En el curso dictado en Collège de France sobre la institución y la pasividad, Merleau-Ponty le otorgó una importancia particular a las problemáticas freudianas. La sexualidad y muy especialmente el Complejo de Edipo, es presentado como ejemplo de la institución humana en un doble sentido: en cuanto clase de institución que se diferencia de la institución vital y como una institución antropomórfica. Sus momentos –sexualidad prepuberal, periodo de latencia, pubertad– ejemplifican la estructura de toda institución: la anticipación, el desvío y (...) la reanudación y ponen de manifiesto su temporalidad propia. En vistas a la importancia del Complejo de Edipo en la arquitectura general del curso, el presente trabajo tiene por objetivo reponer la interpretación realizada por Merleau-Ponty a los efectos de comprender la especificidad de la institución humana. De este modo, se pretende realizar una aproximación al vínculo entre temporalidad e institución tal como Merleau-Ponty lo considera en el curso en cuestión.In the course dictated in Collège de France on the institution and the passiveness, Merleau-Ponty granted a particular importance to the Freudian problematics. The sexuality and very specially the Complex of Oedipus, is presented as example of the human institution in a double meaning: regarding a type of institution that differs from the vital institution and as an anthropomorphic institution. Its moments – prepuberal sexuality, period of latency, puberty –exemplify the structure of any institution: the anticipation, the detour and the resumption and they reveal his own temporality. In conference to the importance of the Complex of Oedipus in the general architecture of the course, the present work has for aim re-put the interpretation realized by Merleau-Ponty to the effects of understanding the specificity of the human institution. Thus, one tries to realize an approximation to the link between temporality and institution as Merleau-Ponty considers it in the course in question. (shrink)

To date, no definition of life has been unequivocally accepted by the scientific community. In frustration, some authors advocate alternatives to standard definitions. These include using a list of characteristic features, focusing on life’s effects, or categorizing biospheres rather than life itself; treating life as a fuzzy category, a process or a cluster of contingent properties; or advocating a ‘wait-and-see’ approach until other examples of life are created or discovered. But these skeptical, operational, and pluralistic approaches have intensified the debate, (...) rather than settled it. Given the failure of even these approaches, we advocate a new strategy. In this paper, we reverse the usual line of reasoning and argue that the “life problem” arises from thinking incorrectly about the nature of life. Scientists most often conceptualize life as a class or kind, with earthly life as a single instance of it. Instead, we advocate thinking about Earth’s Life as an individual, in the way that species are now thought to be. In this view, Life is a monophyletic clade that originated with a last universal common ancestor, and includes all its descendants. We can continue to use the category ‘life’ pragmatically to refer to similarities between various phenomena and Life. But the relevant similarities are a matter of interest and preference, not a matter of fact. The search for other life in the Universe, then, is merely a search for entities that resemble parts of Life in whatever sense astrobiologists find most appealing. This does not mean that the search for evolved complexity elsewhere in the universe or its creation in the lab are futile endeavors, but that debates over whether they count as ‘life’ are. Ironically, finally abandoning the concept ‘life’ may make our searches for evolved complexity more fruitful. We explain why. (shrink)

Respuesta al comentario de Carolina Sánchez. “Notas sobre la promesa en el pensamiento de Friedrich Nietzsche y Hannah Arendt.” Ideas y Valores 65.160 (2016): 279-283.

Our understanding of the universe has grown rapidly in recent decades. We’ve discovered evidence of water in nearby planets, discovered planets outside our solar system, mapped the genomes of thousands of organisms, and probed the very origins and limits of life. The scientific perspective of life-as-it-could-be has expanded in part by research in astrobiology, synthetic biology, and artificial life. In the face of such scientific developments, we argue there is an ever-growing need for universal biology, life-as-it-must-be, the multidisciplinary study of (...) non-contingent aspects of life as guided by biological theory and constrained by the universe. We present three distinct but connected ways of universalizing biology—with respect to characterizing aspects of life everywhere, with respect to the explanatory scope of biological theory, and with respect to extending biological insights to the structure of nonbiological entities. For each of these, we sketch the theoretical goals and challenges, as well as give examples of current research that might be labeled universal biology. (shrink)

