American Philosophical Research Articles

Por las puertas de la apercepción: Acercamientos a la filosofía de Francisco Gavidia

In the following paper, the author points out some of the aspects of the philosophical project of the Salvadoran writer Francisco Gavidia. One important contribution is that the author reflects on whether a Latin American philosophy is possible, long before the philosophical debates regarding this matter during the 1960s. Gavidia maintained that this philosophy must overcome the limitations of positivism and provide a perspective of reality rooted both on scientific reason and poetic intuition, given the particularities of Latin American identity. That is what the author calls “apperception”, which he considers as the foundation of his philosophical and cultural project for El Salvador. Nevertheless, Gavidia thought has both the scope and limitations of a philosophy rooted in the 19th century intellectual context but focused on the 20th century problems. Realidad, Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, No. 164, 2024: 89-136.

American Philosophical Quarterly

American Philosophical Quarterly

От эстетики к сомаэстетике: о формировании философской позиции Р. Шустермана

The subject of the article is neopragmatic aesthetics; its formation, methodological foundations and specificity of the object of research. To reveal the stated goal, the author turns to the works of the American philosopher Richard Shusterman, who most consistently and clearly substantiates his philosophical position. The American philosopher, despite the strong influence of the analytical school, restores the connection with pragmatism, with the aesthetics of John Dewey, points out the dead ends and problematic points of the analytical approach. The article presents the evolution of American philosophical aesthetics with an emphasis on the transitional stage from the analytic tradition to a neopragmatic one. It is shown that Shusterman’s attempt to get rid of the “Platonic stigma” in the philosophy of art is carried out at the expense of criticizing analytic aesthetics. Thus, Shusterman makes critical arguments about the established habit of identifying art in its multivariate manifestation with the notion of “high” fi ne art associated with the sublime and true art. Shusterman shifts the focus of attention from the problem of defining art to the analytics of aesthetic experience, which allows him to transform aesthetics into somaesthetics – a body-oriented, practical philosophical discipline. The author concludes that Shusterman’s concept of somaesthetics emerges in a polemic with fundamentalist foundations in aesthetics, namely, the tradition of distinguishing objects, works of art from what is not, i.e. defining art. The author notes that a key figure for the formation of the theoretical basis of somaesthetics was Shusterman’s acquaintance with the position of Noel Carroll, who moves from the search for the essence of art to the investigation of the internal standards and motives of art. Schusterman, picking up on this strategy, affirms his anti-essentialist position. In polemics with his colleagues, he shifts and rethinks the problem field of aesthetics, declaring war on “Platonism,” criticizing the Greek philosophical tradition, to which we owe the fact that practical activity has become valued much less than theoretical activity. Along with this, the author concludes about Shusterman’s sophistic strategy and logic of thinking, citing arguments from the work of postmodernist researcher Barbara Cassin.

Simple Life, Rich Soul

Henry David Thoreau was an outstanding American philosopher, writer and representative figure of transcendentism in the 19th century, and he was famous for his advanced ecological wisdom and profound naturalist philosophy. Combing the analysis of human alienation, Thoreau’s ecological thought, and its harmony with Chinese ecological thought, this paper can better understand Thoreau’s unique insights into ecological development and the expectations of different civilizations to learn from each other in peace.

Emociones morales, revelación de la identidad personal y evidencia del corazón

Moral emotions show or reveal in some way the personal identity of their subject. Joy in the face of another's evil, sincere regret for having inflicted an objective evil on another person, hope in the face of a difficult situation, humility in facing one's own failure, etc., say a lot about the person who is the subject of these experiences. How do these affective experiences that we call "moral emotions" tell us or "give" us personal identity? In this order of things, I would like to present the central lines of the treatment of this question by the North American philosopher Anthony Steinbock. The perspective that this author adopts is phenomenological. By this I mean that it is not so much a question of the construction of personal identity by the subject and the "sediment" that moral emotions leave in him, but rather how this personal identity is given in moral emotions. At the end of my contribution I will offer some critical consideration of Steinbock's analyses and suggest new lines of research.

