MIT WIECZNEGO POWROTU W FILOZOFII ALEXANDRE’A KOJEVE’A

Author(s): Michał Sikora / Language(s): Polish

Cel książki jest podwójny. Po pierwsze, autor stara się przybliżyć nietuzinkową postać filozofa i jego słynnych wykładów dotyczących interpretacji Fenomenologii ducha Hegla, mających znaczny wpływ na kształtowanie kolejnych pokoleń francuskich myślicieli. Po drugie, podejmuje próbę odnalezienia klamry spinającej rozproszone wątki filozofii Kojève-a, na które składają się m.in.: historyczna apokalipsa, motyw władzy (figury mędrca i tyrana), zezwierzęcenie istoty ludzkiej zamieszkującej globalne państwo, ustanie czasu. Zdaniem Michała Sikory pomocny w rozwikłaniu zawiłych i niekonsekwentnych przemyśleń Kojève’a okazuje się mit wiecznego powrotu, który pozwala zrozumieć sens końca dziejów i miejsce człowieka w wieczności.

CO TO JEST MYŚLENIE? POJĘCIA, SĄDY, PERCEPCJA W PERSPEKTYWIE KANTOWSKIEJ

Author(s): Piotr Kozak / Language(s): Polish

W "Co to jest myślenie?" staram się za pomocą narzędzi dostarczonych przez filozofię Kanta rozjaśnić problem związku między percepcją a pojęciami, który ujmuję pod postacią tzw. problemu kierowania się regułą. Argumentuję, po pierwsze, że możemy pod pewnym względem utożsamiać myślenie i percepcję, a sam problem kierowania się regułą oddalić jako wynik źle postawionego zagadnienia badawczego. Po drugie, wskazuję na to, że warunkiem możliwości kierowania się regułą jest umiejętność odróżniania reguł istotnych i nieistotnych. Brak tej ostatniej umiejętności Kant nazywa głupotą.

Człowiek w horyzoncie dziejów i autentyczności bycia. Studia z filozofii Jana Patočki

Author(s): Dariusz Bęben / Language(s): Polish

It is extremely difficult to identify the centre of Jan Patočka’s philosophy. This can be either the concept of natural world, but also subjective phenomenology or philosophy of history. I believe that the diversity of perspectives, and the motives that intermingle and cross with each other do not distort the centre of his thoughts, it is the struggle for authentic being of a human. Patočka addresses a human who fights for his soul which manifests in that he rejects the obvious, the absolute, the otherworldly, the certain.Patočka was critical about the history of classical metaphysics (from Plato to Husserl), believing that it aimed at what is certain and objective, and finally – absolute and eternal. He contrasted it with the Socratic uncertainty and problematicity. The concept of Patočka was particularly visible in the interpretation of Plato’s theory of ideas. The Czech philosopher showed a specific form of knowledge about the absolute transcendence with special relationship of human life to the entirety, including the primary reference to the non‑existence. Patočka emphasized the negativity as an inherent characteristic of human freedom. The horizon of this freedom is formed by temporality and historicity.Patočka’s approach to the philosophy of history is special. One can say that the concept of the Prague philosopher went beyond the framework of the classical understanding of the philosophy of history. Patočka did not treat it as a philosophical reflection on the history especially that he did not think of any historiographical reflections: the philosophy of history is not an interpretation of what happened. According to Patočka, the history always represents the history of man. The history is an objective power that is beyond the understandingof a man. On the other hand, people may only give the meaning to theirlives in the history.The history of Europe was another important topic of Patočka. Europe is a philosophical concept. When asked what was Europe, he replied by describing and clarifying its history and forces that governed it. In his deliberations, Patočka was focusing on its formation (by asking: how has Europe become Europe?) and on what happened later and was described by him as the post‑European era (why did Europe fall?). Also all that have spread between thebirth and the death, what was the course of spiritual fate of Europe, was of importance. According to Patočka, it was the caring for soul that had made the foundation of the European heritage.In the discussion concerning the meaning and the continuity of Czech history Patočka had to take the floor. Firstly, he referred to the history of the dispute, arguing against the opinions of Jungmann, Bolzana and, above all, of Masaryk. Secondly, in this context it is possible to take a wider look at the very concept of the Patočka’s philosophy of history, looking at it from the angle of its national application, in other words: from the side of the philosophical and political responsibility of individuals in their social and political lives.Because the philosophy of Patočka is closely associated with his life, the last part of the book includes his intellectual biography. It consists of two parts: the first one describes the meetings with philosophers who influenced the development of his views, starting from the Greek philosophy, through Husserl to the Comenius. All this variety of inspirations shows that the unity of the history of philosophy and the philosophy of history come to the fore in the philosophical achievements of Patočka. The second part addresses the philosophical(and personal) participation of Patočka in the political events that took place in Czechoslovakia. This is how the tragic synthesis of Socratic life and thinking took place.According to Patočka, a man who wants to live in truth must not let the calm harmony of everyday life dull him, he must open to what is disturbing and mysterious – to what is left aside by life – to be able to pass from the order of the day to the mystery of the night.

