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

Ningún luriter debe leerse lejos de su propio Sitz im Leben. El de Parménides se sitúa en el sur de Italia a finales del siglo VI y principios del VII. Se trata de un entorno cultural rico en comunidades órficas y pitagóricas, en el que el antiguo orden mítico-feudal está siendo superado y el politeísmo de Homero es objeto de severas críticas. En consecuencia, el poema de Parménides está impregnado de un profundo ímpetu religioso, que se convierte en la (...) class='Hi'>piedra angular de su correcta interpretación. Un análisis riguroso de los fragmentos 6 y 7, en los que se discute ampliamente la tercera vía, muestra, en primer lugar, que esos fragmentos constituyen una unidad autónoma dentro de la obra, que no puede relacionarse con ninguna otra de sus partes; y, en segundo lugar, que una interpretación convincente de esa tercera vía apoya la lectura teológica del poema, como sugiere W. Jaeger, y al mismo tiempo preserva la perfecta coherencia del pensamiento parmedineano frente a otras interpretaciones más recientes, empezando por Burnet y Reinhardt. (shrink)

Resumen: En las Disputationes Metaphysicae XIII, X-XIV Francisco Suárez expone su parecer sobre la incorruptibilidad de los cielos. Particularmente, la sección XI, 13-34 reviste capital importancia de acuerdo con un tópico contextual: la incipiente revolución copernicana y el quebrantamiento de las tesis fundamentales aristotélicas. Su confutación, ubicada principalmente en las D.M. XIII, XI, 13, constituye la piedra angular que le permitirá al Dr. Eximio continuar sosteniendo una posición metafísica-cosmológica de cuño aristotelizante.

La valoración moral del aborto voluntario no sólo es un delicado y complejo problema bioético, sino que se ha convertido en las últimas décadas en piedra de escándalo. Por eso me he decidido a abordar su estudio justamente para intentar poner un poco de orden, sosiego y claridad de ideas en el debate, con independencia de la postura personal que presento, en todo caso avalada por razonamientos. De todos modos, es indudable que se presentan casos de difícil resolución, casos (...) que se ofrecen incluso como dilemas, abiertos como tales al pluralismo moral. Las cuestiones legales y la necesaria despenalización se tratan al final. (shrink)

Eurípides se distingue entre los autores de tragedia por la habilidad con que transforma los estereotipos mitológicos en seres con una identidad personal concreta. Son distintas las estrategias a las que recurre con este fin. Una de ellas consiste en presentarlos a través de otros mostrando a la vez su actuación y sus condicionantes psicológicos; otro recurso que utiliza es dejar entrever el???? de los personajes en los discursos que pronuncian, así como sus capacidades retóricas. Una tercera técnica es la (...) de crear enfrentamientos entre dos parejas de personajes de las que uno es un dios y otro un mortal. En todas estas técnicas, que maneja con gran pericia retórica, hay siempre una idea que subyace y que sirve de filtro y de fondo de discusión. En el caso de Alcestis, la piedra de toque del???? es el?????, la ley o costumbre y la interpretación que de ella hacen los protagonistas. (shrink)

La figura de Don Juan es uno de los lugares más recurrentes en el pensamiento español del siglo XX. La mayoría de los escritores y filósofos de la primera mitad del siglo escribieron algo sobre él; José Ortega y Gasset acudió a este personaje en su libro El tema de nuestro tiempo para escenificar su tesis de la razón vital. Este artículo revisa la lectura de Ortega, y plantea también la posibilidad de la permanencia de Don Juan en nuestro siglo.

