"Das Leben zu erkennen" (II,5,112) bestimmt Fichte als Gegenstand der "Wissenschaftslehre" (1794 ff.). Die Aufgabe der Philosophie besteht fur ihn nicht darin, "durch die Kraft (der) Syllogismen neue Objekte des naturlichen Denkens" (II,5,112) zu erschaffen. Er gewichtet seine Philosophie dergestalt, dass sie "das Leben, das System der Gefuhle und das Begehren zum Hochsten (macht) und. der Erkenntnis uberall nur das Zusehen (lasst)" (II,5,137). Die herausragende Stellung des Gefuhls besteht darin, dass es einerseits als begrifflich explizierbarer Teilaspekt der Reflexionen uber die (...) Grundbedingungen der unterschiedlichen Bewusstseins- bwz. Lebensformen des Menschen selbst Bestandteil der "Wissenschaftslehre" ist und dass es andererseits zugleich als die ausgezeichnete Weise der Selbstmanifestation dieser Lebensformen zu bestimmen ist, deren Genese in der "Wissenschaftslehre" rekonstruiert wird. Fichte entwickelt im System der "Wissenschaftslehre" eine weitreichende und complex strukturierte Theorie des Gefuhls, die die Bereiche des theoretischen und praktischen, sinnlichen, intellektuellen und intelligiblen Lebens umfasst. In einem systematisch angelegten Untersuchungsstrang werden Genese, Stellenwert und Funktion des Gefuhls in der "Wissenschaftslehre" und ihren Teildisziplinen entwickelt. In historischer Hinsicht wird Fichtes Lehre vom Gefuhl im Kontext der zeitgenossischen Diskussion (Kant, Jacobi u.a.) erortert. Systematische und historische Zielsetzungen werden parallel aus einer entwicklungsgeschichtlichen Perspektive entfaltet. Im Ausgang von den Jugendschriften bis zur "Wissenschaftslehre 1801" wird der Begriff des Gefuhls in seinen padagogischen, erkenntnistheoretischen, moralischen und religiosen Bedeutungen unter. (shrink)

Spatial, physical, and semantic magnitude dimensions can influence action decisions in human cognitive processing and interact with each other. For example, in the SNARC effect, semantic numerical magnitude facilitates left-hand or right-hand responding dependent on the small or large magnitude of number symbols. SNARC-like interactions of numerical magnitudes with the radial spatial dimension (depth) were postulated from early on. Usually, the SNARC effect in any direction is investigated using fronto-parallel computer monitors for presentation of stimuli. In such 2D setups, however, (...) the metaphorical and literal interpretation of the radial depth axis with seemingly close / far stimuli or responses are not distinct. Hence, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions with respect to the contribution of different spatial mappings to the SNARC effect. In order to disentangle the different mappings in a natural way, we studied parametrical interactions between semantic numerical magnitude, horizontal directional responses, and perceptual distance by means of stereoscopic depth in an immersive virtual reality (VR). Two VR experiments show horizontal SNARC effects across all spatial displacements in traditional latency measures and kinematic response parameters. No indications of a SNARC effect along the depth axis, as it would be predicted by a direct mapping account, were observed, but the results show a non-linear relationship between horizontal SNARC slopes and physical distance. Steepest SNARC slopes were observed for digits presented close to the hands. We conclude that spatial-numerical processing is susceptible to effector-based processes but relatively resilient to task-irrelevant variations of radial-spatial magnitudes. (shrink)

Modal dependence logic was introduced recently by Väänänen. It enhances the basic modal language by an operator = (). For propositional variables p 1, . . . , p n , = (p 1, . . . , p n-1, p n ) intuitively states that the value of p n is determined by those of p 1, . . . , p n-1. Sevenster (J. Logic and Computation, 2009) showed that satisfiability for modal dependence logic is complete for nondeterministic (...) exponential time.In this paper we consider fragments of modal dependence logic obtained by restricting the set of allowed propositional connectives. We show that satisfiability for poor man’s dependence logic, the language consisting of formulas built from literals and dependence atoms using ${\wedge, \square, \lozenge}$ (i. e., disallowing disjunction), remains NEXPTIME-complete. If we only allow monotone formulas (without negation, but with disjunction), the complexity drops to PSPACE-completeness.We also extend Väänänen’s language by allowing classical disjunction besides dependence disjunction and show that the satisfiability problem remains NEXPTIME-complete. If we then disallow both negation and dependence disjunction, satisfiability is complete for the second level of the polynomial hierarchy. Additionally we consider the restriction of modal dependence logic where the length of each single dependence atom is bounded by a number that is fixed for the whole logic. We show that the satisfiability problem for this bounded arity dependence logic is PSPACE-complete and that the complexity drops to the third level of the polynomial hierarchy if we then disallow disjunction.In this way we completely classify the computational complexity of the satisfiability problem for all restrictions of propositional and dependence operators considered by Väänänen and Sevenster. (shrink)

Models of biological and political systems share in common an irreconcilable tension. They must extract the essential features of the system to make its workings comprehensible to the human observer, and yet the omitted underbrush is essential to the workings of the system. A good model accommodates both the workings of the system and the cognitive makeup of the observer.

