The analysis of so-called ?strategic intentional fouls? (SIF) as well as the discussion of their validity in the normative systems of sports have a long track record. These fouls can be characterised as rule violations committed in order to be detected and which accept the corresponding sanction. However, there is an additional goal of obtaining an advantage or subsequent benefit in the competition. In fact, this practice is not infrequent and it is even occasionally accepted by the players themselves, referees, (...) judges, sports authorities and spectators. In this work I have analysed the internal structure of SIFs (the features of an axiological gap and a ?special intention?) with a view to providing a deeper understanding and stressing the differences with closely related concepts: cheating, and especially fraus legis or what in Anglo-Saxon culture is called ?spoiling the game?. Finally, I try to show some difficulties in distinguishing SIF from gamesmanship. (shrink)

ABSTRACTWe discuss the thesis of universality of geometric notions and offer critical reflections on the concept of “natural geometry” employed by Spelke and others. Promoting interdisciplinary wor...

El pensamiento utópico es un producto especialmente significativo de la modernidad occidental y, por tanto, no debe sorprender que la crisis que se ha cebado sobre ella lo arrastre consigo como pieza herida de muerte. A medida que nuestra postmodernidad, largamente anunciada desde Nietzsche, ha ido configurándose como nueva etapa en la que las pretensiones de la razón moderna evidencian el resquebrajamiento de lo que parecían sus bases más sólidas, el pensamiento utópico a través del cual plasmó sus ideales resulta (...) fuertemente cuestionado, tanto que apenas si es posible una honrosa salida de la escena cultural mediante revisión autocrítica de sus planteamientos. Achicado al máximo el espacio para la utopía en la reflexión filosófica contemporánea, ni siquiera cabe una cura de adelgazamiento de pensar utópico para hacerlo sostenible en medio de nuestras perplejidades. Hoy, y en cualquier caso venciendo un pudor difícilmente superable, cuesta asumir la defensa de lo utópico, y si se ha puesto muy complicado hablar de utopía es por el riesgo de caer bajo la doble acusación de ingenuidad y de cinismo. ¿Quién lo iba a decir, cuando el pensamiento utópico logró afirmarse como ariete de la crítica del orden establecido frente al pragmatismo de los defensores del statu quo? (shrink)

Traditionally, liberals have confined religion to the sphere of the ‘private’ or ‘non-political’. However, recent debates over the place of religious symbols in public spaces, state financing of faith schools, and tax relief for religious organisations suggest that this distinction is not particularly useful in easing the tension between liberal commitments to equality on the one hand, and freedom of religion on the other. This article deals with one aspect of this debate, which concerns whether members of religious communities should (...) receive exemptions from regulations that place a distinctively heavy burden on them. Drawing on Habermas’ understanding of churches as ‘communities of interpretation’, we explore possible alternatives to both the ‘rule-and-exemption’ approach and the ‘neutralist’ approach. Our proposal rests on the idea of mutual learning between secular and religious perspectives. On this interpretation, what is required is (i) the generation and maintenance of public spaces in which there could be discussion and dialogue about particular cases, and (ii) evaluation of whether the basic conditions of moral discourse are present in these spaces. Thus deliberation becomes a touchstone for the building of a shared democratic ethos. (shrink)

Elite athletes are characterized by their high level of performance in sport. Since the very beginnings of sport, it has been understood that physical and physiological abilities influence the performance of athletes. Advances in scientific knowledge, especially sport psychology and neuroscience, seem to confirm this intuition and consequently it is possible to characterize elite athletes as having an extraordinary combination of physical and mental abilities. Techniques and substances that contribute to enhancing physical characteristics of athletes have also been well known (...) for ages. But it is now possible to make use of other techniques and substances that not only enhance physical abilities but also cognitive capabilities, which seem to require greater consideration given their direct impact on the athlete’s brain. In this article, we examine two such techniques, cognitive enhancers and transcranial stimulators, and highlight the potential advantages and drawbacks that applying each one may have on sport. Given the relative novelty of these enhancement techniques and substances and the absence of conclusive evidence regarding their short- and long-term effects, we deem that their use ought to be strictly governed by cautionary principles. But due to that same lack of evidence, we believe that the possibility of examining the feasibility of applying these techniques to sport should not be denied. (shrink)

ABSTRACTIn this article, we contextualize and introduce the papers that comprise the special issue, “Bernard Suits’ Legacy: New Inspirations and Interpretations.” The articles discuss the work of S...

