Editorial

Purpose. The study aims at thematizing social and ethical problems related to the changes of the human condition in the contemporary globalized society of risks. These risks include threats of not only physical destruction of human race, but also transformation of the natural constitution of the human being. The task of achieving this objective also includes comparative analysis of this problem in the classical and contemporary philosophical anthropology. Theoretical basis. Works of the representatives of the contemporary philosophical anthropology, including the methodology of the transcendental anthropology as discursive ethics. Originality. Contrary to the classical philosophical anthropology, which was based on the concept of the human being as "unfinished project of nature", the author suggests a concept of human being as "unfinishable project of history" which poses new requirements to the ethics both on the level of its fundamentals, and on the level of its application. Conclusions. The complex globalized world needs axiological and normative re-orientation of the society based upon universalist macroethics of discourse. This macroethics should aim at Letztbegründung of the moral and ethical imperatives for the future development of society, changes of humanity and its natural constitution.

The aim of the research is to determine, based on contemporary philosophical anthropology, the role that death plays in the construction of identity. The article reveals that philosophical anthropology allows us, in a person’s desire to identify themselves through the question “Who am I?”, to see not only a look to the future, an active construction by a person of their essence, ultimately inaccessible to them during their lifetime, but also a look to the past, allowing them, when answering the question, to refer to real or imagined information and ideas about parents and more distant ancestors. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that, through the prism of contemporary philosophical anthropology, the construction of identity is considered not only as an active process of an individual creating themselves, but also as a process directed towards something that lies beyond human knowledge, that is, as a striving for the transcendent. As a result, it was shown that when attempting to create their identity, a person, directing attention to their past and future, encounters not only the transcendence of the Self, already known to phenomenologists, but also the transcendence of death, pointing to the limits of human cognitive abilities.

This article examines the ontological position of the human being within the scale of beings through a synthesis of classical metaphysics and contemporary philosophical anthropology. Beginning with Kant’s fundamental question—“What is man?”—it surveys how thinkers such as Kant, Scheler, and Heidegger have recognized the modern failure to attain a unified understanding of the human being. In response, the article proposes a “metanthropology,” that is, an anthropology grounded in metaphysics. Drawing from the Thomistic tradition, man is portrayed as a “microcosm” and as the “horizon and boundary” in which spirit and matter converge—granting him a relative autonomy with respect to other beings. Yet this condition is marred by interior disorder, theologically understood as original sin. Through the lens of Soloviev’s thought, the existential drama of modern man is brought into focus: he is torn between the innate desire for immortality and truth, and the natural incapacity to attain either by his own power. Deprived of a transcendent principle, reason and conscience prove insufficient to redeem his fallen state. The article concludes that only divine grace can restore lost harmony and elevate man beyond his natural level, thus enabling him to transcend his place within the ontological hierarchy.

The article examines the impact of contemporary intellectual technologies on human subjectivity through the lens of 20th-century philosophical reflection. It explores the transformation of the relationship between humans and technology in a context where technological systems transcend the traditional understanding of technology as merely an extension of human capabilities. Drawing on the conceptual framework of the philosophy of technology (M. Heidegger, J. Ortega y Gasset, J. Ellul, H. Marcuse), the author identifies three key aspects of this transformation. First, the article considers the process by which various facets of human activity – cognitive processes, emotional reactions, social relationships, and creativity – are transformed into “standing-reserve” (Bestand) for technological systems. Second, it analyzes the phenomenon of the erosion of practices that reproduce and develop human experience, as evidenced by the standardization of cognitive processes, the emergence of intellectual dependency, and cultural homogenization. Third, it investigates the problem of technological determinism, which, in the context of intellectual technologies, takes on the character of not merely an external constraint but an active construction of human subjectivity, agency. Special attention is given to the mechanisms through which intellectual technologies transform processes of identity formation, decision-making, and social interaction. Furthermore, the article considers the intersubjective interaction between humans and intellectual technology, emphasizing that an imbalance in this relationship may lead to the erosion of human subjectivity. In closing, the article advocates for the development of new approaches to the legal regulation of intellectual technologies to preserve the balance between technological advancement and the maintenance of human autonomy. The author concludes that the relationship between humans and intellectual technologies has become a central issue in contemporary philosophical anthropology: preserving human subjectivity in the era of artificial intelligence will require a critical rethinking and partial transformation of traditional conceptions of human nature, values, and the normative foundations of human activity.

