Religion as an Expression of the Revelation of Transcendence

Author(s): Karol Jasiński / Language(s): English Issue: 118/2024

The purpose of the article is to analyse the concept of religion as an expression of the Transcendence manifested to man, which is subject to different ways of conceptualisation. The article is in three parts. The first presents different ways of understanding transcendence ("above" and "below" the world, external and internal, vertical and horizontal, absolute being and the act of transcending human nature). The second part considers its nature (mysterious nothing, ultimate reality, moral value). The third part deals with the question of the revelation of transcendence (difference between revelation and manifestation, revelation in nature and history, the dialectical nature of revelation, its cipher and sign character).

Dialectical approaches of temperance in the Platonic dialogue “Charmides” (157c-158e)

Author(s): Christos Terezis / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

The purpose of this article is to investigate how the discussion in Plato’s Charmides is formed with respect to a) the ontological and epistemological approaches of the virtue of temperance and b) how the transition from a general definition of a virtue to its presence to a person is accomplished. We rely on Plato’s Charmides. After a concise presentation of those discussed in the passage 156d-157c, where we follow Plato’s views on the soul to that time, we focus on how dialectics between Socrates and Charmides develops in the passage 157c-158e. Our article includes, apart from an introduction and an epilogue, two chapters. The first one is mostly analytical and the second is mainly formed by synthetic judgements. They are both crucial mostly for methodological reasons, since through them we can follow how temperance turns gradually into a question to be investigated and how the Athenian philosopher attempts to set the foundations of a discussion based on rational reason with the main reference focusing on the criteria which someone can use to prove that he possesses temperance.

Is Lion-headed Man Orphic Chronos?

Author(s): Junyan Song / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

This paper discusses the identification of god figure depicted as a man with a lion's head, which has been associated with Aion and equated with Orphic god Chronos. The author challenges the equation of Aion with Orphic Chronos, drawing on evidence from Proclus and Damascius, who both distinguish Aion as a separate entity from Chronos. Additionally, the author presents an attempt to illustrate the Orphic god Chronos based on Damascius' description.

Библейская Сотериология, Учение М. Фичино О «Питающей Душе» В «Платоновской Теологии» И Сонет 146 Шекспира

Author(s): Igor Tantlevskij / Language(s): Russian Issue: 1/2024

Sonnet 146 not only stands apart from Shakespeare’s sonnets, but, in fact, is a complete philosophical and theological poetic pamphlet. As for the soteriological context of sonnet 146, which represents the idea of abandoning the concerns of the body and saving the soul by “feeding” it with the body, one could, first of all, note the New Testament passages from apostle Paul about “mortification” of the flesh and fleshly passions for the salvation of the soul: Rom. 8:13 (cf. also: 7:5; 8:7); Col. 3:5 (cf. further, e. g.: 1 Cor. 3:1, 3); Gal. 5:24. But as for the allegory of the soul’s salvation through its “feeding” on the flesh — instead of feeding the flesh, as it is usually done by the people that death “feeds” on — one can see here a reflection and a kind of “reverse” reinterpretation of M. Ficino’s doctrine of the “nutritive/sc. feeding soul” (anima nutritiva), which he develops in his “Plato’s Theology”. Passages of “Plato’s Theology” VII, 9; XIII, 5; VI, 12; XVIII, 9 are particularly representative in this regard. In XVIII, 9 Ficino writes: “If at present the life of the composite man is subject to the conditions of his decay-prone body, in the future it will follow the conditions of the immortal soul. As a result, death will give way to life in accord with the most perfect kind of natural beginnings. Death, which has lost its power, as the prophets tell us, will be swallowed up by life... There will arise... eternal bodies.” By “prophets” here primarily Hosea (13:14), whom the apostle Paul quotes (1 Cor. 15:55 [cf. also: 1 Сor. 15:26; Rev. 21:4]), and Isaiah (25:8 [cf. its reminiscence in 1 Cor. 15:54]; cf. also, e.g.: Isa. 26:19, 41:14; Dan. 12:2, 13) are meant. The last line of sonnet 146 (“And death once dead, ther’s no more dying then” [сf. also: sonnets 55, line 13; 60, line 13; 122, line 4]) correlates with Rev. 21:4, as well as with the passage from Ficino XVIII, 9.

