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Hannah Arendt’s description of action and political spontaneity does not deal explicitly with the persons who are acting and their qualities.But she has an elaborated understanding of personality, which is the prerequisite of judgment, freedom and responsibility, and which we find spread all over her work – and which we also find in Orwell and Camus.
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Balázs Sándor: Az Én bölcselete(m), Kriterion Könyvkiadó, Kvár, 2011.
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The article analyzes the meaning of a passage from Plato's dialogue Symposium, where Socrates modifies ("spoils") the proverb about “the good ones”, who go to the feast without an invitation (Smp. 174a3-c7). The author indicates the textual problems related to this proverb and notes at least two versions of it in existence in Plato's time. The main attention is paid to these two questions: 1) which version of the proverb and how exactly does Socrates distort, and, according to him, also did Homer? 2) what point, above all a philosophical one, may be traced in this passage, given the context of the dialogue as a whole? The author offers her own interpretation based on the view that the leitmotif of the dialogue is the theme of ὑβρις put in terms of inversion (including turns and reversals in wordings and actions of the characters, Socrates above all. Appraising the functions of this passage's keywords, διαφθείρω, μεταβάλλω, and ὑβρίζω, in the Symposium and other dialogues of Plato, the author shows how this theme is reflected in a "philosophical-erotic" semantics of the Symposium, which is closely associated here with dialectics.
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The following text is the first chapter of Jacques Derrida’s book Politiques de l’amitié [The Politics of Friendship], being the exemplary and standard case of deconstruction, in this particular case, of philosophical texts (Cicero, Plato and, notably, Aristotle). The starting point for the discussion is the performative contradiction inscribed in the wellknown fragment On friendship from Essays by Michel de Montaigne: “O mes amis, il n’y a nul amy” (O my friends, there is no friend). Apparently, everything here is well-known and obvious, even the very notion of friendship, but as we proceed in the argument provided by Derrida, the obvious becomes less obvious to us and takes on new shades and hues in meaning, acquires new values. What is objective mixes in this fascinating argument with what is subjective. What is friendship? What is friendship today? Is friendship limited to just private sphere of interpersonal relations? The answer to the latter question is, according to Derrida, clearly negative. In the course of his argument he states: “There is no democracy without a community of friends”. This argument provides clues to understand a particular archeology of the notion, revealing oblique senses and contexts of the word “friendship”, its history shown from the antiquity to the present day.
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“Moral capital” is a concept emerged in the China ethical community at the end of the 20th century. The issue of moral capital arises from discussions about economy and ethics. The controversial point in this concept consists in that morality is a kind of capi-tal. Will morality become a capital? I think it is possible. The interpretation of the con-cept “capital” should go back to the logical starting point of economics, namely, “ratio-nal-economic man.” From the perspective of moral philosophy, every economic activity is committed to morality. The maximization of self-interest is only a part of rationality. Rationality should also cover the acquisition of no self-interest valuable goals. People’s economic behaviors may also be connected with culture, ethics, intelligence, aesthetic appreciation or emotions. I think it is time to radically reform rationality. The issue of moral capital reinterprets capital by basing on humanity. The core of moral capital con-sists in the revealing of capital’s property of value; this value functions against the bac-kground of the socialist market economy system. It is the issue of economic justice in the context of contemporary China.
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Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophizing is deeply ontological, and can be defined as a reflexive gesture of keeping silent. The silence secured by reflexing is an essential part of a philosophy. A philosopher has to use language, but things that pass over in silence must influence things he or she says. The speech manifests not only in the spoken, but also in the unspoken. How is it possible? Through understanding a reflexive speech as an action or gesture of annihilation of speech. The expressed words in philosophy and expressed philosophical concepts are just means of referring to the ultimate value which should be thrown away immediately because it cannot say anything about the inexpress-ible. The philosophy as a gesture of keeping silent is an attempt to meaningfully keep silent through the constantly evolving reflexive annihilation of your own speech. The philosophizing which takes into account the importance of silence becomes a minimal-istic gesture.
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This paper humbly attempts to explore Descartes’ conception of generosity as an ideal character virtue which can address the problems of the global world like struggle, intolerance and segregation; and thereby creates healthy routes for universal dialogue. The first part attempts to clarify Descartes’ conception of the foundations of generosity. The second part narrates Descartes’ views on generosity as passions and as a virtue. The third part explores the possibility of generosity as a virtue of the individual as well as social character. It also proposes to take the practice of generosity as a mechanism of developing cooperation, tolerance, and, consequently, universal dialogue and harmony.
