This paper analyzes recent attempts to reject reproduction with lineage formation as a necessary condition for evolution by means of natural selection :560–570, 2008; Stud Hist Philos Sci Part C Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci 42:106–114, 2011; Bourrat in Biol Philos 29:517–538, 2014; Br J Philos Sci 66:883–903, 2015; Charbonneau in Philos Sci 81:727–740, 2014; Doolittle and Inkpen in Proc Natl Acad Sci 115:4006–4014, 2018). Building on the strengths of these attempts and avoiding their pitfalls, it is argued that (...) a robust formulation of evolution by natural selection without reproduction can be established. The main contribution of this paper is a reformulation of Lewontin’s three principles stating that minimal evolution by natural selection occurs when two conditions are met in a population: fitness-related variation and memory. Paradigmatic evolution by natural selection, which can generate adaptations, takes place when an additional condition is present, namely regeneration. (shrink)

In this survey paper, I start from two classical theses of speech act theory: that speech act content is uniformly propositional and that sentence mood encodes illocutionary force. These theses have been questioned in recent work, both in philosophy and linguistics. The force/content distinction itself – a cornerstone of 20‐century philosophy of language – has come to be rejected by some theorists, unmoved by the famous ‘Frege–Geach’ argument. The paper reviews some of these debates.

In a series of papers, Sperber provides the following analysis of the phenomenon of ill-understood belief (or 'quasi-belief', as I call it): (i) the quasi-believer has a validating meta-belief, to the effect that a certain representation is true; yet (ii) that representation does not give rise to a plain belief, because it is 'semi-propositional'. In this paper I discuss several aspects of this treatment. In particular, I deny that the representation accepted by the quasi-believer is semantically indeterminate, and I reject (...) Sperber's claim that quasi-belief is a credal attitude distinct from plain belief. (shrink)

It has often been observed that the meaning of a word may be affected by the other words which occur in the same sentence. How are we to account for this phenomenon of 'semantic flexibility'? It is argued that semantic flexibility reduces to context-sensitivity and does not raise unsurmountable problems for standard compositional accounts. On the other hand, it would be a mistake to assume too simple a view of context-sensitivity. Two basic forms of context-sensitivity are distinguished in the paper. (...) The second form — sense modulation — shows that, in a sense, there is more in the meaning of the whole than can be derived from the meanings of the parts. (shrink)

In modal logic, propositions are evaluated relative to possible worlds. A proposition may be true relative to a world w, and false relative to another world w'. Relativism is the view that the relativization idea extends beyond possible worlds and modalities. Thus, in tense logic, propositions are evaluated relative to times. A proposition (e.g. the proposition that Socrates is sitting) may be true relative to a time t, and false relative to another time t'. In this paper I discuss, and (...) attempt to rebut, two classical objections to Relativism. The first objection, due to Frege, is the objection from incompleteness. I distinguish two possible relativist responses to that objection, one of which corresponds to the view I actually defend : Moderate Relativism. The second objection is due to Mark Richard, who argued that the objects of belief cannot be relativistic. I show that that objection can be met within the Moderate Relativist framework. In the last section, I deal with special forms of disagreement that have loomed large in recent discussions of Relativism. (shrink)

What relevance does Foucault have, more than a decade after his death? Foucault was a sort of philosophical journalist - continually concerned with what is happening in the present. And it is here that we find one of the guiding threads of Foucault's ethics: we must be constantly vigilant in ensuring that the present does not become a mere repetition of the past. Philosophy must produce events that can act to disrupt this repetition. This is the task of judgment, confronted (...) by the question of power. We can recognize four points on which Foucault has continuing relevance. First, Foucault diagnosed the end of revolution, the consequences of which we are now living. Further, Foucault's work on truth-telling and norms and measures, the heart of the question of justice, is still significant. Foucault's work on medicine, and in particular ancient Greek medicine, will also play a critical role if we are to successfully navigate the myriad problems posed by a new form of medicine, genetic medicine - a medicine of predispositions rather than therapy, similar to the medicine practiced by the Greeks. Fourth and finally, Foucault has a continuing relevance for problems of decision-making, responsibility and care. We can think about responsibility, for Foucault, through the question of care - and thus will avoid reducing responsibility to a merely juridical notion. Key Words: care • Foucault • medicine • norms • present • repetition • responsibility • revolution. (shrink)

