In this article, we discuss, from a complex systems perspective, possible implications of the rising dependency between autonomous human social/individual action, ubiquitous computing, and artificial intelligent systems. Investigation is made of ethical and political issues related to the application of ubiquitous computing resources to autonomous decision-making processes and to the enhancement of human cognition and action. We claim that without the feedback of fellow humans, which teaches us the consequences of our actions in real everyday life, the indiscriminate use of (...) ubiquitous computing in decision-making processes seems to be beyond the reach of any clear ethical control. We argue that the complex systems perspective may help us to foresee possible long-term consequences of our choices, in areas where human autonomous action can be directly affected by informational technologies. (shrink)

The impact of new advanced technology on issues that concern meaningful information and its relation to studies of intelligence constitutes the main topic of the present paper. The advantages, disadvantages and implications of the synthetic methodology developed by cognitive scientists, according to which mechanical models of the mind, such as computer simulations or self-organizing robots, may provide good explanatory tools to investigate cognition, are discussed. A difficulty with this methodology is pointed out, namely the use of meaningless information to explain (...) intelligent behavior that incorporates meaningful information. In this context, it is inquired what are the contributions of cognitive science to contemporary studies of intelligent behavior and how technology may play a role in the analysis of the relationships established by organisms in their natural and social environments. (shrink)

The impact of new advanced technology on issues that concern meaningful information and its relation to studies of intelligence constitutes the main topic of the present paper. The advantages, disadvantages and implications of the synthetic methodology developed by cognitive scientists, according to which mechanical models of the mind, such as computer simulations or self-organizing robots, may provide good explanatory tools to investigate cognition, are discussed. A difficulty with this methodology is pointed out, namely the use of meaningless information to explain (...) intelligent behavior that incorporates meaningful information. In this context, it is inquired what are the contributions of cognitive science to contemporary studies of intelligent behavior and how technology may play a role in the analysis of the relationships established by organisms in their natural and social environments. (shrink)

The following dilemma is discussed: On the one hand, the growing impact of Technology of communication and information (ICT) in everyday habits seems to influence the dynamics of public opinion by reinforcing irrational beliefs and creating the impression that the autonomy of people’s opinion and decisions is just a myth. On the other hand, people seem to act most of the time, under the normal circumstances of daily life, in a rational way, as if their habitual actions result from relatively (...) autonomous decisions. A way out of this dilemma is suggested with the hypothesis that people can be rational most of the time, but nevertheless have their opinions influenced by insufficient, distorted information, or by previously acquired emotional dispositions. This hypothesis, in turn, is going to be scrutinized by considering, from a philosophical-interdisciplinary perspective, the role of rational choices in the dynamics of autonomous opinion. With illustrations of diagrams, we claim that the qualitative Complex Systems paradigm might help us to understand the possible role of emotional dispositions in the dynamics of autonomous opinion formation. (shrink)

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar e discutir a sugestão de Fred Dretske para analisar o problema dos qualia. Tal problema, caro à Filosofia da Mente, ficou conhecido pela discussão desenvolvida por Thomas Nagel em seu clássico artigo What is it like to be a bat. Nesse artigo, Nagel postulou a impossibilidade de se conhecer, em perspectiva de terceira-pessoa, os aspectos da experiência humana. Ele considera que, mesmo após as descrições objetivas da experiência de um sujeito, escapariam ainda aspectos qualitativos, (...) fundamentais para se caracterizar os qualia. A partir de sua Tese Representacionista da mente, Dretske argumenta que seria possível dissolver esse problema se admitirmos que a mente é a face representacional do cérebro, a natureza dos qualia seria, assim, representacional. Nesse contexto, os fatos mentais relacionados às experiências seriam fatos representacionais: se conhecermos a natureza desses fatos representacionais conheceremos também a experiência do sistema que a representa. Diante de tal entendimento, discutimos em que medida a proposta dretskeana constitui uma alternativa ao problema dos qualia. (shrink)

What is the conception of the human body underlying the Transhumanismproject? This question guides the present analysis undertaken from a philosophicalinterdisciplinary perspective. Inspired by Le Breton and Morin’s hypotheses about the complexity of the human body, we criticize mechanisticconception of the living body underlying the Transhumanism project. Implications ofthe Transhumanism project for personal identity are proposed based on hypotheses ofcomplex systems theory as a starting point for critical reflection on a possible gloomyfuture envisioned by the unnatural/artificial development of the transhuman (...) body. (shrink)