Główne problemy współczesnej fenomenologii

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

An anthology of texts on the contemporary phenomenology presenting its phenomena and living discussions it holds with other disciplines of science. The texts are grouped in seven thematic sections: Phenomenology of Body, Phenomenology and Art., Phenomenology of Intersubjectivity, Phenomenology and Theology, Phenomenology and Cognitive Science, Phenomenology and Feminism, Phenomenology and Psychoanalysis. At the beginning of each section there is the introduction written by the Polish scientific editor.

Radykalny nonantropocentryzm. Martin Heidegger i ekologia głęboka

Author(s): Magdalena Hoły-Łuczaj / Language(s): Polish

The book is a polemic on Martin Heidegger’s philosophy associated with anthropocentrism tradition. The author demonstrates that Heidegger was a forerunner of a radically non-anthropocentric paradigm, far more significant than it was recognized by deep ecologists.

Filozofia i wartości. Tom I

Author(s): Bogusław Wolniewicz / Language(s): Polish

The articles and opinions collected in this volume are linked not only by the figure of the author and a broad similarity of themes indicated by the title. They also represent a specific mode of doing philosophy, different from the two presently dominant ones: positivistic and hermeneutic. The book reflects the author’s opinion of its nature.

Filozofia i wartości. Tom II

Author(s): Bogusław Wolniewicz / Language(s): Polish

The publication is a continuation of Philosophy and Values I. The author deals with various philosophical issues: from very specific ones to the completely abstract. From this diversity indirectly emerges the belief in philosophy being universal. There are no specialisations: everything can be discussed.

Filozofia i wartości. Tom III

Author(s): Bogusław Wolniewicz / Language(s): Polish

A large part of this volume consists of articles, which the author considers to be journalistic – essays, interviews, letters. He refers in them to current issues, events and situations from the turn of the 20th century. The author argues that philosophy – as a “logically digested” way of thinking – has universal applications and is accessible to everyone.

Wynalazek nowoczesnego serca. Filozoficzne źródła współczesnego myślenia o emocjach

