Este artigo objetiva sustentar a hipótese de que sob o procedimento metodológico-filosófico assumido por Guilherme de Ockham em suas Oito questões, subjaz, de forma velada, uma possível metodologia de ensino de Filosofia, a qual poderia representar uma significativa diretriz frente às atuais discussões concernentes ao ensino de Filosofia na Educação Básica. Nesse sentido, buscaremos estabelecer algumas aproximações, ainda que breves, entre o pensamento de Ockham e a nova Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC), homologada em 2018, sobretudo no que se refere (...) às competências a serem desenvolvidas, no Ensino Médio, na área de Ciências Humanas e Sociais Aplicadas. (shrink)

"This book is commended to all good and progressive men and women who believe that by studying Mind, discovering its laws and applying them to human betterment, the career of man on earth could be greatly improved. And that the appalling errors, war, alcohol, oppression, injustice, crime and poverty can be abolished, together with a large proportion of disease, pain and unhappiness. This book is being written under an impression so strong that it rises to the dignity of a theory, (...) that Mind, expressing as human, or, in the human phase, is able by studying the material universe, to discover some facts relating to its Creator. The main object in publishing this volume is to convince the reader that the universe stands upon a mental base, rooted and grounded in Mind; and that Mind created what we have named electrons. No hope is entertained by the author that the true nature of either Mind or matter will be discovered in this study, but hope is expressed that a few clews will be found"--p. [341]. (shrink)

É recente a evocação do termo de “fake news” em comunicações científicas da comunidade acadêmica brasileira inscrita na grande área de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas. Este artigo objetiva identificar a presença do conceito “fake news” em artigos científicos no domínio da grande área das Ciências Sociais Aplicadas por meio de levantamento na Base de Dados em Ciência da Informação. Metodologicamente, a pesquisa é exploratória com abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, em que a perspectiva cientométrica foi utilizada para representação dos resultados. Apresenta discussões (...) que reforçam o entendimento do papel da comunicação científica para a consolidação de conceitos que visam refletir demandas presentes na sociedade. Considera positivo o aspecto exploratório das discussões para estudos que podem oferecer contribuições no campo dos estudos métricos, da Biblioteconomia e da Ciência da Informação, no intuito de entender a práxis de elaboração conceitual presente em uma comunidade científica circunscrita. (shrink)

Tradução de Willian Kuhn e Ademir Menin.

Este trabalho pretende descrever a denominada questão normativa, apresentada pela Professora Christine M. Korsgaard em seu The Sources of Normativity, e, depois, apresentar a filosofia moral tomista, procurando, nela, uma possível resposta ao problema. O trabalho, primeiro, introduz o pensamento moral de Korsgaard, apresentando o problema, e o seu argumento para encontrar a fonte da normatividade. Em um segundo momento, apresenta os fundamentos da teoria moral de Tomás de Aquino, aprofundando-se, especialmente, no estudo do ato voluntário – dado seu caráter (...) central no estudo da moral – e da ordenação dos atos ao fim. Por fim, procura-se compreender a natureza da lei moral, com destaque para as noções de obrigação e de sanção. (shrink)

Neste artigo, concentro-me sobre quatro variedades possíveis de ausência da vergonha. Minha esperança é a de que a reflexão sobre essas variedades possa, de alguma maneira, nos dar uma imagem mais completa acerca do papel que a vergonha desempenha sobre nosso caráter moral e nas discussões a respeito da atrocidade. Observo que a vergonha que emerge de uma exposição à atrocidade pode em parte constituir aquilo que nos leva a identificar oevento como atroz. Prossigo então argumentando que quando a vergonha (...) está ausente, esta ausência pode servir para nos cegar para a atrocidade que está à nossa frente, e que é nossa tarefa tentar evitar. Sentir vergonha faz parte de ver a atrocidade pelo que ela é de uma maneira apropriada emocionalmente engajada. Ela é, portanto, uma parte vital de ser humano, e sua ausência em certos casos é uma insuficiência demasiadamente humana de humanidade. (shrink)