In the 1970s, R.D. MacElroy coined the term ‘extremophile’ to describe microorganisms that thrive under extreme conditions (MacElroy 1974). This hybrid word transliterates to ‘love of extremes’ and has been studied as a straightforward concept for the past 40 years. In this paper, we discuss several ways the term has been understood in the scientific literature, each of which has different consequences for the distribution and importance of extremophiles. They are, briefly, Human-Centric, at the Edge of life’s habitation of Morphospace, (...) by appeal to Statistical Rarity, described by Objective Limits, and at the Limits of Impossibility for metabolic processes. Importantly, these concepts have co-existed, unacknowledged and conflated, for decades. Confusion and equivocation threaten to follow from the wildly varied inclusion or exclusion of organisms as extremophiles depending on the concept used. Under some conceptions, entire kinds of extremophiles become meaningless. Since our understanding of how life works is shaped by what we take to be its extremes, clarifying extremophily is key for many large-scale projects in biology, ecology, biotechnology and astrobiology. In what follows, we proceed as if a noncontroversial account of life is possible and that it is possible to find complex chemistry in the Universe that is similar enough to Life on Earth such that both may be considered instances of ‘life’ (but see Mariscal & Doolittle 2018). We raise, but do not address, the questions of whether the distribution of Life on Earth is representative of what we may find elsewhere in the Universe, whether the same kinds of extremophiles would exist given a replay of the tape of life. Additionally, each of these concepts assumes life based on some sort of biochemistry in this universe, effectively setting aside claims made by some artificial life proponents that their digital organisms are genuine examples of life (Langton 1989, Ray 1995). On the distinction between extremophilic and extremotolerant, we note that all accounts accept the latter as a broader category than the former, since ‘phily’ means love and tolerance is a prerequisite for love under any conception. Indeed, there will be many extremely impoverished environments where tolerance is the only option and thriving is precluded, e.g. Bacillus marismortui was extracted and grown from 250-million-year-old salt crystals in the Permian Salado Formation in an inactive yet persistent state (Vreeland et al., 2000). We also note that extremophily, as a functional category, is potentially applicable at many levels of the biological hierarchy. Extremophily at one level does not necessarily extend to higher and lower levels. For instance, a microorganism in isolation might be quite intolerant to certain environmental conditions yet flourish when subjected to the same conditions as a community or natural biofilm. Alternatively, a protein molecule might be quite stable or active under certain conditions even if the optimal environment for the organism containing it is far more mesophilic. There is an industry of artificially selecting organisms and proteins to adapt to extreme environments (see van den Burg & Eijsink 2002), providing some justification to consider ‘functioning at extremes’ as a worthwhile category of investigation. Finally, we also note certain physico-chemical ranges are rarely considered with respect to extremophily – timespan, size, nutrient availability (Hoehler & Jørgensen 2013), etc. – as well as some biological parameters – abundance, isolation, competition, etc. Perhaps scientific interest must also come into play as to the reason these criteria are not considered relevant. We return to this issue later. In the next section, we give five definitions of extremophily, show their benefits, drawbacks, and unintended yet unavoidable consequences. These arguments are summarized in Table 1 and represented visually in Figures 1 and 2. Given research on polyextremophiles, it seems Figure 2 is a more plausible representation of the state of current knowledge than Figure 1 (Harrison et al. 2013). Life is patchily distributed across various dimensions, which may reflect its contingent history, poor sampling, or (perhaps) fundamental limits. Figure 3 shows the conceptual flowchart for all of these views. In the following section, we take a step back to ask whether we should choose between these definitions and how such a judgment could be made. We argue for a limited pluralism, in which some, but not all, of the concepts are acceptable relative to certain practical and theoretical aims. (shrink)

