Henrich et al. provide a compelling argument about a bias in the behavioral sciences to study human behavior primarily in WEIRD populations. Here we argue that brain scientists are susceptible to similar biases, sampling primarily from WEIRD populations; and we discuss recent evidence from cultural neuroscience demonstrating the importance and viability of investigating culture across multiple levels of analysis.

Classical theories of emotion have long debated the extent to which human emotion is a universal or culturally constructed experience. Recent advances in emotion research in cultural neuroscience highlight several aspects of emotional generation and experience that are both phylogenetically conserved as well as constructed within human cultural contexts. This review highlights theories and methods from cultural neuroscience that examine how cultural and biological processes shape emotional generation, experience, and regulation across multiple time scales. Recent advances in the neurobiological basis (...) of culture-bound syndromes, such as Hwa-Byung (fire illness), provide further novel insights into emotion and mental health across cultures. Implications for emotion research in cultural neuroscience for population health disparities in psychopathology and global mental health will be discussed. (shrink)

Recent evidence from the social neuroscience of empathy suggests that there is core neural circuitry underlying empathy in humans, and important roles for top—down and bottom—up processes in the production and regulation of empathic experience. Less well understood is how cultural and genetic forces give rise to empathy and prosocial behavior within and across groups. Here I argue that culture-gene coevolutionary theory may play an important role in understanding how and when empathy is experienced, and that future research in cultural (...) neuroscience is needed to understand how cultural and genetic factors shape empathic neural response. (shrink)

Affect control theory posits that emotions are constructed by social and cultural forces. Rogers, Schröder, and von Scheve introduce affect control theory as a conceptual and methodological “hub,” linking theories from different disciplines across levels of analysis. To illustrate this further, we apply their framework to cultural priming, an experimental technique in cultural psychology and neuroscience for testing how exposure to cultural symbols changes people’s behavior, cognition, and emotion. Our analysis supports the use of affect control theory in linking different (...) levels of analysis while leaving some opening questions for improving such a framework in future research. (shrink)

Lindquist et al. argue that emotional categories do not map onto distinct regions within the brain, but rather, arise from basic psychological processes, including conceptualization, executive attention, and core affect. Here, we use examples from cultural neuroscience to argue that psychological constructionism, not locationism, captures the essential role of emotion in the social and cultural brain.

Presenting evidence from the social brain, we argue that neural reuse is a dynamic, socially organized process that is influenced ontogenetically and evolutionarily by the cultural transmission of mental techniques, values, and modes of thought. Anderson's theory should be broadened to accommodate cultural effects on the functioning of architecturally similar neural systems, and the implications of these differences for reuse.

Philosophical inquiries into the nature of consciousness have long been intrinsically tied to questions regarding the nature of the self. Although philosophers of mind seldom make reference to the role of cultural context in shaping consciousness, since antiquity culture has played a notable role in philosophical conceptions of the self. Western philosophers, from Plato to Locke, have emphasized an individualistic view of the self that is autonomous and consistent across situations, while Eastern philosophers, such as Lao Tzu and Confucius, have (...) argued for a collectivistic view of the self, one that is interconnected to others and embedded within specific social contexts and situations. Here we argue that a comprehensive theory of consciousness needs to account for the role of cultural context and its bidirectional interaction with neural and genetic mechanisms in shaping a variety of conscious phenomena, from visual perception to self- awareness. We review recent evidence of cultural variation in neurobiological mechanisms underlying these phenomena and discuss the implications of these cultural neuroscience findings for the study of consciousness. (shrink)

Freely falling point-like objects converge toward the center of the Earth. Hence the gravitational field of the Earth is inhomogeneous, and possesses a tidal component. The free fall of an extended quantum mechanical object such as a hydrogen atom prepared in a high principal-quantum-number state, i.e. a circular Rydberg atom, is predicted to fall more slowly than a classical point-like object, when both objects are dropped from the same height above the Earth’s surface. This indicates that, apart from transitions between (...) quantum states, the atom exhibits a kind of quantum mechanical incompressibility during free fall in inhomogeneous, tidal gravitational fields like those of the Earth.A superconducting ring-like system with a persistent current circulating around it behaves like the circular Rydberg atom during free fall. Like the electronic wavefunction of the freely falling atom, the Cooper-pair wavefunction is quantum mechanically incompressible. The ions in the lattice of the superconductor, however, are not incompressible, since they do not possess a globally coherent quantum phase. The resulting difference during free fall in the response of the nonlocalizable Cooper pairs of electrons and the localizable ions to inhomogeneous gravitational fields is predicted to lead to a charge separation effect, which in turn leads to a large Coulomb force that opposes the convergence caused by the tidal gravitational force on the superconducting system.A “Cavendish-like” experiment is proposed for observing the charge separation effect induced by inhomogeneous gravitational fields in a superconducting circuit. The charge separation effect is determined to be limited by a pair-breaking process that occurs when low frequency gravitational perturbations are present. (shrink)

