Theoreticians of deliberative democracy have sometimes found it hard to relate to the seemingly contradictory experimental results produced by psychologists and political scientists. We suggest that this problem may be alleviated by inserting a layer of psychological theory between the empirical results and the normative political theory. In particular, we expose the argumentative theory of reasoning that makes the observed pattern of findings more coherent. According to this theory, individual reasoning mechanisms work best when used to produce and evaluate arguments (...) during a public deliberation. It predicts that when diverse opinions are discussed, group reasoning will outperform individual reasoning. It also predicts that individuals have a strong confirmation bias. When people reason either alone or with like-minded peers, this confirmation bias leads them to reinforce their initial attitudes, explaining individual and group polarization. We suggest that the failures of reasoning are most likely to be remedied at the collective than at the individual level. (shrink)

Because reasoning allows us to justify our beliefs and evaluate these justifications it is central to folk epistemology. Following Sperber, and contrary to classical views, it will be argued that reasoning evolved not to complement individual cognition but as an argumentative device. This hypothesis is more consistent with the prevalence of the confirmation and disconfirmation biases. It will be suggested that these biases render the individual use of reasoning hazardous, but that when reasoning is used in its natural, argumentative, context (...) they can represent a smart way to divide labor without loosing epistemic value. (shrink)

The use of predictive machine learning algorithms is increasingly common to guide or even take decisions in both public and private settings. Their use is touted by some as a potentially useful method to avoid discriminatory decisions since they are, allegedly, neutral, objective, and can be evaluated in ways no human decisions can. By (fully or partly) outsourcing a decision process to an algorithm, it should allow human organizations to clearly define the parameters of the decision and to, in principle, (...) remove human biases. Yet, in practice, the use of algorithms can still be the source of wrongful discriminatory decisions based on at least three of their features: the data-mining process and the categorizations they rely on can reconduct human biases, their automaticity and predictive design can lead them to rely on wrongful generalizations, and their opaque nature is at odds with democratic requirements. We highlight that the two latter aspects of algorithms and their significance for discrimination are too often overlooked in contemporary literature. Though these problems are not all insurmountable, we argue that it is necessary to clearly define the conditions under which a machine learning decision tool can be used. We identify and propose three main guidelines to properly constrain the deployment of machine learning algorithms in society: algorithms should be vetted to ensure that they do not unduly affect historically marginalized groups; they should not systematically override or replace human decision-making processes; and the decision reached using an algorithm should always be explainable and justifiable. (shrink)

Coherence plays an important role in psychology. In this article, I suggest that coherence takes two main forms in humans’ cognitive system. The first belong to ‘system 1’. It relies on the degree of coherence between different representations to regulate them, without coherence being represented. By contrast other mechanisms, belonging to system 2, allow humans to represent the degree of coherence between different representations and to draw inferences from it. It is suggested that the mechanisms of explicit coherence evaluation have (...) social functions. They are used as means of epistemic vigilance—to evaluate what other people tell us. They can also be turned inwards to examine the coherence of our own beliefs. Their function is then to minimize the chances that we are perceived as being incoherent. Evidence from different domains of psychology is briefly reviewed in support of these hypotheses. (shrink)

Many fields of study have shown that group discussion generally improves reasoning performance for a wide range of tasks. This article shows that most of the population, including specialists, does not expect group discussion to be as beneficial as it is. Six studies asked participants to solve a standard reasoning problem—the Wason selection task—and to estimate the performance of individuals working alone and in groups. We tested samples of U.S., Indian, and Japanese participants, European managers, and psychologists of reasoning. Every (...) sample underestimated the improvement yielded by group discussion. They did so even after they had been explained the correct answer, or after they had had to solve the problem in groups. These mistaken intuitions could prevent individuals from making the best of institutions that rely on group discussion, from collaborative learning and work teams to deliberative assemblies. (shrink)

In this provocative study, Bedau demonstrates the usefulness of "casuistry," or "the method of cases" in arriving at moral decisions. He examines well-known cases, including the aftermath of the sinking of the William Brown in 1841, that compel us to consider questions about who ought to survive when not all can. By doing so, we learn something about how we actually reason concerning such life and death situations, as well as about how we ought to reason if we wish both (...) to be consistent and to properly respect human life. Bedau's elegant book will be a valuable resource for students, philosophers, and general readers. (shrink)