Segundo Alasdair MacIntyre, existem três características problemáticas que perpassam grande parte das contendas morais e políticas contemporâneas e às quais não se têm dado atenção suficiente: a) existe uma incomensurabilidade conceitual dos argumentos adversários nos debates travados; b) as argumentações em curso se fazem passar por argumentações racionais impessoais; c) as premissas conceitualmente distintas dos argumentos usados têm uma grande diversidade de origens históricas. A partir dessas três colocações e das consequências delas advindas, vamos aplicar o raciocínio crítico de MacIntyre (...) a um conjunto específico de argumentos em conflito no terreno do multiculturalismo. Nosso intuito com isso é explorar as diferentes concepções e princípios que estão na base das posições vistas e também realizar um pequeno balanço acerca da justificação comunitarista para um modelo político multicultural. (shrink)

O seguinte artigo tem como objetivo apresentar o problema das ideias de natureza simples para o desenvolvimento da ciência. Partindo da perspectiva de Gaston Bachelard, apresentaremos dois casos específicos da geometria e da física em relação ao problema da simplicidade de suas noções de base, desde as dificuldades ocasionadas pela simplificação até a superação realizada pelo desdobramento das ideias simples de “paralelas” e “simultaneidade” através do desdobramento dessas noções. A ciência contemporânea ao utilizar como ferramenta metodológica a teorização matemática, descobre (...) que os fenômenos estudados por ela são compostos por diversos tipos de relações que escapam a análise puramente empírica. A matemática consegue examinar de maneira mais profunda o fenômeno, e descobre que aquilo que parece simples aos sentidos, é na realidade, complexo, pelo fato de ser composto por uma diversidade de elementos. O pensamento científico moderno com base no cartesianismo procurava sempre partir da análise daquilo que é considerado simples, e desse modo, acaba mutilando algumas características que compõe os fenômenos. O método matemático possibilita a deformação das ideias simples, permitindo que a ciência contemporânea altere quando necessário suas noções de base. Os avanços na área da física e da geometria são exemplos de reformulação de pensamento, devido à alteração dos princípios simples sobre os quais estavam assentados. (shrink)

No primeiro capítulo do livro intitulado “A ética de Max Scheler e a essência do cuidar do outro” os autores Alan Dionizio Carneiro e Marconi José Pimentel Pequeno iniciam tecendo uma análise sintética do conceito de pessoa, sua etimologia e a contextualização de tal conceito dentro da obra do autor. Carneiro e Pequeno (2021) trazem à lume o debate de outros filósofos em torno do tema do homem e a sua relação com a vida, como é o caso de Nietzsche, (...) Dilthey e Bergson, autores de peso na discussão que Scheler quer desenvolver, visando com isso assentar as bases sobre as quais o pensamento scheleriano é fundado. (shrink)

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an idiographic approach to qualitative research. It is widely used in psychologically-informed studies which aim to understand the meaning and context of specific experiences. In this paper, we provide some background and introduction to the principles and processes underpinning IPA research. We extend this via a practical example, reporting on selected analyses from a study which explores the phenomenology and meaning of loneliness, through interviews conducted with a group of religious women. Through our observations on (...) the complex role of absence for loneliness, we show that IPA can be a powerful tool for exploring and understanding the meaning of salient experiences. We reflect on the significance of the results for advancing theories of loneliness; and on the capacity of the IPA approach to provide researchers with an important and useful phenomenological perspective, through its emphasis on context, and its commitment to integrating convergent and divergent claims. (shrink)

The Statements on Responsibilities in Tax Practice (SRTPs) provide guidance to the CPA when making decisions in tax practice. Many of these decisions are ethical in nature and have implications for tax compliance. In this study, a survey methodology is used to test whether the SRTPs affect decisions that CPAs make. The findings suggest that a clear majority of CPAs follow the SRTPs when making ethical decisions relating to tax return preparation and that CPAs follow the SRTPs more often than (...) unlicensed preparers on half the issues tested. However, a statistically significant number of CPAs do not follow the SRTPs and, CPAs do not follow the SRTPs any more often than unlicensed tax preparers on three issues. (shrink)

