Le projet à l’origine de ce dossier thématique est celui d’une étude comparative de l’expérimentation telle qu’elle apparaît dans les sciences de la nature et dans les sciences humaines et sociales. Il illustre et prolonge les réflexions d’un séminaire de recherche sur le même sujet, organisé par Catherine Allamel-Raffin, qui s’est tenu pendant deux ans (2017-2018) à l’université de Strasbourg grâce à un financement de la Misha (Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l’Homme – Alsace). Les...

Le projet à l’origine de ce dossier thématique est celui d’une étude comparative de l’expérimentation telle qu’elle apparaît dans les sciences de la nature et dans les sciences humaines et sociales. Il illustre et prolonge les réflexions d’un séminaire de recherche sur le même sujet, organisé par Catherine Allamel-Raffin, qui s’est tenu pendant deux ans à l’université de Strasbourg grâce à un financement de la Misha. Les...

This paper deals with calibration in scientific practices which investigate relatively well-understood natural phenomena by means of already standardized instrumental devices. Calibration is a crucial topic, since it conditions the reliability of instrumental procedures in science. Yet although important, calibration is a relatively neglected topic. We think more attention should be devoted to calibration. The paper attempts to take a step in this direction. The aims are two-fold: (1) to characterize calibration in a relatively simple kind of scientific practices; (2) (...) to provide conceptual and taxonomic tools of broader scope that help to get a better understanding of calibration in more complex cases and other kinds of scientific practices. For this purpose, we first provide indications for why a conceptual framework is needed. Second, a bibliographic survey of works dealing with calibration is attempted. Third, we introduce different tools to enable a better understanding of calibration. Fourth, we turn to the elaboration of what we call a “simple exemplar” of calibration, illustrated through the case of the calibration of an equal-arm balance. Fifth, the tools previously introduced, and the framework of the simple exemplar, are applied to a more complex case of calibration: calibration procedures in X-ray experiments. This serves to show the work accomplished by the simple exemplar and to emphasize features of more complex cases of calibration. Eventually, we revisit and specify the nature, status, scope and value of the proposed framework. (shrink)

Introduction Le philosophe des sciences et le sociologue antidifférenciationniste À partir de quels matériaux de base le philosophe étudie-t-il les démarches et évalue-t-il la portée épistémique des résultats obtenus dans les sciences de la nature? Thomas S. Kuhn a ironisé sur ce point en suggérant que la distinction entre contexte de découverte et contexte de justification notamment ne donnait pas lieu à des analyses plausibles, dès lors que les philosophes se contentent de trouver leurs so...

Notre visée, dans cet article, consiste à souligner que la prise en compte d’une stratégie couramment employée par les chercheurs au sein des sciences expérimentales, l’interinstrumentalité, permet de réduire l’impact des facteurs micro- et macrosociaux, privilégiés par les tenants du programme relativiste empirique de Harry Collins, lorsqu’il s’agit d’expliquer la clôture des débats sur la valeur à conférer aux données collectées. Deux études de cas, l’une portant sur l’histoire de l’invention du microscope à effet tunnel, l’autre sur une recherche déterminée (...) au sein d’un laboratoire de physique des surfaces, nous permettent de préciser en quoi l’interinstrumentalité contribue à l’objectivité des résultats obtenus par les scientifiques, et en constitue une composante au même titre que l’intersubjectivité. (shrink)

Notre visée, dans cet article, consiste à souligner que la prise en compte d’une stratégie couramment employée par les chercheurs au sein des sciences expérimentales, l’interinstrumentalité, permet de réduire l’impact des facteurs micro- et macrosociaux, privilégiés par les tenants du programme relativiste empirique de Harry Collins, lorsqu’il s’agit d’expliquer la clôture des débats sur la valeur à conférer aux données collectées. Deux études de cas, l’une portant sur l’histoire de l’invention du microscope à effet tunnel, l’autre sur une recherche déterminée (...) au sein d’un laboratoire de physique des surfaces, nous permettent de préciser en quoi l’interinstrumentalité contribue à l’objectivité des résultats obtenus par les scientifiques, et en constitue une composante au même titre que l’intersubjectivité. (shrink)

