A argumentação exposta a seguir abordará como o tema da moral foi desenvolvido nos livros que Locke produziu entre os anos de 1660 e 1688. Este recorte temporal justifica-se porque a aparente controvérsia entre a Ciência e a Religião se faz presente. Para o êxito da pesquisa, utilizou-se o seguinte referencial teórico: a fonte primária foi extraída dos textos de Locke, nas secundárias, há outros manuscritos dos comentadores julgados como relevantes. Por fim, a leitura, a análise e a interpretação dos (...) textos selecionados compuseram o procedimento metodológico empregado. (shrink)

O presente artigo tem como objetivo expor um diagnóstico do docente de Filosofia, não descartando o uso de algumas informações gerais no que se refere à profissão de professor. A investigação, que surgiu da necessidade de suprir uma lacuna existente nos estudos sobre o ensino de Filosofia, partiu da seguinte questão: Qual é o perfil do docente de Filosofia? Alguns dados qualitativos e quantitativos foram considerados, como também a reflexão que Adorno fez em torno da docência. Do ponto de vista (...) metodológico, o texto contempla a preocupação exposta pela Teoria crítica quando anuncia que o diagnóstico de situação é fundamental para identificar o potencial emancipatório existente na sociedade. (shrink)

Neste artigo abordaremos a questão da mentira, em Kant, vinculando a questões de ordem moral. Pois, sendo a ética e o direito ramos da moral, o problema da mentira encontra-se em saber se ela é uma questão ética ou jurídica, ou se é um problema moral, que engloba tanto a ética como o direito, que não legitimam tal ato. Iniciaremos esta unidade com a análise dos conceitos de moral, ética e direito buscando compreender o que constitui cada um desses campos (...) da cultura e qual a distinção entre ambos. Em seguida trataremos, em especial, da questão da mentira na filosofia prática de Kant, abordando o seu posicionamento ético sobre o ato de mentir, onde é levantada a questão em saber se uma falsa declaração pode ser legitimada ou não. Por fim, analisaremos o debate entre Kant e Benjamim Constant, sobre a problemática da mentira, onde será tratada a questão de um suposto direito de mentir e dos princípios gerais e intermediários, a saber, se é possível a aplicação de um princípio geral de forma absoluta isolada sem o auxílio de princípios intermediários. (shrink)

O presente texto busca discutir o silenciamento de produções nacionais, latino-americanas e africanas nos currículos de filosofia brasileiros como um sintoma de uma internalização dos discursos coloniais que constituíram a maneira moderna de lidarmos com a filosofia, com a educação, com o ensino de filosofia. Algumas das principais categorias dos estudos sobre a colonialidade serão utilizadas como roteiro para essa discussão.

A Inglaterra vivida por Locke é marcada, contraditoriamente, pelo crescimento da pobreza num cenário de prosperidade econômica. Esta situação fez com que o Estado investisse em políticas assistenciais, fato observado por ele com certa ressalva, já que o filósofo inglês diagnosticou que a pobreza é fruto da degeneração moral que marcava uma parcela da sociedade. Entretanto, sabe-se que o conceito lockeano de propriedade garante o direito à vida como natural a todos, direito garantindo mesmo após a passagem para a sociedade (...) contratual. Esta situação o conduz a refletir sobre o direito dos pobres, particularmente no intitulado _Ensaio sobre a lei assistencial_. Tendo como cerne o conceito de caridade, o objetivo deste texto é expor a reflexão que Locke desenvolve em torno do direito dos pobres. (shrink)

