Word learning is basic to foreign language acquisition, however time consuming and not always successful. Empirical studies have shown that traditional (visual) word learning can be enhanced by gestures. The gesture benefit has been attributed to depth of encoding. Gestures can lead to depth of encoding because they trigger semantic processing and sensorimotor enrichment of the novel word. However, the neural underpinning of depth of encoding is still unclear. Here, we combined an fMRI and a behavioral study to investigate word (...) encoding online. In the scanner, participants encoded 30 novel words of an artificial language created for experimental purposes and their translation into the subjects’ native language. Participants encoded the words three times visually, audiovisually, and by additionally observing semantically related gestures performed by an actress. Hemodynamic activity during word encoding revealed the recruitment of cortical areas involved in stimulus processing. In this study, depth of encoding can be spelt out in terms of sensorimotor brain networks that grow larger the more sensory modalities are linked to the novel word. Word retention outside the scanner documented a positive effect of gestures in a free recall test in the short-term. (shrink)

An applicant to our graduate program in philosophy, accepted as well by one (but only one) other graduate program, wrestles with his decision. Finally he decides to attend the other program, but he thanks me for our offer, telling me, "I'm glad that at least I had a choice." I want to focus a bit on these two stories, for while the central conclusion in each -- something turning on the importance of choice -- is initially compelling, it is also, (...) on reflection, philosophically puzzling. It is compelling, because many of us in similar positions would share this response; phenomenologically, it feels right to us. We want to believe that the central facts of our lives -- whether or not we have children, where we are educated, what career we follow, with 1 whom we join as partners -- contain in them some fundamental element of our own selection and decision. We will be exploring below exactly what will turn out to be important here, and why, but for now, in our pre-reflective grasp of this phenomenon, we can say that it seems to have something to do with the value we place on autonomy, self-governance, self-authorship. We want, metaphorically speaking, to write the story of our own lives. But let me now begin to draw out why I find this insistence on the importance of choice, which so many of us would share, to be so puzzling. Both individuals, in both stories, want to be offered a certain additional option in order to have -- or at least to feel that they have? -- a choice about what they are going to do next. But, on the one hand, we could argue that, even with this added option, they still don't have a "real" choice -- they don't have the choice of doing what they most want to do; and on the other hand, one could argue that even without the added option, they always had some choice. Let me explain. In the first story, my friend certainly doesn't have open to her the option that would have been her first choice (and, in our society, what we might call the standard choice, the most frequently chosen option): to produce a biological child with her partner in a happy marriage.. (shrink)

The purpose of this paper is to point out that some mathematical doctrines attributed by Aristotle to Plato find their origin in a threefold order of problems: first, in some allusions contained in the dialogues, which might create ambiguities within the so-called standard model of ideas; second, in the Aristotelian interpretation of ideal entities as universals or predicates, an interpretation in turn partly authorized by Plato himself; third, in the tendency not to emphasize the possibility of understanding participation and the (...) whole-part relationship from a non-quantitative point of view. In this paper I will disregard the complex debate about whether or not to attribute the unwritten doctrines of the Aristotelian account to Plato, but I will appraise in what sense some Aristotelian objections to participation may arise from the fact of conceiving of numbers and magnitudes as ideas. (shrink)

Ethical behavior — the conscious attempt to act in accordance with an individually-owned morality — is the product of an advanced stage of the maturing process. Three models of ethical growth derived from research in human development are applied to issues of business ethics.

The purpose of this article is to address the complex relationships within the geography of virtues. Based on the recent prototypical theories of concepts as idealized cognitive models arising from abstraction, the article argues that the relations between virtues are asymmetrical, with a prototypical virtue characterizing the whole category and specific virtues being character traits or skills derived from the prototypical virtue. It also argues that the most promising candidates for the role of prototypical virtue are phronesis (practical wisdom) and (...) the virtue of care, for their ability to represent and elicit any virtuous behavior when the situation calls for them. It therefore confronts the two options, which embody competing perspectives. In the concluding section, it proposes two possible directions for further research to settle in favor of one of the candidates. The article can be taken as an illustration of the potential of prototype theory for analyzing ethical concepts. (shrink)

