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Transversality as Disruption and Connection: On the Possibilities and Limits of Using the Framework of Trauma in Glissant’s Philosophy of Caribbean History
No full textWhat do we mean when we describe the history of the Caribbean as traumatic? Is it possible to use the term ‘trauma’ here in a more technical sense, or should we give it the less strict connotation of an extreme form of an event in which the past no longer stays just in the past and the future never ceases to demand something from the present? In this paper I analyze the image ofthe abyss, used by Édouard Glissant to evoke poetically on of the beginnings of the Caribbean, as leading to a paradox on the attitude toward history: Caribbean communities have been burdened with a non-history that feels, at the same time, like too much history. I show that this image resembles the paradoxical structure of trauma developed in the works of Cathy Caruth, according to whom trauma is a paradoxical structure of experience in which the subject (or a community) is painfully possessed by an image that they have barely perceived and that is so minimal that it cannot be controlled. However, I argue, there are limits to this resemblance. I focus on the question whether the (traumatic) paradox is escapable in this region of the world, that is, whether Caribbean communities can be de-traumatized, and what are the connections of this possibility with the question, central to Glissant, of decolonization. In order to answer these questions, I analyze a central feature of the Caribbean history according to Glissant, transversality, to show in what way the paradox of history can be loosened. 
Pierres, flèches, cigales, princes et principes : Gilles de Rome à propos des métaphores (politiques)
Get PDFIn this article, we are going to expose the theory
and the classification of metaphores that Giles of
Rome puts forward in his commentary on Aristotle’s
Rhetoric (1272-73). Giles works out his theory of four
types of metaphor as interpretive reaction to the suggestions
and examples that he could read in the latin translation
of Aristotle’s Rhetoric, but were frequently obscure
and misleading. In his De regimine we find the application
of only one type of metaphor, i.e. similitude (assmilatio
or metaphora secundum analogiam). Many of these
similitudes are grounded on the idea that there exists a
basic unity in the universe, for instance beween the natural
domain and the human society: this unity allows us to
apply the same principles to both domaines, interpreting
their dynamics in analogous ways. As a consequence, the
disciplines that deal with nature, human beings and their
societies follows parallel paths: for him ars is literally the
imitatrix naturae. In his commentary on Aristotle’s
Rhetoric we can also read interpretations of pseudoproverbs
and of asteia (elegant or puzzling words and expressions)
which indicate Giles’ early propension to reflect
on the political and ethical domains
«Comunicación» y «conversación» en las traducciones españolas de la Ética Nicomáquea del siglo XV
Get PDFOne of the aims of this volume is to analyze the
vocabulary that belongs to the intersection of the semantic
fields of language and politics in the origin of Romance
literatures. Our work will weigh the Castilian and Aragonese
lexis, by means of the analysis of the meaning of
the concepts «comunicación» and «conversación» in three
15th century Hispanic translations of Nicomachean Ethics:
the translation of the milieu of the Marqués de Santillana,
the translation of the Príncipe de Viana and the Aragonese
Compendium. Prima facie, «comunicación» and «conversación
» seem to belong to the semantic field of language,
however, we will show that none of them had primarily a
linguistic meaning and we will conclude that the concept
of «comunicación» was used as a synonym to «participación
» in a whole and «conversación» as a equivalent of
«pasatiempo» and «convivencia»
L\u27indiviualizzazione come decisione
Get PDFNelle scienze forensi e discipline affini, ricercatori e professionisti continuano ad essere divisi —da un punto di vista intuitivo e concettuale —sul significato della nozione di ‘individualizzazione’, quel processo tramite il quale un insieme di soggetti potenzialmente all’origine di una traccia èridotto ad un singolo individuo. In particolare, le recenti inversioni di tendenza promotrici di un’interpretazione dell’individualizzazione come decisione si sonorivelate un semplice cambio di etichetta [1], lasciando irrisolti aspetti di natura concettuale e teorica. Va inoltre detto che sia organizzazioni professionali che professionisti preferiscono astenersi dallo sposare la nozione di decisione nei termini di un approccio decisionale formale all’interno del quale l’individualizzazione puòessere concettualizzata in maniera adeguata. Questo atteggiamento è dovuto in modo particolare alle difficoltàinsite nel misurare la desiderabilitào indesiderabilitàdelle conseguenze di una decisione (p. es. usando le funzioni di utilità). Questo articolo presenta e discute i concetti fondamentali di utilitàe perdita, con particolare attenzione alla loro applicazione all’individualizzazione in campo forense. L’articolo, per un verso, sottolinea come un apprezzamento adeguato del quadro teorico possa semplificare i compiti necessari all’applicazione della teoria bayesiana della decisione e, per l’altro, dimostra come detta teoria possa essere applicata in maniera proficua a problemi concreti. Si dimostra che se si vogliono apportare cambiamenti alle scienze forensi che non siano meri cambi di etichetta, concepire l’individualizzazione come decisione richiede l’apprezzamento del quadro teorico sottostante.