Resumo: O presente artigo tem por objetivo avaliar a presença da área Ensino de Filosofia nos cursos de licenciatura em Filosofia das universidades públicas federais. Para tanto, parte-se da seguinte indagação: A área Ensino de Filosofia existe nos cursos de licenciatura em Filosofia? A questão surge a partir de um problema detectado em outros estudos, a saber, o forte caráter bacharelesco existente nos cursos de licenciatura em Filosofia. Após consultar o Projeto Político-Pedagógico (PPP’s) destes cursos, constatou-se que, embora tímida, a (...) área Ensino de Filosofia é uma realidade em parte deles, enquanto em outros é quase inexistente. O diagnóstico e a reflexão realizados podem colaborar com a reformulação curricular ou o fortalecimento da formação inicial dos/as professores/as de Filosofia. Por ser um estudo que envolve elementos quantitativos e qualitativos, foram adotados procedimentos metodológicos apropriados para a realização da investigação, mesclando a análise de conteúdo com a tabulação de dados. Como fonte, além dos PPP’s e da legislação vigente, foram consultados referenciais teóricos que pudessem auxiliar na reflexão em torno do problema em questão. Palavras-chave: Ensino de Filosofia; licenciatura; universidade federal. The presence of Philosophy Teaching in Philosophy undergraduate courses in federal universities Abstract: This paper aims to evaluate the presence of Philosophy Teaching in Philosophy undergraduate courses of federal public universities. To this end, we start from the following question: Does Philosophy Teaching exist in the undergraduate courses in Philosophy? The question arises from a problem detected in other studies, such as the way the Philosophy undergraduate course focuses in reasearch aspects, rather than teaching methods. After consulting the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPPs) of these courses, it was found that, although timid, the Philosophy Teaching area is a reality in part of them, while in others it is almost non-existent. The diagnosis and reflection carried out can collaborate with the curricular reformulation or the strengthening of the initial training of Philosophy teachers. Because this is a study involving quantitative and qualitative elements, appropriate methodological procedures were adopted to carry out the investigation, combining content analysis with data tabulation. As sources, in addition to PPPs and current legislation, theoretical references were consulted that could assist in the reflection on the problem in question. Keywords: Philosophy Teaching; Bachelor's; Federal University. La presencia del área de Enseñanza de la Filosofía en los cursos de pedagogía en Filosofía de las universidades estatales Resumen: El presente artículo tiene por objetivo evaluar la presencia del área de Enseñanza de la Filosofía en los cursos de pedagogía en Filosofía de las universidades públicas estatales. Para eso, comenzamos con la siguiente indagación: ¿El área de Enseñanza de la Filosofía existe en los cursos de pedagogía en Filosofía? La cuestión surge a partir de un problema detectado en otros estudios, esto es, las marcadas características de una formación de licenciatura que presentan los cursos de pedagogía en Filosofía. Después de consultar el Proyecto Político-Pedagógico (PPP’s) de estos cursos, se confirmó que, aunque tímida, el área de Enseñanza de la Filosofía es una realidad en parte de ellos, mientras que en otros es casi inexistente. El diagnóstico y la reflexión realizados puedan colaborar con la reformulación curricular o el fortalecimiento de la formación inicial de los/las profesores/as de Filosofía. Por ser un estudio que contiene elementos cuantitativos y cualitativos, fueron adoptados procedimientos metodológicos apropiados para la realización de la investigación, uniendo el análisis de contenido con la tabulación de datos. Como fuente, además de los PPP’s y de la legislación vigente, fueron consultadas referencias teóricas que pudiesen contribuir en la reflexión en torno del problema en cuestión. Palabras clave: Enseñanza de la Filosofía; pedagogía; universidad estatal. Data de registro: 20/01/2023 Data de aceite: 24/01/2024. (shrink)

No dia onze de março de 2020, a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) anunciou o estabelecimento da pandemia proveniente de um novo vírus, o Sars-Cov-2, com propagação inicial em Wuhan, cidade localizada na China. Mediante sistematização de parâmetros ideais para um novo normal pós-pandemia, percebemos a importância de compreender como a comunidade migratória vivencia as novas configurações, tendo em vista o contexto cultural de produção do capital e também para as igrejas na relação de apoio sociorreligioso ao imigrante e sua (...) formatação organizacional. Esse artigo objetiva, portanto, identificar os impactos da pandemia de Covid-19 para os imigrantes e igrejas brasileiras na Flórida Central. Para tanto, estabelecemos com a _Intuitive Methodology_ entrevistas estruturadas para imigrantes e líderes religiosos da região, survey desenvolvido na plataforma _SurveyMonkey _e referencial teórico concernente à determinação social no contexto de pandemia e fluxo migratório brasileiro na região. (shrink)

