The purpose of this article is to offer arguments in favor of doing broad science, which means focusing on the investigation of everything, supported by the elaboration and application of methods that make it possible to objectify reality, which includes the attempt to replicate evidence likely to come from a transcendent reality. We argue that doing broad science depends on adopting the assumption that there are other dimensions of reality since this broadens the horizon of investigation; and to take care (...) that such assumption does not come to be left out due to the influence of intrusive lines of thought of the most diverse. Here we discuss three lines of thought showing fragility in them, which we understand to be well established in current times, especially in the academic environment, and which directly or indirectly advocate the adoption of a materialist vision, namely: the disconnected psychophysical dualism, the myopic pragmatism, and the primacy of epistemology over ontology. (shrink)

University of Turku, Finland In this article, relationalist approaches to social sciences are analyzed in terms of a conceptual distinction between "philosophizing sociology" and "sociologizing philosophy." These mark two different attitudes toward philosophical metaphysics and ontological commitments. The authors’ own pragmatist methodological relationalism of Deweyan origin is compared with ontologically committed realist approaches, as well as with Bourdieuan methodological relationalism. It is argued that pragmatist philosophy of social sciences is an appropriate tool for assisting social scientists in their methodological work, (...) especially as regards problem-driven case studies. Key Words: metaphysics • pragmatism • realism • relationalism. (shrink)

The article discusses the relevance of ontology, the metaphysical study of being, in social sciences through a comparison of three distinct outlooks: Roy Bhaskar's version of critical realism, a pragmatic realist approach the most renowned representatives of which are Rom Harré and Hilary Putnam, and the authors’ own synthesis of the pragmatist John Dewey's and the neopragmatist Richard Rorty's ideas, here called methodological relationalism. The Bhaskarian critical realism is committed to the heavy ontological furniture of metaphysical transcendentalism, resting on essentialist (...) presumptions of causality and social structures, tacitly creating a dualism between individuals and society. Pragmatic realists, for their part, carry much lighter metaphysical baggage than critical realists and, much in a pragmatist vein, accept the idea that social scientists should study society by studying social life—the interwoven activities of individuals. Nevertheless, pragmatic realists only reluctantly, if at all, renounce the subject–object dualism and its ontological implications. Drawing on the ideas of Donald Davidson and Richard Rorty, the writers outline their own antirepresentationalist, antiessentialist approach to social sciences. The proposed methodological relationalism is a pragmatist approach of Deweyan origin. Based on a Darwinian understanding of human beings as organisms trying to cope with their environment, it emphasises the insight that one can neither step outside one's own action, nor withdraw from the actor's point of view, just as one cannot cognitively step outside language. (shrink)

This article takes an evolutionary “reverse engineering” standpoint on Homo discens, learning man, to track down the mechanisms that played a pivotal role in the natural selection of human being. The approach is “evolutionary sociological”—as opposed to gene-centred or psychologising—and utilises notions of co-evolutionary organism–environment transactions and niche construction. These are compatible with a Deweyan theory of action, which entails that in action one cannot but learn and one can only learn in action. Special attention is paid to apprentice-like learning-by-doing (...) peculiar to human socio-cultural niches since the Pleistocene, which has permitted each subsequent generation to learn the many habits and skills needed in utilising the affordances of action that constitute their ecological niche. Affordances and actions have changed over the history of human–environment transactions, but the core mechanisms of human learning have not changed much. It is increasingly important to appreciate these mechanisms now in the global age “knowledge society,” which is in a way similar to the Pleistocene era: characterised by uncertainty and life-determining problem-situations without any ready-made solutions, it calls for capacities to adapt to changing circumstances, and thus apprentice-like learning in action supported by savvy epistemological engineering of learning environments. (shrink)

