El desarrollo de la neurociencia ha permitido, en las últimas décadas, espectaculares avances en torno al mejor conocimiento de diferentes prácticas humanas desde las bases neurofisiológicas del funcionamiento cerebral. A pesar de que aún nos encontramos en la «prehistoria» del descifrado funcional del más complejo órgano que conocemos en el universo, es un momento adecuado para hacer un balance operativo, desterrando algunas falsedades y aprovechando algunos datos consolidados para su aplicación a la enseñanza y a la praxis de la escritura (...) creativa. De manera sintética, abordaremos algunas claves sobre la creatividad en general, para centrarnos en la creatividad verbal estética, tanto en su expresión oral como a través de los cambios cerebrales que se operan en el proceso de aprendizaje de la lectura. Reflexionaremos acerca de la complejidad de nuestras representaciones mentales vinculadas, por ejemplo, con el discurso poético verbal, ofreceremos algunas indicaciones sobre la importancia de la escritura como potenciador de nuestra reserva cognitiva, destacando algunas orientaciones prácticas para potenciar la creatividad en la experiencia de esa misma escritura. Insistiremos en la importancia de la emoción y la atención, así como en la interconexión entre inteligencia racional e inteligencia emocional en los ámbitos de la escritura y la lectura. Finalizaremos con un análisis de las nuevas prácticas de lectura y escritura desarrolladas en el tercer entorno, nuevas narrativas construidas en el nuevo paradigma tecnológico que han posibilitado nuevos ámbitos creativos para la escritura, insistiendo en los conceptos de ‘transmedialidad’, ‘literacidad digital’, ‘hipertextualidad’, ‘multimodalidad’ y su incidencia en nuestra actividad cerebral. (shrink)

The question of the limit and the difference between man and animal has become a philosophical issue of special relevance. Just look at its political, social, economic, etc. implications. For the first time man can direct his evolutionary process. From that context, the Heideggerian arguments on the subject are analyzed and discussed, taking their Derridian reading as a conductive thread. It reveals the contradiction between the thematic and operational need for a limit and the impossibility of founding it.

Assessing physical fitness has emerged as a proxy of the health status of children and adolescents and therefore as relevant from a public health point of view. DAFIS is a project included in Plan Galicia Saudable of the regional government of Galicia. DAFIS consists of an on-line software devoted to record the results of a standard physical fitness protocol carried out as a part of the physical education curriculum. The aims of this study were: to obtain normative values of physical (...) fitness of the Galician school population evaluated in the DAFIS project, and to identify a reduced number of components and tests able to capture a significant amount of the variability in the physical fitness of children and adolescents. From an initial sample of 27784 records, 15287 cases were considered after filtering. Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape were used for obtaining percentile curves and tables for each sex. Furthermore, a principal components analysis was performed, selecting the number of components by applying the Kaiser’s rule and selecting a subset of variables considering the correlation between each variable and the components. Percentile curves and normative values are reported for each test and sex. Physical fitness was better in boys than in girls throughout age groups, except for flexibility that was consistently higher in girls. Two main components were detected throughout age groups: the first one representing body composition and partially cardiorespiratory fitness and the second one muscular fitness. For boys and girls, waist to height ratio had the highest correlations with the first component in four out of six age groups. The highest correlation with the second component, was most frequently observed for the handgrip test both in boys and girls. This study provides evidence about the utility of school community actions like DAFIS aimed to track the health-related fitness of children and adolescents. The results suggest that fat mass distribution and muscular performance concentrate a high proportion physical fitness variance. (shrink)

RESUMENEn la obra del pensador gallego Francisco Sánchez (1551-1623), titulada Que nada se sabe, existen una serie de características que nos obligan a relacionarla directamente con el pensamiento judío. Entre estas cuestiones se hallan: las citas bíblicas recogidas por su autor, siendo la gran mayoría de ellas procedentes del Antiguo Testamento; la falta de la dedicatoria a la virgen María o la relación entre el alma y el cuerpo que recoge Sánchez y que es de claro origen judío.PALABRAS CLAVEESCEPTICISMO, PENSAMIENTO (...) JUDÍO, FRANCISCO SÁNCHEZABSTRACTIn the work of the thinker Francisco Sanchez (1551-1623), entitled That nothing is known, there are some characteristics that force us to directly relate it to the Jewish thought. Some of these questions are: the Biblical quotations gathered by its author, coming the great majority of them from the Old Testament; the lack of the dedication to Virgin Mary or the relation between the soul and the body that Sanchez shares with the Jewish tradition. All these topics point at the importance of this tradition in the work That nothing is known.KEYWORDSSCEPTICISM, JEWISH THOUGHT, FRANCISCO SANCHEZ, RENAISSANCE. (shrink)