O artigo pretende contribuir com as discussões sobre o ensino de filosofia, partilhando achados de uma pesquisa realizada com duas turmas de estudantes universitários na disciplina de Estética (Curso de Música -Licenciatura). As inovações metodológicas aplicadas nas turmas buscaram valorizar o ensino de filosofia em diálogo permanente com as vivências cotidianas e artísticas dos estudantes através de atividades em sala sistematicamente vinculadas aos temas previstos no programa da disciplina. Os resultados dos dados apontaram que as estratégias metodológicas de ensino utilizadas (...) na disciplina tiveram impacto positivo para o engajamento dos discentes, atuando desenvolvimento de sua criticidade e criatividade. (shrink)

The Afro-Brazilian connections between the coast of West Africa and Brazil date back to the transatlantic slave trade and the Muslim uprising in Bahia in 1933. After this major rebellion, many former slaves returned to West Africa bearing a large Brazilian cultural imprint consisting of architectural skills, culinary traditions, and song and dance. They also brought back Brazilian names and cosmopolitan outlooks. From Africa, enslaved Africans carried with them to Brazil philosophical and cosmological outlooks and indeed, culture generally. Some of (...) these cross-fertilizations are what are interrogated in this intellectual and cultural exchange. (shrink)

Apresenta-se uma análise fílmica do videodocumentário Roda o Tererê com vistas a investigar se e como o filme dirigido pela cineasta brasileira Lilian Solá Santiago contribui para uma descolonização do olhar, da estética e da política das imagens. Interessa identificar até que ponto o videodocumentário tensiona o regime de visibilidade dominante na sociedade nacional problematizado por teóricos localizados fora do eixo cultural da Europa (GONZALEZ, 2011; BORGES, 2018; NASCIMENTO, 2016). Conclui-se que, ao inscrever-se enquanto cineasta, Lilian Santiago não transforma (...) a sua câmera apenas em voz; transforma o microfone em ouvido, e faz dele uma caixa de ressonância para que as pessoas ouçam e vejam aqueles que vem sendo historicamente apagados dos espaços do aparecer. (shrink)

Mobilizadas pelas imagens do protesto “Ato em memória de Miguel” que circularam reiteradamente, nas redes sociais, nos meses de junho e julho passados, realizamos este trabalho analítico e reflexivo sobre algumas imagens relacionadas ao evento da morte do menino Miguel e as cenas de valor dão ver, propondo e operando o conceito de visualidades resolutivas. Para tal, nos auxiliaram na realização deste trabalho os conceitos de: evento racial na perspectiva de Denise Ferreira da Silva (2016); raça por Stuart Hall (...) (2003) e Denise Ferreira da Silva (2016; 2019); ativismo visual por Nicholas Mirzoeff (2016); documento, evento fotográfico e iconização por Ariella Azoulay (2014); e imagem resolutiva por Nêgo Bispo (2018). (shrink)

AI research is growing rapidly raising various ethical issues related to safety, risks, and other effects widely discussed in the literature. We believe that in order to adequately address those issues and engage in a productive normative discussion it is necessary to examine key concepts and categories. One such category is anthropomorphism. It is a well-known fact that AI’s functionalities and innovations are often anthropomorphized (i.e., described and conceived as characterized by human traits). The general public’s anthropomorphic attitudes and some (...) of their ethical consequences (particularly in the context of social robots and their interaction with humans) have been widely discussed in the literature. However, how anthropomorphism permeates AI research itself (i.e., in the very language of computer scientists, designers, and programmers), and what the epistemological and ethical consequences of this might be have received less attention. In this paper we explore this issue. We first set the methodological/theoretical stage, making a distinction between a normative and a conceptual approach to the issues. Next, after a brief analysis of anthropomorphism and its manifestations in the public, we explore its presence within AI research with a particular focus on brain-inspired AI. Finally, on the basis of our analysis, we identify some potential epistemological and ethical consequences of the use of anthropomorphic language and discourse within the AI research community, thus reinforcing the need of complementing the practical with a conceptual analysis. (shrink)

One of the sectors for which Artificial Intelligence applications have been considered as exceptionally promising is the healthcare sector. As a public-facing sector, the introduction of AI applications has been subject to extended news coverage. This article conducts a quantitative and qualitative data analysis of English news media articles covering AI systems that allow the automation of tasks that so far needed to be done by a medical expert such as a doctor or a nurse thereby redistributing their agency. We (...) investigated in this article one particular framing of AI systems and their agency: the framing that positions AI systems as replacing and outperforming the human medical expert, and in which AI systems are personified and/or addressed as a person. The analysis of our data set consisting of 365 articles written between the years 1980 and 2019 will show that there is a tendency to present AI systems as outperforming human expertise. These findings are important given the central role of news coverage in explaining AI and given the fact that the popular frame of ‘outperforming’ might place AI systems above critique and concern including the Hippocratic oath. Our data also showed that the addressing of an AI system as a person is a trend that has been advanced only recently and is a new development in the public discourse about AI. (shrink)

