Neste trabalho, procuro explorar o significado filosófico da chamada hipótese do continuum de Darwin e a possibilidade de atribuir mente ou mentalidade a criaturas não-humanas: de um lado, temos o chamado problema de ‘distribuição dos fenômenos mentais’ na recente Etologia Cognitiva; e, de outro, o problema filosófico ‘outras mentes’. Assim, o trabalho procurar indicar uma possível ponte conceitual entre problemas em Filosofia da Mente e estudos em Etologia Cognitiva. Esta é, portanto, uma abordagem interdisciplinar entre filosofia e biologia tendo em (...) vista uma concepção ampla de mente ou mentalidade. (shrink)

Esta investigação, partindo do diagnóstico da modernidade empreendido por Alasdair MacIntyre, destina-se a avaliar a possibilidade de conciliação entre o discurso universalizante dos direitos humanos e a ética particularista sustentada pelo autor citado a partir do referencial ético aristotélico. A convergência entre os bens individuais, consubstanciados em direitos, e o bem comum, componente essencial da prática e do pensamento éticos, pode representar relevante contribuição teórica no campo de estudos dos direitos humanos. Neste trabalho, dada a limitação da sua natureza, intentou-se (...) analisar os três problemas intrínsecos à concepção de direitos, conforme a perspectiva de MacIntyre: a) a ideia de que sujeitos de direitos são indivíduos morais autônomos e plenamente independentes; b) a separação do bem individual do bem comum; c) a deflação da razão prática comunitária, em relação à racionalidade individual. O trabalho empreendido teve como resultado uma exposição analítica dos pontos de contraste entre a perspectiva dos direitos humanos e a ética conforme compreendida por MacIntyre, necessária para preparar bases de uma possível reconciliação entre ambas. (shrink)

A crise sanitária global provocada pela Covid-19 impôs um cenário crítico de escassez de recursos médicos. As pessoas com deficiência, nessas circunstâncias, são sujeitadas a maior vulnerabilidade do que ocorreria em circunstâncias normais. À luz dessa realidade, nos propomos a apresentar alguns critérios de alocação de recursos empregados durante a crise, destacando seu caráter nocivo para às pessoas com deficiência, e analisar de que forma o princípio da não-discriminação pode, se tomado como referência, contribuir para a reflexão ética e política (...) sobre os protocolos de racionamento. (shrink)

USO MEDICINAL DA MACONHA: UMA ALTERNATIVA AO DIREITO À SAÚDE.

For the epic journey of autumn migration, long-distance migratory birds use innate and learned information and follow strict schedules imposed by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, the details of which remain largely unknown. In addition, bird migration requires integrated action of different multisensory systems for learning and memory, and the hippocampus appears to be the integration center for this task. In previous studies we found that contrasting long-distance migratory flights differentially affected the morphological complexity of two types of hippocampus astrocytes. Recently, (...) a significant association was found between the latitude of the reproductive site and the size of the ADCYAP1 allele in long distance migratory birds. We tested for correlations between astrocyte morphological complexity, migratory distances, and size of the ADCYAP1 allele in three long-distance migrant species of shorebird and one non-migrant. Significant differences among species were found in the number and morphological complexity of the astrocytes, as well as in the size of the microsatellites of the ADCYAP1 gene. We found significant associations between the size of the ADCYAP1 microsatellites, the migratory distances, and the degree of morphological complexity of the astrocytes. We suggest that associations between astrocyte number and morphological complexity, ADCYAP1 microsatellite size, and migratory behavior may be part of the adaptive response to the migratory process of shorebirds. (shrink)

Iris Murdoch, Philosopher Meets Novelist aims to gather some of the worlds present experts on Iris Murdoch, in an effort to promote dialogue between philosophy and literature. This is due not only to the nature of Iris Murdochs work itself, but also to our belief that within Humanistic Studies there is a constant need for breaking down disciplinarian barriers and reaching a deeper, fuller awareness of human thinking. Thus, the book brings together scholars from a variety of fields and placesBrazil, (...) England, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, and the United Statesand testifies to the interest that the work of Murdoch continues to inspire. The book is divided into two major sections: Part A, Reading Philosophies in Literature, includes articles focusing on Iris Murdochs philosophical concerns and their general influence in her work; Part B, Reading Literature through Philosophy, is intended as a sort of application ground, a series of case-studies wherein authors depart from novels to retrieve the underlying philosophical thinking. (shrink)

