Exploring online criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ protest during ‘Euro 2020’, this article examines how alt- and far-right conspiracies were both constructed and communicated via the social media platform, Twitter. By providing a novel exploration of alt-right conspiracies during an international football tournament, a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,388 original tweets relating to Euro 2020 was undertaken. The findings reveal how, in criticisms levelled at both ‘wokeism’ and the Black Lives Matter movement, antiwhite criticisms of the ‘take the knee’ (...) protest were embroiled in alt-right conspiracies that exposed an assumed Cultural Marxist, ‘woke agenda’ in the tournament’s organization and mainstream media coverage. In conclusion, it is argued that conspiratorial discourses, associated with the alt-right, provided a framework through which the protest could be understood. This emphasises how the significance of conspiracy functions to promote the wider dissemination of alt-right ideology across popular cultural contexts, such as sport. (shrink)

Artificial intelligence is man's attempt to use software to emulate the intelligence of human beings. But the complexity of the human neurological system formed in the course of evolution is impossible to replicate: "Human languages and societies are complex systems, indeed complex systems of many complex systems," so much so that their mathematical modeling is impossible. Barry Smith, philosopher and professor at the University at Buffalo. shows no uncertainty about this. His latest book written with Jobst Landgrebe, a mathematician and (...) entrepreneur in the AI field, leaves no doubt – starting with the title: Why machines will never rule the world (Routledge 2023). The book was presented in Turin during an evening organized by the Fondazione CRT and the Bruno Leoni Institute, in which Smith was interviewed based on questions developed by generative Ai. We have accepted the challenge to conduct an interview parallel to the one done with GPT4. (shrink)

This paper explores the possibility of a standard legal language (e.g. English) for a principled evolution of law in line with technological development. In doing so, reference is made to blockchain networks and smart contracts to emphasise the discontinuity with the liberal legal tradition when it comes to decentralisation and binary code language. Methodologically, the argument is built on the underlying relation between law, semiotics and new forms of media adding to natural language; namely: code and symbols. In what follows, (...) I will concentrate on the study of factors that explain why such approach can be fruitful for the future of law and innovation. I have three reasons for selecting this topic. The first is a more pragmatic reason, based on my current research of law as a linguistic phenomenon. Secondly, the topic does also touch the matter on binary code language, rivalrous to legal alphabetic language. Lastly, the study aims at emphasizing the pivotal role of the jurist as an interpreter in a changing society accommodating diverging realms of reality. The study is structured as follows. Firstly, a quick exam of the traits of blockchain networks would provide the contextual link to establish the arguments in support of the need of a standard legal language. Secondly, a comparison between liberal legal institutions and theory of semiotics is set to perceive their functioning and ascertain their limits in the light of todays unprecedented changes. Thirdly, a summary on blockchain networks’ legal features would constitute the thrust behind the idea of a uniform legal language. Methodologically, the argument does also establish some relations with classical laws of physics and philosophy of media. Its aim is to demonstrate how the suggested legal interpretation and semiotic-based approach can contribute to overcome existing stumbling blocks including, but not limited to, the lack of cooperation at the international level as well as the gap in State norms when it comes to innovation. In this sense, the proposed strategies do not intend to replace current advances in the legal thought. In contrast, it seeks to harmonise their results providing a methodical approach that can concur to inform a new technique to address new controversial issues. In practice, the proposed method regarding the adoption of a uniform legal language would lower transactive costs in terms of normative coordination in the matter of international cooperation and in the definition of applicable law among different legal systems. Alternatively, it might contribute to the convergence of legal systems and/or their underlying concepts. Differently put, article’s contribution can be envisaged in fostering juridical consistency with regards to different forms of languages’ coexistence. (shrink)

Infinitely many intermediate propositional logics with the disjunction property are defined, each logic being characterized both in terms of a finite axiomatization and in terms of a Kripke semantics with the finite model property. The completeness theorems are used to prove that any two logics are constructively incompatible. As a consequence, one deduces that there are infinitely many maximal intermediate propositional logics with the disjunction property.