Author(s): Karolina Wigura / Language(s): Polish

Autorka błyskotliwie i jasno rekonstruuje, jak definiowano emocje oraz w jaki sposób umieszczano je w szerszym myśleniu na temat świata i moralności; jakie prezentowano typologie emocji; jak tłumaczono ich pochodzenie; jak opisywano ich związek z rozumem. To wielka praca i wielki wyczyn autorki (...), potrafiła na trzystu stronach swej opowieści przeprowadzić czytelnika po szlakach i bezdrożach myśli Platona i Tukidydesa, Jamesa i Darwina, Hobbesa i Spinozy, pokazując niuanse, paradoksy, konsekwencje ich teorii. Wędrujące pojęcie emocji i jego niepewny związek z sentymentem, afektem, wolą, kaprysem, intelektem – oto właściwy bohater tej książki. (…)Problem postawiony w książce jest kluczowy dla zrozumienia klasycznych i współczesnych stanowisk w zakresie polityki, antropologii i socjologii emocji. Autorka słusznie szuka „emocji” w etyce i polityce i znakomicie argumentuje na rzecz tego, że emocja nie eliminuje racjonalności, lecz ją konstytuuje.Z recenzji prof. dr. hab. Szymona Wróbla Karolina Wigura podjęła próbę zmierzenia się z ideą, której imienia nie potrafię znaleźć, ale o której wiem, że działa, niekiedy jawnie, innym razem w ukryciu, wzruszając podstawy naszej chłodnej racjonalności, wstrząsając gruntem racji, na którym budujemy schematy codziennego wnioskowania, miażdżąc siłą zbiorowych lęków, łudząc nadziejami możliwego szczęścia. (…) Autorka przygotowała monografię, w której idea ta żyje, oddziałuje i ma swoją własną historię, opowiedzianą precyzyjnie i systematycznie.Z recenzji hab. dr. hab. Jolanty Żelaznej Karolina Wigura jest adiunktem w Instytucie Socjologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. Członkini Zarządu Fundacji „Kultura Liberalna”. W latach 2016–2018 współdyrektorka programu „Knowledge Bridges: Poland – Britain – Europe” w St. Antony’s College na Uniwersytecie Oksfordzkim. Studiowała na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim i Uniwersytecie Ludwiga Maximiliana w Monachium. Stypendystka m.in. wiedeńskiego IWM, GMF oraz Leadership Academy for Poland. Opublikowała książkę Wina narodów. Przebaczenie jako strategia prowadzenia polityki (2011), wyróżnioną nagrodą im. J. Tischnera, oraz, wraz z Jarosławem Kuiszem i Wojciechem Sadurskim, Trudne rozliczenia z przeszłością (t. I i II, 2018).

Richard Swineshead’s Theory of Motion

Author(s): Robert Podkoński / Language(s): English

Richard Swineshead’s short treatises (opuscula) on motion provide us with a direct insight into the successive stages in the fourteenth-century Oxford speculative, mathematical science of local motion not only token generally, but also with respect to the progress of this thinker’s scientific awareness and knowledge. Even though the dependence of these opuscula on his predecessors’ – William Heytesbury and Thomas Bradwardine – texts is obvious at first sight, still Richard Swineshead interpreted and developed ingeniously the ideas put forth by the above-mentioned thinkers. Both short treatises on motion ascribed to Richard Swineshead can be justifiably seen as successive „steps” leading towards the treatise On local motion he included in his monumental Liber colculationum. What is more, the actual texts of these opuscula in the form preserved in the manuscript copies should be recognized as reports (reportata) or students’ notes from Richard Swineshead’s lectures, rather than purposely and systematically written treatises. Consequently, these texts give us also on insight into the University discussions on natural philosophy in fourteenth-century Oxford. Therefore, the critical edition of Richard Swineshead’s opuscula on local motion included in this tome, based on all known preserved manuscript copies of these texts, provides the reader with o historically interesting and important piece of evidence of later medieval intellectual life.

Wychować Boga. Estetyka antropologiczna Alexandra Gottlieba Baumgartena na tle myśli niemieckiej pierwszej połowy XVIII wieku

Author(s): Piotr Kozak / Language(s): Polish

A historical and philosophical monograph devoted to the aesthetic thought of Baumgarten, presented against the backdrop of the school of Leibniz and Wolff, and the pietists. The author highlights Baumgarten’s original contribution to the creation of philosophical aesthetics, which he understood to be an anthropological and educational project. According to the philosopher, reflection on art in aesthetics was a reflection on the art of (good) living. The publication also features translations of extensive fragments of Aesthetics and Lectures on aesthetics.

Wokół koncepcji dobra we współczesnym neoarystotelizmie anglosaskim: normatywność, działanie, praktyki

