Les écrivains du merveilleux scientifique et de la science-fiction qui a pris son relais dans l’imaginaire occidental ont anticipé les témoignages de visions de soucoupes volantes et d’enlèvements par des aliens. Comme le montre le sociologue Bertrand Méheust, la figure de l’extraterrestre est l’un des mythes les plus intéressants et les plus énigmatiques de la Modernité.

This brilliant and controversial work investigates the relationship between 'individual' and 'scientific' knowledge.

À l’origine de ce dossier, on trouve un mot (et une notion) de l’épistémologie féministe, celui de « care » – terme que nous avons choisi de conserver en anglais tant il est impossible de restituer sa polysémie par un seul terme ou même une expression en français. Popularisé par l’ouvrage In a different voice de la psychologue féministe Carol Gilligan en 1982, le care est à la fois une grille de lecture du monde social et un terrain de recherche (...) inscrit dans les expériences ordinaires des ind... (shrink)

In this article, we build on the stakeholder-politics literature to investigate how corporate scandals transform political contexts and give impetus to the contentious movements of fringe stakeholders against multinational corporations (MNCs). Based on Adut’s scandal theory, we flesh out three scandal-related processes that directly affect political-opportunity structures (POSs) and the generation of social movements against MNCs: convergence of contention toward a single target, publicization of deviant practices, and contagion to other organizations. These processes reduce the obstacles to collective actions by (...) fringe stakeholders by pushing corporate elites to be more sensitive to their claims, by decreasing MNCs’ capability to repress contentious movements, by forcing the targeted MNCs to formalize a policy to monitor and eradicate the controversial practices, and by helping fringe stakeholders find internal and external allies to support their claims. This conceptual model of scandals as catalysts of contentious actions contributes to a better understanding of stakeholder politics by unveiling the role of the political context in the coordination of fringe stakeholders. (shrink)

The globalizations of capital markets in the last 20 years has led to a historic degree of financial integration in the world. It is clear, however, that globalization is not conducive to a complete homogeneity of financial markets and institutions. Among others, one element of diversity is the importance of the impact of corruption in emerging countries. Corruption decreases the credibility of financial institutions and markets. Scandals and unethical behavior in financial institutions erode confidence in such firms. Relying on neoinstitutional (...) literature, this article focuses on the link between corruption and organizational isomorphism in financial institutions in emerging countries. Therefore, our aim is to examine the institutional reasons for corruption in financial institutions in emerging countries. Our structural equation model is based on empirical research in financial institutions in emerging countries. A questionnaire was administrated to 70 top executives of financial institutions in 18 different emerging countries. (shrink)

Impact of Reformation on the birth of Modernity and America.

Based on neo-institutional literature, this article aims to show the influence of organizational isomorphism on corruption. The focus is institutional explanations of corruption. Our model is based on empirical research in Russia at the end of the 1990s. A face-to-face questionnaire was conducted with 552 top executives in private firms across various economic sectors. We used the structural equation model Partial Least Squares, PLS, technique to test our hypotheses. The developed model provides an integrated approach to the study of the (...) relationship between corruption and organizational isomorphism. Our empirical data from firms in Russia allowed us to test various theoretical hypotheses concerning the influence of organizational isomorphism on corruption. Our emphasis is on the influence of competitive and institutional isomorphism on corruption. (shrink)

In this article, we extend the research on the public interest to non-audit engagements performed by accounting firms and public accountants. Our thesis is that non-audit engagements, as private goods, require a distinct approach to the public interest than auditing. We suggest that a public value perspective can be used conceptually to provide substantial criteria for designing non-audit engagements conducive to public value creation and greater accountability. We illustrate the applicability and consequences of a public value perspective by analyzing and (...) contrasting the decision of two judicial opinions deciding whether Deloitte and the lead partner of a consulting engagement failed to act in the public interest in engineering the sale of collapsed British carmaker MG Rover. We advocate for a significant change in ethical codes of conduct by defining public interest obligations, not only in terms of professional attributes, but also in terms of outcomes. Our approach also suggests a requirement regarding planning a non-audit engagement, including establishing a public value proposition detailing the planned nature of the engagement, and extent of the assessment of the intended public value creation. We discuss the aspirational function of codes of conduct to provide accountability other than in terms of technical output, and to maintain the legitimacy and purpose of the profession. (shrink)

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps, and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may (...) freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

