Concept Of Enlightenment Research Articles

Foucauldian critical thinking: An antithesis to discourse of skill-oriented technicalisation

Abstract Challenging the way critical thinking is often considered a skill, this paper explores possible discursive reasons for the skill-orientation and technicization of this concept. First, using Michel Foucault’s ‘division and rejection’ theory as a discursive analytical lens, the discussion explores the neoliberal alliance of international organizations, national governmental authorities, the media, job markets, schools, and concerned parents. It explores how this alliance promotes the discourse of skill and competence, and prepares the ground for critical thinking’s technicization. Drawing further on Foucault’s decoding of human capital as the essence of neoliberalism, the paper explores the way that the technicization of critical thinking fits with a conception of the human beings as a complex mixes of production and consumption, where, as homo economicus, they become entrepreneurs of themselves. Second, in the light of Foucault’s discursive analytical conception of the will to truth, the paper traces possible historical underpinning of critical thinking’s technicization. It argues that power-knowledge, the dark side of Enlightenment technological rationality, creates an increasingly technical conception of the world that tampers with the criticality of critical thinking. If critical thinking does not render people aware of the power impinging on them, it loses its value and meaning. The paper proposes that critical thinking should rather be conceived along the lines of a Foucauldian conception of critique: the art of not being governed, which takes inspiration from Kant’s conception of enlightenment. It explores how to practise Foucauldian critical thinking, how Foucault’s technology of the self can be enacted as the protector of subjectivity against the governmentality of power.

Кризис теории и практики правозащитного действия

This article explores problem of the liberal rights and freedoms conceptualization and crisis of the human rights institutions legitimacy, the prospects for theory and practice of the modern defense of human rights. The author believes the human rights institutions to be currently in crisis mode because of their inability to overcome their dependence on the liberal doctrine of rights and freedoms being innate. This doctrine was imposed on the society as the only valid ideology that does not need any scientific verification or ethical mediation and basically is a quasi-religious phenomenon. Today the defense of human rights is the enforcement authority and a political subsystem, as it legitimates and delegitimates political subjects. The human rights institutions can retain their role in society by overcoming their dependence on liberal and other ideologies, abandoning the obsolete enlightenment concept of innate rights and acknowledging the priority of morality in the society.

The Anti-Tuberculosis League as the cornerstone of Štampar’s concept of public enlightenment (A review of the 2nd and 3rd Meetings of the Osijek County Physicians)

Radom se prikazuje djelovanje Lige protiv tuberkuloze u Osječkoj oblasti kao temelj Štamparove zamisli narodnoga zdravstvenog prosvjećivanja kroz osvrt na dva sastanka (II. i III.) liječnika Osječke oblasti u 1927. i 1928. godini. U uvodnom dijelu donosi se pregled antituberkuloznoga pokreta u Europi te razvoj sustava dispanzera i reforme javnoga zdravstva u Kraljevini Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca 1920-ih. Osnivanje Lige protiv tuberkuloze u Osijeku 1926. rezultat je stvarnoga zdravstvenog stanja stanovništva i provedene široke kampanje za borbu protiv tuberkuloze i reforme javnoga zdravstva na zdravstvenoj misli Andrije Štampara. Prema donesenim društvenim pravilima, rad Lige zasnivao se na antituberkuloznom pokretu s temeljnim zadatkom da se cijelo stanovništvo na području Osječke oblasti nalazi pod jednim organiziranim stručnim nadzorom. U skladu s navedenim, prikazuje se djelovanje Lige protiv tuberkuloze i dva sastanka liječnika Osječke oblasti, s naglaskom na humani odnos liječnika prema bolesnicima i požrtvovan pristup liječenju tuberkuloze kao opake socijalne bolesti. Brojčani podatci o raširenosti bolesti kao prijetnji stanovništvu predočuju medicinsku skrb zamišljenu kao široku akciju usmjerenu na ostvarenje socijalno-medicinskih ciljeva. Posebno je u tom kontekstu naglašena uloga liječnika Prokopija Uzelca, tajnika Lige, te se detaljno navodi njegovo izlaganje na II. sastanku liječnika Osječke oblasti, kao i 14. točaka rezolucije o radu Lige koju je predložio, što pokazuje sveobuhvatni pristup i razumijevanje težine problema zaštite od tuberkuloze. U radu se donosi i kraći opis III. sastanka liječnika Osječke oblasti, izvodi iz govora sudionika te navodi iz govora Andrije Štampara, koji je nazočio sastanku. Opisom liječničkih sastanaka te navođenjem izvadaka iz njihovih govora, kao i predloženom rezolucijom želi se prikazati presudni zaokret u načinu zdravstvenoga prosvjećivanja te prelazak iz osobnoga angažmana liječnika u status društveno angažiranoga i organiziranoga pristupa liječenju tuberkuloze kao socijalne bolesti. Radom se također analizira dostupna građa s ciljem davanja uvida u društvenu atmosferu i spremnost osječkih liječnika da aktivno podupiru Ligu kao važnu društveno organiziranu akciju u prevenciji i saniranju posljedica bolesti.

