O presente artigo tem como principal objetivo compreender de que modo as concepções de família, levantada por deputados religiosos, tem influenciado nos debates acerca das propostas de ação da Comissão de Direitos Humanos no Brasil. Para tal, parte da análise discursiva das falas proferidas pelo então presidente da Comissão de Direitos Humanos e Minorias, no período de março a julho de 2014, publicados pela mídia virtual. Os resultados demonstram que nos discursos proferidos pelo então presidente da Comissão são sustentados por (...) uma perspectiva heteronormativa que entende a família a partir de papéis pré-concebidos, hierarquizados, ignorando qualquer possibilidade de arranjo familiar que fuja desse padrão. Toma como base justificativas essencialistas, com teor conservador, e de cunho religioso, mesmo diante de um Estado que, em tese, deveria ser laico. Tal fato remonta a necessidade de se pensar mecanismos para desconstruir essas concepções e horizontalizar a multiplicidade de experiências de arranjos familiares, legitimando-as perante o Estado. (shrink)

Neste artigo, defendemos a tese de que a Educação é um dos temas fundamentais da reflexão de Lima Vaz. Propomos mostrar de que maneira, para ele, o ethos possui papel importante na formação da consciência e da personalidade morais. Em primeiro lugar, explicitaremos em que sentido a educação, embora não seja tema principal de nenhuma obra de Lima Vaz, pode ser compreendida como tema transversal que perpassa as obras do autor. Em seguida, explicitaremos qual o papel do ethos na constituição (...) do caráter. Ora, o ethos é coextensivo à cultura. Ao ser socializado, o sujeito aprende uma língua, pode ser introduzido nas tradições de uma religião, e interioriza normas de conduta. Por um lado, o ethos possui importante papel na formação do caráter e da personalidade. A comunidade educa o indivíduo e, neste sentido, é também responsável por ele. Por outro lado, o hábito ético garante a permanência do ethos. Logo, o sujeito também é responsável por suas ações e pela manutenção do ethos. Finalmente, mostraremos que a crise do ethos e da tradição torna necessário adotar postura reflexiva. Torna-se necessário tomar distância e avaliar o próprio ethos concreto. A relação entre o sujeito e o ethos não é completamente determinada. O sujeito pode sempre se opor às tradições e colocar em questão a validade das mesmas. Além disso, quando as tradições estão em crise se faz necessário redescobrir uma nova orientação através do exercício do logos. Esta orientação deve ser capaz de conduzir o sujeito à realização do bem. Palavras-chave: Ética. Educação. Ethos. Tradição. Bem. (shrink)

Recovering the identity of a people means revisiting their memory, their history and the memories that determine the construction of their identity. This essay seeks to reflect on the impacts of mining, its causes, impasses and consequences on the memory and the construction of local identities, namely those from the affected communities. Considering the collapse of the Fundão/Mariana tailings dam, some ethical-philosophical provocations arise, such as: why do we talk about a crime-disaster and not simply about a disaster or a (...) tailings dam collapse? How can we give a name to this memory of trauma, to what is inexplicable? After all, how do we think about the memory of the community in the aftermath of the collapse? (shrink)

A questao do estabelecimento de quais argumentos indutivos tem maior probabilidade de se aproximar mais da verdade, liga-se com maior intensidade aos raciocinios que envolvem generaliza<;oes humeanas. 0 principio de causalidade, suporte basico da legitimidade da indu<;ao cientifica, e discutido neste trabalho a partir das obje¢es de HUME, a existencia de uma logica que garanta sua racionalidade. Objetivou-se construir uma arqumentacao justificativa que mostrasse que HUME nao prova atraves de sua teoria cetica, que 0 principio causal e irracional; muito embora (...) que nao se tenha ainda conseguido, cornprova-lo como racional. (shrink)

Objetivou-se estratificar fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares (DCV) em dez anos em jogadores de basquetebol em cadeiras de rodas. O percentual de risco cardiovascular foi estratificado pelos escores de Framingham (ERF) e de Risco Global (ERG). Dos treze jogadores avaliados, 38,46% apresentava sobrepeso e obesidade e 77%, alterações na porcentagem de gordura corporal e na circunferência abdominal. O ERF identificou 15,38% dos jogadores com risco intermediário para desenvolvimento de DCV e pelo ERG, 15,4% dos homens apresentava risco intermediário, 7,7% (...) alto risco por diabetes e 7,7% muito alto risco por doenças ateroscleróticas. Os resultados de composição corporal demonstram uma predisposição para desenvolvimento de DCV, sendo que o ERG identificou indivíduos com alto risco e muito alto risco. Conclui-se que a identificação dos fatores de risco é útil para que ocorra uma maior prevenção das DCV e aconselhamento adequado sobre adoção de hábitos de vida saudáveis por esses indivíduos. (shrink)

