Fake news has been the focus of debate, especially since the election of Donald Trump (2016), and remains a topic of concern in democratic countries worldwide, given (a) their threat to democratic systems and (b) the difficulty in detecting them. Despite the deployment of sophisticated computational systems to identify fake news, as well as the streamlining of fact-checking methods, appropriate fake news detection mechanisms have not yet been found. In fact, technological approaches are likely to be inefficient, given that fake (...) news are based mostly on partisanship and identity politics, and not necessarily on outright deception. However, as disinformation is inherently expressed linguistically, this is a privileged room for forensic linguistic analysis. This article builds upon a forensic linguistic analysis of fake news pieces published in English and in Portuguese, which were collected since 2019 from acknowledged fake news outlets. The preliminary empirical analysis reveals that fake news pieces employ particular linguistic features, e.g. at the levels of typography, orthography and spelling, and morphosyntax. The systematic identification of these features, which will allow mapping linguistic resources and patterns used in those contexts, contributes to scholarship, not only by enabling a streamlined development of computational detection systems, but more importantly by permitting the forensic linguistics expert to assist criminal investigations and give evidence in court. (shrink)

Resumen: Este artículo propone una reflexión acerca de la noción de progreso. Una noción que recibió una contribución especial de Immanuel Kant, quien le otorgó la condición de finalidad y objetivo de las conciencias y de la historia humana. Esta condición, un poco más tarde, fue cuestionada y reformulada por Charles Darwin, quien, desde una ciencia de la vida, concibió tanto para los organismos vivos como para la humanidad un progreso con el fin de su conservación y reproducción, como resultado (...) de lo que él llamó “variación ciega”. Por último, esta querella recibió de Georges Canguilhem cuidados y desarrollos que resultaron en una nueva y distinta noción de progreso que tiene como contenido principal el concepto de normatividad biológica, aplicable tanto a los organismos vivos como a las organizaciones sociales. Un concepto que, a la manera bachelardiana, “niega y complementa” la noción de progreso de sus antecesores. Abstract: This article offers a reflection on the notion of progress. A notion that received a special contribution from Immanuel Kant, who gave it the condition of purpose and objective of consciences and human history. A little later, this condition was questioned and reformulated by Charles Darwin who, from a science of life, conceived both for living organisms and for humanity a progress with no other purpose than that of their conservation and reproduction, as a result of what he called “blind variation”. Finally, this quarrel received from Georges Canguilhem care and development that resulted in a new and distinct notion of progress that has as its main content the concept of biological normativity, applicable both to living organisms and to social organizations. A concept that, in the Bachelardian manner, “denies and complements” the notion of progress of its predecessors. (shrink)

In this paper, I argue that a reconciliation between science and nature is possible by way of the role played by ecological sciences on the aesthetical and ethical appraisal of natural diversity. First, I show that the aim of science – namely natural sciences – is to dominate nature and contend that environmental ethics was founded to support nature’s protection from the perils of science. I then show that when environmental ethics is supported by environmental aesthetics, a different role may (...) be assigned to science. I start by building on Allen Carlson’s philosophical aesthetics to show that the aesthetical appraisal of nature requires a scientific understanding of the ecological processes. Finally, I refer to Holmes Rolston’s environmental ethics to show how nature’s ethical value may arise from Carlson’s peculiar aesthetic evaluation. (shrink)

The state of the debate surrounding issues on science and religion in Latin America is mostly unknown, both to regional and extra-regional scholars. This article presents and reviews in some detail the developments since 2000, when the first symposium on science and religion was held in Mexico, up to the present. I briefly introduce some features of Latin American academia and higher education institutions, as well as some trends in the public reception of these debates and atheist engagement with it (...) in Mexico and Argentina. The primary conclusion of this article is that, even though the discussion is new to Latin American academic circles, it is gaining traction and will certainly grow in the coming years. (shrink)