The main objective of this study was to analyze the influence of tactical and situational variables on offensive sequences during elite European handball matches. A sample of 55 games and 5.857 offensive sequences from the European Handball Federation Champions League, the selected teams were classified as the top eight teams in the league, were analyzed using X2 and logistic regression analyses. Results indicated that positional attacks [odds ratio = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.28–0.42; p < 0.001] and fast attacks decreased the (...) probability of success for an offensive sequence by 66% and 54% when compared with counterattacks. Offensive sequences that start in the attacking zone seem to be less effective than those that start from a situation of “ball in center.” Additionally, offensive sequences that finished in the defensive zone of the observed team were 3.19 times more effective than those that ended before the 9 m zone. We concluded that compared with offensive sequences where the shot is performed from the 9 m zone, the chances of an offensive sequence ending successfully are 3.65, 3.60, and 2.21 times higher, for offensive sequences where the shot is performed from 9 m, 6 m, and the defensive zone, respectively. On the other hand, many variables seem to impact the performance of handball teams. Nevertheless, a significant challenge remains, and more research needs to be conducted to analyze the obstacles that teams need to overcome while attacking in the most effective way possible. (shrink)

Este artigo visa analisar a gestão do processo de revisão do Plano Diretor de São Luís - MA, identificando os fatores responsáveis pela supressão e configuração, bem como a efetividade dos instrumentos institucionais de gestão participativa. A partir disso, foi feita a seguinte indagação: a revisão do Plano Diretor de São Luís atende a quais interesses? Os resultados extraídos dos registros escritos das reuniões do Conselho da Cidade constataram que os principais determinantes da dinâmica de conformação espacial de São Luís- (...) MA são os movimentos de expansão urbana em conjunto com a especulação imobiliária, agronegócio e atividades industriais conduzidos por políticas desenvolvimentistas. (shrink)

Professionalism, like common sense, remains a timeless ingredient in the ethically successful practice of medicine in the twenty-first century. Professional ideals are particularly relevant in times of economic and social upheaval, medicolegal crises, provider shortages, and global threats to the public health. The American Board of Internal Medicine specifies professionalism as “constituting those attitudes and behaviors that serve to maintain patient interest above physician self-interest.” Because of its transcendent nature, professionalism, like ethics, is also considered “a structurally stabilizing, morally protective (...) force in society.” Professions enjoy tremendous deference and autonomy in exchange for three unwritten but prerequisite promises: expert knowledge, self-regulation, and a fiduciary responsibility to place the needs of the client ahead of self-interest. Many educators suggest that professionalism includes additional characteristics such as honesty, altruism, temperance, commitment, integrity, and suspension of self-interest. However, there are large gaps in providing more user-friendly and operational models of professionalism to learners and evaluators at all levels of the academic hierarchy. (shrink)

Appropriate concerns about cost and unequal access to healthcare have resulted in the creation of powerful managed networks seeking to share the risks of high healthcare costs among plans, providers, and patients. Much to their credit, these managed networks have slowed the rise in healthcare spending by as much as 44% in markets with high HMO penetration. However, whether these savings will materially improve access and quality remains to be seen.

