This exploratory study is focused on the perceptions of science communication practitioners about the activities of scientists and the audiences of the marine sciences outreach in Portugal. Using the qualitative method of thematic analysis and collecting data through semistructured interviews of 14 practitioners of diverse professions, backgrounds, ages, and stages of career, it was found that the role of marine scientists in this area is traditionally viewed as reduced, but with a slight improvement in the past 5 to 10 years. (...) Despite having a historical connection with and curiosity about the sea, audiences were considered to have a mostly utilitarian interest in the marine sciences. Most practitioners had a view of science communication connected to the knowledge deficit model, with a minority articulating a more dialogical model. Although there are signs of conflict between science communicators and scientists, the proliferation of training opportunities in science communication at the national level, the perceived increase of interest and participation of marine scientists in public communication in the past years, and the consolidation of science communicators as part of the scientific community offer positive prospects for the future of outreach of marine sciences in Portugal. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to introduce the logics $$\textit{FFDE}$$ and $$\textit{FN}{4}$$, which are universally free versions of Belnap-Dunn’s four-valued logic, also known as the logic of first-degree entailment ( $$\textit{FDE}$$ ), and Nelson’s paraconsistent logic $$N^{-}$$ (a.k.a. $$Q\!N {4}$$ ). Both $$\textit{FDE}$$ and $$Q\!N {4}$$ are suitable to be interpreted as information-based logics, that is, logics that are capable of representing the deductive behavior of possibly inconsistent and incomplete information in a database. Like $$Q\!N {4}$$ and some non-free (...) first-order extensions of $$\textit{FDE}$$, $$\textit{FFDE}$$ and $$\textit{FN}{4}$$ are endowed with Kripke-style variable domain semantics, which allows representing the dynamic aspect of information processing, that is, how a database receives new information over time, including information about new individuals. We argue, however, that $$\textit{FFDE}$$ and $$\textit{FN}{4}$$ can better represent the development of inconsistent and incomplete information states (i.e., configurations of a database) over time than their non-free versions. First, because they allow for empty domains, which corresponds to the idea that a database may acknowledge no individual at all at an early stage of its development. Second, because they allow for empty names, which get interpreted as information about new individuals is inserted into the database. Also, both systems include an identity predicate that is interpreted along the same lines of the other logical operators, viz., in terms of independent positive and negative rules. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to introduce the logics \(\textit{FFDE}\) and \(\textit{FN}{4}\), which are universally free versions of Belnap-Dunn’s four-valued logic, also known as the logic of first-degree entailment ( \(\textit{FDE}\) ), and Nelson’s paraconsistent logic \(N^{-}\) (a.k.a. \(Q\!N {4}\) ). Both \(\textit{FDE}\) and \(Q\!N {4}\) are suitable to be interpreted as information-based logics, that is, logics that are capable of representing the deductive behavior of possibly inconsistent and incomplete information in a database. Like \(Q\!N {4}\) and some non-free (...) first-order extensions of \(\textit{FDE}\), \(\textit{FFDE}\) and \(\textit{FN}{4}\) are endowed with Kripke-style variable domain semantics, which allows representing the dynamic aspect of information processing, that is, how a database receives new information over time, including information about new individuals. We argue, however, that \(\textit{FFDE}\) and \(\textit{FN}{4}\) can better represent the development of inconsistent and incomplete information states (i.e., configurations of a database) over time than their non-free versions. First, because they allow for empty domains, which corresponds to the idea that a database may acknowledge no individual at all at an early stage of its development. Second, because they allow for empty names, which get interpreted as information about new individuals is inserted into the database. Also, both systems include an identity predicate that is interpreted along the same lines of the other logical operators, viz., in terms of independent positive and negative rules. (shrink)

Phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases that produce 3‐phosphorylated derivatives of phosphatidylinositol upon activation by various cues. These 3‐phosphorylated lipids bind to various protein effectors to control many cellular functions. Lipid phosphatases such as phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) terminate PI3K‐derived signals and are critical to ensure appropriate signaling outcomes. Many lines of evidence indicate that PI3Ks and PTEN, as well as some specific lipid effectors are highly compartmentalized, either in plasma membrane nanodomains or in endosomal compartments. We examine the evidence (...) for specific recruitment of PI3Ks, PTEN, and other related enzymes to membrane nanodomains and endocytic compartments. We then examine the hypothesis that scaffolding of the sources (PI3Ks), terminators (PTEN), and effectors of these lipid signals with a common plasma membrane nanodomain may achieve highly localized lipid signaling and ensure selective activation of specific effectors. This highlights the importance of spatial regulation of PI3K signaling in various physiological and disease contexts. (shrink)

CONVOCAÇÃO DE ELEIÇÕES GERAIS E O DECORO DEMOCRÁTICO: ANÁLISE DA PROPOSTA DE EMENDA À CONSTITUIÇÃO N˚ 20/2016.

