Our thought and talk are situated. They do not take place in a vacuum but always in a context, and they always concern an external situation relative to which they are to be evaluated. Since that is so, François Recanati argues, our linguistic and mental representations alike must be assigned two layers of content: the explicit content, or lekton, is relative and perspectival, while the complete content, which is absolute, involves contextual factors in addition to what is explicitly represented. Far (...) from reducing to the context-independent meaning of the sentence-type or, in the psychological realm, to the 'narrow' content of mental representations, the lekton is a level intermediate between context-invariant meaning and full propositional content. Recognition of that intermediate level is the key to a proper understanding of context-dependence in language and thought. Going beyond the usual discussions of indexicality and unarticulated constituents in the philosophy of language, Recanati turns to the philosophy of mind for decisive arguments in favour of his approach. He shows, first, that the lekton is the notion of content we need if we are to properly understand the relations between perception, memory, and the imagination, and second, that the psychological 'mode' is what determines the situation the lekton is relative to. In this framework he provides a detailed account of de se thought and the first person point of view. In the last part of the book, Recanati discusses the special freedom we have, in discourse and thought, to shift the situation of evaluation. He traces that freedom to a special mode - the anaphoric mode - which enables us to go beyond the egocentric stage of pre-human thought. (shrink)

To systematically answer the generalized Kretschmann objection, I propose a mean to make operational a criterion widely recognized as allowing one to decide whether the gauge symmetry of a theory is artificial or substantial. My proposition is based on the dressing field method of gauge symmetry reduction, a new simple tool from mathematical physics. This general scheme allows one in particular to straightforwardly argue that the notion of spontaneous symmetry breaking is superfluous to the empirical success of the electroweak theory. (...) Important questions regarding the context of justification of the theory then arise. (shrink)

François Jullien, the leading philosopher and specialist in Chinese thought, has always aimed at building on inter-cultural relations between China and the West. In this new book he focuses on the following questions: Do universal values exist? Is dialogue between cultures possible? To answer these questions, he retraces the history of the concept of the universal from its invention as an aspect of Roman citizenship, through its neutralization in the Christian idea of salvation, to its present day manifestations. This raises (...) the question of whether the search for the universal is a uniquely Western preoccupation: do other cultures, like China, even have a notion of the universal, and if so, how does it differ from ours? Having considered the meaning of the concept in the East and West, Jullien argues that, if communication between cultures is to be meaningful, facile assumptions of universal values and complacent relativism need to be examined. It follows, therefore, that dialogue between cultures should not begin with issues of identity and difference, but rather by considering divergence and profusion. By no longer simply assuming universality, we allow for greater self-reflection. This wide-ranging and engaging study will be of particular interest to students and scholars of philosophy and of Chinese culture and society. It will also appeal to a wider readership interested in contemporary thought and the challenges of communication between East and West. (shrink)