ResumenEn el marco intelectual del Renacimiento hubo una serie de pensadores que se mostraron disconformes con el aristotelismo dominante. La variedad de sus posturas así como lo distinto de sus posicionamientos filosóficos ha podido actuar como obstáculo para poder ver las similitudes que, en torno a la crítica aristotélica, presentan. El caso de Juan Luis Vives y de Gianfrancesco Pico puede resultar paradigmático, a estos se suma con fuerza Francisco Sánchez, quien dedicó una parte importante de su obra Quod nihil (...) scitur a criticar a Aristóteles, aunque más aún a sus comentaristas.Palabras claveFilosofía del Renacimiento, Francisco Sánchez, Juan Luis Vives, Gianfrancesco Pico, aristotelismo, historia de la filosofía.AbstractIn the intellectual frame of the Renaissance, there were some thinkers who did not agree with the Aristotelism prevailing at the time. The variety of their philosophical positions and opinions may have been an obstacle for an approach to their similarities regarding the Aristotelian critic. The case of Juan Luis Vives and Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola can be paradigmatic. Also Francisco Sánchez, who strongly joined their position, devoted an important part of his play Quod nihil scitur to criticize Aristotle –although he focused on his commentators above all.KeywordsPhilosophy in the Renaissance, Francisco Sanchez, Juan Luis Vives, Gianfrancesco Pico, Aristotelism, History of Philosophy. (shrink)

This book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present, and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated (...) for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time. (shrink)

This book seeks to arrive at a better understanding of the relationships between the objective and subjective aspects of time. It discusses the existence of fluent time, a controversial concept in many areas, from philosophy to physics. Fluent time is understood as directional time with a past, a present and a future. We experience fluent time in our lives and we adopt a temporal perspective in our ways of knowing and acting. Nevertheless, the existence of fluent time has been debated (...) for both philosophical and scientific reasons, thus creating a rift between the subjective and objective aspects of time. Starting from the basic notion of points of view, or perspectives, this book explores the relationships between objective or external time, as it has been conceptualized by science, and subjective or internal time, which is involved in our lived experiences. It establishes a general framework encompassing the nature, structure and mode of existence of points of view, in which the objective and subjective aspects of time can be integrated. The book mainly addresses researchers and postgraduates in philosophy and logic. Additionally, it offers inspiration for physicists and computer scientists involved in the modeling and simulation of complex behaviors for which the representation of internal time should be considered together with the notion of objective, external time. (shrink)

Frédéric Chopin is the epitome of the romantic artist; he had a chronic pulmonary disease that ultimately caused his death at the age of 39. An overlooked neurological condition is discussed in this paper. We consider the possibility of a temporal lobe epilepsy, as throughout his life Chopin had hallucinatory episodes, which can accompany seizure disorders.

There are very few analyses of the structure of points of view. However, we can identify two general approaches. One of them assumes as a paradigm the structure of propositional attitudes. Here, points of view are understood as having an internal structure similar to the one we can find in propositional attitudes. The other approach is based on the notions of location and access. Here, the internal structure of points of view is not directly addressed. The features that are emphasised (...) are related with the role that points of view are intended to have. Points of view would be ways of having access to the world, and to ourselves, from certain emplacements. The paper has three parts. In the first one, we present these two approaches and some interesting developments inside each one of them. In the second one, we examine more closely the relationships between the two approaches. In the third part of the paper, we defend the non-reducible relational nature and modal character of points of view obtaining some conclusions. (shrink)

A partir de dos poemas de Borges se emprende un análisis de la experiencia del instante, inicialmente al trasluz de la crítica hegeliana de la inmediatez sensible como decir inconsciente, para, después, trasponerla al vacío constitutivo de la identidad que destapa el deseo, empresa que conduce hasta un fenómeno del presente como diástasis que depara la presencia de la ausencia.