This book focuses on the emerging scientific discipline of astrobiology, exploring the humanistic issues of this multidisciplinary field. To be sure, there are myriad scientific questions that astrobiologists have only begun to address. However, this is not a purely scientific enterprise. More research on the broader social and conceptual aspects of astrobiology is needed. Just what are our ethical obligations toward different sorts of alien life? Should we attempt to communicate with life beyond our planet? What is “life” in the (...) most general sense? The current volume addresses these questions by looking at different perspectives from philosophers, historians, theologians, social scientists, and legal scholars. It sets a benchmark for future work in astrobiology, giving readers the groundwork from which to base the continuous scholarship coming from this ever-growing scientific field. (shrink)

The "people of knowledge" of traditional Mazatec medicine have preserved until today the ritual use of psilocybin mushrooms as part of their health care systems. The renewed interest in the effect of psilocybin on human consciousness for both therapeutic and recreational purposes usually obviates the historical and cultural background of indigenous peoples, as well as the legitimation of their practices and knowledge. In this article, through the case study of a foreign person who attended a Mazatec ritual specialist to participate (...) in a ritual night ceremony known as velada, we show the importance of approaching research on psychoactive plants and mushrooms from a transdisciplinary and intercultural perspective, so that we can appreciate the profound complexity of the healing processes that take place in traditional indigenous contexts, as well as the limits of recreational uses or exclusively neopositivist and clinical approaches. (shrink)

This article will address the right to intercultural health, based on conceptualizing access to health and the respectful interaction between various cultures in the different areas that constitute a complex society. The objective is focused on defining the concept of interculturality and intercultural dialogue from an epistemic justice approach. The situated analysis of intercultural health care is expected to promote public policies, aimed at building an intercultural perspective, which fosters a horizontal dialogue and a respected interaction in all areas of (...) society. (shrink)

Este artículo examina en clave de resiliencia la historia del protagonista de la obra mencionada de C.S. Lewis. Sus experiencias de vida muestran las muchas maneras en las que una persona puede experimentar un cambio radical y tener una actitud resiliente. Los objetivos de nuestro análisis literario son varios. Definir y actualizar el concepto de resiliencia, poner de relieve el funcionamiento de la teoría aristotélica de la mímesis y la metanoia, y analizar el proceso resiliente del protagonista literario. Con todo, (...) se llega a la conclusión de que la novela constituye un paradigmático ejemplo de historia y personaje resilientes. (shrink)

“¿Cómo habría vivido el género humano si Adán no hubiera pecado?”. Este es el tema desarrollado por Francisco Suárez en el quinto libro del Tractatus de opere sex dierum. Según el pensamiento del Doctor Eximius, la pregunta encierra en sí misma la solución, o sea, que el arquetipo Adán y el hombre inmerso en el tiempo no difieren entre ellos y que, como directa consecuencia, para ambos, agregarse a otros semejantes, permite que cada individuo alcance una finalidad y una mayor (...) perfección. El hombre arquetipal no es único sino múltiple y, en su multiplicidad, se diferencia, lo mismo que ocurre con el hombre pre-caída. Francisco Suárez, por eso, analiza tanto el antecedente teológico, según el acto creacional divino, como el fundamento político de la comunidad humana, consecuencia necesaria para el hombre formado de tal manera. (shrink)

In this commentary to Leal (2013), we argue that the memorization of the names and symbols of the chemical elements is necessary in the study of that topic because this task is the key for the later understanding of the Periodic Table. We can make the memorization task in an enjoyable, but effective way, using some educational games in chemistry class. Some recent puzzles, card games, mnemonics rules or games based on drawings to learn the chemical elements are addressed in (...) this paper. (shrink)