In Germany the question whether to uphold or repeal the judicial prohibition on Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis is being debated from quite different standpoints. This paper differentiates the major arguments according to their reasons as a) moral, b) evaluative , and c) legal. The arguments for and against PGD can be divided by content into three groups: arguments relating to the status of the embryo, focusing on individual actions in the implementation of PGD, and relating to the foreseeable or probable consequences (...) of PGD.In Germany, from a legal perspective, the status of the embryo does not permit the intervention of PGD; from a purely moral perspective, a prohibition on PGD does not appear defensible. It remains an open question, however, whether the moral argument permitting PGD should be restricted for evaluative reasons. The paper discusses the species-ethical reasons, for which Jürgen Habermas sees worrisome consequences in the wake of PGD to the extent that we comprehend it as the forerunner of a ‘positive eugenics’. It would so disrupt the natural preconditions of our universal morality. The question of whether to prohibit or allow PGD is not merely a question of simple moral and/or legal arguments, but demands a choice between evaluative, moral and species-ethical arguments, and the question remains open. (shrink)

Donald Green and Ian Shapiro argue that rational choice scholarship in political science is excessively theory?driven: too few of its theoretical insights have been subjected to serious empirical scrutiny and survived. But rational choice theorizing has the potential to identify and correct logical inconsistencies and slippages. It is thus valuable even if the resulting theories are not tested empirically. When Green and Shapiro's argument concerning collective dilemmas and free riding is formalized, it turns out to be deeply flawed and in (...) many respects outright false. Their mistake is common enough: they misclassify a variety of collective dilemmas as prisoner's dilemmas. Because they misunderstand the theory of rational choice, Green and Shapiro allege that it is refuted by empirical findings that, in fact, support it. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie Jahrgang: 64 Heft: 3 Seiten: 465-479.

The paper clarifies first a critical understanding of “progress”. Progress implies a development for the better, the comprehensive definition of which must be a conception of justice if progress is to justify global developments and political rule. Therefore a somewhat minimal but complex definition of “human rights justice”, as formulated in the international human rights pacts since 1948, is explained. Through this, the different but systematically interrelated human rights (liberty rights, justice rights, political rights, economic, cultural and social rights) can (...) allow for reflected and more comprehensive assessments of progress in different areas of development. But it is also necessary to integrate the specific progress developments into a comprehensive conception of human rights justice, the precise definition of which requires not only the observance of social but ultimately of all human rights, and in particular political participation rights. In the final section some problems of this approach will be discussed. (shrink)

Die Universalität der Menschenrechte wird seit Jahren zwischen den verschiedenen Kulturkreisen kontrovers diskutiert. Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht der Frage nach, ob ethische Normen, wie z.B. die Menschenrechte, universal oder nur partikular (für eine bestimmte Wertgemeinschaft) begründbar sind. Zur Klärung werden Beiträge aus dem Protestantismus (u.a. W. Herrmann, E. Troeltsch, K. Barth und T. Rendtorff) und der Philosophie (Naturrechtstradition, R. Alexy, O. Höffe) analysiert. Der Verfasser kommt zu dem Ergebnis, daß ethische Normen immer in einem bestimmten, etwa dem christlichen, Menschenbild fundiert (...) sind, aber zugleich auf universale, im Weltanschauungsdiskurs zu erweisende Plausibilität zielen. (shrink)

Ethnic cultural conceptualizations of consciousness often posit souls or other spirits, but these do not always address consciousness itself. This article describes an autochthonous model of consciousness that was current among the Asabano people of central New Guinea before first contact in the mid-twentieth century. In their conceptualization, one's own souls were not seen as essences of the self or agents of personal awareness. Rather, they merely inflected awareness, which was understood to occur in the heart. This autochthonous model of (...) consciousness attributed selfish impulses and bodily strength to a 'little soul' and generous inclinations to a 'big soul'. The heart was the seat of thought and feeling and the recipient of the souls' proddings, and sensory perceptions originating in other body parts. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungMarx und Simmel gehören zur Tradition der Moderne, die seit Rousseau und Hegel die moderne Gesellschaft für verschiedene Phänomene der „Entfremdung“ kritisiert. Während der junge Marx noch eindeutig „Entfremdung“ negativ bewertet, analysiert und bewertet der reife Marx des Kapitalbuches Entfremdungsphänomene als differente „Verdinglichungen“ und „Vergleichgültigungen“ und bewertet diese Indifferenzen kontextspezifisch positiv oder negativ. Ihm folgt Georg Simmel, der besonders in seiner „Philosophie des Geldes“ Indifferenz als Signatur der modernen Gesellschaft bestimmt und für ihre negativ bewerteten Auswirkungen positive Kompensationen aufzeigt und (...) verfolgt. Der Aufsatz skizziert Marxens Analyse und Kritik von Kapital-verursachten Indifferenzen und verfolgt dann Simmels mehr kulturphilosophische Diagnosen von gesellschaftlichen Indifferenzen an den Phänomenen „Lebensstil“, „Ästhetisierung des Lebens“, „Tragödie der Kultur“ u. a. mehr, die alle auf die Frage hinauslaufen: Warum gelingt der Übergang von modernen Befreiungsprozessen durch Indifferenzen zu neuen Bindungen nicht „vollständig“? (shrink)

