En este artículo nos proponemos realizar una lectura de la sección «Anthropologie» de la Enzyklopädie hegeliana con el objetivo de mostrar la particular concepción de lo humano que, incluso a pesar de su autor, se desprende de ella. Para esto analizaremos algunos fenómenos (el niño en el vientre materno, el sonambulismo magnético, etc.) abordados por Hegel en dicha sección. Concluiremos que el «alma» (Seele), objeto específico de la «Anthropologie», cumple la misma función limítrofe (entre naturaleza y espíritu, sensibilidad y entendimiento, (...) etc.) que ha cumplido la imaginación a lo largo de la historia de la metafísica. (shrink)

En este artículo me propongo mostrar que el Péri Archôn de Damascio representa, más allá de las intenciones del autor, la implosión de la metafísica neoplatónica y, al mismo tiempo, el intento más riguroso pero también más desgarrador por mantenerla a flote y asegurar la fundamentación ordenada de la realidad. En este sentido, toda la obra está animada por un doble movimiento: por un lado, la postulación de un Absoluto incoordinado (lo Inefable); por el otro, la postulación en última instancia (...) de algún tipo de coordinación con el Todo. Sostendré, valiéndome de una comparación con algunas tesis de E. Lévinas, que el peligro que ha entrevisto Damascio, con una conciencia mucho más acentuada que sus predecesores, es que la postulación de lo Inefable, en tanto absolutamente incoordinado e irrelativo, conduce a la desfundamentación radical del Ser. Ante este peligro, Damascio se ha visto obligado a retroceder y a relativizar de algún modo a lo Inefable. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo consiste en mostrar que no basta con cuestionar las opiniones establecidas y con argumentar dialécticamente para adoptar una actitud filosófica; es preciso además matar al Padre, es decir asumir un nombre propio, un lugar de enunciación que conlleva una colisión más o menos polémica con los pensadores con quienes dialogamos. Si Sócrates representa la figura del tábano que cuestiona y persuade, el Extranjero del Sofista representa la figura del parricida. Sostendré entonces que la actitud filosófica (...) solo puede explicarse en toda su amplitud y profundidad a partir de estas dos figuras. Asimismo, mostraré que la institución académica tiende a privilegiar la figura del tábano en detrimento de la figura del parricida. (shrink)

RESUMEN Según Furio Jesi y Giorgio Agamben, la máquina antropológica es un dispositivo histórico que produce imágenes del hombre. En este artículo nos proponemos retomar esta categoría y mostrar que existen dos grandes modelos de máquina según la naturaleza de la imagen generada: la máquina teológica-bíblica, que funciona hasta el siglo XIX y que produce al hombre como ícono; la máquina ateológica, posterior a la muerte de Dios, que produce al hombre como fantasma. ABSTRACT According to Furio Jesi and Giorgio (...) Agamben, the anthropological machine is a historical dispositive that produces images of man. This paper aims at returning to this category and demonstrating that two models of the machine can be found depending on the nature of the image produced: the theological-biblical machine that operates until 19th century and that produces man as icon, and the a-theological machine, after disappearance of God, that produces man as phantasm. (shrink)

Resumen En este artículo nos proponemos mostrar que el nacimiento virginal de Jesús se ha constituido, en su sentido dogmático, a partir de una obliteración de la placenta. Para las culturas primitivas, la placenta era considerada un doble o un gemelo del feto. Mostraremos que el peligro de introducir la figura de la placenta en los relatos del nacimiento virginal implicaba la posibilidad de que existiese un doble o un a/ter ego del Salvador. Para nosotros, este doble o gemelo coincide (...) con la figura del Anticristo.This article aims at demonstrating that the virgin birth of Christ has been construed, in its dogmatic sense, based on the obliteration of the placenta. Primitive cultures regarded the placenta as a double or twin of the fetus. We will demonstrate that introducing the placenta into virgin birth narratives dangerously implied the potential of a double or alter ego of the Saviour. In our view, this double or twin brother refers to the Antichrist. (shrink)

Light as divine source of truth and excellence is a pervasive metaphor in St. Augustine. This paper examines the distinction between two lights and two eyes: corporeal and incorporeal light, which correspond to the bodily eye and the eye of the soul, respectively. The paper also puts forward a political reading of this light-optic tension.

