...Beyond Folie à Deux...

Author(s): Sanja Milutinović Bojanić / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

In this text I attempt to recognize and identify two conditions that make engagement possible. One certainly refers to the word, while the other is inscribed onto the body – every or any body – and it regards affect. I illustrate the first condition by a brief reading of a poem by Samuel Beckett, whose English translation the author dedicated to his friend and long-term collaborator, Joseph Chaikin. The second condition I place into Spinoza’s, that is, Deleuze’s understanding of affect.

Engagement + (Joint) Commitment

Author(s): Petar Bojanić,Edvard Đorđević / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Becoming engaged, surprising oneself

Author(s): Athena Athanasiou / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Scattered Remarks on the Concept of Engagement

Author(s): Simon Susen / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Economy, Culture, Discourse and Engagement in Heterogeneous Societies

Author(s): Wolfgang Merkel / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Hermeneutics of Engagement

Author(s): Željko Radinković / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Thinking Identity with Difference: Society and Theory

Author(s): Predrag Krstić / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2017

The first part of the article notes the sudden and conspicuous interest for the problem of identity at the turn of the 21st century. It presents Modern and postmodern conceptualizations of collective identity of social theorists. In the second part, the text draws on the legacy of philosophical speculation of the same period. The article aims to show that many of the dilemmas faced by latterday humanities in their efforts to articulate their thinking of identity as well as difference still have a relevant “pre-game” in the structural and dialectical interrelatedness thematized by philosophers of classical German idealism and the “philosophers of difference.” The text concludes that such “metaphysical” reflection comprises an unavoidable element, which can only be ignored by social theory at its own peril, even if it is not bound by the reflection’s findings.

Multi-culturalism and the challenges of advancement in post-modern Nigeria in juxtaposition with world best practices

Author(s): Morris Edogiawerie / Language(s): English Issue: XXVIII/2016

Africa at one time was referred to as the wretched of the earth primarily because of the simple reason and belief that the continent is devoid of civilization, science and technology. Any intellectual and a right thinking individual would agree with this position that civilization is not relative or connected or tied to the west-Europe and America, or any other culture at that. What “Civilization” actually means is that it is the conventional way in which a group of people live their lives. It amounts to their religions, politics, norms and values, cultural disposition, interpersonal relation etc. It is pertinent to comprehend this distinction because it often erroneously believed when the term “civilization” is used the first thing that comes in to the minds of many is that civilization has to do with Modernity, the way of life of the white man, Science and Technology etc. Civilization can be best referred to as the way of life of a group of people, or a society that has a definite, systematic, consistent and organised ways of living their lives or co-existence. It is against this backdrop that this paper is presented, to inter alia, attempt to clarify the meaning of civilization and which group of people that can be regarded or referred to as civilized or not civilized. This exposition, hence, will consider those parameters that translate to civilization such as culture, tradition, norms, values, and festivals, ancestral worship etc. especially of the African people with particular attention on Nigerian in juxtaposition with other practices that are considered to be best world practices. This evaluation is necessitated by the fact that there is a need to explore the potentiality and actualization of the black African heritage and be in the position to judge whether or not the African culture can be on the same pedestal with other world cultures and civilizations that are regarded as most recognised and accepted conventions.

Dynamism of African leadership structure: towards developmental strategies and transformation

Author(s): Victor Ogheneochuko Jeko / Language(s): English Issue: XXVIII/2016

The problematic facing African transformation in a fast growing world is multifaceted; these include ignorance, lack of technology complex, effective leadership, democratic governance, illiteracy, lack of consensus, and empathy, ethno-religious crises, economic woes, cultural chauvinism, African un-freedom and political instability. African transformation in a fast growing world requires an accelerated proportion of scholarly attention. This paper analyzes the need for Africa to embrace a multi-level approach in redressing the problem of knowledge, certitude, technology complex, scientific progression and assimilation. African society from a contemporary perspective must begin to embrace technical-know-how or expertise coupled with effective or superb leadership skills that is aimed at effective democratic governance in order to affect African potentials and African development. Leaders of governments in Africa in this fast growing world must begin to embrace and engage themselves with comparative evaluation of Africa with the rest of the world. Africa as a continent is lagging behind and is facing serious contemporary challenges of low productivity level, socio-economic crises and political instability. All these must be addressed in order to give Africa a face lift. This paper appreciates and appropriates a multi-level approach in ensuring that there is the prevalence of African freedom, African transformation in the fast growing world even in the mid of her challenges. Africa should and must not remain static but dynamic politically, socially, culturally, scientifically, technologically, psychologically, intellectually and economically.

