Democratic plurality is the recognition of diversity and difference; above all, of the pragmatic use that citizens make of social discourse when they want to be part of the democratic dialogue. This is the thesis Habermas puts forth when he considers that the communicative pragmatic is the referent ..

En este artículo se trata de interpretar el pensar interdiscursivo y el acuerdo compartido desde el paradigma intercultural, considerando la experiencia de la autoconciencia del sujeto como relación entre individuos que interactúan entre sí, sobre la base del reconocimiento recíproco que crea el con..

In this paper the relationship between the theory of communicative action and the processes of inter-subjective liberation are studied through democratic dialogue and the significance of linguistic practice in capitalist societies. The new pragmatic-hermaneutic paradigm presents the possibility of i..

La democracia es un sistema de poderes que debería estar al servicio del pueblo. El actor social de estos poderes es el sujeto político en su condición de persona, individuo, ciudadano. Ningún otro actor puede atribuirse el uso de los poderes políticos en beneficio personal o colectivo; menos todavía, en detrimento de los otros. Se crea un principio de exclusión que pone en contradicción o nulidad pública el ejercicio del poder de la democracia como sistema de poderes populares. Es indispensable (...) denunciar la coacción política de la que se sirve la democracia representativa, abstracta o nula, en su intento de minimizar y reducir la acción social del pueblo como destinatario de los poderes políticos. La respuesta a este sistema antidemocrático, coactivo de los poderes populares, es el desacato, la desobediencia cívica, la disputa ideológica, las estrategias para la subversión pública y la recuperación de los derechos de participación en la transformación de la democracia política. (shrink)

In this paper we extend Mundici's functor? to the category of monadic MV- algebras. More precisely, we define monadic?- groups and we establish a natural equivalence between the category of monadic MV- algebras and the category of monadic?- groups with strong unit. Some applications are given thereof.

In this paper I examine Chalmers and Jackson’s defence of the a priori entailment thesis, that is, the claim that microphysical truths a priori entail ordinary non-phenomenal truths such as ‘water covers 60% of the Earth surface’, which they use as a premise for an argument against the possibility of a reductive explanation of consciousness. Their argument relies on a certain view about the possession conditions of macroscopic concepts such as WATER, known as ascriptivism. In the paper I distinguish two (...) versions of ascriptivism: reductive versus non-reductive ascriptivism. According to reductive ascriptivism, competent users of a concept have the ability to infer truths involving such concept from lower-level truths, whereas according to non-reductive ascriptivism, all that is required in order to be a competent user of a concept is to be able to infer truths involving that concept from other truths, which need not be lower-level truths. I argue, first, that the a priori entailment thesis is committed to reductive ascriptivism, and secondly, that reductive ascriptivism is problematic because it trivializes the notion of a priori knowledge. Therefore, I conclude that Chalmers and Jackson have not presented a convincing case for the claim that microphysical truths entail ordinary non-phenomenal truths a priori, especially when we understand this claim in the sense that is relevant for their argument against the possibility of a reductive explanation of consciousness. (shrink)

In this study, Oaklander's primary aim is to examine critically C.D. Broad’s changing views of time and in so doing both clarify the central disputes in the philosophy of time, explicate the various positions Broad took regarding them, and develop his own responses both to Broad and the issues debated.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Takıyyüddin Râsıd, Osmanlı riyâzî ilimler geleneğinin en önemli temsilcilerinden biridir. Günümüze ulaşan eserlerinden araştırmalarını astronomi, astronomi aletleri, matematik, optik, mekanik ve fizik konularında yoğunlaştırdığı anlaşılır. Osmanlı’nın tek rasathanesi olan İstanbul Rasathanesi’ni kurması ve yönetmesi, Râsıd’ı birçok yönden önemli bir figür haline getirmiştir. Ancak mezkûr öneme rağmen onun öğrendiği, öğrettiği, ürettiği ve kullandığı matematik çok az sayıda araştırmaya konu olmuştur. Halbuki yapılan bir işin veya üretilen bir eserin niteliğini ve seviyesini belirlemenin önde gelen yolu, nasıl bir “alet” ile meydana getirildiğine bakmaktır. (...) Dolayısıyla bu makalede, riyâzî ilimlerde tebarüz etmiş bilginlerin ilmî karakteri ve kariyerini ortaya koymanın, matematik eserlerinin tahlilinden geçtiği tezinden yola çıkılarak Takıyyüddin Râsıd ’ın cebir risalesinin editio princeps, tercüme ve değerlendirmesi sunulacaktır. Cebir ilminin, herhangi bir konuda, mikdârî veya adedî fark etmeksizin karşılaşılan tüm problemlere uygulanabilme mizacı, mezkûr tezi ve dolayısıyla makalenin amacını daha anlamlı hale getirir. Klasik matematik eserlerinin sahih bir tetkiki için öncelikle orijinal metnin doğrulanması ve kolay bir okuyuş sağlayacak surete sokulması, ardından söz konusu dile kazandırılması ve son olarak matematiksel tahlil ve tarihsel değerlendirmeye tabi tutulması gerekliliği de makalenin ana yapısı ve muhtevasının gerekçesini açıklar. (shrink)

In this paper I propose an interpretation of classical statistical mechanics that centers on taking seriously the idea that probability measures represent complete states of statistical mechanical systems. I show how this leads naturally to the idea that the stochasticity of statistical mechanics is associated directly with the observables of the theory rather than with the microstates (as traditional accounts would have it). The usual assumption that microstates are representationally significant in the theory is therefore dispensable, a consequence which suggests (...) interesting possibilities for developing non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and investigating inter-theoretic answers to the foundational questions of statistical mechanics. (shrink)

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

_Rhetoric_ is the sixth volume in The New Hackett Aristotle series, a series featuring translations, with Introductions and Notes, by C. D. C. Reeve, Delta Kappa Epsilon Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The series will eventually include all of Aristotle's works.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the variety of symmetric closure algebras, that is, closure algebras endowed with a De Morgan operator. Some general properties are derived. Particularly, the lattice of subvarieties of the subvariety of monadic symmetric algebras is described and an equational basis for each subvariety is given.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Reeve's classic work provides an interpretation of Republic that makes a case for the coherence of Plato's argument.