Revisiting democratic pedagogy at secondary schools in Nepal

American educator and philosopher Dewey developed a progressive pedagogical philosophy that emphasizes democratic principles. His approach centers on three main dispositions: equality, intelligent judgment and action, and working together. This study aims to investigate how secondary school teachers in Kailali District implement these dispositions in their teaching processes. This study used a qualitative research design. Ten secondary school teachers from Kailali District, Sudurpaschim Province, were selected through purposive and convenient sampling. A two-day seminar with two sessions was held to explore how these teachers implement the three core dispositions of Dewey's democratic pedagogy. The collected information, insights, and views are analyzed and presented through vignettes based on Dewey's three core dispositions. This study finds that secondary school teachers in Nepal encounter several challenges, including overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teacher training, insufficient educational resources, and limited familiarity with contemporary teaching methodologies. While the national curriculum framework highlights the importance of democratic pedagogy, it lacks detailed guidelines for its practical application. Furthermore, the study indicates that secondary school teachers in Nepal continues to predominantly employ traditional teaching methods, underscoring the critical need for reform.

Дэниел Деннет: человек и философ

The article is devoted to the personality and work of the American philosopher D.C. Dennett. The main stages of his life, his key works and ideas are consid­ered. The importance of his books “Content and Consciousness” as the basis for all his subsequent constructions and “Consciousness Explained” as Dennett’s main philosophical achievement is pointed out. Special attention is paid to the Dennett’s theories of intentionality and consciousness. It is shown that Dennett’s belief in the illusory nature of human consciousness was combined in a nontrivial way with his recognition of the reality of human free will. The author also discusses the evolution of his theory of consciousness and some probable causes of its transformations. It is shown that from a theorist of mind who worked on the verge of paradoxes and did not fear counterintuitive claims, Dennett shifted to posi­tions expressing the general sentiments of cognitive scientists. Dennett’s dislike of academic philosophy is also demonstrated and its causes and significance are discussed. Based on the author’s own observations and Dennett’s autobiographi­cal texts, an attempt is made to reconstruct the main features of his character and personality. The article argues that, despite his critical attitude towards academic philosophy, Dennett had a positive influence on it and that philosophers should not lose his legacy

The American Philosophical Society and the History of Science

The American Philosophical Society and the History of Science

Francisco José Ayala and the American Philosophical Society

Francisco José Ayala and the American Philosophical Society

Vittorio Hösle on the Systematicity and Historicity of Modern Philosophy: An Attempt of a Paradigmatic Analysis of Kant's Philosophy of History

Since the current volume of “NaUKMA Research Papers in Philosophy and Religious Studies” presents the first Ukrainian translation of Vittorio Hösle’s essay “The Place of Kant’s Philosophy of History in the History of the Philosophy of History,” this article provides a comprehensive analysis of the work of its author, a contemporary German and American philosopher who is a prominent figure in the “objective idealism of intersubjectivity.” The focus is on the methodology effectively employed by Hösle in his research, which combines historical and philosophical analysis of the works of ancient and modern philosophers with a paradigmatic approach to their thinking. A paradigmatic analysis enables us to examine the topic under study from the perspective of modern philosophy. Hösle’s research is primarily characterized by conceptual and systematic interests, even when delving into the works of eminent philosophers of the past, such as Plato’s philosophy of mathematics. Hösle effectively employs this methodology in his study of Kant’s philosophy of history, revealing how the moral and normative orientation of history, as outlined by Kant, is complemented, even complicated in a certain way, by the realistic anthropology of the author of the “Critique of Pure Reason.” The article also analyzes several other works by Hösle. The analysis demonstrates how, through paradigmatic and systematic methodology, Hösle identified four phases of the development of ancient philosophy, each characterized by distinct thematic and epistemological aspects. This methodology necessitates researchers to depart from the linear-progressive approach of the history of philosophy to focus on the cyclical movement of philosophical thought. Attention is drawn to the problem of the relationship between the “Science of Logic” and real philosophy (philosophy of nature and the philosophy of spirit), as well as the presence of intersubjectivity in Hegel’s philosophy. Various Hösle’s works demonstrate his ability to analyze the classical texts and cinematic masterpieces, as well as the controversial trends of the modern world and the challenges faced by humanity in the 21st century, including Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. These challenges require new approaches in international politics and law.

The Yale-Cambridge Research Project to India: The Context, Disciplinary Character and Legal-Institutional Matters

This paper deals with the Yale-Cambridge Research Project which Helmut de Terra led to India in 1935. Its principal sponsors included the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Yale University and the American Philosophical Society. The expedition worked in various parts of British India and the princely state of Kashmir. The project is considered of exceptional importance in the field of both geological and archaeological research. This paper sets the historical context of the project and analyzes its disciplinary and scholarly character. The expedition aimed to address both geological and archaeological questions. In view of this interdisciplinary formation of the expedition, this study finally delves into legal and institutional matters so as to find out who were responsible for formally coordinating, such as issuance of the license etc. with de Terra and his team. The Geological Survey of India, the Archaeological Survey and the princely state of Kashmir, thus, come into our discussion.

