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Étienne Bonnot de Condillac is regarded as one of the important architects of 18th-century French Enlightenment thinking in terms of his thoughts and the results born by language philosophy. The language theory of Condillac, who made John Locke’s epistemology of empiricist character a starting point for himself and who carried him one step forward through his sensualism, chooses to separate the contents of the human mind, ability to understand down to the first and simplest factors in compliance with the spirit of French Enlightenment. In this study of his, he converts Locke’s doctrine of ideas into a “science of ideas” with Destutt de Tracy’s statements thanks to his manifested “method of analysis”. The concept of ideology first stated by Tracy is designed as a way of true thinking, as a “science of ideas”. Therefore, Condillac's theory of language can be considered an important guide for Tracy and all the Enlightenment ideologists who followed him as the founders of the concept of ideology. In our study, we will draw attention to the importance of Condillac's theory of language in the correct functioning of the mind and correct thinking, and we will try to reveal the role of the theory in the emergence of the concept of ideology in this first and positive sense that it will carry on the way of rationally constructing society
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Is free will real? Is there really free will? That of course depends on what “free will” is. And, on what “real” is. I begin from the free will problem as it appears in the contemporary free will debate, and set out to explore how my view on it affects various senses of reality. The picture that emerges is complex, pluralistic, multi-faceted, and paradoxical. In some sense free will is real, in another sense it is not, and both greatly matter. The sense that is unreal creates a reality of shallowness and tragedy. Finally, both ethically and pragmatically, we require illusion in order to create reality, in creating our moral and personal selves.
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In the opening remark of Nicomachean Ethics VIII 1 Aristotle notices that the next step would be a discussion of philia, since it is a certain aretē or is associated with aretē (NE VIII 1 1155a 1–2). This article is an attempt to determine how the real object of philia and aretē are related from Aristotle’s point of view. The author performs a study into two sections. The first section is focused on the analysis of aretē and its various types, in particular the human one. The second section is concentrated on the typology of philia, namely friendship and its particular kinds. The author shows that the relation between philia and aretē can be described in two ways: if both philia and aretē play the crucial role in leading a eudaimonic life, then philia is the aretological friendship and aretē—the human one, namely the whole consists of the aretē of character in the full sense and the practical wisdom on condition that the aretological friends equate eudaimonia with life focused on the political or practical activity, or even of the theoretical wisdom, providing that they identify it with the highest form of eudaimonic life, that is, the theoretical one. If, however, philia is to be a term said in many ways (pleonachōs legetai) and aretē is to be understood in a broad sense, that is, as “being good at something”, then philia can signify every kind of friendship, namely the aretological, the hedonistic and the utilitarian one, whereas aretē—qualification or skill that makes these friendships perform their functions well. The first possibility is that the relation between philia and aretē is limited to the aretological friendship at the expense of narrowing the meaning of aretē to the human one. The second possibility is that every kind of friendship is considered as the functional thing and, in consequence, defined by their proper function. From this point of view, all friendships are accompanied by appropriate aretai, namely by qualifications or skills that guarantee the perfect fulfillment of their proper function and, therefore, the achievement of the set goal by two persons in question.
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In my paper, I propose to read Stanislaw Judycki’s philosophical anthropology as a kind of thought experiment, involving an attempt to determine the metaphysical shape of the world that is optimal for the weakest human individuals. Referring to his texts, I will want to show why from behind the "metaphysical veil of ignorance" we should choose a world that has certain properties that allow the weakest of human individuals to live a fulfilled life. Then, using arguments found in Judycki's texts, I will show that such a world shape desirable for the existentially weakest of persons is possible only on the assumption that there is a God. I will suggest that even if one would not want to agree with Judycki's arguments in favor of the thesis of God's existence, one should, given this postulated world shape, become a pro-theist, and therefore want God to exist. Finally, I will try to show that in Judycki's texts it is clear that the description of Christian doctrine coincides with the content of what one should choose from behind the "metaphysical veil of ignorance." If this is the case, then even if we do not find strong enough justifications for the truthfulness of Christian theism in Judycki’s texts, we get very strong arguments for the thesis that we should want there to be a God, as Christianity says.
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This text on metaphilosophical issues is dedicated to Professor Stanisław Judycki. The article consists of two parts. In the first one, I do it characteristics of philosophy and from this perspective I analyze the issue of its relationship to specific disciplines, worldview and religion. The methodological specificity of philosophy argues for the need to distinguish it from each of these three spheres. In the second part, I address the problem of the role and importance of philosophy in the situation of ongoing cultural and technological changes. This raises questions about whether philosophical reflection will lose its position and role in culture in the future. In this context, I point out the reasons why the future position of philosophy may be no less important than the current one. At the same time, I analyze the features that such a philosophy of the future should have.
