Perfectionist Philosophy as a (an Untaken) Way of Life

I am honored to respond to Paul Guyer’s elaboration on the role of examples of perfectionism in Cavell’s and Kant’s philosophies. Guyer’s appeal to Kant’s notion of freedom opens the way for suggestive readings of Cavell’s work on moral perfectionism but also, as I will show, for controversy. There are salient aspects of both Kant’s and Cavell’s philosophy that are crucial to understanding perfectionism and, let me call it, perfectionist education, that I wish to emphasize in response to Guyer. In responding to Guyer’s text, I shall do three things. First, I shall explain why I think it is misleading to speak of Cavell’s view that moral perfectionism is involved in a struggle to make oneself intelligible to oneself and others in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions for moral perfection. Rather, I will suggest that the constant work on oneself that is at the core of Cavell’s moral perfectionism is a constant work for intelligibility. Second, I shall recall a feature of Cavell’s perfectionism that Guyer does not explicitly speak of: the idea that perfectionism is a theme, “outlook or dimension of thought embodied and developed in a set of texts.” Or, as Cavell goes on to say, “there is a place in mind where good books are in conversation. … [W]hat they often talk about … is how they can be, or sound, so much better than the people that compose them.” This involves what I would call a perfectionist conception of the history of philosophy and the kinds of texts we take to belong to such history. Third, I shall sketch out how the struggle for intelligibility and a perfectionist view of engagement with texts and philosophy can lead to a view of philosophy as a form of education in itself. In concluding these three “criticisms,” I reach a position that I think is quite close to Guyer’s, but with a slightly shifted emphasis on what it means to read Kant and Cavell from a perfectionist point of view.

Using Swedish in the EFL-classroom : An Interview Study on Swedish Upper Secondary Students’ Attitudes towards Teachers’ L1 use in the EFL-classroom

There is very little focus in previous research on first language (L1) use by teachers in the upper secondary English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom from the students’ perspective. In this context and from a Swedish perspective, this thesis examines what attitudes students in the Swedish upper secondary school have towards their teachers’ use of L1 (Swedish) in the EFL-classroom. The method used was qualitative semi-structured interviews, where nine students in total were interviewed. The collected data was then coded, thematized and categorized. The results show that the students mainly believed Swedish should be used when teaching vocabulary, when teaching grammar and for classroom management. They did not believe the L1 should be used by them in questions and answers and in general talk in the classroom. They also endorsed an overall judicious use of Swedish by their teachers and that their use of this language should be adjusted to the specific teaching group. Finally, it can be concluded that further research is needed on how the L1 can be used judiciously in particular situations and on what attitudes students of varying proficiency and age, as well as students who do not have Swedish as their L1 have towards teachers’ L1 use in the EFL-classroom.

Salmoninae Commensal Bacteria Show a Positive Correlation Between Antibiotic Resistance and Mercury Resistance Profiles

Bacterial isolates from natural sites with high toxic and heavy metal contamination more frequently contain determinants for resistance to antimicrobials. Natural strains were isolated from the ingesta and external slime of Salmo salar (Linnaeus, 1758) and Salvelinusjontinalis (Mitchell, 1814). Fish specimens were acquired from Casco Bay hatcheries, Casco, ME where there is no history of antibiotic use. Seventy-nine bacterial strains, including many well-documented salmonid commensals (an association from which the fish derives no benefit), were identified using 165 rRNA gene sequencing. Mercury resistant isolates were selected for initially on 25μM HgCI2. Strains were then grown at 20-24°C on Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) plates containing 0-1000μM HgCl2 or 0-130μM Phenyl Mercuric Acetate (PMA). Mercury in the hatchery feed water due to ubiquitous non-point source deposition has selected for the mercury resistance observed in bacterial strains. Antibiotic resistance determinations, as measured by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration MIC) assays were performed on the 79 bacterial isolates using Sensititrel antimicrobial susceptibility panels. A positive linear correlation between the mercury (pMA and HgCl2) MIC's and antibiotic resistance for all observed strains was demonstrated. Conjugation experiments with Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Azomonas donors confirmed phenotypic transfer of penicillin and cephem resistances to Escherichia coli DH5a recipients. Conjugation experiments with Pseudomonas donors showed minimal transfer of tetracycline and minoglycoside resistances to Escherichia coli DH5a recipients. Our study suggests that the accumulation of antimicrobial resistances observed in these natural bacterial populations may be due to the indirect selective pressure exerted by environmental mercury.

Senior Show 2001(reverse)

Reverse side of the student senior show at Woods - Gerry.

