Theoretical Reflection Research Articles

Więcej niż „trudny problem świadomości”: o możliwości powstania świadomej sztucznej inteligencji

The aim of this paper is to review the most important questions and problems concerning the emergence of conscious ai. In the paper, I point out three such key questions and problems: (1) how to recognize that ai has acquired consciousness? (2) how can conscious ai emerge? and (3) what properties can conscious ai have? I argue that these problems cannot currently be solved on the basis of purely experimental, computer science, and engineering approaches, because the path to this leads through areas marked out by previous philosophical and general theoretical reflection on the subject.

Concepts and conditions of penal moderation: Penal policy, public philosophy, and political ideologies. Theoretical reflections from Italy (2010–2018)

Concepts and conditions of penal moderation: Penal policy, public philosophy, and political ideologies. Theoretical reflections from Italy (2010–2018)

Emotions on Social Media as Catalysts for Change: Epistemic and Motivational Potentialities for Gender Equality

Emotions on Social Media as Catalysts for Change: Epistemic and Motivational Potentialities for Gender Equality

Assembleia de Abrantes Headquarters Building by Raul Lino

The Assembleia de Abrantes building, designed in 1923 and intended as the headquarters of a recreational and cultural club, was one of the first and most relevant projects of Raul Lino (1879-1974) in that city. The building was classified in 2014. This paper proposes the study and interpretation of its main architectural and construction features, in order to understand whether there is a correlation between the Casa Portuguesa programme advocated by Raul Lino and the programme of this building designed to house a local club. The methodology that guided this study focused on the analysis of primary and secondary sources (drawings, written architectural documentation, correspondence between the client and the architect, books and other written publications), photographic and geometric surveys and their graphic recording. Existing architectural documents were analysed. The study was also based on Lino’s theoretical reflections on the function and materiality of Portuguese dwellings, published between 1918 and 1933. It can be concluded that there is a correlation between the Casa Portuguesa programme and that of this building, relating to the internal organization of spaces and construction systems. This work enabled the identification and aggregation of project documents dispersed across two documentary funds. The results obtained contribute to the documentation of preliminary studies for future construction work on the Assembleia de Abrantes Headquarters building. This work aims to make an additional contribution to the interpretation and understanding of Raul Lino's architectural work, focusing on the construction perspective.

The Endowment Effect and Housing Studies: The Role of Multiple Reference Points

One of the most researched and proven behavioural biases is the endowment effect, which manifests in people's higher valuation of goods they own relative to goods they do not. Loss aversion is considered the main cause of the endowment effect because of the assumption that losses loom larger than gains. Whether decisions are framed as either gains or losses depends on the adopted reference point, which is usually taken as current ownership. Mainstream behavioural economics also postulates that the decision-making process involves multiple reference points. This study aims to provide new arguments in favour of the existence of multiple reference points affecting the formation of the endowment effect based on theoretical reflections and empirical evidence from the housing market. A critical review of the literature, as well as an empirical study, revealed that there are multiple reference points in the housing market, the interaction between which leads to the endowment effect.

Digital media and socialization in primary school: a sociological analysis of the Edumat+ experience for environmental sustainability and social inclusion

The paper initiates a theoretical, scientific and methodological reflection on the design and experimentation of communicative and digital artefacts, such as infographic mats, within formal educational contexts, like primary schools, to educate on environmental sustainability and social inclusion by working on the implementation of soft skills in children. Since 2022, the Digital Education Lab of the Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture at Sapienza University of Rome has embarked on an interdisciplinary path of designing and experimenting with educational paths through STEAM, titled Edumat+. The objectives are two: 1. to reflect on the educational effectiveness of the communicative artefacts, proposed in terms of enhancing learning and teaching processes in children's situated contexts, with particular attention to the linguistic and narrative strategies adopted, in relation to educational objectives and the cognitive domain; 2. to reflect on a procedural methodological framework underlying the design of media and educational artefacts in formal educational contexts, to analyse the socialization processes related to the use of technology in classroom, with particular reference to coding. This contribution will present the experience of designing and experimenting with the Edumat+ case study, reflecting on the complexity of effective interdisciplinary educational media design attentive to stimulating socialization dynamics in the school.

Undoing manual labour: the performative force of female building workers

ABSTRACT Judith Butler’s influential writing on psychoanalytic, semiotic, linguistic and material-embodied gender performativity inspired a generation of geographers to advance critical understanding of labour and spaces of work. This paper adds to that progress by engaging with subsequent feminist, post-structuralist, materialist, and more-than-representational thinking that remains under-developed terrain for geographical studies of everyday work life. We offer ethnographic insights into on-site experiences of female building workers in China – career paths, labour practices, intimate spousal relations – evidence of (in)actions, trajectories, absences/presences, visual, vocal, linguistic, embodied, emotional, affective, material and (non)human registers of performative force. Overall, we explore more-and-less reflexive emerging, (re)surfacing, unfolding moments of meaningful, incongruent, incomplete, and contradictory ‘being’, ‘becoming’ and subjectivities ‘in-the-making’ that constitute female building workers’ undoing manual labour. Concluding, we offer theoretical, methodological and empirical reflections and signpost new research directions.

