Valoración e investigación en el continuo de la experiencia. Desde el pragmatismo de John Dewey al debate sobre el ideal de ciencia libre de valores. Resumen de tesis de doctorado en Filosofía de Livio Mattarollo.

This fascinating exploration of the great discoveries of history's most important mathematicians seeks an answer to the eternal question: Does mathematics hold the key to understanding the mysteries of the physical world?

BackgroundFace-to-face visual contact is a key component of the early parent-child interaction, therefore a visual impairment condition of the parent or the child represents a risk factor for dyadic patterns' development.AimsThe study presents a critical single case of a blind father and a 18-month-old visually impaired child. The study aims to explore changes in the relational functioning of this dyad during an early family-centered intervention.Methods and proceduresTen parent-child sessions were videotaped and micro-analytically coded. Data were analyzed through a State Space (...) Grid crossing child's social cues and types of father verbalizations.Outcomes and resultsFindings showed a stable increase in the amount of child social cues over time. Moreover, the dyad exhibited progressive changes in dyadic regulation, stability, and organization. The return time to the “active interaction” region of interest decreased progressively. A reduction was observed also for the time spent by the dyad in the region “no vocal contact.”Conclusions and implicationsThis critical single case highlighted the benefits of parental engagement in early interventions for the dyadic regulation in parent-child interaction. (shrink)

This thesis is devoted to the exploration of the complexity of some mathematical problems using the framework of computable analysis and descriptive set theory. We will especially focus on Weihrauch reducibility as a means to compare the uniform computational strength of problems. After a short introduction of the relevant background notions, we investigate the uniform computational content of problems arising from theorems that lie at the higher levels of the reverse mathematics hierarchy.We first analyze the strength of the open and (...) clopen Ramsey theorems. Since there is not a canonical way to phrase these theorems as multi-valued functions, we identify eight different multi-valued functions and study their degree from the point of view of Weihrauch, strong Weihrauch, and arithmetic Weihrauch reducibility.We then discuss some new operators on multi-valued functions and study their algebraic properties and the relations with other previously studied operators on problems. In particular, we study the first-order part and the deterministic part of a problem f, capturing the Weihrauch degree of the strongest multi-valued problem that is reducible to f and that, respectively, has codomain $\mathbb {N}$ or is single-valued.These notions proved to be extremely useful when exploring the Weihrauch degree of the problem $\mathsf {DS}$ of computing descending sequences in ill-founded linear orders. They allow us to show that $\mathsf {DS}$, and the Weihrauch equivalent problem $\mathsf {BS}$ of finding bad sequences through non-well quasi-orders, while being very “hard” to solve, are rather weak in terms of uniform computational strength. We then generalize $\mathsf {DS}$ and $\mathsf {BS}$ by considering $\boldsymbol {\Gamma }$ -presented orders, where $\boldsymbol {\Gamma }$ is a Borel pointclass or $\boldsymbol {\Delta }^1_1$, $\boldsymbol {\Sigma }^1_1$, $\boldsymbol {\Pi }^1_1$. We study the obtained $\mathsf {DS}$ -hierarchy and $\mathsf {BS}$ -hierarchy of problems in comparison with the Baire hierarchy and show that they do not collapse at any finite level.Finally, we work in the context of geometric measure theory and we focus on the characterization, from the point of view of descriptive set theory, of some conditions involving the notions of Hausdorff/Fourier dimension and Salem sets. We first work in the hyperspace $\mathbf {K}$ of compact subsets of $[0,1]$ and show that the closed Salem sets form a $\boldsymbol {\Pi }^0_3$ -complete family. This is done by characterizing the complexity of the family of sets having sufficiently large Hausdorff or Fourier dimension. We also show that the complexity does not change if we increase the dimension of the ambient space and work in $\mathbf {K}$. We also generalize the results by relaxing the compactness of the ambient space and show that the closed Salem sets are still $\boldsymbol {\Pi }^0_3$ -complete when we endow $\mathbf {F}$ with the Fell topology. A similar result holds also for the Vietoris topology.We conclude by analyzing the same notions from the point of view of effective descriptive set theory and Type-2 Theory of Effectivity, and show that the complexities remain the same also in the lightface case. In particular, we show that the family of all the closed Salem sets is $\Pi ^0_3$ -complete. We furthermore characterize the Weihrauch degree of the functions computing Hausdorff and Fourier dimension of closed sets.prepared by Manlio Valenti.E-mail:[email protected]. (shrink)

