Although we supposedly live in a representative democracy, citizens in many cases do not really participate in political reality and lack resources in the face of multiple situations in which their rulers do not act in the most appropriate way. The problems are numerous: the attempt of seduction of the citizenship by the political class and its subsequent kidnapping until the following elections for lack of mechanisms of social control, the breach of the electoral programs according to the conveniences; sectarianism, (...) poor political ethics or even clear corruption, use of taxes for unapproved fines, indoctrination, poor separation of powers and real power from political parties... (shrink)

The relation between Wittgenstein's philosophy of mathematics and mathematical Intuitionism has raised a considerable debate. My attempt is to analyse if there is a commitment in Wittgenstein to themes characteristic of the intuitionist movement in Mathematics and if that commitment is one important strain that runs through his Remarks on the foundations of mathematics. The intuitionistic themes to analyse in his philosophy of mathematics are: firstly, his attacks on the unrestricted use of the Law of Excluded Middle; secondly, his distrust (...) of non-constructive proofs; and thirdly, his impatience with the idea that mathematics stands in need of a foundation. These elements are Fogelin's starting point for the systematic reconstruction of Wittgenstein's conception of mathematics. (shrink)

Se examinan las diversas modalidades de la nada como casos de pérdida del sentido y falta de consumación del conocimiento: la nada como noúmeno y su relación con el fenómeno, así como la conexión trascendental de ambos. Aunque la nada pone en jaque al concepto de sentido, este se encuentra supuesto antes de todo tipo de pregunta por el ser, y se constituye en el trasfondo de las condiciones trascendentales que posibilitan el conocimiento.

Se examinan las diversas modalidades de la nada como casos de pérdida del sentido y falta de consumación del conocimiento: la nada como noúmeno y su relación con el fenómeno, así como la conexión trascendental de ambos. Aunque la nada pone en jaque al concepto de sentido, este se encuentra supuesto antes de todo tipo de pregunta por el ser, y se constituye en el trasfondo de las condiciones trascendentales que posibilitan el conocimiento. Various modes of non-being are examined as (...) cases of loss of sense and as a lack of consummation of knowledge: non-being as noumena and its relationship with the phenomena, as well as the transcendental connection between them. Although non-being makes the concept of sense doubtful, it is presupposed before any kind of question regarding being and it is constituted in the background which belongs to the transcendental conditions which make knowledge possible. (shrink)

This volume, the third in this Springer series, contains selected papers from the four workshops organized by the ESF Research Networking Programme "The Philosophy of Science in a European Perspective" (PSE) in 2010: Pluralism in the Foundations of Statistics Points of Contact between the Philosophy of Physics and the Philosophy of Biology The Debate on Mathematical Modeling in the Social Sciences Historical Debates about Logic, Probability and Statistics The volume is accordingly divided in four sections, each of them containing papers (...) coming from the workshop focussing on one of these themes. While the programme's core topic for the year 2010 was probability and statistics, the organizers of the workshops embraced the opportunity of building bridges to more or less closely connected issues in general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics and philosophy of the special sciences. However, papers that analyze the concept of probability for various philosophical purposes are clearly a major theme in this volume, as it was in the previous volumes of the same series. This reflects the impressive productivity of probabilistic approaches in the philosophy of science, which form an important part of what has become known as formal epistemology - although, of course, there are non-probabilistic approaches in formal epistemology as well. It is probably fair to say that Europe has been particularly strong in this area of philosophy in recent years.​ . (shrink)

La investigación sobre leyes de la naturaleza constituye una de las aventuras del intelecto humano en su esfuerzo primigenio por entender la realidad y nuestro lugar en ella. En la primera parte del libro expondremos la aproximación biográfica que motiva nuestra investigación (capítulo 1). La segunda parte examina los orígenes históricos del imaginario de leyes de la naturaleza que se remontan a la filosofía natural de la época de Descartes y Newton (capítulos 2 y 3). La tercera parte sistematiza el (...) debate estándar en filosofía de las leyes de la naturaleza, que se ha consagrado en las concepciones humeanas y anti-humeanas, en donde las primeras sostienen que las leyes son meros enunciados de regularidades (capítulo 4), mientras que las segundas afirman que ellas corresponden a alguna clase especial de necesidades naturales (capítulos 5 y 6). En la cuarta parte propondremos nuevas perspectivas sobre las leyes de la naturaleza que escapan al debate estándar. Examinaremos el problema de Wigner acerca de la efectividad de las matemáticas en la formulación de leyes físicas (capítulo 7), elaborando la concepción inferencial de las leyes que ofrece una respuesta al problema wigneriano (capítulo 8). Asimismo, indagaremos el carácter modal de las leyes de la naturaleza (capítulo 9) y el supuesto metafísico que afirma que la realidad tiene una estructura, que ha sido asociada a las leyes (capítulo 10). Finalmente, en la quinta parte del libro cerraremos nuestra investigación elaborando el eliminativismo nómico, que nos insta a abandonar el imaginario de leyes de la naturaleza tanto en ciencias como en nuestra interpretación filosófica de las mismas (capítulos 11 y 12). (shrink)

