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The article discusses a seldom investigated problem of Socrates’s influence on Augustine’s intellectual development. It is shown that Augustine started with an intense use of the Socratic method utilizing its elenctic and maieutic questioning to expose the truth hidden in the soul. Also, just as the Socratic method led to ontological developments in Plato and Plotinus, it led Augustine to the development of his Christian ontology.
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This article describes a conception of happiness which can be abstracted from the works of St. Augustine of Hippo. The article’s author undertakes a systematic reconstruction of Augustine’s views, thus claiming that such reconstruction is possible and that certain important themes of Augustine’s views remained the same during his entire intellectual career. These themes are the claim that man’s desire for happiness is natural to him; the claim that the essence of happiness consists in reaching God; and the claim that the path towards this happiness leads through gaining wisdom. The author also presents the main change that occurred in the Augustinian vision of happiness, that is, “moving” the possibility of reaching full happiness from this life to the afterlife.
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The paper explores Plato’s idea of philosophical initiation and purification in Gorgias (in the context of people’s moral condition and ethical ideals they believe), and in some other dialogues of Plato (Phaedo, Phaedrus, and Symposium), in which Socrates refers to acts of initiation and purification, probably ones similar to the initiation into Greek mysteries. The essence and culmination of such initiation was marked by spiritual experience of the divinity of human soul. Similar subject matter may be found in some Socratic dialogues.
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In Clement of Alexandria, the three ways of knowing God appear implicitly in the form: the way of analogy, the way of negation (in the mathematical version), and the way of eminence. A basic aspect of the negation appears as an expression of Clementine criticism on anthropomorphism. The Platonic traditional model of via negativa is related to the mathematical theory of abstraction and is defined as a denial of the material things in order to reach the contemplation of God through pure mind: “we start by abstracting the surface, and we are left with the line; we abstract the line, and we are left with the point; we abstract the point, or strictly speaking the monad, and we are then precipitated into the greatness of Christ” (Stromateis V.11.71.2). Clement of Alexandria is, also, one of the authors who emphasize silence and prayer as having great importance in the knowledge process. The cessation of the activity of the senses leads to the supreme state of contemplation with a pure mind. Silence becomes, in this way, a symbol of God, and knowledge – not a matter of speaking, but of being.
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In Plato’s philosophical system ideas are eternal and constant objects that serve as patterns and causes of the material, changeable world. Things exist because they participate in ideas. In Eriugena’s philosophical system causes are eternal objects created by God that serve as source of order and the excellent creature. In an absolute sense ideas and causes are unknowable, although they are available to the human intellect to a certain extent. This article attempts to compare ideas and causes to understand them as well as to examine their role as causes of the changeable world. It is worth drawing such a comparison, for both Plato and Eriugena are central figures in the European culture and for our civilization.
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The aim of this article is studying exemplification which is one of the kinds of reasoning in Peripatetic logic system from different aspects and coming up a discussion about some problems relating to exemplification. There are different logical structures and perspectives in Arabic-Islamic history of logic. The logical perspectives may have been understood in the frame of the questions of how logic has a structural integrity and what the main object of logic is. Different logical structures are not only differentiated with their points of view on general structure of logic, but also the research ways of the subtopics and problems of logic may have been changing according to the logical structures. In our opinion, exemplification subsubject has also been put forward on the basis of such different ways of investigation by the different logical structures. Exemplification, in addition to the usual short narratives in the history of logic, has the opportunity to be investigated from different aspects by considering different parts of the structure in Peripatetic logical structure. The discussion through exemplification has also a secondary purpose as providing an example relating to possible discussions about other subtopics of logic.
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Aristotle defines rhetoric as yet the ability to use the means of persuasion available in a given situation. The aim of rhetoric is to convince the interlocutor. Logic is a science of the laws of thinking. Logic is the knowledge of the rules and forms of logical and correct thinking or consistent thinking. This article will focus on the relationship between rhetoric logic. In doing so, the main points that we want to emphasize are that rhetoric should not be considered within the subjects of logic. Aristotle's logic (logos) by placing the center of the rhetoric on the science of the value of rhetoric by doing something new is to show. Moreover, although rhetoric and logic are separate fields, they show that they should always be in close relationship with each other. Rhetoric finds its value through logic. In daily life, rhetoric is like an integral pair with logic. Rhetoric and logic always need each other. The value of the rhetoric considered on a logical basis will always be high. The rhetoric, which is made in accordance with the rules of logic, will always be valid with the role that people play in their lives.