The DAPRECO knowledge base is the main outcome of the interdisciplinary project bearing the same name. It is a repository of rules written in LegalRuleML, an XML formalism designed to be a standard for representing the semantic and logical content of legal documents. The rules represent the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, the new Regulation that is significantly affecting the digital market in the European Union and beyond. The DAPRECO knowledge base builds upon the Privacy Ontology, which provides (...) a model for the legal concepts involved in the GDPR, by adding a further layer of constraints in the form of if-then rules, referring either to standard first order logic implications or to deontic statements. If-then rules are formalized in reified Input/Output logic and then codified in LegalRuleML. Reified Input/Output logic is an application of standard Input/Output logic for legal reasoning, in which Input/Output logic is combined with the reification-based approach in Hobbs and Gordon. The DAPRECO knowledge base is then a case study for reified Input/Output logic, and it shows that the formalism indeed appears to be a good candidate to effectively formalize, via uniform and simple representations, complex linguistic/deontic phenomena that may be found in legal texts. To date, the DAPRECO knowledge base is the biggest knowledge base in LegalRuleML and Input/Output logic freely available online. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to identify the main factors of the current crisis of the nation-state and to demonstrate how many of the voids left by this crisis are filled by religions. The main characteristic of the nation-state is the principle of sovereignty. The apogee of the nation-state is the political form of industrialization. National identity is possible only when the state proves to its citizens that the fact of being a member of it carries benefits and privileges (...) and will always bring more. Today, the majority of nation-states, in particular the oldest great powers, no longer have this capability. The weakening of the nation-state began at the end of the 19th century. The first wave of globalization multiplied the cases of reciprocal interferences and trespassed on the theoretical impermeability of the sovereign states. The outcome of the First World War, with the creation of the first supranational body, and much more the outcome of the Second World War, were two important steps of this crisis. The birth of the United Nations, and of other supranational bodies, as well as the creation of the first court called to judge an entire political class, were an assault on the principle of sovereignty. The second wave of globalization, characterized by the free circulation of goods, money, people and cultures, did the rest. Moreover, the countries that ‘invented’ the principle of sovereignty are today in relative decline as new powers are emerging. The nation-state is no longer able to keep its promises. The less effective states become at offering their citizens both meaning and social services, the more do religions tend to reoccupy the public stage. The less national and political legitimacy they have, the more powers use the religious tool against one another. (shrink)

Several authors proposed to devise logical structures for Natural Language (NL) semantics in which noun phrases yield referential terms rather than standard Generalized Quantifiers. In this view, two main problems arise: the need to refer to the maximal sets of entities involved in the predications and the need to cope with Independent Set (IS) readings, where two or more sets of entities are introduced in parallel. The article illustrates these problems and their consequences, then presents an extension of the proposal (...) made in Sher (J Philos Logic 26:1–43, 1997 ) in order to properly represent the meaning of IS readings involving NL quantifiers. The solution proposed here allows to uniformly deal with both standard linear and IS readings, regardless of their actual existence in NL or quantifiers’ monotonicity. Sentences featuring nested quantifications are particularly problematic. By avoiding parallel nested quantification in the formulae, the proper true values are achieved. (shrink)

Inquieta anche il fatto che i nuovi giardini tendano ad assomigliare in modo impressionante a quei “rendering”, anch’essi uno standard, che si trovano esposti nelle vetrine delle sempre più numerose agenzie immobiliari che impestano la periferia diffusa. Ne avevo una vicino a casa qualche trasloco fa, quando abitavo in un appartamento di due stanze con bagno nel quartiere di Santa Lucia.Vitaliano Trevisan, Tristissimi giardini, pp. 46-47 Dopo la mela biblica consumata in un giardino terrestre...

