Dialectical Understanding Research Articles

Studying Revolutions Through Antonio Gramsci’s Concept of Historical Bloc: Insights from Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria

Scholars of the Middle East have questioned whether, and to what extent, the waves of mass mobilizations that swept the region in the 2010s can be considered revolutions. The article seeks to contribute to this debate by adopting what György Lukács terms the Marxist standpoint of concrete totality. This allows for a dialectic understanding of reality in which the whole ceaselessly reinvents itself in relation to its parts. In analytical terms, concrete totality is understood through Antonio Gramsci’s concept of historical bloc, which represents the moment of unity in a society, when multiple factors create and in turn are shaped by an unstable and changing whole. The article argues that it is by exploring the hegemonic contraction of the historical bloc, the outbreak of a revolutionary situation, and the subsequent struggle to reshape society among various and unstable networks, that revolutions can be understood. The cases of Tunisia (2010–2014), Egypt (2011–2013), and Algeria (2019–2021) are selectively used to show how this approach works empirically.

Beyond happiness: The three waves of positive psychology and the future of wellbeing

This editorial explores the evolving landscape of positive psychology by tracing its development through three major waves and outlining emerging discussions toward a potential fourth. The first wave, launched in the late 1990s, emphasized individual strengths, positive emotions, and subjective wellbeing—largely shaped by Western epistemologies and dominated by quantitative, empirical methodologies. While foundational to the field, this wave has been critiqued for neglecting complexity, cultural diversity, and ethical concerns. In response, the second wave introduced a more dialectical understanding of wellbeing, integrating both positive and negative experiences and recognizing the transformative potential of adversity. This phase embraced contextual sensitivity, methodological pluralism, and cross-cultural considerations, fostering a more nuanced view of human flourishing. Building on these earlier developments, the third wave of positive psychology adopts a systems-level and interdisciplinary approach. It emphasizes interconnectedness, ecological and cultural contexts, spiritual dimensions, and social justice. This wave views wellbeing as a dynamic, relational, and ethically grounded phenomenon that transcends individual psychological states. Researchers increasingly engage in post-disciplinary collaborations, employing diverse methods to understand how flourishing unfolds across individuals, communities, and ecosystems. The editorial also highlights initial proposals for a fourth wave that aligns wellbeing science with global challenges such as sustainability, equity, and public health—framing flourishing as a shared responsibility in an interconnected world. Ultimately, this editorial calls for a reimagining of positive psychology as a science not just of personal happiness but of collective and sustainable wellbeing. By embracing complexity, humility, and global perspectives, future directions in the field can better serve the diverse needs of humanity and foster flourishing at both individual and societal levels.

HOMELAND IS A UTOPIA OF PLACE (TO THE ANALYSIS OF MASS CONSCIOUSNESS)

The work is devoted to the philosophical analysis of the utopian character of the representations of homeland in mass consciousness. The aim of the article is to substantiate the utopia of the homeland as an existential problem of human existence. The subject of theoretical analysis is the dialectics of the connection between utopian thinking and mass consciousness. The nature of these phenomena determines the peculiarity of the properties of the utopia of the homeland. In the course of the study the results were obtained, which can be characterized as an addition to the already available knowledge about mass consciousness. The answer to the question of the attitude of the carrier of mass consciousness to society may indicate his indifference, at first glance, to social life. But when the triad of future, society, and homeland is identified, «passivity» disappears. The homeland of one is not only a «personal presence», it concerns everyone, because he who has realized the phenomenon of homeland has come out of loneliness, thus absorbing everything outside himself. This is how people in the mass of people develop a sense of the relations by which they are bound in social life, the dependence of the small on the great and the great on the small. Not every essence can be expressed in words; there are essences of which a man cannot express a concept in words if he has not had spiritual and material experience of that essence. Here the word does not speak of a concept, but serves only as a designation of experience. The concept of homeland can be referred to such words. Life with the homeland is the realization of the necessity to harmonize thought, feeling, and action with the entire wholeness of one’s being, referred to the common. There are people whose image of homeland is absolutely indisputable. Others, participating in its creation, pose questions to themselves and others. Still others transform the vision of homeland into a myth. Fourths abandon it or destroy the one they already have. And finally, those who remain in search of the present and future of the image of the homeland, even assuming the unattainability of the goal of searching for special connections of the present with the past and future. This position indicates a special point of view in mass consciousness on the functional understanding of the utopia of the homeland, which is subordinated not so much to the immediate, but to the prospective interests of its bearer. Considering this approach we can come to the conclusion that for the utopia of the homeland in mass consciousness it is necessary to distinguish the internal basis of this concept, as well as to connect its existence with external features that are probabilistic in nature. Utopian consciousness is not identical to mass consciousness; it is represented in it not only by a style of thinking, but also by a special kind, which is the utopia of the homeland. The specifics of mass consciousness form the content of the utopia of the homeland. The emotional and value content of the utopia of the homeland removes the question of reality or possibility, freeing people from the task of establishing the truth/ falsehood of the shared ideal. The methodological approach proposed in the article allows us to reveal the motivation of mass consciousness bearer’s appeal to the utopia of the homeland both in a concrete-historical context and in a timeless one. The study of the relationship between the utopia of the homeland and mass consciousness is carried out in the aspect of dialectical understanding of the dual nature of these phenomena. Utopia of the homeland may have a national form of expression, but it is a universal phenomenon: it is a constant category of all times and peoples, expressing the need of man both in projects of the future and in the way of adaptation to the present. Utopianism is a way of seeing the world, not the world itself, a method of analyzing events and processes, not the events and processes themselves, a method of searching for truth, not the truth itself. The utopia of the homeland is the work of searching for or reproducing the meanings of the life activities of everyday life. The utopia of the homeland appeals to a large extent to the feelings of the individual and thus serves as an effective means of attracting his interest and directing his will.