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It is a great importance to try to conclude the subjects of research and thought through concepts. The first examples of studies on concepts go back to Ancient Greek philosophers. From them, Aristotle became the most influential philosophers who came after him. There is no doubt that the tradition of interpreting and discussing the disciplines and subjects of thought through concepts is also common among Muslim scientists and philosophers. They did not examine the issues that they considered as a problem only on the concepts produced by previous philosophers. They also produced new concepts. Biruni is one of the Muslim scientists who created works in almost every branch of science and thought. In addition to the contents of his works, he still draws attention with his methodology and concepts in writing. In our study, some interesting concepts used in his works have been tried to be introduced and interpreted.
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In this article we will try todemonstrate that, although parrhêsia is not directly defined as a virtue, from theoccurrences found in Aristotle's texts one might argue that it is an ethical and politicalvirtue; but, one that takes into account the realization of the good of the city or of thefriend. In this sense, the parrhesiast must take into account those addressed to them, tohave a fair measure in the use of frank, sincere speech.
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If the delphic dictum gnōthiseauton is still active, centering gnoseologically the entire western world, another delphicinscription seems to be forgotten by the modern man: epimeleia heautou/ cura sui.Starting from Boethius and reaching Foucault, the author pursues here the career of thisethical-applicative slogan, passing through medieval philosophy and through Kant,to point out the lack of man of today, who no longer seeks the care (epimeleia) ofMrs. Philosophy. The decline of Philosophy, who was the Boethius’ nanny, is thegrowth of self-love, which is the true disease of humanity.
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La notion d’amitié est présente dans la philosophie classique où elle fait l’objet de définitions consensuelles. Mais si l’amitié véritable nécessite égalité, il existe également une amitié politique au sens d’amitié citoyenne. L’amitié se réalise donc non seulement de manière intime et dyadique mais aussi de manière extensive garantie par un esprit de bienveillance et des obligations de concorde et de fraternité.
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The aim of the paper is to draw briefly the discourse-theoretical foundations to the republican political theory (section 1), with the issue of slave/slavery as a pivotal concern of social and political life (section 2), and then to chart the most interesting consequences for the contemporary versions of the theory as proposed by the key authors (closing paragraphs of section 2, and section 3). The overarching message of the paper reads that republicanism is founded on a specific view of human nature as ens loquens, or zoon logon echon, that has important implications both empirically and normatively. the third, and final, section of the paper enlists six proposals, or suggestions, to contemporary republicans for the purpose of elucidating, first, the limits of republican theory/practice, and second, its intellectual origins as well as its opposition. Summarily, the paper lays emphasis as well on the status of republican language as a critical idiom with its pluralist, highly contextualized, and often programmatic/engaged voices.
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Baš kao i sama naslovika, kao da i motoi pate od neke vrste neizlječive bolesti koja, paradoksa li, pomaže jednom Drugom resp. drugačijem razumijevanju naznačenog teksta. Bivajući na neki način “ozdravilištem” skolastika, za razliku od pukog, naslijeđenog mnijenja o njoj, pokazuje jedno sasvim drugačije lice. Bez obzira na iste aktere, pogotovo one glavne, većina istraživača skolastike kao da zanemaruje “kostimiranje”, tvrdoglavo insistirajući na već čujnim i viđenim polemikama koje (ne)rijetko nalazimo i u osrednjim gimnazijskim udžbenicima.
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This paper argues for a different interpretation of Roberval’s scepticism in his Aristarchi Samii de mundi systemate. Roberval’s mild sceptical attitude, along with his fake attribution of hiscosmological treatise to the ancient Aristarchus of Samos, are explained by prudential reasons related to censure. I will instead provide a more internalist reading. There are deeper metaphysical and epistemological reasons for Roberval’s pessimism about the prospect of a perfect science of celestial motions, as well as for his (non-realistic) acceptance of heliocentrism as just a more plausible system than Ptolemy’s or Tycho’s. I start by spelling out two distinct sceptical worries conflated in the Aristarchi. The first is a general agnosticism regarding certainty about the causes of the motions of the heavens—it is more of a worry that the true system of the world can never be known. The second is a particular pessimism regarding the prospects of improving astronomy. The same effect (the apparent motions of the heavenly bodies) can be produced by diverse causes. Judging by what seemed to be the most probable physical causes of the heavenly motions, Roberval saw no reason for the existence of a precisely predictable regularity in heavenly motions. Both sceptical attitudes have to do, aside from the cosmology of the Aristarchi, with the theory of science he expounds in his private Principes du debvoir et des cognoissances humaine, and in a fragment he wrote for Mersenne’s Curiouse perspective de Niceron.