The drivers of seniors’ entrepreneurial intentions: a conceptual framework

Purpose This paper aims to reveal the role of two theories that impact seniors’ entrepreneurial intentions. Both the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) and the self-determination theory (SDT) re-shape seniors’ intentions to create entrepreneurial opportunities and activities after they retire. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses secondary data resources for developing the research concept, which might leverage seniors’ ultimate goal of creating entrepreneurial activities. A comprehensive past-paper analysis was performed. One hundred papers were initially considered for inclusion in this research. However, after a rigorous synthesisation process, 80 publications were selected for further analysis. Findings This paper presents an investigation of seniors’ entrepreneurship, with a specific emphasis on the SST and the SDT. It suggests potential models that could gauge senior entrepreneurs’ propensity to engage in entrepreneurial endeavours to support the socioeconomic advancement of society. Furthermore, this research discussed the limitations of the enlightening concepts presented to scholars and decision-makers. Originality/value The originality of this paper is illuminated by its idea of integrating two theories (the SST and the SDT), suggesting that these theories can possibly better observe senior entrepreneurs’ intentions in creating an entrepreneurial venture after they retire.

METAFICTIONAL EXPLORATIONS IN DETECTIVE FICTION: JULIAN BARNES'S ARTHUR & GEORGE AND POSTMODERN INTRICACIES

This research paper delves into the intricate realm of postmodern detective fiction through an in-depth analysis of Julian Barnes's novel, Arthur & George. Detective fictions of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie were formed following the notions of modernity and enlightenment ideals. However, postmodernism emerged as a counterforce to Enlightenment concepts, and detective fiction is no exception. Postmodern detective fiction subverts traditional detective story conventions through techniques such as metafiction, parody, and intertextuality. The present paper also explores fictions of postmodern authors like John Fowles, Umberto Eco, Paul Auster, and Jorge Luis Borges and their metafictional techniques to challenge the traditional detective's role and disrupt the boundary between fiction and reality with detailed analysis of these metafictional techniques in Julian Barnes’s novel Arthur & George.

Consciousness and enlightenment in the Boletim de Eugenia (1929-1933): Rethinking the concept of eugenic education in Brazil

This article analyzes the concept of eugenic education in the Boletim de Eugenia (1929-1933), the biggest specialized newspaper in the science of racial improvement and the main means of scientific racism's dissemination in Brazil. Edited in Rio de Janeiro by the doctor and pharmacist Renato Kehl between 1929 and 1931, its direction was assumed from 1932 by the professors of the Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” (ESALQ) Octavio Domingues and Salvador de Toledo Piza Júnior. Besides changing the periodical's characteristics, losing the aspect of a propaganda newspaper, and assuming the format of a scientific journal, the two renowned geneticists from Piracicaba scientifically supported Kehl's Mendelian eugenics, ensuring the continuity and radicalization of his project. Taking as a theoretical-methodological framework documentary research in dialogue with Critical Theory, we investigate the mobilization and the interrelation between the concepts of consciousness and enlightenment in the articles published in the Boletim de Eugenia. We found that the concept of eugenic education was presented in an ambiguous and contradictory way in these texts, reflecting the broad sense in which the term was structured by Francis Galton, but also how the notions of enlightenment and eugenic consciousness were interpreted by the journal's directors. We conclude that the term eugenic education, used in a generalizing form in the historiography of eugenics, is insufficient for a critical understanding of the narrow and broad meanings of education developed from Galton to the most radical members of the Brazilian eugenic movement.

