To what degree can language be acquired from linguistic input alone? This question has vexed scholars for millennia and is still a major focus of debate in the cognitive science of language. The complexity of human language has hampered progress because studies of language–especially those involving computational modeling–have only been able to deal with small fragments of our linguistic skills. We suggest that the most recent generation of Large Language Models (LLMs) might finally provide the computational tools to determine empirically (...) how much of the human language ability can be acquired from linguistic experience. LLMs are sophisticated deep learning architectures trained on vast amounts of natural language data, enabling them to perform an impressive range of linguistic tasks. We argue that, despite their clear semantic and pragmatic limitations, LLMs have already demonstrated that human-like grammatical language can be acquired without the need for a built-in grammar. Thus, while there is still much to learn about how humans acquire and use language, LLMs provide full-fledged computational models for cognitive scientists to empirically evaluate just how far statistical learning might take us in explaining the full complexity of human language. (shrink)

Topics in Cognitive Science, Volume 14, Issue 3, Page 634-645, July 2022.

More has been written about phenomenology than could possibly be read in a single person’s lifetime, or even in several lifetimes. Despite its unwieldy size, this vast “horizon” of literary output has a tractable structure. We leverage the tools of bibliometrics to study the structure of the phenomenology literature, and test several hypotheses about it. We create an author-wise co-citation network, a graph of nodes and connections, where each node corresponds to an author who has written a document with the (...) word “Phenomenology” in it, and where two nodes are connected if the corresponding authors have cited each other. By applying clustering algorithms and other techniques to this network, certain structural features of the field emerge. The main areas of research since 1970 conform fairly well to an intuitive understanding of the literature, though there are some surprises. (shrink)

Through theoretical discussion, literature review, and a computational model, this paper poses a challenge to the notion that perspective-taking involves a fixed architecture in which particular processes have priority. For example, considerable work has shown that egocentric perspectives can arise more quickly, with other perspectives (such as of task partners) emerging only secondarily. This theoretical dichotomy is challenged here, and we propose a general view of perspective-taking as an emergent phenomenon governed by the interplay among several cognitive mechanisms. We first (...) describe the pervasive relevance of perspective-taking to cognitive science. A dynamical systems model is then introduced which explicitly formulates the timescale interaction proposed. Implications are discussed, with ideas for future empirical research. (shrink)

Academic Placement Data and Analysis (APDA) has released its complete 2017 Final Report, an 81-page document that collects data on PhD-granting philosophy programs (including ratings by former students, placement rates, and diversity) and the discipline as a whole (including hiring networks, placement maps, cluster analyses of programs, job descriptions, non-academic hiring). The report was created by Carolyn Dicey Jennings, Patrice Cobb, Pablo Contreras Kallens, and Angelo Kyrilov, all of University of California, Merced. (from Daily Nous).

In recent years, the "science of science" has combined computational methods with novel data sources in order to understand the dynamics of research communities. As the name suggests, science of science is primarily focused on science and technology, with less attention to the humanities. However, many of the questions investigated by science of science are also relevant to academic philosophy: To what extent can the discipline be divided into subfields with different methods and topics? How are prestige and credit distributed (...) across the discipline? And how do these factors interact with other factors, such as gender, to shape job market outcomes? In this paper, we provide some empirically-informed answers to these questions by applying computational methods to job market data for Anglophone academic philosophy. We find, first, evidence that is consistent with the analytic-continental divide, but is also consistent with other, more complex ways of organizing academic philosophy into distinct intellectual traditions; second, a clear prestige hierarchy, dividing PhD programs into two distinct prestige categories; and third, evidence that gender, prestige, and country have notable effects on academic job market outcomes for recent philosophy PhDs. (shrink)