The study focuses on the Diário da Borborema, a newspaper from Campina Grande that existed for 54 years and ceased circulation on February 1, 2012. Currently, it is part of the Rare Works Collection at the Átila Almeida Library (BORAA) of the State University of Paraíba (UEPB). The research is guided by the central question: How does the Diário da Borborema (JDBO) contribute to the preservation and re-signification of the social memory of Campina Grande and Paraíba? The main objective is (...) to analyze how the JDBO plays this role. Specific objectives include: a) Identifying the reasons behind the closure of the JDBO; b) Investigating why the Diários Associados chose UEPB and BORAA to house the JDBO collection; c) Compiling the characteristics of the JDBO as a memory space, aiming at re-signifying its value for the city of Campina Grande through oral history. The research methodology follows a qualitative approach, with exploratory, descriptive, bibliographic, and documentary research. Data collection techniques include semi-structured interviews with UEPB staff and participant observation to capture subtle details that might not be evident in interviews or written documents. Data analysis and interpretation follow content analysis principles (Bardin, 2011). The results demonstrate not only the research's potential in preserving the collective memory and cultural identity of Campina Grande but also strengthen ideas and practices among researchers in Information Science and related fields. (shrink)

Due to the pandemic and the suspension of in-person school classes, there was an interruption in the meals served to approximately 40 million students who benefited from the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE). This article describes two case studies, comparing the strategies adopted by two municipalities for maintaining school feeding during the Covid-19 pandemic in the northern region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and discuss possible impacts of these strategies on food and nutrition security. These municipalities (...) together cover about 81% of the population in the region. In July 2020, we conducted interviews with PNAE municipal managers, following a qualitative approach. We discuss the results in relation to existing Brazilian guidance on food and nutrition security. The municipalities have developed distinct strategies to overcome operational obstacles and maintain PNAE goals, such as distributing food kits and making cash transfers to students’ families. The main determinants of these strategies are financial availability, the relationship between municipal teams and school communities, and the pre-pandemic PNAE logistics and management. Depending on the strategy and duration of the pandemic, the impacts on food and nutrition security can be wide-ranging, affecting food quality and local farmers who sell products to PNAE. It is necessary to acknowledge that this is not a short-term pandemic and find ways to perform school feeding in accordance with PNAE criteria. (shrink)

Propomos neste artigo uma reflexão sobre a obediência, a partir de Foucault, perguntando pelas formas de desobediência nas estratégias de poder. Em nossa leitura, argumentamos que o autor elabora uma estilização da obediência a partir das formas de desobedecer fundamentada na atitude crítica. A partir daí, é possível pensar o vínculo entre subjetividade e política em seus efeitos éticos e políticos, na maneira como produzem formas de viver, insubmissão e revolta.

El filósofo alemán Alfred Schmidt analiza la relación entre naturaleza y hombre a partir del concepto de naturaleza de Marx. Schmidt explicita el “intercambio orgánico entre el hombre y la naturaleza”, resaltando que aunque la naturaleza se nos presenta siempre en el horizonte de formas históricamen..

A ética discursiva de Jurgen Habermas ressalta o compromisso da linguagem racional em um diálogo no qual o objetivo é a busca de um consenso comum. Na atual sociedade a inteligência artificial (IA) tem ganhado cada vez mais espaço, e no contexto educacional não é diferente. Diante disso, objetiva-se então compreender como os princípios habermasianos podem conduzir a prática das IAs, de maneira que possa promover um ensino inclusivo e equitativo para os alunos com autismo em sala de aula. Trata-se (...) de pesquisa qualitativa, com levantamento bibliográfico e a proposta de criação de um aplicativo considerando a ética discursiva de acordo com Habermas. Os resultados implicam que uma IA criada com base haremmasiana ajuda a tornar a sala de aula inclusiva para os alunos com o diagnóstico do autismo. Conclui-se então que a IA pode ser um instrumento promotor da inclusão se criado com este propósito e aplicado de maneira coerente para alunos com autismo. (shrink)

We investigate whether the geographic concentration of non-EU immigrants in the various Italian provinces affects labour tax avoidance practices adopted by firms located in the same provinces, as well as in the neighbouring provinces, and operating in construction and agriculture industries that mostly employ immigrants in Italy. For this purpose, we develop a LTAV proxy based on the financial accounting information of a sample of 993,606 firm-years, disseminated throughout the 108 Italian provinces, over the period 2008–2016. Our results, based on (...) a Spatial Durbin Model panel regression, reveal a statistically significant positive association between the concentration of non-EU immigrants and LTAV at province level, as well as the presence of spillover effects among neighbouring provinces. Our findings are robust to several additional analyses, including instrumental variable estimations. Our study provides empirical support to previous structuralist or marginalization theories holding that socioeconomically marginalized groups, such as non-EU immigrants, are more likely to be involved in labour exploitation practices, which could underlie our LTAV outcomes. Furthermore, it supports the need for tax authorities to strengthen labour inspections, coordinated at national level, especially in those contexts where non-EU immigrants are mostly employed. On the other hand, a greater social integration, assistance, and recognition of rights of immigrants may help to alleviate their situation of weakness that makes them more vulnerable to LTAV practices. Finally, tackling LTAV, associated with the underemployment of immigrants, may prevent its negative effects for society arising from the reduction of public resources to sustain the social welfare and finance public goods and services. (shrink)