Discerning the motives that lead businesspeople to make ethical decisions in economic contexts is important, for it aids the moral evaluation of such decisions. But conventional economic theory has for too long assumed an egoist model of motivation, to which many contrast an altruist view of ethical choices. The result is to see business decision making as implying dilemmas. On the other hand, we argue, if one assumes multiple motives, economic and ethical, in ordinary business decisions, a more fruitful model (...) of ethical motivation in such decisions emerges. In this paper multiple motives are assumed to be the norm in a world of large organizations, complex decisions and stakeholder management. An example of a technology acquisition decision, with environmental overtones is presented in illustration of this approach. A method for discerning motives, primarily in terms of behavioural efficacy is presented. On this basis a two step approach to morally evaluating mixed motives in business decisions is proposed. First, the fit of motives with substantive ethical values should be ascertained, and then the efficacy of moral motives in yielding ethical behaviour and outcomes should be determined. This approach, we conclude, offers a much more concrete model of the actual role of moral motives in business decision making. It also signals the importance of moral learning in organizations. (shrink)

We describe a set of two computer‐implemented models that solve physics problems in ways characteristic of more and less competent human solvers. The main features accounting for different competences are differences in strategy for selecting physics principles, and differences in the degree of automation in the process of applying a single principle. The models provide a good account of the order in which principles are applied by human solvers working problems in kinematics and dynamics. They also are sufficiently flexible to (...) allow easy extension to several related domains of physics problems. (shrink)

Background Many indigenous people have died or been harmed because of inadequately monitored research. Strong regulations in Human Research Ethics (HRE) are required to address these injustices and to ensure that peoples’ participation in health research is safe. Indigenous peoples advocate that research that respects indigenous principles can contribute to addressing their health inequities. This scoping literature review aims to analyze existing peer reviewed and grey literature to explore how indigenous values and principles from countries of Oceania are incorporated into (...) HRE and the governance of research involving human participants. Methods A scoping literature review framework was used for this study. A search for peer reviewed and grey literature from Google, bibliographies, and electronic databases such as SCOPUS, SPRINGER, Medline (Ovid) and JBI Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted, limited to the years 2002–2020. Sixty (60) documents that focused on indigenous knowledge from Oceania region and HRE were included, from which key findings and themes were synthesized. Results Charting the data showed that more than half the eligible documents were peer-reviewed journal articles (54%). Other sources included: International Declarations on Human Research (8%); book chapters (8%); government documents (8%); HRE Guidelines or protocols (13%); news articles (7%) and PhD thesis (2%). The literature was from Australia, Cook Islands, Guam, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, some of which focused specifically on HREs in the Pacific Region. Issues emerging from the literature were grouped into five themes (i) indigenous and cultural principles of HRE; (ii) informed consent in indigenous settings in Oceania; (iii) vulnerability and minority status of indigenous populations exploited for research; (iv) research ethics governance for Oceania indigenous peoples; and (v) research ethics committees in Oceania. Respect, relationship building, and trust were priority indigenous HRE principles that encompass the principles of partnership, capacity building, reciprocity, and equality. Relationship building and trust imply the equal distribution of benefits for indigenous population and researchers. Conclusion Indigenous principles of HRE identified were interconnected and interdependent. Recommendations were to incorporate indigenous principles of research in HRE regulations and processes of all countries with indigenous populations. This is especially pertinent for emerging national research committees in LMIC countries, including Fiji and Tonga. Relationship building among researchers and indigenous populations is key to successful research with indigenous populations. HRE principles important for relationship building include respect that is reciprocal among researchers and indigenous people. Elements of the principle of respect highlighted are empathy, collaboration, sharing of benefits, reciprocity, appreciation, empowerment, protection, safety and awareness of culture and languages. Indigenous ontology from the Oceania region involves spirituality, connectedness to land, religious beliefs and a participatory approach to HRE and should be respected in research. An ethical governance mechanism of HRE is one that incorporates indigenous principles and applications for the purpose of maximizing the protection of the dignity and rights of indigenous peoples of Oceania. (shrink)

Zeins are a group of alcohol‐soluble proteins that are synthesized in the endosperm of developing maize seeds. These proteins are encoded by a large number of genes located on several chromosomes; based upon the number of mutants that have been isolated, zein gene regulation is complex. Comparisons of gene flanking regions reveal conserved sequences that may be important for their regulation. Studies of transformed plant tissues support the assertion that cis‐acting elements with the 5′ flanking regions of zein genes are (...) required for accurate transcription. Although the genes are transcribed in transgenic tobacco and petunia plants, they are not properly regulated. This appears to be due to transcriptional effects rather than protein or mRNA instability. (shrink)