Una prima parte del saggio sintetizza le linee principali di un recente libro dell’autore: Per un paradigma del corpo: una rifondazione filosofica dell’ecologia, Quodlibet, Macerata, 2019. Viene sostenuto un paradigma in cui corpo e biologia mantengano la loro irriducibilità nei confronti della cultura e in cui il cosiddetto “linguistic turn”, che ha dominato la filosofia del XX secolo, viene fortemente criticato; in coerenza con questo, la riflessione di Merleau-Ponty sul concetto di natura viene considerata lo strumento più adeguato e più (...) attuale per ripensare la questione ecologica; ne vengono esaminate le conseguenze nel campo della filosofia della tecnologia e del problema del soggetto. Una seconda parte del saggio, che si concentra sull’incontro che ebbe luogo nel 1961 fra Adorno e Merleau-Ponty, cerca di abbozzare un paradigma materialistico per l’ecologia, correggendo l’avvicinamento che alla fine della sua vita vi fu fra Merleau-Ponty e Heidegger. (shrink)

The emergence of ecology as a fundamental horizon not only of politics, but also of contemporary philosophy, pushes us to rethink the relationship that currents of thought such as Kuturkritik and phenomenology, especially the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, can maintain with it. After a preliminary consideration of post-structuralist and postmodern positions from this perspective, the essay focuses on the French philosopher, and in particular on his courses on Nature and on his elaboration of the Husserlian concept of Stiftung. This results (...) in Merleau-Ponty’s original position on the Kultur – Civilization alternative: critique of unlimited productivism, respect for the environment, and, at the same time, defense of the variety of cultures and traditions from a homogenizing globalization are valuable tools that his philosophy offers to the debates of our time. (shrink)

En el campo de la epistemología política, un problema clave es cómo balancear los compromisos epistémicos para tomar decisiones políticas adecuadas con los compromisos morales sustantivos. El presente artículo se propone abordar este problema desde el enfoque del pragmatista clásico John Dewey, habida cuenta de que en su pensamiento es posible identificar un argumento epistémico y un argumento formativo en favor de la democracia. Para ello, en primer lugar se reconstruye el argumento epistémico y se analizan las críticas respecto de (...) su presunto carácter instrumental. En segundo lugar, se reconstruyen las líneas centrales del argumento formativo y se consideran tanto las condiciones para el cumplimiento del ideal moral de crecimiento como el carácter educativo de la democracia. Desde aquí se sostiene (i) que la fundamentación epistémica y la fundamentación “sustantiva” son convergentes y que la noción de crecimiento hace las veces de _pivote _entre ambos; y (ii) que la educación en general y la educación formal en particular fungen como _ámbito _de la convergencia entre ambas justificaciones de la democracia. Esto se presenta como un elemento de enorme potencial práctico para la epistemología política y permite enfatizar –una vez más– la centralidad de la educación en el proyecto filosófico-político de Dewey. (shrink)

Contrary to the position sustained in recent German- and English-language studies, the Author of this note rejects the suitability of using the modern and generic term “Homoianism” to describe the different subordinationist doctrinal positions circulating during the second half of the fourth century. In the case of Eudoxius, Valens, Urascius and Ulfila, among others, it is more appropriate to continue to speak in terms of “Arianism”, as their Nicene opponents had already realized, not without reason.

