Još o neopozitivizmu kod nas
article from iussue 1/1938 of the journal »ŽIVOT. ČASOPIS ZAPOPULARIZACIJU NAUKE«, there pp. 37 to 51
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article from iussue 1/1938 of the journal »ŽIVOT. ČASOPIS ZAPOPULARIZACIJU NAUKE«, there pp. 37 to 51
More...A Theory of Philosophical Explanation
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.
More...Ontological Frameworks for Explanation from Contemporary Quantum Theories
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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Filozofię tradycyjnego teizmu chrześcijańskiego można scharakteryzować jako dualistyczną i interwencjonistyczną. Naturalizm, jako filozoficzna koncepcja funkcjonowania przyrody, stanowiąca założenie współczesnej nauki, jest natomiast stanowiskiem monistycznym. Konsekwentnie wyklucza nadnaturalne interwencje w przyrodzie. Teizm naturalistyczny stara się godzić teistyczny chrześcijański obraz świata ze współczesnym obrazem naukowym. Ważne jest podkreślenie, że chodzi o współczesną naukę i jej związek z założeniami naturalizmu. Nie we wszystkich epokach występowało tak silne jak obecnie napięcie między nauką i teizmem chrześcijańskim. Powstanie nauki nowożytnej było silnie związane z teizmem chrześcijańskim, zarówno jeśli chodzi o teistyczną doktrynę o stworzeniu, jak i o ówczesną rolę chrześcijaństwa w kulturze europejskiej. Naturalistyczne założenia współczesnej nauki wykluczają odwołania do czynników nadnaturalnych w wyjaśnianiu jakichkolwiek zjawisk obserwowanych w przyrodzie, jak i genezy ładu przyrodniczego. Ze względu na rodzaj i skalę sprzeczności zachodzących między tradycyjnymi ujęciami teizmu i naturalizmu zadanie, którego podejmują się teistyczni naturaliści, wydaje się szczególnie trudne.Wśród teistycznych naturalistów znajdujemy chrześcijańskich myślicieli, z których znaczne grono stanowią teologizujący przedstawiciele nauk przyrodniczych. Do najważniejszych należy wspomniany już Barbour, z wykształcenia fizyk, a następnie absolwent Yale Divinity School. Inny z naukowców-teologów w tym gronie to John C. Polkinghorne, który uzyskał najpierw stopień doktora fizyki i pracował naukowo, by — po ukończeniu studiów teologicznych — w końcu przyjąć święcenia kapłańskie w Kościele anglikańskim. Innym duchownym anglikańskim w tym gronie jest będący jednocześnie biochemikiem Arthur R. Peacocke. Podobnie biologiem jest Francisco J. Ayala, który przez krótki czas był też duchownym katolickim. Wśród związanych z Kościołem katolickim naukowców-teologów znajduje się kosmolog i jednocześnie ksiądz, Michał Heller.Teistyczny naturalizm propagowany jest też przez takich filozofów i teologów, którzy nie prowadzą bezpośrednio badań w obszarze nauk przyrodniczych, lecz swoje publikacje poświęcają relacji nauki i religii. Należą do nich filozof religii i teolog David R. Griffin; filozof religii Thomas F. Tracy, związany z kościołem metodystów teolog i filozof Philip Clayton; filozof nauki, katolicki ksiądz i teolog Ernan McMullin; katolicki teolog John F. Haught; Nancy Murphy, będąca profesorem filozofii chrześcijańskiej w ewangelickim seminarium duchownym. Do polskich przedstawicieli tej grupy zaliczyć można Abpa Józefa Życińskiego, który, oprócz kompetencji teologicznych, posiadał też znaczący dorobek naukowy obejmujący publikacje z zakresu filozofii. Nie można też pominąć grupy przyrodników, co prawda niemających formalnych związków z naukami teologicznymi, jednak oddanych propagowaniu idei godzenia nauki i religii. Należą do nich Howard Van Till, profesor fizyki, wychowany w rodzinie kalwinistycznej i kształcony w szkołach kalwinistycznych, katolicki biolog Kenneth R. Miller, George F. R. Ellis — profesor matematyki stosowanej, kosmolog i jednocześnie