Creativity and Imagination in the Practice of Philosophy

This paper argues that the exercise of the imagination requires us 1) to attempt to describe features of a certain practice that appear, at first blush, natural and obvious; 2) to understand that that which appears natural and obvious could be otherwise; and 3) to be open to the introduction of changes to that which appears natural and obvious. Imagination, in this sense, is quite different to creativity. The latter works on the basis of the introduction of variations to settled phenomena. This exercise of creativity is important, but ultimately, it contributes principally to the stability and identity of a community and reinforces its most firmly established features. Imagination, on the other hand, is more difficult, for it strikes at the very heart of that which is settled. Changes to that which is settled may not only be resisted, but may also be violently opposed. And yet, it is precisely the very ability and willingness to be open to such changes that may be of the most ethical and political significance. These differences between creativity and imagination are illustrated in the context of the practice of philosophy

Improving prescribing practices in primary care: A randomised trial and economic analysis of a multicomponent intervention showed small, but important, gains

Del Mar discusses the implications of the RaPP trial, a cluster RCT of a multi-component intervention to improve prescribing of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs in primary care

Density Functional Study on the Stability and Reactivity of Pt(100) and Pt(111) Surfaces Modified by Ni Atoms

DFT study on the the stability and reactivity of Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces modified by nickel UPD monolayer deposition have been carried out. We used the binding energy calculation of bimetallic structures versus the cohesion energy of the bulk adsorbate to quantify the underpotential shift (ΔEupd) to determine the stability of the bimetallic systems. The reactivity of the clean and modified surface was analized by energy levels of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), softness and local softness. We concluded that the stability of Pt(100)25Ni9 and Pt(111)25Ni10 bimetallic structures cannot be explained by excess of the metal- substrate binding energy but the instability can be explained by structural effects. We found that the modified surfaces are more reactive and the active sites are located in the centre of the cluster which favores the formation of islands of atoms onto these surfaces

Girlhood and Ethics: The Role of Bodily Integrity

Our concern is with the ethical issues related to girlhood and bodily integrity—the right to be free from physical harm and harassment and to experience freedom and security in relation to the body. We defend agency, positive self-relations, and health as basic elements of bodily integrity and we advocate that this normative concept be used as a conceptual tool for the protection of the rights of girls. We assume the capability approach developed by Martha Nussbaum as an ethical framework that enables us to evaluate girls’ well-being and well-becoming in relation to the potential, and often subtle, threats they face. The capability approach can be understood as a theory of justice, and, therefore, as an ethical and political approach. An enriched concept of bodily integrity can help in the design of better policies to address gender biases against girls because it could contribute to seeing them as active agents and valid participant

The EU Council Presidency Dilemma: an Historical Institutionalist Interpretation

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of taking into account the variable of EU institutional development when analysing the consequences of EU membership. Using an historical institutionalist perspective, the article examines the path of the Council Presidency since its origins and argues that five decades of institutional feedback have unexpectedly altered its nature. Originally conceived as an intergovernmental function, today the Presidency has become hybrid and increasingly identified with the Community interests. This process of institutional conversion has essentially limited the scope of action of the member states.European works councils; Europeanization; Europeanization; path dependence; institutionalism