En el artículo se reconstruye la teoría perspectivista de G.W. Leibniz. En un primer momento, se analiza el sentido epistemológico del perspectivismo leibniziano. La teoría de la claridad-oscuridad cognitiva permite, en ese momento inicial, caracterizar la particularidad perceptiva como una perspectiva del universo. Se utilizan los escritos de Leibniz sobre ciencia perspectiva, recientemente transcritos, para analizar los sentidos de los conceptos, procedentes de dicha ciencia, que el pensador alemán usa para explicar el acto cognitivo. La explicación perspectivista de la cognición (...) da lugar a una concepción inmanente de la percepción: la perspectiva sustancial es el resultado de la relación entre la fuerza de representación y el universo. Se analiza, entonces, cómo el concepto de punto de vista permite describir la función cognitiva de mediación que el cuerpo desempeña entre la fuerza de representación y el universo. Esta explicación perspectivista de la particularidad perceptiva es, al mismo tiempo, una defensa de la pluralidad metafísica del universo. (shrink)

This research characterizes and compares the job satisfaction of fitness professionals in Portugal between genders, ages, professional experience, professional title, and educational qualifications. A total of 401 fitness professionals answered the online questionnaire Job Satisfaction Scale, which has 16 factors rated on a Likert scale with seven levels. The statistical analysis comprises descriptive and statistical tests to compare the results of two or more groups. Overall, the results demonstrated that fitness professionals were moderately satisfied with their work. The lower degrees (...) of job satisfaction were concerning salary, opportunities for promotion, and stability at work. The highest levels of job satisfaction were related to the freedom to choose their work method, their work colleagues, the physical conditions of their workplace, and the opportunity to use their competencies. There were no differences in job satisfaction in terms of gender and a few differences between professional title and between educational levels. Regarding age and professional experience, the results showed significant differences in almost all factors, suggesting that, as fitness professionals get older and more experienced, their job satisfaction is greater. The results of this study suggest that even though fitness professionals are, in general, moderately satisfied with their work, some aspects can be improved by employers to increase their satisfaction levels. Such findings would assist employers in guiding the job satisfaction of their employees with consequent enhancements in the services provided by fitness professionals, which can increase participants’ retention in exercise fitness activities. (shrink)

Inspired by the early Wittgenstein’s concept of nonsense (meaning that which lies beyond the limits of language), we define two different, yet complementary, types of nonsense: formal nonsense and pragmatic nonsense. The simpler notion of formal nonsense is initially defined within Tarski’s semantic theory of truth; the notion of pragmatic nonsense, by its turn, is formulated within the context of the theory of pragmatic truth, also known as quasi-truth, as formalized by da Costa and his collaborators. While an expression will (...) be considered formally nonsensical if the formal criteria required for the assignment of any truth-value (whether true, false, pragmatically true, or pragmatically false) to such sentence are not met, a (well-formed) formula will be considered pragmatically nonsensical if the pragmatic criteria (inscribed within the context of scientific practice) required for the assignment of any truth-value to such sentence are not met. Thus, in the context of the theory of pragmatic truth, any (well-formed) formula of a formal language interpreted on a simple pragmatic structure will be considered pragmatically nonsensical if the set of primary sentences of such structure is not well-built, that is, if it does not include the relevant observational data and/or theoretical results, or if it does include sentences that are inconsistent with such data. (shrink)

En este ensayo se examina de manera crítica el desarrollo de la filosofía analítica y, en particular, de la filosofía analítica latinoamericana. Se propone que esta última adopte un giro político y uno pedagógico con el fin de recuperar su espíritu original y reconectarse con la tradición intelectual latinoamericana. This essay is a critical examination of the development of analytic philosophy and, in particular, of Latin American analytic philosophy. It is argued that the latter ought to adopt a political and (...) pedagogical turn in order to recover its original spirit and to be reconnected to Latin American intelectual tradition. (shrink)