We develop an analysis of the notion of mental representation, in the domain of visual perception, from a Cognitive Science perspective. Emphasis is given on a Connectionist view, according to which mental representations are emergent properties of the interaction between brain-like systems and structured light in the environment. We suggest that such a notion of mental representation indicates a way out of an ancient dispute between Representationalism and Eliminativism regarding the existence of mental representation in the human perceptual system.We develop (...) an analysis of the notion of mental representation, in the domain of visual perception, from a Cognitive Science perspective. Emphasis is given on a Connectionist view, according to which mental representations are emergent properties of the interaction between brain-like systems and structured light in the environment. We suggest that such a notion of mental representation indicates a way out of an ancient dispute between Representationalism and Eliminativism regarding the existence of mental representation in the human perceptual system.Investigaremos, a partir da perspectiva da Ciência Cognitiva, a noção de representação mental, no domínio da percepção visual humana. Ênfase é dada ao paradigma Conexionista, ou de Redes Neurais, de acordo com o qual tais representações mentais são descritas como estruturas emergentes da interação entre sistemas de processamento de informação que se auto-organizam - tais como o cérebro - e a luz estruturada no meio ambiente. Sugerimos que essa noção de representação mental indica uma solução para uma antiga polêmica, entre Representacionalistas e Eliminativistas, acerca da existência de representações mentais no sistema perceptual humano. (shrink)

O objetivo do presente artigo é desenvolver uma reflexão acerca de relações existentes entre informação e ação, no contexto das tecnologias informacionais de comunicação. O problema central que guiará o artigo pode ser assim formulado: Qual é a influência da informação disponível nas TICs na ação autônoma? O direcionamento de pesquisas em relação ao conceito de informação possui geralmente uma orientação técnica, não focalizando questões éticas, ontológicas e epistemológicas, que são igualmente relevantes ao se tratar desse conceito. Em contraste com (...) a orientação técnica vigente, ressaltamos a abordagem proposta por Charles S. Peirce, que caracteriza informação a partir de diferentes perspectivas: lógico-semântica, pragmática e semiótica. Partindo da hipótese que processos informacionais têm uma participação fundamental no direcionamento da ação, investigamos impactos das TICs presentes nas relações cotidianas. Discutimos transformações que as TICs têm possibilitado na relação agente-ambiente, ressaltando recursos computacionais de mineração de dados, que propiciam ações, muitas vezes direcionadas por interesses alheios àqueles dos usuários. Argumentamos que o estudo da informação é importante para entender possíveis implicações das TICs no direcionamento da ação humana. (shrink)

We conducted three studies to examine how the recipients of negative workplace gossip judge the gossip sender’s morality and how they respond behaviorally. Study 1 provided experimental evidence that gossip recipients perceive senders as low in morality, with female recipients rating the sender’s morality more negatively than male recipients. In a follow-up experiment (Study 2), we further found that perceived low morality translates into behavioral responses in the form of career-related sanctions by the recipient on the gossip sender. A critical (...) incident study (Study 3) enhanced the external validity and extended the moderated mediation model by showing that gossip recipients also penalize senders with social exclusion. We discuss the implications for practice and research on negative workplace gossip, gender differences in attributions of morality, and gossip recipients’ behavioral responses. (shrink)

El artículo trata de aplicar las concepciones gramscianas al estudio de la primera constitución española. En el análisis se observan cuestiones relacionadas con la educación y los grupos hegemónicos intentando aportar nuevos datos tras la interpretación.

One of the measures adopted by the government of Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the elimination of face-to-face classes in all universities, requiring that all teachers had to conduct their classes in an online mode. The objective of this article is to study how this adaptation among university teachers affected their job performance due to the technostress that they may have suffered. Based on the person-environment misfit theory, the sample consisted of 239 teachers from face-to-face and online universities (...) in Spain who were asked to identify the type of technostress, feelings of technostress, and impact on job performance as a result of online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that teachers who suffered the most from the negative consequences of technology have been female teachers from face-to-face universities who are older, have more years of experience, and consequently, hold a higher position. Despite previous results none of the above variables have been significant in explaining the decline in job performance during confinement. It was also observed that although the effect on job performance was similar for online teachers as well as face-to-face teachers, the variables that explained this effect were different. For the online teachers, there was a misfit between the demands and resources, which are explained based on the previous theory. Teachers from face-to-face universities pointed to the lack of instructions from their organization, along with subjective feelings of techno-inefficacy, as the reasons behind the decline in job performance during the lockdown period. Looking ahead to future research on the incorporation of information and communications technology in teaching work, it is necessary to consider variables associated with technostress, both objective and subjective, in order to increase the effectiveness of integrating emerging technology into teaching work. (shrink)

