La nueva era de exploración espacial ha sopesado una y otra vez las posibilidades que tiene nuestro planeta de ser el lugar cósmico en el que las únicas formas de vida inteligentes del universo se hayan desarrollado. La astrofísica y la astrobiología lo ha hecho con números. Esta inquietud existencial se ha plasmado en una serie de escalas científicas que miden la importancia relativa del posible impacto sobre nuestra civilización de un encuentro con vida extraterrestre inteligente. Lamentablemente las consecuencias medidas (...) se han limitado a factores científicos y un hipotético control de daños, y a la credibilidad para con estos por parte de la opinión pública. Han olvidado sin embargo su trascendencia antropológica, moral y filosófica para nuestra especie. (shrink)

Nel mio articolo propongo una lettura dei §§ 79-84 della Critica del Giudizio, parte della sezione Metodologia del Giudizio teleologico. Dapprima mi interrogo sul significato di una Methodenlehre del Giudizio teleologico, che rintraccio in un’attività metariflessiva del Giudizio; procedo poi ad una lettura analitica del testo nelle sue varie articolazioni, nella quale passo in rassegna le questioni attinenti alla specificità dello statuto epistemologico della teleologia, alla possibile convivenza tra finalismo e meccanicismo nella scienza della natura, all’origine della vita, allo scopo (...) ultimo della natura e allo scopo finale della creazione; approdo, infine, ad un’interpretazione per cui l’intera teleologia rationis humanae, che si estende dalla teleologia naturale alla teleologia morale passando per l’antropologia e per la filosofia della storia, viene in questa sezione riarticolata intorno ad un nuovo fulcro concettuale di livello trascendentale, che può garantire l’effettivo collegamento tra queste diverse parti della filosofia proprio perché esso non si esercita in forma di dominio legislativo, ma in forma di riflessione sul molteplice empirico e sulla causalità teleologica propria dell’uomo. (shrink)

Sixteenth-century Spanish thought is constitutive of an established, though insufficiently studied, tradition of European political theorizing. As against the politics of Machiavellism, the Spanish tradition argued in favor of an ethical perspective on statecraft. As an introduction to the subject, this article addresses key concepts set forth by the Dominican theologian-jurist Francisco de Vitoria regarding the natural foundations and teleology of the state and its coercive power. Terms such as "natural law", "dominium", and "perfect community" describe the Thomistic basis of (...) his political philosophy and illustrate the moral significance and legitimate basis of political society in early modern Spanish politico-theological thought. El pensamiento español del siglo XVI constituye una tradición establecida de teorización política europea poco estudiada en los círculos académicos angloparlantes. En contraste con el maquiavelismo, la tradición española argumentó a favor de una perspectiva ética en torno al arte de gobernar. Como introducción a dicha temática, se abordan los conceptos clave establecidos por Francisco de Vitoria res-pecto de los fundamentos naturales y la teleología del Estado y su poder coercitivo. Conceptos tales como "ley natural", "dominio" y "comunidad perfecta" describen la base tomista de su filosofía política e ilustran el significado moral y fundamento legítimo de la sociedad política en el pensamiento político-teológico de la época. (shrink)

O estudo visa evidenciar o lugar que os princípios primeiros ocupam na filosofia moral de Alasdair MacIntyre, bem como o conceito de teleologia a eles articulado. Consistirá, no estudo panorâmico das categorias centrais da ética das virtudes de MacIntyre, onde ele constrói sua teoria da racionalidade das tradições que, por sua vez, é essencial para sua compreensão da retomada da ética aristotélica das virtudes e o papel dos princípios primeiros na sua filosofia moral. A partir destes, o desenvolvimento (...) do artigo se dá com a identificação do lugar que os primeiros princípios ocupam na filosofia moral de MacIntyre, como também a relevância que eles têm para o desenvolvimento de sua teoria do resgate da ética aristotélica. (shrink)