Comment parvenons-nous à une connaissance du réel? Quels sont, sur ce point, les pouvoirs et les limites de la raison humaine? La raison, au fil des siècles, a été soit attaquée, soit placée sur un piédestal. Cet ouvrage se propose de répertorier les différentes positions adoptées par les philosophes, avant de trancher en faveur d'une conception modeste de la raison. Si celle-ci ne peut nous offrir des certitudes absolues quant à notre connaissance du réel, elle nous permet néanmoins d'élaborer un (...) savoir provisoire et révisable, à partir duquel nous parvenons à nous orienter et à agir dans le monde. (shrink)

Après avoir présenté une conception radicale des recherches participatives, ce texte montre que les savoirs produits dans un tel cadre sont de nature hybride et peuvent être qualifiés de transdisciplinaires, au sens fort de ce qualificatif qui souligne que ces savoirs vont au-delà de toute catégorisation de savoirs constitués. Cette transdisciplinarité forte pose la question de la vérité et de l’objectivité des énoncés ainsi produits. La réponse à cette double question conditionne à la fois l’excellence épistémique et la pertinence sociale (...) de ces énoncés, qui ont pour vocation de déboucher sur des actions aptes à répondre aux attentes cognitives et sociales de toutes les parties prenantes. Une telle vocation implique une conduite inédite de l’évaluation des savoirs impliqués, du point de vue de leur pertinence épistémique comme de celui de leur pertinence sociale. (shrink)

This paper proposes a new approach for analysing daily activities in a laboratory. The case study presented is an analysis of shop-talk around a microscope. In addition to the classical approaches, such as ethnomethodology and anthropology of science, I argue that a microsemiotic approach could be useful to better understand what is at stake. The semiotic approach I shall use here was proposed by a group of Belgian semioticians: Groupe μ. This semiotic approach leads to a constructivist point of view: (...) the meaning of a visual representation is progressively constructed and is very context-dependent. This semiotic approach is fruitful because it allows a very precise analysis of shop-talk recorded data, and gives a better account of the materiality of visual representations. (shrink)

Introduction: Platonic dramatology -- The political and philosophical problems. Using pre-Socratic philosophy to support political reform: the Athenian stranger ; Plato's Parmenides: Parmenides' critique of Socrates and Plato's critique of Parmenides ; Becoming Socrates ; Socrates interrogates his contemporaries about the noble and good -- Paradigms of philosophy. Socrates' positive teaching ; Timaeus-Critias: completing or challenging Socratic political philosophy? ; Socratic practice -- The trial and death of Socrates. The limits of human intelligence ; The Eleatic challenge ; The trial (...) and death of Socrates -- Conclusion: Why Plato made Socrates his hero. (shrink)

Our homes are where we live and play, and for those making positive vegan choices, it's important for our domestic spaces to be environmentally friendly and cruelty-free. This book provides practical advice and inspiration to everyone who is building or renovating and wants a home that both supports their lifestyle and benefits the planet. Topics include making intelligent choices on appliances and creating butterfly-friendly gardens. With ideas, tips, and guidelines for every aspect of home design, readers will see how easy (...) it is to make smart choices and create a beautiful, safe space for living. (shrink)

This paper argues that we can acknowledge the existence of moral truths and moral progress without being committed to moral realism. Rather than defending this claim through the more familiar route of the attempted analysis of the ontological commitments of moral claims, I show how moral belief change for the better shares certain features with theoretical progress in the natural sciences. Proponents of the better theory are able to convince their peers that it is formally and empirically superior to its (...) rivals, and the better theory may be promoted to the status of the truth. Yet there is no 'decision-procedure' for ethics any more than there is for molecular biology. The betterness of true theories can be grasped through what I term 'undirectional narratives' of progress. And while there are true moral claims and perhaps numerous moral truths yet to be discovered, we should reject currently popular forms of moral realism with bivalence. Some moral claims lend themselves to the construction of fully reversible, bi-directional narratives and are likely neither true nor false. (shrink)

Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint addresses in a novel format the major topics and themes of contemporary metaethics, the study of the analysis of moral thought and judgement. Metathetics is less concerned with what practices are right or wrong than with what we mean by 'right' and 'wrong.' Looking at a wide spectrum of topics including moral language, realism and anti-realism, reasons and motives, relativism, and moral progress, this book engages students and general readers in order to enhance their (...) understanding of morality and moral discourse as cultural practices. Catherine Wilson innovatively employs a first-person narrator to report step-by-step an individual's reflections, beginning from a position of radical scepticism, on the possibility of objective moral knowledge. The reader is invited to follow along with this reasoning, and to challenge or agree with each major point. Incrementally, the narrator is led to certain definite conclusions about 'oughts' and norms in connection with self-interest, prudence, social norms, and finally morality. Scepticism is overcome, and the narrator arrives at a good understanding of how moral knowledge and moral progress are possible, though frequently long in coming. Accessibly written, Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint presupposes no prior training in philosophy and is a must-read for philosophers, students and general readers interested in gaining a better understanding of morality as a personal philosophical quest."--Publisher's website. (shrink)

Este artículo pretende analizar la particular relación de imbricación que Michel Foucault y Giorgio Agamben han venido a establecer entre la vida humana y el poder. A tal fin, se propone un recorrido por los dos momentos centrales de su producción que permiten dar cuenta de dicha imbricación: en el caso de Agamben, el referido a la investigación “homo sacer” y, en el de Foucault, el de su investigación en torno de la biopolítica como acontecimiento decisivo de la modernidad. Ambas (...) investigaciones han redundado, entre otros aspectos, pero de manera central, en la configuración de la vida humana en su relación con el poder. En cada uno de los momentos elegidos en las producciones de los filósofos, se analizan las nociones centrales que componen cada investigación: nuda vida, “homo sacer”, estado de excepción y “oikonomía”, en el primer caso; y biopolítica y gubernamentalidad, en el segundo. Finalmente, se contrastan ambas formulaciones filosóficas a fin de sopesar los alcances y las potencialidades que implican frente al análisis que proponen. Este breve ejercicio de análisis sobre la relación entre la vida y el poder en los dos filósofos, pretende poner en evidencia los riesgos a los que nos exponen ciertos presupuestos frecuentes que fundamentan y dan sentido a las ideas y a las prácticas políticas contemporáneas. (shrink)

Even though The Medium Place is overshadowed by the dramatic events that unfold in the fake Good Place neighborhood, it is more significant to The Good Place. The Medium Place is described as an individually tailored “eternal mediocrity,” a place of neutrality and compromise. One of the most prominent contemporary cultural theorists, Homi K. Bhabha, calls this space of becoming, where contradictions and differences are explored rather than resolved, a “Third Space”. Bhabha claims that despite its importance, being “in‐between” is (...) usually “unrepresentable,” and Roland Barthes too refers to his idea of the “third possibility” as having “no place” of its own. But the writers of The Good Place have proved them wrong—they have found a way to represent this middle “in‐between” space it as a geographical neighborhood. The morality of The Medium Place is the most human and realistic of all The Good Place neighborhoods. (shrink)

Confronting fundamentalism: the dangerous God of "control and condemn" -- 1967: What the cake said -- God-talk 101: The art that is Christianity -- The Copernican turn of Christian humanism -- Quantum theology: the symbolic character of God-talk -- Theological weirdness (1): the symbolic claim that God is a person -- Poets as theologians: the moral imagination of Christian Humanist tradition -- Moses debates with a burning bush -- I AM v. I WILL BE: translation and the authority of theologians (...) -- Theological weirdness (2): the symbolic claim that God is necessarily impersonal -- What, then, can be said about God? (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: The Start Line Lap One, Where Cycling Practice Meets Feminist Ethics Lap Two, Words from Our Teammates or The Dirt Documentaries Lap Three, Different Lines, Same Course Last Lap, How Women Cyclists Transform Cycling.

