Status Of Philosophy Research Articles

Defending Indian Philosophy from the Criticisms of Stace

In his, A Critical History of Greek Philosophy, W. T. Stace denies to give Indian schools of thought a philosophical status. He gives three reasons for that—(1) Indian thoughts have practical motivation, (2) instead of rational explanation, it is content with symbolism, and (3) India lies outside the mainstream human civilization. In the defense of Indian philosophy, these three arguments have been countered in this paper from different perspectives. It has been shown that these arguments are rooted in scientism, extreme idealism, and ethnocentrism respectively. Stace has also argued that philosophy has four leading traits—(1) discussing the universe as a whole, (2) generalizing sciences, (3) idealism, and (4) non-practical motivation. For a proper defense, it has been shown that Indian systems share those traits. At the end, a conclusive remark has been given. It has been remarked that Stace’s case is an example of ethnocentric bias and racism. It has also been suggested that the interaction of the philosophies of different civilizations is necessary for the very sake of philosophy. Though this is not the first endeavor to defend Indian philosophy, the literature review (conducted by the author) suggests that Stace’s arguments haven’t been criticized separately. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#73-74; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2023 P 281-314

Environmental philosophy in Asia: Between eco-orientalism and ecological nationalisms

Environmental philosophy – broadly conceived as using philosophical tools to develop ideas related to environmental issues – is conducted and practised in highly diverse ways in different contexts and traditions in Asia. ‘Asian environmental philosophy’ can be understood to include Asian traditions of thought as well as grassroots perspectives on environmental issues in Asia. Environmental issues have sensitive political facets tied to who has the legitimacy to decide about how natural resources are used. Because of this, the works, practices, and researchers in Asian environmental philosophy are exposed to being (mis)used by diverse stakeholders and actors to support political ends not related to environmental sustainability. Two processes are at play at the nexus of the construction of identities in relation to conceptualisations of nature: eco-orientalism and ecological nationalisms. This paper analyzes and exemplifies these dynamics through a conceptual framework that distinguishes ideological and socio-technical explanations of environmental degradation. Finally, to minimise the risks of political misuse, five pathways are presented to carefully help curate environmental, philosophical statements: contextualise, quantify uncertainty and ‘uniqueness’, downscale, confront claims with local realities and literature, and collaborate with researchers from other disciplines. Conjointly, these pathways aim at favouring intercultural collaboration while valuing diversity, thus supporting the development and exchanges in environmental philosophy in Asia and beyond.

“Palamism” and “Barlaamism” in the Russian Name-Glorifiers Controversy of the 1910s: The Philosophical Background

AbstractI find two lines of interpretation of the philosophical status of “Palamism” and “Barlaamism” in the Russian thought of the late 19th to early twentieth centuries. One of these lines links Palamism with Aristotelianism and nominalism, and Barlaamism with Platonism and realism. The other line, conversely, connects Palamism with Platonism and Barlaamism with nominalism. I trace in detail the development and transformation of these lines in the course of the Name-Glorifiers controversy of the 1910s. I show the impact of the academic Byzantine studies of that time on the course of the theological debate.

Особенности социально-философского и философско-исторического подходов к исследованию цивилизационной проблематики

The author of the paper insists on the need to highlight two complementary aspects in understanding the nature of civilization. In one case, civilization is a historical era, and in the other, it is the civilizational development of individual local states or societies (local civilizations). The paper reveals the thematic field of research on civilizational issues from the perspective of socio-philosophical knowledge (including its philosophical and historical component). It is noted that the uncertainty and vagueness of the concept of civilization is largely due to the fact that its philosophical status has not yet been identified, since the concept is considered, as a rule, without connection with the system of socio-philosophical categories. An important theoretical issue is the question of civilizational self-awareness of society. i.e. awareness of oneself as a civilization. Further, the paper talks about the theoretical and practical significance of studying the level of development of local civilizations during the transition from an independent type of development to a dependent type of development. Much attention is paid in the paper to the analysis of the dependent and backward type of historical development of non-Western civilizations, which lasted during the five-century cycle of world history. The last section of the paper discusses a complex and not fully clarified question, which was posed by S. Fourier in all detail. Does civilization as a historical era have a time frame of existence or is this era forever? Today’s change in the vector of world development, the rejection of unipolarity allows the author to raise the question of the transition of humanity from the era of civilization to a new era, to the New modernity, when the further development of human society will take place according to the laws of culture.

