LAMENT NAD 33. ROĐENDANOM REČNIKA TEHNOLOGIJE I 21. STOLEĆEM

Author(s): Zoran Petrović Piroćanac / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 3/2015

In the era of Tito’s Yugoslavia hardly was there a comparable intellectual undertaking in Serbia that exploded so powerfully and authentically in 1981. Dictionary was also a premiere intellectual critic – a herald of the coming era of humanity that would be marked with an acceleration of civilization, dehumanization of technology in direct function of the pacification of the world masses and their submission to aggressive voraciousness of the big corporations in the time of wars for resources. Clairvoyance of the authors of Dictionary was lonely in that time, and did not get, in the East, nor in the West, any intellectual support, despite the strength of their protreptic messages, but it was, contrariwise, exposed to unreasonable governmental-party retribution.

EPISTEMOLOŠKI I ETIČKI PROBLEMI ERE INFORMACIJA I CITIRANJA "VIKIPEDIJE"

Author(s): Milica Vučurović N. / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 2/2015

Wikipedia as an internet phenomenon enjoys a great popularity, even in the academic community, thus rising a legitimate question, does it present a valid source of information, but even more important question is: What are the implications of the epistemological and ethical sense behind the conformism of the accelerating and shallow search due to inflation of information, where Wikipedia is just one of the representatives quick sources of information which most often is applied. From the ethical side, Wikipedia's politics is implicitly committed to utilitarianism, and institutional morale and professions are considered redundant, while the hypothesis that we have tried to defend is the opposite and based on models that support the scientific responsibility of the authors and publishers. But even in utilitarian approach, classical methods of philosophy of science more effective, partly because in the era of information epistemological justification of the reliability of the evidence and the chain of references to new data and milions of publications is much more important than the quality of information as such.

FREGEOVSKO REŠENJE PARADOKSA ANALIZE I KRITERIJUM ZA RAZGRANIČENJE MISLI

Author(s): Filip Čukljević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2015

At the beginning of this essay a formulation of the paradox of analysis is presented. Standard Fregean solution of this paradox is then displayed, as well as the problems that this solution faces. Afterwords, another solution of the paradox of analysis is shown, which can be found in Frege's late writings. It will be demonstrated that this solution, at least at first sight, is incompatible with the criterion of difference of thoughts that is standardly attributed to Frege. In the end, a possible solution to this incompatibility is suggested.

SPOR OKO STATUSA BOŽIJIH ATRIBUTA U SREDNJOVEKOVNOJ JEVREJSKOJ FILOZOFIJI

Author(s): Andrija Šoć / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2015

In this paper I discuss a dispute between Jewish medieval philosophers about the status of divine attributes. The paper consists of three parts. In the first part, I outline Philo’s and Saadia’s reasons as to why God must be thought as perfect and simple. Using the aristotelian distinction „substance/accidence“, I explain why it is problematic to ascribe to God, as seen within Judaic tradition, properties such as omniscience, power, goodness, and others. In the second part, I examine Maimonides’ negative theology. Maimonides holds that one must not predicate anything to God. Because God and human beings are incommensurable, any such ascription would be equivocal. Under the influence of Saadia, Maimonides maintains that one cannot say anything about God except that He exists. To prove his thesis, Maimonides was prepared to interpret the content of Jewish Holy writs as being highly metaphorical and it’s most profound meaning as beyond the grasp of the majority of those practicing the principles of Judaism. Even though Maimonides’ influence was felt on many subsequent Jewish thinkers, many of them didn’t always agree with him. In the third part of the paper, I sketch Gersonides’, Crescas’ and Albo’s alternative solutions to the problem of ascribing attributes to God. Aside from discussing a question of the status of Divine attributes, in this paper I also try to put forward a thesis that goes beyond the framework of the mentioned dispute. Namely, Jewish philosophers, Maimonides being the paradigmatic example, didn’t simply adopt the official interpretations of religious dogma, nor did they compromise with it when it comes to proving their theses. In that regard, they came very close to early modern philosophers, who discussed philosophical and theological problems in light of principles of rational examination, rather than accepting the claims of ecclesiastical authority.

DVOSTRUKI KARAKTER STVORENOG BIĆA KOD T. AKVINSKOG

Author(s): Predrag Milidrag / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 4/2014

In now classical article from 1958 dedicated to twofold character of Aquinas’s concept of being Joseph Owens clearly formulates the two complementary features of esse that function in Aquinas’s metaphysics, namely 1) being understood in the terms of essence, form or nature, as essential and 2) being understood as accidental, not in predicamental meaning but as something above and beyond the essence of the thing. Firmly relying on whole Owens’s work, I will try to outline the ways of understanding the meanings of esse in Aquinas, because a) two character of being are two complementary and integral components of created being, b) which are really different.

