What can be said about me is simply that I continue my studies without respite and instruct others without growing weary.We can read the list of Henry Rosemont's accomplishments—the books and papers he wrote, edited, and translated, and his classes and workshops, conference papers, and seminars. The 2008 collection of essays in his honor, Polishing the Chinese Mirror, edited by Marthe Chandler and Ronnie Littlejohn,1 provides almost two dozen testimonies to the influence and reach of his work. In her introduction, (...) Marthe Chandler emphasizes as well Henry's political activism, quoting the ideal he expressed in 1991, in A Chinese Mirror, of a dream "that can be shared by all peoples, holding their humanity in... (shrink)

I argue that the propensity interpretation of fitness, properly understood, not only solves the explanatory circularity problem and the mismatch problem, but can also withstand the Pandora’s box full of problems that have been thrown at it. Fitness is the propensity (i.e., probabilistic ability, based on heritable physical traits) for organisms or types of organisms to survive and reproduce in particular environments and in particular populations for a specified number of generations; if greater than one generation, “reproduction” includes descendants of (...) descendants. Fitness values can be described in terms of distributions of propensities to produce varying number of offspring and can be modeled for any number of generations using computer simulations, thus providing both predictive power and a means for comparing the fitness of different phenotypes. Fitness is a causal concept, most notably at the population level, where fitness differences are causally responsible for differences in reproductive success. Relative fitness is ultimately what matters for natural selection. (shrink)

The “land community” (or “biotic community”) that features centrally in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic has typically been equated with the concept of “ecosystem.” Moreover, some have challenged this central Leopoldean concept given the multitude of meanings of the term “ecosystem” and the changes the term has undergone since Leopold’s time (see, e.g., Shrader-Frechette 1996). Even one of Leopold’s primary defenders, J. Baird Callicott, asserts that there are difficulties in identifying the boundaries of ecosystems and suggests that we recognize that their (...) boundaries are determined by scientific questions ecologists pose (Callicott 2013). I argue that we need to rethink Leopold’s concept of land community in the following ways. First, we should recognize that Leopold’s views are not identical to those of his contemporaries (e.g., Clements, Elton), although they resemble those of some subsequent ecologists, including some of our contemporaries (e.g., O’Neill 2001, Post et al. 2007, Hastings and Gross 2012). Second, the land community concept does not map cleanly onto the concept of “ecosystem”; it also incorporates elements of the “community” concept in community ecology by emphasizing the interactions between organisms and not just the matter/energy flow of the ecosystem concept. Third, the boundary question can be illuminated by considering some of the recent literature on the nature of biological individuals (in particular, Odenbaugh 2007; Hamilton, Smith, and Haber 2009; Millstein 2009), focusing on concentrations of causal relations as determinative of the boundaries of the land community qua individual. There are challenges to be worked out, particularly when the interactions of community members do not map cleanly onto matter/energy flows, but I argue that these challenges can be resolved. The result is a defensible land community concept that is ontologically robust enough to be a locus of moral obligation while being consistent with contemporary ecological theory and practice. (shrink)

Sex and sensibility: The role of social selection Content Type Journal Article DOI 10.1007/s11016-010-9464-6 Authors Erika L. Milam, Department of History, University of Maryland, 2115 Francis Scott Key Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA Roberta L. Millstein, Department of Philosophy, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA Angela Potochnik, Department of Philosophy, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210374, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA Joan E. Roughgarden, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA Journal Metascience (...) Online ISSN 1467-9981 Print ISSN 0815-0796. (shrink)

I respond to Brandon's (2005) criticisms of my earlier (2002) essay. I argue that (1) biologists are inconsistent in their use of the terms 'selection' and 'drift' -- vacillating between 'process' and 'outcome' -- but that the process-oriented definitions I defend make better sense of the neutralist/selectionist debate; (2) Brandon's purported demonstration that there is no qualitative difference between drift and selection as processes begs the question against my account; and (3) biologists (e.g., Kimura) have argued for genuinely neutral variants. (...) Whether any such variants actually exist is an empirical question. However, the philosophical question at hand is conceptual, not empirical. (shrink)

