L'oeuvre de Sartre pourrait être lue comme Vincamation de l'esprit "pathétique" et "héroïque" de l'époque de la guerre et de la Résistance. Sous le coup de feu des barricades de 44, une philosophie de la révolution commence à éclore-elle fut forgée à chaud durant cette époque de "haute température historique". C'est de la généralisation théorique de cette expérience politique cruciale, c'est-à-dire de la cristallisation du "mythe" de la Résistance, que vient, à mon avis, l'idée satrienne de révolution.A obra de Sartre (...) poderia ser lida como a encarnação do espirito "patético" e "heróico" da época da guerra e da Resistência. Sob o impacto das barricadas de 44, urna filosofia da revolução começa a desabrochar- ela foi forjada a quente durante esta época de "alta temperatura histórica". É da generalização teórica dessa experiência política crucial, isto é, da cristalização do "mito" da Resistência, que vem, a meu ver, a idéia sartriana de revolução. (shrink)

En redonnant vie au problème de la transformation des formes tout au long de l'itinéraire de la pensée de Sartre - de la "philosophie pure" à la "monographie historique concrète" -, cette étude essaie de reconstituer quelques moments du processus de gestation de la synthèse sartrienne entre Philosophie, Roman et Révolution. La "monographie historique concrète" aurait-elle chez Sartre la fonction de succédané pour la "Philosophie Traditionnelle" et pour le "Roman Traditionnel"? Ce qui semble conduire l'itinéraire sartrien - de L'être et (...) le néant à L'idiot de la famille -, c'est la recherche d'une forme philosophique, littéraire et historique qui présuppose, sous-jacente, une Théorie du Roman indissolublement liée à une Théorie de la Révolution, plus précisément, à une théorie de la temporalité révolutionnaire qui recèle en elle-même la marque décisive de l'expérience politique de la Guerre, de Occupation et de la Résistance.Reativando o problema da transformação das formas ao longo do itinerário do pensamento de Sartre-da "filosofia pura" à "monografia histórica concreta"-, o presente estudo procura reconstituir alguns momentos do processo de gestação da síntese sartriana entre Filosofia, Romance e Revolução. Teria a "monografia histórica concreta", para Sartre, a função de sucedâneo da "Filosofia Tradicional" e do "Romance Tradicional"? O que parece norteara trajetória sartriana - de L'Être et le Néant a L'Idiot de la famille - é a busca de uma forma filosófica, literária e histórica que pressupõe, subjacente, uma teoria do romance indissoluvelmente ligada a uma teoria da revolução, mais precisamente, a uma teoria da temporalidade revolucionária que encerra em si mesma a marca decisiva da experiência política da Guerra, da Ocupação e da Resistência. (shrink)

Short historical and cultural sketch of France’s decisive years during the Second World War, between occupation and resistance, re f racted by the prism of the Sartrean figure of the engagé intellectual, which was born out of this conjuncture of sharp political crisis. This sketch, however, is extracted out of my analysis of the int e r nal organization of what seems to be, at first sig ht, Sartre’s most d i s e ng a ged work, one that was (...) cons e c rated by tradition as a cons t e l l a t ion of ideas shining on the sky of ‘pure’ philosophy – ‘Being and Nothingness’. (shrink)

Merleau-Ponty's attempt to approach Marxism, undertaken in the post-war years, is passed through by continuous ambiguity. Notwithstanding the philosopher's purpose of joining the Marxist theory, his political analysis are far from his intentions. Conceiving history as an "adventure" which escapes any rational scheme, Merleau-Ponty questions, since his first writings, Marxist dialectics between logic and contingency in history. The inner tension that lacerates the author's texts during the 40's, proclaiming the refusal of the theory of revolution, which would later appear in (...) The Adventures of the Dialectics, permits us to inquire wheter the dénouement of the 50's would not have been - instead of a cutting in the heart of the work - the necessary result of this problematic attempt to approach Marxism, departing from categories which are alien to it .A tentativa merleau-pontyana de aproximação do marxismo, empreendida nos idos do pós-guerra, é perpassada por constante ambigüidade. Não obstante o propósito do filósofo de se filiar à teoria de Marx, suas análises políticas revelam-se distantes de suas intenções. Concebendo a história como uma "aventura" que escapa a qualquer esquema racional, Merleau-Ponty questiona, desde seus primeiros escritos, a dialética marxista entre lógica e contingência na história. A tensão interna que dilacera os textos do autor nos anos 40, anunciando a recusa da teoria da revolução estampada mais tarde nas Aventuras da Dialética, permite indagar se esse desfecho dos anos 50 não teria sido, ao invés de um corte no interior da obra, o resultado necessário dessa tentativa problemática de aproximação do marxismo a partir de categorias que lhe são estranhas. (shrink)

