E n est e a r tícul o e l auto r s e pr e gunt a s i l a teorí a socia l de l derech o pued e apo r tar un a contribució n especí f ic a a u n concept o d e justici a via b l e h o y e n día , frent e a l o que sobr e ell a pued e deci r l a f ilosofí (...) a moral , polític a y jurídica . E n s u opinión , lo s conceptos d e autopoiesi s y deconst r ucció n (Luhman n y De r rida ) tiene n e l potencia l su f icient e para act iv a r ta l contribució n e n do s direccione s diferentes : reconst r ucció n d e un a geneal o gía d e l a justici a y obse r v ació n d e la s paradoja s decisionale s de l derech o mode r no . E l planteamient o genealógic o intent a descubri r la s con e xione s oculta s entr e l a semántic a d e la justici a y l a est r uctur a socia l (l o cual , po r otr o lado , pued e desemboca r e n l a refo r mulació n d e u n concept o plausi b l e d e justici a e n la s condicione s actuales) . U n procedimiento deconst r uct ivo pe r mite , a s u v ez , obse r v a r e l hiat o e xistent e entr e la s est r uctura s jurídicas y la s decisiones , u n hiat o qu e pr o v oc a impo r tante s paradoja s e n lo s proceso s d e tom a de decisione s jurídicas . Mediant e ta l obse r v ació n e s posi b l e alcanza r un a comprensió n más profund a d e l a justicia , qu e e l auto r inte r preta , e n últim a instancia , com o u n proces o de autodescripció n de l derech o qu e soc a va e l carácte r recurs ivo d e la s operacione s jurídicas y qu e fuerz a a l derech o a s u autotrascendencia , per o qu e s e sabote a a s í mism o po r qu e en s u realizació n cre a siempr e un a nu eva injusticia : un a e xperienci a cuy a elaboració n literaria anticip ó Heinric h v o n Kleis t e n s u n o v el a Mi c hae l K ohlhaas. (shrink)

Background: More and more quantitative information is becoming available about the risks of complications arising from medical treatment. In everyday practice, this raises the question whether each and every risk, however low, should be disclosed to patients. What could be good reasons for doing or not doing so? This will increasingly become a dilemma for practitioners.Objective: To report doctors’ views on whether to disclose or withhold information on low risks of complications.Methods: In a qualitative study design, 37 respondents were included. (...) Focus group interviews were held with 22 respondents and individual in-depth interviews with 15.Results: Doctors have doubts about disclosing or withholding information on complication risk, especially in a risk range of 1 in 200 to 1 in 10 000. Their considerations on whether to disclose or to withhold information depend on a complicated mix of patient and doctor-associated reasons; on medical and personal considerations; and on the kind and purpose of intervention.Discussion: Even though the degree of a risk is important in a doctor’s considerations, the severity of the possible complications and patients’ wishes and competencies have an important role as well. Respondents said that low risks should always be communicated when there are alternatives for the intervention or when the patient may prevent or mitigate the risk. When the appropriateness of disclosing risks is doubtful, doctors should always tell their patients that no intervention is without risk, give them the opportunity to gather all the information they need or want, and enable them to detect a complication at an early stage. (shrink)

Maladapting Minds discusses a number of reasons why philosophers of psychiatry should take an interest in evolutionary explanations of mental disorders and, more generally, in evolutionary thinking. First of all, there is the nascent field of evolutionary psychiatry. Unlike other psychiatrists, evolutionary psychiatrists engage with ultimate, rather than proximate, questions about mental illnesses. Being a young and youthful new discipline, evolutionary psychiatry allows for a nice case study in the philosophy of science. Secondly, philosophers of psychiatry have engaged with evolutionary (...) theory because evolutionary considerations are often said to play a role in defining the concept of mental disorder. The basic question here is: Can the concept of mental disorder be given an objective definition, or is it rather a normative concept? Thirdly and finally, evolutionary thinking in psychiatry has often been a source of inspiration for a philosophical view on human nature. Thus evolutionary psychiatrists have suggested, for example, that man's vulnerability to mental disorders may well be one of the defining features of our species. -/- Written by leading authors in philosophy, psychiatry, biology and psychology, this volume illustrates that many debates in contemporary philosophy of psychiatry are profoundly influenced by evolutionary approaches to mental disorders. Conversely, it also reveals how philosophers can help contribute to the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychiatry. It is important reading for a wide range of readers interested in mental health care and philosophy. (shrink)