The infraspace. (il)legal and a-legal spaces as producers of subjectivity

Author(s): Marisela López Zaldívar / Language(s): English Issue: XXVIII/2016

The subjectivity can be produced by the spaces; Foucault analyzed that in the hospital, the school and the prison. However, all of those places are legal. Based on that and inspired by the “spatial turn”, this text questions if only legal spaces can produce subjectivity or which other spaces can produce it as well. To answer the latter, it is exposed the legal spaces cannot be considered as the equivalent to “everywhere” due to the fact that there are other spaces that exist but are not visible from the legal perspective of the space or the spatial perspective of the legal. Then, I name the spaces that exist parallel to the legal spaces as infraspace. The infraspace is an (il)legal-a-legal space that works as the counterpart of the legal space and can produce subjectivity as well but in different terms. The infraspace is proposed as the space that complements the spatial possibilities that can produce subjectivity. Therefore, subjectivity can be produced by spaces that are legal, illegal or a-legal.

Nowy Jedwabny Szlak, „win-win cooperation” i socjalizm z chińskim charakterem

Author(s): Adam Nobis / Language(s): Polish Issue: 19/2016

Od kilku lat Chińska Republika Ludowa realizuje projekt budowy Nowego Jedwabnego Szlaku. To wielki projekt budowy i modernizacji infrastruktury komunikacyjnej: linie kolejowe, drogi, mosty, porty, lotniska. To także projekt kształtowania międzynarodowych relacji i globalnego ładu w oparciu o nowe zasady i wartości. Celem tekstu jest sprawdzenie, czy zasady i wartości Nowego Jedwabnego Szlaku mają związek z wartościami chińskiego socjalizmu. A jeśli tak, to na czym ten związek polega. Przedstawione tu poszukiwania prowadzą do wniosku, że treści ideowe projektu Nowego Jedwabnego Szlaku oraz chińskiego socjalizmu łączy konfucjanistyczny rodowód.

Zjawisko symulacji we współczesnym społeczeństwie w ujęciu Jeana Baudrillarda

Author(s): Jan Gondek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 26/2016

The contemporary man functions in a world where various technological media hold the central position. An interesting question of artificially creating the surrounding world appears in this context. It is done within media institutions, public authorities, and in the economy. Baudrillard, who analysed that social issue, attributed major importance to signs. He understood them as something added to items, institutions, or even people (who wish to artificially create themselves). He introduced the concept of simulation, which includes generation of reality, which eliminates the origin and reality. When analysing the simulation process, Baudrillard depicted a peculiar evolution of simulation consisting in abolishing reality (the real image of the world) for the sake of something artificially created and improved. The current age has nothing to do with reality anymore. We are dealing with multiple realities created in the simulation process. Jean Baudrillard’s vison used to be called “apocalyptic”. It constitutes a certain theoretical (scientific) suggestion on how to understand the changes occurring in the world of today.

Krytyka konwencjonalizmu społecznego na przykładzie filozofii społecznej T. Hobbesa i J. Locke'a

Author(s): Witold Landowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2014

The paper shows theoretical difficulties in Hobbes’ and Locke’s philosophical theory. The attempt at proving legitimacy of society hade been made by philosophers turned out to be pointless because of false anthropological presuppositions. Even though the term of human nature in axiological aspect is extremely negative in Hobbes’thought while neutral in Locke’s theory but both philosophers define man as a physical, self-directed, self-awareness individual. If such individuals in supposed state of nature have every rights and liberty then arises question of how assign such units to something other than individuals itself, this mean to public institution (state). The anthropological fallacy made the matter over much difficult and justification of social existence impossible, neither account of guarantee civil safety do not justify the type of absolutist state or account of protection of property rights do not justify the type existence of liberal state, which has an insufficient competitives and power (minimal state). The state in both cases is rather an alienated from people, which treated public institutions and government as necessary evil in fact. It is since being based on the self preservation (Hobbes) or egoistic self – interest (Locke). In view on basis of social life, the philosophers failed to take spiritual and personal dimension of human being. They did not notice that human nature is compositive, natural and rational inclinations to live with each others (in community) and humane desire for a versatile, personal development. According to fallacy their conception of society and state only partly is rational but it is a type of pragmatic rationality.