Interest in universal basic income has risen recently as an alternative to existing exchequer-sourced social security methods, such as conditional cash transfers. This article presents a survey of multiple experiments investigating the impact of basic income cash transfers on recipients while presenting a meta-analysis of the results across nine categories. Many findings indicate successful outcomes across financial security, health, and educational dimensions. Children were amongst the strongest beneficiaries of the trials and observed a 4.5 % reduction in obesity, a 19.5 (...) % increase in their normal weight-for-age, a 30 % increase in female secondary school attendance, and an increase in the educational attainment of one year in response to the cash transfers. (shrink)

This study surveys the internal audit department of a large financial services organization. Respondents were challenged to recognize and evaluate ethical and unethical situations often encountered in practice. Four key demographic variables were investigated: gender, age, years of employment and peer group influence. For the most part, respondents view themselves as more ethical than their peers. There does appear to be a gender effect suggesting females' ability to identify ethical behavior better than their male counterparts. This study contributes to the (...) extant literature in that it has explored a previously unexplored profession, namely, the internal auditing profession. (shrink)

Illuminated by the writings of Edith Stein, this paper presents a model of empathy as a very particular intersubjective understanding. This is commonly a view absent from psychology literature. For Stein, empathy is the experience of experientially and directly knowing another person’s experience, as it unfolds in the present, together with the awareness of the ‘otherness’ of that experience. It can be conceptually distinguished, in terms of process and experience, from current models that propose that empathic understandings are ‘intellectual’ experiences (...) or sympathetic experiences. As such, she provides an additional or alternative aspect to understanding other people’s experiences. Our paper provides a summary of Stein’s key analytic claims about three key facets of empathy. Her views are discussed in the light of debates relevant for contemporary psychology and social cognition. (shrink)

Background:Clinical investigation is a growing field employing increasing numbers of nurses. This has created a new specialty practice defined by aspects unique to nursing in a clinical research context: the objectives, setting, and nature of the nurse–participant relationship. The clinical research nurse role may give rise to feelings of ethical conflict between aspects of protocol implementation and the duty of patient advocacy, a primary nursing responsibility. Little is known about whether research nurses experience unique ethical challenges distinct from those experienced (...) by nurses in traditional patient-care settings.Research objectives:The purpose of the study was to describe the nature of ethical challenges experienced by clinical research nurses within the context of their practice.Research design:The study utilized a qualitative descriptive design with individual interviews.Participants and research context:Participating nurses self-identified as having experienced ethical challenges during screening. The majority were Caucasian, female, and worked in outpatient settings. Approximately 50% had > 10 years of research experience.Ethical considerations:The human subjects review board approved the study. Written informed consent was obtained.Findings:Predominant themes were revealed: the inability to provide a probable good, or/do no harm, and dual obligations. The following patterns and subthemes emerged: conflicted allegiances between protocol implementation, needs of the participant, desire to advance science, and tension between the nurse–patient therapeutic relationship versus the research relationship.Discussion:Participants described ethical challenges specific to the research role. The issues are central to the nurse–participant relationship, patient advocacy, the nurse’s role in implementing protocols, and/or advancing science.Conclusion:Ethical challenges related to the specialized role of clinical research nurses were identified. More research is warranted to fully understand their nature and frequency and to identify support systems for resolution. (shrink)

This anthology brings together extracts that come from a wide variety of sources and that illustrate Western thought on the subject of humour and laughter from Antiquity to Late Modernity. The selection of texts is comprehensive, historically representative, and original, and includes writings from more than 40 different authors.

