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Book review: Miłosz wciałowzięty (rec. Stanley Bill, Czesław Miłosz’s Faith in the Flesh: Body, Belief and Human Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021)
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The paper is devoted is to the problem of philosophical method in the late writings of Nikolai Berdyaev, in which he began to criticize ontology for rationalising concrete existence. Berdyaev calls his new project “phenomenology of spiritual experience”, and his works of that period betray a growing interest in Hegelian philosophy as a first philosophy of spirit and a new, more dynamic way of philosophising. Because of it, I aim to compare their conceptualisations of philosophical method. In the first part of the text, I reconstruct Hegel’s description of dialectics and phenomenology; in the second, I confront them with Berdyaev’s conceptualisation of new, existential philosophy, rooted in his epistemology. As I argue, Berdyaev puts emphasis on symbolical character of philosophy, and the main features of the new philosophical method he stresses are not directly inspired by Hegel, but rather by far less known phenomenological project by Henri-Frédéric Amiel.
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The article discusses the problem of scientific progress in the contemporary philosophy of science, which is most often understood as the development of science associated with the pursuit of discovering the truth. The stance of Philip S. Kitcher, one of the most famous and influential contemporary philosophers of science, is presented. His considerations deepen the issue mentioned in the article’s title, primarily by expanding the scope of this topic. Thus, Kitcher’s considerations represent currently effective model of the philosophy of science, which describes and explains research strategies but does not formulate methodological norms.
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What is unfreedom? How to achieve freedom through awareness of unfreedom? This article addresses the grounds of justice in the understanding of impossible freedom, the ideal of unfreedom. The paper also considers the features of human community that presuppose and predispose to the understanding that, in a private or public context, the individual must accept his/her unfreedom rather than rebel against imposed regulations. Freedom can and should only be thought of as impossibility, as the opposite of man’s being. Based on this social imperative, the conclusion is that the education of the adolescent can be diverse as an act or process, rich in all sorts of methods and means, and containing a variety of techniques and play patterns. However, it should lead to one common goal: the object of education is for the adolescent to become aware of its dependence on his/her peers, to accept the rules they have created, and, combining this discourse with his/her own uniqueness, to be able to offer society his/her personality just as they demand.
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In recent years, rhetorical scholars have turned to study the materiality of rhetoric as well as the rhetoricity of material, often introducing a posthumanist or anti-anthropocentric stance rejecting mind-body dualism(s), while often also turning to affirmative frameworks as an alternative to criticism. Introducing the Nordic Waste scandal in Denmark in 2023, we point to the risk of toxically affirming the perspective of environmentally harmful corporations in rhetoric centering materiality and affirmation.
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After a critical analysis of Simone de Beauvoir’s and Catherine Malabou’s accounts of aging, the paper offers an alternative to them. In contrast to de Beau-voir and Malabou, it explores the actual share of other beings, both human and non-human, in one’s aging. The paper employs the Heideggerian ontological frame-work and his concepts of “bodying” and gesture to argue that changes induced by others do not damage or contaminate one’s being but allow the disclosure of some-one’s particularity in its undefi nable character
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In Politics I 2 (1253a18–27), Aristotle makes a controversial claim that the polis is prior in nature to the individual. The aim of this article is to reconstruct this thesis. According to recent scholarship, there are two main ways to understand priority in nature in Aristotle. It may be construed as ‘existential priority, or as ‘priority in being’. It is argued that: (a) The first option is problematic; it cannot give us a viable reading of the thesis in Politics I 2, whereas (b) The second option provides us with a sound approach to the puzzle at hand. Furthermore, it is argued that the exegetical plausibility of the suggested reading of the thesis in Politics I 2 (1253a18–27) may be bolstered if we note that, for Aristotle, the polis is a particular kind of hylomorphic whole
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In this article, I elucidate the ways in which pragmatism and existentialism can be viewed as compatible by focusing on the notion of truth. For this purpose, I explore James’ pragmatic method and Nietzsche’s critical approach to ‘will to truth’ to reveal the notable link between them. Both thinkers react against the idea of truth as absolute, fixed, and indifferent to individuals’ practical needs. Accordingly, they argue that truth, conceived pre-theoretically, is a process immanent to subjects’ concrete experiences of life. I critically examine, through pragmatic and existentialistic considerations, how these philosophers question truth within the framework of the individual’s existence as an acting agent.
