In Memory of Ed PellegrinoEuthanasia in Belgium is not limited to terminally ill patients. It may be applied to patients with chronic degenerative diseases. Currently, people in Belgium wish to make it possible to euthanize incompetent patients who suffer from dementia. This article explains the Belgian law and then explores arguments for and against euthanasia of patients with dementia. It probes the dementia paradox by elucidating Dworkin’s distinction between critical and experiential interests, arguing that at the end-of-life this distinction is (...) not clearcut. It argues against euthanasia for patients with dementia, for respecting patients’ humanity and for providing them with more care, compassion, and good doctoring. (shrink)

The paper offers an account of the structure of information provided by models that relevantly deviate from reality. It is argued that accounts of scientific modeling according to which a model’s epistemic and pragmatic relevance stems from the alleged fact that models give access to possibilities fail. First, it seems that there are models that do not give access to possibilities, for what they describe is impossible. Secondly, it appears that having access to a possibility is epistemically and pragmatically idle. (...) Based on these observations, an alternative is developed. (shrink)

The present paper argues that there is a structural difference between classical cases involving knowledge-undermining environmental luck, and cases where a subject acquires understanding in the presence of environmental luck. This difference appears to bear on arguments against the reductionist thesis that understanding is a special form of knowledge.

This 2001 translation makes one of the most important texts in ancient philosophy available to modern readers. Cicero is increasingly being appreciated as an intelligent and well-educated amateur philosopher, and in this work he presents the major ethical theories of his time in a way designed to get the reader philosophically engaged in the important debates. Raphael Woolf's translation does justice to Cicero's argumentative vigour as well as to the philosophical ideas involved, while Julia Annas's introduction and notes provide a (...) clear and accessible explanation of the philosophical context of the work. This edition will appeal to all readers interested in this central text in ancient philosophy and the history of ethics. (shrink)

Dieses Lehrbuch vermittelt eines der wichtigsten Werkzeuge der Philosophie durch die Einführung in die Grundideen einer formalen Sprache. Schrittweise werden so die relevanten Sprachstrukturen aufgedeckt, die dann in der Aussagen- und Prädikatenlogik formalisiert werden. Sowohl die Semantik als auch ein Kalkül des natürlichen Schließens werden jeweils detailliert diskutiert. In Kombination mit einer Lernplattform wird der zentrale Stoff anwendungsorientiert und plastisch vermittelt, was die auch zum Selbststudium geeignete Einführung zum idealen Begleiter für das Philosophiestudium macht.

This paper analyses J.S. Mill's theory on the relationships between individual autonomy and State powers. It will be argued that there is a significant discrepancy between Mill's general liberal statements aimed to secure individual largest possible autonomy and the specific examples which provide the government with quite wide latitude for interference in the public and private spheres. The paper outlines the boundaries of government interference in the Millian theory. Subsequently it describes Mill's elastic paternalism designed to prevent people from inflicting (...) harm upon others as well as upon themselves, from soft paternalism on issues like compulsory education to hard paternalism on very private matters such as marriage, having children, and divorce by consent. (shrink)

The discourse on economic integration with authoritarian regimes has evolved as a key topic throughout the different disciplines of social sciences. Are sanctions and boycotts effective methods to incentivize human rights improvements? To analyze this question, we focus on the situation in China’s Xinjiang province from 2010 to 2019. In this paper, we discuss the relevance of human rights as an ethical norm within business ethics and international law. We evaluate the ongoing processes in Xinjiang from this perspective and scrutinize (...) the interests of major players in the region, including the Central Government of the People’s Republic of China, Xinjiang’s local government, and enterprises involved in the region. Following this, we discuss which economic measures will improve the human rights situation and how these measures contribute to an improvement of the situation. (shrink)

This paper reflects on the articles submitted for the Symposium Confronting the Internet’s Dark Side. I discuss some of the criticisms of the book’s theory and my treatment of hate speech. The responsibilities of Internet Service Providers and Web-Hosting Services are in the fore, arguing that as they are the gatekeepers, they need to be proactive far more than they are now. This paper, like my book, strives to suggest an approach that harnesses the strengths and capabilities of the public (...) and the private sectors in offering practical solutions to pressing problems. (shrink)

The aims of this essay are (A) to examine the extent to which Marx, Engels and Lenin believed in revolution by peaceful means and what was their attitude towards the phenomenon of war, and (B) to reflect on the different interpretations of their writings, discerning between three schools of thought. It is argued that Marx and Engels considered violence only as an instrument of secondary importance and desirable insofar as there is no other alternative to change the system. It is (...) further contended that while they, in the course of years, adopted a more moderate position regarding the use of violence, Lenin's viewpoint radicalized as the possibility of a revolution in Russia became real. As years went by Lenin affirmed not only the use of violence but also the resort to terrorist activities. Unlike Marx and Engels he became an ardent supporter of all types of terror. (shrink)