The capability approach developed by Amartya Sen focuses on the enhancement of people’s capabilities, i.e. their real freedom to choose a life course they have reason to value. Applying the CA to the organizational context, the focus of human resource management is transformed, shifting away from the needs of the organization to the freedoms of the individual. This shift happens also inside the so-called ‘liberated companies,’ firms with an organizational form that allows employees the complete freedom, along with the responsibility, (...) to take any actions they decide are best. In this paper we show the contribution of the capability approach for management and for organizational ethics by focusing on this innovative model of ‘liberated companies.’. (shrink)

Current corporate systems risk generating inequality among workers, insofar as they concentrate only on economic results by favoring, through the incentive and award system, only what can be seen, produced, and measured. As such, these systems are unable to recognize workers’ agapic behaviors – similar to the ones considered in organizational citizenship behavior literature – that cannot be quantified, i.e. workers’ generosity, humanity, kindness, compassion, help for others and mercy. Although these types of behaviors may appear unproductive or irrational, they (...) create symbols of belonging to the company and social cohesion. This article claims that beyond focusing on reward systems, companies should recognize agapic behaviors to increase workers’ intrinsic motivation. These behavioral attitudes allow fraternal relationships -as conceived in the Civil Economy tradition- to arise within organizations; moreover, they contribute to advancing new managerial practical implications in the humanistic management field. (shrink)

L’indipendenza politica dei giudici è un principio e una prassi ormai consolidata nella Germania federale. A costituire una questione ancora dibattuta è invece la critica di politicità mossa al Tribunale Costituzionale Federale. La tesi presentata in quest’articolo è che tale critica non sia comprovabile né plausibile. Non è comprovabile nel senso che non è stato possibile provare inconfutabilmente che i giudici costituzionali interpretino la Costituzione sulla base di orientamenti politici personali. Non è plausibile in quanto la nomina dei giudici avviene (...) in conformità con la proporzionale politica. La critica di politicità del Tribunale Costituzionale Federale è da attribuire piuttosto al disappunto delle parti in causa, di volta in volta deluse dalla bocciatura di una legge o dal rifiuto di un ricorso. (shrink)

All'inizio degli anni '90 nella pubblicistica tedesca emerge la tendenza a decretare la fine politica dell’istituzione partito. Tipicamente, il partito viene presentato come un dinosauro della democrazia ormai incapace di assolvere alle sue funzioni tipiche o come piovra infiltratasi illegittimamente in ogni ambito della vita civile. La tesi di quest’articolo è che, al contrario, i partiti tedeschi abbiano dimostrato una forte reattività alle mutate circostanze nazionali e internazionali e che siano riusciti a mantenere il loro tipico ruolo funzionale di mediatore, (...) rappresentante ed amministratore degli interessi degli elettori. (shrink)

As a number of biologists and philosophers have emphasized, ‘chance’ has multiple meanings in evolutionary biology. Seven have been identified. I will argue that there is a unified concept of chance underlying these seven, which I call the UCC (Unified Chance Concept). I will argue that each is characterized by which causes are consid- ered, ignored, or prohibited. Thus, chance in evolutionary biology can only be under- stood through understanding the causes at work. The UCC aids in comparing the different (...) concepts and allows us to characterize our concepts of chance in probabilistic terms, i.e. provides a way to translate between ‘chance’ and ‘probability’. (shrink)

In this paper I provide an ecological, Schelerian-based description of the aesthetic experience that, without being exhaustive, may account for its complexity, perspective character and stratifications. Aesthetic enjoyment, aesthetic object and the creative process of the artistic type are all specific and necessary moments of an experience – an aesthetic experience – shared by different experiential “individuals”, who also contribute to its formation process. The content of this experience grows and develops in conformity with its own laws, like a living (...) being so to speak, able, as such, to turn its own gaze to the others’ gaze at the same time as they turn to it. In other words, I will deal with the dynamics of the artist’s interactions with the spectator, of those of the spectator with the artist and of those of both with the work of art, which, created by the artist, or rather, “brought to light” by the artist, becomes an object– a quasi-sujet in Dufrennian terms – unique to the spectator. In this context, I will try to rehabilitate the axiological virtues of beauty, not in the sense of a metaphysics of beauty, but in a sense nearer to our experiences of “seeing something in a new light”. (shrink)

