I respond to H. M. Collins's claim (1985, 1990, 1993) that experimental inquiry cannot be objective because the only criterium experimentalists have for determining whether a technique is "working" is the production of "correct" (i.e., the expected) data. Collins claims that the "experimenters' regress," the name he gives to this data-technique circle, cannot be broken using the resources of experiment alone. I argue that the data-technique circle, can be broken even though any interpretation of the raw data produced by techniques (...) is theory-dependent. However, it is possible to break this circle by eliminating dependence on even those theoretical presuppositions that are shared by an entire scientific community through the use of multiple independently theory-dependent techniques to produce robust bodies of data. Moreover, I argue, that it is the production of robust bodies of data that convinces experimentalists of the objectivity of their data interpretations. (shrink)

La atención es uno de los fenómenos psicológicos más presentes en la obra orteguiana y, a la vez, uno de los más desatendidos por la crítica. Habitualmente el fenómeno ha quedado eclipsado por ideas tradicionalmente más nodales como la de “perspectiva”, sin embargo, no podemos ignorar que ideas como esta hallan su fundamento precisamente sobre el fenómeno de la atención, lo que le otorga una importancia a considerar. En el presente libro, mediante una revisión crítica de los textos orteguianos, se (...) despliega y reúne un conjunto de argumentos con los que defender la centralidad de la atención en el pensamiento orteguiano ofreciendo, con ella, uno de los elementos cardinales en la estructuración sistemática de su obra, pues, como veremos, es en la atención donde el autor halla el fundamento para edi car su método perspectivista y, a su vez, donde descansa cierta posibilidad de cristalizar su doctrina raciovitalista. (shrink)

Rasmussen (1993) argues that, because electron microscopists did not use robustness and would not have been warranted in using it as a criterion for the reality or the artifactuality of mesosomes, the bacterial mesosome serves as a test case for robustness that it fails. I respond by arguing that a more complete reading of the research literature on the mesosome shows that ultimately the more robust body of data did not support the mesosome and that electron microscopists used and were (...) warranted in using robustness as a criterion for the artifactuality of mesosomes. (shrink)

Traditional approaches to theory structure and theory change in science do not fare well when confronted with the practice of certain fields of science. We offer an account of contemporary practice in molecular biology designed to address two questions: Is theory change in this area of science gradual or saltatory? What is the relation between molecular biology and the fields of traditional biology? Our main focus is a recent episode in molecular biology, the discovery of enzymatic RNA. We argue that (...) our reconstruction of this episode shows that traditional approaches to theory structure and theory change need considerable refinement if they are to be defended as generally applicable. 1This paper emerged from discussions between us, and we are both equally responsible for its errors. We would like to thank Yvonne Paterson for helpful comments. (shrink)

Drawing from ethnographic research in the Research Triangle of North Carolina and Williamsburg, Virginia, the authors build on Anzaldúa's conceptualization of “borderlands” to analyze how borders of social membership are constructed and enforced in “el Nuevo South.” Our gender analysis reveals that intersecting structural conditions—the labor market, the organization of public space, and the institutional organization of health care and other public services—combine with gendered processes in the home and family to regulate women's participation in community life. Enforcers of borders (...) include institutional actors, mostly women, in social services and clinics who occupy institutional locations that enable them to define who is entitled to public goods and to categorize migrants as undeserving “others.” We reveal how a particularly configured matrix of domination transcends the spheres of home, work, and community to constrain women migrants' physical and economic mobility and personal autonomy and to inhibit their participation in their societies of reception. (shrink)

This essay argues that ideals of cooperation or adversariality in argumentation are not equally attainable for women. Women in argumentation contexts face oppressive limitations undermining argument success because their authority is undermined by gendered norms of politeness. Women endorsing or, alternatively, transgressing feminine norms of politeness typically defend their authority in argumentation contexts. And yet, defending authority renders it less legitimate. My argument focuses on women in philosophy but bears the implication that other masculine dis- course contexts present similar double (...) binds that urge social and political change. (shrink)

