Consciousness and liability of non-human intelligence

The legal liability of non-human intelligence is a complicated matter that has concerned philosophers for a long time. Nevertheless, with the current advances in research and technology, the problem grows ever closer. This paper analyzes the legal desirability of assorting legal liability to a non-human intelligence. It argues that the question of the liability of such agents is defined, primarily, through the meeting of psychosomatic conditionals. Moreover, it poses that these conditionals are, partially, determined by consciousness. It concludes that to define whether legal liability is desirable or not one must set standards for non-human consciousness and, depending on the level of consciousness of that non-human intelligence, judge if the agent should be legally liable or not

LEGAL REMARKS ON THE OVERARCHING COMPLEXITIES OF CRYPTO ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING REGULATION

ABSTRACT Objective:The paper analyzes money laundering through crypto-assets and offers a legal perspective on how this new technology can be used to commit these felonies. The study intends to shed light on the matter, helping to visualize how future anti money laundering – AML regulation should focus on tackling crypto criminal activity effectively. Methodology: The research adopts an inductive approach, bibliographic and documental research technique, with an exploratory and propositional methodological objective. Results: The paper proposes the following framework of anti-money laundering principles for crypto-focused action: transnational approach for AML action; going beyond basic gatekeeper compliance approach, considering the lack of structural chokepoints in a blockchain protocol; private-sector cooperation and clear AML standards; usage of tracking and reverse-engineering anonymization techniques for the tracing of crypto transaction history; and adoption of a global blacklist for cryptoasset prefixes, preventing money laundering integration. Contributions: The study addresses a topic that is still unfamiliar in the academic world due to its innovation and complexity, as well as elaborates a set of principles to combat money laundering with crypto-assets that could be of great value to companies and financial institutions. KEYWORDS: Crypto-assets; crypto-currencies; bitcoin; blockchain; money laundering. RESUMO Objetivos: O artigo analisa a lavagem de dinheiro através de ativos criptográficos e oferece uma perspectiva jurídica sobre como essa nova tecnologia pode ser usada para cometer tais crimes. O estudo busca esclarecer o assunto, ajudando a visualizar como a futura regulação contra a lavagem de dinheiro cometida através destes ativos deve ser estruturada para assegurar efetividade. Metodologia: A pesquisa adota uma abordagem indutiva, a técnica de pesquisa é bibliográfica e documental, seu objetivo metodológico é exploratório e propositivo. Resultados: O artigo propõe o seguinte conjunto de princípios para o combate à lavagem de dinheiro com criptoativos: a abordagem transacional para combate à lavagem de dinheiro; ir além de uma abordagem focada em intermediários, considerando a falta de pontos de estrangulamento em um protocolo block chain; a cooperação com o setor privado e padrões claros de compliance para prevenção à lavagem de dinheiro; uso de técnicas de rastreamento e de engenharia reversa para processos de ocultação de histórico de transações; e a adoção de listas sujas globais para evitar a fase de integração do processo de lavagem de dinheiro com criptoativos.Contribuições: O estudo aborda um tema ainda muito pouco divulgado no meio acadêmico devido à sua inovação e complexidade, bem como elabora uma proposta de conjunto de princípios para o combate à lavagem de dinheiro com criptoativos que poderá ser de grande valia para empresas e instituições financeiras. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Criptoativos; criptomoedas; bitcoin; blockchain; lavagem de dinheiro

FOXES IN THE HENHOUSE: LEGAL CRITIQUE TO THE “JUS BELLUM JUSTUM” DOCTRINE FOR HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION THROUGH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT

ABSTRACT Objective: The paper presents a legal analysis of R2P in light of contemporary international law. It questions whether R2P is lawful as a just war (jus bellum justum) doctrine under international law, specifically under the general prohibition for the use of force pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations. The paper first analyzes the just war doctrine in light of international law; thereafter, there is a study of the legal framework for the use of force in the United Nations Charter; and, in a third step, the study of the R2P in legal light as a just war doctrine. Methodology: The research is executed through a deductive approach, its scientific objective is exploratory, and its research technique is a bibliographical and documentary survey. The methodological limit is in a legal approach of the subject from a normative perspective, focused on the legal validity of the institute under international law. Results: It is concluded from the study that R2P has legal flaws and does not stand against United Nations Charter regulation on the usage of force, notably the norm that states that the use of force in international relations is an exclusive responsibility of the United Nations Security Council. Contributions: The study shows its pertinence as an endeavor into a strictly legal analysis of a complex and highly political subject of humanitarian interventions. Keywords: Responsibility to protect; humanitarian intervention; just war doctrine; United Nations Security Council. RESUMO Objetivo: O artigo apresenta uma análise jurídica da R2P à luz do Direito Internacional contemporâneo; questiona se a R2P é juridicamente válida como uma doutrina de guerra justa (jus bellum justum) sob o Direito Internacional, especificamente à luz da proibição geral de uso da força de acordo com a Carta das Nações Unidas. Para tanto, o artigo analisa a doutrina da guerra justa à luz do Direito Internacional; em seguida, estuda o marco legal para o uso da força na Carta da ONU; e, em terceiro lugar, estuda a R2P como uma doutrina de guerra justa. Metodologia:A pesquisa é executada através de abordagem dedutiva, seu objetivo científico é exploratório e sua técnica de pesquisa é bibliográfica e documental. O limite metodologia é uma abordagem legal do seu objeto em uma perspectiva normativa com foco na validade legal do instituto à luz do Direito Internacional.Resultados: Conclui-se do estudo que a R2P tem falhas jurídicas e não se coaduna com a normativa da Carta das Nações Unidas sobre o uso da força, notadamente a norma que estabelece que o uso da força nas relações internacionais é uma responsabilidade quase exclusiva do Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas. Contribuições: O estudo mostra sua pertinência por se tratar de análise estritamente legal de um assunto complexo e altamente político que são as intervenções humanitárias. Palavras-chave: Responsabilidade de proteger; intervenção humanitária; doutrina da guerra justa; Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas

Análise crítica da teoria dos direitos humanos na obra de Michel Villey

RESUMOEste artigo tem por objeto a Teoria dos Direitos Humanos em Michel Villey. Seu objetivo é apresentar uma contestação à alegação de Michel Villey de que os direitos humanos não podem ser considerados Direito. Para tanto, realiza uma apresentação da Teoria dos Direitos Humanos em Michel Villey, passando pela criação dos direitos humanos em Thomas Hobbes, a inversão de objetivos dos direitos humanos em John Locke e a expansão dos direitos humanos em Christian Wolff. Em seguida passa a apresentar a crítica de Michel Villey aos direitos humanos e as falhas deste autor ao realizar suas acusações, haja vista a possibilidade de solução das contradições (colisões) entre os direitos humanos, além de que não se pode confundir o critério de validade da norma com sua eficácia. O trabalho conclui pela juridicidade dos direitos humanos ao demonstrar que a suposta contradição não seria razão para retirar esta qualidade.PALAVRAS-CHAVEFilosofia do Direito. Direitos Humanos. Michel Villey. ABSTRACTThe present work deals with the General Theory of Human Rights in Michel Villey. Its purpose is to present a challenge to Michel Villeys’ claim that human rights are not legal norms. To do so, the text presents the General Theory of Human Rights in Michel Villey, including the creation of human rights by Thomas Hobbes, the changing perspective attributed to John Locke and the numerical expansion of human rights attributed to Christian Wolff. The text then presents Michel Villeys’ critics of human rights and the problems with those critics; specifically, that the given conflicts between norms aren’t sufficient to declare that they aren’t legal norms, other than that, the text points that in his critics Michel Villey confuses the concepts of validity of the norm with its effectiveness. The work concludes that human rights are legal norms and its supposed intrinsic contradiction is not sufficient to withdraw this quality.KEYWORDSPhilosophy of Law. Human Rights. Michel Villey

The continental bypass: The national margin of appreciation in the decision of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice that ruled in favor of the conventionality of the crime of contempt of a public official

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the grounds of the decision of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) in Habeas Corpus 270,269-MS, regarding the conventionality of the crime of “desacato” (contempt of a public official), specifically in relation to the use of the Margin of Appreciation technique to relativize the linkage with international human rights standards. Initially, the work demonstrates the relationship between freedom of expression, democracy and the crime of contempt. It then goes on to present the decision of the STJ. After that, it starts to study the Margin of Appreciation. With these data, the work examines the decision of the STJ and criticizes the validity of the application of the technique by the Brazilian Court. The work points to a critical dimension regarding the use of the technique in the decision examined, pointing that the structure of the institute itself, as well as the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, was disregarded. It also notes that judicial decisions that restrict freedom of speech by validating the punishment of the crime of contempt may contribute to increasing distrust of the democratic role of the Brazilian Judiciary.Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar os fundamentos da decisão do Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) no Habeas Corpus 270.269-MS, no que toca à convencionalidade do crime de desacato, especificamente em relação à utilização da técnica da Margem de Apreciação para relativizar a vinculação do Brasil com normas internacionais de direitos humanos. Inicialmente, o trabalho demonstra a relação entre a liberdade de expressão, a democracia e o crime de desacato. Passa então, a apresentar a decisão do STJ. Em seguida, passa ao estudo da Margem de Apreciação. Com estes dados, o trabalho examina a decisão do STJ e apresenta críticas à validade da aplicação da técnica pelo Tribunal. O trabalho aponta para uma dimensão crítica acerca do emprego da técnica na decisão examinada, em razão de ter sido desconsiderada a própria estrutura do instituto, bem como a jurisprudência da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos. Observa, também, que decisões judiciais que restringem a liberdade de expressão ao convalidar a punição do crime de desacato podem contribuir para o aumento da desconfiança no papel democrático do Poder Judiciário brasileiro

THE PRAGMATIC CIVIL PROCEDURE AND DIALOGICAL CONSTITUTIONALISM: ASSUMPTIONS TO A DISCUSSION ABOUT JUDICIAL ACTIVISM

the present text proposes the study of the Pragmatic Civil Procedure within the reality presented by the New Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure (Lei 13.105/15). In order to do so, it carries out an introductory study on Philosophical Pragmatism, in a preliminary approach, evidencing elementary aspects of this philosophical school, and on Legal Pragmatism, dealing with themes related to this eminently legal school, such as the Economic Analysis of Law and judicial activism based, especially, on Richard A. Posner’s work. After that, it begins to analyze the repercussions of Legal Pragmatism in Brazilian Civil Procedure, focusing on the role of precedents in this new paradigm. There is also an explanation about the amicus curiae as a phenomenon associated with the typical empiricism of the pragmatic school. It then deals with the Pragmatic Civil Procedure in the face of dialogical constitutionalism. At this point, the article concludes with the advancement of legal pragmatism in Brazilian Civil Procedure, and discusses its impacts and possibilities, particularly associated to the construction of a culture of dialogue in the decision-making process, based, for example, on the work of Richard Rorty, which associates the final considerations of this work with the theoretical framework of dialogical constitutionalism

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora