The artificial intelligence models with machine learning that exhibit the best predictive accuracy, and therefore, the most powerful ones, are, paradoxically, those with the most opaque black-box architectures. At the same time, the unstoppable computerization of advanced industrial societies demands the use of these machines in a growing number of domains. The conjunction of both phenomena gives rise to a control problem on AI that in this paper we analyze by dividing the issue into two. First, we carry out an (...) epistemological examination of the AI’s opacity in light of the latest techniques to remedy it. And second, we evaluate the rationality of delegating tasks in opaque agents. (shrink)

The problem of divine attributes was one of the most intensely debated topics in the 17-18th century Irish philosophy. Simply put, the problem revolves around the ontological question (i) whether human and divine attributes differ in degree or in kind, and the semantical (ii) how we ought to describe these divine attributes by means of our human language. While there was a consensus that analogies play a key role in solving the semantical problem there was a controversy about the kind (...) of speech they allow for. Especially, it was contested if using analogies for divine predication allows for a separate kind of speech, i.e. allows us to speak neither literally nor metaphorically but analogically. The aim of my paper is to contextualize George Berkeley's position on the problem of divine attributes as developed in § 21 of the IV. Dialogue in Alciphron.More specifically and contrary to what most scholars hold, I argue Berkeley fails to follow Cardinal Cajetan with remarkable closeness. Despite paraphrasing parts of Cajetan's De Nominum Analogia in § 21, the solution Berkeley advances is closer to the position of John Duns Scotus – and hence, ironically, with the position Cajetan aimed to reject. (shrink)

Hispanic specialists in the Alphonsine work have studied the distinction between ‘natura’ and ‘nature’ of the Partidas. The conclusions of these analyzes affirm that this distinction is born from a semantic displacement that is situated in a plane of legal-social relationships, within a naturalistic model in the Alphonsine political project that shows a Christian Aristotelian reading. The present paper does not differ from these conclusions, but we believe that it is necessary to modulate this naturalistic model from broader metaphysical conceptualizations (...) that better explain what that Christian Aristotelianism consists of. We will try to reinforce these theses from assessments that have the multidisciplinary nature present in the Alphonsine scriptorium as a backdrop. We present the possible influence of the philosophical schemes of the First Franciscan Scholasticism in this distinction of the terms ‘nature’ and ‘nature’. (shrink)

The paper presents a renewed Habermasian view on transnational multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) and assesses the institutional characteristics of the Equator Principles Association (EPA) from a deliberative democracy perspective. Habermas’ work has been widely adopted in the academic literature on the political responsibilities of (multinational) corporations (i.e., political corporate social responsibility), and also in assessing the democratic qualities of MSIs. Commentators, however, have noted that Habermas’ approach relies very much on ‘nation-state democracy’ and may not be applicable to democracy in MSIs—in (...) which nation-states are virtually absent. We argue that Habermas’ detailed conceptualization of the institutionalization of deliberative democracy can be applied to transnational MSIs if these initiatives can be said to have their own ‘dèmoi’ that can be represented in associational decision-making. Therefore, we develop a definition of the dèmos of an MSI based on the notion of collective agency. Subsequently, we explain how Habermas’ approach to democracy can be applied to MSIs and show that it has more to offer than hitherto has been uncovered. Our illustrative analysis of the EPA confirms the criticisms regarding this MSI which have recently been articulated by researchers and practitioners, but also yields new findings and possible avenues for the further development of the EPA: That is, although our assessment suggests that the EPA in its current state is still far from being a democratic MSI, the possibility of a sensible analysis of its democratic character indicates that transnational MSIs can, in principle, help to fill governance gaps in a democratic way. (shrink)

A todo el mundo le gusta estar enamorado, el amor alimenta la fantasía de poder ser otro sin dejar de ser el mismo. Devolvemos a la persona amada la imagen exagerada de sus cualidades amplificadas. Sin embargo, nuestra sociedad jalea de puertas para afuera a los enamorados y desconfía de ellos puertas para adentro. Como el resto de humanos, los grandes pensadores vivieron intensamente, para bien o para mal, el amor. Sin embargo, ellos nos han dejado el legado de todas (...) las ideas que tuvieron sobre este sentimiento. ¿Quién no ha sentido amor platónico? ¿Quién no se ha dejado arrastrar por el deseo? ¿Quién no se ha obsesionado con el amado? ¿Cuántas veces nos hemos enamorado de la imagen que nos hacemos de alguien en lugar de la persona real? (shrink)

It is known that a countable $\omega $ -categorical structure interprets all finite structures primitively positively if and only if its polymorphism clone maps to the clone of projections on a two-element set via a continuous clone homomorphism. We investigate the relationship between the existence of a clone homomorphism to the projection clone, and the existence of such a homomorphism which is continuous and thus meets the above criterion.

