La tentación con que seduce el utopismo tecnológico, desde los mismos orígenes de la Modernidad occidental –recordemos la isla de Bensalem de Francis Bacon en su New Atlantis–, es el completo dominio sobre la naturaleza. Hoy, la mentalidad dominante en occidente –que tiende a convertirse en una cosmovisión universal– tiene mucho en común con las creencias de los antiguos gnósticos. Se piensa que la ciencia y la técnica pueden permitir a la mente humana escapar de las limitaciones que caracterizan su (...) estado natural, liberándose del anclaje a la materia biológica y escapando de la condición humana. En definitiva, ser dioses –dioses pensados como Superingenieros Inmortales. hemos de resistir frente a esas ilusiones destructivas, lo cual significa: la racionalidad técnica tiene que realizar su propia crítica de la razón utópica. Sin esta autocrítica será inviable un uso sensato de las técnicas y tecnologías, con su enorme potencial para la mejora de la condición humana, al tiempo que evitamos –si aún fuese posible– la deriva exterminista, nihilista y suicida de la civilización industrial. (shrink)

Vivimos dentro de sistemas socioeconámicos humanos demasiado grandes en relación con la biosfera que los contiene, por una parte; y sistemas mal adaptados, sistemas humanos que encajan mal en los ecosistemas naturales. El problema de escala reclama un movimiento de autolimitación por parte de las sociedades humanas, que podríamos concebir bajo la idea de gestión global de la demanda; el problema de estructura exige una reconstrucción de la tecnosfera de acuerdo con principios de biomímesis.

Versión previa de un capítulo del libro inédito Interdependientes y ecodependientes. Iniciación a la ética ecológica , que publicará Ed. Proteus (Barcelona) en 2012.

ABSTRACT The focus of this essay is Kant's argument in the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals III that regarding oneself as rational implies regarding oneself as free. After setting out an interpretation of how the argument is meant to go, I argue that Kant fails to show that regarding oneself as free is incompatible with accepting universal causal determinism. However, I suggest that the argument succeeds in showing that regarding oneself as rational is inconsistent with accepting universal causal determinism (...) if one accepts a certain, plausible view of the explanation of events. RESUMEN El ensayo se enfoca en el argumento de Kant en la Fundamentación de la metafísica de las costumbres III según el cual considerarse racional implica verse a uno mismo como libre. Se interpreta la forma en que debe entenderse el argumento y se afirma que Kant no logra demostrar que considerarse libre es incompatible con la aceptación del determinismo casual universal. No obstante, se sugiere que el argumento sí logra demostrar que considerarse a uno mismo como racional es incompatible con la aceptación del determinismo casual universal, si se acepta una cierta versión plausible de la explicación de los eventos. (shrink)

I De las muchas cosas que lleva ya escritas Jorge Riechmann sobre problemas sustantivos relacionados con la crisis ecológica, la última publicada, Cuidar la T(t)ierra, es seguramente la más notable. Y, sin duda, es la aportación más sugerente que ha aparecido por estos pagos al concepto de sostenibilidad y a su práctica en el mundo actual. Se trata de un libro de más seiscientas páginas en el que el lector atento apreciará un montón de cosas que sólo excepcionalmente (...) suelen darse juntas: la .. (shrink)

This is the text of the Claudio Rozzoni's interview with Jorge Molder that took place in Portuguese on June 21, 2018, at the artist's atelier in Lisbon. English translation by Claudio Rozzoni.