We explore the intimate connection between spacetime geometry and electrodynamics. This link is already implicit in the constitutive relations between the field strengths and excitations, which are an essential part of the axiomatic structure of electromagnetism, clearly formulated via integration theory and differential forms. We review the foundations of classical electromagnetism based on charge and magnetic flux conservation, the Lorentz force and the constitutive relations. These relations introduce the conformal part of the metric and allow the study of electrodynamics for (...) specific spacetime geometries. At the foundational level, we discuss the possibility of generalizing the vacuum constitutive relations, by relaxing the fixed conditions of homogeneity and isotropy, and by assuming that the symmetry properties of the electro-vacuum follow the spacetime isometries. The implications of this extension are briefly discussed in the context of the intimate connection between electromagnetism and the geometry of spacetime. (shrink)

BackgroundIn the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) cohort, participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, heart, and abdomen, that generated incidental findings (IFs). The approach to managing these unexpected results remain a complex issue. Our objectives were to describe the CAHHM policy for the management of IFs, to understand the impact of disclosing IFs to healthy research participants, and to reflect on the ethical obligations of researchers in future MRI studies.MethodsBetween 2013 and 2019, 8252 participants (...) (mean age 58 ± 9 years, 54% women) were recruited with a follow-up questionnaire administered to 909 participants (40% response rate) at 1-year. The CAHHM policy followed a restricted approach, whereby routine feedback on IFs was not provided. Only IFs of severe structural abnormalities were reported.ResultsSevere structural abnormalities occurred in 8.3% (95% confidence interval 7.7–8.9%) of participants, with the highest proportions found in the brain (4.2%) and abdomen (3.1%). The majority of participants (97%) informed of an IF reported no change in quality of life, with 3% of participants reporting that the knowledge of an IF negatively impacted their quality of life. Furthermore, 50% reported increased stress in learning about an IF, and in 95%, the discovery of an IF did not adversely impact his/her life insurance policy. Most participants (90%) would enrol in the study again and perceived the MRI scan to be beneficial, regardless of whether they were informed of IFs. While the implications of a restricted approach to IF management was perceived to be mostly positive, a degree of diagnostic misconception was present amongst participants, indicating the importance of a more thorough consent process to support participant autonomy.ConclusionThe management of IFs from research MRI scans remain a challenging issue, as participants may experience stress and a reduced quality of life when IFs are disclosed. The restricted approach to IF management in CAHHM demonstrated a fair fulfillment of the overarching ethical principles of respect for autonomy, concern for wellbeing, and justice. The approach outlined in the CAHHM policy may serve as a framework for future research studies.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/nct02220582. (shrink)

O presente trabalho tem como tema central a educação científica antirracista. Fizemos uma problematização da Lei 10.639/2003 e da Resolução Consuni UFG nº 07/2015 para evidenciar que os referidos documentos transmitem uma ideia colonizadora. A pesquisa está fundamentada no pensamento decolonial, com destaque para as noções de colonialidade do saber e do poder. A metodologia empregada é a revisão bibliográfica, com ênfase nos principais pensadores do Grupo Modernidade/Colonialidade (M/C), como Aníbal Quijano (2005) e Ramón Grosfoguel (2016). A partir dessa base (...) teórica aplicada aos documentos legais, conclui-se que a Lei 10.639/2003 e a Resolução Consuni UFG nº 07/2015 possuem em seu texto ideias de natureza colonizadora, pois não se percebe no texto a voz daqueles que foram historicamente subjugados. Conclui-se também a importância de uma abordagem decolonial consistente na educação superior que para que se reconheça e valorize os saberes e conhecimentos dos povos marginalizados não apenas como objeto de estudo, mas como uma via para a construção de uma ciência antirracista mais consistente. (shrink)