Name der Zeitschrift: Semiotica Heft: Ahead of print.

La filosofía de la historia se halla en un momento crucial. Ha de repensar categorías fundamentales -como la de progreso-, y debe hacerlo con tanta voluntad de escucha como espíritu crítico, recogiendo aportaciones que enriquezcan sus perspectivas. Es el caso de algunas que continúan procediendo de la herencia judeocristiana -matriz de la conciencia histórica de Occidente1- y, más concretamente, provenientes del Apocalipsis. Estas páginas se inician con propuestas en torno al acceso hermenéutico a ese último libro de la Biblia. La (...) recepción de su legado por una hermenéutica filosófica iluminará la tarea de plantear el postulado del progreso bajo el impacto de lo que supone el punto de vista de la redención, abordando en términos filosóficos la coimplicación de sentido de la existencia de los individuos y sentido de la historia. (shrink)

El artículo versa sobre el uso de las nociones "Dios" y "soberano" en la Baja Edad Media. A su vez, trata de mostrar las diversas analogías entre las propiedades ambos conceptos (omnipotencia, unidad, ilimitabilidad, indivisibilidad), así como: 1° los problemas explicativos de la relación Dios-mundo y Estado-Derecho ; 2° la analogía entre el milagro y el poder constituyente originario ; 3° la afinidad entre el dogma de la infalibilidad papal y la cosa juzgada. En último lugar, se hace referencia a (...) la función justificatoria de estas analogías con el propósito de legitimar el papel de soberano en un momento histórico de profundos cambios sociales, políticos y jurídicos. (shrink)

In this work I offer a panorama of the diverse areas where the philosophical reflection has been developed during these last years: the conceptual, ethical and aesthetic questions. The conceptual problems of the sport have turned around: 1) game and sport; 2) the paper of the rules and the values in the sportive normative system; 3) the competitive character and playful of the sport. The more debated ethical questions have been: 1) sport and gender; 2) sport and nationalism; 3) sport (...) and violence. (shrink)

This book could appeal to the reader who wants to enter the field of ‘official sport philosophy’ but it is also interesting for those who are already part of the discussion and are looking for new arguments and points of view. In this sense, the book is written in a way that can perfectly be used by begginers in the topic, but can also be useful in discussions among researchers.

This book could appeal to the reader who wants to enter the field of ‘official sport philosophy’ but it is also interesting for those who are already part of the discussion and are looking for new arguments and points of view. In this sense, the book is written in a way that can perfectly be used by begginers in the topic, but can also be useful in discussions among researchers.

This paper addresses the possibility of robots engaging in sports. Recently, several movies like Ex-Machina, Chappi, and Transcendence challenge the spectator to think of the consequences of creating artificial intelligences. Although we refer to athletes who have outstanding sporting performances as machines, for example, in cycling people say ‘the cyclist looked like a machine with wheels,’ the potential participation of such AI in sport has not been addressed. For our argument’s sake, we will assume that the creation of human-like robots (...) who will mirror human athletes’ behavior in the playing field will be possible. Recent advances in cybernetics and robotics point in this way. As argued in the literature on philosophy of mind, the fact that intelligent robots seem to be doing something does not imply they are actually doing it. Understood in this way, sport can be conceived as a particular ‘imitation game’ or Turing test, which permits us to distinguish between an artificial intelligence... (shrink)

El arte no es solamente una fuente inagotable de goce estético, es además una huella, una evidencia de nuestro pasado histórico. A partir del arte es posible remitirnos a nuestra raíz cultural, y es por eso que la obra artística constituye una parte importante del patrimonio de un pueblo. Es evidente el estrecho vínculo entre el patrimonio artístico y la identidad cultural; por eso es importante dar un justo valor a ese patrimonio que, a su vez, se reflejará en la (...) consolidación de una identidad propia. De esas expresiones tomamos únicamente las de la arquitectura de algunas iglesias barrocas. En ellas podemos notar una serie de variables del mestizaje cultural. La arquitectura del barroco novohispano, como uno de los lenguajes del arte, generó una reflexión sobre la identidad del individuo iberoamericano. (shrink)

