The iconoclastic Brazilian anthropologist and theoretician Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, well known in his discipline for helping initiate its “ontological turn,” offers a vision of anthropology as “the practice of the permanent decolonization of thought.” After showing that Amazonian and other Amerindian groups inhabit a radically different conceptual universe than ours—in which nature and culture, human and nonhuman, subject and object are conceived in terms that reverse our own—he presents the case for anthropology as the study of such “other” (...) metaphysical schemes, and as the corresponding critique of the concepts imposed on them by the human sciences. Along the way, he spells out the consequences of this anthropology for thinking in general via a major reassessment of the work of Claude Lévi-Strauss, arguments for the continued relevance of Deleuze and Guattari, dialogues with the work of Philippe Descola, Bruno Latour, and Marilyn Strathern, and inventive treatments of problems of ontology, translation, and transformation. Bold, unexpected, and profound, Cannibal Metaphysics is one of the chief works marking anthropology's current return to the theoretical center stage. (shrink)

Infléchissant le propos de J.-L. Chrétien en passant du " dire " au " lire ", et en congédiant l' " autorité " ainsi que le qualificatif " Saintes " impliqués dans l'article du philosophe, P. Gisel pose la question de savoir en quoi ce livre - l'Ecriture ou les Ecritures - est " Parole de Dieu ", peut-être " en quoi " il est d'abord Parole, et ensuite, plus radicalement, " Parole de Dieu ". Or, les Ecritures sont et (...) restent de bout en bout humaines, historiquement situées, culturellement et religieusement déterminées. Second, par rapport au Christ qui n'a pas laissé d'écrits, le corps des Ecritures est donc lieu de médiation donné et irréductible, comme la canonisation d'Ecritures est un fait institutionnel, donc instaurateur. Justement, le " regard " porté au nom de la sainteté et de l'inspiration et donc de la logique croyante ne peut porter que sur l'ordre " tiers " d'une symbolisation religieuse, inscrite dans l'histoire déterminée d'une canonisation institutionnelle.Modifying the position of J.-L. Chrétien by moving from "saying" to "reading," and dismissing the "authority" as well as the descriptive term "Holy" implied in the philosopher's article, P. Gisel raises the question as to how this book-the Scripture or the Scriptures-is the "Word of God," perhaps "how" it is first the Word, and later, more radically, the "Word of God." But the Scriptures are and remain human from beginning to end, historically situated, culturally and religiously determined. Secondly, in relation to Christ who did not leave writings, the body of the Scriptures is, then, the place of given and irreducible mediation, just as the canonization of the Scriptures is an institutional, and hence founding, fact. When a "look" is taken in the name of holiness and inspiration and therefore of the logic of the believer, it can only be concerned with the "outside" order of a religious symbolism that appears in the determinate history of an institutional canonization. (shrink)

No debate teórico sobre a empatia, há uma recente renovação do interesse pelo modelo husserliano. Após uma análise prévia sobre o lugar da empatia na fenomenologia transcendental, propõe-se uma investigação sobre como Husserl desenvolveu sua perspectiva, a partir de dois textos, em especial, nas Ideias II (Hua 4) e na Fenomenologia da Intersubjetividade (Hua 13, 14 e 15). Avalia-se inicialmente, nas Ideias II, qual é o papel da empatia, na constituição da realidade anímica. Em seguida, propõe-se, a partir da Fenomenologia (...) da Intersubjetividade, uma análise sobre como Husserl desenvolveu os argumentos da apercepção analógica e do emparelhamento originário. A noção de emparelhamento surge por volta de 1927, em conexão com os estudos de Husserl sobre a síntese passiva e o aprofundamento sobre a fenomenologia genética. A fenomenologia da empatia torna-se, para Husserl, o fundamento de uma monadologia “com janelas”. (shrink)

This paper takes the view that compensated donation and altruism are not incompatible. In particular, it holds that the arguments against giving compensation stand on weak rational grounds: the charge that compensation fosters “commodification” has neither been specific enough to account for different types of monetary transactions nor sufficiently grounded in reality to be rationally convincing; although altruism is commendable, organ donors should not be compelled to act purely on the basis of altruistic motivations, especially if there are good reasons (...) to believe that significantly more lives can be saved and enhanced if incentives are put in place, and offering compensation for organs does not necessarily lead to exploitation—on the contrary, it may be regarded as a necessity in efforts to minimise the level of exploitation that already exists in current organ procurement systems. (shrink)

