Holistyczno-teologiczne spojrzenie na zjawiska morfogenetyczno-regulacyjne i behawioralne

Author(s): Dariusz A. Szkutnik,Rafał Kupczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 21/2015

Całościowość procesów życiowych, zarówno w wymiarze wewnętrznym, jak i zewnętrznym, przejawia się w każdej żywej istocie. Owa swoista całościowość, używając terminologii Arystotelesa, urzeczywistnia się wewnątrz każdej substancjalnej formy żywej i jest związana z jej celowym zachowaniem. Autorzy w pierwszej części artykułu odnoszą się do metodologii zawartej w biofilozofii Hansa Driescha oraz sposobu używania przez niego pojęcia entelechii jako dynamicznego czynnika całościującego, oddziałującego na swoiste dla życia zjawiska morfogenetyczne, szczególnie na procesy embriologiczne. W drugiej części artykułu autorzy analizują celowościowe zachowania zwierząt, których działania narzędziowe stanowią osobliwą całość powiązaną z reakcjami odbieranymi przez organizmy zwierzęce oraz człowieka. Wskazują także na fakt, że dane empiryczne odnoszące się do osobliwych procesów regulacyjnych, przebiegających w każdej żywej istocie, oraz dane empiryczne dotyczące behawioru narzędziowego zwierząt kognitywnie zmuszają nas do umieszczenia ich w teleologicznoholistycznych ramach pojęciowych. Autorzy są świadomi toczących się sporów nt. adekwatności używania pojęć (teleologicznych i teleonomicznych) do opisu poszczególnych zjawisk biologicznych. Wyrażają jednak w tej kwestii własne stanowisko badawcze - stanowisko poznawcze, oparte na ważnych wynikach innych uczonych.

Bezpieczeństwo i wolność w perspektywie idei równowagi

Author(s): Jadwiga Błahut-Prusik / Language(s): Polish Issue: 20/2014

Celem artykułu jest potwierdzenie tezy, zgodnie z którą semantyczna ewolucja pojęć „bezpieczeństwo” i „wolność” w zasadniczej mierze determinuje relację między nimi. Impulsem do podjęcia tej kwestii stała się tzw. idea nowej równowagi między omawianymi pojęciami, zrodzona pod wpływem pojawienia się nowych zagrożeń, które rozbudziły dyskusję na temat relacji bezpieczeństwo-wolność. Główna konkluzja podjętych rozważań brzmi: przy współcześnie funkcjonujących definicjach wolności i bezpieczeństwa nie sposób mówić o ich prostej opozycji. Wolność i bezpieczeństwo nie znoszą się wzajemnie, przeciwnie - stanowią swe nieuchronne dopełnienie.

O nieracjonalności działania politycznego jednostki w koncepcji Tomasza Hobbesa uwag kilka

Author(s): Paweł Polaczuk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 20/2014

Autor dowodzi, że obszar rozumowych ograniczeń praw naturalnych i racjonalnych działań podejmowanych z myślą o własnych interesach, jaki Hobbes pozostawia jednostkom poddanym władzy suwerena, nie obejmuje wszystkich zachowań, którym będą chciały dać wyraz jednostki tworzące wspólnotę polityczną. Autor zwraca uwagę na działania, które wymykają się w jakiejś części zachowaniom będącym czystą emanacją natury jednostki z jednej strony, z drugiej schematom rozumnej woli, nie będąc wyrazem troski o własne interesy czy korzyści. Ich źródłem są nieracjonalne postawy, przekonania i odczucia obecne w sferze mentalnej jednostki i wyrażające pragnienie pokoju społecznego. Hobbes usiłuje je zredukować do racjonalnej woli. Zdaniem autora, wywody Hobbesa pozwalają przyjąć, że niepewność o środki służące zachowaniu życia poddaje się racjonalizacji, której rezultatem jest przymus ze strony suwerena. Rozumowanie autora Lewiatana nie uzasadnia jednak racjonalizacji obawy o własne życie do poziomu zaufania suwerenowi.