In this paper, two alternative naturalistic standpoints on the relations between language, human consciousness and social life are contrasted. The first, dubbed “intrinsic naturalism,” is advocated among others by the realist philosopher John Searle; it starts with intrinsic intentionality and consciousness emerging from the brain, explains language as an outgrowth of consciousness and ends with institutional reality being created by language-use. That standpoint leans on what may be described as the standard interpretation of Darwinian evolution. The other type of naturalism, (...) in contrast, making use of the concept of evolutionary niches, suggests that the search for the explanatory mechanisms of language and consciousness should begin with the human community, because that is the cultural niche for everything distinctively human to evolve, including language and human consciousness. (shrink)

BackgroundThe pursuit of sexual pleasure is a key motivating factor in sexual activity. Many things can stand in the way of sexual orgasms and enjoyment, particularly among women. These are essential issues of sexual well-being and gender equality.ObjectiveThis study presents long-term trends and determinants of female orgasms in Finland. The aim is to analyze the roles of factors such as the personal importance of orgasms, sexual desire, masturbation, clitoral and vaginal stimulation, sexual self-esteem, communication with partner, and partner’s sexual techniques.DesignIn (...) Finland, five national sex surveys that are based on random samples from the central population register have been conducted. They are representative of the total population within the age range of 18–54 years in 1971, 18–74 years in 1992, 18–81 years in 1999, 18–74 years in 2007, and 18–79 years in 2015. Another dataset of 2,049 women in the age group of 18–70 years was collected in 201... (shrink)

There are realist philosophers and social scientists who believe in the indispensability of social ontology. However, we argue that certain pragmatist outlines for inquiry open more fruitful roads to empirical research than such ontologizing perspectives. The pragmatist conceptual tools in a Darwinian vein—concepts like action, habit, coping and community—are in a particularly stark contrast with, for instance, the Searlean and Chomskian metaphysics of human being. In particular, we bring Searle's realist philosophy of society and mind under critical survey in this (...) paper and contrast it with a pragmatist, sociologizing approach. Drawing from Dewey, James, and recent antirepresentationalism, we propose for research work a methodological relationalism of its own kind, altogether detached from the ontologies of society and mind. (shrink)

Shape Dynamics is a radical yet soundly based reinterpretation of Einstein's theory of gravity that has opened up new approaches to gravity research. This text offers both a brief introduction and a detailed walk-through of the motivations for the theory, its development from first principles and an in-depth look at its present status.

Karl Popper and Paul Feyerabend were among the most influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century. Extensive studies have been dedicated to the development of their controversial relationship, which saw Feyerabend turning from a student and supporter of Popper to one of his harshest critics. Yet, it is not as well known that the rift between Popper and Feyerabend arose mainly in the context of their studies on the foundations of quantum mechanics, which has been the main subject of (...) their discussions for about two decades. This paper reconstructs in detail their diatribe over the foundations of quantum mechanics, emphasising also the major role that their personal relationship played in their distancing. (shrink)

The capability approach developed by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has become an important new paradigm in thinking about development. However, despite its theoretical and philosophical attractiveness, it has been less easy to measure or to translate into policy. This volume addresses these issues in the context of poverty and justice. Part I offers a set of conceptual essays that debate the strength of the often misunderstood individual focus of the capability approach. Part II investigates the techniques by which we can (...) measure and compare capabilities, and how we can integrate them into poverty comparisons and policy advice. Finally, Part III looks at how we can apply the capability approach to different regions and contexts. Written by a team of international scholars, The Capability Approach is a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students concerned with the debate over the value of the capability approach and its potential applications. (shrink)

This article examines the emerging field of today's superscience—biotechnology— within the context of the national innovation system of one small country, namely Finland. This context is explored primarily through the practices of one particular Finnish biotechnology center, BioCity. The Silicon Valley rhetoric, which every self-respecting technology project around the world seems to incorporate into its own vocabulary, is compared with the everyday “reality” of this biotechnology center. The article focuses on the implementation of technology policy, organized following the “triple helix” (...) model, in the field of biotechnology. Some comparisons with different countries are also made to give a picture of Finland in relation with the European life sciences industry. The article is concluded by a consideration of the future prospects of BioCity and Finnish biotechnology. (shrink)