Philosophy of action in the context of Classical China is radically different from its counterpart in the contemporary Western philosophical narrative. Classical Chinese philosophers began from the assumption that relations are primary to the constitution of the person, hence acting in the early Chinese context necessarily is interacting and co-acting along with others –human and nonhuman actors. This book is the first monograph dedicated to the exploration and rigorous reconstruction of an extraordinary strategy for efficacious relational action devised by Classical (...) Chinese philosophers in order to account for the interdependent and embedded character of human agency –what the author has denominated “adapting” or “adaptive agency” (yin 因). As opposed to more unilateral approaches to action also conceptualized in the Classical Chinese corpus, such as forceful and prescriptive agency, adapting requires great capacity of self and other-awareness, equanimity, flexibility, creativity, and response, which allows the agent to co-raise courses of action ad-hoc: unique and temporary solutions to specific, non-permanent, and non-generalizable life problems. Adapting is one of the world’s oldest philosophies of action, and yet it is shockingly new for contemporary audiences, who will find in it an unlikely source of inspiration to deal with our current global problems. This book explores the core conception of adapting both on autochthonous terms and by cross-cultural comparison, drawing on the European and Analytic philosophical traditions as well as on scholarship from other disciplines, opening a brand-new topic in Chinese and comparative philosophy. (shrink)

The recently published BRAIN 2.0 Neuroethics Report offers a very helpful overview of the possible ethical, social, philosophical, and legal issues raised by neuroscience in the context of BRAIN’s research priorities thus contributing to the attempt to develop ethically sound neuroscience. In this article, we turn to a running theme of the document: the need for an ethical framework for the BRAIN Initiative and for further integration of neuroethics and neuroscience. We assess some of the issues raised and provide an (...) explanation of how we have addressed them in the Human Brain Project. We offer our experience in the HBP as a potential contribution to the international debate about neuroethics in the big brain initiatives. Our hope is that among other things, the type of exchange proposed by this AJOB special issue will prove productive in further identifying and discussing the issues and in inspiring appropriate solutions. (shrink)

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is an important ethical, legal, and political theme for the European Commission. Although variously defined, it is generally understood as an interactive process that engages social actors, researchers, and innovators who must be mutually responsive and work towards the ethical permissibility of the relevant research and its products. The framework of RRI calls for contextually addressing not just research and innovation impact but also the background research process, specially the societal visions underlying it and the (...) norms and priorities that shape scientific agendas. This requires the integration of anticipatory, inclusive, and responsive dimensions, and the nurturing of a certain type of reflexivity among a variety of stakeholders, from scientists to funders. In this paper, we do not address potential limitations but focus on the potential contribution of philosophical reflection to RRI in the context of the Ethics and Society subproject of the Human Brain Project (HBP). We show how the type of conceptual analysis provided by philosophically oriented approaches theoretically and ethically broadens research and innovation within the HBP. We further suggest that overt inclusion of philosophical reflection can promote the aims and objectives of RRI. (shrink)

This paper challenges the view that contentment leads to personal freedom and autonomy and argues for a relational and exercise concept of de facto freedom in the Zhuangzi 莊子. I first review influential interpretations of freedom in the Zhuangzi that equate freedom with contentment and nonfrustration, starting with Guo Xiang's 郭象 (d. 312 CE). By putting these interpretations in dialog with contemporary social philosophy (Christman, Meyers, Pettit, Elster, and Khader), I reflect on the two seminal problems of the psychologizing causal (...) and procedural approaches that allow the interpretation of freedom as contentment: the “happy slave” problem and the “sour grapes” problem. Proving this account of freedom inadequate, I argue for a different interpretation of freedom in the Zhuangzi that resembles a weakly substantive and constitutive account of freedom and autonomy in modern‐day social philosophy terms, such as Marina Oshana's. The theory of freedom that I analyze in the Zhuangzi, however, helps us correct the risk of material determinism of the constitutive account, offering a description of relational freedom and autonomy as constituted by socio‐material conditions but not determined by them. (shrink)

This chapter presents an analysis of Wang Bi’s (226-249 CE) hermeneutics and reception theory via the concept of “forgetting” (wang 忘) in his essay “Clarifying the Images” (Ming xiang 明象).