O presente texto visa recorrer à interpretação do filósofo Michel Foucault sobre a Modernidade como atitude crítica e como tarefa filosófica para reivindicação de pensar uma educação outra. Essa alternativa está associada ao projeto de formação para a emancipação e a justiça social distante de um empresariamento das instituições e assujeitamento dos indivíduos. Como ponto de partida desta reflexão filosófica recorremos a interrogação do filósofo ao pressupor ser a Modernidade uma atitude e não como um período da história, tal questionamento (...) presente na conferência O que é a Crítica? de 1978 é a marca da atualidade da Modernidade elaborada por Immanuel Kant resgatada por Foucault. Dedica-se a escrita em abordar a concepção de crítica em Foucault como estratégia de questionamento e enfrentamento para pensar o presente como tensão, ação e transformação nos excessos de governo presentes na sociedade contemporânea, principalmente no campo da Educação. A suposição desenvolvida é a de que o sentido da crítica, entendida como a capacidade de interrogar a relação entre o poder, a verdade e seus efeitos sobre o sujeito. Para tanto a crítica se atualiza para a Educação como para os sujeitos, à medida que se age na direção de transformar as suas relações institucionais e consigo. (shrink)

O filósofo medieval João Buridan (século XIV) desenvolve uma semântica complexa, baseada na distinção entre contexto de enunciação e contexto de avaliação, para determinar as condições de verdade de uma proposição. O objetivo do presente artigo é analisar essa semântica e, mais precisamente, compreender suas implicações relativas às proposições de futuro contingente. Propõe-se aqui que a distinção entre contexto de enunciação e contexto de avaliação permite uma abordagem satisfatória das condições de verdade de proposições de futuro contingente. Defende-se que essa (...) abordagem é satisfatória porque ela evita tanto as consequências desagradáveis advindas da negação do Princípio da Bivalência quanto a adesão ao determinismo.. (shrink)

In the last decade, scholars have rediscovered the Italian tradition of Civil Economy and the different vision of the market it offers, one that is anchored on reciprocal assistance in market exchange relationships. So far, scholars are discussing Civil Economy especially in the fields of the history of economic though and in economics and philosophy. Nevertheless, this article proposes looking also at business ethics and organizational studies through the lens of Civil Economy, especially considering the notion of virtue provided by (...) civil economists. In particular, it sets forth an organizational model that derives from Civil Economy, i.e. the agape-based organization. (shrink)

Recent work on the heat-shock protein Hsp90 by Rutherford and Lindquist (1998) has been included among the pieces of evidence taken to show the essential role of developmental processes in evolution; Hsp90 acts as a buffer against phenotypic variation, allowing genotypic variation to build. When the buffering capacity of Hsp90 is altered (e.g., in nature, by mutation or environmental stress), the genetic variation is "revealed," manifesting itself as phenotypic variation. This phenomenon raises questions about the genetic variation before and after (...) what I will call a "revelation event": Is it neutral, nearly neutral, or non-neutral (i.e., strongly deleterious or strongly advantageous)? Moreover, what kinds of evolutionary processes do we take to be at work? Rutherford and Lindquist (1998) focus on the implications of non-neutral variation and selection. Later work by Queitsch, Sangster, and Lindquist (2002) and Sangster, Lindquist, and Queitsch (2004) raises the possibility that Hsp90 buffering may play the role that was played by drift in Sewall Wright's shifting balance model, permitting transition from one adaptive peak to another. However, Ohta (2002) suggests that much of this variation may be nearly neutral, which in turn, would imply a strong role for drift as well as selection. The primary goal of this paper is to illuminate the alternative scenarios and the processes operating in each. At the end, I raise the possibility of a synthesis between evo-devo and nearly neutral evolution. (shrink)