The paper contains an axiomatic treatment of the intuitionistic theory of hereditarily finite sets, based on an induction axiom-schema and a finite set of single axioms. The main feature of the principle of induction used (due to Givant and Tarski) is that it incorporates Foundation. On the analogy of what is done in Arithmetic, in the axiomatic system selected the transitive closure of the membership relation is taken as a primitive notion, so as to permit an immediate adaptation of the (...) theory to cases of restricted induction (in particular primitive recursive induction). At the end of the paper several different forms of induction, which play an important role in the development of the theory, are compared. An alternative axiomatization of the theory, which is of intrinsic interest, is also discussed. (shrink)

Axel Honneth, em O direito da liberdade, apresenta uma crítica aos elementos problemáticos da liberdade jurídica desde sua primeira formulação, no século XVII, de caráter negativo, até um segundo momento, marcado pela ampliação dos direitos subjetivos, que transforma o espaço privado em um lugar de reflexão ética de onde derivam juízos de “bem” e de “justiça”. Como exemplo desde segundo momento, Honneth se vale do pensamento de John Stuart Mill. Ocorre que, mesmo reconhecendo a importância das teorizações millianas, Honneth insiste (...) em afirmar que a liberdade jurídica implica na constituição do sujeito como ator solitário dotado de objetivos estratégicos. Nossa proposta aqui é sugerir que ao se valer do pensamento de Mill para ilustrar sua reconstrução da noção de liberdade jurídica, e concluir por sua limitação, Honneth não alcança a extensão da proposta de filosofia social do autor inglês. A imbricação entre as noções de liberdade e igualdade em Mill permeia a esfera privada garantida pelos direitos individuais e introduz questões intersubjetivas no momento de reflexão ética. Ou seja, há claros elementos de influência do outro na determinação dos juízos morais legitimadores da ação social milliana. Visando explorar esta questão, procuramos, em um primeiro momento, identificar a crítica à insuficiência do reconhecimento de obrigações recíprocas entre os sujeitos que gozam de seus direitos individuais, para, em seguida, confrontarmos seus argumentos com as formulações de John Stuart Mill sobre o assunto. (shrink)

Within the field of systems theory, the term robustness has typically been applied to different contexts such as automatic control, genetic networks, metabolic pathways, morphogenesis, and ecosystems. All these systems involve either man-made machines, or living organisms. In this chapter, we will consider music as a peculiar complex system, involving both the realm of machines and the realm of biology. We will discuss some of the properties of music experience in terms of different attributes of robustness, focusing in particular on (...) stability, the property enabling a complex system to maintain its function against a wide range of external and internal changes. We will provide examples of the human ability of isolating and maintaining stable information within the perceptual flow and despite changes in the external world that reach our perceptions, leading towards a characterization of robustness in music perception as referred both to the search for regularities and to the range of tolerance that perception admits to regularities. Finally, we will list four multiple interaction cycles that typically characterize music experience and that involve both internal properties of the organism and the environment. (shrink)

A descoberta póstuma de escritos de Blaise Pascal tratando da religião cristã colocou um desafio a seus familiares e amigos: como editá-los? O presente artigo pretende realizar um estudo desse desafio e elaborar um quadro amplo das principais edições realizadas desde o século XVII, incluindo-se a edição de Allain Cantillon publicada em 2023. O propósito do presente artigo se subdivide, portanto, nos seguintes passos: (I) considerações históricas sobre a tarefa de editar os _Pensamentos_, (II) panorama das principais edições e, por (...) fim, (III e IV) descrição e análise da proposta editorial de Alain Cantillon. (shrink)

Tradução do fragmento "Infinito Nada" e de alguns fragmentos correlatos dos Pensamentos de Pascal.