The Level of Enlightenment of Arabic Language Teachers with the Writing Concept and its Learning and Teaching Principles

This study aimed to reveal the level of enlightenment of teachers of Arabic language in the basic stage, with the concept of writing and the principles of its learning and teaching, also aimed at investigating whether the level of teachers’ enlightenment concept of writing and the principles of their learning and teaching vary according to two variables (the academic qualification and educational experience).To achieve the goal of the study, a test was built to measure teachers' enlightenmentconcept of writing and the principles of its learning and teaching, The test consisted of (30) items of multiple choice type, After verifying the validity and reliability of the two tools, they were distributed to the study sample consisting of (205) male and female teachers, from all Arabic language teachers for the basic stage in the city of Salt,and were distributed in public and private schools in the second semester of the current academic year 2019/2020, they were chosen randomly.Descriptive statistics and binary variance analysis showed that the level of teachers' enlightenmentconcept of writing and the principles of its learning and teaching was acceptance:(less than medium), and there were statistically significant differences between the means of the level of enlightenment among teachers, according to the variables: (educational qualification and educational experience), and in favor of graduate students and those with educational experience, The effect of the educational qualification on teachers' literacy is different from the concept of writing and the principles of its learning and teaching according to different levels of educational experience. The study was concluded with a set of recommendations that confirmed the necessity of holding training courses for teachers of Arabic language to increase their level of literacy, the concept of writing and the principles of its learning and teaching.

Sodalism as Open Worldview: Conspiring to Dismantle the White Franchise

Sodalism as Open Worldview: Conspiring to Dismantle the White Franchise

The Development of the Discourse Surrounding ‘Social Improvement’ during the Anglo-Irish Trade Dispute, 1695–1800

The idea of social improvement, including the concept of ‘reciprocity’, had substantially been developed in the Anglo-Irish trade disputes since the late seventeenth century. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, however, commentators became more sceptical of ‘reciprocity’. The Irish reception of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations must be situated in this historical context, and the article explores the implications of the relevant discourses for John Robertson's concept of Enlightenment. Like in Scotland, ‘improvement’ was considered significant in eighteenth-century Ireland. Nevertheless, political economy played different roles in the two nations because of their different political systems and circumstances. Many, including Adam Smith, believed that political and constitutional, rather than economic, reforms would be more crucial to improving Irish society.

AFTER THE ENLIGHTENMENT: THE REDISCOVERY OF AVERROES BY TIEDEMANN AND HERDER

AbstractBoth Arabic modernists and Western humanists often regard the Muslim philosopher Averroes as one of the earliest precursors of Kant and the European Enlightenment. In contrast to this reputation, this paper argues that it was Kant’s critics Herder and Tiedemann who rediscovered Averroes. Tiedemann was the first German historiographer to give an accurate account of Averroes’ thought. This was accompanied by a re-evaluation of Averroes by Herder in his Letters for the Advancement of Humanity, in which he recognized the similarity between his own concept of the spirit of the age as historical reason – his alternative to the Enlightenment concept of a universal and ahistorical reason – and Averroes’ concept of a single material intellect for all individual human minds. Finally, the paper outlines the possible connections between Averroes’ interpretation of Aristotle’s intellect and Hegel’s concept of reason in history.

Kant and Mendelssohn on the limits of the Enlightenment

Kant’s conception of the Enlightenment, contrary to Mendelssohn’s, cannot be limited or constrained by designating a special sphere where ‘enlightened’ claims are applicable and another special sphere where ‘enlightened’ claims are not applicable. In contrast to some of the literature, I show that no single domain concerning human affairs is beyond Kant’s conception of the Enlightenment to the extent that no single domain is outside of reason. I show this to be the case by looking, first, at Mendelssohn’s conception of Enlightenment and its links to his understanding of moral progress and conscience. Because ‘Enlightenment’ designates the correct use of one’s own theoretical faculties, it is the task of formation (Bildung) to prevent the Enlightenment from extending beyond its legitimate domain. Thus, for Mendelssohn, the sphere of formation stands in stark opposition to the sphere of Enlightenment. I then look at Kant’s response to the question of what Enlightenment is and show that his deceptively simple answer is in fact underpinned, on the one hand, by a rather complex account of reason’s universality, public nature and communicability and, on the other hand, by a complex account of reason’s historical development. Kant’s conception of Enlightenment, unlike Mendelssohn’s, does not stand in opposition to a practical sphere insofar as Enlightenment designates the process of breaking away from immaturity (Unmündigkeit), a process the scope of which is necessarily unlimited.