In 2000 “Literatura e Utopia”, a research group led by Ildney Cavalcanti, started working at the Federal University of Alagoas, including members from three other institutions. Despite its namesake, the group focuses extensively on cultural as well as literary aspects of utopian thinking, with special regard for the colonial and postcolonial viewpoints of Latin America. The group has been responsible for two issues of the university’s language and literature journal Leitura. They also penned the 2006 volume Fábulas da Iminência. Ensaios (...) sobre literatura e... (shrink)

What do we mean when we say that something has power? Plato's dialogues are probably the first philosophical corpus to address this question. Powers are causes; they account for how events happen. They are properties that agents have, as well as dispositions in those who suffer the effects of an action. This explanation is the basis of Plato's metaphysics and moral philosophy. He proposed that things are the power they have to act or be acted upon; this is their nature. (...) This book brings together a group of specialists to guide the reader through this fascinating theory. (shrink)

A groundbreaking exploration of Plato's concept of power (dynamisz) and theory of causation that fills a gap in the literature on ancient philosophy while making a relevant contribution to the contemporary debate on metaphysics and the philosophy of action.

[This is a pre-print; please cite the published version] This paper employs structural topic modeling (STM) to describe the academic philosophy landscape in Brazil. Based on a public national database, a corpus consisting of 12,515 abstracts of monographs defended in philosophy graduate programs between 1991 and 2021 was compiled. The final STM model identified 74 meaningful research topics, clustered into 7 thematic categories. This study discusses the prevalence of the most significant topics and categories, their trends across three decades, and (...) their (positive or negative) association with the supervisor's gender. Results show the first empirical evidence that Brazilian philosophical research exhibits a greater focus on philosophers than on specific themes or problems. Moreover, by visualizing the variations in topic prevalence over time, it was possible to track the rise or decline of the major interest categories and topics. Finally, results also show which topics are more influenced or less influenced by gender. (shrink)

Tendo como fundo uma concepção pragmática de memória como fazer sem representar, o artigo explora a interseção entre Merleau-Ponty e Varela na qual a noção de condição corporal assume uma função distintiva. A ideia é que a memória depende da condição corporal como um todo e, por consequência, nada tem a ver com representação. O objetivo do artigo pode ser resumido nos seguintes termos: para um organismo, pragmaticamente, é vital saber como fazer coisas com suas memórias mais do que torná-las (...) representações internas do mundo. (shrink)

Este artigo representa uma segunda etapa da minha pesquisa sobre o trabalho do matemático francês René Thom. Foco principalmente em dois artigos da teoria dos signos de Thom: Do ícone ao símbolo (De l’icône au symbole), 1973 e O Espaço e os signos (L’espace et les signes), 1980b. Neste artigo, explorando a concepção topológica de significação de Thom, exponho sua ideia de que todas as formas de semiose (como processos de significado) desenvolvem uma forma espacial. É a partir do seu (...) trabalho na reconstrução de formas globais na topologia que Thom define seu programa semiótico. Em particular, como mostrarei, Thom converte a classificação triádica de signos de Charles S. Peirce (ícones, índices e símbolos) em uma interpretação espaço-vetorial. Avançando meu estudo sobre a obra de René Thom (Araujo, 2022), exploro sua teoria topológica da significação segundo a qual a semiose pode ser entendida como um espaço topológico. Paralelamente ao seu trabalho sobre morfodinâmica em biologia, Thom redefine a dinâmica do signo, do objeto e do interpretante (segundo suas interconexões mútuas) que configuram topologicamente o próprio espaço da semiose. (shrink)

Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar a qualidade de vida em pessoas com câncer que buscam assistência em casas de apoio. A amostra foi composta por mulheres (82,5%) e homens (17,5%), (N=57). A metodologia foi quanti-qualitativa. Utilizou-se um questionário sócio demográfico, a escala de qualida..