Collective Diversity Management Assistance in Relation to Structural Willingness of Teachers in Public Elementary Schools

This study aimed to determine if cultural diversity management skills significantly predict organizational competitiveness among teachers. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving a total of 132 public elementary school teachers in Baganga South District during the school year 2022–2023. Standardized questionnaires were used for data collection. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation (SD), Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression. The results revealed that the cultural diversity management skills of teachers, particularly in terms of interpersonal skills, dialectical understanding, versatility, ethnicity, and social status, were described as high. Similarly, the structural willingness of teachers, as reflected in factors such as welfare, individual engagement, and selection processes, was also rated as high. Correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between cultural diversity management skills and structural willingness. It is recommended that schools further enhance teachers' interpersonal skills, conflict resolution abilities, and cultural awareness to improve both cultural diversity management and organizational competitiveness. Additionally, school administrators may focus on refining recruitment, selection, and promotion processes to ensure that new hires align with the school’s values and culture, which will strengthen overall competitiveness and contribute to a positive and inclusive school environment.

"Life Goes On," "Light Lemon with Dark Inversion," and "Cold River Way"

As a colourblind person, Owen is interested in monochromatic imagery both as a preferred style of creating artwork and as a conceptual bed of inspiration. Black and white, yin and yang, negative and positive, light and dark. It's impossible to know one without the other. This understanding informs how processes of change occur and how we know and move through the world. Ancient bacteria developed ocular capacities to distinguish the difference between light and dark. They made symbolic associations with this sense to more deeply understand where warmth and life-giving resources are and to understand their place and what to do in it. This dialectical understanding is the basis of living experience as we know it, and our development depends on it. We are constantly responding to a lack of things by inserting things. If either light or dark exists in excess, we lose the ability to know and enjoy dynamics. When they exist harmoniously, we know our place more deeply, hopefully well enough to expand its benefits to those who can see it. This artwork is meant to evoke a dynamic sense of an ever-changing place, and our imminent capacity to expand its bounty in relational harmony with our place and each other. Media used: clay, scratchboard

The Rich Gloss of Surface: Allegory and Sacred Theft in The Merchant of Venice

ABSTRACT In criticism, the motif of theft in The Merchant of Venice has simply been regarded as an ironic counterpoint to the characters’ invocation of Christian values. In contrast, this article argues that Shylock’s account of Jacob’s ewes – a narrative of primordial appropriation and displacement – introduces a sense of unease at the imputation of theft that at first seems to characterise the Jewish moneylender but then gradually afflicts characters across the religious divide, creating complex networks of remorseful thieves in Venice and Belmont. The play’s obsessive concern with shiny outer surfaces – rich fleece and gilded caskets – inscribes both allegorical interpretation and the acquisition of wealth within a sacred economy of theft, the theological resonance of which has not been fully recognised. Like St Augustine and John Donne, Shakespeare reads biblical thievery as a generalised sign of man and woman’s abject sinfulness. In the process, the play’s dialectical understanding of thrift and theft, transfer and supplanting, deceptive covering and hidden truth acquires a profound, deeply conflicted, soteriological meaning. Written at a time of growing hermeneutical instability, the comedy problematises attempts to demarcate in-groups of the elect by showing that to possess the blessing is to develop a peculiar consciousness of misappropriation.