O estudo visa evidenciar o lugar que os princípios primeiros ocupam na filosofia moral de Alasdair MacIntyre, bem como o conceito de teleologia a eles articulado. Consistirá, no estudo panorâmico das categorias centrais da ética das virtudes de MacIntyre, onde ele constrói sua teoria da racionalidade das tradições que, por sua vez, é essencial para sua compreensão da retomada da ética aristotélica das virtudes e o papel dos princípios primeiros na sua filosofia moral. A partir destes, o desenvolvimento (...) do artigo se dá com a identificação do lugar que os primeiros princípios ocupam na filosofia moral de MacIntyre, como também a relevância que eles têm para o desenvolvimento de sua teoria do resgate da ética aristotélica. (shrink)

Resumo: O texto reconstrói as bases teleológico-morais para a constituição da moderna ciência da história. A chave dessa reconstrução é o escrutínio da idéia kantiana de plano da natureza, idéia que é investigada nas obras de Adam Smith, Hegel e Marx. Para criticar essa idéia, argui-se o pensamento de Fukuyama e defende-se que a ligação entre democracia e economia liberal é melhor explicada pela natural inclinação humana para a simetria do que pela noção de reconhecimento. O argumento é que o (...) projeto de Fukuyama não encontra amparo na seleção da espécie, ao passo que o desejo por simetria sim. A essa abordagem subjazem as teses de que feita a crítica à teleologia moral, a história tem de ser compatível com a evolução, e de que a naturalização da história implica numa naturalização da moral.Palavras-chave: teleologia - moral naturalizada - plano da natureza - teoria da história - evolucionismo.: The text reconstructs the teleological-moral foundations for the constitution of the modern science of history. The key to that reconstruction is a scrutiny of Kant's idea of "plan of nature", which is investigated in the works of Adam Smith, Hegel and Marx. In order to criticize this idea, the paper discusses the thinking of Fukuyama and argues that the connection between democracy and liberal economy is best explained by the natural human inclination towards symmetry, rather than by the notion of recognition. It also argues that Fukuyama's project finds no support in the selection of species, whereas the desire for symmetry does. The theses that underlie this approach are that, once the critique of moral teleology has been made, history must be compatible with evolution and that the naturalization of history implies a naturalization of morals. (shrink)

El presente artículo tiene como propósito poner de relieve el contraste trágico entre la afirmación de una teleología natural y la ausencia de teleología moral en el pensamiento de Schopenhauer. Se comprenderá su gesto filosófico como el vaciamiento de la finalidad. Concretamente, se examinará cómo el absurdo que tiene lugar en virtud del contraste mencionado, sumado a la concepción de vida que late en el proyecto schopenhaueriano, conduce a una consideración necesariamente irracionalista y pesimista de la existencia. (...) Desde la perspectiva del autor, ante la ausencia de una finalidad racional del mundo no existe otra vía más que el pesimismo. En esta dirección, quisiera centrarme en una de las consecuencias más profundas de las premisas mencionadas (a saber, la carencia de finalidad final, apariencia de ajuste teleológico, pesimismo, irracionalidad, concepción de vida, etc). Me refiero a la imposibilidad de la historia y, con ella, a la imposibilidad de cualquier clase de cambio o transformación. Por último, intentaré despejar dos posibles suspicacias en relación con la irracionalidad y ausencia de fin final en la filosofía de Schopenhauer. (shrink)

The following article aims to consider the problem of the empirical consummation of the teleological programme of practical reason in Kant. In other words, it highlights the question about the possibility of achieving the final end in the world. Nature is the domain of mechanical causality, but also of free causality and the highest good. Specifically, I will focus on the field of Kantian philosophy of history, examining it with regard to the possibility of biological evolution and the possibility of (...) moral evolution of humankind. (shrink)

La reconstrucción sistemática y el análisis crítico de la teoría husserliana acerca de la felicidad y de su búsqueda no es tarea fácil. Ello se debe tanto a dificultades terminológicas como a la dispersión en las distintas obras del fundador del método fenomenológico. Este trabajo pretende presentar los elementos fundamentales de una teoría tal en el contexto de la teleología de la vida moral. La felicidad entendida como vida dichosa en su totalidad (seliges Gesamtleben) en la cual todas (...) las intenciones –tanto las teóricas como las éticas– son cumplidas, satisfechas, constituye un ideal, inalcanzable de hecho, que guía la vida moral. Sin embargo, según Husserl, es posible acercarse, aunque sea asintóticamente, a dicha felicidad, una felicidad que también tiene una dimensión intersubjetiva que reside en el cumplimiento de los fines de una comunidad ética. (shrink)