8 March, now known as International Women’s Day, is a day for feminist claims where demonstrations are organized in over 150 countries, with the participation of millions of women all around the world. These demonstrations can be viewed as collective rituals and thus focus attention on the processes that facilitate different psychosocial effects. This work aims to explore the mechanisms involved in participation in the demonstrations of 8 March 2020, collective and ritualized feminist actions, and their correlates associated with personal (...) well-being and collective well-being, collective efficacy and collective growth, and behavioral intention to support the fight for women’s rights. To this end, a cross-cultural study was conducted with the participation of 2,854 people from countries in Latin America and Europe, with a retrospective correlational cross-sectional design and a convenience sample. Participants were divided between demonstration participants and non-demonstrators or followers who monitored participants through the media and social networks. Compared with non-demonstrators and with males, female and non-binary gender respondents had greater scores in mechanisms and criterion variables. Further random-effects model meta-analyses revealed that the perceived emotional synchrony was consistently associated with more proximal mechanisms, as well as with criterion variables. Finally, sequential moderation analyses showed that proposed mechanisms successfully mediated the effects of participation on every criterion variable. These results indicate that participation in 8M marches and demonstrations can be analyzed through the literature on collective rituals. As such, collective participation implies positive outcomes both individually and collectively, which are further reinforced through key psychological mechanisms, in line with a Durkheimian approach to collective rituals. (shrink)

Este artículo propone una relectura de Escritura de Raimundo Contreras de Pablo de Rokha. El objetivo es encontrar huellas de la presencia y referencialidad del sujeto de la enunciación al interior del discurso que él mismo produce, o sea, evidenciar aquellas marcas textuales que permiten comprender cómo en Escritura emerge un sujeto de la enunciación que torna inestables los límites de la primera persona singular. De manera específica, propongo poner atención en los modelos de configuración identitaria que despliega (...) el sujeto de la enunciación: ¿A través de qué estrategias retóricas este sujeto enuncia su yo? La identificación de tales estrategias permitirá determinar las implicaciones ideológicas y los juicios éticos que subyacen la escritura rokhiana de las primeras décadas del siglo pasado. (shrink)

We say that a sentence A is a permissive consequence of a set X of premises whenever, if all the premises of X hold up to some standard, then A holds to some weaker standard. In this paper, we focus on a three-valued version of this notion, which we call strict-to-tolerant consequence, and discuss its fruitfulness toward a unified treatment of the paradoxes of vagueness and self-referential truth. For vagueness, st-consequence supports the principle of tolerance; for truth, it supports the (...) requisite of transparency. Permissive consequence is non-transitive, however, but this feature is argued to be an essential component to the understanding of paradoxical reasoning in cases involving vagueness or self-reference. (shrink)

This text proposes an interpretation of the work of Franklin Leopoldo e Silva based on the reading of some of his numerous published articles and books, without neglecting the classes and guidance received from the stage of Scientific Initiation to Postdoctoral studies. Precisely, by highlighting the importance of three thinkers widely studied by Professor Franklin – Berkeley, Bergson and William James –, we suggest that at the heart of this philosophical experience there would be a constant: empiricism. Whether in the (...) classical or radical version, the line we draw in this multiplicity reveals an openness to concrete empiricism. (shrink)

_Resumen:_ Al interior de la tradición clásica del derecho natural, los teólogos escolásticos de los siglos xvi-xvii describen ese derecho como simplemente necesario, así como inmutable y universal. Lo describen, además, como un orden objetivo, independiente de la voluntad de Dios. Sin embargo, no todos los teólogos escolásticos entienden la inmutabilidad del derecho natural de la misma forma, ni llaman “derecho natural” exactamente a lo mismo: para unos este es el “derecho de la naturaleza”, mientras que para otros es el (...) “derecho de la razón natural”. El artículo, así, aborda las principales diferencias que existen en las teorías de estos escolásticos sobre el derecho natural. (shrink)

Comenzamos este texto con una pregunta, por algo que podríamos llamar un signo propio de la época, a saber, la proliferación de aproximaciones espaciales a los más diversos problemas y desde las más diversas disciplinas. No podemos dejar de notar que eso, cuyos signos se dejan recoger a pesar de su dispersión, en algo que llamamos época, sobreviene después de un agotamiento de la radicalización del historicismo y de un pensamiento del tiempo.

