Faculty Of Philosophy Research Articles

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The Faculty of Philosophy and Human Sciences of the Universidad Libre Sede-Bogotá is proud to present the special dossier of our magazine, which seeks to exhibit and problematize contemporary critical thought in light of a long-standing critical tradition such as Marxism.

Challenges in teaching Academic English to EFL students: a case study on writing beliefs

Writing in a foreign language is widely recognized as a highly challenging skill to master. This perspective is grounded in the notion that writing reflects our ‘pattern of thought’ (Kaplan 1966, Connor 2011), and that there are multiple academic traditions of writing, each with its own rules and conventions. As a result, transitioning between different academic writing cultures can be a frustrating and confusing experience for both students and lecturers. This paper investigates the most prevalent challenges in teaching academic English to EFL students at the English Department of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo. The research findings indicate that EFL students lack critical thinking skills and tend to undervalue their own perspectives, leading to an overreliance on quoting and citing authors in their writing. This paper emphasizes the necessity for EAP lecturers to be well-versed in intercultural rhetoric and to effectively guide students in adapting their thinking and writing to a new academic culture./ Keywords: Academic English, intercultural rhetoric, critical thinking, writing

Mapping the SDG 4 Process: Algorithmic Literacy Among Students of the University of Sarajevo

Utilizing a mixed-method approach, this research aims to evaluate algorithmic literacy among students at the University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Political Sciences and the Faculty of Philosophy (BIH), and to assess the possibilities for improving existing practices of media and information literacy (MIL) integration. The central research question investigates how current MIL educational strategies influence students' awareness and understanding of the roles algorithms play in the digital transformation of a society striving for sustainable development. Therefore, the study encompasses a descriptive method of holistic approach elements: strategic documents, MIL book edition and MOOC modules. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of ten qualitative interviews with students further explores their experiences, attitudes, and perceptions regarding information, media, and algorithms. The research results offer insights into the potential of MIL education to support algorithmic literacy and its potential contribution to sustainable development, particularly focusing on SDG 4 - Quality Education. By aligning its findings with the objectives of a universally applicable goal, this study not only addresses the context of algorithmic literacy as an integral component of quality education but also serves as a step towards advancing the interconnectedness of open education and artificial intelligence.

Феноменология сегодня: исторические проблемы и современные тенденции. Возвращаясь к дискуссии 1988 года (материалы «круглого стола»)

In April 2024, a round table titled “Phenomenology Today: Historical Problems and Contemporary Trends. Returning to the 1988 Discussion” was held, dedicated to discussing current problems in phenomenological research in the context of the historical development of phenomenology in the 21st century. The round table was organized by the journal “Voprosy Filosofii”, the Center for Phenomeno­logical Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy of RSUH, as well as participants in the Russian Science Foundation project “World, Language, Reality: European and Russian Philosophy in Conceptual and Terminological Dimensions”. Leading phenomenologists, historians of philosophy, and epistemologists participated in the round table. The focus was on the materials of the discussion “Phenomeno­logy and Its Role in Contemporary Philosophy” (Voprosy filosofii, 1988, No. 12). The following topics were discussed: How can the past 36 years in the global and domestic phenomenological movement be assessed? How has the subject configur­ation of phenomenology as a field of study changed? What are the directions of contemporary phenomenological discussions, the specifics of the phenomenolo­gical method and the limits of phenomenological description. Can it be said that the phenomenological method is applied today in the humanities and natural sci­ences, and if so, how effective is it? What is happening today in phenomenology, and what are the current discussions? Phenomenology and analytic philosophy: prospects and possibilities for comparison. The role of phenomenology in the for­mation of epistemological and ontological traditions in Russian philosophy. What has changed in this field over 36 years? The core of the discussions, sparked by the questions posed, became the problem of the relationship between historical reality and the language of philosophy, as well as the understanding of the value of phenomenological strategies in education and scientific activities

"He was a European, an educated man". Foreign contacts of Professor Adam Schaff (1913-2006) based on provenance analysis of selected copies from his book collection