The Venezuelan poet and philosopher Ludovico Silva argues that much of the confusion around Marx's work results from a failure to understand his mode of expression. Through meticulous readings of key passages in Marx's oeuvre, Silva isolates the central elements of his style: the search for an architectonic unity at the level of the text, his capacity to express himself dialectically at the level of the sentence, and, above all, his great gift for metaphor.

ABSTRACT The presence of truth and honesty is a permanent demand, and becomes vital the more committed and intimate a relationship is. Medical practice is relevant to this discussion when one questions whether or not a physician should always tell their patient the truth in the face of a progressive or potentially fatal disease, regarding the diagnosis, outcome, therapy and evolution of the specific disease. From this discussion we aim, with the present report, to look at the truth applicable to (...) the patient‐physician relationship, and its ethical and moral implications; and also to look at where the Brazilian Code of Medical Ethics (BCME) and the medical literature stand regarding this issue. One concludes that there are only two moments not to tell a patient the truth: when the patient does not want to be informed, and when the truth could be iatrogenic. The question now is, when would the truth be iatrogenic? Physicians, in our opinion, would not be able to judge solitarily when the truth might be deleterious to their patient. Alternatively, we propose the appointment of a multidisciplinary commission to help the doctor with such a decision. (shrink)

Este texto objetiva mostrar no contexto das mídias digitais em rede, a experiência de interação baseada no diálogo entre a Rádio Comunitária Cidadã FM e o programa Vaidapé na Rua que integra a programação semanal da emissora localizada na região Oeste do município de São Paulo. Partindo da compreensão das dinâmicas dialógicas e discursivas inerentes aos processos comunicacionais e estudadas pelo jornalista e teórico Vilém Flusser, o texto objetiva evidenciar as possibilidades que um ambiente comunicacional pode desencadear para uma prática (...) efetivamente comunitária. Para a compreensão sobre a rádio comunitária na conhecida “sociedade em rede”, o texto situa brevemente o surgimento e desenvolvimento do movimento das rádios comunitárias no Brasil, iniciado nas últimas duas décadas do século XX, quando motivadas pelas experiências das rádios livres, atuaram na luta contra a opressão dos poderes estatal e econômico e pela democratização do acesso aos meios de comunicação de massa. Além da pesquisa bibliográfica, o estudo recorre à pesquisa documental e de campo na realização de entrevistas qualitativas. Conclui-se que além da necessária desmitificação tecnológica e sua apropriação popular, a dinâmica dialógica em equilíbrio com a discursiva atua para o surgimento de ambientes comunicacionais propícios para o compartilhamento de conhecimentos e prática da cidadania. (shrink)

This book highlights some of the most pressing safety, ethical, legal and societal issues related to the diverse contexts in which robotic technologies apply. Focusing on the essential concept of well-being, it addresses topics that are fundamental not only for research, but also for industry and end-users, discussing the challenges in a wide variety of applications, including domestic robots, autonomous manufacturing, personal care robots and drones.

Este artigo traduz a discussão que vem sendo construída sobre a indumentária étnica, especificamente de matriz afro-brasileira. Para tal narrativa, a temática envereda-se em apresentar alguns artefatos pertencentes à Coleção Perseverança: faixa, peitoral, coroa capacete, pulseiras e bolsas. Esta pesquisa seleciona, dentre as 215 peças da coleção, os adornos utilizados nos terreiros de Xangôs do estado de Alagoas. É importante entendermos que os artefatos selecionados representam a memória do “Quebra do Xangô”, em 1912, ato conhecido como a invasão e destruição (...) de todos os terreiros nas cidades alagoanas, principalmente a capital Maceió. A Perseverança nasce nesse contexto, representando, além do fato que lhe deu origem, a cultura africana presente no estado. Portanto, a descrição, a seguir, traz o diálogo entre a memória, a representação e plasticidade. Palavras-chave: indumentária, coleção, memória, plasticidade. (shrink)

