- Av. Pres. Vargas, 650 - Central, Macapá - AP, 68900-070, BRAZIL
Alexander Maar
Universidade do Estado do amapá, Colegiado de Filosofia, Faculty Member
- I'm a philosophy lecturer and researcher. I completed my doctorate in philosophy at the University of Auckland (New Z... moreI'm a philosophy lecturer and researcher. I completed my doctorate in philosophy at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), and graduated in philosophy from the University of Trento (Italy). In my PhD thesis I discuss the application of David Lewis’s philosophy of causation to problems in analytic philosophy of history. My philosophical interests include the role and logic of explanations in history, causation, and general epistemology and philosophy of science. I am assistant professor of philosophy at the State University of Amapá, Brazil.(I'm a philosophy lecturer and researcher. I completed my doctorate in philosophy at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), and graduated in philosophy from the University of Trento (Italy). In my PhD thesis I discuss the application of David Lewis’s philosophy of causation to problems in analytic philosophy of history. My philosophical interests include the role and logic of explanations in history, causation, and general epistemology and philosophy of science. I am assistant professor of philosophy at the State University of Amapá, Brazil.)edit
Father Frederick Copleston is best known for his carefully crafted works History of Philosophy and Thomas Aquinas. Copleston’s most notable metaphysical thesis is his interpretation of the argument from contingency, which he sees as the... more
Father Frederick Copleston is best known for his carefully crafted works History of Philosophy and Thomas Aquinas. Copleston’s most notable metaphysical thesis is his interpretation of the argument from contingency, which he sees as the superior choice for theists. He draws on Aquinas and distinguishes between causa fieri and causa esse to argue that God is a higher order (vertical) cause of contingent causal series (horizontal). Copleston presents God not as a temporal first cause, but an ontologically ultimate cause necessary to explain a contingent universe. His contribution changed the way we read Aquinas. Copleston’s willingness to debate his thesis with different philosophical perspectives is illustrated by his acceptance to discuss God’s existence with Bertrand Russell, in 1948. This BBC radio debate epitomises the dispute between theists and atheists from the 1940s onwards. I undertake to expound and comment Copleston’s contribution to metaphysics, present relevant parts of the debate and provide criticism.
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In this article, I analyse common arguments raised against historical determinism. I refer to the treatment given to the topic by Ernest Nagel in “Determinism in History” (1959). Nagel identifies five different arguments which allegedly... more
In this article, I analyse common arguments raised against historical determinism. I refer to the treatment given to the topic by Ernest Nagel in “Determinism in History” (1959). Nagel identifies five different arguments which allegedly show that history is not deterministic and argues that they fall short. I revisit, re-evaluate, and make amendments to these arguments. Special attention is given to one of them: The argument that the emergence of novelties in human affairs would be incompatible with the standard view of determinism. I use the theory of convergent evolution to clarify why novelties cannot be used against the deterministic assumption, especially if by determinism we mean only the ontological sense of the doctrine – which I call uniqueness of evolution – and not predictive determinism. I conclude that common attacks on the possibility of historical determinism are grounded on incomplete human knowledge of the historical world.
O impedimento de indivíduos acometidos por enfermidade psíquica em risco de suicídio é bem justificado. Mas o impedimento do suicida racional é complicado pelo conflito entre defendermos a vida e defendermos a autonomia, como ilustrado... more
O impedimento de indivíduos acometidos por enfermidade psíquica em risco de suicídio é bem justificado. Mas o impedimento do suicida racional é complicado pelo conflito entre defendermos a vida e defendermos a autonomia, como ilustrado pelas diversas abordagens filosóficas quanto à dimensão ética do suicídio. Argumentaremos que a intervenção paternalista sobre o indivíduo autônomo, desde que de natureza pontual e escopo limitado, é também justificada. Para tanto iremos nos valer da distinção entre autonomia superficial (shallow) e profunda (deep), bem como de fatores complicadores oriundos de literatura médica recente: a questão da ambivalência e o cry for help model. Dedicaremos especial atenção também às implicações éticas de novas estratégias de detecção de risco que utilizam inteligência artificial aplicada a bases de dados de redes sociais como o Facebook. Embora os dados preliminares sugiram ser ferramentas eficazes, a falta de transparência, regulamentação e consentimento col...
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As a philosopher of science, Pierre Duhem is most often remembered as the earliest contributor to what became known as the Duhem-Quine thesis. This thesis casts doubt on our ability to isolate and test theories, and to choose between... more
As a philosopher of science, Pierre Duhem is most often remembered as the earliest contributor to what became known as the Duhem-Quine thesis. This thesis casts doubt on our ability to isolate and test theories, and to choose between empirically equivalent rivals. By extension, it offers important criticism of the rationality of deductivist science. In contrast with the vast literature produced during the 20th century addressing the problem of empirical underdetermination of theories, little has been said on the viability of the solution Duhem himself proposed to the problem: good sense. In this paper, we offer an analysis of two varieties of underdetermination, discuss when and why they matter, and how good sense is supposed to aid theory choice. We also look at two recent reconstructions of Duhemian good sense, and argue that one is to be favoured.