The article presents the results of the research conducted on the topic “The private book collection of Professor Adam Schaff in the collections of the Joint Libraries of the Faculties of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Warsaw, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Polish Philosophical Society”[1]. Professor Adam Schaff (1913–2006) gathered an extensive book collection during his many years of academic work, falling during the Polish People’s Republic period. After his death, it was transferred to the Joint Libraries of WFiS UW, IFiS PAN, and PTF[2]. A. Schaff maintained contact with many foreign scholars specializing in philosophy and sociology, which directly influenced the analyzed collection. The article contains a qualitative, quantitative, and provenance analysis of this book collection. Provenance and bibliographic methods were used to study the characteristics of selected copies, making it possible to reconstruct Schaff’s contacts with the foreign scientific community. [1] Master’s thesis, supervisor: Prof. Jacek Puchalski, University of Warsaw, 2023. [2] Joint Libraries of the Faculties of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Warsaw, the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Polish Philosophical Society (PB WFiS UW, IFiS PAN, and PTF) is the proper name of the institution established in the 1950s, which consisted of 3 combined libraries, with joint staff and premises, but separate assets and thematically complementary book collections in philosophy and sociology.

"Hommage bien amical". Foreign contacts of Professor Barbara Skarga (1919-2009) based on provenance analysis of selected copies from her private book collection

The article presents the effect of the research conducted on the subject “Private book collection of Professor Barbara Skarga within the library collection of the Joint Libraries of the Faculties of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Warsaw, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Philosophical Society”. During many years of her scientific career, Professor Barbara Skarga (1919–2009) gathered a vast and diverse book collection. After her death, following her final will, it was handed over to the Joint Libraries of the WFiS UW, IFiS PAN, and PTF and included in the Institute of Philosophy of the Polish Academy of Sciences library resources. Barbara Skarga cooperated with many institutions that gathered researchers specializing in philosophy, as well as sociology and theology, which influenced the contents of her book collection. This article includes qualitative, quantitative, and provenance analyses of Skarga’s book collection. Using the provenance and bibliographical methods allowed us to recreate the history of the book collection and Skarga’s contacts with, among others, the French scientific community.

Философское кафе

We offer the reader a short sketch of the history and theoretical mindset of the Moscow Philosophical Cafe – an association that was born among students of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University in 2009 and since then has been trying to combine in its work the rigor of a research seminar with the friendly atmosphere of a coffee break. The most famous product of the Philosophical Cafe’s activities to a wide audience is the magazine “Date Compote”.

The Banach Fixed Point Theorem: selected topics from its hundred-year history

On June 24, 1920 Stefan Banach presented his doctoral dissertation titled O operacjach na zbiorach abstrakcyjnych i ich zastosowaniach do równañ całkowych (On operations on abstract sets and their applications to integral equations) to the Philosophy Faculty of Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov. He passed his PhD examinations in mathematics, physics and philosophy, and in January 1921 he became a doctor. A year later, he published the results of his doctorate in Fundamenta Mathematicae. Among them there was the theorem known today as the Banach Fixed Point Theorem or the Banach Contraction Principle. It is one of the most famous theorems in mathematics, one of many under the name of Banach. It concerns certain mappings (called contractions) of a complete metric space into itself and it gives the conditions sufficient for the existence and uniqueness of a fixed point of such mapping. In 2022 we had a centenary of publishing this theorem. In the paper, we want to present its most important modifications and generalizations, several contractive conditions, the converse theorems and some applications. It is not possible to provide complete information about what has been written during the last hundred years about the Banach Fixed Point Theorem and we are just trying to touch on some breakthrough moments in the development of the metric fixed point theory. The main purpose of this article is to organize the knowledge on this subject and to elaborate a broad bibliography which all interested persons can refer to.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT FOR STUDYING

