Contemporary Scientific Theories Research Articles

Imagined Musical Geographies in a Global Age: Views from Jodhpur, Istanbul and Buenos Aires, c. 1870–1930

Abstract This collection of papers explores the intellectual history of music in global context during the period between around 1870 and 1930. Following an introduction that discusses the state of the field, each of the three papers presents a case study that explores the intersection between music and global history from diverse perspectives. The first paper discusses a Hindi music treatise published in 1896. By situating this work within multiple ‘significant geographies’, the paper highlights the limitations of ‘global’ approaches that neglect the more immediate musical, social and intellectual environments of their subjects. The second paper analyses the intersection between music and Islamic modernism in the late Ottoman Empire. It argues that a Eurocentric understanding of music history propagated by earlier reformists was succeeded at the end of the nineteenth century by an oppositional narrative that drew on the geopolitical imaginary of pan-Islamism. The final paper discusses the work of the Argentine composer Alberto Williams, particularly in relation to his views on race and national music. The paper demonstrates how contemporary scientific theories such as positivism and Social Darwinism contributed to a narrative of national musical development that created hierarchies of musical genres and excluded Argentine composers of African descent.

Scientific Knowledge in Bacon Philosophy: Insights from Dialectical Materialism

Francis Bacon occupies a central position in the history of the philosophy of science, representing a pivotal shift from medieval to early modern scientific thought. Therefore, in the contemporary context, understanding Bacon's philosophy is crucial for appreciating the foundations of modern science and its ongoing evolution. The purpose of the article is to examine the enduring relevance of Francis Bacon's philosophy of science, particularly in the context of his emphasis on empirical methodology, experimentation, and the socio-cultural dimensions of scientific knowledge. By analyzing Bacon's contributions, the study aims to elucidate his methodological innovations and their implications for contemporary scientific practice and theory. The work uses thematic and comparative analysis to determine the role of F. Bacon's philosophy in the analysis of the concept of knowledge.The research highlights Bacon's seminal contributions to the philosophy of science, emphasizing his advocacy for empirical methodology, systematic experimentation, and the socio-cultural context of scientific inquiry. By critiquing the methodological limitations of scholastic philosophy and advocating for a methodological overhaul grounded in experience and observation, Bacon laid the groundwork for modern experimental science. In the conclusion, his integration of dialectical materialism and interdisciplinary perspectives underscores the significance of collective scientific endeavor and the foundational role of natural history in establishing the ontological basis of scientific knowledge. By elucidating Bacon's vision for a science that serves the general welfare of society, the study underscores the continued importance of his insights for addressing contemporary challenges and advancing scientific knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

"Heroic" medicine in neurology: A historical perspective.

Repetitive bloodletting, promoting profuse diarrhoea and vomiting, the formation of artificial ulcers, and other aggressive treatment methods based on humoral theory and Brunonian medicine were used for patients with nervous system (NS) diseases until the end of the 19th century. These methods are also termed "heroic" medicine by modern medical historians. I analysed doctoral dissertations on the subject of NS diseases, clinical reports from 1806 to 1842 from the Vilnius University clinics, and other primary sources. This study was conducted in the vein of a historical-medical analysis and synthesis of primary sources, using comparative analysis, analogy, descriptive methods, and the method of retrospective diagnosis. Copious bloodletting, purgatives, leeches, cupping therapy, and other potentially harmful methods were frequently employed as habitual treatments for patients with NS diseases. Calomel was used as a purgative and an anti-inflammatory drug, and acidum borussicum was prescribed for patients with hydrophobia. After analysing three clinical cases, I revealed how principles of desperate, "heroic" medicine were applied to treat severe NS diseases with the "strongest" drugs, described in the scientific literature of the time. My work was not intended to judge or criticize historical treatment methods but to demonstrate on what contemporary scientific theories they were based. We should not rule out the idea that some aggressive treatment methods used nowadays, although they eradicate or reduce the burden of a NS disease, or even prolong patients' lives, may offer exceptional examples of 21st century "heroic" medicine for future generations.