La piedra clave que sostiene el sistema simbólico de las religiones, es sin duda, la experiencia de salvación. F. Heiler afirmaba que el aroma de las religiones es la soteriología y R. Panikkar proponía definir el hecho religioso con tres simples palabras: "camino de salvación". Por ello, la realidad existencial del dolor y el sufrimiento son el gran reto lanzado a la experiencia religiosa: proponéis salvación, se puede decir a los creyentes, pero el dolor y el sufrimiento siguen existiendo. ¿Cómo (...) es posible? Por ello, todas las religiones de formas muy diferentes, responden a la pregunta por sufrimiento y proponen formas para integrarlo existencialmente. (shrink)

Resumen. La presente investigación ofrece la oportunidad de pensar y dialogar sobre la estrategia, los objetivos, las personas y el futuro de la gestión municipal del H. Ayuntamiento de Navolato desde una perspectiva del conocimiento. Se trata pues de averiguar qué características deben cumplir esos recursos para adquirir un carácter estratégico. La información se obtuvo mediante una encuesta semiestructurada, aplicada a 181 individuos. Los datos recabados fueron objeto, en un principio, de dos tipos de tabulaciones. En algunos casos sólo se (...) efectúo una tabulación simple, que consistió en el conteo de una sola variable; en otros casos la tabulación fue cruzada contando dos o más variables de forma simultánea. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó el programa de tratamiento de datos estadísticos SPSS versión 12 para Windows, que facilitó el tratamiento inferencial de los datos extraídos de la muestra seleccionada. El análisis de los resultados muestra que el Ayuntamiento presenta perfiles favorables para una gestión del conocimiento, óptima y eficaz, al alcanzar una puntuación total de 115, contando con una fortaleza estructural interna. Se concluye que las administraciones públicas no son ajenas a la sociedad del conocimiento, se están acomodando a estas nuevas exigencias, mejorando sus procesos para satisfacer las nuevas necesidades de los ciudadanos. Redefiniendo la función pública y el servicio público, a través de la búsqueda de mecanismos para conocer y medir el valor de la gestión del conocimiento, y así poder llevar a cabo una gestión eficiente y eficaz de estos recursos.Palabras Claves. Administración pública municipal, Gestión del conocimiento, Nueva Gestión Pública, Economía aplicada.. This research provides an opportunity to think and discuss the strategy, goals, people and future of municipal management of Navolato City knowledge perspective. It is about finding out what characteristics should meet those resources to acquire a strategic nature. The information was obtained through a semistructured survey applied to 181 individuals. The data collected were subjected, in principle, two types of tabs. In some cases only made a simple tabulation, which consisted of a single variable count, in other cases the cross tabulation was counting two or more variables simultaneously. For data analysis software was used for statistical data processing SPSS version 12 for Windows, which facilitated inferential treatment of the extracted data from the selected sample. The analysis of the results shows that the City has profiles favorable for knowledge management, optimal and efficient, to achieve a total score of 115, relying on internal structural strength. We conclude that public administrations are not foreign to the knowledge society, are arranging to these new demands by improving their processes to satisfy the new needs of citizens. Redefining the civil and public service, through the search for mechanisms to analyze and measure the value of knowledge management, and therefore be able to carry out a efficient and effective management of these resources.Keywords. Municipal public administration, knowledge management, new public management, applied economic. (shrink)

The progress of Mathematics during the nineteenth century was characterised both by an enormous acquisition of new knowledge and by the attempts to introduce rigour in reasoning patterns and mathematical writing. Cauchy’s presentation of Mathematical Analysis was not immediately accepted, and many writers, though aware of that new style, did not use it in their own mathematical production. This paper is devoted to an episode of this sort that took place in Spain during the first half of the century: It (...) deals with the presentation of a method for numerically solving algebraic equations by José Mariano Vallejo, a late Spanish follower of the Enlightenment ideas, politician, writer, and mathematician who published it in the fourth edition of his book Compendio de Matemáticas Puras y Mistas, claiming to have discovered it on his own. Vallejo’s main achievement was to write down the whole procedure in a very careful way taking into account the different types of roots, although he paid little attention to questions such as convergence checks and the fulfilment of the hypotheses of Rolle’s Theorem. For sure this lack of mathematical care prevented Vallejo to occupy a place among the forerunners of Computational Algebra. (shrink)