Cesarean delivery rates have been steadily increasing worldwide. In response, many countries have introduced target goals to reduce rates. But a focus on target goals fails to address practices embedded in standards of care that encourage, rather than discourage, cesarean sections. Obstetrical standards of care normalize use of technology, creating an imperative to use technology during labor and birth. A technological imperative is implicated in rising cesarean rates if physicians or patients fear refusing use of technology. Reproductive autonomy is at (...) stake since a technological imperative undermines patients’ ability to choose cesareans or refuse use of technology increasing the likelihood of cesareans. To address practices driven by a technological imperative I outline three physician obligations that are attached to respecting patient autonomy. These moral obligations show that a focus on respect for autonomy may prove not only an ideal ethical response but also an achievable practical response to lowering cesarean rates. (shrink)

This article discusses how the concept of a fair finite lottery can best be extended to denumerably infinite lotteries. Techniques and ideas from non-standard analysis are brought to bear on the problem.

It has long been thought that the ancient Greeks did not take mechanics seriously as part of the workings of nature, and that therefore their natural philosophy was both primitive and marginal. In this book Sylvia Berryman challenges that assumption, arguing that the idea that the world works 'like a machine' can be found in ancient Greek thought, predating the early modern philosophy with which it is most closely associated. Her discussion ranges over topics including balancing and equilibrium, lifting (...) water, sphere-making and models of the heavens, and ancient Greek pneumatic theory, with detailed analysis of thinkers such as Aristotle, Archimedes, and Hero of Alexandria. Her book shows scholars of ancient Greek philosophy why it is necessary to pay attention to mechanics, and shows historians of science why the differences between ancient and modern reactions to mechanics are not as great as was generally thought. (shrink)

Sylvia Berryman offers a fresh understanding of Aristotle's ethical theory, challenging the common belief that he aimed to give it a biological foundation in human nature. Berryman reinterprets Aristotle's views as a 'middle way' between the metaphysical grounding offered by Platonists and sceptical or subjectivist alternatives.

Routledge is now re-issuing this prestigious series of 204 volumes originally published between 1910 and 1965. The titles include works by key figures such asC.G. Jung, Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, Otto Rank, James Hillman, Erich Fromm, Karen Horney and Susan Isaacs. Each volume is available on its own, as part of a themed mini-set, or as part of a specially-priced 204-volume set. A brochure listing each title in the "International Library of Psychology" series is available upon request.

En el escenario actual de Cuba y el mundo la migración al software libre constituye una necesidad para el desarrollo para garantizar la independencia tecnológica. Los procedimientos para realizar dicho proceso son fundamentales en la estrategia definida por el país que incluye la "Guía cubana de migración al software libre", sin embargo, su aplicación práctica enfrenta dificultades que han motivado a los autores a la elaboración de una estrategia específica para la migración al software libre en el sector de la (...) Salud Pública de la provincia de Camagüey, Cuba. En esta estrategia se proponen las acciones concretas, los programas docentes que permitirán la recalificación del capital humano y las acciones que posibiliten garantizar la sostenibilidad de la migración al concluir el proceso. In the present Cuban and world scenarios the migration to free software constitutes a need for the development to guarantee technological independence. The procedures to carry out that process are vital in the strategy defined by the country that includes “Cuban guidelines for the migration to free software” however its practical implementation is facing difficulties that have motivated the authors to elaborate a specific strategy form the migration to free software in the Public health sector in the province of Camagüey, Cuba. In this strategy actions are suggested, like teaching programs that will allow the recertification of the capital human resources and steps that will make possible to guarantee the sustainability of the migration at the end of the process. (shrink)

Noradrenergic pathways are involved in mediating the central and peripheral effects of physiological arousal. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of noradrenergic transmission in moral decision-making. We studied the effects in healthy volunteers of propranolol (a noradrenergic beta-adrenoceptor antagonist) on moral judgement in a set of moral dilemmas pitting utilitarian outcomes (e.g., saving five lives) against highly aversive harmful actions (e.g., killing an innocent person) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design. Propranolol (40 mg orally) (...) significantly reduced heart rate, but had no effect on self-reported mood. Importantly, propranolol made participants more likely to judge harmful actions as morally unacceptable, but only in dilemmas where harms were ‘up close and personal’. In addition, longer response times for such personal dilemmas were only found for the placebo group. Finally, judgments in personal dilemmas by the propranolol group were more decisive. These findings indicate that noradrenergic pathways play a role in responses to moral dilemmas, in line with recent work implicating emotion in moral decision-making. However, contrary to current theorising, these findings also suggest that aversion to harming is not driven by emotional arousal. Our findings are also of significant practical interest given that propranolol is a widely used drug in different settings, and is currently being considered as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in military and rescue service personnel. (shrink)

Non-Archimedean probability functions allow us to combine regularity with perfect additivity. We discuss the philosophical motivation for a particular choice of axioms for a non-Archimedean probability theory and answer some philosophical objections that have been raised against infinitesimal probabilities in general.

