CROATIAN JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY publishes philosophical work, mainly in analytic philosophy, combining high quality contributions from Central Europe (with a focus upon Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary) and contributions from Western Europe and US. One issue per year is thematic. CROATIAN JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY has been founded in 2001. Since 2010 the e-ISSN number is 1847-6139 (Online)
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Keywords: reductionism; modality; metaphysical continuity; mathematical chaos; nominal definition; mathematical determinism; linear-hierarchical model; natural necessity; Newton;
In his latest book Pivčević argues that the scope and limits of rational explanation are set by a number of fundamental categories and principles which are all mutually complementary and interdependent. This lattice of basic categories and principles not only helps make sense of what we experience but conveys how the world is actually made up. In developing this thesis Pivčević is at the same time outlining some of the key features that mark out specifically philosophical explanation as opposed to other types of explanation such as those commonly found in the natural sciences and in naturalistic theology. Reasons for belief can be all sorts, but when do such reasons amount to a rational explanation? The thesis advanced in this book is that the scope and the limits of rational explanation are fixed by a number of fundamental ideas and principles which are all mutually complementary and interdependent, and provide an insight into how the world is actually made up. It is a logical requirement of rational explanation that such ideas, and the principles that go with them, should form a self-supporting analytical system. One such idea and a vital component of the system is the idea of self. This runs counter to what might be described as a ‘naturalistic’ approach to explanation. A naturalistic explanation, essentially, is based on the assumption that the world is fashioned by factors that exist independently of the conditions under which they may feature as objects of belief, rational or otherwise. The ideas in terms of which we make sense of what we experience are treated, accordingly, as ‘emergent’ phenomena and products of human evolution. This feature of naturalistic explanations does not necessarily detract from their capacity to serve as useful prognostic tools. Nevertheless such pragmatic utility as they may have cannot hide their philosophical limitations.
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Keywords: Conceptual framework; realism; ontology; metaphysics; constructive approach; Niels Bohr; atomism; Albert Einstein; Rene Descartes; explanation; extension; identity; primary qualities
Alice returns from Wonderland discusses scientific explanation and its importance for scientific knowledge. The classical ideal of coherence and completeness of physics was shaken in the early 20th century with the appearance of quantum mechanics, and this opened the floodgates of skepticism about the explanatory potential of science. Through extensive examination of principle and constructive approaches to methodology and explanation in quantum theory, Domazet discusses realist and antirealist approaches to scientific enterprise as a whole. The need for modification of the everyday conceptual framework through modification of some foundational units of the realist material ontology arises. The book argues for the reintroduction of the metaphysical component of science; to base explanations of empirical phenomena on ontological commitments. Despite the unfamiliar phenomena like quantum teleportation, imaginary Alice finds a way to hold on to familiar macroscopic objects, as one of many instances of durable generalized objects subjected not only to spatio-temporal constrictions but also to ontologically primitive fundamental laws of temporal evolution.
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The ubiquitous use of digital technologies has enabled vast possibilities such as instant access to information, presence on any part of the planet, multiplication and transformation of identity, as well as re-articulation and reconstruction of embodiment. Science fiction film and literature, new media art practices, scientific research, and cyber theories often deal with the idea of leaving the body behind and uploading the immortal mind into digital databases where we can be whatever and whoever we want. Compared to modern technology, biological body is often considered obsolete and, as such, it is not “equipped” keep up with the exponential technological development. It is not surprising then that many studies, either scientific or popular, disregard the problem of corporeality and focus more on the issues of identity, consciousness, and disembodiment in digital worlds. Therefore, this book presents the works that focus on the issues of embodiment in the context of new media and their impact on social reality. The starting premise of the discussions is that without a physical body, there is neither virtual nor real. The book points to the importance of the physical body in biotechnological interfaces and the ways the role and functions of the body transform in virtual environments and affect our perceptions and understanding of human ontology
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