Una obra frecuentemente consultada por Jorge Luis Borges fue Matemáticas e imaginación, de E. Kasner y J. Newman, en la que se discute la teoría de los conjuntos , propuesta por el matemático Georg Cantor , y mediante la cual se crea la aritmética transifinita y se establece un sistema epistémico para representar los diversos niveles del infinito. Así, Cantor le asigna a estas infinitudes la primera letra del alfabeto hebreo, el Aleph, seguido de un determinado número, dependiendo del (...) nivel de infinitud . Borges, de esta manera, teje varias de sus narraciones en las que se trata el tema del infinito y del absoluto; un ejemplo de ello es la colección de relatos bajo el título El Aleph, que abre con el cuento "El inmortal" y cierra con el quele da el título a la colección. Este ensayo tiene el propósito de estudiar "El inmortal" bajo la óptica cantoriana, para hablar de un absoluto en particular: el yo, y sugerir que no es posible establecer un vocabulario final, o una definición definitiva sobre el tema en cuestión. Esta imposibilidad, propone Borges, está dada en parte por la finitud lingüística, mientras que por otro lado la falibilidad de la memoria juega también un papel crucialen todo intento de definición. Sin embargo, como buen ironista, Borges, a través de "El inmortal", es capaz de proveer una redescripción del tema en cuestión mediante un lenguaje transfinito, sin pretender establecer un vocabulario final sobre el tema sino, al contrario, tratando de resolver ciertas paradojas a la vez que revela otras, promoviendo de esta manera el permanente diálogo entre las distintas disciplinas. Aunque este ensayose enfoca en el análisis de "El inmortal", a fin de desarrollar el tema propuesto, también estudia otros relatos contenidos en El Aleph, y utiliza un acercamiento teórico que se enmarca en la filosofía de la lengua. Jorge Luis Borges often consulted Mathematics and Imagination, by E. Kasner and J. Newman, where set theory is addressed . This theory was proposed by Georg Cantor and by it transfinite arithmetic is established and an epistemic system is created to represent different levels of the infinite. This way Cantor labels the different levels of the infinite by assigning to each the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph, followed by a number, depending on level of the infinite he is referring to . Following these ideas, Borges weaves several narratives in which the infinite and the absolute are discussed. An example of such narratives is the collection of stories compiled under the title The Aleph, which opens with "The Immortal" and closes with the story that gives the collection its title. The objective of this paper is to study "The Immortal" under the Cantorian lens to discuss one particular absolute, the self, and to suggest that it is impossible to establish a final vocabulary, or a definite definition, about this topic. This impossibility, Borges proposes, is in part due to the apparent finitude of language while at the same time the fallible attributes of human memory also is crucial when it comes to defining anything. However, as the ironist Borges is, he is capable of providing through "The Immortal" a re-description of these issues by means of a transfinite language that resolves some paradoxes while at the same time reveals others. By this way of writing, I propose, Borges fosters the continuation of the dialogue among the different disciplines. Though I will center my analysis on "The Immortal", to develop these ideas I also revisit other stories contained in The Aleph departing from a theoretical approach rooted in the philosophy of language. (shrink)

