Issues surrounding transsexualism, especially when surgical operations have been performed to achieve the desired sex, can create serious problems for canon law. After an examination of how sex is determined, the author provides a clear explanation of transsexualism and then differentiates it from hermaphroditism, homosexuality, and transvestitism. Transsexualism’s effect on the liciety of marriage is analyzed, followed by an exploration of considerations regarding transsexualism and Holy Orders. Finally, transsexualism and the vowed religious life are examined. The author encourages those faced (...) with such situations to pursue solutions that preserve, as well as possible, the good of the patient and their community, as well as the Church. National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly 14.1 : 105–118. (shrink)

Santa Julia, en la Ciudad de México, surgió a principios del siglo XX como un fraccionamiento dirigido a la población de escasos recursos económicos. En el pasado adquirió fama por ser el lugar donde vivió y fue aprehendido uno de los bandidos más renombrados del porfiriato: “El Tigre de Santa Julia”. Este hecho lo llevó a ser considerado como “barrio bravo”. En contrapartida, el fervor religioso de la población que ahí habita, los lleva a manifestarse a través de altares callejeros (...) que en la actualidad son tradición, así como referentes urbano-arquitectónicos importantes del paisaje identitario de esta zona. (shrink)

En este trabajo hablamos de la posibilidad de una psicología fenomenológica,no como oportunidad de refundición del proyecto husserliano, sino comoplan de revisión de los fundamentos de una psicología de confección naturalista a partir de un tratamiento estrictamente fenomenológico. Esta revisión crítica, operada por Husserl, dialogará muy de cerca con las tesis que W. Dilthey desenvuelve en 1894, bajo el signo de una psicología descriptiva. Es nuestra intención mostrar, una vez ponderadas las insuficiencias evidenciadas por la perspectiva diltheyniana, la utilidad incuestionable (...) de la psicología fenomenológica como plataforma y vía de acceso indirecto para una auténtica filosofía fenomenológica.In this paper, we address the possibility of a phenomenological psychology,not having in mind a re-establishment of the husserlian project, but as plan torevise, from a strictly phenomenological approach, the basis of a naturalistic psychology. Such a critical revise, operated by Husserl, will dialogue closely with the thesis developed by W. Dilthey in 1894, under the title of a descriptive psychology. It´s our purpose to explain, given the insufficiency shown by Dilthey’s own perspective, the unquestionable utility of this phenomenological psychology as groundwork and indirect access way to a genuine phenomenological philosophy. (shrink)

Underestimated for a long time, serendipity is an increasingly recognized design principle of the infosphere. Being influenced by environmental and human factors, the experience of serendipity encompasses fundamental phases of production, distribution and consumption of information. On the one hand, design information architectures for serendipity increases the diversity of information encountered as well as users’ control over information processes. On the other hand, serendipity is a capability. It helps individuals to internalize and adopt strategies that increase the chances of experiencing (...) it. As such, the pursuit for serendipity can help to burst filter bubbles and weaken echo chambers in social media. The article reviews the literature on emerging issues surrounding serendipity in human–computer interactions. By doing so, it firstly presents the study of serendipity and the debate about its role in digital environments. Then, it introduces the main features of a preliminary architecture for serendipity. Finally, it analyzes from an interdisciplinary perspective the values that embraces and sustains. The conclusion is that serendipity can be conceived as an emerging design and ethical principle able to strengthen media pluralism and other emerging human rights in the context of online personalization. Main limitations and potential unintended consequences are also discussed. (shrink)

The debate on the ethics of privacy has been mainly dominated by Western perspectives, to the exclusion of broader ethical theories and socio-cultural perspectives. This imbalance carries risks; transplanted ethical norms and values can collide with those of the communities in which they are deployed. The consequent homogenization might also represent a missed opportunity to enrich and develop the current paradigm of privacy protection so as to effectively face new technological challenges. This article introduces and discusses the sub-Saharan philosophy of (...) Ubuntu and argues how its conception of the self helps to reinterpret some of the emerging issues revolving digital information technologies. To begin with, a general overview of the debate on the ethics of privacy is provided by distinguishing between individual and relational privacy. Also, the challenges of 'group privacy' are discussed. Then, we introduce basic principles of Ubuntu focusing on how these may have affected privacy conceptions and related legal practices. By outlining opportunities and risks of intercultural information ethics, we argue how Ubuntu—similarly to other communitarian moral philosophies—strengthens the development of the concept of relational privacy and, in particular, of group privacy. (shrink)