Este estudo discute a possibilidade de o Serviço Social construir conhecimentos a partir da realidade em que atua. Conclui-se que, embora aplicando conhecimentos oriundos de outras ciências, o Serviço Social produz conhecimentos em sua área específica. As dissertações de mestrado produzidas no período de 1981 a 1995 desvelam esses conhecimentos, sua relevância social, trazendo aportes para a solução dos problemas sociais da sociedade brasileira. Sua contribuição teórica situa-se, sobretudo, no campo das demandas e políticas sociais, embora também seja significativa sua (...) contribuição no aprofundamento das questões teórico-metodológicas do Serviço Social. Verificou-se, nos últimos anos, na produção estudada, a tendência de discussão dos novos paradigmas das ciências humanas e as novas exigências que serão impostas à profissão face às mudanças e avanços científico-tecnológicos do século XXI. (shrink)

RESUMO No segundo capítulo de "Word and Object", Quine procura mostrar o quanto da linguagem pode ser esclarecida em termos estimulantes, bem como a limitação da tradução a partir de diferentes esquemas conceituais. O autor apresenta a tese de indeterminação da tradução por meio de uma situação de tradução radical. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar de que modo Quine desenvolve a tradução radical e destacar os conceitos de informações colaterais, significado estimulativo e esquema conceitual. Em seguida, procuraremos mostrar que (...) a teoria do significado de Jakob Von Uexküll é um caso exemplar da tese de indeterminação da tradução: os processos de significação entre diferentes organismos vivos correspondem a um processo de tradução radical que se depara com dificuldades semelhantes àquelas que levam à indeterminação da tradução segundo Quine. ABSTRACT In the second chapter of "Word and Object", Quine seeks to show how much of language can be elucidated in stimulatory terms as well as the limitation of translating from different conceptual schemas. He introduces the thesis of indeterminacy of translation by means of a radical translation situation. This paper aims to present the way in which Quine develops the radical translation and to point out the concepts of collateral information, stimulus meaning and conceptual schema. Following that, we will seek to show that Jakob von Uexküll's theory of meaning is an exemplary case of the thesis of indeterminacy of translation: the processes of meaning by different living organisms correspond to a radical translation process that faces the difficulties similar to those that lead to the indeterminacy of the translation, according to Quine. (shrink)

A TRIBUTAÇÃO INDUTORA E A IMUNIDADE TRIBUTÁRIA DOS PARTIDOS POLÍTICOS.

A partir do texto do físico alemão E.Schroedinger, O que é vida? (1943), analisam-se os possíveis limites de demarcação conceitual entre física e biologia. Há um limite possível entre física e biologia? Ou a biologia pode ser reduzida à física? Avaliam-se diferentes pontos de vista entre cientistas e filósofos.

considerando o debate nos contextos moderno e contemporâneo da filosofia, exploro a resposta pragmática ao dualismo fato-valor. Nesse sentido, levando em conta que o pragmatismo considera mente e mundo como partes de um continuum experiencial e os humanos como seres sociais, chamo a atenção para a “exigência” de significação e valor nas práticas de vida. Traçando um paralelo entre William James e Wolfgang Köhler relação à noção de “interesse”, como forma de exigência, a ideia central que desenvolvo neste artigo é (...) que “interesse” faz diferença em alguns contextos de experiência e então abre espaço para significação e valor em múltiplos níveis da vida. Em termos do pragmatismo de James, como alternativa aos dualismos tradicionais (fato-valor, teoria- prática, conhecimento-realidade etc.), essa visão pluralista supõe que cada forma de interesse representa condição e gênese de sentido e valor nas práticas humanas. (shrink)