resumo Parte de um percurso em que tratamos de expor a estrutura filosófica L’Être et lê Néant , o presente estudo procura mostrar que essa obra é o ponto fundamental de transição onde se dá, no pensamento sartriano, a metamorfose de uma teoria do tempo como destino trágico numa teoria do tempo como “salvação”. Completa-se, aqui, o processo de radicalização de Heidegger efetivado por Sartre: do pessimismo próprio do Dasein, que caminha impotente e solitário para a morte, passamos ao otimismo (...) resultante da “descoberta” de uma temporalidade que “cura”. Na tentativa de compreender o sentido e a função dessa nova figura da temporalidade, desmontamos o mecanismo do curto-circuito especulativo que inverte, em EN, o sinal do “Tempo do Mundo” heideggeriano. Tal desmontagem levou-nos a surpreender o fio filosófico do livro entrelaçado numa trama históricoliterária. Ao examinar os termos desse reencontro da elaboração filosófica com a matéria viva da história, circunscrevendo uma zona em que estruturas díspares se interpenetram, terminamos por identificar o “conteúdo de experiência” cifrado no movimento especulativo dos conceitos desse que é considerado o mais “abstrato” tratado de Metafísica dos Tempos Modernos. Pretendendo apenas descrever as estruturas universais da realidade humana , Sartre dá com o cerne de uma conjuntura histórica precisa: não a matéria bruta, é claro, mas sua reconstrução política e literária, talhada nos moldes da Resistência e transposta para a forma filosófica de EN. palavras-chave Sartre – tempo – metafísica – política – literature. (shrink)

Na conferência que pronunciou no Brasil, em Araraquara, Sartre, na linha direta de Questão de Método, retoma o tema - que a Resistência colocara na ordem do dia - das relações entre a teoria e a prática. Ora, cabe perguntar por que o autor, no umbral dos anos 60, reativa, de maneira tão decisiva, uma problemática que privilegiara nos idos do pós-guerra. A resposta a esta questão deve ser buscada, a nosso ver, nos desdobramentos da célebre polêmica dos anos 50 (...) em torno dos ensaios de Sartre "Os Comunistas e a Paz" e, portanto, no cenário político-filosófico da época.Dans sa Conférence prononcée au Brésil, à Araraquara, Sartre, dans la même ligne de pensée de Question de Méthode, reprend le thème - que la Résistance avait mis à l'ordre du jour - des rapports entre la théorie et la pratique. Or, on pourrait se demander pourquoi l'auteur, au seuil des années 60, reprend, d'une manière si décisive, un sujet qu'il avait privilegié dans les années de l'après-guerre. La réponse à cette question, à notre avis, doit être cherchée dans les développements de la célèbre polémique des années 50 autour des essais de Sartre "Les Communistes et la Paix" et, par conséquent, dans le cadre politique et philosophique de l'époque. (shrink)