El artículo expone la contraposición entre dos posiciones filosóficas (deconstrucción y reconstrucción), dos autores (Jacques Derrida, Jean Luc Ferry) y dos libros (Apprendre à vivre enfin, Apprendre à vivre). En última instancia, dos formas de entender las relaciones entre filosofía y vida. Más allá del logocentrismo, objeto de la deconstrucción, el biocentrismo es el eje de la tarea de reconstrucción de una filosofía articulada como ontología o teoría de lo real, filosofía moral o teoría de la justicia y sabiduría o (...) teoría de la salvación. En suma, una forma renovada de asumir la necesidad de la filosofía. (shrink)

There are very few analyses of the structure of points of view. However, we can identify two general approaches. One of them assumes as a paradigm the structure of propositional attitudes. Here, points of view are understood as having an internal structure similar to the one we can find in propositional attitudes. The other approach is based on the notions of location and access. Here, the internal structure of points of view is not directly addressed. The features that are emphasised (...) are related with the role that points of view are intended to have. Points of view would be ways of having access to the world, and to ourselves, from certain emplacements. The paper has three parts. In the first one, we present these two approaches and some interesting developments inside each one of them. In the second one, we examine more closely the relationships between the two approaches. In the third part of the paper, we defend the non-reducible relational nature and modal character of points of view obtaining some conclusions. (shrink)

In contrast with the development of big theories in the context of social sciences, there is nowadays an increasing interest in the construction of simulation models for complex phenomena. Those simulation models suggest a certain image of social sciences as a kind of, let us say, "patchwork". In that image, an increase in understanding about the phenomena modeled is obtained through a certain sort of aggregation. There is not an application of sound, established theories to all the phenomena of a (...) certain kind, but an aggregation of the structures supposed, and of the results obtained, when particular systems are modeled. The recent case of the "El Farol Bar" problem, and the models built in order to face this problem, are a good example of this. We will analyze that case, trying to make clear what would be implied by the image above mentioned. Special attention will be paid to the need to take seriously the notion of a bounded rationality, linked to the special circumstances generating each decision problem, and to the existence of an irreducible pluralism of models. (shrink)

The main objective of this research is to identify the current panorama of scientific production associated with governance in university institutions. A bibliometric analysis was developed in Scopus using R Core Team 2022-Bibliometrix and Vosviewer software. The results highlight the countries with the highest productivity in the topic of study, with the most representative authors favoring the understanding of governance. The main thematic clusters stand out. It recognizes the role of university governance and its migration to direct spaces and the (...) transition from a face-to-face model. (shrink)

In contrast with the development of big theories in the context of social sciences, there is nowadays an increasing interest in the construction of simulation models for complex phenomena. Those simulation models suggest a certain image of social sciences as a kind of, let us say, "patchwork". In that image, an increase in understanding about the phenomena modeled is obtained through a certain sort of aggregation. There is not an application of sound, established theories to all the phenomena of a (...) certain kind, but an aggregation of the structures supposed, and of the results obtained, when particular systems are modeled. The recent case of the "El Farol Bar" problem, and the models built in order to face this problem, are a good example of this. We will analyze that case, trying to make clear what would be implied by the image above mentioned. Special attention will be paid to the need to take seriously the notion of a bounded rationality, linked to the special circumstances generating each decision problem, and to the existence of an irreducible pluralism of models. (shrink)

Study was born in the construction of problem concepts in the deployment of a governance strategy in institutions under digital environments, a technical position of understanding from South America is raised, the initial hypothesis of knowing aspects and determining requirements, an efficient model of governance can be achieved from the use and application of ICT, which allow to argue the as of the process, The use ICT, TAC, TEP as change managers in virtuality, to interact in a disruptive way, the (...) most important achievements of research to recognize the legal, digital and technological resource environment. (shrink)