This article is based on a paper given in December 2013 at a German–Italian workshop on Jürgen Habermas’ theory. Massimo Rosati had been studying Jürgen Habermas’ thought and classical sociology in the Durkheimian tradition for years. Because of his own Durkheimian reading of communicative action, he had been unsurprised when Habermas began to write systematically on religion. In this article, he addresses the new post-secular sensitivity to the remnants of mimetic and mythic worldviews within theoretical ones and discusses the (...) sacred as a universal historical structure of human consciousness. (shrink)

During the second term of Jefferson’s presidency, with Europe and the world ravaged by the Napoleonic Wars, it became extremely difficult for the young Republic to defend the principle of sovereignty from the threats of France and Britain. In response to attacks on American shipping, in 1807 Congress passed the Embargo Act, an economic measure designed to convince the two belligerents to respect U.S. neutrality by cutting off American shipping to all foreign nations. This controversial decision, firmly opposed by the (...) Federalist Party, received strong support from one of the most fervent Jeffersonians of the time, Gideon Granger (1767-1822). A lawyer from Connecticut, Granger wrote An Address to the People of New England (1808) under the pseudonym of Algernon Sidney, where he reintroduced into public debate some of Sidney’s archetypal themes, emphasizing the natural right to oppose abusive power and the vital necessity to preserve republican virtues in order to drive away moral and political corruption. (shrink)

Il est évident que le statut du texte change profondément à cause de l’impact des technologies numériques. D’une part, dans les environnements numériques le texte est partout : les images, les vidéos, les clics, les objets et même les actions sont en réalité des séries de caractères. D’autre part, le texte acquiert une valeur opérationnelle. Comme le montrent Souchier et Jeanneret avec la notion d’“architexte”, le texte fait des choses, il produit d’autres textes ou des actions. La thèse de cet (...) article est que ces changements en impliquent un autre: le texte devient un matériel architectural, dans le sens propre du mot – à savoir, et en dehors des métaphores, il est l’élément qui structure matériellement l’espace dans lequel nous vivons. Cette thèse est à la base de la théorie de l’éditorialisation, notion qui peut être définie comme “l’ensemble des dynamiques qui produisent l’espace numérique.”. (shrink)

In this essay, I focus on what appear to be Shapiro’s views about the normativity of law, as well as with his surprising claim that law necessarily has a moral aim. I argue that even if Shapiro offers a more compelling reply to the problem of the normativity of law than Hart offers in The Concept of Law, the moves that he makes appear to be equally available to a defender of Hart’s theory, and so in this respect, the planning (...) theory has no particular advantage over the practice theory. As for the Moral Aim Thesis, it appears to be in tension with Shapiro’s positivism. If he is right that law has a moral aim and law claims moral legitimacy, then he should embrace a richer account of the nature and normativity of law than the one that he has offered. (shrink)

Imagine a scenario where you are cooking and suddenly, the contents of the pot start to come out, and the oven bell rings. You would have to stop what you are doing and start responding to the changing demands, switching between different objects, operations and mental sets. This ability is known as cognitive flexibility. Now, add to this scenario a strong emotional atmosphere that invades you as you spontaneously recall a difficult situation you had that morning. How would you behave? (...) Recent studies suggest that emotional states do modulate cognitive flexibility, but these findings are still controversial. Moreover, there is a lack of evidence regarding the underlying brain processes. The purpose of the present study was, therefore, to examine such interaction while monitoring changes in ongoing cortical activity using EEG. In order to answer this question, we used two musical stimuli to induce emotional states (positive/high arousal/open stance and negative/high arousal/closed stance). Twenty-nine participants performed two blocks of the Madrid Card Sorting Task (MCST) in a neutral silence condition and then four blocks while listening to the counterbalanced musical stimuli. To explore this interaction, we used a combination of first-person (micro-phenomenological interview) and third-person (behavior and EEG) approaches. Our results show that compared to the positive stimuli and silence condition, negative stimuli decrease reaction times (RTs) for the shift signal. Our data show that the valance of the first emotional block is determinant in the RTs of the subsequent blocks. Additionally, the analysis of the micro-phenomenological interview and the integration of first- and third-person data show that the emotional disposition generated by the music could facilitate task performance for some participants or hamper it for others, independently of its emotional valence. When the emotional disposition hampered task execution, RTs were slower, and the P300 potential showed a reduced amplitude compared to the facilitated condition. These findings show that the interaction between emotion and cognitive flexibility is more complex than previously thought and points to a new way of understanding the underlying mechanisms by incorporating an in-depth analysis of individual subjective experience. (shrink)

Fictif, artificiel, imaginaire, trompeur, immatériel, irréel, impalpable, invisible, mystérieux... Lorsque l'on pense au virtuel, une foule d'idées nous submerge. Concept aux valeurs sémantiques multiformes et aux différents usages, sa signification reste floue et son sens en perpétuel mouvement. Qu'est-ce " réellement " que le virtuel? Quel rapport entre le sens philosophique et son emploi dans le domaine du numérique? Quelles sont ses implications politiques? Quelle conception de la réalité en découle?Ce livre se veut une cartographie offrant des repères stables pour (...) s'orienter et naviguer à travers le concept de virtuel. L'effet d'un phare en plein brouillard... Ainsi, le présent ouvrage expose et analyse plusieurs aspects de la cryptographie et leurs interactions avec les avancées théoriques et pratiques de plusieurs disciplines scientifiques et techniques. (shrink)