Ibn Taymiyya on Human Nature and Belief in God: Using the Cognitive Science of Religion to Study the Fiṭra

Ibn Taymiyya proposes his unique epistemology by employing the concept of the fiṭra. When his statements describing the fiṭra are collected, we see that Ibn Taymiyya has presented a detailed view of human nature and how that nature relates to God and the universe as a whole. His fiṭra-centric theory of human nature can be usefully compared to other theories, not only within the Islamic tradition but also in theories of the self found in other religions or even contemporary scientific theories. As of yet, Ibn Taymiyya’s work has not been studied through the lens of Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR). Ibn Taymiyya is an ideal candidate for applying CSR research to Islamic thought in order to reach broader insights about theories of human nature within the Islamic scholarly tradition. CSR findings are relevant to Ibn Taymiyya’s work specifically because Ibn Taymiyya claims that certain human emotions, intuitions, and behaviors are inborn and universal. By applying CSR, we can conclude that some aspects of Ibn Taymiyya’s theological perspective are grounded in deeper and more universal features of human cognition that are not specific to the particularities of his biases, his milieu, political pressures of his time, etc.

The Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns and the Theory of Modernism

This paper considers issues of convergence of classical and modernist art theories on the example of the so-called Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The works of the main participants in this debate, Charles Perrault and Nicolas Boileau, are examined in the context of the theory of modernism and questions of the origin of modernist art. The aggravation of the contradictions between the two versions of the theory of classicism and, more broadly, the two concepts of modernity, led to the formation of new views on the nature of art in the era of late Louis XIV. The leader of the “Moderns,” Charles Perrault, became the founder of the rationalistic and scientistic theories of modernism, gravitating towards aestheticism, formalism, and semiotics of art. In this article, his theories are explored in connection with the modernist formalist discourse and theoretical work of Clement Greenberg. In addition, Charles Perrault’s theory of art is placed in the space of the theory of “aesthetic modernism” (aesthetic movement) and the theory of “art for art’s sake.” Particular attention is paid to the comparative characteristics of the texts of Charles Perrault, Oscar Wilde, and Julius Meier-Graefe. In turn, the works of the chief theoretician of the “ancients,” Nicolas Boileau, are studied in the context of ideas of the “conservative revolution.” From this perspective, the interpretation of the category of the sublime by Pseudo-Longinus, Boileau, and representatives of romantic culture is assessed. The author concludes that Nicola Boileau and Charles Perrault represent different equal branches of modernist discourse. At the same time, Charles Perrault managed not only to anticipate certain phenomena of the culture of modernism in his texts, but also to take important steps towards the contemporary scientific theory of art.

Plato on Democritean Films

Abstract Through close reading, I show that in Plato’s discussion of the lover (erastēs) and beloved (eromenos) at Phaedrus 250d-251c we can recognize an overlooked reference to the theories of the early atomist, Democritus. In particular, Plato borrows Democritus’ term for visual images/films, eidōla, while alluding to Empedocles’ similar theory of vision through effluences, aporroai. I also analyze the repeated stress on the adjective, enargēs, within the same context. Like eidōlon, the term enargēs would be picked up by later Hellenistic philosophers and become vital to their theories on criteria of truth and self-evidence, enargeia. By examining Plato’s usage of Democritus’ eidōla coupled with the adjective enargēs, first employed here in a philosophical context, we can not only better understand how Plato adapts contemporary scientific theories to suit his own philosophical principles, but also see how Democritus’ and Plato’s terminology would eventually influence Epicurus and the Stoa.

“Habits of the Flesh” and the Call to Conversion

In this essay, the author “scrutiniz[es] the ‘signs of the times’ and seek[s] to detect the meaning of emerging history” to explore the call to conversion issued by the 1971 Synod of Bishops in Justice in the World (JW). In that document, they condemn oppressive systems of domination that hinder authentic human development and urge people toward conversion of the Spirit, which “frees [them] from personal sin and from its consequences in social life.” To determine what it is that people are to convert from, this essay builds on an evolutionary framework—developed through Augustine’s ecology and contemporary scientific theory—and explores how this framework can help limit the pursuit of domination in favor of promoting a more integrated and just world. Doing so contributes to the dialogue concerning how Christians can “work out their salvation by deeds of justice,” in light of the prescient framework delivered in JW.