Este artigo apresenta a proposta de abordar o problema da lacuna explicativa na filosofia da mente. De modo alternativo às abordagens tradicionais, analiso o significado da lacuna explicativa segundo o pragmatismo de James em consonância com a perspectiva da filosofia da linguagem comum de Ryle, Austin e Wittgenstein. Como estratégia de desenvolvimento da proposta do artigo, procuro mostrar que a lacuna explicativa resulta de uma má compreensão dos usos dos termos psicológicos. O resultado é uma obsessiva insistência em entificar o (...) significado de ‘mente’ e a crença de que alguns termos psicológicos significam um tipo de entidade existindo além dos nossos usos dos termos psicológicos. Tal crença assume a forma de uma compreensão da visão fundacionalista do mental. O que procuro mostrar finalmente, e também em consonância com as recentes perspectivas enativistas, é que o significado dos termos psicológicos nada tem a ver com a existência de entidades. A crença em tais entidades, como condição de significação dos termos psicológicos, revela um mito filosófico derivado da aceitação da lacuna explicativa. A proposta do artigo é a desmitificação filosófica da lacuna explicativa. (shrink)

O problema das representações mentais tem sido alvo de várias teorias filosóficas, psicológicas e científicas. Apresento aqui o perfil do problema e algumas tentativas de solução que têm sido mais relevantes historicamente.

Este artigo trata de alguns recentes avanços epistemológicos em filosofia da mente.Particularmente enfoca os modelos de processos mentais e as teorias filosóficas subjacentes.

Procuro explorar uma possível base biológica que tenha relevância explicativa entre elementos da ética e o comportamento humano.

O artigo apresenta uma releitura do problema da lacuna explicativa partindo do empirismo de William James e Alfred N. Whitehead. Segundo as respectivas noções de experiência e processo de James e Whitehead, o artigo procura mostrar que a lacuna explicativa é um mito filosófico na medida em que sustenta uma continuidade ontológica ao mesmo tempo conjugada com uma descontinuidade epistemológica entre mente e mundo ou mente e cérebro – em particular, como ilustração dessa incongruência entre continuidade e descontinuidade, o núcleo (...) do artigo se concentra em torno da revisão do chamado problema dos qualia. Partindo do empirismo de James e Whitehead, e tendo em vista a noção de continuidade, o artigo indica uma alternativa ao déficit epistemológico da lacuna explicativa assim como à visão internalista de mente que ela inspira – a ideia de que a mente está enclausurada no cérebro. Como resultado final, o artigo indica a atualidade do empirismo de James e Whitehead em consonância com as crescentes abordagens não-internalistas de mente e cognição em termos de continuidade que as noções respectivas de James e Whitehead de experiência e processo sugerem. (shrink)

Purpose: To analyze how individual characteristics and the social context are associated with mental distress symptoms in the Brazilian population.Method: A multilevel cross-sectional study with data from the 2013 National Health Survey. There were two dependent variables: decreased vital energy and somatic symptoms, the presence of depressive thoughts. The independent variables were biological characteristics, education and income, habits and lifestyle, and context variables. Bivariate analysis was performed, and Prevalence Ratios calculated in a Poisson Regression. A multilevel Poisson Regression was performed (...) to verify the effect of individual and contextual variables.Results: Regarding depressive thoughts, young and middle-aged individuals, low education, women, absence of partner, smokers or former smokers, and absence of health insurance were the categories at highest risk; belonging to classes D-E and living in states with lower expected years of schooling proved to be protective factors. Similar results were found for the second outcome.Conclusions: Symptoms of mental distress were associated with the individual characteristics and contextual aspects of the federation unit. These findings indicate the importance of strengthening psychosocial care aimed at vulnerable groups. (shrink)

Las preocupaciones de Ochocientos con respecto al establecimiento de la idea de literatura llevaron al (re)descubrimiento de versos de romances peninsulares en varias obras de autores portugueses contemporáneos de Garcia de Resende, Luís de Camões y D. Francisco Manuel de Melo (incluyendo ellos mismos). Superadas la perspectiva romanticista y la de la filología de la época, así como revisadas las teorías de la intertextualidad de finales del siglo XX, el estudio incide sobre estas interpolaciones en las letras portuguesas. Las (...) interpreta como dispositivos de alusión con efectos musicales, poéticos y semánticos tan diversos cuanto precisos e imprescindibles desde el punto de vista de la economía creativa de las obras que las presentan. A través de la combinatoria identificación de los romances aludidos / interpretación del sentido y función de las incrustaciones deslinda significados textuales que no son perceptibles mediante una lectura meramente lineal. (shrink)