En su Idea para una historia universal, Kant apela al supuesto regulativo de un «plan oculto de la naturaleza» para justificar su concepción ilustrada del progreso de la humanidad en el curso de la historia. Este planteamiento está gravado, sin embargo, con una dificultad: los logros técnicos y políticos sólo pueden consolidarse mediante el progreso moral de la humanidad, el cual no puede, a su vez, ser garantizado por la teleología natural. En textos posteriores de Kant esta dificultad (...) cobra protagonismo y termina provocando una profunda transformación de su concepción de la historia universal, máximamente explícita en el libro sobre la religión. (shrink)

El presente artículo ofrece una interpretación de la totalidad de la filosofía kantiana como reforma al concepto de filosofía de acuerdo con la naturaleza metafísica y moral de la razón. Para ello se articulan los elementos que sirven a la reforma, a saber, la comprensión de la filosofía bajo el concepto escolástico y bajo el cósmico, este último desprendido de la teleología racional expresada en la consideración histórica de la filosofía. Después, se construye la interpretación de la metodología (...) arquitectónica que utiliza la reforma, primero demostrando que la pregunta crítica sobre los juicios sintéticos a priori sirve para determinar los conocimientos posibles; posteriormente, argumentando que la pregunta se subsume a los intereses racionales de los seres humanos para vincular los conocimientos con el fin de la razón, lo cual corresponde a la estructuración de la filosofía según la Sabiduría a la que tiende. Por último, se propone cuál es la labor que cada Crítica tiene dentro de todo el proyecto de reforma. La interpretación, por tanto, recupera las intenciones eminentemente metafísicas y morales de la empresa kantiana, permitiendo abordarla en su conjunto. (shrink)

EL PRINCIPIO ANTROPOLÓGICO DE LA ÉTICA responde a la necesidad de ofrecer una base antropológica a la Ética, que permita orientarse en la variedad de conceptos con alcance moral (deber, obligación, felicidad, libertad, persona, bien…). A este respecto, el autor encontró que el tratamiento zubiriano del «hecho moral» no atiende tanto a las teorías éticas cuanto al arraigo antropológico del mismo, por lo que decidió adoptarlo como guía. Pero como toda la obra de Zubiri forma un conjunto compacto, (...) se vio en la necesidad de hacer no pocas incursiones en cuestiones colindantes, solo a primera vista ajenas al tema de este estudio, como la temporalidad, la aplicación de los sistemas al viviente o la religación. Al fin, Urbano Ferrer logra ofrecer al lector, de un lado, una visión sintética de los cimientos antropológicos de la moralidad, destacando las innegables aportaciones de Zubiri en diálogo con los pensadores clásicos y, de otro lado, se inician vías para despejar algunos flancos que esa visión deja abiertos, tales como la teleología en los actos humanos, los hábitos morales, la prevalencia del futuro o la libertad trascendental de la persona. (shrink)

Num ensaio inacabado de J. Chasin, intitulado O futuro ausente, o filósofo busca traçar a noção de politicidade do mundo Antigo ao mundo contemporâneo – embora interrompa seu material em Hobbes. Uma das questões suscitas por Chasin envolve a discussão sobre o apreço da natureza objetiva em contrapartida a uma forma idealizada da vida contemplativa, portanto, da filosofia moral do trecento ao quattrocento renascentistas. Tendo como ponto de partida a elaboração de Chasin, este artigo avança sobre a história das (...) polêmicas médica e astrológicas que tomaram forma no universo renascentista. Se, por um lado, Ernst Cassirer elabora uma tese sobre a originalidade de Nicolau de Cusa, por outro, deixa passar um aspecto primordial quando contrapõe sua filosofia à de Pico: o embate sobre a polêmica astrológica nasce no bojo da discussão do livre-arbítrio, portanto, da tentativa de impugnação da astrologia divinatória por considerá-la uma teleologia da natureza que se contrapunha teleologia teológica. Não obstante a inexistência de uma ruptura epistemológica proposta por Cassirer, o desenvolvimento da filosofia renascentista atestou a luta contraditória pela observação empírica da realidade. (shrink)