The double-edged sword effect of conscientiousness on the work engagement of medical staff in Chinese public hospitals.

In China, medical staff in public hospitals are the primary providers of healthcare services. Their work engagement directly affects patients' perceptions of the level and quality of their medical services. Conscientiousness has a significant impact on the work engagement of medical staff, but the mechanism between the two is not yet clear. This study examined the double-edged sword effect of conscientiousness on medical staff work engagement, with a particular focus on exploring the mediating effects of thriving at work (TAW) and workload, as well as the moderating effect of perceived insider status (PIS). The study sample was drawn from four public hospitals in the Jiangsu Province, Shanghai City, and Zhejiang Province. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS, and mediation and moderations effects tested were conducted through the Bootstrap method. The results demonstrate the following: (1) conscientiousness has a positive effect on the work engagement of medical staff; (2) conscientiousness has a positive effect on work engagement through thriving at work (TAW), and a negative effect on work engagement through workloads; (3) perceived insider status (PIS) moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and TAW, and the relationship between conscientiousness and workloads; and (4) PIS moderates the indirect effect of conscientiousness on work engagement through TAW, whereas the mediated relationship is strengthened when medical staff members exhibit a higher PIS. Simultaneously, PIS moderates the indirect effect of conscientiousness on work engagement through workload, and the mediating relationship is weakened for medical staff members who have a higher PIS. This study provides a balanced and dialectical understanding of the impact of conscientiousness, providing significant reference for enhancing the work engagement of medical staff in public hospitals.

The forgetting of Hegel in Ernesto Laclau: An unfortunate disengagement

Ernesto Laclau criticises Hegelian dialectics for allegedly introducing the logic of necessity into Marxism, which, he argues, hinders the consideration of contingency. This article examines Laclau?s interpretation of Hegelian dialectics across various works and scrutinises his exploration of the concepts of determination, negativity, and contingency. Revisiting these concepts may offer a non-deterministic understanding of dialectics more aligned with post-foundational political thought, thereby facilitating reflection on social ontology and antagonisms.

Balancing positive and negative: A dialectical understanding of Chinese older adults toward online learning

Balancing positive and negative: A dialectical understanding of Chinese older adults toward online learning

Dialectic of Predisposition and Ability in Human Professional Activity

In the following scientific study, we consider a logical model, which for the first time brings us closer to the integrated perception of barriers and obstacles existing in the memory environment, "refracting" human predispositions and transforming them into skills. The area of human orientation in the world of changing opportunities, as well as in the solution of the "predisposition-ability" conflict at the stage of the formation of new professions in an intelligent society of cognitive and innovation perspective, defined by the criteria of technological development, digitalisation and transition to a virtual world of communication networks and the Internet, is justified. From a scientific point of view, however, it is possible to grasp the characteristics of the memory environment and to search for an "exhaustive list of predispositions" as well as an "exhaustive list of characteristics of each memory environment unit". However, this usually requires years of research with a single person. From the practical point of view, this is unacceptable, because in modern circumstances such recommendations are required, which allow to predict professional activity in a few hours, and in the future to allow a person to learn to navigate independently in conditions of changes in the environment of his life and activity. The correlation of the activity approach developments within the subject's life development, as well as the model of predisposition realisation mentioned by M. Achtnich as holistic and optimal, maintained by the specific-historical conditions of the figure, have mostly determined the key problem, to which this article is devoted. The purpose of this scientific exploration is the philosophical understanding of predisposition and skill dialectic in human professional activity (on the example of models by Martin Achtnich and Gregory Popov). Moreover, the tasks of academician G.Popov largely echo the original formulation of P. Drucker's smart approach, whose paradigm is now being applied to reflect on the smart approach to any areas of activity, defined by the speed of environmental change, the rapid circulation of information, and the circumstances of uncertainty. The recommendations of G.Popov, discussed in the following article, and the concept of P. Drucker do not conflict, mutually complementing each other.