The article assumes that the expression “comparative relativism”—the title of the Common Knowledge symposium in which the essay appears—is neither tautological nor oxymoronic. Rather, the author construes the term as an apt synthetic characterization of anthropology and illustrates that idea by means of four quotations, taken from authors as different as Richard Rorty and David Schneider, Marcel Mauss and Henri Michaux. The quotations can be said to “exemplify” anthropology in terms that are interestingly (and diversely) restrictive: some of them amount (...) to extrinsic negations of anthropology that would paralyze it; others suggest intrinsic negativities that would propel it. All of the passages chosen evoke the idea of belief, which is profoundly implicated, in all possible senses (and especially the worse ones), in the majority of arguments that connect the themes of anthropology, comparison, and relativism. (shrink)

A patient’s age serves as a very useful guide to physicians in deciding what disease manifestations to anticipate, what treatment to offer for certain conditions, and how to prepare for possible emergencies. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, determining treatment options on the basis of a patient’s chronological age can easily give rise to unjustified discrimination. This is of particular significance in situations where the allocation of scarce critical care resources could have a direct impact on who will live (...) and who will die. This paper examines the fairness of recommendations contained in resource allocation guidelines in the Philippines that have implications for the way elderly patients could be treated or excluded from some forms of critical care treatment in the context of the ongoing Corona virus emergency. (shrink)

Este artigo apresenta o conceito de ideologia em A ideologia alemã, de Marx e Engels, a partir da relação entre a inversão real gerada pela divisão do trabalho e a inversão ideológica, considerando o problema de a ideologia ser caracterizada como a inversão da realidade das relações de produção ao mesmo tempo que a expressão dessas mesmas relações. Por meio da análise do conceito procura-se reavaliar a importância dos manuscritos inacabados de “I. Feuerbach”, tendo em vista que a discussão bibliográfica (...) mais recente atribui ao texto um caráter menor se comparado ao capítulo dedicado a Stirner. (shrink)

In this dialogue with Yuk Hui, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro discusses his work on the Amerindian perspectivism, multinaturalism; the relation between nature, culture and technics in his ethnographic studies; as well as the necessity of a non-anthropocentric definition of technology. He also discusses a haunting futurism of ecological crisis and automation of the Anthropocene, and explores a “strategic primitivism” as survival tool.

Economic and social activities are undergoing radical changes, which can be labelled as ‘knowledge economy and/or society’. In this sense, intellectual capital, or knowledge assets, as the fourth factor of production, is replacing the other ones – job, land and capital. This article tries to offer the origins and nature of the firm’s IC that can be labelled as ‘An Intellectual Capital-Based View of the Firm Competition’. This framework tries to highlight the strategic role of different intangible assets like talented (...) and committed workers, cultural values, or long-term relationships among the firm and its stakeholders – customers, allies, suppliers and society in general – in gaining and sustaining competitive advantages, being the management of IC a key issue in the management agenda. (shrink)

Este artículo se propone analizar las prácticas sociales y culturales de dos colectivos de migrantes en dos países latinoamericanos: el caso de los inmigrantes argentinos en Chile y de los inmigrantes senegaleses en Argentina. Comprendemos que estas prácticas tienen como trasfondo el encuentro entre compatriotas y apelan a la creatividad y espontaneidad en el contexto de integración a la sociedad de destino, contribuyendo a formar redes y lazos sociales quizás antes no existentes. Estas actividades creativas y re-creativas contribuyen a la (...) configuración de la identidad nacional en un contexto migratorio, a la vez que tienen en común surgir de manera espontánea, sin planificación previa, e ir configurando una red de relaciones que consolidan tanto la “identidad argentina” como la “identidad senegalesa” en el contexto migratorio de recepción. (shrink)

Esta extensa colección de ensayos en honor de Abel Lassalle Casanave refleja la amplitud de su compromiso filosófico con las ciencias formales. Cada ensayo, breve en extensión pero rico en la profundidad de su perspectiva, invita al lector a explorar una muestra de la investigación contemporánea en la historia y/o la filosofía de la lógica y la matemática. El efecto general es el de un anticipo de la diversidad de recientes áreas de investigación, así como de la variedad de enfoques (...) que compiten entre sí en su estudio. Al mismo tiempo, los ensayos, de manera colectiva, dan forma y constituyen un digno homenaje a la destacada influencia de Lassalle Casanave en la historia y filosofía de la matemática. (shrink)