. There are many types of artistic representations of the legend of Don Juan, i.e. the universal archetype of the seducer who, through deception, conquers a woman and, once she succumbs to his charms, he boasts of his triumph, despises her, and shifts his interest towards another lady. In this work, I compare three of the most famous versions don Juan: The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest by Tirso de Molina, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo (...) Da Ponte, and Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla. The first and third are theatrical pieces, while the second is an opera. The myth of Don Juan is essentially the same in all three, but the message and the moral vary according to the cultural movement the works belong to, namely the Baroque, the Enlightenment and the Romanticism, respectively. Key words: The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest, Don Giovanni, Don Juan, Tirso de Molina, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Lorenzo Da Ponte, José Zorrilla, sin, redemption, sociopath. Resumen. Son muchos los tipos de representación artística —teatro, música, ópera, ballet, literatura, cine, televisión, pintura, escultura, etc.— de la leyenda de Don Juan, el arquetipo universal del seductor que, mediante engaños, conquista a una mujer y, una vez que ella sucumbe a sus encantos, se jacta de su triunfo, las desprecia y reenfoca su interés en otras damas. En este trabajo, comparo a tres de los don Juanes más famosos: El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra de Tirso de Molina, Don Giovanni de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart y Lorenzo Da Ponte, y Don Juan Tenorio de José Zorrilla. La primera y la tercera son piezas teatrales, en tanto que la segunda es una ópera. El mito de Don Juan es, esencialmente, el mismo en estas tres obras, aunque varían el mensaje y la moraleja según el movimiento cultural al que pertenecen: Barroco, Ilustración y Romanticismo, respectivamente. Palabras clave: Burlador de Sevilla, Don Giovanni, Don Juan, Tirso de Molina, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Lorenzo Da Ponte, José Zorrilla, pecado, redención, sociópata. (shrink)

La historia personal y profesional de Carlos París discurre al hilo de la convulsa historia de España del último medio siglo, y la narra con una honestidad de la que muy pocos pueden hacer gala. Así, sin ira y sin tapujos, describe, por ejemplo, cómo pasó de una adhesión inicial a presupuestos falangistas a ser candidato del PCE, valorando cada etapa y cada motivo de cambio con un gran sentido crítico. Por su pluma desfilan también personajes fundamentales en la vida (...) española de los últimos cincuenta años con quienes Carlos París ha tenido una sólida relación, como Manuel Fraga, Javier Solana, Manuel Castells, Rosa Regàs, Ricardo de la Cierva, José Antonio Maravall, José María Valverde, Nicolás Sartorius y un largo etcétera. De la lectura de estas memorias se desprende, en fin, el retrato de una gran figura intelectual y humana que jamás se ha limitado a ser convidado de piedra ni en su país ni en el tiempo que le ha tocado vivir.Carlos París (Bilbao, 1925) es Catedrático Emérito de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, en la que fundó su Departamento de filosofía y de cuya Facultad de Filosofía y Letras fue elegido decano en las primeras elecciones. Es Doctor Honoris Causa por la Universidad de Valencia y ha sido Presidente de la Sociedad Española de Filosofía y del Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid. Su obra ha sido objeto de diversos estudios y congresos internacionales, y recientemente se ha creado un Foro dedicado al análisis y difusión de su pensamiento. Hay que destacar, sobre todo, sus ensayos: Física y filosofía, 1952; Crítica de la civilización nuclear, 1985 o Fantasía y razón moderna-Don Quijote, Odiseo y Fausto, 2001, entre muchos otros; y también sus obras de creación literaria: la novela Bajo constelaciones burlonas (1981) o el libro de relatos La machina speculatrix-Cuatro sarcasmos sobre el mundo actual (1989). (shrink)

El presente trabajo se enfocó a profundizar sobre el tema de las economías verdes y la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial. A través de una investigación documental, se logró evidenciar que las economías verdes siguen estando muy poco desarrolladas en todas partes del mundo, donde Europa es la que más avances posee en dicho tema, quedándose Latinoamérica rezagada al respecto por problemas tecnológicos y de desarrollo. Sobre la responsabilidad social se pudo entender que la misma representa una piedra angular para el (...) desarrollo de las naciones y una de las vías más relevantes para alcanzar la sostenibilidad, reduciéndose problemas como la pobreza y el impacto medioambiental. Se concluyó que la importancia de estos trabajos de investigación radica en la amplitud del análisis que proponen, lo que sirve como un elemento referencial de gran calado desde el cual partir para otras investigaciones. Palabras Clave: Sostenibilidad, Responsabilidad, Sociedad, Desarrollo. Referencias [1]M. Mordt, «Soluciones ambientales sostenibles y economía verde e inclusiva: América Latina en la senda del cambio,» 2019. [2]A. Martínez y A. Porcelli, «Reflexiones sobre la economía verde. El New Deal Ecológico Mundial,» Revista LEX, vol. 15, nº 19, pp. 361-408, 2017. [3]Global Green Growth Institute, «Green Growth Index Concept,» 2019. [4]J. F. Cajiga Calderón, «El concepto de responsabilidad social empresarial,» Ciudad de México, 2007. [5]J. A. Cortés y E. Flores, Responsabilidad social, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Ecuador, 2017. [6]J. M. Araque Ramírez, «Responsabilidad Social del Ingeniero,» San José de Cúcuta, 2016. (shrink)