Author(s): Piotr Machura / Language(s): Polish

The aim of the book is to frame the concept of the good as the essence of the good life. Against the “happiness industry” it is argued that it might be best grasped within the frame work of Neo-Aristoelianism in the form developed in post-analytical tradition since the 1950s. I argue that Anscombe’s intervention led not only to the development of virtue ethics, but (on the basis of the evolution of analytical tradition to its post-analytical form on the one side, and its progressing naturalisation and growing interest in philosophy of mind and cognitive science on the other) but also, and primarily, to restoration of Aristotelianism as conceptual scheme (in the sense of Davidson) which enables both fruitful analysis of the main technical problems of contemporary moral philosophy and adequate answering to the key issues of moral and social life. Starting with analysis of the very Aristotelian turn and arguing for its understanding in terms of critical theory I develop an analysis of Aristotelianism not in the sense of historical and language scholarship, but rather in search of intellectual resources. This enables to discuss key issues in normativity and highlighting the possibility of overcoming the fact/value gap. Followingly, the concept of the good life is discussed with the attention being paid to the development of the individual agency and sense of life, as well as to the forms of self-discipline needed for such a development. This development, I argue, is a development of an embedded self, which might become conscious and coherent agent thanks to phronetic ordering of the goods and activities as way of distributing its most basic resources: time and attention. This also makes the grasp of the ethical possible not as purely abstract set of rules, but as part of daily routine of an the agent. Last chapter discusses the possibility of recognition of the good of other beings as well as social standards of the good life. I outline the capability approach as intervention in the local distortions of possibilities of human development and by pinpointing its weaknesses I claim of the MacIntyrean concept of the practice being not only most adequate to frame the moral development of the agent, but also to validation of the forms of social interaction. Reading MacIntyre’s Aristotelianism through Bourdieu’s concept of habitus I argue that it is by in-depth recognition of the intentional structures of its activities that the agent may obtain self-knowledge giving them a sense of happiness.

Filozofia Donalda Davidsona. Podstawy semantyki. Bibliotheca Philosophica 4 (2019)

Author(s): Janusz Maciaszek / Language(s): Polish

The structure of the publication reflects the logic of the deliberations, starting with detailed issues (Alfred Tarski's semantic definition of truth in chapter 1) and moving on to those increasingly broad and practical (by linking the theory of meaning with the topic of language learning in chapter 2 and the concept of non-referential semantics in chapter 3), to ultimately arriving at Davidson's philosophy and its coherent concept of types of knowledge, in the acquisition of which the theory of interpretation (discussed in the final chapter of the book) plays a crucial role. Maciaszek shows the evolution of Davidson's views, especially in terms of the theory of meaning, which still poses many interpretative difficulties for commentators reviewing this theory. In his original approach, the author discusses the issue of ontological obligations of semantics (in terms of analytical philosophy) and points to its entanglement in metaphysical considerations. Besides, the more advanced reader can also find detailed critical analyses of the author engaging in polemics both with different approaches to the concept of Davidson semantics today as well as with various interpretations of Tarski’s theory of truth, which underlies this semantics. From the review by prof. Urszula Żegleń

Wariacje (post)humanistyczne

Author(s): Marcin Maria Bogusławski / Language(s): Polish

The author knows how to lead the reader through the complicated meanders of disputes in a clear way, reconstructing the reasons for losing faith in the possibility of agency of social entities, highlighting the complex theoretical as well as political and economic conditions of this dangerous situation. He recalls many publications, efficiently underscoring the most vital aspects. In this way, he creates a coherent narrative offering an original amendment to some theses of posthumanism (e.g. the thesis on the break with humanism, the thesis on the death of the subject), while appreciating the beneficial transformations brought about by moving away from imperial anthropocentrism. Not all of the author's conclusions will be universally accepted; however, I believe that as long as conclusions are drawn consistently from the adopted assumptions, together with taking into account the context of the debates, they deserve both attention and their reconsideration. The vast majority of the conclusions are convincing and they testify to the author's insight into the subject. The gift of creating syntheses of many topics usually discussed in isolation, of inducing collisions of perspectives that allow previously unnoticed relationships to surface – this is a powerful asset of the publication. Dr hab. Maria Kostyszak, prof. of the University of Wrocław

John Rawls. Uzasadnienie, sprawiedliwość i rozum publiczny

Author(s): Krzysztof Kędziora / Language(s): Polish

John Rawls's theory of justice, like his philosophy of politics, is not easy to grasp intellectually. Although he was an American philosopher and he was apparently close to the Anglo-Saxon analytical tradition in philosophy which is characterized by the pursuit of style perspicuity and general intellectual clarity, the reader of his Theory of Justice and, to a lesser extent, other works certainly does not have an easy task. Following the meanders of Rawls's thoughts seems rather difficult and requires a considerable measure of focus and attention. In this sense, an introduction to his theory of justice and political philosophy is certainly necessary, so Krzysztof Kędziora's project should be welcomed with joy. Its implementation also invites respect and commendation. From the review by prof. Andrzej Szahaj