La biologie occupe une place centrale dans la philosophie de Raymond Ruyer. Nous nous intéressons dans cet article à certains faits biologiques, considérés par Ruyer comme ayant une portée métaphysique essentielle. Nous nous demanderons si les récentes évolutions de la biologie du développement ont pu invalider ses thèses concernant la morphogenèse, c’est-à-dire l’apparition d’une nouvelle forme dans le développement embryonnaire, et particulièrement son rejet des explications mécanistes. Nous étudierons trois ensembles de faits sur lesquels Ruyer appuie sa philosophie du développement (...) : le rejet du mécanisme et l’importance des facteurs non-génétiques dans l’embryogenèse, la coordination spatiale du développement et notamment de la différenciation cellulaire, et la nécessité de faire appel à une forme de causalité descendante allant de l’organisme au génome. À travers cette étude, si nous ne pouvons prétendre statuer définitivement sur la solution ruyérienne, nous avons toutefois cherché à mettre en évidence la persistance d’importants débats philosophiques autour du problème de la morphogenèse et la fécondité d’une étude de la philosophie de Ruyer pour les aborder. (shrink)

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, and one of the most important philosophers of the past two hundred years. As we approach the 125th anniversary of the Nobel laureate's birth, his works continue to spark debate, resounding with unmatched timeliness and power. The Problems of Philosophy, one of the most popular works in Russell's prolific collection of writings, has become core reading in philosophy. Clear and accessible, this little book is an intelligible and stimulating guide (...) to those problems of philosophy which often mistakenly lead to its status as too lofty and abstruse for the lay mind. Focusing on problems he believes will provoke positive and constructive discussion, Russell concentrates on knowledge rather than metaphysics, steering the reader through his famous 1910 distinction between "knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description," and introducing important theories of Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Hume, Locke, Plato, and others to lay the foundation for philosophical inquiry by general readers and scholars alike.With a new introduction by John Perry, this valuable work is a perfect introduction to the field and will continue to stimulate philosophical discussion as it has done for nearly forty years. (shrink)

By a `denoting phrase' I mean a phrase such as any one of the following: a man, some man, any man, every man, all men, the present King of England, the present King of France, the center of mass of the solar system at the first instant of the twentieth century, the revolution of the earth round the sun, the revolution of the sun round the earth. Thus a phrase is denoting solely in virtue of its form. We may distinguish (...) three cases: (1) A phrase may be denoting, and yet not denote anything; e.g., `the present King of France'. (2) A phrase may denote one definite object; e.g., `the present King of England' denotes a certain man. (3) A phrase may denote ambiguously; e.g. `a man' denotes not many men, but an ambiguous man. The interpretation of such phrases is a matter of considerably difficulty; indeed, it is very hard to frame any theory not susceptible of formal refutation. All the difficulties with which I am acquainted are met, so far as I can discover, by the theory which I am about to explain. (shrink)

In “Ruyer, Leibniz and the Unity of Bodies”, Bertrand Vaillant addresses the problem of the unity of bodies as inherited from Leibniz by French philosopher Raymond Ruyer (1902-1987). He examines Ruyer’s metaphysical solution, a “corrected monadology”, in the light of this Leibnizian influence. He intends to show that this solution, designed to avoid the difficulties raised by Leibniz’ metaphysics, doesn’t quite succeeds in that respect.

Onze ans après Voyage au bout d'une vie, parallèlement réédité, Bertrand Vergely entreprend un nouveau livre sur la mort. Ce nouveau récit, philosophique, prend la forme d'une pérégrination entre un voyage et une promenade, où il parle des rencontres faites à propos de la mort et de la vie, des choses qu'il a été amené à les formuler au sujet de l'euthanasie ou du suicide, des cours donnés sur la question de la mort. Dans ces réflexions il a voulu (...) entremêler le réel et la pensée parce qu'il ne voit pas comment penser la mort autrement. Quand on est en face de l'abîme qu'elle représente, c'est en parlant du réel pensé qu'on la vit de la façon la plus juste. En fait, cette pérégrination tente de raconter comment un philosophe est amené à rencontrer les questions de la mort, de l'euthanasie et du suicide. C'est en quelque sorte le récit d'une rencontre entre la pensée et la mort. Dans ce nouveau livre, Bertrand Vergely a voulu rassembler les expériences auxquelles il a été confronté ces dix dernières années à partir de rencontres, de témoignages et d'expériences. (shrink)

THE PHILOSOPHY which I advocate is generally regarded as a species of realism, and accused of inconsistency because of the elements in it which seem contrary to that doctrine. For my part, I do not regard the issue between realists and their opponents as a funda- mental one; I could alter my view on this issue without changing my mind as to any of the doctrines upon which I wish to lay stress. I hold that logic is what is fundamental (...) in philosophy, and that schools should be characterized rather by their logic than by their metaphysic. My own logic is atomic, and it is this aspect upon which I should wish to lay stress. Therefore I prefer to describe my philosophy as "logical atomism," rather than as "realism," whether with or without some prefixed adjective. (shrink)

How do we know what we "know"? How did we –as individuals and as a society – come to accept certain knowledge as fact? In _Human Knowledge,_ Bertrand Russell questions the reliability of our assumptions on knowledge. This brilliant and controversial work investigates the relationship between ‘individual’ and ‘scientific’ knowledge. First published in 1948, this provocative work contributed significantly to an explosive intellectual discourse that continues to this day.