Neste espaço relataremos o desenvolvimento do projeto de pesquisa Filosofia, Cultura Juvenil e Ensino Médio desenvolvido no período de junho de 2004 a junho de 2009, na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), no Rio Grande do Sul. A coordenação foi realizada pela professora Elisete Medianeira Tomazetti, vinculada ao Departamento de Metodologia e Ensino (MEN), do Centro Educação e responsável pelas disciplinas de Didática da Filosofia, Pesquisa para o Ensino de Filosofia e Estágio Curricular Supervisionado, do Curso de Filosofia (...) da UFSM. Desde seu início o projeto contou com vários alunos do Curso de Filosofia da UFSM. Alguns se agregavam ao grupo durante certo período e assim que concluíam seu curso e precisavam buscar emprego, em outras localidades, acabavam deixando o grupo. Outros, devido a bolsas de iniciação científica, oriundas de diferentes editais, permaneceram durante todo o período de desenvolvimento da pesquisa, nas diferentes etapas. O desenvolvimento da pesquisa procurou sempre fomentar o interesse dos alunos em dar continuidade a seus estudos de pós-graduação strictu sensu, seguindo com pesquisas na mesma temática. Muitos trabalhos, a partir desta pesquisa, foram elaborados e apresentados pelos participantes do grupo de pesquisa em eventos da área, ajudando a fortalecer esse campo teórico, ainda com certa carência de estudos e pesquisa significativos no contexto brasileiro. Da mesma forma, a pesquisa ajudou tornar mais visível a problemática do ensino de filosofia na Escola Básica no contexto do Curso de Filosofia e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFSM, principalmente. (shrink)

A Psicologia Comunitária pode ser defi nida como uma área da Psicologia Social da Libertação (Góis, 2005), voltada para a compreensão da atividade comunitária como atividade social significativa e consciente e para a compreensão dos seus reflexos nas dimensões objetivas e subjetivas. O presente arti..

ABSTRACT This article aims to analyze, from a Bakhtinian perspective, the grotesque construction of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s body through a religious worldview. Therefore, we analyze two of her self-portraits, taking into account the dialogic relations constructed between the grotesque representations and Catholic symbology. The analyzed utterances, in which the specificities of the creative competence of the author-creator in her aesthetic activity are inferred, showed that a dialogue is established between the painting El venado herido and Catholic Saint Sebastian and (...) between the painting Las dos fridas and the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (shrink)

This paper aims to analyze the poem "Psychology of Composition" by João Cabral de Melo Neto, seeking to comprehend poetry and poetic creation through the phenomenon of language as understood by Martin Heidegger.

Após conhecer um pouco a Tanatologia e a Escatologia, surgiu a ideia de analisar a obra “Morte e vida Severina”, de João Cabral de Melo Neto, e os diferentes aspectos da morte e da vida. Estudiosos que escreveram sobre a situação humana e a contingência da morte foram consultados para um embasamento teórico consistente. O Catecismo da Igreja Católica e a Bíblia Sagrada foram usados também. Após introdução, o artigo apresenta a análise do poema detalhando os diferentes meandros em (...) que figuram a morte. Além do embasamento teórico, há um cotejo entre o poema e as teorias. Constam, ainda, considerações a respeito da situação humana que, apesar de professar uma fé, ora torna-se objeto, ora sujeito do que lhe é inusitado. (shrink)