FROM SPONTANEOUS GENERATION TO COSMIC ABIOGENESIS. AN ATTEMPT AT SYSTEMATIZATION OF BIOGENESIS THEORIES

The question of the origin of life interested people for centuries. All existing views on this subject can be classified into different areas of our knowledge of the world: natural sciences, philosophy, and theology. Some theories (perhaps the majority) contain more or less explicit elements from all of these areas. Thus, it is helpful to take a closer look at them and to classify all the typical groups of theories about the origins of life. We can in this way stress their mutual connections and clarify their own nature. Nowadays, driving forces of pre-biological chemical evolution and the explanation of the transition from “non-life into life” present a great variety of solutions. The differences between the theories, however, as well as the current controversies in the scientific community (e.g., what was “in the beginning”?; where did prebiotic evolution take place? etc.), will be shown to be of secondary importance in comparison with several much more profound philosophical assumptions underlying the origin-of-life-studies. The attempt to organize and classify different types of theories on the genesis of life allows to take into account different kinds of perspectives (theistic, philosophical and scientific), and to compare them to each other. The most general division between theories is based on a distinction between metaphysical conceptions and scientific ones. Some theories answer the question of the emergence of life in general, whereas others tackle the question of the origin of life on Earth only. Interestingly, two traditional ideas concerning the problem of the origin of life (i.e., spontaneous generation and panspermia) are still at play in contemporary scientific research, albeit in a modified form. In the perspective of contemporary scientific research on the origin of life it seems interesting that two main ideas concerning the problem of the origin of life, spontaneous generation and panspermia, are still present as presuppositions of certain theories but have been modified. Moreover, it is evident that the theistic view of the origin of life (creation) does not have to fall into conflict with contemporary scientific theories. Rather, they are complementary. This article is an extension, explanation and refinement of the proposed scheme of the main types of theories on the origin of life. An attempt to classify various biogenesis theories is also proposed. One of the most important questions that will be addressed concerns the philosophical presumptions of biogenetics still informing current research as well as scientific explanations of the origin of life.

Problemy z moralnością zwierząt


 
 
 Problems with animal morality: The paper aims at discussing the category of animal morality in the light of contemporary scientific findings and theories. First, the issue of moral development is reconsidered in the context of evolutionary anthropology and primatology, then the main positions in this debate are presented. The author proposes a typology which is based on a distinction between various senses of morality, namely a descriptive, neutral, and normative sense (i.e. evaluative). These three aspects of morality are explained in detail and used when analyzing the problems specific to animal morality. The idea of morality applied by the leading participants of ongoing debates is also discussed. The article concludes with an observation that the main problem of these debates is not the very definition of morality and, at the same time, answering the question as to whether animals (individual species) are moral beings or not, but rather what is essentially problematic are the consequences to be implied from a specific understanding of morality.
 
 

Virginia Woolf in the River: The Intersection of Eastern Philosophy and Western Modernism in Mrs. Dalloway

The modernist period ushered forth numerous scientific and philosophical theories that had a notable influence on art, literature, psychology, and philosophy. Discoveries such as Einstein’s general theory of relativity inspired theologians, philosophers, and psychologists to focalize new concepts of self, identity, time, reality, and human experience. These shifts in contemporary human understanding developed in concurrence with increased global travel and intellectual exchange between Western and Eastern countries. As a result, writers, philosophers, and artists became more interested in Buddhism and other Eastern philosophical beliefs. Virginia Woolf, while being a self-proclaimed atheist, was deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy and well versed in contemporary scientific theories. Drawing on literary and biographical criticism of Virginia Woolf, I trace the intersections of Eastern philosophical beliefs and Western scientific theories through the stream of consciousness narration of Mrs. Dalloway by analyzing both what and how things are experienced by individual characters. In the novel, the integration of each character's stream of consciousness fabricates a dissonant medium in which singular moments in the present time are experienced through the minds of multiple characters, while they simultaneously navigate past spans of time within their individual narrative consciousness. Through the analysis of narrative form and narrative consciousness in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, it is possible to track the impact of Eastern philosophies and Western scientific theories in the novel’s exploration of external and internal perceptions of reality.

How Psychoanalytic Process’s Work: Considering the Relation between Traditional Theory and Contemporary Scientific Theory and Techniques

The main aim of this article is to try and demonstrate the difficulties and obstacles involved during the process of psychoanalytical therapy, mainly a case conceptualization by taking both traditional Psychoanalytical theory and contemporary scientific findings into consideration. By looking at the traditional theory of psychoanalysis, it is palpable that interpretation and the study of the human mind will eventually deem the issue of subjectivity undeniable, as you will see from the reference section, of those used; essential materials from the International Journal of psychoanalysis, introductory lectures of Freud, and studies of hysteria and also for the contemporary reference, lecture notes of Wilma Bucci (2009). This article will focus mainly on resistance, and what then is the cure? Freud described the notion of an analytic cure in ‘Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis’. Through this method, psychoanalysis sets itself up as the ‘talking cure’ and communication, its weapon. Any process of communication which does not have the aim of providing a cure isn’t in the strict sense of the word, psychoanalysis. According to Freud, the ego is the source for three types of resistance while the super-ego and the Id is responsible for each other. This article has no methodology since all the information used is based on theoretical information obtained from reliable sources and all references have been included accordingly. According to Wilma, the contemporary psychoanalytic process differs. Due to the nature of this article, the conclusion is the fact that further research is required to observe how exactly theory relates to technique and therapy becomes more effective.