This paper considers some thesis proposed by Maurice Merleau-Ponty during his lessons on sleeping and dreaming in the mid fifties, also with reference to the contemporary scientific debate. Dreaming and sleeping constitute a privileged perspective for considering the characteristic human interweaving of natural and cultural aspects, of animality and meaning. The immediate association of sleeping with a suspension of consciousness and with an absence of worldly contacts seems problematic. Furthermore the dualistic opposition between conscious activity and bodily passivity seems far (...) less obvious. Besides it appears as not taken for granted that human acting and experiencing could be always considered as first person's phenomena. (shrink)

Following the example of classical literature, Christian texts of the fourth century portray dreams of pregnant mothers. In such dreams, the mother sees her son or daughter, and knows the name of the infant and the great future for which the infant is destined. The dreams of Emmelia, Nonna and Monica are described in the writings of their sons (Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus and Augustine, respectively). Thanks to her visions and dreams about her child, each mother becomes a (...) mediatrix of God. (shrink)

O objetivo deste artigo é compreender a ação da escola na qual se faz necessária a formação de lideranças que pressupõe a luta pela democratização da educação. Estas lideranças irão desempenhar funções diversificadas na sociedade, como afirma Gramsci, intelectuais, contribuindo para transformar uma concepção de mundo, de forma a assegurar a hegemonia social e o domínio estatal da classe que representam. The aim if this paper is to understand the action of the school that is required in leadership training that (...) involves the struggle for democratization of education. These leaders will play diverse roles in society, as Gramsci says, intellectuals, helping to transform a world view in order to ensure the social hegemony and dominance of the state class they represent. (shrink)

The phenomenological notion of Eidos traditionally implies an underlying metaphor, which we could define as spatial and which is founded in turn on the pervasiveness of the notion of representation. The description of psychic states is carried out with constant use of the notion of determination and notions associated with it: aspectuality, accessibility to perspective, viewpoint. Such a metaphor impels phenomenology to understand thought as a geographical territory whose essential component can be identified in the notion of map. Opaque notions (...) such as those of background, horizon, indistinct, latency assume a descriptive sense only in so far as they depend on clear notions such as focus, explicit, distinct, manifest. Merleau-Ponty adopts a profoundly different conception of essence, characterized by a temporal and dynamic point of view. From the epistemological point of view, Merleau-Ponty’s position ratifies the priority of the indeterminate and of the sub-categorical from which consciousness takes its starting point genetically. From the ontological point of view, the crucial notion of flesh offers a phenomenological foundation of living being in its natural frame. (shrink)

1. Premessa Alla domanda contenuta nel titolo di questo contributo tenterò di dare una risposta prendendo le mosse dalle nozioni, cruciali in filosofia della mente, di “riduzione” (o di “riduzionismo”) e di “antiriduzione” (o di “antiriduzionismo”). Mio principale tentativo sarà quello di esemplificare, in forma paradigmatica, alcuni tipi e alcune forme di riduzionismo (e, rispettivamente, di antiriduzionismo), mostrando così da un lato la non univocità teorica e, dall’altro, la non univocità...

Esse artigo tem como objetivo tratar de uma noção comum nos tratados lógicos do século XIII, mas que praticamente desaparece nas teorias no século XIV: a suposição natural. Primeiramente, tentaremos mostrar como essa noção aparece no século XIII, especialmente na obra de Pedro da Espanha. Num segundo momento, trataremos da interpretação dessa noção no quadro nominalista do filósofo medieval João Buridan (séc. XIV). O papel da suposição natural nesse quadro é cobrir os casos em que os termos de uma proposição (...) supõem por tudo aquilo que significam, sejam coisas passadas, presentes e futuras, característica que torna possível que a proposição seja verdadeira mesmo se as coisas às quais seus termos se referem não existem no mundo no momento da avaliação da proposição. Tentaremos mostrar como a manutenção da suposição natural em sua teoria exige: (i) uma reorganização do quadro dos tipos de suposição, e (ii) a inserção da suposição natural em que um quadro proposicional. (shrink)