Nhembo'e : enquanto o encanto permanece! : processos e práticas de escolarização nas aldeias Guarani

A escola nas aldeias Guarani do Rio Grande do Sul é um acontecimento recente. Algumas TEKOÁ decidiram não abrigá-la em seu meio, considerando que a educação tradicional, assentada na cosmologia Guarani, é suficiente para o seu viver e, portanto, prescindem dos saberes escolares. Outras, evidenciando a necessidade de saberes que se relacionam à escola – como a escrita, a leitura, a Língua Portuguesa e o sistema monetário, entre outros –, a solicitam e a acolhem, iniciando processos e práticas de escolarização que afirmam o desejo de se apropriar de instrumentos que permitam um diálogo mais eqüitativo com a sociedade não indígena. Num movimento de interlocução com os gestores das políticas públicas, tensionam a Secretaria de Estado da Educação para criar condições de implementar a Escola Específica e Diferenciada nas aldeias. No entanto, experimentam a ambigüidade de uma aproximação e de um afastamento, de um querer e um não querer a escola em suas aldeias, pois intuem as mudanças que poderá desencadear no modo de vida tradicional. Para compreender os processos de implementação da escola do povo Guarani, e os significados que atribuem à educação escolar, dirigi o olhar e aprofundei o estudo em três aldeias do Rio Grande do Sul: TEKOÁ JATAÍTY (Cantagalo, município de Viamão), TEKOÁ ANHETENGUÁ (Lomba do Pinheiro, Porto Alegre) e TEKOÁ IGUA´PORÃ (Pacheca, município de Camaquã). Os movimentos de aproximação com a cosmologia Guarani e com o universo das aldeias, constituído através de um estar-junto sensível, e o com-viver com a totalidade cosmológica de cada lugar pesquisado possibilitou a elaboração de um contorno antropológico etnográfico que busca dizer dos Guarani desde si. A perspectiva teórica, assentada principalmente na aproximação da Educação com uma Antropologia Filosófica latino-americana, possibilitou a compreensão do pensamento indígena e da ambigüidade do “ser” europeu e do “estar” americano, presente nas aldeias e fora delas também. A pesquisa mostra que há nos preceitos educacionais da cosmologia Guarani um admirável mundo a ser desvendado, em que os significados de cada gesto, de cada ação mostram a integridade de um povo que sobrevive e se recria e a escola na aldeia poderá se inserir nesse universo e dialogar com todos os princípios que compõem a educação tradicional e a cosmologia Guarani.

Word of mouth marketing in the digital age: a case study analysis of viral marketing campaigns

A era digital viu a ascensão da empresa focada no consumidor. Todos os dias, marcas e produtos são objeto de milhões de conversas em que os consumidores trocam pontos de vista, opiniões e informações antes de tomar a decisão de compra. Os profissionais de marketing entenderam a importância do boca a boca como um novo canal de comunicação estratégica e começaram a ancorar técnicas de boca a boca à estratégia de marketing global. A propaganda tornou-se um negócio de conversa: o novo desafio do marketing é criar um conteúdo envolvente e compartilhável que possa expandir e ressoar dentro de redes de sociais de consumidores. Quanto mais as pessoas falam sobre a sua marca, mais a probabilidade de ganhar a competição dura e aumentar as vendas. Mas como o boca a boca funciona? O que faz uma campanha de marketing um sucesso viral? Este trabalho tem como objetivo fornecer uma análise abrangente da teoria de marketing de boca a boca e usa um modelo descritivo para investigar as variáveis-chave de campanhas bem-sucedidas de marketing viral, a fim de proporcionar insights e sugestões para as práticas de marketing viral.

Twitter snapshots show Venezuela’s government isolated from its people

How isolated is Venezuela’s government from the people it supposedly represents? Very isolated indeed, according to a study commissioned by beyondbrics from Marco Ruediger and colleages at FGV DAPP, the department of public policy analysis at the Fundação Getulio Vergas in Rio de Janeiro. The study, derived from activity on Twitter, demonstrates the extreme polarisation of opinion in the country and suggests that Venezuela’s media, often either controlled or suppressed by the government, is increasingly lining up with opposition voices.

Show me the money and I will bring you the head: evaluation of the effects of self-interest and anger on whistleblowing

Though many of those who decided to report wrongdoings in their organizations were able to tell their stories (e.g. Bamford, 2014, Armenakis 2004), it is fair to say that there is still much left to uncover. The paper aims to contribute to the literature in three ways. First, it provides preliminary evidence that the wrongdoing linked with individual financial loss leads to higher whistleblowing rate. Secondly, it shows how the experience of anger is related to the higher likelihood to report the wrongdoer but only if the wrongful act is perceived as a cause of one’s financial loss. Finally, the paper establishes first steps for the future development of an experimental procedure that would enable to predict, and measure whistleblowing behavior in the lab environment.

