Présentant les textes publiés dans ce numéro de Philosophiques comme résultats préliminaires d'une recherche collective sur les théories de l'égalité et les problèmes philosophiques de la condition féminine, l'auteur soutient que leur contribution majeure réside dans une triple réévaluation des enjeux relatifs à l'égalité : le parallélisme étanche qui caractérise en ce moment les recherches sur l'égalité d'une part et les recherches sur la condition féminine d'autre part doit être corrigé; une démarche post-rawlsienne reliant la question de l'égalité à un (...) traitement équitable des multiples formes de différences se manifestant entre les humains est grandement nécessaire; les limites caractérisant les plaidoyers contemporains en faveur d'une égalité par-delà les différences doivent être identifiées.Presenting the papers included in this issue of Philosophiques as the preliminary results of a three years research project on theories of equality and philosophical problems of the women condition, it is argued that their main contribution lies in a threefold reasessment of the issues of equality: the impervious parting which presently caracterizes researches on equality, on the one hand, and researches on women, on the other hand, must be corrected; a post-rawlsian approach relating the question of equality to a just treatment of manifold differentiations among human beings is highly needed; and the shortcomings of present pleas in favor of an equality beyond differentiations must be identified. (shrink)

Le mot célèbre de Descartes sur le bon sens a fait l’objet de commentaires antithétiques mettant en évidence soit son ironie , soit son démocratisme. Les philosophes du sens commun avaient néanmoins entrevu une autre interprétation qui mettait l’accent sur le concept d’égalité épistémique et son rapport à la méthode. À la lumière du texte même du Discours de la Méthode, il est montré que la thèse de l’ironie interprète à contre-sens la distinction cartésienne entre l’égalité des raisons et l’égalité (...) des esprits, dans la mesure où c’est pour avoir consenti à l’élitisme épistémologique combattu par Descartes que l’homme de bon sens peut en venir à douter de l’universalité de la raison.Descartes’ well-known saying on good sense has been commented in two antithetical perspectives, one emphasizing its irony , the other, its democratism. Common sense philosophers have already offered an alternative reading, focussing on the concept of epistemic equality and its relationship to the Cartesian method. On the basis of the Discours de la Méthode itself, it is shown that the allegation of irony counterfeits Descartes’ distinction between the equality of reasons and the equality of minds, to the extent that it is in consenting to the epistemological elitism rejected by Descartes that men of good sense could be lead to doubting the universality of human reason. (shrink)

Comme chacun sait, nous vivons à une époque où le changement est une donnée fondamentale de I’ action et aussi de Ia pensée. De ce point de vue, il est bizarre de penser que des hommes, disons des philosophes, aient non seulement posé l'immutabilité comme critère constitutif de Ia vérité mais en outre qu'ils aient défendu ce critère selon les règles de l'éloquence, avec un succès public notoire. En effet, dire d'un concept qu'il se définit au sein d'une rhétorique c'est (...) dire, entre autres choses, qu'il présente, aux yeux du locuteur qui le propose avec succès, une valeur et une importance qui peuvent être montrées. Encore une fois, dans un monde où le changement est devenu banal, Ia défense efficace de l'immutabilité est non seulement un anachronisme: elle est bizarre. (shrink)

Dans les études consacrées aux écrits politiques et éducatifs de Rousseau, on a beaucoup insisté sur la loi qui commande son anthropologie, à savoir que l'altérité corrompt. Cependant, on a moins insisté sur une notion fondamentale de cette anthropologie, celle des bornes et des places, ce qui explique un certain nombre de malentendus quant au caractère plus ou moins pessimiste ou conser vateur des écrits de Rousseau. Pourtant, un lien existe entre la loi de l'altérité et le concept des bornes, (...) car ne corrompt chez Rousseau que le type de comparaisons qui refusent l'ordre d'un tout et qui, de ce fait, situent l'individualité et l'altérité en dehors de leurs bornes. (shrink)

Résumé Les soulèvements d’étudiants canadiens ne se contentent pas d’occuper les rues. Ils stimulent aussi l’émergence de modèles alternatifs de démocratie, comme la « démocratie liquide ». Celle-ci consiste à recourir régulièrement à des consultations populaires (sous forme de référendums, par exemple) sur des enjeux majeurs, avec la possibilité de transférer son vote à quelqu’un d’autre. De quoi raviver nos institutions sclérosées?