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In the introduction, following the formulation of the theses (1)on the concept ‘philosophy of science’, (2) on interdisciplinarity in modern science, and (3) on foundational studies in science, and on the bases of their content, (4) a thesis on the interdisciplinary approach to foundations of science is formulated. In accordance with the latter, together with the canonical approach to foundations of science, which consists in an elaboration of the foundations of mathematics, physics and other fundamental canonical sciences, also an interdisciplinary approach to foundations of science is realised, one that consists in the elaboration of four foundational complex sciences containing the most significant productive factors for the elaboration of various interdisciplinary theories: (1) Methodology of S-modelling, (2) Logic of science, (3) Definitics, a complex theory of definite structures, aggregates, processes and systems in reality and in knowledge, (4) Indefinitics, a complex theory of indefiniteness in its various forms in reality and in knowledge. Taking into account the internal connection between the first two complex sciences enlisted above, it is expedient in the process of investigations of their foundations that they be unified in yet another complicated complex science—logistics.
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The affirmative answer to the title question is justified in two ways: logical and empirical. (1) The logical justification is due to Gödel’s discovery (1931) that in any axiomatic formalized theory, having at least the expressive power of PA (Peano Arithmetic), at any stage of development there must appear unsolvable problems. However, some of them become solvable in a further development of the theory in question, owing to subsequent investigations. These lead to new concepts, expressed with additional axioms or rules. Owing to the so-amplified axiomatic basis, new routine procedures like algorithms, can be reached. Those, in turn, help to gain new insights which lead to still more powerful axioms, and consequently again to ampler algorithmic resources. Thus scientific progress proceeds to an ever higher scope of solvability. (2) The existence of such feedback cycles – in a formal way rendered with Turing’s systems of logic based on ordinal (1939) – gets empirically supported by the history of mathematics and other exact sciences. An instructive instance of such a process is found in the history of the number zero. Without that insight due to some ancient Hindu mathematicians there could not arise such an axiomatic theory as PA. It defines the algorithms of arithmetical operations, which in turn help intuitions; those, in turn, give rise to algorithmic routines, not available in any of the previous phases of the process in question. While the logical substantiation of the point of this essay is a well-established result of logico-semantic inquiries, its empirical claim, based on historical evidences, remains open for discussion. Hence the author’s intention to address philosophers and historians of science, and to encourage their critical responses.
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In this paper the author offers a historical introduction into what is called the Carolingian Renaissance and, especially, into the life and oeuvre of the greatest theologian and philosopher of the time, John the Scot, also called Eriugena. The paper enumerates and briefly characterizes every single known work of this epoch-making Irish scholar, and identifies the dubia and spuria with the help of the most recent literature. In the central part, the content of Book 1 of the Periphyseon, John’s main work, is outlined in detail. This is followed by a short philosophical evaluation of the metaphysical character of Eriugena’s teaching, in which the difficulties of interpretation are pointed out. A short presentation is given of John’s sources, and the paper closes with a review of both translation-related terminological problems and philological instruments of research.
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Seit 2500 Jahren gilt Metaphysik als das geheimnisvollste Wort der abendländischen Geistesgeschichte, das nicht einmal in seinen zahlreichen begrifflich-philosophischen Deutungen viel von seinem ursprünglichen tremendum et fascinosum verlor. Ein wichtiger Grund dafür lag gewiss auch darin, dass die Metaphysik mehr oder weniger mit einem ausgezeichneten und privilegierten Feld menschlichen Wissens über die ‘letzten Dinge’ verbunden wurde, das dem Menschen selbst eine gewisse, nicht nur erkenntnistheoretische Erlösung versprach. Doch weniger als mit den ‘letzten Dingen’ war sie eigentlich – und ist sie noch immer – mit dem Menschen verbunden, mit seinen nie zur Ruhe kommenden Bemühungen eine endgültige Lösung bzw. Antwort auf die enigmatische Lage seines Daseins zu finden. Das allerdings stellt die Metaphysik in einen nicht wegzudenkenden anthropologischen Kontext, und genau dem möchte ich mich in meinem Beitrag widmen. [...]