El presente estudio analiza los recientes discursos sobre las guerras actuales. Hemos podido identificar dos tipos de argumentaciones, una proveniente del ámbito belicista y otro del ámbito humanitarista. El primero de estos discursos defiende explícitamente las intervenciones militares y recurre a nociones como el poder y la hegemonía. El segundo en cambio apela a la defensa de valores universales, la democracia y los derechos humanos. No obstante, aun partiendo de posturas teóricas opuestas (incluso enfrentadas), finalmente confluyen en la normalización y (...) legitimación de los conflictos actuales. Así pues, en ambos casos, quedan legitimadas las guerras desde posiciones teóricas opuestas, y además bajo esas teorizaciones quedan relegadas otras opciones no bélicas. Por ello el propósito del presente texto es realizar un repaso y balance de esas teorizaciones, puesto que, aparte de animar el debate intelectual actual, tienen una importante influencia práctica en la forma de concebir los conflictos internacionales (e incluso los conflictos sociales), en los que se juegan la vida de miles de personas. (shrink)

Volume 20, Issue 6, June 2020, Page 22-24.

Mass media campaigns are widely and successfully used to change health decisions and behaviors for better or for worse in society. In the United States, media campaigns have been launched at local offices of the states’ department of motor vehicles to promote citizens’ willingness to organ donation and donor registration. We analyze interventional studies of multimedia communication campaigns to encourage organ-donor registration at local offices of states’ department of motor vehicles. The media campaigns include the use of multifaceted communication tools (...) and provide training to desk clerks in the use of scripted messages for the purpose of optimizing enrollment in organ-donor registries. Scripted messages are communicated to customers through mass audiovisual entertainment media, print materials and interpersonal interaction at the offices of departments of motor vehicles. These campaigns give rise to three serious concerns: (1) bias in communicating information with scripted messages without verification of the scientific accuracy of information, (2) the provision of misinformation to future donors that may result in them suffering unintended consequences from consenting to medical procedures before death (e.g, organ preservation and suitability for transplantation), and (3) the unmanaged conflict of interests for organizations charged with implementing these campaigns, (i.e, dual advocacy for transplant recipients and donors). We conclude the following: (1) media campaigns about healthcare should communicate accurate information to the general public and disclose factual materials with the least amount of bias; (2) conflicting interests in media campaigns should be managed with full public transparency; (3) media campaigns should disclose the practical implications of procurement as well as acknowledge the medical, legal, and religious controversies of determining death in organ donation; (4) organ-donor registration must satisfy the criteria of informed consent; (5) media campaigns should serve as a means of public education about organ donation and should not be a form of propaganda. (shrink)

We reconsider the consequences of the observed violations of Bell's inequalities. Two common responses to these violations are (i) the rejection of realism and the retention of locality and (ii) the rejection of locality and the retention of realism. Here we critique response (i). We argue that locality contains an implicit form of realism, since in a worldview that embraces locality, spacetime, with its usual, fixed topology, has properties independent of measurement. Hence we argue that response (i) is incomplete, in (...) that its rejection of realism is only partial. (shrink)

We respond to Morgan and Feeley’s critique on our article “Mass Media in Organ Donation: Managing Conflicting Messages and Interests.” We noted that Morgan and Feeley agree with the position that the primary aims of media campaigns are: “to educate the general public about organ donation process” and “help individuals make informed decisions” about organ donation. For those reasons, the educational messages in media campaigns should not be restricted to “information from pilot work or focus groups” but should include evidence-based (...) facts resulting from a comprehensive literature research. We consider the controversial aspects about organ donation to be relevant, if not necessary, educational materials that must be disclosed in media campaigns to comply with the legal and moral requirements of informed consent. With that perspective in mind, we address the validity of Morgan and Feeley’s claim that media campaigns have no need for informing the public about the controversial nature of death determination in organ donation. Scientific evidence has proven that the criteria for death determination are inconsistent with the Uniform Determination of Death Act and therefore potentially harmful to donors. The decision by campaign designers to use the statutory definition of death without disclosing the current controversies surrounding that definition does not contribute to improved informed decision making. We argue that if Morgan and Feeley accept the important role of media campaigns to enhance informed decision making, then critical controversies should be disclosed. In support of that premise, we will outline: (1) the wide-spread scientific challenges to brain death as a concept of death; (2) the influence of the donor registry and team-huddling on the medical care of potential donors; (3) the use of authorization rather than informed consent for donor registration; (4) the contemporary religious controversy; and (5) the effects of training desk clerks as organ requestors at the Department of Motor Vehicles offices. We conclude that organ donation is a medical procedure subject to all the ethical obligations that the medical profession must uphold including that of transparency and truthfulness. (shrink)