Analysant les caractéristiques majeures des notions contemporaines d'égalité à la lumière d'une bibliographie que l'auteur publiera bientôt, cette étude montre les contradictions qui existent dans la documentation actuelle entre les études traitant implicitement ou explicitement d'égalité, ainsi que l'importance de sept caractéristiques marquantes des théories de l'égalité du XXe siècle. L'auteur soutient que les griefs courants concernant l'absence de clarté de la notion contemporaine d'égalité découlent d'une manière significative d'une réduction systématique de l'ensemble des possibilités ouvertes par la documentation actuelle (...) dans son ensemble, plutôt que de l'absence de définition de l'égalité.Analyzing the major features of the contemporary notions of equality on the basis of the author's forthcoming bibliography on the subject, this paper shows the contradictions between the implicit and the explicit literature on the subject, the main catagories by virtue of which one must assess the contemporary approaches on equality, and the importance of seven outstanding features of XXth Century equality theories. It is argued that current grievances concerning the lack of clarity of the contemporary notion of equality results in a significant manner from the systematic reduction of all the possibilities opened by the present literature on equality as a whole, rather than from a lack of definition of equality. (shrink)

En parlant des rapports entre la Nouvelle Rhétorique et la France, Pierre-André Taguieff décrivait la situation comme celle d'un rendez-vous manqué. En parlant des rapports entre la philosophie pérelmanienne et la philosophie anglo-saxonne, il faut surtout parler de rendez-vous clandestins. Car dans l'ensemble, ces rendez-vous divers sont d'autant plus évidents qu'ils témoignent sans doute de l'influence réelle d'une philosophie. D'une philosophie dont on retrouve, dans le milieu anglo-saxon, un «air de famille» mais sans que Chaïm Perelman ne soit expressément nommé.

Dans les débats suscités par les écrits de Thomas Kuhn, je me suis intéressée au caractère habituellement non thématisé d'une objection levée contre sa théorie des paradigmes, ainsi qu'au caractère ambigu de la réfutation que lui apporte Kuhn. L'objection porte sur le rapprochement abusif que la théorie des paradigmes opérerait entre l'homme de science et l'homme ordinaire, comme si pour Kuhn la science relevait du bon sens. De son côté, et en dépit de la fréquence de ses références à l'homme (...) ordinaire, Kuhn déclare que cette interprétation de sa théorie n'est pas pertinente. (shrink)

Cet ouvrage ambitieux rassemble des articles publiés entre 1974 et 1984. Cette collation est précédée d'une première partie sur les conditions de possibilité d'une théorie des rapports entre sexisme et philosophie, et suivie d'un exposé visant à éclaircir ce qu'il en est du sexisme et "à quels signes philosophiques (on) peut le reconnaître". La présente étude critique en dévoile certaines lacunes: élaboration insuffisante du champ sémantique du sexisme; typologie confuse des critères du sexisme; méthode déficiente; image évanescente tant du lecteur (...) que de l'auteure elle-même; et absence d'une définition claire du féminisme, de ses principales tendances et de son rapport aux disciplines traditionnelles. (shrink)

In memory of Professor Louise Marcil, from the University of Montreal, who died prematurely in April 1995, this special issue of Dialogue is dedicated to Equality. In addition to presenting the various contributions, the Introduction traces the main strands of Louise Marcil's work on equality. The impressive corpus of her writings on the subject is characterized throughout by sensitivity to the historical and conceptual complexity of egalitarian theories and policies and by a depth of scholarship, the richness of (...) which defies classification into traditional philosophical schools. Moreover, far from being merely abstract scholarship, this work was clearly intended to strengthen actual egalitarian social projects, to which Louise Marcil was passionately committed. The contributions to this special issue of Dialogue have been selected in large part to reflect the diversity and scholarly standards of Louise Marcil's approach to equality as well as its engaged spirit. (shrink)