Is there an Asian Bioethics? Some people might consider it blasphemous even to ask this question. But this paper asks it not so much to seek an answer as to clarify what it could actually mean. The idea is to sort out the presuppositions and possible implications of asserting the existence of an Asian bioethics. In the end, this paper makes the following points: (1) In the attempt to assert an Asian identity, one must be careful not to commit the (...) mistake of universalizing (among Asians) a single Asian perspective; and (2) In the face of pluralism and multi‐culturalism, there is some room for a kind of universalist ethics that is founded on a collage of culturally inspired perspectives rather than on a single standard of morality. (shrink)

This article aims to establish a line of continuity between John Dewey’s democratic and educational ideals and the practice of action research, to justify that the latter affords an adequate means to enact Dewey’s ideals against the destructive challenges that neoliberalism poses to democracy today. This aim involves three ideas that will be developed in three corresponding sections. After the Introduction, the first section analyzes at length the main tenets of Dewey’s thoughts about democracy by emphasizing the role of the (...) educational dimension. The article then approaches neoliberalism by focusing on one of its variants, New Public Management, and explains why the latter implies a direct erasure of Dewey’s ideals concerning democracy, individual growth, education, and social advancement. Finally, the third section turns to action research and its potential to encourage our societies to move closer to Dewey’s democratic ideals, and suggests that action research can begin to fill the gap that Dewey’s work left concerning the institutional dimension of democracy. (shrink)

Argentina fue el primer país del mundo en establecer que los organismos que resulten de nuevas técnicas de edición genética (GE, en sus siglas en inglés) no estarán alcanzados por la normativa para Organismos Genéticamente Modificados (OGM), siempre y cuando una primera evaluación concluya que no incluye ADN de otra especie. Esto es relevante porque las evaluaciones para comercializar un OGM son tan extensas y costosas que solo son accesibles para unas pocas empresas multinacionales, que monopolizan la innovación fundamental, las (...) licencias y los productos derivados. Esta simplificación regulatoria coincide con el descubrimiento de técnicas como CRISPR-Cas9, mucho más baratas y simples que las previas, y con potencial para desarrollarse con reducidos presupuestos de investigación. Este trabajo indaga cómo el Estado argentino utiliza la legislación sobre biotecnología para fomentar la investigación, el desarrollo y la innovación (I+D+i), indagando en los límites y posibilidades de esta estrategia. Para ello se basa en la legislación y las políticas públicas competentes; observaciones en reuniones y conferencias biotecnológicas; y en entrevistas semi-estructuradas realizadas durante 2019 a científicos y empresarios que trabajaban con CRISPR. Así, encuentra que la legislación opera como fomento para los desarrollos locales, pero las ventajas que ofrecen las nuevas técnicas de edición genética dependen de una serie de acciones y estrategias geopolíticas. Entendiendo por regulación al conjunto de acciones y omisiones de los actores interesados, a escala mundial y con intereses contrapuestos, la investigación concluye que es esta regulación geopolítica la que condiciona la innovación biotecnológica en Argentina. Así, la posibilidad de aprovechar esa “ventana de oportunidad” que habilitan las nuevas técnicas descansa en una serie de variables que configuran nuevas relaciones de interdependencia global. (shrink)

This book by Anne Le Huérou, Aude Merlin, Amandine Regamey and Silvia Serrano reinscribes the Chechen conflict within the continuity of Russian colonization , within that of a Sovietization out of which the nationalist movement originally grew, within the immanent needs of the Putinian regime and within the complexity of the interactions between Islam, resistance, solidarity, identity and the fear of extermination. It focuses in particular on the role of women, including of the “kamikaze” women who tragically illustrate the change (...) in nature of the resistance. The book is published at a moment when it is urgent for Europe not to repeat in Chechnya the inconsequent reflexes it adopted during the wars in the ex-Yugoslavia. (shrink)

This piece is an answer to comments by Matei Candea, Debbora Battaglia, and Roy Wagner on the author's article, “Zeno and the Art of Anthropology.” Here Viveiros de Castro focuses on the relation between exo- and endo-anthropology, on the conditions for the conceptual imagination of the other, on the distinction between minor and royal (or state) science, and on the precise meaning of the characterization of anthropology as a theory of the “ontological autodetermination of the world's peoples.”.