This article is about specific uses of the thought of Spinoza, studied through a selection of books concerning personal development and philosophy of management. Through a discourse of truth and authority, these texts give rise to the formulation of a Spinozism that philosophically justifies the ideal types of neoliberalism and make Spinoza the father of this social, political, and economic model. Thus, the authors want to convince individuals that they must concentrate on their affects, by postulating that happiness and freedom (...) can only be achieved by working on oneself. However, this means minimising the influence of a social exteriority that remains crucial to Spinozian philosophy. This article studies what has been retained from the Spinozian corpus, to make it correspond to neoliberalism and to apply these practices of personal development and philosophy of management. We also point out the limits of this singular interpretation of Spinoza, while questioning the relevance of this type of adaptation of his philosophy to contemporary times. (shrink)

Queen pheromones, which signal the presence of a fertile queen and induce daughter workers to remain sterile, are considered to play a key role in regulating the reproductive division of labor of insect societies. Although queen pheromones were long thought to be highly taxon‐specific, recent studies have shown that structurally related long‐chain hydrocarbons act as conserved queen signals across several independently evolved lineages of social insects. These results imply that social insect queen pheromones are very ancient and likely derived from (...) an ancestral signalling system that was already present in their common solitary ancestors. Based on these new insights, we here review the literature and speculate on what signal precursors social insect queen pheromones may have evolved from. Furthermore, we provide compelling evidence that these pheromones should best be seen as honest signals of fertility as opposed to suppressive agents that chemically sterilize the workers against their own best interests. (shrink)

O texto aproxima certas concepções de Deleuze e Guatarri relativas ao que poderíamos aqui chamar provisoriamente de uma “teoria do desejo”, tal como esboçada no Anti-Édipo, da teoria dos afetos formulada na Ética de Espinosa, mostrando assim mais uma etapa da crítica da tradição psicanalítica na obra conjunta dos filósofos franceses.

O texto investiga a dança como modalidade de produção de subjetividades privilegiada para dar a ver a potência do corpo. Procura equacionar o problema da sobrevivência de um vocabulário mental para tratar daquilo que exprime com a máxima intensidade aquilo de que os corpos são capazes, a saber, os corpos dançantes. Esta pesquisa segue uma trilha espinosista, para encontrar um vocabulário inteiramente corporal para descrever a potência dos corpos na dança em termos inteiramente corporais.

The CRISPR system for gene editing can break, repair, and replace targeted sections of DNA. Although CRISPR gene editing has important therapeutic potential, it raises several ethical concerns. Some bioethicists worry CRISPR is a prelude to a dystopian future, while others maintain it should not be feared because it is analogous to past biotechnologies. In the scientific literature, CRISPR is often discussed as a revolutionary technology. In this paper we unpack the framing of CRISPR as a revolutionary technology and contrast (...) it with framing it as a value-threatening biotechnology or business-as-usual. By drawing on a comparison between CRISPR and the Ford Model T, we argue CRISPR is revolutionary as a product, process, and as a force for social change. This characterization of CRISPR offers important conceptual clarity to the existing debates surrounding CRISPR. In particular, conceptualizing CRISPR as a revolutionary technology structures regulatory goals with respect to this new technology. Revolutionary technologies have characteristic patterns of implementation, entrenchment, and social impact. As such, early identification of technologies as revolutionary may help construct more nuanced and effective ethical frameworks for public policy. (shrink)

Is it possible to know anything about life we have not yet encountered? We know of only one example of life: our own. Given this, many scientists are inclined to doubt that any principles of Earth’s biology will generalize to other worlds in which life might exist. Let’s call this the “N = 1 problem.” By comparison, we expect the principles of geometry, mechanics, and chemistry would generalize. Interestingly, each of these has predictable consequences when applied to biology. The surface-to-volume (...) property of geometry, for example, limits the size of unassisted cells in a given medium. This effect is real, precise, universal, and predictive. Furthermore, there are basic problems all life must solve if it is to persist, such as resistance to radiation, faithful inheritance, and energy regulation. If these universal problems have a limited set of possible solutions, some common outcomes must consistently emerge. In this chapter, I discuss the N = 1 problem, its implications, and my response (Mariscal 2014). I hold that our current knowledge of biology can justify believing certain generalizations as holding for life anywhere. Life on Earth may be our only example of life, but this is only a reason to be cautious in our approach to life in the universe, not a reason to give up altogether. In my account, a candidate biological generalization is assessed by the assumptions it makes. A claim is accepted only if its justification includes principles of evolution, but no contingent facts of life on Earth. (shrink)