This article proposes a new logical framework for NL quantification. The framework is based on Generalized Quantifiers, Skolem-like functional dependencies, and Maximality of the involved sets of entities. Among the readings available for NL sentences, those where two or more sets of entities are independent of one another are particularly challenging. In the literature, examples of those readings are known as Collective and Cumulative readings. This article briefly analyzes previous approaches to Cumulativity and Collectivity, and indicates (Schwarzschild in Pluralities. Kluwer, (...) Dordrecht, 1996) as the best proposal so far to deal with these readings. Then, it incorporates its insights in the logical framework defined in Robaldo (J Philos Log 39(1):23–58, 2009a), leading to a scalable logical account for NL quantification. (shrink)

John Dewey's project on social philosophy has not been usually considered as an important piece of his thought. However, his writings about such topic constitute a remarkable effort to articulate several novel concepts and ideas which cannot be found elsewhere in his extensive philosophical work. Within this context, the new edition of his "Lectures in Social and Political Philosophy"-a series of lectures Dewey delivered during his stay in China-provides unique material for reviewing his social viewpoint. During this article I aim (...) to explore Dewey's normative perspective on social philosophy. Taking into account that the pragmatist introduces a "normative picture" and that he identifies a set of basic human needs at its very basis, the main arising question is how to interpret that set of human needs so as to fully understand that normative criterion. As hypotheses, I consider that social philosophy is mainly engaged with practical judgments and that it is plausible to interpret these basic human needs as values. In order to support these claims, I firstly reconstruct Dewey's proposal about a third type of social thought. Secondly, I examine his position about values and standards. Thirdly, I analyze his "normative picture" and I consider the "anthropological reading" presented by Roberto Frega. Lastly, I offer a complementary analysis, arguing that it is possible to explain Dewey's normative standard in a coherent way with respect to the aims of his social thought and, furthermore, that it is possible to avoid any essentialist commitment. (shrink)

Within the context of the discussion about value-free science ideal, Heather Douglas claims that in several cases non-epistemic values are needed for good reasoning in science. In this article I aim at recovering her viewpoint in order to examine the research driving to the Genetic Grandparent Inclusion-Probability Index, a crucial element to restitute the identity of children who were abducted during Argentinean dictatorship. Thus, my purposes are to reconstruct Douglas´ main theoretical contributions, specifically her reasons to reject the ideal as (...) well as the distinction between direct and indirect roles for values in science; and to analyze the scientific paper resulting from the “Grandparent-Inclusion Index” research. The main hypothesis is that several decisions of this research, particularly the establishment of what is to be considered sufficient evidence, should be explained by reference to social, ethical and political values. Both because of the non-epistemic consequences of the inquiry related to its inductive risk and because such inquiry is a case in which there is legitimate and necessary integration between epistemic and non-epistemic values and that it is also a case in which Douglas’ criteria of objectivity is reached. By virtue of these reasons, the significance of Douglas’ contribution to the analysis of the relationship between science and politics is emphasized. (shrink)

En el contexto del debate contemporáneo sobre el ideal de ciencia libre de valores, el propósito general del artículo es recuperar la pregunta por la dimensión valorativa tradicionalmente denominada extra-epistémica de la investigación científica desde el marco teórico del filósofo pragmatista John Dewey. Mediante la reconstrucción de distintos sentidos de continuidad entre investigación científica, valoración y valores, se pretende sostener que el enfoque deweyano da cuenta de la efectiva incidencia de valores sociales, morales y políticos en la investigación, y que (...) bajo ciertas condiciones esa incidencia es legítima pues la consideración del amplio círculo de consecuencias no-científicas de la investigación es parte de su prueba completa, razón por la cual se afirma que dicho tipo de valores son constitutivos de la investigación científica. Finalmente, se sugiere que la perspectiva de Dewey ofrece bases sólidas para una filosofía política de la ciencia. ARK: ark:/s18537960/kiuut6ebr. (shrink)

El artículo pretende evaluar la crítica de Robert Talisse a la noción de democracia de John Dewey según la cual dicha noción sería incompatible con el pluralismo razonable de corte rawlsiano y devendría opresiva pues se funda en el ideal moral del crecimiento. Para ello, se reconstruye la “objeción pluralista” de Talisse. Posteriormente, se consideran los argumentos centrales con que Dewey sostiene su perspectiva, a saber: el argumento experimentalista y el argumento formativo. En este marco, se sostiene que la idea (...) de democracia como cooperación social y la idea de crecimiento como fin moral, comprendidas en términos deweyanos, dan lugar al pluralismo por derecho propio. (shrink)