We give an example in which it is possible to understand quantum statistics using classical concepts. This is done by studying the interaction of chargedmatter oscillators with the thermal and zeropoint electromagnetic fields characteristic of quantum electrodynamics and classical stochastic electrodynamics. Planck's formula for the spectral distribution and the elements of energy hw are interpreted without resorting to discontinuities. We also show the aspects in which our model calculation complement other derivations of blackbody radiation spectrum without quantum assumptions.

Este artigo tematiza o apóstolo Pedro como personagem no evangelho de Mateus. O objetivo é identificar as nuances e transformações do personagem Pedro no evangelho. Para tanto, tomo como ponto de partida a pertença do evangelho ao gênero literário biografia greco-romana, que apresenta Jesus Cristo como protagonista. Os demais personagens são desenvolvidos em relação com ele. O mesmo se dá com o apóstolo Pedro. O texto se desenvolve a partir da teoria narrativa, de modo particular a caracterização de personagens. Identifico, (...) a partir de Erich Auerbach e Robert Alter, as características de personagens bíblicos, tecendo comparações com teorias do personagem no romance moderno. A análise de textos do evangelho de Mateus que retratam o personagem Pedro leva à conclusão que suas principais características são a complexidade e a inversão. Elas produzem uma visão geral da involução do personagem na narrativa do evangelho de Mateus. Palavras-chave: Pedro. Evangelho de Mateus. Teoria narrativa. Complexidade. Inversão.This article focuses on the apostle Peter as a character in the Gospel of Matthew. It aims at identifying the nuances and changes of the character Peter in the Gospel. For this purpose, I take as a starting point that the gospel belongs to the literary genre of ancient Greco-Roman Biography, which presents Jesus Christ as the protagonist. The other characters are developed in relationship with him. The same is true with the Apostle Peter. The article unfolds from narrative theory, in particular the categorization of characters. I categorize, based on Erich Auerbach and Robert Alter, the features of biblical characters, developing comparisons with theories of the character in the modern novel. The analysis of the main texts from the Gospel of Matthew that portray the character Peter leads to the conclusion that its main features are complexity and inversion. They produce an overview of the involution of the character in the narrative of the Gospel of Matthew. Key words: Peter. Gospel of Matthew. Narrative theory. Complexity. Inversion. (shrink)

The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P’ing Mei, vol. 5: The Dissolution. Translated by David Tod Roy. Princeton Library of Asian Translations. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013. Pp. lxviii + 556. $39.95.

This article is a preliminary presentation of conjunctive paraconsistency, the claim that there might be non-explosive true contradictions, but contradictory propositions cannot be considered separately true. In case of true ‘p and not p’, the conjuncts must be held untrue, Simplification fails. The conjunctive approach is dual to non-adjunctive conceptions of inconsistency, informed by the idea that there might be cases in which a proposition is true and its negation is true too, but the conjunction is untrue, Adjunction fails. While (...) non-adjunctivism is a well-known option, the other view is not so much studied nowadays, but it was not unknown in the tradition, and there are some positive suggestions, in recent literature, that the position is plausible and deserves to be developed. The article compares conjunctivism, non-adjunctivism and dialetheism, then focuses on some possible justifications, costs and benefits of the conjunctive view. (shrink)

1. The label conjunctive paraconsistency has been adopted to mean a consequence relation whereby ‘p and not p’ does not imply ‘p’ and ‘not p’ separately, so that Simplification in case of contradic...

Globalization is often discussed as if it were a recent phenomenon relating primarily to the development of world financial markets and improvements in information and travel technologies. But globalization is an ancient process, beginning with mercantile and cultural exchanges and facilitated by advances in transportation. In the twentieth century, the results of globalization can be seen in the rise of global capitalism and in the construction of a global economy. Most recently, the process of globalization has moved beyond the world (...) of finance, however, into areas still traditionally thought of as national concerns, such as culture and healthcare. It is no surprise, therefore, that increasingly the challenges the United States is confronting in healthcare, biotechnology, and the environment are simultaneously faced by the international community as a whole. In the wake of the HIV pandemic, growing environmental consciousness, and a series of sensational advances in biotechnology, there is a dawning realization that problems such as improving public health, regulating advances in biotechnology, and achieving sustainable environmental development transcend national borders. In other words, bioethics concerns are global in nature. (shrink)