This collection of essays analyzes relations of social inequality that appear to be logical extensions of a "natural order," and in the process demonstrates that a revitalized feminist anthropology of the 1990s has much to offer the field of feminist theory. Fashioned as a response to the lack of cultural analysis in feminist scholarship, the contributors question the category of gender within the inclusive context of the structural dynamics of inequality. They also examine how cultural identities, domains and institutions affect (...) our perception of gender in society. The first selection of essays addresses how ideas of family and kinship have fostered society's hierarchies and legitimized the status quo. In part two, the essays show how several dimensions of inequality are implicit in the construction of identities that are based upon ideas of social solidarity. Contributors: Susan McKinnon, University of Virginia; Kath Weston, Arizona State West; Rayna Rapp, New School for Social Research; Janet Dolgin, Hofstra University; Harriet Whitehead, Duke University; Carol Delaney, Stanford University; Brackette Williams, University of Arizona; Sylvia Yanagisako, Stanford University; Phyllis Chock, Catholic University; Sherry Ortner, University of Michigan; Anna Tsing, University of California, Santa Cruz. (shrink)

Scholars across disciplines recognize sport as an institution perpetuating sexism and bias against women in light of its masculine ideals. However, little philosophical research identifies how a masculine environment impacts women’s possibilities in sport. This paper shows that socially structured masculine ideals of athletic excellence impact recognition of women’s athletic achievements while contributing to contexts endangering respect and self-respect. Exploring athletic disrespect reveals connections to more broadly harmful sport practices that include physical and sexual violence. Thus, the practical concern is (...) that sport’s masculine ideals might undermine women’s pursuit of athletic excellence in more harmful ways than previously recognized. (shrink)

: How much power does emotional dismissal have over the oppressed's ability to trust outlaw emotions, or to stand for such emotions before others? I discuss Sue Campbell 's view of the interpretation of emotion in light of the political significance of emotional dismissal. In response, I suggest that feminist conventions of interpretation developed within dialogical communities are best suited to providing resources for expressing, interpreting, defining, and reflecting on our emotions.

Resumen Como toda actividad social, la investigación en el campo de las ciencias sociales se institucionaliza por la acción de los individuos, instaurando ciertos mecanismos que regulan -a través de pautas organizacionales definidas- su quehacer social e institucional. Es así que la investigación social desarrollada en las instituciones de educación superior es experimentada por sus actores como una realidad establecida y objetiva que antecede al individuo actual, una realidad sujeta a una clara definición de roles, situaciones y comportamientos. Desde una (...) perspectiva sociológica, y ante a la injerencia de las actuales tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, en este trabajo se exploran los obstáculos y las posibilidades que enfrenta la condición institucionalizada de la investigación social y la de sus actores en sociedades con distintos tipos de desarrollo. Con tal propósito nos detenemos en el enlace de cuatro dimensiones del problema: la expansión y dispersión de las ciencias humanas y sociales; la institución como marco normativo de la organización de la actividad de investigación; el académico-investigador como principal actor y, por último, la función del "par académico" como árbitro de una competencia más institucional que cognitiva.As any social activity, research in social sciences is institutionalized by the action of individuals, establishing certain mechanisms that regulate -through defined organizational patterns- its social and institutional activities. In this way, the social research developed in higher education institutions is experienced by their actors as an established and objective reality that precedes the actual individual; a reality attached to a clear definition of roles, situations and behaviors. From a sociological perspective, and confronting the interference of the current information and communications technologies, in this paper are explored the obstacles and opportunities facing the institutionalized condition of social research, and their actors in societies with different types of development. For that purpose, we look into the connection of four dimensions of the problem: the expansion and dispersion of human and social sciences; the institution as a regulatory structure for the organization of the research activity; the academic researcher as the main actor, and finally, the role of "academic peer" as an arbiter of a competition more institutional than cognitive. (shrink)

Sport is recognized both in sport studies and in the social sciences as a social institution forming, reinforcing, and perpetuating male hegemony. They recognize the constraints, barriers, and harms to women arising from current gendered social structures but cannot be expected to advance philosophical implications. Yet, the latter requires attention since sport not only mirrors but appears to magnify oppressive gendered practices. This article hopes to meet that need through a feminist philosophical analysis that reveals significant barriers, frustrations, and...

