Des intellectuels contre l'idéologie économique

This article considers a number of recent trends and argues that, rather than remaining unchallenged, the supremacy of the neo‐liberal model has given renewed dynamism to the critique of economic ideology and has revitalised the humanist approach. The dominance of both economic rationality and economics as academic discipline is questioned radically. These critiques converge upon a reassessment of the foundations of French democracy and of the Welfare State in order to promote social cohesion. The works informing this study offer an alternative to the prevailing economic paradigm.     

Chemical U-Th-Pb geochronology: A precise explicit approximation of the age equation and associated errors

In a single decaying system, the age determined from the exponential decay law is directly related to its linear Maclaurin approximation. This relationship can be additively extended to several decaying systems resulting in the same daughter element, by using proportionality functions, thus allowing an explicit formulation of the age as a function of element concentrations. The values of the binary proportionality function for the ²³⁸U-²³⁵U-Pb system and the ternary proportionality function for the ²³²Th-²³⁸U-²³⁵U-Pb system were determined by iterations of the exponential decay formula up to 4 Ga, with a step of 10 Ma, for a set of 24 different U/Th ratios. From the iteration data, the expressions of the two functions and the associated coefficients were determined by polynomial regression and mathematical programing on conveniently separated time and compositional intervals. Additional time- and composition-dependent age corrections optimized by mathematical programming of the residuals lead to an accuracy of 0.005 Ma of the resulting age. The error propagation can be traced through all the operations defined by explicit formulas according to simple error propagation rules, finally allowing the calculation of the standard error of the result. The formulas and parameters derived can be used in a calculation spreadsheet.     

Mouzinho da Silveira and the Political Culture of Portuguese Liberalism, 1820–1832

Summary

Liberalism as an identity and as a political ideology was non-existent in Portugal, as in most of the countries of Ibero-America, before the beginning of the nineteenth century. But the semantic development of the term ‘liberal’ in Portuguese underwent a clear and rapid mutation in the following decades. It became associated with specific meanings in relation to constitutional issues and civil law matters. While the former prevailed between 1820 and 1823, the latter were dominant in the writings of Mouzinho da Silveira and his Civil War legislation of 1832 to 1834.     

Phantoms in Artists: The Lost Limbs of Blaise Cendrars,Arthur Rimbaud,and Paul Wittgenstein

There have been an increasing number of reports of postamputation pain and problems linked to phantom limbs over recent years, particularly in relation to war-related amputations. These problems, which are often poorly understood and considered rather mysterious, are still relevant because they are difficult to treat medically. Functional neuroimaging techniques now enable us to better understand their pathophysiology and to consider new rehabilitation techniques. Phantom limbs have often been a source of inspiration to writers, particularly in the period following the First World War, which was responsible for thousands of amputees. Some artists have suffered from postamputation complications themselves and have expressed them through their artistic works. Blaise Cendrars (1887–1961), one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century, suffered from stump pain and phantom limb phenomena for almost half a century following the amputation of his right arm during the First World War. He suffered from these phenomena until the end of his life and his literary work and personal correspondence are peppered with references to them. Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891), one of the most famous poets in world literature, developed severe stump pain after his right leg was amputated due to a tumor. He survived for only six months after the procedure but left behind an account of the pain he experienced in correspondence to his family. The famous pianist Paul Wittgenstein (1887–1961), whose right arm was amputated during the First World War, became a famous left-handed concert pianist. The phantom movements of his right hand helped him to develop the dexterity of his left hand. The impact on the artistic life of these three men provides an original illustration of the various postamputation complications, specifically phantom limbs, stump pain, and moving phantom.     

Les Ombres Portées et la Renaissance. Un Trait Culturel Peut-Il Revivre ?

The history of art reveals that painters have rarely tried to depict projected shadows. They appeared in the art of ancient Greece, in Greco-roman art, and then disappeared until the 15(th) century. None can be found in Asian art or any other non European art. Yet to date, no scholar has reflected on this troubled history, one that provides a specific link between the Renaissance and classical antiquity. This paper seeks to fill this gap by studying projected shadows as "cultural markers" with a specific history.