Resumo: A inclusão no Ensino Superior é uma premissa de âmbito social, educacional e político. Muitos passos têm sido trilhados para que os discursos sobre equidade e igualdade possam ser proferidos e perspectivados, reconhecendo que o ajustamento dos estudantes com Necessidades Educativas Especiais (NEE) precede-se de inúmeros fatores, entre eles, das políticas educativas. Para possibilitar algumas reflexões, o presente estudo, de natureza qualitativa, objetivou conhecer as percepções de colaboradores (n=85) de Instituições de Ensino Superior portuguesas sobre o papel das políticas (...) educativas em prol da inclusão. Os dados, provenientes de um questionário online, foram tratados sob a técnica de análise de conteúdo, com apoio do software webQDA. Os resultados evidenciaram 60 referências na categoria de potencialidades, refletidas na garantia da efetivação do percurso acadêmico de estudantes com NEE no Ensino Superior e concretização dos seus direitos. Verificou-se que 91,7% dos participantes compreendem que as políticas educativas são importantes para o seu país, pelo que 88,2% dos colaboradores acreditam que estas políticas potenciam a inclusão e a permanência de estudantes com NEE no Ensino Superior, na qual 40,7% verificaram ações de apoio e incentivo, ao nível político, em prol da inclusão em Portugal. Palavras-chave: Políticas Educativas; Inclusão; Ensino Superior; Portugal; Necessidades Educativas Especiais. Educational policies and inclusion in Higher Education: perceptions about the Portuguese context Abstract: Inclusion in Higher Education is a social, educational and political premise. Many steps have been taken so that the discourses on equity and equality can be delivered and envisaged, recognizing that the adjustment of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is preceded by numerous factors, among them, educational policies. To enable some reflections, the present study, of a qualitative nature, aimed to know the perceptions of employees (n = 85) of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions about the role of educational policies on behalf of inclusion. The data, from an online survey, were treated using the content analysis technique, with the support of the webQDA software. The results revealed 60 references in the potentialities category, reflected in the guarantee of the effectiveness of the academic path of students with SEN in Higher Education and the realization of their rights. It was found that 91.7% of participants understand that educational policies are important for their country, so 88.2% of employees believe that these policies enhance the inclusion and permanence of students with SEN in Higher Education, in which 40.7% verified support and incentive actions, at the political level, in favor of inclusion in Portugal. Keywords: Educational Policies; Inclusion; Higher Education; Portugal; Special Educational Needs. Políticas educativas e inclusión en la educación superior: percepciones sobre el contexto portugués Resumen: La inclusión en la Educación Superior es una premisa en el marco social, educativo y político. Se han dado muchos pasos para que los discursos sobre equidad e igualdad puedan ser pronunciados y verificados, reconociendo que la adaptación de los estudiantes con Necesidades Educativas Especiales (NEE) está precedida por numerosos factores, entre ellos, las políticas educativas. Para posibilitar algunas reflexiones, el presente estudio, de carácter cualitativo, tuvo como objetivo conocer las percepciones de los colaboradores (n = 85) de las Instituciones de Educación Superior portuguesas sobre la función de las políticas educativas a favor de la inclusión. Los datos, provenientes de una encuesta online, fueron tratados mediante la técnica de análisis de contenido, con el apoyo del software webQDA. Los resultados evidenciaron 60 referencias en la categoría de potencialidades, reflejadas en la garantía de la efectividad de la trayectoria académica de los estudiantes con NEE en la Educación Superior y la realización de sus derechos. Se constató que el 91,7% de los participantes entiende que las políticas educativas son importantes para su país, por lo que el 88,2% de los empleados cree que estas políticas potencian la inclusión y permanencia de los estudiantes con NEE en la Educación Superior, en la que el 40,7% verificó acciones de apoyo e incentivo, a nivel político, a favor de la inclusión en Portugal. Palabras clave: Políticas Educativas; Inclusión; Educación superior; Portugal; Necesidades Educativas Especiales. Data de registro: 16/04/2021 Data de aceite: 01/12/2021. (shrink)

Neste artigo apresentamos resultados de uma pesquisa em que buscamos identificar as experiências de estudantes da área de Ciências Exatas com microagressões raciais. O público-alvo da pesquisa foi composto por estudantes beneficiários de ações afirmativas matriculados em cursos da área de Ciências Exatas da Universidade Federal de Alfenas (n=390) que responderam um instrumento denominado Escala de Experiências Acadêmicas, Sociais e de Sobrevivência no âmbito das Exatas (EASS-Exatas). Para a análise, utilizamos correlações e Spearman, teste de significância qui-quadrado e Análise de (...) Componentes Principais (ACP). Os resultados indicam que estudantes com idade entre 20 e 30 anos identificam com maior clareza aspectos relacionados às microagressões raciais. Além disso, os estudantes autodeclarados pretos foram aqueles que vivenciaram de forma mais intensa as microagressões raciais, inclusive com scores acima dos estudantes autodeclarados pardos, que também compõem o grupo de estudantes negros no Brasil. Isso evidencia que a cor da pele está diretamente relacionada às experiências com racismo e com microagressões raciais vivenciadas pelos estudantes. Mesmo vencendo a barreira do acesso, estudantes cotistas negros e negras de cursos de exatas continuam enfrentando o desafio de sobreviver academicamente devido a violência estrutural que vivenciam durante sua trajetória no curso e na universidade. (shrink)

