Editorial ‘Political Normativity. Critical Essays on the Autonomy of the Political’

Ethical Theory and Moral Practice -     

Rethinking Knowledge

The view that the subject matter of epistemology is the concept of knowledge is faced with the problem that all attempts so far to define that concept are subject to counterexamples. As an alternative, this article argues that the subject matter of epistemology is knowledge itself rather than the concept of knowledge. Moreover, knowledge is not merely a state of mind but rather a certain kind of response to the environment that is essential for survival. In this perspective, the article outlines an answer to four basic questions about knowledge: What is the role of knowledge in human life? What is the relation between knowledge and reality? How is knowledge acquired? Is there any a priori knowledge?     

Are the inhibitory and faciliatory effects during retrieval of semantically related items present in amnestic mild cognitive impairment?

Prefrontal functions subserve inhibition control for retrieval of semantically related items inducing forgetting 19 a-MCI patients and 29 controls underwent neuropsychological evaluation and retrieval-practice paradigm (RPP) to estimate baseline remember (BR), retrieval-induced facilitation (FAC) and retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). A-MCI patients underwent also 3 T-MRI to assess relationship between regional grey matter (rGM) volumes and RPP indexes Behaviourally, RIF and FAC were both observed controls, while RIF only was observed in a-MCI patients. In patients but not in controls, RIF was associated with cognitive efficiency and FAC with memory performance. Patients showed also associations between BR and rGM volumes in the precuneus, no association was found between rGM volumes and RIF and FAC. A-MCI patients did not benefit from repeated practice during retrieval of studied items, which is likely due to their memory disorder. In contrast, patient cognitive efficiency would drive retrieval suppression of interfering stimuli.     

Perceptual and attentional factors in encoding irrelevant spatial information

Numerous studies found superior performance when the irrelevant location of a stimulus and response location were corresponding than when they were not corresponding (Simon effect), suggesting that stimulus location is processed in an obligatory manner. The present study compared Simon effects from the location of a relevant (i.e., to-be-attended) object to those from the location of an irrelevant (i.e., to-be-ignored) object. In four experiments, participants were presented with a rectangular frame and a square, with the relevant object in green or red color and the irrelevant object in gray or white color. Participants’ task was to respond with a lateral keypress to the color of the relevant object, and we varied spatial correspondence between the location of the relevant or the irrelevant object and the response, respectively. Results consistently showed larger Simon effects from the location of the relevant than from the irrelevant object, even when the irrelevant object was made very salient. These results suggest that location processing is largely confined to relevant (i.e., attended) objects, stressing the role of attention shifts for location encoding.     

Object-centred orienting of attention

Abstract

In the present study two experiments are reported in which the subjects were presented on a computer screen with a two-dimensional line drawing that is perceived as a three-dimensionalobject (i.e. a cube). The cube could be seen as stationary, as rotating about the y-axis (Experiment 1A), or as rotating about the x-axis (Experiment 1B). The subject's attention was directed by a visual precue to a vertex of the cube. As the cube rotated, the precued location moved in viewer-centred co-ordinatesm, but the local feature of the cube that had been precued (i.e. a given vertex) did not move in object-centred co-ordinates. The imperative stimulus was presented at the precued location (valid trials) or at an uncued location (invalid trials). Precued and uncued locations were determined in object-centred coordinates. The subjects were required to signal detection of the imperative stimulus by pressing the space bar on the computer keyboard. There were also control conditions in which the procedure was identical, but the cube was not visible. When the cube was visible, valid trials were faster than invalid trials, regardless of whether it was seen as stationary or rotating. It was concluded that the subjects could allocate spatial attention in object-centred co-ordinates. There wer also indications that responses for invalid trials were faster when the imperative stimulus was presented on the same face as the precue than when it was presented on the opposite face.     

Delirium and isolated angiitis of the central nervous system: a case report and review

Central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis is a rare entity, especially when it occurs in isolation; it is seen more commonly as part of a multisystem vasculitis. Common presenting symptoms include persistent headache, encephalopathy, and multifocal signs. We discuss the case of a 68-year-old female who presented twice in 1 month with confusion and choreaform movements. Extensive workup was negative for a connective tissue disease or other conditions in the differential, including neurosarcoidosis, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and neurosyphilis. The only significant findings were elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, inflammatory signs in the CNS, and diffuse slowing of the electroencephalogram. A presumptive diagnosis of isolated angiitis of the central nervous system (IACNS) was made and the patient was successfully treated with steroids. She recovered fully with no residual symptoms. The diagnosis of IACNS is often difficult given there are no definitive laboratory investigations or pathognomonic presentation. However, a series of signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings have been proposed that are helpful in making the diagnosis. To our knowledge, IACNS presenting primarily with delirium has not been previously reported in the literature. The diagnosis of IACNS is purely speculative for this case, as the gold standard for diagnosis, a leptomeningeal cortical biopsy, was not performed.