NEKONTEKSTUALISTIČKA I KONTEKSTUALISTIČKA VERZIJA TEORIJE RELEVANTNIH ALTERNATIVA KAO MOGUĆA REŠENJA SKEPTIČKOG PARADOKSA

Author(s): Milica Smajević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 3/2014

This paper analyzes the solution to the skeptical paradox provided by theory of relevant alternatives. The paper examines and compares two versions of this solution: the noncontextualist, invariantist version, whose creator and representative is Fred Dretske, and contextualist, variantist version, defended by Keith DeRose and Stewart Cohen. By analyzing invariantist and variantist solution, the author comes to the conclusion that, although both solutions have positive and negative implications, Dretske`s theory of relevant alternatives offers more convincing explanation and solution to the skeptical paradox.

A FORMAL SOLUTION TO A PARADOX OF DEMOCRACY

Author(s): Vlasta Sikimić / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2014

Richard Wollheim pointed out a paradox which he claims relates to democracy. We argue that this paradox is not exclusively related to democracy but actually arises whenever there is a conflict between personal preferences and preferences of accepted authorities. Furthermore, we provide a formal explanation of how one can rationally “accept” or “switch to” the preference of the authority she personally accepts and still have different preferences than the authority in question. Our formal solution is based on dynamic epistemic logic, while our philosophical explanation is inspired by Kant’s practical philosophy. On the other hand, we point out to what we believe to be the real exclusive restriction in democratic elections and we argue that, unlike Wollheim’s paradox, this restriction is a special feature of democracy.

DA LI JE REGULATIVNA KONTROLA NUŽNA ZA PRIPISIVANJE MORALNE ODGOVORNOSTI?

Author(s): Marko Perić / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 1/2014

Libertarianist concept of free will is based on the principle of alternate possibilities – standpoint which presupposes that an agent has moral responsibility only if, in the given circumstances, he could have done otherwise. The author of this paper tries to review this key principle of libertarianism, and to determine whether the access to alternate possibilities represents necessary or sufficient cause for the assessment of moral responsibility, or neither of that. Finaly, based on the consideration of famous Frankfurt’s and Austin-style examples, in this paper is defended a sort of compatibilism, and the main advantages of that kind of free will concept over libertarianism are emphasized.

Актуалност и модалност: Енергетичната метафизика на Вацов

Author(s): Alexander Kanev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

The article reconstructs and critically discusses the energetic metaphysics of Dimitar Vatsov, which may be regarded as an important event in the philosophical life in Bulgaria. The article consists of two parts. The first part situates Vatsov's project in the context of the contemporary development of metaphysics and presents the evolution and logic of its realization, emphasizing the central ideas of actuality, energy, and codification. The second part presents a series of critical observations on the realization of the project, related to conceptual ambiguities and problematic theoretical moves. It is argued that the modal aspects of energetic metaphysics need conceptual clarification and theoretical justification. The article also aims to provoke a broader discussion on the state and future of metaphysical research in Bulgarian philosophy.

“Demography as history”: historical and anthropological methodological contexts (I)

Author(s): Alexander A. Prigarin,Alexander Ganchev / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

The article attempts a theoretical and methodological understanding of historical and demographic reconstructions in the context of “social history”. The parameters of the “demand” for the reconstruction of the past as a set of activities of the masses are shown. Historical experience is perceived in the context of unmotivated behavioral practices that lead to a procedural understanding of demo-graphic trends. The principles and potential of such studies are analyzed; the humanitarian orientation of cognitive procedures is characterized. Examples of successful application of quantitative modeling in descriptions of historical processes are considered. Based on historiographical experience, the tasks of the historical-demographic approach in the study of the past are formulated. Important aspects of theorization are regional and local reconstructions as a potential for generalizations in general. “Demographic characteristics” are proposed to be evaluated both as a result and as a subject of event history. An attempt has been made to fit such studies into various historiographic con-texts. The principles and mechanisms of organic/effective combination of “accurate” methods of demography with “conditions” of humanitarian knowledge in history are formulated. Possible ways of “mutual import” of techniques within the framework of the anthropological approach to the study of the past are demonstrated. Questions are raised about the limits of the application of such methods in the knowledge of the human past.

Religion, Theology, and Philosophical Skills of LLM–Powered Chatbots

Author(s): Marcin Trepczyński / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

In this study, I demonstrate how religion and theology can be useful for testing the performance of LLMs or LLM–powered chatbots, focusing on the measurement of philosophical skills. I present the results of testing four selected chatbots: ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and Llama2. I utilize three examples of possible sources of inspiration from religion or theology: 1) the theory of the four senses of Scripture; 2) abstract theological statements; 3) an abstract logic formula derived from a religious text, to show that these sources are good materials for tasks that can effectively measure philosophical skills such as interpretation of a given fragment, creative deductive reasoning, and identification of ontological limitations. This approach enabled sensitive testing, revealing differences among the performances of the four chatbots. I also provide an example showing how we can create a benchmark to rate and compare such skills, using the assessment criteria and simplified scales to rate each chatbot with respect to each criterion.