De 1964 a 1985 o Brasil viveu sob um regime de governo ditatorial que de acordo com a historiografia mais recente foi sustentado, em grande parte, pela própria sociedade civil (MELO, 2012; COMISSÃO, 2014). Mais recentemente, a partir dos anos 1980, cresce o movimento de criação de espaços de memória corporativos com o objetivo de tornar pública a trajetória histórica das empresas (COSTA; SARAIVA, 2011). Dentre estes espaços, adquire relevância os Centros de Memória e documentação como lugares de armazenamento (...) e lembrança de memória organizacional, que ajudam a construir simbolicamente a imagem organizacional e a fornecer um senso de coerência e trajetória linear (RIBEIRO; BARBOSA, 2007). Neste contexto, e com base na documentação disponibilizada pela Comissão Nacional da Verdade, a presente pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar como o Museu Histórico da Fundação Bradesco retrata (ou deixa de retratar) o relacionamento da empresa Bradesco com o governo brasileiro no período da ditadura civil-militar. FIRMS, BRAZILIAN CIVIL-MILITARE DICTATORSHIP, AND MEMORY AND CORPORATIVE DOCUMENTATION CENTERS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY From 1964 to 1985, Brazil lived under a dictatorial system of government that according to the latest historiography was sustained largely by civil society (MELO, 2012; COMISSÃO, 2014). More recently, since the 1980s, it is possible to be noticed the growing movement of creation of corporate memory spaces in order to make public the historical trajectory of the companies (COSTA and SARAIVA, 2011). Among these spaces, acquires relevance the Corporate Documentation and Memory Centers, which help to symbolically build the organizational image and to provide a sense of consistency and linear trajectory (RIBEIRO and BARBOSA, 2007). In this context, and based on documentation provided by the National Commission of Truth, this research aims to identify how the History Museum of Bradesco Foundation portrays (or does not portray) the relationship between Bradesco company and the Brazilian government in the period of civil-military dictatorship. (shrink)

The lack of public support for climate change policies and refusals to vaccinate children are just two alarming illustrations of the impacts of dissent about scientific claims. Dissent can lead to confusion, false beliefs, and widespread public doubt about highly justified scientific evidence. Even more dangerously, it has begun to corrode the very authority of scientific consensus and knowledge. Deployed aggressively and to political ends, some dissent can intimidate scientists, stymie research, and lead both the public and policymakers to oppose (...) important public policies firmly rooted in science. -/- To criticize dissent is, however, a fraught exercise. Skepticism and fearless debate are key to the scientific process, making it both vital and incredibly difficult to characterize and identify dissent that is problematic in its approach and consequences. Indeed, as de Melo-Martín and Intemann show, the criteria commonly proposed as means of identifying inappropriate dissent are flawed and the strategies generally recommended to tackle such dissent are not only ineffective but could even make the situation worse. -/- The Fight Against Doubt proposes that progress on this front can best be achieved by enhancing the trustworthiness of the scientific community and by being more realistic about the limits of science when it comes to policymaking. It shows that a richer understanding of the context in which science operates is needed to disarm problematic dissent and those who deploy it. This, the authors argue, is the best way forward, rather than diagnosing the many instances of wrong-headed dissent. (shrink)