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In the paper, I first discuss the main theses of R. Lockie’s epistemology, which is based on deontological internalism, doxastic anti-voluntarism and metaphysical externalism. Then I present his concept of freedom, understood in terms of self-determination, and point out a number of problems to which this concept leads. In the next section I attempt to show why his transcendental arguments for the existence of freedom from the determist critique are ineffective. One of the main conclusions of the analyzes is the metaphilosophical condition that must be met by a correct transcendental argument for a given philosophical thesis from the criticism of the opposite position.
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One of the best examples of experimental utopianism is the New Babylon urban utopia of the Situationists, which bases its existence on the creation of opportunities to “transform reality” and “shape the urban environment”. New Babylon, which is depicted as an unlimited labyrinth with its defined new social model and the new individual (homo ludens) who will become both a resident and an architect of the new city, gains visibility with its neutral structure and interchangeable interiors with technological systems. This study tries to reveal the diversity of new living possibilities produced by the spaces designed with users' imaginations, on the axis of the New Babylon project, through the concepts of utopia, space, and representation.
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This paper strives to illuminate the forebodings of AI and automatization’s impact on society in two neglected Czech treasures unavailable in English, Čestmír Vejdělek’s Návrat zráje [Return from Paradise] (1961) and Jiří Marek’s Blažený Věk [The Blessed Age] (1967). The study aims to illustrate science fiction’s prescience and part of Czech SF’s path after Čapek, while challenging the notion that “the utopian society is a subject, perhaps even the only subject that is inaccessible to literature” (Hans Magnus Enzensberger). For these dystopian texts engage readers to imagine the positive alternative to the portrayed societies, rather than explicitly evoking eutopia.
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Within the area of historical studies, a reflection on the history of science takes place undoubtedly among these domains which particularly inspire and stimulate imagination. There are noble figures, famous for changing the course of the world who catch special attention. Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik 1473-1543), a Polish scholar, the founder of a novel view of the worldthe heliocentric model of the Cosmosserves as an example1 . Both, in scientific literature and various popular publications, for two hundred years there has been shaped a common picture of Copernicus as a Renaissance thinker, who reactivated the forgotten ancient concepts of heliocentrism (including a cult of the Sun), to the world and who, at the same time, overcame Scholasticism and Christian Aristotelianism2 . Nevertheless, even a sketchy analysis of the texts of Copernicus undermines such interpretations, as in his works there are numerous references to the medieval philosophy of science, physics, and philosophy3 . The aim of this paper is therefore an answer to the question: to what extent was Copernicus a Scholastic, and to what extent we might classify his philosophy as the Renaissance one4 ? Justification of a statement included in the title we find in the source materials (writings of Copernicus himself, and his only student at Varmia [Polish: Warmia, German: Ermland], Georg Joachim Rheticus), also, in numerous analyses available. We notice that a significant part of the literature of the subject contains a one-sided approach, therefore, to some extent our analysis will be of polemical character.
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In our study on the historiosophical views of Konstanty Michalski, we need to sketch the philosophical area his philosophy of history referred to. Within the scope of the above research not only Michalski’s philosophical erudition becomes evident, but also I will answer the question about his metaphysical or anthropological grounds. The easiest method to settle the above matter would be a research on where and in what atmosphere Michalski gained his philosophical education. Michalski’s views were influenced by philosophy (in its Thomistic version) studied in Louvain and he himself – as we may suggest – is a typical representative of the Louvanian Thomism1 . And although it will not allow to trace a detailed genealogy of his views, conducted research may help explain a compilation of philosophical insights, including the area of historiosophy, worked out by him. Thus, in his historiosophical thought, he combines the views of St. Augustin, St. Thomas, and Dante, with the approaches of the modern philosophers: Leibniz2 , Condorcet or Hegel. Moreover, he drew from some contemporary historiosophical thinkers such as O. Spann, O. Spengler, or G. Simmel3 . The long list of authors who were an inspiration for historiosophy of Michalski, would raise doubts as to the integrity of a system he initiated. This, consequently, can raise a question of whether his philosophy of history is more of a worldview, and therefore, cannot be scientifically proved. It seems hence, that we would be able to explain this issue only after a deep analysis of the philosophy of history worked out and expressed by Michalski.