A solidão tem sido descrita na literatura filosófica recente como uma emoção que envolve uma atitude de aprovação em relação a certos bens sociais, como companhia ou intimidade, juntamente com a consciência de sua temporária ou permanente inacessibilidade. Isso implica que a solidão é uma emoção essencialmente ligada à interação social, uma reação afetiva dolorosa à ausência de bens sociais. Neste artigo, buscamos demonstrar a existência de uma forma de solidão que pode ser chamada de solidão crônica. A solidão crônica (...) não envolve centralmente a falta de envolvimento social, mas sim uma dolorosa experiência intrapessoal de autoabsorção e uma sensação de não pertencimento ao mundo. Tal forma de solidão pode ser descrita não como uma emoção, mas como uma atmosfera afetiva - uma forma afetiva psicopatológica abrangente e de profundo significado moral em virtude do sofrimento emocional e existencial que provoca em seus portadores. Nesse artigo, oferecemos uma caracterização da estrutura da experiência corporal e da experiência de si na solidão crônica. Procuramos mostrar que, como uma atmosfera afetiva abrangente, a solidão crônica afeta nossa inserção corporificada no mundo - o mundo passa a aparecer como distante, não-envolvente ou ameaçador- e a experiência de si. Com ajuda de textos filosóficos, literários e estudos empíricos, argumentamos que essa sensação é vivenciada em contextos de eventos disruptivos, como a pandemia e na síndrome de estresse pós-traumático. (shrink)

Since the early days of humankind, people have been asking questions about Nature of two kinds: why did that happen? And how can that be used? In a broad sense, science was born that day. We show indeed that science has two complementary and interdependent souls that aim, respectively, to how to understand and how to control Nature. Through a broad historical analysis, this essay aims to (1) give an account of the development of science as an oscillation and an (...) interplay between its two intrinsic natures, (2) demonstrate that this happened already in ancient times starting from the 6th century BC, and (3) the fact that in different periods one of the two natures was largely favored over the other is a consequence of science being a cultural product of the different social-historical contexts. (shrink)

O texto intitulado Mudança estrutural da esfera pública, publicado em 1962 e que reproduz sua tese de habilitação, marca o início da multifacetada e complexa obra habermasiana. Ele configura, além disso, um dos conceitos centrais e estruturantes que acompanham a obra de Habermas como um todo. Dois anos mais tarde, em 1964, ele redigiu um novo texto, bastante resumido, sobre a esfera pública para um léxico, no qual condensa, reorganiza e, inclusive, remodela algumas idéias expostas na Mudança estrutural da esfera (...) pública de 1962. Tomei esse texto como guia para entender as ideias nem sempre tão claras expostas no texto de 1962. Deter-me-ei em quatro pontos: a) O conceito de esfera pública nesta fase inicial de seu pensamento. b) A correta compreensão do conceito de esfera pública implica uma análise histórica. c) O modelo liberal de esfera pública. d) A esfera pública nas democracias de massa do Estado social. (shrink)