Social Pathologies, False Developments and the Heteronomy of the Social: Social Theory and the Negative Side of Recognition

Author(s): Luiz Gustavo da Cunha De Souza / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2017

The aim of this paper is to explore a tension between two concepts designed to expose social discomforts in Axel Honneth’s mature work, namely social pathologies and anomie. Particular emphasis will be given to how they contribute or obstruct Honneth’s apprehension of social tensions. In the first session of this exposition I will show that Honneth’s interpretation of social pathologies is based on a conception of society as an organic whole (I). While this interpretation represents a slight change regarding Honneth’s understanding of social pathologies in Das Recht der Freiheit, it does not change the fact that in his work subsequent to that book the concept of false developments has not been properly theorized. Accordingly, social discomforts related to deviations from expected patterns of a normative reconstruction remain largely ignored. This calls for a perspective more fully able to grasp the heteronomy of social life (II). As a result, in Honneth’s mature work there seems to be a tension between the aims of a normative reconstruction and those of social critique, mainly due to an inability of the author to combine both elements of his social theory. In its final section (III), the paper will address that tension in order to critically contribute to Honneth’s attempt to link normative reconstruction, social analysis and criticism.

Embertelen természet – természetes ember. Nietzsche és a morál fiziológiája

Author(s): Lóránt Kicsák / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 01/2018

THE PREEMINENT NECESSITY OF PRUDENCE

Author(s): Brian Kemple / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2017

Thomas Aquinas holds not only that prudence, the virtue of right practical reasoning, is necessary for living well, but emphatically asserts that it “is the virtue most necessary to human life.” This essay argues that the force of Thomas’ assertion should not be understood as simply contradicting the objection—that “it seems that prudence is not a virtue necessary to living a good life”—with vigor, but rather, as we intend to show, that although all the moral virtues are necessary for the good life, there is a superior importance to the need for prudence, as that whereby the parts of virtuous living are not merely stacked up like building blocks of moral righteousness, but coalesced into a complete whole. To make clear the reasons for this preeminent necessity, we shall first consider the parts and constitution of prudence itself, its relationship to the other virtues, and conclude with its principal act, praeceptum.

WOJTYLIAN CRITIQUE OF KANTIAN MORALITY AND PROPOSAL OF THE UNCONDITIONAL PERSONALISTIC NORM

Author(s): Pedro García Casas / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2017

The main objective of this inquiry is to examine the reach and influence of the Unconditional Norm throughout Karol Wojtyła’s thinking in order to understand the Wojtylian personalistic norm and to propose it as the basis for all social interactions. To this end, our primary method is obtained from the study of Kant’s Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals, which exposes the theory of imperatives and in a special way is able to show, as opposed to utilitarianism, how it is that a person can never be a mere means, but is rather an end in itself. This Kantian concept had a profound impact on Wojtyła, who was also critical of utilitarian ethics and thus found great inspiration in the Kantian proposal. However, Wojtyła goes beyond the Kantian proposal because, although they coincide in many points, Wojtyła felt that the subject of experience was not sufficiently addressed, given that it had an a priori, and therefore insufficient, perspective of the personal self. Wojtyła’s Aristotelian-Thomist education, driven by the discovery of Max Scheler’s phenomenology, gave substance to a very original doctrine in both method and projection.

Specificity of Being and “Different Modernities” of a Person in the Contextual Range of Anthropological Conflict of Postmodernism

Author(s): Sergey Kostyuchkov / Language(s): English Issue: 8/2017

Specificity studies of human nature in the context of postmodern anthropological impacts on the necessity for use as philosophical and sociocultural approaches. By focusing on the fact that since the status of a person is the basis of modern system of social ideas and values of cultural space, there is a need to constantly update philosophical approaches to consideration of a person, adequate modern socio-cultural reality. The history of civilization is definitely proved, at least for Homo sapiens, the truth about what philosophy is a great teacher, giving invaluable lessons to the thinking of the individual life. It should be emphasized that the formation of new philosophical ideas in the study of a person is determined not only by local problems and contradictions, but also in a wider meaning by scale transformations in the cultural life of society, changes of its intellectual status, upgrading of social interaction models with regard to new civilizations requests. The author turns to the origins, nature and interpretation of the term “postmodern”, gives the classic definition of postmodern proposes results of one’s own thoughts. The author sees the output in developing models of social adaptation as the most constructive and effective means of application is being implicitly provides specificity of modern humans in the changing conditions of the world. Said specificity is that the subject of modern civilization is the history of much of the world’s population as solidarity, integrated and activated in the political, economic, spiritual, cultural and informational interaction subject.