En este artículo nos proponemos analizar, desde una perspectiva lógica y ontológica, la noción de una “cuarta persona de la Trinidad”, tal como aparece en el De fide orthodoxa y De imaginibus de Juan de Damasco. Sostendremos que esta “cuarta persona” pone en cuestión la lógica de la teología trinitaria. En la medida en que es irreductible a lo divino y a lo humano, así como a la materia y al espíritu, la cuarta persona posee una naturaleza extra-ontológica que exige (...) para expresarse, consecuentemente, una cuarta persona extra-gramatical más allá de la sintaxis. (shrink)

There are thirteen instances of the term schema throughout the chapter “Le panoptism”, from Surveiller et punir. We consider that the meaning of this technical term found in Foucault’s work refers to the philosophy of Kant. Gilles Deleuze is one of the few thinkers who noticed the connection between the issue of power and the Kantian schema. Considering that the diagram is analogous to the Kantian schema and the schema —as in Kritik der reinen Vernunft— is a product of imagination, (...) which is the Foucauldian term that corresponds to imagination? This question itself leads to an ontology. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that Foucauldian archeology and genealogy require a political and historical ontology of imagination, which has been partially outlined by Deleuze, but never thought in connection with the imagination. (shrink)

En este artículo me propongo demostrar la tesis de que el hades es el logos. Para esto examinaré las nociones de psyche, eidolon y soma en la poesía homérica y el cambio semántico que sufren con Platón. Mostraré también, a partir de Hegel, que el logos implica la muerte de la cosa nombrada y un horror ante la desaparición del ser animado. Este horror encuentra su objeto específico en el cadáver. Por último, basándome en Blanchot explicaré que este miedo antropogénico (...) genera dos efectos al interior del logos: la idea y el espectro. (shrink)

En la famosa “Lettre à un critique sévère”, Gilles Deleuze sugiere que existen dos maneras de leer un libro: una que supone un proceso de interpretación y comentario y otra que supone un proceso de experimentación y devenir. En este artículo nos proponemos mostrar que la primera modalidad de lectura es característica de la filosofía entendida como especialización, mientras que la segunda es característica de la filosofía entendida como experimentación. Asimismo, mostraremos que la primera modalidad obedece a un impulso retrospectivo (...) mientras que la segunda a un impulso prospectivo. (shrink)

En Homo sacer I. Il potere sovrano e la nuda vita, Giorgio Agamben recuerda una expresión que le dirigiera Walter Benjamin a Pierre Klossowski e, indirectamente, al grupo Acéphale: vous travaillez pour le fascisme. En este artículo quisiéramos mostrar que es el pensamiento político-ontológico del propio Agamben, y también en cierto sentido el de Benjamin – quien ha influido de modo decisivo en el filósofo italiano –, el que en verdad corre el riesgo de trabajar para el fascismo. Mostraremos por (...) eso la necesidad de distinguir dos niveles de lo político: un nivel trascendental y un nivel empírico. Si no se atiende a esta distinción, argumentaremos, se corre el riesgo de trabajar, efectivamente, para el fascismo. (shrink)

Resumen El concepto de “quiasmo” es fundamental en la filosofía del “último” Merleau-Ponty. Me interesa retomar este concepto para mostrar que, en la nueva ontología esbozada en Le visible et l’invisible y en las notas de la misma época, su función guarda correspondencia con la tarea que, a lo largo de la historia de la filosofía, ha desempeñado la imaginación. En este sentido, una ontología del quiasmo supone por necesidad pensar una ontología de la imaginación. Además, este concepto permite arrojar (...) una luz nueva sobre el problema de la subjetividad.The concept of “chiasm” is central to the philosophy of the “late” Merleau-Ponty. My aim is to retrieve this concept in order to show that, within the framework of the new ontology outlined in Le visible et l’invisible and the notes written during the same period, its function corresponds to the function that imagination has performed throughout the history of philosophy. Thus, an ontology of chiasm necessarily involves reflecting upon an ontology of imagination. Furthermore, the concept of chiasm enables us to shed new light on the problem of subjectivity. (shrink)

En este artículo nos proponemos mostrar, por un lado, que resulta factible (y esclarecedor) explicar el capítulo “Of personal identity” del Treatise of Human Nature de David Hume a partir de la obra Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore de Luigi Pirandello, así como esta última obra a partir del texto de Hume; y, por otro lado, que tomando como eje la comparación de la mente con el teatro que propone Hume en dicho capítulo es también posible individuar, según el modo (...) en el que se piensa la relación del pensamiento y la experiencia con el sujeto, dos grandes corrientes en la filosofía moderna: una que podríamos denominar teatro de Autor y otra teatro sin Autor. (shrink)

This article aims at demonstrating that the theory of potency developed by Giorgio Agamben lacks a fundamental aspect. The Italian philosopher has pointed out the amphibious nature of potency. However, his analysis does not cover the act, thus failing to observe its amphibious nature. We will demonstrate that this insufficiency lies at the root of several problems –whether ontological, political, aesthetic, ethical, etc.– found in Agamben’s thinking.

