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The notions of social and international justice both belong to traditionally demarcated meanings falling within the scope of the term “justice”. Analyses of the concepts of social and international justice reveal that the particular notions proposed do not always count (from a descriptive standpoint) as capturing genuine instances of what we understand by this word. Within the literature, the normative conceptions of social and international justice that are prevalent are ones which are ideologically implicated, as well as being based on working definitions. They are rightly criticized as distorting the notion of justice for the sake of the imposition of a variety of ideas --- ideas that are not in conformity with the traditional understanding of the concept.
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This paper discusses the dispute between G. Berkeley and I. Newton concerning the validity of classical mechanics. These two engaged in a discussion about infinitely small quantities --- infinitesimals --- which were used in differential and integral equations by Leibniz and Newton. Infinitesimals were both equal to zero and at the same time different from zero. The standard view is that Newton was right in defending classical mechanics. But if we accept a narrow sense of rationality --- as a procedure conforming to logical rules --- then Berkeley was right, for there are no numbers at the same time equal to and different from zero. The problem of infinitesimals was resolved in the 19th century, when the notion of limit was strictly defined. Seen in the light of this, Berkeley appears as rational, and Newton as pragmatic in his determination to preserve a promising physical theory.
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The first part of this article presents Edith Stein's understanding of the philosophy of the Cross, while the subsequent part features Viktor Frankl's conception of "homo patiens". In the last part the authoress attempts to prove that the science of the Cross, a key notion from the mystical period in Stein's output, can be interpreted --- with reference to Viktor Frankl's "homo patiens" --- as a science of suffering. This interpretation affords a recognition of the significance of suffering in Stein's "philosophia crucis".
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Did we come about by chance or by necessity in the evolving universe? The first thing to be said is that the problem is not formulated correctly. It is not just a question of chance or necessity because, first of all, it is both. Furthermore, there is a third element here that is very important. It is what we might the call the “fertility” of the universe. This is the dance of the fertile universe, a ballet with three ballerinas: chance, necessity and fertility. What this means is that the universe is so fertile in offering the opportunity for the success of both chance and necessary processes that such a character of the universe must be included in the search for our origins in the universe. In this light I am going to try to present in broad strokes what I think is some of the best of our modern scientific understanding of the universe, and then I will ask the question at the end: What does this say about the God who loves us and who made this universe?
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The following contribution aims at discussing the role of pedagogy against the background of a time in which limits are overcome through the use of new technologies. It is argued that pedagogy is in some way itself always related to both the recognition, as well as the overcoming, of limits. This can be seen first of all in the fact that both a recognition of the limit of the self as well as (or rather in differentiation to) a limit of the other are necessary in order to recognise oneself in the first place and therefore are essential to the constitution and formation of the self and the world. Secondly, the basic duty of pedagogy could be defined as the forming of human beings through the use of educational tools and by changing the limits that constitute the self. Adhering to this definition would therefore assume that there is a transhuman moment inherent in pedagogy itself.
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The aim of the article is to analyze the master – student relationship by means of the example of the relationship between Plato, the founder of the Academy, and Aristotle, his most outstanding pupil. Aristotle is usu- ally seen as a critic and traitor of Platonism. This thesis is only justified if the master – student relationship is perceived in the school paradigm.Based on the analysis of preserved testimonies and a discussion about the early Academy among contemporary scholars, I claim that Plato created a new model of collaboration with his students, which I de- scribed as “scientific”. It is characterized by: the lack of orthodox doc- trine in the early Academy, open discussions between the master and his students over the assumptions and difficulties of his doctrine of Ideas, absolute freedom of Academy members to conduct independent re- search, their intellectual independence, even leading to the rejection of the doctrine of the master. In Aristotle’s case, this not only resulted in the formulation of original concepts within physics, metaphysics, politics and ethics, but also in another model of scientific work and pedagog- ical practice in his own school. Nevertheless, I firmly define Aristotle as a true Platonist and the most outstanding continuator of his master’s teaching. Aristotle remained faithful to Plato’s most important message: that the philosophical model of life – bios theoretikos – is a vocation of man.
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