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo caracterizar el proceso de evaluación del aprendizaje del contenido estadístico en la carrera de Medicina. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que el nivel de asimilación alcanzado por los estudiantes en muchas ocasiones es el reproductivo, lo que refleja la necesidad de seguir profundizando en los estudios de esta problemática. Issues related to the learning evaluation have been present throughout the teaching learning process history. The following research aims at characterizing the learning process of evaluation of the (...) statistical content in medicine. Results demonstrate that the assimilation level reached by students, on many occasions, is the reproductive one, as a need to deepen on methodology of the design of the system of evaluation of the statistical content learning in medicine. (shrink)

Nowadays, batteries play an important role in a lot of different applications like energy storage, electro-mobility, consumer electronic and so on. All the battery types have a common factor that is their complexity, independently of its nature. Usually, the batteries have an electrochemical nature. Several different test are accomplished to check the batteries performance, and commonly, it is predictable how they work depending of their technology. The present research describes the hybrid intelligent system created to accomplish fault detection over a (...) Lithium Iron Phosphate—LiFePO4 power cell type, commonly used in electro-mobility applications. The approach is based on the cell temperatures behaviour for voltage and current specific values. Taken into account the operating range of a real system based on a LiFePO4 cell, a large set of points of operation have been used to achieve the dataset. The different behaviour zones have been obtained by clustering as a first step. Then, different regression techniques have been used over each cluster. Polynomial regression, artificial neural networks and support vector regression were the combined techniques to develop the hybrid intelligent model proposed. The intelligent system gives very good results over the operating range, detecting all the faults tested during the validation. (shrink)

This work begins by proposing the need for exploring the mode of being of mental disorders. It is a philosophical study in an Aristotelian perspective, with special emphasis on the anthropological–cultural dimension. It is difficult for such an inquiry to be carried out from within psychiatry or clinical psychology, committed as these fields are to their own logic and practical conditions. The issues are, in any case, more ontological than strictly clinical in nature. We therefore turn to Aristotle, and specifically (...) his doctrine of the four “causes,” to flesh out the social and cultural dimensions of mental disorders. In accordance with the present analysis, the material cause of disorders would be found in the contingencies of life; the formal cause would pertain primarily to the way clinical conditions themselves can serve as models of ‘being ill’ in our society; the efficient cause would correspond to the patients themselves, understood as active (albeit less than fully conscious) agents as well as to the pharmaceutical industry and the mass media; the final cause would be found in different adaptive functions served by the disorder. We conclude that the “mode of being” of most (if not all) mental disorders—in particular, their status as mental disorders—can often have more to do with cultural forms than with biological factors. (shrink)

One of the main challenges in medicine is to guarantee an appropriate drug supply according to the real needs of patients. Closed-loop strategies have been widely used to develop automatic solutions based on feedback variables. However, when the variable of interest cannot be directly measured or there is a lack of knowledge behind the process, it turns into a difficult issue to solve. In this research, a novel algorithm to approach this problem is presented. The main objective of this study (...) is to provide a new general algorithm capable of determining the influence of a certain clinical variable in the decision making process for drug supply and then defining an automatic system able to guide the process considering this information. Thus, this new technique will provide a way to validate a given physiological signal as a feedback variable for drug titration. In addition, the result of the algorithm in terms of fuzzy rules and membership functions will define a fuzzy-based decision system for the drug delivery process. The method proposed is based on a Fuzzy Inference System whose structure is obtained through a decision tree algorithm. A four-step methodology is then developed: data collection, preprocessing, Fuzzy Inference System generation, and the validation of results. To test this methodology, the analgesia control scenario was analysed. Specifically, the viability of the Analgesia Nociception Index as a guiding variable for the analgesic process during surgical interventions was studied. Real data was obtained from fifteen patients undergoing cholecystectomy surgery. (shrink)

Since the early 1990s, increasing attention has been paid to the impact of workplace bullying on employees’ well-being and job attitudes. However, the relationship between workplace bullying and job satisfaction remains unclear. This study aims to shed light on the nature of the bullying-job satisfaction relationship in the Italian context. As expected, the results revealed a U-shape curvilinear relationship between workplace bullying and job satisfaction after controlling for demographic variables. In contrast to the curvilinear model, the results support a negative (...) linear relationship between workplace bullying and psychological well-being, in which higher exposure to negative acts at work is associated with diminished well-being. In addition, gender and job position significantly predicted mental health scores where men and managers reported a better psychological well-being than women, blue-collar, and white-collar employees. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed according to these results. (shrink)