Features of the Formation of Fractal-Holographic Thinking of Students: Perceptual Challenges of the Digital

Introduction. The article examines the features of the formation of fractal-holographic thinking of students in the system of modern education, starting from kindergarten and ending with university, in the context of the methodology of transdisciplinary research, organically linked to the synergetic paradigm, the key point of which is the fractal approach. The purpose of the article is to consider the essence of fractal-holographic thinking of students and the features of its formation in the context of the perceptual challenges of the digital age. Methodology and methods of research. The methodological basis of the research is fractal and transdisciplinary approaches that allow us to consider the process of formation of fractal-holographic thinking of students, emphasizing the perceptual challenges of the digital era in the context of the interaction of trends in aestheticization and technologization. Building the scientific concept of “fractal-holographic thinking of students”, philosophical statements about man as a bio-psycho-socio-cultural-existential phenomenon are taken into account. The results of the study. For the first time, the authors explore the fractal-holographic thinking of man from the perspective of such fundamental concepts as the concept of “beauty of fractals”, expressing the laws of harmony of nature, the concept of T.V. Chernihovskaya “The universe is a work of Baroque art”, as well as the archetypes of the unconscious Jung. Special attention is paid to the mechanisms of formation of fractal-holographic thinking of students, which functions in the context of an aestheticized and technologized world. The content of the study describes fundamentally new approaches regarding the phenomenology of “perceptual challenge”, which make it possible to effectively form fractal-holographic thinking of students in the era of digitalization. For the first time, an attempt has been made to classify and describe the perceptual challenges underlying the formation of fractal-holographic thinking of students of the third millennium in the context of the interaction of aestheticization and technologization trends. Conclusion. When explaining the essence of fractal-holographic thinking, its relationship with holographic and synergetic thinking is shown, the role of fractal-holographic thinking in the hierarchy of human thinking types is determined, and the emphasis is on the importance of art, which among human activities has the highest degree of creativity.

Эпистемологическая полезность художественных резиденций и шелуха повторений

In the article, artist residencies are considered as an object of research. The stereotypes associated with the role of artist residency in the artistic process are examined: for example, the idea of site-specificity and of the artist in residency as a person necessarily endowed with fresh optics and destined to make the place her own. The article notes that in the world of artist residencies, the mode of work for the result, or the creation of a work, and the mode of research are separated. Currently, there is a tilt towards research residencies. Further, the article discusses the specifics of artistic research and its role in the artistic process. Jean-François Lyotard’s approach to exhibitions as philosophical statements is mentioned and Nelson Goodman’s concept of the creation of worlds is analyzed. Strategies of work in the artist residency are described through specific ways of creating worlds, research in the residency is analyzed as an opportunity to construct a correct, that is, epistemologically productive version of the world. Through the expansion of some points of Goodman’s analytical aesthetics, the emphasis is placed on artist residency as a unique, laboratory, space/condition/ context for the creation of new symbolic systems — worlds — through the presentation of referential chains in their formation and deciphering. In the situation of artist residency, new worlds are being created literally before our eyes, and, taken as a subject of research, artist residencies provide conditions for the decomposition of the artistic process into its components. Artist residencies are spaces where connections between worlds unfold.

Assessing Indigenous Knowledge System through Oral Literature for Educational Transformation: A case of Yorùbá