But how about philosophy of psychiatry? Why would Darwinian theory matter specifically to philosophy of psychiatry? We believe that there are three reasons why philosophers of psychiatry have taken an interest in evolutionary theory.First of all, there is the nascent field of evolutionary psychiatry. “Evolutionary psychiatry” and “Darwinian psychiatry” are umbrella terms used to refer to various attempts to make sense of mental disorders within the general framework of evolutionary theory. While biological psychiatrists have always been interested in the causation of dysfunctional behavior, and while psychoanalytic psychiatrists have taken a distinctly developmental perspective, evolutionary psychiatrists engage with ultimate, rather than proximate, questions about mental illnesses. Being a young and youthful new discipline, evolutionary psychiatry allows for a nice case study in the philosophy of science. Thus, philosophers have asked questions about the scientific status of evolutionary explanations of mental disorders, as well as about the conceptual and empirical assumptions underpinning these explanations. Many hypotheses in evolutionary psychiatry are indebted to human sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, and therefore confront us again with the plethora of philosophical criticisms that have been leveled against these controversial disciplines.Secondly, philosophers of psychiatry have engaged with evolutionary theory because evolutionary considerations are often said to play a role in defining the concept of mental disorder. The basic question here is: Can the concept of mental disorder be given an objective definition, or is it rather a normative concept? The most influential “objectivist” proposals rely heavily on evolutionary theory. Wakefield, for instance, argues that mental disorders are disorders because people suffering from them fail to meet a natural norm that is brought about by natural selection. Other “objectivists” do not necessarily agree with Wakefield's “selectionist” approach of biological function, but some of them do maintain that other key concepts of evolutionary theory, such as adaptation and fitness, are necessary to understand what mental disorders are.Thirdly and finally, evolutionary thinking in psychiatry has often been a source of inspiration for a philosophical analysis of human nature. Many philosophers have claimed that psychopathology can give us a unique perspective on different aspects of human nature. In their view, mental disorders would (partially) reveal what it is like to be a human being. Evolutionary psychiatrists have taken up this line of thought in suggesting, for example, that man's vulnerability to mental disorders may well be one of the defining features of our species.These three reasons for philosophers of psychiatry to engage with evolutionary theory provide the backbone of the themes and chapters of the present volume. In the last three sections of this introductory chapter we will briefly elaborate on these themes: the many philosophical critiques aimed at evolutionary explanations of mental disorders, the importance of evolutionary theory in analysing the concept of mental disorder, and the relevance of evolutionary psychiatry for various issues in contemporary philosophical anthropology. The first two sections of the present introduction are devoted to an overview of the main hypotheses of contemporary evolutionary psychiatry and a very brief history of evolutionary thinking in psychiatry. We consider this historical section to be necessary because we strongly believe that the best philosophy of psychiatry is always informed by the history of psychiatry.

The paper gives a summary of the views of various researchers on the meta­physics of the heart in Russian philosophy, and an analysis of the concept of the heart in Russian culture. The conceptual difference between the knowl­edge of heart and the knowledge of mind, included in the circle of problems of professional European philosophy only in the second half of 19th century, be­comes of essential character in the works of Russian thinkers. It allows to clear up the fundamental issue of human nature and the position of a human being in the world. Russian philosophers consider the truths of the heart as universal truths. This gives us the opportunity to bring the concept of the heart closer to worldview issues. This allows us to bring the concept of the heart closer to worldview issues, offering a new perspective on the acute dilemma of the rea­son and the heart discussed in contemporary philosophical anthropology and Christian philosophy. In addition to the classical statement of the heart as a cog­nitive alternative to reason, the worldview interpretation of the heart must also reveal the activity aspect of its nature. The peculiarity of a worldview as a cog­nitive phenomenon consists in a person’s constant openness to the Other, which results in a reconciliation of “rational” and “heart” ways of comprehension of the world. Such openness allows a person to regain their personal wholeness and bring it to cosmic completeness in the perception of the world. The cosmic nature of personality is revealed in overcoming the problem of solipsism and substantiating “conciliar consciousness” (sobornoe soznanie) as a special way of supraindividual thinking. Thus, the heart appears as the worldview center of a human being and can be the object of educational practice, hence, the world­view as a matter of the heart serves as the basis for moral guidance in life.