Le Bien de Platon et le problème de la transcendance du Principe. Encore une fois l’ἐπέκεινα τῆς οὐσίας de Platon

Author(s): Rafael Ferber / Language(s): French Issue: 15-16/2018

The article again treats the question of whether «the Idea of the Good is a Reality in the Universe, or beyond it. Is it immanent or transcendent?» (Rufus Jones, 1863 1948). Plato scholars such as Matthias Baltes (1940 2003) and Luc Brisson have defended the thesis that Plato’s Idea of the Good is, on the one hand, beyond being (epekeina tês ousias) in dignity and power, but, on the other, is nevertheless not transcendent over being. The article delivers first (I) the most important arguments for the thesis of Baltes and Brisson. Then (II), it gives two counterarguments against the thesis. Third (III), it concludes with some general questions concerning the deflationist interpretation of Plato’s Republic 509b9 10, and defends again the transcendence of the Idea of the Good.

Il bene migliore del bene in Filone di Alessandria

Author(s): Francesca Calabi / Language(s): Italian Issue: 15-16/2018

Il y a chez Philon des expressions pour parler du bien qui sont apparemment contradictoires ou qui, au moins, font difficulté. Dans quelques passages l’Alexandrin parle de Dieu en termes de bien; ailleurs il en parle comme de cause ou source du bien; dans autres textes, enfin, Dieu est meilleur que le bien. Le thème de la possibilité de connaître Dieu aussi pose des problèmes: d’un coté nous avons le Dieu inconnaissable dont même pas le nom ne peut être dit, d’un autre, le Dieu démiurgique et providentiel dont quelques personnages parviennent à avoir une connaissance, au moins indirecte et partielle. Telle vision est proportionnelle au niveau du voyant. Cet article s’interroge à propos d’une solution similaire concernant la perception du bien, saisi par les hommes de façon différente selon leur niveau. Non pas, alors, Dieu comme bien, comme bon, comme meilleur que le bien, per se, mais en relation aux hommes qui n’arrivent pas à atteindre to agathon et cherchent vainement à lui attribuer un nom – quoique impropre –, de déterminer ce qui est au delà de toute nomination, qualification, définition.

Traduction, translittération, réinterprétation : la kalokagathia chez Albert le Grand

Author(s): Valérie Cordonier / Language(s): French Issue: 15-16/2018

In the significant body of existing research on the notion of kalokagathia – an ideal of the accomplished man who combines physical beauty with social status and moral goodness –, the focus has so far been on the history of the formation of the terms that denoted this quality (καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθός, καλoσκἀγαθός, καλοκἀγαθία) in ancient Greece, on their usage during the classical period and – to a lesser extent – on the changes in their meaning during the Hellenistic period. Our history of this concept therefore lacks a mediaeval chapter. I propose to address this gap by analysing how Albert Magnus understood the Latin terms corresponding to kalokagathia in the Aristotelian texts of practical philosophy made accessible by Latin translators at the time (Nicomachean Ethics, Magna Moralia, Politics and Eudemian Ethics). I also offer a reflection on the factors that determine how a text is understood within the contingency space left open between its translation and its interpretation by the reader.

Progresul ştiinţei ca acumulare a cunoaşterii şi spor de înţelegere

Author(s): Gabriel Nagâț / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2018

In the last decade the philosophical analysis of scientific progress is dominated by an epistemic approach, promoted especially by Alexander Bird. Bird’s main idea is that scientific progress consists in increasing knowledge, and not in increasing truth or verisimilitude, or solving more scientificpuzzles. There are now several attempts to enhance or complement this approach, mainly by integrating the concept of understanding in the traditional discussion about knowledge and scientific progress. I examine here some of those attempts, and I try to show that the concept of understanding is still too vague to be really useful as an instrument able to illuminate the progress of science.

Intricacies of Practical Wisdom: Or Why Would Aristotle Vote for Pericles Rather Than Lenin?

Author(s): Iwona Barwicka-Tylek / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

The article discusses the concept of practical wisdom (phronesis), which for Aristotle plays the crucial role in political activity. Unlike philosophical wisdom (sophia), phronesis requires knowledge of particulars, which are things capable of ‘being otherwise’. Such knowledge cannot be attained once and for all as universal truth, but must be constantly revised and updated to meet the requirements of future-oriented political actions. Thus it seems to be similar to Aristotle’s understanding of an opinion, which is for him the outcome of dialectical reasoning, distinguished from scientific reasoning relying on demonstration. Dialectics can be viewed as a key to politics, and the fact should not be overshadowed by criticism towards those thinkers and politicians who, like Lenin, used it with no respect for the difference between truth and opinion. Comparing Lenin to Pericles, who is directly called phronimos (practically wise) in Nicomachean Ethics, leads to the conclusion that critical examination of different political standpoints should not be limited to ideas, concepts, or proposals they put forward, but should also consider the deeper level of political reasoning standing behind them. It is argued that the lack of proper usage of the dialectical faculty can inflict serious damages both in political theory and political practice.