Beyond Clinical Dehumanisation Toward the Other offers a rare and intimate portrayal of the moral process of a mental health clinician that interrogates the intractable problem of systemic dehumanization in community mental health care, and looks to the notion of 'wonder,' and the visionary relational ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, for a possible cure. This book is an ethical primer for mental health professionals, researchers, educators, advocates and service users working to re-imagine and heal a broken system by challenging the underpinnings (...) of entrenched dehumanization and standing with those they "serve". (shrink)

Experimental philosophers advocate expansion of philosophical methods to include empirical investigation into the concepts used by ordinary people in reasoning and action. We propose also including methods of qualitative social science, which we argue serve both moral and epistemic goals. Philosophical analytical tools applied to interdisciplinary research designs can provide ways to extract rich contextual information from subjects. We argue that this approach has important implications for bioethics; it provides both epistemic and moral reasons to use the experiences and perspectives (...) of diverse populations to better identify underlying concepts as well as to develop effective interventions within particular communities. (shrink)

Relevance Theory is a cognitively oriented theory of pragmatics, i.e., a theory of language use. It builds on the seminal work of H.P. Grice1 to develop a pragmatic theory which is at once philosophically sensitive and empirically plausible (in both psychological and evolutionary terms). This entry reviews the central commitments and chief contributions of Relevance Theory, including its Gricean commitment to the centrality of intention-reading and inference in communication; the cognitively grounded notion of relevance which provides the mechanism for explaining (...) pragmatic interpretation as an intention-driven, inferential process; and several key applications of the theory (lexical pragmatics, metaphor and irony, procedural meaning). Relevance Theory is an important contribution to our understanding of the pragmatics of communication. (shrink)

Background: Recent research has demonstrated that depressed individuals show impairments in inhibiting irrelevant emotional material, and that these impairments are linked to rumination. Cognitive inhibition, however, is not a unitary construct but consists of several components which operate at different stages of information processing. The present study was designed to assess two components of inhibition and examine their relation to depression and rumination in a sample of clinically depressed and healthy control participants. Methods: Twenty-two individuals diagnosed with a current depressive (...) episode and 27 never-disordered control participants completed an Emotional Flanker Task to assess individual differences in interference control and a modification of the Working Memory Selection Task to assess individual differences in the ability to discard no longer relevant emotional material from working memory. Participants completed self-report measures to assess depressive symptoms and rumination. Results: Clinically depressed compared to control participants showed significantly reduced interference control of irrelevant negative information. The groups, however, did not differ in their ability to discard no longer relevant negative information from working memory. In contrast, rumination was associated with difficulty removing no longer relevant negative material from working memory but not with deficits in interference control. Conclusions: Results highlight the importance of differentiating among components of inhibition to gain a better understanding of cognitive mechanisms underlying depression and rumination. (shrink)

Diversity is often announced as a solution to ethical problems in artificial intelligence (AI), but what exactly is meant by diversity and how it can solve those problems is seldom spelled out. This lack of clarity is one hurdle to motivating diversity in AI. Another hurdle is that while the most common perceptions about what diversity is are too weak to do the work set out for them, stronger notions of diversity are often defended on normative grounds that fail to (...) connect to the values that are important to decision-makers in AI. However, there is a long history of research in feminist philosophy of science and a recent body of work in social epistemology that taken together provide the foundation for a notion of diversity that is both strong enough to do the work demanded of it, and can be defended on epistemic grounds that connect with the values that are important to decision-makers in AI. We clarify and defend that notion here by introducing emergent expertise as a network phenomenon wherein groups of workers with expertise of different types can gain knowledge not available to any individual alone, as long as they have ways of communicating across types of expertise. We illustrate the connected epistemic and ethical benefits of designing technology with diverse groups of workers using the examples of an infamous racist soap dispenser, and the millimeter wave scanners used in US airport security. (shrink)

A leading philosopher shows that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is the answer Epicureanism has a reputation problem, bringing to mind gluttons with gout or an admonition to eat, drink, and be merry. In How to Be an Epicurean, philosopher Catherine Wilson shows that Epicureanism isn't an excuse for having a good time: it's a means to live a good life. Although modern conveniences and scientific progress have significantly improved our quality of life, many of (...) the problems faced by ancient Greeks -- love, money, family, politics -- remain with us in new forms. To overcome these obstacles, the Epicureans adopted a philosophy that promoted reason, respect for the natural world, and reverence for our fellow humans. By applying this ancient wisdom to a range of modern problems, from self-care routines and romantic entanglements to issues of public policy and social justice, Wilson shows us how we can all fill our lives with purpose and pleasure. (shrink)

