THE SKEPTICAL CARTESIAN BACKGROUND OF HUME'S "OF THE ACADEMICAL OR SCEPTICAL PHILOSOPHY" (FIRST INQUIRY, SECTION 12)

ABSTRACT In section XII of the First Inquiry, Hume refers to the two Hellenistic schools of skepticism (Academic and Pyrrhonian) to present his own view of skepticism, which, however, depends on the ancient skeptics mainly indirectly. Hume's view of skepticism depends crucially on Descartes and post-Cartesian philosophers such as Pascal, Huet, Foucher and Bayle, who reacted skeptically to major Cartesian doctrines but followed one version or other of Descartes's methodical doubt. Although all these post-Cartesian philosophers are relevant in section XII, I focus on the topics in which Descartes himself-besides his skeptical followers-seems directly relevant. After an introductory section (I) on Julia Annas' and Richard Popkin's views of Hume's relation to, respectively, ancient and modern skepticism, I turn to section XII and examine what Hume calls (II) "consequent skepticism about the senses," (III) "antecedent skepticism," and (IV) "Academic skepticism."

The relation between the general maxim of causality and the principle of uniformity in hume's theory of knowledge

ABSTRACT When Hume, in the Treatise on Human Nature, began his examination of the relation of cause and effect, in particular, of the idea of necessary connection which is its essential constituent, he identified two preliminary questions that should guide his research: (1) For what reason we pronounce it necessary that every thing whose existence has a beginning should also have a cause and (2) Why we conclude that such particular causes must necessarily have such particular effects? (1.3.2, 14-15) Hume observes that our belief in these principles can result neither from an intuitive grasp of their truth nor from a reasoning that could establish them by demonstrative means. In particular, with respect to the first, Hume examines and rejects some arguments with which Locke, Hobbes and Clarke tried to demonstrate it, and suggests, by exclusion, that the belief that we place on it can only come from experience. Somewhat surprisingly, however, Hume does not proceed to show how that derivation of experience could be made, but proposes instead to move directly to an examination of the second principle, saying that, "perhaps, be found in the end, that the same answer will serve for both questions" (1.3.3, 9). Hume's answer to the second question is well known, but the first question is never answered in the rest of the Treatise, and it is even doubtful that it could be, which would explain why Hume has simply chosen to remove any mention of it when he recompiled his theses on causation in the Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. Given this situation, an interesting question that naturally arises is to investigate the relations of logical or conceptual implication between these two principles. Hume seems to have thought that an answer to (2) would also be sufficient to provide an answer to (1). Henry Allison, in his turn, argued (in Custom and Reason in Hume, p. 94-97) that the two questions are logically independent. My proposal here is to try to show that there is indeed a logical dependency between them, but the implication is, rather, from (1) to (2). If accepted, this result may be particularly interesting for an interpretation of the scope of the so-called "Kant's reply to Hume" in the Second Analogy of Experience, which is structured as a proof of the a priori character of (1), but whose implications for (2) remain controversial.

David Hume e as finanças de James I

RESUMOEste artigo examina a análise de David Hume realizada em seu livro História da Inglaterra, da luta entre o parlamento e o rei James I sobre as finanças da coroa durante o primeiro trimestre do século XVII. Inicialmente, são apresentados os principais elementos políticos por trás da briga no coração do poder político da Inglaterra, seguidos por comentários do escritor escocês sobre as finanças reais, com ênfase nos seus pontos de vista sobre as receitas e despesas da Coroa durante o reinado de James I. No final são recuperados os fatores de longo prazo elencados como determinantes da nova postura parlamentar.

Indeterminismo e liberdade em Hume

Embora Hume eventualmente pareça supor que os processos naturais ocorrem de modo determinístico, sua concepção da causalidade proíbe que os conheçamos enquanto tais, pois, para ele, toda idéia de conexão necessária entre eventos é de natureza psicológica. Em nossa análise dessa questão, argumentamos que: a) nas suas principais passagens sobre a causalidade, Hume não assume um compromisso forte com o determinismo; b) certas partes de seus textos sugerem que o indeterminismo é ineliminável, no conhecimento da natureza; e c) sua concepção causal da liberdade supõe o indeterminismo dos processos naturais, e não apenas o indeterminismo em nível de seu conhecimento.

Um breve estudo histórico-analítico da Lei de Hume

A Lei de Hume, pela qual um dever ser não pode resultar de um ser, e a sua recíproca, pela qual um ser não pode resultar de um dever ser, ocupam posições proeminentes nas discussões de metaética. Neste trabalho mostrarei relações lógicas entre distintas formulações da Lei de Hume e da sua recíproca. Também mostrarei como essas formulações estão relacionadas a teses sustentadas por importantes pensadores como Poincaré, Nelson, Jörgensen e Hare.