Background Q-CEP (Qualificação dos Comitês de Ética em Pesquisa que compõem o Sistema CEP/Conep) is a nationwide project resulting from a partnership between the Brazilian National Research Ethics Commission (Conep), the Ministry of Health and Hospital Moinhos de Vento (HMV). It was developed to consolidate policy for ethical review of research with human beings in all members of the CEP/Conep System, Brazil’s national system of institutional review boards. The aim of this study was therefore to report on the experience and (...) results of the Q-CEP project. Methods An observational, retrospective study includes data from the Q-CEP, obtained from visits to all the institutional research ethics committees (RECs) in the country. The actions implemented by Q-CEP were part of a two-step process: (i) training visits to each REC; (ii) development of distance learning modules on strategic topics pertaining to research ethics evaluation. The data presented herein cover step one (training visits), defined by Q-CEP as the diagnostic stage of the project. For a country with social and economics inequalities such as Brazil, this is a particularly important stage; an accurate picture of reality is needed to inform planning of quality improvement strategies. Results In 2019–2021, Q-CEP visited 832 RECs and trained 11,197 people. This sample covered almost all active RECs in the country; only 4 (0.5%) were not evaluated. Of the 94 items evaluated, 62% did not reach the target of at least 80% compliance and around 1/4 (26%) were below 50% compliance. The diagnostic stage of the process revealed inadequacies on the part of the RECs in their ethical reviews. The analysis of informed consent forms showed compliance in only 131 RECs (15.74%). The description of pending issues made by RECs in their reports was compliant in 19.33% (n = 161). Administrative and operational aspects were also considered inadequate by more than half of the RECs. Conclusions Overall, Brazilian RECs showed poor compliance in several aspects of their operation, both in ethics evaluation and in other processes, which justifies additional training. The Q-CEP project is part of a quality improvement policy promoted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The data obtained in the diagnostic step of the project have contributed to the qualification and consolidation of one of the world’s largest research ethics evaluation systems. (shrink)

This is a collective writing project that is part of the larger design of Infantologies, Infanticides and Infantilizations; a quartet that explores the philosophy of infants from thematic perspectives, that puts infants at the centre of our reflections, and that encourages a different academic style of thinking.

Si le nom d’Albert Camus continue de s’imposer, aujourd’hui, comme une figure incontournable de la littérature et de la pensée françaises du XXe siècle, il n’en est pas moins demeuré une personnalité cosmopolite, sensible à ce que la culture ne s’accomplit véritablement qu’en l’absence de sectarisme, qu’en présence de l’autre — avec ou envers lui, peu importe. C’est aussi tout le sens de la collection « Exotopies » de l’Association portugaise des études françaises (A.P.E.F.) qu’inaugure ce volume : présenter des (...) travaux sur la langue et la culture françaises, mais d’un point de vue singulier, celui d’un autre pays. En lisant ce bouquet assez restreint, mais en même temps assez diversifié de travaux sur l’oeuvre d’Albert Camus, on relèvera donc qu’il ne s’agissait ni d’un hommage, ni d’une commémoration, si contraires au vif esprit de la littérature, mais de s’aviser de l’exceptionnelle variété et actualité de son oeuvre. En ce sens, il n’est de meilleure figure pour débuter cette collection à visée cosmopolite que celle d’Albert Camus, chez qui le geste d’écriture est totalement inscrit dans une vocation humaniste. Celle-ci ne s’entend pas dans un sens moraliste, mais dans un sens existentiel — sinon existentialiste —, qui veut que chacun se définisse par le souci qu’il a de l’autre, et que l’humanité s’apparaisse comme le perpetuum mobile de l’histoire, en même temps que son point fixe, son sens dernier. (shrink)

No mais profundo centro: João da Cruz e o Sufismo Sadili cantam a união transformante Carlos Frederico Barboza de Souza O camelô em Belo Horizonte: aspectos da informalidade e da identidade Maria Aparecida Carvalho de Castro Igreja, povo de Deus, sujeito da comunhão e da missão Cleto Caliman A literatura como questionamento do sujeito da modernidade: Memórias do cárcere, de Graciliano Ramos, e A peste, de Albert Camus João Pereira Pinto O ensino religioso na rede pública estadual de Belo Horizonte (...) -MG: história, modelos e percepções de professores sobre formação e docência Douglas Cabral Dantas. (shrink)

COSTA, Alexandre da. Fundamentos da bioética: estudo sobre o pensamento de Hugo Tristram Engelhardt Jr. FERREIRA, Amauri Carlos. O imaginário religioso e modos de vida urbana: experiência e memória da Juventude Católica em Belo Horizonte – MG, anos 80. GONÇALVES, Davidson Sepini. O Panóptico de Jeremy Bentham: por uma leitura utilitarista. GÓIS, Aurino José. Parque Municipal de Belo Horizonte: público, apropriações e significados. FARIA, Paulo Antônio Couto. Teologia no limiar da filosofia: a modernidade e o encontro fé e razão na (...) obra de Henrique Cláudio de Lima Vaz. (shrink)