Una obra frecuentemente consultada por Jorge Luis Borges fue Matemáticas e imaginación, de E. Kasner y J. Newman, en la que se discute la teoría de los conjuntos , propuesta por el matemático Georg Cantor , y mediante la cual se crea la aritmética transifinita y se establece un sistema epistémico para representar los diversos niveles del infinito. Así, Cantor le asigna a estas infinitudes la primera letra del alfabeto hebreo, el Aleph, seguido de un determinado número, dependiendo del (...) nivel de infinitud . Borges, de esta manera, teje varias de sus narraciones en las que se trata el tema del infinito y del absoluto; un ejemplo de ello es la colección de relatos bajo el título El Aleph, que abre con el cuento "El inmortal" y cierra con el quele da el título a la colección. Este ensayo tiene el propósito de estudiar "El inmortal" bajo la óptica cantoriana, para hablar de un absoluto en particular: el yo, y sugerir que no es posible establecer un vocabulario final, o una definición definitiva sobre el tema en cuestión. Esta imposibilidad, propone Borges, está dada en parte por la finitud lingüística, mientras que por otro lado la falibilidad de la memoria juega también un papel crucialen todo intento de definición. Sin embargo, como buen ironista, Borges, a través de "El inmortal", es capaz de proveer una redescripción del tema en cuestión mediante un lenguaje transfinito, sin pretender establecer un vocabulario final sobre el tema sino, al contrario, tratando de resolver ciertas paradojas a la vez que revela otras, promoviendo de esta manera el permanente diálogo entre las distintas disciplinas. Aunque este ensayose enfoca en el análisis de "El inmortal", a fin de desarrollar el tema propuesto, también estudia otros relatos contenidos en El Aleph, y utiliza un acercamiento teórico que se enmarca en la filosofía de la lengua. Jorge Luis Borges often consulted Mathematics and Imagination, by E. Kasner and J. Newman, where set theory is addressed . This theory was proposed by Georg Cantor and by it transfinite arithmetic is established and an epistemic system is created to represent different levels of the infinite. This way Cantor labels the different levels of the infinite by assigning to each the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the Aleph, followed by a number, depending on level of the infinite he is referring to . Following these ideas, Borges weaves several narratives in which the infinite and the absolute are discussed. An example of such narratives is the collection of stories compiled under the title The Aleph, which opens with "The Immortal" and closes with the story that gives the collection its title. The objective of this paper is to study "The Immortal" under the Cantorian lens to discuss one particular absolute, the self, and to suggest that it is impossible to establish a final vocabulary, or a definite definition, about this topic. This impossibility, Borges proposes, is in part due to the apparent finitude of language while at the same time the fallible attributes of human memory also is crucial when it comes to defining anything. However, as the ironist Borges is, he is capable of providing through "The Immortal" a re-description of these issues by means of a transfinite language that resolves some paradoxes while at the same time reveals others. By this way of writing, I propose, Borges fosters the continuation of the dialogue among the different disciplines. Though I will center my analysis on "The Immortal", to develop these ideas I also revisit other stories contained in The Aleph departing from a theoretical approach rooted in the philosophy of language. (shrink)

This is the first book-length study of Descartes's metaphysics to place it in its immediate historical context, the Late Scholastic philosophy of thinkers such as Suárez against which Descartes reacted. Jorge Secada views Cartesian philosophy as an 'essentialist' reply to the 'existentialism' of the School, and his discussion includes careful analyses and original interpretations of such central Cartesian themes as the role of scepticism, intentionality and the doctrine of the material falsity of ideas, universals and the relation between sense (...) and understanding, causation and the proofs of the existence of God, the theory of substance, and the dualism of mind and matter. His study offers a picture of Descartes's metaphysics that is both novel and philosophically illuminating. (shrink)

A first-of-its-kind book that seriously and profoundly examines what it means philosophically to be Latino and where Latinos fit in American society. Offers a fresh perspective and clearer understanding of Latin American thought and culture, rejecting answers based on stereotypes and fear Takes an interdisciplinary approach to the philosophical, social, and political elements of Hispanic/Latino identity, touching upon anthropology, history, cultural studies and sociology, as well as philosophy Written by Jorge J. E. Gracia, one of the most influential thinkers (...) of Hispanic/Latino descent. (shrink)

The author begins by distinguishing six fundamental issues on the metaphysics of individuality.

We draw from upper echelons theory to investigate whether the presence of a chief sustainability officer is associated with better corporate environmental performance in highly polluting industries. Such firms are under strong pressure to remediate environmental damage, to comply with regulations, and to even exceed environmental standards. CSOs in these firms are likely to be hired as legitimate agents to lead and successfully implement environmental strategy aimed at reducing pollution levels. Interestingly and contrary to our expectations, we found that the (...) presence of a CSO is associated with higher levels of pollution emissions. Nonetheless, we found that the CSO has a positive influence on a firm’s environmental performance if faced with strict environmental regulations. We argue that the enforcement of environmental regulations enhances monitoring and accountability of pollution emissions. The sample for this study comprised all the S&P 500 firms required by the Environmental Protection Agency to annually report their toxic emissions to the Toxic Release Inventory. Data were collected for a 6-year period from 2006 to 2011. We used a panel data regression and employed propensity score matching to correct for potential endogeneity problems. (shrink)