Este texto parte de inquietações em torno da prática filosófica com crianças e da escuta que ocorre em algumas comunidades de investigação filosófica (Sharp, 1987; Mendonça & Carvalho, 2018) em contexto escolar. Pensamos nas certezas com que nos movemos nestes espaços e como momentos imprevisíveis podem interromper esses caminhos (aparentemente) seguros, possibilitando novas formas de educar. Esses “momentos críticos” (Haynes & Murris, 2012) surgem a partir da escuta das vozes de crianças e transformam a forma como o educador-investigador-facilitador se (...) conduz na escola e nas reflexões que faz a partir dessas práticas. Desta forma, a pergunta da Inês abre a presente escrita. Partiremos também de diálogos com alguns autores, como seja Jean-Luc Nancy, que nos traz importantes ideias acerca da escuta, e Michael Apple, que nos remete que as escolas podem atuar como mantenedoras de uma situação hegemônica por meio da transmissão de valores e tendências culturais econômicas ao contexto escolar. Seguimos pela importância e reflexão crítica sobre a escuta das vozes das crianças, até nos perguntarmos se a escola escuta e quais vozes são consideradas nessa escuta Além disso, em diálogo com hooks, Freire, Haynes, Murris e Carvalho, propomos pensar a escola também como um espaço político e, sendo assim, como os exercícios e vivências da escuta ali experienciados podem constituir práticas democráticas. Compartilhamos como exemplo duas vivências que buscam escutar as vozes das crianças na sala de aula (uma em um jardim de infância e outra em um projeto escolar). A partir dessas vivências, perpassamos juntamente com Walter Kohan pelos enlaces marginais entre escuta, escola e filosofia. Terminamos referindo que o percurso desta escrita nos conduziu a considerar que a escuta, quando pensada criticamente, pode contribuir para comunidades de investigação filosófica cada vez mais atentas e cuidadosas com a dimensão política das contribuições e falas das crianças. palavras-chave: filosofia para/com crianças, escuta, comunidade de investigação filosófica, escola, educação summary This text is based on concerns about the philosophical practice with children and the listening that occurs in some community of philosophical inquiry (Sharp, 1987; Mendonça & Carvalho, 2018) in a school context. We think about the certainties with which we move in these spaces and how unpredictable moments can interrupt these (apparently) safe paths, enabling new ways of educating. These “critical moments” (Haynes & Murris, 2012) arise from listening to the voices of children and transform the way in which the educator-researcher-facilitator conducts himself at school and in the reflections he makes based on these practices. In this way, Inês's question opens the present writing. We will also start with dialogues with some authors, such as Jean-Luc Nancy, who brings us important ideas about listening, and Michael Apple, who reminds us that schools can act as maintainers of a hegemonic situation through the transmission of values and trends cultural economics to the school context. We continue with the importance and critical reflection on listening to children's voices, until we ask ourselves if the school listens and which voices are considered in this listening. a political space and, therefore, how the exercises and experiences of listening experienced there can constitute democratic practices. We share, as an example, two experiences that seek to listen to the voices of children in the classroom (one in a kindergarten and the other in a school project). Based on these experiences, together with Walter Kohan, we explore the marginal links between listening, school and philosophy. We end by referring that the course of this writing led us to consider that listening, when thought critically, can contribute to philosophical research communities that are increasingly attentive and careful with the political dimension of children's contributions and speeches. keywords: philosophy for/with children, listening, community of philosophical inquiry, school, education resumen Este texto se basa en preocupaciones sobre la práctica filosófica con niños y la escucha que ocurre en algunas comunidades de investigación filosófica (Sharp, 1987; Mendonça & Carvalho, 2018) en un contexto escolar. Pensamos en las certezas con las que nos movemos en estos espacios y cómo momentos impredecibles pueden interrumpir estos caminos (aparentemente) seguros, posibilitando nuevas formas de educar. Estos “momentos críticos” (Haynes & Murris, 2012) surgen de la escucha de las voces de los niños y niñas y transforman la forma en que el educador-investigador-facilitador se conduce en la escuela y en las reflexiones que realiza a partir de estas prácticas. De esta forma, la pregunta de Inês abre el presente escrito. También comenzaremos con diálogos con algunos autores, como Jean-Luc Nancy, quien nos trae ideas importantes sobre la escucha, y Michael Apple, quien nos recuerda que las escuelas pueden actuar como mantenedoras de una situación hegemónica a través de la transmisión de valores y tendencias de la economía cultural al contexto escolar. Continuamos con la importancia y la reflexión crítica sobre la escucha de las voces de los niños, hasta preguntarnos si la escuela escucha y qué voces son consideradas en esa escucha de un espacio político y, por tanto, cómo los ejercicios y experiencias de escucha que allí se viven pueden constituirse democráticos. practicas Como ejemplo, compartimos dos experiencias que buscan escuchar las voces de los niños en el aula (una en un jardín de infantes y la otra en un proyecto escolar). A partir de estas experiencias exploramos, junto a Walter Kohan, los vínculos marginales entre escucha, escuela y filosofía. Finalizamos refiriendo que el transcurso de este escrito nos llevó a considerar que la escucha, cuando se piensa críticamente, puede contribuir a comunidades de investigación filosófica cada vez más atentas y cuidadosas con la dimensión política de los aportes y discursos infantiles. palabras clave: filosofía para/con niños, escucha, comunidad de indagación filosófica, escuela, educación [1] Email: [email protected]. Mestre em Filosofia para Crianças, pela universidade dos Açores (2022); Educador de Infância na rede pública em Portugal; investigador do NICA-UAc: Núcleo Interdisciplinar da Criança e do Adolescente. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3610-6416 [2] Email: [email protected]. Mestra em Filosofia para Crianças - Universidade dos Açores / Portugal. (2022) Atualmente é professora efetiva - Secretaria de Educação do DF/Brasil. Membro do NICA: Núcleo Interdisciplinar da Criança e do Adolescente, da Universidade dos Açores e investigadora do projeto escuto.te: vozes das infâncias entre a filosofia e a política, da responsabilidade do NICA: Núcleo Interdisciplinar da Criança e do Adolescente, da Universidade dos Açore, financiado pelo Governo dos Açores. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2795-5793 [3] Email: [email protected] Mestranda em Filosofia para Crianças da Universidade dos Açores / Portugal. Membro do NICA: Núcleo Interdisciplinar da Criança e do Adolescente, da Universidade dos Açores e investigadora do projeto escuto.te: vozes das infâncias entre a filosofia e a política, da responsabilidade do NICA, financiado pelo Governo dos Açores.orcid.https://org/0000-0002-9098-7157. (shrink)

