Christian Baatz argues that individuals have an imperfect duty to take reasonable steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and that governments should be working to implement st...

Relational Quantum Mechanics is an interpretation of quantum theory based on the idea of abolishing the notion of absolute states of systems, in favor of states of systems relative to other systems. Such a move is claimed to solve the conceptual problems of standard quantum mechanics. Moreover, RQM has been argued to account for all quantum correlations without invoking non-local effects and, in spite of embracing a fully relational stance, to successfully explain how different observers exchange information. In this work, (...) we carry out a thorough assessment of RQM and its purported achievements. We find that it fails to address the conceptual problems of standard quantum mechanics—related to the lack of clarity in its ontology and the rules that govern its behavior—and that it leads to serious conceptual problems of its own. We also uncover as unwarranted the claims that RQM can correctly explain information exchange among observers, and that it accommodates all quantum correlations without invoking non-local influences. We conclude that RQM is unsuccessful in its attempt to provide a satisfactory understanding of the quantum world. (shrink)

Humean compatibilism is the combination of a Humean position on laws of nature and the thesis that free will is compatible with determinism. This article's aim is to situate Humean compatibilism in the current debate among libertarians, traditional compatibilists, and semicompatibilists about free will. We argue that a Humean about laws can hold that there is a sense in which the laws of nature are 'up to us' and hence that the leading style of argument for incompatibilism?the consequence argument?has a (...) false premiss. We also display some striking similarities between Humean compatibilism and libertarianism, an incompatibilist view. For example, standard libertarians face a problem about luck, and we show that Humean compatibilists face a very similar problem. (shrink)

Relying on some auxiliary assumptions, usually considered mild, Bell’s theorem proves that no local theory can reproduce all the predictions of quantum mechanics. In this work, we introduce a fully local, superdeterministic model that by explicitly violating ‘settings independence’—one of these auxiliary assumptions, requiring statistical independence between measurement settings and systems to be measured—is able to reproduce all the predictions of quantum mechanics. Moreover, we show that contrary to widespread expectations, our model can break settings independence without an initial state (...) that is too complex to handle, without visibly losing all explanatory power, and without outright nullifying all of experimental science. Still, we argue that our model is unnecessarily complicated and does not offer true advantages over its non-local competitors. We conclude that while our model does not appear to be a viable contender to its non-local counterparts, it provides the ideal framework to advance the debate over violations of statistical independence via the superdeterministic route. (shrink)

The aim of this chapter is to reflect and provide a tentative answer to the question posited in the title. The first section provides a brief summary of the origin of that “humanism” typical of Modernity. The second section attempts to demonstrate the intrinsically individualistic and atheistic dimension entailed in this Modernist vision of man. In the third part, which can be considered the nucleus of this chapter, we present an exposition of how, from the basic characteristics of this “humanistic” (...) individualism, a new and revolutionary vision of the economy emerged – a vision now paradigmatic but still fraught with perhaps fatal ambiguities and difficulties. This vision can be seen as an “anthropological inversion” which drove the humanism of the Enlightenment. The last part, and by way of conclusion, provides some suggestions as to how, from a Christian conception of man, it might be possible to advance a more realistic and practical view of the economy. (shrink)

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) field presents not only a landscape of theories but also a proliferation of approaches, which are controversial, complex and unclear. This article tries to clarify the situation, mapping the territory by classifying the main CSR theories and related approaches in four groups: (1) instrumental theories, in which the corporation is seen as only an instrument for wealth creation, and its social activities are only a means to achieve economic results; (2) political theories, which concern themselves (...) with the power of corporations in society and a responsible use of this power in the political arena; (3) integrative theories, in which the corporation is focused on the satisfaction of social demands; and (4) ethical theories, based on ethical responsibilities of corporations to society. In practice, each CSR theory presents four dimensions related to profits, political performance, social demands and ethical values. The findings suggest the necessity to develop a new theory on the business and society relationship, which should integrate these four dimensions. (shrink)

Our suspicion is that philosophers who tie the fate of agency to advances in cognitive science simultaneously underestimate that conception's tenacity and overestimate their ability to divine the course of empirical inquiry. For the present, however, we shall pretend that current ideas about what would be required for the scientific vindication of folk psychology are apt, and ask where this leaves the notion of agency. Our answer will be that it leaves that notion on the whole unaffected.