Resumo: O propósito geral do presente texto consiste em introduzir o sentido e o alcance que noção de improvisação musical pode adquirir no filosofar nietzschiano, e, em especial, no assim chamado período de maturidade de seu itinerário intelectual. Tenciona-se indicar que tal ideia assume uma função reguladora em seu pensamento, possibilitando lançar uma intensiva luz sobre o seu legado e enfatizar, sobretudo, o caráter pluralista e dinâmico deste último.: The present text aims at introducing the meaning and the scope that (...) the notion of musical improvisation may acquire within Nietzsche’s thought - especially in the light of thehis latter writings. It also intends to show that such idea performs a regulatory function within his thought and allows us, at the same time, to shed a bright light on his legacy, serving first and foremost to emphasize its pluralistic and dynamic character. (shrink)

The way students perceive a learning climate (e.g. controlling or stimulating) is significantly influenced by feedback and assessment. However, at present much is unclear about the relation between feedback and motivational state. More specifically, the interplay with student characteristics is unclear. Since there is a strong increase of group work, the central research question is what are the effects of positive, neutral or negative feedback presented to collaborating teams of students, on students? intrinsic motivation, performance and on group processes? One (...) hundred thirty?eight higher education students participated in this study. There were no significant differences in performance across conditions. Multi?level analysis enabled a detailed comparison between groups and individual members of groups. Amongst others, it was found that feelings of competence facilitate the effect of positive feedback at the group level, which suggests that positive feedback boosts interest especially in groups of highly competent students. (shrink)

Resumo: O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar três aspectos do tema do amor na obra de Friedrich Nietzsche. Para tanto, parte de dois pressupostos: [1] o sentimento do amor deve ser entendido como parte do projeto de crítica à metafísica e aos idealismos presentes na moral, na religião e na arte; e como consequência, [2] como crítica às noções do amor que remete à tradição socrático-platônico, judaico-cristã e moderna. Para tanto, os três aspectos daí derivados, mostram que o amor (...) em Nietzsche 1] não é falta, [2] nem negação de si, [3] nem está baseado na ideia de posse; muito pelo contrário, [1] amor é exuberância, [2] depende da fruição de si e [3] está baseado nas diferenças próprias e desigualdades naturais entre os indivíduos. Tal procedimento analítico chega à afirmação da amizade como amor superior, cujo conteúdo remente a um sentimento de homens nobres, precisamente aquilo que se poderia chamar, em Nietzsche, de um grande amor.: This article aims to analyze three aspects of the theme of love in Friedrich Nietzsche’s work. For that, it starts from two assumptions: [1] the feeling of love must be understood as part of the project of criticism of metaphysics and the idealisms present in morals, religion and art; and as a consequence, [2] as a critique of the notions of love that refer to the Socratic-Platonic, Judeo-Christian and modern tradition. The three aspects derived from it, show that love in Nietzsche [1] is not lack, [2] nor self-denial, [3] nor is it based on the idea of possession; quite the contrary, the opposite link, [1] love is exuberance, [2] depends on the enjoyment of oneself and [3] is based on self-differences and natural inequalities between individuals. Such an analytical procedure comes to the affirmation of friendship as a superior love, whose content refers to a feeling of noble men, precisely what could be called, in Nietzsche, great love. (shrink)