O objetivo desse artigo é apresentar com base no pensamento do filósofo alemão Gottlob Frege, a concepção de conhecimento, partindo especialmente dos artigos “Sobre o sentido e a referência” e “As fontes de conhecimento em Matemática e em Ciências Naturais Matemáticas”. Para Frege só poderíamos afirmar que conhecemos alguma coisa, se o pensamento expressado por esta coisa for reconhecido como verdadeiro. Desta forma, antes de apresentarmos a concepção do autor relacionada à forma de reconhecer a verdade expressada por um pensamento, (...) temos que compreender o que Frege entende por verdade. Abordaremos primeiramente aquilo que Frege chama de “fontes do conhecimento”, que seriam as possibilidades de verificação de verdade de um enunciado, e em sequência, a concepção da linguagem, visando apontar de que modo “verdade” e “linguagem” se relacionam. Em seguida, buscaremos orientar nosso trabalho em torno das fontes de conhecimento como formas de reconhecer a verdade, apresentando suas contribuições e suas dificuldades.: The following article aims to present based in the thought of the german philosophy Gottlob Frege, the conception of knowledge, especially starting from the articles “On Sense and Reference” and “The sources of knowledge in Mathematics and Mathematical Natural Sciences”. For Frege we could only affirm we know something, if the expressed thought by this thing is recognized as truth. Thus, before we present the author’s conception related to how to recognize the truth expressed by a thought, we have to understand what Frege understand by truth. First we will discuss what Frege calls "sources of knowledge", which would be the possibilities of truth’s verification of a statement, and in sequence, the language’s conception aiming to identify how "truth" and "language" are related. Then we seek to guide our work around the sources of knowledge as ways to recognize the truth, presenting their contributions and their difficulties. Keywords: Experience. Logic. Geometry. Truth. Knowledge. (shrink)

Marielle Franco was part of a new generation of progressive activists in Brazilian politics. She was assassinated point-blank on March 14, 2018 by an elite shooter. In this piece, Meg Stalcup and Erika Robb Larkins examine how Marielle’s death is revealing of the issues that she fought for in her life. They also ask how she continues to be present in and beyond the unfolding investigation into who killed her.

The detrimental effect of human behavior on the environment is undeniable. Attitudes are recognized as a predictor of the pro-environmental behavior; therefore, having good quality tools in Colombia to measure them is strategic to assess interventions. This study aims to establish psychometric indicators for the pro-environmental attitudes questionnaire Colombian version to a sample of 415 volunteers aged 18–70 years. We used the 28-item PEAQ already linguistically adapted for Colombia. We applied the following questionnaires: Environmental awareness, environmental values, and the pro-environmental (...) at work questionnaire. We used a one-parameter Rasch model and Winsteps program to assess the PEAQ's one-dimensionality and item statistics by gender, and estimated Spearman's rho coefficient between the PEAQ scores and the scales for concurrent validity. The PEAQ in this study has 24 items because 4 items did not fit into the Rasch model criteria. Its one-dimensionality was supported by an explained variance and the first residual variance. The coefficients, α = 0.95 and Ω = 0.95; Rasch for persons = 0.90; and Rasch for items = 0.95. The correlation between the PEAQ and the EC, EV, and PEWQ scales were Spearman's rho coefficient = 0.859, 0.795, and 0.885, respectively. Thus, the PEAQ Colombian version's psychometric indicators support it as a valid and reliable instrument to measure pro-environmental attitudes in this country. (shrink)