aktywny uczestnik w społeczności kwakrów.Wymieniono tu jedynie niektóre najważniejsze postacie omawianego nurtu. Dostrzec można, że w ich gronie znajdują się przedstawiciele zarówno badaczy przyrodników, jak i osób o wykształceniu przyrodniczym i teologicznym, czy też osoby specjalizujące się w filozofii bądź w dziedzinie teologii, spośród których część jest duchownymi. Są to przedstawiciele zarówno Kościoła katolickiego, jak i różnych kościołów protestanckich. Wskazuje to na szerokie rozpowszechnienie w chrześcijaństwie potrzeby dostosowania wiary chrześcijańskiej do kryteriów związanych racjonalnością nauk przyrodniczych, nawet kosztem znacznego przeinterpretowania podstawowych składników tradycyjnego teizmu chrześcijańskiego.Celem pracy jest prezentacja stanowiska współczesnego teizmu naturalistycznego odnośnie do relacji między sferą nadnaturalną a światem przyrody, by móc na tej podstawie ustalić stopień rewizji tradycyjnego teizmu chrześcijańskiego dokonanej przez teizm naturalistyczny oraz ocenić spójność logiczną teizmu naturalistycznego. By tego dokonać, użyty zostanie model poziomów analizy, porządkujący twierdzenia opisowe religii, filozofii i nauki, ale też pełniący rolę narzędzia pozwalającego porównywać twierdzenia nauki i religii, w tym twierdzenia przyjmowane w obu formach teizmu. Podział twierdzeń w tym modelu przebiega zgodnie z kryteriami ich empirycznego charakteru, stopnia ogólności oraz roli odgrywanej w nauce (tj. w naukach empirycznych lub przyrodniczych określanych angielskim terminem science). Ze względu na przyjęcie kryterium roli określonego rodzaju twierdzeń w analizach o charakterze naukowym można powiedzieć, że model ten wyróżnia twierdzenia opisowe, dzieląc je ze względu na ich „ważność” w rozstrzygnięciach mających miejsce w nauce. Model ten stanowić ma więc wspólną skalę pozwalającą ująć stopień modyfikacji tradycyjnego teizmu dokonanej przez teizm naturalistyczny oraz ocenić wewnętrzną spójność stanowisk, które można wyróżnić w ramach teizmu naturalistycznego.
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Autorzy zebranych tu tekstów poruszają szeroko dyskutowane problemy z dziedziny metodologii i filozofii ekonomii, podejmują też analizę relacji między państwem, sferą społeczną i gospodarczą, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem rolnictwa i rozwoju wsi. Nie zabrakło tu więc rozważań o granicach ekonomii i jej problemach jako nauki, o roli państwa w gospodarce, nierównościach społecznych, jakości rządzenia, o lasach państwowych, drobnych gospodarstwach rolnych czy o wielofunkcyjności wsi. To tylko wybrane przykłady zaczerpnięte z tej wielowątkowej książki, podążającej śladem naukowych zainteresowań prof. Jerzego Wilkina. Misja profesora uniwersytetu jest bardzo szczególna. Musi on przede wszystkim być badaczem, ale jednocześnie niezbędny jest mu talent dydaktyczny, by ze zgromadzoną wiedzą mógł trafić do uczniów. Profesor bywa też potrzebny jako organizator życia naukowego, kierujący zespołami i administrujący instytucjami badawczymi. Niemniej jego misja sięga też poza mury uczelni czy nawet szeroko rozumiany obszar nauki. Profesor uniwersytetu to także popularyzator wiedzy, doradca kształtujący poglądy społeczeństwa czy jego elit rządzących. W praktyce jednak większość naukowców dokonuje wyboru obszaru szczególnej aktywności, siłą rzeczy pozostawiając na marginesie inne. Rzadko zdarzają się kariery w pełni harmonijne, w których byłoby miejsce na wszystkie wspomniane formy aktywności w pełnym wymiarze. Obserwując dorobek 45 lat pracy zawodowej prof. Jerzego Wilkina, można uznać, że w Jego przypadku mamy do czynienia z taką właśnie, naznaczoną sukcesami, w pełni harmonijną karierą naukowca, nauczyciela, eksperta i organizatora życia naukowego.