Apoio: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Brasil – Código de Financiamento 001 Filosofia, educação a descolonização epistêmica do saber Resumo: O artigo pretende abordar as possíveis contribuições da filosofia latino-americana e das filosofias e pedagogias indígenas na descolonização epistêmica do saber. Para tanto, investiga o trabalho de libertação da filosofia proposto Enrique Dussel e Raúl Fornet-Bettancourt, bem como a noção de colonialidade do saber, pensada por diferentes teóricos da concepção decolonial. Identifica-se a necessidade de compreender (...) o Outro a partir dele mesmo como matriz de um processo decolonizador, e por isso propomos a leitura do trabalho do autor, filósofo e educador indígena Daniel Munduruku, a fim de identificar aspectos que nos ajudem a empreender um trabalho de reconfiguração e descolonização epistemológica. Palavras chave: Filosofia indígena, Pedagogias decoloniais, Colonialidade do saber. Philosophy, education and the epistemic decolonization of knowledge Abstract: The article intends to approach the possible contributions of Latin American philosophy and indigenous philosophies and pedagogies for the epistemic decolonization of knowledge. To this end, we investigates the work of liberating philosophy proposed by Enrique Dussel and Raúl Fornet-Bettancourt, as well as the notion of coloniality of knowledge, thought by different theorists of the decolonial conception. The need to understand the other from himself is identified as the matrix of a decolonizing process, and for this reason we propose the reading of the work of the author, philosopher and indigenous educator Daniel Munduruku, in order to identify aspects that help us to undertake a work of epistemological reconfiguration and decolonization. Key-words: Indigenous philosophy, Decolonial pedagogies, Cooloniality of knowledge. Filosofía, educación y descolonización epistémica del conocimiento Resumen: El artículo pretende abordar los posibles aportes de la filosofía latinoamericana y las filosofías y pedagogías indígenas en la descolonización epistémica del conocimiento. Para ello, investiga el trabajo de filosofía liberadora propuesto por Enrique Dussel y Raúl Fornet-Bettancourt, así como la noción de colonialidad del conocimiento, pensada por diferentes teóricos de la concepción descolonial. La necesidad de comprender al otro desde sí mismo se identifica como la matriz de un proceso descolonizador, por lo que proponemos la lectura de la obra del autor, filósofo y educador indígena Daniel Munduruku, a fin de identificar aspectos que nos ayuden a emprender un trabajo. de reconfiguración y descolonización epistemológica. Palabras clave: Filosofía indígena, Pedagogías decoloniales, Colonialidad del saber. Data de registro: 08/01/2021 Data de aceite: 28/04/2021. (shrink)

Relatively subtle forms of exploitation of human subjects may arise from the inefficiency or incompetence of a researcher, from the existence of a power imbalance between principal and subject, or from the uneven distribution of research risks among various segments of the population. A powerful and knowledgeable person (or institution) may perpetrate the exploitation of an unempowered and ignorant individual even without intending to. There is an ethical burden on the former to protect the interests of the vulnerable. Excessive or (...) insufficient compensation may be exploitative. However, genuine economic imperatives motivating needy volunteers have to be considered. These forms of exploitation should be appreciated in the context of social and cultural factors suggesting that the relationship between researcher and subject cannot properly be appraised as a contractual undertaking. While compliance with pertinent codes and regulations minimises the exploitative potential, they cannot be enforced in a way that does not recognise a society's peculiar characteristics. The experience with some Filipino cultural traits illustrates this point. (shrink)

Pothos & Busemeyer's (P&B's) query about whether quantum probability can provide a foundation for the cognitive modeling embodies so many underlying implications that the subject is far from exhausted. In this brief commentary, however, I suggest that the conceptual thresholds of the meaningful learning give rise to a typical Boltzmann's weighting measure, which indicates astatistical verisimilitudeof quantum behavior in the human cognitive ensemble.

Resumo O propósito deste texto é mostrar que os problemas enfrentados por Merleau-Ponty, ao longo de seu percurso de pensamento, decorrem dos pressupostos dicotômicos dos quais ele parte. Assim, procuramos trazer à tona outras consequências de se assumir tal pressuposto, o do primado de uma experiência perceptiva muda como solo natal de todas as outras modalidades da experiência. Para tanto, tomam-se em consideração tanto a primeira como a segunda fase do pensamento de Merleau-Ponty.Our purpose is to show that the problems (...) faced by Merleau-Ponty throughout his path of thought arise from the dichotomous assumptions from which he begins. Thus, we seek to shed light on the other consequences of assuming a presumption such as the primacy of a mute perceptual experience as the native soil of all other experience’s modes. Therefore, the first as well as the second phases of Merleau-Ponty’s thought are taken into account. (shrink)