The paper presents the results of an empirical study aimed at determining students’ attitudes toward social media as a digital tool in the process of studying. The research used a descriptive research method, and data collection was done using a specially constructed instrument – a rating scale. The research sample was intentional and consisted of 314 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš. The results of the study indicate that the majority of respondents express positive attitudes toward the use of social media during their studies. Namely, respondents recognize the potential of these tools for sharing and exchanging educational materials and are aware of their usefulness in supporting cooperative work, especially when it comes to solving tasks at the group level or collaborating on joint projects. Students perceive social media as a platform for active discussion with peers and teachers, as well as for solving academic challenges and problems. The study found no statistically significant differences in relation to independent research variables (years of study, study program, grade point average, length of presence on social media, frequency of access). It is concluded that further research into specific social media platforms is necessary to make a greater contribution to higher education

ALTERNATIVES IN TRANSLATING CERTAIN GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES FROM ENGLISH INTO SERBIAN 2

This paper analyses several syntactic structures (English passive forms, non-fi- nite clauses, clefts) in the EFL tertiary-level students’ translations from English to Serbian and the various translation alternatives.The selection of this topic was determined by the author’s long experience in teaching grammar and translation to the tertiary-level students of English at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš. This teaching experience has initiated a particular interest in the students’ linguistic performance when using certain structures that differ from the structures in their mother tongue by their form and function and register. The aforementioned structures were selected because they represent the point of contrast between the two languages since they are either used in different registers (passive), or differ in both form and function (non-finite clauses) or nonexistent in one language and used in almost all registers in the other one (clefts)

THE ROLE OF TRANSLATION STUDIES IN GERMAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE STUDIES

The aim of this research is to examine students’ attitudes and experiences regarding translation classes in German language and literature studies. This quantitative and qualitative research was conducted on the basis of a questionnaire with third-year students who, as part of the compulsory course Modern German Language 5, attended translation classes in the winter semester, with two classes a week. The results of the conducted questionnaire represent an over- view of the current status and role of translation studies in the classes of German as a foreign language in the German language and literature studies department at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Niš. The results of the research indicate to what extent translation studies affects the process of learning German as a foreign language and how translation teaching can be improved in order for students to acquire linguistic and translation competence. In addition to the practical significance of the research for translation classes, the work also has a theoretical significance, since various approaches and theories in the teaching of translation are present- ed that thematize translational categories (also areas of linguistics) such as lexicon, semantics, pragmatics, etc. and the means by which the process and product of translation are described or reflected. Many aspects of translation (understanding, intention, communication, mediation, communication, etc.) are reflected and intertwined in the attitudes of the students.

A TUDOMÁNYOK FEJLŐDÉSE AZ OLMÜTZI EGYETEMEN A 17-18. SZÁZADBAN

The Jesuits founded a grammar school in Olomouc in 1566, adding a philosophy faculty in 1576 and a theology faculty in 1582. The document describing the Jesuit educational system, Ratio et institutio studiorum, divided education into three stages, the highest of which was called studia superiora, and included philosophy and theology. From the second year onwards, students studied mathematics, astronomy and geography, and in the third year, from 1637 onwards, ethics. The Jesuits did not pay much attention to the teaching of the natural sciences, as these subjects undermined the authority of the Church and contradicted fundamental Church dogma. As a result, in the second half of the 17th century and the early 18th century, only very sporadic research and education in the sciences developed. Nevertheless, the University of Olomouc did have professors engaged in mathematical, physical and astronomical research, including a number of foreign-born scientists. In scholastic disputations, topics approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, mostly controversial, were discussed. Nonetheless, we do find here scientific topics in philosophy, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, although not in as large a number as would have been desirable.