El humanismo, asociado históricamente a la educación –la paideia griega- merece ser repensado y recuperado para la educación en un momento de cambio tecnológico tan acelerado y tan influyente en la condición humana que ya hay quien habla de “transhumanismo”. Se analiza la riqueza polisémica de la noción de humanismo y el valor de la formación humanística al servicio de la justicia; y finalmente, su valor como aprendizaje del goce mismo de vivir. En suma, su alto valor educativo. Palabras clave: (...) Humanismo, educación, transhumanismo, justicia, goce de vivir. (shrink)

Este artículo presenta una explicación del sentido común moderno a partir de una reconstrucción de lecturas críticas de Marx y Schumpeter. Se defiende que nuestro sentido común está estrechamente relacionado con la tecnología y que esta comporta fetichismo y funcionalidad. El artículo tiene cuatro partes. Primeramente, expongo las consideraciones generales que requiere una aproximación filosófica al sentido común y concreto la filosofía de la historia en la que baso mi análisis. Segundo, argumento que el sentido común moderno es indisociable de (...) la moral y la política y ambas lo son de posibles conflictos de tipo radical en cuanto al ser humano y su historia. Tercero, comento por qué estos posibles conflictos tienen que ver con lo que Marx llama en El capital la maquinaria capitalista y desarrollo esta idea desde la teoría de los paradigmas tecnoeconómicos. Finalmente, sostengo que esta teoría neoschumpeteriana debe ser criticada desde la filosofía, así como adoptada para una teoría y práctica críticas del sentido común moderno, el cual tiene en las gestiones de la COVID-19 un punto culminante. (shrink)

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el liberalismo político de John Rawls a la luz de la crítica republicana que Quentin Skinner hace, a partir del análisi de los Discursos de Maquiavelo, sobre el concepto de libertad. La idea sostenida por Skinner, que el concepto de libertad empleado por el liberalismo no es suficientemente robusto y que no incluye las obligaciones y responsabilidades necesarias para su propio mantenimiento, resulta inapropiada, al menos en cuanto a la teoría de Rawls. En (...) efecto, la arquitectura conceptual del liberalismo político ya tiene en cuenta esta cuestión, de manera que no hay una divergencia fundamental entre una perspectiva y la otra. En todo caso, más que un desacuerdo en el contenido, la crítica republicana vendría a expresar una cierta insatisfacción con la manera de hacer teoría política, la cual ha tendido en ciertas ocasiones a desvincularse del funcionamiento real de los sistemas políticos y a concentrarse en exceso en hacer teoría ideal. El artículo concluye, con todo, que una y otra perspectiva tienen al final más motivos para trabajar conjuntamente que para darse la espalda. (shrink)

The general aim of this paper is to defend a theory of properties grounded on universals and the notion of substratum. We offer first a brief survey of some problems concerning the attribution of properties to objects and the similarity of objects. We next characterize the notion of universal by contrasting universals against other entities that have often been postulated in order to account for the mentioned problems. Besides, we distinguish two different theories of properties, both based on the notion (...) of universal: the bundle theory of the former. In the rest of the paper we try to answer to some of the former. In the rest of the paper we try to answer to some of the serious objections that have been posed against the substratum theory. Firstly, we argue that the theory of temporal stages can solve some problems deriving from the substantial change and the accidental change; moreover, we give a reply to some objections advanced against this substratum as a bare particular. Thirdly, we discuss some objections to the use that the substratum theory makes of these bare particulars as individuators. Our reply is based on a distinction between three different roles that can be ascribed to an entity: a particularizer role and two kinds of individuatory roles . We argue that a substratum can perfectly play a rol as a particularizer and also as an intraworld individuator. Finally, we offer a solution to the well known Bradley´s regressum. (shrink)