La actual globalización está promoviendo una independencia del poder económico con relación al control de los estados nacionales. Mundialización, pues, de los mercados que está aumentando la distancia entre los grupos y países del mundo que se enriquecen y los que se empobrecen. Esta hegemonía del dinero es un atentado a la democracia, ya un sistema de libertades políticas y de justicia. La globalización económica también está imponiendo una uniformización mental y de comportamientos sociales en la sociedad consumista y del (...) bienestar, que despersonaliza a los individuos y a los grupos. La crisis de identidad que esto conlleva está produciendo, como reacción, la recuperación de la “diferencia”, de la memoria cultural, de “la patria chica”. Pero lo grave es que estos fenómenos socio-culturales, se están convirtiendo en armas legitimadoras por parte de los que sufren la exclusión económico-política, para condenar y oponerse a los que les excluyen. Esto explica los fenómenos del fundamentalismo e integrismo religiosos, y el fenómeno letal del terrorismo. Frente a ello, sólo el diálogo intercultural en general, y el interreligioso en particular, pueden constituir una ocasión humanizadora, para descubrir lo que nos une, más allá de las diferencias, y poder tomar diversos caminos y alternativas que promuevan la causa de la humanidad. (shrink)

Journal Name: Philologus Issue: Ahead of print.

I present an epistemological puzzle about perceptual knowledge and its relation to the evaluation of probabilities. It involves cases, concerning a given subject S and a proposition P in a determinate context, where apparently: S has perceptual knowledge of P; the epistemic justification S has for believing Not-P is much greater than her epistemic justification for believing P. If those two theses were true, the following very plausible epistemological principle would fail: If S knows P, then the epistemic justification S (...) has for believing Not-P is not greater than her epistemic justification for believing P. I offer a solution to the puzzle, which is compatible with basic intuitions and theses of orthodox Bayesianism. (shrink)

“Structuralism, Fictionalism, and the Applicability of Mathematics in Science”. This article has two objectives. The first one is to review some of the most important questions in the contemporary philosophy of mathematics: What is the nature of mathematical objects? How do we acquire knowledge about these objects? Should mathematical statements be interpreted differently than ordinary ones? And, finally, how can we explain the applicability of mathematics in science? The debate that guides these reflections is the one between mathematical realism and (...) anti-realism. On the other hand, the second objective is to discuss the arguments that use the applicability of mathematics in science to justify mathematical realism, and show that none of them reaches its aim. To this end, we will distinguish three aspects of the problem of the applicability of mathematics: the utility of mathematics in science, the unexpected utility of some mathematical theories, and the apparent indispensability of mathematics in our best scientific theories - in particular, in our best scientific explanations. Finally, I argue that none of these aspects constitutes a reason to adopt mathematical realism. (shrink)

Desde la llegada al poder de Barack Obama, el excepcionalismo americano se ha situado en el centro del debate político en estrecha conexión con el debate en torno al declive internacional de EE.UU. El presente artículo pretende ofrecer un estudio del excepcionalismo tanto desde el punto de vista teórico como desde su impacto más reciente en la política exterior de EE.UU. A tal efecto, procederemos a desentrañar sus principales aspectos conceptuales, analizando las distintas interpretaciones del mismo en el marco de (...) las principales doctrinas de política exterior estadounidense. Sobre esta base teórica, nos detendremos en la influencia de la idea excepcionalista en la práctica de la política exterior de la Administración Obama, denunciada por sus más acerbos críticos como antiexcepcionalista y, por inmediata extensión, como antiamericana. (shrink)

