Metaphysical underdetermination arises when we are not able to decide, through purely theoretical criteria, between competing interpretations of scientific theories with different metaphysical commitments. This is the case in which non-relativistic quantum mechanics (QM) finds itself in. Among several available interpretations, there is the one that states that the interaction with the conscious mind of a human observer causes a change in the dynamics of quantum objects undergoing from indefinite to definite states. In this paper, we argue that there seems (...) to be also a metaphysical underdetermination concerning London and Bauer’s theory of measurement between two methods of phenomenological reduction: the eidetic and the transcendental approaches. Recently, Steven French argued that both methods can be combined in order to interpret London and Bauer’s formalism. However, in this paper we argue that the eidetic one is the only viable phenomenological way to interpret this particular theory of measurement in QM based on the formalism presented by London and Bauer, hence breaking this phenomenological underdetermination. (shrink)

REFORMA POLÍTICA E FINANCIAMENTO DE CAMPANHA: ENTRE A IDEOLOGIA E NECESSIDADE.

There are decision problems in which rational deliberation fails to result in choosing a pure act. This phenomenon is known as decision instability and has been discussed in the literature on causal decision theory. In this paper we investigate another type of instability, called structural instability in dynamical systems theory. Structural instability indicates that certain qualitative features of the process of rational deliberation are under-determined in a decision situation. We illustrate some of the issues arising from structural instability with a (...) recent argument against causal decision theory proposed by Caspar Hare and Brian Hedden. We show that their argument is undermined by considerations arising from decision instability and structural instability. (shrink)

The author- following his own research on the subject- argues that Wittgenstein ignores argumentation theory and in general, the problems of rhetoric and argumentation. From this point of view, he frames Stephen Toulmin’s reading of Wittgenstein, arguing that the British philosopher- who was a student of the Austrian- advocates precisely the same thesis. He explains that this happens in a very peculiar (rhetorical) context on Toulmin’s part; a context in which, in essence, Wittgenstein’s philosophy is being rehabilitated.

Resumo: O artigo aborda a conjunção temática entre estética e política. Discute o pensamento de dois autores da filosofia contemporânea que fazem essa conexão: Kierkegaard e Rancière. Ele debate como o critério do interesse no estádio estético kierkegaardiano pode ser comparativamente analisado, no contexto estético-político de Rancière. O texto apresenta os regimes políticos de Rancière em alusão aos estádios da vida humana em Kierkegaard, especificamente se relacionando ao estádio estético. Objetiva oferecer um estudo atualizado da multiplicidade política contemporânea, através dos (...) diversos interesses estéticos que influenciam a formação social. O trabalho resulta em uma abordagem estético-política despida de inclinações ideológicas por si mesmas, mas que possibilita a indicação de vanguardas e retaguardas no pensamento político hodierno.: The paper concerns the relationship between politics and aesthetics In the philosophies of Kierkegaard and Rancière. The paper debates how the interests are the key element in Kierkegaard’s aesthetic stage in “comparison” to aesthetical-political context for Rancière. The paper presents the political regimes of Rancière in allusive recollection of human life stages as showed by Kierkegaard. The paper offers a study focused on the multiplicity of politics based on a vast of aesthetical interests and possibilities. The paper results in an aesthetical-political perception free from ideological aspiration, which is able to states avant-gardes and rearguards about nowadays political thinking. (shrink)

Aborda os três estádios da vida humana tal como propostos por Kierkegaard. Foca na possibilidade de transição entre os estágios e as aplicabilidades teológicas de cada posicionamento descrito. Analisa o caráter existencial e antissistemático do pensamento kierkegaardiano; considera esses aspectos como relevantes em uma defesa do cristianismo ante à filosofia. Argumenta que o estádio religioso é o ápice da existência humana provisionado pelo salto de fé, ainda que conectado com os demais estádios existenciais, independentemente de qual estágio um homem se (...) encontre. A transição e variação entre os estádios são tomadas como um resultado da existência: é algo possível e comum ao homem, não sendo impossibilitadas segundo o atual estágio de vivência. Não incapacitam a simultânea e mútua intersecção entre os estádios, algo factível segundo a perspectiva teológica kierkegaardiana. Conclui que o estágio religioso é o desígnio existencial máximo após o salto de fé. (shrink)

Apresenta-se o tópico da verdade, em Martin Heidegger, ao explorar a relação existente entre o desvelamento do ente e a possibilidade desse entendimento da verdade ser compartilhado nos meandros coletivos do Dasein com os outros. Metodologicamente, adota-se a crítica da metafísica empreendida por Heidegger e observa-se que é possível traçar o entendimento de que a verdade, a partir do desvelamento do ente, é o ponto de convergência entre o Dasein e a forma como ele se relaciona com os outros que (...) lhe são semelhantes. Objetiva-se, primariamente, desenvolver os conceitos de formas de vida autêntica do Dasein em suas disposições comunitárias, em seu modo de ser coletivo, promovendo o entendimento “intersubjetivo” mútuo a partir do enfoque ontológico dado pelo filósofo. Como resultados do trabalho, observa-se que o estudo do ser-com os outros é imprescindível para que o entendimento do Dasein em toda a sua totalidade tanto em suas possibilidades hermenêuticas de ser-si-mesmo quanto em possibilidades mais alargadas de uma compreensão coletiva. (shrink)

