Introduzione di Pietro Rossi - Bobbio e il diritto di Gustavo Zagrebelsky - Bobbio e la politica di Massimo L. Salvadori - La teoria generale del diritto di Riccardo Guastini - La teoria generale della politica. Per la ricostruzione del "modello bobbiano" di Michelangelo Bovero - Realismo politico e dottrina dello Stato di Pier Paolo Portinaro - Le relazioni tra gli Stati di Luigi Bonanate - Gli autori - Indice dei nomi.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to introduce the term Slow Tech as a way of describing information and communication technology that is good, clean and fair. These are technologies that are human centred, environmentally sustainable and socially desirable.Design/methodology/approach– The paper's approach is based on a qualitative discourse that justifies the introduction of Slow Tech as a new design paradigm.Findings– The limits of the human body, and the need to take into account human wellbeing, the limits of the planet (...) and stakeholders' interests in decision making, all suggest the need for a new paradigm, Slow Tech, in the design of ICT and ICT systems. Three scenarios are described as case studies.Practical implications– In order to prepare the next generation of researchers and computer professionals, many different actions need to be taken. Universities and colleges need to redesign education programmes for computer scientists and engineers by introducing subjects related to the social and ethical implications of computing, and computer professionals' associations need to introduce a code of ethics or ethical analysis into their members' career development. As a result, future computer professionals who are familiar with the Slow Tech approach will be able to collaborate much more easily across the kind of cross disciplinary teams suited to design human centred, sustainable and desirable technologies.Social implications– Rather than simply focusing on the role of computer professionals, all members of society are called to play a new role in the design of future ICT scenarios. Starting a societal dialogue that involves computer professionals, users, researchers, designers, ICT industrialists, and policy makers is very much needed.Originality/value– The value of this paper is in its call for reflection followed by action. Based on an holistic approach to the design of new ICT systems, the paper advocates a new starting point for systems design: it should be based on a long-term view of the desirability and social importance of technologies, their environmental impact and sustainability, and the fairness and equity of the conditions of workers involved in the computing manufacturing processes. (shrink)

Purpose– This paper aims to provide an overview of clean information and communication technology, including a brief review of recent developments in the field and a lengthy set of possible reading matter. The need to rethink the impact of ICTs on people’s lives and the survival of the planet is beginning to be addressed by a Slow Tech approach. Among Slow Tech’s main questions are these two: Is ICT sustainable in the long term? What should be done by computer ethics (...) scholars, computer professionals, policy makers and society in general to ensure that clean ICT can be produced, used and appropriately disposed of?Design/methodology/approach– The paper is based on a comprehensive review of clean tech-related literature and an investigation of progress made in the clean tech field.Findings– This opening paper of aJournal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Societyspecial session aims to provide an overview of clean ICT, including a brief review of recent developments in the field and a lengthy set of possible reading matter. As a result, it is anticipated that Slow Tech – and in this case, its second component of clean ICT – can provide a compass to steer research, development and the use and reuse of environmentally friendly, sustainable ICT.Originality/value– This conceptual paper emphasises that, until only recently, no one questioned the potential long-term sustainability of ICT. This issue is, however, now very much a matter that is on the research and teaching, and action, agenda. (shrink)

Pre-eminent among European political philosophers, Norberto Bobbio has throughout his career turned to the political theory of Thomas Hobbes. Gathered here for the first time are the most important of his essays which together provide both a valuable introduction to Hobbes's thought and a fresh understanding of Hobbes's place in the theory of modern politics. Tracing Hobbes's work through De Cive and Leviathan , Bobbio identifies the philosopher's relation to the tradition of natural law. That Hobbes must now be (...) understood in both this tradition as well as in the seemingly contradictory positivist tradition becomes clear for the first time in Bobbio's account. Bobbio also demonstrates that Hobbes cannot be easily labelled "liberal" or "totalitarian" in Bobbio's provocative analysis of Hobbes's justification of the state, Hobbes emerges as a true conservative. Though his primary concern is to reconstruct the inner logic of Hobbes's thought, Bobbio is also attentive to the philosopher's biography and weaves into his analysis details of Hobbes's life and world--his exile in France, his relation with the Mersenne circle, his disputes with Anglican bishops, and accusations of heresy leveled against him. The result is a revealing, thoroughly new portrait of the first theorist of the modern state. (shrink)

Increasingly frequent discussions in our country over the last few years on the question of morals have roused the old theme of the relation between morals and politics. Although it is an old theme, it is nevertheless a theme that remains new, which explains why no moral question, regardless of the field in which it has been raised, has ever found a definitive answer. While the issue of the relation between politics and morals is the best known, due to the (...) length of the debate, the authority of the authors who took part, the variety of the arguments put forth and the importance of the subject, it is not that different from the issue of the relation between morals and all other human activity; thus the fact that we can readily speak of the ethics of economic relations or, as often the case over the last few years, of market ethics, or sexual ethics, medical ethics, the ethics of sports and still others. In all these diverse spheres of human activity, the same problem always arises: the distinction between what is morally licit and what is morally illicit. (shrink)