Antes del Arte in Spain (1968–1969): Merging Art, Science and Politics in the Heat of the Cold War

This article concerns Antes del Arte, a vanguard Spanish art group that existed from 1968 to 1969. Through specific examples, the author explains the group's history and theoretical basis as well as its artistic production. Discussing the references taken from contemporary aesthetic scientific theories, the author analyzes the substantial theoretical framework that the art critic Vicente Aguilera Cerni introduced into the group's manifestos. Finally, she addresses the specific role that the interactions between the artistic and the scientific fields had in the context of Spain's Franco regime.

Категория места в современной теории экономического пространства

Various aspects of spatial economics have taken a meaningful place among actively evolving directions and issues of current economic theory, in the context of aggravated global competition driven by searching out new opportunities for building up the competitive performance of national economies. It is now becoming apparent that the theory of economic space has a great potential key for understanding and elucidation of processes and effects of ongoing socio-economic transformations. A particular manifestation of such a potential to be better explored is the category of place representing quite a dense matrix where various features of economic space meet and intersect. Therefore the elucidation of the place category is closely tied with extending scientific inquiry and shaping an interdisciplinary discourse. The authors focus on assessing the state of spatial economics in the context of current socio-economic transformations; defining place as a fundamental category of this theory; opening up new possibilities for location in actual spatial economy; setting new trends in spatial economics through implementation of the above capabilities; and applications arising from place category findings in the economic space theory. From the perspective of place category the authors explore the bottlenecks and inconsistency of modern socio-economic transformation processes, evaluate their effects at different levels, and assess available tools for the corresponding applications. The article offers recommendations for upgrading spatial aspects of the state economic policy and public management. The obtained results refer to a new and promising direction of the interdisciplinary scientific inquiry warranting the essential novelty and polemical character of the provisions, conclusions and recommendations presented in the article. The study employs the educational resources of the systemic approach, the dialectical method and some contemporary scientific theories such as cognitive economics, socio-economic transformations, human capital, evolutionary and institutional theories, etc.

The Message of The Quran Karya Muhammad Asad

This study aimed to find methodologies of translation and interpretation of The Message of the Qur`ān and the contribution of The Message of the Qur`ān to the development of the study of the Qur`ān. This study is library research with the inferential-descriptive method using historical, linguistic, and philosophical approaches. The primary data of this research is the translation and interpretation of the Qur`ān in The Message of the Qur`ān. The study shows that the type of translation of the book is tafsiriyyah translation with grouping some verses based on the small themes in the surah (munasabah). Asad interpreted the Qur`ān using the sequence of surah (tartib mushafi), with the analytical method (tahlili) and the style of adabi ijtima’i. The sources of his interpretation include the Qur`ān itself, the Hadis, the interpretation from the earlier scholars, asbab al-nuzul, sirah, dictionaries both Arabic and English, Bible, and the contemporary scientific theories. Through his work, Asad not only presented the translation with a strong linguistic study, but also enlivened the study on the Qur`ān studies, such as muhkam-mutasyabih, nasikh-mansukh, and the stories in the Qur`ān. The Message of the Qur’an has been written in the contemporary method and become one of the comprehensive English translations of the Qur`ān for Muslims today.

Science and Integral Catholicism in Interwar Argentina

Abstract During the interwar period of the twentieth century, the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina experienced a transition from a ‘liberal’ model to a pattern of ‘integral Catholicism’ in which its values and norms were thought as the ultimate foundation of the political, social, and cultural world. This paper examines the views of representative Catholic figures on the relationship between science and religion and contemporary scientific theories such as relativity, evolution, and the nature of life, relating them to the corresponding historical scenario. The absence of correlation between the scientific and ideological positions of the actors confirms the prevalent idea of complexity at the time of analysing the relationships between science, religion, and politics.

Проектная деятельность: анализ теоретических подходов в контексте психолого-педагогических исследований

We consider project activities as a social, psychological and pedagogical phenomenon. From the standpoint of systemic and activity-based approaches, we conduct an analysis of the content of the project activities structural components, their relationship and interdependence. As a methodological basis for the study, we use contemporary scientific theories and concepts to identify psychological mechanisms that ensure the success of project activities as a special synthetic form of human activity. We reveal the essential characteristic of value-orientational, cognitive, transformative and communicative components, identified in the project activities structure. The phenomenon is considered from the position of structural and functional approaches, allowing to reveal its general and specific characteristics. The scientific novelty of the study is to substantiate our own position, formulating a new scientific definition of the “project activities” concept.