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The article presents philosophical reflections on love from the perspective of Feliks Wojciech Bednarski OP in light of Saint Thomas Aquinas’s philosophy. The Author presents the philosophy of Bednarski in the point of vew of Aquinas’ thomism from the perspective of his pedagogical and psychological interests and the issues raised so far regarding the concept of human upbringing. It is worth noting that the divisions of love and its varieties appearing in the article indicate that Bednarski directly uses the assumptions of Saint Thomas Aquinas, refers them and quotes the Angelic Doctor’s approach in the text without making any corrections or his own interpretations. The Author presents Bednarski’s Thomistic pictures of love, outlines his concept of love, its divisions, varieties, and the effects and fruits it brings. The article draws attention to the issue of love from the point of view of realistic philosophy, which points to man as a person, his need to be with another person, the need to experience goodness, kindness or interest. The presented assumptions show that love accompanies everyone and is the basis of human action and behavior.
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The aim of this paper is to turn attention to works of Thomas on the human intellect in the context of faith, especially to understanding faith as an act of the potential intellect. Its aim is also exploration of the topic of intellectuality (cognoscobility) of truths which are considered the object of faith (intellectus fidei). This differentiation seems to be in line with the thought of Aquinas who in a different way presents the role of the intellect in the context of faith than he does in domain of theology (sacra doctrina). In the entire different way Thomas presents the intellect as that which acknowledges- directed by the will- statements about God and His relation to the creatures and the intellect which penetrates, recognises, justifies and allows the will to rejoice truths flowing from the systematic presentation of the dogmas of faith. In this article we show faith as an act of the intellect along with doubt, conviction about something and hence acknowledging some statement or certainty. Faith is not any of the above acts but it consists of something that relates to them. Faith is an act of the intellect who recognised a statement on the basis of authority of a speaker, hence on the basis of truth which presents. In this paper we also present faith as one of the theological virtues and the role of intellectual activities in the area of faith and theology.
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Theory of upbringing of Konstanty Michalski is based on his understanding of man. Michalski claims that man is a spiritual-bodily unity in which we may distinguish the following parts: spirit, soul and body. Th e diff erence between spirit and soul is of functional character. Spirit is a function of soul in which man reaches contact with God. Human body is something foreign to spirit. Whereas soul is present in its function of informing human body and has a contact with body. Soul serves a function of an informant for the body. Such understood structure of man has infl uence on the process of upbringing. Michalski is convinced that the function of spirit is important for upbringing. Hence, we nurture a man to enable him to be a man in its fullness. Fullness, thus, can be attained when we approach God. For that reason pedagogy worked out by Michalski is Catholic pedagogy, and its roots we fi nd in the approach to God as the highest and absolute goodness.
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The paper of Katarzyna Werkowicz is a review of a book by Piotr Paweł Orłowski Tożsamość lidera i jego etyczna formacja z perspektywy traktatu św. Tomasza z Akwinu o rządach Bożych (S.Th., I, 103-119). The Author discusses the content of a dissertation of Orłowski respectively, indicating at usefulness of Aquinas’ philosophy in the context of formation of characters of persons who perform a role of leaders, indicating at a timeless and practical dimension of the thought of the Angelic Doctor, what in contemporary times of the crisis of authorities, seems to be immensely current and needed. The book of Orłowski is an accurate study of the treatise of St. Thomas on the basis of which the Author presents the characteristics of God’s governance over the world, which is considered the pattern for human governance. This theological - philosophical content has been transferred by the Author into the ground of business, when from a description of Thomas’ metaphysics to his aretology he presents the list of particular virtues he considers useful in governance. The first part of this article introduces the primary issues concerning God’s governance, explaining notions which speak of God as of the ruler: Lat. gubernator, director, dirigens and manductor. The second part presents a concise history of various conceptions of leadership and explains the role of dealing with multiplicity and diversity pointing at their advantages. It also contains a detailed description of a process of decision making and explains the role of a leader illustrated in the metaphor: a helmsman, a doctor and fire. The third part of the article, the most practical, present the model of leadership according to aretology of St. Thomas and introduces a description of virtues necessary in three following areas: general formation of leaders, building relations with others and making decisions fraught with risk. In the text, there is also an interesting study of notions such as: courage, gratuity, trustfulness or freedom. The entire text can be some help, incentive or even a tool for personal development. Many issues treated in this paper regard not only to the process of governing the others but also to governing ourselves.