In 1966 the Brazilian physicist Klaus Tausk (b. 1927) circulated a preprint from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, criticizing Adriana Daneri, Angelo Loinger, and Giovanni Maria Prosperi`s theory of 1962 on the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. A heated controversy ensued between two opposing camps within the orthodox interpretation of quantum theory, represented by Leon Rosenfeld and Eugene P. Wigner. The controversy went well beyond the strictly scientific issues, however, reflecting philosophical and political commitments within the (...) context of the Cold War, the relationship between science in developed and Third World countries, the importance of social skills, and personal idiosyncrasies. (shrink)

Esta proposta de discussão aborda o ensino da filosofia. Os objetivos da pesquisa: identificar aspectos teóricos e práticos no trabalho dos professores na disciplina de filosofia na educação básica; descrever e avaliar os temas filosóficos que são trabalhados na disciplina filosofia na educação básica; comparar a formação daqueles que têm formação em filosofia e daqueles que não a tem. Com esses objetivos pudemos verificar quais universidades brasileiras oferecem curso de filosofia. Obtivemos os dados: no Brasil temos 188 escolas públicas, 329 (...) escolas particulares perfazendo um total de 517 escolas superiores e, nessas, há um total de 83 cursos de filosofia. Faremos busca de informações sobre os professores que lecionam a disciplina de filosofia na cidade de Uberaba, MG e região circunvizinha. Queremos saber quais são e onde estão os professores de filosofia tanto nas escolas públicas quanto particulares na Educação Básica. O problema de pesquisa é “até que ponto os professores de filosofia, na Educação Básica, estão preparados teoricamente para trabalhar conteúdos e reflexões de cunho filosófico proporcionando pensamentos isentos de superficialidade própria do senso comum?”. (shrink)

This paper presents a method for investigating counterfactual histories of science. A central notion to our theory of science are "advances" (ideas, data, etc.), which are units passed among scientists and which would be conserved in passing from one possible history to another. Advances are connected to each other by nets of causal influence, and we distinguish strong and weak influences. Around sixty types of advances are grouped into ten classes. As our case study, we examine the beginning of the (...) Old Quantum Theory, using a computer to store and process historical information. We describe four plausible possible histories, along with six other implausible ones. (shrink)

Opdagelsen af det ubevidste skete som bekendt inden for rammerne af Freuds tera­peutiske erfaring. Dets udforskning viste imidlertid, at følgerne af denne opdagelse var betydeligt mere omfattende end han først antog.

En el presente artículo se problematiza un aspecto de la crónica modernista: su compilación y publicación en ediciones críticas. Se revisa el caso de tres libros de autores centroamericanos que aparecieron, originalmente, en publicaciones periódicas: La vida de Rubén Darío Escrita por él mismo (1915), de Rubén Darío; Sensaciones de París y de Madrid (1900), de Enrique Gómez Carrillo; y El libro del trópico (1907), de Arturo Ambrogi. Las tres obras ofrecen particularidades que las convierten en modelos diferentes de un (...) mismo problema filológico, por lo que evidencian lo provechoso que sería para el proceso de lectura de un receptor de hoy, acceder a un texto anotado y editado críticamente. (shrink)

In this paper we deal with the problem of stating what an analogy relation is, according it is usually used on teaching natural sciences. According our proposal, two situations are said to be analogous if their representations includes isomorphical subsets. We analyze the elements that can be inv..

The situation of childhood and the adolescence in the Republic of Argentina as object of social politics is discussed from a clinical point of view. This matter seems to be connected to the problems of (personal) security, sometimes mingling the barrier that separates this from the way Justice fu..