The changing concept of enlightenment in Russia – An outline

At the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century there is a widespread renewal of interest in the “Project Enlightenment” and its relevance for the present day. The subject has rarely been touched upon in Russia. However, the concept “enlightenment” can be found in Russian present-day public discourse. Here the different Russian traditions in the interpretation of enlightenment are taken up once more. The changes and modifications of the concept “enlightenment” in Russian intellectual history lead to an understanding of the discourse of enlightenment in contemporary Russia. First of all, I sketch the most significant stages in the history of the concept of enlightenment in Russia. Important in this context is an anti-enlightenment campaign initiated and supported by the Tsar and the Church which claimed the concept of enlightenment as its own. A continuation of this movement can be found in some areas of contemporary public discourse which are essentially controlled by representatives of the Church. On the other hand, one finds in the media popular presentations of up-to-date scientific research where the principles of modern rationality and their importance for a culture of humanity are excluded. I show also the place of Kant’s philosophy in this tradition and conclude with a thesis concerning the prospects of the “Project Enlightenment” in Russia today.

«Консервативное просвещение» как «героизация настоящего»

This text is a polemic against the 2023 article by Sergey N. Gradirovsky who wrote about the present-day relevance of Immanuel Kant’s concept of enlightenment and challenged the idea of the modern human being as a child who needs an external guardian or guide to control his behaviour. In my polemic with Gradirovksy I point out that in addition to “self-incurred immaturity” Kant writes about the historical “immaturity” of savage or backward peoples. I also argue that for Kant “maturity” carries not only biological but also socio-historical connotations. I show that in the modern world Kant’s idea of the social or even historical maturity of the modern human acquires serious problematisation which was shown to be possible and inevitable in the article “What Is Enlightenment?” (1784) and its notion of the historicity of enlightenment, i.e. the very strategy of modernity is possible only when humankind reaches a certain historical age. Using as a point of departure the ideas of the French philosopher Michel Foucault, I maintain that the Kant­ian conception of enlightenment is at once ironic and tragic. It is ironic because it does not rule out that its main thesis on the historical maturity of the human being may turn out to be wrong. It is tragic because its main thrust is “heroisation of the present”, i.e. a readi­ness to resist the temptation of being absorbed by the future, which takes on added relevance in view of the virtualisation of reality.

Творческий потенциал систем искусственного интеллекта в контексте идеи нового просвещения

The modern world is confronted with a series of global problems, exacerbated by technological advancements. In this context, concerns arise in the public consciousness regarding the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to surpass humans in intellectual and creative activities. The topic of AI creativity becomes pertinent and sparks debates within the scientific community regarding its creative potential. In response to these challenges, members of the Club of Rome in 2018 propose the concept of a new Enlightenment and the principle of balance as a response to the demands of technological development. These ideas underscore the need for a balanced approach to technical progress, taking into account global values and ethical principles. I explore the definitions of creativity and AI, formulate criteria for assessing creativity, and analyse recent achievements in modelling creative processes in AI. I also focus on the utilisation of various algorithms for implementing diverse forms of creative activities, including text, image and music generation. Additionally, I present diverse opinions of researchers regarding creativity in AI. To systematise these perspectives, I propose a classification which allows their ranking. The conclusion emphasises that currently the issue of evaluating the creative potential of AI lacks a definitive solution, underscoring the relevance of further research. The future outlook may alter this situation, prompting the necessity to focus on predicting potential consequences of technological developments and developing mechanisms for controlling AI activities; humans, after all, bear responsibility for AI actions. Such an approach aligns with the concept of a new Enlightenment which seeks a balance between technological advancements and the preservation of global harmony.

The Concept of Enlightenment in Russian Philosophy of the 18th century

The Concept of Enlightenment in Russian Philosophy of the 18th century

Politika kritike - o društveno-politički angažovanoj dimenziji Fukoove metodologije