Social science Eurocentrism in the land of universalism: An introduction to French blindness

AbstractFrom the late 18th century onwards, France has delivered a universalistic discourse about politics, society, rights and also science. The emergence of social science largely confirmed this trend. Nowadays the growing challenging of Eurocentrism that has become more and more visible since the early 1990s remains most often untranslated, untaught, uninvestigated and undebated. The disciplinary structure of the university as well as the lingering isolationism of French social science accounts for part of this situation, the latter requires some further explanations. If some opening has recently been visible in the field of gender, race and discriminations, it has usually meant a greater influence of some—White or Black—American anthropologists, sociologist or philosophers, but hardly ever of non‐Western thinkers. The very issue of a social science canon is not even raised. The main reason for this is the weight of French neo‐republicanism as it was born in the early 1990s at the very same time when anti‐Eurocentric alternatives discourses became more widely heard. It results in a persistent denial of these discourses as being scientific and a widespread ignorance of them in the academic field.

Aportes del pensamiento crítico latinoamericano contemporáneo para el abordaje de las migraciones internacionales como una problemática mundial de la actualidad

The article examines the significant contribution of contemporary Latin American critical thinking to the understanding of international migrations as a current global issue. It emphasizes the need to approach the migratory phenomenon in a transdisciplinary manner, while analyzing the marked disparities present in the world and the lack of coherent responses in a globally interconnected context driven more by the interests of capital than by human needs. The article highlights the importance of incorporating the perspective of the "other" in a comprehensive approach to migrations, emphasizing the crucial consideration of human rights as an integral component of migration policies. Furthermore, it posits the thesis that the current treatment and management of international migrations have failed, being approached from a securitist model and from the perspective of the nation-state, where preeminence lies in migration control and economic interests. Conversely, it emphasizes the need to address this complex issue from an integral perspective, within the framework of North-South asymmetrical relations, acknowledging that forced migration is one of the manifestations of a civilizational crisis that humanity is undergoing. This theoretical approach is made viable through the foundations of contemporary critical theory and Latin American philosophy, providing a contextualized perspective for understanding the complexity of migratory dynamics.

Justus Buchler and the Community of Query

Before he originated the field of philosophy for children, Matthew Lipman spent nearly twenty years teaching at Columbia University and its affiliated colleges under the tutelage of the American philosopher Justus Buchler. In those years Lipman’s scholarship focused on Buchler’s naturalist metaphysics, which was informed by Buchler’s scholarship on the philosophy of Charles Peirce. In this essay I relate Lipman’s relationship with Buchler, summarise Buchler’s theory of human judgement, and indicate key parts of that theory that influenced Lipman’s own theory of judgement and multidimensional thinking. I then discuss the pedagogical turn Buchler made with his theory, including his conception of classroom discussion as a mode of ‘community of query,’ which became the prototype for Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp’s theory of ‘community of inquiry’ as a protocol of classroom dialogue and a paradigm of philosophical practice and democratic decision-making.

La filosofía latinoamericana y el factor religioso

In this essay, the author explores the topic of religion in the debate on a Latin American philosophy in Augusto Salazar Bondy (1960’s). The arguments focus on religion and philosophy, generally considered opposite, dissociated or overlapping. The question is: How important is the religious factor when thinking about the need for one’s own Latin American philosophy To answer this question, an explanation about philosophy and religion is made. Secondly, religion is analyzed as and innate characteristic or not to human beings, as well as some reflections on the relationship between religion and philosophy through History, and the meaning of Eurocentric thought. Thirdly, what is the significance of the religious factor in Salazar Bondy’s proposal. Fourthly, due to Salazar’s critical analysis of the possibility of an authentic Latin American thought is doubtful, the contributions of Marxist José Carlos Mariátegui on this subject, 40 years before, are considered an example. Finally, the Liberation Theology is explained not like a “philosophy” but like creation of a Latin American thought that took into account “the religious factor” of these communities. At the end, this essay proposes four reflections instead of final conclusions.