Предпосылки Индивидуализма (Статья Вторая)

Author(s): Oleg Donskikh / Language(s): Russian Issue: 1/2024

This article discusses the question of how the personal element, which became the starting point of the movement toward individual thinking, manifested itself in the culture of ancient Israel and the culture of ancient India. The article attempts to describe the features of these cultures, which unlike the ancient Egyptian and Sumero-Akkadian, allowed to pass this way to the end. The process of formation of monotheism from the pre-state period to the great prophets is traced. It is noted that socio-political life, which determined with such force the status of man in a number of other Near Eastern cultures, in Israelite culture was subordinated to religious life, which otherwise determined the consciousness of man's status. In doing so, henotheism is gradually overcome. In the consciousness of the Israelite people the idea of complete dependence on God, who reveals himself through the prophets and establishes the requirement of a personal relationship to him, is established. At the same time, God, acting as a guarantor of justice, is revealed through the problem of theodicy, which can be posed only by a free personality. The movement of thought in ancient India turns out to be the opposite of what we see in ancient Israel: while the latter is affirmed through a long but persistent movement towards monotheism, Indian Brahmanism accepts the great diversity of divine reality and through the affirmation of its unity only multiplies the number of its components The decisive period for the emergence of individual consciousness was the period of the Upanishads. At this time, the deepened comprehension of the texts of the Vedas leads to the fact that a philosophical knowledge is built over religious knowledge. The specificity of Indian consciousness is determined by the long period of its oral existence, when the sounding speech in ritual or in the process of meditation acquires the key importance in the realization of the unity of the world. Individual consciousness is manifested in the process of concentration, directed towards understanding rather than mere reproduction of ritual mantras. The practice of asceticism played a role here. Just like in some other cultures in India real authorship emerges in the Axial period as an important sign of awareness of individual creativity.

İbn Rüşd’de Bilginin Mahiyeti, Oluşumu ve Heyûlânî Akıl

Author(s): Fevzi Yiğit / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 2/2023

In Averroes’s epistemology, knowledge is universal, but it is always singular in terms of the known. Averroes believes that there is no need for an activity, even in the sense that used by those who have the idea of "kumūn" rational forms being formed by other rational forms of the same kind, or for a power such as in the example of polishing a mirror to reflect an image. Similarly, he argues that there are no discrete abstract forms of existing things because otherwise, everyone would have to know everything. Although there are different degrees and levels, the existence of absolute metaphysical forms is subject to change and increases with the multiplication of their subjects. There are three means of knowledge: sensation, imagination, and intellect. Unlike the sensation and perception modes in animals, humans perceive the outer appearance of objects as well as their unique meanings and distinctions. Like animals, the function of sensation in humans is to mediate the self. While perception is abstract and spiritual in one sense, it is material and concrete in another. Averroes does not find it correct to link the knowledge of the contingents of the world to the eternal knowledge of God. Beacuse this implies that there is a difference in God's knowledge between the state of the world's existence and non-existence. In addition, human knowledge about contingents is deficient and changeable, whereas God's knowledge is the cause of the existence of contingents and is unchanging. Ultimately, it does not seem possible for humans to comprehend the nature of God's knowledge. It is agreed with Alexander of Aphrodisias that there should be a distinction between the active and imaginative intellects, but he differs from him in the point that the imaginative intellect disappears. According to Averroes, the active intellect in action is eternal, unlike Themistius’ view. According to Averroes, the intellect is neither a pure potentiality nor a distinct substance. That is to say, if the imaginative intellect were an actual thing, it could not perceive other things. If the intellect were absolute, everyone would know the same things. Similarly, if the intellect were absolute plurality, there would be no unity and connection between intellects. If the intellect were merely an accepting capacity, it could not perceive absence. According to Averroes, the active intellect is not a distinct intellect that gives form or governs the spheres, but rather the form and purpose of the imaginative intellect. There are two powers of this intellect: to abstract the concepts in their potential state from their matter and to make them actual and accepting them. In conclusion, it can be said that Averroes made a substance-centered philosophy regarding the possibility and reality of knowledge, and while he did not deviate from the Aristotelian line, he had to make new openings. Paradoxically, he tries to explain both the actual/abstract and potential/material aspects of the intellect that are postulated by introducing an original soul theory with the imaginative intellect. Therefore, he places importance on both a priori knowledge and sensation and imagination.