In this paper, we draw upon the emerging view of strategic cognition and issue salience and show that CSR giving has evolved into more than an altruistic response to being asked for support, to one which is embedded in the strategic frames of management and which supports organizational identity. The managerial action as a result of such strategic cognition suggests that modern organizations are seeking to develop CSR giving processes that provide them with a competitive advantage. We draw on the (...) resource-based view of organizations and the VRIO framework to provide the theoretical foundations for our argument that CSR implementation in the form of corporate giving to charities can be developed as a dynamic capability. This can provide a competitive advantage by allowing organizations to manage key stakeholder relationships more effectively with benefits which could lead to increased organizational productivity and the ability to execute strategy more effectively. We interview CSR implementation managers from large organizations in Australia and find that the CSR giving process in many firms is evolving into a more sophisticated and strategically motivated process with expectations of a return. Central to this evolution is the appointment of a CSR implementation manager who acts as a boundary spanner between the organization and its key stakeholders. We posit that this corporate investment in their role and supporting structures can lead to the better management of stakeholders by organizations through the dynamic capability of the CSR giving process. We develop a table of best practise to help guide managers entering this sphere. (shrink)

Global Corporate Citizenship (GCC) continues to become increasingly popular in large corporations. However, this concept has rarely been considered in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). A case study of a Norwegian clothing company illustrates how GCC can be also applied to small companies. This case study also shows that SMEs can be very innovative in exercising corporate citizenship, without necessarily following the patterns of large multinational companies. The company studied engages as partner in some voluntary labor initiatives promoted by (...) the government, employs people in marginal situations, and exerts influence for the adoption of good working conditions in its supply chain. Environmental issues and actions of solidarity are also considered within a global scope. Ethics of care and concern for specific aspects of the common good seem crucial as GCC drivers in this company, as do personal values, character, and leadership of the owner-manager of the firm. (shrink)

El artículo tiene como objetivo presentar la caracterización de la educación en el área de la filosofía en el departamento de Norte de Santander, en Colombia, a través de la respuesta a la pregunta ¿cómo los profesores los colegios de la zona Pamplona enseñan filosofía en el Norte de Santander?, desde un método de investigación mixto. Estos resultados parciales de investigación en la zona Pamplona solo se enfocan en las generalidades del quehacer filosófico dentro del aparato investigativo desarrollado en 33 (...) colegios de la región nortesantandereana. Con ellos se pretende abarcar el diseño del perfil docente de filosofía actual en la región, el cual sigue el orden de edad, género, título obtenido en pregrado, cuáles estudios de posgrado ha cursado, el estatuto docente al que pertenece, si es un docente nombrado o provisional, si ha hecho el ejercicio de publicación de textos, y la motivación para la escritura y publicación. La principal conclusión de esta investigación es que se debe fortalecer la enseñanza de la filosofía en los colegios del Norte de Santander, a través de diferentes estrategias que parten de la academia como la formación en un perfil profesional en filosofía, la creación de posgrados en esta temática, además de alimentar la importancia de la cultura investigativa como proceso de mejora de la enseñanza filosófica. (shrink)