Reprogenetic technologies, which combine the power of reproductive techniques with the tools of genetic science and technology, promise prospective parents a remarkable degree of control to pick and choose the likely characteristics of their offspring. Not only can they select embryos with or without particular genetically-related diseases and disabilities but also choose embryos with non-disease related traits such as sex. -/- Prominent authors such as Agar, Buchanan, DeGrazia, Green, Harris, Robertson, Savulescu, and Silver have flocked to the banner of reprogenetics. (...) For them, increased reproductive choice and reduced suffering through the elimination of genetic disease and disability are just the first step. They advocate use of these technologies to create beings who enjoy longer and healthier lives, possess greater intellectual capacities, and are capable of more refined emotional experiences. Indeed, Harris and Savulescu in particular take reprogenetic technologies to be so valuable to human beings that they have insisted that their use is not only morally permissible but morally required. -/- Rethinking Reprogenetics challenges this mainstream view with a contextualised, gender-attentive philosophical perspective. De Melo-Martín demonstrates that you do not have to be a Luddite, social conservative, or religious zealot to resist the siren song of reprogenetics. Pointing out the flawed nature of the arguments put forward by the technologies' proponents, Rethinking Reprogenetics reveals the problematic nature of the assumptions underpinning current evaluations of these technologies and offers a framework for a more critical and skeptical assessment. (shrink)

The argument from inductive risk has been embraced by many as a successful account of the role of values in science that challenges the value-free ideal. We argue that it is not obvious that the argument from inductive risk actually undermines the value-free ideal. This is because the inductive risk argument endorses an assumption held by proponents of the value-free ideal: that contextual values never play an appropriate role in determining evidence. We show that challenging the value-free ideal ultimately requires (...) rejecting this assumption. (shrink)

The use of genome embryo editing tools in reproduction is often touted as a way to ensure the birth of healthy and genetically related children. Many would agree that this is a worthy goal. The purpose of this paper is to argue that, if we are concerned with justice, accepting such goal as morally appropriate commits one to rejecting the development of embryo editing for reproductive purposes. This is so because safer and more effective means exist that can allow many (...) more prospective parents to achieve the same valued goal and that offer additional benefits. (shrink)

Philosophers of science, particularly those working on science and values, often talk about the need for science to be socially responsible. However, what this means is not clear. In this paper, we review the contributions of philosophers of science to the debate over socially responsible science and explore the dimensions that a fruitful account of socially responsible science should address. Our review shows that offering a comprehensive account is difficult. We contend that broad calls for socially responsible science that fail (...) to attend to relevant dimensions are not the solution, as they preclude meaningful changes to research institutions and practices. We conclude that narrower, more explicit accounts are more likely to lead to substantive transformation. (shrink)

The therapeutic misconception has been seen as presenting an ethical problem because failure to distinguish the aims of research participation from those receiving ordinary treatment may seriously undermine the informed consent of research subjects. Hence, most theoretical and empirical work on the problems of the therapeutic misconception has been directed to evaluate whether, and to what degree, this confusion invalidates the consent of subjects. We argue here that this focus on the understanding component of informed consent, while important, might be (...) too narrow to capture the ethical complexity of the therapeutic misconception. We show that concerns about misplaced trust and exploitation of such trust are also relevant, and ought to be taken into account, when considering why the therapeutic misconception matters ethically. (shrink)

Although science is our most reliable producer of knowledge, it can also be used to create ignorance, unjustified doubt, and misinformation. In doing so, agnotological practices result not only in epistemic harms but also in social ones. A way to prevent or minimise such harms is to impede these ignorance-producing practices. In this paper, I explore various challenges to such a proposal. I first argue that reliably identifying agnotological practices in a way that permits the prevention of relevant harms is (...) more difficult than it might appear. I focus on an identifying criterion that many find apt for the task: bad faith motives. I then consider an objection—that reliable criteria are unnecessary to successfully address the concerns raised by agnotological strategies—and I show that it fails. I conclude by exploring other ways of conceptualising the problems attributed to agnotological practices. In particular, I challenge the focus on misinformation as the main problem of concern. (shrink)

Recently, some have proposed moral bioenhancement as a solution to the serious moral evils that humans face. Seemingly disillusioned with traditional methods of moral education, proponents of bioenhancement believe that we should pursue and apply biotechnological means to morally enhance human beings. Such proposal has generated a lively debate about the permissibility of moral bioenhancement. We argue here that such debate is specious. The claim that moral bioenhancement is a solution - whether permissible or not - to the serious moral (...) problems that affect human beings is based on several problematic framing assumptions. We evaluate here three of such assumptions: the first rests on a contested understanding of morality, the second consist in a mistaken conception of human moral problems, and the third relates to problematic presuppositions grounding the interpretation of existent scientific evidence presented to defend moral bioenhancement. Once these framing assumptions are identified and critically evaluated, it becomes clear that the moral bioenhancement debate is misguided. (shrink)

A growing number of jurisdictions hold that gamete donors must be identifiable to the children born with their eggs or sperm, on grounds that being able to know about one's genetic origins is a fundamental moral right. But the argument for that belief has not yet been adequately made.