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The aim of the article is to illustrate the ethical foundations of psychoanalysis and to outline the ethical origins of Freudian theory. To this end, Jürgen Habermas' conception of knowledge-constitutive interests is discussed, which draws on psychoanalysis as an example of science justified in its form through an underlying emancipatory interest. The analysis of the position of the German philosopher is complemented by Charles Taylor's reflections on the sources of the contemporary conceptions of subjectivity and related ethical conceptions considered in their relation to the history of the discourse on madness - including psychoanalysis. The research results in showing the continuing validity of the conception proposed by Freud in the context of the development of the philosophical theories of subjectivity, as well as more detailed, conceptual problems concerning mental disorders.
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Asceticism as a part of the good life is often discussed in the contemporary philosophy (Foucault, Agamben, Sloterdijk). The aim of this article is to analyze and criticize the encouragement to ascetic practices which was formulated by a German conservative sociologist and philosopher, Arnold Gehlen (1904-1976). In my text, I track the history of the philosophical concept of asceticism and describe Gehlen’s anthropological suggestion that ascetic practices should be actualized and secularized. The author of Der Mensch claimed that the return to asceticism can become an utopian answer to the imperatives of the consumer society. I analyze his distinction of three types of askesis as stimulans, disciplina and sacrificium. Subsequently, I criticize Gehlen’s belief that asceticism has not been secularized in the modern age by showing that he ignored the phenomenon of “wordly ascetiscism” described by Max Weber and his followers. In the final section, I point out some authoritarian and elitist moments in Gehlen’s image of asceticism and I suggest alternative possibilities of developing his intuitions.
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Richard Rorty suggests that we should stop looking for something common to us all, for universal justifi cations and truth. Rorty argues that focusing on a single truth sooner or later serves those who claim that there is a proper, true model of living. In the end, they use violence and cause pain, as they are driven by the idea that everyone should accept their truth. In this article I shall argue that such reasoning is not justifi ed and whether we are universalists or constructivists, our actions may be the same and cause pain. At the same time, having the same beliefs will not stop us from acting differently. What matters is how we use a particular concept in accordance with our interests and not the concept itself. I shall also argue that dialog can help to prevent violence and that while Rorty is right, there are also a number of problems with that proposition
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Feliks Koneczny created a new scientific theory – a comparative science on civilizations. According to Koneczny, there is a clash between various cultures and traditions in Europe. However, there is a common civilization foundation on which individual national cultures develop, but there is no single European civilization. In geographically understood Europe there are four civilizations which constantly compete with each other: Latin (Western), Byzan¬tine, Jewish and Turanian (Muscovy-Cossack). The Western civilization is a Latin civilization. Other civilizations existing in Europe have an oriental origin with a false understanding of human being, and his potentiality. Therefore, these civilizations create many obstacles in the way of human perfection through apriorism, collegial vision of a human being, emanation foundations, legal monism, sacralism, ancestral nature. They are violent against human and his innate laws. However, according to Koneczny, the persistence of civilization is an act of will of the societies that create them, and in a situation of any collapse danger, one can always defend a given civilization. The knowledge of civilization helps to understand the history of today’s world.
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The subject of the article is the theory of ethically-based rhetorics of Isocrates, rightly regarded as the precursor of the idea of lingustic communication ethics. The author of the article focuses on the following aspects of the issue: the question of truth and taking responsibility for one’s words, the ethical conduct of rhetorician, his political involvement, his sympathy towards other people, his self-imposed regular mental activity and finally his care for stylistic and eufonic quality of his message. The final remarks concern the problem whether Isocrates actually followed the rhetoric principles he proclaimed.
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It is possible to construct situations (with a suitable kind of setting) in which one speaker utters “This is tasty” and another one responds with “That’s not true.” The aim of this paper is to motivate the idea that typical (broadly) expressivist accounts of taste disagreements are unable to explain such situations (although some of them can successfully explain disagreements in which another kind of dissent phrase — like “Nuh-uh” — is employed). This is because utterances of “That’s not true” are typically used to ascribe falsehood to propositions. Taste expressivism has it, however, that when one utters “This is tasty,” one typically manifests her evaluative attitude (which is non-propositional) toward something rather than describes what attitude she bears toward that thing. Another aim of the paper consists in proposing an alternative account of taste disagreements. It is close to taste expressivism in the case of disagreements in which speakers respond with “Nuh-uh” but departs from it in situations in which they respond with “That’s not true.” The account is developed within a contextualist framework according to which taste utterances express contextually enriched propositions that contain judges who evaluate things as tasty or not.