Foundations of Relational Realism presents an intuitive interpretation of quantum mechanics, based on a revised decoherent histories interpretation, structured within a category theoretic topological formalism. -/- If there is a central conceptual framework that has reliably borne the weight of modern physics as it ascends into the twenty-first century, it is the framework of quantum mechanics. Because of its enduring stability in experimental application, physics has today reached heights that not only inspire wonder, but arguably exceed the limits of intuitive (...) vision, if not intuitive comprehension. For many physicists and philosophers, however, the currently fashionable tendency toward exotic interpretation of the theoretical formalism is recognized not as a mark of ascent for the tower of physics, but rather an indicator of sway—one that must be dampened rather than encouraged if practical progress is to continue. -/- In this unique two-part volume, designed to be comprehensible to both specialists and non-specialists, the authors chart out a pathway forward by identifying the central deficiency in most interpretations of quantum mechanics: That in its conventional, metrical depiction of extension, inherited from the Enlightenment, objects are characterized as fundamental to relations—i.e., such that relations presuppose objects but objects do not presuppose relations. The authors, by contrast, argue that quantum mechanics exemplifies the fact that physical extensiveness is fundamentally topological rather than metrical, with its proper logico-mathematical framework being category theoretic rather than set theoretic. -/- By this thesis, extensiveness fundamentally entails not only relations of objects, but also relations of relations. Thus, the fundamental quanta of quantum physics are properly defined as units of logico-physical relation rather than merely units of physical relata as is the current convention. Objects are always understood as relata, and likewise relations are always understood objectively. In this way, objects and relations are coherently defined as mutually implicative. The conventional notion of a history as “a story about fundamental objects” is thereby reversed, such that the classical “objects” become the story by which we understand physical systems that are fundamentally histories of quantum events. -/- These are just a few of the novel critical claims explored in this volume—claims whose exemplification in quantum mechanics will, the authors argue, serve more broadly as foundational principles for the philosophy of nature as it evolves through the twenty-first century and beyond. (shrink)

The critical condition and historical motivation behind Time Studies The concept of time in the post-millennial age is undergoing a radical rethinking within the humanities. Time: A Vocabulary of the Present newly theorizes our experiences of time in relation to developments in post-1945 cultural theory and arts practices. Wide ranging and theoretically provocative, the volume introduces readers to cutting-edge temporal conceptualizations and investigates what exactly constitutes the scope of time studies. Featuring twenty essays that reveal what we talk about when (...) we talk about time today, especially in the areas of history, measurement, and culture, each essay pairs two keywords to explore the tension and nuances between them, from “past/future” and “anticipation/unexpected” to “extinction/adaptation” and “serial/simultaneous.” Moving beyond the truisms of postmodernism, the collection newly theorizes the meanings of temporality in relationship to aesthetic, cultural, technological, and economic developments in the postwar period. This book thus assumes that time—not space, as the postmoderns had it—is central to the contemporary period, and that through it we can come to terms with what contemporaneity can be for human beings caught up in the historical present. In the end, Time reveals that the present is a cultural matrix in which overlapping temporalities condition and compete for our attention. Thus each pair of terms presents two temporalities, yielding a generative account of the time, or times, in which we live. (shrink)

Este artículo analiza el pesimismo desde una perspectiva ontológica. Para esto se analizan dos concepciones filosóficas que describan un “estado de cosas”, es decir, lecturas de la realidad en donde se manifieste la naturaleza decadente de la realidad: Schopenhauer y Nietzsche, por ejemplo. Para ello, se analizará la estructura ontológica de la realidad y su pertinencia con el suicidio: ¿el suicidio es conclusión necesaria del pesimismo? Luego, se analiza la ontología pluralista de Philipp Mainländer que defiende una postura a favor (...) del suicidio en contraposición de la ontología monista de Schopenhauer y la ontología pluralista de Nietzsche. Para finalizar con un análisis ontológico a partir de las tecnologías involucradas en la afirmación o negación del suicidio. (shrink)

Evolution, Order and Complexity reflects topical interest in the relationship between the social and natural worlds. It represents the cutting edge of current thinking which challenges the natural/social dichotomy thesis by showing how the application of ideas which derive from biology can be applied and offer insight into the social realm. This is done by introducing the general system theory to the methodological debate on the relation of human and natural sciences.