El pintor Rafael Ángel Fernández Piedra, fallecido en 2018, es considerado uno de los artistas más representativos de Costa Rica, cuya obra ha tenido también una proyección internacional considerable, al formar parte de la Colección del Museo José Luis Cuevas en Ciudad de México, así como de la Colección del Museo Rally de Arte Contemporáneo, en Punta del Este, Uruguay, entre otros. Obtuvo el premio Aquileo J. Echeverría en Artes Plásticas en 1968, 1972 y 1975, así como el premio (...) Nacional de Cultura Magón en 2002, el más importante galardón que otorga el Estado costarricense en reconocimiento a una vida dedicada a la cultura. Como homenaje póstumo a este insigne creador, en esta edición la Revista Ístmica convierte su sección de Artes Visuales en una galería virtual dedicada a la exposición de parte de su obra, comentada sentidamente por su hija, la curadora y también artista, Alma Fernández. (shrink)

Evolutionary game theory and public goods games offer an important framework to understand cooperation during pandemics. From this perspective, the COVID-19 situation can be conceptualized as a dilemma where people who neglect safety precautions act as free riders, because they get to enjoy the benefits of decreased health risk from others’ compliance with policies despite not contributing to or even undermining public safety themselves. At the same time, humans appear to carry a suite of evolved psychological mechanisms aimed at curbing (...) free riding in order to ensure the continued provision of public goods, which can be leveraged to develop more effective measures to promote compliance with regulations. We also highlight factors beyond free riding that reduce compliance rates, such as the emergence of conspiratorial thinking, which seriously undermine the effectiveness of measures to suppress free riding. Together, the current paper outlines the social dynamics that occur in public goods dilemmas involving the spread of infectious disease, highlights the utility and limits of evolutionary game-theoretic approaches for COVID-19 management, and suggests novel directions based on emerging challenges to cooperation. (shrink)

Kierkegaard and the Challenges of Infinitude brings together a number of essays culminating the scientific events held during the duration of a project devoted to the translation and study of works by Søren Kierkegaard, which has been sponsored by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/FIL/FIL/100.281/2008). The essays reunited here had their first versions delivered at an International Conference held in October 25-26th, 2012, under the auspices of the Centro de Filosofia da Universidade de Lisboa (Philosophy Centre of (...) the University of Lisbon, CFUL) and hosted by the Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa (Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon). The conference was commissioned by José Miranda Justo and Eisabete M. de Sousa, who also co-edited the present volume, together with rené Rosfort, who was the recipient of a grant as resident scholar in the Kierkegaard project during the three last months of 2012. (shrink)

El artículo analisa el actual Estado de Derecho en conexión con la redescubierta del valor de la justicia, producida por la Filosofía de los Valores característica del siglo XX, cuya vertiente neokantiana e idealista tendrá un significativo impacto en el Derecho. La justicia surge como el centro simbólico de la experiencia del Derecho, asumiendo papel axial en sus procesos de construcción y concrección. En el marco de la llamada Escuela Iusfilosófica de Minas Gerais, investigase las interfaces (evidentemente interdisciplinares) entre lo (...) jurídico y lo ético. Al retomar la justicia, acabamos construyendo la experiencia del Imperio de los jueces, en el fenómeno llamado justicialización de la política. El gran riesgo de la Era de la Justicia es despolitizar el nomos y el Ethos, como pasa hoy en Brasil. En ese sentido, hay que asumirse la necesaria reconstitucionalización de Brasil, para impedirse el fortalecimiento de las prerrogativas autocráticas judiciales y bien así el vaciamiento de lo político, de lo ideológico y de lo democrático. Afirmase que una comprensión culturalista del Derecho podrá combater la desideologización del Estado y recuperar la dimensión ética del Derecho, sin expoliarlo de la política y la historicidad. (shrink)