This volume, the third in this Springer series, contains selected papers from the four workshops organized by the ESF Research Networking Programme "The Philosophy of Science in a European Perspective" in 2010: Pluralism in the Foundations of Statistics Points of Contact between the Philosophy of Physics and the Philosophy of Biology The Debate on Mathematical Modeling in the Social Sciences Historical Debates about Logic, Probability and Statistics The volume is accordingly divided in four sections, each of them containing papers coming (...) from the workshop focussing on one of these themes. While the programme's core topic for the year 2010 was probability and statistics, the organizers of the workshops embraced the opportunity of building bridges to more or less closely connected issues in general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics and philosophy of the special sciences. However, papers that analyze the concept of probability for various philosophical purposes are clearly a major theme in this volume, as it was in the previous volumes of the same series. This reflects the impressive productivity of probabilistic approaches in the philosophy of science, which form an important part of what has become known as formal epistemology - although, of course, there are non-probabilistic approaches in formal epistemology as well. It is probably fair to say that Europe has been particularly strong in this area of philosophy in recent years.​. (shrink)

Resumen: El presente estudio intenta demostrar que mediante la novela Los sinsabores del verdadero policía, Roberto Bolaño construye una alegoría de las fisuras que se provocan en las tramas simbólicas de la geografía global mediante la figura de su protagonista Oscar Amalfitano. A partir de este personaje en constante tránsito por distintos territorios, el autor deja en evidencia la situación diaspórica de un sujeto que representa el conflicto de aquellos individuos que traspasan las fronteras establecidas en la lógica del mapa (...) trazado por Occidente, constituyendo así una transgresión de la propia configuración identitaria nacional. Desde este enfoque, se propone la figura de Amalfitano como el sujeto que deconstruye la idea eurocéntrica de la “rosa de los vientos” y permite apropiarse de esta misma noción para generar un juego casi “archimboldiano”: el origen de una “rosa ilimitada de los vientos”.: The present study attempts to show that through the novel Los sinsabores del verdadero policía, Roberto Bolaño constructs an allegory of the cracks that are caused in the symbolic frame of global geography through the figure of its protagonist, Oscar Amalfitano. From this character in constant transit through other territories, the author shows clearly the diasporic situation of a subject that represents the conflict of individuals who cross borders established in the logic of the map drawn by the West, thus constituting a violation of the configuration of national identity itself. In this approach, the figure of Amalfitano as the subject that deconstructs the Eurocentric idea of wind rose and allows the appropriation of this notion to generate an almost "archimboldiano" game: the origin of the the unlimited wind rose. (shrink)

Habermas's early work on action and practical rationality -- Practical rationality in Habermas's communicative paradigm -- Towards a thoroughly communicative conception of social action and its rationality.

From a personal reading of Peirce's work, especially his semiotics, the author has chosen some ideas that can be developed in the context of a Communication Theory. Particularly he proposes semiosis to be considered as social circulation of meaning. Discussion about object and feelings in the field of communication studies is also introduced. Finally, the connection of Peirce's theories with others that equally adopt the interpretative perspective, such as hermeneutics, deconstruction and discourse analysis, is pointed out.

In this paper creativity is considered as a metaphysical question, with a mathematical ground on the notion of continuity. Of Peirce´s hand, and going be yond his claims, the author examines first the metaphysical grounds of creativity and then the aspects related with logic and semiotics.

From a personal reading of Peirce's work, especially his semiotics, the author has chosen some ideas that can be developed in the context of a Communication Theory. Particularly he proposes semiosis to be considered as social circulation of meaning. Discussion about object and feelings in the field of communication studies is also introduced. Finally, the connection of Peirce's theories with others that equally adopt the interpretative perspective, such as hermeneutics, deconstruction and discourse analysis, is pointed out.

Three lines of semiotic thought were developed by Greek culture: that of Medicine, that of the Arts of discourse (Logic, Dialectic and Rhetoric), and finally,that of Language, strictly speaking. Even though these three branches evolved in quite parallel terms, they only slightly influenced one another, which hindered the existence of a general Semiotics. However, this fact does not play down the reflection on Semiosis carried out by the Greeks.

El presente artículo busca proponer un acercamiento a la influencia del pensamiento de Thomas Hobbes y su obra en el pensamiento económico. En especial en las escuelas marxista, neoclásica y keynesiana. El influjo de su pensamiento puede evidenciarse en el abordaje metodológico, antropológico e institucional. Se ofrece una Mirada sobre la sociedad civil (comercial), el Mercado y el Estado al mismo tiempo. Hobbes ha sido la inspiración de un concepto de Estado monolítico en lo político, en este sentido, la mirada (...) de la economía bajo el concepto de un gran planificador centralizado, tiene importantes antecedentes en este autor. El ejercicio del control social del individuo como propuesta institucional, en varias escuelas de la economía comparten con Hobbes, varios antecedentes que merecen ser analizados. (shrink)