Throughout forensic science and adjacent branches, academic researchers and practitioners continue to diverge in their perception and understanding of the notion of ‘individualization’, that is the claim to reduce a pool of potential donors of a forensic trace to a single source. In particular, recent shifts to refer to the practice of individualization as a decision have been revealed as being a mere change of label [1], leaving fundamental changes in thought and understanding still pending. What is more, professional associations and practitioners shy away from embracing the notion of decision in terms of the formal theory of decision in which individualization may be framed, mainly because of difficulties to deal with the measurement of desirability or undesirability of the consequences of decisions (e.g., using utility functions). Building on existing research in the area, this paper presents and discusses fundamental concepts of utilities and losses with particular reference to their application to forensic individualization. The paper emphasizes that a proper appreciation of decision tools not only reduces the number of individual assignments that the application of decision theory requires, but also shows how such assignments can be meaningfully related to constituting features of the real-world decision problem to which the theory is applied. It is argued that the decisonalization of individualization requires such fundamental insight to initiate changes in the fields’ underlying understandings, not merely in their label.
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Le notaire, animal politique et parlant. Jalons pour une histoire des représentations de la fonction notariale (XIIIe-XIVe s.)
No full textIn Thirteenth and fourteenth century Europe
and Italy, the notarial function was the object of a complex
process of ideological symbolization, well fitted to
the role played by the notarial milieu either in the communal
space, or in the laical and ecclesiastical courts. After
the emergence of ars dictaminis, the growth of ars notariae
boosted the formation of these representations of
the notary as a “speaking political animal”. This paper
tries to show how a comparative analysis of a variety of
sources (prologues of Artes notariae, of notarial statutes,
ludic correspondence between notaries...) allows us to explore
the ways through which a complex set of metaphorical
representations of the notarial figure was created
in Italy and France, thus symbolizing the auto-representation
of the notaries as creators of a social link based
on communication and contract
Introduction. Philosophy in and from Colombia
No full textIntroduction. Philosophy in and from Colombi
La recepción de Bentham en la Nueva Granada
No full textTaking as a point of reference the dispute between the newspapers El Constitucionalde Popayán and El Constitucionalde Cundinamarca (1835-1836), this article seeks to understand the difficulties found in the reception of Bentham\u27s utilitarian doctrines in Nueva Granada. The main obstacle lies in the incommensurability between presuppositions of a substantialist logical nature held by the receptors—no matter whether followers or detractors of utilitarianism—and the logical functionalism underlying Bentham\u27s claims. The concepts of substance and function are explained by appealing to a well-known work by Ernst Cassirer. In general, it can be said that the ‘criollo’ elites, forced from without to achieve their independence, were rather satisfied with their underlying substantialist logic. It was only due to exigencies derived from their exchange with new European interlocutors, that part of these elites eventually became interested in learning the utilitarian codes, not yet delving into their functionalist logical underpinnings
Introduction. L’homme comme animal politique et parlant
No full textIntroduction. L’homme comme animal politique et parlan
From Wit to Shit: Notes for an “Emotional” Lexicon of Sophistry during the Renaissance
No full textFrom the late fourteenth century to the early sixteenth century, authors of neo-Latin literature developed an ever-increasing catalogue of disparaging terms aimed at their perceived rivals, the ancient and contemporary sophists. This extensive vocabulary was deployed against the sophists’ perceived attempts to confuse their listeners, misguide their interlocutors, and corrupt classical learning. This vocabulary ranged from philosophical jargon, to straightforward critiques, to directly derogatory sobriquets. In these pages, I seek to tease out the origin, evolution, and adscription of these terms. In addition, I argue that the study of this lexicon can shed light on the role played by sophistries in the culture of disputation, conversation, and intellectual exchange during the Renaissance. Finally, I will clarify some issues related to the evolution of Latin during the sixteenth century. 
Biodesign : vers une relecture des rapports
No full textBeneath a designer’s curiosity towards biotechnology
lies, all the more, a preoccupation concerning
the evolution of our societies, both in the way they function
and in the way they are equipped. This neo-
Darwinian view is a means to change our conventions,
conferring on biodesign the capacity to bring forward an
analysis of politics and its power relations. Michael Burton’s,
Michiko Nitta’s as well as Alexandra Daisy
Ginsberg’s projects highlight the following dilemma:
either we keep on the conservatives’ and the ecologists’
path, or we take that of synthetic biology. Following this
second option, the proposed denunciation strategies lay
down a disputed phenomenological relation, which, once
experienced through those new representations, helps
measuring, understanding and reshaping our social reality