I argue that immunity to error through misidentification primarily characterizes thoughts that are 'implicitly' de se, as opposed to thoughts that involve an explicit self-identification. Thoughts that are implicitly de se involve no reference to the self at the level of content: what makes them de se is simply the fact that the content of the thought is evaluated with respect to the thinking subject. Or, to put it in familiar terms : the content of the thought is a property (...) which the thinking subject self-ascribes (as in the Loar/Lewis/Chisholm analysis). After answering an objection (to the effect that immunity can affect explicit de se thoughts), I extend the analysis to demonstrative thoughts, which also exhibit the property of immunity to error through misidentification. (shrink)

In the first part of this paper I sketch a theory of indexical concepts within a broadly epistemic framework. In the second part I discuss and dismiss an argument due to Jerry Fodor, to the effect that any epistemic approach to concept individuation (including the theory of indexical concepts I will sketch) is doomed to failure.

Following the collapse of the communist states it was assumed that Marxist philosophy had collapsed with it. In Introduction to Non-Marxism, François Laruelle aims to recover Marxism along with its failure by asking the question "What is to be done with Marxism itself?" To answer, Laruelle resists the temptation to make Marxism more palatable after the death of metaphysics by transforming Marxism into a mere social science or by simply embracing with evangelical fervor the idea of communism. Instead Laruelle proposes (...) a heretical science of Marxism that will investigate Marxism in both its failure and power so as to fashion new theoretical tools. In the course of engaging with the material of Marxism, Laruelle takes on the philosophy of Marx along with important philosophers who have extended that philosophy including Althusser, Balibar, Negri as well as the attempt at a phenomenological Marxism found in the work of Michel Henry. Through this engagement Laruelle develops with great precision the history and function of his concept of determination-in-the-last-instance. In the midst of the assumed failure of Marxism and the defections and resentment that followed, Laruelle's non-Marxism responds with the bold declaration: "Do not give up on theory!". (shrink)

Contribution au numéro spécial de la Revue Internationale de Philosophie sur John Searle.

A number of distinct (though related) issues are raised in the debate over Contextualism in the philosophy of language. My aim in this chapter for the Cambridge Handbook of Pragmatics is to disentangle them, so as to get a clearer view of the positions available (where a 'position' consists of a particular take on each of the relevant issues simultaneously).

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin n’était pas théologien de profession, mais son œuvre a surtout été reçue – et parfois contestée – dans le domaine religieux. Il n’a pas prétendu proposer une réflexion systématique mais renouveler la pensée chrétienne pour la mettre en cohérence avec les connaissances scientifiques. C’est ainsi que la théologie doit devenir une recherche permanente. En dépit de quelques limites, en particulier sur la question du mal, sa pensée peut rester inspirante pour le travail du théologien. Dans le (...) dialogue avec les sciences, c’est une « nouvelle face de Dieu » qui se révèle. (shrink)

The article introduces a special issue on “Rethinking Liberal Multiculturalism: Foundations, Practices and Methodologies.” The contributions presented in this special issue were discussed during the conference « Multicultural Citizenship 25 Years Later », held in Paris in November 2021. Their aim is to take stock of the legacy of Kymlicka’s contribution and to highlight new developments in theories of liberal multiculturalism and minority rights. The contributions do not purport to challenge the legitimacy of theories of multiculturalism and minority rights, they (...) rather aim at deepening our understanding of the foundations of liberal multiculturalism and of its practical implementation, sensitive to social scientific dynamics of diverse societies. Without abandoning the general idea that cultural minorities should be granted special minority rights, the essays presented raise new questions about three dimensions central to liberal multiculturalism: its normative foundations, its practical categories of minorities or groups, and its fact-sensitive methodology. Taken together they shed light on the renewed variety of theories of liberal multiculturalism highlighting their complexity and internal disagreements. To introduce these articles, the article first draws a brief historical overview of the debates on multiculturalism since the 1990s (section 1). It then highlights the distinctive aspects of Kymlicka’s contribution (section 2) and identifies recent research trends (section 3). Doing so, it explains how the articles gathered here both expand on those distinctive aspects and explore those new research avenues. The section 4 summarizes the contributions. (shrink)