We propose an analysis of the notion of model as crucially related to the notion of point of view. A model in this sense would always suggest a certain way of looking at a real system, a certain way of thinking about it and a certain way of acting upon it. We focus on System Dynamics as a paradigmatic case with respect to many of the features and problems we can find in the field of modelling and simulation. We analyse (...) in detail some of those features. All of them would be present in many other cases of construction and use of models. Furthermore, they would support the thesis that a model can be fruitfully understood as offering a point of view capable of improving our own points of view over a certain system. The point of view offered by the model could include both non-conceptual and conceptual contents, it would have a complex structure and behaviour, and it would have direct consequences on the decisions made by the subjects adopting that point of view. (shrink)

IntroductionThis study aimed to evaluate, in adults with mild cognitive impairment, the brain atrophy that may distinguish between three AT biomarker-based profiles, and to determine its clinical value.MethodsStructural MRI was employed to evaluate the volume and cortical thickness differences in MCI patients with different AT profiles, namely, A−T−−: normal AD biomarkers; A+T−−: AD pathologic change; and A+T++: prodromal AD. Sensitivity and specificity of these changes were also estimated.ResultsAn initial atrophy in medial temporal lobe areas was found in the A+T−− and (...) A+T++ groups, spreading toward the parietal and frontal regions in A+T++ patients. These structural changes allowed distinguishing AT profiles within the AD continuum; however, the profiles and their pattern of neurodegeneration were unsuccessful to determine the current clinical status.ConclusionsMRI is useful in the determination of the specific brain structural changes of AT profiles along the AD continuum, allowing differentiation between MCI adults with or without pathological AD biomarkers. (shrink)

IntroductionRheumatologists are the primary healthcare professionals responsible for patients with rheumatic diseases and should acquire medical ethical competencies, such as the informed consent process. The objective clinical structured examination is a valuable tool for assessing clinical competencies. We report the performance of 90 rheumatologist trainees participating in a station designed to evaluate the ICP during the 2018 and 2019 national accreditations.MethodsThe station was validated and represented a medical encounter in which the rheumatologist informed a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus with (...) clinically active nephritis about renal biopsy. A trained patient–actor and an evaluator were instructed to assess ICP skills in obtaining formal informed consent, delivering bad news and overall communication with patients. The evaluator used a tailored checklist and form.ResultsCandidate performance varied with ICP content and was superior for potential benefit information but significantly reduced for potential complications and biopsy description. Only 17.8% of the candidates mentioned the legal perspective of ICP. Death was omitted by the majority of the candidates ; after the patient–actor challenged candidates, only 57.1% of them gave a clear and positive answer. Evaluators frequently rated candidate communications skills as superior, but ≥1 negative aspect was identified in 69% of the candidates.ConclusionsEthical competencies are mandatory for professional rheumatologists. It seems necessary to include an ethics competency framework in the curriculum throughout the rheumatology residency. (shrink)

Desde mediados de 1974 mi familia, padres y hermanos de origen argentino, estábamos ya instalados en la Ciudad de México. Para entonces había decidido estudiar filosofía, y por diversas circunstancias, ingresé en una universidad jesuita, la UIA, donde concluí los estudios de licenciatura y maestría. En ese periodo concentré mi atención en la filosofía clásica y medieval, y en áreas teóricas como la epistemología y la metafísica. Había iniciado, también en la UIA, la licenciatura en Derecho...

En el presente trabajo se realizará un análisis y comparación críticos de las ideas con relación a la tecnología desarrolladas por Eduardo Nicol y Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez. En ese sentido, se confrontará el concepto de “razón de fuerza mayor” de Nicol con la idea del “racionalismo tecnológico” de Sánchez Vázquez. Demostrando, finalmente, que el concepto nicoliano encajaría perfectamente dentro de los parámetros de la ideología del racionalismo tecnológico tal y como la define Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez. Todo ello (...) con el fin de valorar el alcance y las limitaciones de las propuestas de ambos autores y su posible vigencia de cara a pensar un problema tan actual como el de la tecnología y la responsabilidad del ser humano en su desarrollo. Así pues, este trabajo no se propone estudiar un diálogo o polémica real entre los autores en cuestión ni tampoco se hace cargo de una crítica explícita de uno a otro. Lo que se busca es conectar dos desarrollos filosóficos aparentemente alejados (la metafísica fenomenológica de Nicol y el marxismo crítico de Sánchez Vázquez) examinando cómo abordan uno y otro el tema de la tecnología y destacando las hipotéticas implicaciones de uno de esos desarrollos sobre el otro. Para ello, se parte de una breve explicación del contexto histórico de ambos pensadores, luego se enmarcan las ideas de la tecnología de cada uno en su contrastante concepción de la praxis, se muestran los puntos en común y las discrepancias y, finalmente, se termina señalando la hipotética repercusión de las ideas Sánchez Vázquez sobre las de Nicol. (shrink)