Chapters 6 and 7 of the pseudo-Aristotelian treatise On the Cosmos display ‘a series of well-crafted and carefully organized analogies’ in order to represent the power of god pervading the whole universe. The last analogy, which is by far the most important in this section, compares the rule of god over the world to the rule of the law in a Greek city. As shown by the author in the previous analogies, the perfect order of the universe is the result (...) of the continuous creation and dissolution of single things: this process—based upon the harmony of opposites—is the keystone of the eternity and equilibrium of our world. Similarly, the law is the unmoved mover of every activity and experience in the city: both positive and negative situations involving single citizens contribute to the supreme order and stability of the city. Positive examples include the activity of rulers, officials and members of the assemblies, whereas negative examples include those who go to trial defending themselves and those who are imprisoned and destined to capital punishment. In spite of their difference, all of these actions are due to one single order, that is, the civic law, which ensures the stability of the city. To stress and illustrate this concordia discors, which characterizes both the city and the universe, the author of the treatise closes the passage with a quotation from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus :πόλις δ' ὁμοῦ μὲν θυμιαμάτων γέμει,ὁμοῦ δὲ παιάνων τε καὶ στεναγμάτωνThe author reads these verses as a perfect example of a context characterized by opposite situations: in fact, the city is full of paeans, which are interpreted as ‘songs of joy and relief’, and, at the same time, it is also full of laments and mourns. The same interpretation can be found in the Latin translation of the treatise, which gives even more emphasis to the opposition between life and death: uideasque illam ciuitatem pariter spirantem Panchaeis odoribus et graueolentibus caenis, resonantem hymnis et carminibus et canticis, eandem etiam lamentis et ploratibus heiulantem. (shrink)

RÉSUMÉ : Les attitudes de se sont généralement considérées comme constituant une classe particulière d’attitudes de re . Cet article propose une analyse différente, qui s’appuie sur la notion d’attitude de objecto et qui évite un engagement ontologique envers le sujet. La proposition élabore l’idée de Hintikka d’une logique épistémique dite de seconde génération, qui introduit un marqueur syntaxique permettant d’exprimer des relations d’indépendance entre certaines constantes logiques. De cette sémantique résulte une conception du Moi, dénotation de «je», comme un (...) objet simplement intentionnel. ABSTRACT: De se attitudes are generally regarded as being a proper part of de re attitudes. In this paper an alternative analysis that avoids ontological commitment to the self is proposed, based on the notion of de objecto attitudes. This proposal develops an idea from Hintikka’s second generation epistemic logic, which introduces a syntactic marker expressing independence relations between certain logical constants. According to this semantic account, the Self, as the denotation of ‘I’, is conceived of as a mere intentional object. (shrink)

Resumo: Este artigo discute a emergência da syneidesis e do pensar em imagens, na atualidade, em contraposição às discussões contemporâneas em torno da consciência e do pensamento como representações abstratas. A hipótese de trabalho assumida é de que a syneidesis - como consciência sociocultural ou ético-política, à qual os medievais designaram conscientia consequens - é histórica e ontologicamente anterior à consciência teórica individual, em suas múltiplas formas, e à consciência prática individual, daquela derivada. Essas duas são formas da que também (...) se nomearia conscientia antecedens, típicas do pensamento da representação. Nessa perspectiva, de início, o artigo apresenta as linhas gerais da syneidesis e, ato contínuo, o pensar em imagens como seu elemento próprio.: This article discusses the emergence of syneidesis and thinking in images, as opposed to contemporary discussions about consciousness and thought as abstract representations. The working hypothesis assumed is that syneidesis - as sociocultural or ethical-political consciousness, which medieval thinkers called conscientia consequens - is historically and ontologically prior to the individual theoretical consciousness in its manifold forms and to the individual practical consciousness derived from it. The latter two are forms of what may be called conscientia antecedens, and are typical of the thought of representation. From this perspective, the article first presents the general lines of syneidesis and then discusses thinking in images in its own right. (shrink)

El denominado “problema de los términos teóricos” que inicialmente formuló Sneed surge de la interpretación que de los términos teóricos hace la concepción heredada. Esta lectura no se condice con la interpretación indirecta de los términos teóricos que Carnap realiza al utilizar postulados. Estos textos proponen una interpretación holística de las teorías científicas, sólo adecuadamente tratada en una semántica de mundos posibles. Andreas proporciona un tratamiento modal de los términos teóricos; nosotros presentamos estos resultados en términos de modelos de Kripke; (...) luego los extendemos con el fin de que sean capaces de distinguir entre axiomas y oraciones teóricas, generando un modelo capaz de tratarlos de manera diferenciada y que aporte nuevos resultados lógicos y filosóficos. (shrink)

Primitivos relatos cosmogónicos de diferentes culturas en que el agua desempeña un papel fundamental en la creación del mundo. Análisis de los valores fundamentales del agua que se manifiestan en dichos relatos. El culto al agua desde la antigüedad hasta el final de la Edad Media. Relación del agua con la magia.

