In 'Spirit of Life', Luis Portela talks about his broad range of experiences in several texts, which apparently are not related, but they all search for the truth, in a moralizing, constructive and elucidative way. Sometimes he talks about his trips and the pleasure of being in touch with nature, he makes us feel as if we were with him in these different places. At other times he tells short stories, in such a way that only a very (...) sensitive person could do. He also reminds us of great historic moments and figures who are pointed out as examples. He contemplates present-day issues that are important, making an objective and independent analysis. All this diversity brings about a pleasant combination of texts that are carefully written and easy to read. Yet they stimulate the mind and provoke reflection. With fascinating simplicity, Luis Portela challenges us to think about the greatest matters concerning the meaning and destiny of man as a spiritual being. (shrink)

O dendê, símbolo peculiar e relevante da culinária nacional, tem sido objeto de investigação em diferentes vertentes, e neste trabalho será abordado pelo campo da visualidade e da cultura baiana. Buscou-se evidenciar o histórico do dendê, a tipologia e a classificação da estrutura formal, bem como a sua validação na religião de matriz africana do Candomblé. Nesse sentido, observa-se a existência do dendê na cultura material e imaterial das pessoas, sobretudo da população baiana, que interage nos modos de viver, trabalhar, (...) conceber imagens e repertórios. A metodologia adotada é a revisão de literatura que compreende a identidade cultural, a identidade baiana, a cultura e o cultivo do dendê, e seu simbolismo no âmbito sagrado, que se consolidou com pensadores centrais como Munanga (2020), Mariano (2009), Barreto e Freitas (2008), Bolini (2012), Lody (1992, 2009), Moraes e Pachêco (1985), Correa (2012), Oliveira (2009). Desse modo, conclui-se que o dendê é um elemento interdisciplinar presente em diversos contextos do cotidiano como na cultura, na arte, nas relações de fé, em produtos, as ações efêmeras e o imaginário coletivo. (shrink)

When one sees an opening chapter entitled “From Science to Love” it begs for further reading. After all, for most these are incongruent terms that represent two seemingly opposite sides in a debate, logic, and systematic evaluation vs. emotion. There have been many books written about the convergence of science and spirituality, and one cannot help but notice how some of today’s physicists are sounding more like spiritualists than scientists, but Dr. Portola uses this platform as wake up call for (...) humanity. There is a brief discussion about some well-known enlightened beings in our history, including founders of today’s organized religions, and our progression from animism to polytheism, and eventually monotheism, but Portola astutely points out the role that science played in explaining natural phenomena. Our ancestors could not have imagined these discoveries, and it was science that moved us past idol worship to spiritual independence. The author is well versed in the primary disciplines of research that suggest survival and devotes part of the book to discussions of the nature of consciousness, neuroscience, thought transmission, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, reincarnation, mediumship, and instrumental TransCommunication, but the overall message is clear that science can show us the road but changing the world paradigm starts with individual transformation. In the discussion of the neurosciences and parapsychology it is suggested that perhaps an adjustment to the scientific method is indicated by putting more value on the anecdotal personal experiences that are so prevalent. In his discussion about a paradigm shift Portola suggests that all people, including scientists and mediums, will understand more by first finding themselves through contemplation and reflection. It is only after we open to the subtle layers of consciousness that we can achieve the necessary balance needed to reach our objectives. The suggestion that scientists also need to contemplate and reflect upon the bigger picture seems contrary to the definition of science, but I suspect that Portola is correct. (shrink)

In this paper we argue that legal theory has been servile to the male sex of the law. Then, we outline how that theory can be reformulated, taking into consideration new conceptual categories such as the embedded and concrete person. We then explore how this new way of conceiving legal theory is connected to the ideas of relational autonomy, equality and respect. Finally, we illustrate some of the problems examined through a case study and point out the conclusions of the (...) article. (shrink)

***Al principio fue la poesía,Antes del caos,Antes de la palabra.Poesía de ser,Del nacer,Del compadecer.Poéticamente vive el sentidoEn el secreto del mar,En las galerías de miradas,En el asombroso afán por alcanzar al ser humano,En la certeza de no estar solos en el universo,En el coraje de confiar en el misterio.Poéticamente vive el sentidoVolando en el mensaje soñador de los pájaros,Atónito, abisal, en la llegada al otro,Atento a la lujuria del crepúsculoAbrazando sus estrellas al amanec..