Neste artigo apresento como objetivo a divulgação de um conjunto de debates que se cruzam nos feminismos, evidenciando, neste caso, a multiplicidade de formas de entender o feminismo e o ser feminista. Parto da ideia de um mundo em transformação pautado em um contexto de rupturas de pensamentos e modelos universais. Sendo assim, quatro críticas ao movimento feminista são apresentadas em diálogo com uma autocrítica que transforma o feminismo universal em feminismos múltiplos, com características mais humanas, de equidade e de (...) inclusão. Por fim, o texto leva a crer na importância do reconhecimento do lugar de fala para todas as pessoas, diferenciando-se em lugares de falas de privilégios ou lugares de falas marginalizados, sendo que tais lugares são flexíveis a partir da espacialidade e das identidades. (shrink)

Este artículo propone un análisis en clave geosituada de la atención sanitaria de las mujeres de comunidades indígenas mapuce en Argentina, desde el marco de la justicia epistémica y participativa. En un primer momento, se caracterizan las concepciones que estas comunidades tienen respecto a la salud-enfermedad y sus modos de vivir el momento de parto. En un segundo momento, se pone en evidencia la violencia específica a la que son sometidas las mujeres mapuce en la atención de partos por parte (...) del modelo médico hegemónico cuando no contemplan sus saberes ancestrales y sus modos de parir. Finalmente, se ofrecen reflexiones respecto a la necesidad de repensar el sistema público sanitario con el claro objetivo de promover un enfoque de derechos humanos, centrado en una atención sanitaria intercultural e interepistémica. En la conclusión se consideró de suma relevancia partir de la narración de las luchas y resistencias desde la propia voz de estas mujeres, para atender a un acercamiento más situado respecto a los relatos de las experiencias vivenciales que las mujeres mapuce describieron sobre las características de la atención sanitaria que reciben. En este aspecto, se pudieron constatar diversas situaciones de violencia obstétrica y cultural desde el propio accionar del sistema sanitario hegemónico. En efecto, se sostiene que es imperativo construir puentes que amplíen las horizontalidades epistémicas y la democratización de la democracia. (shrink)

Soberanía y obediencia fueron dos nociones clave en las discusiones que se dieron en los albores de la modernidad. Parte de los debates se centró en la cuestión de la legitimidad del poder político y, en consecuencia, en por qué debemos obedecer, qué beneficios trae la obediencia y cuáles son sus límites. En todos estos casos, la noción de violencia aparece con diferentes rostros, y principalmente con la fisonomía de la guerra —punto de máxima expresión de la violencia explícita—, problema (...) que la autoridad política viene, de alguna manera, a resolver. El Estado soberano, sin embargo, lejos está de ser la representación del irenismo, se convierte en monopolio legítimo de la violencia. Este trabajo pretende abordar tales cuestiones desde las teorías de Hobbes y Harrington. Ambos justificaron la obligación de los súbditos a acatar la ley que se impone y que garantiza, por sobre todas las cosas, su vida. (shrink)

En este artículo, ofreceremos algunas reflexiones sobre la historia en la obra de Hannah Arendt partiendo de la premisa de que esta se asienta en su concepto de acción. Con tal fin, recurriremos a distintos textos en los que la autora alemana discutió nociones cruciales para su definición de la condición humana, a saber, las tres actividades bajo las cuales se le dio vida al hombre en la Tierra –labor, trabajo y acción– y la separación entre lo público y lo (...) privado. Nuestro vínculo con el pasado y su relación tanto con el presente como con el futuro estarán también en el centro del recorrido que aquí proponemos. (shrink)