El cristianismo, obligado por la Modernidad, tuvo que hacer un desplazamiento desde el plano dogmático al plano moral; hoy estamos ante otro desplazamiento: el que va desde el terreno moral al místico. En este terreno dominará sobre todo la experiencia personal de la presencia salvífica de Dios en Cristo. Esa experiencia, vivida en medio del pluralismo, consistirá en una síntesis activa entre la Presencia y su interpretación . Este ensayo trata de diseccionar las dimensiones existenciales y lingüísticas de esa síntesis. (...) Después de ver por qué somos pobres en experiencia, se analizan los componentes y caracteres esenciales de toda experiencia religiosa A continuación se disecciona la estructura simbólica de esta experiencia , y su configuración mítico-narrativa Palabras clave: 'Hermenéutica de los símbolos'; 'Mitos'; 'Mundos ficcionales'; 'Hermenéutica narrativa'; 'Mundo del texto'; 'Apropiación del sentido'.Christianity forced by modernity had to make a shift from a dogmatic plane to a moral one; today, there is another shift which goes from a moral to a mystical ground. The personal experience of God’s saving presence in Christ will dominate, over all, in this field. That experience, lived in the midst of pluralism will consist of an active synthesis between the presence and its interpretation .This essay intends to dissect the linguistic and existential dimensions of this synthesis. After seeing why we are poor in experience, we will analyze the essential components and characteristics of the religious experience , and its mythical narrative configuration. (shrink)

Paul Ricoeur realizó su primera incursión sobre la temática del mal en su primer periodo, conocido como filosofía de la voluntad, que comprende especialmente los libros "Lo voluntario y lo involuntario", "El hombre lábil" y "La simbólica del mal!. Este estudio pretende presentar las claves internas a partir de las cuales Ricoeur realiza su investigación, analizando los conceptos fundamentales sobre los que gira y su posterior desarrollo. También busca incidir en los presupuestos antropológicos de los que parte, para después realizar (...) análisis de las consecuencias éticas que tienen dichos presupuestos. En este sentido se ha prestado una especial atención a la vinculación existente de la investigación de Ricoeur con la teoría del conocimiento kantiana y con la filosofía hegeliana.. (shrink)

I discuss the account of logical consequence advanced in Wittgenstein's Tractatus. I argue that the role that elementary propositions are meant to play in this account can be used to explain two remarkable features that Wittgenstein ascribes to them: that they are logically independent from one another and that their components refer to simple objects. I end with a proposal as to how to understand Wittgenstein's claim that all propositions can be analysed as truth functions of elementary propositions.

This paper aims to deepen our understanding of so-called covert dogwhistles. I discuss whether a covert dogwhistle is a specific sort of mechanism of manipulation or whether, on the contrary, it draws on other already familiar linguistic mechanisms such as implicatures or presuppositions. I put forward a series of arguments aimed at illustrating that implicatures and presuppositions, on the one hand, and covert dogwhistles, on the other, differ in their linguistic behaviour concerning plausible deniability, cancellability, calculability and mutual acceptance. I (...) concluded this paper by outlining a simple theory for covert dogwhistles according to which they are attitude-foregrounders. (shrink)

This book investigates modern global civilization, offering an alternative to post-colonial theories and the "multiple modernities" approach (as well as the civilizational theory linked to it). It argues that modernity has become a global civilization that is heterogeneous and intertwined with other civilizations, and also aims at a renewal of critical theory that is not US-centric and Eurocentric, focusing instead on China, South Asia (India) and Latin America (Brazil). Dealing with the themes of centre-periphery relations, complexity (including culture and religion), (...) democracy and emancipatory possibilities, this book is based on general theoretical ideas such as collective subjectivity, the interplay of memory and creativity, and the concept of "modernizing moves," so as to deal with historical contingency. (shrink)