El propósito del artículo es esclarecer el modo en que los principales problemas tratados por J. Iribarne giran en torno de cuestiones éticas. Se subrayan dos lados del problema ético. Por un lado, se muestra el papel del cuerpo propio, la habitualidad, la memoria y la creciente moralización en la constitución de la identidad personal. En este proceso, una teleología individual se dirige hacia grados más elevados de libertad por medio de actos autónomos y racionales. Por el otro, una (...) teleología intersubjetiva da lugar a un habitar ético en el mundo que exige tanto actuar del modo más correcto de acuerdo con nuestras particulares posibilidades como estar vinculado con los otros por medio de lazos de amor. Finalmente se intenta mostrar la relación entre ética y el sentido de la vida a través de un análisis de preguntas referidas a la finitud, la esperanza y la muerte.The purpose of the article is to shed light on the way in which the main problems examined by J. Iribarne turn on ethical issues. Two sides of the ethical problem are stressed. On the one hand, the role of the living body, habituality, memory, and increasing moralization in the constitution of personal identity is highlighted. In this process, an individual teleology is directed to higher degrees of freedom by means of autonomous and rational acts. On the other hand, an intersubjective teleology brings forth an ethical dwelling in the world that entails both acting in the most correct manner according to our particular possibilities and being linked with the others by bonds of love. Finally, an attempt is made to show the relationship between ethics and the meaning of life through an analysis of issues that concern finitude, death, and hope. (shrink)

Frente a la posición escolástica dominante hasta d siglo XVIII que consideraba el mal como ausencia de ser. Kant denuncia el mal como realidad existente, no meramente lógica, cuyo carácter negativo proviene de su oposición al deber moral. Kant nos va a decir que el mal es contraposición real, no simplemente una carencia. Este carácter ontológico del mal pone en tela de juicio la visión moderna del Progreso: éste no es el desenlace natural del devenir humano, ya que es (...) posible también progresar en el mal, como abundante ha probado la historia, incluso la reciente. De ahí la necesidad de replantearse el ser del hombre, a la luz de su responsabilidad trascendental. Si hay razones para el optimismo, no descansan en una fe ciega en el hombre, sino en su capacidad moral para superar su propia inclinación al mal. In opposition to the scholastic view dominant until the 18"' Century, that evil was but the absence of being, Kant maintains chat evil is actual reality, not merely logical, and that its negate character lies in its opposition co moral duty. Kant asserts that evil is real contrariety, not simply deficiency. This ontological character of evil challenges the modern idea of progress: Progress is not the •natural• course of events, since it is also possible to progress in evil, as history –events recent hit story- has proved abundantly. Therefore the question of the being of man must be reformulated in the light of his transcendental responsibility Whether there are reasons for optimism, they cannot be based on the faith in man, bur on his moral capability to overcome his own tendency to evil. (shrink)

In this paper, I shall argue that both cognitivism and liberal contractualism defend a pre-moral conception of human desire that has its origin in the Hobbesian and Humean tradition that both theories share. Moreover, the computational and syntactic themes in cognitive science support the notion, which Gauthier evidently shares, that the human mind – or, in Gauthier’s case, the mind of “economic man” – is a purely formal mechanism, characterized by logical and mathematical operations. I shall conclude that a (...) single conception of human behaviour runs through the various dominant psychological, moral and political theories of analytic inspiration. (shrink)