Beyond the Human: Crossovers for an Onto-epistemological Bifurcation

Author(s): Ester Toribio-Roura / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Building upon recent studies in new materialisms and feminist critical posthumanism with a focus on human and more-than-human relationships, this paper examines how the posthuman paradigm, by postulating the queering of identit(ies) via entanglement with the more-than-human (including technology), and by offering a critical examination of diverse modes of existence within a broader ecological context, can foster more inclusive and ethically sound ways of being in the world. Although posthumanism encompasses a wide range of perspectives and theories, including transhumanism, at its core, it challenges traditional notions of humanism, blurring the boundaries between what is human and what is more-than-human, while calling for a revaluation of anthropocentric, onto-epistemological, and ethical frameworks. This paper mobilises the framework and methodology of composting-with-care as an analytical tool to foster epistemic diversity, from quantum field theory to speculative fabulation, in the examination of the issue concerning human identity. It concludes by proposing a view where the self is not confined to the individual human but emerges through interactions (and intra-actions) with the world(s) of which the human is part, acknowledging the agency and influence of actors beyond the human on identity formation.

Heidegger’s Figure of the Last God and Path to Being Itself

Author(s): Jacek Surzyn / Language(s): English Issue: 49/2023

In the present article I explain the role of the figure of “the last god” in Heidegger’s thought after the so-called Heideggerian “turn.” Drawing on Heidegger’s Contributions to Philosophy (From Enowning), it is argued that the figure of “the last god” demonstrates Heidegger’s path to “being itself,” which I distinguish from the path to being presented by him in his earlier thought, mainly laid out in Being and Time. The figure of the last god is not to be understood as a god in a religious framework, but rather as an explication of metaphysical radical thinking, rendered as Heidegger’s view of “divinity of the other beginning.” The notion of the last god is presented against the background of several of Heidegger’s ideas (as specifications) discussed in Contributions namely: disclosure of being itself, the renewal of metaphysics, the understanding of nothing/nothingness in relation to being, the problem of the “sign” (Wink) or the ontic and ontological differences. In a metaphorical form, Heidegger leads us – by means of the specifications given – towards the experience of the “last god,” whose “passage” is for Dasein the experience of being itself, is the event of being. In the text presented here, I will “lead” the reader along such “path.” At the same time, I will engage Heidegger’s language without neglecting its semantic “depth,” showing how Heidegger extracts hidden meanings from words.

Četvrti stav Sinestetičke kompozicije – Manifestacije fragilnosti čovekove egzistencije

Author(s): David Menčik / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 38/2022

Lametrijevo antropičko rezonovanje

Author(s): Goran Rujević / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 39/2023

Julien Offray de La Mettrie is considered a representative philosopher of materialism and hedonism in the Age of Enlightenment. His seminal work Man a Machine bears many hallmarks of the Enlightenment: faith in ratinality and progress, turning away from traditional figures of authority and towards the authority of natural sciences, and placing great value in the individual and self-improvement. Certain paragraphs of the work, however, contain claims that seemingly advocate that one ought to remain wholly ignorant when it comes to questions pertaining to reasons for man's existence. This appears to contradict the usual intelectual optimism of the Enlightenment. However, if we read these paragraphs through the lens of contemporary anthropic reasoning, it shows that this is just La Mettrie's attempt to counter certain theistic arguments, and fully in the spirit of the Enlightenment.

Some Notes on the Individual Process of Liberation in Spinoza

Author(s): Kathrin BOUVOT,Gianluigi SEGALERBA / Language(s): English Issue: 39/2023

A central theme of Spinoza’s Ethica is the description of the individual’s exposition to the emergence of passions: the individual’s mind is constitutively liable to being passive in relation to the influences exercised on the mind by reality since the mind is a part of nature. As regards the individual’s condition, being passive means having passions: passions bring the individual to a condition of mental enslavement due to the influence coming from the external reality. Spinoza tries to find a way out of the passions: through the analysis of the structure of reality and of the individual’s mind, Spinoza shows that the development of knowledge of reality in the mind is the solution for the process of liberation of the mind. The power of the individual’s mind consists in the knowledge of reality: therefore, the possibility, for the individual, to reach an authentic power of mind consists in the acquisition of the knowledge of reality. This acquisition comes about exclusively through the appropriate education. Through the knowledge, the individual becomes able to counteract his being acted on by the external reality: he can lead his life instead of being steadily led by the influences coming from outside.We base our inquiry on Spinoza’s Ethica.