SUMMARYDebates about Nietzsche's political thought today revolve around his role in contemporary democratic theory: is he a thinker to be mined for stimulating resources in view of refounding democratic legitimacy on a radicalised, postmodern and agonistic footing, or is he the modern arch-critic of democracy budding democrats must hone their arguments against? Moving away from this dichotomy, this article asks first and foremost what democracy meant for Nietzsche in late nineteenth-century Germany, and on that basis what we might learn from (...) him now. To do so, it will pay particular attention to the political, intellectual and cultural contexts within which Nietzsche's thought evolved, namely Bismarck's relationship to the new German Reichstag, the philological discovery of an original Aryan race, and Nietzsche's encounter with Gobineau's racist thought through his frequentation of the Wagner circle. It argues that Nietzsche's most lasting contribution to democratic thinking is not to be found in the different ways he may or may not be used to buttress certain contemporary ideological positions, but rather how his notions of ‘herd morality’, ‘misarchism’ and the genealogical method still provides us with the conceptual tools to better understand the political world we inhabit. (shrink)

En este ensayo propongo una aproximación al contenido de Del arte de la guerra de Maquiavelo desde la pregunta por el enemigo: ¿quién es el enemigo en Del arte de la guerra? ¿Quién es el adversario del ejército que Maquiavelo busca organizar en el libro? Dentro de la literatura secundaria sobre el florentino identifico tres tipos de respuesta a esta pregunta, lo que llamo aquí tres diferentes manifestaciones del enemigo. Según estas lecturas, el enemigo de la milicia maquiaveliana es a) (...) el cristianismo, el modo de vida instituido por esta religión; b) lo imprevisible, los accidentes cuya ocurrencia no se puede anticipar, es decir, la fortuna, y c) los grandes, cuyo deseo es el de dominar al pueblo. (shrink)

Las teorías posmodernas no son tan originales como sus seguidores lo presumen. El escepticismo clásico de la era helenística constituye el más interesante precursor del posmodernismo a causa de su inexorable relativismo y, paradójicamente, por su propensión al oportunismo ideológico y el conservatismo político. Los antiguos escépticos y los posmodernos contemporáneos han solido ser gentes desilusionadas con las doctrinas revolucionarias y los sistemas filosóficos de supuesta validez universal. De allí han evolucionado una muy razonable tendencia antidogmática y algunas técnicas para (...) desintegrar las bien urdidas construcciones teoréticas, pero también han procedido a partir de un principio dogmático: si todo conocimiento, percepciones y proposiciones son relativas e inciertas, esta misma sentencia es por lo tanto incierta, y abre la posibilidad de un conocimiento relativamente cierto. En la esfera política, el principio de ?todo vale? se vuelve un lema conservador: si todas las opciones son tan buenas o tan malas como cualquier otra, uno tiene a regirse por el orden existente como el mal menor. (shrink)

El presente artículo hace una reflexión sobre la relación del ideario de Nietzsche con la corriente actual del postmodernismo, a través del pensamiento de la Escuela de Frankfurt. Se examina el papel inspirador de Nietzsche en varias de las figuras principales de esta Escuela, como Theodor Adorno y Max Horkheimer. Ideas como las de relativismo, voluntad de poder y totalitarismo -analizadas aquí críticamente- sirven para tejer una influencia siempre poderosa y presente, tanto en el pensamiento frankfurtiano como en el postmodernismo.

Reasoning is generally seen as a means to improve knowledge and make better decisions. However, much evidence shows that reasoning often leads to epistemic distortions and poor decisions. This suggests that the function of reasoning should be rethought. Our hypothesis is that the function of reasoning is argumentative. It is to devise and evaluate arguments intended to persuade. Reasoning so conceived is adaptive given the exceptional dependence of humans on communication and their vulnerability to misinformation. A wide range of evidence (...) in the psychology of reasoning and decision making can be reinterpreted and better explained in the light of this hypothesis. Poor performance in standard reasoning tasks is explained by the lack of argumentative context. When the same problems are placed in a proper argumentative setting, people turn out to be skilled arguers. Skilled arguers, however, are not after the truth but after arguments supporting their views. This explains the notorious confirmation bias. This bias is apparent not only when people are actually arguing, but also when they are reasoning proactively from the perspective of having to defend their opinions. Reasoning so motivated can distort evaluations and attitudes and allow erroneous beliefs to persist. Proactively used reasoning also favors decisions that are easy to justify but not necessarily better. In all these instances traditionally described as failures or flaws, reasoning does exactly what can be expected of an argumentative device: Look for arguments that support a given conclusion, and, ceteris paribus, favor conclusions for which arguments can be found. (shrink)

As part of a roundtable on “Balancing Legal Norms, Moral Values, and National Interests,” this essay describes the humanitarian diplomacy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by comparing it conceptually with other forms of advocacy and illustrating it with the ICRC's recent experience in the Yemen crisis. Humanitarian diplomacy is examined as one particular way of balancing legal norms, moral values, and national interests in the pursuit of greater respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and principled humanitarian (...) action in armed conflicts. The essay looks back to ancient history for archetypal forms of humanitarian advocacy in various cultural traditions. It then describes humanitarian diplomacy's practice of discreet diplomacy and confidential dialogue with all parties to a conflict, and compares its relatively “quiet” approach with the “loud” approach of outrage activism focused on “naming and shaming,” which tends to be the norm today. The essay argues that there is an important and complementary place for the ICRC's style of humanitarian diplomacy alongside other forms of advocacy even in the face of criticism that the ICRC is sometimes publicly silent about what it knows of atrocities and avoids naming and shaming. (shrink)

‘One man, one vote’ is a longstanding democratic battle-cry, but it has come under increasing scrutiny of late, and not simply because of its gendered language. If gender equality, at least at the...

