We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
The author makes an attempt to show why (1) Darwin’s teaching in The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection and The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex cannot be “scientific” in a modern, classical, or any, sense and that, consequently, in them, (2) Darwin did not scientifically prove the reality of evolution of species. He claims that, while the question of the origin of genera and species is principally and primarily a metaphysical problem, Darwin’s ignorance of the nature of philosophy and metaphysics and the complexity of the problem of the nature of genera and species caused him mistakenly to frame this metaphysical problem as one of physics, more precisely as one of biology, which Darwin reduced to a natural history of living, physical beings.
More...
In his seminal paper, ‘Can There Be Vague Objects?’ (1978), Gareth Evans advanced an argument purporting to prove that the idea of indeterminate identity is incoherent. Aware that his argument was incomplete as it stands, Evans added a remark at the end of his paper, in which he explained how the original argument needed to be modified to arrive at an explicit contradiction. This paper aims to develop a modified version of Evans’ original argument, which I argue is more promising than the modification that Evans proposed in his remark. Last, a structurally similar argument against the idea of indeterminate existence is presented.
More...
G. M. Tamás: Kommunismus nach 1989. Beiträge zu Klassentheorie, Realsozialismus, Osteuropa Herausgegeben und übersetzt von Georg Wallner Mandelbaum, Wien, 2015. 252 oldal, 19.90 €(kritik & utopie)
More...
Anhand der Lebensläufe ist es zu vermuten, dass die Gestalt von Pythagoras während des 3. und 4. Jahrhunderts sehr populär und die platonische Philosophie durch die pythagoreischen Vorstellungen durchgedrungen war. Aus vielen gemeinsamen Stellen geht hervor, dass die ethischen Territorien der Philosophie in den Vordergrund gerieten. Zwei Vitae, die Werke von Porphyrios und Jamblich beinhalten viele Anknüpfungspunkte. Der Prozess des ethischen Bildungsganges geschah stufenweise in beiden Schriften. Meine Hypothese ist, dass sich diese Bildung nicht nur bei Jamblich, wie es Lurje behauptete, sondern auch bei Porphyrios in einem vierstufigen System verwirklichte, wobei das philosophische Leben, das eine heilgeschichtliche Sendung hat, als mystischer Aufstieg der Seele galt.
More...
The author considers John Paul II’s treatment of the topic of evolution in order to retrieve its full content. He starts with an analysis of the Pope’s 1996 Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, especially addressing the problem of the meaning of the words that “the theory of evolution . . . [is] more than a hypothesis,” and the problem of hominization. Then, he explores papal statements from 1985 and 1986. Finally, he concludes that John Paul II’s teaching on evolution appears as fragmentary and ambiguous and, as such, requires greater precision and further development, especially for the sake of the Catholic theology of creation.
More...
This article interprets Eckhart’s contradictions by presenting them as a result of an existential search for salvific power. It is shown that power is ambivalent in nature: it is the power of what is and the power of (self)overcoming (of what is). Just because power is in itself ambivalent and the process of searching for it existentialist (so not completely conscious), Eckhart’s mystical texts are full of contradictions and the German mystic is apparently not aware of it. The sample of them is shown in this article with regard to his ideas on God and man. Three other interpretations of Eckhart’s (“apophatic,” “educational,” “methodological”) are presented and argued against.
More...
The purpose of the paper is to synthesize the issues of human wisdom in terms of minds which create knowledge-based judgment. We form a transdisciplinary, big- picture view of the wisdom of humans. Findings: Wisdom is the right judgment and choice in the context of the art of living. Practical implications: Wisdom can be devel- oped within the set of minds. Social implications: To pursue wisdom in thinking and action, one must extend education to embrace more knowledge and practicing gaining better skills in decision-making. Originality: This approach offers a new understanding of the wisdom of humans, which cannot be identified as a synonym of knowledge.
More...
This paper deals with the resurgence of interest in virtue ethics in professional ethics, specifically as it applies to Edmund Daniel Pellegrino’s account in medical ethics. Pellegrino investigates in a clear manner the ethical problems of contemporary medicine from a virtue ethics point of view and offers a virtue-based ethic for medicine as an effective tool and a practical guide for confronting the challenges of modern medicine. His account builds on a thesis of the indispensability of virtuous character traits for a sound medical practice. Pellegrino’s virtue ethics offers a plausible and distinctive alternative to utilitarian and Kantian (principle-based) approaches to understanding and evaluating professional roles. It is hoped that our exploration of Pellegrino’s account will underline the place of a virtue ethics in medicine and stimulate a similar inquiry into social welfare, and into other forms of human professions and disciplines.