The thesis of mental fragmentation has recently attracted increased attention as a way of explaining facts about mind and language. This volume provides an accessible introduction and essays on foundations and applications of fragmentation.

Health care is ubiquitous in the industrialized world. Yet, every medical development, technique, and procedure impacts the environment. Green bioethics synthesizes environmental ethics and biomedical ethics, thus creating an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable health care. Notably, green bioethics addresses not the structure of environmental sustainability in health-care institutions but the sustainability of individual health-care offerings. It parallels traditional biomedical ethics by providing four principles for ethical guidance: distributive justice, resource conservation, simplicity, and ethical economics. Through these four principles, green bioethics (...) presents a coherent framework for evaluating the sustainability of medical developments, techniques, and procedures. The future of our world may very well depend on how effectively we halt ecological destruction and conserve our resources in all areas of life. The principles of green bioethics, outlined in this book, will advance sustainability in health care. (shrink)

There is widespread disagreement about whether epistemic akrasia is possible. This paper argues that the possibility of epistemic akrasia follows from a traditional rationalist conception of epistemic critical reasoning, together with considerations about the fallibility of our capacities for reasoning. In addition to defending the view that epistemic akrasia is possible, we aim to shed light on why it is possible. By focusing on critical epistemic reasoning, we show how traditional rationalist assumptions about our core cognitive capacities help to explain (...) the possibility of epistemic akrasia. (shrink)

A geografia viúva da revolução -- A impotência das teorias críticas no domínio prático e a lógica dos maus perdedores -- Das origens às novas gerações da geocrítica : a doutrinação no sistema de ensino -- A geografia escolar : doutrinação ideológica e incapacidade de desenvolver competências -- Um balanço final e um último questionamento.

Logical omniscience states that the knowledge set of ordinary rational agents is closed for its logical consequences. Although epistemic logicians in general judge this principle unrealistic, there is no consensus on how it should be restrained. The challenge is conceptual: we must find adequate criteria for separating obvious logical consequences from non-obvious ones. Non-classical game-theoretic semantics has been employed in this discussion with relative success. On the one hand, with urn semantics [15], an expressive fragment of classical game semantics that (...) weakens the dependence relations between quantifiers occurring in a formula, we can formalize, for a broad array of examples, epistemic scenarios in which an individual ignores the validity of some first-order sentence. On the other hand, urn semantics offers a disproportionate restriction of logical omniscience. Therefore, an improvement of this system is needed to obtain a better solution of the problem. In this paper, I argue that our linguistic competence in using quantifiers requires a sort of basic hypothetical logical knowledge that can be formulated as follows: when inquiring after the truth-value of ∀xφ, an individual might be unaware of all substitutional instances this sentence accepts, but at least she must know that, if an element a is given, then ∀xφ holds only if φ is true. This thesis accepts game-theoretic formalization in terms of a refinement of urn semantics. I maintain that the system so obtained affords an improved solution of the logical omniscience problem. To do this, I characterize first-order theoremhood in US+. As a consequence of this result, we will see that the ideal reasoner depicted by US+ only knows the validity of first-order formulas whose Herbrand witnesses can be trivially found, a fact that provides strong evidence that our refinement of urn semantics captures a relevant sense of logical obviousness. (shrink)