Par de botas se titula la obra del pintor holandés Vincent Van Gogh. Es a partir del análisis de esta pintura que realiza el filósofo alemán Martin Heidegger en su obra El origen de la obra de arte, desde el cual se creará un rico debate, referido sobre todo a la procedencia y significado último de esta obra de Van Gogh. El presente ensayo procura aunar fenomenológicamente, al alero del pensamiento de Martin Heidegger, el conjunto de cuadros que pintó el (...) pintor holandés sobre el “modelo zapato”, bajo el “tema del andar”, entendido como una “errancia”, que en Van Gogh se torna en dramática búsqueda de pertenencia, pero sobre todo de condiciones para la subsistencia, tanto física como espiritual. Por lo tanto el zapato deviene en emblema, el vehículo con el cual desplazarse en las agrestes geografías de su vagabundear. Pair of Boots is the work titled by the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. It is based on the analysis of this painting that the German philosopher Martin Heidegger makes in his book The Origin of the Work of Art, from which we create a rich debate, primarily concerned with the origin and ultimate meaning of Van Gogh´s work. This paper seeks to combine phenomenologically, the wing of thought of Martin Heidegger, the set of pictures he painted on the Dutch painter “shoe model” under the “theme of walking”, understood as a “wandering” in Van Gogh dramatic turns in search of belonging, but especially for subsistence conditions, both physical and spiritual. So the shoe becomes an emblem, the vehicle with which to travel in the rugged geography of his wandering. (shrink)

El objetivo de este estudio es presentar la apreciación de estudiantes y microempresarios, respecto de la aplicación de la metodología de aprendizaje-servicio. Se utilizó una encuesta de autoeficacia aplicada a estudiantes y una de satisfacción a microempresarios que recibieron la asesoría. Se pudo constatar que la experiencia de aprendizaje-servicio implementada, impactó positivamente en los estudiantes en su proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje, desarrollando habilidades profesionales y sociales. Los microempresarios destacaron que se cumplieron las expectativas propuestas, y entre los aspectos por mejorar (...) señalaron: el tiempo asignado, la organización, y el alcance de la asesoría, les habría gustado desarrollar algo con mayor impacto. (shrink)

Michel Janssen and Harvey Brown have driven a prominent recent debate concerning the direction of an alleged arrow of explanation between Minkowski spacetime and Lorentz invariance of dynamical laws in special relativity. In this article, I critically assess this controversy with the aim of clarifying the explanatory foundations of the theory. First, I show that two assumptions shared by the parties—that the dispute is independent of issues concerning spacetime ontology, and that there is an urgent need for a constructive interpretation (...) of special relativity—are problematic and negatively affect the debate. Second, I argue that the whole discussion relies on a misleading conception of the link between Minkowski spacetime structure and Lorentz invari-ance, a misconception that in turn sheds more shadows than light on our understand-ing of the explanatory nature and power of Einstein’s theory. I state that the arrow connecting Lorentz invariance and Minkowski spacetime is not explanatory and uni-directional, but analytic and bidirectional, and that this analytic arrow grounds the chronogeometric explanations of physical phenomena that special relativity offers. (shrink)

We examined whether auditors' attitude to the evidence may be driven by their perception of the self-fulfilling prophecy effect. Following previous research on motivated reasoning, we assumed that the self-fulfilling prophecy effect could be interpreted as a potential motivational/incentive factor supporting auditor's reluctance to release going concern opinions. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating in a laboratory experiment that auditors' perceptions of the self-fulfilling prophecy effect can bias their professional judgment. To this extend, the Hogarth and Einhorn's belief-adjustment model (...) was employed in order to estimate auditors' attitudes in regards to both aggravating and mitigating evidence. Our results indicate that the fear of provoking the self-fulfilling prophecy creates a directional goal which leads auditors to process the audit evidence in a manner more likely to yield the desired conclusion. Auditors' motivated by the fear of causing the self-fulfilling prophecy effect offered a greater sensitivity to the positive evidence and, at the same time, a lower tendency to favor negative evidence. We also provide a discussion of the implications of our results for both regulators and the auditing profession. (shrink)

When we speak about different interpretations of quantum mechanics it is suggested that there is one single quantum theory that can be interpreted in different ways. However, after an explicit characterization of what it is to interpret quantum mechanics, the right diagnosis is that we have a case of predictively equivalent rival theories. I extract some lessons regarding the resulting underdetermination of theory choice. Issues about theoretical identity, theoretical and methodological pluralism, and the prospects for a realist stance towards quantum (...) theory can be properly addressed once we recognize that interpretations of quantum mechanics are rival theories. (shrink)

This piece is Horace Kallen's review of Essays Philosophical and Psychological. In Honour of William James. London: Longmans, Green.