The main topics of this thesis are cardinal invariants, P -points and MAD families. Cardinal invariants of the continuum are cardinal numbers that are bigger than $\aleph _{0}$ and smaller or equal than $\mathfrak {c}.$ Of course, they are only interesting when they have some combinatorial or topological definition. An almost disjoint family is a family of infinite subsets of $\omega $ such that the intersection of any two of its elements is finite. A MAD family is a maximal almost (...) disjoint family. An ultrafilter $\mathcal {U}$ on $\omega $ is called a P-point if every countable $\mathcal {B\subseteq U}$ there is $X\in $ $\mathcal {U}$ such that $X\setminus B$ is finite for every $B\in \mathcal {B}.$ This kind of ultrafilters has been extensively studied, however there is still a large number of open questions about them.In the preliminaries we recall the principal properties of filters, ultrafilters, ideals, MAD families and cardinal invariants of the continuum. We present the construction of Shelah, Mildenberger, Raghavan, and Steprāns of a completely separable MAD family under $\mathfrak {s\leq a}.$ None of the results in this chapter are due to the author.The second chapter is dedicated to a principle of Sierpiński. The principle $\left $ of Sierpiński is the following statement: There is a family of functions $\left \{ \varphi _{n}:\omega _{1}\longrightarrow \omega _{1}\mid n\in \omega \right \} $ such that for every $I\in \left [ \omega _{1}\right ] ^{\omega _{1}}$ there is $n\in \omega $ for which $\varphi _{n}\left [ I\right ] =\omega _{1}.$ This principle was recently studied by Arnie Miller. He showed that this principle is equivalent to the following statement: There is a set $X=\left \{ f_{\alpha }\mid \alpha \alpha $ then $f_{\beta }\cap g$ is infinite. Miller showed that the principle of Sierpiński implies that non $\left =\omega _{1}.$ He asked if the converse was true, i.e., does non $\left =\omega _{1}$ imply the principle $\left $ of Sierpiński? We answer his question affirmatively. In other words, we show that non $\left =\omega _{1}$ is enough to construct an $\mathcal {IE}$ -Luzin set. It is not hard to see that the $\mathcal {IE}$ -Luzin set we constructed is meager. This is no coincidence, because with the aid of an inaccessible cardinal, we construct a model where non $\left =\omega _{1}$ and every $\mathcal {IE}$ -Luzin set is meager.The third chapter is dedicated to a conjecture of Hrušák. Michael Hrušák conjectured the following: Every Borel cardinal invariant is either at most non $\left $ or at least cov $\left $. Although the veracity of this conjecture is still an open problem, we were able to obtain some partial results: The conjecture is false for “Borel invariants of $\omega _{1}^{\omega }$ ” nevertheless, it is true for a large class of definable invariants. This is part of a joint work with Michael Hrušák and Jindřich Zapletal.In the fourth chapter we present a survey on destructibility of ideals and MAD families. We prove several classic theorems, but we also prove some new results. For example, we show that every almost disjoint family of size less than $\mathfrak {c}$ can be extended to a Cohen indestructible MAD family is equivalent to $\mathfrak {b=c}$. A MAD family $\mathcal {A}$ is Shelah–Steprāns if for every $X\subseteq \left [ \omega \right ] ^{<\omega }\setminus \left \{ \emptyset \right \} $ either there is $A\in \mathcal {I}\left $ such that $s\cap A\neq \emptyset $ for every $s\in X$ or there is $B\in \mathcal {I}\left $ that contains infinitely many elements of X $ denotes the ideal generated by $\mathcal {A}$ ). This concept was introduced by Raghavan which is connected to the notion of “strongly separable” introduced by Shelah and Steprāns. We prove that Shelah–Steprāns MAD families have very strong indestructibility properties: Shelah–Steprāns MAD families are indestructible for “many” definable forcings that does not add dominating reals. According to the author’s best knowledge, this is the strongest notion that has been considered in the literature so far. In spite of their strong indestructibility, Shelah–Steprāns MAD families can be destroyed by a ccc forcing that does not add unsplit or dominating reals. We also consider some strong combinatorial properties of MAD families and show the relationships between them.The fifth chapter is one of the most important chapters in the thesis. A MAD family $\mathcal {A}$ is called $+$ -Ramsey if every tree that branches into $\mathcal {I}\left $ -positive sets has an $\mathcal {I}\left $ -positive branch. Michael Hrušák’s first published question is the following: Is there a $+$ -Ramsey MAD family? It was previously known that such families can consistently exist. However, there was no construction of such families using only the axioms of ZFC. We solve this problem by constructing such a family without any extra assumptions.In the fourth and fifth chapters, we introduce several notions of MAD families, in the sixth chapter we prove several implications and non implications between them. We construct several MAD families with different properties.In the seventh chapter we build models without P -points. We show that there are no P -points after adding Silver reals either iteratively or by the side by side product. These results have some important consequences: The first one is that is its possible to get rid of P -points using only definable forcings. This answers a question of Michael Hrušák. We can also use our results to build models with no P -points and with arbitrarily large continuum, which was also an open question. These results were obtained with David Chodounský.prepared by Osvaldo Guzmán GonzálezE-mail : [email protected] : https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.09680. (shrink)