Resumen: El trabajo presenta algunas proposiciones iniciales sobre el desarrollo de la universidad peruana. La investigación se divide en cuatro partes. La primera sección, estudia las tendencias históricas esenciales que definen la universidad actual. La segunda, describe la influencia de los cambios tecnológicos en la educación universitaria. La tercera, muestra las relaciones divergentes entre heterogeneidad de saberes y la educación superior principalmente monocultural. La cuarta parte, discute las posibilidades de desarrollo de la universidad.: The paper presents some initial proposals on (...) the development of the university in Peru. The research is divided into four sections. The first one studies the essential historical trends that define the current university. The second, describes the influence of technology and its changes upon college education. The third shows the divergent relations between heterogeneity of knowledge and higher education, mainly monocultural. Finally, the fourth section discusses the possibilities of development in the university. (shrink)

La comparación entre el concepto de estado de naturaleza, tal y como aparece en las teorías contractualistas de los siglos XVII y XVIII, y la posición original de la teoría de la justicia de John Rawls, sirve para poner de manifiesto los supuestos, dificultades y limitaciones de esta última. A pesar de sus pretensiones, la posición original no justifica la búsqueda y existencia de una sociedad bien ordenada, y está lejos de alcanzar la brillantez y coherencia con la que sus (...) antecesores (Hobbes, Locke o Rousseau) argumentaron a favor de sociedades donde reinara la seguridad, la libertad o la igualdad. Además, Rawls, al reducir la justicia a un bienestar material que ha de llegar, desconoce el importante papel que la memoria histórica desempeña a la hora de reclamar la resolución de las injusticias del pasado. (shrink)

This article reviews the development of a new epistemic discourse in Latin America. Global modernity opens up a historical time of bifurcation and cognitive emergency, which confronts the hegemony of Eurocentric thinking. An episteme that expresses the profound historical changes of the modern mind-set. It also aims to imagine an inherent rationality that holds a complex holistic vision of the world as well as the values of freedom and social equality. El artículo examina el desarrollo de un nuevo discurso epistémico (...) en América Latina. La modernidad global abre un tiempo histórico de bifurcación y emergencia cognoscitiva que confronta la hegemonía del pensamiento eurocéntrico. Episteme que expresa los profundos cambios históricos del modo de pensar moderno y pretende imaginar una racionalidad inherente a una visión holística compleja del mundo y a los valores de libertad e igualdad social. (shrink)

O presente trabalho trata da questão da imortalidade da alma, um tema com o qual o ser humano se ocupa há milênios, tanto no âmbito da religião como no da filosofia. Inicialmente, define-se o que se entende por imortali-dade e, num segundo momento, aborda-se essa questão em dois expoentes da filosofia antiga, Platão e Plotino.

Comparing food taboos across 78 cultures, this paper demonstrates that meat, though a prized food, is also the principal target of proscriptions. Reviewing existing explanations of taboos, we find that both functionalist and symbolic approaches fail to account for meat's cross-cultural centrality and do not reflect experience-near aspects of food taboos, principal among which is disgust. Adopting an evolutionary approach to the mind, this paper presents an alternative to existing explanations of food taboos. Consistent with the attendant risk of pathogen (...) transmission, meat has special salience as a stimulus for humans, as animal products are stronger elicitors of disgust and aversion than plant products. We identify three psychosocial processes, socially-mediated ingestive conditioning, egocentric empathy, and normative moralization, each of which likely plays a role in transforming individual disgust responses and conditioned food aversions into institutionalized food taboos. (shrink)

(2013). Evolutionary modules and Bayesian facilitation: The role of general cognitive resources. Thinking & Reasoning: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 27-53. doi: 10.1080/13546783.2012.713177.