According to a popular narrative, in 1932 von Neumann introduced a theorem that intended to be a proof of the impossibility of hidden variables in quantum mechanics. However, the narrative goes, Bell later spotted a flaw that allegedly shows its irrelevance. Bell’s widely accepted criticism has been challenged by Bub and Dieks: they claim that the proof shows that viable hidden variables theories cannot be theories in Hilbert space. Bub’s and Dieks’ reassessment has been in turn challenged by Mermin and (...) Schack. Hereby I critically assess their reply, with the aim of bringing further clarification concerning the meaning, scope and relevance of von Neumann’s theorem. I show that despite Mermin and Schack’s response, Bub’s and Dieks’ reassessment is quite correct, and that this reading gets strongly reinforced when we carefully consider the connection between von Neumann’s proof and Gleason’s theorem. (shrink)

In 1991 Larry Laudan and Jarret Leplin proposed a solution for the problem of empirical equivalence and the empirical underdetermination that is often thought to result from it. In this paper we argue that, even though Laudan and Leplin’s reasoning is essentially correct, their solution should be accurately assessed in order to appreciate its nature and scope. Indeed, Laudan and Leplin’s analysis does not succeed in completely removing the problem or, as they put it, in refuting the thesis of underdetermination (...) as a consequence of empirical equivalence. Instead, what they show is merely that science possesses tools that may eventually lead out of an underdetermination impasse. We apply their argument to a real case of two empirically equivalent theories: Lorentz’s ether theory and Einstein’s special relativity. This example illustrates the validity of Laudan and Leplin’s reasoning, but also shows the importance of the reassessment we argue for. (shrink)

It is a widespread belief that the Kochen-Specker theorem imposes a contextuality constraint on the ontology of beables in quantum hidden variables theories. On the other hand, after Bell’s influential critique, the importance of von Neumann’s wrongly called ‘impossibility proof’ has been severely questioned. However, Max Jammer, Jeffrey Bub and Dennis Dieks have proposed insightful reassessments of von Neumann’s theorem: what it really shows is that hidden variables theories cannot represent their beables by means of Hermitian operators in Hilbert space. (...) Hereby I show that i) the very same constraint can be derived from Gleason’s theorem, and that ii) if we consider the import of von Neumann’s and Gleason’s theorems, the relevance of the Kochen-Specker theorem for hidden variables theories gets substantially weakened: it does not force them to be contextual in any interesting sense of the term. (shrink)

Será la guerra, justamente, el escenario propicio para el abuso de cadáveres con fines políticos, en el que confluyen dos elementos consustanciales al Mal. El primero apunta a la negación del Otro como ser humano y sujeto de derecho, lo cual habilita al agresor para proceder con crueldad sobre su víctima. El segundo remite a la gradual “espectacularización” del cadáver, cuyas imágenes develan el ensañamiento con el Otro. Del arte a las imágenes digitales, las escenografías del Mal se despliegan de (...) modo polisémico. El drama, por lo tanto, acontece en la puesta en escena del sufrimiento del otro, reside no solo en el rostro de dolor y el grito de muerte del derrotado -o en el placer, coraje o valentía de su verdugo-, sino también en un más allá, en el uso y abuso del cadáver enemigo para prolongar el daño y el dolor -directa o indirectamente- en el deudo y su comunidad. (shrink)

Para hacer justicia hay que saber la verdad. Existen al menos dos justicias, una humana, otra divina. Eventualmente la segunda precave los errores de la primera y enmienda lo obrado por la desmesura de los mortales, imponiendo su dominio, mandato y castigo. Este ensayo reflexiona respecto del tema de la verdad como aletheia, esto es, como desocultación y rememoración, en la obra Edipo rey de Sófocles. En este drama la justicia la impondrá Apolo y devendrá violenta, a causa de lamentables (...) “hechos de sangre” ocultados y olvidados. Desde el oráculo de Delfos, salpicando y chorreando sangre de los ojos del rey de Tebas, la verdad divina emergerá exigiendo venganza, sin compasión alguna para sus protagonistas. La verdad como aletheia no es solo poder, justicia y castigo por medio del logos -y aquí lo relevante-, también es grito, sangre y muerte, es tragedia. To do justice we must know the truth. There are at least two types of justice: human and divine. Eventually the second one prevents errors of the first and amends uncontrollable human actions, imposing its power, order and punishment. This essay reflects on the theme of truth as aletheia, that is, as disclosure and remembrance in Sophocles' King Oedipus. In this drama, Apollo’s justice prevails and turns violent, because of unfortunate “bloodshed” hidden and forgotten incidents. From the Delphi Oracle, the divine truth will emerge spilling blood from Thebas King’s eyes, demanding vengeance, without mercy for its players. The truth as aletheia is not only power, justice and punishment through the logos -this being what is relevant- but cry, blood and death, and tragedy. (shrink)