India, Latin America, and the Caribbean during the Cold War

In this period, the key to the relationship between India and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was based in the political nature of this liaison: it was a "uni-multilateral" relationship, centered in India, where LAC countries operated as a group of autonomous entities (an "island chain" structure), and not as a unit of a supranational character with unified international conduct (an island structure). As we will see, faced with uniform and consistent Indian policies, LAC had national policies which make it impossible to discuss a regional policy towards India. The goal of this work is to form a general characterization of the bilateral policies during the period of the Cold War with the intent of identifying the key explanatory factors of the process. While this may be a limited objective, it addresses the non-existence of an academic debate surrounding the topic. We intend to contribute an analysis which in this phase is primarily descriptive.

Teoria da estrutura a termo das taxas de juros

Este estudo usa um modelo intertemporal de equilíbrio geral de precificação de ativos para estudar a estrutura a termo das taxas de juros. Nesse modelo, expectativas, aversão ao risco, alternativas de investimento e preferências quanto ao momento do consumo atuam na determinação dos preços. Muitos fatores tradicionalmente mencionados como influentes sobre a estrutura a termo são, assim, incluídos de uma maneira plenamente condizente com o comportamento maximizador e as expectativas racionais. O modelo leva a fórmulas específicas de preços de debêntures que são bastante adequadas a testes empíricos.

Governança de tecnologia da informação: um estudo do processo decisório em organizações públicas e privadas

A pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a participação dos gestores de tecnologia da informação (TI) de organizações públicas e privadas no processo de alinhamento de TI e tomada de decisões estratégicas organizacionais com base na Matriz de Arranjo de Governança de TI (Weill e Ross, 2006). Foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa tipo survey descritiva com 44 gestores da área de TI da cidade do Natal, sendo 18 de organizações públicas e 26 de organizações privadas. Os resultados sugerem que os gestores de TI são os principais atores do processo decisório tanto nas organizações públicas quanto privadas, sobretudo para as decisões-chave que envolvem os princípios, arquitetura e estratégias de infraestrutura de TI. Finalmente, também se conclui que os padrões de tomada de decisão são muito próximos entre as organizações públicas e privadas, porém os resultados obtidos nas organizações públicas são mais próximos ao padrão obtido na pesquisa de Weill e Ross (2006).

Aspectos psicossociais da Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida

Foram abordados os aspectos psicossociais que envolvem as pessoas atingidas direta ou indiretamente pela AIDS: pacientes, familiares e equipe profissional. Os resultados evidenciam que a população assistida na região de Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brasil), é predominantemente jovem, masculina e de toxicômanos. Os pacientes com resultado positivo apresentam reações semelhantes às definidas por Kluber-Ross (1977), para pacientes terminais. Os comportamentos observados nos familiares estão num contínuo entre a negação da doença e a superproteção do paciente. Para os profissionais, as reações mais freqüentes são de perplexidade diante de uma população diferente das que estão acostumados a lidar. Os dados obtidos indicam que o psicólogo pode auxiliar os profissionais a lidarem com as reações dos pacientes, integrando-os em seus aspectos orgânicos e emocionais.

Access to medicines for acute illness in middle income countries in Central America

OBJECTIVE : To analyze the main predictors of access to medicines for persons who experienced acute health conditions. METHODS : This was a cross-sectional analytic study, based on data from household surveys. We examined the predictors of: (1) seeking care for acute illness in the formal health care system and (2) obtaining all medicines sought for the acute condition. RESULTS : The significant predictors of seeking health care for acute illnesses were urban geographic location, head of household with secondary school education or above, age under 15, severity of illness perceived by the respondent, and having health insurance. The most important predictor of obtaining full access to medicines was seeking care in the formal health care system. People who sought care in the formal system were three times more likely to receive all the medicines sought (OR 3.0, 95%CI 2.3;4.0). For those who sought care in the formal health system, the strongest predictors of full access to medicines were seeking care in the private sector, having secondary school education or above, and positive perceptions of quality of health care and medicines in public sector health facilities. For patients who did not seek care in the formal health system, full access to medicines was more likely in Honduras or Nicaragua than in Guatemala. Urban geographic location, higher economic status, and male gender were also significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS : A substantial part of the population in these three countries sought and obtained medicines outside of the formal health care system, which may compromise quality of care and pose a risk to patients. Determinants of full access to medicines inside and outside the formal health care system differ, and thus may require different strategies to improve access to medicines. 