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The main thesis that I will defend in the following text is that there are certain implications for a possible approximation between Anselm of Canterbury and Pseudo-Dionysius, which extends beyond mere analogy and indicates some quite important common aspects of their thought. It must be noted that with this claim I do not by any means presuppose that Anselm somehow has read Pseudo-Dionysius or heard of him, which would be historically inaccurate. As opposed to that, I will examine the possible presence of such “counterfactual” connection or approximation exclusively in regard to how we know God and by what standards this knowledge is rendered meaningful. I will argue further that for Anselm and Pseudo-Dionysius the Divine Love is the ultimate condition of possibility of knowledge and being. Therewith, I argue that for both Christian thinkers the communion with God is the highest goal of knowledge rendering the latter itself a personal act of love rather than a mere intellectual activity. From this I conclude that they provide us with a dynamic understanding of the knowledge of God. Having that said, the effort of my text is to display that, at least, in the case of Anselm of Canterbury and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Christian philosophy should not be placed entirely on the same footing as ontotheology.
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The problem of the universals is associated with the universals’ existence and reasons for classifying objects as one species or genus. It inquires what notions and their features are. The problem’s importance is related to the detailed study of dialectics and the notion. The latter is the link between sensible objects and the mind and is essential for building sentences and propositions. Abelard’s conceptualism is moderate position considering universals as notions and focusing on the linguistic and logical aspects of the problem. The ontological aspect is not excluded which is evident due to the notion of status. The influence of Abelard’s conceptualism in modern times is associated with the theory of direct reference for nouns, the account of formal validity and the theory of propositional content. Common features between Abelard’s conceptualism and Rand’s objectivism are also discussed such as the abstraction, the important role of reason, the individual and the subjective element.
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The paper ends first of all with a pseudo-debate between Andreas Speer and Georgi Kapriev, that also found a reception in the specialist literature. I insist in 1995 that Thomas Aquinas transform in his Dionysius reading the system of Eastern thought into its own metaphysical system. Speer replied in 1999. The "debate" was commented by John D. Jones in 2005. But a dispute does not exist. Speer is quite right. My goal was to paid attention to address the one massive byzantine interpretation, which was little known in the West. Still, the question remains whether one should not speak of a rivalry between Eastern and Western Dionysius interpretations within medieval Christian culture. Is there a competition between such interpretations within one or the other cultural region?The earlier Byzantine tradition regards the doctrine of the οὐσία-δύναμις-ἐνέργεια relation as a universal element of the philosophical and speculative-theological apparatus, in that this element is understood as the main axis of the Dionysian doctrine. A problematization of this connection seems to be the polemic within the context of the Hesychast controversy broken up in the 30's of the 14th century. Particularly characteristic is the position of the Byzantine Thomists. Prochoros Kydones, the most distinguished Byzantine Thomist, devotes a separate script to the essence-energy problem: Περὶ οὐσίας καὶ ἐνεργείας. The whole book shows that the relevance of the οὐσία-δύναμις-ἐνέργεια perspective remains for Prochoros a piece of evidence for both God and the creature, but he insists that the corresponding concepts are ἀναλογικῶς predicated on God and the creatures. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite remains for him, as for all Byzantine thinkers, the main judge in this field. The framework of the Western tradition, which firmly links the Dionysian doctrine with causality, whereby δύναμις and ἐνέργεια are interpreted as the possibility and actuality of the individual substance, is already outlined in Hugh of Saint Victor in his commentary on the "Celesstial Hierarchy". This model is also detectable in Robert Grosseteste, which follows Hugh. The Victorians and Grosseteste build the basic coordinate of the Western Dionysius reading. In this context, are developed the comments by Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas, which make Dionysius appear as a first-rate guardian of the transcendental philosophy. Here the Good articulates God's causal relation to his Creation. Despite all the variety of Western Dionysian reception, no one deviates from these basic positions. The plausibility of the respective reception of the Latin Dionysius depends entirely on their convertibility with the own principles of the corresponding philosophical model. Exactly the same is to be said for the Byzantine reception.It should be noted that the Corpus Areopagiticum was and remains open to interpretations rooted in various Christian traditions. The power of persuasion depends on the inner consistency of the interpretation model. An interpretative rivalry between East and West or a competition between the interpretations of Dionysius can not be identified: a dispute in this field has never actually occurred. The consequence or inconsistency of the individual exegesis can only be registered in the perspective of the respective culture of thought.
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