The convergence of essentialist and anti-essentialist traditions in contemporary philosophical anthropology

Open AccessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Rees Martin 2010Celebrating 350 years of the Royal SocietyPhil. Trans. R. Soc. A.368909http://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2009.0267SectionOpen AccessPrefaceCelebrating 350 years of the Royal Society Martin Rees Martin Rees Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Martin Rees Martin Rees Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Published:13 March 2010https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2009.0267Back in the 1660s, the Royal Society’s founders met regularly to discuss scientific ideas and perform experiments; the outcomes of their experiments and discussions were recorded in the Society’s Transactions. The world of science has been utterly transformed since that era. Nonetheless, these activities, pioneered by the Society, remain the accepted procedures whereby scientific ideas are criticized, refined and codified into publications that become part of ‘public knowledge’.The papers in this special anniversary issue of the Philosophical Transactions address themes that, in some cases, could not have been conceived even 50 years ago. But their range reflects, nonetheless, a continuity and concordance with the Society’s earliest years. The ‘ingenious and curious gentlemen’ who established the Royal Society enjoyed speculation. But they were also intensely practical and engaged with the problems of their time: the rebuilding of London after the great fire, improvements to timekeeping, navigation and so forth. The papers here cover topics ranging from the remote parts of the Universe to literally down-to-earth issues of energy and material science.Right from the start, the Society was networked internationally. That is, of course, even more the case today; and worldwide expertise is reflected in the distinguished authorship of the papers in this special issue. This special issue is a most welcome contribution to the range of activities and events whereby the Royal Society is marking its 350 years of support for science and scientists, and highlighting the importance of science in meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century.FootnotesOne contribution of 17 to a Theme Issue ‘Personal perspectives in the physical sciences for the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary’.© 2010 The Royal SocietyThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Next Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetails This Issue13 March 2010Volume 368Issue 1914Theme Issue 'Personal perspectives in the physical sciences for the Royal Society's 350th anniversary' compiled and edited by Michael Pepper Article InformationDOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2009.0267PubMed:20123738Published by:Royal SocietyPrint ISSN:1364-503XOnline ISSN:1471-2962History: Published online13/03/2010Published in print13/03/2010 License:© 2010 The Royal SocietyThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citations and impact Subjectsatmospheric chemistrymathematical physics

Although philosophical anthropology is constituted around the question of the human, which also means the being of the human, it is not the question alone that makes for the distinctiveness of philosophical anthropology, but rather the primacy that is given to that question. In this respect, philosophical anthropology appears, not just as one branch of philosophy among others, but as actually bringing with it a distinctive conception of philosophy as fundamentally concerned with the human in a way that comes before anything else. Moreover, precisely because philosophical anthropology insists on the primacy of the question of the human, so it also resists the tendency to treat the human in any reductive or eliminative fashion. The question of the human thus remains a distinct question, and the manner in which it is answered remains equally distinct.

This issue of the Community Mental Health Journal focuses on the chronically mentally ill (CMI) . The articles address issues ranging from the effects of fiscal retrenchment on services (Surber et al.) to a statewide planning model for providing a con t inuum of residential service settings for the chronically mental ly ill (Shern et al.). One article views the C M I issue from a global perspective and presents a model for comprehensive treatment of schizophrenia and chronic mental illness (Bellack et al.). Two other articles are more specific in nature and look at specific system issues related to the chronic mental illness: homelessness (Roth et al.), and criminalization (Sipes et al.). In addit ion to the stated theme of chronic mental illness, the papers included in the selection of articles share the common focus of a systems orientation. In reviewing and selecting articles for the special issue, we purposefully chose an orientation that did not focus on specific clinical programs. Although such descriptions are definitely valuable, it is our feeling that a priority should be the unders tanding of the more global systems concerns. We reviewed the articles with the philosophy that effective t rea tment of the chronically mentally ill does not occur in a vacuum. Effective t reatment requires both clinical skills of professionals as well as the flexibility and comprehensiveness of a t rea tment system. In our own experience, failures in the t rea tment of the chronically mental ly ill are rarely the result of pure clinical issue. Rather , inadequate t rea tment is often the result of a system that is unresponsive to the needs of the chronically mental ly ill. For example, the best clinicians who sit in the offices of the best communi ty mental health centers provide inadequate services to patients who are unable or unwill ing to keep appointments at those communi ty mental health centers. Similarly, communit ies that do not provide residential services to the acting out chronic patient are in fact denying services to certain patients because of their illness. Hence, the contextual system of care determines the effectiveness of specific interventions. The final article in the series illustrates this point quite vividly from a family member 's point of view.