Background: Discussing treatment risks has become increasingly important in medical communication. Still, despite regulations, physicians must decide how much and what kind of information to present. Objective: To investigate patients’ preference for information about a small risk of a complication of colonoscopy, and whether medical and personal factors contribute to such preference. To propose a disclosure policy related to our results. Design: Vignettes study. Setting: Department of Gastroenterology, Academic Medical Centre, the Netherlands. Patients: 810 consecutive colonoscopy patients. Intervention: A home-sent (...) questionnaire containing three vignettes. Vignettes varied in the indication for colonoscopy, complication severity and level of risk. Patients were invited to indicate their wish to be informed and the importance of such information. In addition, sociodemograhic, illness-related and psychological characteristics were assessed. Main outcome measurements: Wish to be informed and importance of information. Results: Of 810 questionnaires, 68% were returned. Patients generally wished to be informed about low-risk complications, regardless of the indication for colonoscopy or the severity of the complication. The level of risk did matter, though (OR = 2.48, SE = 0.28, p = 0.001). The information was considered less important if done for population screening purposes or diagnosis of colon cancer, if the complication was less severe (bleeding) and if the risk was smaller (0.01% and 0.1%). Patients’ information preference was also related to age, mood and coping style. Limitations: Difficulty of vignettes. Conclusions: Patients generally wish to be informed about all possible risks. However, this might become uninformative. A stepwise approach is suggested. (shrink)

Essentialism is one of the most pervasive problems in mental health research. Many psychiatrists still hold the view that their nosologies will enable them, sooner or later, to carve nature at its joints and to identify and chart the essence of mental disorders. Moreover, according to recent research in social psychology, some laypeople tend to think along similar essentialist lines. The main aim of this article is to highlight a number of processes that possibly explain the persistent presence and popularity (...) of essentialist conceptions of mental disorders. One such process is the general tendency of laypeople to essentialize conceptual structures, including biological, social, and psychiatric categories. Another process involves the allure of biological psychiatry. Advocating a categorical and biological approach, this strand of psychiatry probably reinforced the already existing lay essentialism about mental disorders. As such, the question regarding why we essentialize mental disorders is a salient example of how cultural trends zero in on natural tendencies, and vice versa, and how both can boost each other. (shrink)

The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) concept is a knowledge assembly and communication tool to facilitate the transparent translation of mechanistic information into outcomes meaningful to the regulatory assessment of chemicals. The AOP framework and associated knowledgebases (KBs) have received significant attention and use in the regulatory toxicology community. However, it is increasingly apparent that the potential stakeholder community for the AOP concept and AOP KBs is broader than scientists and regulators directly involved in chemical safety assessment. In this paper we (...) identify and describe those stakeholders who currently—or in the future—could benefit from the application of the AOP framework and knowledge to specific problems. We also summarize the challenges faced in implementing pathway-based approaches such as the AOP framework in biological sciences, and provide a series of recommendations to meet critical needs to ensure further progression of the framework as a useful, sustainable and dependable tool supporting assessments of both human health and the environment. Although the AOP concept has the potential to significantly impact the organization and interpretation of biological information in a variety of disciplines/applications, this promise can only be fully realized through the active engagement of, and input from multiple stakeholders, requiring multi-pronged substantive long-term planning and strategies. (shrink)

The proposal that there is an illusion of conscious will has been supported by findings that priming of stimulus location in a task requiring judgements of action-authorship can enhance participants’ experience of agency. We attempted to replicate findings from the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ task [Aarts, H., Custers, R., & Wegner, D. M. . On the inference of personal authorship: enhancing experienced agency by priming effect information. Consciousness and Cognition, 14, 439–458]. We also examined participants’ performance on this task in relation (...) to self-reported passivity experiences and hallucination-proneness. We found a significant effect of priming, with primes being found to increase the experience of agency. An interaction between gender and priming was also found, with priming enhancing feelings of agency in women but not in men. There were no significant correlations between levels of self-reported passivity experiences or hallucination-proneness and participants’ susceptibility to the priming effect on ratings of agency. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to a prominent model of passivity experiences. (shrink)

For, General C.R. de Wet, the well-known military leader of the Republic of the Orange Free State in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, this was a war undertaken in faith. As far as De Wet was concerned, his Christian faith had to determine his way of life: every decision and every action. Therefore it was also visible in his reasons for fighting and other actions in the war. De Wet cared for practical worship around the Bible and prayer with his (...) men on commando. His Christian convictions, however, also showed in his common sense and decision-making skills on the battle field, his respect for friend and foe when in contact, and his humanity in treating soldiers. From this point of departure, De Wet undertook, from his side, a gentleman's war. De Wet was a man of action and of deeds, and not of hesitance, which sometimes led to mistakes and tactical blunders on his side. (shrink)

