Herman Dooyeweerd’s classical characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality runs as follows: the sparing or frugal mode of administering scarce goods, implying an alternative choice of their destination with regard to the satisfaction of different human needs. My first aim in this paper is to show that Dooyeweerd’s characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality naturally leads to neoclassical economic theory. In order to do this, I will provide an argument that, departing from Dooyeweerd’s definition of the (...) meaning-kernel of the economic modality, concludes in a logical reconstruction of (the static case of) neoclassical economic theory (from now on denoted as NET). The fundamental law of this theory will turn out to be thus, naturally, a formulation of the fundamental modal law of economics. The second aim of the paper is epistemological since it discusses the methodological problem of the empirical claim of the theory. It is my hope that this discussion will clarify the limits of NET and provide a reply to the objections raised against it by Reformed scholars like Goudzwaard (1980). (shrink)

Adrian Vlot used a lot of information when he wrote his article. I do not intend this brief presentation to give additional information or remarks on the topic. My aim is to support his ideas. I am a mathematician, physicist and theologian. I interpret science as a human activity describing and understanding the phenomena of the created universe based on observation, explaining the relationships in the universe afterwards and, in addition, discovering further areas via human intellectual abilities. In my interpretation (...) technology is something through which man makes use of the experience, knowledge, discovered relationships and laws in practice to create new tools or new materials which facilitate further research. That is how science and technology are related. In historical chronology, technology preceded science but later science also achieved results preceding their application in practice. Among others, the chronological intertwining is represented by Faraday and Maxwell’s activities. (shrink)

The aim of the present paper is to provide a logical reconstruction of the Marxian Theory of Value. This reconstruction is based upon the concept of abstract as opposed to that of homogeneous labor.labour is a social relation that holds in a market economy, whenever the profit rate is uniform; it consists in a comparison of the different labors through the exchange relationship. The author proved in a different place that there exists a mathematical representation of abstract labor which is (...) unique up to similarity transformations. The existence of this function -- which is none other than the value function -- is the basis of the present axiomatization, which includes detailed reconstructions of two of the most important models of the theory. (shrink)

Preface to the thematic volume Metatheoretical Structuralism: Some Recent Developments and Applications.

La finalidad de este artículo es proveer una reconstrucción lógica del elemento teórico básico de la teoría del valor trabajo desde la perspectiva de la metateoría estructuralista. Las metas son esbozar con alguna precisión la ley fundamental de la teoría �la ley del valor� así como la aserción empírica.

Secular Humanism has been unable to provide an adequate foundation for public ethics and has been destructive of those faith communities on which it depends for its very existence. Thus, what is required is a new political system, based on religious freedom and a dialogue which includes all these communities, that prevents such destruction and is able to provide a convincing public ethics.

The transformations that take place in the realm of high-energy physics, as well as the fact that reality appears to the distinct sciences as a stockpile of layers of laws and properties, seem to support an Aristotelian view of matter. This makes both interesting and relevant a fresh reconsideration of one of the most systematic formulations of such a view: that of Francis Suarez in his Metaphysical Disputations. This formulation is introduced here in a more contemporary language and from the (...) vantage point of three centuries of modern physics. (shrink)

Aunque las contribuciones de Patrick Suppes en el ámbito de la lógica, la metodología y la losofía de la economía (por no mencionar a la propia economía) hayan sido importantes, los metodólogos de la economía apenas las conocen. El propósito de este artículo es cubrir este vacío. Presentaremos su concepción general de la losofía de la ciencia y analizaremos después con detalle su noción de modelos de datos, surgida de sus famosos experimentos sobre aprendizaje. Discutiremos también su concepción de la (...) medición fundamental en relación con tales experimentos. El artículo incluye además una amplia bibliografía de los trabajos de Suppes sobre el tema. (shrink)

