Die Welt jenseits der Oszillografen : ein Streitgespräch zwischen dem Hirnforscher Wolf Singer und dem Philosophen Marcus Willaschek

Neurowissenschaftler fordern einen illusionslosen Umgang mit Begriffen wie Willensfreiheit und Bewusstsein. Philosophen kritisieren offen die Thesen von Hirnforschern. Stehen sich diese Positionen unversöhnlich gegenüber? Wo gibt es Möglichkeiten einer Annäherung, gar einer Kooperation? Der Religionsphilosoph Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Schmidt und der Biologe Stefan Kieß loten die Situation in Frankfurt aus; ihre Gesprächspartner sind der Hirnforscher Prof. Dr. Wolf Singer (links), Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Hirnforschung, und Prof. Dr. Marcus Willaschek (rechts), Philosoph an der Universität Frankfurt

Beta-Blocker Therapy and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Case Report

Objective. The aim of this paper is to describe a fatal case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in a patient with severe heart failure, who was treated with low-dose propranolol. Patient and Interventions. We report on a 7-month-old boy with Downs syndrome who was born with an unbalanced, left dominant atrioventricular septal defect and aortic coarctation. Despite coarctation repair and pulmonary artery banding he developed intractable heart failure and fever of unknown origin. Since he remained in heart failure he received a trial of low-dose propranolol to stabilize his cardiopulmonary status, which resulted in unexpected immunomodulatory effects. Measurements and Main Result. Immunoactivation was evidenced by high concentrations of procalcitonin, soluble CD 25, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin 6 and 8. Propranolol resulting in hepatic compromise as indicated by high lactate dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase levels. A therapeutic switch from propranolol to the β1-receptor blocker metoprolol appeared to be instrumental in hemodynamic improvement and allowed discharge from hospital. However, the infant ultimately died from secondary inflammatory reactivation and intractable pulmonary obstructive disease. The autopsy results revealed HLH. Conclusion. Our case describes HLH secondary to heart failure and Downs syndrome. In this highly activated inflammatory state the beneficial hemodynamic effects of propranolol may be accompanied by immunomodulatory effects and the risk of acute liver failure. HLH occurs with a distinct pathophysiology, and specific treatment might be mandatory to increase the chance of survival

Getting Acquainted with Kant

My question here concerns whether Kant claims that experience has nonconceptual content, or whether, on his view, experience is essentially conceptual. However there is a sense in which this debate concerning the content of intuition is ill-conceived. Part of this has to do with the terms in which the debate is set, and part to do with confusion over the connection between Kant’s own views and contemporary concerns in epistemology and the philosophy of mind. However, I think much of the substance of the debate concerning Kant’s views on the content of experience can be salvaged by reframing it in terms of a debate about the dependence relations, if any, that exist between different cognitive capacities. Below, in Section 2, I clarify the notion of ‘content’ I take to be at stake in the interpretive debate. Section 3 presents reasons for thinking that intuition cannot have content in the relevant sense. I then argue, in Section 4, that the debate be reframed in terms of dependence. We should distinguish between Intellectualism, according to which all objective representation (understood in a particular way) depends on acts of synthesis by the intellect, and Sensibilism, according to which at least some forms of objective representation are independent of any such acts (or the capacity for such acts). Finally, in Section 5, I further elucidate the cognitive role of intuition. I articulate a challenge which Kant understands alethic modal considerations to present for achieving cognition, and argue that a version of Sensibilism that construes intuition as a form of acquaintance is better positioned to answer this challenge than Intellectualism

Sobre o princípio e a lei universal do Direito em Kant

O artigo distingue duas fórmulas do princípio do Direito em Kant; mostra que na primeira delas o Princípio Universal do Direito é formulado como um principium diiudicationis e na segunda a Lei Universal do Direito como um principium executionis das ações conforme ao Direito; examina as dificuldades suscitadas para ambas as formulações, quais sejam, a base para a definição do que é direito e a questão se as leis jurídicas têm e, caso tenham, qual é a sua força prescritiva; e, finalmente, propõe uma solução baseada na consideração de que as leis jurídicas constituem para Kant uma subclasse das leis morais e se baseiam no conceito de uma autorização ou faculdade moral de fazer o que é moralmente lícito ou obrigatório e de não fazer o que é moralmente proibido.<br>The present paper distinguishes two formulas of the principle of Right in Kant; it shows that in one of them (the Universal Principle of Right) the principle is expressed as a principium diiudicationis and in the other (the Universal Law of Right) as a principium executionis of what we consider to be right; it scrutinizes difficulties involved in both formulations, in particular the basis for definition of what is considered right and the prescriptive force of the Universal Law of Right; and it proposes a solution based on the consideration that juridical laws are for Kant a sub-class of moral laws and on the concept of a moral authorization (facultas moralis) of doing what is morally permissible or mandatory and of not doing what is morally forbidden