The impact of socially responsible corporate behavior on economic performance is a major preoccupation of managers today. This article explores the links between narrowly defined constructs: stakeholder orientation, environmental proactivity and profitability, from the perspectives of stakeholder theory and resource-based theory. We collected data on the food and beverage, and household and personal products industries. Using structural equation modeling, this paper makes two contributions. We found a negative link between companies simply having a higher stakeholder orientation and profitability. Importantly, however, (...) environmental proactivity not only had a positive impact on profitability, but also appeared to mediate the relationship between stakeholder orientation and profitability. In other words, if a company is more environmentally proactive, it will be more attentive to a broad array of stakeholders, and this will in turn contribute positively to profitability. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Klio Jahrgang: 96 Heft: 1 Seiten: 311-313.

La biologie occupe une place centrale dans la philosophie de Raymond Ruyer. Nous nous intéressons dans cet article à certains faits biologiques, considérés par Ruyer comme ayant une portée métaphysique essentielle. Nous nous demanderons si les récentes évolutions de la biologie du développement ont pu invalider ses thèses concernant la morphogenèse, c’est-à-dire l’apparition d’une nouvelle forme dans le développement embryonnaire, et particulièrement son rejet des explications mécanistes. Nous étudierons trois ensembles de faits sur lesquels Ruyer appuie sa philosophie du développement (...) : le rejet du mécanisme et l’importance des facteurs non-génétiques dans l’embryogenèse, la coordination spatiale du développement et notamment de la différenciation cellulaire, et la nécessité de faire appel à une forme de causalité descendante allant de l’organisme au génome. À travers cette étude, si nous ne pouvons prétendre statuer définitivement sur la solution ruyérienne, nous avons toutefois cherché à mettre en évidence la persistance d’importants débats philosophiques autour du problème de la morphogenèse et la fécondité d’une étude de la philosophie de Ruyer pour les aborder. (shrink)

De tout temps, la philosophie a subi les assauts de ses détracteurs. On l'accuse d'être confuse, inutile puisque n'apportant pas de solutions à nos vies ou encore morte, car pensée par et pour les Anciens. Pourtant, par ses étonnements, ses questions et ses critiques, la philosophie ne cesse d'explorer ce qui fait la richesse de la condition humaine à travers la nature, Dieu, la conscience, la liberté ou l'histoire. La philosophie n'est donc pas là pour produire un savoir ni même (...) des savants. Elle est là, comme nous le montre l'auteur, pour que les hommes ne perdent pas leur âme à force de savoir. (shrink)

S'agissant de notre rapport à l'au-delà, nous sommes les jouets de nos images. Alors que l'on y croit, au fond, on finit par détruire cette " réalité " qu'est l'au-delà, en en faisant une réalité familière. Trop familière pour être encore l'au-delà. Mais il est possible de penser un rapport de l'homme à la mort qui n'abolisse ni la vie ni l'homme. Si tel est le cas, cela voudrait dire qu'il existe une possibilité inédite de vie, que nous ne soupçonnons (...) pas encore, donnant à penser l'au-delà au-delà de tout ce que nous pouvons penser encore à cet égard. (shrink)

Logical Atomism is a philosophy that sought to account for the world in all its various aspects by relating it to the structure of the language in which we articulate information. In _The Philosophy of Logical Atomism,_ Bertrand Russell, with input from his young student Ludwig Wittgenstein, developed the concept and argues for a reformed language based on pure logic. Despite Russell’s own future doubts surrounding the concept, this founding and definitive work in analytical philosophy by one of the (...) world’s most significant philosophers is a remarkable attempt to establish a novel way of thinking. (shrink)

By a `denoting phrase' I mean a phrase such as any one of the following: a man, some man, any man, every man, all men, the present King of England, the present King of France, the center of mass of the solar system at the first instant of the twentieth century, the revolution of the earth round the sun, the revolution of the sun round the earth. Thus a phrase is denoting solely in virtue of its form. We may distinguish (...) three cases: (1) A phrase may be denoting, and yet not denote anything; e.g., `the present King of France'. (2) A phrase may denote one definite object; e.g., `the present King of England' denotes a certain man. (3) A phrase may denote ambiguously; e.g. `a man' denotes not many men, but an ambiguous man. The interpretation of such phrases is a matter of considerably difficulty; indeed, it is very hard to frame any theory not susceptible of formal refutation. All the difficulties with which I am acquainted are met, so far as I can discover, by the theory which I am about to explain. (shrink)

