A Reply to Groves

In this article, I respond to the criticisms of my ideas made by Christopher Groves in his piece “Logic of Choice or Logic of Care? Uncertainty, Technological Mediation and Responsible Innovation”, which was published in this journal. In my refutation of his objections, I firstly argue that, thanks to the work of the European Court of Human Rights, human rights are continuously evolving in Europe and therefore constitute a framework that is open to the future. Secondly, I argue that, through codes of conduct, guidelines, etc., human rights give rise to moral practices, for example in the business sphere, and that they are not abstract and universal like natural rights, but contextual and actuated at the world-regional level, in particular. Finally, I show that a human rights framework is more effective than an ethics of care when it comes to dealing with certain aspects of intergenerational relationships, such as genetic enhancement in humans.     

Evidence,explanation and enhanced indispensability

In this paper I shall adopt a possible reading of the notions of ‘explanatory indispensability’ and ‘genuine mathematical explanation in science’ on which the Enhanced Indispensability Argument (EIA) proposed by Alan Baker is based. Furthermore, I shall propose two examples of mathematical explanation in science and I shall show that, whether the EIA-partisans accept the reading I suggest, they are easily caught in a dilemma. To escape this dilemma they need to adopt some account of explanation and offer a plausible answer to the following ‘question of evidence’: What is a genuine mathematical explanation in empirical science and on what basis do we consider it as such? Finally, I shall suggest how a possible answer to the question of evidence might be given through a specific account of mathematical explanation in science. Nevertheless, the price of adopting this standpoint is that the genuineness of mathematical explanations of scientific facts turns out to be dependent on pragmatic constraints and therefore cannot be plugged in EIA and used to establish existential claims about mathematical objects.     

Behavioral effects of testosterone in relation to social rank in the male rabbit

The role of gonadal androgens in favoring the adaptation to environmental pressure, including social organization, is well known. In the rabbit, testosterone administration increases marking behavior, and its level can be affected by agonistic interaction. In this experiment, we studied the effect of subcutaneous administration of testosterone propionate (TP) (3 mg/d for 6 days) in male rabbits belonging to the same social group (6 groups of 4 animals). In 2 additional groups (4 animals each), males were injected with almond oil. The animals were observed for 6 days in seminatural conditions, then treated with TP (or oil) and observed for another 6 days. The dominant/subordinate frequency ratio of behavioral patterns was used to rank the animals. The testosterone plasma concentration was correlated with agonistic behavior after the first period of social interaction. A significant increase of marking, digging, and defensive activity was observed after TP administration in all animals independent of rank, whereas this increase was not present in animals treated with oil. Agonistic and interactive behaviors increased significantly after TP treatment only in the first‐ranking animals. This indicates the influence of social rank in the modification of behaviors involving interactions among subjects Aggr. Behav. 29:269–278, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Effects of predation risk on the sensory asymmetries and defensive strategies of Bufotes balearicus tadpoles

Animal Cognition - Lateralization consists of the differential use of bilateral organs or limbs and is well described in many taxa and in several contexts. Common ecological frameworks where it can...     

Analyse d'une Sepreuve d'image mentale chez des adolescents presentant des difficultis d'apprentissage scolaire1

Le travail faisant l'objet de cet article s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un programme de recherche plus large qui s'intéresse à la variabilité individuelle des processus cognitifs et à son influence éventuelle sur les lois générates du développement de l'intelligence. Une partie des résultats a déjàété présentée dans d'autres publications auxquelles le lecteur pourra se référer pour plus de détails (par exemple, Rieben et al., 1983). Nous nous contenterons de les décrire brièvement afin d'introduire l'aspect spécifique sur lequel nous nous sommes centrées ici.     

The Theoretical Reformer: on Husserl’s Plato (Husserl and the Figures of the History of Philosophy)

ABSTRACT

The present research contributes to the elucidation of an important aspect of Husserl’s interpretation of the history of philosophy, that is, his reading of the beginning of Western thought. In particular, it aims to clarify the sense in which Husserl deems Plato the father of the idea itself of philosophy as a science. As will be maintained, Husserl thinks of Socrates and Plato together as providing the first reform of philosophy, whose overall goal is to give reason (Vernunft) a universal method of self-justification against the general skepticism of the sophists. The analysis will be both systematically and historically oriented, for, it will try to both reconstruct Husserl’s interpretation of the background against which Plato first introduces the idea of philosophy as a science, and to show that what is truly at stake for Husserl is the nature of philosophy itself.     

Righting behaviour in the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis): relations between behavioural and morphological lateralization

Animal Cognition - Lateralization represents a key property of many behavioural traits, with the right and left sides of the brain providing different and integrative functions. Common ecological...