In this article, we compare Ricard Zappata-Barrero’s interculturalism with Tariq Modood’s multiculturalism. We will discuss the relation between distinct elements that compose both positions. We examine how recent discussions on interculturalism have the potential to contribute to theories of multiculturalism without undermining their core principles. Our position is close to that of Modood’s as he has already carefully tried to incorporate interculturalist insights into his own multiculturalism. Yet we provide a raise a few questions regarding Modood’s treatment of the relation (...) between multiculturalism and interculturalism. After summarizing each author’s potion (I), we will comment on the following set of relations between their basic elements: (II) The relation between intercultural contact and intercultural dialogue; (III) The relation between contact at the local level and the societal/state level; (IV) The relation between group-specific measures, intercultural contact and mainstreaming. (shrink)

In Why Tolerate Religion?, Brian Leiter argues against the special legal status of religion, claiming that religion should not be the only ground for exemptions to the law and that this form of protection should be, in principle, available for the claims of secular conscience as well. However, in the last chapter of his book, he objects to a universal regime of exemptions for both religious and secular claims of conscience, highlighting the practical and moral flaws associated with it. We (...) believe that Leiter identifies a genuine and important contemporary legal and philosophical problem. We find much to admire in his reasoning. However, we raise questions about two claims that are crucial for his argument. The first claim is that it is not religion as such, but conscience that deserves toleration and respect. The second claim is that respect for religion and conscience demands ‘principled toleration’ but does not entail stronger policies of legal exemptions. Against the first claim, we argue that Leiter does not successfully distinguish religious belief from secular conscience and morality; and he does not explain why secular conscience deserves respect. Against the second claim, we argue that the most promising theories of legal exemptions are not classical theories of liberal toleration. (shrink)

In this paper I argue that the self-referential component which Searle rightly detects in the truth-conditions of perceptual judgments comes from the perceptual ‘mode' and is not an aspect of the ‘content' of the judgment, contrary to Searle's claim.

-- t. 2. Origines médiévales de la science.

Dans cet article sont identifiés les principaux défis que la théorie darwinienne de l'évolution pose à la théologie chrétienne: défi à la théologie naturelle, l'action divine n'étant plus nécessaire pour rendre compte de l'origine des vivants; défi à la théodicée, le prix exorbitant payé par des individus et des espèces au fil de l'évolution rendant difficilement pensables la bienveillance et la toute-puissance de Dieu; défi à l'omniscience divine, puisque le processus évolutif obéit à un mécanisme aléatoire apparemment dépourvu de toute (...) finalité. Les ressources de la théologie contemporaine pour relever ces défis au coeur d'une conversation avec le récit scientifique sont ensuite explorées. (shrink)