Artificial violence. VAW and the dark side of artificial intelligence

Violence against women is increasingly becoming a global phenomenon, involving millions of people worldwide, reinforcing the condition of social inequality that has historically relegated women to a subordinate position, within a framework of inequality and discrimination. The development of digital technologies (Web 2.0, social media, digital platforms) and, more recently, artificial intelligence, is contributing to the emergence of new, sometimes more insidious than traditional ones, forms of violence, raising questions about how to combat them. Specifically, the article proposes a theoretical reflection on the new forms of digital violence enabled by technology, with a focus on the case of the chatbot Replika. The qualitative and quantitative expansion of violence poses new media-education challenges, particularly regarding the need to design and propose new forms of prevention suited to this new landscape and to strengthen specific AI Literacy.

Russian Buddhism, Traditional Values, and the Public Media Sphere

This article is a continuation of the previously published study of the strategies of the Russian-speaking Buddhist community in relation to the Internet and new media and is devoted to the analysis of the public contribution of Buddhist civil initiatives. The complexity of this topic lies in its novelty and extremely weak study through the prism of sociological methodologies. Meanwhile, the transformations of Russian society in the spheres of politics, law, education and religion urgently require from sociologists both new theoretical reflections on the relevance of established research methodologies and new applied studies of the changed reality. The analytical framework of the study was a combination of the concepts of postsecular society by Jürgen Habermas and the "organisational substrate" by Julia Berger. The applied part of the study included expert interviews on the topic of civil Buddhist initiatives in the period of the 1990s-220s. and a case study of two Buddhist non-governmental organisations – the Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural and Philosophical Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and the Foundation for the Promotion of Buddhist Education and Research. The conducted analysis allowed us to identify the ideational and particular components of the organisational substrate of Buddhist non-governmental organisations. The ideational component of the organisational substrate of both funds is based on the Buddhist regulation of social action as aimed at gaining good merit and bringing benefit to living beings, purification of consciousness. The key vectors of civic activity of Russian lay Buddhists are determined by the particularism of the Buddhist model of dissemination of the teaching (prohibition of missionary work, the Teaching as the Gift of preaching), doctrinal regulation of social activity of lay people and religious professionals, and a civilian model of reproduction of traditional values through Buddhist education. The organisational substrate identified by the authors allowed them to study the main areas of civic initiatives of Russian Buddhists. These, in accordance with the substrate, were the creation of a media niche of traditional Buddhism in the public sphere of Russian society; mediation of relations between traditional Buddhism and the political-legal and scientific-educational subsystems of Russian society. An analysis of the stages of institutionalisation of Buddhist non-governmental organisations showed that the first stage included the formation of a public initiative from below, the second stage covered the construction of a long-term dialogue with the authorities on the problem of reproduction of Buddhist education, and the current, third stage - the consolidation of the Buddhist sangha in the socio-cultural and political-legal context of the Russian Federation.

История государственного и цивилизационного развития России в концептуальном осмыслении российскими мыслителями XIX века: теоретико-исторический анализ

Introduction. The phase of worldwide civilisational conflict that is currently taking place in the international arena urges the importance of appealing to the domestic experience in understanding the history of the state and civilisational development of our country, its scientific and theoretical reflection in the works of great philosophers.One cannot understand the state and civilisational peculiarities of Russia unless they examine the experience of the past, retrospective analysis of the tendencies of their formation and evolution. A serious heuristic problem associated with the research is the long-term period of its neglect in Soviet science and its repression to the margins of attention in the post-Soviet period caused by dominance of pro-western and neoliberal studies. The aim of the research is to conduct a theoretical and historical analysis of the most important conceptual approaches made by Russian thinkers of the XIX century V. S. Soloviev, E. N. Trubetskoy, N. A. Berdyaev, N. I. Kareev and A. S. Khomyakov related to the study of the statehood history development. Methods. The main methodological principles of the research were the principles of comprehensiveness and integrity of the study of the history of the state and civilisational development of Russia, the unity of historical and logical, the principle of ascending from the abstract to the concrete. The methodological basis of the research included the systematic method, ensuring the integrity of the perception of the object studied; comparative-historical method, allowing to consider the subject in its evolution; axiological method, contributing to the identification of the most significant conceptual approaches to understand the issues studied. General scientific and special methods of legal research were used. Results. The paper revealed the methodological meaning of moral potential of the conceptual understanding of the Russian civilisation. The author examined the evolution of the semantic content of the concept ‘humanism’ in its traditional, neo-liberal and modern patriotic interpretation, and studied the problem of the conflict of civilisations: its essence and determinants.