Ernest Becker described society as a symbolic action system designed to serve as a vehicle for earthly heroism. He advocates for a 'creative solution', which suggests that heroism can manifest itself objectively, through artworks. By further developing this idea, I argue that some things can become heroic when being archived or put on display. Like heroic individuals, heroic objects are privileged things that distinguish themselves among stuff that goes unnoticed, while also being the central points of earthly heroic systems. Instead, (...) heroic objects constrain the individuals to relate to them in a specific contemplative way, gaining cult value through exhibition. This used to be the case for relics and hero remains, but also the standard metre bar, which Marcel Duchamp cleverly ridiculed, underlining the contingent nature of cultural archived truths. Therefore, after broadly discussing heroic objects, I will narrow it down to the case of the standard metre and the readymades, further developing the idea of things becoming heroic objects. (shrink)

El propósito de este estudio es mostrar que la discusión sobre la autoría del Peri Hermeneias atribuido a Apuleyo, asunto bien difícil de determinar a ciencia cierta, puede recibir elementos de juicio interesantes desde la aclaración de que el De syllogismo categorico de Boecio y el PeriH de Apuleyo son similares entre. Así, este artículo pretende evidenciar que no sólo la exposición sobre lógica aristotélica que hizo el autor de PerH, sino también la de Mario victorino, que no nos ha (...) llegado, la de TuIIíus Marcellus Carthaginensis, que tampoco sobrevivió, y las posteriores de Boecio y Marciano Capella, son todas dependientes de la primera y original exposición de la lógica de aristotélica hecha por Teofrasto en sus analíticos Primeros, o por algún autor de su entorno. (shrink)

Una reflexión sobre los efectos del cuestionamiento de los esquemas con que se interpretaba la historia. XVII Premio de Ensayo Miguel de Unamuno. Intentar pensar hoy en lo que solía llamarse «rumbo de la historia» se ha tornado una labor muy complicada. Los tres elementos que componían el eje vertebral del tiempo histórico –pasado, presente y futuro– han abandonado su condición de fundamentos de inteligibilidad para transformarse en fuentes de perplejidad. A partir de esta percepción, el autor emprende la tarea (...) de volver a pensar la función de la memoria, la prioridad de la política sobre la historia, el insoportable estrechamiento de nuestro presente o lo que podría denominarse la muerte del futuro. En línea con la metáfora aristotélica «Seamos con nuestras vidas como arqueros que tienen un blanco», no queda más remedio que preguntarse si, efectivamente, la flecha de la historia, fuera de todo control, vuela por el tiempo sin rumbo alguno. El presente texto no hace otra cosa que trasladarle al lector esa pregunta. (shrink)

Cet article a pour objet l’analyse de trois types de théorisations de la signification basées sur un modèle binaire du signe. Celles de Frege, Husserl et Saussure. Relevant d’un même paradigme, les deux premières sont confrontées en tant que s’y développent deux conceptions opposées de la signification – extensionnelle chez Frege, intensionnelle chez Husserl – contribuant à la mise en place, selon des perspectives opposées, de la dualisation de la syntaxe et de la sémantique. Relativement à cette conséquence, leur paradigme (...) est ensuite opposé à celui de la sémiologie structurale de Saussure dans laquelle l’interaction de la syntaxe et de la sémantique est internalisée au niveau du système qu’intègrent les signes comme éléments. De sorte que ce que l’on vise au terme de cet article, c’est à mettre au jour une explication possible de la raison de la divergence entre deux types de conceptions de la sémantique qui organiseront le développement de courants concurrents tout au long de l’histoire de la linguistique du 20e siècle, l’une formelle et mathématisée, l’autre structurale. (shrink)