It is often argued today that a deep and troublesome gap across the Atlantic has been developing and that Europeans and Americans no longer share the same view of the world. On the basis of data gathered in the 2002 Transatlantic Trends Survey, held in the USA and six European countries, this article assesses whether there is indeed such a gap at the mass level. It focuses on three major dimensions of world views: (1) perceptions of threats (2) the sense (...) of affinity with other countries in terms of allies, friends or foes, and (3) attitudes toward the use of force, both in general and in specific circumstances, more particularly the war over Iraq. It concludes that European publics in 2002 looked at the world in a way that is rather similar to that of many ordinary Americans including harbouring deep reservations about the conduct of certain aspects of U.S. foreign policy. Both publics share fundamental worldviews. On Iraq, Europeans and Americans agreed in some respects (such as the necessary role of the UN) but disagreed on other. In many respects at the mass level the differences across the Atlantic are of degree, and not fundamental. They result from disaffection with the present administration rather than with US policies in general. Moreover, the alleged European is a misnomer, which hides the considerable sympathies and warm feelings towards America, and the perceived common interests and values. (shrink)

This short methodological insert appears like a homage to Otto Brunner, that in some Italian historical literature continue to be, all things considered, remarkable. Instead it is a homage to my wife Giuliana Nobili, co-founder with me and few others of the journal «Scienza & Politica», died the 5 th January 2015.

The introduction starts from the exhaustion of modernity, drawing the fundamental lines of its development inside Western historical experience. The end of the political nexus between theology and politics, the evanescence of nation-state sovereignty, the check of great historical interpretations reveal the necessity of new categories and new organizational models, able to make us answer to the violence that the ongoing processes are liberating. Schiera underlines in particular the relevance of the administrative apparatus because of its capacity to link the (...) global government with global organization, human rights and the commons. (shrink)

In this engagingly written book, Colin McGinn advances a number of related theses, most prominent among them, that moral philosophy is in need of new methodologies in order to get at neglected questions about moral character. The methodology McGinn urges involves drawing upon literature for its deep and intricate portrayals of ethical themes. This would seem a natural approach given McGinn’s substantive views about ethics. He contends that our ethical knowledge is aesthetically mediated ; he speculates that the “innateness” of (...) ethics may be “a by-product of our innate grasp of folk psychology” which comes into play when we interpret literature; and he defends an “aesthetic theory of virtue” according to which virtue coincides with beauty of soul. (shrink)

The idea that normativity and agency are importantly connected goes back at least as far as Kant. But it has recently become associated with a view called “constitutivism.” Perhaps the best-known critique of constitutivism appears in David Enoch’s article, “Agency, Shmagency,” which is the focus of this chapter. His critique of my article, “Agency and the Open Question Argument,” is briefly addressed, explaining why, contrary to his claims, I do not therein defend a form of constitutivism. It is then explained (...) why his “shmagency challenge” does not effectively expose the real challenge faced by those who might wish to develop constitutivist theories. Finally, the chapter considers why we should take seriously the idea that normativity and agency are importantly connected, an idea that neither Enoch’s challenge nor the challenge articulated for constitutivism here does anything to defeat. Enoch has not shown that normativity won’t come from what is constitutive of agency. (shrink)

Context: The current study of emotions is based on theoretical models that limit the emotional experience. The collection of emotional data is through self-report questionnaires, restricting the description of emotional experience to broad concepts or induced preconceived qualities of how an emotion should be felt. Problem: Are the emotional experiences responding exclusively to these concepts and dimensions? Method: Music was used to lead participants into an emotional experience. Then a micro-phenomenological interview, a methodology with a phenomenological approach, was used to (...) guide their descriptions. Results: The descriptions of emotional experiences revealed a temporal structure that could have a linear or circular development. Moreover the qualitative aspects disclosed that these experiences are characterized by corporal sensations and marked variations of emotional intensity. Additionally, the emotional experience was embodied. Implications: The emotional experience is a dynamic process in which bodily sensations take a primary role, allowing the identification of such emotions. The integration of these first-person features of emotional experience with third-person data could lead to a better understanding and interpretation of emotional processes. Constructivist content: This article highlights the need to integrate first-person and third-person methodologies to study and explain human behavior in a comprehensive manner. Key Words: Emotion, experience, micro-phenomenological interview, body, music, affective neuroscience. (shrink)