The landscape for science and technology of composite materials, and in particular those with polymers as one of their ingredients, is vast and diverse. Composites are used in so many applications, ranging from aerospace, to environmental remediation, to rubber reinforcement, that it is almost impossible to give an exhaustive panoramic view of the field. At the Journal of Applied Polymer Science, given the number of articles we publish in this area, we feel, however, most suited to the task of trying to paint this expansive landscape. In particular, the focus of this special issue is on composites with inorganic fillers, starting from clays (unmodified, as in the paper by Xingui Zhang, or organo-functionalized as in the research by Steele et al.), then on to nanotubes (as in the work by Gupta and research from Chaoyang Wang and co-workers), and the most recent addition to the field, graphene (see the article by Feng Luo et al.). Our roster also features research on glass fiber composites (see Sarfaraz and Subhash), and composites with metal compounds such as zinc oxide (as in the work by Alves et al.). After mentioning the materials, a note on their applications is indeed warranted, as polymer composites are researched for their reinforcement capabilities towards the host matrix (polymeric or inorganic), but also to add functionalities, for example in fire retardants or conducting materials, or to help with drug delivery applications. The morphology and properties are affected by fillers as well, so, for example, hydrogel composites are also examined in this special issue, as well as a variety of fibers and a number of nanocomposites. The highly international character of current polymer research is also reflected by the variety of contributions to this special issue, and we think this also shows the large interest at a global level in composites, as witnessed by the size of their market and sheer variety of applications in which they are involved. Composites containing renewably sourced or biopolymers are only marginally covered in this special issue. This was a conscious choice, as those will be the subject of a future special issue specifically focused on these materials. We hope you will enjoy reading this selection of articles from the Journal of Applied Polymer Science as much as we enjoyed putting it together, and we are looking forward to continuing the strong tradition of our journal in this area. Dr. Stefano Tonzani Managing Editor*, * Journal of Applied Polymer Science.

Humans are perhaps the most social animals. Although some eusocial insects, herd mammals and seabirds live in colonies comprising millions of individuals, no other species lives in such a variety of social groups as Homo sapiens . We live in many different sized societies, from small, nomadic hunter

Reasons for the recent interest in public theology are discussed [following the special issue of Theology in September 2014], followed by the claim that in Britain today public theology must take the form of action for justice and peace. A number of examples are offered including a short description of training for justice and peace leadership in the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education. The essay concludes by suggesting a number of steps which local churches could take in order to realize the prophetic tradition.

The extensive, profound and influential oeuvre of Charles Taylor has inspired generations of thinkers. But how can we explore such a body of work? As we try to show in this Special Issue: by understanding him literally and making use of his notion of moral maps – or, differently put, by ‘mapping’ Charles Taylor. As he is far too modest a person to reveal to us his own moral atlas, we have decided to seize the occasion of his 85th birthday to ask several of his renowned colleagues, students and interlocutors to contribute to the reconstruction of such a map. This introduction develops three ‘mountain ridges’ in this cartography – a philosophical anthropology in spatial terms, the indispensable motif of dialogue, and the role of political life –, around which the following 24 illuminating appraisals are grouped.

Nowadays we have a need not only for means of existence but also means of a better existence. Medicine is one such tool, hence the requirements of it are constantly increasing. Modern medicine, as an integrative science, needs comprehensive knowledge of the human being, based on the philosophical science as well as on the accumulated empirical knowledge in the medical field, because no discipline individually is able to answer the questions of the meaning of human existence. Therefore, for the most precise knowing of human beings, wide knowledge is necessary, consisting of philosophical and medical notions about the processes that take place in the human organism, aided by philosophical anthropology. Anthropology serves as the foundation of all sciences concerning human knowledge, origin and culture - medicine, ontology, history, archeology, ethnology, etc. In order to understand the main aspects of a specific science and, particularly philosophical anthropology and its relation to medicine, it is necessary to clarify the notion of philosophical anthropology. The multifaceted nature of the question of the essence of man and his attitude to the world around him finds expression in the formation of philosophical anthropology as the main direction in philosophy. In the history of human thought, the term "philosophical anthropology" is used with double meaning. On one hand, anthropology comprises ancient and modern philosophical views of man, which, although not developed as a self-study, contain a certain understanding of the nature of man as an individual and person. on the other hand, this concept is entirely determined by the emphasis on man as a subject of philosophical reflection. The different aspects and diversity of human existence require an objective research and an authoritative answer to the question of the meaning of human life and place of human beings. In a certain sense, all fundamental problems of philosophy can be reduced to the question, what is the essence of man and his place in being and the world. Based on the unique human nature, different philosophical schools and directions attempt to respond to the fundamental question of the meaning of life. The affirmation of contemporary philosophical anthropology as an independent science in the 20s of the twentieth century is largely due to the german philosopher Max Scheler (1874-1928) and his fundamental work "The Human Place in the Cosmos". Significant contributions to the development of anthropology have also Kant, Plesner, Gellen, Pascal, Ortega and Gasset, Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Jaspers, William James, Erich Rothacker, as well as the anthropological ideas and views in the theories of the different directions in medicine, psychology, sociology, biology, ecology etc.