In this contribution to philosophical ethics, Claudia Card revisits the theory of evil developed in her earlier book The Atrocity Paradigm, and expands it to consider collectively perpetrated and collectively suffered atrocities. Redefining evil as a secular concept and focusing on the inexcusability - rather than the culpability - of atrocities, Card examines the tension between responding to evils and preserving humanitarian values. This stimulating and often provocative book contends that understanding the evils in terrorism, torture and genocide enables (...) us to recognise similar evils in everyday life: daily life under oppressive regimes and in racist environments; violence against women, including in the home; violence and executions in prisons; hate crimes; and violence against animals. Card analyses torture, terrorism and genocide in the light of recent atrocities, considering whether there can be moral justifications for terrorism and torture, and providing conceptual tools to distinguish genocide from non-genocidal mass slaughter. (shrink)

Clinical Ethics Consultation (CEC) has grown significantly in the last decade, and efforts are being made to professionalize the practice. The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) has been instrumental in this process, having published the _Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibilities for Healthcare Ethics Consultants_ and founded and endorsed the creation of the _Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certified (HCEC) Certification Commission._ The ASBH also published “core competencies” for healthcare ethics consultants and has delineated a clear identity and role of (...) such consultants distinct from that other healthcare professionals. In addition, more enter the field armed with advanced degrees (MA and PhD) or certification in clinical ethics consultation. While some have questioned the trend toward professionalization, the momentum is clearly in its favor. This paper explores three questions: Does the professionalization of healthcare ethics consultation expose those engaged in the field to the types of liability claims faced by professionals in other fields? What specific liabilities could affect a healthcare ethics consultant? And finally, what should healthcare ethics consultants do to protect themselves against liability claims? We conclude that while the risk of liability remains low, those engaged in the field should accept that risk just as part of their status as professionals and, like those in allied professions, seek appropriate protection in the form of liability insurance. (shrink)

This article is concerned with the dynamic of social change in the domain of food consumption and seeks to understand the role played by social representations in the transformation of daily food practices. It rests on a model of change that hinges on the processes of cultivation and naturalization of new components of practices. Social representation theory is used to enhance the understanding of the ways that representations contribute to these processes of cultivation and naturalization. Using a visual and multimodal (...) framework for analyzing online environments, the research looked at 984 Instagram posts published by 34 actors who have an interest in promoting alternative proteins in the Canadian context. Results show an emergent subfield of food consumption defined by representations of alternative proteins actively and fluidly intertwined with those of their meat and dairy counterparts. This interplay emerges as being confrontational in the cultivation phase of the model for changing practices –where alternative proteins are presented as being better than meat and dairy – but becomes much more conciliatory during its naturalization phase, in which alternative proteins are presented as being as good as meat and dairy. (shrink)

Addressing studying as a distinct educational concept and phenomenon in its own right, the essays in this volume consider study and studying from a range of perspectives. Countering dominant educational discourses, which place a heavy emphasis on learning and instruction, the contributors explore questions such as: What does it mean to study something? How is studying something different from being taught about it, or learning something about it? What does the difficulty demanded by study mean for the one who studies (...) and for the teacher? What mode of existence does study induce? The book highlights the significance of study not only, or even primarily, for its educational outcome, but as a human activity. (shrink)

In this paper, we argue that to reverse the excess of specialization and to create room for interdisciplinary cross-fertilization, it seems necessary to move the existing epistemic plurality towards a collaborative process of social cognition. In order to achieve this, we propose to extend the psychological notion of joint attention towards what we call joint intellectual attention. This special kind of joint attention involves a shared awareness of sharing the cognitive process of knowledge. We claim that if an interdisciplinary research (...) team aspires to work collaboratively, it is essential for the researchers to jointly focus their attention towards a common object and establish a second-person relatedness among them. We consider some of the intellectual dispositions or virtues fostered by joint intellectual attention that facilitate interdisciplinary exchange, and explore some of the practical consequences of this cognitive approach to interdisciplinarity for education and research. (shrink)