O autor analisa a posição de Antero de Quental perante o movimento iberista do século XIX, destacando a origem peninsular deste e a sua tradição, com raízes no liberalismo. Aponta a influência nesse movimento de um proudhonismo ingénuo, e destaca o papel de José Félix Henriques Nogueira como transmissor de um ideal federativo com base na concepção de uma "pátria espanhola comum", em que a federação tende no limite paraa fusão.A propósito conclui que a formulação dada por Antero a este (...) pensamento, em Portugal perante a Revolução de Espanha não é mais radical que a de Nogueira, antes é uma consequência contida no pensamento deste precursor do republicanismo. Por outro lado, Teófilo Braga, além de partilhar do ideal liberalista, advogou a separação dos Açores do continente português, contrariamente a Antero de Quental, que pensava que os açorianos só podiam ser portugueses, devendo entrar, federados com o Continente, num estado ibérico. /// L'auteur analyse la position de Antero de Quental devant le mouvement ibériste du XlX.e siècle, en mettant en relief son origine péninsulaire et sa tradition enracinée dans le libéralisme portugais. Il remarque l'influence sur ce mouvement d'un proudhonisme naïf et met en relief l'importance de José Félix Henriques Nogueira en tant que diffuseur d'un idéal fédératif basé sur la conception d'une "patrie espagnole commune", dans laquelle la fédération, à la limite, tend vers la fusion. À ce propos il remarque que la formulation donnée à cette pensée par Antero dans Portugal perante a Revolução de Espanha n'est pas plus radicale que celle de Nogueira; elle est plutôt une conclusion contenue dans la pensée de ce précurseur du républicanisme portugais. Par ailleurs, Teófilo Braga non seulement partagea l'idéal ibériste, mais il a été partisant de la séparation des Açores du Portugal continental, contrairement à Antero de Quental, qui jugeait que les Açoréens ne pourraient être que Portugais, et devraient entrer en fédération avec le Portugal ibérique dans un état péninsulaire. /// The author analises the position of Antero de Quental within the Iberist movement of the XlXth century and emphazises its Peninsular origin and its tradition with roots in the Portuguese Liberalism. He points to the influence in this movement of a certain naive proudhonism and the rêle of José Félix Henriques Nogueira as a transmitter of a federative ideal based on the conception of a "common Spanish fatherland" in which the federation tends at the limit towards fusion. In this context he concludes that the formulation given by Antero in the opuscule Portugal perante a Revolução de Espanha is no more radical than that of Nogueira; it is rather a consequence of the thought of that forerunner of the republicanism in Portugal. On the other hand Teófilo Braga not only shared the Iberist ideal, but also defended the separation of the Azores from the Portuguese homeland, contrarily to Antero de Quental, who thought that the Azoreans could only be Portuguese and that they should accede to an Iberian state federated with the mainland. (shrink)

Bergson e a sociologia.--Problemas de filosofía do direito.--Direito e evolucionismo.--Código de Hamurabi e codificac̦ões anteriores.--Ideais jurídicos.--Problemas da planificac̦ão através do direito.--Aspectos da sociologia juridíca de Gurvitch.--A problemática da sociologia política.

Through a theoretical examination of the preventive turn in criminal law and justice which has gained momentum in Anglo-American criminal justice systems since the late-twentieth century, The Preventive Turn in Criminal Law demonstrates how recent transformations in criminal law and justiceare intrinsically related to and embedded in the way liberal society and liberal law have been imagined, developed, and conditioned by its social, political, and historical context. Henrique Carvalho identifies a tension between the idea of punishment as an expression (...) of individual justice, andprevention as a manifestation of the need for security and the promotion of welfare. Tracing this tension back to an intrinsic ambivalence within the modern conception of individual liberty, which is both repressed and preserved by liberal conceptions of responsibility and punishment, Carvalhoproves that as long as this ambivalence remains unexamined, liberal law has the potential to both promote and undermine individual justice.Engaging with the dominant contemporary literature on criminal law, prevention, risk, security, and criminalisation, this volume deploys a theoretical perspective developed through a critical analysis of both classical and contemporary works of social and political theory. The book reveals that thepervasiveness of prevention in 21st century criminal justice systems represents not only the consequence of new and unprecedented features of contemporary politics and society, but also the manifestation of essential aspects of the liberal legal and political tradition. (shrink)

In this paper, we aim to bring to discussion the concept of locus amoenus, a common denomination of locus communis (topos, for the greeks), that makes reference to the ideal landscape according to the norms of the ancient idyllic poetry. We will describe and analyze the locus amoenus from an 18th century Italian poetry perspective, more specifically from the fables of Luigi Fiacchi, a poet and Catholic priest of that century. The analysis will focus on the references, either direct or (...) not, that the author, known by the epithet ‘Il Casio’, does to the Classical Antiquity. (shrink)