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This article analyzes two phenomenological approaches to animal life in the context of criticism of anthropocentrism. The first part considers the question of anthropocentrism. Beginning with the posthumanist criticism of anthropocentrism as an ideology of human exceptionalism, the article proposes to reflect human anthropocentricity phenomenologically as a condition of experience. The second part discusses San Martín and Pintos’ approach, which, grounded in Husserl’s analysis of transcendental ego, considers the human-animal relation in terms of egotic subjectivity, corporeality, and the constitution of sense. San Martín and Pintos’ position is very important in the criticism of anthropocentrism, and yet it is considered insufficient when reflecting the diversity of human-animal relations. The third part analyses Depraz’s four-stage structure of empathy and aims to determine the conditions and limits of access to animals as liminal subjects. Corporeality is considered as the most general layer; the accessibility of animal consciousness, the approach to their experience, the possibilities and limits of it are analyzed. Finally, it is concluded that the two positions can contribute to the understanding of the limits of anthropocentrism and its failures.
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Henri Bergson’s conjectures about the origin of life avoid providing a solution to the problem, and yet he did make some suggestions. A close reading of his texts reveals the philosopher’s implicit assumption of an origin of life on Earth through natural processes. This paper is concerned with the concept of an élan, and focuses on the evolution of this philosophical concept in Bergson’s thought. The argument divides the élan from its constant companion, vital, in order to highlight its non-spiritual aspect which applies to what that Bergson described as “physiological life.” I emphasize that élan has a history, and that there must have been a moment when an élan began. Finally, the argument moves from élan’s history/origin to life’s history/origin.
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Husserl names the dynamics of cultural objectifications with the term sedimentation, which includes the formulation of the discovered meaning in material sensory expressions and the reactivation of these passively existing meanings. This paper analyzes this concept of sedimentation and places it in the context of Husserl’s thoughts on the crisis of culture. Unlike the usual interpretations of Husserl’s philosophy of culture which state that the crisis of sciences arises from the inadequacy of their ‘scientificity’ and inability to solve the problems of the meaning of life, I argue that the crisis can be understood as the result of the duality of sedimentation. Sedimentations not only preserve knowledge, but also create the illusion that knowledge reproduces itself. When reflecting on the crisis of culture, Husserl turns from theoretical philosophy to practical philosophy.
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This article is divided into three sections. In the first and second sections, I examine Sartorio’s account of the causal structure of the famous Thirsty Traveler thought experiment. I argue that this account does not withstand critical scrutiny. In the third section, I turn to a novel kind of moral luck that Sartorio uses the Thirsty Traveler to expose. I expand the scope of my argument to look also at other recently proposed categories of moral luck. I argue that these proposals are overhasty
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In the context of the current renewal of phenomenological psychopathology, the article presents one of its fundamental assumptions – the need to meaningfully incorporate experiences of a subject who has encountered pathology into their life narrative. It discusses how, as psychosis progresses, the subject gradually loses agency of their attention and meaning-making. With the help of the novel Cosmos by Witold Gombrowicz, an episode of the active phase of psychosis is reconstructed – in the beginning, the central objects structuring the subject’s attention establish themselves as if independently of the subject. As the delusional system, created on such a basis, expands, it becomes more and more difficult for the subject to preserve the relation with the surrounding world. Creating a narrative in such a situation comes forth as a self-healing effort – an attempt to meaningfully incorporate episodes of altered experience back into one’s realm of agency. For this reason, it is emphasized that, in psychotherapy, it is important not to try to replace the subject’s narrative with a rationalized narrative created by the therapist, but rather to involve the subject in a cooperative dialogue about the personal meaning of their lived experiences.
