By assuming a deterministic evolution of quantum systems and taking realism into account, we carefully build a hidden variable theory for Quantum Mechanics based on the notion of ontological states proposed by ’t Hooft. We view these ontological states as the ones embedded with realism and compare them to the quantum states that represent superpositions, viewing the latter as mere information of the system they describe. Such a deterministic model puts forward conditions for the applicability of Bell’s inequality: the usual (...) inequality cannot be applied to the usual experiments. We build a Bell-like inequality that can be applied to the EPR scenario and show that this inequality is always satisfied by QM. In this way we show that QM can indeed have a local interpretation, and thus meet with the causal structure imposed by the Theory of Special Relativity in a satisfying way. (shrink)

The 1985 paper by Carlos Alchourrón, Peter Gärdenfors, and David Makinson, “On the Logic of Theory Change: Partial Meet Contraction and Revision Functions” was the starting-point of a large and rapidly growing literature that employs formal models in the investigation of changes in belief states and databases. In this review, the first twenty-five years of this development are summarized. The topics covered include equivalent characterizations of AGM operations, extended representations of the belief states, change operators not included in the original (...) framework, iterated change, applications of the model, its connections with other formal frameworks, computatibility of AGM operations, and criticism of the model. (shrink)

I argue against Matthew Slater’s rejection of what he calls the grounding claim in his stable property cluster account of natural kinds. This claim states that the epistemic value of natural kinds depends on the existence of some ground to bind together a kind’s properties. Using two test cases from academic medicine, I show that grounds are genuinely explanatory of scientific epistemic practices and that the SPC account should not do without them in its philosophical analysis of natural kinds.

Why do humpback whales sing? This paper considers the hypothesis that humpback whales may use song for long range sonar. Given the vocal and social behavior of humpback whales, in several cases it is not apparent how they monitor the movements of distant whales or prey concentrations. Unless distant animals produce sounds, humpback whales are unlikely to be aware of their presence or actions. Some field observations are strongly suggestive of the use of song as sonar. Humpback whales sometimes stop (...) singing and then rapidly approach distant whales in cases where sound production by those whales is not apparent, and singers sometimes alternately sing and swim while attempting to intercept another whale that is swimming evasively. In the evolutionary development of modern cetaceans, perceptual mechanisms have shifted from reliance on visual scanning to the active generation and monitoring of echoes. It is hypothesized that as the size and distance of relevant events increased, humpback whales developed adaptive specializations for long-distance echolocation. Differences between use of songs by humpback whales and use of sonar by other echolocating species are discussed, as are similarities between bat echolocation and singing by humpback whales. Singing humpback whales are known to emit sounds intense enough to generate echoes at long ranges, and to flexibly control the timing and qualities of produced sounds. The major problem for the hypothesis is the lack of recordings of echoes from other whales arriving at singers immediately before they initiate actions related to those whales. An earlier model of echoic processing by singing humpback whales is here revised to incorporate recent discoveries. According to the revised model, both direct echoes from targets and modulations in song-generated reverberation can provide singers with information that can help them make decisions about future actions related to mating, traveling, and foraging. The model identifies acoustic and structural features produced by singing humpback whales that may facilitate a singer’s ability to interpret changes in echoic scenes and suggests that interactive signal coordination by singing whales may help them to avoid mutual interference. Specific, testable predictions of the model are presented. (shrink)

Vector logic is a mathematical model of the propositional calculus in which the logical variables are represented by vectors and the logical operations by matrices. In this framework, many tautologies of classical logic are intrinsic identities between operators and, consequently, they are valid beyond the bivalued domain. The operators can be expressed as Kronecker polynomials. These polynomials allow us to show that many important tautologies of classical logic are generated from basic operators via the operations called Type I and Type (...) II products. Finally, it is described a matrix version of the Fredkin gate that extends its properties to the many-valued domain, and it is proved that the filtered Fredkin operators are second degree Kronecker polynomials that cannot be generated by Type I or Type II products. (shrink)

This work-in-progress aims to explain as accurately as possible the philosophical meaning given by Wittgenstein to the silence in both of his major books, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, and the Philosophical Investigations. REMARKS ARE WELL RECEIVED.

