Texto em homenagem à Carlos Drummond de Andrade.

The growing field of nanotechnology has received considerable attention as of late. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative has committed billions of dollars toward research on the nanoscale, and proponents of nanotechnology claim that its benefits will range from curing cancer to ending poverty. This article takes a look at the possible benefits and problems associated with the development of high-rate nanomanufacturing technologies, specifically in regards to privacy. Nanosensors, small enough to avoid detection by the naked eye and that are produced (...) cheaply enough, could be used as tracking or listening devices. There may be useful applications of such technologies for some defense, intelligence, and medical and industrial purposes; however, widespread availability and abuse of such sensors is a cause for concern. The adequacy of existing legislation concerning technology and privacy is reviewed and possible courses of action for placating any negative effects of nanomanufacturing on personal privacy considered. (shrink)

Resumo: Este artigo analisa a educação para a liberdade em Paulo Freire, considerando seus desafios e perspectivas em tempos de construção da resistência. Considera-se que as formulações freireanas de uma educação para a liberdade permitem a mobilização e a organização das lutas x se manifestam no contexto da crise do Capital. O artigo cumpre os seguintes objetivos na análise dos contributos de Paulo Freire: abordar sua atuação política e intelectual em favor de uma educação para a liberdade; destacar as influências (...) do pensamento social em sua formulação crítica de educação e identificar os eixos teórico-políticos de sua concepção de uma educação para a liberdade para a construção da resistência. Realizou-se uma revisão bibliográfica que se fundamentou na análise de obras de Paulo Freire, de produções que repercutem sua atuação política e intelectual e de sistematizações que se apropriam das formulações teórico-metodológicas freireanas. As referências nas contribuições de Paulo Freire guardam a educação como ato inerentemente humano, traduzindo a liberdade como fundamento ontológico do ser social, que se relaciona com os processos pedagógicos orientados pelo diálogo consciente, crítico, coletivo em favor da transformação. Palavras-chave: Paulo Freire; Educação; Liberdade. Education for freedom in Paulo Freire: challenges and perspectives in times of resistance building Summary: This article analyzes the education for freedom in Paulo Freire, considering challenges and perspectives in times of resistance building. It is considered that Freire's formulations of an education for freedom allow the mobilization and organization of the struggles of the working class, resisting the current advances of an ultraconservative, authoritarian and fascist character that are manifested in the Capital crisis. The analysis fulfills the following objectives in the analysis of Paulo Freire's contributions: to approach his political and intellectual performance in favor of an education for freedom; to highlight the influences of social thought in its critical formulation of education and to identify the theoretical and political axes of its conception of an education for freedom for the construction of resistance. A bibliographic review was carried out that was based on the analysis of Paulo Freire's works, of productions that reflect his political and intellectual performance and of systematizations that appropriate the Freirean theoretical-methodological formulations. The references in Paulo Freire's contributions keep education as an inherently human act, translating freedom as an ontological foundation of the social being, which is related to the pedagogical processes guided by conscious, critical, collective dialogue to the transformation. Keywords: Paulo Freire; Education; Freedom. Educación para la libertad en Paulo Freire: desafíos y perspectivas en tiempos de construcción de resistencias Resumen: Este artículo analiza la educación para la libertad en Paulo Freire, considerando sus desafíos y perspectivas en tiempos de construcción de resistencias. Se considera que las formulaciones de Freire permiten la movilización y organización de las luchas de la clase trabajadora, resistiendo los actuales avances de carácter ultraconservador, autoritario y fascista que se manifiestan en la crisis del Capital. El análisis cumple los siguientes objetivos: acercar la actuación política e intelectual de Paulo Freire en una educación para la libertad; destacar las influencias del pensamiento social en su formulación crítica de la educación e identificar los ejes teóricos y políticos de su concepción de una educación para la libertad para la construcción de resistencias. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica basada en análisis de la obra de Paulo Freire, de producciones que reflejan su desempeño político e intelectual y de sistematizaciones que se apropian de las formulaciones teórico-metodológicas freireanas. Los referentes en los aportes de Paulo Freire mantienen la educación como un acto inherentemente humano, traduciendo la libertad como fundamento ontológico del ser social, que se relaciona con los procesos pedagógicos guiados por el diálogo consciente, crítico, colectivo a favor de la transformación. Palabras clave: Paulo Freire; Educación; Libertad. Data de registro: 12/03/2021 Data de aceite: 19/01/2022. (shrink)