Este trabajo presenta un argumento en favor de la exigencia de verdad de las proposiciones descriptivas de los hechos en controversias que normalmente integran el contenido de las sentencias en el derecho contemporáneo. Esta exigencia es, de este modo, un criterio de justificación de las decisiones judiciales. Para desarrollar el argumento se recurre al análisis de las nociones de “decisión judicial”, de “aplicación” de normas generales y de “justificación normativa”. Se revisan, asimismo, diversas formas del escepticismo kelseniano acerca de esa (...) exigencia de verdad y se sostiene que no son exitosas. (shrink)

The use of new paradigms of false belief tasks (FBT) allowed to reduce the age of children who pass the test from the previous 4 years in the standard version to only 15 months or even a striking 6 months in the nonverbal modification. These results are often taken as evidence that infants already possess an—at least implicit—theory of mind (ToM). We criticize this inferential leap on the grounds that inferring a ToM from the predictive success on a false belief (...) task requires to assume as premise that a belief reasoning is a necessary condition for correct action prediction. It is argued that the FBT does not satisfactorily constrain the predictive means, leaving room for the use of belief-independent inferences (that can rely on the attribution of non-representational mental states or the consideration of behavioral patterns that dispense any reference to other minds). These heuristics, when applied to the FBT, can achieve the same predictive success of a belief-based inference because information provided by the test stimulus allows the recognition of particular situations that can be subsumed by their ‘laws’. Instead of solving this issue by designing a single experimentum crucis that would render unfeasible the use of non-representational inferences, we suggest the application of a set of tests in which, although individually they can support inferences dissociated from a ToM, only an inference that makes use of false beliefs is able to correctly predict all the outcomes. (shrink)

The last few years have seen the development of a new line of research around the relationship between digital platforms and activism. The influence of the internet and social media on the civic and political engagement of young people in particular has become clear. Digital platforms perform in this regard a set of functions crucial to activism in terms of communication, mobilization, and logistics. These are indispensable tools, especially to young people belonging to informal structures. Digital platforms have also been (...) shown to facilitate emotional and solidarity networks thus fostering a sense of community and a strengthening of collective identities. In this article we aim at examining this aspect based on in-depth interviews with young activists conducted in Portugal during a three-year project (2020–2022). We have concluded that, especially in certain activism contexts involving social groups of neglected or non-normative identities, digital platforms function as a crucial empowerment tool. These are linked to the emotional support for and recognition of the identities of these young people, incentivizing the creation of fields of political and social intervention. (shrink)

Ricardo Sanz, Int. J. Mach. Conscious., 06, 55 (2014). DOI: 10.1142/S1793843014400095.

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether companies engaging in corporate philanthropy, a component of corporate social responsibility, disclose information about such activities publicly on their websites, analyze whether there is a relation between the kind of charitable giving, the number of donation types, or the industry sector the company belongs to, the mention on the company website and whether there is a relation between communicate company corporate philanthropy and communicate other company CSR issues. Design/methodology/approach The research methodology was descriptive (...) statistics research method. The data were collected during the months of June and July 2013 from the websites of 141 companies that had recently engaged in corporate philanthropy. Findings The study found that, surprisingly, a considerable portion of companies practicing corporate philanthropy do not disclose that information on their websites. This was especially the case when donations were made with product instead of in cash. Originality/value This study quantifies the fact that many companies engage in CSR through corporate philanthropy but do not communicate those activities to a wider public. This can be seen as a missed opportunity to take advantage of a variety of positive effects that companies related to CSR benefit from. On the other hand, it can also be interpreted as a missed opportunity for the NGOs to encourage their donors to “come out” with their philanthropic activities. (shrink)

The present global financial crisis has revived the notion that competitive markets may lead some directors and executives to behave in opportunistic ways considered unethical and even illegal, through the pursuit of self-interest. This article proposes and tests an integrated model that offers new insights into the relationship between board structure, independence and firm value. By incorporating the proportion of independent directors on the board as a moderating factor in this relationship, this study contributes to a better understanding of the (...) entrenchment and convergence-of-interests hypotheses. Using empirical data obtained from 114 Spanish listed companies in a context of economic crisis, from 2007 to 2010, we conclude that having a board with a greater proportion of independent directors reduces the negative association existing between firm value and a large board size and significant board share ownership. (shrink)