La concepción de la historia de Marx ha sido siempre objeto de intensas discusiones, lo cual está estrechamente relacionado con la recepción del materialismo histórico, elevado a la categoría de dogma. En este trabajo se intenta, por el contrario, reconstruir de forma sistemática las reflexiones de Marx sobre la historia. Por un lado, continua escribiendo la filosofía de la historia de la Ilustración hasta Hegel conforme a los preceptos de la historia universal, radicalizando incluso la perspectiva histórica, en tanto que (...) considera a la naturaleza y al hombre sucesos históricos. Por otro, Marx critica la fe en el progreso de la Ilustración cuestionando el paralelismo defendido entre progreso técnico y económico y progreso político y moral. Del mismo modo, Marx también critica la filosofía idealista de Hegel y libera la filosofía de la historia de supuestos metafísicos. (shrink)

Current frameworks on ethical decision-making process have some limitations. This paper argues that the consideration of moral competencies, understood as moral virtues in the workplace, can enhance our understanding of why moral character contributes to ethical decision-making. After discussing the universal nature of four moral competencies (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance), we analyse their influence on the various stages of the ethical decision-making process. We conclude by considering the managerial implications of our findings and proposing further (...) research. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo es realizar una revisión del estado de la cuestión sobre el concepto de estado de naturaleza en el pensamiento de Thomas Hobbes. Dicha revisión permite articular una comprensión de la naturaleza humana, puesto que a diferencia del realismo político el estado de naturaleza en Hobbes no tiene un rol meramente hipotético. Precisamente, la idea de naturaleza humana articula una proto-moralidad que permite comprender la transición hacia el estado civil. Las investigaciones Kavka, Gauthier y Hampton han (...) construido una compleja compresión de la naturaleza humana, la cual permite entender cierto sustrato de proto-moralidad en el pensamiento hobbesiano. (shrink)

Este trabajo se ocupa de algunas ideas éticas del filósofo latinoamericano Andrés Bello (1781-1865), en especial de su “teoría de los sentimientos morales”. En la polémica del siglo XIX entre el llamado racionalismo ético (representado por Théodore Jouffroy) y el utilitarismo (Bentham), Bello adopta una postura intermedia, que pudiera calificarse de “hedonismo moderado” o de “eudemonismo”. Sus puntos de vista sobre la motivación moral o la manera en que la razón y el sentimiento se entrelazan para formar nuestras creencias (...) morales, se revelan como muy próximos a las doctrinas de Aristóteles y de algunos autores contemporáneos. (shrink)

Challenges to Legal Theory offers the reader a fascinating journey though a variety of multi-disciplinary topics, ranging from law and literature, and law and religion, to legal philosophy and constitutional law. The collection reflects some of the challenges that the field of legal theory currently faces. It is compiled by a selection of international and Spanish scholars, whose essays are made available in English translation for the first time. The volume is based on a collection of essays, published in Spanish, (...) in honour of Professor José Iturmendi Morales, of Complutense University, Madrid, and brings the rich scholarship of pre-eminent Spanish scholars of law and legal theory to an international audience. (shrink)

En la Teoría de la Selección Natural, el concepto de función biológica debe suponerse para delimitar el concepto de aptitud; y éste debe suponerse para delimitar el concepto de adaptación y también para explicar el fenómeno al que este último alude. Esos tres conceptos, por otra parte, son especificaciones de tres conceptos de aplicación más universal. El concepto de función biológica es un caso particular del concepto general de función; y el concepto de aptitud especifica el concepto de eficiencia. El (...) concepto de adaptación, mientras tanto, es una especificación del concepto de diseño. La visualización de esas articulaciones conceptuales permite entender la legitimidad de la naturalización de la teleología operada por el darwinismo.In Natural Selection Theory, the concept of biological function must be supposed to elucidate the concept of fitness; and this one must be supposed to elucidate the concept of adaptation and also to explain the phenomenon to which the last one alludes. These three concepts, on the other hand, are specificationsof three concepts of more universal application. The concept of biological function is a particular case of the general concept of function; and the concept of fitness is a specification of the concept of efficiency. The concept of adaptation, meanwhile, specifies the concept of design. The visualization of these conceptualjoints allows to understanding the legitimacy of the naturalization of the teleology produced by the Darwinism. (shrink)

