El sujeto cartesiano se constituye en la subordinación de todas las facultades a la inteligencia; ella ha de imponer en todo momento y situación sus condiciones, porque de lo que se trata es de asegurar el dominio de las cosas, algo que no se consigue sin interponer al deseo, a ese deseo, un entendimiento adecuado. Y Descartes sabe muy bien que no hay entendimiento que no sea de objetos. Los seres humanos están dotados de estas facultades, que habitualmente chocan y (...) no dejan de entrar en conflicto. En la sustitución de la confusión (y la superstición) por el método, Descartes lleva a su extremo la sujeción de las demás facultades por el entendimiento, injusticia que sublevará a muchos. En este artículo se aborda este problema. (shrink)

La escritura de Paul Valéry es un reto para la filosofía y en este artículo se toma nota del comentario de Karl Löwith para ejemplificar la dificultad. El artículo se divide en cuatro partes, de las cuales sólo la primera toma en cuenta la opinión de José María Valverde; las tres siguientes analizan la posición del filósofo K. Löwith para centrar el argumento básico del poeta. Se trata de ver cómo y hasta qué punto Valéry es cartesiano, tomando en consideración (...) que, como poeta, ha efectuado una disolución o rarefacción de la subjetividad. En este movimiento, el yo puro, al que se remite, designa el límite del mundo. (shrink)

This article starts from two books by Santiago Alba Rico and Peter Sloterdijk to address the problem of nihilism, leading to Nietzsche and Heidegger to theoretically center the discussion and to conclude that the very idea of Salvation is nihilistic and belongs to its own logic. The fundamental problem can be approached as the conflict between the escape to some metaphysical or transcendent instance — the State or the Revolution, material forms of the Kingdom —or the immersion— which implies the (...) whole assumption of suffering and enjoyment —in immanence. (shrink)

El presente artículo aborda las primeras obras de Gilles Deleuze desde el ángulo que a él mismo le han merecido. Utiliza los textos, prólogos y entrevistas aparecidos en La isla desierta y otros textos (1953-1974), para proponer un comentario cuyo interés de fondo es la pregunta por la filosofía cuando a esta, sin ignorarlas, no le da por imitar a las ciencias positivas ni se presenta como sustituto de la religión.

This article deals with the problem of philosophy seen through myth, and that of the latter after the irruption of philosophy. Adorno and Horkheimer's texts on the Dialectic of Enlightenment and Giorgio Colli's text on The Birth of Philosophy are basically used to show their transfers and reconversions. The conclusion is that the scenario that opens up to lucidity is that of an innocent and ruthless game of forces within which none of them prevails absolutely and for eternity. Neither dialectic, (...) nor scientific, nor mystical: what is real is music. (shrink)

Este artículo aborda el problema de las relaciones entre lo trágico y lo divino tomando como referencia fundamental el libro de María Zambrano escrito originalmente en 1955 y revisado veinte años después. Se trata de una de las defensas más lúcidas de la religión cristiana, siempre en guardia contra la forma mítica de concebir el mundo. El supuesto subyacente es que los dioses de la mitología son productos humanos, mientras que, a la inversa, el Dios cristiano crea a los hombres. (...) En ningún momento, Zambrano se advierte con la menor disposición a discutir semejante argumento. Aquí se propone una crítica a esa posición. (shrink)

Espinosa começa a sua Ética com uma série de definições, em virtude do modelo geométrico de raciocínio que ele incorpora sistematicamente à filosofia. Assim, os comentadores analisam minuciosamente o conjunto das definições que abrem a Primeira Parte, mostrando que elas cumprem de maneira exemplar a exigência do método. Já na Segunda Parte da Ética, os mesmos comentadores manifestam dificuldade em reconhecer fidelidade irrestrita ao método. Porém, trata-se de uma dificuldade aparente. Este artigo enfoca as definições iniciais da parte II (...) da Ética, tendo por objetivo explicitar que elas se relacionam entre si de acordo com uma disposição formal precisa. Portanto, elas são escritas conforme o modelo matemático de raciocínio que Espinosa segue desde o começo da Ética. (shrink)

