Semantic under-determinacy, Content and Context

The aim of the thesis is to investigate the topic of semantic under-determinacy, i.e. the failure of the semantic content of certain expressions to determine a truth-evaluable utterance content. In the first part of the thesis, I engage with the problem of setting apart semantic under-determinacy as opposed to other phenomena such as ambiguity, vagueness, indexicality. As I will argue, the feature that distinguishes semantic under-determinacy from these phenomena is its being explainable solely in terms of under-articulation. In the second part of the thesis, I discuss the topic of how communication is possible, despite the semantic under-determinacy of language. I discuss a number of answers that have been offered: (i) the Radical Contextualist explanation which emphasises the role of pragmatic processes in utterance comprehension; (ii) the Indexicalist explanation in terms of hidden syntactic positions; (iii) the Relativist account, which regards sentences as true or false relative to extra coordinates in the circumstances of evaluation (besides possible worlds). In the final chapter, I propose an account of the comprehension of utterances of semantically under-determined sentences in terms of conceptual constraints, i.e. ways of organising information which regulate thought and discourse on certain matters. Conceptual constraints help the hearer to work out the truth-conditions of an utterance of a semantically under-determined sentence. Their role is clearly semantic, in that they contribute to “what is said” (rather than to “what is implied”); however, they do not respond to any syntactic constraint. The view I propose therefore differs, on the one hand, from Radical Contextualism, because it stresses the role of semantic-governed processes as opposed to pragmatics-governed processes; on the other hand, it differs from Indexicalism in its not endorsing any commitment as to hidden syntactic positions; and it differs from Relativism in that it maintains a monadic notion if truth.

Igualitarismo, estructura básica y contextualismo rawlsiano

En este trabajo se analiza si es apropiado evaluar acciones individuales con los principios de justicia aplicables a las instituciones. Para lograr este objetivo, el artículo examina la teoría de la justicia rawlsiana y algunas de las principales objeciones en su contra. Los críticos niegan que los principios de justicia de esta teoría estén configurados para evaluar exclusivamente las instituciones sociales básicas. Es más: afirman que la justicia no sólo exige instituciones justas sino que además exige acciones individuales justas. La hipótesis de este trabajo afirma que principios aptos para ciertos contextos sociales no son adecuados para evaluar otro tipo de interacciones sociales. El argumento apela a una interpretación normativa de la noción de estructura básica, elemento clave para defender el carácter institucional de la justicia rawlsiana

Igualitarismo, estructura básica y contextualismo rawlsiano

En este trabajo se analiza si es apropiado evaluar acciones individuales con los principios de justicia aplicables a las instituciones. Para lograr este objetivo, el artículo examina la teoría de la justicia rawlsiana y algunas de las principales objeciones en su contra. Los críticos niegan que los principios de justicia de esta teoría estén configurados para evaluar exclusivamente las instituciones sociales básicas. Es más: afirman que la justicia no sólo exige instituciones justas sino que además exige acciones individuales justas. La hipótesis de este trabajo afirma que principios aptos para ciertos contextos sociales no son adecuados para evaluar otro tipo de interacciones sociales. El argumento apela a una interpretación normativa de la noción de estructura básica, elemento clave para defender el carácter institucional de la justicia rawlsiana

Igualitarismo, estructura básica y contextualismo rawlsiano

En este trabajo se analiza si es apropiado evaluar acciones individuales con los principios de justicia aplicables a las instituciones. Para lograr este objetivo, el artículo examina la teoría de la justicia rawlsiana y algunas de las principales objeciones en su contra. Los críticos niegan que los principios de justicia de esta teoría estén configurados para evaluar exclusivamente las instituciones sociales básicas. Es más: afirman que la justicia no sólo exige instituciones justas sino que además exige acciones individuales justas. La hipótesis de este trabajo afirma que principios aptos para ciertos contextos sociales no son adecuados para evaluar otro tipo de interacciones sociales. El argumento apela a una interpretación normativa de la noción de estructura básica, elemento clave para defender el carácter institucional de la justicia rawlsiana