Small Mistakes in the Beginning: Stanley L. Jaki: Arch-Defender of Christian Civilization of Freedom, and Somewhat Unwitting Obstacle to It?: An American/Gilsonian Perspective

Author(s): Peter A. Redpath / Language(s): English Issue: 12/2023

The presented article concerns the topic of departing from philosophy understood in Gilson's sense as a disinterested learning about the truth about the world around us and the consequences resulting from this (also in relation to teaching philosophy). The article expresses the conviction that Gilson's concept of the unity of philosophical experience is justified, and that we should treat philosophy as a starting point and basis for all sciences. These views are expressed in the article in a polemic tone, because the article itself is a polemic with the views of the famous philosopher, mathematician and theologian, Stanley Jaki, who believes that contemporary physics is currently the only - in the strict sense - science. The author, discussing this position, draws attention primarily to the fact that all science should be wisdom-oriented (that is, it should ask about the first causes - principia) of all components of the perceived reality.

Aktualność filozofii politycznej Akwinaty. Ostrzeżenia epistemologiczne z XIII wieku

Author(s): Adam Machowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 12/2023

As early as the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas clearly recognized certain epistemological threats to the political sphere of human functioning, with his insights gaining a special dimension today. This is because the crisis of rationality we are experiencing in our societies has its origins in a false perception of reality (idealistic constructivism), in the „messianic” tendencies of contemporary politics (ideologization of political and social life) and, finally, in a kind of „sexualization” of public debate (accelerating since the 1968 revolution). All these dangers cause disorders in the cognitive sphere of man, especially as to communal life, and do not allow for the proper functioning of human society. The solution would be to turn to a realistic political epistemology, which was consciously Aquinas’ choice centuries ago, and which would allow us to really see the real problems plaguing modern societies and really overcome them.

Aquinas on the Fullness of the Grace of Mary

Author(s): Valentine Aghoghophia Ovie / Language(s): English Issue: 12/2023

Within Christianity, Mary, Jesus’ mother, has long been a source of adoration and interest. Her „fullness of grace” has drawn particular attention as a trait of her character. This idea contends that Mary was specially chosen and prepared by God to bring the Son of God into the world. It is based on the New Testament account of the Annunciation. Throughout Christian history, the concept of Mary’s fullness of grace has been a topic of theological discussion and debate, with ramifications for discussions about Mariology, soteriology, and other topics. The concept of Mary’s fullness of grace has inspired and aroused debate among theologians and believers alike because it argues that she was specially selected and prepared by God to bring the Son of God into the world. Though the idea of Mary’s fullness of grace has a long tradition, it is nevertheless the focus of theological discussion today. Some theologians have stressed Mary’s unique place in salvation history, contending that it was only by the fullness of her grace that she was able to carry the Son of God and completely take part in his redemptive mission. Others have been more circumspect, pointing out that it can be challenging to articulate the concept of fullness of grace and that it could be problematic if it indicates that Mary was sinless or divine. The idea of Mary’s fullness of grace is still a hot topic in modern Christian theology despite these disagreements. We intend to investigate the concept’s biblical roots, early Christian growth, and continued theological significance from the lenses of Aquinas in this article.

