Ethical Constructivism

Ethical constructivism holds that truths about the relation between rationality, morality, and agency are best understood as constructed by correct reasoning, rather than discovered or invented. Unlike other metaphors used in metaethics, construction brings to light the generative and dynamic dimension of practical reason. On the resultant picture, practical reasoning is not only productive but also self-transforming, and socially empowering. The main task of this volume is to illustrate how constructivism has substantially modified and expanded the agenda of metaethics by refocusing on rational agency and its constitutive principles. In particular, this volume identifies, compares and discusses the prospects and failures of the main strands of constructivism regarding the powers of reason in responding to the challenges of contingency. While Kantian, Humean, Aristotelian, and Hegelian theories sharply differ in their constructivist strategies, they provide compelling accounts of the rational articulation required for an inclusive and unified ethical community.

Hermeneutics in the constitutional law of Ukraine

Hermeneutics, having emerged due to innovations in philosophy, is currently used by other humanities, including jurisprudence. Hermeneutics (from the Greek eppriveuco (hermeneutikos) - interpreter) - the art of understanding, comprehension, the doctrine of the interpretation of signs and understanding of meanings in the form of theory of the art of understanding, certain rules (methods, techniques) of interpretation, the art of their application, as well as the process of interpretation; organization, process and result of such correct reasoning, which actualizes various interpretive methodologies, adequate for understanding a text. Hermeneutic principles and approaches are harmoniously combined with centuries-old legal traditions - because the history of interpretation of legal texts dates back at least to the Renaissance, reflected in many schools (glossators, commentators (postglossators), etc.). The aim of the article is to demonstrate how the hermeneutics is used in the field of constitutional law based on the self-organized bodies of population's (SOBPs) materials and practice. The use of the term "self-government" is not entirely successful in the name "territorial public self-government bodies". After all, according to modern doctrinal concepts, one of the conditions for the formation of the rule of law in the country is the division of public power into public state and public municipal (self-governing) power. In this case, public state power is exercised by the relevant bodies, which, as a rule, belong to one of the branches of state power in accordance with the requirements of the concept of its division into legislative, executive and judicial. Municipal power is exercised by local governments. Based on this, both public authorities (local governments) and public municipal authorities (local governments) will function at the level of administrative-territorial units. According to the legislation of Ukraine, SOBPs are part of the system of local self-government, but are not bodies of local self-government. Thus, the use of the word "self-government" in the name of the SOBPs will indicate the system to which the house, street, etc. committees belong, but will be confusing because it will facilitate their identification with local governments. In addition, the use of the name "territorial public self-government" will characterize the nature of the dream bodies as mixed (public - public), which, in the author's opinion, is also not true.

The Implementation of Ijtihād Jamā'iy in MUI's Fatwa Commission

The Holy Quran and Sunnah contain universal values that require correct reasoning to be understood and applied by the Muslims. In this context, the scholars have been justified by Allah Almighty to undertake the ijtihād and ijmā’. This study aims to describe the ijtihād jamā’iy (collective ijtihād theory), as well as to analyze the imple­mentation of ijtihād jamā’iy at MUI’s Fatwa Commission in Lampung. This study is a combination of literature and field research. The data were obtained through literature studies of books, articles, and journals in related issues. Besides, the authors also interviewed MUI members to gain deeper information. Theoretically, the contemporary ijmā’ process can be pursued by an independent forum to conduct studies until a consensus is obtained from the majority of the participants. The panel must involve all religious elements in a representative manner. The practice of establishing Islamic law carried out by MUI’s Fatwa Commission of Lampung Province is in accordance with the concept of ijtihād jamā’iy in the science of uṣūl fiqh. This analysis is important so that people have a high level of compliance after knowing that the MUI Lampung fatwa is ijma, which in fact is one of the sources of Islamic law.

Correct reasoning

According to the account of practical reasons presented in Chapter 4, those reasons are ultimately grounded in the soundness of certain episodes of practical reasoning. This chapter addresses what it is for an episode of practical reasoning to be correct, which is a necessary condition for their soundness. It first shows that, at least when it is applied to reasoning, the notion of correctness need not itself be understood in terms of reasons, which would render the constructivist’s overall view circular. Then, it presents an account that characterizes correct reasoning as reasoning in compliance with the constitutive rules of that activity. It also discusses how those rules can be determined, and what the constructivist should say about their ontological status.

Quiz and Games as Previous Knowledge Organizers: A Medical Training Experience Report

Introduction: Previous knowledge organizers are powerful didactic tools that allow maximizing the meaningful learning process. Objective: To report on the application of quizzes and games called “Brain Quiz and Games”. Method: In the Medical School of the Mato Grosso do Sul State University (UESM), Brazil, during the Perception, Awareness and Emotion module, students performed two quizzes and two games during answering questions both individually and in groups. Descriptive analysis of the results was performed. The results showed that the dynamics stimulated the use of agile and correct reasoning, so necessary for a good medical practice. Students describe reports of motivation in the activities, which reflected in the good student performance in the final grades of the module. The activity of “Brain Quiz and Games” stimulated the advance study of the module content and the creation of subsumers in the cognitive structure of the students. Innovative activities, such as this, should be fostered, as they help students acquire knowledge.