L’éducation à la vie, entendue en son sens le plus haut comme libre réalisation de soi, constitue la finalité constante de l’œuvre philosophique de Fichte. Au sens spéculatif, Fichte combine le concept d’image et la possibilité de proposer des visions du futur dans lesquelles l’image idéale ne vise pas à dépeindre la réalité, mais à l’inverse représente le futur. La transcription de ces images ou idées dans la réalité ne saurait s’effectuer qu’au moyen de l’art, offrant ainsi une vision sensuelle (...) de l’idée de la vie immédiate. Cet article cherche avant tout à étendre cette idée bien connue des recherches fichtéennes au discours du philosophe sur l’architecture comprise comme un « symbole de la vie ». (shrink)

Rauprich O, Marckmann G, Vollmann J: Gleichheit und Gerechtigkeit in der modernen Medizin Content Type Journal Article Pages 71-75 DOI 10.1007/s10202-007-0032-0 Authors Elisabeth Weisser-Lohmann, Institut für Philosophie FernUniversität Hagen 58084 Hagen Germany Journal Poiesis & Praxis: International Journal of Technology Assessment and Ethics of Science Online ISSN 1615-6617 Print ISSN 1615-6609 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 1.

No entendimento de Habermas, "direito", na expressão "direitos humanos", é um conceito jurídico, donde direitos humanos, para ele, serem direitos jurídicos, normas legais declaradas em atos defundações do Estado ou anunciadas em convenções do direito internacional e/ou constituições estatais. Ao conceber assim os direitos e tematizar os direitos humanos numa abordagem tríplice (focando-os entre moral, direito e política), ele fornece diferentes definições teóricas dos direitos humanos. O texto apresenta uma exposição sistemática dessas definições e focaliza os diferentes problemas que motivaram (...) Habermas a alterar e ampliar suas concepções de direitos humanos. (shrink)

Since the founding of the UN, the protection of human rights has been a national and international challenge. In international human rights covenants, State Parties firstly commit themselves to respecting human rights in their respective constitutional area and to protecting and possibly incorporating them into the relevant constitution, but, secondly, they also submit to an international control. National protection is usually organized by different institutions, but also accompanied by critical NGOs and the national civil public. International protection is on the (...) one hand implemented by a number of international organizations and institutions, but on the other hand is accompanied by a critical, now regionally and internationally operating public. This includes a number of permanent NGOs, but also ad hoc groups, tribunals and the various media and anonymous campaigns on the Internet and the social networks. This paper examines the functions and tasks of such concomitant national and international public spheres and tries to assess their importance for the protection of human rights. (shrink)

In connection with research on humans, the term “vulnerability” is only appropriate to identify the special need for protection of certain sections of the population and individuals, if this term refers to the additional risk of certain groups of subjects. Authors who focus on the additional risk suffering of a subject group when defining vulnerability succeed in considering the specific worthiness of protection in a context-sensitive way. The attempt to define the risk–benefit assessment for vulnerable subject groups on a binding (...) basis faces considerable difficulties. This assessment depends both on the research situation and on the test subject. The normative aspect of this decision could be solved by referring to Rawl’s decision model of an original position. In cases where there is no benefit for the subject, arguments in the discussion of the risks and benefits that are based on a “group or overall benefit” and an “objective interest,” cannot be fully sustained. (shrink)

Collection of original essays on human rights Content: Höffe, Otfried: Transzendentaler Tausch. Eine Legimitationsfigur für Menschenrechte? Tugendhat, Ernst: Die Kontroverse um die Menschenrechte. Lohmann, Georg: Menschenrechte zwischen Moral und Recht. Koller, Peter: Der Geltungsbereich der Menschenrechte. Wildt, Andreas: Menschenrechte und moralische Rechte. Gosepath, Stefan: Zu Begründungen sozialer Menschenrechte. O'Neill, Onora: Transnationale Gerechtigkeit. Böckenförde, Ernst-Wolfgang: Ist Demokratie eine notwendige Forderung der Menschenrechte?. Alexy, Robert: Die Institutionalisierung der Menschenrechre im demokratischen Verfassungsstaat. Wellmer, Albrecht: Menschenrechte und Demokratie. Dworkin, Ronald: Freiheit, Selbstregierung und (...) der Wille des Volkes. Okin, Susan Moller: Konflikte zwischen Grundrechten. Shue, Henry: Menschenrechte und kulturelle Differenz. Pogge, Thomas: Menschenrechte als moralische Ansprüche an globale Institutionen. (shrink)