The Purpose in Life Test is a measure of purpose in life widely used in many cultures and countries; however, cross-cultural assessments are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL in the general population of seven Latin American countries. A total of 4306 people participated, selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling, where Uruguay has the highest mean age ; while Ecuador has the lowest mean age. Furthermore, in each country, there is a higher proportion (...) of women than men. Using Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the factorial structure does not show evidence of invariance among the included countries. However, based on the Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, there is evidence that a three-dimensional structure of the PIL is the same in the participating countries. Results based on item response theory indicate that most PIL items can significantly differentiate responses according to the level of life purpose. In addition, people with low life purpose will tend to choose the lower response alternatives on the PIL; while people with higher life purpose will choose higher response alternatives. The findings indicate that the PIL has the potential to increase knowledge about how people conceive and experience their purpose in life in different countries. (shrink)

Health has an important role in the achievement of a good quality of life. Many public policies intended to enhance individual and population health. Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) offers a framework to assess well-being, as well as interventions seeking to increase it. There are, however, important practical challenges that must be faced before applying CA to concrete situations, such as health. One of these challenges is defining whether it is functioning or a capability that is the feature to be (...) assessed. Moreover, some aspects of freedom that are relevant for CA are frequently neglected, such as agency. These aspects must be considered when performing a health assessment using the CA as a framework. A health assessment using the CA as a framework should include indicators based on the achieved dimension (health functioning), resources and conversion factors (health capability), and freedom to achieve (agency). (shrink)

The Next Release Problem (NRP) is a combinatorial optimization problem that aims to find a subset of software requirements to be delivered in the next software release, which maximize the satisfaction of a list of clients and minimize the effort required by developers to implement them. Previous studies have applied various metaheuristics, mostly genetic algorithms. Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDA), based on probabilistic modelling, have been proved to obtain good results in problems where genetic algorithms struggle. In this paper we (...) propose to adapt three EDAs to tackle the multi-objective NRP in a fast and effective way. Results show that EDAs can be applicable to solve the NRP with rather good quality of solutions. Furthermore, we prove that their execution time can be significantly reduced using a per-iteration solution subset selection method while maintaining the overall quality of the solutions obtained, and they perform the best when limiting the search time as in an interactive tool that requires fast responsiveness. The experimental framework, code and datasets have been made public in a code repository. (shrink)

Este artículo revisa aportes recientes en el campo de las ciencias cognitivas en relación al diseño del hábitat construido. Primeramente se describen los principales paradigmas teóricos que han animado el debate sobre cognición y conducta humanas durante las últimas décadas, para luego examinar las posibles aplicaciones de estas teorías en la arquitectura y el urbanismo, particularmente en torno a la capacidad de orientarnos y movernos en el medio construido.

There is a gap between the most abstract approach of Philosophy of language and the empirical information of language sciences. An intermediate level of abstraction and a bridge between Philosophy of language and language sciences is precisely Philosophy of languages. How can we come forward in philosophizing on language, if we are not able to philosophize on particular languages?. Language is nothing but the interrelated sum of languages. Philosophy of languages set out from the fact that every language has a (...) philosophical identity. Therefore, we should be much more conscious of the great relevance of every particular language for philosophical speech. A language is not a neutral tool for deep thinking. The core of a language is its Philosophy, a philosophicalperspective. Thus, a language has to give an implicit general orientation to whatever speech that is performed or written with its syntactic rules and concepts. A language is the framework, the atmosphere, the environment of every deep thinking (Philosophy or Theology). It is the deepest root of every deep thought. All of that can be analyzed in basic concepts like “to be” or “essence”. (shrink)

Ofrezco una reflexión sobre la virtud, entendida como clave del crecimiento humano, tanto en su faceta más genérica o filosófica como en su vertiente transcendente y cristiana. Primero, clarifico la pluralidad y la coordinación de las antropologías y de la ética de cara a una comprensión de la virtud como realización de valores. El resto de este ensayo se centra en las virtudes de la confianza, la esperanza y el amor. La unidad de éstas culmina en su específica dimensión cristiana. (...) Por fin, situados en esta antropología teológica de las virtudes, abordamos la racionalidad y la operatividad inherentes a dicha vivencia unitaria de la virtud en tres de sus más destacados aspectos. (shrink)

