Philosophical Pessimism: A Study In The Philosophy Of Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer argues, strikingly, that it would have been better if life had not come into existence. In this essay I consider this pessimistic judgment from a philosophical perspective. I take on the following three tasks. First, I consider whether such judgments, apparently products of temperament rather than reason, can be the subject of productive philosophical analysis. I argue that they can be, since, importantly, we can separate arguments for such judgments that establish them as plausible from those that do not. Second, I evaluate Schopenhauer’s arguments for pessimism. I argue that although we must reject Schopenhauer’s main argument for pessimism, he has another, more plausible argument for pessimism that hitherto has been neglected by scholars. Finally, I argue that although pessimism can be established as the correct judgment about life in some possible worlds, in our world the question of pessimism or optimism cannot be definitively answered

Artificial Identity: Representations of Robots and Cyborgs in Contemporary Anglo-American Science Fiction Films

The ‘human condition’ has traditionally been an area of study addressed primarily by philosophers concerned with the mind/body problem, rather than studied as a neuroscientific conundrum. However, contemporary developments in science and technology that afford us a greater knowledge of the human brain have resulted in an increased scientific focus on consciousness, emotion and personhood. This thesis argues that such explorations into consciousness and emotion as prerequisites of ‘artificial identity’ have entered the domain of contemporary cinema through the representations of robots and cyborgs. Despite the capacity for transhumanist practice and the creation of artificially intelligent automata that these developments have made possible, blurring the line between organic human and mechanical robots, it remains common for no distinctions to be made between the terms ‘human’ and ‘person’, which are used interchangeably to describe a member of the human race. Philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, though, has proposed a series of criteria for personhood that challenge the assumption that only humans can be considered persons. The application of his criteria to a series of key texts that highlight the relationships between humans and representations of automata - I, Robot (2004, Dir. Alex Proyas), Terminator Salvation (2009, Dir. McG) and Bicentennial Man (1999, Dir. Chris Columbus) – is central to this thesis. It explores the extent to which the representations of robots and cyborgs can be considered persons within utopian and dystopian narratives that have, at their core, a view of artificial identity as desirable or as nightmare. In conjunction with Dennett, the theories of neurologist and neuroscientist Antonio Damasio are applied, which explore both the biological means by which emotional (rather than solely physical) feelings are generated in humans, and the capacity of humans to simulate emotion. As Damasio argues that many of the central operations of the human central nervous and visceral systems are reducible to fundamental physics, the suggestion is that robots, too, could also ‘experience’ consciousness and emotion, being as they are very simplistic versions of humans. As such, the application of these theories suggests that the representations of robots and cyborgs in the key texts could be considered persons

Factors that help or hinder personal recovery in people with a schizophrenia diagnosis: a different sort of 'therapeutic' relationship

This collaborative study grew out of the lived, learned experience of the primary inquirer and co-inquirer, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Embracing a phenomenological (Heidegger, 1927/1962) participatory action attitude (Reason & Bradbury, 2001) using research as a tool to offer a practical alternative, the study aimed to generate knowledge to empower persons with a schizophrenia diagnosis by raising conscious awareness of what either helps or hinders personal recovery. A total of eight credible exemplars with experiences synonymous with a schizophrenia diagnosis participated in open dialogical interviews. An a priori open coding framework derived from my selective, guided interrogation of the personal recovery oriented literature was applied to and iteratively integrated with the inductively driven data which emerged from the interviews. Nine organising themes emerged which converged around three interdependent global themes: Context, Meaning Making and Identity Formation, Interpersonal Relationships and Organisational Culture – Systems. Figural to this intersubjective, contested and co-created multiversal space is a different sort of therapeutic relationship built on pragmatism, authenticity and a tolerant understanding and willingness to embrace and make meaning of disconcerting subjective experiences. The study generates knowledge to challenge and de-construct the essentially contested construct of schizophrenia along with the myths, misconceptions and negative stereotypes which maintain “it”, by raising conscious awareness of and redressing the inherent power imbalance in staff-client relationships and by privileging and validating the voices of the people who own the experience. These hitherto largely unheard voices support the call for an empowering “paradigm shift in relation to the experience that these [schizophrenia] diagnoses refer to” (BPS, 2014). The originality and challenge of this approach resides with fellow mental health and allied professionals willingly embracing incongruent disconcerting worlds, surrendering the privilege of professional disciplinary power and taking “on board that there is no us and them, there are only people trying to make the best of our situation” (Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia, 2014, p. 113)

Entrepreneurship innovation using social robots in tourism: a social listening study

The tourism sector has been one of the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to restrictions on mobility and fear of social contact. In this context, business innovation through digital transformation is presented as a great opportunity for the tourism industry and the inclusion of social robots in service tasks is an example. This transformation requires new methodologies, skills and talent that must be promoted to improve the innovative tourism ecosystem. With this research, we try to determine how the inclusion of social or service robots in hotels can improve the image and perception held by clients or guests. For that, we frst analyse the degree of knowledge and sentiment generated by social robots through a social listening study in social networks. In addition, we determine whether these perceptions on the subject are in tune with other more formal felds, such as scientifc research, or with the strategies followed at a national or international level by companies, agencies and organisations related to the technology and innovation of social robotics. For both objectives, we use the Simbiu social listening tool, a software-based program on Talkwalker, and we obtain interesting results. Basically, people on Twitter have a neutral or positive feeling about the use of social robots, and people who write in English have a more positive attitude towards social robots than Spanish speakers. After COVID-19, are necessary changes in strategic decisions of the hospitality and it is essential to continue investigating the role of social robots in this new context.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

Is physicalism "really" true?: an empirical argument against the universal construal of physicalism

textPhysicalism as universally construed is the thesis that everything in the world is either physical or a consequence of physical facts. Certain consequences of physicalism for free will, religion, and so on make it unpalatable to some. Physicalism should not be dismissed merely on its unpalatability. Nonetheless, we should be very sure it is true before accepting it uncritically (as much of science and philosophy now do). Physicalism is a contingent thesis, taken as true on the basis of strong inductive evidence and an inference-to-the-best-explanation that specifies it as the best theory over any of its competitors to provide an ontological account of the universe. So long as there is no contrary evidence to the claims of physicalism, then it stands relatively uncontested. I argue that there is a body of well-attested empirical evidence that falsifies universally-construed physicalism by violating an essential assumption of the theory – causal closure of the physical domain. I present a detailed account of this closure-violating evidence. So that those who are unfamiliar with the body of evidence on offer may judge its validity, I include brief summations of experimental designs, findings, and analyses, plus some controversies pertaining to the data and their resolutions. I then argue why this body of empirical evidence should count against universal physicalism, argue for the evidence’s scientific legitimacy, and discuss criticisms which have been lodged against it, then explain why these criticisms lack force. I conclude that the evidence I present is sufficient to falsify the universal construal of physicalism as supported by today’s and by foreseeable future understandings of the physical world. I acknowledge, though, that nothing can be guaranteed against an indefinite “wait-and-see” argument for some implausible “fully-realized” physics that may be able to reconcile the evidence I propose with such a fully-completed formulation of physicalism. I suggest that if this is the best physicalists can come up with, then their position is weak and the inference-to-the-best-explanation that until now supported universal physicalism should be turned around to tell against the theory.Philosoph