Regarding the linguistic turn in History of Ideas, there are logical topics to be considered in order to increase the accuracy of reconstruccions oriented to describe and explain conceptual formations of the past. This paper propose an overview of these topics and a methodological approach to deal with its difficulties.

El Libro de Arena, de J. L. Borges imagina un libro poblado de infinitas páginas. Esta infinidad se manifiesta de varias formas, cada una de las cuales puede ser asimilada con alguna propiedad de los conjuntos numéricos. Exploraremos dicha similitud y veremos emerger el Libro de Arena como un símbolo complejo, pero no autónomo. En efecto, no sólo el libro y sus páginas, sino asimismo los personajes y cada elemento puesto en escena se articulan en el desarrollo del relato y (...) allí pierden su apariencia de objetos para revelarse como funciones en la producción del sentido final. (shrink)

María Pía Lara's two books, La Democracia como proyecto de identidad ética and Moral Textures: Feminist Narratives in the Public Sphere are described and analyzed. Her contribution to a feminist left-Habermasian theory of the relationship between the aesthetic dimension and the political imaginary are discussed. Questions and concerns, however, are raised regarding the assumptions of universal pragmatics and Lara's attempt to offer a positive reading of the dependence of the political imaginary on literary acts and genres.

En este artículo se expondrá en primer lugar la crítica de Badiou sobre el sujeto humanista y su propio concepto de sujeto, un sujeto que está claramente inspirado en Lacan pero que va más allá de la subjetivación de la falta de este. Luego me dirigiré al colega de Badiou en el campo antihumanista, Slavoj Žižek, y su crítica lacaniana de Badiou. Se afirmará que es su interpretación diferente del Real lacaniano lo que explica la disputa subyacente entre ellos. Mientras (...) que el sujeto de Žižek es infundado, por otro lado, la concepción de Badiou de forzar lo Real confiere al sujeto un grado de consistencia que facilita la articulación de proyectos políticos específicos. (shrink)

O objetivo do presente artigo é o de apresentar o tema do misticismo quântico, até então negligenciado pela maioria dos epistemólogos, como um assunto, ao mesmo tempo instigante, também desafiador. Quando as posições místicas nascem de interpretações científicas legítimas, portanto, conciliadoras com a ciência, a exemplo de muitos aspectos do antirrealismo de muitas interpretações ortodoxas da mecânica quântica, tratam-se tão somente de problemas epistêmicos para os quais reflexões e elucidações são exigidas, mas que não comprometem o poder preditivo e de (...) aplicação da teoria. Por outro lado, quando tais posições passam a ser desafiadoras da ciência, aí temos um desafio que nos é imposto para o qual soluções são exigidas. É justamente esse momento que estamos vivenciando no interior da ciência física: um emaranhado de teorias místicas que sequer tangenciam as finalidades e identidade da teoria quântica se colocam como se fossem verdades. Cabe à própria teoria quântica, contudo, refletir sobre o seu percentual de comprometimento com esse estado de coisas, visto de sua conformidade histórica com atitudes de indeterminação, incerteza, descontinuidade e falta de nexo causal. (shrink)

There are a considerable number of logics that do not seem to share the same inferential principles. Intuitionistic logics do not include the law of the exclude.

This paper raises the question under what circumstances a plurality forms a set. My main point is that not always all things form sets. A provocative way of presenting my position is that, as a result of my approach, there are more pluralities than sets. Another way of presenting the same thesis claims that there are ways of talking about objects that do not always collapse into sets. My argument is related to expressive powers of formal languages. Assuming classical logic, (...) I show that if all plurality form a set and the quantifiers are absolutely general, then one gets a trivial theory. So, by reductio, one has to abandon one of the premiss. Then, I argue against the collapse of the pluralities into sets. What I am advocating is that the thesis of collapse limits important applications of the plural logic in model theory, when it is assumed that the quantifiers are absolutely general. (shrink)

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion.

En este trabajo, me propongo discutir la plausibilidad de la tesis de que es posible captar las características modales del concepto intuitivo de consecuencia a través de un concepto de consecuencia definido generalizando sobre interpretaciones. Desde mi perspectiva, las argumentaciones que han ofrecido aquellos que, como Ray, quieren salvar el salto de lo general a lo modal, mostrando que hay suficientes interpretaciones como para representar las características modales de la noción preteórica de consecuencia, poseen un mismo tipo de limitación. La (...) misma es producto de la imposibilidad de contar con una interpretación de los cuantificadores suficientemente general como para abarcar sin restricción contextual alguna, la totalidad de las interpretaciones. Al mismo tiempo, sostengo que estos problemas están emparentados con los límites expresivos propios de la estrategia que intenta ofrecer una teoría matemática precisa del concepto de interpretación por medio de algún tipo de cuantificación sobre estructuras (sean estas conjuntistas o no). Por eso, tales límites expresivos no tienen que ver especialmente con los rasgos modales propiamente dichos del concepto de consecuencia, sino con la cuantificación irrestricta que el análisis requeriría para ser adecuado. (shrink)

Note on Lacey's "The Constitutive Values of Science".

En Paradojas, Paradojas y mas Paradojas se analiza de modo claro y preciso un problema fundamental: Que es una paradoja y cual es su importancia en la filosofia contemporanea? El libro pone al alcance del lector no especializado una seleccion de las paradojas mas conocidas e inquietantes, y realiza un analisis y discusion que permite que el lector pueda tener una comprension profunda de ellas y de las alternativas que surgen frente a ellas. Las paradojas son un fenomeno multidisciplinario: la (...) verdad, la racionalidad, el conocimiento, la justificacion y el infinito son algunos de los conceptos que en diferentes campos del saber han sido afectados por ellas. (shrink)

Voltaire teve um importante papel na disseminação do newtonianismo no continente europeu. Mas também ele foi responsável pela tentativa mais direta de estender a autoridade de Newton a outros temas filosóficos, além daqueles relativos à matemática e à física. O livro La Métahysique de Newton , publicado em 1740, é uma prova disso. Neste artigo, o livro de Voltaire é analisado a partir do contexto das polêmicas entre partidários de Newton e de Leibniz. Procura-se identificar nexos entre o projeto esboçado (...) no La Métaphysique e as especulações de Hume e de Kant sobre os problemas metafísicos da teoria newtoniana da gravitação universal. (shrink)

Belnap and Gupta have recently maintained that truth is a circular concept: its extension cannot be established without being previously hypothesized. This has led Yaqub to claim that the circular character in question cannot be made compatible with the thesis that semantic properties tlre supervenient ones. Belnap and Gupta have explicitly denied sitch a claim any plausibility. In this paper, I offir some new arguments in support of Yaqub 's position. Such arguments are based on an analysis of some aspects (...) of Belnap and Gupta's theory that, as for as I know, had not been considered before. (shrink)

Este ensayo propone las tesis siguientes. i) Se ha producido un cambio de conciencia de nuestro pasado filosófico en los últimos decenios. ii) A ello ha contribuido tanto la asimilación de la filosofía continental y anglosajona como la investigación sobre la filosofía española llevada a cabo en las universidades de Madrid, Granada, Murcia, Oviedo, Salamanca, entre otras. iii) La filosofía española tiene un futuro prometedor tanto en investigación como en docencia.