Indigenous knowledge system is a communal knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and cultural-bound practices gained from one’s native community and transmitted over generations. As a land rooted knowledge, every community (including Yorùbá) has specific range of them. Scholars have worked on the role of indigenous knowledge generally on the generality of human existence with little attention paid to the invaluable importance of the indigenous knowledge system on the cognitive and cerebral development of the African youth. This study therefore, assessed the indigenous knowledge system through Yorùbá oral literature for educational transformation. The study examined different oral resources especially, the ones gained through intangible component of the cultural heritage (language) that can be incorporated in the national educational curriculum with a view to harnessing the wisdom in them for the promotion of youthful minds and enhancing mental power. Function approach to communication served as theoretical framework. An interpretive design was used. The data for the study were collected from the existing documents and electronic database through a purposive sampling technique. As oral collecting-driven study, the selected oral literature include philosophical statements, songs, children poem, and counting system The selected data were translated from the source language (Yorùbá) to the operational language (English). The data were subjected to content analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the children poems on thought and beliefs entrenched critical thinking in people’s mind whereas indigenous counting system enhance the children’s problem- solving skills. It is also established that intellectualism displayed by individuals in their fields of work is relative to the degree at which they maximized the acquired knowledge from the indigenous system. From this discovery, the study concluded that the most prominent medium capable of empowering people with philosophical and cognitive leaning is indigenous languages because they are divinely empowered for massive potential in economy, investment, science and technology. Hence, there should be concerted efforts by individual, government, and educational stakeholders in the documentation of oral materials to promote their acceptance. Doing that, would promote community-rooted knowledge in all the ethnic groups and enhance indigenous capacity for educational transformation and sustainability in Africa at large.

Redefining the Status of Philosophical Statements

In his foreword to the Philosophical papers by Hans Hahn, Karl Menger mentions a controversy about the possibility or impossibility to speak about language within the Vienna Circle in the early 1930’s. He then adds: “Waismann proclaimed that one could not speak about language. Hahn took strong exception to this view. Why should one not – if perhaps in a higher-level language – speak about language? To which Waismann replied essentially that this would not fit into the texture of Wittgenstein’s latest ideas.”1 Thanks to the publication of the protocols of the Vienna Circle by Friedrich Stadler in his book The Vienna Circle – Studies in the origins, development and influence of logical empiricism, we have access to some discussions within the circle in the years 1930 and 1931, that allow us a partial reconstruction of the controversy. In these minutes we attend a very lively discussion on the topic of ‘talking about language’. We would like to make more explicit the tenets of this controversy, starting from the discussions within the circle. We will then focus on the evolution of the positions of different members of the Circle, that reflect different attitudes towards this problem, that are expounded in articles published until 1936. Although its members strived to stay the closest, they could to the landmarks laid down by the Tractatus logico-philosophicus, some of its members broke with them in many respects. The need to admit the possibility of talking theoretically about language became more pressing as the works of Tarski and Godel began to exert an influence on the researches of its members. Two options emerged: talking about a language in another language (Hahn) or in the same language (Carnap). Hahn’s positions, despite their originality, stand close to those of Carnap, who presents in 1931 his meta-logical project. Disagreements with Waismann occured frequently. Neurath remained skeptical about such a development that could, according to him, lead back to metaphysical considerations. The protocols by Rosa Rand give us precious insights on the premises of this debate, symptomatic of the diversity of the positions and of the fruitfulness of the exchanges within the Vienna Circle at that time. However, this debate takes place in a broader setting, namely the discussion of the status of philosophical statements once the rejection of metaphysics is accomplished. The answers provided reflect strong dissenting currents within the circle. For Neurath, to conceive of philosophy as providing elucidations is mistaken. Science shall take the form of an encyclopedia, that contains heterogeneous discourses – exact formulated sentences, as well as piece of ordinary language – and is taken in a dynamic process. No discourse outside science can be accepted. For Schlick and Waismann, there is still room for philosophy as providing elucidations about language. For Carnap, the aim is to attain a logically suitable language for science; discussions in a natural language have only a provisional role, in order to attain an adequate language, in which the logic of science can be formulated.

