The model of mind and body in Tibetan medical practice is based on Buddhist theory, and is neither dualistic in a Cartesian sense, nor monistic. Rather, it represents a genuine alternative to these positions by presenting mind/body interaction as a dynamic process that is situated within the context of the individual’s relationships with others and the environment. Due to the distinctiveness, yet interdependence, of mind and body, the physician’s task is to heal the patient’s mind (blo-gso) as well as body. (...) This in turn emphasizes the central importance of ‘compassion’ in the physician/patient relationship. This article investigates how Tibetan medical practitioners understand and enact the mind/ body and physician/patient relationships, and how this relates to theoretical explications of these relationships in Tibetan medical and Buddhist teachings. Furthermore, Tibetan medicine provides an interesting model for comparison with embodied theories of cognition, which see consciousness, the body and its environment as integral parts of a complex, dynamical cognitive system. (shrink)

Western sociology of the body, despite its attempt to create a somatic approach to human existence, inevitably shares many of the rationalistic and Cartesian assumptions of wider Western sociology. A contrasting, and in many ways radically different approach is that found in both classical and contemporary Japanese thought. In this article two major contemporary Japanese theorists of the body - Ichikawa Hiroshi and Yuasa Yasuo - are introduced and their work examined as distinctive, and in the West virtually unknown, contributions (...) to body analysis. Their views are briefly contrasted with some of the major themes of Western, and in particular British, sociology of the body and the implications of their work for future investigation of the human body are sketched out. (shrink)

Livro-texto de introdução à lógica, com (mais do que) pitadas de filosofia da lógica, produzido como uma versão revista e ampliada do livro Forallx: Calgary. Trata-se da versão de 13 de outubro de 2022. Comentários, críticas, correções e sugestões são muito bem-vindos.

Neste trabalho eu pretendo oferecer um breve esboço de uma das fontes do utilitarismo. A teoria do direito natural de Richard Cumberland. Embora o autor se insira na tradição do jus naturae, há elementos suficientes em seu texto que apontam para a preparação de noções importantes ao utilitarismo, noções de raciocínio consequencialista. Sem fazer anacronismos, eu pretenso esboçar aqui o papel assumido por Cumberland na história dessa corrente do pensamento ético.

The purpose of the article was to determine the relationship between the organizational culture and the institutional management of the "Enrique López Albújar" Educational Institution, Piura. Work is worked under a quantitative approach, descriptive and correlational scope, 40 teachers participated as a sample. Among the results, it was found that there is no significant relationship between organizational culture and institutional management, which did not allow validating the research hypothesis; However, a significant relationship between norms and customs with institutional management was (...) found; which concludes in compliance with the norms and good customs based on values. (shrink)

This article discusses the notion of transparency condition proposed by Richard Moran in Authority and Estrangement (2001). According to this notion the question in the first-person present tense about our own belief ("Do I believe in p?") is answered in reference with the same reasons that justify the answer to a corresponding question about the world (about the truth of p). Transparency, in this sense, is the fundamental characteristic of self-knowledge in the context of common experience. Understanding this idea (...) helps us to understand the notions which are normally associated to self-knowledge, such as immediacy (we do not need to turn to observation or inference) first-person authority (I have different access to my attitudes than other people do) and the relationship between self-knowledge, rationality and psychic health of a person. Through the presentation of the transparency condition and some objections to this notion, I aim to offer an interpretation of the notion of transparency which favors a modest conception of self-knowledge and rationality. (shrink)

Este presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal analisar a crítica de Richard Rorty à filosofia representacionista, buscando apresentar uma resposta de Rorty ao representacionismo. Rorty se opõe as ideias tradicionais em filosofia, oriundas de uma tradição mentalista, descritas por meio dos conceitos de “essência”, “natureza” e “fundamento”. Ao contrário deste vocabulário, ele apresenta a ideia de antirrepresentacionismo, etnocentrismo e liberalismo. Nesse sentido, o projeto tomará por base a obra clássica de Rorty: A filosofia e o espelho da natureza, bem (...) como a obra Objetivismo, relativismo e verdade. Para Rorty, não existe uma representação da mente e da linguagem que seja exata ou que possa formular uma verdade objetiva. A crítica rortyana se estabeleceu a partir de uma concepção de conhecimento como “representação acurada” da realidade, uma concepção de conhecimento que, conforme a interpretação rortyana, pressupõe supostamente que a “mente” e a “linguagem” desempenham um papel principal na construção de “representações” necessárias à compreensão da realidade, uma vez que “conhecer é representar, acuradamente, o que está fora da mente, assim, compreender a possibilidade da natureza do conhecimento é compreender o modo pelo qual a mente é capaz de construir representações”. Para Rorty, ao contrário dessa explicação, conhecer é tomar consciência das diversas descrições e vocabulários disponíveis ao sujeito num processo interacionista constante. (shrink)