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The book explores the legal conception of personhood in the context of the contemporary challenges, such as the status of non-human animals, human-animal biological mixtures (chimeras and hybrids), cyborgisation of the human body or developing technologies of artificial autonomic agents. It reveals the humanistic assumptions underlying the legal approach to personhood and examines the extent to which they are undermined by the present and imminent scientific and technological progress. The book discusses also some potential ways in which the most compelling problems related to the shape of personhood in law could be addressed. In particular, it outlines the conception of non-personal subjecthood that could provide an adequate normative solutions for the problematic status of sentient animals and some other kinds of entities. Arguably, non-personal subjects of law ought to be regarded as holders of one and only right only — the right to be taken into account (to have one’s vital interests taken into account and balanced with all other competing considerations). The proposed idea of non-personal subjecthood is based on inclusive humanism as opposed to the current exclusive and exceptionalist version of the humanistic foundations of the law. Inclusive humanism as the basis of the legal approach to personhood does not repudiate fully the speciesm favouring human beings. The reasons to maintain minimalized speciesm in the way in which law regards human and non-human entities are demonstrated and defended.
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Pastor Fritz Jahr used the term bioethics as early as 1927. It was not until the early 1970s that the term was rediscovered in the United States. Since then, the relevance of this emergent academic field of studies has permanently been growing, as the age of biotechnological and medical innovations has only just begun. Enormous progress can be expected in various areas relevant to bioethical discourses in the coming decades and centuries. In the past years, the invention of CRISPR/Cas9 has radically changed the possibilities concerning genetic modifications, even germline modifications have turned into a practical option. These developments need to be investigated by academics from various disciplines, which is the reason why the conference series on Bioethics in the New Age of Science was initialized. The present volume consists in selected papers from the first International Conference on Bioethics in the New Age of Science, which took place on the 4th and 5th of May 2017 at the “Vasile Goldis” West University of Arad, Romania.
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The frame of potential interpretations of humanity in the current century, the century which opens new dimensions of socializing in the form of virtual relations – as it is provided by world wide web, encapsulates substantial theoretical flexibility as well as a broad historical and philosophical elaboration of the early Greek notion – techne. On the other hand, answers to these questions are not reduced to philosophical self-pity, lamentations and shyness of speculation or “technoblasphemous” reasoning, nor to technical fascination with “greatness”, which has been present in positivistic philosophy from the modern age and expressed in diverse aspects of the same positivistic philosophy. The complexity of answers to the above mentioned dilemma is deepened by the fact that the twentieth century radically redirected the technical dexterity of the governing over nature to the space of the broad spectrum of social relations. There is abundance of illustrations of such cybernetic intentions of social movements at the end of the twentieth and at the beginning of the twenty first century. Such illustrations are rooted in the ever-increasing conviction in the indispensability of the meaningful, technocatricly arranged society which is bereft of all forms of individual decisions - having in mind that such decisions are let to the groups of experts which inevitably eliminates individuals of the social responsibility. The scientific era, as the most common term of the contemporary technical and cybernetic expansion, is featured by the rule over nature which is substantially different from the previous era in the way that new challenge is enabled, namely the challenge in which techne is no more only Aristotelian potential of tailoring the forms which nature implies, but much more the establishment of the artificial reality, which is against nature implying mythification of science inspired by technocatric negligence in the form of dogmatic theories of the society of knowledge.