Partiendo de una reflexión sobre las limitaciones que enfrenta la democracia en el contexto de la globalización actual, el autor analiza las posibilidades de una nueva relación entre las personas, los colectivos y las instituciones del Estado. Los desafíos que enfrenta la humanidad, a escala mundial, no pueden seguir siendo enfrentados con las formas sociales y políticas propias del marco del Estado-Nación territorial. La democracia continuaría siendo la mejor alternativa a esta crisis epocal, pero aquella que surja de una profunda (...) transformación de la relación entre gobernados y gobernantes, y que de cuenta de las nuevas formas de participación que exigen los diversos actores sociales sin necesidad de retornar al rígido centralismo estatista. (shrink)

Este trabajo estudia críticamente seis posibles límites a la apropiación privada, individual, unilateral y desigual en el estado de naturaleza descripto por John Locke. I) la restricción expresada bajo la forma de dejar suficiente y tan bueno en común para otros; II) la prohibición del desperdicio de los frutos perecederos; III) asociada a esta segunda condición pero aplicada a la tierra, la prohibición de cercar tierra cuyos frutos se desperdicie; IV) la limitación propuesta por Macpherson, según la cual es una (...) condición de la apropiación mezclar el propio trabajo de modo personal con el objeto; V) el principio de caridad como derecho del necesitado a los medios de subsistencia; VI) la limitación que advierte Simmons, según la cual es posible derivar del principio de caridad un derecho al auto-gobierno, esto es, a no ser esclavizado a cambio de brindar, como es el deber del propietario al necesitado, los medios de subsistencia. (shrink)

Advance health care directives and informed consent remain the cornerstones of patients' right to self-determination regarding medical care and preferences at the end-of-life. However, the effectiveness and clinical applicability of advance health care directives to decision-making on the use of life support systems at the end-of-life is questionable. The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) has been revised in 2006 to permit the use of life support systems at or near death for the purpose of maximizing procurement opportunities of organs medically (...) suitable for transplantation. Some states have enacted the Revised UAGA (2006) and a few of those have included amendments while attempting to preserve the uniformity of the revised Act. Other states have introduced the Revised UAGA (2006) for legislation and remaining states are likely to follow soon. (shrink)

El sentido común es un concepto controvertido en filosofía y ciencias sociales. Por lo general, se entiende como una intencionalidad compartida, un conjunto de intuiciones y creencias autoevidentes que guían nuestras ideas y conductas. Cuando se tiende a discrepar es al discutir el origen y el alcance de dicha intencionalidad. A partir de una lectura crítica de diferentes planteamientos contemporáneos del sentido común (G. E. Moore, C. Geertz, A. Gramsci, E. Laclau, C. Mouffe, y C. Pérez), en este artículo presento (...) dos concepciones arquetípicas de este conjunto de intuiciones y creencias y dos críticas al respecto con una finalidad de síntesis para la filosofía práctica. El objetivo general es mostrar la relevante correlación entre nuevas tecnologías y sentido común y la necesidad de entender dicha correlación críticamente para la reflexión ética y política. (shrink)

El objetivo del presente análisis es ofrecer una interpretación delMaquiavelo republicano de los Discuros en relación con la cuestión del mantenimiento interno de la república a través de treslíneas claves: la lucha contra los enemigos internos de la república,el sentido de contingencia y fragilidad en el ámbito de lo político,y la necesidad de la energía constructiva de la virtù. En lasegunda parte se exponen algunos aspectos atractivos del republicanismoneo-maquiaveliano, relacionados especialmente con ladimensión de la ciudadanía, y sus puntos de contacto (...) con la tradición liberal. El acento se pone en la necesidad de una ciudadaníaque cultive las habilidades necesarias para mantener el poder político bajo control y garantizar así la calidad de la república. (shrink)

Organ donation after cardiac or circulatory death (DCD) has been introduced to increase the supply of transplantable organs. In this paper, we argue that the recovery of viable organs useful for transplantation in DCD is not compatible with the dead donor rule and we explain the consequential ethical and legal ramifications. We also outline serious deficiencies in the current consent process for DCD with respect to disclosure of necessary elements for voluntary informed decision making and respect for the donor's autonomy. (...) We compare two alternative proposals for increasing organ donation consent in society: presumed consent and mandated choice. We conclude that proceeding with the recovery of transplantable organs from decedents requires a paradigm change in the ethics of organ donation. The paradigm change to ensure the legitimacy of DCD practice must include: (1) societal agreement on abandonment of the dead donor rule, (2) legislative revisions reflecting abandonment of the dead donor rule, and (3) requirement of mandated choice to facilitate individual participation in organ donation and to ensure that decisions to participate are made in compliance with the societal values of respect for autonomy and self-determination. (shrink)