W obronie tradycji. Znaczenie tradycji w filozofii Erazma z Rotterdamu i jej obrona przed krytyką Reformacji

Author(s): Dawid Nowakowski / Language(s): Polish

According to Erasmus, philosophizing begins with listening to the flowing message of tradition, with meditative reading of soul-stirring content or with gazing at the ideal of a master and allowing ourselves to internalize what we have received. This was the aim of Erasmus’s “new reading,” through which he wanted to transform the individual; this was the goal of the bonae litterae, for which he had so passionately sought; this was also the purpose of the Christian Gospel. This stage, built by teaching alone, can be called “internalization of tradition” – a change of mind that is necessary for anyone who wants to change their lives. The publication is primarily devoted to Erasmus – an underestimated thinker unjustly pushed by reflection to an area outside of philosophy. Meanwhile, his vision turns out not only to be a coherent philosophy, but also one that is more aware of itself and its limitations than the philosophical concepts of scholasticism and modern rationalism. Tradition is the key concept that permeates and conditions the thinking and attitude of Erasmus. Whether his vision of tradition can still be seen as fully valid is debatable, and certainly requires further analysis. However, there is no doubt that it remains attractive and inspiring. It is the author’s wish that the present book could be a kind of “user guide to tradition”, but also to ourselves and to cultivating humanity. “This is not a colourless, erudite dissertation on a chosen topic. This is an interesting, even fascinating read, which in my opinion – thanks to its scope, poetics and style – has a chance to become the subject of interest for a great many readers.” From the review by prof. Juliusz Domański

Dzieła. Tom 8. Recepcja i oddziaływanie Marka Siemka w Europie

Author(s): Marek J. Siemek / Language(s): Polish

This volume contains articles written by eighteen representatives of the philosophical continental Europe, that bear witness to the fact that the concepts that made Professor Siemek famous worldwide – especially the epistemico-epistemological difference and late-modern socialization – are now more relevant than ever. Without referring to these concepts it is impossible to determine, where to find reason presently and what it should be concerned with.

Od schematyzmu transcendentalnego do montażu. Pojetyczny i krytyczny model wyobraźni

Author(s): Katarzyna Weichert / Language(s): Polish

The book closes a significant gap in Polish philosophical thought on imagination. It expands the current reflections on it (in such areas as hermeneutics, phenomenology, the theory of the image), strengthening contemporary solutions in Kant’s philosophy and showing its uses and conceptual transformations.

Horyzonty estetyki. Studia dedykowane Iwonie Lorenc

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

The authors of the texts collected in this volume refer to various aspects of sensuality, treating it as a key to reflections on creativity and imagery, acting and feeling, and ultimately on time, space and matter.

Refugia

(Prze)trwanie transgatunkowych wspólnot miejskich

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Refugia: The Survival of Urban Transspecies Communities encourages to us recognize the unexpected relations among species and to speculate about the possibility of their existence and development. It shows the need for care and support for multi-species urban communities by answering questions about the following: Which humans and non-humans may find refuge in the city? Under what conditions and to what extent? Are cities also becoming spaces of refuge for rare, endangered or endangered species and disappearing ecosystems? Can unwanted and underestimated life forms find refuge in the city, and how much compassion and hospitality do we have for them? Is it possible to be safe in the city without a place–home–shelter of one’s own? The book is the result of transdisciplinary research, including knowledge-producing artistic projects, whose research and communication methodology enable us to go beyond specialist circles. The book consists of two parts, the first of which, Refugia: The Transdisciplinary Practice of Curiosity, includes scientific texts focusing on various cases of interspecies relationships created in cities by human and non-human animals, plants, fungi, soil, architecture, etc. The second part of the book includes artistic statements in the form of visual documentation of projects created for the exhibition Refugia: Keep (Out of) These Places. The art presented here makes it possible to construct perspectives different from those generated in the field of humanities or sciences, but remaining in close contact with these fields.