Se analiza la ética del discurso de Habermas para considerar dentro de la reflexión ética el cambio que la ciencia y la tecnología generan en la sociedad. La Diskursethik no considera la historicidad del ser humano y mantiene la posición kantiana que separa lo racional de lo fenoménico. Ante la negación para conceder un valor a la ciencia que no sea su sometimiento a los dictados de la razón teórica, se presentan los rasgos fundamentales de una ética dinámica que contemple (...) el futuro de la humanidad y la naturaleza como su terreno propio. The Diskursethik of Jürgen Habermas is analysed in order to consider, in the field of Ethical reflection, the change that Science and Technology drive into Society. It is pointed out that Diskursethik does not take into account the historicity of human being and suscribes a kantian position that separate rationality fromphenomenology. Facing Habermas's denial to recognize a value to science different from its submission to dictum of theoretical reason, this paper offers the main features of a dynamical ethics which sees the future of humanity and nature as its own object. (shrink)

En este trabajo realizo un examen crítico del reciente libro de Silvana Gabriela Di Camillo sobre la crítica de Aristóteles a la teoría platónica de las Ideas. El libro de Di Camillo es un trabajo muy serio cuya lectura recomiendo ampliamente. Sin embargo, considero que cuatro de las principales tesis que la autora defiende tienen varias dificultades y mi objetivo aquí es presentar argumentos detallados en contra de ellas: la interpretación de la distinción entre argumentos más y menos rigurosos del (...) tratado Sobre las Ideas; la tesis de que la separación es el blanco esencial de las críticas aristotélicas a las Ideas; la interpretación de las opciones que Platón tiene para responder al argumento del tercer hombre, y la tesis de que la separación de las Ideas debe entenderse como homonimia. In this paper I examine Silvana Gabriela Di Camillo's recent book on Aristotle's criticisms of Plato's theory of Ideas. Di Camillo's book is a very serious work that I highly recommend. Nevertheless, I consider that four of the main theses that the author defends face several difficulties and my aim here is to offer detailed arguments against them: the interpretation of the distinction between more and less accurate arguments of the treatise On Ideas; the thesis that separation is the essential target of Aristotle's criticisms against Plato's Ideas; the interpretation of the options available to Plato to reply to the third man argument; and the thesis that the separation of Ideas should be understood as homonymy. (shrink)

In this paper I argue that the case of Einstein׳s special relativity vs. Hendrik Lorentz׳s ether theory can be decided in terms of empirical evidence, in spite of the predictive equivalence between the theories. In the historical and philosophical literature this case has been typically addressed focusing on non-empirical features. I claim that non-empirical features are not enough to provide a fully objective and uniquely determined choice in instances of empirical equivalence. However, I argue that if we consider arguments proposed (...) by Richard Boyd, and by Larry Laudan and Jarret Leplin, a choice based on non-entailed empirical evidence favoring Einstein׳s theory can be made. (shrink)

The aim of this study is to analyze if two emergent models of leadership, servant and spiritual are really different or, on the contrary, are similar, with different labels. Both approaches were analyzed from their backgrounds, depictions, definitions, theoretical models proposed and limitations. It is concluded that both models of leadership are about the same models that share a similar root; both of them are oriented towards transcendental values of employees as a core component of leadership and a main factor (...) related to the quality of job performance. Further studies should be done in order to provide new empirical evidence to support whether servant and spiritual leadership can be considered as completely independent models. (shrink)