Se trata de una reseña bibliográfica del libro de Rosa, Harmut, Alienación y aceleración. Hacía una teoría crítica de la temporalidad en la Modernidad Tardía, traducción a cargo del Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Buenos Aires, Katz, 190 páginas.

Considering the problem of a supposed hidden psychology as the question which, in practice, shows the true face of Husserlian phenomenology is to put, from the very beginning, the relation between psychology and phenomenology in a misguided way. In fact, what is to be considered is the decisive influence psychology has in the route systematically followed by the discipline created by E. Husserl, and whether or not such influence can meet its latter transcendental dimension.

In this paper, we want to address the Merieau Ponty’s thesis which states that occidentai philosophical tradition mistreats sensibiiity. It’s not as we had some kind of substantial doubt regarding this statement which is, in fact, historically and philosophically accurate. However, what is not clear enough is the reason for disregarding the notable effort developed by Kant to restore its value and importance. Thus, we will first attend Kant’s sensibility doctrine which underlies both knowledge and taste, and concentrate subsequently on (...) the reasons for the diagnosis of its insufficiency, according to the principles established by Merleau-Ponty’s theoretical perspective. A final question regarding the distinction between a “Sensitive Reason” and a so called “Aesthetic Reason” will guide the reader trough the central assumptions that lie behind this critical assessment expounded by Merleau-Ponty’s new ontology. (shrink)

In this paper, we will consider the following issue: the innovative dimension of E. Husserl’s phenomenology repeatedly finds in the philosophies of Descartes and Kant a clear obstacle for its full comprehension. After all, is it not the case that the former discipline is just an extension of the perspectives stated by those earlier philosophers? But, to state the idea of a hidden phenomenology in the philosophies of Descartes and Kant has not, as its unavoidable counterpart, the dependence and the (...) full commitment of Husserl ‘s phenomenology with positive doctrines as the one sponsored by Descartes and Kant? And, if so, how can we rescue the idea of phenomenology as prima philosophia? (shrink)

One of the most significant marks of this article is the attempt to establish the idea that a new phenomenological approach is needed for the study consciousness and all it’s features. The point is that the old demand for a scientific approach to consciousness shouldn’t be, as it has been, incompatible with de need to preserve the essential nature of consciousness. Unfortunately, that’s precisely the case in the majority of the proposals related with the study of consciousness. The debate with (...) Fodor is thus quite important, since it brings to light precisely what one must avoid in order to save every single difficulty related with consciousness, and consciousness itself. A new methodology is therefore needed, one that is capable to observe the demands just acknowledged, but one that is capable to point new directions as well. Husserl, as we have seen, has much to say on the subject, but there is yet much to be done. (shrink)

El presente artículo ofrece una crítica de la interpretación decisionista de la doctrina de la soberanía postulada por C. Schmitt en Teología política. Partiendo de la teoría de la secularización del jurista alemán, se mostrará que la capacidad de decisión sobre el estado de excepción definitoria del soberano schmittiano no es absoluta sino que permanece determinada por un orden concreto inmanente cuya representación es tarea del Estado. Así, se pondrá en cuestión la raigambre hobbesiana de la teología política schmittiana, deudora (...) en mayor medida de la teoría hegeliana del Estado, y se presentará la razón jurídico- política de la desavenencia de Schmitt con el nacionalsocialismo. (shrink)

A dual-audience signaling problem framework provides a deeper understanding of the perpetuation of group-based inequality. We describe a model of underachievement among minority youth that posits a necessary trade-off between academic success and peer social support that creates a dilemma not typically encountered by nonminorities. Preliminary evidence consistent with the approach is discussed. Such strategic agent perspectives complement the psychological approach put forth by Dixon et al., but with minimal ancillary assumptions.