Las obras de Sergio Rábade contenidas en el presente volumen constituyen una de las aportaciones más valiosas de su legado filosófico. En los orígenes de la edad de la crítica, la aparición de nuevos valores asociados al conocimiento impulsó una afanosa renovación de los métodos en científicos y filósofos. Método y pensamiento en la modernidad analiza las exigencias de esta demanda en pro de un cambio real en los procedimientos de búsqueda y control de las ideas. Las complejas conexiones (...) entre el método teorizado y su práctica ocupan la atención del autor en Descartes y la gnoseología moderna. El filósofo francés, «faro de la moderna Europa», inaugura un nuevo estilo de pensar que será referencia obligada tanto para sus partidarios como para sus adversarios. Spinoza, considerado por Rábade como un «cartesiano anticartesiano», es el caso más representativo de referencialidad al autor del Discurso, aunque cargada de ambivalencia. El filósofo holandés de raíces judías entendió el cumplimiento del proyecto patrocinado por Descartes precisamente como una enmendación de los tópicos de su filosofía: el método, la sustancia divina, el hombre y las pasiones humanas (Espinosa: razón y felicidad). Los artículos insertados entre las obras del volumen no ocultan las contradicciones inherentes al pensamiento de estos dos grandes filósofos. (shrink)

Machado de Assis, no conto _A Sereníssima República_, aponta, por meio da alegoria, problemas de fundo do sistema político brasileiro. Uma espécie de cultura da fraude estaria presente nos comportamentos das aranhas, o que impossibilitaria a implantação reta e precisa da lei, bem como a instituição da paz e da _securitas_. Sérgio Buarque de Holanda, ao analisar, a partir de fontes primárias, o período em que se passa o conto, constata os mesmos problemas que Machado de Assis apontara. Os conceitos (...) políticos espinosanos são movimentados, ao final, para mostrar que em um _imperium_ no qual as leis são constantemente violadas, não se está distante do estado de natureza, com grande perigo de vida para os súditos-cidadãos. Seria este o caso da república do conto e do Brasil atual? (shrink)

The prehistory of science and technology studies -- The Kuhnian revolution -- Questioning functionalism in the sociology of science -- Stratification and discrimination -- The strong programme and the sociology of knowledge -- The social construction of scientific and technical realities -- Feminist epistemologies of science -- Actor-network theory -- Two questions concerning technology -- Studying laboratories -- Controversies -- Standardization and objectivity -- Rhetoric and discourse -- The unnaturalness of science and technology -- The public understanding of science -- (...) Expertise and public participation -- Political economies of knowledge. (shrink)

Accidie, depression, and dejection seem to be psychological phenomena that are best characterized as cases in which an agent has no motivation to pursue what he or she judges to be good or valuable. The phenomena thus seem to present a challenge to any view that draws a close connection between motivation and evaluation. ‘Accidie, Evaluation, and Motivation’ aims to show that the phenomena are actually best explained by a theory that postulates a conceptual connection between motivation and evaluation.

An effective method to increase the number of potential cadaveric organ donors is to make people donors by default with the option to opt out. This non-coercive public policy tool to influence people’s choices is often justified on the basis of the as-judged-by-themselves principle: people are nudged into choosing what they themselves truly want. We review three often hypothesized reasons for why defaults work and argue that the as-judged-by-themselves principle may hold only in two of these cases. We specify further (...) conditions for when the principle can hold in these cases and show that whether those conditions are met is often unclear. We recommend ways to expand nationwide surveys to identify the actual reasons for why defaults work and discuss mandated choice policy as a viable solution to many arising conundrums. (shrink)