This paper raises a principled objection against the idea that Bayesian confirmation theory can be used to explain the conjunction fallacy. The paper demonstrates that confirmation-based explanations are limited in scope and can only be applied to cases of the fallacy of a certain restricted kind. In particular; confirmation-based explanations cannot account for the inverse conjunction fallacy, a more recently discovered form of the conjunction fallacy. Once the problem has been set out, the paper explores four different ways for the (...) confirmation theorist to come to terms with the problem, and argues that none of them are successful. (shrink)

A primeira parte do artigo trata das discussões sobre a possibilidade de leitura de Políbio por parte de Maquiavel. Na segunda, aponta-se o limite epistemológico exposto pela teoria política do historiador grego, que coloca as causas externas de corrupção da cidade no lugar de ininteligível. Assinala-se, ainda, a centralidade da ideia de equilíbrio e concórdia entre as partes da cidade. Na última seção, indica-se como Maquiavel insere as relações internacionais na equação política da cidade, ponto em que entra em discussão (...) a dinâmica do povo. (shrink)

Synaesthesia is a heterogeneous phenomenon, even when considering one particular sub-type. The purpose of this study was to design a reliable and valid questionnaire for grapheme-colour synaesthesia that captures this heterogeneity. By the means of a large sample of 628 synaesthetes and a factor analysis, we created the Coloured Letters and Numbers questionnaire with 16 items loading on 4 different factors . These factors were externally validated with tests which are widely used in the field of synaesthesia research. The questionnaire (...) showed good test–retest reliability and construct validity . Our findings are discussed in the light of current theories and new ideas in synaesthesia research. More generally, the questionnaire is a useful tool which can be widely used in synaesthesia research to reveal the influence of individual differences on various performance measures and will be useful in generating new hypotheses. (shrink)

O tema da liberdade é de capital importância não só para filosofia, mas, sobretudo, também para tradição cristã. Como doutrina bíblica o conceito de liberdade tem sido estudado e pesquisado por diversos pais da igreja ao longo dos séculos, dentre os quais se destaca os trabalhos realizados por Agostinho. Nesse sentido, o respectivo artigo procura analisar e compreender a maneira como esse autor descrever a temática, preferencialmente a partir de sua célebre obra o Livre-Arbítrio.

A respectiva pesquisa procurou estabelecer a relação de influência da filosofia de Søren Kierkegaard sobre a construção teológica de Paul Tillich. Para tanto, utilizamos como pano de fundo ou estrutura argumentativa o conceito de Desespero humano de Kierkegaard, comparando-o ao conceito de Alienação do ser de Tillich. Objetivamos com isso, demonstrar o entrelaçamento dialogal composto no desenvolvimento da chamada doutrina do pecado original em ambos os autores. Isto é, como o desdobramento da antropologia kierkegaardiana problematizou os fundamentos da teologia sistemática, (...) sobretudo, na questão da harmatiologia, e, como esta mesma problematização, foi capaz de padronizar o modus operandi que determinou a elaboração feita por Tillich sobre o mesmo assunto. Obviamente, que, no decorrer dessa investigação, não se pretendeu “desqualificar” ou “eliminar” a originalidade dos autores, nem tampouco transformar seus argumentos em uma espécie de amálgama conceitual. Assim, antes de uma suposta crítica de ter se proposto uma “fusão arbitrária de ideias”, buscamos, mais uma vez apontar soluções de dialéticas e centros comuns, que apontem para aqueles elementos de convergência, aonde de fato, o diálogo é possível. (shrink)

A pesquisa vem demonstrar como é possível, a partir do pensamento de Jaques Derrida, estabelecer uma filosofia da Religião. Embora a investigação seja feita de maneira análoga e indireta, justamente porque o fenômeno da religiosidade não foi o principal objeto de sua observação, é plausível, mesmo assim, que suas teorias tais como: desconstrução, differense e o logocentrismo sirvam, e muito, como instrumento filosófico para pensar a complexidade que compõe as fronteiras da religião. É sobre algumas dessas diversas fronteiras que fala (...) esse artigo. (shrink)

Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 O presente Artigo tem como centro de sua reflexão a espiritualidade centrada no dinheiro. O referido objeto é “ferramenta de Deus” presente nos cultos diários das igrejas neopentecostais. E como tal compõe o arsenal das coisas ofertadas em altar. É símbolo religioso a costurar a relação vertical Deus-igreja-fiel. Mas, não está selecionado como objeto qualquer a tomar parte, como mediação, dessa relação. O dinheiro não é danação ou algo considerado como tal, mas é (...) santificado, quando imolado para se tornar oferta e, assim, contribuir para multiplicar as obras de Deus. Alguns textos – e contextos – tenderiam a afirmar que a penetração do dinheiro, no campo do sagrado, seria para profaná-lo, destruí-lo. Seria verdadeiro ? O dízimo é dinheiro, é algo que pertence a Deus. Percebe-se uma mística que se desenvolve a partir de um processo constante de ressignificação. A perspectiva simbólica compõe a análise compreensiva desse objeto chamado dinheiro que, no espaço de culto neopentecostal, ganha importância e expressividade na fé dos que buscam vitória, conquista, prosperidade. PALAVRAS-CHAVES : Espiritualidade; Dinheiro; Neopentecostalismo; Vinculo social; Dádiva.This Article is centered, in its reflection, SPIRITUALITY CENTRALIZED IN MONEY. The above-mentioned object money is an instrument in god’s hands, present in Neo-pentecostal churches daily cult. And in such a perspective, it – money – coumponds things arsenal, offered at altar. It is a religious symbol fitting to sew GOD – CHURCH – FAITHFUL vertical rapport . But it is not selected as any object at all in order to take part, as a kind of mediation, in this rapport. Money is not a curse, but, sanctified, when immolated to be offered and to multiply the work of God. Some would tend to say that, the entry into the money into the space of the sacred would be to profane God, to destroy him. Can this be so? The tithe is money. It is something that belongs to God. One perceives a certain Mystic, developed fron a resignification constant process. Symbolical perspective compounds this object, called, nominated money, comprehensive analysis, money that, in neo-pentecostal cult space, increases in inportance and expressiveness in faith regarding to those ones who look for victony, conquest, prosperity. KEYWORDS: Spirituality; Money; Social Bond; Gift; Neopentecostalism. (shrink)

A propósito do Livro SWINBURNE, Richard. Deus Existe? Tradução de Agnaldo Cuoco Portugal. Brasília: Academia Monergista, 2015. 192p.

The essay provides an overview of what will be the call ecotheology. The main idea, grounded in this post show that the criticisms made by some environmentalists of the twentieth century theology in the exercise of its functions, has established a reading of canonical texts, heavily influenced, in a hermeneutic stance of ecological character. The relevance in relevance in addressing an issue with that, is something of great importance, especially in that it is precisely in Latin America where you have (...) large barns theorists of Christian thought, eminently geared to the current ecological crisis. (shrink)

Resenha do livro de bell hooks "O feminismo é para todo mundo: políticas arrebatadoras" (2018).

Contemporary scientific perspectivism is primarily viewed as a methodological framework of how we obtain and form scientific knowledge of nature, through a broadly perspectivist process, especially, with reference to quantum mechanics. In the present study, this is implemented by representing categorically the global structure of a quantum algebra of events in terms of structured interconnected families of local Boolean probing frames, realized as suitable perspectives or contexts for measuring physical quantities. The essential philosophical meaning of the proposed approach implies that (...) the quantum world can be consistently approached and comprehended through a multilevel structure of locally variable perspectives, which interlock, in a category-theoretical environment, to form a coherent picture of the whole in a non-trivial way. (shrink)