ODNOS MATERIJE I DUHA, PJER DE ŠARDEN I SV. GRIGORIJE NISKI

Author(s): Kristina Žarkov / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 11/2024

This paper aims to demonstrate the differences in the interpretation of the relationship between the concepts of matter and spirit in the works of St. Gregory of Nyssa and Pierre de Chardin. The author analyzes this problem from the point of view of Gregory's and Chardin's vision of the end of the universe, which is only apparently identical and it implies the union of everything that exists with God. What unites Grigory and Chardin is not only the fact that they base their philosophical (in Chardin's case scientific) explanations on their religious beliefs but also an attempt to overcome the dualism between matter and spirit. The author believes that the way in which they try to overcome this dualism is crucial in differentiating their conceptions of the end of the universe.

Existenciálny význam smrti

Author(s): Mária Spišiaková / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2023

The aim of this study is to show the existential significance not only of death, but also of reflection about death. Based on the existential philosophy of J. P. Sartre and G. Marcel, it intends to show the importance of dealing with death and its significance, as it is necessarily connected with a concept of human, meaning of life and a metaphysical nature of the world. It is freedom and the possibility of choice that are the most precious in human life because it enables him to take a certain attitude towards absurdity of life and death. It can be an attitude of solidarity (Sartre) or that one of oblative love (Marcel).

Catherine Cusset, No Tomorrow. The Ethics of Pleasure in the French Enlightenment

Author(s): Josef Fulka / Language(s): Czech Issue: 01/2011

Review of: Cusset, Catherine. No tomorrow: the ethics of pleasure in the French Enlightenment. 1st publ. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, ©1999. xiv, 208 p. ISBN 0-8139-1860-X.

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus la 100 de ani (II)

Author(s): Iulian GRIGORIU / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 12/2022

In the first part of this article, I highlighted the most important moments and events related to the appearance of the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, facts of a subjective and objective nature related to Wittgenstein's biography that contributed to or opposed the appearance of the famous op. Next, I intend to review the most important lines of reception and reading models of the Tractatus and to frame the exegesis according to the philosophical valences with different stakes that have appeared over 100 years of reception.

Parmenide și gândirea ființei

Author(s): Ivan Ivlampie / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 11/2021

Ancient Greek philosophy revolved around the problem of being and the beginnings of this world. The solutions offered in this regard are multiple, demonstrating the insight of the human mind and its power to amaze. Among the ancient thinkers, Parmenides stands out through his metaphysical meditations and cannot be framed in the currents foreshadowed by the Greek tradition. Through the phenomenology of the twentieth century we can acquire an ingenious tool for reading the intentions of the philosopher from Elea.

Prefigurări ale concepţiei creştine asupra sufletului în filosofia lui Platon

Author(s): Diana-Carmen Bălan / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 10/2020

The present work compares two conceptions of the soul: Plato’s conception and the Christian conception. Even if temporally distant and of a different nature, for one is founded on profane wisdom and the other on divine revelation, they have many common elements and mutual influences. Both value the soul and stress on the importance of virtue, both consider the soul to be immortal, both agree on the three parts of the soul: the rational part, the passionate part and the appetizing part (in the Platonic vision), the thinking part, the inviting part and the feeling part (in Christian concepts). Nevertheless, they differ in some aspects, such as Plato’s conceptions on the nature of virtue, on the body as a prison for the soul, on reincarnation and on the existence of souls not only in humans but also in gods and even animals. All these conceptions are not shared by Christianity. Moreover, Plato’s conception lacks a clearly stated transcendent foundation, which is a major element of Christianity. At the same time, the value of Plato’s philosophy of the soul is undeniable, even from a Christian point of view. Somehow, Plato’s philosophy represents, in many aspects, a foreshadowing of Christian theology.