The History of Political Ideas by the German-American philosopher Eric Voegelin is a monumental work of around 2,600 pages. It remained unpublished during his lifetime, and it came to light through the American edition and the now completed Portuguese edition. Being the author of the first world edition of an abridged version of the History of Political Ideas ; the translator of the first three volumes of the 2012-2018 Portuguese edition; and the author of The civil philosophy of Eric Voegelin (...) I consider that the History of Political Ideas challenges the present climate of opinion: it subverts the dominant corrosive forces of moral relativism, intolerant neo-positivism, end-of-history obsessions, postmodernist deconstructions, agnosticism, nihilism, new age religions, and the all-pervasive ideology of money. Eric Voegelin achieves all this leading his readers from Antiquity to Modern Age. His monumental work begins with the “spiritual disintegration” of the Greek world, after the peak of Plato and Aristotle, a disintegration that ushered a long process of transition in the self-understanding of man in the Mediterranean world. The series goes through Middle Ages, R enaissance and Reformation as Voegelin analyzes the collapse of imperial Christianity, which led to the rise of autonomous reason and sectarian revolts that reached full development in later centuries. A new form of modern human consciousness replaced the Christian understanding of a divinely created closed cosmos. The collection ends - in a suspensive way - with “The Crisis and the Apocalypse of Man” focused on thinkers such as Comte, Bakunine and Marx; although they experienced true epiphanies, they become self-obsessed to the detriment of the world to which they refer. Such “Apocalypse of Man” must now be challenged, albeit with methodologies and hermeneutic principles other than those that Voegelin himself abandoned some decades ago. (shrink)

O INJUSTIFICADO NÃO-RECONHECIMENTO DAS FAMÍLIAS SIMULTÂNEAS: UMA ANÁLISE CONSTITUCIONAL.

Local gauge theories are in a complicated relationship with boundaries. Whereas fixing the gauge can often shave off unwanted redundancies, the coupling of different bounded regions requires the use of gauge-variant elements. Therefore, coupling is inimical to gauge-fixing, as usually understood. This resistance to gauge-fixing has led some to declare the coupling of subsystems to be the \textit{raison d'\^etre} of gauge \cite{RovelliGauge2013}. Indeed, while gauge-fixing is entirely unproblematic for a single region without boundary, it introduces arbitrary boundary conditions on the (...) gauge degrees of freedom themselves---these conditions lack a physical interpretation when they are not functionals of the original fields. Such arbitrary boundary choices creep into the calculation of charges through Noether's second theorem, muddling the assignment of physical charges to local gauge symmetries. The confusion brewn by gauge at boundaries is well-known, and must be contended with both conceptually and technically. It may seem natural to replace the arbitrary boundary choice with new degrees of freedom, for using such a device we resolve some of these confusions while leaving no gauge-dependence on the computation of Noether charges \cite{DonnellyFreidel}. But, concretely, such boundary degrees of freedom are rather arbitrary---they have no relation to the original field-content of the field theory. How should we conceive of them? Here I will explicate the problems mentioned above and illustrate a possible resolution: in a recent series of papers \cite{GomesRiello2016, GomesRiello2018, GomesHopfRiello} the notion of a connection-form was put forward and implemented in the field-space of gauge theories. Using this tool, a modified version of symplectic geometry---here called `horizontal'---is possible. Independently of boundary conditions, this formalism bestows to each region a physically salient, relational notion of charge: the horizontal Noether charge. Meanwhile, as required, the connection-form mediates an irenic composition of regions, one compatible with the attribution of horizontal Noether charges to each region. Thes aims of this paper are to highlight the boundary issues in the treatment of gauge, and to discuss how gauge theory may be conceptually clarified in light of a resolution to these issues. (shrink)

As críticas de Sokal e Bricmont ao pós-modernismo contidas na obra “Imposturas Intelectuais” causaram diferentes reações no Brasil e no exterior. Entre nós, não houve, contudo, um estudo acadêmico que se dedicasse exclusivamente a compreender, sistematizar e descrever as ideias sobre o pós-modernismo contidas na obra como um todo. O presente artigo pretende suprir essa lacuna e contribuir para a literatura existente. Para cumprir o objetivo geral de compreensão, sistematização e descrição mencionado, a investigação filosófica da obra visou i) as (...) características gerais e as raízes intelectuais e sociais do pós-modernismo; ii) as críticas filosóficas e sociopolíticas feitas por Sokal e Bricmont ao pós-modernismo; iii) os antídotos ou alternativas ao pós-modernismo apresentadas pelos autores. O resultado poderá ser útil como material de apoio no estudo da obra e no estudo do pensamento dos pensadores pós-modernos criticados por Sokal e Bricmont; para a análise crítica de outros pensadores pós-modernos; para quem queira se engajar no debate a respeito do pós-modernismo, seja para criticá-lo, seja para defendê-lo. Pelo seu conteúdo, poderá ser de particular interesse para estudiosos da filosofia e história do pensamento, da epistemologia geral e da epistemologia das ciências humanas e sociais, da sociologia da ciência e de quem se interessa pelas interseções entre ciência, racionalidade e emancipação social. (shrink)

O artigo apresenta a proposta de um dispositivo de investigação denominado Laboratório Tecnopolíticodo Comum. Inspirados em conceitos de Simondon e outros autores, propomos um modo de conhecer que se realizamediante a construção de arranjos sociotécnicos alternativos em torno de problemas situados de comunidades deafetados. Uma mesopolítica atravessada pela produção do Comum em três deslocamentos: da política discursivapara a política do protótipo ; dos problemas da escalabilidade aos problemasde transdução e reticulação; dos problemas do pensamento estratégico aos problemas dapotência da situação.