Patterns of opportunity spaces and agency across regional contexts: Conditions and drivers for change

Non-metropolitan regions are considered more exposed to external shocks than their metropolitan counterparts, while having lower capacities to change. However, there is considerable variation among non-metropolitan regions. We argue that this variation can be captured theoretically by modelling the dynamic interplay between perceived and real opportunity spaces and agency. We empirically analyse regional change processes in 12 regions in the Nordics over a period of 30 years with a unique dataset. We find patterns of opportunity spaces and agency, which allow theoretical reflections about conditions and drivers for change, and has implications for place-based regional policy.

Bounded symbiosis and upwards reflection

Abstract In Bagaria (J Symb Log 81(2), 584–604, 2016), Bagaria and Väänänen developed a framework for studying the large cardinal strength of downwards Löwenheim-Skolem theorems and related set theoretic reflection properties. The main tool was the notion of symbiosis, originally introduced by the third author in Väänänen (Applications of set theory to generalized quantifiers. PhD thesis, University of Manchester, 1967); Väänänen (in Logic Colloquium ’78 (Mons, 1978), volume 97 of Stud. Logic Foundations Math., pages 391–421. North-Holland, Amsterdam 1979) Symbiosis provides a way of relating model theoretic properties of strong logics to definability in set theory. In this paper we continue the systematic investigation of symbiosis and apply it to upwards Löwenheim-Skolem theorems and reflection principles. To achieve this, we need to adapt the notion of symbiosis to a new form, called bounded symbiosis. As one easy application, we obtain upper and lower bounds for the large cardinal strength of upwards Löwenheim–Skolem-type principles for second order logic.

Bioprinting in bioart and art-based research practices

Bioprinting is increasingly recognised for its substantial potential in facilitating customised artistic creations. This field, inherently interdisciplinary, enables the exploration and utilisation of novel materials, techniques, and conceptual frameworks, leading to the emergence of innovative and intellectually engaging art forms. The article refers to ‘MetabolA.I.’ and other interdisciplinary projects as examples of how theoretical and artistic reflections on possible biological or techno-biological forms of life sprout into reality through a mediation of technologies, such as bioprinting. The work on the project and subsequent research in this domain led to the development of two bioprinter prototypes, based on the philosophy of open source. The advent of do-it-yourself (DIY) bioprinting has significantly contributed to its incorporation into educational curricula and artistic endeavours. The democratisation of advanced tools foster a conducive environment for research and experimentation within the arts. It also allows students to experience the methods which will define the future of research. Art projects involving bioprinting also prompt a reassessment of reproducibility in art, since inherent biological variability makes each ‘print’ fundamentally irreproducible. This breathes new life into the discourse on the ‘aura’ of artworks in the technological age, when control over the creative process seems unlimited. The posthumanist perspective on this trend brings us back to the question of whether the creative process is exclusively a human prerogative.

Building a shared Global agenda: Challenges and perspectives for a sustainable world

The construction of a shared global agenda represents one of the main challenges for the promotion of a sustainable world, requiring coordinated efforts between governments, institutions, civil society and individuals. The prospects for achieving this goal involve the implementation of effective public policies, encouraging technological innovation and strengthening international cooperation, seeking integrated solutions to issues such as climate change, social inequality and global health. In this context, the Clinics Biopsychosocial Journal plays a fundamental role by fostering the production of scientific knowledge, popularizing science and disseminating relevant data that assist in the formulation of external strategies and policies for sustainable development. This issue discusses topics that span different fields of knowledge, ranging from environmental risk factors, agricultural transformations and health and health epidemiology, to articles that seek theoretical reflections on the role of social services in promoting social inclusion, the phenomenon of electronic gambling and its socioeconomic and health effects, mental health, gender and COVID-19, the analysis of housing sustainability and image representations of suicide prevention.

(Ne)prijazni zmaji v službi polonistične ekoglotodidaktike

The article focuses on the Polish cultureme of the Vistula River as defined by Maciej Rak as well as the ecoglottodidactic educational potential resulting from the juxtaposition of the Polish legend of the Wawel dragon and the Slovenian legend of the dragon and the Argonauts. The selected folk texts become a stimulus for conversations with students about the Vistula and the Sava and Ljubljanica rivers flowing through Slovenia. The text follows the postulates of environmental humanities, promoting a non-anthropocentric view of the world as well as intercultural and outdoor education. The theoretical reflection is complemented by a proposal of an ecological field game, titled “In the footsteps of centuries-old dragons”, based on an aquatic theme and adapted to the needs of Polish language learners at B1-B2 level. The use of information and communication technology such as QR codes, interactivity and digital flipbooks ensures the attractiveness of educational activities and allows correlating the teaching of a foreign/second or heritage language with the objectives of sustainable development.