Recently, a time-honored assumption has resurfaced in some parts of the free will debate: if past divine beliefs or past truths about what we do depend on what we do, then these beliefs and truths are, in a sense, up to us; hence, we are able to act otherwise, despite the existence of past truths or past divine beliefs about our future actions. In this paper, I introduce and discuss a novel incompatibilist argument that rests on. This argument is interesting (...) in itself, for it is independent of a number of assumptions about the nature of God that have played an essential role in the classical defense of incompatibilism about divine foreknowledge and human free will. Moreover, the argument enables us to identify a difficulty compatibilists encounter when employing to block incompatibilism. (shrink)

Flawed clinical practice guidelines may compromise patient care. Commercial conflicts of interest on panels that write treatment guidelines are particularly problematic, because panelists may have conflicting agendas that influence guideline recommendations. Historically, there has been no legal remedy for conflicts of interest on guidelines panels. However, in May 2008, the Attorney General of Connecticut concluded a ground-breaking antitrust investigation into the development of Lyme disease treatment guidelines by one of the largest medical societies in the United States, the Infectious Diseases (...) Society of America (IDSA). Although the investigation found significant flaws in the IDSA guidelines development process, the subsequent review of the guidelines mandated by the settlement was compromised by a lack of impartiality at various stages of the IDSA review process. This article will examine the interplay between the recent calls for guidelines reform, the ethical canons of medicine, and due process considerations under antitrust laws as they apply to the formulation of the IDSA Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The article will also discuss pitfalls in the implementation of the IDSA antitrust settlement that should be avoided in the future. (shrink)

In this paper, I discuss a view proposed by Carl Hempel in his paper Reduction: Ontological and Linguistic Facets, published in 1969. Here, Hempel suggested that questions regarding the identification of mental states with physiological states, the relation between sociological phenomena and individual behavioral states, and between biological and physicochemical states should be given what he calls a ‘linguistic’ interpretation. His main point is that whether or not an object is physical or biological depends on how it is, or can (...) be, described. In this paper, I wish to, firstly, explicate Hempel's suggestion, and, secondly, explore one argument in favor of Hempel's account. I will suggest that there is at least one use of the term ‘physical’ in philosophical discourse (and, for that matter, of related terms such as ‘biological’, ‘mental’, ‘natural’ etc.) that should be cashed out in linguistic or representational terms. (shrink)

Resumo: Neste artigo, a partir de pesquisa teórica, objetiva-se refletir sobre os sentidos do conceito de autonomia da universidade moderna e algumas das suas importantes limitações epistemológicas, políticas e curriculares. Para isso, buscou-se dados nas fontes bibliográficas citadas e referenciadas no texto, de modo especial no pensamento de Bacon, Kant e Descartes. A metodologia adotada consistiu na leitura, análise, comentário e crítica dos textos selecionados, tomando-se cada um enquanto unidade de sentido, mas também confrontando e problematizando os enunciados e teses (...) diversas numa tentativa de “desconstrução” e “ampliação” de significados. Nesse exercício de reflexão, compreendeu-se que os diversos sentidos de autonomia são símbolos privilegiados da atividade universitária desde a sua origem até os dias atuais, atravessando o debate entre liberalismo e marxismo, característico da modernidade. Verificou-se que há possibilidades e limites contextuais para o exercício da autonomia e que o jogo entre ser e dever-ser da universidade atravessa diversos discursos e tempos, reunindo em torno de si uma complexa e contraditória rede de compreensões em torno deste conceito. Palavras-chave: Autonomia; Universidade; Modernidade Autonomy as a regulatory ideal of the Modern University: meanings and limits Abstract: This article, based on theoretical research, aims to reflect on the meanings of the concept of autonomy in the modern university and some of its important epistemological, political and curricular limitations. For this, information was sought in the bibliographic sources cited and referenced in the text, especially in the thinking of Bacon, Kant and Descartes. The methodology consisted of reading, analyzing, commenting and criticizing the selected texts, taking each one as a unit of meaning, but also confronting and problematizing the different statements and ideas in an attempt to “deconstruct” and “enlarge” meanings. In this exercise of reflection, it was understood that the various senses of autonomy are privileged symbols of university activity from its origins to the present, crossing the debate between liberalism and marxism, characteristic of modernity. It was found that there are possibilities and contextual limits for the exercise of autonomy and that the game between being and being-ought of the university crosses different discourses and times, gathering around itself a complex and contradictory network of comprehensions around this concept. Keywords: Autonomy; University; Modernity. La autonomía como ideal regulador de la Universidad Moderna: significados y límites Resumen: Este artículo, basado en investigación teórica, tiene como objetivo reflexionar sobre los significados del concepto de autonomía en la universidad moderna y algunas de sus importantes limitaciones epistemológicas, políticas y curriculares. Para ello se buscó información en las fuentes bibliográficas que se citan y referencian en el texto, especialmente en el pensamiento de Bacon, Kant y Descartes. La metodología adoptada consistió en leer, analizar, comentar y criticar los textos seleccionados, tomando cada uno como unidad de sentido, pero también confrontando y problematizando los diferentes enunciados y tesis en un intento de “deconstruir” y “ampliar” los significados. En este ejercicio de reflexión, se entendió que los diversos sentidos de autonomía son símbolos privilegiados de la actividad universitaria desde sus orígenes hasta la actualidad, atravesando el debate entre el liberalismo y el marxismo, característico de la modernidad. Se constató que existen posibilidades y límites contextuales para el ejercicio de la autonomía y que el juego entre el ser y el deber-ser de la universidad atraviesa diferentes discursos y tiempos, reuniendo en torno a sí una compleja y contradictoria red de entendimientos en torno a este concepto. Palabras clave: Autonomia; Universidad; Modernidad. Data de registro: 12/11/2022 Data de aceite: 23/082023. (shrink)