This book offers intriguing philosophical inquiries into biotechnological art and the life sciences, addressing their convergences as well as their epistemic and functional divergences. Rooted on a thorough understanding of the history of philosophy, this work builds on critical and ontological thought to interpret the concept of life that underscores first-hand dealings with matter and experimentation. The book breaks new ground on the issue of animality and delivers fresh posthumanist perspectives on the topics addressed. The authors embark on a deep (...) ontological probe of the concept of medium as communication-bridging and life-bearing. They also take on the concept of performativity as biotechnological art. The book includes concrete, well-documented case studies and shows how certain narratives and practices directly impact ideas surrounding science and technologies. It will interest philosophers in art and technology, aesthetics, ontology, and the life sciences. It will also engage art practitioners in art and science, curators and researchers. (shrink)

Hasta mediado s del siglo pasado, el tema que nos ocupa, la presencia de Cristo en los sacramentos, se resumía y concentraba, po r no deci r que se agotaba, en la presencia real eucanstica. O sea el concept o 'presencia' de Cristo se reservaba en la practica únicamente para su realización máxima en la Eucaristía; era la presencia real somática la que absorbía cualquier otra forma de presencia sacramental, que en todo caso quedaba en la sombra. Subrayo lo de (...) presencia sacramental, porque obviamente la presencia divina llenándolo todo, abarcando el cosmo s y la historia, no era desconocida Po r lo que a mi se m e alcanza, la primera vez que en un documento eclesiástico se hace explícita referencia a la presencia de Cristo en los sacramentos es precisamente en la única encíclica enteramente consagrada a la liturgia que hasta hoy conocemos : la Mediator Dei promulgada por Pío XII el 20 de noviembre de 1947. La doctrina aquí propuesta ha tenido tal aceptación o recepción que pertenece ya, podríamos decir, al tesoro de la Tradición. (shrink)

In 1626, the Neapolitan Ottavio Sammarco published the Discorso politico intorno la conseruatione della pace dell'Italia in which the author referred to the King of Spain as arbiter among the Italian princes and his ministers in Italy as efficient instruments to ensure the stability. This piece of political literature shows an explicit practical orientation, through which the author carries out a systematisation of the political means to achieve quietness in Italy. In articulating the praxis into formal language, Sammarco looks to (...) the past searching for the wisdom of History and uses Tacitus’ account to build a discourse around the tools and mechanisms for preserving stability and avoiding conflicts. The aim of this article, in the first instance, is to examine Sammarco's discursive programme and the purpose of his discourse; in the second place, how Tacitus serves the author's aim and how his account means a fundamental anchor. Furthermore, it will be useful to trace how the political language that transforms the continuous threat of war into politics is modelled by 1626 in Italy and how Sammarco contextualizes his political vocabulary within the Spanish Monarchy political dialectic at the beginning of XVII century. (shrink)

El uso prolongado de la voz es un factor de riesgo para el desarrollo de patologías vocales en docentes. Actualmente, estos profesionales se ven obligados a usar mascarilla para dictar sus clases, lo que puede resultar en alteraciones vocales. Durante la virtualización de las clases los docentes debieron adaptar algún espacio doméstico para desempeñar sus funciones frente a un computador, disminuyendo la actividad física y fomentando un estilo de vida sedentario, lo que pudo ocasionar algún trastorno músculo-esquelético. Con este panorama, (...) el propósito del estudio es identificar efectos en la voz por la mascarilla y lesiones músculo-esqueléticas en docentes. (shrink)

The unfinished imperfect procedural justice raised by John Rawls can be projected towards the theory of the jurisdictional function of Alf Ross, if we took in consideration the judge as an institution and citizen when he applies the law in the population that judges. The theory of the justice of the..

The article briefly approaches some questions on the main penal theories that they turn around the determination of the penalty in the sentenced ones of codified legal systems, being jurisdictional processes, among them, the theory of the danger of Cesar Lombroso. The tendency of these criminal po..

El texto aquí desarrollado aborda los principios más generales del realismo sociológico escandinavo, en particular de la teoría de la función jurisdiccional y del interés de Alf Ross, que sostiene a la objetividad y subjetividad como parte integrante de la actividad del juzgador, contrastán..