Em meio ao tempo e ao ritmo estabelecidos pela dinâmica social da atualidade, caracterizada por uma paisagem sonora que conduz ao desapego e ao distanciamento afetivo nas relações, exaurindo os próprios sentidos da vida humana, este trabalho pretende retomar o sentido ético da escuta como condição primordial de acesso à verdade, uma escuta que, para além do simples ouvir, permita espreitar os sons que constituem a singularidade dos sujeitos e do mundo e dão a tônica da sua existência. Estabelece relações (...) entre o Logos segundo Heráclito, música encantatória no seu sentido original que, por ser linguagem, comunica e diz algo, e a mousiké grega cujo poder de en-cantamento traz aos sujeitos a verdade como voz que orienta a vida. Destaca as artes da existência apontadas por Foucault na epiméleia heautou associada a melos e melodia, aquilo que canta e encanta desde algum lugar do sujeito e o apela a se interessar por determinada pessoa, objeto ou acontecimento. Dessa forma, a verdade do sujeito é sonora, manifestase como linguagem, como canto que se dá, se doa, na condição de escuta dos sujeitos dispostos, na sua abertura, a ouvi-la. À luz do pensamento de Sloterdijk, identifica as esferas sonoras como o domínio onde as palavras primigênias, fundadoras do ser, ressoam revelando sua origem e essência. Coloca a música como uma arte de viver que atua como elemento reorganizador do conhecimento que construímos sobre o mundo e sobre nós mesmos. Focaliza as ressonâncias formativas do gesto de escutar e silenciar como parte de uma disposição [Stimmung] vital para lidar com conflitos e tensões de nossa época. Palavras-chave: Logos. Música. Escuta. Acolhimento do outro. (shrink)

The lack of public support for climate change policies and refusals to vaccinate children are just two alarming illustrations of the impacts of dissent about scientific claims. Dissent can lead to confusion, false beliefs, and widespread public doubt about highly justified scientific evidence. Even more dangerously, it has begun to corrode the very authority of scientific consensus and knowledge. Deployed aggressively and to political ends, some dissent can intimidate scientists, stymie research, and lead both the public and policymakers to oppose (...) important public policies firmly rooted in science. -/- To criticize dissent is, however, a fraught exercise. Skepticism and fearless debate are key to the scientific process, making it both vital and incredibly difficult to characterize and identify dissent that is problematic in its approach and consequences. Indeed, as de Melo-Martín and Intemann show, the criteria commonly proposed as means of identifying inappropriate dissent are flawed and the strategies generally recommended to tackle such dissent are not only ineffective but could even make the situation worse. -/- The Fight Against Doubt proposes that progress on this front can best be achieved by enhancing the trustworthiness of the scientific community and by being more realistic about the limits of science when it comes to policymaking. It shows that a richer understanding of the context in which science operates is needed to disarm problematic dissent and those who deploy it. This, the authors argue, is the best way forward, rather than diagnosing the many instances of wrong-headed dissent. (shrink)

Reprogenetic technologies, which combine the power of reproductive techniques with the tools of genetic science and technology, promise prospective parents a remarkable degree of control to pick and choose the likely characteristics of their offspring. Not only can they select embryos with or without particular genetically-related diseases and disabilities but also choose embryos with non-disease related traits such as sex. -/- Prominent authors such as Agar, Buchanan, DeGrazia, Green, Harris, Robertson, Savulescu, and Silver have flocked to the banner of reprogenetics. (...) For them, increased reproductive choice and reduced suffering through the elimination of genetic disease and disability are just the first step. They advocate use of these technologies to create beings who enjoy longer and healthier lives, possess greater intellectual capacities, and are capable of more refined emotional experiences. Indeed, Harris and Savulescu in particular take reprogenetic technologies to be so valuable to human beings that they have insisted that their use is not only morally permissible but morally required. -/- Rethinking Reprogenetics challenges this mainstream view with a contextualised, gender-attentive philosophical perspective. De Melo-Martín demonstrates that you do not have to be a Luddite, social conservative, or religious zealot to resist the siren song of reprogenetics. Pointing out the flawed nature of the arguments put forward by the technologies' proponents, Rethinking Reprogenetics reveals the problematic nature of the assumptions underpinning current evaluations of these technologies and offers a framework for a more critical and skeptical assessment. (shrink)

The argument from inductive risk has been embraced by many as a successful account of the role of values in science that challenges the value-free ideal. We argue that it is not obvious that the argument from inductive risk actually undermines the value-free ideal. This is because the inductive risk argument endorses an assumption held by proponents of the value-free ideal: that contextual values never play an appropriate role in determining evidence. We show that challenging the value-free ideal ultimately requires (...) rejecting this assumption. (shrink)

The use of genome embryo editing tools in reproduction is often touted as a way to ensure the birth of healthy and genetically related children. Many would agree that this is a worthy goal. The purpose of this paper is to argue that, if we are concerned with justice, accepting such goal as morally appropriate commits one to rejecting the development of embryo editing for reproductive purposes. This is so because safer and more effective means exist that can allow many (...) more prospective parents to achieve the same valued goal and that offer additional benefits. (shrink)