Towards a dialectical understanding of rural resilience and rural sustainability: bibliometric analysis and evidence from existing literature and China

Towards a dialectical understanding of rural resilience and rural sustainability: bibliometric analysis and evidence from existing literature and China

Theologica Paradoxa

Abstract: This article discusses the role of experience in Martin Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation (1518). Drawing on the work of the post-hermeneutical theologian Günter Bader, the article develops Luther’s understanding of experience in a specific Hegelian sense. Hegel’s skeptical concept of experience allows for a dialectical understanding of the self-reversal of experience, which is summarized in the theological formula: “Erfahrung mit der Erfahrung”. This notion of experience is further contextualized through Luther’s theology of the cross. In conclusion the article discusses a possible speculative relation between language and experience in Luther’s theology.

REFLECTION of SEED FORM on SUSTAINABLE CERAMIC ART WITH BIOPHILIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES

The study is based on the concept of biophilia, which expresses an interest in natural areas, actions and entities. Biophilia, which is a theme in architecture and interior design in general, is considered in this study as a source of artistic design. For this reason, the aim of creating a series of works with interdisciplinary expression, thanks to the process phenomenon that will be created by the integrated development of living life forms with art forms, is what makes the work different and original. Hegel's dialectical understanding, Anaxagoras' seed arch and biophilic design principles are combined with artistic productions inspired by the seed form. A process art has been created on ceramic art forms into which plants and seeds are placed. The result is ceramic forms designed with biophilic design principles at the intersection of sustainability, process art and biophilia. The elements of nature are integrated into art ceramics.

A response to Variyan and Edwards-Groves

ABSTRACT This article responds to ‘The theory of practice architectures and its discontents: disturbing received wisdom to make it dangerous again’ by George Variyan and Christine Edwards-Groves, published in Critical Studies in Education in March 2024. The authors use Foucault’s genealogical approach to explore the theory but do not show that or how the theory leads to misunderstandings of social realities, in the way that Foucault’s critiques did. I address the authors’ doubts about whether the theory is characterised by a ‘flat ontology’; whether it has a dualistic or dialectical understanding of the relationship between individuals and societies; and whether the visual depictions of the theory ‘reify and mystify’ social realities. I also consider the authors’ speculation about whether the theory has lost the critical and self-critical capacities necessary for its continuing development. I argue that, in general, researchers using the theory have not lost those capacities, although Variyan and Edwards-Groves are right that, in some hands, it has been used descriptively rather than critically or transformatively (with an emancipatory intent). The article concludes that the critique by Variyan and Edwards-Groves is a sceptical rather than a critical exploration of the theory and the empirical findings it has generated.

Владимир Соловьев и Вячеслав Иванов: принципы философской герменевтики и традиция диалогов Платона

The article is dedicated to the problem of comparative study of the hermeneutics principles in religious-philosophical and literary-critical discourse of Vladimir Solovyov and Vyacheslav Ivanov. It is shown that Plato’s dialogue traditions in the works of Ivanov were intellectual reflections and expressed “Plato’s turn” in hermeneutical tradition of text interpretation that outlined in Russian religious philosophy. Special comparative study of this problem had not been conducted. It is proved that Ivanov’s interest to Plato’s dialogues derived from various sources. Solovyov’s works and translations of Plato’s works in Russia played a major role in it. Solovyov was a translator and commentator of Socratic dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher. His introductory chapters made for Plato’s dialogue translations, his literary and philosophical criticism are considered in the article. Materials form Ivanov’s personal archive are analyzed and they show that he was interested in Plato’s dialogues “Timaeus”, “Phaedrus” and others. His articles, lectures, under-investigated materials and the books “Dionysus and Pre-Dionysianism” (1923) and “Dostoevsky. Tragedy-Myth-Mysticism” (1932) are considered. A.F. Losev’s works on ancient philosophy and his research on Solovyov and works of F. Schleiermache, H.G. Gadamer and became the object of the comparative analysis. It is shown that Plato’s dialectics and dialogues became major source for development of philosophical hermeneutics principles for Solovyov, Ivanov and Losev. It is shown that a myth in Solovyov’s, Ivanov’s and Losev’s works as well as in Plato’s dialogues becomes a category of thinking, a way of religious-philosophical perception, a form of artistic representation of the image-symbol and a basis of hermeneutical dialectic understanding. Solovyov and Ivanov’s view on Plato and Platonism is important for studying the development of hermeneutic ideas in Russian philosophy and literature studies.