El artículo reflexiona sobre el papel de los científicos y trabajadores en investigaciones tecnológicas en la sociedad contemporánea, y realiza un balance crítico del avance de las ciencias. Postula el fracaso de la ciencia en su promesa de llevar progreso, racionalidad y armonía a la convivencia humana, y a tornarse en factor de emancipación de la humanidad. Cuestiona el rol de la ciencia al servicio del poder y conecta crisis de la ciencia con crisis del sistema, para proponer luego una (...) visión sistémica e interdisciplinar, que contribuya al cuidado ambiental y a la sustentabilidad desde una dimensión humana. (shrink)

La globalización que barre el planeta ha resultado en una serie de paradojas e incertidumbres para las personas. Aunque haya impulsado poderosamente la producción de bienes y servicios y del comercio internacional, su expansión para todos los bordes del mundo deterioró el estado del medio ambiente y destruyó las comunidades tradicionales rurales e indígenas. La desestabilización de los lazos de cooperación y de solidaridad tradicionales dejó a millones de seres humanos aislados y, sin perspectiva de romper el “círculo vicioso” de (...) pobreza, ignorancia y violencia. Sartre nos enseñó que los hombres nacen para ser libres, pero libertad significa también responsabilidad. Actuando y pensando sobre la realidad, los hombres la transforman y se transforman a sí mismos, encontrando el sentido para sus vidas, en conjunto, mediante una cultura de cooperación y solidaridad. (shrink)

Neste artigo, as filosofias de Rorty e de Popper são comparadas na perspetiva das suas implicações sociais, culturais e políticas. O autor foca‑se em dois conceitos nucleares: conversação e argumentação. Ele argumenta que o contexto histórico e filosófico dessas filosofias é basicamente o mesmo: a problemática das consequências do holismo, no que diz respeito à teoria da significação, para o estatuto da própria filosofia – uma problemática como aquela que Quine, Kuhn, e Popper estabeleceram desde os anos sessenta do século (...) passado. Contudo, quando os dois conceitos são mais estreitamente comparados, eles parecem conduzir a conceções contrastantes da sociedade, da cultura e da política, que são cuidadosamente discutidas. (shrink)

Not all symmetries are on a par. For instance, within Newtonian mechanics, we seem to have a good grasp on the empirical significance of boosts, by applying it to subsystems. This is exemplified by the thought experiment known as Galileo’s ship: the inertial state of motion of a ship is immaterial to how events unfold in the cabin, but is registered in the values of relational quantities such as the distance and velocity of the ship relative to the shore. But (...) the significance of gauge symmetries seems less clear. For example, can gauge transformations in Yang-Mills theory—taken as mere descriptive redundancy—exhibit a similar relational empirical significance as the boosts of Galileo’s ship? This question has been debated in the last fifteen years in philosophy of physics. I will argue that the answer is ‘yes’, but only for a finite subset of gauge transformations, and under special conditions. Under those conditions, we can mathematically identify empirical significance with a failure of supervenience: the state of the Universe is not uniquely determined by the intrinsic state of its isolated subsystems. Empirical significance is therefore encoded in those relations between subsystems that stand apart from their intrinsic states. (shrink)

_Changing the Subject_ is a classic critique of traditional psychology in which the foundations of critical and feminist psychology are laid down. Pioneering and foundational, it is still _the _groundbreaking text crucial to furthering the new psychology in both teaching and research. Now reissued with a new foreword describing the changes which have taken place over the last few years, _Changing the Subject _will continue to have a significant impact on thinking about psychology and social theory.