This paper employs network theory, mining data and bibliometric analysis when mapping the scientific contribution of Nobel Prize candidate; Manuel Sandoval Vallarta, the first and most renowned Mexican physicist and important figure in Latin American science. Vallarta died in 1977, and the existing literature is about his life and contributions to science but not about how those are still valuable today. This paper is the first to highlight, with mapping tools, that his contributions are relevant to the international community (...) of cosmic rays, quantum mechanics and relativity. These tools delivered three findings: Identify how he built his own field of study, same as universal knowledge. Unveil that the backward and forward Vallarta citations follow a scale-free network distribution. Determine social factors that benefited or affected his scientific activities—such as World War II interrupting Vallarta’s successful productivity at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Furthermore, this study confirmed the interdisciplinary nature of the mapping studies of the scientist's contributions using scientometric tools. As a result, several interesting questions arose throughout our research, some of which were answered from the history and philosophy of science. However, others need to be analyzed by experts in the fields of Vallarta. Mapping research sends an invitation to interdisciplinary dialogue/research between experts in different areas of study to better understand the process of knowledge production both, individual and collective. (shrink)

En este artículo se plantea la fertilidad del pensamiento marxista de Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez (1915-2011) al abordar los desafíos inherentes al desarrollo tecnológico. Se busca ofrecer una aproximación al pensamiento del autor acerca de la tecnología, temática tratada de manera implícita a lo largo de su obra. De esta manera, se aborda una cuestión apenas explorada en los estudios sobre Sánchez Vázquez, abriendo así la puerta a posteriores investigaciones sobre del tema. El trabajo se divide en tres partes. (...) Una primera, en la que se presenta someramente su filosofía de la praxis a partir de la hipótesis hermenéutica de la «trayectoria intelectual elíptica». Esta hipótesis de lectura permitirá comprender la obra de Sánchez Vázquez como articulada en torno a dos grandes preocupaciones principales: la creatividad y la emancipación política. Dos preocupaciones que definirán, a su vez, las reflexiones del autor acerca de la tecnología. En esta línea, será en la segunda parte donde se aborde la lectura sanchezvazquiana de la tecnología y su concepto de «racionalismo tecnológico». Finalmente, en la tercera parte, se proponen tres ámbitos estrechamente relacionados con el desarrollo tecnológico a los que las ideas del autor -marcadas por la doble preocupación anteriormente señalada-harían una contribución relevante: el de la ecología, el de la filosofía del trabajo y el de la socialización de la creación. (shrink)

The rise of foundational dualism and the eclipse of the body -- "Body am I entirely, and nothing else": non-reductive materialism and the struggle against dualism -- Toward a materialist phenomenology of religion -- The phenomenology of embodiment and the study of religion -- Religious bodies as social artifacts -- Holding social constructionism in check: the recovery of the active, lived body -- A cultural neurophenomenology of religion: enter the embodied mind -- The eclipse of practice: textualism at large -- (...) "Ceci n'est pas un texte": from textualism to practice -- Expanding the conversation on emplaced religion -- Mobility, networks, and ecology. (shrink)

Jean Buridan developed his theory of consequence within a semantical framework compatible with what we now call token-based semantics. In his Treatise on Consequences and Sophismata, Buridan showed...