It seems that the work of Michel Foucault has, in the last decade, attracted some attention. This attention is a result of media engaging in a sensationalist way with his work and his private life. He is usually being portrayed as a radical postmodern nihilist, while his work is being blamed for inspiring contemporary identity politics and the practice of political correctness. These developments seem to us as a good reason to go back to Foucault's work. Since the relation between scientific work and social engagement is an important problem in contemporary social sciences and humanities, we decided to research the way Foucault conceptualized the relation between his intellectual work and his political activism. We begin our paper by elaborating some of the most important theoretical concepts in Foucault's work. We start from his notion of practice, as a form of social action, and then move on to the two types of practices Foucault distinguishes: discursive and non-discursive practices. In the end of this chapter, we present the notion of the "dispositive", which Foucault defines as an interconnected system of discursive and non-discursive practices, and his notion of subjectivity, which is defined as a relation an individual has with himself. In the next chapter we engage with methodologies Foucault uses in his research. We start with archeology, a methodology he used in the beginning of his work, while researching discursive practices. We then move on to genealogy, which is a methodology Foucault used to study systems that combine discursive and non-discursive practices. Since genealogy is the methodology, he envisions as being connected to political practice, we will especially focus on it. Precisely in the next chapter of our paper we will investigate the ways in which Foucault conceptualizes the relationship between genealogical research and political activism. We will show that he sees political activism as a primary criterion for choosing a research subject. Genealogical research then, for Foucault, provides a reflection on the history of an institution, around which the political struggle in question is waged. The results of the genealogical research are, for him, suppose to show how the institution in question is a product of contingent historical processes and, therefore, can be changed through political action, since it is not grounded in any metaphysical necessity. In the last chapter of our analysis, we will deal with Foucault's attempt to connect his genealogical research and political activism through an ethical framework. In this chapter we will present his concept of enlightenment, as an ethical tradition in which both his intellectual and political work can be situated. He conceptualizes the enlightenment as an "attitude", which consist of various kinds of practices, through which an individual constantly tests and transgresses existing boundaries, which are imposed on our actions and forms of subjectivity. Therefore, through these practices the individual, by his very existence, shows that those boundaries are contingent, and can be changed. In the conclusion our paper we, again, turn to contemporary characterizations of Foucault's work. We show that our elaboration of his ideas proves those characterization as inadequate and wrong.

Between duty and contingency. On some figures of the humanistic tradition in Kant

One must distinguish between the Enlightenment concept and the humanistic concept of humanity. The former indicates a universal deontological ideal; the latter a selective set of personal and social virtues. Kant is a champion of Enlightenment but inherits various aspects of the humanistic tradition that began at the end of the fourteenth century. This tradition, which largely coincides with the so-calledHofliteratur, eclectically combines elements of ancient and Christian ethics and adds a strong pedagogical, aesthetic and socio-political trait to outline a secular morality of self-government. After briefly presenting the Enlightenment “humanist family”, the article examines some figures of the humanistic tradition present in Kantian ethics: theWeltbürger, self-improvement andhumanitas. Through them I show the substantial role of education, taste and social interplay. They converge in the sphere of pragmatic anthropology, the moment morals become involved in the dramatic theatre of the world with its dialectic and rhetoric of appearance. Here the ethics of the imperative intersect with ethics as prudence and the art of living. Rational freedom intersects with the contingency of reality and the inscrutability of the psyche. Morality becomes more impure, but also richer and more suited to take up the challenge of being human.

Czy konstytucje amerykańska i brytyjska tak bardzo różnią się od siebie? Uwagi na marginesie rozważań Edmunda Burke’a

In constitutional law textbooks the American constitution is regarded as an example of the implementation of the Enlightenment concept of political order. In this respect it is contrasted with the British constitution. However, for Edmund Burke there was an important similarity between the two constitutions. For this old Whig, the Constitution of the United States was an integral branch of the British constitution that grew out of the unique circumstances existing in the American colonies. The authors analyse Edmund Burke’s argument through the lens of his concept of the constitution, the political philosophy of the Founding Fathers, and a comparison of American and British institutions.

The Influence of William Hogarth on Later Generations

The Influence of William Hogarth on Later Generations

Symbols in Chandra Shyam Dangol's Stone Sculptures

Chandra Shyam Dangol's stone sculptures have symbols that suggest the concepts of wisdom and enlightenment. The symbols are images that signify something else beyond themselves. The recurrent symbols in the sculptures are the figures of divinities, lotus, sword, mudras (gestures) of meditating characters and the image of Shivalinga. These mystical symbols suggest spiritual values. They make the viewers aware of the self and the external world and inspire the unity of these entities. Due to the mythical and spiritual subject matters, the works appear to be magical and mystical. The symbolic artworks enhance moral values and contribute to refine the civilization. 'Stone sculptures of Chandra Shyam Dangol', the area of this research, is explored from the symbolist perspective of Thomas Carlyle and Susanne K. Langer. Symbols suggest the silent aspects of reality. Symbols in Dangol's artworks suggest invisible spiritual dimensions of human experience. Since the paper derives the thesis statement through the interpretation of sculptures, andthere are the possibilities of multiple interpretations, this research is qualitative.