Jacob Böhme (1575-1624) is one of the most important German thinkers. His writings have influenced literature, philosophy, religion and art beyond national borders from his time up to the present. One hundred years after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation - on the eve of the Thirty Years' War - Böhme wanted to give voice to the need for a deep spiritual and philosophical renewal. In a series of exhibitions - in Dresden, Coventry, Amsterdam, and Wrocław - the Dresden State (...) Art Collections recall this unconventional thinker, whose ideas about the relationship between science and belief, humanity and nature, woman and man are today more current than ever. Exhibition: Coventry Cathedral, UK (30.04. - 05.07.2019)"-- Back cover. (shrink)

This article argues that the abundance of Greek figures and scenarios in Kittler’s recent work points to a shift in his oeuvre, which, however, does not represent a radical break with his ‘hardware studies’. At the turn of the 21st century, Kittler champions an emphatic notion of culture as a necessary supplement to science and technology. This conceptual marriage mediates grand historical narratives of cultural identity. Specifically, Kittler’s texts provide us with narratives of Greek origin which serve to re-capture collective (...) identities in the age of globalization. On the explicit level, this identity is predominantly European, but the search has national components as well. With his turn to culture, the organizing trope of 19th-century German nationalism, Kittler has also embraced the legacy of German philhellenism, which articulated national identities through the theme of ‘elective affinity’. Kittler’s Greece occupies the very structural place it had in 19th-century German philhellenism: It stands in for both the foundation of European civilization and its virtual better self, a realm of sensual culture untainted by modern capitalism and Empire. Most of the figures inhabiting this realm are familiar from 19th-century discourse as well, but these discursive loops are fueled by contemporary feedback. Kittler’s Greek narratives have developed out of postwar academic discourses and connect to other post-unification Greek fantasies. (shrink)

The present research was designed to investigate the absolute and relative levels of ethical convictions of executive search consultants, or "headhunters", in regard of their search practices. Executive search consultants were defined as trained specialists who helped client organizations identify and evaluate the suitability of job candidates for top, senior, and middle-level management and executive positions. Despite frequent reports of unethical search practices in the media, results based on a sample of 184 headhunters and non-headhunter executives showed that headhunters were (...) inclined to adhere stringently to a selected set of ethical values, both in absolute terms and in comparison with the expectations of non-headhunter executives. The differences had implications not only for the integrity and continued existence of the headhunting profession, but also for the ethical development of new executive search consultants. Future research directions were suggested. (shrink)

This article presents some culture and social influences in the construction of Brazilian identity in the hypermodern society of big cities. For that I’ll analyze the advertising world that represents this contemporanea society. I’ll describe some results of my doctorate thesis defended in May of 2007 with I pointed out the thematic and strategies of publicity persuasions more appeared in the more consumed magazines in Brazil in 2005, mainly the emotional strategies of publicity that are frequently used in this country (...) which I related them to the hypermodern values. Now I point out some reflexions to understand possible social relationships caused from those identities that appear in advertisings. The social media influence the ways of living, so they represent important material to study and comprehend the problems of contemporaneous social relationships. (shrink)

Esports is a rapidly growing industry worldwide, and it is making significant inroads in Hong Kong as well. However, owing to debates regarding the distinction between Esports and video gaming and the potential negative effects of engaging in Esports, its development in Hong Kong is still in its infancy. Therefore, this qualitative study investigated the perceptions and attitudes of teenagers and young adults toward Esports development and engagement, using the theory of planned behavior. Twenty-five teenagers and young adults participated in (...) this study, with their ages ranging from 15 to 29 years. Our results revealed the views of Hong Kong teenagers and young adults on the beneficial and deleterious outcomes, subjective norms, and barriers and facilitators of participating in Esports. Additionally, the results of this qualitative study may contribute toward a deeper understanding of Hong Kong Esports players to develop a theory of planned behavior construct for capturing the beliefs and perceptions of Hong Kong teenagers toward Esports. (shrink)

Vertrauen kommt vor allem dann zum Vorschein, wenn es nicht mehr selbstverständlich ist. Claudia Welz untersucht die Bedeutung, Formen und Grenzen des Vertrauens in Versuchungssituationen.

