1,720,975 research outputs found
L'identità umana dopo Darwin
No full textThe concept of human identity is generally built upon the view that human beings are somehow central and unique among all the other living beings. Nonetheless, presumed human uniqueness is no longer tenable after the “revolution” caused by Darwin’s theory. According to the scientific image produced by Darwinian biology human beings can no longer be understood as the outcome of a project. Furthermore, cognitive ethology undermines also the idea that Homo sapiens is equipped with unique capacities and shows unique behaviors. Non human animals have minds and they are able of tool-making and cultural transmission. After Darwin the idea of a human identity rooted in the separation of humans from the rest of living world is irreparably undermined. New ideas of humanity should be elaborated from the view that humans and non-humans are netted and share emotions and experiences
Umani e non umani: un legame di somiglianze e diversità
No full textMoving from Frans De Waal's book "Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are", the development of the science of animal behavior is critically discussed. The role of ethology in transforming moral ideas about non-human animals is presented and argumented for
Bioetica e trasformazioni morali: una prospettiva naturalizzata e sentimentalista
No full textLa bioetica come forma di analisi teorica e di discussione pubblica nasce da alcune significa- tive trasformazioni prodotte dalla sviluppo medico-scientifico nella vita umana, nei contesti della riproduzione, della cura e della fine della vita. Alle origini la riflessione bioetica si è concentrata sopratutto sulla discussione su come regolamentare tali novità. Nel corso degli anni queste trasformazioni si sono consolidate nella vita ordinaria e quotidiana degli esseri umani e hanno dato vita a veri e propri cambiamenti nella esperienza morale umana (ad esempio contribuendo al mutamento delle relazioni famigliari). Tale ruolo trasformativo appare particolarmente evidente a partire da una concezione naturalista e sentimentalista della vita morale umana. Alla luce di questa constatazione, si può pensare a un nuovo ruolo per la bioetica filosofica, intesa come “attenzione ai cambiamenti morali”.Bioethics as theoretical analysis and public discussion is originated by some important tran- sformations that medical and scientific development caused in human life in the contexts of reproduction, of care and of the end of life. At its beginnings bioethics focused mainly on the discussion about how to regulate such novelties. In the course of the years, those transformations became more and more part of the ordinary and daily life of human beings and they fostered true and deep changes into human moral experience (for example by con- tributing to the change of family relationships). This transformative role is made particularly clear from a naturalized and sentimentalist view of human moral life. In the light of this observation, a new role for philosophical bioethics can be suggested, that is bioethics as a form of “sensitiveness to moral changes”
Introduzione al Forum “Identità: storia, teorie ed esperienze”
No full textIdentity is a long discussed concept in many areas of philosophy. Authors of the Forum tackle the notion of identity, focusing on its history and its theoretical analysis. The normative claim embedded in the notion of identity is analysed in relation with its biological, psychological, metaphysical and political aspects
Le relazioni fra umani e animali: un caso difficile per il progresso morale
No full textLa nozione di “progresso morale” ha una storia relativamente recente tanto nella discussione etico-filosofica e filosofico-politica quanto nel dibattito pubblico. Essa, infatti, è un frutto delle filosofie dell’Illuminismo e delle trasformazioni socio-politiche che hanno inizio nel corso del XVIII secolo. Tale nozione ha una connessione strutturale con le istituzioni liberal-democratiche. Esemplificativa di tale connessione è la tendenza a produrre argomenti filosofici e promuovere trasformazioni sociali orientate a includere nel cerchio della protezione etico-politica-giuridica gli animali non umani e gli ambienti naturali. Per quanto si tratti di una tendenza consolidata, gli obiettivi di tale inclusione non sono certo compiuti. Una loro discussione rappresenta uno dei temi centrali della discussione pubblica di una società liberal-democratica di fronte alle sfide del dibattito dell’Antropocene
“Qualcosa di invisibile”: l’esperienza del senso della vita
No full textA partire dal volume "Sul senso della vita" di E. Lecaldano si esamina l'intreccio fra la riflessione filosofica sul tema del senso della vita e l'analisi etico filosofica sul tema della condotta giusta, nella prospettiva di una concezione neosentimentalista di derivazione humeana
Etica e animali
No full textSi presenta una rassegna dei principali orientamenti nel dibattito filosofico contemporaneo sulle questioni etiche delle relazioni fra umani e animali. Si mostra, infine, la ricaduta applicativa per le trasformazioni di tali relazioni del concetto di "benessere animale"
Going veg: care of the animals or care of the self?
Full text linkMainstream animal ethics theories, such as Singer’s and Regan’s, argue in favor of dietary behaviors excluding at all animal derived products. According to those accounts, in our societies and in our present conditions of life discarding food obtained from animals is mandatory according to the demands of normative ethical theories. In my paper I will present a different approach to reflective moral vegetarianism (defined in a very broad sense). Moving from some critical remarks to mainstream arguments I will suggest the idea that vegetarianism ought to be more accurately regarded as a part of the self-development and care of the self of scrupulous moral agents. Born from personal reflections about the morality of human/non-human relationships vegetarianism should be regarded a way in which the agents shapes and cultivates her own character. Such a view about vegetarianism avoids the difficulties of mainstream arguments and it is more apt to account for the variety and richness of people actual choices about vegetarianism in ordinary moral experience
Invertebrates and humans: attitudes, ethics, and policy
No full textIn this contribution we will first briefly describe different ways in which invertebrates are part of our lives and how we interact with them. A special focus is the use of invertebrates in scientific research. After a review of the major fields of investigation utilizing invertebrates, we will argue that their use in research consti- tutes an interesting and inspiring case study. As an example, the relatively recent European legislation on the protection of animals in scientific procedures now contemplates cephalopods. For this reason, it appears that animal experimentation is a kind of relationship in which the awareness of welfare problems of invertebrates is relatively more advanced. This opens a series of considerations on public attitude toward invertebrates, ethical issues arising on the use of these animals in research, compared both with other kinds of invertebrate/human relationship (e.g., pest con- trol) and with the regulation of research on vertebrates, and the related legislative aspects. One question that is addressed is whether such attention for the ethical implications in the use of invertebrates in scientific research is and/or can be extended to other aspects of our relationships with these animals
Dai batteri a Bach di Daniel C. Dennett
No full textFausto Caruana, Carmela Morabito and Simone Pollo discuss Daniel Dennett’s From Bacteria to Bach and Back. The authors critically survey the book and discuss some of its key topics from different theoretical viewpoints. Caruana analyzes Dennett’s reconstruction of the evolution of mind moving some critical suggestions derived from the pragmatist tradition in philosophy of mind. Morabito discusses some couples of opposing concepts used by Dennett and discusses his conclusion about the alternative between bottom-up and top-down processes in the evolution of mind. Pollo equally tackles Dennett’s opposition between bottom-up and top-down processes as it is presented in Dennett’s account of the evolution human culture and the presumed withdrawal of human civilization from Darwinian processes
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