El libro y el autor(. Una obra ante nosotros y un autor fecundo, generoso, el cual todavía joven, ha hecho sorprendentes aportes. Hay textos, son los menos, que necesitan el conocimiento del autor. Otros en que el autor es más grande o más pequeño que su trabajo. Estamos ante un creador y un libro relativamente autónomos, los dos muy relevantes.Horacio, psiquiatra cultural, exiliado en Alemania, que alcanza allí estatus de docente e investigador, junto con proyectarse hacia América Latina co..

The “transformation problem” in Marx’s Capital (how to make compatible the labour theory of value from the first book with “prices of production” from the third book) has been one of the main reasons to refute the marxist theory and, at the same time, a privileged matter in order to analyze the method question. In this paper, we try to analyze the sense and foundation of the labobour theory of value discussing with any attempt of reading Marx Capital as the (...) development of a supposed “dialectic method”. Analyzing the manuscripts and drafts that Marx did not finish, we try to defend that, contrary to what Engels thought (because it had been anounced by Marx himself), it is not possible to find in the third book a trace of the so expected “dialectic solution” to the “transformation problem”. That demands, of course, a different interpretation to explain the sense of the “transformation” of value into “production prices”. (shrink)

Thomistic ontology -- Ontological morality and human rights -- The war of the philosophers -- The modern way -- Pope Leo XIII and his legacy -- The survival of tradition.

Defining structural constraints on coindexing proved fruitful. Its semantic import, however, remains unclear.1 Syntactic work in the late seventies and early eighties extended the use of indexing to capture the ‘arbitrariness’ of examples like (1a) (Chomsky and Lasnik 1977, Chomsky 1980), (1b) or (1c) (Suñer 1983). The semantic import of this type of indexing is not less unclear.

This paper aims to meditate on the importance of Jacob von Uexküll’s notion of Umwelt in Merleau-Ponty’s research of an ontophenomenological path - that is to say, in Merleau-Ponty’s putting to the test of some of the thesis and presuppositions that were at the heart of both La structure du Comportement and the Phénoménologie de la perception. As Merleau-Ponty is looking for a way to develop and overcome the results of an investigation based on the point of view of consciousness, (...) this notion of Umwelt will become–namely in the three lecture courses on the concept of Nature, delivered by Merleau-Ponty in the late 1950s at the Collège de France–more and more decisive.Este artículo trata de meditar acerca de la importancia de la noción de Umwelt de Uexküll en la búsqueda de un camino ontofenomenológico por parte de Merleau-Ponty, es decir, en la puesta a prueba de ciertas tesis y presupuestos que estaban presentes en el núcleo tanto de La structure du Comportement como de Phénoménologie de la perception. Siendo así que Merleau-Ponty persigue encontrar un camino para desarrollar y superar los resultados de una investigación basada en el punto de vista de la conciencia, esta noción de Umwelt llegará a ser –especialmente en las lecciones de los tres cursos sobre el concepto de Nature, impartidos por Merleau-Ponty a finales de los años 50 en el Collège de France– cada vez más decisiva. (shrink)

More often than not, theories of belief and of belief ascription restrict themselves to conscious beliefs, thus obliterating a vast part of our mental life and offering extremely incomplete, unrealistic theories. Indeed, conscious beliefs are the exception, not the rule, as far as human doxastic states are concerned, and a naturalistic, realistic theory of knowledge that aspires to completeness has to take unconscious beliefs into consideration. This paper is the elaboration of such a theory of belief.

El artículo se ocupa de las circunstancias peculiares que identifican el arte colombiano después del arte moderno. Para esto resulta de gran importancia la discusión alrededor del problema del "fin del arte" y su relación con la modernidad, pues es necesario hacer una reflexión filosófica a propósito de la idea del fin del arte para comprender los lineamientos del arte moderno, cuyas concepciones del arte, del artista, del contenido y de la forma, son una de las consecuencias históricas de los (...) planteamientos hegelianos delineados en sus Lecciones de Estética. Así se sitúa la pregunta por las características que identifican el arte colombiano después de la modernidad dentro de una realidad históricamente configurada, cuyos rasgos internos son consecuencia de la discusión generada alrededor de los planteamientos sobre elfin del arte. (shrink)