This article explores what enables a space to become festive. We start by reviewing how the festive has been deeply connected with play, to the point of being considered a type of play, or more generally, a type of interaction. What enables the festive is the ability to interact with the substance on which participants feast. The question we will then explore in more detail is: given a subject matter from which to build a festive occasion or space, how do (...) we go about making it happen? How do we model the festive space? It is impossible to show that there is only one way of going about enacting the festive. For this reason, it is more productive to propose a model of how to achieve such task. The model that emerges in this article proposes that dismembering the festive substance, in a participatory way, facilitates its enactment. We then examine two cases of festive enactment in different mediums: the textual feast of Julio Cortázar’s novel Hopscotch that turns the printed page into a festive space, and the making of festive theatre, including the creation of the festive play Fire ’Scapes. (shrink)

This article examines how narratives mediate human interactions with environments to create a sense of place and identity. We begin with a review of the Greek poem Phaenomena to see how constellations brought a human dimension to the cosmos as well as a sense of predictability. A review of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea illustrates the conception of indifferent space that erases the human presence, and how the imagination comes into play to fill the void. We examine how narratives work to model (...) aspects of environments and draw out meaning where before there was raw substance. Two seminal poems of Baudelaire then present a more subjective modeling of the environment. Pablo Neruda let his poetic vision be reflected in his three homes as protective playgrounds for his imagination. The article concludes that the models we examined are sheltering niches that help us feel at home in the world. As environments turn out to be more interactive, fragile, and complex than previously thought, our narratives also have to reflect on their impact on the sense of home they propose. (shrink)

¿Es Cristiana una Antropología esencialmente dualista o es razonable mantener una forma particular de monismo cristiano? Los acontecimientos recientes en neurociencias desafían la idea de un alma inmaterial, fuente de las operaciones espirituales tales como la cognición, volición, la libertad, los valores, la estética e incluso religiosidad. Este artículo presenta dos antropologías neurológicas: una representada por el libro L'homme neuronal de Jean Pierre Changeux y la otra representada por la obra de Gerald Edelman. A través de un análisis de la (...) antropología bíblica y algunos textos relevantes escritos por san Ireneo de Lyon y Santo Tomás de Aquino, el artículo busca demostrar la existencia de una tradición cristiana que se caracteriza por un monismo no reduccionista. Por otra parte, una serie de principios teológicos pertinentes permiten recuperar esta tradición, que ha inspirado, y todavía debe inspirar, el desarrollo de un no-dualismo cristiano en antropología: el principio de la creación, un principio de encarnación y un principio escatológico. Esta tradición cristiana y el diálogo con las ciencias naturales inspiraron a dos teólogos cristianos contemporáneos para desarrollar sus antropologías holísticas: Karl Rahner y Alexander Ganoczy. Por último, el artículo describe lo que podría ser la contribución de la teología en el diálogo interdisciplinar en curso entre los neurocientíficos, los filósofos de la mente y los teólogos. (shrink)

Las ciencias y las tecnologías nos han dado un enorme poder de transformación de nuestro entorno como nunca antes habíamos tenido. Actualmente las ciencias aplicadas y las tecnologías son orientadas por un instrumentalismo tecnocrático caracterizado por una razón instrumental, una pretensión de neutralidad y una visión de la naturaleza que privilegia el desarrollo de instrumentos técnicos como fines en sí mismos o en función de los valores financieros y reduce el medioambiente a su mera utilidad económica. Este artículo tiene el (...) objetivo de presentar como la teología de la creación y de la acción humana co-creadora contribuye a reorientar las ciencias aplicadas y las tecnologías hacia resolver los problemas de la humanidad y a adaptar responsablemente el medioambiente para hacerlo viable a la humanidad presente y futura, cuidando como administrador prudente el mundo creado. Esas contribuciones requieren de una mediación ética y axiológica que ponga al ser humano, sus relaciones sociales y al medioambiente por encima de las cosas-instrumentos. (shrink)

This book could appeal to the reader who wants to enter the field of ‘official sport philosophy’ but it is also interesting for those who are already part of the discussion and are looking for new arguments and points of view. In this sense, the book is written in a way that can perfectly be used by begginers in the topic, but can also be useful in discussions among researchers.