A comunicação tem como propósito uma análise comparativa sobre o problema filosófico da arte como expressão de verdade, tendo em vista o idealismo platônico e o idealismo estético moderno de G.W.Hegel. Parte-se da hipótese que a presente análise sustenta uma relação paradoxal entre ambas propostas idealistas, na medida em que se em Platão é afirmada a tese da arte como distanciamento da verdade, considerando o seu caráter essencialmente mimético, em Hegel, a arte ao constituir-se como momento de realização efetiva do (...) Espírito só pode ser assim compreendida a partir do paradigma da ideia, de inspiração platônica. Ressalta-se a compreensão da arte oriunda da teoria metafísica platônica e de sua concepção idealista de aisthesis, bem como o caráter científico da estética, segundo Hegel, cuja fundamentação filosófica reivindica a compreensão da ideia, enquanto razão absoluta que se autodesdobra historicamente e se efetiva nos limites da finitude sensível. Pretende-se mostrar que a pretensa superação hegeliana da concepção idealista platônica acerca da arte não pode prescindir do fundamento do platonismo - a idéia universal, o infinito. (shrink)

Robert Kilwardby is a central figure in late medieval philosophy and theology, but key areas of his thought still remain unexamined in a systematic way. This book offers a comprehensive overview of his works, ranging from topics in logic to theology, done in a way that is accessible to non-specialists and to anyone interested in medieval thought.

How we come to know the external world has intrigued thinkers throughout the history of philosophy. Medieval philosophers understood that a theory of perception requires an account of the categorization of sensory information: to perceive things as being dangerous or beneficial and even as being individuals that belong to certain kinds (e.g., 'this is a dog'). A key question is whether this requires the intervention of rational cognitive capacities, cooperating with sensory ones in normal instances of perception. The contributions to (...) this volume investigate how thinkers from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries answer this and other related questions about human perception. Contributors are Fabrizio Amerini, Joel Biard, Veronique Decaix, Christian Kny, Lydia Schumacher, Josee Filipe Silva, and Jorg Alejandro Tellkamp. (shrink)

This book examines the psychological dimensions of emotions and humour in Buddhism. While there is a wealth of material concerning human emotions related to humour and the mindful management of negative emotions, very little has been written on the theory of Buddhist humour. Uniting both Buddhist and Western philosophy, the author draws upon the theory of ‘incongruity humour’, espoused by figures such as Kierkegaard, Kant and Hegel and absorbed into the interpretation of humour by the Buddhist monk and former Western (...) philosopher, Ñāṇavīra Thero. The author makes extensive use of rich primary sources such as the parables used by Ajahn Brahm while interweaving Western theories and philosophies to illuminate this original study of humour and emotion. This pioneering work will be of interest and value to students and scholars of humour, Buddhist traditions and existentialism more widely. (shrink)

The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa has raised several novel ethical issues for global outbreak preparedness. It has also illustrated that familiar ethical issues in infectious disease management endure despite considerable efforts to understand and mitigate such issues in the wake of past outbreaks. To improve future global outbreak preparedness and response, we must examine these shortcomings and reflect upon the current state of ethical preparedness. To this end, we focus our efforts in this article on (...) the examination of one substantial area: ethical guidance in pandemic plans. We argue that, due in part to their focus on considerations arising specifically in relation to pandemics of influenza origin, pandemic plans and their existing ethical guidance are ill-equipped to anticipate and facilitate the navigation of unique ethical challenges that may arise in other infectious disease pandemics. We proceed by outlining three reasons why this is so, and situate our analysis in the context of the EVD outbreak and the threat posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis: different infectious diseases have distinct characteristics that challenge anticipated or existing modes of pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, clear, transparent, context-specific ethical reasoning and justification within current influenza pandemic plans are lacking, and current plans neglect the context of how other significant pandemics may manifest. We conclude the article with several options for reflecting upon and ultimately addressing ethical issues that may emerge with different infectious disease pandemics. (shrink)