This article provides an account of rent-seeking in relation both to economic policies and political practices in South Africa. The article draws attention to continuities and similarities in this regard between the two distinct periods of nationalist rule from 1948 to 1994 and from 1994 to 2012. The economic dimensions that are specifically addressed are industrial policy, the labour market, state administration and tenders and service delivery and welfare. The more specifically political dimensions addressed include the electoral system, the relationship (...) between constitutionalism and the judiciary, and the rule of law. The article highlights the dangers posed by excessive rent-seeking and especially its negative implications for redistribution, economic growth and the consolidation of democracy in a highly unequal society. (shrink)

Si le contrat social occupe une place centrale dans les débats contemporains en aménagement, la notion n’est jamais spatialisée, ni réellement ancrée dans une réflexion sur l’espace. Partant de ce constat dont il prend le contre-pied, l’article formule une double hypothèse. Tout d’abord, le contrat social serait une notion spatiale en soi, ce qui, par conséquence, feraient des notions s’y attachant des catégories elles aussi spatiales – comme la justice, l’intérêt (particulier ou général), ou encore le compromis social. D’autre part, (...) les grandes ruptures des régimes d’actuation du contrat social pourraient s’expliquer par la rupture spatiale des dynamiques socio-économiques des sociétés et des territoires – ce que l’article propose d’observer et de discuter avec le passage des logiques fordistes aux logiques post-fordistes de l’aménagement. (shrink)

Si la question de juste répartition des ressources traverse les sociétés depuis même l’Antiquité, celle de la répartition équitable des ressources médicales prend de nos jours une toute autre ampleur dans le contexte de pandémie mondiale actuelle. Cette table ronde tente d’analyser et de comprendre comment concilier les principes de justice distributive dans des conditions de ressources limitées. Elle permet d’ouvrir plus largement la réflexion sur la différence fondamentale qui se trouve entre la prise de décision éthique ou politique auprès (...) du patient, et à l’échelle macroscopique. Enfin, une discussion ouvrira la réflexion sur l’autonomie des patients et la légitimité de la réanimation – pour ceux qui ne souhaitent pas continuer à vivre – sur la valeur du « sauver à tout prix » et de la place du triage dans la pratique de la médecine. (shrink)

In this paper, the relation between identity-based reduction and one specific sort of reductive explanation is considered. The notion of identity-based reduction is spelled out and its role in the reduction debate is sketched. An argument offered by Jaegwon Kim, which is supposed to show that identity-based reduction and reductive explanation are incompatible, is critically examined. From the discussion of this argument, some important consequences about the notion of reduction are pointed out.