Biological objects are often constructive dynamic systems whose structures evolve as a consequence of their internal dynamics, which in turn is affected by the overall structure. As very few tools are presently adapted to tackle constructive dynamic systems, they constitute fascinating challenges for modeling/simulation. In cell biology, the secretory process in eukaryotic cells corresponds to this type of system, as it appears to autonomously generate new structures as a result of its molecular dynamics. Here I briefly review the only documented (...) case of a membrane-bounded intracellular compartment whose very existence strictly depends on its continued functioning. Indeed, the Golgi apparatus of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae appears at steady-state as a continuously renewed set of transitory membrane-bounded structures that self-mature, rather than as a permanent entity. On the basis of this case and of recent advances in related molecular studies, a detailed model is proposed, that encompasses the birth of a yeast Golgi element and bridges its molecular and morphogenetic aspects. This model is extended to briefly outline three evolutionary inventions, from S. cerevisiae to another yeast, Pichia pastoris, on to plant, and on to animal cells: stacking, stabilizing and aggregating the primary Golgi elements. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:The Renaissance Crisis of ExemplarityFrançois Rigolot“Every example is lame” (Tout exemple cloche), acknowledged Montaigne in the last chapter of his Essais. 1 Was this the moaning of a lone, disillusioned skeptic or the idiosyncratic formulation of a widely shared attitude of mistrust at the end of the sixteenth century? To answer this question one must first examine the epistemological status of examples at the end of the period we (...) still conventionally call the “Renaissance”; and this is the purpose of this group of papers. 2In his work on the notion of exemplum in early modern France and Italy John D. Lyons helped restore the concept of exemplarity to its central place in the history of rhetoric. 3 From Aristotle’s paradeigmata—simple case stories at the orator’s disposal (Rhetoric 1.2. 1356b)—to Montaigne’s “lame” exemples—contingent instances unfit for demonstrative purposes (Essais III, 13, 1070)—the rhetorical impulse has followed strangely circuitous ways. Part of the confusion is probably due to the transformation of technical language under the pressure of common usage. Throughout the early modern period, while the Latin word exemplum continued to refer to rhetorical practice (an illustrative anecdote with a moral point), its vernacular derivatives (esempio, ejemplo, exemple, etc.) generally had a broader, looser, and less didactic meaning, as the emphasis was displaced to the “narrative” aspect of instances, regardless of their intentionality. In other words, although examples were often used to illustrate a didactic point, they differed from exempla inasmuch as they were not always meant to serve a demonstrative purpose.Of course, to the extent that choosing an example necessarily involves some form of selective process from a larger quantity of material, every instance is [End Page 557] bound to entertain a metonymic relation with a greater whole. But, etymologically, an example (essample, in Old French spelling) is a sample, one thing merely alleged to resemble another one, not a demonstrative tool. Yet in his Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues (London, 1611), Randle Cotgrave gave polysemous English equivalents for exemple and exemplaire:Exemple: 1) An example, sample, patterne, or president [sic] to follow; 2) a copie, or counterpane of a writing; 3) one thing alledged to prove, or inforce another that resembles it.Exemplaire: 1) A patterne, sample, or sampler; 2) an example, president [sic] or precedent, for others to follow, or to take heed by; 3) also, the copie, or counterpane of a writing. 4There is an odd mixture of demonstrative and non-demonstrative connotations. The two seemingly interchangeable words receive tripartite definitions, with the three meanings of exemple corresponding to the three of exemplaire.In Renaissance humanistic oratory the evocation of examples was often a simple matter of style. For better elocutory purposes public speakers were encouraged to use graphic case stories to make their speeches more appealing and enjoyable, but orators also used what they called exemplars (Latin exemplaria) to provide their audience with models of conduct to imitate. Worthiness was the ultimate criterion for exemplarity. Cato and Socrates were living symbols of moral determination and courage. They became powerful exemplars of ancient “virtue,” or moral fortitude (Latin virtus; Italian virtù). In the selective process of arguments (inventio), they were chosen because they exemplified a specific attitude or line of conduct: they were, by definition, exemplary examples. 5In the Renaissance the uplifting reading of ancient exemplars was closely related to the doctrine of imitatio, the sacrosanct recourse to inherited cultural models. At the same time the appeal of mimesis, characterized by the actual experience of the real world in reaction to scholastic insularity, greatly problematized the reception of ancient models. Whereas a long-held reverence for the imitative power of traditional exempla offered compelling patterns of moral conduct, the new attractiveness of a more “natural” mimetic discourse [End Page 558] tended to turn the study of models away from duplication. 6 In the face of the inexhaustible diversity and unpredictability of human actions, how can we choose a proper model after which to pattern our own behavior? This is one of the many questions raised by the humanist’s disenchantment with imitative symbols of moral conduct.In recent years the concept... (shrink)

Given sets and a regular cardinal μ, let be the statement that for any function, there are functions and such that for all,. In, the statement is false. However, we show the theory (which is implied by + “” + “ω1 is measurable”) implies that for every there is a such that in some inner model, κ is measurable with Mitchell order.

History is the child of narrative. It is not defined by an object of study, but rather by a type of narration. To say that history studies time means no more than that it arranges all of its objects of study in a temporal framework: to make history is to tell a story.

Cyberneticians define information and the quantity of information in mathematical terms, apprehending them independently from their meaning. When they put aside their conceptualizations and symbolizations, foreign to the semantic content of messages, we see them hesitant about their domain of prospection.

The changes in technology applied by industry, whose rhythm has been ever accelerating in the course of the last decades, have destabilized institutions in western societies: they change the meaning of these institutions, and modify their efficacity, without our collective awareness, and without our jettisoning the ballast of inertia and social anachronism. The techniques of industrialization which incomparably endow the great nations and national empires, and which the infant nations desire with a sure instinct, give rise to profound contradictions in (...) the traditional doctrine and practice of national sovereignty. (shrink)

Dans le texte delphique publié BCH 118 (1994), p. 99-112, le dispositif stoichédon peut être exactement défini (30 lettres à la ligne, à une lettre près, suivant la coupe syllabique). Dans ce cadre bien assuré, les restitutions sont immédiates et les articles deviennent intelligibles : protection de certains territoires ; exemption de taxes portuaires pour le personnel amphictionique en mission ; réception des dépôts à la banque d'Apollon (or et argent monnayés ; métaux bruts).