Steffen Ganghof’s Beyond Presidentialism and Parliamentarism can improve existing typologies in comparative government and has great potential for discussions about democratic innovation and reform. So far, democratic innovations like deliberative mini-publics have remained mostly additive, leaving the underlying decision-making logics of representative political systems unchanged. Ganghof’s ideas can move debates about how deliberative democracy is to be institutionalized forward. Semi-parliamentary government constitutes an intriguing option to meet both demands for legislative flexibility and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns and demands for stability (...) and accountability. At the same time, I identify a limitation of the book in the fact that Ganghof’s normative theory of democracy remains thin. To appeal to citizens in constitutional reform processes, proposals for semi-parliamentary reform need to do more than reconcile conflicting visions of majority rule. They need to speak to democracy’s central promises of equal autonomy and rationality. (shrink)

According to the theory of meaning as justification, semantics is closely entangled with epistemology: knowing the meaning of an utterance amounts to knowing the justification one may offer for it. In this perspective, the theory of meaning is connected with the epistemic theory of justification, namely the theory that undergoes the more explicit attempts of naturalization. Is it possible to extend those attempts to the notion of meaning? There are many ways of naturalizing the notion of meaning, independently of its (...) links with the notion of justification. Our goal in this paper is to explore the possibility of naturalizing meaning using those very links. To this aim, we will evaluate in brief three main directions: a) the interaction between justification and discovery; b) Quine's naturalized epistemology; c) the naturalization of logic. (shrink)

Resumo: Este artigo busca dizer da multiplicidade que povoa a escola: de corpos, de acontecimentos, de vida. Busca com base na leitura Deleuze-Guattariana de instrumentos conceituais de Spinoza, na afirmação da multiplicidade que habita a docência, dar-lhes novos sentidos, nas redes de conversações nas veredas de afetos que atravessam o cotidiano escolar. Utiliza, como metodologia, redes de conversações, modos de dizer das experiências vividas, estabelecidas com professoras em encontros quinzenais realizados em escolas públicas situadas em bairros periféricos. A noção spinozana (...) de afeto nos remete à noção de encontro. Assim, conclui que as conversações apontam para a necessária composição de um corpo múltiplo escolar, onde a criação se faça pela abertura à liberdade; pela superação do dogmatismo, normatização e hierarquização; pelos tempos livres para que os encontros sejam possíveis; enfim, pelo encontro nos entremeios de uma educação que una o inteligível ao sensível e o conhecimento se teça pelos afetos e afecções experimentados. Palavras-chave: Spinoza; Afetos; Docência; Corpos Múltiplos; Cotidiano Escolar. Spinoza and the paths of affection in teaching as multiple bodies in school daily life Abstract: This article seeks to talk about the multiplicity that populates the school: of bodies, of events, of life. Based on Deleuze-Guattarian's reading of Spinoza's conceptual instruments, in the affirmation of multiplicity that inhabits teaching, to give them new meanings, in the networks of conversations in the paths of affections that cross everyday school life. It uses, as a methodology, conversation networks, ways of talking about lived experiences, established with teachers in fortnightly meetings held in public schools located in peripheral neighborhoods. Spinoza’s notion of affection takes us to the notion of encounter. Thus, he concludes that the conversations point to the necessary composition of a multiple school body, where creation takes place through openness to freedom; by overcoming dogmatism, normalization and hierarchization; for free time so that meetings are possible; finally, through the encounter during an education that unites the intelligible with the sensitive and knowledge is woven through the affections and affections experienced. Keywords: Spinoza; Affections; Teaching; Multiple Bodies; School Daily Life. Spinoza y los caminos del afecto em la enseñanza como cuerpos múltiples em la vida escolar cotidiana Résumé: Este artículo busca hablar de la multiplicidad que puebla la escuela: de cuerpos, de acontecimientos, de vida. A partir de la lectura de Deleuze-Guattariana de los instrumentos conceptuales de Spinoza, en la afirmación de la multiplicidad que habita la enseñanza, darles nuevos significados, en las redes de conversaciones en los caminos de afectos que atraviesan la vida escolar cotidiana. Utiliza, como metodología, redes de conversación, formas de contar experiencias vividas, establecidas con docentes en reuniones quincenales realizadas en escuelas públicas ubicadas en barrios periféricos. La noción de afecto de Spinoz nos lleva a la noción de encuentro. Así, concluye que las conversaciones apuntan a la necesaria composición de un cuerpo escolar múltiple, donde la creación se dé a través de la apertura a la libertad; superando el dogmatismo, la normalización y la jerarquización; tiempo libre para que sean posibles los encuentros; finalmente, a través del encuentro en medio de una educación que une lo inteligible con lo sensible y el conocimiento se teje a través de los afectos y afectos vividos. Palabras-clave: Spinoza; Afectos; Enseñanza; Múltiples Cuerpos; Vida Diaria Escolar. Data de registro: 21/04/2024 Data de aceite: 30/10/2024. (shrink)