'Computationalism' is a relatively vague term used to describe attempts to apply Turing's model of computation to phenomena outside its original purview: in modelling the human mind, in physics, mathematics, etc. Early versions of computationalism faced strong objections from many (and varied) quarters, from philosophers to practitioners of the aforementioned disciplines. Here we will not address the fundamental question of whether computational models are appropriate for describing some or all of the wide range of processes that they have been applied (...) to, but will focus instead on whether `renovated' versions of the \textit{new computationalism} shed any new light on or resolve previous tensions between proponents and skeptics. We find this, however, not to be the case, because the 'new computationalism' falls short by using limited versions of "traditional computation", or proposing computational models that easily fall within the scope of Turing's original model, or else proffering versions of hypercomputation with its many pitfalls. (shrink)

La complejidad inherente a la pluralidad ontológica requiere ser entendida con nuevos conceptos y metáforas: por un lado, tienen que superar la compartimentación de lo diferenciado y, por otro, tienen que construir puentes de sentido en favor de un enfoque más integrador de la realidad. Hay que evitar la fragmentación tanto desde una perspectiva objetiva como subjetiva, respectivamente, a través de la generación de clasificaciones abiertas y de vínculos simbólicos indirectos que puedan compensar la especialización disciplinar. Nociones como nivel, mapa, (...) mundo de la vida y red contribuyen a esta tarea. (shrink)

'We desire all and only those things we conceive to be good; we avoid what we conceive to be bad.' This slogan was once the standard view of the relationship between desire or motivation and rational evaluation. Many critics have rejected this scholastic formula as either trivial or wrong. It appears to be trivial if we just define the good as 'what we want', and wrong if we consider apparent conflicts between what we seem to want and what we seem (...) to think is good. In Appearances of the Good, Sergio Tenenbaum argues that the old slogan is both significant and right, even in cases of apparent conflict between our desires and our evaluative judgements. Maintaining that the good is the formal end of practical inquiry in much the same way as truth is the formal end of theoretical inquiry, he provides a fully unified account of motivation and evaluation. (shrink)

Though it is held that some models in science have explanatory value, there is no conclusive agreement on what provides them with this value. One common view is that models have explanatory value vis-à-vis some target systems because they are developed using an abstraction process. Though I think this is correct, I believe it is not the whole picture. In this paper, I argue that, in addition to the well-known process of abstraction understood as an omission of features or information, (...) there is also a family of abstraction processes that involve aggregation of features or information and that these processes play an important role in endowing the models they are used to build with explanatory value. After offering a taxonomy of abstraction processes involving aggregation, I show by considering in detail several models drawn from different sciences that the abstraction processes involving aggregation that are used to build these models are responsible for their having explanatory value. (shrink)

El presente texto, no busca abarcar el impacto de las nuevas tecnologías en el ejercicio del Derecho en nuestro país, probablemente la tecnología puede llevar a la cristalización de ideas maravillosas para impartir justicia de manera pronta y oportuna, sin embargo se pueden avizorar ciertas amenazas y peligros en su implementación, cuando a nivel mundial se plantean métodos de solución de controversias virtuales y juzgados digitales mediante la inteligencia artificial, aquello que se pensaba por la humanidad en un futuro muy (...) lejano, esta realidad toma fuerza en el sector justicia. (shrink)

This paper argues that theEncomium of Helenmust be seen as a speech about the value and importance of wisdom in human life and not as much as one as aboutlogos. Gorgias sustains his vision based on a certain intellectualism which reduces moral faults to intellectual errors. This intellectualist program comprises a rationalization of emotions and a commitment with a certain tradition that discriminates between a minority with knowledge and a majority with only opinion. The consequence for Helen is that she (...) can be excused from her action at the expense of being reproached for her lack of wisdom and is thus relegated to the ignorant majority. Therefore, what is initially praise and an apology turns into severe blame. For this, I argue, the encomium can be qualified as an amusement (paignion). For theEncomium’s listeners the amusement becomes a challenge that demands they decipher the speech’s paradoxical character and appeal to their own wisdom to not be reproached like Helen. Thus theEncomiumcannot be seen as a treaty nor as mere joke but rather as an intellectualagônbetween the speech and the listener, which serves them “to arm the soul for contests of excellence”, as the epigram dedicated to Gorgias in Delfos says. (shrink)