Economists have long grappled with the problem of how economic theories relate to empirical evidence: how can abstract mathematized theories be used to produce empirical claims? How are such theories applied to economic phenomena? What does it mean to "test" economic theories? This book introduces, explains, and develops a structural philosophy of economics which addresses these questions and provides a unifying philosophical/logical basis for a general methodology of economics. The book begins by introducing a rigorous view of the logical foundations (...) and structure of scientific theories based upon the work of Alfred Tarski, Patrick Suppes, Karl Marx, and others. Using and combining their methods, the book then goes on to reconstruct important economic theories - including utility theory, game theory, Marxian economics, Sraffian economic theory, and econometrics - proving all the main theorems and discussing the key claims and the empirical applicability of each theory. Through these discussions, this book presents, in a systematic fashion, a general philosophy of economics grounded in the structural view. Offering rigorous formulations of important economic theories, A Structuralist Theory of Economics will be invaluable to all readers interested in the logic, philosophy, and methodology of economics. It will also appeal particularly to those interested in economic theory. (shrink)

Even though Patrick Suppes made important contributions to utility theory, his final views on economic choice are quite critical of the expected-utility theories of rational choice. The aim of the present paper is to expose in a unified way his final views on economic choice and freedom. These views are part of his conception of causality and rationality.

After presenting a brief history of philosophy in Hispanic-America since the XVI century, we discuss whether the idea of province and empire is applicable to contemporary Hispanic-American philosophy, investigate the form these ideas adopt in this region, and inquire into the ways in which provincialism i s present in philosophical work. We conclude that there are three main groups that understand their peripheral position in different ways, with different views on the way in which they should insert into the mainstream (...) of Western philosophy. (shrink)

The aim of the present paper is to attack some of the conceptual problems that arise when the framework of mathematical learning theory is applied to the description of the behavior of the firm, in setting prices and production quotas, in a competitive market. The goal is to depict the process by which the firm fixes prices and production quotas as a stochastic learning process. A solution to such problems is proposed which is based on statistical-decision concepts. The conceptualization of (...) the behavior of the firm by means of concepts pertaining to mathematical learning theory gives rise to certain mathematical problems, which are formulated here in rather precise terms. (shrink)

Herman Dooyeweerd ( 1985 ) argued that among the modalities making up the fabric of reality a specifically economic one is to be found. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the texture of such a modality and how it both differentiates and intertwines with others. For an updated brief, albeit cogent and analytically lucid presentation of the Law Framework ontology, see Clouser ( 2009 ). Dooyeweerd’s view entails that the proper object of economics is irreducible to that (...) of other disciplines, but a non-reductionist view of the object of economics presupposes that the nuclear meaning of that discipline has been clearly delimited: this is required in order to determine its nature and separate identity as a scientific discipline. By ‘the nuclear meaning of a discipline’ I understand a pre-theoretical delimitation of its field of research, such as that of the field of physics, characterized by the laws governing force and energy. Within one and the same field there may be many theories, theories competing to explain the same phenomena, or dealing with phenomena so different that it is nearly impossible to trace conceptual connections among them. This last situation calls for a unified-field theory. In the second section of this paper I will attempt to defend a rather commonly accepted definition of the field of economics that sees this discipline as a science of choice. In the third I will show how the analytical conception it involves can be naturally complemented with a classificatory one. According to a classificatory conception, the aggregated social-level phenomena, patterns and regularities economic theories usually deal with, are economic in that sense, even though they are not prima facie cases of individual behavior, or are unintended consequences of aggregated individual choices. In the fourth I will discuss the meaning of the most general, supra-arbitrary economic laws—the modal laws of economics. In the final section I will offer a non-reductionist view of economics that nevertheless takes into account its intertwining with other spheres. (shrink)

The aim of the dissertation is to show that the logical foundations of the Marxian Theory of Value are reasonably sound. The first chapter presents a concise history of MTV and formulates in a detailed way the problem of foundations in MTV. This is the problem of proving the existence of labor-values in a general economy in which joint products, alternative techniques, and heterogeneous labor are allowed. ;In the second chapter the problem is tackled through the demonstration that there is (...) a measurement of abstract labor in such general systems, where abstract labor is understood as a binary relation over the set of labor expenditures induced by a system of prices, in a commodity economy, that satisfies certain properties. It is also shown that whenever the rate of profit is uniform the price system satisfies such properties. ;Using the results of the second chapter, in the last chapter an axiomatization of MTV is provided and two of the most typical models of MTV are reconstructed in terms of abstract labor in a very detailed way. The first of these is the classical Leontief model and the second one is a more general model due to John K. Roemer. The conclusion of the dissertation is that the foundations of MTV are as sound as those of Neo-classical Economics. (shrink)