Quando a criança reproduz o incesto sofrido com outras crianças na escola: estudo de caso

The school has been linked to the phenomenon of sexual violence against children as a place of prevention and identification of cases. Given the scarcity of studies dealing with the school as a place of reproduction of intrafamilial sexual violence, we aim to provide clinical and theoretical reflections on the victimized child who repeatedly directs hyper-sexualized behaviour towards his peers at school. A case study was carried out in an outpatient clinic specializing in victims of sexual assault. From the material analysis, we confirmed the risk of an institutional violence perpetrated against the child by the school, which tends to adopt exclusionary movements, possibly due to the disarticulation of the Protection Network. We see the need for more studies on this specific target group, in order to guarantee inclusive movements.

Influence of mental image and creativity in the artistic process through strategies of unpredictability

This study focused on the field of imagination and creativity in the classroom by proposing a creative learning experience to a group of 92 fine arts students. Following a theoretical reflection on strategies of unpredictability in artistic creation, participants were asked to develop an artistic project in which chance intervened at some point in the creative process. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of image control, creative thinking, and creative experiences on the realization of an artistic project. Two expert judges measured the originality, the elaboration, and the total score of each project. The results demonstrated the importance of mental imagery and creative thinking in artistic creation. Image control and creative thinking influenced the originality of the project. It can be interesting to develop creative learning experiences that involve imagination and creative thinking in the classroom. In addition, future research work is proposed.

Тема Чорного моря в літературних інтрепретаціях Євгена Маланюка

The article interprets artistic images on the theme of the Black Sea in the work of the iconic Ukrainian poet and thinker of the interwar period – Yevhen Malanyuk. Emphasis is placed on the expressiveness of the artistic thinking of Malanyuk, who managed to create bright and multifaceted images-symbols and images-concepts regarding the mental and civilizational attraction of the Ukrainian ethnic group to the Black Sea. It is traced how the author substantiated his poetic visions with deep theoretical reflections in historiosophical and cultural essay writing. The central idea of the writer: the Black Sea was and is an important geopolitical and geocultural frontier for the Ukrainian ethnic group and its state. It is explained why Malanyuk believed that the Hellenistic and Scythian-Sarmatian archetypes from Ukrainian ethnogenesis determined the peculiarities of the Ukrainian psychotype.

Urban Tourism Studies: A Transversal Research Agenda 275

The debate on tourism in cities, both academically and in practice, has for a long time taken place in relative isolation from urban studies. Tourism is mostly addressed as an external agent and economic force that puts pressure on cities rather than as an interdependent part of city systems. The recent debate on city touristification and excessive dependence on the visitor economy, as well as the associated processes of exclusion, and displacement of local city users, serves to highlight how tourism is an integral part of urban developments. A wider urban perspective is needed to understand the processes underlying the tourism phenomena and more transdisciplinary perspectives are required to analyze the urban (tourism) practices. The current article seeks to contribute to such a perspective through a discussion of the literature on urban and tourism studies, and related fields such as gentrification, mobilities, and touristification. Based on this, theoretical reflections are provided regarding a more integral perspective to tourism and urban development in order to engage with a transversal urban tourism research agenda.

Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Education. The Educator as Ethical Leader

Technological media are evolving at great speed, and this development inevitably affects the pedagogical approach that institutions and educators implement in the classroom. The great irruption of Artificial Intelligence tools makes it necessary to reflect on the use of these applications in educational centres at all levels, from Early Childhood Education to Higher Education. These tools have enormous possibilities and applications for the improvement of learning in many aspects, but it is also necessary to analyse the ethical implications that their use may entail, and the role of the educator in this whole process. In this sense, it is proposed that the teacher should become an ethical leader, providing adequate spaces for all students to have the opportunity to achieve learning, becoming a person who inspires those around him/her, and leading the ethical debate involved in the use of these technologies, fostering a critical spirit and knowledge. The presence of the human being in the educational process cannot be doubted, due to the presence of dimensions of the human being such as the emotional or spiritual dimension, which are part of the integral development of the individual and must be nurtured. A theoretical reflection on AI in education shows that it shifts educators' roles from traditional instructors to facilitators and ethical leaders, crucial for guiding personalized learning and addressing ethical considerations in AI use.