I was a delicate child, and to my great embarrassment I was excused from gymnastics as a teenager owing to an illness whose identity is still mystery, at least to me. That is when I acquired my world-weariness, a permanent and invincible lethargy that was to get worse with the passing years. Tiredness as a natural state has for many years been a recurring theme, when I'm complaining about life in letters and conversation. My friends consider it a bad habit (...) of mine, almost an attempt to attract attention, and they don't take me seriously. “I'm increasingly falling apart”, I recently told an old friend. He replied with a slightly mocking air: “You've been telling me that for twenty years”. But the truth is - and it is difficult to explain this to anyone younger - that the descent into the void is long, much longer than I would have ever imagined, and slow, so slow as to appear almost imperceptible (although not to me). The descent is continuous and, what is worse, irreversible: you descend one step at a time, but having put your foot on the lower step, you know that you will never return to the higher one. I have no idea how many more downward steps are to follow. I can only be sure that their number is steadily decreasing. (shrink)

While lecturing on the philosophy of history at the University of Berlin, Hegel was asked by a student if the United States ought to be considered the country of the future. Obviously irritated, he answered: “As the country of the future, America does not concern me … Philosophy deals with the eternal, or with reason, and with that there is enough to do.” In his famous lecture on science as a vocation, addressed to students at the University of Munich at (...) the end of the First World War, Max Weber responded to insistent questions on his views as to the future of Germany: “The classroom is neither for demagogues nor for prophets.”. (shrink)

Estudio y an lisis del pensamiento e influencia de Thomas Hobbes en la pol tica contempor nea, consider ndolo el creador de la primera teor a del estado moderno. el reconocimiento de Hobbes son sus teor as sobre el materialismo en filosof a, el utilitarismo en moral y el despotismo en pol tica. Textos y ensayos referentes al iusnaturalismo, las sociedades parciales y la ley natural y civil en la filosof a de Hobbes.

Traagheid is innerlijke ordelijkheid, verstilling, intensieve aanwezigheid. Traagheid doet ons verdiepen, concentreren, betrokken raken, overgeven. Daardoor vergeet men zichzelf, maar geraakt men tegelijkertijd ook steeds dichter bij de eigen persoon en wereld. Traagheid is het tegenovergestelde van snelheid. Waar traagheid tot beschaving leidt, leidt snelheid tot middelmatigheid, want het verstrooit de zintuiglijke waarneming en bemoeilijkt concentratie en geestelijke aanwezigheid. Door onze versnelde cultuur, die ruimte en tijd tart, worden we gedwongen om overal aanwezig te zijn. Slechts het afzien van snelheid (...) en hopen op de reserves van het leven kunnen ons nog vertragen. (shrink)

As origens do mosteiro situado no concelho de Cabeceiras de Basto, distrito de Braga, em Portugal, têm sido objeto de debate historiográfico. No tempo presente deste artigo existem duas teses em confronto relativamente a esta questão. Uma aponta para uma origem entre os séculos XI e XII. A segunda tese defende que essa fundação teve lugar durante o século VII. Neste artigo pretendemos apresentar as fontes documentais em que se fundamentam, procedendo, igualmente, a uma análise crítica das referidas fontes. Deste (...) modo, procuramos problematizar e debater os méritos e debilidades de ambas as teses, ao mesmo tempo que deixamos pistas de investigação futura. (shrink)

This article discusses the contribution to evolutionary theory of Leonard Darwin, the eighth child of Charles Darwin. By analysing the correspondence Leonard Darwin maintained with Ronald Aylmer Fisher in conjunction with an assessment of his books and other written works between the 1910s and 1930s, this article argues for a more prominent role played by him than the previously recognised in the literature as an informal mentor of Fisher. The paper discusses Leonard’s efforts to amalgamate Mendelism with both Eugenics and (...) Darwinism in order for the first to base their policies on new scientific developments and to help the second in finding a target for natural selection. Without a formal qualification in biological sciences and as such mistrusted by some “formal” scientists, Leonard Darwin engaged with key themes of Darwinism such as mimicry, the role of mutations on speciation and the process of genetic variability, arriving at important conclusions concerning the usefulness of Mendelian genetics for his father’s theory. (shrink)

The text is part of the investigative concerns from the authors with regard to the dialogue between literature and science teaching. It starts from several theoretical approaches around the general didactics, university or superior didactics, science’s didactics and for last, literature’s didactics. This is largely due to our search which is focused in articulate the university didactics with science and literature’s didactics, meanwhile, we pretend to answer to the questions ¿How are the specific didactics of science and literature going to (...) contribute to the university didactics and how is the last one going to contribute to these specific didactics? ¿Is it the dialogue between science and literature possible? The paper has been made in middle education, in Educative Institution José Miguel de Restrepo y Puerta, from Copacabana and also in university education, in the academic unities of Dietetics and Nutrition School, Agricultural Sciences and Medicine, from the University of Antioquia. Finally, the partial results indicate: i) the necessity of general Didactics as a discipline focused on teaching and learning processes to ask itself for its internal problems and establish relations with specific didactics. (shrink)

La introducción en la reforma educativa de las enseñanzas medias de una asignatura común a todos los alumnos sobre cuestiones éticas puede servir para curar a esta materia de su complejo de "religión para ateos", provocada por su modo de presencia en los anteriores diseños curriculares. El autor reflexiona sobre su papel y sobre sus posibles contenidos desde la perspectiva explícita de la ética civil que se trata en el estado de la cuestión y reflexión y crítica.