Neste artigo, discutimos o papel das explicações teleológicas na teoriaGaia. Mostramos que seu principal proponente, James Lovelock, pretendeevitá-las devido a uma interpretação equivocada da natureza de taisexplicações. Na tentativa de evitar compromissos com a teleologia,Lovelock recorre ao conceito de propriedades emergentes. Esta não é,contudo, uma saída consistente, porque os conceitos de propriedadesemergentes e teleologia não são mutuamente excludentes. Discutimostambém as dificuldades de uma interpretação de Gaia de uma perspectivateleonômica, considerando problemas como o da noção de superorganismo.Para avaliar o estatuto das (...) explicações teleológicas em Gaia, examinamoso caso da interação entre algas e nuvens, que resultou num novo campo depesquisas e expõe as contribuições teóricas e empíricas que Gaia podeoferecer. Com base nos argumentos apresentados ao longo do artigo,sugerimos uma reorganização da estrutura do programa de pesquisa Gaia,visando à continuação de seu progresso teórico e empírico.In this paper, we discuss the role of teleological explanations in Gaia theory.We show that its main proponent, James Lovelock, intends to avoid themdue to a misinterpretation of the nature of teleological explanations. Inorder to avoid a commitment to teleology, Lovelock appeals to the conceptof emergent properties. This is not a consistent solution, however, since the concepts of emergent properties and teleology are not mutuallyexclusive. We also discuss difficulties in an interpretation of Gaia from ateleonomic perspective, discussing problems such as that of the notion ofsuperorganism. In order to appraise the status of teleological explanationsin Gaia, we examine the case of the interaction between algae and clouds,which gave birth to a new research field and show the theoretical andempirical contributions that Gaia can bring. Based on the argumentsdeveloped in the paper, we suggest a reorganization of the structure ofGaia research program, in order to go on with its theoretical and empiricalprogress. (shrink)

When a circular coin is rotated in depth, is there any sense in which it comes to resemble an ellipse? While this question is at the center of a rich and divided philosophical tradition (with some scholars answering affirmatively and some negatively), Morales et al. (2020, 2021) took an empirical approach, reporting 10 experiments whose results favor such perspectival similarity. Recently, Burge and Burge (2022) offered a vigorous critique of this work, objecting to its approach and conclusions on both philosophical (...) and empirical grounds. Here, we answer these objections on both fronts. We show that Burge and Burge’s critique rests on misunderstandings of Morales et al.’s claims; of the relation between the data and conclusions; and of the philosophical context in which the work appears. Specifically, Burge and Burge attribute to us a much stronger (and stranger) view than we hold, involving the introduction of “a new entity” located “in some intermediate position(s) between the distal shape and the retinal image.” We do not hold this view. Indeed, once properly understood, most of Burge and Burge’s objections favor Morales et al.’s claims rather than oppose them. Finally, we discuss several questions that remain unanswered, and reflect on a productive path forward on these issues of foundational scientific and philosophical interest. (shrink)

This book is a systematic and constructive treatment of a number of traditional issues at the foundation of ethics, the possibility and nature of moral knowledge, the relationship between the moral point of view and a scientific or naturalistic world view, the nature of moral value and obligation, and the role of morality in a person's rational life plan. In striking contrast to many traditional authors and to other recent writers in the field, David Brink offers an (...) integrated defense of the objectivity of ethics. (shrink)

Ordinary moral thought often commits what social psychologists call 'the fundamental attribution error '. This is the error of ignoring situational factors and overconfidently assuming that distinctive behaviour or patterns of behaviour are due to an agent's distinctive character traits. In fact, there is no evidence that people have character traits in the relevant sense. Since attribution of character traits leads to much evil, we should try to educate ourselves and others to stop doing it.

Jonas Olson presents a critical survey of moral error theory, the view that there are no moral facts and so all moral claims are false. Part I explores the historical context of the debate; Part II assesses J. L. Mackie's famous arguments; Part III defends error theory against challenges and considers its implications for our moral thinking.