O presente artigo discute o conceito de cidadania e sua relação com as questões educacionais, sobretudo, as relacionadas ao campo da Educação de Jovens e Adultos. Constitui-se como resultado de pesquisa intitulada “Cidadania e EJA: concepções e desafios que marcam a escola pública brasileira” no âmbito do Núcleo de Estudos sobre Trabalho e Educação da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. O texto destaca como o conceito de cidadania se desenvolveu historicamente, buscando seus fundamentos ideológicos e (...) políticos no liberalismo, correlacionando-o com a perspectiva de Estado e de educação defendida por essa corrente. Demonstra que a concepção burguesa de cidadania se desdobra sobre o campo educacional, expondo sua relação com a acumulação flexível de cunho capitalista. A concepção marxista de educação rompe com essa unilateralidade, apresentando a universalização do trabalho e da educação como expressão do humano, da pluralidade cultural e das concepções de mundo que marcam as experiências coletivas e individuais. Nesse modelo, as exigências educacionais para jovens e adultos são direcionadas a tornar esses sujeitos capazes de enfrentar, mesmo que minimamente, o mercado globalizado e assumir projetos de vida pautados no mérito das ações econômicas – por meio de uma educação ao longo da vida, com o objetivo de se manterem na condição de empregáveis. Portanto, o texto que se segue visa contribuir com as reflexões de educadores que almejam a construção de uma educação socialista e democrática. Esse processo, que se estabelece nos âmbitos coletivo e social – possível apenas com o rompimento e a superação do modelo social de capital e com a instauração de uma sociedade com novas formas de sentir, pensar e agir no mundo. Palavras-chave: Cidadania. Liberalismo. Educação. Jovens. Adultos. (shrink)

IntroductionRegular exercise has long been shown to positively impact the immune system responsiveness and improve mental well-being. However, the putative links between biomarkers of mental health and immune efficiency in exercising subjects have been scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of a 14-week combined chair-based exercise program on salivary steroid hormones and anti-microbial proteins, functional fitness, and MWB indexes in pre-frail older women.MethodsThe participant women were randomly divided into the exercising group and the non-exercising (...) control group. The pre/post assessment included: salivary anti-microbial proteins lysozyme; and immunoglobulin-A ; salivary steroid hormones of testosterone and cortisol ; functional fitness ; MWB questionnaires.ResultsSignificant differences with large Cohen’s effect sizes were found on increased salivary TT after exercise intervention. The results revealed a decrease in IgA levels after CEP. The increase in subjective happiness levels and decrease of stress perception and depressive state were found after intervention in the CEP group. Robust statistical differences in gait speed and balance tests were also found in the CEP group. In control, COR increased moderately while no changes were found for the other indicators. Correlation analyses showed inter-dependence between pre–post variations of MWB, biochemical indexes, and fitness function.ConclusionThe CEP program was able to improve functional-fitness performance, decrease feelings of stress, and increase happiness. The CEP also induced clinically relevant hormonal and immune responses, which suggests that chair exercises that combine muscular strength, balance, and gait speed training are promising interventions to improve physical and mental health of older pre-frail adults. (shrink)