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In this essay, we aim to provide an overview of the periodic table’s origins and history, and of the elements which conspired to make it chemistry’s most recognisable icon. We pay attention to Mendeleev’s role in the development of a... more
In this essay, we aim to provide an overview of the periodic table’s origins and history, and of the elements which conspired to make it chemistry’s most recognisable icon. We pay attention to Mendeleev’s role in the development of a system for organising the elements and chemical knowledge while facilitating the teaching of chemistry. We look at how the reception of the table in different chemical communities was dependent on the local scientific, cultural and political context, but argue that its eventual universal acceptance is due to its unique ability to accommodate possessed knowledge while enabling novel predictions. Furthermore, we argue that its capacity to unify apparently disconnected phenomena under a simple framework facilitates our understanding of periodicity, making the table an icon of aesthetic value, and an object of philosophical inquiry. Finally, we briefly explore the table’s iconicity throughout its representations in pop art and science fiction.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Determinism is a doctrine or assumption best defined in the realm of the natural sciences. In this paper I explain in detail the four senses of determinism, from the most fundamental metaphysical sense, to the most complex epistemic... more
Determinism is a doctrine or assumption best defined in the realm of the natural sciences. In this paper I explain in detail the four senses of determinism, from the most fundamental metaphysical sense, to the most complex epistemic (predictive) sense. I take as a starting point the analysis of determinism offered by Stephen Kellert. Each of these senses is then expounded and commented with a view to explore some of the implications of each of them in theoretical physics. The most important of my tasks in this paper is to differentiate between the metaphysical and epistemic consequences of the deterministic assumption. My objective is to show that determinism as an ontological tenet is capable of withstanding criticism, even though predictive determinism is likely to be false.
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The chemist Max von Pettenkofer (1818-1901) studied with Justus von Liebig, and after leaving Giessen in 1844 did not immediately find an academic position. During the period 1844/1845 he wrote a cycle of 16 Chemical Sonnets (Chemische... more
The chemist Max von Pettenkofer (1818-1901) studied with Justus von Liebig, and after leaving Giessen in 1844 did not immediately find an academic position. During the period 1844/1845 he wrote a cycle of 16 Chemical Sonnets (Chemische Sonette), but published them only in 1886. The Sonnets have with few exceptions a historiographical character. We present a translation of the Sonette into Portuguese as well as commentaries about their content and their philosophical significance. We also comment rather briefly on Pettenkofer’s career as an empirical chemist and later as a somewhat heterodox hygienist.
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A theory of causation suitable for historiography must accommodate the many types of causal claims historians make. In this paper, I examine the advantages of applying D. K. Lewis’s counterfactual theory of causation to the philosophy of... more
A theory of causation suitable for historiography must accommodate the many types of causal claims historians make. In this paper, I examine the advantages of applying D. K. Lewis’s counterfactual theory of causation to the philosophy of historiography. I contend that Lewis’s possible world semantics offers a superior framework for making sense of historical causation, and that it lays the foundation for historians to look at history as causal series of events, remaining agnostic as to whether there may be historical regularities or laws. Lewis’s theory can also accommodate important notions often used by historians, such as absences as causes, historical necessity and contingency, and the role they play in the formulation of historical counterfactuals.
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Trata-se de uma abordagem interdisciplinar filosófico-historico-literária das formas de aquisição do conhecimento na Renascença - razão, revelação, magia - discutidas com base na peça Doutor Fausto (1604) de Christopher Marlowe, uma... more
Trata-se de uma abordagem interdisciplinar filosófico-historico-literária das formas de aquisição do conhecimento na Renascença - razão, revelação, magia - discutidas com base na peça Doutor Fausto (1604) de Christopher Marlowe, uma tradução original que acompanha o livro.
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Research Interests:
A pandemia de COVID-19 deu maior visibilidade ao trabalho de epidemiologistas, e em particular ao uso de modelos epidemiológicos. Projeções da expansão da doença, número de casos e o seu pico esperado, são amplamente divulgadas na mídia.... more
A pandemia de COVID-19 deu maior visibilidade ao trabalho de epidemiologistas, e em particular ao uso de modelos epidemiológicos. Projeções da expansão da doença, número de casos e o seu pico esperado, são amplamente divulgadas na mídia. Políticas de saúde pública, como medidas de isolamento social, são justificadas à população com base na necessidade de se ‘achatar a curva’, e evitar o colapso do sistema de saúde. Mas o público não é informado sobre os usos e limitações dos modelos. A necessidade de recalibrarmos os modelos com novos dados e de revisarmos projeções também são pouco compreendidas e por vezes se tornam fonte de frustração, alimentando ceticismo para com a verdade científica. Neste artigo eu discuto brevemente de que maneira a reflexão filosófica sobre os usos dos modelos, e de suas propriedades epistêmicas – cognição, explicação e entendimento – pode mitigar esses problemas.