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Po svemu sudeći, forma traktata zahtijeva, odmah na početku, jedan kratak komentar ili objašnjenje, koje se tiče tzv. unutrašnje arhitekture ovog doista specifičnog oblika i-spisa ili o-pisa različtih tema i problema. Čini se da je u pravu Walter Benjamin kada je svojevremeno u jednom pasažu svoje znamenite „Jednosmjerne ulice“, zapisao: Traktat je arapska forma. Po spoljašnjem izgledu je neuredan i neupadljiv; nalik je tako fasadama arapskih zdanja čija organizacija počinje tek u dvorištu. Ni organizovana struktura traktata ne može se spolja primetiti nego se otkriva tek iznutra. Kada je sastavljen u poglavljaima, ona nemaju svoje verbalne naslove nego su označena brojkama. Površ njegovih rasprava nije obojena živopisno, već je štaviše, prekrivena ornamentalnim prepletima čije se vijuganje nigde ne prekida. U ornamentalnoj gustini takvog načina izlaganja, poništava se razlika između tematskih izvođenja i digresija.“ (W. Benjamin, Izabrana dela 1, JP Službeni glasnik, Beograd, 2011, u sjajnom prevodu Jovice Aćina).
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This monograph is mostly linked to the field currently known as philosophy of information (PI). The monograph aims firstly at bringing in certain metatheoretical assumptions which underlie the definitions of information and the paradigms of information science. Secondly, the monograph intends to bring more light into the area of information and the transdisciplinary character of information science. The third goal of the monograph is to suggest an information science approach that is rooted in valid results of metatheoretical researches. Among these researches, three goals are targeted – defining the information in the context of 1. epistemology, 2. metaphysics and 3. creating a domain model that includes the process of information production, all this by means of functional synthesis of three key information science paradigms.
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The purpose of the book is to present a selection of studies on Bachelard’s philosophy published by researchers from various countries as part of the Bachelardian and post-Bachelardian movement, and to include articles by Polish Bachelard researchers. It cannot be said that Bachelard remains unknown in Poland, but still many important works – by Bachelard himself and other researchers commenting on his philosophy or continuing it – are known only to specialists. The book Gaston Bachelard. Contexts and Interpretations wants to fill this gap, while pointing to the presence of Polish research on Bachelardism. // The intention of this volume is to compile articles confirming the complexity of Gaston Bachelard’s philosophy and its relevance. The multitude of new readings of Bachelard’s thought, appearing in Poland and abroad, confirms that both the philosophy of science, with the concepts of new scientific mind, new rationality or epistemological obstacles introduced by Bachelard, as well as his philosophy of imagination seeking a method that adequately captures the essence of dream and image, invariably serve as an important reference point for philosophers and representatives of other scientific disciplines.
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The volume deals with the phenomenon of the culture and praxis of literature citation cultivated in scientific communities. It constitutes a presentation of the authors’ research results, in particular the issues that fully encapsulate the subject of the life cycles of scientific publications and the process of the aging of literature, discussed against the background of the current state of research presented in world literature. A broad selection of world literature on the subject (especially Anglophone literature) dealing with issues crucial from the point of view of the aim and subject of the presented work, the origins of which date back to the 1920s, constitutes the research material or, in other words, the empirical base for all the analyses undertaken and presented in this monograph,. The method adopted in this monograph for the development of the available research material was, first of all, its detailed analysis, with the aim of isolating certain leading research trends present in the discussed world literature, then proposing their typology, uncovering the most significant and fundamental theses, statements and results proposed within their scope, and then synthesizing the results obtained during the analysis and presenting them in the form of the final summary and conclusions.
More...Философски, исторически и методологически проблеми на научното познание. Юбилеен сборник в чест на акад. Азаря Поликаров (1921-2000)
The present volume is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Azarya Polikarov (1921-2000), founder of the discipline philosophy of science in Bulgaria. Its aim is to continue and to enrich the already established tradition of paying tribute to this eminent scholar. The papers included in the volume are inscribed into the tematic fileds of Polikarov's main research and contributions: philosophy of sciences, history and methodology of sientific theories, and the complex relationship between philosophy and science on the one hand, and between science and religion on the other. Contributors to this collection are former students of Polikarov, colleagues from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as scholars from abroad.