Rather than occurring abstractly (autonomously), ethical growth occurs in interpersonal relationships (IRs). It requires optimally functioning cognitive processes [attention, working memory (WM), episodic/autobiographical memory (AM), inhibition, flexibility, among others], emotional processes (physical contact, motivation, and empathy), processes surrounding ethical, intimacy, and identity issues, and other psychological processes (self-knowledge, integration, and the capacity for agency). Without intending to be reductionist, we believe that these aspects are essential for optimally engaging in IRs and for the personal constitution. While they are all integrated (...) into our daily life, in research and academic work, it is hard to see how they are integrated. Thus, we need better theoretical frameworks for studying them. That study and integration thereof are undertaken differently depending on different views of what it means to live as a human being. We rely on neuroscientific data to support the chosen theory to offer knowledge to understand human beings and interpersonal relational growth. We should of course note that to describe what makes up the uniqueness of being, acting, and growing as a human person involves something much more profound which requires too, a methodology that opens the way for a theory of the person that responds to the concerns of philosophy and philosophical anthropology from many disciplines and methods (Orón Semper, 2015;Polo, 2015), but this is outside the scope of this study. With these in mind, this article aims to introduce a new explanatory framework, called the Interprocessual-self (IPS), for the neuroscientific findings that allow for a holistic consideration of the previously mentioned processes. Contributing to the knowledge of personal growth and avoiding a reductionist view, we first offer a general description of the research that supports the interrelation between personal virtue in IRs and relevant cognitive, emotional, and ethic-moral processes. This reveals how relationships allow people to relate ethically and grow as persons. We include conceptualizations and descriptions of their neural bases. Secondly, with the IPS model, we explore neuroscientific findings regarding self-knowledge, integration, and agency, all psychological processes that stimulate inner exploration of the self concerning the other. We find that these fundamental conditions can be understood from IPS theory. Finally, we explore situations that involve the integration of two levels, namely the interpersonal one and the social contexts of relationships. (shrink)

Positive Youth Development (PYD) is an approach that promotes resilience and focuses on youth strengths rather than their weaknesses as done by the traditional deficit-based perspective. Research in Europe and North America show that developmental assets are associated with school success, psychological well-being, and lower health risks among youth and young adults. However, not much research has been done on these associations in Latin American contexts. The purpose of this research study is to assess the association between substance use behaviors, (...) such as drunkenness and the use of illicit drugs, and mental health, together with the mediating role of developmental assets representing youth strengths (e.g., social competence) and contextual resources (e.g., social support at home or school). Cross-national data was collected from Colombian (n= 210; 70.4% females) and Peruvian(n= 349; 66.5% females) 1st year university students. Results shed light on the protective role of developmental assets regarding substance use behaviors and mental well-being. Specifically, the results showed direct negative associations between developmental assets and substance use behaviors and positive associations of developmental assets with mental health indicators. Internal assets appear to be a stronger predictor of social, emotional, and psychological well-being compared to external assets. We did not find any statistical significance in the association of substance use behavior and mental health. We discuss implications regarding research, policy, and practice. (shrink)

In this article, we contest the idea that evil does not exist, or that it is a mistaken grasp of reality to contend that evil exists. We analyze two versions of this argument: the 'orchestra argument' and the 'mystical argument.' In common, these arguments contend that those who affirm the existence of evil in the world have a limited view of reality. We argue that these views are either over-abstract from reality or do not offer a plausible approach to the (...) problem of evil. We then advance a decolonial perspective on evil. According to the perspective advanced here, evil is conceptualized as a phenomenon that diminishes life. We contend this view provides a better account of how to understand evil. (shrink)

In this essay, we explore what the African Philosophy of Religion would look like from both a mono-disciplinary and comparative perspectives. To do this, a few concepts such as Gods, ancestorhood, relationality, and the problem of evil that appear in the essays in this special issue will be highlighted. Our aim here is not to provide a lengthy and rigorous analysis of the field of African Philosophy of Religion or even some of its main concepts, but to offer a platform (...) for continuing discussion and development of the field. (shrink)

In this essay, we explore what the African Philosophy of Religion would look like from both a mono-disciplinary and comparative perspectives. To do this, a few concepts such as Gods, ancestorhood, relationality, and the problem of evil that appear in the essays in this special issue will be highlighted. Our aim here is not to provide a lengthy and rigorous analysis of the field of African Philosophy of Religion or even some of its main concepts, but to offer a platform (...) for continuing discussion and development of the field. (shrink)

Fruto de una convergencia de motivos e intereses procedentes de diversas disciplinas, los estudios sobre la argumentación han adquirido sus propias señas de identidad como conocimiento, análisis y evaluación del discurso argumentativo a través de sus dimensiones o proyecciones lógica, dialéctica, retórica y socio-institucional. La presente obra trata de reunir, precisar y articular las nociones básicas y los conceptos determinantes de los desarrollos que hoy tienen lugar en ese campo. Este Compendio de lógica, argumentación y retórica se ofrece como una (...) obra de referencia, una herramienta de trabajo y un estímulo para los estudiantes de —y los interesados o los preocupados por— la argumentación, tanto en el plano internacional como, primordialmente, en el medio cultural hispánico e hispanoamericano. No existía hasta ahora una publicación de estas características, a pesar de su necesidad tanto desde el punto de vista didáctico, y en atención a intereses prácticos, como desde el punto de vista teórico. Su elaboración ha ocupado a 59 autores, especialistas y estudiosos de diversos medios académicos y nacionalidades, en la confección de las 176 entradas de las que consta. (shrink)

The morality of war has been debated from a variety of perspectives. However, it has rarely been intertwined with the topic of the existence of God. Sometimes anti-theists argue that the existence of a Western Judeo-Christian God who is omnipotent, omniscient and morally perfect is inconsistent with the existence of evils such as war. We will argue that there is no such logical inconsistency between the God of the African traditional religions and the evil of war. First, we contend that (...) such a logical inconsistency does not exist because God in African traditional religions is not seen as omnipotent, omniscient or morally perfect, and therefore, it would not be logically inconsistent for such a God to co-exist with the evil of war. This is mainly because African moral realism entails that war is a legitimate means for an imperfect being in an imperfect world to pursue morally permissible goals. Second, even if God is omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect, when considered from the African religious viewpoint, a God of harmony, like the one in African traditional religions, can permit some evils for a greater good such as “harmony”. (shrink)

This paper tackles the main changes that have taken place in the mechanical worldview of simple, self-regulating and intelligent machines, and studies their repercussions at the ethical and organisational level. These views of machines agree with the scientific, human-relations and postmodern proposals in organisation theory, in that they are in fact reflections on human nature which depend on metaphorical devices within which the machine metaphor is central.