This essay explores – by drawing on published and unpublished sources – a singular and until now neglected aspect of Ricoeur’s confrontation with Hegel’s legacy: i.e. his interpretation and productive appropriation of the well-known dialectic of evil and its forgiveness, developed by Hegel at the end of Chapter VI of the Phenomenology of Spirit. The investigation identifies the constant reason, which feeds Ricoeur’s interest for this figure of Hegel’s Phenomenology, from the Symbolic of evil to Oneself as another: i.e. the (...) will to overcome the limits of Kantian moral vision of world and evil. At the same time, it highlights the shifts, which mark Ricoeur’s initially very critical interpretation of the dialectic of evil and its forgiveness, concurrently with the transition to the second phase of his hermeneutics, centered on the notions of “text” and “action”. On this basis, the article examines the productive appropriation that this new and rehabilitative interpretation feeds, by inspiring Ricoeur’s reflection both on “difficult forgiveness” and on the “tragic wellspring of action”, i.e. on the unavoidable tension between universal moral norms, ethical particular contexts and individual’s conviction. At the same time, the article highlights the limits of this appropriative mouvement, by focusing on the irreducible and persistent divergences between Hegel’s and Ricoeur’s concept of evil and forgiveness. (shrink)

O presente artigo tem como objetivo principal investigar as nuances da relação estabelecida entre a noção de amor fati e o pensamento do eterno retorno tal como aparecem no livro IV de “A gaia ciência”, obra de Friedrich Nietzsche. O tom afirmativo da obra, que se expressa de forma poética e artística, nos permite partir de uma perspectiva estética de análise das questões a serem exploradas. Pretende-se, portanto, abordar as diferentes acepções do conceito de arte no percurso da filosofia nietzschiana (...) para melhor compreender o conceito de vida como obra de arte e, a partir disso, pensar as possíveis maneiras de articulação entre a noção de vida como obra de arte e a comunicação do amor fati e do eterno retorno como partes constituintes do projeto de transvaloração dos valores. Diante disso, torna-se viável uma melhor compreensão da possível relação que o filósofo estabelece entre a noção de amor fati – a qual tem lugar no primeiro aforismo do livro IV – e o pensamento do eterno retorno – o qual, por sua vez, é anunciado no penúltimo aforismo do mesmo livro. Trata-se, em última instância, de investigar em que medida e de quais maneiras ocorre o atravessamento mútuo de ambos os conceitos e a relevância disso no quadro geral da proposta da filosofia nietzschiana. (shrink)

In this paper, I reconstruct Quine’s arguments against quantified modal logic, from the early 1940’s to the early 1960’s. Quine’s concerns were not technical. Quine was looking for a coherent interpretation of quantified-in English modal sentences. I argue that Quine’s main thesis is that the intended objectual interpretation of the quantifiers is incompatible with any semantic reading of the modal operators, for example as expressing analytic necessity, unless the entities in the domain of quantification are intensions, i.e. definitional entities. The (...) difficulty is that it makes no sense to say of an ordinary object that it bears a property necessarily or contingently when the necessity or contingency in question is analytic. However, starting in 1960, Quine claims that quantified-in modal sentences can be coherently interpreted only as essentialist predications. When we say about an object that it necessarily F ’s, we can only coherently mean that it essentially F ’s. In the paper, I argue that adequately qualified the thesis is plausible. Two important qualifications are needed. The first is the assumption that satisfaction is an irreducibly predicative notion, making any explication of satisfaction in terms of truth inadequate. The second is the ontological rejection of purely semantic, i.e. merely definitional, entities. With these qualifications in place, Quine’s rejection of the combination of objectual quantifiers and semantic modalities can be upheld. In this way, we vindicate a qualified version of Quine’s conjecture that quantified modal logic is committed to essentialism. (shrink)