The principle of Sierpinski is the assertion that there is a family of functions $\left\{ {{\varphi _n}:{\omega _1} \to {\omega _1}|n \in \omega } \right\}$ such that for every $I \in {[{\omega _1}]^{{\omega _1}}}$ there is n ε ω such that ${\varphi _n}[I] = {\omega _1}$. We prove that this principle holds if there is a nonmeager set of size ω1 answering question of Arnold W. Miller. Combining our result with a theorem of Miller it then follows that is equivalent (...) to $non\left = {\omega _1}$. Miller also proved that the principle of Sierpinki is equivalent to the existence of a weak version of a Luzin set, we will construct a model where all of these sets are meager yet $non\left = {\omega _1}$. (shrink)

Focusing on the relation between Freud and Nietzsche, the paper aims at pointing to an alternative path to the displacement of subjectivity among the moderns. Nietzschean notions of instinct and sublimation, which are among the central tenets of his critique of culture and modernity, could be the starting point for a productive discussion with psychoanalysis.

Após apresentar, em linhas gerais, a abordagem dos modelos causais em história da ciência, define-se a noção de “avanço” como uma manifestação cultural de natureza cognitiva ou, na linguagem da biologia evolutiva, como um “meme” cognitivo. Discute-se até que ponto tais avanços podem ser considerados verdadeiras “unidades”, e discorre-se sobre a noção problemática de “unidades que se conservariam na passagem de uma história possível para outra”. Comentários são feitos sobre a distinção entre a definição de um avanço e seu grau (...) de aceitação e, por fim, sobre a plausibilidade de considerar que (em primeira aproximação) o significado de um avanço não se modifica com a evolução da ciência. No apêndice, descreve-se a classificação de avanços em sessenta tipos, distribuídos em dez classes. Palavras-chave: Mudança científica, história da ciência, modelos causais, unidade de conhecimento, avanço, meme. (shrink)

El presente artículo busca presentar los resultados de un estudio desarrollado entre los años 2011 y 2012 sobre las representaciones sociales y percepciones de los migrantes peruanos acerca de su proceso de integración en Santiago de Chile, particularmente respecto del acceso a los servicios públicos de educación, salud y vivienda. A partir de una metodología cualitativa, estos servicios son puestos bajo la mirada de los discursos de los migrantes peruanos, develando la discriminación de la que son objeto debido a su (...) procedencia nacional, así como otras formas de exclusión derivadas de su origen popular, y retratando a la ciudad de Santiago como un escenario receptor de flujos migratorios internacionales. (shrink)

O tema do artigo é a análise retórica do Salmo 127 no contexto dos “Salmos das Subidas”. O objetivo consiste em analisar a relação retórica possível entre o sentido da composição e o desempenho processional dos peregrinos de Jerusalém. Especificamente, trata-se de perguntar pela relação entre o conteúdo do salmo e a peregrinação para Jerusalém, a que sua leitura estaria por hipótese destinada. A metodologia consiste a) em tradução do salmo, b) análise de sua posição relativa na estrutura quiástica da (...) coleção, c) diálogo crítico com autoridades do campo dos comentários aos Salmos d) e proposição de leitura alternativa em relação ao conjunto das leituras da literatura. Concluiu-se que o Salmo 127 pode ter sido composto como alerta ou ameaça quanto ao risco de adiar-se a peregrinação a Jerusalém por força de razões que poderiam resultar na contrariedade de Yahweh, aquele que, em última análise, se não estiver contrariado, é quem garante a eficiência daquelas atividades que ora se alegariam como razões para abster-se da peregrinação. (shrink)

The theme of this article is the two narratives of the Flood of the Hebrew Bible, which, despite having been sewn into a composition, can be relatively easily separated and recovered. The purpose of the article is therefore to recover the two flood narratives of the Hebrew Bible, to demonstrate its completeness and to propose historical-social interpretation for each one of them. The text of Gn 6,5-9,17 was translated, the editorial glosses were identified, each narrative was reconstituted and considered complete (...) and ready for the hermeneutical procedure. It is concluded that, written at the end of the sixth century, the first narrative, here called “Elohist monarchical narrative of the flood”, had as its function the refoundation of the government of the golah, on his return from Babylon, while, written in the mid-fifth century, the second narrative, here called “Yahwist priestly narrative of the flood”, served to introduce the expiatory sacrifice in Jerusalem, then ruled by the priestly body. (shrink)