O primeiro capítulo versa a respeito do objetivo do que há de ser tratado. O segundo mostra de que modo o Império Romano permaneceu sem alteração durante trezentos e cinqüenta e quatro anos e cinco meses, governado por trinta e três imperadores. O terceiro aborda porque os Orientais, a saber, os Persas, os Árabes, os Caldeus e outras nações limítrofes se subtraíram do domínio do Império Romano. O quarto capítulo discorre sobre quais foram os principais povos que se rebelaram por (...) causa das mencionadas circunstâncias. O quinto trata do princípio e da àisposição relativa à transferência do Império dos Gregos para os Francos. O sexto aborda de que modo Pepino, no tempo de Zacarias, papa romano, foi elevado de mordomo a rei dos Francos. O sétimo capítulo discorre de que maneira Pepino, rei dos Francos, por solicitação da Igreja Romana, veio à Itália lutar contra Astolfo, rei dos Lombardos, o venceu e restituiu à Igreja Romana seus bens temporais. O oitavo trata do modo como, no tempo do papa Adriano, Carlos Magno foi estabelecido patrício da cidade, e como lhe foi concedido o controle sobre a Sé Apostólica. O nono mostra de que maneira foi efetuada a translação do Império Romano dos Gregos para os Francos. O décimo considera como o Império foi transferido dos Francos ou Gauleses para os Germânicos. O décimo primeiro discorre acerca do modo como foram estabelecidos os eleitores do Império Germânico. O décimo segundo capítulo recapitula o que foi anteriormente abordado. (shrink)

Resumo: O objetivo do presente artigo é contrapor à acusação de tecnofóbico, erroneamente dirigida a Hans Jonas, a sua proposta de uma ethical turn da tecnologia, cujas bases estariam na capacidade ética de impor contenções ao avanço utópico do progresso técnico, algo que leva a ética da responsabilidade ao polêmico conceito de “heurística do temor”. Para tanto, parte-se de um exame sobre o projeto jonasiano de uma filosofia da tecnologia, cuja terceira perspectiva seria valorativa, sendo esta a que ele melhor (...) desenvolveu. A partir daí, analisa-se qual seria o valor da tecnologia, com base no ponto de vista da vida para então se examinar, estrategicamente, a posição de Gerard Lebrun, para quem Jonas estaria entre os filósofos tecnofóbicos. O intuito, nesse caso, é demonstrar a incoerência de tal interpretação, precisamente porque o pensador francês, com grande atuação no Brasil, confunde a proposta da reorientação ética com a imposição de um poder exterior, de cunho paralisante.: The purpose of this article is to counter against the accusation of technophobic, wrongly directed to Hans Jonas, his proposal for an ethical turn of technology, whose bases would be on the ethical capacity to impose restraint on the utopian advance of technical progress, something that leads to the ethics of responsibility to the controversial concept of “heuristic of fear”. To do so, we started from an examination of the Jonasian project of a philosophy of technology, whose third perspective would be valuable, which is the one he developed best. From there, we will analyze what would be the value of technology from the point of view of life and then strategically analyze the position of Gerard Lebrun for whom Jonas should be placed among technophobic philosophers. Our aim, in this case, is to demonstrate the inconsistency of such an interpretation, precisely because the French thinker with an important presence in Brazil, confuses the proposal of ethical reorientation with the imposition of an external power, of a paralyzing type. (shrink)

This paper concentrates on some aspects of the history of the analyticsynthetic distinction from Kant to Bolzano and Frege. This history evinces considerable continuity but also some important discontinuities. The analytic-synthetic distinction has to be seen in the first place in relation to a science, i.e. an ordered system of cognition. Looking especially to the place and role of logic it will be argued that Kant, Bolzano and Frege each developed the analytic-synthetic distinction within the same conception of scientific rationality, (...) that is, within the Classical Model of Science: scientific knowledge as cognitio exprincipiis. But as we will see, the way the distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments or propositions functions within this model turns out to differ considerably between them. (shrink)