More...
This paper contains three acts, so to speak, each part analyzing approaches to thephilosophical Problem of Evil within the 19th century. This is done by juxtaposingsome of the strongest arguments over the Problem of Evil. Before going into thearguments themselves, I survey the movements of the 19th century and specificallyexamine a 19th century piece of art by Alexander Leloir, symbolizing man’s strugglewith God, and use his image as my model for channeling the following twoarguments. I then examine a piece of literature from the 19th century, The BrothersKaramazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, focusing specifically on his character IvanKaramazov’s critique of God in regard to the suffering of children and the innocent.Ivan gives one of the best articulations of the atheist critique of God’s amorality andallowance of evil. Following that, I examine the religious philosophy of a 19thcentury figure, Joseph Smith, whose contributions I attempt to show provide a validtheodicy for acquitting God from the Problem of Evil, due to the conception of God,Mankind, and a christogenic cosmos that Smith introduces. While an entireexhaustive treatment on the problem of evil would require a lot more space then thispaper can presently afford, this is a synthesized account of the compelling argumentsof each side. This paper isn’t to invalidate or delegitimize past, present, and futuresuffering. The rationalization of evil, even if it be with profound meaning, isn’tsufficient on its own to eradicate the consequences of evil, nor to fully comfort itsvictims. This exercise might untangle webs of logical confusion and cognitivedissonance, but it does not in of itself end the poverty in third world countries,horrific wars and acts of terror, bullying, prejudice, or homelessness, to name a fewexamples. I recognize that explanations for the horrors of history can sound trite and International Journal of Theology, Philosophy and ScienceNo. 5, Year 3/2019https://ijtps.com/ ISSN 2601-1697, ISSN-L 2601-1689IJTPS STUDIES AND ARTICLES © 2019 IFIASA Page | 13trivial, almost at times an insult. Even if Smith’s position proves logically coherent, Irecognize this paper has only solved the logical problem of evil rather than the actualproblem of evil in our world. It simply seeks to understand the problem and examineways that make it meaningful, rather than eradicating it. The problem cannot besolved through a logical proof on a chalkboard or in an argument through a paper.Nevertheless, all action is derived from how we think and what we desire, which inturn can be impacted by words and ideas, and for that I believe this paper holdsrelevant value. Hopefully these chambers of reflection serve as a catalyst to action, tocontribute a verse into the lessening of others’ suffering.
More...
Richard Rorty suggests that we should stop looking for something common to us all, for universal justifi cations and truth. Rorty argues that focusing on a single truth sooner or later serves those who claim that there is a proper, true model of living. In the end, they use violence and cause pain, as they are driven by the idea that everyone should accept their truth. In this article I shall argue that such reasoning is not justifi ed and whether we are universalists or constructivists, our actions may be the same and cause pain. At the same time, having the same beliefs will not stop us from acting differently. What matters is how we use a particular concept in accordance with our interests and not the concept itself. I shall also argue that dialog can help to prevent violence and that while Rorty is right, there are also a number of problems with that proposition
More...
The author discusses the problem of abortion. He defines abortion as a deliberate and immediate killing of a human being before birth; he distinguishes it from spontaneous miscarriage or a situation where the child is allowed to die without this being intended, where the death is the result of causes not dependent upon acting persons—abortus indirectus. In order to morally evaluate the act of abortion, the author considers both the ontic status of the conceived human being and the criteria usually used for the evaluation.
More...
The main thesis of this paper is that absolute fact of “I am” in the Husserl’s phenomenology can be understood as a result of the priority of existence over essence. Author points out that transcendental ego is not consciousness in general, but my consciousness as a realm of my “I am” which is the quintessence of facticity. The world-constituting consciousness as an actually experiencing consciousness has ultimate ground in the original fact of “I am” which is constant companion of all constitutive achievements of my subjectivity. This absolute fact precedes its own objectification and it enunciates itself in pure existence. Absolute fact of “I am” appears to be an irrational fact because its existence must precede essence and it does not find its ground in the eidetic. From this point of view, the aim of phenomenological investigations is to show that all eidetic possibilities are rooted in this fact which constitutes unique case in regard to the relation between fact and essence. The irrational existence of my absolute ego is apodictic fact, without which no knowledge would be possible and this egotic fact does not require justification, but on the contrary, all justifications must be based on it.