ABSTRACT: In memory of Professor Louise Marcil, from the University of Montreal, who died prematurely in April 1995, this special issue of Dialogue is dedicated to Equality. In addition to presenting the various contributions, the Introduction traces the main strands of Louise Marcil’s work on equality. The impressive corpus of her writings on the subject is characterized throughout by sensitivity to the historical and conceptual complexity of egalitarian theories and policies and by a depth of scholarship, the richness (...) of which defies classification into traditional philosophical schools. Moreover, far from being merely abstract scholarship, this work was clearly intended to strengthen actual egalitarian social projects, to which Louise Marcil was passionately committed. The contributions to this special issue of Dialogue have been selected in large part to reflect the diversity and scholarly standards of Louise Marcil’s approach to equality as well as its engaged spirit. (shrink)

Marcile Ficin, traducteur de Platon, a aussi été le premier commentateur de la République et des Lois. Mû par un intérêt philosophique et théologique, Ficin considère que les Lois sont la version « réalisable » de la République où Platon avait anticipé le modèle parfait de la cité chrétienne. Une cité qui aurait pour tâche de préparer le citoyen à réaliser son souhait le plus ardent à savoir la « visio Dei ». La cité de Platon dans les Lois est (...) donc l'expression de la « Hierusalem caelestis pro viribus in terris expressa ». A reading of the Laws by Marsilio Focino Marsilio Ficino, Plato's translator, was also the first commentator of Plato's Republic and Laws. Triggered both by a theological and philosophical interest. Ficino believes that the Laws represent the achievable version of Plato's Republic, since, therein, Plato had anticipated the perfect model of a Christian city. Hence a city whose task would have been to prepare the citizen to carry out his most ardent wish, i. e. the « visio Dei ». Plato's city in the Laws thus becomes the expression of « Hierusalem caelestis pro viribus in terris expressa ». (shrink)

Is the virtue of the good citizen the same as the virtue of the good man? Aristotle addresses this in Politics 3.4. His answer is twofold. On the one hand, (the account for Difference) they are not the same both because what the citizen’s virtue is depends on the constitution, on what preserves it, and on the role the citizen plays in it, and because the good citizens in the best constitution cannot all be good men, whereas the good man’s (...) virtue is uniform. On the other hand, (the account for Identity) the two virtues are identical in the good men in the best constitution, in which all are good citizens, each possessing the ability for ruling and for being ruled. This nuanced answer can be seen as Aristotle’s synthesis of a Periclean view (contribution to state blots out personal wrongs) and a Socratic view (no good citizen is without justice). Its nuances reflect the extent to which Aristotle’s conceptions of good citizenship and the best constitution accommodate deviations of what is probable from the human ideal set out in his ethical writings. In the present chapter, I will first address three puzzles regarding the nuances of Aristotle’s answer. Second, I will consider one question about its implication: Does Aristotle’s account for Difference turn out to entail something ultra-Periclean: that no one can simultaneously be a good man and a good citizen in any constitution other than the best? I shall argue the negative. (shrink)

Despite the recent backlash against epistemic consequentialism, an explicit systematic alternative has yet to emerge. This paper articulates and defends a novel alternative, Epistemic Kantianism, which rests on a requirement of respect for the truth. §1 tackles some preliminaries concerning the proper formulation of the epistemic consequentialism / non-consequentialism divide, explains where Epistemic Kantianism falls in the dialectical landscape, and shows how it can capture what seems attractive about epistemic consequentialism while yielding predictions that are harder for the latter to (...) secure in a principled way. §2 presents Epistemic Kantianism. §3 argues that it is uniquely poised to satisfy the desiderata set out in §1 on an ideal theory of epistemic justification. §4 gives three further arguments, suggesting that it (i) best explains the objective normative significance of the subject's perspective in epistemology, (ii) follows from the kind of axiology needed to solve the swamping problem together with modest assumptions about the relation between the evaluative and the deontic, and (iii) illuminates certain asymmetries in epistemic value and obligation. §5 takes stock and reassesses the score in the debate. (shrink)

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, EarlyView.