There are decision problems in which rational deliberation fails to result in choosing a pure act. This phenomenon is known as decision instability and has been discussed in the literature on causal decision theory. In this paper we investigate another type of instability, called structural instability in dynamical systems theory. Structural instability indicates that certain qualitative features of the process of rational deliberation are under-determined in a decision situation. We illustrate some of the issues arising from structural instability with a (...) recent argument against causal decision theory proposed by Caspar Hare and Brian Hedden. We show that their argument is undermined by considerations arising from decision instability and structural instability. (shrink)

This article aims to make public part of the research on the concept of ‘light’ in the theological and, above all, liturgical tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church, based on its representation of the concept of ‘hypostasis’. Taking as a point of departure the interpretation of the expression ‘light of light’ [φῶς ἐκ φωτός (phôs ek phōtos)] of the text of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Symbol, the article presents a proposal for the interpretation of the concept of ‘representation’ for this specific case, (...) based on the idea of apomímesis, and applies this concept to a reading of the place of ‘light’ in the Holy Scripture, in the Patrology and in the Greek Eastern Liturgies. (shrink)

Um posicionamento filosófico realista que não coloque em dúvida a inteligibilidade do universo ao qual investiga e não se pretenda detentor de qualquer privilégio para alcançar a verdade admite a falibilidade de qualquer representação da realidade, não vendo motivo para fugir ao diálogo com aqueles que propõem explicações diferentes das suas, mesmo que por vezes com elas conflitantes.

Perceptual experience and visual imagination both offer a first-person perspective on visible objects. But these perspectives are strikingly different. For it is distinctive of ordinary perceptual intentionality that objects seem to be present to the perceiver. I term this phenomenal property of experience ‘presence’. This paper introduces a positive definition of presence. Dokic and Martin (2017) argue that presence is not a genuine property of perceptual experience, appealing to empirical research on derealisation disorders, Parkinson’s disease, virtual reality and hallucination. I (...) demonstrate that their arguments fall short of establishing that presence is not perceptual. (shrink)

According to a particular interpretation of quantum mechanics, the causal role of human consciousness in the measuring process is called upon to solve a foundational problem called the “measurement problem.” Traditionally, this interpretation is tied up with the metaphysics of substance dualism. As such, this interpretation of quantum mechanics inherits the dualist’s mind-body problem. Our working hypothesis is that a process-based approach to the consciousness causes collapse interpretation (CCCI) ---leaning on Whitehead’s solution to the mind-body problem--- offers a better metaphysical (...) understanding of consciousness and its role in interpreting quantum mechanics. This article is the kickoff for such a research program in the metaphysics of science. (shrink)

In a recent paper (in Argumentation, 2006) Robert Talisse and Scott Aikin suggest that we ought to recognize two distinct forms of the straw man fallacy. In addition to misrepresenting the strength of an opponent’s specific argument (= the representation form), one can also misrepresent the strength of one’s opposition in general, or the overall state of a debate, by selecting a (relatively) weak opponent for critical consideration (= the selection form). Here I consider whether we as philosophy professors could (...) be seen as sometimes committing the selection form of the straw man through the performance of our regular teaching duties. (shrink)

Background Ethical decision making in intensive care is a demanding task. The need to proceed to ethical decision is considered to be a stress factor that may lead to burnout. The aim of this study is to explore the ethical problems that may increase burnout levels among physicians and nurses working in Portuguese intensive care units . A quantitative, multicentre, correlational study was conducted among 300 professionals.Results The most crucial ethical decisions made by professionals working in ICU were related to (...) communication, withholding or withdrawing treatments and terminal sedation. A positive relation was found between ethical decision making and burnout in nurses, namely, between burnout and the need to withdraw treatments , to withhold treatments and to proceed to terminal sedation . This did not apply to physicians. Emotional exhaustion was the burnout subdimension most affected by the ethical decision. The nurses' lack of involvement in ethical decision making was identified as a risk factor. Nevertheless, in comparison with nurses , it was the physicians who more keenly felt the need to proceed to ethical decisions in ICU.Conclusions Ethical problems were reported at different levels by physicians and nurses. The type of ethical decisions made by nurses working in Portuguese ICUs had an impact on burnout levels. This did not apply to physicians. This study highlights the need for education in the field of ethics in ICUs and the need to foster inter-disciplinary discussion so as to encourage ethical team deliberation in order to prevent burnout. (shrink)