Après l’accession de la Colombie à l’indépendance, le défi de la mise en place d’un enseignement scientifique et technique trouve finalement sa résolution en 1848 avec la création de l’école militaire : le Colegio Militar. L’étude de cet établissement implanté sur le continent sud-américain dans un contexte postcolonial, nous permet de porter un regard décentré sur la mise en place d’un enseignement des mathématiques, de montrer les choix dont il relève et l’influence des contextes politique et social. Par ailleurs, le (...) Colegio Militar nous conduit à nous interroger sur les circulations des savoirs suscités par leur transmission dans le cadre d’établissements scolaires. L’enjeu de l’étude institutionnelle est alors de mettre en évidence la diversité de ces circulations, les processus d’adaptation qui les accompagnent, mais surtout, la manière dont ceux-ci se répercutent sur les enseignements et leur évolution. (shrink)

Après l’accession de la Colombie à l’indépendance, le défi de la mise en place d’un enseignement scientifique et technique trouve finalement sa résolution en 1848 avec la création de l’école militaire : le Colegio Militar. L’étude de cet établissement implanté sur le continent sud-américain dans un contexte postcolonial, nous permet de porter un regard décentré sur la mise en place d’un enseignement des mathématiques, de montrer les choix dont il relève et l’influence des contextes politique et social. Par ailleurs, le (...) Colegio Militar nous conduit à nous interroger sur les circulations des savoirs suscités par leur transmission dans le cadre d’établissements scolaires. L’enjeu de l’étude institutionnelle est alors de mettre en évidence la diversité de ces circulations, les processus d’adaptation qui les accompagnent, mais surtout, la manière dont ceux-ci se répercutent sur les enseignements et leur évolution. (shrink)

Après l’accession de la Colombie à l’indépendance, le défi de la mise en place d’un enseignement scientifique et technique trouve finalement sa résolution en 1848 avec la création de l’école militaire : le Colegio Militar. L’étude de cet établissement implanté sur le continent sud-américain dans un contexte postcolonial, nous permet de porter un regard décentré sur la mise en place d’un enseignement des mathématiques, de montrer les choix dont il relève et l’influence des contextes politique et social. Par ailleurs, le (...) Colegio Militar nous conduit à nous interroger sur les circulations des savoirs suscités par leur transmission dans le cadre d’établissements scolaires. L’enjeu de l’étude institutionnelle est alors de mettre en évidence la diversité de ces circulations, les processus d’adaptation qui les accompagnent, mais surtout, la manière dont ceux-ci se répercutent sur les enseignements et leur évolution. (shrink)

Bertrand de Jouvenel (1903–1987) was a renowned French philosopher and political economist. In Sovereignty he turned his attention to the relationship between the distribution of power and the creation of an ethical society. More specifically, he was concerned with the potential confusion of the body politic resulting from the development of increasingly dynamic and nebulous social conditions. The text is written in an exploratory fashion, reflecting the authorial perception of an ambiguity in modern political structures. This translated Cambridge edition, (...) which was first published in 1957, was derived from a 1955 French original. It constitutes an important contribution to post-war political theory that will remain of value to anyone with an interest in questions relating to political structures and the nature of authority. (shrink)

DNA arrays are now widely used in academia and industry, and expression profiling is recognised as a major tool for basic research as well as for drug development. It is also likely, in the near future, that DNA arrays will be used in clinical laboratories for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Since several types of arrays are being used, the coherence of results obtained using these diverse platforms becomes an important issue: to what extent can data obtained in different laboratories and (...) with different equipment be combined? Several recent papers address this issue and demonstrate that the expected agreement is not necessarily found. Consistent results can be obtained, but this requires careful identification of the genes assessed by the arrays, and scrupulous adherence to strict experimental procedures. BioEssays 26:1236–1242, 2004. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Until quite recently, recombinant DNA technology was not able to deal with DNA molecules larger than 20–40 kb. This is a serious limitation for the study of mammalian, and in particular human genomes whose total length is approx. 3 × 106 kb, since the best resolution of genetic and chromosomal analysis is usually the rough equivalent of 1000–5000 kb. Three recently developed methods promise to bridge this gap: pulsed field gel electrophoresis, which can analyze megabase‐sized DNA fragments; cloning in yeast, (...) which can clone and propagate DNA fragments of several hundred kb; and jumping libraries, which allow ‘jumping’ over large distances along the chromosome. This review presents the current status of these very promising technologies. (shrink)

Bertrand Russell was born in 1872 and died in 1970. One of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, he transformed philosophy and can lay claim to being one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He was a Nobel Prize winner for Literature and was imprisoned several times as a result of his pacifism. His views on religion, education, sex, politics and many other topics, made him one of the most read and revered writers of the age. (...) This, his autobiography, is one of the most compelling and vivid ever written. This one-volume, compact paperback edition contains an introduction by the politician and scholar, Michael Foot, which explores the status of this classic nearly 30 years after the publication of the final volume. (shrink)