Father Frederick Copleston is best known for his carefully crafted works History of Philosophy and Thomas Aquinas. Copleston’s most notable metaphysical thesis is his interpretation of the argument from contingency, which he sees as the... more
Father Frederick Copleston is best known for his carefully crafted works History of Philosophy and Thomas Aquinas. Copleston’s most notable metaphysical thesis is his interpretation of the argument from contingency, which he sees as the superior choice for theists. He draws on Aquinas and distinguishes between causa fieri and causa esse to argue that God is a higher order (vertical) cause of contingent causal series (horizontal). Copleston presents God not as a temporal first cause, but an ontologically ultimate cause necessary to explain a contingent universe. His contribution changed the way we read Aquinas. Copleston’s willingness to debate his thesis with different philosophical perspectives is illustrated by his acceptance to discuss God’s existence with Bertrand Russell, in 1948. This BBC radio debate epitomises the dispute between theists and atheists from the 1940s onwards. I undertake to expound and comment Copleston’s contribution to metaphysics, present relevant parts of the debate and provide criticism.
Research Interests:
Isaiah Berlin famously attacked a view he called historical inevitability. He believed that a causal view of history would entail the adoption of an extreme deterministic position-a kind of determinism which would rule out the possibility... more
Isaiah Berlin famously attacked a view he called historical inevitability. He believed that a causal view of history would entail the adoption of an extreme deterministic position-a kind of determinism which would rule out the possibility of free will, turning moral responsibility into an empty notion. His thesis was also based on the assumption that historians are not just chroniclers of the past but need to engage in moral judgments. Therefore, should determinism hold true of our world, our moral language-and consequently much of our historiographical language-would need to undergo serious revision. In this paper we present a critical analysis of 'Historical Inevitability' (1954), the article in which Berlin argues his case, and we point to an important omission which, in our view, weakens the author's thesis.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has given greater visibility to the work of epidemiologists, and in particular to the use of epidemiological models. Projections of the disease’s expansion, number of cases and its expected peak, are widely reported... more
The COVID-19 pandemic has given greater visibility to the work of epidemiologists, and in particular to the use of epidemiological models. Projections of the disease’s expansion, number of cases and its expected peak, are widely reported in the media. Public health policies, such as measures of social isolation, are justified to the population based on the need to ‘flatten the curve’, and to prevent the collapse of the health system. But the public is not informed about uses and limitations of models. The need to recalibrate models with new data and to revise projections are also poorly understood and sometimes become a source of frustration, fuelling scepticism towards scientific truth. In this article, I briefly discuss how philosophical reflection on the uses of models and their epistemic properties - cognition, explanation and understanding - can mitigate these problems.
Research Interests:
Determinism is a doctrine or assumption best defined in the realm of the natural sciences. In this paper I explain in detail the four senses of determinism, from the most fundamental metaphysical sense, to the most complex epistemic... more
Determinism is a doctrine or assumption best defined in the realm of the natural sciences. In this paper I explain in detail the four senses of determinism, from the most fundamental metaphysical sense, to the most complex epistemic (predictive) sense. I take as a starting point the analysis of determinism offered by Stephen Kellert. Each of these senses is then expounded and commented with a view to explore some of the implications of each of them in theoretical physics. The most important of my tasks in this paper is to differentiate between the metaphysical and epistemic consequences of the deterministic assumption. My objective is to show that determinism as an ontological tenet is capable of withstanding criticism, even though predictive determinism is likely to be false.
Research Interests:
In this essay, we aim to provide an overview of the periodic table's origins and history, and of the elements which conspired to make it chemistry's most rec-ognisable icon. We pay attention to Mendeleev's role in the development of a... more
In this essay, we aim to provide an overview of the periodic table's origins and history, and of the elements which conspired to make it chemistry's most rec-ognisable icon. We pay attention to Mendeleev's role in the development of a system for organising the elements and chemical knowledge while facilitating the teaching of chemistry. We look at how the reception of the table in different chemical communities was dependent on the local scientific, cultural and political context, but argue that its eventual universal acceptance is due to its unique ability to accommodate possessed knowledge while enabling novel predictions. Furthermore, we argue that its capacity to unify apparently disconnected phenomena under a simple framework facilitates our understanding of periodicity, making the table an icon of aesthetic value, and an object of philosophical inquiry. Finally, we briefly explore the table's iconicity throughout its representations in pop art and science fiction.