The effects of the vacuum electromagnetic fluctuations and the radiation reaction fields on the time development of a simple microscopic system are identified using a new mathematical method. This is done by studying a charged mechanical oscillator (frequency Ω 0)within the realm of stochastic electrodynamics, where the vacuum plays the role of an energy reservoir. According to our approach, which may be regarded as a simple mathematical exercise, we show how the oscillator Liouville equation is transformed into a Schrödinger-like stochastic (...) equation with a free parameter h′ with dimensions of action. The role of the physical Planck's constant h is introduced only through the zero-point vacuum electromagnetic fields. The perturbative and the exact solutions of the stochastic Schrödinger-like equation are presented for h′>0. The exact solutions for which h′<h are called sub-Heisenberg states. These nonperturbative solutions appear in the form of Gaussian, non-Heisenberg states for which the initial classical uncertainty relation takes the form 〈(δx 2)〉〈(δp) 2 〉=(h′/2) 2,which includes the limit of zero indeterminacy (h → 0). We show how the radiation reaction and the vacuum fields govern the evolution of these non-Heisenberg states in phase space, guaranteeing their decay to the stationary state with average energy hΩ 0 /2 and 〈(δx) 2 〉〈(δp) 2 〉=h 2 /4 at zero temperature. Environmental and thermal effects-are briefly discussed and the connection with similar works within the realm of quantum electrodynamics is also presented. We suggest some other applications of the classical non-Heisenberg states introduced in this paper and we also indicate experiments which might give concrete evidence of these states. (shrink)

We consider the simple case of a nonrelativistic charged harmonic oscillator in one dimension, to investigate how to take into account the radiation reaction and vacuum fluctuation forces within the Schrödinger equation. The effects of both zero-point and thermal classical electromagnetic vacuum fields, characteristic of stochastic electrodynamics, are separately considered. Our study confirms that the zero-point electromagnetic fluctuations are dynamically related to the momentum operator p=−i ℏ ∂/∂ x used in the Schrödinger equation.

O ingresso na universidade acarreta mudanças na vida dos estudantes universitários, fato que pode levar à adoção de hábitos não saudáveis que podem resultar em impactos negativos na saúde e na qualidade de vida (QV) desses jovens. Nessa perspectiva, o presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar os efeitos da prática de Yoga na QV de estudantes universitários participantes do programa de extensão universitária intitulado “Yoga: Awaken ONE”. O estudo caracterizou-se como pré-experimental, do tipo antes e depois. Os participantes foram submetidos (...) a aulas práticas de Yoga duas vezes por semana durante 12 semanas. As aulas tiveram duração de 60 minutos. Para avaliação da QV pré e pós intervenção foi utilizado o questionário WHOQOL-bref. No que diz respeito aos Domínios da QV e QV global, não houveram diferenças significativas em nenhuma das variáveis investigadas (p>0,05). Com base nos achados do presente estudo, conclui-se que duas práticas semanais de Yoga não tiveram efeito significativo na QV dos estudantes investigados. Dessa forma, encoraja-se novos estudos com maior tempo de intervenção e com número maior de participantes. (shrink)

The global workspace architecture is examined from an evolutionary perspective. It is argued that certain aspects of the theory are difficult to account for in terms of a sequence of evolutionary elaborations. These notably include distinct actors and audience members, and the lingua franca by which they communicate. An alternative metaphor of a ‘global arena’ is suggested, along with speculation on how this bottleneck of behavioural competition may have evolved toward a more sophisticated architecture, perhaps even a theatre . (...) . . (shrink)

This multidisciplinary volume documents the resurrection of the importance of narrative to the study of individuals and groups and argues that narrative may become a lingua franca of future debates in the human sciences.

O autor defende a teoria da afirmação pura de Patrício Muniz contra os ataques de Leonel Franca é Sílvio Romero e sustenta que a teoria é parte integrante da Axiologia.