Heteronormativity and teaching: A phenomenological study of lesbian teachers

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand what impact “heteronormativity” has on a lesbian teacher's perception of her instructional style, content, and context of curriculum taught. Through taped interviews with lesbian educators, this research examined the lived experience of the lesbian teacher. The framework for this study included theories related to historical, sociocultural, and psychosocial development while the methodology included a qualitative design using primary elements of a phenomenological study outlined without ignoring the influence associated with contextualism. Due to the sensitive nature of the study nine women who were the focus of this research were volunteers with the first serving as a “gatekeeper” to assist in the pilot study. The subsequent group evolved as a result of “snowballing” to gain more participants. ^ The data in the form of narrative derived from the interviews was transcribed, color-coded, and organized into four themes and associated sub-themes, based upon the perceptions of these educators. These themes characterized the coming out process of a lesbian, which directly paralleled the personal and professional development of the lesbian educator, emerged as a result of the analysis. They included: (a) self-acknowledgement; (b) self-indentification; (c) coming out to other lesbians by overcoming fear and establishing relationships; (d) coming out to others by overcoming heteronormativity by using support groups in defining a lesbian's role as a teacher. ^ The results of this study showed that the acceptance of the lesbian culture, shared with the acknowledgement, rather than compliance or defiance, of cultural hegemony can allow the lesbian educator to develop a curriculum and a classroom climate that will foster understanding and even generate social change among colleagues, parents, and students, one person at a time. ^

Economia criativa e estratégia como prática social: uma abordagem teórico-empírico-conceitual a partir de ambientes criativos de grupos musicais

This study seeks to identify how creative environments of musical groups are configured in the Strategy as Practice perspective as theoretical, empirical and conceptual models. It develops within the theoretical framework, discussions on the context of the Creative Economy, Creative Industries, creative environment, organizational paradigm of Creative Economy, music as a creative environment and business, design and dynamics of Strategy as Practice and conjecture about the contextualism and other epistemological currents. The study is shaped as an exploratory and descriptive research, utilizing the qualitative method and being characterized as a Grounded Theory. A total of four musical groups of different styles, markets and areas of operation with over ten years of activity were surveyed. The Grounded Theory and simple observation methods were used for both data collection and analysis. The software ATLAS.ti. was used to help with the analysis. The research shows that the bands perceive the specialized expertise in the virtual social media as a strategic differentiator. It also shows that the groups nourish individuation and the differentiation in their relationship with the individual. Finally, it validates that these organizations get teams involved and value the dynamic design of their routines in strategic decision making, paying attention to a strategic social bias. Strategy and Creative Practice is the main category that emerged from the data. This category is explained through the three aforementioned results. It shows that organizations that are part of the Creative Economy perform simultaneously and dynamically creative and strategic making at both artistic and managerial levels.The theory created is validated by the principles of degree of coherence, functionality, relevance, flexibility, density and integration, and it is inserted in the contextualism principle, which points the knowledge as related to the context in which it is placed and discussed.

What Does Value Matter? The Interest-Relational Theory of the Semantics and Metaphysics of Value

Value and reasons for action are often cited by rationalists and moral realists as providing a desire-independent foundation for normativity. Those maintaining instead that normativity is dependent upon motivation often deny that anything called '"value" or "reasons" exists. According to the interest-relational theory, something has value relative to some perspective of desire just in case it satisfies those desires, and a consideration is a reason for some action just in case it indicates that something of value will be accomplished by that action. Value judgements therefore describe real properties of objects and actions, but have no normative significance independent of desires. It is argued that only the interest-relational theory can account for the practical significance of value and reasons for action. Against the Kantian hypothesis of prescriptive rational norms, I attack the alleged instrumental norm or hypothetical imperative, showing that the normative force for taking the means to our ends is explicable in terms of our desire for the end, and not as a command of reason. This analysis also provides a solution to the puzzle concerning the connection between value judgement and motivation. While it is possible to hold value judgements without motivation, the connection is more than accidental. This is because value judgements are usually but not always made from the perspective of desires that actually motivate the speaker. In the normal case judgement entails motivation. But often we conversationally borrow external perspectives of desire, and subsequent judgements do not entail motivation. This analysis drives a critique of a common practice as a misuse of normative language. The "absolutist" attempts to use and, as philosopher, analyze normative language in such a way as to justify the imposition of certain interests over others. But these uses and analyses are incoherent - in denying relativity to particular desires they conflict with the actual meaning of these utterances, which is always indexed to some particular set of desires.