O presente artigo pretende analisar as propostas de escolarização de adultos em Portugal, no período demarcado entre os anos de 1974 a 1986. As lutas sociais impulsionadas pela revolução de 25 de abril de 1974 potencializaram propostas de escolarização de adultos orientadas pelas concepções de mundo, pelos valores políticos e pelas tradições socioculturais da classe trabalhadora. Destaca-se a crítica à concepção reducionista, supletiva e aligeirada da escolarização de adultos, bem como a permanência de um ensino voltado para a adaptação dos (...) sujeitos às exigências da produção capitalista. A intenção era de promover a dimensão educativa das práticas sociais, permitindo a elevação da consciência dos trabalhadores a um novo patamar de compreensão e de enfrentamento dos desafios e das perspectivas colocadas em termos da superação das desigualdades. Desse modo, o artigo se orienta pela seguinte questão: Como o processo revolucionário português marcou as propostas de escolarização de adultos, na recente história política da sociedade portuguesa? Especificamente, abordou-se a proposta de criação de um Subsistema de Educação de Adultos, que se constituiu no período da restauração constitucionalista, que se consolidou com a aprovação da Lei de Bases do Sistema de Ensino n. 46/1986. A análise foi desenvolvida com base na produção teórica e crítica do campo da educação de adultos em Portugal, tendo por referência suas formulações históricas e sociológicas. Trata-se de reconhecer que a educação de adultos não pode ser reduzida, aligeirada e negligenciada nos e pelos processos de escolarização. Ao contrário, suas reivindicações históricas, suas especificidades sociais e suas características políticas constituem-se em referência para a continuidade das lutas e proposições de escolarização de adultos. (shrink)

O professor Paulo Freire faz da sua experiência a mais importante fonte de aquisição de conhecimento, partindo da análise de suas práticas para compreender as maneiras de enfrentar os problemas complexos da vida escolar, como utilizar o conhecimento e como criar novos procedimentos e estratégias. Para o educador, esse tipo de reflexão é mergulhar no mundo de experiência e sentimentos, carregado de valores intercambio simbólico, correspondências afetivas, interesses sociais e ao mesmo tempo perceber, do ponto de vista teórico, o que (...) se passa no mundo da objetividade. (shrink)

This collection of essays is eclectic, covering certain political, ethical, cultural and philosophical topics. But running through all the material is the evolutionary-naturalistic perspective stated in the opening essay, which gives the book its title. Another emphatic feature is a focus on the Western cultural outlook, as the context in which the large number of topics is viewed. This focus is important as a way of re-affirming the distinctive character of Western intellectual and cultural history, at a time when that (...) character is, arguably, not sufficiently recognised and appreciated. Authors referred to include Aristotle, Shakespeare, Voltaire and Sartre. (shrink)

The general question to be considered in this paper points to the nature of the world described by chemistry: what is macro-chemical ontology like? In particular, we want to identify the ontological categories that underlie chemical discourse and chemical practice. This is not an easy task, because modern Western metaphysics was strongly modeled by theoretical physics. For this reason, we attempt to answer our question by contrasting macro-chemical ontology with the mainstream ontology of physics and of traditional metaphysics. In particular, (...) we introduce the distinction between stuff-ontology, proper of chemistry, and individual-ontology, proper of physics. These two ontologies differ from each other in the basic categories of their own structures. On this basis, we characterize individual-ontology in such a way that the features of stuff-ontology will arise by contrast with it. (shrink)

Ethics has powerful teeth, but these are barely being used in the ethics of AI today – it is no wonder the ethics of AI is then blamed for having no teeth. This article argues that ‘ethics’ in the current AI ethics field is largely ineffective, trapped in an ‘ethical principles’ approach and as such particularly prone to manipulation, especially by industry actors. Using ethics as a substitute for law risks its abuse and misuse. This significantly limits what ethics can (...) achieve and is a great loss to the AI field and its impacts on individuals and society. This article discusses these risks and then highlights the teeth of ethics and the essential value they can – and should – bring to AI ethics now. (shrink)