Archaea are microorganisms that are distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes. They are prevalent in extreme environments, and yet found in most ecosystems. They are a natural component of the microbiota of most, if not all, humans and other animals. Despite their ubiquity and close association with humans, animals and plants, no pathogenic archaea have been identified. Because no archaeal pathogens have yet been identified, there is a general assumption that archaeal pathogens do not exist. This review examines whether this is (...) a good assumption by investigating the potential for archaea to be or become pathogens. This is achieved by addressing: the diversity of archaea versus known pathogens, opportunities for archaea to demonstrate pathogenicity and be detected as pathogens, reports linking archaea with disease, and immune responses to archaea. In addition, molecular and genomic data are examined for the presence of systems utilised in pathogenesis. The view of this report is that, although archaea can presently be described as non‐pathogenic, they have the potential to be (discovered as) pathogens. The present optimistic view that there are no archaeal pathogens is tainted by a severe lack of relevant knowledge, which may have important consequences in the future. BioEssays 25:1119–1128, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

In response to conventional rationalistic approaches to management and corporate governance, the Aristotelian tradition is emerging as a basis for alternative theories in which practical wisdom is central. This paper, following Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, considers the specificity of “political wisdom” -directed to the common good- as being different from individual practical wisdom. We suggest that the business firm is a “political community”, understood as a whole formed by free and intelligent individuals called to cooperate for common goals and to (...) pursue a common good. This orientation toward the common good requires political wisdom. After discussing the concepts of “political wisdom” and the business firm as “political community” we propose a number of implications of political wisdom in management and corporate governance. (shrink)

El debate entre redistribución y reconocimiento que protagonizaron Nancy Fraser y Judith Butler permite reabrir una discusión de la teoría del populismo, a saber: ¿cómo construir la universalidad de la política en un contexto de demandas socioeconómicas irresueltas y de luchas de reconocimiento ascendentes? Tres modelos están en juego, los cuales adquieren particular relevancia en el contexto latinoamericano actual de ascenso de las derechas. El de Fraser, donde prima la igualdad y la supeditación de las diferencias. El de Laclau-Mouffe, donde (...) la universalidad es una relación hegemónica. Y el de Butler, en donde la única universalidad posible es la que mantiene el conflicto de modos políticamente productivos. Al final, se argumenta que el giro de las izquierdas en favor de las luchas culturales no ha sido el culpable de la emergencia de los neofascismos tipo Bolsonaro y se postula una defensa de la universalidad del populismo democrático.The debate upon redistribution and recognition lead by Nancy Fraser and Judith Butler allows reopening a dormant discussion in the populist theory: how to construct a universality of politics in a context of unresolved socioeconomic demands and recognition struggles in ascent? Three models appear to be at stake, all of which acquire a particular relevance in the current context at Latin America and its rise of the right wing. Fraser’s answer, in which equality is preferred. Laclau-Mouffe’s answer, in which this universality is a hegemonic relationship. And Butler’s, in which the only possible universality is that which holds the conflict in politically productive ways. We will recover this debate seeking to clarify a substantial misunderstanding: that the turn of left wing politics towards cultural struggles is to blame for the rise of Bolsonaro-like neofascisms and we suggest a defence of a democratic populist universality. (shrink)

En Towards a genealogy of pharmaceutical practice, sostuvimos que la práctica farmacológica daba lugar a un nuevo tipo de biopoder, con tecnologías y racionalidades propias, que lo distinguían del biopoder que había reconocido Michel Foucault en su trabajo tardío. Pero también sostuvimos que su contracara era la generación de nuevas formas de resistencia. En este artículo presentaremos dos modelos específicos de resistencias producidos por el dispositivo del poder farmacológico: uno, que tiene como caso básico el de los movimientos pro-anorexia, que (...) operan resignificando la categoría misma de la patología “anoréxica” en base al fármaco Xenical; otro, que tiene referencia en la experiencia relatada por Beatriz Preciado en su libro Testo yonqui y que actúa superando los límites legales, médicos y morales, para arrojarse a la producción de una nueva identidad jamás antes trazada al consumir dosis no permitidas de testosterona en gel. (shrink)