Readers familiar with the workhorse of cosmology, the hot big bang model, may think that cosmology raises little of interest about time. As cosmological models are just relativistic spacetimes, time is understood just as it is in relativity theory, and all cosmology adds is a few bells and whistles such as inflation and the big bang and no more. The aim of this chapter is to show that this opinion is not completely right...and may well be dead wrong. In our (...) survey, we show how the hot big bang model invites deep questions about the nature of time, how inflationary cosmology has led to interesting new perspectives on time, and how cosmological speculation continues to entertain dramatically different models of time altogether. Together these issues indicate that the philosopher interested in the nature of time would do well to know a little about modern cosmology. (shrink)

This book is an exploration of the epistemological, metaphysical, and psychological foundations of the Nicomachean Ethics. In a striking reversal of current orthodoxy, Reeve argues that scientific knowledge (episteme) is possible in ethics, that dialectic and understanding (nous) play essentially the same role in ethics as in an Aristotelian science, and that the distinctive role of practical wisdom (phronesis) is to use the knowledge of universals provided by science, dialectic, and understanding so as to best promote happiness (eudaimonia) in particular (...) circumstances and to ensure a happy life. Turning to happiness itself, Reeves develops a new account of Aristotle's views on ends and functions, exposing their twofold nature. He argues that the activation of theoretical wisdom is primary happiness, and that the activation of practical wisdom--when it is for the sake of primary happiness--is happiness of a secondary kind. He concludes with an account of the virtues of character, external goods, and friends, and their place in the happy life. (shrink)

The conspicuous similarities between interpretive strategies in classical statistical mechanics and in quantum mechanics may be grounded on their employment of common implementations of probability. The objective probabilities which represent the underlying stochasticity of these theories can be naturally associated with three of their common formal features: initial conditions, dynamics, and observables. Various well-known interpretations of the two theories line up with particular choices among these three ways of implementing probability. This perspective has significant application to debates on primitive ontology (...) and to the quantum measurement problem. (shrink)

I discuss the formal implementation, interpretation, and justification of likelihood attributions in cosmology. I show that likelihood arguments in cosmology suffer from significant conceptual and formal problems that undermine their applicability in this context.

A critical and detailed introduction to Kant's philosophy, with particular reference to the Critique of Pure Reason. Since Broad's death there have been many publications on Kant but Broad's 1978 book still finds a definite place between the very general surveys and the more specialised commentaries. He offers a characteristically clear, judicious and direct account of Kant's work; his criticisms are acute and sympathetic, reminding us forcefully that 'Kant's mistakes are usually more important than other people's correctitudes'. C.D. Broad was (...) Knightsbridge Professor of Moral Philosophy at Cambridge from 1933 to 1953, and this book is based on his undergraduate lectures on Kant. Broad died in 1971 and Dr Lewy has since edited the book for publication. (shrink)

I will begin this paper by stating in rough outline what I consider to be the relevance of psychical research to philosophy, and I shall devote the rest of it to developing this preliminary statement in detail.

We introduce a novel point of view on the “models as mediators” framework in order to emphasize certain important epistemological questions about models in science which have so far been little investigated. To illustrate how this perspective can help answer these kinds of questions, we explore the use of simplified models in high energy physics research beyond the Standard Model. We show in detail how the construction of simplified models is grounded in the need to mitigate pressing epistemic problems concerning (...) the uncertainty inherent in the present theoretical and experimental contexts. (shrink)

This book, first published in 1975, provides critical and comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of Leibniz.

"Reeve's book is an excellent companion to Plato's Apology and a valuable discussion of many of the main issues that arise in the early dialogues. Reeve is an extremely careful reader of texts, and his familiarity with the legal and cultural background of Socrates' trial allows him to correct many common misunderstandings of that event. In addition, he integrates his reading of the apology with a sophisticated discussion of Socrates' philosophy. The writing is clear and succinct, and the research is (...) informed by a thorough acquaintance with the secondary literature. Reeve's book will be accessible to any serious undergraduate, but it is also a work that will have to be taken into account by every scholar doing advanced research on Socrates." --Richard Kraut, Northwestern University. (shrink)

I investigate the role of stability in cosmology through two episodes from the recent history of cosmology: Einstein’s static universe and Eddington’s demonstration of its instability, and the flatness problem of the hot big bang model and its claimed solution by inflationary theory. These episodes illustrate differing reactions to instability in cosmological models, both positive ones and negative ones. To provide some context to these reactions, I also situate them in relation to perspectives on stability from dynamical systems theory and (...) its epistemology. This reveals, for example, an insistence on stability as an extreme position in relation to the spectrum of physical systems which exhibit degrees of stability and fragility, one which has a pragmatic rationale, but not any deeper one. (shrink)