Firms engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) because they consider that some kind of competitive advantage accrues to them. We contend that resource-based perspectives (RBP) are useful to understand why firms engage in CSR activities and disclosure. From a resource-based perspective CSR is seen as providing internal or external benefits, or both. Investments in socially responsible activities may have internal benefits by helping a firm to develop new resources and capabilities which are related namely to know-how and corporate culture. In (...) effect, investing in social responsibility activities and disclosure has important consequences on the creation or depletion of fundamental intangible resources, namely those associated with employees. The external benefits of CSR are related to its effect on corporate reputation. Corporate reputation can be understood as a fundamental intangible resource which can be created or depleted as a consequence of the decisions to engage or not in social responsibility activities and disclosure. Firms with good social responsibility reputation may improve relations with external actors. They may also attract better employees or increase current employees’ motivation, morale, commitment and loyalty to the firm. This article contributes to the understanding of why CSR may be seen as having strategic value for firms and how RBP can be used in such endeavour. (shrink)

The paper contrasts the economic, ethical, and organizational differences in the U.S. and Europe, as well as the differences in governance and leadership between U.S. and European managers, and how these differences impact decision-making and governance of U.S. and European businesses. In addition, the paper explores and contrasts select ethical and cultural issues between managers on both sides of the Atlantic. It is the authors' view that on both sides of the Atlantic we embrace the call for more ethics in (...) our lives and we expect it from our business leaders and our business dealings. However, in the markets we consistently have seen a short-term orientation of corporate outcomes. It is hoped that there will be a silver lining to the current economic crisis that will help move us away from this position which makes things like ethics, long-term virtues, fairness, all nice to talk about but somewhat estranged from the realities that are practiced in businesses. It remains to be seen if U.S. organizations, business schools and business leaders will change this current position more rapidly than in Europe. The authors are confident, however, that businesses and governments on both sides of the Atlantic will make all efforts for a pronounced transition to integrate ethics into the real strategic thrusts of conducting business. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to present a paraconsistent formal system and a corresponding intended interpretation according to which true contradictions are not tolerated. Contradictions are, instead, epistemically understood as conflicting evidence, where evidence for a proposition A is understood as reasons for believing that A is true. The paper defines a paraconsistent and paracomplete natural deduction system, called the Basic Logic of Evidence, and extends it to the Logic of Evidence and Truth. The latter is a logic of (...) formal inconsistency and undeterminedness that is able to express not only preservation of evidence but also preservation of truth. LETj is anti-dialetheist in the sense that, according to the intuitive interpretation proposed here, its consequence relation is trivial in the presence of any true contradiction. Adequate semantics and a decision method are presented for both BLE and LETj, as well as some technical results that fit the intended interpretation. (shrink)

In this paper we present a philosophical motivation for the logics of formal inconsistency, a family of paraconsistent logics whose distinctive feature is that of having resources for expressing the notion of consistency within the object language in such a way that consistency may be logically independent of non-contradiction. We defend the view according to which logics of formal inconsistency may be interpreted as theories of logical consequence of an epistemological character. We also argue that in order to philosophically justify (...) paraconsistency there is no need to endorse dialetheism, the thesis that there are true contradictions. Furthermore, we show that mbC, a logic of formal inconsistency based on classical logic, may be enhanced in order to express the basic ideas of an intuitive interpretation of contradictions as conflicting evidence. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, and in Africa, given the lack of resources, they are likely to be even more acute. The usefulness of Traditional African Healers in helping to mitigate the effects of pandemic has been neglected. We argue from an ethical perspective that these healers can and should have an important role in informing and guiding local communities in Africa on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Particularly, we argue not only (...) that much of the philosophy underlying Traditional African Medicine is adequate and compatible with preventive measures for COVID-19, but also that Traditional African Healers have some unique cultural capital for influencing and enforcing such preventive measures. The paper therefore suggests that not only given the cultural context of Africa where Traditional African Healers have a special role, but also because of the normative strength of the Afro-communitarian philosophy that informs it, there are good ethical reasons to endorse policies that involve Traditional Healers in the fight against COVID-19. We also maintain that concerns about Traditional African Healers objectionably violating patient confidentiality or being paternalistic are much weaker in the face of COVID-19. (shrink)