In the 10 years after the launch of the United Nations Global Compact (GC), there have been very few empirical assessments of the initiative in the academic literature. In this study, drawing from institutional theory and the resource-based view of the firm, we examine motivations of business participants to adopt the GC principles in the Spanish context. Using survey data from Spain – the country reporting the highest volume of business participants in the GC – we find that external institutional (...) forces as well as internal organisational resources shape motivations for adopting GC principles. In particular, we find that early and late adopters are motivated similarly by the perceived opportunity of achieving image gains, while late adopters are motivated more by economic gains than early adopters. We further find that regardless of the extent of internal intangible resources possessed, firms are similarly motivated by economic gains. The results also show that companies with more intangible resources are motivated more by image gains than those with fewer resources. Our findings indicate that contrary to its earlier days, economic gains have emerged as an important motivator for the adopters of the GC principles with image gains still being an important motivator. (shrink)

En mayo de 2003 se celebró la duodécima edición de las «Conferencias Aranguren». Jorge Semprún dictó tres conferencias magistrales tituladas «Kant y la mochila del maquis», «El mal radical y las letrinas de Buchenwald» y «Literatura y memoria del mal: de Sartre a Paul Ricoeur», agrupadas todas ellas bajo el título genérico de Memoria del mal. El hilo conductor de las tres intervenciones fue la experiencia de Semprún como deportado político en el campo de concentración de Buchenwald, tan cercano (...) al Weimar de Schiller y Goethe. Allí pudo experimentar el mal radical, pero también la fraternidad, a través de los grupos de resistencia antifascista que coordinaban en el campo los distintos grupos políticos clandestinos. Esta experiencia le sirvió para repasar las lecturas filosóficas que había realizado en su época de estudiante de Filosofía en la Sorbona, así como las que le interesaron una vez terminada la guerra. De esta forma, Semprún hizo un recorrido por distintos autores argumentando la relación de los mismos con el problema del mal. (shrink)

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar o conceito de vivência (Erlebnis) na filosofia de Nietzsche, desde o seu primeiro emprego em língua alemã, seu significado e a recepção que Nietzsche faz da palavra no interior da sua filosofia. O conceito de Erlebnis, particularmente caro à filosofia de Nietzsche, mas também à fenomenologia, possui originariamente uma tríplice significação: a) a imediatez (Unmittelbarkeit) entre homem e mundo; b) a significabilidade (Bedeutsamkeit) para o caráter global da existência; e c) a incomensurabilidade (Inkommensurabilität) do (...) conteúdo da própria vivência, conferindo a ela também uma dimensão estética. A tríplice significação de Erlebnis implica na sua estreita associação a pathos. This paper aims to analyze the concept of experience (Erlebnis) in the Nietzsche's philosophy, since its first use into the German language, its meaning and reception of Nietzsche inside his philosophy. The concept of Erlebnis, especially dear to the philosophy of Nietzsche, but also to phenomenology, originally has a triple meaning: a) the immediacy (Unmittelbarkeit) between man and world, b) meaningfulness (Bedeutsamkeit) to the global nature of existence and c) incommensurability (Inkommensurabilität) of the experience's content itself, giving it also an aesthetic dimension. The threefold meaning of Erlebnis implies its close association with pathos. (shrink)

Surviving Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality is the first book of philosophy that explores race, ethnicity, and nationality together and attempts to present a systematic and unified theory about them with particular emphasis on the metaphysical and epistemological issues that these phenomena raise.

This paper uses tools of philosophical analysis critically to examine accounts of the nature of racism that have recently been offered by writers including existentialist philosopher Lewis Gordon, conservative theorist Dinesh D'Souza, and sociologists Michael Omi and Howard Winant. These approaches, which conceive of racism either as a bad-faith choice to believe, a doctrine, or as a type of 'social formation', are found wanting for a variety of reasons, especially that they cannot comprehend some forms of racism. I propose an (...) account that conceives racism chiefly as a motivational/volitional matter, in short, as a form of moral viciousness. I show how this approach offers a unified account that comprises inter alia individual and institutional racism, expressed and unexpressed racism. I point out advantages that my view has over Thomas Schmid's somewhat similar suggestion, and use the account to examine a number of claims made about racism by H. L. Gates, Jr, Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, Gertrude Ezorsky, and others. Finally, I defend this approach from the general criticism that Benjamin DeMott has levelled against any effort so to understand racism. Key Words: Benjamin DeMott • Dinesh D'Souza • existentialism • Lewis Gordon • moral concepts • Michael Omi • racism • social formation • Howard Winant. (shrink)