O presente trabalho investiga a crítica de Rorty à teoria do conhecimento como essência especular. Considerando a ideia presente na tradição filosófica de que o conhecimento verdadeiro é aquele que representa fidedignamente a realidade, Rorty se insurge contra esta posição, argumentado que, o pensamento representacionista se ergueu a partir da crença de que é possível construir descrições do mundo que espelhem sua própria natureza, ou seja, descrições que representem de maneira fidedigna realidade, que é objeto do conhecimento e do mundo, (...) tal como ela é em si mesma, no qual a filosofia criou uma teoria do conhecimento como essência especular. Desse modo, o trabalho direciona-se para a seguinte questão: de que forma, a teoria do conhecimento como essência especular ocasionou peseudosproblemas para a filosofia antirrepresentacionista de Richard Rorty? Sendo assim, este trabalho tentará encontrar uma resposta ou um direcionamento para a resolução desse problema. (shrink)

Apesar das notáveis mudanças operadas sobre o mundo do trabalho, a mais radical das transformações já registradas no capitalismo passa antes de tudo pela ênfase inusitada sobre a capacidade que os rendimentos desta atividade asseguram: a capacidade de consumo. Seguindo as reflexões de Richard Sennett e Zygmund Bauman, registramos nos termos de uma “revolução copernicana do capitalismo” a virada extraordinária que, no interior deste sistema econômico moderno, substitui o imperativo da satisfação adiada e as realizações a longo prazo, pelo (...) princípio consumista da satisfação imediata e renovada, assim como a frugalidade pela prodigalidade, o ascetismo pelo gasto dispendioso, as práticas compulsórias de poupança e postergação pelo desejo incontido de felicidade aqui e agora perseguido via consumo. Com o presente texto propomos portanto uma análise da inflexão de valores que marca o recente capitalismo de economia flexível e de práticas consumistas, no confronto com a antiga “ética da procrastinação” de que fala Weber. (shrink)

O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar a perspectiva do filósofo neopragmatista Richard Rorty sobre a filosofia e a atividade profissional de seus praticantes. Nesse contexto, privilegiamos alguns aspectos de sua crítica anti-representacionista ao legado filosófico moderno e também seu prognóstico acerca do que a atividade filosófica pode vir a se tornar na contemporaneidade. No decorrer da argumentação de Rorty, temos uma abrangente crítica à noção epistemológica dominante de uma imagem mental especular e, em contrapartida, a proposição de uma necessária (...) transição para o campo cultural na qual a ênfase filosófica residiria nas possibilidades de uso da linguagem como modo de lidar com o mundo. (shrink)

O propósito deste artigo é investigar a relação entre as noções de etnocentrismo e liberalismo na perspectiva do filósofo neopragmatista Richard Rorty. Nesse sentido, mostramos que essa tênue filosofia política, centrada nas referidas noções, enfatiza a conectividade entre as práticas conversacionais e as questões morais, políticas e sociais compartilhada por culturas diferentes. Na filosofia de Rorty, sua noção branda de etnocentrismo atua como um elemento articulador entre sua perspectiva anti-representacionista de conhecimento e sua versão de liberalismo político. A partir (...) da crítica naturalista que inviabiliza as explicações transcendentais sobre a realidade, Rorty extrai as consequências historicistas necessárias para sua proposição de que há não limites, exceto os de caráter conversacional, para a apreensão e descrição do conhecimento. Nessa proposta etnocêntrica na qual não existe nada que seja transcendente em relação às práticas culturais, contingentes e históricas, tudo é considerado como dependente do provisório consenso intersubjetivo, em termos vocabulares e políticos de determinada comunidade e época. (shrink)

A proposta deste trabalho é mostrar alguns aspectos da contribuição da metáfora para a construção de novas subjetividades mediante a modificação das redes de crenças e desejos humanos na perspectiva do filósofo Richard Rorty. O aporte teórico baseia-se na produção de autores como: Rorty, Davidson e Calder, dentre outros. Rorty sustenta que é a partir da modificação das práticas linguísticas e de outras práticas sociais que novas subjetividades, isto é, novos tipos de seres humanos são produzidos. Nesse processo, somente (...) uma redescrição pode configurar um resposta à outra redescrição, isto porque não existe nenhuma instância a-histórica, universal e absoluta que sirva de ponto neutro para julgar todas as culturas, que no seu entender são vocabulários corporificados. Finalmente, procuramos demonstrar que para Rorty, as compreensões de Freud e Davidson sobre a metáfora permitem novas possibilidades para o uso da linguagem, no sentido de criar novos vocabulários ou práticas linguísticas que contribuem na construção de subjetividades alternativas, provisórias e redescritas. (shrink)

A propósito do Livro SWINBURNE, Richard. Deus Existe? Tradução de Agnaldo Cuoco Portugal. Brasília: Academia Monergista, 2015. 192p.