This paper addresses the concepts of moral and social responsibility on the Internet in considering the most troubling phenomenon of cyberbullying that results in loss of life. Specifically, I probe the moral and social responsibilities of Internet users (agents), of the education system in fighting cyberbullying, and of Internet intermediaries. Balance needs to be struck between freedom of expression and social responsibility. The tragic story of Megan Meier serves as an illustrative example and some further incidents in which this ugly (...) phenomenon of cyberbullying had cost young life are mentioned. It is argued that all relevant stakeholders need to think of the consequences of their conduct, that Internet abusers should be accountable for their wrongdoing, and that people who have the ability to stop or at least reduce the risk of cyberbullying should take proactive steps, exhibiting zero tolerance to cyberbullying. (shrink)

Early in 2008 I published Hate in the Classroom: Free Expression, Holocaust Denial, and Liberal Education. A rejoinder was published, and this is my reply to the rejoinder. It is about education and the role of the teacher in the classroom. I argue that teachers should keep their hateful views to themselves and not pronounce them publicly if they wish to serve as educators. Students should not be subjected to teachers who are unable to appreciate difference and pluralism, who interpret (...) liberty as a tool for hate, who abhor violence, and who exemplify the opposite of humanistic education. One cannot be a hate monger and an educator. When one opts to be the former, one should stay out of the classroom. (shrink)

Redefining, redrawing, and resetting the respective domains of philosophy, medicine, and health care, this book provides a conceptual point of departure from which the radical changes that will be required of health care in the next century can be envisioned and acted upon. It provides critical analyses of the conceptual apparatus that informs the many dimensions of health care practices, challenging the fundamental relationships of authority that exist between patients and health care practitioners, questioning the tradition of using classical ethical (...) theories within the domain of health care, and suggesting a set of different directions in which health care should develop. (shrink)

La présente étude entend tracer et analyser le déploiement de « la Vérité de l’Etre » afin de montrer en quoi celui-ci est indissociable, pour Heidegger, de ce qu’il appelle, dans un passage tardif des Cahiers Noirs, l’« auto-annihilation ( Selbstvernichtung ) » du judaïsme. Nous montrerons en quoi et pourquoi, chez Heidegger, l’« Histoire » de la « Vérité de l’Etre », en se déployant elle-même, produit aussi un antijudaïsme, indissociable d’un antisémitisme, sans précédent dans l’histoire de la philosophie (...) occidentale. En effet, le judaïsme, pour Heidegger, se voit brutalement exproprié de toute possibilité d’être, et, par conséquent, demeure résolument forclos de l’« Histoire » gréco-allemande de la « Vérité de l’Etre » pour ne séjourner que dans l’« inessentielle » machination et exploitation « indéterminée » du monde. Il nous appartiendra de souligner, depuis le « dispositif » heideggérien de la « Vérité de l’Etre » – un dispositif, contrairement à ce qu’en dit Heidegger, dès plus technique – en quoi le judaïsme se voit condamné à son « auto-annihilation ». C’est ainsi que l’antijudaïsme de Heidegger, inséparable d’un antisémitisme catégorique, est à comprendre depuis sa pensée philosophique elle-même. Ce qui exige de nous une relecture dès plus vigilante, dès plus intransigeante et un questionnement critique circonstancié de cette œuvre et du rapport qu’elle détermine entre l’« Histoire » de la « Vérité de l’Etre » et l’« auto-annihilation » du judaïsme. Ainsi, à aucun moment ne s’agira-t-il, pour nous, de rejeter purement et simplement la pensée philosophique de Heidegger. Car, c’est aussi par une relecture critique de cette même pensée, par une confrontation incessante envers ce qui s’y cache dans ses plis les plus obscurs et douteux, que peuvent aussi se révéler d’inédites possibilités de repenser notre tradition philosophique tout entière en l’ouvrant vers une tout autre histoire de la philosophie – tout autre que celle qui se sera consacrée et déterminée dans et par le « dispositif » heideggérien. (shrink)

In order to do justice to the intuition that medical treatments as such do not form proper instances of bio-enhancement, as the notion is employed in the ethical debate, we should construe bio-enhancements as interventions, which do not aim at states that, other things being equal, ought to obtain. In the light of this clarification, we come to see that cases of moral enhancement are not covered by the notion of bio-enhancement, properly construed.

Among philosophers of mind, it is common to assume that at least some mental properties are functional in nature, and that functional properties are second-order properties. In the functionalist literature, the notion of being a second-order property is cashed out in three different ways: (i) in terms of semantic features of characterizations or definitions of properties, (ii) in terms of syntactic features of second-order quantification, and (iii) in terms of a metaphysical criterion, according to which properties are second order if (...) they are properties of first-order properties. It is shown that in the context of functionalism reference to these interpretations is misguided, and it is suggested that the notion of an ordering of properties in this context is best understood as being tied to dependence-relations. (shrink)

How do we find out whether someone is conscious of some information or not? A simple answer is “We just ask them”! However, things are not so simple. Here, we review recent developments in the use of subjective and objective methods in implicit learning research and discuss the highly complex methodological problems that their use raises in the domain.