Mercedes Valmisa turns our attention to the relations between truth and practice in classical Chinese philosophy. In this tradition, truth is conceived of, in a pragmatic-like spirit, as a series of embodied beliefs and perspectives that lead to fitting dispositions, emotions, and actions (regardless of whether they accurately describe the world, or whether there are other competing beliefs and perspectives that equally accurately or inaccurately describe the world). This means that we should care about truth because of its normative (...) power to guide our behavior in the most fitting way, not because of a theoretical interest in accurately describing reality. Valmisa Oviedo traces the development of this conception of truth in the Mohists and Zhuangists, leading to two radically different sociopolitical and ethical positions: the Mohists used single-truth discourses to enforce ideological monopolies that could not allow pluralism in values, norms, beliefs, and practices, while the Zhuangists warned us against the dangers of such dogmatism. (shrink)

This is a collective study, in nine new essays, of the close connection between theology and cosmology in Stoic philosophy.

The basis of stoic determinism (a) : everything has a cause -- The basis of stoic determinism (b) : causation is necessitating -- The threat of external determination -- Reflection and responsibility -- The three compatibilist theories of Chrysippus -- Epictetus on responsibility for unreflective action.

This book proposes a new solution to the problem of vagueness. There are several different ways of addressing this problem and no clear agreement on which one is correct. The author proposes that it should be understood as the problem of explaining vague predicates in a way that systematizes six intuitions about the phenomenon and satisfies three criteria of adequacy for an ideal theory of vagueness. The third criterion, which is called the “criterion of precisification”, is the most controversial one. (...) It is based on the intuition that a predicate is vague only if it is imprecise. The author considers some different definitions of linguistic imprecision, proposing that a predicate is imprecise if and only if there is no sharp boundary between objects to which its application yields some particular truth-value and objects to which its application does not yield that truth-value. The volume critically reviews the current theories of vagueness and proposes a new one, the Theory of Vagueness as Arbitrariness, which defines a vague predicate as an arbitrary predicate that must be precisified in order to contribute to a sentence that has truth-conditions. The main advantages of this theory over the current alternatives are that it satisfies all three criteria and systematizes the relevant intuitions. (shrink)

Within the last decades, brain science has been offering new insights into the relationship among diverse psychological processes and the neural correlates of our moral thought and behavior. Despite the distinction between the explanatory/descriptive nature of science and the normative nature of morality, some neuroethicists have claimed that neuroscientific findings have normative implications. In this paper, I identify three interpretations of the claim. The first focuses on neuroscience’s role in explaining the origin of morality and of moral values and how (...) neurobiology is the bases of moral behavior. A second version is about the role that neuroscientific knowledge can play in showing the psychological plausibility of the moral psychology underlying some ethical approaches. Finally, a third version advances that neuroscience could play a role in determining the moral plausibility of some normative approaches. My aim is to delineate each version and highlight the issues raised to suggest that while neuroscience might provide information regarding the nature of moral reasoning, its role in the normative discussion itself is still quite limited. (shrink)

Este artigo é uma introdução crítica ao problema da vagueza. Não vou explicar ou avaliar as teorias da vagueza aqui. Meu objetivo é introduzir e discutir o próprio problema, com o intuito de alcançar uma formulação clara do mesmo. Minha formulação tornará claro quais condições uma teoria ideal da vagueza deveria satisfazer, assim como os principais obstáculos para desenvolver teorias que satisfaçam estas condições.