More...
The paper presents the historical and cultural context of the establishmentof the two higher education institutions in the capital cities of the Romanian Principalities(Moldavia and Wallachia), between around 1700 and 1821. In the investigated period,the political and economic dependence of Moldavia and Wallachia to the OttomanEmpire increased, but the administrative organization of the two Principalitiesimproved. At the Princely Academies of Bucharest and Jassy, the education was held inGreek (the recognized language for culture and religion in the former regions of theByzantine Empire), many teachers being Greek language speakers, while the studentswere mainly of Romanian upper class origin or Orthodox Christians from the OttomanEmpire. There are two important periods in the functioning of the Princely Academies:1. The Neo-Aristotelian Period (around 1700 – around 1770); 2. The EnlightenmentPeriod (around 1770–1821). The article analyses each period, with a special focus onthe philosophical disciplines taught in the respective time.
More...
In regard to the to the art area, the optimalstrategy that we can deduce from the Aristotelian thought is not to oppose in an abstract manner the Idea and life, but to let what is alive to talk to us, meaning to participate to essence in an own way, to come to us and inhabit our discourse not from the outside, but recognizing us, identifying itself in our words. The ruthlessness of Destiny, the immobility of the being as a being would remain a common entertainment if a guy would not assume Oreste's costume, gestures and mask. Accident is just as essential to essence as it is essential to think of an essence of the accident. The effect of this simultaneity can be given (finally legitimate) the name of life.
More...
The paper develops a non-Gricean account of accommodation: a contextadjusting process guided by the assumption that the speaker’s utterance constitutes an appropriate conversational move. The paper is organized into three parts. The first one reconstructs the basic tenets of Lepore and Stone's non-Gricean model of meaningmaking, which results from integrating direct intentionalism and extended semantics. The second part discusses the phenomenon of accommodation as it occurs in conversational practice. The third part uses the tenets of the non-Gricean model of meaning-making to account for the discursive mechanisms underlying accommodation; the proposed account relies on a distinction between the rules of appropriateness, which form part of extended grammar, and the Maxim of Appropriateness, which functions as a discursive norm guiding our conversational practice.
More...
This study investigated acedia in existential and moral contexts, using its descriptions from antiquity through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, modern and postmodern times. I have chosen to work with six definitions of acedia. These are: carelessness of heart (the Bible), narcissism (Evagrius of Ponticus), contradiction in will (St. Augustine), sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good (St. Thomas, Summa Theologica,II.2.q 35.1), demonic despair of will to be oneself (Søren Kierkegaard), and self-contempt (Jean-Luc Marion). My approach is inspired by philosophical investigations of Evagrius, St. Augustine, St. Thomas, Kierkegaard, and Marion. As we shall see, it is impossible to draw a clear line between carnal and spiritual issues of acedia. Contrary to common opinion, interconnections between acedia and sloth are multilayered and complex, yet the nature and significance of this relationship is incomprehensible for contemporary psychologists who try to turn the attention away from acedia’s dialectical nature. Hence I emphasize that acedia always concerns both carnal and spiritual (not only mental) disorders. If we look at this from the point of view of St. Thomas, we will see that acedia is contrasted to love, not to accuracy. Sloth is evil because it denotes blame worthy sorrow for spiritual good. Seven capital vices relate to the consequences of improper human activity but acedia refers to the condition of people who are unable to perform their social duties, want to do nothing and avoid undertaking moral challenges in the world because of their laziness, passivity, weakness of will, indecision, cowardice. A certain weariness in working, shortage of esteem, contempt for virtuous people are main symptoms of acedia. Oppressive acedia’s sorrow is an inner consequence of being saddened about the good things. Acedia is associated with long-standing frustration of desire. The paper discusses some philosophical and educational strategies for helping to overcome acedia as an evil in appetitive movements.
More...