My aim in this paper is twofold: I will try to clarify what the conditions developed in EN I a discipline or an argument must meet to be assumed as precise are, and, then, try to present evidence that the exam of akrasia in EN VII 3 meets these conditions. In the first part of this paper, I will select passages in which such conditions are displayed, and also distinguish between practical precision and theoretical precision. In the second part, where (...) the analysis of the senses of having but not using knowledge in EN VII 3 is carried on, I will claim that Aristotle’s objective is reaching the adequate statement of the explanandum that will be the subject of causal enquiry of akrasia. My concluding remarks will claim that the conditions displayed in this paper’s first part are met by Aristotelian procedure in EN VII 3. (shrink)

Griefbots are chatbots designed to assist individuals in coping with the loss of a loved one by offering a digital replica of the departed. Navigating grief is a deeply transformative and vulnerable journey intricately tied to one's well-being. Do griefbots aid in the grieving process, or do they complicate it? To address these questions, this article blends insights from philosophy and neuroscience to explore the nature of grief as a means to clarify the ethical dimensions surrounding the use of griefbots.

A RELEVÂNCIA DO PRÉVIO ESGOTAMENTO DAS INSTÂNCIAS DESPORTIVAS E AS SANÇÕES AO SEU DESCUMPRIMENTO.

Resenha do novo livro de Israel Finkelstein, publicado em inglês em 2013. Israel Finkelstein apresenta nova visão acerca do reino do Norte Israel, apontando a compilação e redação final das narrativas bíblicas pelos judaítas, depois da queda do reino do Norte Israel. É uma bela obra que resume o desenvolvimento das pesquisas arqueológicas do autor.

o presente trabalho pretende investigar tópicos da leitura que Georges Bataille faz da obra de Sade. Trata-se de uma leitura na qual se busca conjugar temas de Hegel com a literatura sadeana. Mais especificamente, Bataille busca entender uma dinâmica de reconhecimento, conforme lida por Kojève, no modo como Sade propõe para nós o desejo, a partir de sua literatura erótica marcadamente peculiar. Para tanto, após uma breve introdução, veremos como Bataille entende o processo antropogênico, o que desse pensamento pode ser (...) retraçado à leitura kojèviana de Hegel e, enfim, como Bataille observa esses elementos na obra do Marquês de Sade. (shrink)

As it emerged from philosophical analyses and cognitive research, most concepts exhibit typicality effects, and resist to the efforts of defining them in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. This holds also in the case of many medical concepts. This is a problem for the design of computer science ontologies, since knowledge representation formalisms commonly adopted in this field (such as, in the first place, the Web Ontology Language - OWL) do not allow for the representation of concepts in terms (...) of typical traits. The need of representing concepts in terms of typical traits concerns almost every domain of real world knowledge, including medical domains. In particular, in this article we take into account the domain of mental disorders, starting from the DSM-5 descriptions of some specific disorders. We favour a hybrid approach to concept representation, in which ontology oriented formalisms are combined to a geometric representation of knowledge based on conceptual space. As a preliminary step to apply our proposal to mental disorder concepts, we started to develop an OWL ontology of the schizophrenia spectrum, which is as close as possible to the DSM-5 descriptions. (shrink)