< Segundo Ser e tempo, o cuidado, como ser do ser-aí, é definível pela expressão complexa “ser-já-precedentemente-a-si-em como ser-junto-a ”, a qual é apresentada deste modo no Parágrafo 41, que trata de “O ser do ser-aí como cuidado”. Nesta expressão, pretende Heidegger indicar cada um dos existenciais, e condição da correta compreensão do sentido desta estrutura é o entendimento de que há co-originariedade entre eles, isto é, de que a abertura de mundo só ocorre como resultado dos existenciais conjuntamente. Sem (...) pretender contestar tal co-originariedade entre os existenciais no que diz respeito à abertura de mundo, pretendemos apenas chamar a atenção para o fato de que tal condição da abertura não implica necessariamente que os caracteres do ser do ser-aí tenham que ser entendidos como simultaneamente genéticos na abertura, mas apenas da abertura, e que o ser do ser-aí como cuidado tem seu fundamento originário no carecer. Este último constitui os Em-virtude-de-quê? que determinam as disposições, a partir das quais vem a ser as totalidades conformativas estabelecidas, como significâncias, no compreender interpretativo, sendo ambos, disposição e compreender, articulados pela fala, com o que tem origem, então, abertura de mundo. Sendo assim, já que o ser do ser-aí é disposição compreensiva e falante no mundo, percebe-se por que se afirma aqui que o fundamento do cuidado como ser do ser-aí é o carecer. Contudo, só é possível dizer que o ser do ser-aí é o cuidado caso a angústia, disposição que corresponde ao saber da morte como compreender projetivo, se manifeste, própria ou impropriamente. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Ser-aí. Disposição. Compreender. Fala. Impessoal. Angústia. Cuidado. ABSTRACT According to Being and Time, care, as the being of Dasein, is definable by the complex expression “ahead-of-itself-Being-already-in- as Being-alongside ”, which is presented this way in Paragraph 41, that approaches “Dasein’s Being as Care”. Through this expression, Heidegger intends to point out each one of the existentialia, and as condition to the correct understanding of the meaning of this structure is the understanding of the fact that there is equiprimordiality among them, that is, that the world disclosedness only occurs as a result of the existentialia in conjunction. Without intending to contest this equiprimordiality among the existentialia with respect to the disclosedness of world, we just intend to call attention to the fact that this condition of the disclosedness does not necessarily mean that the characters of the Being of Dasein have to be understood as simultaneously genetic in the disclosedness, but only for the disclosedness, and that the being of Dasein as care has its original basis in the need. The latter constitutes the for-the-sake-ofwhich that determine the state-ofmind, from which the totality of involvements are established, as significance, in the interpretative understanding, where both – state-of-mind and understanding – are articulated by discourse, with which there is, therefore, the origin of world disclosedness. This way, as the being of Dasein is a discoursing and understanding state-of-mind in the world, it is possible to realize why it is said here that the basis of care as being of Dasein is the need. However, it is only possible to affirm that the being of beingthere is care if anxiety, the state-of-mind that corresponds to the awareness of death as a projective understanding, manifests itself, either properly or improperly. KEY WORDS – Dasein. State-of-mind. Understanding. Discourse. Anxiety. Care. (shrink)

A liberdade comunicativa constitui um pressuposto essencial da teoria do agir comunicativo, de Habermas. Ela tem a ver com a possibilidade de uma pessoa se posicionar criticamente quanto a pretensões de validade de um interlocutor, as quais acompanham inevitavelmente exteriorizações linguísticas. Este conceito se liga internamente ao de autoria responsável e de vontade livre. O presente artigo pretende chamar a atenção para a relevância dessa concepção de liberdade em duas esferas: em primeiro lugar, na área das pesquisas sobre o genoma (...) humano, sobre neurônios e sobre o cérebro humano, etc.; em segundo lugar, nos debates sobre as possibilidades e percalços de uma nova concepção de sociedade democrática. (shrink)

African migrants in Brazil suffer the perverse effects of xenophobia, in addition to experiencing racist behaviors. These processes also manifest themselves within the context of kindergarten centers and pre-schools, directly influencing the pedagogical approach, as well as the perceptions and conceptions surrounding being a black African person. In this context, this article aims to present the perception of early education teachers in the city of São Paulo about racialization processes in the sheltering and insertion of black African children of ages (...) between 0 and 5. In order to achieve the aim of this research, interviews were held with early education professionals from both the direct and indirect educational systems, so as to try and comprehend how these agents perceive the sheltering/insertion of migrant black African children. The analysis was made based on theoretical frameworks regarding childhood sociology, studies on migration and race relations. This work intends to enlarge the childhood and migration research fields, as well as research on the processes of racialization of African migrant children aged less than seven. (shrink)

A intolerância religiosa possui uma longa história. Na tradição cristã, a mais célebre justificativa do uso da força pelo poder temporal para promover a unidade da igreja foi elaborada por Agostinho (354-430) em alguns de seus tratados, cartas e sermões compostos ao longo da controvérsia donatista. Concentrando-se nas cartas relativas à coerção dos donatistas, especialmente na _Carta a Vicente_ e na _Carta a Bonifácio_, o presente artigo pretende examinar a justificativa agostiniana do uso da força pelo poder temporal para promover (...) a unidade da igreja com o intuito de explicar seu recurso às Escrituras. De maneira mais específica, almeja-se (i) identificar as principais passagens bíblicas que a embasam e (ii) demonstrar como elas se relacionam à concepção agostiniana (ii.a) da coerção e (ii.b) da relação entre poder temporal e igreja. A título de completude e clareza, pretende-se ainda (iii) propor uma breve história do donatismo e (iv) apresentar um quadro sinóptico, em apêndice, de todos os escritos agostinianos na controvérsia. Como de praxe na pesquisa em história da filosofia, a metodologia utilizada é a revisão bibliográfica. (shrink)