Science and the Institution

Author(s): Mark A. Notturno / Language(s): English Issue: 05/1997

Николай Хартман и пътят след постмодернизма

Author(s): Vesselin Petrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2015

Review of Dimitar Tsatsov's book "The forgotten philosopher. Traditions of presentationalism and Nikolai Hartmann's contribution"

Teoria sytuacji Marka Tokarza

Author(s): Wojciech Suchoń / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

In 2006, Marek Tokarz proposed a uniform pattern for the analysis of any language message. Such a message was named by him a situation. This allows the structure of statements in the form of the so-called situational form to be revealed, moreover it explains the natural limitations of the design of such a form, and also explains the activity of the listeners in filling in the sections of incomplete forms, if they come across them. On the basis of this theory, it is possible to explain both the mechanisms of inference captured in logical calculi as well as those that occur in common everyday reasoning. This does not mean however that Tokarz’s theory is in any sense closed. On the contrary, it is possible to indicate issues that require further clarification and additions; this is a promising area of research for people interested in analyzing reasonings carried out in natural language.

Modelowanie rozumowań abdukcyjnych: przypadek gry Takie Życie

Author(s): Natalia Żyluk,Mariusz Urbański,Dorota Żelechowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

Our research provides formal tools for analyses of reasoning involved in solutions to a specific class of abductive problems. We present two models of this reasoning. The first one is grounded in the logic of questions and employs a weak version of erotetic implication. The second one is construed in terms of relations of sifting and funneling. Definitions of these relations involve the logic of questions, situational semantics, and the concept of topic relevance. As we show on the basis of a Mind Maze gameplay case study, these models account well for empirical data.

Strategie argumentacji w teorii retoryki Arystotelesa: entymematy pozorne i obalające

Author(s): Marek Lechniak,Andrzej P. Stefańczyk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

The aim of the article is to confirm the thesis of Chaim Perelman on the homogeneity of Aristotle’s results regarding the theoretical and practical syllogism by presenting the concept of enthymeme; the article presents a description of what the enthymeme is and what place it occupies in the theory of Aristotle’s rhetoric; the concept of enthymeme is confronted with the concept of syllogism, the structure of the argumentation through the enthymeme is outlined and the particular types of the enthymeme distinguished by Aristotle, namely the apparent enthymeme and the refutational enthymeme, are also discussed. An attempt to look at the analyzed types of enthymemes from the point of view of contemporary logic (especially nonmonotonic logic) is also undertaken.

Ocena argumentów w kontekście nauczania krytycznego myślenia

Author(s): Krzysztof Wieczorek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

One of the main goals of critical thinking courses should be to provide students with tools helpful in making right choices in their daily lives. During such courses, much attention is usually paid to teaching the students how to assess arguments. In this paper, I try to answer the question – which method of assessing arguments is best suited for critical thinking courses? I think that such a method should be intuitive and “user-friendly” – it should be easy to learn and to use as well. These conditions seem to be necessary for the method to be actually used by those who have finished the course. In the paper, I describe the method of evaluating arguments which I think fulfills these conditions. It is based primarily on ideas taken from S.N. Thomas (1986) and M. Tokarz (2006). Some details of the method, as well as the way of presenting it to students, I worked out while teaching informal logic and critical thinking courses.

Phenomenological Ideas in the Philosophy of Mathematics. From Husserl to Gödel

Author(s): Thomas Bedürftig,Roman Murawski / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

The paper is devoted to phenomenological ideas in conceptions of modern philosophy of mathematics. Views of Husserl, Weyl, Becker and Gödel will be discussed and analysed. The aim of the paper is to show the influence of phenomenological ideas on the philosophical conceptions concerning mathematics. We shall start by indicating the attachment of Edmund Husserl to mathematics and by presenting the main points of his philosophy of mathematics. Next, works of two philosophers who attempted to apply Husserl’s phenomenological ideas to the philosophy of mathematics, namely Hermann Weyl and Oskar Becker, will be briefly discussed. Lastly, the connections between Husserl’s ideas and the philosophy of mathematics of Kurt Gödel will be studied.