The main thesis that is discussed in this article is based on the criticism of the prevalent interpretative models of adolescence developed during the twentieth century. Models that today appear inadequate in grasping the socio-cultural and educational transformations that deeply mark the ways of experiencing adolescents born in the second millennium. The effects of the historical and social practices that shape the adolescent experience in the 2000s represent an essential key to understanding the forms that the adolescent system assumes because (...) of social, cultural, economic, historical, and material changes. (shrink)

Can a postmonetary economy – i.e. an economy which lacks money – offer preferable results to those achieved by a system relying on money? This contribution presents a critical view of the current monetary system by shedding light on its costs, discussed in terms of “apparent employment”, “apparent unemployment”, and “diverted motivations”. To this end, a cost-benefit analysis of non-monetary economy, within the theoretical framework of marginalism, is carried out. The conclusion is that a post (non) monetary economy is able (...) to lead to a higher production level and a more fair distribution of wealth, albeit at the expense of a lower efficiency. (shrink)

Otto Hintze was an excellent example of the cultural turmoil that hit historical and political studies in the great crisis between nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with respect to the destiny of the European tradition and its projection in a political world dominated by new universalistic perspectives. Hintze moved thus between a historiography which was for long time attentive to the Prussian case – which he considered almost a paradigm of the modern State – and political science, in constant tension with (...) Weber’s contemporary foundation of a comprehensive sociology. The essay attempts to investigate the foundational question of legitimacy as the deepest and most innovative character of Hintze’s work. (shrink)

The essay is a long confrontation with the reconstruction of the story of the state in Italy that Sabino Cassese has recently provided. Moving from the specificity of the constitutional history of the Italian state and calling into question the existence of a more or less pure model to which to compare it, the author reclaims the constitutional relevance of the administrative action in the very institutionalization of the state. The practical limits of the Italian constitutional story, its missed general (...) integration, the contingency of various measures, the definetly unsystematic and eclectic character of many institutions and doctrines are considered, though, as the evidence of the historically declining character of the whole story of the modern state and of the possibility for the administration itself to give instruments which are adequate to the present global scenarios. (shrink)

1 I difetti del sistema denaro e il denaro come difetto del sistema Vale la pena di studiare l’ipotesi di un sistema economico capace di svolgere le sue tipiche funzioni in assenza di denaro? È utopistico lo scenario di un mondo che decide di fare a meno del denaro e che compie questa rivoluzione nel giro di decenni e non di millenni? È pensabile che una nuova economia non monetaria sia in grado di offrire tangibili vantaggi rispetto a quella attuale? (...) Sono queste le domande a cui intendiamo r... (shrink)

The Author asks himself if the peculiar mode of application of the nexus doctrine/discipline represented by ideol- ogy constitutes the only possibility for reproducing and maintaining consensus in a political community. The constitutionalism’s curve shows the contrary: in the beginning constitutionalism developed as a common field between different ideologies, still it survived their crisis, and has opened a new mode of social and political collective behaviour, defined by the author as «political discourse». In order to overcome the risk of political (...) neutralization produced by the growing importance of technique in the contemporary governance processes, political discourse – considered in its function of language mediator and translator –, might work as an instrument able to link the broken threads of obligation. In order not to reproduce a straight and unilateral political discourse, a radical revision of the concept of measure would be necessary. Measure should be taken as an instrument for the allocation/distribution of differences and, therefore, as a useful element for the creation of consensus in a mass society. (shrink)

The essay starts from various recent magisterial statements - specially Fides et Ratio - which underline in particular the theme of the knowledge of God as an event that brings to its destination a free and personal initiative of the love of God, which acts in view of the success of such encounter. The philosophical and theological reflection seeks to deepen, in the reciprocal exchange of competences, the structure of this exchange between truth, justice and love of God, in which (...) the metaphysical-ontological and the ethical-existential profile of knowledge of Him illuminate each other only together, through the embrace of their intrinsic connection. (shrink)

This volume contains thirteen new essays covering various issues in value theory. Eight of the essays were presented at a conference by the same name at Bowling Green State University, five others were commissioned. The essays vary in quality, and some of them cover themes developed in previously published work. But overall, each essay provides a carefully argued point of view on an important issue.

Stephen Darwall has recently suggested that theories which identify a person's good with her own ranking of concerns do not properly delimit the ‘scope’ of welfare, making self‐sacrifice conceptually impossible. But whether a theory of welfare makes self‐sacrifice impossible depends on what self‐sacrifice is. I offer an alternative analysis to Overvold's, explaining why self‐interest and self‐sacrifice need not be opposed, and so why the problems of delimiting the scope of welfare and of allowing for self‐sacrifice are distinct. If my analysis (...) is correct, desire theories may allow for self‐sacrifice however they delimit the scope of welfare. (shrink)