Dr. Heimo Hofmeister is the Chair of Philosophy in the Protestant Theology Faculty at the University of Heidgelberg, and has twice served as the Dean of that faculty. One of the most significant figures in contemporary German philosophy and ethics, he has recently published landmark works in medical ethics and the nature of warfare. A Russian translation of this book has already been published in 2000 and a second edition in German came out at the same time, and is (...) almost sold out. This is the much awaited, first English translation of Dr. Heimo Hofmeister's groundbreaking work. (shrink)

In explicit memory recall and recognition tasks, elaboration and contextual isolation both facilitate memory performance. Here, we investigate these effects in the context of sentence processing: targets for retrieval during online sentence processing of English object relative clause constructions differ in the amount of elaboration associated with the target noun phrase, or the homogeneity of superficial features (text color). Experiment 1 shows that greater elaboration for targets during the encoding phase reduces reading times at retrieval sites, but elaboration of non-targets (...) has considerably weaker effects. Experiment 2 illustrates that processing isolated superficial features of target noun phrases --- here, a green word in a sentence with words colored white --- does not lead to enhanced memory performance, despite triggering longer encoding times. These results are interpreted in the light of the memory models of Nairne 1990, 2001, 2006, which state that encoding remnants contribute to the set of retrieval cues that provide the basis for similarity-based interference effects. (shrink)

Demokratisierungsvorhaben sind auf Konzepte angewiesen, die Demokratieideale nicht leichtfertig preisgeben und alternative Möglichkeiten nicht grundsätzlich blockieren. Dabei sollten sie an bestehende Strukturen anknüpfen und die Entscheidungsfähigkeit politischer Gremien sowie die Zurechenbarkeit von Verantwortung erhalten können. Zugleich sollten sie die Qualität und den Einfluss öffentlicher Deliberation stärken und mobilisierbares politisches Engagement richtig einschätzen, ohne vorhandene Defizite als notwendige festzuschreiben. Auf der Grundlage einer Durchsicht von Gesellschafts-, Organisations-, Steuerungs- und Demokratietheorien skizziert Björn Thies ein solches Konzept, das an Arbeiten amerikanischer, britischer (...) und deutscher Autoren anknüpft. (shrink)

The point of the controversy is the interpretation of kant's article, "on a supposed right to lie from altruistic motives." my paper maintains: (1) that kant's interpreters, including w. schwarz, so far have failed to recognize the essential distinction kant makes between truth and truthfulness; (2) that apart from the historical context the disregard of this distinction has a demoralizing effect on man because it has penetrated and underlies all moral decisions as illustrated by two contemporary political situations.

Rather than isolate Achilles' prayer to Zeus in Book 16 of the "Iliad" from its immediate context, this paper analyzes the passage as an integrated whole. Recent work on the Homeric simile shows that Homer links images by an "associative technique," sometimes in the service of characterization. Additionally, Phillip Stambovsky's study of literary imagery suggests that such imagery often contributes to characterization insofar as it "presentationally depicts" important themes of the literary work. I argue that indeed the imagery in the (...) passage of Achilles' prayer dramatizes a great theme connected with his characterization: his indecision between desire for warfare and desire for safety. The elements of the passage repeatedly refigure Achilles' dissonant state of mind. The wolf simile, for example, opposes pure and defiled, to point proleptically to the combat that destroys Patroclus after Achilles dispatches him, the very outcome Achilles wishes to avert through ritual and prayer. The Myrmidon catalogue juxtaposes its first two entries, those of Menesthios and Eudoros, to highlight Eudoros' lack of a human father and alienation from his mother, a scenario which recalls Achilles' experience. Thus the catalogue reconstitutes in a separate fiction Achilles' own personal history in order to expose the sources of conflict there. Finally, the wasp simile, when contextualized according to the characterization of Achilles, also figures oppositions like those Achilles enacts when he urges on the war while at the same time seeking to mitigate its violence. The passage's imagery is itself a vivid narrative depicting Achilles' strenuous attempt to resist the violence of heroic combat as well as his own imminent death within it. (shrink)

Neste estudo, dá-se continuidade à exposição do scotismo do mestre franciscano chileno Alfonso Briceño (1587-1668), pondo a ênfase em um de seus cinco Apêndices Metafísicos, que constam em suas Controversiae (Madri, 1639-1642). No terceiro Apêndice Metafísico, após expor o conceito metafísico de “distinção”, após apresentar a sua doutrina da “distinção de razão” e após uma digressão sobre a “distinção precisiva”, Briceño dá início à sua apresentação da “distinção real”, da qual a “distinção formal” será um tipo especial e particularmente controverso. (...) Passo intermediário para a compreensão da distinção formal é uma breve exposição dos tipos de distinção real e uma discussão articulada sobre um tipo especial de “distinção modal” na escola scotista. O significado e a importância dessa distinção na metafísica scotista de Alfonso Briceño são o enfoque deste estudo. (shrink)

For researchers who study technology designs, the application and execution of so-called design-oriented research projects are a common way of funding their research. Against this background, we propose a new methodical approach with which VSD can easily be implemented in such projects and which we call “value declaration”. We share our experience with this method which we gained in two design-oriented research projects.

