Controvérsia (UNISINOS) - ISSN 1808-5253

About the distinction between internal and external issues of existence according to Carnap

Anderson Bernardi — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

The aim is to address the distinction between “internal questions” and “external questions” of existence presented by Carnap in the text “Empiricism, Semantics and Ontology” in order to understand the reason for the so-called “Principle of Tolerance”. To this end, this article is divided into two parts. The first discusses the ancient quarrel between nominalists and realists, a genesis whose progress in the history of thought would later motivate Carnap to distinguish between knowledge of scientific claims (the internal questions of existence) and of metaphysical claims (the external questions of existence), a distinction discussed in the second part. The final consideration will be that, based on Carnap’s elucidation, the apparent incompatibility between the empiricist bias and the adoption of abstract entities would be dissolved.

Political resistance in the face of isolation and powerlessness: insights from Hannah Arendt's thought

Kethelyn Moraes da Silva, Antonio Justino de Arruda Neto — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This study aims to examine the relationship between isolation and impotence, as exemplified by the Nazi regime, through the lens of Hannah Arendt’s political thought (1951). The topic is problematized from the premise of the violence inherent in Nazi political practices. In order to grasp this relationship, Arendt's theoretical framework is adopted as the basis for analysis. Accordingly, the central research question is: in what ways does Hannah Arendt’s political thought contribute to overcoming the isolation/impotence dynamic imposed by authoritarian regimes? The general objective of the study is to understand the aforementioned problem. The specific objectives are as follows: (1) to identify the concept of totalitarianism in Arendt’s work; (2) to analyze how the relationship between ideology and terror contributes to the construction of isolation and political impotence; and (3) to discuss the concept of political action as a means of breaking with the logic of isolation and impotence. The research is structured as a bibliographic review, drawing primarily on two of Arendt’s major works: The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) and The Human Condition (1958). The study expects to demonstrate that political action, understood as a constitutive activity of human plurality and public space, is essential for fostering interaction among individuals in a community, thereby counteracting the conditions of political isolation and impotence.

Machiavelli and the armed prophets

Bruno Alexandre Cadete da Silva — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This research deals with the armed prophets, unique political and historical figures in Machiavelli's philosophy. In our analysis, based especially on the famous work The Prince, the armed prophets are the most powerful political agents in the Florentine author's lines of argument, as they associate elements such as religion, politics, violence, among others, in the promotion of their authority over different political bodies, nobles and people, as well as in the foundation and maintenance of their domains. Our investigation will be divided into two parts: 1) a general understanding of the armed prophets present in Machiavelli's The Prince, namely: Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus and Moses; 2) a detailed analysis of the most important of the armed prophets: Moses.

Aesthetic rationality and the limits of instrumental reason in Theodor Adorno

Bruno Luciano de Paiva Silva — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

The main objective of this article is to present the main aspects of aesthetic rationality, as elaborated by Adorno in his work Aesthetic Theory, and to clarify the limits of instrumental reason as a guide for human life. Thus, the article will have two parts: (a) in the first, we will characterize the main features of instrumental rationality, as described in the work Dialectic of Enlightenment, and (b) in the second part, we will present the main points of aesthetic rationality and its relationship with mimesis, which allows human beings to think of a non-violent relationship with the non-identical. The methodology adopted for this article is the biographical review, which provided the necessary elements for writing.

Eric Voegelin and Karl Jaspers

Daiane Eccel — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

Since the 18th century, some Orientalists have pointed to parallel events occurring at the same time in different civilizations around the world. However, it was only in 1949, with the publication of TheOrigin and Goal of History, that Karl Jaspers named such parallelism as the Axial Age (Achsenzeit). He designates the period between the 8th and 2nd centuries BCE as the time in which parallel events erupt in Persia, Israel, Hellas, India, and China. Within the scope of the philosophy of history, such an attempt stands against the perspective of a linear and entirely Westernized history, as seen in the 19th-century models, for example. Eric Voegelin, who engages with Jaspers' work, also addresses the problem of history in his opus magnum, Order and History, which is divided into five volumes. He is interested in investigating human actions and "spiritual eruptions" in time as phenomena of some kind of order or disorder. To this end, Voegelin directly addresses Jaspers' thesis in parts of volumes II and IV of Order and History. He shares some assumptions with Jaspers but does not accept the idea of the Axial Age. The goal of this article is to investigate Voegelin's assessment of Karl Jaspers' thesis.