ABSTRACT In this article, we discuss the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for the creation and adaptation of stories aimed at children and young adult, focusing on the specificities of their usage protocols. We begin by introducing narratives in VR and their connection to the field of children and young adult literature. Subsequently, 360º videos targeted at children and young people are presented, along with the reading and engagement protocols that arise from their peculiarities. Starting from the field of (...) Cinematic Virtual Reality (CVR), we discuss about the main challenges posed by this medium for the enjoyment of immersive works, based on the analysis of the work Invasion!, produced by the Baobab studio. Thus, we conclude that both the production and reception of narratives in Virtual Reality presuppose the management of the viewer’s vision and attentional focus, considering the reading protocols already learned and naturalized through other media. (shrink)

A previous study has shown that the degree of trust into others might be biased by inducing either a more “inclusive” or “exclusive” cognitive-control mode. Here, we investigated whether the degree of interpersonal trust can be biased by environmental factors, such as odors, that are likely to impact cognitive-control states. Arousing olfactory fragrances (e.g., peppermint) are supposed to induce a more exclusive, and calming olfactory fragrances (e.g., lavender) a more inclusive state. Participants performed the Trust Game, which provides an index (...) of interpersonal trust by assessing the money units one participant (the trustor) transfers to another participant (the trustee), while being exposed to either peppermint or lavender aroma. All participants played the role of trustor. As expected, participants transferred significantly more money to the alleged trustee in the lavender as compared to the peppermint and no aroma conditions. This observation might have various serious implications for a broad range of situations in which interpersonal trust is an essential element, such as cooperation (e.g., mixed-motives situations), bargaining and negotiation, consumer behavior, and group performance. (shrink)

Gli anni Sessanta e Settanta costituiscono un tornante fondamentale della democrazia statunitense segnato dall’apogeo del _liberalism_ e dalla sua crisi. In questo contesto uno dei più noti economisti americani, John Kenneth Galbraith, osserva come la tecnologia, il suo avanzamento costante, trasforma il rapporto tra Stato e mercato e ridefinisce il ruolo delle istituzioni nella società. La sua critica alla tecnostruttura della _corporation_, come forma di una pianificazione totalitaria che si oppone al mercato e lo domina, è diretta a svelare il (...) progetto di governance sociale che essa cela. Nella sua trilogia dedicata al nuovo stato industriale e a quella che chiama «società opulenta» emerge una nuova concettualizzazione del potere sociale e della possibilità di ristabilire un’autorità pubblica su di esso. (shrink)

Replete with stories of gods and men interacting with animals, classical literature also affords a broad range of relationships between women and animals. Such a rich series of symbolic animals finds fertile ground in the biblical world, too. Apart from symbolic animals, early Christianity knows a direct contact with wild animals during the persecutions carried out by the Roman Empire. By analyzing the martyrdom of some women in connection with the animals they had to face, we can note that animals (...) acquire a symbolic meaning. They become the pieces of an allegorical and exegetical framework whose major purpose is to celebrate God. (shrink)

In classical and Christian literature mountain symbolism takes many forms deriving from height and center. In so far as mountains are tall, lofty, and rise abruptly to touch heaven, they form part of the symbolism of transcendence and, in so far as they are often numinous places where the gods have revealed their presence, they share in the symbolism of manifestation. According to Gospel’s tradition, in Nonnus’ Paraphrase of St. John’s Gospel, the mountain, visible home of the invisible God, situated (...) next to the deity on account of its high peak and solitude, takes on a symbolic value in revealing the role of Christ and his future elevation on the Cross. (shrink)

This article analyzes the Life of Macrina by comparing it with the mystical experience of the bride in the Commentary on the Song of Songs, both works written by Gregory of Nyssa. In the Life of Macrina, Gregory adopts the same imagery that he uses to portray the bride in the Commentary on the Song of Songs in order to emphasize Macrina’s angelic status and her pure love for God. Although scholars have pointed out the value of virginity in the (...) life of Macrina, another aspect has to be taken into account: her spousal virginity. Since Gregory uses the paradox within theological reflection and a theological context, Macrina's condition as bride of Christ comes to be realized paradoxically through her choice of virginity. Thanks to her spousal virginity, she joins Christ as His bride. Thus, in keeping with the Commentary on the Song of Songs, Macrina is the bride, Christ is the Bridegroom, and the mystical union is reached. (shrink)