Research on young children in environmental education (EE) has focused on unstructured play in, or experiencing, nature. Little attention has been paid to young children’s stewardship efforts, or to the relation of such efforts to young children’s learning and capacity to contribute to their communities and local nature. This perspectives paper draws on the first author’s experience guiding pre-k and kindergarten children (4–6 years old) in outdoor educational projects in Santo Domingo (SD), Dominican Republic, in which the children produced a (...) park guide and a short film. In addition to becoming resources for the local community, these products are an example of children’s civic contributions. In “return on investment” language, guiding young children in outdoor experiences and reflecting on the experience represent the investment and the park guide and other products, and importantly, children’s recognition of their ability to make contributions to their community, represent the return on investment. Based on our observations that young children can make significant contributions to their communities when given the opportunity, this perspectives paper argues for a research agenda and investment in opportunities for young children to contribute to their socio-ecological communities. To support our perspective, we first review and critique the prevailing and emerging paradigms of early childhood EE, following which we briefly describe the Santo Domingo (SD) project, and close by integrating past work with the first author’s experience to argue for the importance of including young children in stewardship efforts. (shrink)

RESUMEN Este artículo se propone explorar las dimensiones propiamente humanas de la racionalidad y las facultades de discernimiento desde el punto de vista de la psicología aristotélica. En este contexto, quiero precisar cuáles son las características del denominado razonamiento deliberativo, cuáles son sus elementos constitutivos y cómo esta estructura formal explica la acción voluntaria que ha sido elegida. Lo anterior a partir de una comparación entre los elementos de la acción elegida y las partes que componen el razonamiento deliberativo. Quiero (...) defender la tesis según la cual el razonamiento deliberativo es el tipo de razonamiento que lleva a cabo un agente para actuar deliberadamente. Sirve como herramienta de explicación para la acción que es voluntaria y elegida. No es el mismo silogismo práctico, aunque comparte con este características esenciales como lo es su composición doble entre un elemento desiderativo y un elemento cognitivo. Para ello se propone el siguiente esquema de trabajo: primero, se explora las características del alma propuestas por Aristóteles que definen lo propiamente humano, señalando específicamente cómo el ser humano expresa su racionalidad. Segundo, se establece de manera comparativa los elementos constitutivos de la acción praxis con los elementos constitutivos del razonamiento deliberativo. Finalmente, en tercer lugar, se define la acción incontinente como un error en el proceso deliberativo descrito con anterioridad. A partir de lo anterior se concluye que aunque la acción incontinente se defina como un error en el proceso deliberativo, es necesario explicarla desde el paradigma del razonamiento deliberativo para abrir futuras discusiones, como por ejemplo, la responsabilidad moral que tiene este tipo de acciones. ABSTRACT This article aims to explore the properly human dimensions of rationality and the faculties of discernment from the point of view of Aristotelian psychology. In this context, I want to specify what are the characteristics of the so-called deliberative reasoning, what are its constituent elements, and how this formal structure explains the voluntary action that has been chosen. This is based on a comparison between the elements of the chosen action and the parts of the deliberative reasoning. I want to defend the thesis according to which the deliberative reasoning is the type of reasoning carried out by an agent to act deliberately. It works as an explanation tool for the action that is voluntary and chosen. It is not the same practical syllogism, although it shares with it essential characteristics such as its double composition between desiderative and cognitive elements. To do this, we propose the following: first, we explore those characteristics of the soul that define what is properly human as proposed by Aristotle, pointing specifically to how human beings express their rationality. Second, the constitutive elements of the action praxis are established comparatively with the constitutive elements of deliberative reasoning. Finally, the incontinent action is defined as an error in the deliberative process described previously. Based on the above, it is concluded that, although incontinent action is defined as an error in the deliberative process, it must be explained from the paradigm of deliberative reasoning to open further discussions, such as, for example, the moral responsibility that this type of action has. (shrink)

El derecho, como lenguaje, cumple diferentes funciones comunicacionales que logra, en buena medida, a través del uso de herramientas y dispositivos narrativos. Entre ellos se destacan las ficciones jurídicas, las cuales, lejos de retratar la realidad, buscan crear una verdad jurídica. En el caso de las ficciones constitucionales, éstas son, con frecuencia, malinterpretadas, lo que lleva a su degeneración. En este texto, más allá de ofrecer un acercamiento conceptual a la figura de las ficciones constitucionales, se ofrece un análisis introductorio (...) en cuanto a la forma en la que ha ocurrido esto en el contexto del nuevo constitucionalismo latinoamericano. (shrink)