La Lógica y la Filosofía de la ciencia constituyen disciplinas centrales en la filosofía de nuestro siglo. Y, aunque insuficientemente divulgadas entre el gran público en nuestro país, su peso específico en los ambientes académicos e investigadores va aumentando de día en día. Este volumen de homenaje a R. Carnap y H. Reichenbach, figuras centrales en la conformación de la filosofía de la ciencia, recoge las principales intervenciones de investigadores españoles y extranjeros en un encuentro que, en su honor, se (...) celebró a finales del año 1991. Incluye asimismo muestras significativas de investigaciones que se están realizando en España en la actualidad en los campos de la lógica clásica y multivariada. La teoría de la argumentación, la teoría de la probabilidad, la filosofía de la ciencia en general y en particular, la filosofía de la economía. Finalmente, debido al fallecimiento en aquel año de una de las personalidades más importantes de la filosofía española, J. Ferrater Mora, se incluye un pequeño homenaje que recuerda tanto el talante del filósofo como su obra. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar la importancia de los líderes africanos en la política exterior de sus países. A partir de una revisión comprehensiva de literatura especializada, se evidencia la intrascendencia en África de los marcos teóricos tradicionales del análisis de política exterior, los cuales se basan principalmente en la experiencia diplomática de las grandes potencias. En el contexto de los países africanos, por el contrario, la unidad decisoria final no está institucionalizada, por lo cual la visión de (...) mundo de los líderes se transforma en prácticamente la única referencia para la fijación de la estrategia internacional y el interés nacional. (shrink)

Resumo: A indústria da informação é um dos mais importantes ramos das atividades humanas na civilização moderna, orientando as decisões governamentais, a publicidade, as estratégias das empresas, enfim, abrangendo toda a produção de riqueza e bem estar no mundo atual. Quem hoje pode passar sem informação? Profissionalmente em qualquer atividade, o mais simples homem do campo é atento ao noticiário do seu rádio de pilha para verificar, por exemplo, a previsão do tempo, bem como o mais moderno executivo de uma (...) grande empresa, decidindo a estratégia da mesma, precisa de informação. É mister ressaltar que a busca de informação sempre foi, através dos tempos, uma necessidade preponderante das civilizações, mas o fato a ser destacado, a partir dos anos 50 do nosso século, é que a informação, com o advento do computador, se tomou muito mais ágil, precisa e dinâmica. Num mundo onde antes a informação fluía lentamente, com o computador e mais com a telemática - simbiose das tecnologias de informática e comunicação - o uso da informação ganha uma dinâmica nunca antes pensada. [...] Palavras-chave: informática; indústria da informação; mundo atual. (shrink)

Many scientists have argued forcefully for the pointlessness of nature, something that challenges any doctrine of Creation. However, apparent design and comprehensibility are also to be found in nature; it is ambivalent. This trait is nowhere more evident than in the natural inclinations that lead to concupiscence and the “seven deadly sins” in human beings. These inclinations are dealt with as pertaining to the “pre-fallen” condition of nature and human beings. As a framework to make sense of the goodness of (...) creation in this context, Paul Tillich's notion of the “vital trends of nature” is called to the fore. Being at the intersection of a philosophy of religion and a philosophy of nature, this notion hints at the goodness of Creation in fragment and anticipation. -/- . (shrink)

This monography provides an overview of the conceptual developments that leads from the traditional views of infinite (and their paradoxes) to the contemporary view in which those old paradoxes are solved but new problems arise. Also a particular insight in the problem of continuity is given, followed by applications in theory of computability.

This essay is a review of Peter McLaren's most recent work, Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Pedagogy Against Empire. The essay situates McLaren's work in the philosophical tradition of Marxist Humanism, with reference specifically to Raya Dunayevskaya and Paulo Freire. Despite invoking the work of Dunayevskaya as a foundation for his own project, McLaren does not offer a robust explication of this important thinker, nor of the Hegelian‐Marxist discourse she embraced. Here, as in much of McLaren's work, the reader is (...) not offered rigorous analysis of his philosophical assumptions. The dearth of such analysis, this essay argues, compromises the critical thrust of McLaren's work. In turn, the essay sketches a framework for unpacking the Marxist Humanist paradigm, and, thereby, rethinking the philosophical foundations of contemporary critical pedagogy. (shrink)

Educational Theory, Volume 72, Issue 1, Page 109-117, February 2022.