The Life and Philosophy of Maria Vladimirovna Bezobrazova

The article presents an exploration into the history of Russian philosophy with the help of the genealogical approach, which, on the one hand, allows to take a fresh look at the texts of women philosophers and to approach them from new angles, and, on the other hand, actualizes the idea of alternative memory, an alternative history of philosophy, returning female thinkers to the field of historical research and finding a place for their ideas and theoretical achievements. The discourse-methodological analysis underlying genealogy allows to study utterances from the point of view of its social production, which leads to the problems of power and knowledge and shows that the latter is created not only through the discourse of affirmation, but also through that of exclusion. Consequently, it is not only necessary to deconstruct the dominant historical and philosophical discourse, but also to examine what this discourse excludes, and feminist genealogies set themselves such a task. This has led to a change in the status of philosophy itself, which can no longer be “high theorizing” about abstract principles, but becomes the practice of the political. This approach, applied to the analysis of the texts of the Russian thinker M.V. Bezobrazova, paints a clear picture of both the general philosophical significance of her ideas and the political meaning of the problems under study, and allows to trace the movement of thought from philosophy to politics. Of particular importance is the conclusion that the feminist analysis of the texts of women philosophers serves, first of all, to establish intergenerational dialogue and the manifestation of female solidarity.

The Idea of Communism and the Communism of the Idea

This essay articulates a double helix at work in Badiou’s thought on politics as a condition of philosophy and philosophy as such by focusing on what Badiou calls “the Idea of communism” and we will call “the communism of the Idea.” The former refers to communism as an Idea par excellence, while the latter concerns the Idea as a philosophical communism. The first section of the essay unpacks the Idea of communism as a composite interaction of politics, history, and subjectivity insofar as each of these elements cannot be taken in themselves. Contrary to post-ideology, Badiou condemns the claim that we should live without an ideological framework insofar as this asks us to live without an Idea. The second section will focus on the communism of the Idea as the result of Badiou’s broader philosophical project and its major Platonic gestures. Badiou’s broader concerns pertain to the commitment to live with an Idea as finite, infinite, and transfinite to the endpoint that philosophy itself is characterized to be destined for communism. The crux that anyone can become a serious philosopher if, to paraphrase Diotima in Plato’s Symposium, they gracefully lend themselves to the process of truths as their fundamental commitment.

Atheist Therapy: Radical Embodiment in Early Modern Medical Materialism

Materialism as a doctrine is, of course, a part of the history of philosophy, even if it was often a polemical construct, and it took until the 18th century for philosophers to be willing to call themselves materialists. Difficulties also have been pointed out in terms of “continuity,” i.e., does what Democritus, Lucretius, Hobbes and Diderot have to say about matter, the body and the soul all belong in one discursive and conceptual frame? Interestingly, materialism is also a classic figure in the history of medicine, often intersecting with philosophical considerations. Notably, the question of body-soul relations. This is apparent in Galen’s treatise on body and soul and then much more massively in the early modern period (with reference to Galen, but also Lucretius, and Aristotelian naturalism). In the following essay I reflect on the exact nature of early modern medical materialism, its philosophical status and contribution.

THE HISTORICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF ORTHODOXY IN THE CREATIVE HERITAGE OF P. YEVDOKIMOV

The article provides a general overview of the philosophical and epistemological vision of P. Yefremov’s views on the Orthodox worldview. The subject field of onto­gnoseological, methodological and anthropological components of P. Yevdokimov’s worldview position is outlined. The position of the thinker regarding the philosophical and theological components of the genesis of Orthodox doctrine is determined. P. Yevdokimov’s attempts to define the peculiarities of epistemological traditions of human cognition of the animal world and non­commodity God in the Eastern branch of Christianity are emphasized. The author analyzes the thinker’s reflections on the relationship between denominations in Christianity on the basis of ancient Greek philosophy and the theological tradition of the first five centuries. The author emphasizes the special role of Jewish and Byzantine cultures, as well as the teachings of Plato and Aristotle in this process. The eschatological characterization of Christianity in the views of P. Yevdokimov as a basis for understanding the mystical and sacred nature of the Creator’s dialogue with man and the world was considered. The issues of the methodological dimension of human cognitive capabilities are highlighted on the example of apophatic and cataphatic ways of comprehending the image of God. A descriptive and comparative analysis of these methods is carried out, their weaknesses and strengths are highlighted, as well as the impact of these methods on the Orthodox culture of thinking in general. P. Yvdokimov’s desire to point out the mystical and sacred nature of the dialogue between man and the Creator in the Christian worldview is emphasized. The author traces the creative attempts of the French thinker to include in his analysis a number of new concepts and their author’s content, which form our understanding of the semantic image of his philosophy. The author emphasizes the special philosophical status of man (as a subject of cognition) in the cognitive element of the human spirit, as a witness, commentator, participant and interpreter. The problem of love is revealed through an epistemological component, the important elements of which are the concepts of «heart» and «asceticism». This emphasizes the role of the monastic experience of Christianity in the formation of the Orthodox tradition of thinking. P. Yevdokimov’s view on a special way of interpreting the Holy Scriptures and the patristic heritage – through feelings, as a form of exegesis, which the thinker calls «the instincts of Eastern Orthodoxy» is studied.

