Tracing the Territory. A Unitary Foundationalist Account

The paper offers an integrative interpretation of the different lines of thought Wittgenstein was inspecting in On Certainty and what he might have been looking for through them. It suggests that we may have been focusing our attention too strongly in the wrong place and comes to a new conclusion about where the real import of these reflections lies. This leads to an answer to the initially posed question of Foundationalism that revises the way in which there can be said to be a grounding intention in On Certainty

Numbers, Empiricism and the A Priori

The present paper deals with the ontological status of numbers and considers Frege ́s proposal in Grundlagen upon the background of the Post-Kantian semantic turn in analytical philosophy. Through a more systematic study of his philosophical premises, it comes to unearth a first level paradox that would unset earlier still than it was exposed by Russell. It then studies an alternative path, that departin1g from Frege’s initial premises, drives to a conception of numbers as synthetic a priori in a more Kantian sense. On this basis, it tentatively explores a possible derivation of basic logical rules on their behalf, suggesting a more rudimentary basis to inferential thinking, which supports reconsidering the difference between logical thinking and AI. Finally, it reflects upon the contributions of this approach to the problem of the a priori

Invasive Weeds in Parmenides' Garden

The paper attempts to conciliate the important distinction between what-is, or exists, and what-is-not _thereby supporting Russell’s existential analysis_ with some Meinongian insights. For this purpose, it surveys the varied inhabitants of the realm of ‘non-being’ and tries to clarify their diverse statuses. The position that results makes it possible to rescue them back in surprising but non-threatening form, leaving our ontology safe from contradiction

Meaning under the Threat of Paradox on Two Fronts

The paper defends the argument that the Resemblance Paradox (RP), or the problem of the ‘under-determination of meaning’, and the Rule-Following Paradox (RFP) are two sides of the same paradox threatening meaning from opposite extremes. After presenting the case, the paradox is reconsidered anew and the supposition that the threat is a pervasive one is challenged

Transition to virtual education at University of San Carlos of Guatemala 2020

[EN] The transition from traditional teaching to virtual teaching in public institutions of higher education (PIHE) is a process that began with the first computers in the 20th century, which has been accelerated by the Covid 19 pandemic, forcing the PIHE to adopt new virtual learning environments for which the traditional educational model was not designed at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC). The global characteristics of the Covid 19 pandemic have affected USAC, who had to adapt various methodologies with the support of ICT to continue the educational process. The implementation and use of these technologies evidenced a digital divide both in cognitive processes and in the use and access of digital tools. The study addressed the trends of use and access to technology in three case studies at the campus of USAC in Guatemala City: Architecture, Humanities and Economic Sciences, with a sample of 2,128 students, who responded through a Google form survey instrument, interviews and a forum, from February to may 2020. The results are that different socioeconomic levels affect the access and use of technology for the educational process, which is why it is necessary for PIHE to adopt policies and strategies that guarantee education.Ramirez, M.; Ruiz, O. (2021). Transition to virtual education at University of San Carlos of Guatemala 2020. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 457-464. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13134OCS45746

“Diabesity” among Latinos: A Culturally Relevant Mathematics Activity by a Mathematics Teacher Candidate

This paper summarizes a culturally relevant mathematics project conducted by a mentored secondary-level Latino teacher candidate (TC) as a requirement for an undergraduate mathematics project course at a south Texas university. The culturally relevant math project involved four secondary Latino students and their parents. The topic was “diabesity”; that is, diabetes and obesity among Latinos southern region in the United States of America with an emphasis on body mass index, proper diet, and exercise. Remarks by the faculty mentor and a faculty consultant about the TC work and reflections regarding this project are also included and provide perspectives on how to address cultural connections with mathematics

Connecting Math and Science to Home, School and Community Through Preservice Teacher Education

The importance of parental involvement in enhancing the quality of their children’s educational experiences and academic success is well documented in the literature (Chrispeels & Rivero, 2001; Cordry & Wilson, 2004; Delgado-Gaitan, 2001; Dierking & Falk, 1994; Jones &Valdez, 1997; Quezada, Diaz, Sanchez, 2003; Valdes, 1996). Parent involvement results in higher reading scores, greater language growth and development, and increased motivation to achieve (Harvard Family Research Project, 2007). Parental involvement includes a wide range of activities from promoting the importance of education to participating in the decision-making and operations of schools. For maximum results, there should be some alignment between parents’ attitudes and practices and the school’s expectations of parents and support for family involvement

Beyond Witches, Angels and Unicorns. The Possibility of Expanding Russell´s Existential Analysis

This paper attempts to be a contribution to the epistemological project of explaining complex conceptual structures departing from more basic ones. The central thesis of the paper is that there are what I call “functionally structured concepts”, these are non-harmonic concepts in Dummett’s sense that might be legitimized if there is a function that justifies the tie between the inferential connection the concept allows us to trace. Proving this requires enhancing the russellian existential analysis of definite descriptions to apply to functions and using this in proving the legitimacy of such concepts. The utility of the proposal is shown for the case of thick ethical terms and an attempt is made to use it in explaining the development of natural numbers. This last move could allow us to go one step lower in explaining the genesis of natural numbers while maintaining the notion of abstract numbers as higher order entities

Using Technology to Determine Factorability or Non-factorability of Quadratic Algebraic Trinomials

This paper is aimed for mathematics educators who teach algebra, more specifically, the factoring of quadratic algebraic expressions, and who want to enhance student learning of this topic using technology in conjunction with the Middle Term Splitting Method (Donnell, 2010; MTSM 2016a; MTSM 2016b). We will use technology-based algebra and geometry connections to help determine factorability or nonfactorability of quadratic algebraic trinomials over the integers, over the real numbers, and over the complex numbers, both with clarity, certainty and with understanding by using two equations, one derived from the coefficients of the outer terms and the other from the middle term of the quadratic algebraic trinomial. Overall, the efficiency of determining factorability or non-factorability of quadratic algebraic trinomials, using Cabri Geometry II Plus (or a graphing calculator) together with the MTSM, makes this topic comprehensible in a technology-rich environment

Climate justice and ambition under the Paris agreement

Postprint (published version