Philosophers of science, particularly those working on science and values, often talk about the need for science to be socially responsible. However, what this means is not clear. In this paper, we review the contributions of philosophers of science to the debate over socially responsible science and explore the dimensions that a fruitful account of socially responsible science should address. Our review shows that offering a comprehensive account is difficult. We contend that broad calls for socially responsible science that fail (...) to attend to relevant dimensions are not the solution, as they preclude meaningful changes to research institutions and practices. We conclude that narrower, more explicit accounts are more likely to lead to substantive transformation. (shrink)

The therapeutic misconception has been seen as presenting an ethical problem because failure to distinguish the aims of research participation from those receiving ordinary treatment may seriously undermine the informed consent of research subjects. Hence, most theoretical and empirical work on the problems of the therapeutic misconception has been directed to evaluate whether, and to what degree, this confusion invalidates the consent of subjects. We argue here that this focus on the understanding component of informed consent, while important, might be (...) too narrow to capture the ethical complexity of the therapeutic misconception. We show that concerns about misplaced trust and exploitation of such trust are also relevant, and ought to be taken into account, when considering why the therapeutic misconception matters ethically. (shrink)

Although science is our most reliable producer of knowledge, it can also be used to create ignorance, unjustified doubt, and misinformation. In doing so, agnotological practices result not only in epistemic harms but also in social ones. A way to prevent or minimise such harms is to impede these ignorance-producing practices. In this paper, I explore various challenges to such a proposal. I first argue that reliably identifying agnotological practices in a way that permits the prevention of relevant harms is (...) more difficult than it might appear. I focus on an identifying criterion that many find apt for the task: bad faith motives. I then consider an objection—that reliable criteria are unnecessary to successfully address the concerns raised by agnotological strategies—and I show that it fails. I conclude by exploring other ways of conceptualising the problems attributed to agnotological practices. In particular, I challenge the focus on misinformation as the main problem of concern. (shrink)

Recently, some have proposed moral bioenhancement as a solution to the serious moral evils that humans face. Seemingly disillusioned with traditional methods of moral education, proponents of bioenhancement believe that we should pursue and apply biotechnological means to morally enhance human beings. Such proposal has generated a lively debate about the permissibility of moral bioenhancement. We argue here that such debate is specious. The claim that moral bioenhancement is a solution - whether permissible or not - to the serious moral (...) problems that affect human beings is based on several problematic framing assumptions. We evaluate here three of such assumptions: the first rests on a contested understanding of morality, the second consist in a mistaken conception of human moral problems, and the third relates to problematic presuppositions grounding the interpretation of existent scientific evidence presented to defend moral bioenhancement. Once these framing assumptions are identified and critically evaluated, it becomes clear that the moral bioenhancement debate is misguided. (shrink)

A growing number of jurisdictions hold that gamete donors must be identifiable to the children born with their eggs or sperm, on grounds that being able to know about one's genetic origins is a fundamental moral right. But the argument for that belief has not yet been adequately made.

A new reprogenetic technology, mitochondrial replacement, is making its appearance and, unsurprisingly given its promise to wash off our earthly stains --or at least the scourges of sexual reproduction--, John Harris finds only reasons to celebrate this new scientific feat.1 In fact, he finds mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) so “unreservedly welcome” that he believes those who reject them suffer from “a large degree of desperation and not a little callousness.”2 Believing myself to be neither desperate nor callous, but finding myself (...) also no closer at all – not even after reading his article—to following Harris in welcoming these technologies wholeheartedly, it seems appropriate to respond. (shrink)

Proponents of moral enhancement believe that we should pursue and apply biotechnological means to morally enhance human beings, as failing to do so is likely to lead to humanity's demise. Unsurprisingly, these proposals have generated a substantial amount of debate about the moral permissibility of using such interventions. Here I put aside concerns about the permissibility of moral enhancement and focus on the conceptual and evidentiary grounds for the moral enhancement project. I argue that such grounds are quite precarious.

Because of the important benefits that biomedical research offers to humans, some have argued that people have a general moral obligation to participate in research. Although the defense of such a putative moral duty has raised controversy, few scholars, on either side of the debate, have attended to the social context in which research takes place and where such an obligation will be discharged. By reflecting on the social context in which a presumed duty to participate in research will obtain, (...) this article shows that decontextualized discussions of this putative moral obligation are problematic. (shrink)

The disclosure policies of scientific journals now require that investigators provide information about financial interests relevant to their research. The main goals of these policies are to prevent bias from occurring, to help identify bias when it occurs, and to avoid the appearance of bias. We argue here that such policies do little to help achieve these goals, and we suggest more effective alternatives.

Many have argued that allowing and encouraging public avenues for dissent and critical evaluation of scientific research is a necessary condition for promoting the objectivity of scientific communities and advancing scientific knowledge . The history of science reveals many cases where an existing scientific consensus was later shown to be wrong . Dissent plays a crucial role in uncovering potential problems and limitations of consensus views. Thus, many have argued that scientific communities ought to increase opportunities for dissenting views to (...) be heard and taken seriously. Such opportunities are necessary for both limiting the influence .. (shrink)

Science is our most reliable producer of knowledge. Nonetheless, a significant amount of evidence shows that pluralities of members of publics question a variety of accepted scientific claims as well as policies and recommendation informed by the scientific evidence. Scientific misinformation is considered to play a central role in this state of affairs. In this paper, I challenge the emphasis on misinformation as a primary culprit on two grounds. First, the phenomenon of misinformation is far less clear than what much (...) discussion about the topic would lead one to believe. The evidence regarding the amount of misinformation that exits as well as its role in people’s harmful behaviors is at best conflicting and at worst completely useless. Second, the prominence given to misinformation and its harms on people’s behaviors disregards the role of values in policymaking and treats scientific information as if it were the only information necessary to make policy decisions. At a minimum, these problems call for caution regarding the emphasis on this phenomenon. After all, if the problem is incorrectly diagnosed, the solutions that are being offered to address the problem of misinformation are bound to at best inadequate and at worst dangerous. (shrink)

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine critically Julian Savulescu's claim that people should select, of the possible children they could have, the one who is expected to have the best life, or at least as good a life as the others, based on the relevant, available genetic information, including information about non‐disease genes. I argue here that in defending this moral obligation, Savulescu has neglected several important issues such as access to selection technologies, disproportionate burdens on women, (...) difficulties in determining what is best, problems with aggregate effects of individual choices, and questions about social justice. Taking these matters into account would call such a moral requirement into serious question. (shrink)

Hastings Center Report, Volume 52, Issue 5, Page 3-3, September–October 2022.

Recent advances in biotechnologies have led to speculations about enhancing human beings. Many of the moral arguments presented to defend human enhancement technologies have been limited to discussions of their risks and benefits. The author argues that in so far as ethical arguments focus primarily on risks and benefits of human enhancement technologies, these arguments will be insufficient to provide a robust defence of these technologies. This is so because the belief that an assessment of risks and benefits is a (...) sufficient ethical evaluation of these technologies incorrectly presupposes that risk assessments do not involve value judgements. Second, it presupposes a reductionist conception of ethics as merely a risk management instrument. Each of these assumptions separates ethical evaluation from discussion and appraisal of ends and means and thus leaves important—indeed, essential—ethical considerations out of view. Once these problematic assumptions are rejected, it becomes clear that an adequate defence of human enhancement technologies requires more than a simple balance of their risks and benefits. (shrink)

According to sparse modalism, the notion of essence can be analysed in terms of necessity and naturalness. In this paper, I develop and defend a version of sparse modalism that is equipped with a non-standard, relativized conception of naturalness. According to this conception, properties and relations can be natural to different degrees relative to different kinds of things, and relations can be natural to different degrees relative to different slots. I argue that this relativized version of sparse modalism can accommodate (...) various cases that the standard, non-relativized version can’t. The alternative version can accommodate cases where a relation is essential to a relatum but merely necessary to another, cases where a property is essential to an object but merely necessary to another, and cases where a less-than-perfectly natural property is essential to an object. (shrink)

Philosophers of science have come to accept that contextual values can play unavoidable and desirable roles in science. This has raised concerns about the need to distinguish legitimate and illegitimate value influences in scientific inquiry. I discuss here four such concerns: epistemic distortion, value imposition, undermining of public trust in science, and the use of objectionable values. I contend that preserving epistemic integrity and avoiding value imposition provide good reasons to attempt to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate influences of values (...) in science. However, the trust and the objectionable values concerns constitute no good reason for demarcation criteria. (shrink)