones entre las que el agente elige; de allí que la libertad resulte una función del intelecto. Ockham desestima este elemento fundamental del aristotelismo al invertir la perspectiva del análisis; sostiene que la voluntad es un poder activo cuya opción fundamental -actuar o no actuar- no depende del intelecto sino de ella misma como causa sui. La metafísica y la antropología que sostienen esta concepción han sido modificadas sustancialmente respecto de las posiciones dominantes del siglo XIII: la naturaleza carece de una orientación específica; no está abierta, ni determinada por la verdad ni por el bien. Sólo el agente libre y consciente actúa en vista de un fin que él mismo se impone, mientras que el universo físico es predecible y perfectamente determinado. La libertad aparece como un comienzo frente a la determinación natural, configurándose, así, la primera versión medieval del dilema moderno de la libertad versus el determinismo. (shrink)

The article focuses on the crucial changes that science as an established social institution and an epistemological enterprise is undergoing, the key one is the loss of its monopoly on the production of socially useful knowledge and gradual transformation into something new, which, due to institutional and cultural reasons, we continue to call ‘science’. We suppose that the most appropriate conceptualization of the new phenomenon, which is replacing science as an institution, is “technoscience”, since the technical component in scientific practices (...) has now taken a dominant position and technology production has become more important than fundamental knowledge. Technoscience has at least two sources: 1) capitalization of scientific activity that has led to classical science has been replaced with technoscience developing on first-priority funded applied research; 2) theorization and autonomy of the techno sphere, which have resulted in instrumentalization of all levels of knowledge production as well as in technological / symbolic construction of reality and tangled ontology of technoscientific objects. We discuss both of these sources, with particular attention being paid to such trends as epistemic strategies transformation, modified reality, social sciences and humanities conformation to technoscience norms, and knowledge bearers egalitarianization. A crucial transformation of both science itself and its position in society breaks inevitably a demarcation line that separates scientific knowledge from other types of knowledge while promotes the replacement of scientific theory with discourses. Apparently, in “technoscience” an ethos of its own is being formed, where interaction with the “external environment” (with other social spheres) is crucial. In this context, scientific activity is becoming more and more transepistemic, transinstitutional practice, and accordingly ceases to be guided by the classical scientific ethos determined by the goals and objectives of academic community itself. (shrink)

The research is devoted to the problem of philosophically justifying rationality, which inevitably takes the form of a circular argument: to define what rationality is, we must refrain from referring to its criteria, which must be rationally defined beforehand. This epistemic circle is compared to the so-called “experimenter’s regress”. The experimenter’s regress involves reasoning in which judging the correctness of obtained scientific results can only be based on the correctness of the procedure of obtaining them and judging the correctness of (...) the procedure of obtaining them can only be done by relying on the obtained results. From the perspective of social researchers of science, the experimenter’s (and the theoretician’s) regress casts a shadow on traditional theories of rationality that take science as a model of rational knowledge. The research analyzes the experimenter’s regress in the context of virtuous and vicious circles. It is shown that the experimenter’s regress is overcome by turning to external factors. These factors are proposed to be interpreted in terms of extended rationality. By analyzing the experimenter’s regress, social epistemologists consciously or unconsciously rationalize these “external” factors and enrich the concept of rationality. This allows qualifying the circle described by rationality in defining itself as virtuous and the work of the epistemologist as a progressive activity, during which both epistemology and its subject undergo qualitative changes. (shrink)

This paper summarizes the discussion on technoscience and its key question whether the phenomenon indicated by this term means a radical transformation of science and its replacement with some new social objectification. Based on the remarks of the discussion participants, we raise questions on mathematical rationality contribution in technoscience development, technical (magical) domination on nature (environment) and man as the leitmotif of the New European culture and the connection of techno-science, financial capital and liberal capitalism.

In recent years, the biopharmaceutical industry has seen an increase in the development of so-called orphan drugs for the treatment of rare and neglected diseases. This increase has been spurred on by legislation in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere designed to promote orphan drug development. In this article, we examine the drivers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in orphan drug markets and the extent to which biopharmaceutical firms engage in these activities with a strategic orientation. The unique context (...) of orphan drugs constitutes a research opportunity to test the applicability of existing theoretical perspectives on CSR and strategic CSR. Using Schwartz and Carroll’s (Bus Ethics Q, 13(4):503–530, 2003) three-domain approach to CSR and the literature on strategic CSR as a theoretical background, we employ a combination of semi-structured interviews and a quantitative website content analysis to study practices of biopharmaceutical firms in the United States and European Union. Our findings show that both US- and EU-based companies engaged in orphan drugs development perceive their involvement as a responsible business activity beyond the economic dimension of CSR. However, for the majority of these companies their CSR activities do not qualify as strategic according to the criteria established in the literature. We also find significant differences between larger and smaller firms in their use of CSR. Based on these findings, we make several suggestions regarding orphan drug legislation and other measures that might help firms exploit strategic CSR benefits. (shrink)