Zonulin is a physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions, which upregulation is involved in several diseases like celiac disease (CeD). The polyQ gliadin fragment binds to the CXCR3 chemokine receptor that activates zonulin upregulation, leading to increased intestinal permeability in humans. Here, we report a general hypothesis based on the structural connection between the polyQ sequence of the immunogenic CeD protein, gliadin, and enteric coccidian parasites proteins. Firstly, a novel interaction pathway between the parasites and the host is described based (...) on the structural similarities between polyQ gliadin fragments and the parasite proteins. Secondly, a potential connection between coccidial infections as a novel environmental trigger of CeD is hypothesized. Therefore, this report represents a promising breakthrough for coccidian research and points out the potential role of coccidian parasites as a novel trigger of CeD that might define a preventive strategy for gluten‐related disorders in general. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/oMaQasStcFI. (shrink)

This paper introduces an axiomatisation for equational hybrid logic based on previous axiomatizations and natural deduction systems for propositional and first-order hybrid logic. Its soundness and completeness is discussed. This work is part of a broader research project on the development a general proof calculus for hybrid logics.

A través de una reconstrucción de la evolución de su pensamiento, en este artículo se estudia la utilización de infinitesimales por parte de Newton. Se distingue entre dos concepciones sucesivas de lo que denominó momento. A la primera de estas entidades la caracterizó como un infinitesimal, pero a la segunda (un indivisible generador de magnitudes finitas, que interviene en su método de las primeras y últimas razones) no la consideró como tal. Se entiende así su manifestación de rechazo a los (...) infinitesimales, formulada en una segunda etapa, y se ve que las dudas arrojadas por algunos investigadores sobre la veracidad de tal manifestación se deben a una determinada interpretación de esta última concepción de momento.This paper discusses Newton’s recourse to infinitesimals through the reconstruction of the evolution of his thought. Two successive concepts of what he termed “moment” are told apart. The first of those entities was characterized by him as an infinitesimal, while the second -an indivisible generating finite magnitudes, present in his method of first and last reasons- was not considered such an entity. This move makes understandable his express rejection of infinitesimals in the second stage, and exposes the doubts of some scholars about the sincerity of Newton’s rejection as due to a peculiar interpretation of his last concept of “moment”. (shrink)

The concept of human gene therapy came on the heels of fundamental discoveries on the nature and working of the gene. However, realistic prospects to correct the underlying cause of recessive genetic disorders through the transfer of wild‐type alleles of defective genes had to wait for the arrival of recombinant DNA technology. These techniques permitted the isolation and insertion of genes into the first recombinant delivery systems. The realization that viruses are natural gene carriers provided inspiration for gene therapy and, (...) as engineered vectors, viruses became prominent gene delivery vehicles. Nonetheless, when put in the context of human and non‐human primate studies, all vectors fell short of success regardless of their viral or non‐viral origin. Recognition of issues such as inefficient gene transfer and short‐lived or scant expression in the relevant cell type(s) prompted researchers to refine and develop several gene delivery systems, in particular those based on retroviruses, adeno‐associated viruses and adenoviruses. Concomitantly, available technology was deployed to tackle disorders that require few genetically corrected cells to attain therapy. BioEssays 27: 506–517, 2005. © 2005 Wiley periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

The ancient commentaries on Aristotle's Peri Hermeneias give us important elements to understand more clearly some difficult passages of this treatise. In the case of the indefinite names and verbs, these commentaries reveal a doctrine which explains not only the nature of the indefinites, but also why Aristotle introduces these kinds of term in Peri Hermeneias. The coherence and explanatory capacity of this doctrine is entirely absent in modern exegesis of Peri Hermeneias. This fact has important implications: it can make (...) us to think whether there will be another topics in which the ancient commentators are still indispensable to understand Aristotle. It can also make us to think to what extent a profounder reflection of the ancient commentators can modify our idea of Aristotle and the ancient world. (shrink)

Diez, M.A. Discurso ... -- Urdaneta, A. Contestación ...

This article examines the dynamics that have turned a recent Marian apparition on the window of a bank in Clearwater, Florida, from a local into a global phenomenon. Drawing from theories of globalization, we show how the apparition exemplifies what sociologist Roland Robertson refers to as the mutually implicative `universalization of particularism and the particularization of universalism'. Among the factors analyzed are global pilgrimage, transnational migration, mediascapes and the Vatican's New Evangelization initiative. On the basis of this case study, the (...) article argues for the need to go beyond secularization theory - the dominant modernist approach to religion and social change - and to adopt a flexible, polymethodological framework that takes into account the complex, and often contradictory, relations between the local and the global and the mediating roles religion plays. (shrink)