BackgroundResearch during 2020 has been rapidly attending to the impact of COVID-19 on various dimensions of wellbeing on adults and children around the world. However, less attention has focused on the psychoeducational impact on children and their families. To our knowledge, no currently available studies have looked specifically at the impact of COVID-19 on students with dyslexia and their families. Research on this topic is needed to offer greater support for this population of students and their families.ObjectiveThe main objective of (...) this paper is to examine the psychoeducational impact of the required COVID-19 quarantine in Spain among children with dyslexia and their families.MethodA sample of 32 children with dyslexia and their mothers participated in this study.MeasuresChildren and adolescents with dyslexia and their mother completed several measures before the required national quarantine in Spain and again during the quarantine. Children completed measures of depression, state anxiety, reading activity, and reading motivation. Mothers provided demographic information and completed measures related to students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties as well as parenting stress, parental distress, and a questionnaire about educational problems during quarantine.ResultsMajor findings showed that during quarantine, children with dyslexia had increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and parents perceived their children as having more emotional symptoms, hyperactivity-inattention, and conduct problems. During quarantine, children and adolescents with dyslexia also showed less reading activity and less reading motivation. Parents also reported significantly more stress, during quarantine compared to pre-quarantine conditions. Some demographic and psychological variables predicted children’s state anxiety as well parental stress. The questionnaire related to impacts of quarantine also revealed several important findings. For example, nearly all parents of children with dyslexia reported difficulties in establishing study routines, that the quarantine negatively affected their child’s learning, and that they did not receive sufficient help from teachers on how to support their child’s learning. Additionally, the vast majority of the parents were very worried about the child’s learning and school success, the child’s motivation and interest in reading, the child’s peer relations, and the professional skills of the child’s teacher.ConclusionThis study offers a preliminary investigation into this topic and elucidates several psychoeducational challenges that children with dyslexia and their families have experienced during the quarantine in Spain. Study findings highlight the need to provide immediate support for children with dyslexia and emphasizes the importance of developing prevention programs to mitigate any future negative impacts of COVID-19 on children with dyslexia and their parents. (shrink)

In this article, we review the conceptions of Collective Effervescence (CE) –a state of intense shared emotional activation and sense of unison that emerges during instances of collective behavior, like demonstrations, rituals, ceremonies, celebrations, and others– and empirical approaches oriented at measuring it. The first section starts examining Émile Durkheim's classical conception on CE, and then, the integrative one proposed by the sociologist Randall Collins, leading to a multi-faceted experience of synchronization. Then, we analyze the construct as a process emerging (...) in collective encounters when individuals contact with social ideal and values, referring to the classical work of Serge Moscovici as well as those more recent empirical approaches. Third, we consider CE as a set of intense positive emotions linked to processes of group identification, as proposed by authors of the Social Identity Theory tradition. Finally, we describe CE from the perspective of self-transcendence (e.g., emotions, experiences), and propose a unified description of this construct. The second section shows the results of a meta-analytical integration (k= 50,N= 182,738) aimed at analyzing CE's proximal effects or construct validity (i.e., Individual Emotions and Communal Sharing) as well as its association with more distal variables, such as Collective Emotions, Social Integration, Social Values and Beliefs and Empowerment. Results indicate that CE strongly associates with Individual Emotions –in particular, Self-Transcendent Emotions– and Communal Sharing constructs (e.g., Group Identity, Fusion of Identity), providing construct validity. Among the distal effects of CE, it is associated with Collective Positive Emotions, long-term Social Integration (e.g., Ingroup Commitment), Social Values and Beliefs and Empowerment-related variables (e.g., Wellbeing, Collective Efficacy, Collective Self-Esteem). Among the moderation analyses carried out (e.g., study design, CE scale, type of collective gathering), the effects of CE in demonstrations are noticeable, where this variable is a factor that favors other variables that make collective action possible, such as Group Identity (rpooled= 0.52), Collective Efficacy (rpooled= 0.37), Negative and Self-Transcendent Emotions (rpooled= 0.14 and 0.58), and Morality-related beliefs (rpooled= 0.43). (shrink)