Unter dem Willen versteht man die Fähigkeit eines Akteurs, sich frei und überlegtermaßen Ziele zu setzen sowie sie im Handeln planmäßig und beharrlich zu verfolgen. In diesem Band werden erstmals umfassend die begriffs- und problemgeschichtlichen Entwicklungen innerhalb der verschiedenen Philosophenschulen (Stoa, Neuplatonismus, Peripatetik) sowie in der christlichen Patristik untersucht, die zur Ausbildung eines philosophisch "vollwertigen" Willensbegriffs in der Spätantike geführt haben.

Resumo: No presente artigo, busca-se esclarecer os conceitos agostinianos de “vontade” e “livre-arbítrio”, em especial com base no Livro I da obra De libero arbitrio. Procura-se situar a abordagem agostiniana no contexto da história filosófica do conceito de vontade, bem como detalhar aspectos próprios e específicos da primeira fase de escritos de Agostinho sobre a vontade e a liberdade em comparação com períodos posteriores. Defende-se a ideia de que a estrutura da teoria da ação livre de Agostinho é fundamentalmente apresentada (...) em De libero arbitrio I, de acordo com diferenças importantes entre vontade, livre-arbítrio, liberdade da vontade e liberdade de decisão. Defende-se, ademais, que a primeira teoria agostiniana da liberdade de ação pode ser vista como um tipo de libertarismo.Palavras-chave: Agostinho, De libero arbitrio I, vontade, livre-arbítrio, liberdade, teodiceia. (shrink)

In this essay, I introduce the reader to some major themes of the metaphysical thought of Juan de Fuica, a Chilean Franciscan Friar, who, in his activities as professor of philosophy, explained and developed, with many traces of originality, the philosophy of John Duns Scotus. In his cursus on metaphysics, Fuica presents the object of metaphysics, that is, the objective concept of the real being in common. Above all, he shows that being can receive a relative essential definition, in which (...) one can find the aspect of “non-repugnance” or “non-contradictoriness”, which is effectively common to the real being and the being of reason. Fuica, thus, makes an original contribution to the understanding of the scope of metaphysics and its connection to mental objects and the human mind broadly speaking. (shrink)

In order to systematically explore the normative treatment of Black slavery by Second Scholastic thinkers, usually placing the problem within the broad discussion of moral conscience and, more narrowly, the nature and justice of trade and contracts, I propose two stations of research that may be helpful for future studies, especially in what concerns the study of Scholastic ideas in colonial Latin America. Beginning with the analysisof just titles for slavery and slavery trade proposed by Luis de Molina S.J., I (...) show how his accounts were critically reviewed by Diego de Avendaño S.J., revealing basic features of Second Scholastic normative thinking in Europe and the Americas. Normative knowledge provided by these two Scholastic intellectuals wouldbe deeply tested throughout the last decades of the 17th century, especially by authors who sharpened the systemic analysis and a rigorist moral assessment of every title of slavery and slaveholding, as well as the requirements of an ethics of restitution. (shrink)

The Peruvian Franciscan thinker Jerónimo Valera published in 1610 his Commentarii ac quaestiones in universam Aristotelis ac Subtilissimi Doctoris Ioannis Duns Scoti logicam, which was the first philosophical work printed in South America. Both in his Summulae dialecticae and in the Books that comprise his Commentarii he deals with metaphysical questions. In this paper, we illustrate how he inserts important Scotist logical-metaphysical doctrines in his logical work, in this case the account of transcendental concepts given in his Summulae.

The notion of “conception” plays a central role in Thomas Reid’s theory of perceptual knowledge, although “conception” might be studied for itself as a source of knowledge. In this study, we attempt to expose systematically the several contexts where Reid deals with the source of knowledge and the kind of mental operation called “conception”. The purpose is to understand a specific aspect of the deliverances of “conception” in Reid’s theory of perception, namely, a direct relationship, not mediated by ideas, between (...) knowing subject and external world. To understand the operation of conceiving, which is intrinsic to and constitutive of perception, is an efficient way to comprehend the nature and content of perceptual knowledge. At this step, reflections on the relationship between mind and external world, that is, mind and material world, have to be made. (shrink)

Neste estudo, busca-se uma exposição e uma análise da teoria tomasiana da “restituição” (restitutio). Isso implica apresentar a restitutio como parte da teoria da justiça comutativa e expor os vários aspectos de consideração que servem como pressupostos e condições para a sua realização virtuosa. Em particular, procura-se analisar a confluência de motivos normativos e penitenciais que a abordagem de Tomás de Aquino contém e que, ao final, é decisiva para a devida compreensão da dimensão de obrigação que a restituição importa.