Background The learning process about dignity and how undergraduate nursing students experience and use this ethical knowledge is an under-represented field in nursing research. To overcome the lack of conceptual clarity, it is important to understand what processes and dimensions students develop to support this learning outcome. Objective This study aimed to explain the process of learning about dignity by undergraduate nursing students. Research design and methods A qualitative study was conducted using the grounded theory method. Participants and research context (...) Data was collected through free reports and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 participants. A focus group was held for the selective coding. Sampling began purposefully and evolved into theoretical. Reflective and theoretical memos were generated from the data collection and constant comparison. Data analysis was performed using qualitative data analysis software using Corbin and Strauss’ method. Ethical considerations The research was approved by a specialized research ethics committee from a Health School. Findings The process of learning about dignity by undergraduate nursing students revealed ‘recognition of dignity’ as the core category, supported by five main categories: ‘proto-conscience of dignity’, ‘pathway to nursing’, ‘consciousness of dignity’, ‘ways of learning’, and ‘becoming capable’. These categories illustrate the processes and dimensions involved in nursing students’ concept translation of dignity learning, allowing a theory to emerge. Conclusions The ‘Recognition of Dignity’ theory aims to contribute to developing educational, training, and supervision processes for nursing programs. It seeks to enhance the ethical and moral development of undergraduate nursing students by helping them understand the concept of dignity and its fundamental importance in nursing. (shrink)

All the schools of the world -- Unpacking classrooms -- How the 'brain' learns -- Charting the space between demons and angels -- History of the world in a child -- From one-world classroom to one learning sequence -- Conclusion, exercising the educational imagination.

Marcado desde sempre pela relação entre filosofia e literatura, o pensamento de Eduardo Lourenço (1923-2020) desenvolve-se ao longo de uma vasta produção intelectual – parte ainda inédita – correspondente a uma profunda, atenta e responsável atenção ao seu tempo. Este artigo parte dessa atenção, intentando demonstrar os contornos da sua originalidade, bem como mapear os traços principais do seu relevo filosófico-literário. Passando pelas noções de “heterodoxia”, de “ensaísmo” e de “temporalidade”, pretende-se acompanhar algumas vias percorridas pela obra do pensador, esclarecendo (...) o modo como se constroem a partir de um alargamento da ideia de razão alimentada pela multiplicidade dos desafios do tempo. (shrink)

El artículo aborda el desafío de una conceptualización de la realidad socio-histórica que rompa con la separación entre lo real como externalidad y el sujeto. Lo anterior pasa por redefinir la idea de objetividad. Se requiere encontrar un concepto de subjetividad constituyente que no sea operativo por reducciones al plano de las variables psicológicas, pero que tampoco se resuelva como simple expresión de procesos macrohistóricos. Desde un punto de vista metodológico, realza el contrapunto entre contenidos teóricos permanentes y la transitoriedad (...) de los sujetos. Se afirma que para poder armonizar desarrollo humano y desarrollo social, se requieren relaciones sociales que no impliquen dominación económica ni política. Llegado a esto, se pregunta: ¿Es que el capitalismo se esconde detrás de la democracia, por lo que ésta, en su propio nombre, se niega así misma? (shrink)

Este artigo pretende explorar brevemente algumas noções centrais do existencialismo presentes na prosa romanesca de Milan Kundera em A insustentável leveza do ser, à luz dos conceitos filosóficos e da especulação fenomenológica de Jean-Paul Sartre em O ser e o nada.

This work mainly concerns the—here introduced—category of \(\mathscr {Q}\) -sets and functional morphisms, where \(\mathscr {Q}\) is a commutative semicartesian quantale. We prove it enjoys all limits and colimits, that it has a classifier for regular subobjects (a sort of truth-values object), which we characterize and give explicitly. Moreover: we prove it to be \(\kappa \) -locally presentable, (where \(\kappa =max\{|\mathscr {Q}|^+, \aleph _0\}\) ); we also describe a hierarchy of monoidal structures in this category.

Syrien im 1.-7. Jahrhundert nach Christus. Edited by Dmitrij Bumazhnov and Hans Reinhard Seeliger. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum, vol. 62. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011. Pp. viii + 284. €64.