The article reviews research between 1999 and 2013 with the aim of knowing the epistemological foundations of research on distributed leadership, with special interest in education studies. We conclude it is an area in developing, with potential, but its empirical foundations are weak and methodological strategies are not always explicit, making it difficult to evaluate their findings somewhat. With respect to the theoretical basis, much of the research finds their sustenance in Engeström’s activity theory and Hutchins’s distributed cognition. The importance (...) of distributed leadership studies is its growing influence in the administration of colleges and universities, making these studies, a major political issue. El artículo revisa investigaciones entre los años 1999 y 2013 con el objetivo de conocer las bases epistemológicas de la investigación en liderazgo distribuido, con especial interés en estudios de educación. Se concluye que es un campo en formación, con potencial, pero que sus bases empíricas son débiles y sus estrategias metodológicas no siempre están explícitas, lo que dificulta un poco evaluar sus descubrimientos. Con respecto a las bases teóricas, gran parte de las investigaciones encuentran su sustento en la teoría de la actividad de Engeström y la teoría de la cognición distribuida de Hutchins. La importancia de los estudios de liderazgo distribuido es su creciente influencia en la administración de colegios y universidades, lo que hace de estos estudios un tema de gran relevancia política. (shrink)

Términos como «espiritualidad», «naturaleza», «naturalismo» y «religión» se han venido usando con frecuencia de modo engañoso desde el siglo decimoctavo, a partir del sector antirreligioso del Iluminismo británico y francés. De hecho, esos términos a veces significan lo contrario de lo que aparentemente expresan. Así pues, necesitamos explorar el significado real de dichos términos, en especial el de «naturalismo». También tenemos que analizar una serie de contradicciones acerca de la comprensión de nociones como «persona» y «religión». Nos proponemos argumentar una (...) nueva fraternidad universal y personal basada en la real naturaleza humana, la real espiritualidad y la real religiosidad. (shrink)

Comentamos aquí una obra de arte, la ¿Apoteosis de Santo Tomás¿ desde un amplio marco de reflexión. Sin duda, al contemplar, todos partimos de un horizonte intelectual y emocional. Intentamos hacerlo consciente, desarrollarlo, matizarlo, examinarlo. El horizonte de contemplación estética late y vivifica como un corazón, con independencia de lo que examinemos.

Tocar los porqués últimos de la técnica, filosofar sobre ella, requiere un concepto radical de la misma, así como un autoexamen de la filosofía hacia sus propias "técnicas". Desde tal radicalidad estudiamos sobre la técnica: su surgimiento a partir de los límites humanos y su historicidad ; sus raíces en el ser y las transformaciones de éste ; su construcción racional ; sus géneros, técnicas del ser y técnicas del tener ; y su último alcance, en cuanto a las posibles (...) raíces ateas en la técnica. (shrink)

Este artigo revisa a idéia de filosofia “medieval” and põe ênfase na variedade de significados daquela palavra. O autor crê que necessitamos de uma nova terminologia para aquele período da história do pensamento e sugere, por razões históricas, as expressões “United Age” e “Formation Age”. Em todo o artigo prevalece uma tentativa de compreender a natureza da atividade filosófica e da história da filosofia.

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)