Gödel’s Ontological argument is distinctive because it is the most sophisticated and formal of ontological arguments and relies heavily on the notion of _positive property_. Gödel uses a third-order modal logic with a property abstraction operator and property quantification into modal contexts. Gödel describes _positive property_ as "independent of the accidental structure of the world"; "pure attribution," as opposed to privation; "positive in the 'moral aesthetic sense.'" _Pure attribution_ seems likely to be related to the Leibnizian concept of perfection. By (...) a careful examination of the formal semantics of third-order modal logic with property abstraction together with a Completeness result for third-order modal logic with property abstraction for faithful models that I previously developed in 2000 in my work, _Gödel’s Ontological Argument_, I argue that it is not possible to develop a sufficient applied third-order modal semantics for Gödel’s ontological argument. As I explore possible approaches for an applied semantics including anti-Realist accounts of the semantics of modal logic compatible with Actualism, I argue that Gödel makes implicit philosophical assumptions which commit him to both possibilism and modal realism. (shrink)

Gödel’s Ontological argument is distinctive because it is the most sophisticated and formal of ontological arguments and relies heavily on the notion of positive property. Gödel uses a third-order modal logic with a property abstraction operator and property quantification into modal contexts. Gödel describes positive property as "independent of the accidental structure of the world"; "pure attribution," as opposed to privation; "positive in the 'moral aesthetic sense.'" Pure attribution seems likely to be related to the Leibnizian concept of perfection.By a (...) careful examination of the formal semantics of third-order modal logic with property abstraction together with a Completeness result for third-order modal logic with property abstraction for faithful models that I previously developed in 2000 in my work, Gödel’s Ontological Argument, I argue that it is not possible to develop a sufficient applied third-order modal semantics for Gödel’s ontological argument. As I explore possible approaches for an applied semantics including anti-Realist accounts of the semantics of modal logic compatible with Actualism, I argue that Gödel makes implicit philosophical assumptions which commit him to both possibilism (the belief in merely possible objects) and modal realism (the belief in possible worlds). (shrink)

Simão José da Luz Soriano (1802-1891) é principalmente conhecido pelos livros que escreveu sobre a guerra civil de 1828-1834 e a implantação do liberalismo em Portugal. As reflexões po­líticas realizadas em 1858 e em 1860 revelam-nos uma outra faceta da sua obra: a crítica apai­xonada dos erros do regime constitucional. Contudo, as suas observações só podem ser enten­didas se forem relacionadas com o liberalismo moderado da segunda metade do século XIX. O presente artigo pretende fazer a análise da relação entre (...) o estudo da realidade política e o pen­samento do autor. (shrink)

The aim of this text is to reply to criticisms of the logics of evidence and truth and the epistemic approach to paraconsistency advanced by Barrio [2018], and Lo Guercio and Szmuc [2018]. We also clarify the notion of evidence that underlies the intended interpretation of these logics and is a central point of Barrio’s and Lo Guercio & Szmuc’s criticisms.

Objective of the study: To analyze the costs and profits of sugarcane production regarding the cultural practices of sugarcane suppliers. Methodology/approach: This study positions itself in this gap by comparatively analyzing 6 types of cultural practices: unraveling, windrowing, application of correctives, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers, with the option of two systems Fixed rate (TF) and Variable rate (TV). Originality/Relevance: Brazil is a world reference in sugarcane production, with the State of São Paulo being the largest Brazilian producer. However, for sugarcane (...) suppliers to maintain this activity there is a need to reduce production costs and increase profitability/ha. However, there is a theoretical-practical gap in the financial assessment (costs and profits) of different cultural practices inherent to sugarcane production. Main results: The results demonstrated that the costs of cultural practices represent more than 30% of the total sugarcane production costs. The TF system proved to be more cost-efficient in the following operations: correctives, herbicides and insecticides. In the application of fertilizers, the TV system, in broadcast mode, had the best result. Finally, the profit/ton was R$1.70, demonstrating a very low profit margin/ha given the risk of the activity. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The sample for this research comprised 55 sugarcane suppliers from the State of São Paulo, whose data were obtained through a survey. The comparative analysis was based on the difference in costs of cultural practices and the estimation of the level of certainty (profit/costs), analyzed through the cumulative frequency carried out through the Monte Carlo Simulation (SMC). (shrink)