Following Goldman’s seminal work, most contemporary philosophical contributions on the novice-expert relation have adopted a normative, expert-focused approach. In this paper, we aim to shift the focus of the philosophical analysis towards the characteristics of the novices, and how they might determine the choices that experts make. On the bases of recent empirical evidence from social psychology, we discuss how novices evaluate the messages that they receive and distinguish diverse kinds of novices according to their competence in message assessment. Building (...) on that analysis, we discuss the difficulties of approaches to expertise that focus only on the standpoint of novices or assume novices are homogeneous. In our analysis, we introduce the standpoint of experts, and we pay special attention to the heterogeneity of novices. This approach allows us to identify and address the difficulties faced by experts in the context of science communication. In the last part of the paper, we characterise and discuss the problem of experts when choosing a strategy in the issuing of a public campaign to advise or inform certain populations of novices. (shrink)

Background:The decision whether to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation may sometimes be ethically complex. While studies have addressed some of these issues, along with the role of nurses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, most have not considered the importance of nurses acting as advocates for their patients with respect to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.Research objective:To explore what the nurse’s advocacy role is in cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the perspective of patients, relatives, and health professionals in the Basque Country (Spain).Research design:An exploratory critical qualitative study was conducted from (...) October 2015 to March 2016. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Participants:Four discussion groups were held: one with patients and relatives (n = 8), two with nurses (n = 7 and n = 6, respectively), and one with physicians (n = 5).Ethical considerations:Approval was obtained from the Basque Country Clinical Research Ethics Committee.Findings:Three significant themes were identified: (a) accompanying patients during end of life in a context of medical dominance, (b) maintaining the pact of silence, and (c) yielding to legal uncertainty and concerns.Discussion:The values and beliefs of the actors involved, as well as pre-established social and institutional rules reduced nurses’ advocacy to that of intermediaries between the physician and the family within the hospital environment. On the contrary, in primary health care, nurses participated more actively within the interdisciplinary team.Conclusion:This study provides key information for the improvement and empowerment for ethical nursing practice in a cardiac arrest, and provides the perspective of patients and relatives, nurses and physicians. (shrink)

El consumo mediático a través de diferentes redes sociales forma parte de la cultura digital adolescente. Este artículo tiene como objetivo describir la propuesta metodológica cualitativa construida para conocer las influencias de las Tecnologías de la Relación, Información y Comunicación en un grupo-aula de Educación Primaria desde una perspectiva de género. Se utiliza un planteamiento etnográfico en el que se aplican diferentes técnicas de recogida de información como la observación participante, las asambleas o las sesiones de experimentación y creación mediática. (...) Finalmente, se ofrece una aproximación a resultados a modo de revisión exploratoria del trabajo de campo. (shrink)

Este trabajo muestra los resultados de una investigación realizada en ESIC UNIVERSITY, consistente en la medición del impacto empresarial que puede tener la robótica. El estudio analiza las opiniones de los alumnos tras visitar y experimentar en un espacio dotado de robots y humanoides, denominado Aula Tech. Se realizó durante 2018 y 2021. El estudio fue cuantitativo. La muestra la compusieron 284 individuos, con paridad de género (140 mujeres y 139 hombres). Los resultados muestran el total desconocimiento de la robótica (...) en la empresa y el temor a la convivencia social. (shrink)

Banking firms are becoming increasingly aware that their clients’ management of environmental and social risks may in term threaten their own business as lenders and investors. In addition, stakeholders are requiring banks to improve their social performance. As a result, some banks are developing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and management systems to reduce potential risks and improve their performance. In the Spanish financial system, half of the banking firms are savings banks, most of which have always used some Corporate (...) Social Responsibility (CSR) criteria in their management. Private Banks have only recently started to integrate social aspects in their performance. However, no formal analysis has been carried out on the impact of CSR strategies. Various initiatives have been launched nationally and internationally to include the social dimension in management systems. The purpose of this research is to analyse the social performance of the main Spanish financial companies through public data such as social or sustainability reports and media sources. In order to do this, we need to determine which CSR criteria most greatly affect banking firms and to choose the most accurate quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure social performance. (shrink)

Since its beginning, philosophy has established various relationships with poetry which are sometimes strained, at times less so and sometimes almost from complete oblivion. From Greece poetry started to be denounced: however, from the so-called crisis of reason it became essential to reopen and..