Show de Mamulengos Heraldo Lins: construções e transformações de um espetáculo na cultura popular

The theater of puppets is one of the many expressions of popular culture which is marked by ongoing constructions and transformations in its symbolic representations as well as its characters and performances. In the city of Natal/RN, there is a manipulator called Heraldo Lins, an artist who operates such puppets, and has been performing his puppet since 1992. Lins has his own look at how he produces his performances and seeks to adjust his puppets to social and rentable contexts. Lins‟s performances are tailor-made in accordance with the request of his customers, as he makes up the passages and lines of his puppets according to his audience. This research aimed to study how the Heraldo Lins Mamulengos Show is built, especially its changes. We note that Lins chooses to dismantle the symbolic values of the tradition in the regular puppet theater once he adapts to modern patterns, placing himself between the traditional puppet theater and the cultural industry. The work in camp was made through a methodological focused in a participative observation and an audiovisual registry

Anonimato e fama no reality show BBB 3

In the present work we make an incursion about the Reality Show, in a specific study of the program Big Brother 3 (BBB 3) approaching the question of Anonymity and Fame, though of its Narratives Strategic. We search to explain phenomenon of transformations of anonymous people in celebrities, showing all net of relationships established by the participants of BBB 3, during the together in the setting house, stage of the tram that tells the daily one of a group of youngs. Supported in concepts of it and Reality Show, the work is link the theories semiotic of means, proposal for Algirda Julien Greimas. We stand out strategies of the program, showing that they on the basis of structuralize elements fiction that stimulate and seduce the receiving public. How empirical reference, the work bases on the program Big Brother Brazil, shown for the Rede Globo de Televisão opened canal, in period of January 14 to April 01 of 2003. Ahead of the results gotten in analysis, we verify that BBB 3 is a format of reality and fiction. What although to create the effect of a hurt of real everything to show, its reality artificial, built principally for edition of the images

Visibilidade espetacular e relações de poder no reality show BB9

Dans le présent travail, nous faisons une incursion sur l'exposition de la réalité, dans une étude spécifique du programme Big Brother Brasil 9, approcher le sujet de la visibilité et de l'exposition à travers les concepts de la culture, corps, à et communication. Nous avons lié l'him/it à la théorie de pouvoir proposée par Michel Foucault. Le corps, dans notre analyse, est prisonnier à ordinateur individuel propulse, en camionnant des transformations dans le filet de rapports établis pour les participants de BBB. Nous avons cherché, à travers un plurimetodológica de l'approche, expliquer comme ils sentent les rapports de pouvoir dans ce televisivo du programme/jeu et la transformation des gens anonymes dans célébrités, raconter, avec tout ce avec la logique d'une consommation d'images. Dans l´époque contemporain, les images sont mediateurs puissants de la communication et ils servent de support au midiatique des produits, dans la fiction et banalité ou actions différentes et expériences du quotidien. Comme référence de recherche empirique, le travail est basé au Big Brother-9, a exposé par le Globe Net de Télévision, canal ouvert, dans la période du 13 janvier à avril 07, 2009. Avant que les résultats aient obtenu par l'analyse, nous avons vérifié ce BBB-9 à travers les plusieurs épreuves, les preuves et situations ont créé au-dedans parmi les participants du jeu il met à jour des rapports de pouvoir et d'exclusion, dans le différend pour le succès individuel, le tout coût. Le publique/telespectateur quand participe à travers le vote du programme travaille comme un régulateur pédagogique qu'il qualifie, Il classifique et il punit les conduites privées des joueurs, en étant responsable pour l'acceptation possible, ou pas, des gens, pendant s'écouler du jeu

A caminho da fronteira: entre heidegger e os japoneses

Became a little more than half century ago that has been consolidated the also called philosophy of comparative edge, by which was possible exploited new ways of thought, since the dialogue between West and East. This fructiferous cooperation between-edges, by which possibilities has been ramifies in lots of different areas of knowledge, has a common birthplace: the talk between Heidegger and the Japanese from the also called Kyoto School of Philosophy. The intention of this mastering degree s dissertation is show, since Heidegger s thought and the contemporary Japanese philosophy, the theoric viability of such trade of experiences between westerns and easterns in philosophy.