The Jan Hus Analogy in Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil §24

Author(s): WILLIAM WOOD / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Beyond Good and Evil is often, although not universally, regarded as Nietzsche’s most important work of philosophy. The second part of this book, “The Free Spirit,” is often regarded as the most important part of this book. Yet the opening aphorism 24 of this part – arguably the most important part of arguably Nietzsche’s most important book – has not received the attention it deserves. This essay focuses on the analogy between the philosopher and the Czech free thinker Jan Hus which structures this part. It focuses on the use which Nietzsche makes of this analogy and its relationship to his views about free causality and natural determinism.

DINCOLO DE IDENTITATE: DE LA REVELAREA FIINȚEI LA SINGULARITATEA PERSOANEI

Author(s): Marcel Hosu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2022

The article compares two different critiques of the concept of identity: the Heideggerian phenomenological destruction of metaphysical and logical identity and the Lacanian critique of an identity based on particularity, as opposed to the non-identitarian singularity of a person. The first endeavor of the article will be to take the poem of Parmenides as a primary example, where tautological identity can be brought to its most radical conclusions and thus shattered within a linguistic framework that takes speech into account. This will be articulated in the Heideggerian logic of the disclosure of being. The second and parallel endeavor is to show the similarity between Heidegger’s position and Lacan’s analysis of another tautology: not that of being, but that of the naming of a person. This is done with reference to God’s refusal to pronounce his name in front of Moses in Exodus, saying only "I am what I am", ’ehye ’ăšer ’ehye, and through Lacan’s close reading of the tragedy of Antigone, where the naming of her brother brings us close to the same impossibilities that can be found in the naming of being.

Ks. Tomasz Kraj, Katolik wobec pluralizmu etycznego na przykładzie bioetyki. Studium teologicznomoralne, Kraków 2023, ss. 215

Author(s): Andrzej Franciszek Dziuba / Language(s): Polish Issue: 25/2024

O MOGUĆNOSTI(MA) ISTORIJE FILOZOFIJE DANAS

Author(s): Predrag Milidrag / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1-2/2006

The article discusses the philosophical presuppositions of the history of philosophy as a philosophical discipline on the example of the problem of interpreting mutually incoherent claims of a philosopher. The conclusion is that the constitution of these presuppositions is onto-theo-logical. The importance of the criteria of coherence and comprehensiveness for historic philosophical interpretation is analyzed. Finally, the idea of the possibility of a postmetaphysical history of philosophy as a philosophical discipline is exposed, viewed as the accumulation of understandings of various paths - followed and not followed alike - found in past philosophers.

EMERGENCE, NONLINEARITY, AND LIVING SYSTEMS: A METAPHYSICAL LECTURE FROM BIOLOGY?

Author(s): Slobodan Perović / Language(s): English Issue: 1-2/2005

It is widely believed among philosophers that a higher-level property, if it is a physical property, must be instantiated by a complex structure consisting of more basic physical properties. Dynamic properties of a higher than the most basic level are thus merely recombination of atomic properties. Consequently, no dynamics describing changes in the world, such as development, and/or interactions between physical, chemical, biological, or other systems, can possibly contradict this claim. Traditionally, ontologically emergent properties are understood to be novel “internal” properties of complex entities that cannot be reduced to lower-level properties. Taxonomies of emergence driven by reductionist motives regard such properties as mythical (e.g. vital force), acknowledging a possibility of only epistemic emergence in the world of physical properties. I propose in response that such a taxonomy may be incomplete. Biological systems as they are explained in terms of non-linear dynamics, I suggest, may fit requirements of non-epistemic emergence, exhibiting properties of relationally holistic systems. In a system explained in terms of nonlinear dynamics, none of the external properties influencing the system is singled out as the cause of its abrupt changes. Instead, a relation among the constituents of the system seems to be responsible for such a turn of events. I illustrate applications of nonlinear dynamics to the cases of metabolic control and biological pattern-formation. I outline relevant conceptual and empirical questions that should be addressed in order to answer whether the accounts concerning biological and possibly other types of natural systems, which appeal to nonlinear dynamics, may be suggesting that behavior of these systems goes beyond epistemic emergence.