Herman Dooyeweerd’s classical characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality runs as follows:the sparing or frugal mode of administering scarce goods, implying an alternative choice of their destination with regard to thesatisfaction of different human needs.My first aim in this paper is to show that Dooyeweerd’s characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality naturallyleads to neoclassical economic theory. In order to do this, I will provide an argument that, departing from Dooyeweerd’s definitionof the meaning-kernel of the economic modality, (...) concludes in a logical reconstruction of neoclassical economictheory . The fundamental law of this theory will turn out to be thus, naturally, a formulation of thefundamental modal law of economics. The second aim of the paper is epistemological since it discusses the methodological problem of the empirical claim of the theory. It is my hope that this discussion will clarify the limits of NET and provide a reply to the objections raised against it by Reformed scholars like Goudzwaard. (shrink)

"Center for the Study of Language and Information, Leland Stanford Junior University.".

During his long and continuing scholarly career, Patrick Suppes contributed significantly both to the sciences and to their philosophies. The volume consists of papers by an international group of Suppes colleagues, collaborators, and students in many of the areas of his expertise, building on or adding to his insights. Michael Friedman offers an overview of Suppes accomplishments and of his unique perspective on the relation between science and philosophy. Paul Humphreys, Stephen Hartmann, and Tom Ryckman present essays in the philosophy (...) of physics. Jens-Erik Fenstad, Harvey Friedman, and Jaako Hintikka consider problems in the foundations of mathematics, while the late Duncan Luce, Jean-Claude Falmagne, Brian Skyrms, and Hannes Leitgeb have contributed essays in theory of measurement, decision theory and probability. Foundations of economics and political theory are addressed by Adolfo Garcia de la Sienra, Russell Hardin, and Kenneth Arrow. Psychology, language, and philosophy of language are addressed by Elizabeth Loftus, Anne Fagot-Largeault, Willem Levelt, Dagfinn Follesdal, and Marcos Perreau-Guimares and some of Suppes most recent research in neurobiology is addressed in essays by Colleen Crangle, Acadio de Barros and Claudio Carvalhes. Finally Nancy Cartwright and Alexandre Marcelles consider the alignment (or misalignment) of method and policy. Each of the essays is accompanied by a response from Suppes.". (shrink)

Este trabajo presenta los resultados de un proyecto de innovación docente centrado en la inclusión de juegos sencillos, combinados con Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación y dinámicas de grupo, como herramienta de apoyo en el aprendizaje de siete asignaturas de Matemáticas impartidas en los primeros cursos de Grado de distintas Ingenierías. El equipo docente participante ha comprobado que la metodología propuesta incrementa la motivación y la participación activa de los alumnos, quienes han resaltado la utilidad de los juegos (...) implementados en su proceso de aprendizaje. (shrink)

The aim of the present paper is to provide a logical reconstruction of the Marxian Theory of Value. This reconstruction is based upon the concept of abstract as opposed to that of homogeneous labor. Abstract labour is a social relation that holds in a market economy, (at least) whenever the profit rate is uniform; it consists in a comparison of the different labors through the exchange relationship. The author proved in a different place (see García de la Sienra, 1987) (...) that there exists a mathematical representation of abstract labor which is unique up to similarity transformations. The existence of this function — which is none other than the value function — is the basis of the present axiomatization, which includes detailed reconstructions of two of the most important models of the theory. (shrink)

El biodeterioro de un soporte histórico es un fenómeno complejo que implica alteraciones de las propiedades físico-químicas y mecánicas del material por acción de organismos biológicos. A ello hay que añadir las modificaciones del aspecto estético que se producen en los objetos afectados. La intensidad de las alteraciones se produce en función de los componentes de los soportes y de las condiciones ambientales. Gran parte de las colecciones que se exhiben en los museos son de naturaleza orgánica, caracterizándose por su (...) alta higroscopicidad. Ello implica un significativo incremento del contenido de humedad del soporte, especialmente, cuando los objetos son expuestos a una insuficiente ventilación y a una humedad relativa superior al 65%. Bajo estas condiciones, numerosos materiales quedan expuestos al desarrollo de especies de microorganismos. A esta problemática, se une frecuentemente la presencia de insectos que pueden contribuir a la pérdida irreparable de piezas históricas en un breve periodo de tiempo. (shrink)