Some nineteenth-century liberals declare that the "principle of freedom", which articulates the form of State they propose, requires the complement of other principles. This revisionist claim leads us to wonder about the way in which this principle has been understood and what has been its field of individual, social and political interference. The inquiry leads us to establish a connection between the principle of freedom and the struggle to overcome the regime of authority typical of the Ancien Régime and, specifically, (...) with the universal possibility of being able to exercise an economic activity beyond "corporate" tutelage or vassalage. In this way, the principle of liberty is linked to the new economic regime, markedly modern, which tries to find its own laws, beyond the administrative aspect, through the new analytical field inaugurated by the new political economy of the eighteenth-century économistes. The principle of freedom is confused, then, with laissez faire, but this maxim does not mean, at first, to defend the rule of possessive individualism, but is equivalent to the possibility of restricting the interference of discretionary and arbitrary political power in people's lives. However, despite being the principle of freedom, thus understood, the mainstay of the configuration of modern subjectivity and the root of the expansion of personality, it gives rise to certain antisocial behaviors that a good part of the same liberals will try to remedy through the regulatory action of other principles. In summary, by means of various sources that have been concerned with delimiting the meaning of liberal principles, which respond to different periods and ideologically opposed schools, we attempt to define the principle of freedom and, in turn, to show the positive and negative consequences that different interpreters have attributed to its application. (shrink)

This paper examines employees’ reactions to Corporate Social Responsibility programs at the attitudinal level. The results presented are drawn from an in-depth study of two Chilean construction firms that have well-established CSR programs. Grounded theory was applied to the data prior to the construction of the conceptual framework. The analysis shows that the implementation of CSR programs generates two types of attitudes in employees: attitudes toward the organization and attitudes toward society. These two broad types of attitudes can then be (...) broken down into four different categories : acceptance of the new role of the organization, identification with the organization, importance attached to the work performed and a sense of social justice. In turn, each of these categories is a grouping of many different concepts, some of which have at first sight little to do with CSR. Finally, the analysis reveals an attitudinal employee typology: the committed worker, the indifferent worker, and the dissident worker. (shrink)

The main goal of this article is to present Negative Dialectics as a central theme in the Adorno’s thought. In this work Adorno develops the antinomies that there are in the concept of instrumental reason, in order to assert the necessity for a new notion of rationality: a dialectical, negative and materialistic reason, which holds, at the same time, the non identity between subject-object, thought and reality. In this way Philosophy becomes critique of Idealism because this philosophical system defends the (...) “identity thinking” and the irrational society that supports, making a true freedom impossible. Instead of this conception Adorno defines Metaphysics as “negative dialectics” and antisystem, whose method is the analysis of thinking’s models, as a result of his own critical epistemology. (shrink)

Business Ethics: A European Review, EarlyView.

Most research studying the corporate social performance –corporate financial performance link has utilized developed country samples. Also, this literature has generally focused on a wide variety of industries, ignoring the fact that certain sectors – such as controversial industries – have graver social and environmental issues. Hence, a gap exists in this tradition when it comes to emerging markets and controversial industries. This paper attempts to fill this void by providing preliminary evidence and insight on the matter. Based on an (...) exploration in six Latin American countries and five controversial industries, we find a negative bidirectional association between CSP and CFP. These results tend to contradict the mainstream conclusion of a positive bidirectional link, suggesting that institutional and market-level forces play a major role in shaping this relationship. (shrink)

The use of technologies like artificial intelligence can drive productivity growth, efficiency and innovation. The goal of this study is to develop an anomaly detection method for locating flaws on the surface of sandwich panels using YOLOv5. The proposed algorithm extracts information locally from an image through a prediction system that creates bounding boxes and determines whether the sandwich panel surface contains flaws. It attempts to reject or accept a product based on quality levels specified in the standard. To evaluate (...) the proposed method, a comparison was made with a sandwich panel damage detection method based on a convolutional neural network and methods based on thresholding. The findings show that the proposed method, which is based on an object detector, is more accurate than the alternatives. The characteristics of the model, which can reject or accept a product according to the standard and limit allowable manufacturing flaws to obtain a quality product, also enable this system to improve industrial standards for producing sandwich panels while increasing speed. (shrink)

The aim of the present study was to carry out a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the existing literature studying the relationship between emotional intelligence and risk behavior. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific evidence available relating both constructs. Particular attention was paid to identifying possible differences in this relationship as a function of the different conceptualizations of EI and the risk domain. The study was conducted following the Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Our results revealed a (...) significant negative relationship between EI and health-related risk behaviors. However, this relationship was not observed in other risk domains such as finance and gambling. The relationship between EI and risk behavior differed according to the risk domain studied, which supports the notion that risk is a domain-specific construct. The results associated with the health-related risk behaviors are consistent with existing literature about the positive impact of emotional abilities on the health domain. A more complete understanding of the emotional mechanisms that underlie risk behavior could help to establish action guidelines and improve programmes to prevent and reduce the negative effects of risk behavior on our society. (shrink)