In the chapter "Of Identity and Diversity" of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke claims that justice is based on personal identity and that personal identity is based on consciousness. However, this view of justice leads to an impasse when the defendant alleges that he has no consciousness of the crime and, therefore, that he does not identify himself as the person who committed the crime: if it is not possible to determine that he is the one who committed the (...) crime, can we say that the punishment is just? This article seeks (i) to analyse the impasse exploring (a) its conceptual framework and (b) its development in the letters Molyneux and Locke exchanged in order (ii) to elaborate a criticism of Locke’s answer to it. Compared to the secondary bibliography, in which one objection to Locke’s answer is well established, the originality of this article consists in elaborating a new objection based on the distinction between the first and third person perspectives and in showing that, when questioned by Molyneux, Locke failed to discuss the conceptual issue necessary to give an adequate answer to the impasse. Keywords: Locke, Molyneux, personal identity, justice. (shrink)

Resenha de Gramsci em Quadrinhos, de Néstor Kohan e Rep.

O artigo propõe uma reflexão em torno aos desafios que emergem diante da luta pela preservação das comunidades tradicionais e populações originais dentro de um país onde impera o genocídio praticado nos espaços rurais a partir dos interesses de latifundiários, das grandes corporações do agronegócio exportador e de seus apoiadores.

Tipificación del "otro" en el espaciamiento cognitivo de la modernidad líquida según Zygmunt Bauman.

A creative attitude based on an “open mind approach” toward art, on a stylistic salience of images and on a continuative research of sense are the main features of Nespolo’s art. Many of his artworks are related to de Chirico’s artistic search. Many others are pervaded by a conceptualist approach to art. Nespolo’s formalist and visionary attitude becomes decisive in the 80s, the period in which he explores the effects of postmodernism in art. A topic in particular dominates his pictorial (...) production: that of museum, conceived as depository of forms. (shrink)

History -- Myth -- Dynamics of legitimation.

O objetivo do artigo é analisar a condução da política externa estadunidense com a China, entre 1890 e 1909, tomando como referencial a interpretação historiográfica dos autores revisionistas William Appleman Williams e Walter LaFeber. Propõe-se que o “anticolonialismo imperial” engendrado pelos Estados Unidos no processo de disputa pela abertura do mercado chinês está na origem dos conflitos com as tradicionais potências imperialistas. O trabalho explora, portanto, a tese historiográfica revisionista segundo a qual a política externa norte-americana radicada nos princípios da (...) “Open Door Policy” é fundamental para a compreensão de antagonismos que contribuíram para a Guerra Fria.The aim of the article is to analyze the conduct of US foreign policy with China between 1890 and 1909, taking as reference the historiographical interpretation of the revisionist authors William Appleman Williams and Walter LaFeber. It is proposed that the "imperial anticolonialism" engendered by the United States in the process of dispute over the opening of the Chinese market is at the origin of conflicts with the traditional imperialist powers. The paper thus explores the revisionist historiographical thesis that US foreign policy rooted in the principles of the Open Door Policy is fundamental to understanding the antagonisms that contributed to the Cold War. Resumen El objetivo del artículo es analizar la conducción de la política exterior estadounidense con China, entre 1890 y 1909, tomando como referencial la interpretación historiográfica de los autores revisionistas William Appleman Williams y Walter LaFeber. Se propone que el "anticolonialismo imperial" engendrado por Estados Unidos en el proceso de disputa por la apertura del mercado chino es el origen de los conflictos con las tradicionales potencias imperialistas. El trabajo explora, por lo tanto, la tesis historiográfica revisionista según la cual la política exterior norteamericana radicada en los principios de la "Open Door Policy" es fundamental para la comprensión de antagonismos que contribuyeron a la Guerra Fría. (shrink)