THE NATIONAL ELITE OF UKRAINE IN THE POST-HETMANATE ERA AND PROCESSES OF STATE CREATION IN THE EUROPEAN CONTENT

Current problems of the study of the national elite of Ukraine in the post-hetma period at the end of the 18th – the first half of the 19th centuries are highlighted. in the system of cultural studies taking into account the processes of state formation in the European content. The role and place of the descendants of the leading strata of the Ukrainian Cossack-Hetman state in the historical and cultural processes of this period, who were the bearers of the national idea, and the processes themselves are characterized by the revival of Ukrainian national culture, are outlined. The priority in the research is an interdisciplinary integrative approach to the problem, which objectively illuminates the Ukrainian nobility of the former Left Bank of Ukraine-Hetmanship and the post-Hetmanship period of the 19th century as a systemic integrity, united by: the material basis of its existence; political autonomy and independence, which was ensured by the corresponding legal and legal status; common elements of sociocultural psychology, which was based on awareness of its historical mission and protection of national cultural heritage. The theoretical and methodological basis of such research is the principles of historicism, systematicity, objectivity, comprehensiveness, continuity, dialectical understanding of the historical process as a unity of its components. An objective analysis of the problem indicates the need for substantiation, definition and formation of a separate direction in modern humanitarian science – cultural elitology.

К вопросу о современной интерпретации системы права

Purpose. To carry out a critical review of existing approaches to understanding the legal system and to identify possible ways to build a new methodology for its perception. Methodology: were used by the author as general scientific (method of dialectical materialism, analysis, synthesis, etc.) and special legal methods. Conclusions. The study demonstrates the consequences to which the dialectical tradition of legal positivism leads to the dichotomy of the legal system and the legislative system. One of the most important consequences of using sociological positivism for understanding the legal system is a departure from the problem of the relationship between the external and internal forms of law. Scientific and practical significance. Consideration of the structuring of law, as taken beyond the dialectical understanding of legal reality, provides great opportunities for understanding the connections of various normative elements with each other, and the consequences described above play an important methodological role.

Происхождение современной китайской экологической эстетики из процессуального понимания природы А.Н. Уайтхеда, марксистской диалектики и концептуальных позиций традиционной китайской философии

Environmental aesthetics, or aesthetics of environment represents one of the most recent in constitution and one of the most dynamic subdisciplines of contemporary aesthetic discourse. Chinese ecological aesthetics has become a complex and original set of ideas, which is of great importance for other cultures, including Russian, due to the scale of environmental problems that China has recently faced in connection with economic growth, as well as the applicability of ways to solve them in Russian conditions. For these reasons, the author of this article offers a historical and theoretical analysis of the content of the concepts of modern Chinese ecological aesthetics, developed on the basis of A.N. Whitehead's theory of procedural understanding of nature, Marxist dialectics and traditional Chinese philosophy.

The rebirth of metaphysics and relevance of dialectics

At the new turn of historical development, it is necessary to turn to the understanding of dialectics and the newest forms of metaphysics, recognizing the objective dialectic of the material world, which is reflected in the subjective dialectic of concepts. For Aristotle's formal logic, there are true judgments and false judgments, and if we take the law of the excluded third, then even stricter: either yes or no. However, the metaphysical way of understanding reaches a limit beyond which it becomes limited and entangled in contradictions, since it deals with objects as unchangeable. Sophistry was revived recently in the third millennium, because capitalism needs it in the context of the digital transformation of the state and the current controversy over the new world War reveals a lot of techniques of sophistic thinking. Formal logic works fine in the conditions of everyday practical relations of people however, knowledge of dialectical logic is required to solve the global problems of our time.

Dialectics of International Interventions through Scale, Space, and Time

Abstract This Special Issue questions the problem of international interventions’ persistence and multidimensionality by asking what makes interventions still relevant and for whom. In this introduction, we advance a dialectical understanding of interventions to study their diverse modalities and enduring mechanisms of order-making, with specific attention to space, time, and scale. We elaborate on Laura Doyle's interimperial method to highlight interventions' relational, transformative, and durable aspects. We interpret interventions as coconstituted by diverse, overlapping, and contradictory rationales and modalities. We stress the intertwined histories and practices of interventions as integral components of colonial modernity in relation to empires, imperialism, and their contemporary rearticulations. As a method, we identify three key historical processes for a dialectical understanding of intervention: the coformation of interventions’ state-building, economic development, and cultural practices; the coproduction of institutions and infrastructural systems; and the cumulative accretion of interventions’ infrastructures and imaginaries.