Resumen La parrhesía constituye una práctica de "decir veraz" que Michel Foucault investiga en sus últimos seminarios del Colegio de Francia, como una de las maneras originales de constitución de uno mismo en la cultura grecolatina antigua. En este trabajo, dicha noción de parrhesía es desplegada en toda su contemporaneidad política y se afirma que constituye un complemento fundamental para la tesis agonísitica de la democracia, en especial la defendida por Chantal Mouffe. El "decir veraz" del parrhesiasta, al interpelar de (...) manera radical el statu quo de la identidad colectiva constituida en el proceso de politización propio de la democracia radical, subvierte y transforma dicha identidad en un objeto permanente de disputa. Se recupera así el sentido del polemos propio de la práctica democrática.The parrhesia is a practice of "true-telling" that Michel Foucault researches in his last courseof the College of France, as one of the most singulars ways of becoming oneself in the ancient Greco Latin culture. In this paper, such notion of parrhesia is developed in its whole political contemporaneity, and it is assumed as a key component for the agonistic thesis of democracy, especially in Chantal Mouffe's work. The "true-telling" of parrhesiast, while contesting in a radical way the status quo of the collective identity formed in the own process of politization of radical democracy, it subverts and transform this given identity in an object of constant dispute. The polemos sense characteristic of democracy is in that way recovered. (shrink)

La parrhesía constituye una práctica de “decir veraz” que Michel Foucault investiga genealógicamente en sus últimos seminarios del Colegio de Francia, como una de las maneras originales de constitución de uno mismo en la cultura grecolatina antigua. En este trabajo, dicha noción de parrhesía es desplegada en toda su contemporaneidad política, afirmándose que constituye un complemento fundamental para la tesis agonísitica de la democracia, en especial la defendida por Chantal Mouffe. El “decir veraz” del parrhesiasta, al interpelar de manera radical (...) el statu quo de la identidad colectiva constituida en el proceso de politización propio de la democracia radical, subvierte y transforma dicha identidad en un objeto permanente de disputa. Se recupera así el sentido del polemos propio de la práctica democrática. (shrink)

Dentro del tema de la revolución y la libertad se intenta explorar la pregunta acerca del sentido político de la palabra revolución y de la relación que se establece, y conviene seguir estableciendo, entre revolución y libertad. Para ello se discutirán algunos de los principales planteamientos que a..

This article explores the question of the political meaning of the term “revolution” and the relation that has been established and should continue to be established between revolution and freedom. To this effect, the article examines some of the main proposals set forth in this respect by three contemporary thinkers, Hannah Arendt, Alain Badiou and Slavoj Žižek, with occasional references to Michel Foucault and Antonio Negri. The proposal argued for here is that Arendt’s notion of revolution and the notions of (...) event and act put forth in the radical political theories of Badiou and Žižek intersect and necessarily supplement one another. (shrink)