A new reprogenetic technology, mitochondrial replacement, is making its appearance and, unsurprisingly given its promise to wash off our earthly stains --or at least the scourges of sexual reproduction--, John Harris finds only reasons to celebrate this new scientific feat.1 In fact, he finds mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) so “unreservedly welcome” that he believes those who reject them suffer from “a large degree of desperation and not a little callousness.”2 Believing myself to be neither desperate nor callous, but finding myself (...) also no closer at all – not even after reading his article—to following Harris in welcoming these technologies wholeheartedly, it seems appropriate to respond. (shrink)

Proponents of moral enhancement believe that we should pursue and apply biotechnological means to morally enhance human beings, as failing to do so is likely to lead to humanity's demise. Unsurprisingly, these proposals have generated a substantial amount of debate about the moral permissibility of using such interventions. Here I put aside concerns about the permissibility of moral enhancement and focus on the conceptual and evidentiary grounds for the moral enhancement project. I argue that such grounds are quite precarious.

Because of the important benefits that biomedical research offers to humans, some have argued that people have a general moral obligation to participate in research. Although the defense of such a putative moral duty has raised controversy, few scholars, on either side of the debate, have attended to the social context in which research takes place and where such an obligation will be discharged. By reflecting on the social context in which a presumed duty to participate in research will obtain, (...) this article shows that decontextualized discussions of this putative moral obligation are problematic. (shrink)

The disclosure policies of scientific journals now require that investigators provide information about financial interests relevant to their research. The main goals of these policies are to prevent bias from occurring, to help identify bias when it occurs, and to avoid the appearance of bias. We argue here that such policies do little to help achieve these goals, and we suggest more effective alternatives.

Many have argued that allowing and encouraging public avenues for dissent and critical evaluation of scientific research is a necessary condition for promoting the objectivity of scientific communities and advancing scientific knowledge . The history of science reveals many cases where an existing scientific consensus was later shown to be wrong . Dissent plays a crucial role in uncovering potential problems and limitations of consensus views. Thus, many have argued that scientific communities ought to increase opportunities for dissenting views to (...) be heard and taken seriously. Such opportunities are necessary for both limiting the influence .. (shrink)

Science is our most reliable producer of knowledge. Nonetheless, a significant amount of evidence shows that pluralities of members of publics question a variety of accepted scientific claims as well as policies and recommendation informed by the scientific evidence. Scientific misinformation is considered to play a central role in this state of affairs. In this paper, I challenge the emphasis on misinformation as a primary culprit on two grounds. First, the phenomenon of misinformation is far less clear than what much (...) discussion about the topic would lead one to believe. The evidence regarding the amount of misinformation that exits as well as its role in people’s harmful behaviors is at best conflicting and at worst completely useless. Second, the prominence given to misinformation and its harms on people’s behaviors disregards the role of values in policymaking and treats scientific information as if it were the only information necessary to make policy decisions. At a minimum, these problems call for caution regarding the emphasis on this phenomenon. After all, if the problem is incorrectly diagnosed, the solutions that are being offered to address the problem of misinformation are bound to at best inadequate and at worst dangerous. (shrink)

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine critically Julian Savulescu's claim that people should select, of the possible children they could have, the one who is expected to have the best life, or at least as good a life as the others, based on the relevant, available genetic information, including information about non‐disease genes. I argue here that in defending this moral obligation, Savulescu has neglected several important issues such as access to selection technologies, disproportionate burdens on women, (...) difficulties in determining what is best, problems with aggregate effects of individual choices, and questions about social justice. Taking these matters into account would call such a moral requirement into serious question. (shrink)