A internet revolucionou o mundo da informação e da comunicação ao fornecer matéria-prima para o conhecimento e o acesso a novos vínculos cognitivos. Com isso, configura-se um contexto próprio para a renovação do rol de compromissos educacionais. A partir dessa percepção, este ensaio aborda desafios que ganharam relevância, como é caso do apreço à autoria; da paciência para aprender e do cuidado com a disciplina intelectual; do zelo na escolha; do convívio amigável com as incertezas; e da ousadia na construção (...) de projetos. Vive-se uma oportunidade convidativa à liberação da imaginação em busca de utopias com vistas à reconstrução das práticas educativas. (shrink)

The main aim of this paper is to introduce first-order versions of logics of evidence and truth, together with corresponding sound and complete Kripke semantics with variable and constant domains. According to the intuitive interpretation proposed here, these logics intend to represent possibly inconsistent and incomplete information bases over time. The paper also discusses the connections between Belnap-Dunn’s and da Costa’s approaches to paraconsistency, and argues that the logics of evidence and truth combine them in a very natural way.

RésuméNous introduisons la notion de structure algébrique dynamique, inspirée de l'évaluation dynamique et de la théorie des modèles. Nous montrons comment cette notion constructive permet une relecture de la théorie d'Artin-Schreier, avec la modification capitale que le résultat final est alors établi de manière constructive. Nous pensons que ce que nous avons réalisé ici sur un cas d'école peut être généralisé à des parties significatives de l'algèbre classique, et est donc une contribution à la réalisation du programme de Hilbert pour (...) l'algèbre classique.We introduce the notion of “Dynamic Algebraic Structure” inspired by Dynamic Evaluation and Model Theory. We show that this constructive notion allows a rereading of the Artin-Schreier-Robinson solution for the 17th Hilbert Problem. So, once we know how to reread the proofs, this kind of abstract theory contains an algorithm which computes the concrete result . Our method gives a constructive semantic for certain parts of abstract classical mathematics.The idea is the following: replace the classical algebraic structures “constructed” by Choice and Principle of Third Excluded Middle , by DAS and dynamic evaluations of these DAS. Then TEM is replaced by construction of branching in the trees of dynamic evaluation of the DAS. If Choice is used in the form of Godel completeness theorem, it is not really necessary to use it for obtaining concrete results: in DAS, Choice is simply replaced by … nothing!. This is because the classical proof is by contradiction: “if there were not a sum of squares then some formal theory would admit a pathological model”. The constructive reasoning is more direct: since the pathological theory proves 0 = 1 we know how to construct the sum of squares … and classical models have disappeared in the proof. They are replaced by dynamic evaluations of DAS. We think that we have given, for an academic example, a new method, realizing a kind of Hilbert Program for significant parts of classical algebra. (shrink)

Given an argumentation network with initial values to the arguments, we look for algorithms which can yield extensions compatible with such initial values. We find that the best way of tackling this problem is to offer an iteration formula that takes the initial values and the attack relation and iterates a sequence of intermediate values that eventually converges leading to an extension. The properties surrounding the application of the iteration formula and its connection with other numerical and non-numerical techniques proposed (...) by others are thoroughly investigated in this paper. (shrink)

In this paper we will address the problem of the existence of orbitals by analyzing the relationship between molecular chemistry and quantum mechanics. In particular, we will consider the concept of orbital in the light of the arguments that deny its referring character. On this basis, we will conclude that the claim that orbitals do not exist relies on a metaphysical reductionism which, if consistently sustained, would lead to consequences clashing with the effective practice of science in its different branches.