A hipótese estética como salvação do belo: interlocuções entre Ronald Dworkin e Byun-Chul Han a partir da interpretação construtiva e da equanimidade

The present study aims to analyze the importance of constructive interpretation advocated by the North American philosopher Ronald Dworkin, based on the understanding of the different interpretative modalities focused on art and which can be applied to Law. With this, we proceed to explain the Gadamerian influences in Dworkin’s tradition of thought, which lead him to also use the work of art as a paradigm of interpretation. It is also intended, through bibliographic and phenomenological-hermeneutic methods, to uncover the concept of aesthetic hypothesis developed by Dworkin and how this category of thought can enable a dialogue about the beauty of his “salvation” from the perspective of the southern philosopher -Korean Byung-Chul Han, presenting the general lines of this contemporary philosopher’s thought.

Рец. на кн.: Сергей Кан. Лев Штернберг: этнолог, народник, борец за права евреев / Пер. с англ. А. Глебовской. СПб.; Бостон: Библиороссика; Academic Studies Press, 2023. 694 с. (Современная иудаика)

This book written by Sergei Kan is dedicated to Lev Shternberg (1961–1927), who was a major Russian ethnographer and public figure, one of the founders of the so-called Leningrad school. The Russian translation of the book is reviewed. The large-scale study, rich in archival sources from all possible collections (American Philosophical Society, American Museum of Natural History, the Kunstkammer, RAS Archives, etc.), has been written in the best traditions of the prominent historian George Stocking’s approach. The reviewer notes several undoubted merits of Kan’s work. The main one is an attempt to place the Russian scholar’s research in the context of the Western anthropology of his time. One of the most profound ideas of the book concerns the assessment of Morgan’s influence on Sternberg’s work, and, in a broader perspective, on the development of the social sciences in Russia and the USSR, where, according to the author, social evolutionism played a much more progressive role than in Europe or the USA. That theory served rather to confirm the necessity of social reform, and neither then nor later was it associated with the reaction in the natural sciences, Eurocentrism, and white racism that Boas saw in it. At the same time, the edition under review contains a few inaccuracies and factual errors, some of which were already present in the original edition, while others have arisen due to a not entirely accurate translation.

From media evolution to the Anthropocene: Unpacking sociotechnical autopoiesis

AbstractThe Anthropocene, a term encapsulating humanity's significant impact on Earth's geology, is analysed from a media and socio‐evolutionary lens. The exploration investigates the correlation between human socio‐evolution, media, technology, and the inception and progression of the Anthropocene era. By employing a systems theoretical perspective, this research heavily draws on the theories of German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Insights from the American philosopher Levi Bryant are also integrated to elucidate the relationship between humans, technology and the Earth's geological state. It is posited that society, as we understand it, emerged with the advent of spoken language. This language‐based communication system shaped cooperation within the human population. Over time, the interplay between biology, consciousness and social structures, driven by language‐based communication in different communication media, has deeply influenced Earth's climate. The evolution of communication media has continuously expanded humanity's capacity to influence its environment. The article provides a comprehensive explanatory model, suggesting that the social structures formed by these media profoundly impact Earth's geology, challenging conventional notions surrounding the origins and implications of the Anthropocene era.

Territorializing pragmatism

Using the notion of territorialization, the text traces connecting points between classical American pragmatism and contemporary Latin American philosophy as an effort to counter the usual criticism that states that because of its origins in the north of the continent pragmatism has nothing to offer to the construction of any sound philosophy in the south, while recognizing that its history, that of pragmatism, can be read in parallel of the history of the ways in which Latina American philosophies were built since the beginning of the 20th century.

Integrating Contradictory Perspectives in Latin American Philosophy: A MultiAlism Approach

This study explores the integration of indigenous philosophies and postcolonial modernist theories within the framework of MultiAlism, highlighting the potential for dialogue and synthesis between these diverse philosophical traditions in Latin America. MultiAlism, a concept developed by Florentin Smarandache, is utilized to bridge the gaps and contradictions between these systems by focusing on areas of neutrality such as cultural diversity and power structure critiques. The research emphasizes the importance of incorporating both ancestral wisdom and modern critiques to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Latin America’s rich philosophical heritage. This integrative approach offers practical insights for developing inclusive policies and advancing social justice efforts within the region. Looking ahead, the potential expansion of MultiAlism’s application to other global contexts suggests its broader relevance for addressing contemporary challenges through a flexible and holistic philosophical approach.