Designed specifically for the educational needs of RN to BSN students This is a unique, innovative professional nursing ethics textbook designed specifically for the educational needs of RN to BSN students. Written by experts in the field, it discusses ethical concepts geared to the licensed nurse who has spent several years in practice but is learning high-level concepts and applications. The text addresses different areas of professional practice and is rich with case studies illustrating clinical scenarios involving ethical awareness and (...) decision-making. The book fulfills the necessary criteria for the AACN Essentials for Baccalaureate Education and the QSEN and ISOM competencies. Clear and concise, the text relates content to the nurse’s current practice and professional development without extraneous information typically included in other texts. Progressing from simple to complex, chapters build on previous practice experience to focus on ethical decision-making in a variety of practice environments. The book incorporates a “four boxes” decision-making model and addresses essential communication skills, how to recognize and resolve moral distress, and the role of an ethics committee. It discusses common ethical issues likely to be encountered and ethical practice as it relates to quality and safety. Case Study Dilemmas that include evidence-based research provide the opportunity to apply ethical decision-making principles. QSEN application principles are also featured in each chapter, and interactive exercises and questions and PowerPoints provide further opportunity for critical thinking. Key Features: Addresses the specific needs of students in the RN to BSN course Fulfills AACN Essentials, IOM Competencies, and QSEN KSAs Builds upon previous practice experience of RN to BSN students Discusses ethical decision-making in a variety of practice environments Includes Case Study Dilemmas to apply ethical decision-making principles. (shrink)

What painting does -- Systems of art historical and philosophical thought -- The place of painting: Velazquez's Las Meninas -- The limits of irony: Manet's painting -- The negativity of painting: Magritte's this is not a pipe -- Painting in the light of photography: Fromanger's methods.

When Artificial Intelligence (AI) is applied in decision-making that affects people’s lives, it is now well established that the outcomes can be biased or discriminatory. The question of whether algorithms themselves can be among the sources of bias has been the subject of recent debate among Artificial Intelligence researchers, and scholars who study the social impact of technology. There has been a tendency to focus on examples, where the data set used to train the AI is biased, and denial on (...) the part of some researchers that algorithms can also be biased. Here we illustrate the point that algorithms themselves can be the source of bias with the example of collaborative filtering algorithms for recommendation and search. These algorithms are known to suffer from cold-start, popularity, and homogenizing biases, among others. While these are typically described as statistical biases rather than biases of moral import; in this paper we show that these statistical biases can lead directly to discriminatory outcomes. The intuitive idea is that data points on the margins of distributions of human data tend to correspond to marginalized people. The statistical biases described here have the effect of further marginalizing the already marginal. Biased algorithms for applications such as media recommendations can have significant impact on individuals’ and communities’ access to information and culturally-relevant resources. This source of bias warrants serious attention given the ubiquity of algorithmic decision-making. (shrink)

This chapter explores the epistemic roles played by connectionist models of cognition, and offers a formal analysis of how connectionist models explain. It looks at how other types of computational models explain. Classical artificial intelligence (AI) programs explain using abductive reasoning, or inference to the best explanation; they begin with the phenomena to be explained, and devise rules that can produce the right outcome. The chapter also looks at several examples of connectionist models of cognition, observing what sorts of constraints (...) are used in their design, and how their results are evaluated. It argues that the point of implementing networks roughly analogous to neural structures is to discover and explores the generic mechanisms at work in the brain, not to deduce the precise activities of specific structures. The chapter explores a formal analysis of the explanations offered, which interprets connectionist models and the cognitive theories they represent as sharing membership in a type of mechanism. (shrink)

This chapter explores some of the ways that mechanisms are invoked in neuroscience and looks at a selection of the philosophical problems that arise when trying to understand mechanistic explanations. It introduces a series of historical case studies that illustrate how neuroscientists have depended on mechanistic metaphors in their efforts to understand the mind and brain, and how their mechanistic explanations have developed over time. The chapter highlights what contemporary philosophers have identified as the fundamental features of mechanisms and mechanistic (...) explanation. It considers some of the methodological issues that arise in neuroscience including how to integrate psychological with neural models, how to generalize findings in model organisms like the sea slug Aplysia to human learning and memory, and whether to favor top-down or bottom-up methods. Constructing multi-level mechanistic explanations involves intensive collaboration across different branches of science, and involves many challenges, both pragmatic and methodological. (shrink)