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder is a highly heterogeneous diagnosis. When a child is referred to autism services or receives a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder it is not known what their potential adult outcomes could be. We consider the challenge of making predictions of an individual child’s long-term multi-facetted adult outcome, focussing on which aspects are predictable and which are not.MethodsWe used data from 123 adults participating in the Autism Early Diagnosis Cohort. Participants were recruited from age 2 and followed up (...) repeatedly through childhood and adolescence to adulthood. We predicted 14 adult outcome measures including cognitive, behavioral and well-being measures. Continuous outcomes were modeled using lasso regression and ordinal outcomes were modeled using proportional odds regression. Optimism corrected predictive performance was calculated using cross-validation or bootstrap. We also illustrated the prediction of an overall composite formed by weighting outcome measures by priorities elicited from parents.ResultsWe found good predictive performance from age 9 for verbal and non-verbal IQ, and daily living skills. Predictions for symptom severity, hyperactivity and irritability improved with inclusion of behavioral data collected in adolescence but remained modest. For other outcomes covering well-being, depression, and positive and negative affect we found no ability to predict adult outcomes at any age. Predictions of composites based on parental priorities differed in magnitude and precision depending on which parts of the adult outcome were given more weight.ConclusionVerbal and non-verbal IQ, and daily living skills can be predicted well from assessments made in childhood. For other adult outcomes, it is challenging to make meaningful predictions from assessments made in childhood and adolescence using the measures employed in this study. Future work should replicate and validate the present findings in different samples, investigate whether the availability of different measures in childhood and adolescence can improve predictions, and consider systematic differences in priorities. (shrink)

El problema de la enajenación del ser humano es una constante en la obra teórica y narrativa de José Revueltas. El hecho de que el tema carcelario aparezca con frecuencia en sus relatos y novelas, en algunos de los cuales la cárcel deviene un personaje más, obedece precisamente a su interés en dicho problema. Como aquí se muestra, Revueltas no sólo buscaba exponer y analizar la enajenación humana, sino a la vez explorar posibles vías de liberación. De ahí que, mientras (...) que en sus primeros trabajos se centró en el sistema penitenciario, gradualmente pasó a abordar en ellos el encierro en el espacio público y en la propia conciencia. (shrink)

This study examines self-legitimation and other-delegitimation in the online radio broadcasts of Nnamdi Kanu, the Supreme Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Using Theo van Leeuwen’s (2008) legitimation approach, the paper analyses four speeches he delivered in Israel following his ‘reappearance’ in 2018. The analysis reveals that Kanu uses three legitimation strategies, namely authorisation, moralisation and rationalisation to justify his sudden escape from Nigeria, call for Biafra’s self-rule and boycott of elections and to discredit alleged cloning of the (...) president, electoral malpractices, marginalisation of the Igbo and corruption and brutality among security agents. These strategies are linguistically realised by self-glorification, exclusive and inclusive pronominalisations (us-them dichotomy), polarisation, derogatory nomination (labelling), and hyperbolic expressions. They are aimed at presenting Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB positively as fighting a legitimate cause. (shrink)

This unique book provides a self-contained conceptual and technical introduction to the theory of differential sheaves. This serves both the newcomer and the experienced researcher in undertaking a background-independent, natural and relational approach to "physical geometry". In this manner, this book is situated at the crossroads between the foundations of mathematical analysis with a view toward differential geometry and the foundations of theoretical physics with a view toward quantum mechanics and quantum gravity. The unifying thread is provided by the theory (...) of adjoint functors in category theory and the elucidation of the concepts of sheaf theory and homological algebra in relation to the description and analysis of dynamically constituted physical geometric spectrums. (shrink)