This is an English translation of the French editor's preface to The Evolution of the Problem of Freedom, which is the first course Bergson taught as the chair in the “History of Modern Philosophy” at the Coll è ge de France.

Although this analysis tackles the immense question of political terrorism, it nevertheless has limited ambitions. It treats only that part of terrorist movements whose primary object is the destruction of modern liberal democracy and its institutions. It analyzes only the Italian Red Brigades and the German Fractional Red Army, not Irish, Basque, Corsican, or Palestinian terrorism. Actually, the destruction of physical objects or the murder of human beings which characterizes this political practice generally takes as its goal and justification those (...) political or national rights which have until now been denied by the authority against which the attack is directly or indirectly aimed. (shrink)

The theory of living beings as machines of nature and the conception of composite substances endowed with conjoined souls, entelechies, or monads, as well as that of organic bodies, were solidified over the course of the transformations of Leibniz's thought that issued in the New System of Nature. On this basis, the monadological versions of a system of nature centered upon the integrated organization ad infinitum of living beings were gradually articulated. Leibniz aimed to spell out a science, or physiology (...) of vital processes, that would be, as much as possible, in agreement with the epistemological exigencies of the complex metaphysical model that he had elaborated. On the one hand, Leibniz offers a critical evaluation of the methodological options that divide the allegiances of the physicians and naturalists who are his contemporaries; what is more, he determines the profile of the analyses and explications that are to be promoted. For This double preoccupation translates into the scientific exchanges and correspondences that accompany the construction of the theory of organic bodies as constituents of machines of nature. The author focuses on the particular case of the propositions concerning the science of the living that stem from his reaction to the work of Georg Ernst Stahl. (shrink)

Cet article met en débat deux méthodes d’analyse des compléments du verbe en grammaire scolaire : l’analyse traditionnelle en compléments d’objet et compléments circonstanciels et l’analyse en compléments « du verbe » et « de phrase » de ce qu’on appelle la « nouvelle grammaire ». Il porte un regard critique sur le point de vue de la nouvelle grammaire et défend celui de la grammaire traditionnelle en montrant notamment que, pour peu qu’on n’en déforme pas la définition initiale, celle-ci (...) met en œuvre une technique d’analyse conforme aux méthodes de la linguistique moderne. (shrink)

Although it was influential for several hundred years after it first appeared, doubts about the authenticity of the Platonic Alcibiades I have unnecessarily impeded its interpretation ever since. It positions itself firmly within the Platonic and Socratic traditions, and should therefore be approached in the same way as most other Platonic dialogues. It paints a vivid portrait of a Socrates in his late thirties tackling the unrealistic ambitions of the youthful Alcibiades, urging him to come to know himself and to (...) care for himself. François Renaud and Harold Tarrant re-examine the drama and philosophy of Alcibiades I with an eye on those interpreters who cherished it most. Modern scholars regularly play down one or more of the religious, erotic, philosophic or dramatic aspects of the dialogue, so ancient Platonist interpreters are given special consideration. This rich study will interest a wide range of readers in ancient philosophy. (shrink)

This paper is concerned with the modeling of neural systems regarded as information processing entities. I investigate the various dynamic regimes that are accessible in neural networks considered as nonlinear adaptive dynamic systems. The possibilities of obtaining steady, oscillatory or chaotic regimes are illustrated with different neural network models. Some aspects of the dependence of the dynamic regimes upon the synaptic couplings are examined. I emphasize the role that the various regimes may play to support information processing abilities. I present (...) an example where controlled transient evolutions in a neural network, are used to model the regulation of motor activities by the cerebellar cortex. (shrink)

We are frequently asking ourselves today about the role of the historian in a rapidly changing world. Some expect the past provide them with an explanation or a justification of the present. Others search in history for the basic roots of identity or even for keys to the future. More than ever we are being faced with what Lucien Febvre perceived to be the social function of the historian: “to organize the past as a function of the present.” From this (...) arises a responsibility toward society, as the knowledge that is being produced gains its authenticity through being stamped as officially “scientific.” Faced with the expectations of society and the attention of the public, the historian has been called upon to disentangle events and to furnish a guiding thread, frequently by blending his role as a critic with a civic and an ethical one. Even when we are not dealing with the attempt to set up the historian, through an appeal to his great expertise, as the licensed sage in town, it must be stressed that assuming the rostrum in response to the questions of the time is-provided that the rules of the discipline are strictly adhered to-perfectly legitimate in that it provides history with signifiant depth. (shrink)