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This article reconsiders one of the most important theories of romantic love in contemporary philosophy, the theory of love as union. Drawing on observations from transpersonal research, the article raises the question whether it is not worthwhile to accept, at least partially, a strong sense of union in the context of love. Thus the article takes a position that is not taken by anyone in contemporary philosophy. In this context, the article also briefly analyses one of the most important variants of love as union, a union with God. At the end, the suggestion is made that it makes more sense to talk about connections rather than relations in the case of fulfilled love.
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The paper explores the relation between a contemporary Aristotelian conception of human flourishing and two critical perspectives on work. The meaningful work perspective inquires what kind of work would be meaningful, by arguing that meaningful work is essential for human flourishing. The post-work perspective argues that good life lies outside work and workplaces and calls to eliminate work as much as possible. The paper suggests that it is possible to acknowledge the insights of both perspectives via contemporary Aristotelian notions of practice and human flourishing. The notion of practice incorporates the conception of meaningful work, yet it applies to nonwork activities as well. Conceptualization of human well-being via the notion of practice also responds to the post-work challenge of conceiving human flourishing without prioritizing work over other meaningful activities. In this way, a contemporary Aristotelian conception of human flourishing supports both the need for better work and less work.
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This essay is a fragment from the forthcoming novel "Convoiul," set to be published by Editura Junimea din Iași. The narrative follows a march through narrow mountain paths and broad highways, symbolizing life's journey through moments of confinement and liberation. The story vividly describes the physical and psychological experiences of the marchers, their interactions with the environment, and their internal reflections on freedom, confinement, and the passage of time. The recurring rhythm of marching steps, the detailed observation of surroundings, and the philosophical musings of the narrator create a rich tapestry that explores themes of perseverance, societal control, and the search for meaning in constrained circumstances.
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How to bring abstract philosophical concepts and their relations in proximity with everyday, concrete pupils’ experience and spontaneous concepts? What factors can effectively and meaningfully mediate between usual perception and experience and abstract philosophical concepts, especially in the initial stages of teaching and learning, when pupils are introduced to philosophical problems? In accordance with these questions, the paper examines the meaning and possibilities of applying iconic tools or visual and graphic representations in the teaching of philosophy as intermediate elements that can connect complex, abstract philosophical concepts and theories with everyday experience and with the domain of phenomena and objects given in the immediate perception. First, the general theoretical foundations are explored, then possible directions of application, then a characteristic and valuable example already designed and adopted in teaching practice, and finally concluding considerations and proposals are made. The paper focuses on two specific groups of iconic tools: geometric (and geometrized) visuals and graphics and comics as a visual-graphic representation: we explore the foundations of their value in teaching and learning. Our conclusion is that iconic tools in teaching philosophy, if they are applied in a pedagogically and psychologically justified manner, if meaningful, relevant and aligned with the objectives of philosophy teaching and curriculum, have a great potential as an important intermediate factor for the gradual movement towards higher levels of abstraction, while preserving the transfer between philosophy and other subjects, as well as between philosophy and pupils’ life experiences. In addition, their application can deepen crosscurricular connections, as well as a more intensive integration of teaching philosophy with key competencies and cross-curricular competencies.
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The article proposes an examination of the relations Georges Didi-Huberman’s work establishes be- tween the discipline of philology and the knowledge he applies to images as cultural objects. More precisely, it identifies what are the use values that Georges Didi-Huberman assigns to philology. The argument is constructed semantically, looking at his usage of the word (including derived nouns or ad- jectives), and also practically, focusing on his writing practice. The analysis is grounded in a distinction between iconologic and imaginative approaches to the study of images.
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