This article re-examines current definitions of populism, which portray it as either a powerful corrective to or the nemesis of liberal democracy. It does so by exploring a crucial but often neglected dimension of populism: its redemptive character. Populism is here understood to function according to the logic of resentment, which involves both socio-political indignation at injustice and envy or ressentiment. Populism promises redemption through regaining possession: of a lower status, a wounded identity, a diminished or lost control. Highly moralized (...) images of the past – historical or archetypal – are mobilized by populist leaders to castigate the present and accelerate the urgency of change in it. The argument is illustrated with Caesar’s Column, a futuristic novel written by the Minnesota populist leader Ignatius Donnelly. The complex and ambivalent structure of this dystopian novel – a textual source for the Populist Party manifesto in the 1890s, which stands in contrast with agrarian populism as everyday utopia – enables us to move beyond the polarized positions dominating the current debate. Reading Caesar’s Column ultimately shows that populism can be both a corrective and a danger to democracy, but not for the reasons usually stated in the literature. (shrink)

The usual distinction in quantum mechanics between pure states and mixtures is shown not to be independent of the interpretation adopted. Thus, in a causal theory, certain states should be regarded as sharing the nature of both pure states and mixtures and, as a result, important questions in the theory of measurement must be considered in a different light.

Retractions are on the rise as a result of a surge in post-publication peer review and an emboldened anonymous whistle-blowing movement. Cognizant that their brand may be damaged as a result of not...

In the present work we propose to present the way in which Heidegger treats the concept of anguish in his inaugural class What is Metaphysics?, emphasizing the relation between the awakening of anguish and the revelation of being. At the same time, we propose to confront the treatment of the concept of anguish in the lecture and the one that Heidegger gives to the concept in Being and Time. Indeed, in his lecture Heidegger presents anguish as a manifestation of nothingness, (...) in which the revelation of the being as such to the Dasein occurs. On the other hand, in § 40 of Being and Time Heidegger presents anguish as the disposition that removes Dasein from de-cadence and singularizes it, that is, places it before itself. With this, we will show the unfolding of the concept of anguish, from the most existential approach of the major treatise to the more ontological perspective of the lecture. (shrink)

Tendo como base a produção poética de Walther von der Vogelweide, o presente artigo discute a representação da temática política nas cantigas do trovador alemão. Para tanto, propomos um diálogo entre Literatura e História, mais especificamente, entre as cantigas de Walther e a da Questão das Investiduras.

Escrito en tiempos pandémicos, socializamos en el artículo los diálogos del Grupo Voces de la Educación con los movimientos docentes latinoamericanos que realizan investigaciones desde la escuela y la comunidad. Defendemos la pluralidad, diversidad y potencia de tales experiencias en la producción de otros procesos formativos, que nos llaman a la construcción de solidaridades necesarias para afrontar la barbarie de los tiempos actuales.

Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir a relação entre a construção de uma postura individualista como estratégia de cuidado de si dentro do contexto atual em que vivemos. Para tanto é realizado uma reflexão a partir da idéia de “sociedade de consumidores” trazida por Zygmunt Bauman, buscando construir uma relação desta com diferentes campos de atuação do sujeito humano. O que encontramos é uma postura que busca defender o indivíduo de possíveis riscos, sendo o outro, seu principal alvo de controle. (...) Dessa forma, constrói-se um individualismo que não pode ser confundido com a postura ascética do cuidado de si grego que possuía em seu conceito a dimensão trágica como suporte a política da existência. Ao final, concebe-se a resistência às políticas de controle de desejos como saída aos dispositivos presentes na sociedade de consumo. (shrink)