En el presente trabajo se busca explicitar el papel que la posibilidad del discurso filosófico posee dentro del pensamiento platónico, acentuando la operatividad de la noción de teleología sobre la misma; ello se desenvuelve teniendo como trasfondo las tesis ontológicas parmenídeas y heraclíteas. Desde lo anterior se señala que sólo a través de la comprensión y mostración del cosmos como una totalidad organizada teleológicamente, Platón es capaz de dar cuenta de la participación que los seres humanos podemos tener de (...) lo eidético, fundando así la posibilidad de una ética. (shrink)

I argue that Aristotle’s teleology in natural science (more specifically, in biology) is not incompatible with his admissions of the “brute necessity” of the movements of matter. Aristotle thinks that the brute necessity emerging from the movements of matter is not sufficient to explain why living beings are what they are and behave the way they behave. Nevertheless, Aristotle takes this brute necessity to be a sine qua non condition in biological explanations. The full explanation of the features of living (...) beings requires the hylomorphic model, in which the brute necessity belonging to the matter is subordinated to the teleological causality of the form. The model for which I argue is pretty much Balme’s “cybernetic”. However, I explore some aspects of Aristotle’s texts that have not received much attention in the recent literature. (shrink)

Historical patterns of discrimination seem to present us with conflicts between what morality requires and what we epistemically ought to believe. I will argue that these cases lend support to the following nagging suspicion: that the epistemic standards governing belief are not independent of moral considerations. We can resolve these seeming conflicts by adopting a framework wherein standards of evidence for our beliefs to count as justified can shift according to the moral stakes. On this account, believing a (...) paradigmatically racist belief reflects a failure to not only attend to the epistemic risk of being wrong, but also a failure to attend to the distinctively moral risk of wronging others given what we believe. (shrink)

El presente artículo examina los argumentos aristotélicos en favor de la teleología para poner de manifiesto su estructura argumentativa que, a juicio del autor, es una inferencia a la mejor explicación. Finalmente se intenta relacionar la estrategia aristotélica con el tratamiento actual que se ha hecho de la finalidad desde la Filosofía de la Ciencia.

O texto analisa como a teleologia, forma do ser da subjetividade segundo Husserl, opera na vontade. Em primeiro lugar são apresentados os elementos fundamentais da fenomenologia da vontade enquanto posição de metas; a seguir pergunta-se sobre a meta derradeira que opera na subjetividade como o telos implicado no processo do seu ser. Husserl pensa o telos como o ideal ético infinito da subjetividade perfeita na comunidade perfeita. A fé e a decisão pessoal por esta meta são fundamentais para a realização (...) do sentido do ser. (shrink)

While various definitions of moral distress have been proposed, some agreement exists that it results from illegitimate constraints in clinical practice affecting healthcare professionals’ moral agency. If we are to reduce moral distress, instruments measuring it should provide relevant information about such illegitimate constraints. Unfortunately, existing instruments fail to do so. We discuss here several shortcomings of major instruments in use: their inability to determine whether reports of moral distress involve an accurate assessment of the requisite (...) clinical and logistical facts in play, whether the distress in question is aptly characterized as moral, and whether the moral distress reported is an appropriate target of elimination. Such failures seriously limit the ability of empirical work on moral distress to foster appropriate change. (shrink)

In recent years, character traits in general and virtue-related concepts in particular have been of considerable interest to philosophers, psychological researchers, and practitioners in the business ethics field. Three approaches to character traits can be used to incorporate ethics into organizations: virtues, character strengths, and competencies. The aim of this article is to clarify the concept of character traits, or virtues, and provide a unified operational version of it for incorporation into management. To this end, we first discuss the analogy (...) among virtues, character strengths, and competencies. Then, we propose a list of moral competencies that can be implemented in competency-based human resource management. (shrink)

To have moral worth an action not only needs to conform to the correct normative theory ; it also needs to be motivated in the right way. I argue that morally worthy actions are motivated by the rightness of the action; they are motivated by an agent's concern for doing what's right and her knowledge that her action is morally right. Call this the Rightness Condition. On the Rightness Condition moral motivation involves both a conative and a cognitive (...) element—in particular, it involves moral knowledge. I argue that the Rightness Condition is both necessary and sufficient for moral worth. I also argue that the Rightness Condition gives us an attractive account of actions performed under imperfect epistemic circumstances: by agents who rely on moral testimony or by those who, like Huckleberry Finn, have false moral convictions. (shrink)