Космическое человечество: утопии; реалии; перспективы

Author(s): Sergey Krichevskiy / Language(s): Russian Issue: 7/2017

The philosophical foundations of the theory and practice of the creation of cosmic humanity as a process of the evolution of human civilization; the emergence into space; with the prospect of resettlement outside the Earth are considered. There is a connection between myths; fantasies; ideas; concepts and projects aimed at the exploration of outer space; the creation of cosmic humanity. A new and voluminous definition of cosmic humanity in the evolutionary paradigm is given. Cosmic humanity is (essence and 4 stages of evolution): 1. Humanity living on Earth; sensing; knowing; understanding its cosmic origin; relationship with the cosmos and cosmic destiny. 2. Humanity living on Earth; leading aerospace activity for the purposes of exploration and use of aerospace space (Heaven; Space) for survival and develop-ment. 3. Humanity living on Earth and outside the Earth — in the solar system; preserving the Earth and mastering the Cosmos for survival and development. 4. Humanity; settled and living in the Cosmos. Now humanity is in the process of transition from the second to the third stage. In the process of this evo-lution; a complex transformation of man and society takes place. The problem-semantic field of cosmic humanity is described and its general model is presented. The meta-goal-setting is the justification of cosmic humanity with the application of the anthropic principle and its “active” super (post) anthropic supplement: “Cosmic humanity has an evolutionary purpose to actively manage evolution: change man; humanity and the universe.” The evolution of the “cosmic dream”; goals and technologies of space ac-tivities is formalized in the form of a conceptual model. Challenges and negative trends are considered in connection with the crisis of space activity; criticism and attempts to limit the flights of people into space. The prototype of cosmic humanity; its basis and acting model is the cosmonauts’ community. The main characteristics and tendencies of the development of the world cosmonaut community for 55 years of spaceflight; indicators of national competitions in selecting cosmonauts as indicators of the society’s attitude to cosmonautics and the cosmic future of humanity are given. The main results; consequences and prospects of spacewalk in the context of the evolution of technology; human and humanity; including the main potentialities; challenges and threats caused by technical development; the creation of a posthu-man; etc.; are considered. The description and analysis of the social mega-project of the new space state ASGARDIA; which is created since October 2016 and is the institutional basis of cosmic humanity; is giv-en. In fact; it is a state for the future of cosmic humanity; which has already begun (itself) to be organized on Earth. There is a process of transformation of the almost fantastic and superglobal utopia of the first in the history of the earthly civilization of the cosmic state of people — the “cosmic international” — into the reality of a fundamentally new social contract. The idea and the project of the space state is exactly what was lacking for the process of space expansion to go seriously: a new geocosmopolitan subject and an actor who is interested in space exploration (including resettlement in it in the long run) as in its main goal and overarching goal; and Focused on this process. The first results of the project are encouraging. An interesting sociological model is being created; based on an analysis of the statistical relationships of the present earthly and promising cosmic humanity. The first; unique; but important and unique “cosmic referendum” on the Earth is being held. The characteristics of the state being created are shown; citizensof which expressed a desire to become about 600 thousand people from more than 200 states; of which over 170 thousand people are certified as citizens and the process continues. A “cosmic” coefficient was proposed to assess the activity of citizens of the countries of the Earth in the ASGARDIA project and its values were obtained for the leading group of countries. The main problems; scenarios and prospects of the project implementation are considered. The main conclusions and recommendations are given.

Defining Death: Beyond Biology

Author(s): John P. Lizza / Language(s): English Issue: 55/2018

The debate over whether brain death is death has focused on whether individuals who have sustained total brain failure have satisfied the biological definition of death as “the irreversible loss of the integration of the organism as a whole.” In this paper, I argue that what it means for an organism to be integrated “as a whole” is undefined and vague in the views of those who attempt to define death as the irreversible loss of the integration of the organism as a whole. I show how what it means for a living thing to be integrated as a whole depends on the sortal (kind) concept by which it is identified. Since interests, values, and ontological considerations besides strictly biological ones affect the concepts by which we individuate and identify living things, those non-biological considerations have a bearing on what it means for a particular kind of living thing to exist as a whole and thus what it means for one of us to die. Even if our bodies may remain organically integrated in some sense despite total brain failure, this fact should not lead us to reject brain death as death. Artificially sustained brain-dead human bodies are not human beings, but the remains of them. While such bodies may be alive in some sense, they are not human beings or human persons. They are not one of us.