InA Theory of Justice, Rawls claims that “to each according to his threat advantage is not a conception of justice.” Although it may indeed seem intuitively plausible that a principle based on “threat advantage” cannot count as a principle of justice, it is an altogether different matter to explain why this is so. The question is especially pressing if one bears in mind that such a principle of bargaining in fact underlies many institutionally regulated interactions. Moreover, to the extent that (...) morality is thought of as a mechanism for guaranteeing mutual advantage in the resolution of conflicts, it may indeed seem necessary that it reflect the bargaining power of the parties (in order to make sure that it is indeed advantageous for all of them). In fact, there is a prominent tradition of social-contract theories (from Hobbes to Gauthier) that work under this assumption and claim to provide an answer to what justice requires as much as Rawls's theory does. So seen, the burden of proof seems to fall rather on the shoulders of those committed to claim both that morality is a mechanism that works to the advantage of all and that it nevertheless requires neutralizing all differences in bargaining power. (shrink)

InA Theory of Justice, Rawls claims that “to each according to his threat advantage is not a conception of justice.” Although it may indeed seem intuitively plausible that a principle based on “threat advantage” cannot count as a principle of justice, it is an altogether different matter to explain why this is so. The question is especially pressing if one bears in mind that such a principle of bargaining in fact underlies many institutionally regulated interactions. Moreover, to the extent that (...) morality is thought of as a mechanism for guaranteeing mutual advantage in the resolution of conflicts, it may indeed seem necessary that it reflect the bargaining power of the parties (in order to make sure that it is indeed advantageous for all of them). In fact, there is a prominent tradition of social-contract theories (from Hobbes to Gauthier) that work under this assumption and claim to provide an answer to what justice requires as much as Rawls's theory does. So seen, the burden of proof seems to fall rather on the shoulders of those committed to claim both that morality is a mechanism that works to the advantage of all and that it nevertheless requires neutralizing all differences in bargaining power. (shrink)

Neste artigo visa-se demarcar os intercursos da ética do discurso de Habermas e da psicologia genética de Lawrence Kohlberg. Se, por um lado, para o filósofo alemão a sua proposta ética pode contribuir para suprir os déficits da psicologia genética em relação ao desenvolvimento moral, por outro lado, a ética do discurso se apoia nas pesquisas empíricas realizadas pelos teóricos da psicologia e, com isso, reforçam a tese da universalidade ética defendida por Habermas e Carl Otto-Apel. No entanto, há limites (...) na demarcação da filosofia e da psicologia por se tratar de campos nos quais as metodologias não se identificam e por assumirem perspectivas epistemológicas distintas, descritiva para a psicologia do desenvolvimento e prescritiva para a ética do discurso. Ainda assim, a filosofia de Habermas pretende estabelecer uma relação com campos distintos de saberes, a partir dos quais garante a interdisciplinaridade e a abertura para o diálogo constante entre saberes diversos. (shrink)

Brazilian bioethics became consolidated in the 1990s. It was during this time that teaching and research centers were instituted, associative groups were created, and the first papers of Brazilian authors were published. In Brazil, the first years of teaching and research in bioethics were marked by a strong influence of the United States, particularly in the theoretic and thematic fields. Among the main topics of discussion were subjects related to the end of life and to research involving human beings, and (...) bioethics was then chiefly influenced by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress's theory of the four principles. (shrink)

This paper takes issue with a widely accepted view of mental causation. This is the view that mental causation is either reducible to physical causation or ultimately untenable, because incompatible with the causal completeness of physics The paper examines, first, why recent attempts to save the phenomena of mental causation by way of the notion of supervenient causation fail The result of t/us examination is the claim that any attempted specification of the most basic causal factors which supposedly underlie a (...) causal transaction cannot account for the counterfactually necessary connections with the effect m question. By contrast, the specification of these factors at a higher-level would allow establishing such connections. The paper doses with a discussion of how the view of autonomous higher-level causation grounded on counterfactual relations can be made compatible with the physicalistic commitment to a complete specification of the particular causes of any physical effect exclusively in physical terms. (shrink)

Our lives are commonly involved with fictionality, an activity that adults share with children. After providing a brief reconstruction of the most important cognitive theories on pretence, we will argue that pretence has to do with metarepresentations, albeit in a rather weakened sense. In our view, pretending entails being aware that a certain representation does not fit in the very same representational model as another representation. This is a minimal metarepresentationalism, for normally metarepresentationalism on pretense claims that pretending is or (...) entails representing a representation qua representation, i.e. as conceptualised as a representation, in its very content. In the final section we will try to draw some consequences of our view as to the debate in cognitive science on mindreading. Given this minimal metarepresentationalism, the two main positions on mindreading, the ‘theory theory’ and the ‘simulation theory’, turn out to be closer than one would have originally supposed. (shrink)