Нативизм, Трансцендентализм и Феноменология: Еще раз о не-расположении источника опыта в мире

Author(s): Diana GASPARYAN / Language(s): Russian Issue: 1/2024

Nativism as a theory that interprets certain abilities and ideas as innate [The contexts we will consider prefer to speak precisely of innateness in the sense of New European philosophical discussions and avoid the notion of “a priori”/“a posteriori”, respectively, and we will stick to this terminological pair.], is considered by some contemporary philosophers as an echo of outdated philosophical approaches. Critics for the most part reproach it for being unscientific and metaphysical. In one of its most extreme forms, nativism is accused of mysticism and lack of evidence. At the same time, a number of very authoritative thinkers openly call themselves nativists and defend this trend in philosophy, cognitive sciences, linguistics and other fields of knowledge (Chomsky, McGinn, Lawrence and Margolis). The main aim of this paper is to analyse the contemporary polemic between empiricists and nativists. It will be shown that the main polemical knot around which the debate unfolds can be easily untied through a transcendentalist interpretation of nativism. In particular, an appeal to phenomenology can help to notice the importance of the idea of the non-essentiality of the source of experience to experience. Phenomenology, which preserves the idea of this non-essentiality, has in mind a radical break with the ontology of natural objects, and will not, in particular, deduce innate knowledge from evolutionary mechanisms, nor will it place it within the biological structure of organisms (e.g., the brain or the neural processes in it). It remains to be shown that most of the positions and refutations of modern nativism are based on a misunderstanding of the classical“ overcoming” of the dispute between empiricism and rationalism by transcendentalism and transcendental phenomenology, as well as the requirement of transcendentalism and transcendental phenomenology not to place the source of experience in the same world in which we locate experience itself. The study is to consider what the modern nativist view must look like in its transcendentalist interpretation in order to be a worthy opponent to modern empiricism.

Lived Experience in the “Naturalistic” Paradigm: Implementing Empirical Phenomenology with Expert Participants for Neurocinematics

Author(s): Jelena Rosic / Language(s): English Issue: 11/2023

When studying subjective reports in neuroscience, data that are more easily quantifiable understandably hold more appeal due to the methodological complexities involved with in-depth approaches (second-person interview techniques and analyses) that require extended training of a researcher but also epistemological regard for the problem. A methodological direction for neurocinematics that could better capture the complexities inherent in the experience of film-viewing is to treat distinct domains of the neurocinematic phenomenon, the film stimuli, related subjective accounts, and their neural correlates as co-constitutive in the data analysis. The present proposal outlines an empirical phenomenology approach in the naturalistic paradigm with film stimuli building on the neurophenomenological ideas of pragmatically approaching the relationship between neurocognitive processes and phenomenological accounts. Using the micro-phenomenological method as a guide, i.e. non-naïve introspection (“becoming aware”) with a trained interviewer, the objective is to emphasize the process of accessing lived experiences for systematic second-person investigations. Such in-depth subjective reports have the potential to yield finegrained descriptions of the participants’ experience related to (free) viewing of films as opposed to relying on naïve introspections (“just ask”) or easily quantifiable assessments that lack complexity (“just look”) and are prone to bias due to the simplification of experience. Building up a case for empirical phenomenology through the methodological demands of its framework, the illustration of the micro-phenomenological method serves to underscore the non-trivial nature of accessing and reporting experience and its role in the neurocognitive domain.

Uncovering the two conceptions of the linguistic sign in Saussure’s lectures: An epistemological inquiry with comments on translational equivalence

Author(s): Zdzisław Wąsik / Language(s): English Issue: 3-4/2023

The principal object of this study is constituted by two epistemologically distinct models of Ferdinand de Saussure’s depictions of the linguistic sign. The first model pertains to a bilateral conception of the sign as an inseparable unity of two sides that evoke each other in the mind of individuals during their speaking and understanding activities. The second model, termed here as ‘unilateral conception’, has been deduced from Saussure’s understanding of parole, where an idea establishes itself in a sound and a sound becomes the sign for an idea. A survey of related terminological distinctions derived from logic and philosophy as well as linguistic semiotics seems indispensable for presenting the positions of these bilateral and unilateral sign concepts in a typological matrix which could embrace all sign models originating in the sciences of language. The additional purpose of this study is to put forward the idea of epistemological equivalence to be achieved in translational practice. This supplementary focus of interest in particular concentrates around the question of how the translations of sign-related terms, selected from Cours de linguistique générale, reflect the epistemological awareness of their English-speaking translators.

Vernacular Knowledge: Contesting Authorities, Expressing Beliefs

Author(s): Alina O. Oprelianska / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Review of: Valk, Ülo, and Marion Bowman, eds. 2022. Vernacular Knowledge: Contesting Authorities, Expressing Beliefs. Sheffield; Bristol: Equinox Publishing Ltd. 423 pages.