Medical imagery in Maximus of Tyre's Orations.

Imagery is an overarching feature of Maximus of Tyre's Orations which has never been the subject of systematic investigation. This paper provides a starting point by focusing exclusively on medical imagery, one of the most pervasive and instrumental types of imagery in Maximus' work that has gone entirely unnoticed in the literature to date. This paper shows that Maximus uses medicine (especially its scientific basis and historical development), the physician (e.g. his skill, provision and sensitivity towards the patient), the body (its physiology and workings) and notions of health and disease with considerable diversity and creativity, in ways that make his examples stand out in relation to earlier (Platonic) or contemporary applications of the medical parallel. It argues that the use of the medical imagery in the pedagogical context in which Maximus' Orations were performed facilitated not just clarity but also concept formation and the shaping of a moral outlook as well as the familiarisation with the proper literary references and verbal and conceptual topoi for admission into the group of the educated elite. Another main thesis is that medical imagery valorises Maximus' philosophical status and his claims to Imperial-period acculturation, thus functioning as a trademark for the rhetorical philosophy he wished to promote.

Distinguishing and interrelation of the notions “concept”, “scheme”, “metaphor”

The article proposes a methodological scheme, on the one hand, describing the process of the formation of a new reality, which can later be constituted as an object (cognition or ideal), on the other hand, including logical “stops” interpreted as schemes, concepts and metaphors. The author presents a point of view on the distinction between the scheme and the concept of A. P. Ogurtsov, as well as his study of the development of metaphor in political discourse. On the material of the reconstruction of Plato's “Feast” and some statements of philosophers, the concepts of schema, concept and metaphor are characterized. It is argued that within the framework of the Aristotelian and Cartesian traditions of thinking, metaphors can be eliminated, and in creativity they are an integral element of any work.

왜 동물철학이 필요한가?

The author concludes that it is necessary to examine and reflect on the prevailing animal view in Korean society, which includes cows, pigs, goats, and even pets, and that a new alternative is needed. In that regard, the author plans to establish the concept, key issues, and philosophical status of animals in an academic manner by pioneering animal philosophy, as there has been no systematic discussion on animal philosophy in Korea so far. This article first addresses the question of “why animal philosophy is necessary in our society?” and aims to clarify the relationship between Christianity and animal philosophy. We will confirm that there has been a growing interest in the study of animals, animal ethics, and animal philosophy within the Korean Christian community. Here, we will examine the perspective of Andrew Linzey (1952-), a professor of theology at the University of Oxford in the UK, who advocates for the understanding of animals, animal rights, and the ethics of compassion from the perspective of Christian philosophy. In particular, we will focus on discussing the relationship between moral sensitivity towards animals and religion, the challenges that animal issues pose to traditional Christian theology, and the misconceptions about animal rights and Christian understanding. Lastly, we will examine the current significance of animal theology and animal philosophy as advocated by Linzey, as well as the influence of the Korean Christian community on these ideas.