El mundo digital pone en cuestión los conceptos y las categorías fundamentales de la antropología filosófica. Los aspectos definitorios y exclusivos de los seres humanos pierden su vigencia con la aparición de entidades sintéticas que comparten dichas características. En este artículo nos hemos propuesto realizar un análisis filosófico de la antropología digital. Primero, hemos examinado las cuatro estrategias seguidas hasta el momento para dar cuenta de las continuidades ontológicas entre seres humanos y tecnologías. Defendemos que ninguna de ellas resulta convincente (...) por dos razones: las tres primeras reducen la antropología a ontología y la última descarta completamente la dimensión ontológica. Por ello, nos hemos ocupado, en segundo lugar, de desarrollar un nuevo enfoque antropológico que dé cuenta de forma más exitosa del mundo digital, a saber, una concepción estructurista que entienda al ser humano como un ser biopsicosocial abierto a entablar relaciones con otras entidades. Esto nos ha llevado, en tercer lugar, a desarrollar los aspectos relacionales del mundo digital a través del concepto de mediación tecnológica. La noción de información que introducen las nuevas tecnologías media de un modo cualitativamente novedoso nuestra acción y percepción: produce entornos digitales cerrados, inclina a la igualdad informacional e induce dinámicas de descontextualización. Por último, hemos desarrollado las implicaciones epistémicas, la posverdad, y éticas, los cambios tecnomorales, de la mediación tecnológica digital. (shrink)

En este ensayo se trata de reflexionar sobre la implicación de la hermenéutica (de inspiración nietzscheana) en filosofía de la educación. En la primera parte se lleva a cabo una crítica del positivismo y de la pedagogía tecnológica. En la segunda, se exponen algunas de las implicaciones hermenéuticas más importantes de la filosofía de Nietzsche. Finalmente, en la tercera parte, se realiza una propuesta filosófico-pedagógica de inspiración hermenéutica, que el autor denomina "narrativa" para contraponerla tanto al positivismo como a la (...) metafísica. (shrink)

In this paper I deal with Armstrong's last theory of states of affairs and its relation to truthmakers for sentences and the problem of uní versáis. More specifically, I discuss his truthmaker principie, rejecting some of the objections that has been raised against it. However, I also try to show that Armstrong's answer to the problem of the negative existencial sentences in terms of totality states of affairs is mistaken. Finally, I rebut Oliver's slinghot argument against truthmakers and also discuss (...) Armstrong theory of states of affairs as truthmakers. /// Este artículo trata de la última teoría de los estados de cosas de Armstrong, así como de su relación con los hacedores de verdad de los enunciados y con el problema de los universales. En particular, se discute su principio del hacedor de verdad, y se rechazan algunas de las objeciones que se han presentado al mismo. Por otra parte, se intenta mostrar también que la respuesta de Armstrong al problema de los enunciados existenciales negativos en términos de estados de cosas de totalidad es errónea. Finalmente, también se objeta la versión de Oliver del argumento de la honda y se discute la teoría de los hacedores de verdad como los estados de cosas. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to analyse the positions of Montaigne and Descartes in relation to the question of the animal. To do this, I begin by characterizing Derrida's position on the subject, who considers Montaigne and Descartes as two opposing positions on the subject. Then, I analyse the positions of Montaigne and Descartes by means of a commentary on texts by both authors, while I try to explain the Cartesian turn on the animal question with respect to Montaigne. (...) Finally, I argue that Derrida's approach, beyond emphasizing the problem of the animal from the point of view of the Western tradition, inherits the dispute between Montaigne and Descartes. He stressed not so much animal dignity as the peculiarity of man. Moreover, this peculiarity must be demonstrated in order to make self-government possible in a world which is not incomprehensible, but explicable by laws that seem to make human freedom impossible. (shrink)

The management of covid-19 and the so-called "new normality" have brought with a timely debate of ideas about the future of sovereignty. Leaving aside hegemonic and neoliberal technophilia, this debate has generated two mutually exclusive approaches based on controversial statements by the philosopher Giorgio Agamben, namely: one that foresees an undemocratic horizon subject to new technologies and another that emphasizes the transversal character and contradictory of these. In this work, by appealing to the theory of techno-economic paradigms, I critically set (...) out the main reasonings of the debate and I reflect on the future of democracy. (shrink)