Gottlob Frege o prawdzie w okresie wydawania dwóch tomów Grundgesetze der Arithmethik (1893-1903)

Author(s): Gabriela Besler / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

In 1893 and 1903, two volumes of Frege’s most important work Grundegezte der Arithmetik were published. This period can be called the peak of Frege’s logicism. Although the subject of truth in Frege’s logical and philosophical works has been repeatedly investigated there is a lack of studies on his view in this period, especially in the Polish literature.In this article, therefore, I carry out the following research task: to collect and order Frege’s statements about the truth during the period of publishing two volumes of Grundegezte der Arithmetik. I will refer to texts published during Frege’s life, published posthumously and his correspondence. Particularly noteworthy are: Grundegezte der Arithmetik and the unpublished Logik (1897–1898). That is why separate sections are devoted to these two items, and remarks on truth from other texts are grouped thematically: the problem of antinomy, geometry, expression of generality, and others. The subject of truth appears here in relation to logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics and ontology.

On Suprasubjective Existence in Mathematics

Author(s): Stanisław Krajewski / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

The professional mathematician is a Platonist with regard to the existence of mathematical entities, but, if pressed to tell what kind of existence they have, he hides behind a formalist approach. In order to take both attitudes into account in a possibly serious way, the concept of suprasubjective existence is proposed. It involves intersubjective existence, plus a stress on objectivity devoid of actual objects. The idea is illustrated, following William Byers, by the phenomenon of the rainbow: it is not an object but can be said to possess a subjective objectivity.

Kategoria wyjaśniania a filozofia matematyki Gödla

Author(s): Krzysztof Wójtowicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

The article deals with the question of in which sense the notion of explanation (which is rather characteristic of empirical sciences) can be applied to Kurt Gödel’s philosophy of mathematics. Gödel, as a mathematical realist, claims that in mathematics we are dealing with facts that have an objective character (in particular, they are independent of our activities). One of these facts is the solvability of all well-formulated mathematical problems – and this fact requires a clarification. The assumptions on which Gödel’s position is based are: (1) metaphysical realism: there is a mathematical universe, it is objective and independent of us; (2) epistemological optimism: we are equipped with sufficient cognitive power to gain insight into the universe Gödel’s concept of a solution to a mathematical problem is much broader than of a mathematical proof – it is rather about finding reliable axioms that lead to a (formal) solution of the problem. I analyze the problem presented in the article, taking as an example of the continuum hypothesis.

Liczby nieobliczalne a granice kodowania w informatyce

Author(s): Paweł Stacewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2018

The description of data and computer programs with the use of numbers is epistemologically valuable, because it allows the definition of the limits of different types of computations. This applies in particular to discrete (digital) computations, which can be described by means of computable numbers in the Turing sense. The mathematical fact that there are other types of real numbers, i.e. uncomputable numbers, determines the minimal limitations of digital techniques; on the other hand, however, it points to the possibility of theoretical development and physical implementation of computationally stronger techniques, such as analogue-continuous computations. Analyses presented in this article lead to the conclusion that physical implementations of unconventional (non-digital) computations require the occurrence of actually infinite entities in nature. Although some arguments of theoretical physics support the physical existence of such entities, they are not definitive.

Geneza Kapitału a pojęciowa i problemowa struktura Marksowskiej krytyki ekonomii politycznej

Author(s): Mikołaj Ratajczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 63/2018

The aim of this text is to analyse the origin of Volume I of Das Kapital. I discuss the subsequent manuscripts of Marx’s project to critically present the social reality of capitalist societies. I’m trying to show, how Marx, while developing his method of a critique of political economy, worked also on the presentation of the effects of this critique, on the clarification of the scope of his research and how he changed the order of the content of the entire project. Thence the article is not an analysis of the historical aspect of Marx’s work on Das Kapital, but an attempt to present the main assumptions, goals and ideas of his critique of political economy. Moreover, the text also discusses the effects of the collective work on the new edition of Marx’s and Engel’s collected works (MEGA2) and the importance of these eff ects for the contemporary studies on Marx’s thought.