The emergence of new forms of reproductive technology raise an increasingly complex array of social and ethical issues. Nevertheless, this paper focuses on commonplace reproductive technologies used during labor and birth such as ultrasound, fetal monitoring, episiotomy, epidurals, labor induction, amniotomy, and cesarean section. This paper maintains that social pressures increase women’s perceived need to such reproductive technologies and thus undermine women’s capacity to choose an elective cesarean or avoid an emergency cesarean. Routine, normalized use of technology interferes with the (...) possibility of choosing use of technology where best suited through misdirecting laboring women to use technological resources whenever possible. This normalized use of technology decreases risk tolerance and increases dependence on technology for reassurance, which bears significant implications for self-trust and self-confidence. My account encourages women’s cultivation of autonomy as a capacity interconnected with our own attitudes and those of other persons; and as a function of cultivating trust and confidence in one’s body. (shrink)

Universal jurisdiction and the existence of an International Criminal Court (ICC) under the Rome Statute provide a framework through which true reconciliation can be achieved simultaneously with truth and justice. The ICC and universal jurisdiction can be viewed as laying out objective limits on the power of domestic and international actors to seek peace at any cost.This paper argues that those objective limits are not necessarily inimical to a just peace, nor are an undue burden on peacemakers. On the contrary, (...) they can set parameters whereby a just and lasting peace can be differentiated from impunity achieved through blackmail.The first step is to take a hard look at whether international standards of accountability for gross abuses have been met. At the same time, the examination of any specific scheme of domestic accountability cannot be done on a blanket basis. It will require a close look at conditions prevailing in the country, both at the time the scheme was adopted and later; at the policies adopted and how they were meant to advance the process of national reconciliation; at who adopted those measures and how; and at concrete applications of the scheme to individual cases.Even applying this exacting standard, there will be cases in which the best course of action for the ICC and for third country courts will be to defer to the greater wisdom of local actors operating in good faith, and to decline to prosecute. (shrink)

This paper offers a particular intuitionistic negation completion of Urquhart's system C resulting in a super-intuitionistic contractionless propositional logic equivalent to Dummett's LC without contraction.

A partir de la aparentemente contradictoria expresión “nostalgia de futuro”, en el presente artículo nos adentramos en el análisis del complejo entramado de tensiones temporales que subyacen a la experiencia humana, en concreto bajo la coloración del tono nostálgico. Trataremos de analizar las relaciones de interdependencia que guardan los distintos horizontes temporales, tanto en la experiencia nostálgica como en la experiencia originaria a la que esta refiere y que es materia de evocación. En tal contexto, pondremos especial énfasis en el (...) papel de las expectativas, y en su influencia en la “futura” emergencia del temple nostálgico, un papel que, aun cuando actúan de manera preconsciente, resulta esencial para comprender la sensación de pérdida de familiaridad que siente quien ve incumplidas tales pretensiones. (shrink)

This paper presents a relational account of autonomy showing that a technological imperative impedes autonomy through undermining women’s capacity to resist use of technology in the context of labor and birth. A technological imperative encourages dependence on technology for reassurance whenever possible through creating a (i) separation of maternal and fetal interests; and (ii) perceived need to use technology whenever possible. In response I offer an account of how women might promote autonomy through cultivating self-trust and self-confidence. Autonomy is not (...) simply a matter of choosing freely and acting on our choices, it is also a matter of possessing the ability to resist social contexts undermining choice and action. An important implication of this view is that respecting autonomy requires more than simply respecting persons’ ability to make and act on choices. Respecting patient autonomy requires a recognition of patients’ need to resist factors impeding autonomy and support for that resistance. (shrink)