After a brief introduction to issues that plague the realization of a theory of quantum gravity, I suggest that the main one concerns defining superpositions of causal structures. This leads me to a distinction between time and space, to a further degree than that present in the canonical approach to general relativity. With this distinction, one can make sense of superpositions as interference between alternative paths in the relational configuration space of the entire Universe. But the full use of relationalism (...) brings us to a timeless picture of Nature, as it does in the canonical approach. After a discussion of Parmenides and the Eleatics' rejection of time, I show that there is middle ground between their view of absolute timelessness and a view of physics taking place in timeless configuration space. In this middle ground, even though change does not fundamentally exist, the illusion of change can be recovered in a way not permitted by Parmenides. It is recovered through a particular density distribution over configuration space which gives rise to 'records'. Incidentally, this distribution seems to have the potential to dissolve further aspects of the measurement problem that can still be argued to haunt the application of decoherence to Many-Worlds quantum mechanics. I end with a discussion indicating that the conflict between the conclusions of this paper and our view of the continuity of the self may still intuitively bother us. Nonetheless, those conclusions should be no more challenging to our intuition than Derek Parfit's thought experiments on the subject. (shrink)

In this paper, we propose Kripke-style models for the logics of evidence and truth LETJ and LETF. These logics extend, respectively, Nelson’s logic N4 and the logic of first-degree entailment with a classicality operator ∘ that recovers classical logic for formulas in its scope. According to the intended interpretation here proposed, these models represent a database that receives information as time passes, and such information can be positive, negative, non-reliable, or reliable, while a formula ∘A means that the information about (...) A, either positive or negative, is reliable. This proposal is in line with the interpretation of N4 and FDE as information-based logics, but adds to the four scenarios expressed by them two new scenarios: reliable information for the truth and for the falsity of a given proposition. (shrink)

Describing a Mundus Novus was a very singular task in the sixteenth century. It was an effort shaped by a permanent inherent tension between novelty and normality, between the immense variety of new facts and the demand of credibility. How did these inner strains affect the narrative style of the first descriptions of the natural world of ‘the Indies’? How were the first European observers of the nature of America able to simultaneously transmit the idea of immensity and regularity, and (...) that of novelty? How did they attempt to describe new worlds knowing that there was a lot – perhaps too much – to tell? This paper focuses not on the much-discussed epistemological issues related to those questions, but on their narrative and stylistic consequences. We argue that the first Europeans meeting the new realities of the Americas or India had to meet new challenges, and these translated into texts with specific characteristics. Thus, their first descriptions are essentially different from the texts about the natural world that were written before or after the ‘discovery’. We show that they adopted very specific discursive approaches, and were deeply influenced by the credibility strategies of the medical profession in which they had been trained. (shrink)

We review three broadly geometrodynamical---and in part, Machian or relational---projects, from the perspective of spacetime functionalism. We show how all three are examples of functionalist reduction of the type that was advocated by D. Lewis, and nowadays goes by the label `the Canberra Plan’. The projects are: the recovery of geometrodynamics by Hojman et al. ; the programme of Schuller and collaborators to deduce a metric from the physics of matter fields; the deduction of the ADM Hamiltonian by Gomes and (...) Shyam. We end by drawing a positive corollary about shape dynamics: namely, it has a good rationale for the Hamiltonian it postulates. (shrink)

Barbour’s interpretation of Mach’s principle led him to postulate that gravity should be formulated as a dynamical theory of spatial conformal geometry, or in his terminology, “shapes.” Recently, it was shown that the dynamics of General Relativity can indeed be formulated as the dynamics of shapes. This new Shape Dynamics theory, unlike earlier proposals by Barbour and his collaborators, implements local spatial conformal invariance as a gauge symmetry that replaces refoliation invariance in General Relativity. It is the purpose of this (...) paper to answer frequent questions about (new) Shape Dynamics, such as its relation to Poincaré invariance, General Relativity, Constant Mean (extrinsic) Curvature gauge, earlier Shape Dynamics, and finally the conformal approach to the initial value problem of General Relativity. Some of these relations can be clarified by considering a simple model: free electrodynamics and its dual shift symmetric formulation. This model also serves as an example where symmetry trading is used for usual gauge theories. (shrink)

Scientific instruments are not neutral artefacts; the perception of their value is greatly determined not only by the objects themselves and the function they perform, but also by the context of their use. In the 16th and 17th centuries, scientific instruments – not only nautical ones – acquired a prominent place in European societies that greatly transcended the specific narrow professional circles that used them. This has already been noted as being an important feature in the development of science in (...) early modern Europe. But exactly how did this happen? Following other recent studies, I argue in this paper that in order to understand this phenomenon one has to look carefully at artisanal practices of the period. (shrink)

Why is gauge symmetry so important in modern physics, given that one must eliminate it when interpreting what the theory represents? In this paper we discuss the sense in which gauge symmetry can be fruitfully applied to constrain the space of possible dynamical models in such a way that forces and charges are appropriately coupled. We review the most well-known application of this kind, known as the 'gauge argument' or 'gauge principle', discuss its difficulties, and then reconstruct the gauge argument (...) as a valid theorem in quantum theory. We then present what we take to be a better and more general gauge argument, based on Noether's second theorem in classical Lagrangian field theory, and argue that this provides a more appropriate framework for understanding how gauge symmetry helps to constrain the dynamics of physical theories. (shrink)