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Instead of his age (84), the epitaph on Diophantine's tomb states a polynomial expression with one unknown, which represents his age: "This is Diophantine's tomb. The inscription on the tomb reveals his age. God vouchsafed that he should be a boy for the sixth part of his life. When a twelfth was added, his cheeks acquired a beard. He kindled for him the light of marriage after a seventh. In the fifth year after his marriage He granted him a son. Alas! late-begotten and miserable child, when he had reached the measure of half his father's life, the chill grave took him. After consoling his grief by this science of numbers for four years, he reached the end of his life." Diophantus was one of the first mathematicians who significantly contributed to the number theory, and particularly to the solution of equations. This paper deals with a special type of equations – the so-called linear diophantine equations with two unknowns – which we can use to solve many practical problems in various areas of contemporary mathematics. In the current paper, we present some interesting examples of these issues and their possible implementation into the Matlab computing environment, which can be used when teaching the number theory and discrete mathematics. The paper also discusses probably the most important diophantine equation in the history of mathematics – the Fermat's Last Theorem – which was introduced by the French lawyer and mathematician Pierre de Fermat, and verified only at the end of the 20th century.
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Darwinism claims to be a complete theory of biological life, including human life. It has a significant effect on the self-concept of contemporary humans and their worldview. In his unique book, Professor Emeritus of Masaryk University, physician and philosopher Jiří Vácha summarizes the current scientific critique of Darwinism, and also expands the whole problem by the notion of "consciousness" as the most specific feature of live beings. In addition to the evolving physical aspect of organisms, their experiential aspect has evolved too, and Darwinism does not take that sufficiently into account. Modern natural science, following in the footsteps of Descartes' mechanism, has a priori closed the door to this fundamental problem and has had to make way for philosophy and its interpretation. Despite its broad scientific scope, the book is surprisingly readable, the author explains complex things in clear and simple language.
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The book maps the ways to the analysis of the genome of Gregor Johann Mendel, a project which was carried out to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of this important scientist. It describes the exhumation of his remains from the Augustinian tomb at the Central Cemetery in Brno and the scientific examination that followed, as well as the search for traces of Mendel’s DNA on his personal belongings kept in the Augustinian Abbey in Old Brno. The individual chapters, that is, the ways of research, introduce the reader to the initial impulses leading to the archaeological research on the tomb and the subsequent analysis of Mendel’s genome. They describe the process of identifying the remains found in the grave with the person of Abbot Mendel, the anthropological research on his skeletal remains, as well as the process of isolation and analysis of the DNA of this historical figure. Rich photographic documentation chronicles the exciting work of the scientific team. Thanks to their efforts, the book reveals surprising findings and new, important details about the founder of genetics.
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Kniha přibližuje historii „Mendel Lectures“ a významnou aktivitu vědců sdružených v tzv. „brněnské iniciativě“.
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With the development of 3D printing technology in recent years, there has been a significant decrease in the price of printers and thus an increase in the availability of this technology. This technological area opens up new possibilities in a wide range of fields from industry, medicine, construction and architecture to the level of everyday home use. We also see a huge didactic potential in 3D technology, which is currently not being used. The implementation of 3D technologies in teaching at primary and secondary schools enables the creation of completely new types of teaching aids and increases the availability of teaching models for pupils and students. Students can work with teaching models in class and, with methodological supports, they also actively participate in their creation.
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With the development of 3D printing technology in recent years, there has been a significant decrease in the price of printers and thus an increase in the availability of this technology. This technological area opens up new possibilities in a wide range of fields from industry, medicine, construction and architecture to the level of everyday home use. We also see a huge didactic potential in 3D technology, which is currently not being used. The implementation of 3D technologies in teaching at primary and secondary schools enables the creation of completely new types of teaching aids and increases the availability of teaching models for pupils and students. Students can work with teaching models in class and, with methodological supports, they also actively participate in their creation.
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