Brain tumors are a common form of solid tumors in children and, unfortunately, they are characterized by a very uncertain prognosis. The treatment of this pathology often includes one or more very invasive surgical procedures, quite often in the very first steps of the treatment. Cases of brain tumors in children represent one of the greatest challenges for health care professionals in the domain of pediatric neurosurgery. This is clearly due to the complexity of the therapeutic plan, but also to (...) the nature of the bond that is established between the child, the parents, and the members of the staff during the often-dramatic initial phase of the illness. In this phenomenological-hermeneutic study, we explore both the emotional and organizational needs, as well as the available professional and personal resources of the staff in the Neurosurgery ward of the Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence. The ward staff, composed of 7 surgeons, a pediatric neuro-oncologist, 12 nurses, and 4 auxiliary health care professionals, underwent in-depth interviews that were recorded. The recordings were then transcribed and submitted to content analysis according to COREQ standards. A complex picture of emotional as well as organizational demands emerged from the data. Shared experiences were pointed out, together with more specific and idiosyncratic contents characteristic of different professional roles. The focus of the present paper was twofold, first, we considered the needs that are overtly expressed by the staff, and then we discussed the main sources of their motivational drives. We found that the latter is mainly found in the quality of the therapeutic bond that is established with the children and the family members, together with the deep interest in one’s own professional activity and the effective complementarity and integration of the personal and professional qualities of the staff members within the multidisciplinary caring group. (shrink)

Recent literature on skepticism has raised a nearly univocal voice in condemning skeptical argumentation on the grounds that such argumentation necessarily involves our adopting some nonordinary or unnatural perspective. Were this really so, then skeptical conclusions would not speak to us in the way in which skeptics think they do: We would be "insulated" from any such conclusions. I argue that skeptical argumentation need not rely on any nonordinary or unnatural standards. Rather, the skeptic's procedure is to offer a critique (...) from within. Having given my argument for this claim (which I call the 'continuity argument'), I consider and respond to two important objections. I conclude that the skeptic has a powerful meta-argument to be deployed in defending the legitimacy of his skeptical conclusions against the slings and arrows of (those I call) the half-true theorists. (shrink)

Este trabajo utiliza el rastro analítico y hermenéutico producido por la resolución del “sofisma de los tres prisioneros”, que Lacan incluyó en su artículo de 1945 “El tiempo lógico y el aserto de certidumbre anticipada. Un nuevo sofisma” . Lo que con ello nos propusimos, fue mostrar la importancia de la alteridad como un elemento crucial para reflexionar sobre el deseo. La relevancia del “otro” aparece, así, no sólo como un complemento esencial para la constitución del sujeto, sino también como (...) el fundamento ontológico que hace de este sujeto un ser deseante, con el poder del lenguaje y volcado a la acción, es decir, un ser humano atado a la red social. (shrink)

In this study, we evaluate how individual virtues and inter-organizational management control systems influence buyer–supplier performance through relationship quality. Results from a sample of 232 firms confirm that virtues and IOMCS relate positively to relationship quality and performance, respectively. However, IOMCS lose their positive influence on relationship quality when considered along with virtues. That is, when both variables enter the regression model simultaneously, virtues win. This interesting finding has particular resonance at a time when research on ethics still needs to (...) reinforce its positive effects on the practice of management. (shrink)

Supposing you were convinced by certain radical skeptical arguments that many of your beliefs were not justifiably believed by you, what stance could/should you adopt with regard to those skeptically-problematized beliefs? This paper explores a range of possible reactions, aiming to be reasonably comprehensive in coverage though admittedly suggestive rather than decisive in its treatment of each individual reaction. In considering this variety of responses we begin to see suggestive intimations of the ways in which radical skepticism could represent a (...) threat to our notions of cognitive self-mastery. (shrink)

As cada vez mais freqüentes referências ao pensamento de Peirce feitas pela contemporânea filosofia da ciência não têm sido capazes de esconder a dificuldade encontrada de assumi-lo em sua integridade. A maior parte das citações é parcial e contradiz o conjunto da doutrina. Parece ser mais fácil chamar para conversação William James e John Dewey do que chamar seu inspirador comum. A razão última deste desafio parece se encontrar na radicalidade do realismo falibilista, dificilmente aceitável pela maioria das filosofias atuais. (...) The increasingly frequent references to Peirce's thought made by the contemporary Philosophy of Science are not able to conceal the difficulty found in assuming that thought in its entireness. The most part of the quotations made are partial and contradict the whole of the doctrine. It seems easier to call James and Dewey to conversation than to call their common inspirer. The ultimate reason for this challenge seems to lie in the radicality of the fallibilist realism, hardly acceptable by almost all the present philosophical currents. (shrink)

As cada vez mais freqüentes referências ao pensamento de Peirce feitas pela contemporânea filosofia da ciência não têm sido capazes de esconder a dificuldade encontrada de assumi-lo em sua integridade. A maior parte das citações é parcial e contradiz o conjunto da doutrina. Parece ser mais fácil chamar para conversação William James e John Dewey do que chamar seu inspirador comum. A razão última deste desafio parece se encontrar na radicalidade do realismo falibilista, dificilmente aceitável pela maioria das filosofias atuais. (...) The increasingly frequent references to Peirce's thought made by the contemporary Philosophy of Science are not able to conceal the difficulty found in assuming that thought in its entireness. The most part of the quotations made are partial and contradict the whole of the doctrine. It seems easier to call James and Dewey to conversation than to call their common inspirer. The ultimate reason for this challenge seems to lie in the radicality of the fallibilist realism, hardly acceptable by almost all the present philosophical currents. (shrink)