Some real objects show a very particular tendency: that of becomingindependent with regard to the uncertainty of their surroundings. This isachieved by the exchange of three quantities: matter, energy andinformation. A conceptual framework, based on both Non-equilibriumThermodynamic and the Mathematical Theory of Communication is proposedin order to review the concept of change in living individuals. Three mainsituations are discussed in this context: passive independence inconnection with resistant living forms (such as seeds, spores, hibernation,...), active independence in connection with the life (...) span of aliving individual (whether an ant or an ant farm), and the newindependence in connection with the general debate of biological evolution. (shrink)

The ultimate utility of science is widely agreed upon: the comprehension of reality. But there is much controversy about what scientific understanding actually means, and how we should proceed in order to gain new scientific understanding. Is there a method for acquiring new scientific knowledge? Is this method unique and universal? There has been no shortage of proposals, but neither has there been a shortage of skeptics about these proposals. This article proffers for discussion a potential scientific method that aspires (...) to be unique and universal and is rooted in the recent and ancient history of scientific thinking. Curiously, conclusions can be inferred from this scientific method that also concern education and the transmission of science to others. (shrink)

This vision of universal solidarity, Nobo demonstrates, is the fundamental metaphysical thesis whose truth the categories and principles of Whitehead's philosophy were expressly designed to elucidate.

Substantial advances in our understanding of the neural bases of emotional processing have been made over the past decades. Overall, studies in humans and other animals highlight the key role of the amygdala in the detection and evaluation of stimuli with affective value. Nonetheless, contradictory findings have been reported, especially in terms of the exact role of this structure in the processing of different emotions, giving rise to different neural models of emotion. For instance, although the amygdala has traditionally been (...) considered as exclusively involved in fear (and possibly anger), more recent work suggests that it may be important for processing other types of emotions, and even nonemotional information. A review of the main findings in this field is presented here, together with some of the hypotheses that have been put forward to interpret this literature and explain its inconsistencies. (shrink)

Much research into morphogenesis focuses on discovering mechanisms and models able to generate or describe the forms we can observe in nature. These studies all provide insights, even though they do not directly touch upon what is the focus of this article: the understanding of form. To this end a conceptual scheme based on the following ideas is proposed: understanding , emerging , persisting , selection , and the relation concerning complexity versus uncertainty , in particular, the relation between form (...) and function. This article is thus a contribution to both the epistemology and the ontology of nature and, in particular, of the living world. (shrink)

Este artículo busca demostrar que, a partir de los lineamientos presentes en el capítulo II del reciente _Reprise du donné_ es posible proponer cuatro niveles de hermenéutica que nos permiten resolver algunos de los problemas de la fenomenología marioniana lúcidamente planteados por Christina Gschwandtner.

And how are the answers to these questions affected by the Black and Latino experience in the United States"-From the Preface This collection of new essays explores the relation between race and ethnicity and its social and political ...

Relationships between the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability have been solidly specified, but relatively little attention has been given to the social sphere. The current study attempts to fill this gap by integrating corporate environmentalism more fully with concepts of corporate sustainability. This investigation draws specifically from neo-Habermasian critical environmental theory research and brings three concepts together for closer empirical examination: the public sphere, the communicative rationality, and discursive design with the goal of capturing whether critical and reflective organizational (...) systems (CROS) among the selected sample of business participants are in fact developing. Using content analysis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, the study reveals that some business organizations appear to be on the brink of developing a type of learning environment consistent with CROS thinking. The empirical findings also suggest that there is a transformative effect on citizenship that can result from the teaching and learning that is facilitated by voluntary CSR initiatives. (shrink)

Systematically analyzes the nature of metaphysics.