El presente artículo intentará atravesar una pequeña parte de la cartografía afectiva spinozista. Nos detendremos en la idea de imitación afectiva, momento en el que la categoría de otro - expresión de la exterioridad - se presenta como un desconocido de quien, a pesar de no haber tenido un encuentro específico, podemos sentirnos afectados. Desandar los caminos de la mimesis afectiva nos permite establecer un origen social afectivo que como tal descubrirá la importancia que tienen los afectos en la vida (...) en común de los hombres. En otros términos, mostraremos el rol esencial que posee la vida afectiva en el origen de la comunidad a partir de una primera unión producto de un afecto común. (shrink)

Bultmann a-t-il été en partie victime d’une certaine « logique du protestantisme » ? R. Marlé a posé la question. Un théologien protestant peut être d’accord pour le fond avec la critique catholique, mais en la reprenant dans un esprit différent qui fera valoir la particula veri propre à Bultmann. On passera en revue à cet effet les quatre principaux griefs qui lui sont adressés.a) Réduction, au profit de la foi, de l’objectivité de l’historique et de celle du monde. — (...) L’objectivité à revendiquer est celle des données de la croyance, qui sont incarnées, et celle du monde comme lieu de salut. b) Survalorisation de la subjectivité de l’acte de foi au détriment de son contenu. — La particularité de l’engagement de foi dans le présent doit être maintenue, intégrée à une mémoire et à un corps de symbolismes et de références. c) Rejet de la révélation de Dieu à l’extérieur de la raison et de l’expérience historique. — Contre un refus radical à l’excès des médiations de la croyance, on maintiendra que Dieu est « pensable », sans que cela revienne à le « comprendre ». d) Insuffisance de la conception de la théologie comme simple intellectus fidei. — L’exercice théologique doit se déployer sous un horizon universel, mais aussi à un niveau socio-culturel attentif à toutes les inscriptions du religieux dans l’histoire et les mentalités.En définitive, on peut tenir le « fidéisme » du Bultmann pour l’illustration d’un « destin protestant », sans qu’il ait renié pour autant la théologie dialectique, mais pas davantage la théologie libérale, en tant que la première est une riposte articulée à la modernité et non un retour en arrière.Was Bultmann, to some extent, a victim of a certain “Protestant logic”? R. Marlé asked that question. A Protestant theologian can fundamentally agree with the Catholic position but take it in a different spirit, which would highlight the particula veri proper to Bultmann. The four principal complaints addressed to Bultmann in this matter will be reviewed.a) Reduction, in favor of the faith, of the objectivity of the historical and that of the world. — The objectivity demanded is for the tenets of belief, which are incarnate, and for a world as the place of salvation. b) Overvaluing of the subjectivity of the act of faith to the detriment of its content. — The particularity of the engagement of faith in the present must be upheld, integrated into a memory and a body of symbolisms and references. c) Rejection of the revelation of God outside reason and historical experience. — Against a radical refusal of the excess of mediations of belief, one can hold that God is “thinkable”, without being “understood”. d) Lack of the conception of theology as simple intellectus fidei. —The theological task should spread itself under a universal horizon, but also to a socio-cultural level that is attentive to all the inscriptions of the religious in history and mentalities.Finally, one can hold the “fideism” of Bultmann as an illustration of a “Protestant destiny”, without necessarily denying dialectical theology. Nor, indeed, liberal theology, in so far as the former is an articulated reply to modernity and not a return to the past. (shrink)

Miguel de Cervantes, no último capítulo de sua obra O engenhoso fidalgo Dom Quixote de La Mancha, retrata o falecimento de seu protagonista, decorrente de uma profunda tristeza. O cavaleiro, depois de vencido, sente-se obrigado a retornar ao seu povoado e a renunciar à cavalaria andante, o que lhe causa a transformação de sua realidade e de seu estado mental - da loucura à cordura -, além do seu direcionamento à morte. Assim como faz Cervantes no início do século XVII, (...) Espinosa, ao final do mesmo século, também parece estabelecer analogias entre as ideias de transformação e morte, ao apontar, em sua Ética, a relação entre a natureza do ser e sua proporção de movimento e repouso, responsável pelas inconstâncias humanas. A partir de tais considerações, este trabalho pretende aproximar o último capítulo da obra Dom Quixote à proposição 39 da Quarta Parte da Ética espinosana, de forma a ressaltar as devidas semelhanças entre o conceito de morte como transformação, retratado tanto pelo escritor espanhol quanto pelo filósofo holandês, uma vez que a morte, para ambos, demonstra estar vinculada à mesma ideia. (shrink)