In Norms in the Wild, distinguished philosopher Cristina Bicchieri argues that when it comes to human behavior, social scientists place too much stress on rational deliberation. In fact, she says, many choices occur without much deliberation at all. Two people passing in a corridor automatically negotiate their shared space; cars at an intersection obey traffic signals; we choose clothing based on our instincts for what is considered appropriate. Bicchieri's theory of social norms accounts for these automatic components of coordination, (...) where individuals react automatically to cues that focus their attention on what the norm is in that situation. Social norms thus act as rules for making choices in a social world where people expect others -- often unconsciously -- to follow the same rule. Some norms enable seamless social co-operation, while others are less beneficial to human flourishing.Bicchieri is famous for her interdisciplinary work on game theory and most recently her work on social norms, and Norms in the Wild represents her latest challenge to many of the fundamental assumptions of the social sciences. Bicchieri's work has broad implications not only for understanding human behavior, but for changing it for better outcomes. People have a strongly conditioned preference for following social norms, but that also means that manipulating their expectations can cause major behavioral changes. Bicchieri has been working recently with UNICEF and other NGO's to explore the applicability of her views to issues of human rights around the world. Is it possible to change social expectations around forced marriage, genital mutilations, and public health practices like vaccinations and sanitation? If so, how? What tools might we use? This short book explores how social norms work, and how changing them - changing preferences, beliefs, and especially social expectations - can potentially improve lives all around the world. It will appeal to an unusually broad range of readers including philosophers, psychologists and others in behavioral sciences, and anyone involved in public policy or at NGOs. (shrink)

In The Grammar of Society, first published in 2006, Cristina Bicchieri examines social norms, such as fairness, cooperation, and reciprocity, in an effort to understand their nature and dynamics, the expectations that they generate, and how they evolve and change. Drawing on several intellectual traditions and methods, including those of social psychology, experimental economics and evolutionary game theory, Bicchieri provides an integrated account of how social norms emerge, why and when we follow them, and the situations where we are (...) most likely to focus on relevant norms. Examining the existence and survival of inefficient norms, she demonstrates how norms evolve in ways that depend upon the psychological dispositions of the individual and how such dispositions may impair social efficiency. By contrast, she also shows how certain psychological propensities may naturally lead individuals to evolve fairness norms that closely resemble those we follow in most modern societies. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to contribute detailed ethnographic material to broaden the scope of what we mean by reproductive technology. Technology can be defined not only by a series of laboratory techniques (such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer) that are drafted into the daily management of the animal body, but also by a range of on-farm management strategies and working routines, as well as the cultural dispositions, social networks and tacit knowledge of the actors involved. RT is (...) communicated to lay operators and disseminated amongst semi-professional figures such as breed experts, herd inspectors and technical consultants. The practical contexts in which reproductive knowledge is popularized and applied provide ample scope for local negotiations, resistance and conflict. Professional knowledge about breed-improvement is personalised and appropriated by operators and plays a role in power relations and the exercise of personal charisma as well as being specific to context, in particular the nuances of pre-existing relationships of trust, friendship, kinship or hierarchy. No wonder then that many ambivalences and compromises coexist in the practice of applying ‘reproductive knowledge’ to breed selection. (shrink)

With this study, we aim to test the predictive relationships between determinants of major choice and academic expectations and to analyze gender differences, using six items of the Determinants of Major Choice Scale and the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire to assess AEs. A convenience sample of Portuguese and Spanish first-year students, mostly composed of women, was selected from two public universities. The invariance of the multivariate regression model with latent variables of the effect of DMC on AEs, with determinants linked to (...) Personal Characteristics and Mediating Agents as AE predictors, was tested across gender with LISREL. The invariance test of the multivariate regression model across gender fit the data well and revealed an equivalence of slopes between women and men, which allows a unique interpretation of the model’s predictive relationships for both genders. We also found statistically significant predictive relationships of PCs for six AE factors and MAs for five AE factors. The results showed theoretical relationships with the self-determination theory. At a practical level, they indicated the importance of PCs and MAs to design AE intervention programs in Higher Education institutions. (shrink)