O presente artigo apresenta uma análise baseada em pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e tem como objetivo apresentar a relação entre a laicidade e o direito à liberdade de consciência, diferenciando-a da liberdade religiosa. Apresenta uma retrospectiva de pensadores estrangeiros e nacionais que refletiram sobre o tema da laicidade e de fatos que conduziram à separação entre Igreja e Estado na França (considerada a pátria da laicidade) e no Brasil. Esclarece alguns conceitos básicos, inclusive o próprio conceito de laicidade, muitas vezes (...) erroneamente confundido com anticlericarismo, ateísmo ou perseguição religiosa por parte do Estado. Apresenta a gênese da laicidade no País e conclui relacionando a defesa da laicidade pelo Estado com a defesa do direito individual à liberdade de consciência, sempre levando em conta a legislação pertinente. Partimos da máxima de Lacordaire - Entre o forte e o fraco (...), é a liberdade que oprime e, a lei que liberta - e através de outras citações do mesmo autor e da análise dos documentos coletados, a ela retornamos. Palavras-chave : laicidade; liberdade de consciência; liberdade religiosa.This article presents an analysis based on bibliographic and documentary research and aims to show the relationship between secularity and freedom of conscience, differentiating it from religious freedom. The text shows an overview of national and foreign thinkers who have reflected on the issue of secularism and the events that have led do the separation of church and state in France (considered as the country of the secularism) and in Brazil. It also clarifies some basic concepts, including the concept of secularism, often wrongly taken as anticlericalism in the Country. This text presents the genesis of secularism and concludes by relating the defense of secularism by the state with in defense of individual rights to freedom of conscience, always taking into account the required legislation. Finally, the present text started from the following statement of Lacordaire - "Between the strong and the week (...), is the freedom which oppresses and the law that liberates" - it used other quotes by the same author, it analyzed some collected documents, and then it returned to the statement of Lacordaire. Key words: Secularity; freedom of conscience; religious freedom. (shrink)

Jean-Claude Forquin é professor da UFR de Psychologie, Sociologie et Sciences de l'Education da Universidade de Rouen, na França, e desde a década de 70, tem elaborado uma série de escritos sobre educação. Seu livro Escola e Cultura é uma versão abreviada de sua tese de doutorado de estado em Letras e Ciências Humanas, defendida em 1987, na Universidade de Ciências Humanas de Estrasburgo, cujo título é Le débat sur l 'école et la culture chez les théoriciens et sociologues de (...) l'education en Grande-Bretagne (1960-1985). A problemática central desta obra é discutir o que a escola deve ensinar, que cultura ela deve transmitir, quais conteúdos devem fazer parte do currículo escolar. O autor preocupa-se com estas questões porque considera que o fator essencial da crise da educação, desde os anos 60, é a crise na sua função específica de transmissão cultural - os professores não têm mais certeza do que devem ensinar para seus alunos. Por isso, ele defende que a teoria da educação, além de examinar as relações entre a escola e fatores externos a ela como o contexto econômico, político-administrativo, deve deter-se mais na análise interna desta instituição social, dos conteúdos e saberes escolares. (shrink)

O estresse percebido afeta diretamente a sensação de bem-estar e sabe-se que o trabalho é uma das principais fontes de estresse. Neste artigo, objetivou-se analisar a percepção de estresse e bem-estar entre trabalhadores da cidade de Franca (SP) em comparação com o restante do Brasil. Participaram 291 trabalhadores, sendo 110 de Franca (Grupo Franca – GF) e 181 do restante do Brasil (Grupo Brasil – GB). Do total amostral, a maioria foi de mulheres (67,4%) em idade economicamente (...) ativa (75,6%), sem filhos (52,92%), com ensino superior ou pós-graduação (74%), trabalhando em comércio e serviços (61,5%) e em regime celetista (55%). Os participantes responderam, on-line, a dois instrumentos para avaliar a percepção de estresse e bem-estar. Utilizou-se o teste t e correlação de Pearson para análises das variáveis estudadas. Observou-se que o bem-estar indica significativa (p ≤ 0,001) correlação negativa com a percepção de estresse na amostra como um todo (GF r = -0,40 e GB r = -0,50) e, apesar de não terem sido identificadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos, a cidade de Franca não apresentou correlação significativa com os fatores estressores relativos à carga e ao ambiente de trabalho. Todos os demais fatores estressores (financeiro, social, cognições, família, saúde e relaxamento) apresentaram correlações maiores no GB do que no GF. Os dados sugerem que, apesar de o estresse afetar diretamente a sensação de bem-estar, a vivência fora dos grandes centros urbanos, em cidades menores, parece proporcionar uma relação mais adequada com o trabalho. (shrink)