This book considers the theory and application of ethics for a multifaith society. Much ethics taught in the UK has been dominated by Christian ethics, their relation to secularism and by the Enlightenment's reaction against theology as a basis for ethical thought. In contrast to these perspectives this book brings secular and theological ethics into dialogue, considering the degree to which secular ethics has common roots with theological perspectives from various traditions. The book assesses the application of ethical and theological (...) principles in today's multifaith society. Aiming to enhance ethical understanding and awareness across divergent worldviews, identifying at what points divergence does occur, the author examines topics such as reason and ethics in theology, natural law, utilitarianism and deontology and differences of approach to interpreting religious scriptures. The focus on ethical methods is illustrated through topical concerns in religion and ethics, for example sexuality, marriage and education and religion in relation to global ethics and human rights. (shrink)

This book provides original descriptive accounts of two schools of thought in the philosophy of beauty: the 20th-century "Anti-Aesethetic" movement and the 21st-century "Beauty Revival" movement. It also includes a positive defence of beauty as a lived experience extrapolated from Beauty-Revival position. Beauty was traditionally understood in the broadest sense as a notion that engages our sense perception and embraces everything evoked by that perception, including mental products and affective states. This book constructs and places in parallel with one another (...) the Anti-Aesthetic and Beauty-Revival movements. In the author's view, Anti-Aestheticism is devoted to a decisive negation of beauty-denying its importance as a philosophical notion and its significance as a lived experience. It suggests that beauty is a merely sensual experience, which can be used, at best, as a distraction from justice and, at worst, as an instrument of evil. Alternatively, the Beauty-Revival movement advances arguments for beauty as an experience that extends primarily to sensual experience, but which also calls forth mental products and cognitive and affective states evoked by that experience. After reconstructing these two positions, the author elaborates on the notion of beauty as a lived experience through three key moments which occur in the process of our experiencing beautiful objects. These moments are (a) the conditions that constitute an experience of beauty, (b) the attitudinal features most likely to lead to the experience of beauty, and (c) the results of the experience of beauty. The Revival of Beauty will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in aesthetics, history of philosophy, and art history. (shrink)

Este artículo analiza las ideas que Foucault produjo sobre la cuestión del racismo con el fin de evaluar sus alcances y potencialidades para seguir pensando hoy esa problemática, para interactuar con ella, pero también para discutir con esa perspectiva y para revisar las transmutaciones, los trastocamientos y las nuevas configuraciones que el racismo puede asumir actualmente. El desarrollo argumental se estructura a partir del examen de los siguientes puntos: la noción de racismo elaborada por Foucault y su complementaria de racismo (...) de Estado, como transformaciones fundamentales de la idea de la guerra de razas y del discurso de la contra-historia y como epifenómenos de la biopolítica; el modelo de la guerra, el discurso de la contra-historia y la guerra de razas como los antecedentes que, en el análisis foucaultiano, llevaron, en el interior de las sociedades y los Estados europeos, pero también en una relación inescindible con los sistemas de clasificación y jerarquización social de las colonias, a la idea de racismo, o al menos, a un cierto desarrollo paradigmático de aquello que concebimos como racismo; y finalmente, una serie de conclusiones tentativas acerca de las ideas que Foucault propone para abordar y analizar el racismo, sopesando los alcances y las potencialidades de esas ideas. (shrink)

Dans cet article je me propose d’analyser dans quelle mesure les droits humains peuvent constituer un outil d’émancipation et de construction de nos démocraties compte tenu des critiques fortes qui leur ont été adressées depuis le XIXe siècle et notamment au cours du XXe siècle, en particulier, à partir du paradigme dit postmoderne. Plus spécifiquement, j’essaierai de répondre à cette question à partir de la position foucaldienne à l’égard de la production de droits, notamment de ce que le philosophe appelle (...) les « droits des gouvernés », liés, dans sa production, à la notion de « nouveau droit », comme stratégie de résistance et comme « pratique de liberté ». Ma réponse sera également orientée, en dernière instance, par le besoin d’examiner la potentialité et la portée des droits humains dans l’arène politique actuelle. (shrink)