International criminal court and Russia: to be or not to be together

INTRODUCTION. The creation of the International Criminal Court in 1998 boosted significantly the interests of practitioners and researchers as regards international criminal law and procedure. It was the very first time when the permanent international court dealing with crimes of the concern of the international community was created. Twenty years being passed but the formal quantitative results of the Court coupled with disputes as regards Court’s role and status, skepticism and disappointment of his work provoked an overall critic and negligence. It was aggravated by the direct critic delivered by a few states. Some of them refused to become a party to the Rome Statute or withdrew its ratification thereof. The same was with the internal situation in the Court: reluctance about the cooperation of the forensic unities and HR-disputes.MATERIALS AND METHODS. To prepare this paper the academic teachings of Russian and foreign specialists in international law and especially international criminal law, international and domestic legal instruments, media publications, reports and statistics of the ICC official web page were used. This study is premised on using the general methods of cognition (systemic and structural approaches, analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction) and methods of legal research (comparative, historical and formallydogmatic methods).RESEARCH RESULTS. Exaggerated expectations, organizational shortcomings, external explicit backlash, system obstacles of the international justice, pressure of officials and overt nihilism of the academics – that is where the Court have no choice but to work. Russian skepticism coupled with political observations provoked Russia’s 2016 withdrawal of its signature from the Rome Statute.The paper deals with Russian motives and reasons of the abovementioned decision. The analysis is carried out within the general pattern of the functioning of the Courts and its drawbacks. The stance of the main stakeholders is also considered. The authors conclude that the main reason of the Court’s default is predetermined considerably by the systematic and objective factors not dependent on the Hague court. At the same time some of the problems are deemed to be typical for international justice per se.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The bashing as regards the Court and its results excludes the impartiality in assessing ICC’s results and impedes the correct reasoning and offering adequate recommendations. The general negative narrative backs sufficient background for taking solely politically motivated decisions what the Russian experience proves.

Logik-Skript 1

Logic is the teaching of correct reasoning, describing its general laws as the basis of rational thinking. This book supplies the rudiments of the semantics and syntax of classical elementary logic while simultaneously reflecting its limitations. It explains formal concepts of truth and develops a calculus for logically valid reasoning. By means of numerous examples and many exercises, the readers learn to independently induce logical proof and to recognize logically valid arguments, to solve logically tricky puzzles and to avoid logical mistakes. The book is particularly appropriate as a textbook for a one-semester course in the introduction to logic. It is aimed at freshmen and at all those who are looking for a formally precise yet application-oriented approach to logic.

Isolating Correct Reasoning

This chapter tries to do three things. First, it argues that rules of correct reasoning do not always preserve justification: if you begin with a justified attitude, and reason correctly from it, it can nevertheless happen that you’ll arrive at an unjustified attitude. Second, it argues that rules of correct reasoning do not even correspond to permissions of “structural rationality”: it is not always structurally permissible to base an attitude on other attitudes from which it follows by correct reasoning. Third, from these observations it tries to build a somewhat positive account of correct reasoning as a more sui generis notion irreducible to either justification or structural rationality. This account vindicates an important unity of theoretical and practical reasoning as well as a qualified version of the thesis that deductive logic supplies rules of correct reasoning.

Questions about the Nature and Value of Reasoning

This chapter provides a brief and informal introduction to some of the central philosophical questions about reasoning. Among the questions discussed are: What distinguishes reasoning from other mental processes, such as free association or daydreaming? Does reasoning require a recognition that one’s premises support one’s conclusion? Is reasoning something that we do, and as such, something that we can be held responsible for? If so, how should we understand the role that sub-personal information processing plays in much of our ordinary reasoning? How can we characterize the difference between good reasoning and bad, or between correct and incorrect reasoning? Are there rules for correct reasoning? If so, do they go beyond minimal coherence constraints, such as the constraint against believing contradictions? How should we understand reasoning that departs from the paradigm of deductive reasoning? Do the same rules apply to all of us? Can two thinkers reason well from the same premises and yet arrive at incompatible conclusions? This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of how the essays in this collection address these and other questions about reasoning.

Second-order logic, philosophical issues in

Typically, a formal language has variables that range over a collection of objects, or domain of discourse. A language is ‘second-order’ if it has, in addition, variables that range over sets, functions, properties or relations on the domain of discourse. A language is third-order if it has variables ranging over sets of sets, or functions on relations, and so on. A language is higher-order if it is at least second-order. Second-order languages enjoy a greater expressive power than first-order languages. For example, a set S of sentences is said to be categorical if any two models satisfying S are isomorphic, that is, have the same structure. There are second-order, categorical characterizations of important mathematical structures, including the natural numbers, the real numbers and Euclidean space. It is a consequence of the Löwenheim–Skolem theorems that there is no first-order categorical characterization of any infinite structure. There are also a number of central mathematical notions, such as finitude, countability, minimal closure and well-foundedness, which can be characterized with formulas of second-order languages, but cannot be characterized in first-order languages. Some philosophers argue that second-order logic is not logic. Properties and relations are too obscure for rigorous foundational study, while sets and functions are in the purview of mathematics, not logic; logic should not have an ontology of its own. Other writers disqualify second-order logic because its consequence relation is not effective – there is no recursively enumerable, sound and complete deductive system for second-order logic. The deeper issues underlying the dispute concern the goals and purposes of logical theory. If a logic is to be a calculus, an effective canon of inference, then second-order logic is beyond the pale. If, on the other hand, one aims to codify a standard to which correct reasoning must adhere, and to characterize the descriptive and communicative abilities of informal mathematical practice, then perhaps there is room for second-order logic.