Primary headaches are highly prevalent and represent a major cause of disability in young adults. Neurofeedback is increasingly used in the treatment of chronic pain; however, there are few studies investigating its efficacy in patients with headaches. We report the results of a cross-over sham-controlled study on the efficacy of neurofeedback in the prophylactic treatment of tension-type headache. Participants received ten sessions of infra-low frequency electroencephalographic neurofeedback and ten sessions of sham-neurofeedback, with the order of treatments being randomized. The study (...) also included a basic psychotherapeutic intervention — a psychoeducational session performed before the main study phases and emotional support provided throughout the study period. The headache probability was modeled as a function of the neurofeedback and sham-neurofeedback sessions performed to date. As a result, we revealed a strong beneficial effect of neurofeedback and no influence of the sham sessions. The study supports the prophylactic use of infra-low frequency neurofeedback in patients with TTH. From a methodological point of view, we advocate for the explicit inclusion of psychotherapeutic components in neurofeedback study protocols. (shrink)

O mundo contemporâneo é o do exílio e não o da pátria, o da errância e não o do lugar. Razão pela qual nosso tempo foi denominado de “século breve”, em que os acontecimentos e os desaparecimentos de modos de vida e valores são acelerados, não permitindo o repouso para constituição de uma memória reparadora. Exílio, expatriamento e dispersão espacial são, pois, o emblema das migrações forçadas por guerras, perseguições políticas e diferentes formas de conflito, que produzem a “nostalgia do (...) inteiramente outro” diante da “vida mutilada”. Assim, a diferença entre duas figuras: a da viagem e a da partida, a odisseia e o êxodo, uma que vive no horizonte de um retorno, outra que anseia por uma pátria que não existe mais. A viagem contemporânea para uma terra de exílio tem algo de enigmático, pois populações inteiras atravessam os mares, assombradas pelos naufrágios e pela incerteza da chegada ou do encontro de um não lugar. Herdeiro problemático de um duplo trauma – o do extermínio dos judeus europeus durante o nazismo e, simultaneamente, o da expulsão dos palestinos de sua terra com a criação do Estado de Israel – Edward Saïd, um dos mais importantes intelectuais palestinos, refletiu sobre a questão da identidade em situações de exílio e estranhamento cultural, procedendo a uma genealogia do sentimento de desorientação, desrealização e perda de si que o exílio produz. Pois se, antes, cada um de nós tem o conforto de paisagens conhecidas, o aconchego do mundo entre os seus, o país estrangeiro representa a passagem do conhecido ao desconhecido, significa o enfrentamento de um incerto acolhimento, com incompreensões, desprezo e hostilidade do lugar a que se chegou. Reunindo, assim, sua formação de scholar em literatura nos Estados Unidos e de musicólogo e pensador geopolítico, Edward Saïd refletiu sobre a construção de um Oriente pelo Ocidente, pelo medium de escritores nos quais há a personagem fantasmada do Outro. (shrink)

El texto propone una perspectiva de articulación de la filosofía, la educación y la infancia en una suerte de trama de potencias que pueden concurrir fructíferamente en una propuesta que legitime y visibilice a niñas y niños como sujetos pensantes y productores de cultura. Se hace referencia al programa de Filosofía para Niños del filósofo Matthew Lipman y al valor de su proyecto educativo, como también al aporte de otros filósofos, especialmente el de Walter Kohan, que nos permiten pensar la (...) relación entre filosofía, educación e infancia con mayor complejidad. Finalmente, se reflexiona sobre la significación de las preposiciones en las expresiones de filosofía con o para niños y niñas. (shrink)

Résumé Les introductions des éditions de la Commission Léonine concernant les disciplines de la Faculté des arts, bien que datant parfois d’une trentaine d’années, constituent un instrument essentiel pour l’histoire intellectuelle du xiii e siècle, instrument dont on continue de se servir avec gratitude. De plus, la documentation réunie en vue de l’édition des œuvres de S. Thomas par toute une équipe et en particulier les notes prises sur les manuscrits par Louis-Jacques Bataillon se sont avérées indispensables pour la mise (...) au point du répertoire des maître ès arts parisiens, en cours de publication. (shrink)

Despite the reported limited success of conventional treatments and growing evidence of the effectiveness of adult bariatric surgery, weight loss operations for (morbidly) obese children and adolescents are still considered to be controversial by health care professionals and lay people alike. This paper describes an explorative, qualitative study involving obesity specialists, morbidly obese adolescents, and parents and identifies attitudes and normative beliefs regarding pediatric bariatric surgery. Views on the etiology of obesity—whether it should be considered primarily a medical condition or (...) more a psychosocial problem—seem to affect the specialists’ normative opinions concerning the acceptability of bariatric procedures as a treatment option, the parents’ feelings regarding both being able to influence their child’s health and their child being able to control their own condition, and the adolescents’ sense of competence and motivation for treatment. Moreover, parents and adolescents who saw obesity as something that they could influence themselves were more in favor of non-surgical treatment and vice versa. Conflicting attitudes and normative views—e.g., with regard to concepts of disease, personal influence on health, motivation, and the possibility of a careful informed consent procedure—play an important role in the acceptability of bariatric surgery for childhood obesity. (shrink)