Neste artigo, buscamos um entendimento mais aprofundado do _Comunitarismo_. Para tanto, dividimos o artigo em quatro partes. Na primeira, nos debruçamos sobre o pensamento comunitarista, traçando suas raízes históricas, seus principais argumentos, suas críticas ao liberalismo e, também, suas fragilidades. Na segunda parte, voltamos nosso olhar para a realidade próxima e, assim, analisando casos específicos das comunidades pomeranas na zona sul do Rio Grande do Sul e seus dilemas, buscamos abordá-los sob a ótica comunitarista e ver de qual modo esta (...) vertente filosófica pode nos auxiliar. No terceiro ponto, damos voz ao pensamento liberal, permitindo não só que traga soluções aos problemas das comunidades estudadas, como também rebata os argumentos comunitaristas. Por fim, no ponto quatro, traremos algumas considerações finais sobre os argumentos levantados. (shrink)

O texto fala da experiência docente de uma professora regente da 2ª série do Ensino Fundamental e das transformações vividas no espaço escolar a partir da implantação do Projeto filosofia na escola. Sinaliza a importância do encontro com a filosofia para os sujeitos participantes do projeto: professora, crianças e mediador.

According to Jewish dietary laws, known as Kashrut, the meat and milk mixing in the same meal is prohibited. This article examines this prohibition from a theological and modern medical viewpoint.

Les places où eurent lieu les contestations du soulèvement du 17 octobre au Liban ont connu l’émergence d’expressions populaires de dissidence, de colère et d’espoir. Les messages furent portés à travers différents médias, en particulier les graffitis, la musique, les chants. Cet épisode est particulier en ce que ces expressions transcendèrent les clivages sectaires et politiques habituels. Ce texte revisite, archive et analyse les différents moyens d’expression qui furent abondamment utilisés au cours de ce mouvement.

Dans cet article, le « nécrocapitalisme » est considéré comme une catégorie analytique et un système social qui régit le Liban d’« après-guerre ». En tant que système, il organise psychiquement et socialement une économie politique fondée sur le sectarisme, la kleptocratie et la capture de l’État. Le nécrocapitalisme structure également une série d’attachements idéologico-affectifs qui lient les élites aux subordonnés, et l’État aux uns et aux autres. Ce terme de « nécrocapitalisme » permet également à l’auteur de qualifier comment (...) les souffrances psychiques des populations qui vivent (mal) et qui meurent sont devenues, soit des actifs politiques et économiques à cultiver et à reproduire (par le biais d’un sectarisme clientéliste), soit, au pire, des coûts collatéraux où la vie, le bien-être physique sont dévalués dans une totale désinvolture. (shrink)

Four experiments supported the hypothesis that ordinary people understand free will as meaning unconstrained choice, not having a soul. People consistently rated free will as being high unless reduced by internal constraints (i.e., things that impaired people’s mental abilities to make choices) or external constraints (i.e., situations that hampered people’s abilities to choose and act as they desired). Scientific paradigms that have been argued to disprove free will were seen as reducing, but usually not eliminating free will, and the reductions (...) were because of constrained conscious choice. We replicated findings that a minority of people think lacking a soul reduces free will. These reductions in perceived free will were fully explained by reductions in people’s perceived abilities to make conscious decisions. Thus, some people do think you need a soul to have free will—but it is because they think you need a soul to make conscious decisions. (shrink)

A recent debate has ensued over the claim in Pikovski et al. that systems with internal degrees of freedom undergo a universal, gravity-induced, type of decoherence that explains their quantum-to-classical transition. Such decoherence is supposed to arise from the different gravitational redshifts experienced by such systems when placed in a superposition of two wave packets at different heights in a gravitational field. Here we investigate some aspects of the discussion with the aid of simple examples. In particular, we first resolve (...) an apparent conflict between the reported results and the equivalence principle by noting that the static and free fall descriptions focus on states associated with different hypersurfaces. Next, we emphasize that predictions regarding the observability of interference become relevant only in the context of concrete experimental settings. As a result, we caution against hasty claims of universal validity. Finally, we dispute the claim that, at least in the scenarios discussed in Pikovski et al., gravitation is responsible for the reported results and we question the alleged ability of decoherence to explain the quantum-to-classical transition. In consequence, we argue against the extraordinary assertion in Pikovski et al. that gravity can account for the emergence of classicality. (shrink)