The aim of this research was to delimit the predictive and mediational model of resilience between character strengths to predict flourishing, in a sample of undergraduate students. After signing their informed consent, 642 university students completed three validated scales. Using an ex post facto design, regression, structural modeling, and mediation analyses were carried out, in order to construct a multi-causal predictive model. Results indicated a consistent predictive direct effect of character strengths on resilience and flourishing and of resilience on flourishing. (...) As hypothesized, resilience also showed a mediating effect on the relationship between character strengths and flourishing. Additionally, results also revealed that the reactive and proactive factors of resilience were explained by different character strengths, reinforcing the idea that the two directions are complementary and necessary. Finally, several implications were established for the practice of positive psychology. (shrink)

In Democracy and the Claims of Nature, the leading thinkers in the fields of environmental, political, and social theory come together to discuss the tensions and sympathies of democratic ideals and environmental values. The prominent contributors reflect upon where we stand in our understanding of the relationship between democracy and the claims of nature. Democracy and the Claims of Nature bridges the gap between the often competing ideals of the two fields, leading to a greater understanding of each for the (...) other. (shrink)

The gulf between philosophical and formal ontology can and should be bridged. In this Editorial, I elaborate briefly on this subject.

El artículo se enfoca en el dilema al que se enfrentan los gobiernos democráticos para hacer frente a la amenaza del terrorismo. Desde el marco de la filosofía política, el autor busca aportar un enfoque que contribuya a la discusión del tema. Como contexto, toma en cuenta las medidas implementadas después del 11 de septiembre de 2001, por parte de los gobiernos de Estados Unidos de América y de países de Europa para combatir al terrorismo. La mayoría de los gobiernos (...) coincide en que, para garantizar la seguridad de sus ciudadanos frente al peligro del terrorismo, es necesario un recorte de libertades en favor de buscar el fortalecimiento del gobierno. (shrink)

Ao evidenciar que as relações estabelecidas por homens e mulheres com o meio concreto engendram o real, a dialética torna exequível a revolução do status quo por possibilitar a compreensão de que o mundo é sempre resultado da práxis humana, seja ela marcada por relações de dominação que reificam e fetichizam a prática social, seja marcada por relações que operam a humanização dos homens e mulheres. Ao romper com os fetiches, ou seja, ao perceber que os objetos não devem sujeitá-los, (...) homens e mulheres avançam de encontro à reificação, alçando-se a possibilidade de revolucionar suas condições de existência. Assim, o rompimento da pseudoconcreticidade ocorre no momento em que se evidencia que a realidade social se concretiza por meio das condições de produção e reprodução da existência social das pessoas, que é em nossa sociedade marcada pela luta de classes. Este processo de rompimento exige um esforço construtor de uma interpretação do real que vá para além de uma representação caótica do todo, típico das vivências cotidianas. Este artigo postula que o método materialista histórico dialético pode auxiliar neste processo. Partindo desta constatação, elabora-se reflexão sobre este método de análise do real. By showing that the relationships established by men and women with the practical means to engender real, dialectic makes possible the revolution of the status quo by allowing the understanding that the world is always the result of human practice, it is marked by relations of domination that fetishize and reify the social practice or marked by relationships that operate at the humanization of men and women. By breaking with the fetishes, or to realize that objects should not expose them, men and women advance against reification, raising the possibility of revolutionizing his conditions of existence. Thus, disruption of pseudoconcreticity occurs at the moment is evident that social reality is concretized through the conditions of production and reproduction of social existence, which is in our society marked by class struggle. This process requires a breakout effort to construct an interpretation of reality that go beyond a representation of the whole chaotic, typical of everyday experiences. This article posits that the historical materialist dialectical method con help this process. Based on this observation, we undertake reflection on this method of analysis of the real. (shrink)

Ao percorrermos as páginas das histórias da educação e da pedagogia não podemos ficar surpreendidos ao verificar que não existe nelas lugar para Spinoza. O que neste breve ensaio se vai tentar descobrir é que a questão pedagógica em geral e a do ensino da filosofia não são tratadas com desprezo pelo pensador de Amsterdão, nem em relação a elas existem sinais de indiferença. Pretende-se mostrar de que modo algumas atitudes do filósofo juntamente com tópicos do seu pensamento servem para (...) explicar a ausência de efetiva preocupação com a temática pedagógica. No entanto, o sistema espinosano encerra princípios pedagógicos de primordial relevância para o processo educativo. (shrink)