Il volume raccoglie una settantina di testi di Norberto Bobbio - filosofo, storico, politologo, grande maître à penser del Novecento - definibili come "scritti d'impegno civile": quelli cioè in cui con maggior nettezza emerge il problematico rapporto tra l'etica e la politica. Frutto di una selezione estrema, i testi si dispongono secondo uno schema binario, per coppie dilemmatiche o contigue, secondo un caratteristico modo di procedere del suo pensiero. La scelta dei testi e la ricca curatela sono firmate da (...) Marco Revelli, noto storico, sociologo, professore "antiaccademico" e saggista. (shrink)

Edmundo Curvelo propõe-se fundamentar uma ética como ciência natural. Para conseguir este desiderato, demarca-a da filosofia, da moral e do âmbito de qualquer ciência normativa. Esclarece as possiveis relações entre a ética como ciência natural e a psicologia e a sociologia, criticando, de passagem, as suas interpretações evolucionistas e empirico-criticistas. Para se furtar aos problemas da falacia naturalista, toma como ponto de partida da ética os enunciados da linguagem vulgarmente admitida como moral. Deste ponto de vista, mostra como se constrói (...) uma lei ética e o carácter estatistico-probabilistico do seu grau de certezae analisa as noções éticas fundamentais-como o bem, o prazer, etc. - que considerava postulados e convenções instrumentais. Tendo como preocupação básica evitar o essencialismo e inscrever a análise ética numa matriz cientifico-natural, acabou por cair numa ética do "senso comum" que retirava a sua legitimidade da opiniao dos maiorias. /// Edmundo Curvelo se propose de fonder une Éthique comme science naturelle. Pour réussir ce propos, il prend ses distances vis-à-vis de la philosophic de la morale et du cadre de toute science normative. II éclaire les relations possibles entre l'Éthique comme science naturelle, la psychologie et la sociologie, critiquant au passage leurs interprétations évolutionnistes et empirico-criticistes. Pour éviter les problèmes de l'erreur naturaliste il prend pour point de départ de l'éthique les énoncés du langage habituellement admis comme moral. De ce point de vue, il montre comment se construit une loi éthique ainsi que le caractère statistico-probabiliste de son degrée de certitude et analyse les notions éthiques fondamentales, comme celles du bien, du plaisir, etc., qu'il considérait comme postulats et conventions instrumentales. Avec la préocupation de base d'éviter l'essentialisme et d'inscrire l'analyse éthique en une matrice scientifico-naturelle, il finit par tomber dans une éthique du "sens commun" qui puisait sa légitimité dans l'opinion des groupes majoritaires. /// Edmundo Curvelo intends to establish the foundations of ethics as a natural science. To attain this goal, he separates it from both philosophy, moral and the context of any normative science. He then explains the possible relations between ethics, as a natural science, and both psychology and sociology, and criticizes its interpretations, both by evolutionists and by empirical-criticists. In order to escape from the problems raised by the naturalistic fal lacy, he considers the propositions ordinarily taken as moral language, as the starting point of ethics. From this point of view, he shows who an ethical law is elaborated, attemps to demonstrate the statistic-probabilistic character of its degree of certainty, and analyses the fundamental ethical notions - such as good, pleasure, etc. - which he considers as postulates and instrumental conventions. Having a basic concern in avoiding essentialism and in placing the ethical analysis into a natural-scientific matrix, he ended up by proposing an ethics of "common sense" whose legitimacy was grounded on the majorities' opinion. (shrink)

Following the collapse of communism and the decline of Marxism, some commentators have claimed that we have reached the 'end of history' and that the distinction between Left and Right can be forgotten. In this book - which was a tremendous success in Italy - Norberto Bobbio challenges these views, arguing that the fundamental political distinction between Left and Right, which has shaped the two centuries since the French Revolution, has continuing relevance today. Bobbio explores the grounds of this (...) elusive distinction and argues that Left and Right are ultimately divided by different attitudes to equality. He carefully defines the nature of equality and inequality in relative rather than absolute terms. Left and Right is a timely and persuasively argued account of the basic parameters of political action and debate in the modern world - parameters which have remained constant despite the pace of social change. The book will be widely read and, as in Italy, it will have an impact far beyond the academic domain. (shrink)