In this chapter, we discuss a selection of current views of the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC). We focus on the different predictions they make, in particular with respect to the role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) during visual experiences, which is an area of critical interest and some source of contention. Our discussion of these views focuses on the level of functional anatomy, rather than at the neuronal circuitry level. We take this approach because we currently understand more about experimental (...) evidence at this coarse level and because these results are appropriate for arbitrating between current theoretical frameworks. We discuss the Two-Visual-Systems Hypothesis (Milner & Goodale 1995; 2006), Local Recurrency (Lamme 2010; Lamme 2006), Higher Order (Lau 2008; Lau & Rosenthal 2011) and Global Workspace theories (Baars 1997; Baars 2005; Dehaene & Naccache 2001; Dehaene 2014). Despite the apparent stark differences between conscious and unconscious perceptual processing, available evidence suggests that their neural substrates must be largely shared. This indicates that the difference in neural activity between conscious and unconscious perceptual processing is likely to be subtle and highly specialized. We argue that current experimental evidence about the involvement of specific activity in prefrontal cortex supports the higher order neural theory of consciousness. In consequence, imaging techniques that focus only on marked differences between conscious and unconscious level of activity are likely to be insensitive to the relevant neural activity patterns that underlie conscious experiences. Finally, it follows from the evidence we discuss that the functional advantages of conscious over unconscious perceptual processing may be more limited than commonly thought. (shrink)

Arguably the most foundational principle in perception research is that our experience of the world goes beyond the retinal image; we perceive the distal environment itself, not the proximal stimulation it causes. Shape may be the paradigm case of such “unconscious inference”: When a coin is rotated in depth, we infer the circular object it truly is, discarding the perspectival ellipse projected on our eyes. But is this really the fate of such perspectival shapes? Or does a tilted coin retain (...) an elliptical appearance even when we know it’s circular? This question has generated heated debate from Locke and Hume to the present; but whereas extant arguments rely primarily on introspection, this problem is also open to empirical test. If tilted coins bear a representational similarity to elliptical objects, then a circular coin should, when rotated, impair search for a distal ellipse. Here, nine experiments demonstrate that this is so, suggesting that perspectival shapes persist in the mind far longer than traditionally assumed. Subjects saw search arrays of three-dimensional “coins,” and simply had to locate a distally elliptical coin. Surprisingly, rotated circular coins slowed search for elliptical targets, even when subjects clearly knew the rotated coins were circular. This pattern arose with static and dynamic cues, couldn’t be explained by strategic responding or unfamiliarity, generalized across shape classes, and occurred even with sustained viewing. Finally, these effects extended beyond artificial displays to real-world objects viewed in naturalistic, full-cue conditions. We conclude that objects have a remarkably persistent dual character: their objective shape “out there,” and their perspectival shape “from here.”. (shrink)

The fact of moral disagreement when conjoined with Conciliationism, an independently attractive view about the epistemic significance disagreement, seems to entail moral skepticism. This worries those who like Conciliationism, the independently attractive view, but dislike moral skepticism. Others, equally inclined against moral skepticism, think this is a reductio of Conciliationism. I argue that they are both wrong. There is no reductio and nothing to worry about.

El presente trabajo tiene el propósito de aclarar el sentido del realismo que suscribe Charles Sanders Peirce desde su pragmaticismo. Dado que este realismo tiene sus bases en los planteamientos peirceanos concernientes a la lógica de la investigación y a su propuesta metafísica, el primer objetivo es ubicarlo en el marco de la discusión alrededor de diferentes propuestas realistas epistemológicas y ontológicas. Con base en esto, en un segundo momento, se precisará la propuesta realista que se desprende de su doctrina (...) de la continuidad o sinequismo. Finalmente, se expondrán los rasgos generales de la teleología evolutiva en la que desemboca dicha propuesta. (shrink)

Las explicaciones teleológicas en biología evolutiva, desde Cuvier hasta el presente (y hacia el futuro), dependen de la metáfora del ‘diseño’ para conservar su poder heurístico y su fertilidad predictiva.