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Theoretical frameworks of differentiation between humans and animals

by Richard Meckien - published Jun 03, 2013 02:20 PM - - last modified Jun 05, 2013 03:52 PM

The fourth meeting of the 'Conference Cycle on Humans and Animals: The Limits of Mankind' will bring together three researchers to discuss comparisons between humans and animals from different points of view. The roundtable will take place on June 6 at 9.30 am in IEA’a Event Room.

The fourth meeting of the 'Conference Cycle on Humans and Animals: The Limits of Mankind' will bring together three researchers to discuss comparisons between humans and animals from different points of view. The roundtable will take place on June 6 at 9.30 am in IEA’a Event Room.

The panelists will be the teachers Gustavo Caponi, of the Center for Philosophy and Human Sciences of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Maurício de Carvalho Ramos, of the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of USP, and Hernán Neira, of the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (UCS). Mediator will be Baravalle Lorenzo, researcher of a postdoctoral program at FFLCH.

Themes

In his exhibition 'Typology and Phylogeny of the Human', Caponi will address the misconceptions that result from the mixture of typological and phylogenetic definitions (related to the genealogy of a biological group) to determine whether a living being belongs to a zoological or botanical species, especially when the opposition between animality and humanity enters the scene.

Ramos will speak on ‘The Relationship Between Animals and Humans Designed as a Biocultural and Ethical-Epistemic Continuous’. The aim of the teacher is to debate a theoretical continuist perspective that takes into account the inseparability between epistemic and ethical judgments and between the biological and the cultural dimensions in the understanding of differences and similarities between humans and animals.

Neira will reflect on ‘Sensitivity and Sovereignty: Descartes and Condillac in Relation to Animals’. The researcher will consider the ideas of these two philosophers to discuss the central role of comparison between animals and humans in the understanding of humanity and to discuss issues on animality faced by modern Zoophilosophy.

Cycle

The cycle covers the origins, legitimacy, and ethical-political consequences of differentiation of living beings in humans, animals and sub​​-humans (this last case defined by the prejudiced view of certain groups of individuals of certain ethnicities, body types or gender, considered inferior humans).

The aim is to discuss the most relevant philosophical and epistemological fundamentals to what is meant by human from an interdisciplinary approach, encompassing various perspectives, including those of anthropology, biology, and ethics.

The cycle comprises five meetings. The last two are scheduled for June and August. The organization is from IEA’s Philosophy, History and Sociology of Science and Technology Research Group, the Philosophical Scientiae Studia Association and Fapesp’s Thematic Project ‘Genesis and Meaning of Technoscience: On the Relationship between Science, Technology, and Society’.

 

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