This article is a feminist intervention into the ways that disability is researched and represented in philosophy at present. Nevertheless, some of the claims that I make over the course of the article are also pertinent to the marginalization in philosophy of other areas of inquiry, including philosophy of race, feminist philosophy more broadly, indigenous philosophies, and LGBTQI philosophy. Although the discipline of philosophy largely continues to operate under the guise of neutrality, rationality, and objectivity, the institutionalized structure of the (...) discipline implicitly and explicitly promotes certain ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies as bona fide philosophy, while casting the ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies of marginalized philosophies as mere simulacra of allegedly fundamental ways of knowing and doing philosophy and thus rendering these marginalized philosophies more or less expendable. This article is designed to show that legitimized philosophical discourses are vital mechanisms in the problematization of disability. (shrink)

This book is a sequel to Heaven and Earth in Ancient Greek Cosmology. With the help of many pictures, the reader is introduced into the way of thinking of ancient believers in a flat earth. The first part offers new interpretations of several Presocratic cosmologists and a critical discussion of Aristotle’s proofs that the earth is spherical. The second part explains and discusses the ancient Chinese system called gai tian. The last chapter shows that, inadvertently, ancient arguments and ideas return (...) in the curious modern flat earth cosmologies. (shrink)

Research from behavioural sciences shows that people reach decisions in a much less rational and well-considered way than was often assumed. The doctrine of informed consent, which is an important ethical principle and legal requirement in medical practice, is being challenged by these insights into decision-making and real-world choice behaviour. This article discusses the implications of recent insights of research on decision-making behaviour for the informed consent doctrine. It concludes that there is a significant tension between the often non-rational choice (...) behaviour and the traditional theory of informed consent. Responsible ways of dealing with or solving these problems are considered. To this end, patient decisions aids are discussed as suitable interventions to support autonomous decision-making. However, current PDAs demand certain improvements in order to protect and promote autonomous decision-making. Based on a conception of autonomy, we will argue which type of improvements are needed. (shrink)

The dominant approach to argument mining has been to treat it as a machine learning problem based upon superficial text features, and to treat the relationships between arguments as either support...

The central objective of Dewey’s Democracy and Education is to explain ‘what is needed to live a meaningful life and how can education contribute?’ While most acquainted with Dewey’s educational philosophy know that ‘experience’ plays a central role, the role of ‘situations’ may be less familiar or understood. This essay explains why ‘situation’ is inseparable from ‘experience’ and deeply important to Democracy and Education’s educational methods and rationales. First, a prefatory section explores how experience is invoked and involved in pedagogical (...) practice, especially experience insofar as it is (a) experimental, (b) direct, and (c) social-moral in character. The second and main section on situations follows. After a brief introduction to Dewey’s special philosophical use of ‘situation’, I examine how situations are implicated in (a) student interest and motivation; (b) ‘aims’ and ‘criteria’ in problem-solving; and (c) moral education (habits, values, and judgements). What should become abundantly clear from these examinations is that there could be no such thing as meaningful education, as Dewey understood it, without educators’ conscious, intentional, and imaginative deployment of experience and situations. (shrink)

Emergent substance dualism is explained in detail and several criticisms are raised against the view.

Mueller et al. discuss the role of acoustic cues in detecting language structure more generally. Across languages, there are clear links between acoustic cues and syntactic structure. They show that AGL experiments implementing analogous links demonstrate that prosodic cues, as well as various auditory biases, facilitate the learning of structural rules. Some of these biases, e.g. for auditory grouping, are also present in other species.

Recent events and advances address the possibility of cloning endangered and extinct species. The ethics of these types of cloning have special considerations, uniquely different from the types of cloning commonly practiced. Cloning of cheetahs may be ethically appropriate, given certain constraints. However, the ethics of cloning extinct species varies; for example, cloning mammoths and Neanderthals is more ethically problematic than conservation cloning, and requires more attention. Cloning Neanderthals in particular is likely unethical and such a project should not be (...) undertaken. It is important to discuss and plan for the constraints necessary to mitigate the harms of conservation and extinct cloning, and it is imperative that scientific and public discourse enlighten and guide actions in the sphere of cloning. (shrink)