The council system as Arendt's alternatiuve proposal to the exclusivity of representation

Guilherme Ferreira — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This text examines Hannah Arendt’s reflections on modern democracy, with special attention to the proposal of councils as an alternative to the exclusivity of the party system. Although Arendt rarely uses the term democracy, her analysis of modern revolutions reveals a concern with the loss of public freedom and effective citizen participation in politics. The author highlights that the representative system, by concentrating power in the hands of elected officials, empties the public space and reduces politics to administration. In contrast, councils emerge as spontaneous historical experiences that express the desire for direct and plural participation in the public sphere. However, we will seek to show that Arendt does not propose the pure replacement of the current system, but rather its complement with arrangements that keep the revolutionary spirit alive. Her proposal points to a reconfiguration of politics, in which public freedom and citizen participation are central, and where the council system offers a possible way to truly democratize the public space.

A defense of aristotelian eudaimonia

João Pinheiro da Silva — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

In Two Conceptions of Happiness, Richard Kraut denounces the inhumanity and restrictiveness of Aristotelian eudaimonia. This article offers a critique of Kraut's assessment. The first part of the article, of an exegetical nature, disputes Kraut's intellectualist interpretation of eudaimonia and proposes a dualist reading of it that seeks to resolve the major problems of the classic debate between inclusivists and intellectualists. The second part of the article, in turn, defends a form of objectivism against the subjective conception of happiness expounded by Kraut: first, by arguing that Kraut’s accusations apply to both eudaimonia and his subjective conception of happiness – the difference being that the latter cannot deal with cases of “happy” vicious behavior that are, in a eudaimonic conception, easily dismissed; second, by demonstrating that Kraut’s subjectivism is, in fact, a veiled objectivism: in his attempt to go beyond a merely psychological conception of happiness, Kraut was forced to normatively enrich the concept of happiness with criteria that go beyond the determinations of the subject. We therefore conclude that Aristotelian eudaimonia continues to provide us with the only capable alternative to a purely psychological view of happiness, and is therefore still relevant in the ethical debate.

The Social as a normative condition for social justice

José Henrique Sousa Assai — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This research, entitled “The Social as a Normative Condition for Social Justice” delves into the concept of the ‘Social’ (Das Soziale) and its potential semantic-normative development for constructing social justice. Social justice is understood as ensuring the minimum conditions for social existence. This research addresses critical theory and social philosophy to examine the ‘Social’ as social practices, relationships, and institutions, positioning it as paradigmatic. The central questions are: 1) How do social practices, relationships, and institutions contribute to social justice? 2) How can these elements, particularly institutions, be reoriented from mere analysis to active correction and stabilization of social reality? Jaeggi’s work on social practices and institutions provides a foundation for this inquiry. She argues that social practices are not only performed but must also be understood intersubjectively, establishing meaning and enabling actions. The relevance of this research extends beyond philosophical discourse to address pressing global challenges in politics and society. The erosion of social trust and increasing inequality underscore the need for robust social institutions that can correct and stabilize social realities. By redefining institutions not only as analytical constructs but as active agents of social justice, this research aligns with global efforts to promote equitable and just societies.

Punishment and Narrative

Lara Passini Vaz-Tostes — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This article proposes a philosophical and narrative analysis of contemporary punitive power, based on the articulation between Paul Ricœur's theory of narrative identity and symbolic forms of identity imposed through suffering. Drawing from the scene in which Harry Potter is forced to rewrite phrases into his own skin under pain—as an authoritarian imposition of a denied truth—we discuss how modern punitive narrative, exemplified by the prison system, operates as a suspension of the self: not merely by restricting freedom, but by blocking the right to self-narration. Using contributions from Ricœur, Foucault, Judith Butler, and studies on memory and trauma, we argue that pain repeated without listening does not rehabilitate but solidifies an imposed identity. Finally, we propose an ethics of listening and the word as a symbolic resistance to the dominant narrative of crime and guilt.