El psicoanalista francés Jacques Lacan piensa el objeto del deseo como un objeto que falta y que no puede ser representado. Por su parte, Gilles Deleuze y Félix Guattari rechazan en El Antiedipo cualquier concepción que relacione el deseo con la carencia y sostienen que el deseo es un proceso de producción de un objeto real presente. En su opinión el psicoanálisis lacaniano maldice al sujeto deseante condenándolo a una melancolía y a una insatisfacción perpetuas. El objetivo principal de este (...) artículo es rechazar esta crítica basándose en tres argumentos: una distinción entre la falta y la carencia, la consideración de la falta como no necesariamente negativa y la defensa de que un deseo limitado y parcialmente insatisfecho es más liberador que un deseo masivamente colmado. (shrink)

ResumenEste estudio ofrece una presentación del trabajo de investigación desarrollado en una tesis doctoral sobre el problema de la conciencia del tiempo en la fenomenología de Husserl defendida en la Universidad de Barcelona en abril del 2007. Tras justificar la importancia que el tema tiene para el pensamiento de Husserl son presentados los diferentes acercamientos a esta cuestión en cada una de las épocas de su pensamiento, distinguiendo fundamentalmente tres periodos: las lecciones sobre la conciencia interna del tiempo (1904/05), los (...) manuscritos de Bernau (1917/18) y los manuscritos C (1929/34).Palabras claveFenomenología, tiempo, conciencia, Husserl.AbstractThis paper offers a general overview of a research developed and defended as a PhD at the University of Barcelona in April 2007 concerning the problem of time- consciousness in Husserl’s phenomenology. After justifying the relevance of the subject to Husserl, we present the different approaches to the problem of time-consciousness in every period of his thinking, distinguishing mainly three phases: the lessons about inner time consciousness (1904/05), the Bernauer manuscripts (1917/18) and the C- manuscripts (1929/34).KeywordsPhenomenology, time, consciousness, Husserl. (shrink)

El objetivo de este artículo es aclarar la crítica que el psicoanalista Jacques Lacan dirige al concepto marxista de plus-valía tal y como es formulado en el Capital de Marx. Tras el concepto de una plus-valía contable Lacan quiere desvelar la necesidad de atender a la noción más fundamental de un plus-de-gozar [plus-de-jouir] incontable. Atenderemos para ello a diferentes pasajes de sus seminarios XVI (1968-69), XVII (1969-70) y de su texto Radiofonía (1970).

Ernesto Laclau’s theory of hegemony interprets in a peculiar way two central concepts of Lacanian psychoanalysis: the signifier and the real. Laclau maintains that signifiers are per se tendentially empty and that there is some constituting impossibility in every social system, that is, some real in the Lacanian sense. This paper levels two criticisms at this interpretation. Firstly, Lacan never employs the concept “empty signifier”: His definition of the signifier as that which represents a subject—and his enjoyment—for another signifier contradicts (...) this emptiness. Secondly, in the place of the impossible, Lacan puts enjoyment. The main political consequence of these two considerations is that the theory of hegemony is mistaken when focusing on the rhetorical debate and forgets that individual political inclinations are based mainly on their enjoyment. (shrink)

Los textos acerca del tiempo de Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) se organizan en torno a tres núcleos temáticos. En una primero época, en las Lecciones de fenomenología de la conciencia interna del tiempo (1904-1905), el hilo conductor es la pregunta acerca de cómo la percepción de un objeto que dura (tiempo objetivo) es constituida por una conciencia que vive en el tiempo inmanete y cómo esta es el resultado de un plano anterior -conciencia interna-. En un segundo momento, en los manuscritos (...) de Bernau (1917-1918) y en los textos sobre el carácter pasivo de los procesos de la conciencia (1921), Husserl profundiza en la relación entre conciencia, reflexión y temporalidad, y destaca la pasividad con la que se llevan a cabo las operaciones de constitución de la conciencia. Por último, en los manuscritos C (1929-1934) introducirá la noción de presente viviente como centro desde el que pensar toda la temporalidad. A la par que una investigación sobre el carácter eternamente enigmático del tiempo, los análisis de Jusserl revelan el ser fundamentalmente temporal de nuestra conciencia, en un ejercicio riguroso de pensamiento que lleva a la fenomenología hasta los límites de su potencial descriptivo. (shrink)

This article analyzes how evolving pharmaceutical technology, chemical advances, and world politics created the need for an abundant and cheap supply of steroids, and how decisions made in faraway laboratories ultimately determined that a Mexican yam, barbasco, was the best possible raw material. Following this discovery, this article explores how barbasco’s exploitation impacted on the Mexican countryside and specifically the men and women hired to gather wild yams. In analyzing, for example, the peasant organizations that emerged, the use of chemical (...) terms by barely literate peasants, and the Mexican government’s political strategy to control rural unrest by controlling barbasco production one begins to understand the unexpected consequences of the global search for medicinal plants. In this particular case, the merging of science and peasant life reshuffled social hierarchies in the countryside, granted monetary value to an erstwhile ‘weed’, and gave a novel reinterpretation to laboratory knowledge and its uses. (shrink)