À propos de : Hilary Putnam, La triple corde [1999], trad. fr. Raphaël Erhsam, Pierre Fasula, Sabine Plaud, & Jeanne-Marie Roux, Paris, Vrin, coll. « Analyse et philosophie », 2017, 256 p. Publié en 1999, The Threefold Cord appartient à la dernière phase de la pensée d’Hilary Putnam (1926-2016). La traduction française parue en 2017 est due à une équipe de jeunes chercheurs du Centre de philosophie contemporaine de la Sorbonne. Si quelques-uns de ses grands livres furent disponibles en frança...

This major new study by one of the most penetrating and persistent critics of philosophical and scientific orthodoxy, returns to Aristotle in order to examine the salient categories in terms of which we think about ourselves and our nature, and the distinctive forms of explanation we invoke to render ourselves intelligible to ourselves. The culmination of 40 years of thought on the philosophy of mind and the nature of the mankind Written by one of the world’s leading philosophers, the co-author (...) of the monumental 4 volume _Analytical Commentary on the Philosophical Investigations_ Uses broad categories, such as substance, causation, agency and power to examine how we think about ourselves and our nature Platonic and Aristotelian conceptions of human nature are sketched and contrasted Individual chapters clarify and provide an historical overview of a specific concept, then link the concept to ideas contained in other chapters. (shrink)

Este artigo procura avaliar a contribuição de Claude Bernard para o desenvolvimento da psicologia experimental. Em oposição aos filósofos mentalistas tradicionais, Bernard concebeu a psicologia como um capítulo especial da fisiologia, que trata das funções do cérebro. A doutrina de Bernard sobre a natureza da psicologia é aqui considerada em relação com a obra de I. P. Pavlov, que exerceu grande influência no campo da psicologia experimental, e com o tipo de psicologia empírica desenvolvida por Théodule Ribot, na França, imediatamente (...) após a época de Bernard. (shrink)

This major study examines the most fundamental categories in terms of which we conceive of ourselves, critically surveying the concepts of substance, causation, agency, teleology, rationality, mind, body and person, and elaborating the conceptual fields in which they are embedded. The culmination of 40 years of thought on the philosophy of mind and the nature of the mankind Written by one of the world’s leading philosophers, the co-author of the monumental 4 volume _Analytical Commentary on the Philosophical Investigations_ Uses broad (...) categories, such as substance, causation, agency and power to examine how we think about ourselves and our nature Platonic and Aristotelian conceptions of human nature are sketched and contrasted Individual chapters clarify and provide an historical overview of a specific concept, then link the concept to ideas contained in other chapters. (shrink)

This major new study by one of the most penetrating and persistent critics of philosophical and scientific orthodoxy, returns to Aristotle in order to examine the salient categories in terms of which we think about ourselves and our nature, and the distinctive forms of explanation we invoke to render ourselves intelligible to ourselves. The culmination of 40 years of thought on the philosophy of mind and the nature of the mankind Written by one of the world’s leading philosophers, the co-author (...) of the monumental 4 volume _Analytical Commentary on the Philosophical Investigations_ Uses broad categories, such as substance, causation, agency and power to examine how we think about ourselves and our nature Platonic and Aristotelian conceptions of human nature are sketched and contrasted Individual chapters clarify and provide an historical overview of a specific concept, then link the concept to ideas contained in other chapters. (shrink)

The book deals with the notion of Downward Causation from a wide array of perspectives, including physics, biology, psychology, social science, communication studies, text theory, and philosophy. The book includes proponents as well as opponents discussing the validity of the notion.

This paper argues that episodic thoughts are always unconscious. Whether consciousness is understood in terms of global broadcasting/widespread accessibility or in terms of non-interpretive higher-order awareness, the conclusion is the same: there is no such thing as conscious thought. Arguments for this conclusion are reviewed. The challenge of explaining why we should all be under the illusion that our thoughts are often conscious is then taken up.