Even though the link between perceived corporate social responsibility fit and corporate reputation has received much attention from scholars, this tradition has ignored that the underpinnings of this association vary depending on the particular characteristics of each industry under study. To delve into this matter, we investigate in the increasingly relevant context of controversial industries how PCSR-fit could enhance corporate reputation and which are the mediating mechanisms of this association. Our academic contribution is twofold. First, we find that controversial sectors (...) indeed can increase corporate reputation through CSR activities. However, we find that to achieve this goal, the nature of PCSR-fit should be different than what extant literature indicates, because companies in these settings should directly focus on avoiding or reducing their inherent controversial harm or impact. Second, we evidence that “CSR initiatives' legitimacy” and “situational skepticism” mediate the PCSR-fit and corporate reputation relationship in CIs. Therefore, we further unravel the underpinnings of this association to advance what we know on the matter and aid practitioners in this particular context. (shrink)

Uno de los principales problemas de la filosofía de la psicopatología contemporánea consiste en definir qué tipo de estados mentales son aquellos que denominamos delirantes. A esto se le ha denominado el “problema tipológico de los delirios”. El principal objetivo de este artículo es examinar las principales alternativas filosóficas contemporáneas a este problema: el doxasticismo—de acuerdo con el cuál los delirios deben ser caracterizados como creencias—y al anti-doxasticismo—el cuál niega el estatuto doxásticos de los delirios y ofrece una caracterización alternativa. (...) Para examinar el debate, el artículo presentará las principales características de ambas posiciones y sus fundamentos. Después, examinaremos los principales argumentos esgrimidos contra el doxasticismo y las respuestas y contraargumentos por parte de las alternativas doxásticas. Finalmente, expondremos algunas cuestiones conceptuales y desafíos abiertos relacionados con el debate y que, a nuestro juicio, deberían de marcar la hoja de ruta de los filósofos de la mente interesados en los delirios en los próximos años. (shrink)

Three ethics program components, a code of ethics, ethics training initiatives and ethics-oriented performance appraisal content, were examined for their relationship to ethical intent using a sample of 525 employees from the Spanish financial services industry. As expected, all three components contributed to the prediction of ethical intent. Importantly, clusters of employees who reported experiencing distinct combinations of the program components were identified and compared for their level of ethical intent. Employees who perceived all three components to be strongly implemented (...) reported significantly higher levels of ethical intent relative to those who viewed the components as either all weakly implemented or not present. Combinations including training initiatives plus one other element had a similar impact to the fully implemented approach. Contrary to expectations, ethics-oriented performance appraisal content did not relate more strongly to ethical intent than codes of ethics. (shrink)

Los fenómenos que suelen asociarse con los sistemas complejos, como la emergencia o la autorregulación, parecen estar envueltos en cierta oscuridad. En primer lugar, las definiciones ofrecidas tienden a ser demasiado generales e inclusivas. En segundo lugar, no se suele aclarar el estatuto de este tipo de fenómenos: si son enteramente debidos al sujeto, o si poseen partes esenciales no reducibles a ningún otro fenómeno. El presente artículo analiza, desde el punto de vista de los sistemas complejos, las nociones de (...) emergencia y autorregulación. Se discuten los principales problemas que estas presentan y se perfilan algunas soluciones que podrían usarse de cara a elaborar una ontología de los sistemas complejos. Haciendo uso de estas soluciones, se proponen algunas definiciones de los principales fenómenos que componen un sistema complejo para, finalmente, ofrecer una definición de este tipo de sistema. Estas definiciones y soluciones se elaboran mediante el uso de herramientas filosóficas tales como la mereología o la teoría de la fundamentación. (shrink)