A noção de “concepção” ocupa um lugar central na teoria do conhecimento perceptual de Thomas Reid, embora “concepção” possa ser estudada por si como uma fonte de conhecimento. Neste estudo, procura-se expor sistematicamente os vários contextos em que Reid aborda a fonte de conhecimento e o tipo de operação mental chamada “concepção”. Oo objetivo é compreender um aspecto específico do desempenho da “concepção” na teoria reidiana da percepção, a saber, uma relação direta, não mediada por ideias, entre o sujeito cognoscente (...) e o mundo exterior. Eentender a operação de conceber, intrínseca à e constituinte da percepção, é um meio eficaz de compreender a natureza e o conteúdo do conhecimento perceptual. Nesse passo, considerações sobre a relação mente e mundo exterior, isto é, mente e mundo material precisam ser feitas. (shrink)

This volume collects essays which are thematically connected through the work of Kent Emery Jr., to whom the volume is dedicated. A main focus lies on the attempts to bridge the gap between mysticism and a systematic approach to medieval philosophical thought.

Neste estudo, dá-se continuidade à exposição do scotismo do mestre franciscano chileno Alfonso Briceño, pondo a ênfase em um de seus cinco Apêndices Metafísicos, que constam em suas Controversiae. No terceiro Apêndice, após expor a relação entre “ente” e “unidade”, Briceño explicita o conceito metafísico de “distinção”, em si e nas suas diferenciações. Uma das mais importantes tipologias da “distinção” é a “distinção de razão”. Acima de tudo, Briceño esforça-se em esclarecer certos tipos de distinção de razão e distanciá-los da (...) distinção formal, que deve ser entendida como um tipo de distinção real. (shrink)

Esta é uma análise de um item do “externalismo de função própria” de Alvin Plantinga. A seguir, exponho o argumento de Peter Klein, contra o conceito de autorização [warrant] de Plantinga, no qual é mostrado por que ela não contém condições suficientes para o conhecimento, bem como as reações de Plantinga, nas quais se verifica um aprimoramento da mesma teoria. Sugiro uma avaliação teórica dos conteúdos propostos e exponho revisitas à condição do ambiente cognitivo, enfocada no debate. Proponho, ao final, (...) uma resolução do problema, restrita aos termos da teoria de autorização por função própria. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Autorização epistêmica. Acidentalidade. Problemas de Gettier. Externalismo. Função própria. Ambiente cognitivo. ABSTRACT This is an analysis of an aspect of Alvin Plantinga’s “proper function externalism”. I expound Peter Klein’s argument against Plantinga’s concept of warrant, where it is shown why it doesn’t contain sufficient conditions for knowledge, as well as Plantinga’s reactions, where an improvement of the same theory is put forward. I propose a theoretical evaluation of the views in question and discuss recent analyses of the condition of cognitive environment, which is one of the focal points of the debate. Finally, I propose a resolution to the problem within the confines of the proper function theory of warrant. KEY WORDS – Epistemic warrant. Accidentality. Gettier problems. Externalism. Proper function. Cognitive environment. (shrink)

A noção de “concepção” ocupa um lugar central na teoria do conhecimento perceptual de Thomas Reid, embora “concepção” possa ser estudada por si como uma fonte de conhecimento. Neste estudo, procura-se expor sistematicamente os vários contextos em que Reid aborda a fonte de conhecimento e o tipo de operação mental chamada “concepção”. Oo objetivo é compreender um aspecto específico do desempenho da “concepção” na teoria reidiana da percepção, a saber, uma relação direta, não mediada por ideias, entre o sujeito cognoscente (...) e o mundo exterior. Eentender a operação de conceber, intrínseca à e constituinte da percepção, é um meio eficaz de compreender a natureza e o conteúdo do conhecimento perceptual. Nesse passo, considerações sobre a relação mente e mundo exterior, isto é, mente e mundo material precisam ser feitas. (shrink)

This volume offers a significant overview of authors, works and characteristics of philosophy in Latin America in the 16th - 18th centuries, i.e. essentially "colonial scholasticism": this is actually a remarkable chapter in the history of Baroque or Modern scholasticism. This volume is a collection of studies on Latin American scholasticism originally presented at the Fourth International Conference of Medieval Philosophy at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil, November 12-14, 2012. These essays provide (...) a significant overview of authors, works and areas of interest associated to scholastic thought in the 16th-18th centuries, focusing particularly on Latin American or European-born authors whose philosophical and theological careers were significantly set in Latin American soil and, due to their education, reveal a profound acquaintance with European philosophical theories and problems. The reception and development of Medieval thought in Baroque scholasticism, the connections between European philosophy, mainly Iberian scholasticism, and philosophical-theological debates in the New World, and the revisiting by Latin American scholars of Medieval schools of thought and theoretical patterns taught in Europe, prompted by the encounter with several peoples living in the new continent and the search and justification for models of colonization, are some of the relevant issues discussed in here. The studies collected in this volume place colonial scholasticism in the history of ideas by letting authors and their writings speak for themselves. (shrink)