As a preliminary step to beginning to assess the usefulness of clinical vignettes to measure ethical sensitivity in undergraduate medical students, five clinical vignettes with seven to nine ethical issues each were created. The ethical issues in the vignettes were discussed and outlined by an expert panel. One randomly selected vignette was presented to first, second and third year students at the University of Toronto as part of another examination. The students were asked to list the issues presented by the (...) patient problem. Responses from 281 students were obtained. These students identified an average of 2.72 ethical issues per vignette. Each response was classified under the domains of autonomy, beneficence and justice. Comparisons were made between classes and between vignettes. There was considerable variation between classes and the responses to different vignettes seem to indicate that different vignettes measure the various domains in different ways. It does appear that the use of vignettes is one way to measure aspects of ethical sensitivity in medical students but more study is required to clarify exactly what is being measured. (shrink)

An instrument to assess 'ethical sensitivity' has been developed. The instrument presents four clinical vignettes and the respondent is asked to list the ethical issues related to each vignette. The responses are classified, post hoc, into the domains of autonomy, beneficence and justice. This instrument was used in 1990 to assess the ethical sensitivity of students in all four medical classes at the University of Toronto. Ethical sensitivity, as measured by this instrument, is not related to age or grade-point average. (...) Sensitivity increases between the 1st and 2nd year and then decreases throughout the rest of undergraduate medical training, such that the 4th-year students identify fewer issues than those entering medical school. Students expressing a career choice of family medicine identify more issues than their peers. Several problems with the use of the instrument and the interpretation of the data were found. Nonetheless, these findings, if reproducible, are important and their meaning needs further discussion. (shrink)

There have been many claims that quantum mechanics plays a key role in the origin and/or operation of biological organisms, beyond merely providing the basis for the shapes and sizes of biological molecules and their chemical affinities. These range from Schr¨odinger’s suggestion that quantum fluctuations produce mutations, to Hameroff and Penrose’s conjecture that quantum coherence in microtubules is linked to consciousness. I review some of these claims in this paper, and discuss the serious problem of decoherence. I advance some further (...) conjectures about quantum information processing in bio-systems. Some possible experiments are suggested. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. (shrink)

Central to Thomas Sprat's History of the Royal Society was the description and justification of the method adopted and advocated by the Fellows of the Society, for it was thought that it was their method which distinguished them from ancients, dogmatists, sceptics, and contemporary natural philosophers such as Descartes. The Fellows saw themselves as furthering primarily a novel method, rather than a system, of philosophy, and the History gave expression to this corporate self-perception. However, the History's description of their method (...) was not necessarily accurate. Rather, as will be argued below, by a combination of subtle misrepresentation and selective exposition, Sprat portrayed a method which would further the aims of social and ecclesiastical stability and material prosperity, essential for the Royal Society since its continued existence depended upon the creation of a social basis for the institutionalized pursuit of natural philosophy. Some link had to be forged between the activities of the Society and the intellectual and social aspirations of the Restoration. To understand the intent and meaning of Sprat's History and the method there portrayed, we must therefore look to the institutional needs which it fulfilled. (shrink)

Open peer commentary on the article “Perception-Action Mutuality Obviates Mental Construction” by Martin Flament Fultot, Lin Nie & Claudia Carello. Upshot: In my view, the clash between ecological psychology, enactivism, and constructivism in general has more to do with irreconcilable metaphysical and theoretical incommensurabilities than disagreements about specific mechanisms or processes of perception. Even with mutual enabling of action and perception, some internal process of self-modification is still needed if novel behavior is to be adequately explained.

This essay explores a new conceptual paradigm for bridging the gulf separating what C. P. Snow called The Two Cultures--science and the humanities. Central to this rainbow paradigm is a more unified, holistic, and integral understanding of human life in society. A fruitful science-theology dialogue presupposes a much broader context of a revitalized Third Culture which weaves together insights from all the arts and sciences, social sciences and humanities. The essay thus invokes the incarnational dimension of man as God's creation (...) and truth as the Logos or ultimate Reality. The conclusion follows that a new lingua franca--a more felicitous conceptual understanding focusing on man as the missing link-requires integrative insights across all disciplines. Such an integral vision of what it means to be fully human reflects a sapiential, existential, and eschatological challenge of unity in diversity, that is, a truly human culture or a culture of cultures. (shrink)

Studies in Stoicism contains six unpublished and seven republished essays, the latter incorporating additions and changes which Brunt wished to be made. The papers have been integrated and arranged in chronological order by subject matter, with an accessible lecture to the Oxford Philological Society serving as Brunt's own introduction.