Jak zaczęło się życie? Zarys systematyzacji teorii dotyczących pochodzenia życia

Zagadnienie pochodzenia życia stanowi przedmiot ludzkich dociekań od wieków. Wszystkie istniejące poglądy na ten temat można przyporządkować do różnych obszarów ludzkiej wiedzy o świecie: nauk przyrodniczych, filozofii, teologii. Warto przyjrzeć się im bliżej i spróbować uporządkować je według określonej typologii. Można wówczas dostrzec istniejące między nimi powiązania i relacje, które wskazują na charakter tych poglądów. Różnice między istniejącymi współcześnie teoriami biogenezy, występujące na gruncie przyrodniczym, zostaną przedstawione jako drugorzędne w porównaniu z różnicami wynikającymi z filozoficznych założeń leżących u podstaw badań nad genezą życia. Propozycja uporządkowania i klasyfikacji różnego rodzaju teorii genezy życia umożliwia wyodrębnienie koncepcji określonego typu: teistycznych, filozoficznych i przyrodniczych oraz porównanie ich ze sobą. Najbardziej ogólny podział w tym zakresie pozwala na wyróżnienie koncepcji metafizycznych i koncepcji przyrodniczych. Niektóre z nich odpowiadają na pytanie o powstanie życia w ogóle, a inne dotyczą jedynie kwestii pochodzenia życia na Ziemi. W perspektywie współczesnych badań naukowych na temat pochodzenia życia wydaje się interesujące, że dwie główne historyczne idee dotyczące problemu powstania życia, samorództwo i panspermia, wciąż są obecne w założeniach wspomnianych teorii, oczywiście w zmodyfikowanej postaci. Artykuł stanowi omówienie i wyjaśnienie proponowanego schematu klasyfikacji głównych typów teorii na temat pochodzenia życia, w którym kluczową rolę odgrywa kryterium natury filozoficznej. Jednym z najważniejszych pytań, na które wspomniany schemat dostarcza odpowiedzi, jest pytanie o to, które z filozoficznych założeń obecne w przyrodniczych teoriach biogenezy okazały się trwałe mimo zmian i różnic występujących w ich warstwie ściśle przyrodniczej.

A Manifesto Against Failures of Understanding: Ian McEwan’s Atonement

ABSTRACTIn this article I will explore the ways in which Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement (2001) engages with contemporary scientific and philosophical theories of intersubjectivity. Recent cognitive and philosophical approaches to intersubjectivity deem as reductive an understanding of social interactions solely in terms of “theory of mind,” i.e., as inferential and observational processes, and provide instead a multilayered account of intersubjectivity incorporating the embodied and affective coupling between self and others (primary intersubjectivity), the capacity to participate in cooperative projects (secondary intersubjectivity), and narrative competences/practices. Through a close reading of how McEwan stages and reflects on the complex interplay between understanding and misunderstanding lying at the heart of social interaction, I will argue that Atonement can be read as a critique of complex forms of social interaction (including storytelling), advocating instead a reliance on embodied, affective, and collaborative forms of intersubjectivity.

The ontology of quantum field theory: Structural realism vindicated?

In this paper I elicit a prediction from structural realism and compare it, not to a historical case, but to a contemporary scientific theory. If structural realism is correct, then we should expect physics to develop theories that fail to provide an ontology of the sort sought by traditional realists. If structure alone is responsible for instrumental success, we should expect surplus ontology to be eliminated. Quantum field theory (QFT) provides the framework for some of the best confirmed theories in science, but debates over its ontology are vexed. Rather than taking a stand on these matters, the structural realist can embrace QFT as an example of just the kind of theory SR should lead us to expect. Yet, it is not clear that QFT meets the structuralist's positive expectation by providing a structure for the world. In particular, the problem of unitarily inequivalent representations threatens to undermine the possibility of QFT providing a unique structure for the world. In response to this problem, I suggest that the structuralist should endorse pluralism about structure.

The quantitative content of statistical mechanics

I give a brief account of the way in which thermodynamics and statistical mechanics actually work as contemporary scientific theories, and in particular of what statistical mechanics contributes to thermodynamics over and above any supposed underpinning of the latter׳s general principles. In doing so, I attempt to illustrate that statistical mechanics should not be thought of wholly or even primarily as itself a foundational project for thermodynamics, and that conceiving of it this way potentially distorts the foundational study of statistical mechanics itself.