Propriedades físicas do solo após extração seletiva de madeira na Amazônia Central

Variáveis físicas do solo foram investigadas em parcelas de floresta de terra firme submetidas à extração seletiva de madeira na Amazônia central. Foram obtidas curvas de retenção de água no solo, juntamente com medidas de água disponível no solo às plantas, densidade do solo e porosidade total. Medidas de temperatura do solo foram realizadas por mais de 13 meses, considerando seis tratamentos: controle, centro da clareira, borda da clareira, borda da floresta remanescente, floresta remanescente e trilha do trator. Medidas de condutividade hidráulica de solo saturado foram feitas na floresta e em clareiras, sem distinguir os tratamentos. O solo revelou baixa capacidade de armazenar água disponível: apenas 11 a 18% da água pode estar disponível às plantas, num perfil de 1 m de profundidade. A temperatura das camadas superiores do solo foi influenciada pela extração seletiva de madeira: nas clareiras abertas, a luz chega com mais intensidade no solo, proporcionando temperaturas mais elevadas no centro e nas bordas das clareiras do que no controle e na floresta remanescente.

Intervenção coronariana percutânea em artéria coronariana única em paciente com angina instável de alto risco

No presente caso, relatamos a realização de angioplastia coronariana com implante de stent na artéria coronariana direita de paciente com quadro de angina instável de alto risco, portadora de artéria coronariana única com origem no seio coronariano direito. As artérias descendente anterior e circunflexa originavam-se isoladamente no terço proximal da artéria coronariana direita. Trata-se de rara anomalia coronariana com poucos relatos de intervenção coronariana percutânea na literatura. Este caso ilustra a necessidade da avaliação anatômica pormenorizada do trajeto das artérias coronarianas, precedendo a realização da angioplastia transluminal percutânea, objetivando-se a prevenção de complicações.

Impact of Intensive Physiotherapy on Cognitive Function after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is a standard surgical option for patients with diffuse and significant arterial plaque. This procedure, however, is not free of postoperative complications, especially pulmonary and cognitive disorders. Objective: This study aimed at comparing the impact of two different physiotherapy treatment approaches on pulmonary and cognitive function of patients undergoing CABG. Methods: Neuropsychological and pulmonary function tests were applied, prior to and following CABG, to 39 patients randomized into two groups as follows: Group 1 (control) - 20 patients underwent one physiotherapy session daily; and Group 2 (intensive physiotherapy) - 19 patients underwent three physiotherapy sessions daily during the recovery phase at the hospital. Non-paired and paired Student t tests were used to compare continuous variables. Variables without normal distribution were compared between groups by using Mann-Whitney test, and, within the same group at different times, by using Wilcoxon test. The chi-square test assessed differences of categorical variables. Statistical tests with a p value ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Changes in pulmonary function were not significantly different between the groups. However, while Group 2 patients showed no decline in their neurocognitive function, Group 1 patients showed a decline in their cognitive functions (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Those results highlight the importance of physiotherapy after CABG and support the implementation of multiple sessions per day, providing patients with better psychosocial conditions and less morbidity.

Circulatory and Ventilatory Power: Characterization in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Background:Circulatory power (CP) and ventilatory power (VP) are indices that have been used for the clinical evaluation of patients with heart failure; however, no study has evaluated these indices in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without heart failure.Objective:To characterize both indices in patients with CAD compared with healthy controls.Methods:Eighty-seven men [CAD group = 42 subjects and healthy control group (CG) = 45 subjects] aged 40–65 years were included. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed on a treadmill and the following parameters were measured: 1) peak oxygen consumption (VO2), 2) peak heart rate (HR), 3) peak blood pressure (BP), 4) peak rate-pressure product (peak systolic HR x peak BP), 5) peak oxygen pulse (peak VO2/peak HR), 6) oxygen uptake efficiency (OUES), 7) carbon dioxide production efficiency (minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope), 8) CP (peak VO2 x peak systolic BP) and 9) VP (peak systolic BP/carbon dioxide production efficiency).Results:The CAD group had significantly lower values for peak VO2 (p < 0.001), peak HR (p < 0.001), peak systolic BP (p < 0.001), peak rate-pressure product (p < 0.001), peak oxygen pulse (p = 0.008), OUES (p < 0.001), CP (p < 0.001), and VP (p < 0.001) and significantly higher values for peak diastolic BP (p = 0.004) and carbon dioxide production efficiency (p < 0.001) compared with CG. Stepwise regression analysis showed that CP was influenced by group (R2 = 0.44, p < 0.001) and VP was influenced by both group and number of vessels with stenosis after treatment (interaction effects: R2 = 0.46, p < 0.001).Conclusion:The indices CP and VP were lower in men with CAD than healthy controls.