Le thème de la nature revient dans la pensée contemporaine sous le signe de la menace. C’est parce que la nature est en péril que l’intérêt se porte à nouveau sur elle. Le souci d’éviter une possible catastrophe écologique doit-il nous faire revenir à une « théologie naturelle » où chaque composante du monde serait invitée à occuper son « lieu » sous la conduite du « Moteur immobile » ? Dans le monde catholique en particulier, cette nostalgie n’est pas (...) rare. Mais si l’on tient à un certain « anthropocentrisme chrétien », tout en restant conscient des risques qu’il comporte, comment redonner à la nature un statut théologique ? C’est ici le propos du présent article.Il commence par reprendre la composante anthropologique de l’héritage chrétien qui contraste avec le cosmocentrisme de la pensée antique. Il s’interroge ensuite sur la nouvelle vision de la nature. L’approche globale s’accompagne d’une perspective évolutive que l’on peut qualifier d’« historique », qui invite à s’interroger sur l’avenir du monde, plus ouvert et donc plus risqué, que dans les visions anciennes. Dans cette « dramatique » de l’histoire naturelle, la théologie peut apporter sa contribution.The subject of nature has come back into contemporary thought under a threatening cloud. It is because nature is endangered that so much interest is being taken in it. Should the concern with avoiding a potential ecological catastrophe make us come back to a “natural theology” in which every component of the world would be requested to occupy its “place” under the guidance of the “Immobile Mover”? This nostalgia is far from rare, especially in the Catholic world. However, if we prize a certain “Christian anthropocentrism,” while remaining quite aware of the risks it involves, how can we give a theological status back to nature? This is the subject of the present article.We thus begin by taking up the anthropological aspect of Christian heritage that stands in contrast to the cosmocentrism of Ancient thought, and then examine this new vision of nature. This global approach is accompanied by a progressive perspective that can be qualified as “historical” and that incites us to investigate the future of the world, which is thus more open and more hazardous than in the worldview of Antiquity. Within the framework of this “drama” of natural history, theology has a contribution to make. (shrink)

L’importance de la raison scientifique dans la pensée moderne doit inciter le théologien à conserver un dialogue avec cette raison. C’est d’autant plus le cas aujourd’hui où, d’une part, les sciences de la nature étendent leur entreprise à la question de l’homme et, d’autre part, elles sont soumises à diverses critiques. La visée de cet article est de montrer qu’au-delà de la légitime prise en compte de ces critiques, un dialogue avec une raison scientifique renouvelée, davantage sensible à l’histoire et (...) à la dimension collective, peut être un apport à la théologie fondamentale. Il procède de la conviction que ce qui se joue dans l’aventure scientifique moderne a à voir avec une théologie chrétienne, sensible à la liberté de la créature humaine. (shrink)

L’évolution industrielle nous destine à vivre dans des environnements technologiques caractérisés par une dissémination informatique totale dans la multitude et d’objets connectés capables de traitement sémantique et d’interaction informationnelle avec les humains. Dans ce contexte d’Intelligence ambiante se déploient des dispositifs domotiques d’Interactions dites naturelles Homme / machine. Ainsi de Google Home présenté comme : « une enceinte à commande vocale qui fonctionne avec l'Assistant Google ». On pourra tout aussi bien discuter avec les agents de la concurrence : Amazon (...) Echo, Apple HomePod, etc. Ces dispositifs nous conduisent à interroger une étape contemporaine majeure de « la révolution technologique du langage » et de son automatisation, qui fait des machines de réels sujets parlants, inscrits dans un « couplage humano-machinique ». Dans ce contexte fortement marqué par les affordances, nous observons les modalités de cette interaction artéfactuelle et dite naturelle, caractérisée notamment par une simulation conversationnelle et une personnalisation des dispositifs technologiques. La perspective est celle d’une linguistique post-dualiste et non logocentrée, dans la lignée du courant de l’analyse du discours : Texte-Discours-Interaction. (shrink)

Résumé Comment envisager aujourd’hui la peinture comme une activité spécifique, et sous quelles conditions? L’approche qui en est faite dans ce texte part de la simple notion de « recouvrement », prise dans son sens le plus littéral, pour en poser quelques articulations particulières. Tout d’abord, celle de la construction d’un objet pictural fondé par ses composantes matérielles, et la valeur de mise en espace spécifique qu’il constitue dans le rapport à la frontalité. De là, l’affirmation d’une notion de « (...) distance » que permet cet objet, distance mise en opposition à des données d’immersion, qui présenterait un fonctionnement basé sur la mise en œuvre constante d’un écart. Arguments dont on voit bien évidemment la dimension moderne, pour ne pas dire moderniste, dont ce texte interroge, dans la situation contemporaine, une possible remise en jeu. (shrink)