A partir de um recorte metodológico descritivo e de levantamento bibliográfico, na extensão que o presente instrumento de comunicação permite, o artigo apresenta um conjunto de treze teorias ou discursos sobre a religião. Mesmo quando o procedimento se revela passível de incongruência, procurou-se classificar as teorias e quase teorias em dois grupos: teorias ou quase teorias reducionistas e teorias e quase teorias não reducionistas. Foram tratadas como não reducionistas aquelas que se atêm ao conteúdo positivo da religião, sendo, por isso, (...) classificadas como substantivas. Foram tratadas como reducionistas teorias que consideram a religião a partir de e em relação a sua expressão na sociedade, sendo também classificadas de funcionalistas. Conclui-se que, em grande medida, as teorias se sobrepõem, algumas delas constituindo desdobramentos necessários ou aprofundamentos críticos de teorias anteriores, de sorte que, em rotinas de pesquisas em Ciências das Religiões se poderiam conjugar diferentes teorias e quase teorias como quadro referencial teórico-metodológico. (shrink)

In quest’articolo, articolo prenderò in esame i passi in cui Kant descrive la monadologia leibniziana come un “concetto platonico” del mondo, ossia come una descrizione del mondo intelligibile che non ha nulla a che vedere con la spiegazione del mondo fenomenico. In generale, vorrei mostrare che quest’interpretazione non va contrapposta a quella che lo stesso Kant aveva dato nella prima Critica, dove la monadologia era caratterizzata come un “sistema intellettuale del mondo”. Per fare ciò, risponderò a due domande. La prima (...) riguarda le ragioni che possono aver indotto Kant, in diverse occasioni, a presentare Leibniz come un precursore della teoria della soggettività dello spazio. La seconda riguarda il motivo per cui Kant associa costantemente la monadologia alla teoria platonica delle idee, mostrando come, in entrambi i casi, Kant intenda criticare qualsiasi possibilità di un transito dal mondo sensibile a quello intelligibile. Infine, cercherò di mostrare che, dietro questa lettura deflazionista della monadologia, c’è anche un’implicita autocritica alle tesi che Kant stesso ha sostenuto nella Dissertatio del 1770. (shrink)

This phenomenological research investigates how it is possible to determine the extent to which a chromatic colour appears white and black in order to use it to build a new Colour Rendering Index. We tested two methods of subjective evaluation; in the first, the perceptual presence of white (and black) in a colour alone was assessed on a unipolar intensity scale, independently for the two attributes. In the second method, evaluations of whiteness (and blackness) were conducted for colours presented in (...) a sequence ordered from the least to the greatest presence of the respective attribute. In both tests evaluations were made either by moving an arrow on a slider from left (minimum) to right (maximum) or by choosing a grey cylinder that matched the same degree of similarity to white (and black) as the test colour. In four experiments, 16 colours of 4 hues and 4 different shades were studied; in a fifth experiment, 48 colours, 12 for each quadrant of the colour wheel, were studied; finally, in another test, 10 greys were studied. In the first three experiments, the results were unexpected, as the evaluations of whiteness and blackness were complementary, adding up to 100%, while in the current NCS, 100% includes not only the evaluation of white and black but also that of chromaticness, therefore white and black are not complementary. In the fourth and fifth experiments, the sum of the evaluations of white and black was always less than 100%, in accordance with the present NCS. In the last experiment, the evaluations of white and black given independently to the 10 greys samples were complementary, confirming the bipolar nature of white-black continuum. Suggestions have been provided to resolve the discrepancy between the results of this research and the structure of the current NCS. (shrink)

This work examines whether the environmentally-induced decoherence approach in quantum mechanics brings us any closer to solving the measurement problem, and whether it contributes to the elimination of subjectivism in quantum theory. A distinction is made between ,collapse, and ,decoherence,, so that an explanation for decoherence does not imply an explanation for collapse. After an overview of the measurement problem and of the open-systems paradigm, we argue that taking a partial trace is equivalent to applying the projection postulate. A criticism (...) of Zurek's decoherence approach to measurements is also made, based on the restriction that he must impose on the interaction between apparatus and environment. We then analyze the element of subjectivity involved in establishing the boundary between system and environment, and criticize the incorporation of Everett's branching of memory records into the decoherence research program. Sticking to this program, we end by sketching a proposal for ‘environmentally-induced collapse’. (shrink)