Social ontology applied to the closet

Lu Triches Immich — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

In analytical philosophy, specifically in feminist metaphysics, issues regarding the definition and foundation of social categories are subject to debate. Within this subfield, a debate has emerged between theories of social position and theories based on identity. Theories of social position understand social categories through limitations and freedoms that are associated with an individual through a particular category. On the other hand, identity-based theories focus on subjective experiences to answer this question. This paper focuses on a critique of the social position theory developed by Ásta. The critique points out an incapacity in categorizing queer sexual identities of individuals in the closet, which implies their systematic exclusion from queer spaces. According to Ásta's theory, social categories are conceived as being variable depending on the context in which their conferral occurs. However, according to Andler, this way of conceiving social categories leads to the exclusion of individuals with queer sexual identities, because it presupposes that the individual must present a certain sexual orientation for the conferment of a specific sexual identity. But, as this paper explains, Ásta's theory does not posit the relationship between sexual orientation and sexual identity as an inherent part of the conferment process.

The right to health in Rawls and Daniels

Marco Antonio Montagner Giulianis — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This article aims to understand the theories of justice proposed by John Rawls and Norman Daniels. In order to present these theories, the article will primarily focus on their relationship with the right to health in the context of financial scarcity in the Brazilian Health System (SUS). Distributive justice in public health becomes a challenge when resources are limited, so it is necessary the establishment of criteria for financial allocation. Rawls' theory, grounded in the principle of justice as fairness, seeks to ensure equal opportunities and protect the least advantaged. Daniels' approach, based on the principle of health equity, considers the need to address priority demands based on individual needs. Both authors provide relevant contributions to address the ethical dilemmas involved by proposing principles aimed at guaranteeing fair and equal access to healthcare services. Understanding the nuances of these philosophical approaches can help in reflecting on how to promote more justice in public health.

THE The power between recognition and justification

Matheus Michels Kieling — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

The aim is to debate the issue of power in contemporary critical theory. To this end, two theories will be problematized: Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition and Rainer Forst’s theory of justification. Initially, Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition will be presented in general terms, presenting just a few moments of his reformulations around recognition, in order to later problematize the possible forms of arbitrary domination that it entails, that is, the asymmetry of power relations of which Honneth is criticized. In a second moment, Forst’s theory of justification will be mobilized, in relation to recognition, with the concept of the author's noumenal power, inserted in his theory of justification, to verify whether, before the relations of recognition are claimed, the power to justify the demands, in the philosopher’s reading, is a priority. The guiding principle of this article is to think about what the deficit in relation to power might be with regard to the theory of recognition and how a critical theory of justification can serve as a complementary response, in order to better understand this power deficit in Honnethian theory..

Reflections on the political theorization of climate change

Ulysses Ferraz de Camargo Filho — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This article examines how climate change and the onset of the Anthropocene challenge the foundations of contemporary political theory. Starting from the diagnosis that the climatic stability of the Holocene is being eroded by human activity, it argues that core concepts such as freedom, democracy, and progress must be rethought in light of planetary boundaries. Drawing on authors such as Crutzen, Charbonnier, Vanderheiden, and Dryzek, the article: (i) identifies the productivist roots of the Anthropocene and their implications for political theorization; (ii) maps both domestic and global distributive conflicts — including environmental justice, climate justice, and a just energy transition — highlighting asymmetries of responsibility and vulnerability; and (iii) assesses the strengths and limitations of the “tragedy of the commons” framework as an interpretive key to the climate crisis. The article concludes that a political theory attuned to our time must recognize the interdependence between human and natural systems, incorporate global and intergenerational dimensions of justice, and offer normative criteria capable of guiding collective responses without reproducing historical inequalities.

Review of the Book - Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered - A new approach to the (Dis)unity of Science

Deivide Garcia da Silva Oliveira — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300

This review critically examines Stéphanie Ruphy's Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered: A New Approach to the (Dis)unity of Science (2016), which revisits long-standing debates on the unity and disunity of science. Ruphy challenges prevailing pluralist and antireductionist positions by proposing an alternative, "foliated pluralism". Four main properties constitute the foliated pluralism. Those four main properties are 1- transdisciplinarity, 2- synchronicity, 3- nonexclusiveness, and 4- cumulativeness. By analyzing scientific practices in astrophysics and taxonomy, she argues that persistent incompatibilities between models and classifications emerge from pragmatic constraints rather than ontological necessity. Rejecting both universalist monism and metaphysically grounded pluralism, Ruphy underscores the need for a temporally qualified, practice-oriented view of scientific pluralism. The book provides a substantial contribution to the philosophy of science, offering a nuanced perspective that reconciles pluralism with scientific methodology.

Presentation

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0300