Evans famosamente declarou que Frege não aceitou a possibilidade de sentido sem referente, o que significa que ele não foi tão tolerante com nomes vazios quanto comumente se pensa. Um problema central para a tese de Evans é que Frege diz explicitamente que aceita esta possibilidade, e parece que ele de fato foi tolerante com nomes vazios. Neste artigo, defendo que a solução de Evans para este problema implica que Frege estava comprometido com uma explicação implausível das frases contendo nomes (...) vazios. (shrink)

This paper leads us in reflections regarding the ontological status of a situation inspired by two main sources: the Zhuangzi--a multifarious compilation from Warring States China (ca. 4th c. BCE)--and José Ortega y Gasset's (1883-1955) Unas Lecciones de Metafísica (Some Lessons in Metaphysics)--the transcripts of a course on metaphysics by a Spanish philosopher of the early 20th century. Much as other ontologically subjective entities and events, situations do not preexist the intentional subject: instead, they are created alongside our act of (...) noticing. In Classical Chinese, shi , commonly rendered "propensity" and the closest the language comes to our concept of situation, denotes a dynamic process that incorporates the conscious subjective agent as well as other entities as constitutive elements. Here a situation is not reducible to the discrete phenomena and events that we can discern within a given space-time; rather, it necessitates our thinking about it to arise. These ontological reflections are important for a philosophy of action. They help us notice the role of attention in the creation of situations--as in the creation of worlds--hence the importance of understanding what the agent notices and fails to notice, what we privilege as worthy of our attention and what passes inadvertent among the world's plural affordances. The relational affordances that we actualize and reify as constituting a situation depend on what we are socialized and educated to see when looking at the world, thus situations and agents co-create one another over time. This acknowledgement is crucial to retrain our agency in order to illuminate our blind spots, overcome our uncritical certainties which generate absolutist tendencies, and move beyond fixed, reduced, and contingent corners from which to interpret the world. (shrink)

T. A. Heinrichs sustentou que a análise de Hobbes da experiência e do pensamento dá origem a um aparente paradoxo. O paradoxo consiste no fato de que Hobbes teria reivindicado descobertas que a sua teoria implica que não poderiam ser feitas. Para resolver o problema, Heinrichs argumenta que a teoria hobbesiana da experiência e pensamento deveria ser interpretada com base em sua teoria da linguagem, no sentido forte de que suas descobertas são de fato descobertas sobre a linguagem. Neste artigo (...) será defendido, contra Heinrichs, que a interpretação mais plausível é que Hobbes baseou sua análise da linguagem em sua analise do pensamento e experiência. Portanto, a solução de Heinrichs para o paradoxo deve ser rejeitada. (shrink)

Presents a unique view of the current state of development of bioethics in Latin America.

Este trabajo intenta resolver una tensión que existe en el modo en que Aristóteles concibe el apeiron de Anaximandro, la substancia a partir de la cual se genera el cosmos. En algunas partes del corpus, Aristóteles la presenta como un cuerpo básico que genera el cosmos por medio de un cambio de sus cualidades, pero en otras como un cuerpo compuesto de substancias básicas que el cual generaría el cosmos cuando éstas se separan la una de la otra. Como veremos, (...) sin embargo, sólo este segundo modelo es el que Aristóteles realmente le atribuye a Anaximandro. Al final, se propone una hipótesis respecto de quién podría ser entonces la persona, o grupo de personas, que Aristóteles tiene en mente cuando se refiere al primer modelo. (shrink)

The first contribution, by Mercedes Valmisa, begins by repositioning the Zhuangzi 莊子 as a whole within pre-Qin thought under the impact of newly excavated materials. Moving away from the traditional classification of texts according to schools, it focuses instead on varying approaches to life issues. Centering the discussion on life situations and changes we have no control over, including the unpredictable vagaries of fate (ming 命), it outlines several typical responses. One is adaptation, finding ways to go along with (...) what life demands, and even availing oneself of the new opportunities it brings about. Another is a turning inward, a focus on the inner self, holding on to ethical and other standards and making sure on does the right thing regardless of the outcomes of one's actions. While the former appears in several chapters of the Zhuangzi, notably in chapter 6, the latter is central to the Qiongda yishi 窮達以時 (Failure and Success Depend on Opportunity), a manuscript excavated at Guodian. However tempting it may be to characterize one approach as Daoist and the other as Confucian, they both appear within the Zhuangzi together with a third approach to fate, showing the fluidity of philosophical discussion and the futility of thinking along the lines of traditional boundaries. (shrink)

