Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Aristotelian cosmology and physics received by the medieval occident justify the scientific view of the (medieval) astrology. How so? Well, let’s consider the aristotelic theory of the tripartite man: body, soul and pneuma (as the link between both and as the reason of the ability of the soul to catch inmaterial knowledge from the material one). Now, let’s consider the aristotelian view of the cosmos as a system of celestial spheres –moved by the Unmoved mover – and that influences on earth in a way that they produce its movement. These two prior considerations will serve as a support to talk about the relation man-cosmos throughtout the pneuma (made from the aristotelian quintessence, the eter). This view, altogether, will be useful to justify some medieval views about the astrology as a scientific discipline, as starting in natural philosophy. Once this cosmological system falls, the magic-astrological believes that were supported by so will subsequently lose their epistemic-scientific level.

Ratio, as a universal attribute of human being, would be the essential element to establish forms of political praxis deprived of any kind of coercion. The present article aims to introduce the reader to this controversy by means of the considerations made by the philosopher Robert Spaemann. In order to fulfill this objective, we will first explore what made Spaemann involve in the debate. Then, we will study the concept of power and freedom in Spaemann´s work. In the third section of the article, we will explain and discuss our author´s oucome to the controversy. Finally, we will offer some reflections in regard of this subject.

 The purpose of the essay is to show in detail a little explored essay by the German philosopher Max Scheler (1874-1928) entitled, On the meaning of suffering (Vom Sinn des Leides). This essay was published after the end of the First World War and until shortly before the death of its author, it was constantly edited and enlarged, which demonstrates his constant interest in the phenomenon of pain and human suffering within his philosophical system. The first version of the essay states that in all times, cultures and religions there is a constant struggle with the question of suffering, its truth, its meaning and, ultimately, with the concrete and real drama of pain itself. This is an inescapable question for any philosophical understanding of man, since it calls for a renewed approach to the fundamental questions about his origin, his meaning and his destiny.

During dissertation writing, PhD candidates face challenges engaging with academic writing, among other things, which leads to their participation in writing retreats with their peers. Developing a better understanding of PhD candidates’ needs to optimize engagement with writing is important for improving the overall doctoral experience and reduce attrition. We then conducted a qualitative longitudinal experimental study with PhD candidates from Canadian universities: 15 respondents who participated in a writing retreat and 15 respondents who never participated in such event. Based on our findings, this article presents a complementary perspective to the theoretical model of engagement with writing by Murray (2015). Thereon, we expand on the intersectionality of components (cognitive, physical, social) to illustrate the influence of structured writing activities. These intersections highlight the benefits of writing retreats to answer the needs of PhD candidates to engage with writing: planning dedicated writing periods, implementing effective work methods in environments enabling concentration, and engaging with collective writing activities. By way of supplementing the most recent literature on the subject, we suggest that the participation in structured writing retreats serves as a pedagogical benchmark for graduate programs to offer students comparable conditions in support of their writing requirements to enhance academic success.

The objective of this work is to configure a model of difficulties and proposals to put into practice the conceptualization of the ideal teacher from the perspective of the teachers. The identity of the teacher is configured through subjective perceptions verbalized in the analytical discourse of the teacher, which relate the professional and personal dimension to the context in which it is circumscribed. Grounded Theory is chosen as the method, and the discussion group as a technique, consisting of 10 participants of different profiles in the educational field: initial training, final training, teacher looking for a job, new teacher, experienced teacher and trainer of prospective teachers. The "Model of difficulties and proposals for the materialization of the teaching ideal" has been specified in the supracategories "Problems for materialization" and "Proposals for materialization" in relation to the following dimensions: student profile, training and access, motivations, organizational and curricular framework and teaching practice. The results show that the paradigm in which the resulting model is inserted is in line with the socio-constructivist approach, as well as the need for a multifocal reflective pedagogical practice, centered on the social and cooperative learning environment.

Massive migratory movements have generated great concern regarding the social integration of migrants, both in the countries of origin and destination. Since learning the host language is the main element of inclusion and social cohesion, the fundamental role of motivation as an active part of the process and optimal learning outcome cannot be underestimated. Therefore, the present study draws on Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to explore the motivational experience of ten professional migrants learning the local language of their new communities through Thomson's Six-Phase Program (SPP). The qualitative analysis of interview responses using the WebQDA platform showed that the SPP methodology provides a favorable context for the L2 learning experience and that both ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self are not mutually exclusive. The practical and possible goals of the SPP sustain their motivation, and it is their progress which incentivizes them to reduce the gap between their present self and their future self.

The formal professional development of teachers in Indonesia still encounters various obstacles and limitations. Realising this, some teachers gather, interact and build communities, then run social media-based professional learning. This study investigates the diversity of teacher activities in social media-based professional learning in the community from teacher experience. For this reason, a qualitative approach with the phenomenological method is the appropriate approach. The respondents of this study were 16 teachers who consistently participated in social media-based professional learning in three teacher communities. They were interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Learning activities in the community were observed, and relevant documents were analysed to complement the research data. The study results indicate various engagements and experiences of teachers in the three teacher communities studied. It also shows the diversity of teacher learning activities in social media-based professional learning facilitated by the teacher community. Based on the research results, several implications have been given for teachers, teacher community managers, and future research.