Ce texte a déjà paru dans Telondefondo. Revista de Teoria y Critica Teatral, n° 9, julio, 2009. Nous remercions Claudia Barretta, Leticia Miramontes et Aníbal Zorrilla de nous avoir autorisé à le reproduire sur RHUTHMOS.: When we study the phenomenon of rhythm and the way it appears in the art of dancing, we observe similarities and parallelisms with different artistic disciplines. We find it is possible to establish an ensemble of concepts fitting for rhythm that also applies to - (...) Danse, théâtre et spectacle vivant – GALERIE – Nouvel article. (shrink)

Claudia Déméné,Anne Marchand | : La diminution de la durée de vie des produits électroniques est à l’origine de nombreux débats. Le fabricant a traditionnellement été désigné comme le principal responsable de ce phénomène, alors que l’usager est généralement considéré comme une victime. Bien que le fait soit peu reconnu, les autorités politiques exercent également une influence sur la pérennité des biens par le biais des stratégies qu’elles adoptent et des règlements qu’elles instaurent. À partir d’une analyse critique de (...) la littérature sur ce thème, le présent article a pour objectif de jeter un nouveau regard sur l’obsolescence en discutant des responsabilités souvent ambiguës de ces trois acteurs qui, à différents niveaux, influencent la durée de vie des appareils électroniques. Cet article révèle que le cadre législatif européen, visant principalement les fabricants, offre des résultats mitigés pour lutter contre l’obsolescence des équipements électroniques. Sur la base de ce constat, les autorités politiques devraient également reconnaître l’influence de l’usager dans la diminution de la durée de vie des produits électroniques en vue d’instaurer des outils de politique environnementale permettant une gestion plus durable et efficace de ce type de biens. À cette fin, l’affichage environnemental de la durée de vie est explorée dans le but de mieux informer l’usager, à l’achat, de la durée de vie des appareils électroniques, et potentiellement minimiser l’obsolescence. | : The decrease in the lifespan of electronic products is the source of many debates. The manufacturer has traditionally been designated as the main cause of the decrease in the lifespan of electronic devices, while the consumer is usually considered as a victim. Although it is little known, political authorities have also an influence on the goods durability regarding the strategies they choose and the regulations they establish. Based on a critical analysis of literature, the present article aims at bringing a new perspective on obsolescence by discussing the ambiguous responsibilities of these three actors who, at different levels, influence the lifespan of electronic appliances. This article reveals that the current legal framework first aims at the manufacturers, but offers mitigated results to take concrete measures against obsolescence. In the view of this finding, political authorities should also recognize the influence of user in the decrease in product lifetimes in order to introduce environmental policy instruments to tend towards sustainable management of electronic equipment. To this end, the environmental labelling in product lifetimes is explored to better inform the user, at the time of purchase, on the electronic device lifespan and potentially minimize obsolescence. (shrink)

Digitality is increasingly central to individuals’ existence, which has political implications. The article maps the political implications of digitalisation, focusing on African political thought. The latter is marked by Afro-communitarianism ideas, which foster solidarity, relationality, and communalism as foundational values of the polity. However, African communitarianism has granted little attention to contemporary phenomena such as digitalisation. Also, political theory discussions on digitality have looked mainly at (neo)liberal contexts. How the digital age is reshaping the tenets of communitarian political theories represents (...) an underdiscussed issue. This article outlines a research agenda on digitality and African political thought. New digitality-enabled relational modes change human and political interactions. The issue at stake is how these new modes challenge or strengthen the Afro-communitarian political outlook. This article recognises digital-humanism, political community, relations of power as central matters of inquiry. The analysis relies on bibliographic sources from African philosophy and comparative political theory. (shrink)