El libro Aurelio Arturo y la poesía colombiana del siglo xx. Espacio y subjetividad en el contexto de la modernidad tardía despliega ante el lector una sucesión de marcos de análisis de la poesía colombiana del siglo xx. A manera de eje transversal, distintas piezas poéticas de la obra del poeta colombiano Aurelio Arturo (1906-1974) son tomadas como referente literario a partir del cual distinguir los principales tópicos de la poesía colombiana en el siglo xx. Dicho así, la reflexión se (...) concentra en una concepción canónica de la poesía colombiana, con remisión a la personalidad y la obra de autores como Rafael Maya, José Eustasio Rivera, el grupo Piedra y Cielo, Eduardo Carranza, el grupo Mito, Jorge Gaitán Durán, el grupo Nadaísmo, Jaime Jaramillo Agudelo, José Manuel Arango, Héctor Rojas Erazo, Andrés Holguín y Álvaro Mutis. (shrink)

Information theoretic semantics proposes to construe predicate reference in terms of nomological relations between distal properties and properties of representational mental events. Research on the model has largely concentrated on the problem of choosing the nomological relation in terms of which distal properties are to be singled out. I argue that, in addition to this, an information theoretic account has to provide a specification of which properties of representational mental events will play a role in determining reference, qua bearers of (...) nomological relations. I contend that this task poses a serious additional challenge to the viability of the model. (shrink)

"The days of the pure whites, the victors of today, are as numbered as were the days of their predecessors. Having fulfilled their destiny of mechanizing the world, they themselves have set, without knowing it, the basis for the new period: The period of the fusion and the mixing of all peoples." -- from The Cosmic Race In this influential 1925 essay, presented here in Spanish and English, José Vasconcelos predicted the coming of a new age, the Aesthetic Era, in (...) which joy, love, fantasy, and creativity would prevail over the rationalism he saw as dominating the present age. In this new age, marriages would no longer be dictated by necessity or convenience, but by love and beauty ethnic obstacles, already in the process of being broken down, especially in Latin America, would disappear altogether, giving birth to a fully mixed race, a "cosmic race," in which all the better qualities of each race would persist by the natural selection of love. "This bilingual edition of The Cosmic Race by José Vasconcelos gives the reader a clear and concise introduction to contents that have caused much critical controversy. Didier T. Jaén places this essay in perspective, discussing theories relevant to Vasconcelos's thought... [and] also provides an historical context for Vasconcelos's evolving ideas." -- Hispania. (shrink)