É bem conhecida a oposição estabelecida por Kant entre experiência possível e dialética, na medida em que esta última é caracterizada como a “lógica da ilusão”. Ao mesmo tempo, o modo de pensar metafísico, que ocorre dialeticamente, em sentido kantiano, é uma tendência inevitável da razão, expressa na exigência formal de completude das categorias. Como o pensar, enquanto exercício livre da razão, é em si mesmo mais amplo do que a atividade de conhecer, própria do entendimento, o pensar contém o (...) conhecimento, embora este se qualifique pelas regras e pelos limites determinantes da objetividade. A pergunta que tentaremos formular é se essa relação continente-conteúdo não poderia configurar também uma dependência da experiência em relação ao raciocínio dialético, que estaria de algum modo indicada na função reguladora das idéias da razão. Nesse caso, a oposição formal entre conhecer e pensar seria inseparável da inclusão estrutural (dependência) da experiência no âmbito da razão. Na raiz do problema estaria talvez a tensão (dialética) entre a aspiração subjetiva de totalidade e as exigências objetivas de limitação e segmentação da experiência e a forma da experiência teria de ser finalmente concebida a partir de um fundo de inteligibilidade problemática. Dialectics and experienceThe separation of possible experience as objective knowledge and dialetics as a non-objective or non-theoretical knowledge is one of the most important aspects of kantian critical philosophy. But Kant also says that the activity of reason, as a pure thinking, has more amplitude than understanding knowledge. So we could say that theoric knowledge would depend on rational ( and non-theoretical) knowledge, as something contained in it. If we accept that, the consequence would be a relation of dependence between the form of objective knowledge and the background of a problematic – even doubtful – inteligible knowledge. (shrink)

Este projeto consiste em uma análise aos elementos ético-morais da pedagogia de Santo Agostinho, bem como a sua aplicação no contexto educacional de sua época. Não queremos propor valores ético-morais pedagógicos, mas fazer uma análise crítico-filosófica da pedagogia agostiniana sob a luz de uma ética cristã, as quais possibilitam à educação condições de alcançar as suas finalidades e objetivos. Santo Agostinho apresenta em sua ética-pedagogia elementos necessários para a construção de uma moral e reconhecimento do homem como tal, passando por (...) fundamentações como o diálogo, amor, liberdade, as quais compõem o pilar necessário para os princípios éticos que devem reger a pedagogia. (shrink)

Review of Venturinha, Nuno : The Textual Genesis of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations. Routledge: New York, 2013.

Here, the logical behaviour of negation in Wittgenstein's Tractatus is compared with Demos' account of denial. Even if we hold negation as a pure syntactical device, at least in some context, it brings a handful of complex semantic information – potentially an infinite amount. We advocate then the existence of at least two negations due to the existence of two different and non-reducible types of exclusion. The first negation is a Tractarian and classical one, based on the notion of contradiction, (...) whereas the second is a non-classical negation, based on the notion of contrariety. (shrink)

O acesso ao conhecimento, nomeadamente, através da educação e da formação, como agente de inclusão social e digital está na lista de prioridades de diversos organismos internacionais e a preocupação com grupos minoritários, como a população prisional é uma realidade incontornável. A este respeito a literatura também tem sido clara na demonstração de como a educação é fundamental para responder às necessidades daqueles que se encontram no limiar da exclusão social, em risco e vulnerabilidade. Este será um caminho para aumentar (...) a justiça social e reduzir a discriminação através da frequência de cursos de educação e formação. Neste texto procura-se fazer uma breve revisitação histórica da atividade educativa nos presídios em Portugal, com especial destaque para a recente iniciativa desenvolvida pela Universidade Aberta portuguesa, em parceria com a Direção Geral de Reinserção e Serviços Prisionais, relacionada com a criação do Campus Virtual Educonline@pris que se assume como uma academia de formação e educação digital. Pedagogicamente assente no modelo desta instituição apresenta-se, ainda, o desenho de um programa de formação que irá ser desenvolvido num presídio português de jovens adultos reclusos na área das competências e cidadania digital. (shrink)

This article tests human inference rationality when dealing with default rules. To study human rationality, psychologists currently use classical models of logic or probability theory as normative models for evaluating human ability to reason rationally. Our position is that this approach is convincing, but only manages to capture a specific case of inferential ability with little regard to conditions of everyday reasoning. We propose that the most general case to be considered is inference with imperfect knowledge - in the present (...) case restricted to uncertain knowledge - and that a natural framework for testing the rationality of plausible reasoning is System P. This system provides rational postulates for nonmonotonic inference. The semantic of the nonmonotonic inference is given by a possibilistic constraint introduced by Dubois and Prade (1991). This constraint states that a rule p ( q is a plausible rule if "the degree to which p ( q is possible" is greater than "the degree to which p ( (q is possible". Given the choice of this constraint, we study two supplementary postulates of rationality. Eighty-eight subjects participated in an experiment whose results confirm - provided that reflexivity and left logical equivalence would be tested in a further experiment - the rationality of human nonmonotonic inference according to the rational postulates of System P. (shrink)