Ao estruturarem sua compreensão dos seres vivos enquanto máquinas autopoiéticas, Humberto Maturana e Francisco Varela reiteradamente tecem críticas à aplicação das noções de função e aptidão então estabelecidas em teorias científicas. Tais críticas apresentam-se em duas frentes principais: por um lado, os autores afirmam que atribuições funcionais são causalmente inertes, o que as reduz a meros artifícios explicativos não operacionalizáveis; por outro, defendem que todo organismo, enquanto não for destruído em suas interações com o meio, conserva sua aptidão, sendo esta (...) constitutiva dos seres vivos e, portanto, invariável. Contudo, como defende Gustavo Caponi, podemos compreender que atribuir funções significa nada mais do que destacar papeis causais desempenhados em determinados processos de referência, de modo que a comparação entre estruturas que desempenhem a mesma função possibilita a medição dos diferentes graus de eficiência em sua realização. No âmbito da biologia, esta estrutura conceitual traduz-se nas funções biológicas, operadas por diferentes subsistemas dos organismos e referentes à manutenção do ciclo vital, assim como na aptidão biológica, tomada como a eficiência na operação destas funções e determinante no processo evolutivo. Defendemos que a proposta de Caponi é imune a ambos os ataques dos autores chilenos, ao incorporar um conteúdo operacional e contextual para as atribuições funcionais e ao possibilitar a referência a aptidão biológica, cuja importância evolutiva pode ser aferida momento a momento. Tal abordagem mostra-se, ademais, como uma adição muito oportuna à chamada teoria da autopoiese, aparelhando-a com uma concepção bastante pertinente de atribuições funcionais. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to take relational ethics concepts and apply them to the context of application to research ethics committees for approval to carry out research. The process of a multinational qualitative research application is described. The article suggests that a relational ethics approach can address two issues: how qualitative proposals are interpreted by research ethics committees and how this safeguards potentially vulnerable respondents. In relational terms, the governance of a research project may be enhanced by shared (...) ownership and willingness to engage in mutual dialogue. This challenges both researchers and research ethics committees to reframe their understanding of roles and functions in the assessment of research protocols, particularly those of a qualitative nature and those that address end-of-life issues. (shrink)

Reputation is a commercially valuable asset. This book focuses upon how enhanced reputation can contribute to commercial asset management through increased share price premium and competitive performance, while reputation loss can significantly erode the ability of the business to successfully retain market share, maximize shareholder value, raise finance, manage debt, and remain independent. It provides practical models and checklists designed to plan reputation management and risk communication strategies.

Expert reasoning combines voluminous domain‐specific knowledge with more general factual and strategic knowledge. Whereas expert system builders have recognized the need for specificity and problem‐solving researchers the need for generality, few attempts have been made to develop expert reasoning engines combining different kinds of knowledge at different levels of generality. This paper reports on the FERMI project, a computer‐implemented expert reasoner in the natural sciences that encodes factual and strategic knowledge in separate semantic hierarchies. The principled decomposition of knowledge according (...) to type and level of specificity yields both power and cross‐doman generality, as demonstrated in FERMI's ability to apply the same principles of invariance and decomposition to solve problems in fluid statics, DC‐circuits, and centroid location. Hierarchical knowledge representation and problem‐solving principles are discussed, and illustrative problem‐solving traces are presented. (shrink)

Num momento em que a fé e as instituições religiosas parecem caducar temos como movimento oposto a valorização da espiritualidade, pelo menos no que tange à proposta filosófica de Luc Ferry. Secularizando o amor cristão, o autor nos apresenta uma filosofia que é capaz de salvar o homem através do sentido que dado à vida, ou seja, não se espera ser salvos por um absoluto existente fora do mundo, mas a salvação depende unicamente do homem. Nesse sentido, à medida em (...) que fazemos escolhas e projetos individuais, liquidamos com toda forma de pensamento determinista. Neste aspecto, cabe à espiritualidade a tarefa de despertar o homem para a necessidade de se afirmar enquanto sujeito e ao mesmo tempo sair de si mesmo, em direção ao outro, como confirmação de uma espiritualidade laica pautada na compaixão e no amor. No entanto, não se trata de uma espiritualidade sentimentalista, mas antes, uma espiritualidade em conformidade com a tradição filosófica e com a racionalidade humanista. Dessa forma, o espiritual não estará relegado ao âmbito privado, mas alcançará até mesmo as ações políticas e a vida social. Finalmente, perceberemos que essa espiritualidade laica que fundamenta as ações humanitárias e a própria relação familiar se assemelha em muitos aspectos com a proposta agápica do amor cristão. (shrink)