I offer an interpretation of Wittgenstein's claim that Russell's theory of judgment fails to show that it's not possible to judge nonsense.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Hume and Pascal: Pyrrhonism vs. Nature José R. Maia Neto The view that Pyrrhonism is not practically viable was, according to Richard H. Popkin, held during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuriesbydifferent philosophers suchas Mersenne,Arnauld, Pascal, Ramsay, and others.1 Among the anti-sceptics, this position was usually taken as an argument against Pyrrhonism. Popkin points out that Hume's main contribution to the "Pyrrhonian controversy" is to show that (i) "the Pyrrhonian (...) doctrine was the logical outcome of philosophical analysis,"2 (ii) that the infeasibility of Pyrrhonism does not weaken its epistemological force but only its psychological plausibility, and (Ui) that this implausibility obtains because nature (the common affairs ofeveryday life and the feeUngs, impressions, and ideas thereby generated) impels the philosopher to believe.3 Popkin alsomakes an allusion to the similaritybetweenHume and Pascal on this issue.4 In this paper I compare the dilemma posed by Pascal as apropaedeutic tofaith withthe "dangerous dilemma" alluded to, but avoided, by Hume in the conclusion of book 1 of the Treatise. The dilemma follows from (i) above. At a certain point in his epistemological enquiry the philosopher is forced tomake a hard choice between the quite disadvantageous alternatives: either to continue his philosophizing, which, leading to Pyrrhonism, may bring despair and cause the annihilation ofhis life, or to abandon philosophy, makinghim aprey ofthe "errors, absurdities, andobscurities"ofanon-critical life.5 In what follows I compare Hume's solution to this dilemma with Pascal's.? In the following passage Hume shows the toughness of the dilemma and offers a first answer to it: What party, then, shall we choose among these difficulties? If we... condemn all refin'd reasoning, we run into the most manifest absurdities. If we reject it in favour of these reasonings, we subvert entirely the human understanding. We have, therefore, no choice left but betwixt a false reason and none at all. For my part, I know not what ought to be done Volume XVII Number 1 41 JOSE R.???? NETO in the present case. I can only observe what is commonly done; which is, that this difficulty is seldom or never thought of; and even where it has once been present to the mind, is quickly forgot, and leaves but a small impression behind it. (T 268) Note that in this first answer Hume manages to avoid the normative response that the dilemma demands. He provides, instead, a descriptive account which is a kind of solution because it purports to show that human psychology makes it unlikely that someone could reach the point at which he or she would have to choose between the two parties. The dilemma does not arise because nature stops the self-subversion ofreason. Most fortunately it happens, that since reason is incapable of dispelling these clouds, nature herselfsuffices to that purpose, and cures me of this philosophical melancholy and delirium, either by relaxing this bent ofmind, or by some avocation, and lively impression of my senses, which obliterate all these chimeras. (T 269) Hume means by nature in this passage both human nature and the social and natural environments which, in so far as they demand specific reactions, generate appropriate beliefs. Those beliefs imposed by nature are necessaryforour survival. So, the mere interaction ofthe philosopher with the world outside his closet suffices to dispel his sceptical crisis. According to Hume, this determination of nature is absolute and necessary. "I find myself absolutely and necessarily determin'd to live... I may, nay I must yield to the current ofnature" (T 269). This view is reaffirmed in the Enquiry. Nature is always too strong for principle. And though a PYRRHONIAN may throw himself or others into a momentary amazement and confusion by his profound reasonings; the first and most trivial event in life will put to flight all his doubts and scruples, and leave him the same, in every point ofaction and speculation, with the philosophers of every other sect, or with those who never concerned themselves in any philosophical researches.6 So, it would appear that the dilemma is just a fleeting impression in the imagination of the philosopher during a momentary sceptical crisis. Nature provides that such a crisis is not prolonged... (shrink)

This volume comprises nine lively and insightful essays by leading scholars on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, focusing mainly on his early work.

I argue that a target of the rule - following considerations is the thought that there are mental episodes in which a consciously accessible item guides me in my decision to respond in a certain way when I follow a rule. I contend that Wittgenstein’s position on this issue invokes a distinction between a literal and a symbolic reading of the claim that these processes of guidance take place. In the literal sense he rejects the claim, but in the symbolic (...) sense he sees nothing wrong with it. I consider some arguments that Wittgenstein deploys against the literal sense of the claim. (shrink)

The paper deals with Hilary Putnam's model-theoretic argument against metaphysical realism. It considers the objections to the argument raised by David Lewis, Mark Heller, James van Cleve, Anthony Brueckner and others, to the effect that Putnam's reasoning fails to undermine versions of metaphysical realism which construe reference along externalist lines. I argue that the version of Putnam's argument that his critics have attacked is indeed powerless against externalist accounts of reference, but that, on a different construal, the argument puts genuine (...) pressure on externalism. On the version of the argument that I develop, the thrust of the model-theoretic considerations is that an externalist construal of reference would make grasp of reference facts impossible. (shrink)

Este artículo analiza la relación entre individuo y sociedad en Theodor W. Adorno. Para ello se centra en las tensiones y mediaciones entre teoría de la sociedad y psicoanálisis. Su punto de partida es el horizonte histórico concreto del vínculo que une a ambos: la conjunción de crisis e integración. Después presenta la constitución social de la subjetividad desde la perspectiva de teoría crítica, la economía psíquico-libidinal como matriz psicosocial de dicha constitución, la tesis de la debilitación del individuo en (...) un capitalismo monopolista autoritario, su expresión en el carácter autoritario y el narcisismo herido, para acabar señalando los límites históricos del sujeto neurótico y modelo edípico y los elementos de una posible actualización de las aportaciones de una psicología social psicoanalítica. (shrink)