Nowa liberalna eugenika: krytyczny przegląd argumentów przeciwko biomedycznemu poprawianiu ludzkiej kondycji fizycznej lub umysłowej

Author(s): Tomasz Żuradzki / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

The aim of this review article is to criticize popular arguments against using the biomedical technology to enhance human physical or mental capabilities. Discussing works of Habermas, Sandel and Fukuyama I will analyze three arguments of this kind that refer to: 1) autonomy; 2) life as a gift; 3) natural equilibrium. Finally I will demonstrate that the opposition to some enhancement projects may result from a characteristic cognitive error: a status quo bias.

Schellingiańskie inspiracje Heideggerowskiej kategorii “bycia”

Author(s): Ewa Opawska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

In this article I examine the correlation between Schelling’s notion of nothingness and Heidegger’s concept of being. I argue that Heidegger’s concept of being, before his “turn”, has its origin in Schelling’s nothingness as it is presented in Weltalter. I identify Heidegger’s thinking as a critical continuation of Schelling’s idea limited by the Christian doctrine of God.

Sprawiedliwość w opiece zdrowotnej z perspektywy różnych koncepcji liberalnego egalitaryzmu

Author(s): Maciej Juzaszek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

This article aims at presenting to the Polish reader a number of different conceptions of justice in health care, represented by the advocates of liberal egalitarianism. The author has given an overview of the most relevant, influential and representative theories, held by the liberal egalitarians, in order to present the way in which, in a democratic state, both just health care and respect for freedom and moral equality of individuals can be provided. The following issues will be discussed: John Rawls’s theory of justice, Norman Daniels’s theory of justice including health possibilities, varieties of luck egalitarianism, Ronald Dworkin’s “prudent insurance” ideal, Elizabeth Anderson’s democratic egalitarianism, a family of theories of egalitarianism of all kinds of luck and the theory of Shlomi Segall.

Informacyjny aspekt testów genetycznych - przegląd zagadnień

Author(s): Olga Dryla / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

The steady growth of the number of DNA tests offered results in the discussion on the ethical aspects of these tests becoming increasingly lively and multifaceted. This text provides an overview of selected issues concerning the characteristics, protection and quality of the information acquired as a result of carrying out DNA tests. I discuss the salient points in the debates on the possibility to justify the so-called genetic exceptionalism, and the ways of specifying the scope of the principle of confidentiality that protects the privacy of the information given by the subject. The final part of the article features the discussion on the importance of the possibility to use the information, acquired from these tests, in practice – for making decisions about the introduction of new kinds of tests for the clinical application.

Solidarność we współczesnej bioetyce – klasyczne problemy, nowe wyzwania

Author(s): Anna Głos / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

Solidarity is the fundamental principle of the majority of the European health care systems. According to the classical distinction, there are three kinds of solidarity: risk solidarity, age solidarity and income solidarity. The aim of this principle is to create a community based on risk sharing, mutual obligation and care, taken especially of the suffering, the troubled and the disadvantaged. The progressive privatization of health care and the individualization of risk in health insurance motivate the question about the sustainability of this principle in many European health care systems. Concurrently, technological progress change the outlook of modern medicine and health care, inspiring the revival of the debate on the role of solidarity in health care systems and new struggles for this principle. Discussions of ethical issues, social activism and the implementation of new legislative solutions stress the importance and the unchanging value of solidarity in varying social conditions.

Krytyka dialektycznej interpretacji filozofii Nagardżuny

Author(s): Szymon Bogacz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 42/2014

The aim of this paper is to present two arguments against the dialectical interpretation of Nagarjuna's philosophy. This interpretation understands Nagarjuna's philosophy as a method of deconstruction, abstracting from Nagarjuna's own standpoint. The first argument refers to the metaphysical presuppositions of this method. The second argument refers to the positive statements asserted by Nagarjuna and focuses mainly on those concerning Buddhist practice. Furthermore, the conception of 'skillful means' and 'the two truths' will be discussed. The conclusion of this paper is that Nagarjuna's philosophy is based upon determining the conditions of the possibility of the Buddhist practice rather than on a dialectic without any metaphysical assumptions.

Национална политика и фолклоризъм (Към механизмите за функциониране на българо-чешките фолклористични контакти през 60-те и 70-те г. на XIX г.)