O presente texto refere-se à trajetória de três homens. Eles nasceram na mesma época, mas viveram cada um em uma cidade distinta. Um morava em Fortaleza, no Ceará, outro em Lisboa e o terceiro no Rio de Janeiro. O que os unia? Livros. Os três tiveram suas vidas marcadas pela edição, impressão e comercialização de livros e relacionadas, particularmente, pela publicação de uma coleção de livros: a Biblioteca do Povo e das Escolas. É dessa coleção e de como ela se (...) associa à vida desses três homens que este texto trata. É urna história que liga Lisboa, Rio de Janeiro e Fortaleza e que mostra que ainda há muito a se descobrir e percorrer nos caminhos dos livros no século XIX. (shrink)

Résumé Comment peut-on être occidental? Les Amérindiens ne connaissent pas notre dualisme nature-culture, et ils s’en passent fort bien. Ils pensent et vivent la continuité.

A proposal to allow prisoners to save their lives or to be eligible for commutation of sentence by donating kidneys for transplantation has been a subject of controversy in the Philippines. Notwithstanding the vulnerabilities associated with imprisonment, there are good reasons for allowing organ donations by prisoners. Under certain conditions, such donations can be very beneficial not only to the recipients but to the prisoners themselves. While protection needs to be given to avoid coercion and exploitation, overprotection has to be (...) avoided. The prohibition on the involvement of prisoners in organ transplantation constitutes unjustified overprotection. Under certain conditions, prisoners can make genuinely independent decisions. When it can be reasonably ascertained that they are able to decide freely, society should recognise an obligation to help them implement their decisions, such as when they intend to donate an organ as a way of asserting their religious faith and performing a sacrifice in atonement for their sins. (shrink)

Este artículo presenta una interpretación del ser-para-otro en la ontología fenomenológica de Sartre. A partir de un análisis contextual de la fenomenología de la mirada en El ser y la nada, formulamos el problema del ser-para-otro como tercera ek-stasis. Si admitimos que el ser-para-otro surge de una profundización de la segunda ek-stasis (reflexión) y que, por tanto, está siempre condicionado por ella, corremos el riesgo de caer en la ilusión de la primacía del ser-para-sí. En oposición a esta interpretación, presentamos (...) la hipótesis de que el ser para otro tiene una estructura inmediata, y no sólo reflexiva, basada en El ser y la nada y, de manera auxiliar, en el Idiota da familia. (shrink)

After more than 60 years, Shannon’s research continues to raise fundamental questions, such as the one formulated by R. Luce, which is still unanswered: “Why is information theory not very applicable to psychological problems, despite apparent similarities of concepts?” On this topic, S. Pinker, one of the foremost defenders of the widespread computational theory of mind, has argued that thought is simply a type of computation, and that the gap between human cognition and computational models may be illusory. In this (...) context, in his latest book, titled Thinking Fast and Slow, D. Kahneman provides further theoretical interpretation by differentiating the two assumed systems of the cognitive functioning of the human mind. He calls them intuition (system 1) determined to be an associative (automatic, fast and perceptual) machine, and reasoning (system 2) required to be voluntary and to operate logical-deductively. In this paper, we propose a mathematical approach inspired by Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory for investigating, from the constructivist perspective, information processing in the working memory of cognizers. Specifically, a thought experiment is performed utilizing the mind of a dual-natured creature known as Maxwell’s demon: a tiny “man–machine” solely equipped with the characteristics of system 1, which prevents it from reasoning. The calculation presented here shows that the Ausubelian learning schema, when inserted into the creature’s memory, leads to a Shannon-Hartley-like model that, in turn, converges exactly to the fundamental thermodynamic principle of computation, known as the Landauer limit. This result indicates that when the system 2 is shut down, both an intelligent being, as well as a binary machine, incur the same minimum energy cost per unit of information (knowledge) processed (acquired), which mathematically shows the computational attribute of the system 1, as Kahneman theorized. This finding links information theory to human psychological features and opens the possibility to experimentally test the computational theory of mind by means of Landauer’s energy cost, which can pave a way toward the conception of a multi-bit reasoning machine. (shrink)