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Challenged in this paper is the general perception of how the concept of supreme value was perceived by Socrates and Friedrich Nietzsche. Socrates is usually described as an extreme rationalist while Nietzsche is referred to as a proponent of vitality and instinctive behaviour designed to increase the will to power. It follows from an analysis of Xenophon’s and Plato’s works by the author of this paper that the Athenian’s ethical intellectualism was far from dogmatic. For his real goal was to raise his interlocutors’ doubts in the discourse and stimulate critical thinking. This took often the form of a verbal agon, which actually corresponds with Nietzsche’s will to power. Yet a juxtaposition of Callicles from Plato's Gorgias with Nietzsche’s thought indicates that what mattered for them both apart from pure instinctiveness was the ability to control and overcome that phenomenon. The author concludes that neither Socrates nor Nietzsche should be associated with holding customarily extreme positions, and that the value considered by both as the supreme one was possessing an “instinct of rationality”, that is taking such advantage of the potential of our plastic nature which reconciles the will to power with reason.
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Hope is a necessary condition of a good life, and a good life provides a basis for hope. Saint Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between hope as an emotion and hope as a virtue. The emotion of hope is a sensual quest, whose object is defined by four features: (a) it is a good; hope is thus distinct from fear, which refers to an evil; (b) it is a future good; hope is thus distinct from joy, which refers to a present good; (c) it is a good difficult to obtain; hope is thus distinct from desire; (d) despite difficulty, this good is obtainable; hope is thus distinct from despair. The virtue of hope is an attitude of the will, or a spiritual quest. The object of hope is a future good, which is attainable although with difficulty. Something is attainable for ourselves, or through ourselves, or through others. If we have hope that something is attainable for us with divine help, hope rests in God.
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In his theory of adjudication, Aristotle observes that the judicial process should be based on rational and impartial evaluation of the merits of given case and on the application of law. This paper focuses on the bipolar character of the theory of adjudication analyzed from the perspective of the modern dual process theory. It seems that the bounded rationality of judges may create a potential threat to the impartiality and rationality of judgments in complex cases. In this context the hybrid model of categorization adopted from cognitive psychology is to be confronted with the Aristotelian theory of adjudication. The influence of heuristics and biases on judicial decisions is also to be considered. The conclusion refers to the prospects of an Aristotelian virtue centered model of adjudication following the assumption of bounded rationality.
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In this paper, the notion of the classical theory of knowledge is analysed with reference to its primary source – the philosophy of Plato. A point of departure for this analysis is the description of the classical theory of knowledge presented by Jan Woleński in his book Epistemology (but it can be also found in the works of other researchers devoted to epistemology). His statements about Plato are examined in the context of Plato’s thought. The dialogues Apology, Gorgias, Meno, fragments of the Republic, Theaetetus, Timaeus and the testimonies about the so-called agrapha dogmata are especially taken into consideration.
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The aim of this article is to analyze Plato’s epistemology of politics in the light of Book VII of the Republic, in which the Allegory of the Cave is introduced. The problem named in the title is presented within the framework of a veritative interpretation of Greek ontology (referencing Charles Kahn’s work) and against the backdrop of Plato’s polemic with sophistry (Protagoras and Gorgias), along with references to the sources of Plato’s inspiration – the Eleatics and Pythagoreans. In my analysis I propose hypotheses concerning certain aspects of the Cave Allegory (e.g. the status of the fire) and present my interpretation of Plato’s politico-philosophical project.
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Parmenides in his revolt of the first philosophy discarded the principle — arche and introduced in its place being — to eon. The effectivess of this revoltion of thought rested upon — among others — revealing a permanent connection between logic and ontology which connection was most seen in ‘signs of truth’, i.e. features of being. Two of these features — ‘unborn’ and ‘indesrtructible’ — show in a sense entanglement in the context of time whose consideration requires the analysis of Parmenides’ poem and insight into historical-philosophical development of the notion of time from the perspective of its use by natural philosophers in defining the principle — arche.
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