Open peer commentary on the article “Examining the Role of Re-Presentation in Mathematical Problem Solving: An Application of Ernst von Glasersfeld’s Conceptual Analysis” by Victor V. Cifarelli & Volkan Sevim. Upshot: The value of Cifarelli & Sevim’s target article lies in the analysis of how reflective abstraction contributes to the description of mathematical learning through problem solving. The additional value of the article lies in its emphasis of some aspects of the learning process that goes beyond radical constructivist learning theory. (...) I will look for common ground between the humanist philosophy of mathematics and radical constructivism. By doing so, I want to stress two converging elements: (i) the move away from traditionalist ontological positions and (ii) the central role of the students’ activity in the learning process. (shrink)

Τα θραύσματα κεραμικής που εξετάζονται εδώ, προέρχονται, στην πλειονότητα τους, από την επιφανειακή έρευνα στην πεδιάδα των Μαλίων. Το ενδιαφέρον των οστράκων αυτών, συχνά πολύ φθαρμένων, βρίσκεται στην προέλευση τους : graffûa arcaica προερχόμενα από μεσαιωνικά εργαστήρια της πεδιάδας του Πάδου και οθωμανική κεραμική από τα Δαρδανέλια και τη Θράκη.

Une conférence que Scheler prononça en 1926, intitulée « Leib und Seele » (« Le corps et l?âme »), contient le propos suivant : F. Nietzsche, Bergson, Simmel, Dilthey, l?activisme ( Aktivismus ) et toutes les variétés ( Spielarten ) d?un nouveau pragmatisme, la mauvaise philosophie de la vie ( Lebensphilosophie ) dans son ensemble, puisqu?on l?appelle ainsi, ont présenté ce courant selon la rationalité philosophique (voyez la philosophie de la vie [ Philosophie des Lebens ], voyez Rickert ; « (...) la grande raison du corps et la petite raison de notre conscience »). L?homme comme société hiérarchisée ( Gesellschaftsb [?]) de pulsions ( Trieben ) 1 . Il est question de l?intérêt de la jeunesse, dans tous les pays, pour le sport, la danse, la « force et la beauté » ( die ?Kraft und Schönheit? ) 2 . Un tel intérêt serait solidaire d?une horreur pour les valeurs de l?esprit conscient ainsi que pour une société mécaniste du travail. Tout cela, Scheler le nomme la « manière d?être dionysiaque » ( dionysischer Zug ) 3 . Les trois principaux thèmes de la critique adressée par Scheler à Nietzsche et Bergson sont présents ici : la théorie de la connaissance (il est question d?un « pragma­tisme »), l?ontologie de la vie (c?est à une certaine « philosophie de la vie » que Scheler s?en prend) et l?anthropologie (c?est une conception déterminée de l?homme qui est impliquée par la. (shrink)

Cet article poursuit un objectif méthodologique, la présentation comparée de trois modes de représentation de la polysémie d’un item : grille, carte et arbre sémasioogique et son illustration autour d’un phylum étymologique, celui du verbe latin tornare qui est à la source, entre autres des verbes français tourner, italien tornare et anglais to turn et de leurs dérivés et composés. Dans l’éventail des sens et des constructions des trois verbes, tourner occupe une position intermédiaire, mais se révèle plus proche de (...) to turn que de l’italien tornare. A partir du sens unique du verbe latin (« fabriquer sur un tour de pottier ») chacun des trois verbes à configuré son espace sémantique en fonction de l’ensemble de ses concurrents, y compris les verbes morphologiquement apparentés. (shrink)

El primer enfoque del artículo consiste en un análisis y una interrogación sobre el uso del término voluntad en el estoicismo y su traducción en griego. Dicho análisis revela que la expresión actividad voluntaria traduce plenamente la especificidad de este sistema del mundo que es la filosofía del pórtico. Luego, el ejercicio mismo de la filosofía, que es una puesta en práctica de los saberes físicos, lógicos y éticos, se observa a través de cada una de las meditaciones del emperador (...) como un esfuerzo para cultivar la parte principal del alma. Así, la perfección interior lograda incluye un sentimiento de hermandad humana y de solidaridad cósmica vinculado con uno de los dogmas esenciales de la escuela: el vivir de acuerdo con la naturaleza. (shrink)

This edited collection of essays brings together the leading experts in the field of cultural and philosophical studies to tackle many of the questions still being asked about Jean Francois Lyotard. Contributors include Barry Smart, John O'Neill and Victor J. Seidler with subjects ranging from Lyotard's writings on justice and politics of difference, on feminism, youth, judaism as well as a chapter devoted to his early writings.