Resumen: En Towards a genealogy of pharmaceutical practice, sostuvimos que la práctica farmacológica daba lugar a un nuevo tipo de biopoder, con tecnologías y racionalidades propias, que lo distinguían del biopoder que había reconocido Michel Foucault en su trabajo tardío. Pero también sostuvimos que su contracara era la generación de nuevas formas de resistencia. En este artículo presentaremos dos modelos específicos de resistencias producidos por el dispositivo del poder farmacológico: uno, que tiene como caso básico el de los movimientos proanorexia, (...) que operan resignificando la categoría misma de la patología “anoréxica” a base del fármaco Xenical; otro, que tiene referencia en la experiencia relatada por Beatriz Preciado en su libro Testo yonqui y que actúa superando los límites legales, médicos y morales, para arrojarse a la producción de una nueva identidad jamás antes trazada al consumir dosis no permitidas de testosterona en gel.: In a previous work, we have argued that pharmacological practice has given rise to a new type of biopower, with specific technologies and rationalities, distinguishing it from the biopower that Michel Foucault recognised in his later work. However, we also argued that another effect has been the creation of new forms of resistance. In this article, we present two specific models of resistance created by the apparatus of pharmacological power: one, inspired by pro-anorexia movements, which operates by resignifying the pathological categorization of anorexia using the drug Xenical; another, based on the experience outlined by Beatriz Preciado in her 2008 book Testo Junkie, which operates by overcoming legal, medical and moral limits to create a ground-breaking new identity by consuming prohibited doses of gel testosterone. (shrink)

Following Foucault’s work on disciplinary power and biopolitics, this article maps an initial cartography of the research areas to be traced by a genealogy of pharmacological practice. Pharmacology, as a practical activity, refers to the creation, production and sale of drugs/medication. This work identifies five lines of research that, although often disconnected from each other, may be observed in the specialized literature: pharmaceuticalization; regulation of the pharmaceutical industry; the political-economic structure of the pharmaceutical industry; consumption/consumerism of medications; and bio-knowledge. The (...) article suggests that a systematic analysis of these areas leads one to consider pharmacological practice a sui generis apparatus of power, which reaches beyond the purely disciplinary and biopolitical levels to encompass molecular configurations, thereby giving rise not only to new types of government over life, but also to new struggles for life, extending from molecular to population-wide levels. (shrink)

El objetivo de este trabajo es interpretar la Germania de Tácito en tanto texto etnográfico y autoetnográfico, i.e. como crítico de la sociedad romana. Se rechazan los presupuestos filosóficos de “No Place like Rome: Identity and Difference in The Germania of Tacitus” de Ellen O’Gorman (§1), se analiza la escritura etnográfica de Tácito a través de la guerra y el comercio, enfatizando las ideas de forma, belleza, materia, mores y mente (§2). Por último, se destaca el uso utópico y de (...) crítica interna que adquiere el texto de Tácito (§3). (shrink)

As in other countries, the public in Argentina became aware of the existence of something called “the theory of relativity” only after November 1919. Although the news of Arthur Eddington's eclipse expedition, which provided the first confirmation of Einstein's theory, was poorly reported in the newspapers, by the end of 1920 Einstein had become a household name for the educated middle class of Buenos Aires, the capital city of the country. This was in great measure the result of the activity (...) of a few enthusiastic lecturers. Significantly, none of them belonged to the prestigious Institute of Physics of the University of La Plata, which during the decade of the 1910s was considered the most important center of physical research in Latin America. Between July and August 1920 the Spanish physicist Blas Cabrera – perhaps the greatest popularizer of Einstein's theory in Spain – visited Argentina and talked about relativity. In September Georges Duclout, a French engineer who had graduated from the Zurich Polytechnic and by then was professor of applied mechanics at the School of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires, also gave a series of conferences on the subject. That same month José Ubach, a Jesuit astronomer trained at the Ebro Observatory in Spain, and established in Buenos Aires, lectured on relativity at the Colegio del Salvador. (shrink)

En este artículo se recorren las principales tendencias que la teología ha desarrollado en la reflexión sobre Dios. Sobre todo se presta atención a la crítica de Heidegger a la ontoteología, la cuestión del mal, de la relación con la ciencia, el encuentro con las otras religiones y el desarrollo de la teología trinitaria. El recorrido deja ver las líneas de fuerza y también se plantean algunas cuestiones críticas. This article shows the main tendencies theology has developed about God, paying (...) special attention to Heidegger’s criticism on ontotheology, problem of evil, relation with science, meeting with other religions and development of Trinitarian theology. Strong lines can be seen in this review and critical questions are asked. (shrink)