En las actuales sociedades avanzadas cada ciudadano genera a diario una ingente cantidad de datos sobre su persona. La masiva utilización de esta información por las tecnologías Big Data suscita profundos y justificados recelos en muchas personas. Sobre todo por la incidencia que podría tener en derechos humanos como la privacidad, la libertad, la igualdad y la justicia social y porque el formidable poder que representa BD es controlado por un número cada vez más anónimo y reducido de personas. La (...) utilización de herramientas tecnológicas en todos los niveles del aprendizaje podría reportar grandes ventajas, a pesar de los recelos que suscita en algunas personas. En sí mismos, los conoci-mientos no tienen connotaciones éticas, sino que su moralidad radica en el uso que de ellos se haga. Los ángeles y los demonios no están en la técnica, sino en el corazón de quienes se sirven de ella. Será muy difícil enfrentarse a problemas como los arriba mencionados, si los principios morales de que partimos en nuestros debates no son distintos de los habituale. (shrink)

El artículo aborda la pandemia del covid-19 como elemento contingente y su efecto de develamiento respecto de algunas manifestaciones contemporáneas de la ideología neoliberal en Latinoamérica. De esta forma, en base a conceptos filosóficos y psicoanalíticos de orientación lacaniana planteados fundamentalmente por Slavoj Žižek, se examinan los usos críticos de la noción de ideología en sus diversas manifestaciones: miedo al otro, imposición de la lógica del empresario de sí, destrucción de lazos sociales, extractivismo de recursos naturales y fetichización de los (...) discursos de unidad frente a la pandemia. La hipótesis radica en que la pandemia presenta una oportunidad para repensar la subjetividad contemporánea, mediante la confrontación con el Real que bordea a la simbolización y, en definitiva, a la captura ideológica, a fin de poner en cuestión la afirmación de que no hay alternativa. (shrink)

La Doctrina penal contemporánea recurre al principio de ultima ratio para satisfacer la tarea principal de reducir al máximo la arbitrariedad del Derecho penal, pues a través de su significado, la legitimidad del delito y de la pena se somete a la condición de la inexistencia axiológica y empírica de otros recursos jurídicos menos drásticos para solventar idóneamente el conflicto que genera su apertura. No obstante, la deriva punitivista en que ha degenerado la necesaria expansión del Derecho penal en la (...) sociedad del riesgo, pone en duda su verdadera capacidad limitadora, especialmente por su escasa vinculación a los poderes públicos. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad, el desarrollo actual de la Dogmática de los Derechos Fundamentales permite a la Doctrina penal afirmar que, en el Estado constitucional, el Derecho penal mínimo es a su vez el Derecho penal máximo permitido por la Constitución. (shrink)

Resumen:Pierre Dardot ha estudiado detenidamente la historia constitucional chilena de las últimas décadas. En este libro, examina el proceso constituyente iniciado después de la manifestación de octubre de 2019. Es un tema que nos toca de cerca, así que me permitiré hacer algunos alcances que rebasan el marco de una reseña. De hecho, intento esbozar una réplica a la tesis del libro: la continuidad del régimen instaurado con la Constitución del 80. “Lo que está en juego aquí, es la historicidad (...) del trauma como ‘huella psíquica de un suceso trágico’. Sin duda, esta huella vuelve a rondar el presente en octubre 2019” (21). La “historicidad” se refiere a una herida que no logran borrar los años, a pesar de que ya no están en el mundo los protagonistas y muchos ni siquiera habían nacido cuando se produjo aquel fatídico Once. La “historicidad” alude, pues, a una historia sin tiempo, que habla de acontecimientos que la memoria no podrá olvidar jamás. (shrink)

En este trabajo se estudia la intervención del Derecho en la comunidad. Se parte de una definición social de comunidad rechazando como tales aquellas que el Derecho llama comunidades pero no lo son socialmente. El Derecho interviene en las comunidades como la familia, pero lo hace pensando esencialmente en los individuos que la componen no en la comunidad social como tal. El diseño individualista del Derecho occidental vigente impide o, incluso, produce consecuencias no buscadas cuando el Derecho actúa sobre comunidades (...) sociales. (shrink)