Early Chinese texts make us witnesses to debates about the power, or lack thereof, that humans had over the course of events, the outcomes of their actions, and their own lives. In the midst of these discourses on the limits of the efficacy of human agency, the notion of ming 命 took a central position. In this article, I present a common pattern of thinking about the relationship between the person and the world in early China. I call it the (...) reifying pattern because it consisted in thinking about ming as a hypostasized entity with object-like features. Although external and independent, ming was not endowed with human qualities such as the capacities for empathy, responsivity, and intersubjectivity. The reification of fate implied an understanding of ming as an external, amoral, and determining force that limited humans without accepting intercommunication with them, thereby causing feelings of alienation, powerlessness, and existential incompetence. I first show that the different meanings of ming hold a sense of prevailing external reality, and hence can be connected to the overarching meaning of fate. Then, I offer an account of the process of reification of fate in early China and its consequences, theoretical and practical, through cases study of received (Mengzi 孟子) and found (Tang Yu zhi dao 唐虞之道) texts. I end with some reflections on the implications of ming as a nonpersonal and nonsubjective type of actor for both early Chinese and twenty-first-century accounts of agency. (shrink)

Este artigo trata de três objeções à teoria do propósito. Essa teoria afirma que o único sentido que a nossa vida pode ter é satisfazer um propósito que Deus nos atribuiu. A primeira objeção que trabalharei afirma que seria incompatível com a bondade de Deus que Ele nos punisse por não cumprirmos o seu propósito. A segunda sugere que a oferta de um céu por cumprirmos o seu propósito seria ofensiva, poderia ser encarada como exploração. Por fim, a última é (...) a acusação feita por Kurt Baier de que o próprio fato de Deus nos atribuir um propósito seria ofensivo. Metz responde a essas três acusações em seu artigo "Poderá o propósito de Deus ser a única fonte de sentido para a vida?" acreditando escapar dessas acusações. Meu objetivo é mostrar que, embora Metz escape das duas primeiras, sua resposta ao argumento de Baier leva-o a ter que aceitar que Deus é injusto. (shrink)

In this paper, I explore the Presocratic antecedents of the Stoic theory of conflagration and argue that, even though three central theses of this theory have solid antecedents in Presocratic physics, the logical connection between them is a Stoic innovation. I label the Presocratics who hold these theses ‘Anaximandreans’ and include in this group Anaximander himself, Heraclitus and Diogenes of Apollonia, and reveal that Anaximenes, Democritus and Antiphon share with them central meteorological and cosmological assumptions.

It is agreed by most scholars that the Stoics were compatibilists regarding the relation between responsibility and determinism. On this view, the Stoics depart from two other positions. Unlike some eliminative determinists — labelled in modern discussions “hard-determinists”, but already active in Antiquity — they assert that, despite determinism, there are things that “depend on us”, or are : things for which we are genuinely responsible and for which, therefore, we may justifiably be praised or blamed. But the Stoics also (...) depart from the libertarian or “anti-determinist” 2 a position championed by the Epicureans in the early Hellenistic period and by Alexander of Aphrodisias on behalf of the Peripatetics, towards the end of the second century AD. Unlike the libertarian, who agrees on the incompatibility alleged by the hard-determinist, but preserves responsibility by rejectin necessitation, the Stoics preserve both responsibility and necessitation. (shrink)

The ἐκπύρωσις, or world's conflagration, followed by the restoration of an identical world seems to go against the rationality of the Stoic god. The aim of this paper is to show that Cleanthes, the second head of the School, can avoid this paradox. According to Cleanthes, the conflagration is an inevitable side-effect of the necessary means used by god to sustain the world. Given that this side-effect is contrary to god's sustaining activity, but unavoidable, god's rationality requires the restoration of (...) an identical world once the conflagration subsides. The paper also deals with the relation between Cleanthes and other early Stoics on the topic of conflagration. In particular, Cleanthes' position seems to differ from Chrysippus'. For in contrast with the Cleanthean god, who causes the conflagration as a side-effect only, the Chrysippean god, according to an influential interpretation put forward by Jaap Mansfeld, causes the conflagration as his ultimate cosmological goal. (shrink)

My goal in this paper is to present and analyze some versions of make-believe theories for singular negative existentials. I will quickly present Evans’ perspective and, in greater detail, the perspectives of Kroon and Walton. I will claim that neither Evans nor Walton provide the right account of the phenomenon of singular negative existentials, and that Kroon’s perspective is better than both. However, I will argue that the three theories have the same problem, which I call the problem of semantic (...) motivation. (shrink)

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-021-01218-9.

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