Research Interests:
As a philosopher of science, Pierre Duhem is most often remembered as the earliest contributor to what became known as the Duhem-Quine thesis. This thesis casts doubt on our ability to isolate and test theories, and to choose between... more
As a philosopher of science, Pierre Duhem is most often remembered as the earliest contributor to what became known as the Duhem-Quine thesis. This thesis casts doubt on our ability to isolate and test theories, and to choose between empirically equivalent rivals. By extension, it offers important criticism of the rationality of deductivist science. In contrast with the vast literature produced during the 20th century addressing the problem of empirical underdetermination of theories, little has been said on the viability of the solution Duhem himself proposed to the problem: good sense. In this paper, we offer an analysis of two varieties of underdetermination, discuss when and why they matter, and how good sense is supposed to aid theory choice. We also look at two recent reconstructions of Duhemian good sense, and argue that one is to be favoured.
Research Interests:
A theory of causation suitable for historiography must accommodate the many types of causal claims historians make. In this paper, I examine the advantages of applying D. K. Lewis's counterfactual theory of causation to the philosophy of... more
A theory of causation suitable for historiography must accommodate the many types of causal claims historians make. In this paper, I examine the advantages of applying D. K. Lewis's counterfactual theory of causation to the philosophy of historiography. I contend that Lewis's possible world semantics offers a superior framework for making sense of historical causation, and that it lays the foundation for historians to look at history as causal series of events, remaining agnostic as to whether there may be historical regularities or laws. Lewis's theory can also accommodate important notions often used by historians, such as absences as causes, historical necessity and contingency, and the role they play in the formulation of historical counterfactuals.
Keywords: historical counterfactuals, causation, necessity and contingency
Keywords: historical counterfactuals, causation, necessity and contingency
Research Interests:
Counterfactual thought experiments in history have become increasingly popular in the last two decades, and a new and controversial branch of history has originated from their use: counterfactual history, also known as virtual history.... more
Counterfactual thought experiments in history have become increasingly popular in the last two decades, and a new and controversial branch of history has originated from their use: counterfactual history, also known as virtual history. Despite its popularity amongst the general public, most academic historians consider historical counterfactuals as having little epistemic value. This paper investigates three alleged uses of counterfactual thinking in historical explanations: (1) the claim that counterfactual thinking gives historians useful insights; (2) that it is a useful tool to evaluate an event’s causal significance; (3) that it shows much of history to be essentially ‘chaotic’. I argue that only (2) convincingly justifies the use of counterfactual thought experiments in history, as it allows historians to illustrate how they perceive events’ degrees of sensitivity to changes to their causal history, being an important part of providing a causal explanation.
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Nota do Editor: Santa Catarina: História, Espaço Geográfico e Meio Ambiente tem como autores o historiador Alexander Maar e os geógrafos André Peron e Fernando Del Prá Netto, é uma obra colorida e fartamente ilustrada. Esta é uma... more
Nota do Editor:
Santa Catarina: História, Espaço Geográfico e Meio Ambiente tem como autores o historiador Alexander Maar e os geógrafos André Peron e Fernando Del Prá Netto, é uma obra colorida e fartamente ilustrada. Esta é uma publicação contemporânea e interdisciplinar que contribui para uma melhor compreensão do Estado de Santa Catarina através de diversas áreas do conhecimento. Sem dúvida, uma obra indispensável para atender ao processo de formação educacional, social, político e cultural de estudantes, professores e de todos aqueles que necessitam conhecer e se informar sobre a história, a geografia, a economia e as principais características do território catarinense. Uma leitura que enriquece e transforma.
Santa Catarina: História, Espaço Geográfico e Meio Ambiente tem como autores o historiador Alexander Maar e os geógrafos André Peron e Fernando Del Prá Netto, é uma obra colorida e fartamente ilustrada. Esta é uma publicação contemporânea e interdisciplinar que contribui para uma melhor compreensão do Estado de Santa Catarina através de diversas áreas do conhecimento. Sem dúvida, uma obra indispensável para atender ao processo de formação educacional, social, político e cultural de estudantes, professores e de todos aqueles que necessitam conhecer e se informar sobre a história, a geografia, a economia e as principais características do território catarinense. Uma leitura que enriquece e transforma.
Research Interests:
Trata-se de uma abordagem interdisciplinar filosófico-historico-literária das formas de aquisição do conhecimento na Renascença - razão, revelação, magia - discutidas com base na peça Doutor Fausto (1604) de Christopher Marlowe, uma... more
Trata-se de uma abordagem interdisciplinar filosófico-historico-literária das formas de aquisição do conhecimento na Renascença - razão, revelação, magia - discutidas com base na peça Doutor Fausto (1604) de Christopher Marlowe, uma tradução original que acompanha o livro.