Two methodological problems obstruct the tests of economic theories: 1) usually it is not possible to ascertain whether the domain assumptions are satisfied before (and independently) of the applications of the theory; 2) if it is admissible to modify the domain assumptions of a theory, it must also be accepted that the class of its supposedly relevant predictions can be modified...
I approach in this article one of the problems which purportedly would show the incompatibility of externalism and authoritative self-knowledge. The problem is based on some alleged consequences of externalism regarding the existence of substances or objects external to the thinker: if externalism is a priori, then a subject can know a priori that water exists by knowing a priori...
The Mach-Planck controversy (1910-1911) about the cognitive status of scientific theories lead us to the following conclusions. (1) Not always the one who maintains some theses that look better (Planck's defense of the reality of the atoms) is the one who advanced the best arguments for criticizing his opponent (e.g. Planck misinterpreted Mach's views about the scientific image...
RESEÑASManuel Liz. La vida mental de algunos trozos de materia. Teorías de la sobreveniencia. Salamanca. Edición Asociación Cultural Factótum; Colección Tropos, 2001 (185 páginas)Este libro de Manuel Liz trata un tema sin duda taquillero en la filosofía de la mente de las décadas de 1980 y el 1990: la sobreveniencia (o superveniencia) de lo mental. El espíritu que anima a Liz en...
The aim of this work is to analyze the aparent internal tension of the strong programme of sociology of knowledge, wich support a casual explanation thougout general rules and in the same time a cognitive relativism to study its aim in a symmetrical way; such is the purpose that in the same sort of cause that will ought to explain both the false and the true beief. Throughout...
Bayesians often affirm they have produced the best available theory of confirmation. In particular, they claim to have superseded the venerable hypothetico-deductive method. In this paper I intend to assess that claim by making a systematic comparison between both theories of confirmation. I begin by listing the main problems of hypothetico-deductive confirmation. I then show...
The Hairy Intentional Realism (HIR or J. Fodor's Computational/Representational Theory of Mind) aims for two things that I shall try to show are difficult to jointly obtain: states (1) with an interpretable semantic content, and (2) with causal role in the production of behavior. There is no difficulty in obtaining (1), the problem is with (2). HIR's strategy consists in the...
This text originates in an exchange of letters I held with David Armstrong when his book Universals. An Opinionated Introduction was published. It is offered as a dialogue and has been divided into six topics. The first one deals with the problem of whether different ontological theories, which posit different basic relations (such as resemblance, ínstantiation and compresence...
The aim of this work is to analyze the aparent internal tension of the strong programme of sociology of knowledge, wich support a casual explanation thougout general rules and in the same time a cognitive relativism to study its aim in a symmetrical way; such is the purpose that in the same sort of cause that will ought to explain both the false and the true beief. Throughout...
Bayesians often affirm they have produced the best available theory of confirmation. In particular, they claim to have superseded the venerable hypothetico-deductive method. In this paper I intend to assess that claim by making a systematic comparison between both theories of confirmation. I begin by listing the main problems of hypothetico-deductive confirmation. I then show...
The Hairy Intentional Realism (HIR or J. Fodor's Computational/Representational Theory of Mind) aims for two things that I shall try to show are difficult to jointly obtain: states (1) with an interpretable semantic content, and (2) with causal role in the production of behavior. There is no difficulty in obtaining (1), the problem is with (2). HIR's strategy consists in the...
This text originates in an exchange of letters I held with David Armstrong when his book Universals. An Opinionated Introduction was published. It is offered as a dialogue and has been divided into six topics. The first one deals with the problem of whether different ontological theories, which posit different basic relations (such as resemblance, ínstantiation and compresence...
RESEÑAS"De la filosofía social a la bioética". Reseña del libro Bioethics: Latin American Perspectives. Edited by Arleen L. F. Salles & María Julia Bertomeu, Amsterdam and New York, Ed. Rodopi, 2002. x + 199 pp., ISBN 90-420-1517-9Con esta obra colectiva la editorial Rodopi, con sede en Amsterdam y New York, abre la colección "Philosophy in Latin America", dentro de su serie...
NOTAS CRITICASModularidad y teoría computacional de la mente en la obra de Jerry Fodor. Nota crítica en torno a The Mind Doesn't Work that Way1Pablo Rychter Universidad de Buenos Aires y Universitat de BarcelonaDesde finales de la década de 1960, Jerry Fodor ha hecho importantes contribuciones a ámbitos disciplinares diversos: filosofía, lingüística y psicología cognitiva. Si...
NOTAS CRITICASEmociones y clases naturales. Contrapunto entre Griffiths y Elster1Diana Pérez Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICETEn Strong Feelings. Emotion, Addiction and Human Behavior, Jon Elster defiende la idea de que las adicciones son clases naturales pero las emociones no lo son. Para ello, señala las relaciones existentes entre dos tipos de análisis de estos fenómenos...
In this paper I claim that it is not possible to understand Wittgenstein's argument against psychophysical parallelism as proposing an emergentist position. In order to show this, first, I describe Wittgenstein's argument. Second, I reconstruct two versions of emergentism: a classical and a contemporary one. Finally, I argue that Wittgenstein does not subscribe any of the...
In this paper I intend to show that the debate between the first and the third person point of view of ordinary mental attribution needs to be redefined in order to make room to a more basic perspective, the second person point of view. The reason for thirt is that this point of view is able to account of a variety of phenomena that are left out of consideration from the other...
The present work starts off with sorne general considerations about the traditional view on rights, dissected into eight theses. Next, the theory of the Scandinavian realists, who represent the most radical opposition to such traditional view, is discusaed, althourh it is worthwhile pointing out that those authors do not reject all the theses that make up tbe traditional view as...
According to Raz there are no legal gaps originating in the silence of law. Such gaps require that there should be no reason to perform an action and no conclusive permission to omit that action. Raz claims that such a situation leads to a contradiction and hence is impossible. This means that aIl legal systems are necessarily complete. In this paper I argue that (1) the Razian...
In this paper I claim that it is not possible to understand Wittgenstein's argument against psychophysical parallelism as proposing an emergentist position. In order to show this, first, I describe Wittgenstein's argument. Second, I reconstruct two versions of emergentism: a classical and a contemporary one. Finally, I argue that Wittgenstein does not subscribe any of the...
In this paper I intend to show that the debate between the first and the third person point of view of ordinary mental attribution needs to be redefined in order to make room to a more basic perspective, the second person point of view. The reason for thirt is that this point of view is able to account of a variety of phenomena that are left out of consideration from the other...