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Review of: Eleonore Stump, Akwinata, tłum. Piotr Lichacz, Poznań–Warszawa 2022 (oryginał: Eleonore Stump, Aquinas, London and New York 2003)
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Contemporary discourse on the quality of a globalising world of multiple opportunities, the factors determining shifts in the social configuration and the condition of the human being seeking their place in a reality in constant change is one of the most important orientations. The contemporary social configuration opens up a wide range of possibilities for individuals to construct their own biographies. Contemporary studies on the quality of the globalizing society necessitate considering the need to shape society based on knowledge and reflection on that knowledge, while also guarding the values upon which this knowledge depends. The immanent characteristic of the renewal of knowledge capital means continuous development. The variety, fragmentation, variability and complexity of the forms of organisation of social life in a globalising society determine changing perceptions of development and overcoming the tension between the experiences of the past and the possibilities of the future.
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To do minor activist research is to create and make use of critical neologistic vocabularies hopefully balancing the ascetic impoverishment of direction and syntax in majority vocabularies when conceptualized as universals. To do minor activist research is therefore to unsettle received discourses, narratives, and material social practices of power to develop means of resistance in new and different registers. To do minor activist research is to train the imagination for a collaboratively accomplished re/presentation of data through creating points of encounters, thus engendering an affirmative perspectivist’s ethos. Re/presenting data as a space in which one’s own thinking is challenged, hence providing a perspective of the storying practices across participants and across different disciplinary, ideological, or personal boundaries within the researcher’s and the researched specific positioning. This requires getting everyone to participate in the “analysis” of data, and then getting everyone “inside” the text: situating data-inquiries in immanence. It therefore demands a liberation from old scripts, and challenges how everyone is transformed into text, with perspectivism being simultaneously means and objective for avoiding the reproduction of both old scripts and ethics. Our goal is to enhance (self)reflexivity regarding knowledge production and research methodologies, to influence actual research practices through fostering a more inclusive, open, and collaborative approach to research that transcends traditional boundaries and embraces the fluid and hybrid nature of knowledge production. Ultimately, turning the concept of ethics through minoring into a thinking hub and pedagogy for change.The first and theoretical section is on how to ethically represent data in a new-empiricist and post qualitative environment. We call it data-philosophy. Our ontological approach brings its own concepts, which reflect the perspectives from which we argue. In the three next sections, we follow up by looking more closely into these ideas in re/presenting empirical qualitative research to invite hybrid and fluid configurations. Here, activist research refers to bringing actors into our thinking about the data, to accentuate the collaborative, open to thinking differently through staying close to the data. We then bring it all together in a section on the rebirth of language, to open for what we refer to as a storying personifying, thereby storying data together as a process of becoming, of mutuality and affect as a source of agency. We argue that this creates a theory of science and ethics in data analysis, and in re/presenting data, which are closely entangled.
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This text analyzes the multiple influence of Socrates' ethical teaching on Plato's philosophical thought. Socrates' effort to establish standards for moral aspiration and action through ethical research through the determination of universal determinants, i.e. the essential meanings of being, is extended by Plato to his Theory of Ideas. Plato's Theory of Ideas is based on the legacy of the idea of the existence of universal determinants that appear as immutable truths, and it extends to the research of their application in the field corresponding to their nature. Socrates believes that the essential determination of being is a prerequisite for gaining knowledge, cultivating virtues, and thus achieving the common goal of the human race - happiness. Movement towards the goal is realized with the help of persistence in the direction of knowledge and moral aspiration, through the medium of the soul. According to Socrates, knowledge is what needs to be nurtured and born from the soul itself. Plato, following in the footsteps of Socrates, underlines the importance of the soul and its nature in relation to the physical, creating a detailed account of the movement of the soul in the direction of knowledge and overcoming the changeable. The soul remembers the knowledge it observed in the preexistent period and acts according to virtue thanks to the correct upbringing and education. Socratic questioning and teaching in favor of the soul's recollection of knowledge, which we get to know through Plato's early dialogues, is extended by Plato to the establishment of an education system that will enable the construction of a state and social community based on knowledge.
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Uprkos činjenici da je usavršio tu formu, Platon nije izmislio sokratovski dijalog. U godinama nakon Sokratove smrti, mnogi njegovi bivši saradnici pisali su kratke dijaloge u kojima je Sokrat bio glavni sagovornik. Aristotel u svojoj Poetici prepoznaje sokratikoi logoi, ili "Razgovore sa Sokratom", kao ustaljeni književni žanr. Jedna od inovacija u mojoj interpretaciji Platona je pokušaj da se njegovi rani radovi smjeste u kontekst ovog književnog žanra.
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