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Este artigo aborda a exclusão das midias técnicas e físicas das questões ligadas à Ontologia. Primeiramente argumenta-se que desde Aristóteles a Ontologia privilegiou a matéria e a forma das coisas, relegando ao segundo plano a relação entre as coisas, o espaço e o tempo. Em segundo lugar, argumenta-se que devido a indistinção entre elementos do discurso falado e as letras alfabéticas nos Gregos, criou-se uma tendência na Filosofia de se negligenciar a escrita como o seu próprio meio técnico. Este artigo traça estas tendências através de uma série de fontes filosóficas: de Aquino a Descartes e de Fichte a Hegel. Argumenta-se, a título de resposta, que somente em Heidegger surgirá uma consciência filosófica para os meios técnicos. Hoje as conexões entre matemática e mídia, mídia e Ontologia devem ser formuladas em termos mais precisos.

Este artículo aborda el tema de la naturaleza del conocimiento en los asuntos prácticos. Tradicionalmente esta cuestión ha sido abordada recurriendo a la construcción teórica [“theory-building”] y poniendo en juego una serie de criterios epistemológicos independientes que, supuestamente, garantizan los postulados formulados dentro de un marco teórico. En este contexto, la universalidad, entendida como generalidad, y la fiabilidad de los “datos” a lo largo de la historia son criterios particularmente poderosos que establecen la “verdad” de las proposiciones teóricas por medio de “tests” y, así, contribuyen a acumular “conocimiento”. Pero este ideal del conocimiento “teórico” malinterpreta de forma significativa tanto el tipo de conocimiento que necesitamos para adoptar decisiones prácticas, como el de la “historia” para constituirnos en agentes. Al utilizar el argumento de Bull del segundo debate como contrapunto, y al revisar también las controversias relativas a la paz democrática y al papel de los estudios macro-históricos, primero me centro en la naturaleza de la “historicidad” y la situacionalidad [situatedness] de todo el conocimiento práctico. En segundo lugar, intento clarificar cómo el conocimiento del pasado que se relaciona con las elecciones prácticas en esa “historia” no es simplemente un almacén de datos fijos, sino un producto de la memoria, la cual está profundamente implicada tanto en nuestras construcciones de la identidad como de los proyectos políticos que perseguimos. En tercer lugar, esbozaré los criterios para la generación de conocimiento que son más apropiados cuando afrontamos problemas prácticos.

Rezensiertes Werk:Mathias Schmoeckel, Rechtsgeschichte der Wirtschaft seit dem 19. Jahrhundert. Unter Mitarbeit von Matthias Maetschke, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2008, XVII, 486 S., ISBN 978-3-16-149587-8

The Brazilian legislation does not provide for a periodic review of the registration of pesticides and, even nowadays, products banned in other countries are still used. Based on the pesticide active substances registered in the country, the present study investigated the international regulatory situation in the following member countries: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Community, and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Moreover, we sought to relate the main chronic effects to human health and the environment of the most commercialized pesticide active substances in Brazil in lists of classification of carcinogenic potential (US Environmental Protection Agency - USEPA and International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC), endocrine disruption, and candidates for substitution, both from the European Community. A total of 399 pesticide active substances registered in Brazil for agricultural use were identified, excluding microbiological and biological control agents. Of these, the percentage of unauthorized pesticide active substances according to countries is as follows: 85.7% in Iceland; 84.7% in Norway; 54.5% in Switzerland; 52.6% in India; 45.6% in Turkey; 44.4% in Israel; 43.4% in New Zealand; 42.4% in Japan; 41.5% in the European Community; 39.6% in Canada; 38.6% in China; 35.8% in Chile; 31.6% in Mexico; 28.6% in Australia; and 25.6% in the United States. 120 pesticide active substances were related to damage to health and the environment. Considering the pesticide active substances for which commercialization data are available in the country, 67.2% of this volume is associated with at least one serious chronic damage assessed in this study. The results of the present study indicate the need for promoting transparency of international databases, regarding the motivations of the respective regulatory decisions and the Brazilian regulatory bodies to reevaluate the registration of obsolete products and to strengthen public policies related to the reduction of the use of pesticides.

Genetically modified (GM) crops were officially authorized in Brazil in 2003. In this documentary study, we aimed to identify possible changes in the patterns of pesticide use after the adoption of this technology over a span of 13 years (2000 to 2012). The following variables were analyzed: Pesticide use (kg), Pesticide use per capita (kg/inhab), Pesticide and herbicide use per area (kg/ha) and productivity (kg/ha). Contrary to the initial expectations of decreasing pesticide use following the adoption of GM crops, overall pesticide use in Brazil increased 1.6-fold between the years 2000 and 2012. During the same period, pesticide use for soybean increased 3-fold. This study shows that the adoption of GM crops in Brazil has led to an increase in pesticide use with possible increases in environmental and human exposure and associated negative impacts.