John McDowell argues that ethical behavior cannot be grounded in an external set of normative rules. Instead, he proposes to ground ethical behavior in being a virtuous person. A fully virtuous person is able to identify unambiguously any moral fact she is confronted with. McDowell’s strategy seems to be, prima facie, an attractive one as it escapes some of the most serious problems that beset normative ethics. The concept of a virtuous person runs, however, into its own difficulties. It does not seem to be easily compatible with what we know about human psychology, namely about the normal perception and cognition. The aim of the paper is to expose the core of the incompatibility., John McDowell tvrdí, že etické chování nemůže být založeno na externím souboru normativních pravidel. Místo toho navrhuje, aby etické chování bylo uznáno za ctnostného člověka. Plně ctnostná osoba je schopna jednoznačně identifikovat jakýkoli morální fakt, se kterým je konfrontována. McDowellova strategie se zdá být na první pohled atraktivní, protože uniká některým z nejzávažnějších problémů, které sužují normativní etiku. Koncept ctnostného člověka však běží do vlastních potíží. Nezdá se, že by bylo snadno kompatibilní s tím, co víme o lidské psychologii, konkrétně o normálním vnímání a poznání. Cílem příspěvku je odhalit jádro neslučitelnosti., and Ivo Dragoun
In this paper I argue that the enkratic principle in its classic formulation may not be a requirement of rationality. The investigation of whether it is leads to some important methodological insights into the study of rationality. I also consider the possibility that we should consider rational requirements as a subset of a broader category of agential requirements., V tomto příspěvku tvrdím, že enkratický princip ve své klasické formulaci nemusí být požadavkem racionality. Šetření, zda vede k některým důležitým metodickým pohledům na studium racionality. Také zvažuji možnost, že bychom měli zvážit racionální požadavky jako podmnožinu širší kategorie agenčních požadavků., and Andrew Reisner
This paper's primary purpose is to show that there is a peculiar alternative to scientism whose central thesis is not about sources of knowledge or the existence of various objects, but it aims at setting out a strategy to help decide which of the two mutually exclusive beliefs is the better one to adopt. Scientophilia, to coin a term, recommends preferring, without any discussion, a position consistent with the consensus of credible and reliable experts in a given domain. In case there is no such agreement, mainly because peers disagree with each other, or experts are difficult to identify, it is recommended for a scientophile to suspend judgment. Scientophilia is not a position on science or human knowledge boundaries, but it deals with the practical side of belief change. Verdicts made by this approach are partially similar to those offered by mild scientism, as scientophilia puts scientific knowledge as one of the most reliable sources. However, it is also consistent with mild antiscientism, as in some particular cases (for example, Moorean truths), it assigns reliable expertise to non-scientific experts. Therefore it is a third way.
The article synthesizes available information on isotopic composition of precipitation in Slovakia (the Western Carpathians). Monthly δ18O data from eleven stations and period 1988-1997 were used to investigate correlations among the stations, altitude, air temperature and precipitation amount effects. The mean annual altitude and air temperature gradients of δ18O in precipitation were 0.21‰/100 m and 0.36‰/1°C, respectively. Maps of spatial distribution of mean annual δ18O in precipitation based on both gradients were constructed. The two maps do not significantly differ for the majority of Slovakia. δ2 H data were available for only three stations. Local meteoric water line derived for the station with the longest data series (δ2 H = = 7.86δ18O + 6.99) was close to the Global Meteoric Water line. Its parameters in periods 1991-1993 and 1991-2008 did not change. The study indicates that a more detailed monitoring of isotopic composition of precipitation in mountains should be carried out in the future. The highest station exhibited very small seasonal variability of δ18O in precipitation compared to other Slovak stations. The second highest mountain station had significantly higher deuterium excess than the neighboring stations located in the valley. In some analyses the data from the nearest stations situated abroad (Vienna, Krakow) were used. and Príspevok syntetizuje dostupné údaje o izotopickom zložení zrážok na území Slovenska (Západné Karpaty). Hodnotí koreláciu hodnôt δ18O v kumulatívnych mesačných zrážkach z rokov 1988-1997 medzi jednotlivými stanicami, vplyv nadmorskej výšky, teploty vzduchu a úhrnu zrážok. Priemerný ročný výškový gradient δ18O v zrážkach je 0,21‰/100 m, priemerný ročný teplotný gradient δ18O v zrážkach je 0,36‰/1°C. Oba gradienty boli použité na vytvorenie mapy priestorového rozdelenia δ18O v zrážkach na území Slovenska. Mapa vytvorená pomocou výškového gradientu δ18O v zrážkach sa pre väčšinu územia Slovenska významne nelíši od mapy vytvorenej pomocou teplotného gradientu. Hodnoty δ2 H v zrážkach boli k dispozícii len pre tri stanice na Slovensku. Pre stanicu s najdlhším radom údajov (1991-2008) bola určená lokálna meteorická čiara (δ2 H = 7.86δ18O + 6.99), ktorej priebeh je blízky globálnej meteorickej čiare. Parametre lokálnej meteorickej čiary sa počas skúmaného obdobia nezmenili. Merané mesačné údaje poukazujú na potrebu podrobnejšieho monitoringu izotopického zloženia zrážok v horách. Najvyššie ležiaca stanica mala v porovnaní s ostatnými stanicami veľmi malú sezónnu variabilitu δ18O v zrážkach. Druhá najvyššie položená stanica mala podstatne vyšší exces deutéria, ako susedné stanice ležiace v kotlinovej polohe. Pri niektorých analýzach boli údaje zo Slovenska porovnávané s najbližšie ležiacimi zahraničnými stanicami (Viedeň, Krakov).
The article deals with Cantor’s diagonal argument and its alleged philosophical consequences such as that (1) there are more reals than integers and, hence, (2) that some of the reals must be independent of language because the totality of words and sentences is always count-able. My claim is that the main flaw of the argument for the existence of non-nameable (hence unrecognizable) objects or truths lies in a very superficial understanding of what a name or representation actually is., Abstraktní
Článek pojednává o Cantorově diagonálním argumentu a jeho údajných filosofických důsledcích, jako je to, že (1) existuje více reálných než celých čísel, a proto (2) že některé z reals musí být nezávislé na jazyce, protože souhrn slov a vět je vždy počitatelný. Moje tvrzení je, že hlavní chybou argumentu pro existenci nemazatelných (tedy nerozpoznatelných) objektů nebo pravd leží velmi povrchní chápání toho, co vlastně je jméno nebo reprezentace., and Vojtěch Kolman
The aim of this paper is to analyze J. C. Maxwell’s Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism at the levels of scientific theory and methodology in order to show that it displays certain highly specific epistemic features. We shall start with a reconstruction of the method by means of which is it constituted by briefly delineating the main partial theories utilized up by Maxwell. Next, we shall show that the Treatise also involves potentially also an additional method of theory constitution that was not, however, employed by Maxwell. This method, as we will show next, enables one to employ the Treatise as a ‘structuroanatomic key’ for the reconstruction of those theories in which the Treatise initially originated. Then will provide a critical reflection on Maxwell’s views on the swing from reflections on vortices and ''idlewheel'' particles, which he introduced in the article ''On Physical Lines of Force'' to the examination of the employed Lagrange’s method of analytic mechanic. Finally, we shall employ Maxwell’s Treatise as a ''key'' for the analysis of the more recent discussion of the so-called ''Inconsistency of Classical Electrodynamics.'' and Igor Hanzel