Author(s): Vladimir Penchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

The author represents a new view on the history of folkloristic contacts between Czechs and Bulgarians in the decades before the Liberation of Bulgaria (1878). Analyzing the opposition between some of their semiotic characteristics and the semiotic characteristics of folklorism in regard with the scheme: essence – subject – method – cause, the author claims that the functional mechanisms of the folkloristic contacts under study reflect in the complex of processes and phenomena which is generally called “folklorism”. The analysis follows the routine of putting together public interest and attitude, agents’ characteristics, functional innovations, the principle of unification, institutionalization of forms and activities, the role of the mass media. On that base the author draws the conclusion that the main locomotives of the Bulgarian-Czech folkloristic contacts during the 60’s and the 70’s of the last century which had taken the form of invasion of Bulgarian folklore facts in Czech culture, are the national movements of both nations, which political character is out of question. And, having in mind the definition of political folklorism which “uses folklore either consciously or unconsciously for direct or hidden political purposes” – we can insist on calling this category a helpful variant for the description of processes and phenomena under study.

На шест инча от Президентството: вицовете за Гари Харт като обществено мнение

Author(s): Alan Dundes / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

Събитийност и нови фолклорни форми

Author(s): Evgeniya Mitseva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

The direct and spontaneous human communication evoked by important political and social events brings to life situations which are fruitful ground for artists’ activity. It is typical for every human being to seek a reason for and a way of communication and to feel the need for expressing one’s own position. These circumstances are often a most provoking factor for folklore creativity as a reaction to the actual, striking, dramatic events to happen. Such forms of folklore focused on situations and events have been intensively created after November 10th, 1989, which was a year of crucial political changes in Bulgaria. However, it is not a unique phenomenon. Retrospectively, the same kind of folklore had been already created in other historical moments of the kind in our country.

„Пено, нема лабаво” (Един фолклористичен поглед към политическите песни)

Author(s): Lozanka Peycheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

Фоторазказ за новото лице на Мавзолея

Author(s): Katya Zhivkova Mihaylova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

Политическа „актуалност” и традиционност на пластичния фолклор

Author(s): Stanka Yaneva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

„Много баби – хилава демокрация” (Поглед към някои днешни форми на фолклор, свързани с политическия живот в България

Author(s): Elena R. Tomova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

The author analyses a rather unstudied phenomenon – the rumours, specifically, the political rumours. An attempt is made at their description, as well as at the explanation of their functional mechanisms. Special attention is paid to the rumours propagated by the mass media and, especially, to their parodies in the press, the radio, and television. There are also some brief descriptions of other forms similar to the above mentioned, such as parodies of folklore and non-folklore texts, proverbs, sayings, inscriptions and so on, as well as of some hybrid forms that have recently appeared in Bulgaria.

Пета национална среща-наддумване „Благолаж ‘93”

Author(s): Albena Georgieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

Културата като оцеляване (сред осъдените по политически причини в Старозагорския затвор през периода на 70-80-те години

Author(s): Gancho Savov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

С червените ботушки потропва дядо…?

Author(s): Elena Savova–Tsolova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/1993

Rynek private equity. Historia i aktualna organizacja

Author(s): Kamil Kasner / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2011

The paper examines the historical aspects of forming private equity funds. Firstly, it underlines the role three merger waves the United States experienced in the 20th century played in the formation of conglomerates. The development of multi-industry corporations marked the emergence of private eqity firms. However the performance of conglometartes is often improperly compared with the activity of currently operating private equity funds. This article clearly points out the differences between these two types of entities. Secondly, the paper presents the organization of the private equity market and the stages in the deal-making process. The broad description of enbtities and relationships involved in the process is supported bt the model of capital flow in the industry. Finally, Polish private equity market is scrutinized. This analysis indicates, that characteristically, all private investments in Poland are financed with foreign capital.

Nowe podejście do problemu własności intelektualnej i źródeł innowacji. Demokratyzacja innowacji według Erica von Hippela

Author(s): Grażyna Niedbalska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2011

Book review

Transakcje insiderów na GPW w Warszawie a efektywność rynku

Author(s): Piotr Kowalczuk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2011

The strong form of the efficient market hypotesis (EMH) asserts that all available public and private information is fully reflected in a security's market price. Therefore, in the long term no individual can achive better that avarage stock returns (on a risk-adjusted basis) thanks to monopolistic access to information. One possible test of the strong form is to check if insiders earn above avarage profits from their transactions on a stock exchange. This paper examines insider profits on a random sample of insider transactions on Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) between March 2009 and February 2010. Insider profits were compared with the appropriate WSE index return. Nonparametric methods were used because stock return distributions usually do not follow normal distribution (due to leptokurtosis and skewness). The results show that insiders are able to outperform the market. This is especially true in the sort-term horizon (one month after transacion). Thus, the results do not support the strong form of EMH.