El trabajo busca situar el análisis de los movimientos indígenas latinoamericanos dentro del desarrollo global del capitalismo y el sistema-mundo moderno, tratando de seguir una lectura decolonial de dichos procesos. Se postula que el neoliberalismo representa la encarnación actual de dicho sistema, pero que además simboliza un proyecto cultural que otorga criterios para el diseño de políticas de gobernabilidad en materia indígena. Se revisa la trayectoria actual de los movimientos indígenas en relación con las diferentes estrategias de gobernabilidad Estatal implementadas (...) en tres regiones latinoamericanas: Mesoamérica, los países Andinos y el Cono Sur. Finalmente se analiza el potencial transformador y contrahegemónico de los movimientos indígenas contemporáneos, en cuanto intentan renovar valores y significados culturales, cuestionar el sistema de relaciones de poder y promover una comprensión alternativa del desarrollo. (shrink)

Este artículo destaca el papel del sujeto en la construcción del conocimiento científico, alejándose de las posturas positivistas en ciencias sociales. Destaca la teoría de la reflexividad y sus implicancias teóricas y metodológicas, en especial la investigación social de segundo orden. ..

For Levinas dialogue occurs when one is open to and receptive of the Other. He cautions, however, that although dialogue impedes violence, it should not be pursued unilaterally or vigorously, because this can also lead to violence. The abolition of violence, which is the goal at which dialogue aims, can instead turn violent in the face of unrestrained persuasive discourse. Vigilance and caution must be maintained if dialogue is not to lapse into hostility and aggression. It is important to respect (...) differences and acknowledge insoluble problems in order to avoid animosity. Without recognition and respect, dialogue can become adversarial and antagonistic. (shrink)

The comparison between the concept state of nature, as it appears in the contractualist theories of XVII and XVIII centuries, and the original position of the the- ory of justice by John Rawls, reveals the assumptions, difficulties and limitations of the latter. In spite of its claims, the original position does not justify the search and existence of a well ordered society, and it is far away from reach the brightness and coherence with which their predecessors argued on behalf of (...) societies where safety, freedom or equality ruled. Besides, Rawls, on amounting justice to a material welfare which must arrive, does not know the important role that the historical memory plays when claiming the resolution of the injustices from the pastLa comparación entre el concepto de estado de naturaleza, tal y como aparece en las teorías contractualistas de los siglos XVII y XVIII, y la posición original de la teoría de la justicia de John Rawls, sirve para poner de manifiesto los supuestos, dificultades y limitaciones de esta última. A pesar de sus pretensiones, la posición original no justifica la búsqueda y existencia de una sociedad bien ordenada, y está lejos de alcanzar la brillantez y coherencia con la que sus antecesores argumentaron a favor de sociedades donde reinara la seguridad, la libertad o la igualdad. Además, Rawls, al reducir la justicia a un bienestar material que ha de llegar, desconoce el importante papel que la memoria histórica desempeña a la hora de reclamar la resolución de las injusticias del pasado. (shrink)

In this work we review the formalism used in describing the thermodynamics of first-order phase transitions from the point of view of maximum entropy inference. We present the concepts of transition temperature, latent heat and entropy difference between phases as emergent from the more fundamental concept of internal energy, after a statistical inference analysis. We explicitly demonstrate this point of view by making inferences on a simple game, resulting in the same formalism as in thermodynamical phase transitions. We show that (...) analogous quantities will inevitably arise in any problem of inferring the result of a yes/no question, given two different states of knowledge and information in the form of expectation values. This exposition may help to clarify the role of these thermodynamical quantities in the context of different first-order phase transitions such as the case of magnetic Hamiltonians. (shrink)

This article aims to propose a critical and exploratory survey of utopian narratives published in Chile from 1829 to 1934 employing a qualitative and diachronic approach. The fundamental objective of this study is to make evident the thematic tendencies, formal recurrences, influences, and key differences in utopian works of fiction written over a century of Chilean history, connecting these with the overall development of Chilean society, in such a way as to express how the utopian narratives of this period reflect, (...) critique, or rebel against the hegemonic social projects present in the country. Last, this article also seeks to approach these works from the distinctive point of view of the field of utopian studies, thus establishing the relevance of its theoretical framework in the analysis of Chilean fiction. (shrink)

Ancient biographies were more than accounts of the deeds of past heroes and guides for moral living. They were also arenas for debating pressing philosophical questions and establishing intellectual credentials, as Arthur P. Urbano argues in this study of biographies composed in Late Antiquity.