Эффективная методология и ее место в интеллектуальной культуре

Profound changes have taken place in the society of the XXI century. In culture and civilization, the determining role (dominance) passes from science and education to technology and technic. Against the background of the decline in the authority of science and education in society, the situation with the status of philosophy, as well as methodology, has worsened. This provision is due to the fact that the subject of philosophy is knowledge, and for methodology it is scientific knowledge. It is proposed to consider knowledge according to K. Popper’s concept of three worlds. With the giving of a substantial status to knowledge, its origin should no longer be represented as the result of a reflection of reality. Let us define knowledge as an addition to the physical and mental beginnings of a three-component being. In order to show the productivity of the proposed change, a system-cybernetic model of contradiction is given. In the interests of developing an effective methodology, we turn to the concepts of mono- and multi-aspect approaches to any creative work. The situations of ‘not meaningful incompleteness’ are shown, when the researcher does not even think about the varieties of aspects that open up to the specialist when he starts working with the name of the study, and ‘meaningful incompleteness’, when knowing that it is impossible to consider all the variants of the topic, he justifies why he preferred this trajectory. The technologies of the formation of the names of creative works are presented, taking into account the installation on a single-aspect or multi-aspect study. In the course of solving the task of improving the effectiveness of the methodology, the issues of ontological and epistemic characteristics of the subject are touched upon, which is supplemented by direct indications of the division of knowledge into those that form a controlled subsystem – concepts, and those that form a controlling subsystem – categories. Methods for working with categories are formed – categorical system methodology (CSM), theory of dynamic information systems (TDIS, DIS), DIS-technology. CSM and TDIS are not only bases for the development of effective methodological projects, but they are focused on solving the problems of knowledge synthesis, which, in turn, should focus not only on interdisciplinarity, but also on the multi-aspect of the studied. The proposals outlined here are implemented in practice and in the educational process.

“The Song of Melancholy” / “Only Fool! Only Poet!”—Nietzsche’s Philosophical Poetry

This article analyzes Nietzsche’s poem “The Song of Melancholy,” which later appeared in the Dionysus Dithyrambs under the title “Only Fool! Only Poet!”. While Nietzsche scholars have noted that Nietzsche outlines a new poetic program in this poem that valorizes the commonly devalued terms “lie” and “robbery,” the question of the poet’s relationship to truth remains controversial. Existing interpretations of the poem tend to read the phrase “only poet” as limiting and pejorative, excluding the poet from any pursuit of truth. The reason for this interpretation lies in the fact that, according to Nietzsche scholarship, truth (as absolute) was abolished in Nietzsche’s analysis of nihilism. A reference to truth (however complicated) is still present in the poem’s depiction of a new poetic program. This program, it is argued, not only integrates philosophical reflection into the new poetic program (thus transcending the alternative of poetry or philosophy), but also reevaluates animality and sexuality as conditions of philosophy and poetry. The poet’s treatment of melancholy in Nietzsche’s poem is anticipated by the type of melancholic fool in Shakespeare’s comedies, who overcomes his melancholy by singing and laughing. The relationship between philosophy and poetry is thus contextualized in the historical semantics of the fool and melancholy.

The stakes of abyssal geography. Response to commentaries on David Chandler and Jonathan Pugh's ‘Abyssal geography’.

The stakes of abyssal geography. Response to commentaries on David Chandler and Jonathan Pugh's ‘Abyssal geography’.

Paradox and discovery: Iris Murdoch, John Wisdom, and the practice of linguistic philosophy

AbstractThis article argues that Iris Murdoch, who was supervised by John Wisdom during her 1947–48 fellowship at Newnham College Cambridge, went on to practice philosophy in a recognizably Wisdomian manner in her earliest paper, “Thinking and Language” (1951). To do so, I first describe how Wisdom understood philosophical perplexity and paradox. One task that linguistic philosophers should take up is to investigate the concrete cases that give paradoxical philosophical statements their sense and to sift the truth they contain from the distortion. I then show how this vision informed his critical reception of Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind as well as his own investigation of the Hidden Stream Paradox. Finally, I trace a similar approach to Murdoch's discussions of a paradox I call the Coarse Net Paradox. Recognizing Murdoch's intellectual inheritance from Wisdom enables us to see a thus‐far overlooked connection between Murdoch and the tradition of linguistic philosophy.

The devaluation of philosophical reflexivity in social research

ABSTRACT This paper argues that public accountability discourse and research quality processes designed to support it are associated with the validation of methodological approaches in social research which claim to capture the real condition of the social world and to remedy its ailments, supporting an expansion of representative modes of scholarship, and a technicist social research culture. Philosophically reflexive modes of thought in social research that offer an important check to power as knowledge are increasingly being marginalised. The paper concludes that the effects of discourse and practices of public accountability on methodological diversity in social research need to be considered in higher education critiques of power to resist this, necessarily entailing reflection upon the philosophical status of ‘objective knowledge’.