Neste trabalho, refletimos sobre as relações entre o pragmatismo e o neopragmatismo. Primeiro, apresentamos alguns aspectos históricos do pragmatismo americano clássico: Charles S. Peirce, William James e John Dewey. Em seguida, apresentamos dois tópicos interdependentes: a controversa leitura da tradiçáo pragmatista por Richard Rorty e a concepçáo de seu neopragmatismo. Para finalizar, discutimos a interpretaçáo alternativa de Richard Bernstein. Ele argumenta que a noçáo de conflito é um elemento revigorante para a pluralista tradiçáo pragmatista que concilia o pragmatismo (...) clássico com o pragmatismo contemporâneo sob o propósito comum de tentar sanar feridas filosóficas. (shrink)

This book, now in its fifth edition, provides a comprehensive introduction to Buddhist psychology and counselling, exploring key concepts in psychology and practical applications in mindfulness-based counselling techniques. This integrated study uses Buddhist philosophy of mind, psychology, ethics and contemplative methods to focus on the 'emotional rhythm of our lives', opening up new avenues for mental health.De Silva presents a range of management techniques for mental health issues including stress, anger, depression, addictions and grief. He moves beyond the restriction (...) of mental health issues to 'damage control', instead encouraging personal growth and positive emotions of compassion, forgiveness, generosity, equanimity and, ultimately, emotional balance.This book blends Western psychology and philosophy and ancient wisdom and contemporary thought to provide a key contribution to cognitive sciences, emotion studies, moral psychology and psychotherapy counselling. This new edition contains nine new chapters and an additional second part which focuses on counselling and mindfulness-based techniques in therapy. (shrink)

This work introduces the reader to the central issues and theories in Western environmental ethics, and against this background develops a Buddhist environmental philosophy and ethics. Drawing material from original sources, there is a lucid exposition of Buddhist environmentalism, its ethics, economics and Buddhist perspectives for environmental education. The work is focused on a diagnosis of the contemporary environmental crisis and a Buddhist contribution for positive solutions. Replete with stories and illustrations from original Buddhist sources, it is both informative and (...) engaging. (shrink)

The work presents in clear focus, comparative perspectives on the nature of Man, Mind, Motivation, Conflict, Anxiety and Suffering, as well as the therapeutic ...

The evolution and maintenance of cooperation in human and animal societies challenge various disciplines ranging from evolutionary biology to anthropology, social sciences, and economics. In social interactions, cooperators increase the welfare of the group at some cost to themselves whereas defectors attempt to free ride and neither provide benefits nor incur costs. The problem of cooperation becomes even more pronounced when increasing the number of interacting individuals. Punishment and voluntary participation have been identified as possible factors to support cooperation and (...) prevent cheating. Typically, punishment behavior is unable to gain a foothold in a population, while volunteering alone can efficiently prevent deadlocks in states of mutual defection but is unable to stabilize cooperation. The combined effects of the two mechanisms have surprisingly different consequences in finite and infinite populations. Here we provide a detailed comparison of the two scenarios and demonstrate that driven by the inherent stochasticity of finite populations, the possibility to abstain from social interactions plays a pivotal role, which paves the way for the establishment of cooperation and punishment. (shrink)

A description of consciousness leads to a contradiction with the postulation from special relativity that there can be no connections between simultaneous event. This contradiction points to consciousness involving quantum level mechanisms. The Quantum level description of the universe is re- evaluated in the light of what is observed in consciousness namely 4 Dimensional objects. A new improved interpretation of Quantum level observations is introduced. From this vantage point the following axioms of consciousness is presented. Consciousness consists of two distinct (...) components, the observed U and the observer I. The observed U consist of all the events I is aware of. A vast majority of these occur simultaneously. Now if I were to be an entity within the space-time continuum, all of these events of U together with I would have to occur at one point in space-time. However, U is distributed over a definite region of space-time (region in brain). Thus, I is aware of a multitude of space-like separated events. It is seen that this awareness necessitates I to be an entity outside the space-time continuum. With I taken as such, a new concept called concept A is introduced. With the help of concept A a very important axiom of consciousness, namely Free Will is explained. (shrink)

The status of wild capture fisheries has induced many fisheries and conservation scientists to express concerns about the concept of using forage fish after reduction to fishmeal and fish oil, as feed for farmed animals, particularly in aquaculture. However, a very large quantity of forage fish is being also used untransformed (fresh or frozen) globally for other purposes, such as the pet food industry. So far, no attempts have been made to estimate this quantum, and have been omitted in previous (...) fishmeal and fish oil exploitation surveys. On the basis of recently released data on the Australian importation of fresh or frozen fish for the canned cat food industry, here we show that the estimated amount of raw fishery products directly utilized by the cat food industry equates to 2.48 million metric tonnes per year. This estimate, plus the previously reported global fishmeal consumption for the production of dry pet food suggest that 13.5% of the total 39.0 million tonnes of wild caught forage fish is used for purposes other than human food production. This study attempts to bring forth information on the direct use of fresh or frozen forage fish in the pet food sector that appears to have received little attention to this date and that needs to be considered in the global debate on the ethical nature of current practices on the use of forage fish, a limited biological resource. (shrink)

Exposition of Abhidharma, Buddhist philosophy.

This book represents an outstanding contribution to the field of somatic psychology. It focuses on the relationship between body and emotions, and on the linkages between mindfulness-based emotion studies and neuroscience. The author discusses the awakening of somatic intelligence as a journey through pain and trauma management, the moral dimensions of somatic passions, and the art and practice of embodied mindfulness. Issues such as the emotions and the body in relation to Buddhist contemplative practice, against the background of the most (...) recent findings of current neuroscience, are expanded in the book. A broad review of the Darwinian-Jamesian heritage on emotion studies is a unique contribution to the tradition of the somatogenic strands of emotions, and provides a contrasting focus to the ideogenic emotions in Sigmund Freud. This work provides an invaluable resource for students of psychology and philosophy, psychotherapists and meditation teachers, students, and for anyone with an interest in the field of somatic psychology. (shrink)

This paper examines the Vitakkasanthana Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya from a psychological perspective. This discourse deals with unwanted, intrusive cognitions that interfere with one’s meditative efforts. Five strategies for dealing with these are given, presented in an hierarchical order. The paper elucidates and comments on these, with special reference to the techniques used, in present day clinical psychology and psychiatry, to counter intrusions/obsessions.

The work ‘Thinking and Feeling’ edited by Robert C. Solomon may be considered as a landmark in the history of the philosophy of the emotions. The work also has assembled together some of the best minds in the Anglo American Traditions. The central focus in this work is to mediate between the physiological arousal theories of emotions and the cognitive appraisal theories of emotions. My article is an attempt to mediate from my Asian background and in specific terms using the (...) Buddhist perspectives on emotion studies, to find answers, a subject on which I have worked over several decades. The Buddha has discouraged people in attempting to find ultimate answers to the body- mind relationships, but use pragmatic and practical perspectives for a two way interactionism. Thus, in the Buddhist analysis the mental and the cognitive, as well as bodily and the physiological are recognised, thus giving room for a holistic understanding of emotions concepts. In fact, Buddhism expects the body, feelings, perceptions, interpretations, and evaluations as facets of emotion concepts. The second point is the domination of the metaphor of reasons as the charioteer in managing unruly emotions in the West. But Buddhism introduces the factor of ‘mindfulness’ as an important ally in the management of emotions. My personal work in therapy and counselling has helped me to explore new dimensions for managing emotions through mindfulness practice. (shrink)

This book examines the psychological dimensions of emotions and humour in Buddhism. While there is a wealth of material concerning human emotions related to humour and the mindful management of negative emotions, very little has been written on the theory of Buddhist humour. Uniting both Buddhist and Western philosophy, the author draws upon the theory of ‘incongruity humour’, espoused by figures such as Kierkegaard, Kant and Hegel and absorbed into the interpretation of humour by the Buddhist monk and former Western (...) philosopher, Ñāṇavīra Thero. The author makes extensive use of rich primary sources such as the parables used by Ajahn Brahm while interweaving Western theories and philosophies to illuminate this original study of humour and emotion. This pioneering work will be of interest and value to students and scholars of humour, Buddhist traditions and existentialism more widely. (shrink)

“A meditative approach is an alternative to avoidance; it involves paying attention to emotions in a particular way. A meditative process involves teaching clients the skills of describing their experiences to themselves in an objective manner as if they were an outside observer talking to another person”.