Distance Education During a Paper Shortage

This article examines letters and study guides sent by philosophical faculties of Nazi universities to soldiers enrolled in correspondence courses during World War II. These educational media were produced during a severe paper shortage brought about by autarky and the wartime Nazi economy. I consider the conditions surrounding paper production and soldiers’ learning materials to depict how the media circulating between universities and the front demonstrate evidence of material scarcity and economic exploitation. The brevity of the messages indicates that these media had been adapted to the material economy of the war and a scarcity of time. As I show, knowledge of the humanities was brought to the front via these media; at the same time, knowledge of an ideology was created that integrates the extraction of resources from a war of conquest into a version of German history—resources that were also required to maintain distance learning itself. The article contributes most directly to studies on the media and material practices of academic teaching and to the history of science and scholarship in the Nazi era. It also builds on recent studies on how the work of the sciences and humanities are reliant on supplies of natural resources.

Хроника научной жизни: 2023 год

The review material "Chronicle of Scientific Life" presents the main events of 2023 on the topics of Russian philosophy: all-Russian and international conferences, dissertations for the degree of candidate of philosophical sciences. Events are listed by month - thus, the reader is presented with a calendar of scientific work of the main institutions: RAS Institute of Philosophy, Orthodox St. Tikhon University for the Humanities, Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russian State University for the Humanities, House of A.F. Losev and many others.

Кто я, философ-миллениал, и кем могу стать?

The article attempts to find the specifics of the generation of millennial philosophers through an analysis of the features of the historical location - the historical baggage and challenges that the modern stage of development of knowledge and human society, rich in opportunities and risks, poses to the philosopher. Working with generational topics, the author relies on classic works in this area by K. Mannheim and J. Ortega y Gasset, the domestic sociological tradition represented by T. Shanin, Yu. Levada and others, modern studies of the millennial generation, in particular the so-called Generation I (J. Twenge). In addition, the author, belonging to the corresponding age cohort, analyzes personal experience, speaking as a representative of the millennial generation in general and the generation of millennial philosophers in particular. The main emphasis is on considering how the choice of profession occurred, what events determined it, what was the motivation in the 2000s - first to go to study at the Faculty of Philosophy, then to write a dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philosophy and, finally, to build a career as a professional philosopher. At the same time, the author is critical of the fact that he belongs to the millennial generation, honestly identifying and explaining some distance from peers and emotional rootedness in the experience of previous generations, primarily the sixties and seventies. Stating the facts of his own biography that can influence the assessment of the sociocultural and professional significance of the generation of millennial philosophers, the author offers his vision of the main features that distinguish millennials as a philosophical generation. One of the main theses substantiated in the article is the statement about the fundamental openness of the fate of the millennial generation in philosophy, whose history is not only unwritten, but not strictly predetermined by the past and present, being dependent on the rapidly changing images of the nearest and more distant future.

Философы на рубеже XXI века: о «философском поколении» нулевых

The article examines the transformation of philosophy and the features of its teaching during the transition from Soviet to post-Soviet philosophy in Russia. The environment of the Faculty of Philosophy of the State Academic University for the Humanities and the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the late 1990s - early 2000s is analyzed. It is demonstrated that during this period there was a “perestroika” of philosophy, during which the Marxist philosophy of the Soviet period was completely hushed up. The special scientific atmosphere of the sector of the theory of knowledge of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the leadership of V. A. Lektorsky is analyzed. An idea of ​​“philosophical generations” is given, in which the key unifying factor is the presence of “significant others” - teachers who had a significant influence on the formation of a new generation of philosophers.

MEDICAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT POPULATION IN SLOVAKIA AND UKRAINE

Introduction. The diagnosis results of medical literacy levels among different groups of adult population in Slovakia are given in this article. This research was done by the scientists of Pedagogy Department, Philosophy Faculty, Comenius University in Bratislava, together with Ukrainian colleagues.
 The aim of research. The objective of the article was aimed at studying the specifics of medical literacy development in European countries and making a comparative research analysis for determining the levels of medical literacy among adult population in Slovakia and Ukraine and making up the recommendations.
 Materials and methods. The diagnostic surveying of adults was made according to the modification of European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS_EU_Q47), which was offered to the respondents to fill out in the format of a Google form. The methodological approaches used in the study are as follows: andragogical, competency-based, cultural, person-centered, and systems-based.
 Results. The majority of the respondents in the European countries were found to have the insufficient level of medical literacy. In Slovakia, the youth aged 18-24 turned out to be more active and conscious of health issues. It was specified that the comprehensive study of medical literacy issues among adults was not carried out in Ukraine at all. Positively estimating the research experience of medical literacy levels among adult population in Slovakia, it is worthwhile to single out the progressive ideas of its implementation in an area of support, maintenance and restoration of health for adults in Ukraine. The recommendations were made up for increasing medical literacy of different groups of adult population at the national and regional levels as well as at the level of healthcare and educational institutions and universities.
 Conclusions. The research results of medical literacy among adult population can be recommended to the representatives of governmental institutions, universities, healthcare institutions so as to update legislation, prepare teaching and methodological materials for universities and postgraduate education.

Comparative Analysis of the Treatment of the Alcestis-Stuff by Euripides and by Wilder

This is the starting point of the following analysis: Life and death belong indissolubly together, but nobody of us knows what is waiting for us when we will have died. According to Christian religion the dead shall resurrect again and start immediately into an eternal life full of happiness in an unknown atmosphere without any sorrows and any problems to overcome. The ancient writers, that lived before Jesus Christ, had at hand an underworld as the realm of that god that is responsible for death. In very rare and exceptional cases a very deserved dead is given the allowance to enter again into his former earthen life. This procedure of bringing a dead person back to life might be a kind of deal between deities and mankind in this way that another person had to die and then to live in the underworld instead of the doomed person. This stuff is a subject-matter of legends, fairy tales and finally of classical drama. The heroes of the drama are Admetus and Alcestis – a royal couple; Admetus is doomed to death and his wife Alcestis wants to die instead of her husband. This treatise is written by an author who is as well a lawyer as a philologist. The treatise uses modern methods of literary comparison, that the author did learn at the examples of ancient texts and modern texts at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Saarland (Germany). The comparison between the Euripides-version and the Wilder-version is not an end in itself, the comparison aims to show the given literary differences based on the history of the development of the Alcestis-stuff in the light of the fact that the ancient text is the source for the modern text. Thus it becomes once more clear that the texts of old Greek authors do live on in a figurative sense until modern times. Wilder himself is a modern American author who consciously sought connection to antiquity, also because he did go through very intensive university courses in archaeology. This connection to ancient Greek literature, of course, makes modern American literature very attractive for European readers and for readers from other areas of the world.

Gheorghe I. Brătianu and the Black Sea Straits Question (1933-1944) – “Straits Fatalism”

The study analyses the position expressed between 1933 and 1944 by Gheorghe I. Brătianu regarding the Black Sea Straits Question. Through the works published during those years, he established himself as one of the greatest Romanian historians, his scientific interests focusing on the evolution of Romanians in the Middle Ages as well as on the role of the Black Sea in all international relations. In this context, as a Professor at the University of Bucharest, between 1941-1943, he taught a course at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy on The Black Sea Question, in which he extensively developed his concepts. They can be summarized in the phrase according to which Romania has faced the Pontus Euxinus “Straits fatalism” throughout its existence. At the same time, as a politician and party leader, Gheorghe I. Brătianu opposed Nicolae Titulescu’s policy of envisaging a mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet Union, a country that had not recognised the unification of Bessarabia with Romania. As such, he criticized the position adopted by Romania at the Montreux Conference (22 June-21 July 1936), which modified the status of the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits, according to Moscow’s interests. By the Convention signed on 20 July 1936, the access of non-littoral military ships was severely restricted.

Gheorghe I. Brătianu și problematica strâmtorilor Mării Negre (1933-1944) – „Fatalitatea strâmtorilor”

The study analyses the position expressed between 1933 and 1944 by Gheorghe I. Brătianu regarding the Black Sea Straits Question. Through the works published during those years, he established himself as one of the greatest Romanian historians, his scientific interests focusing on the evolution of Romanians in the Middle Ages as well as on the role of the Black Sea in all international relations. In this context, as a Professor at the University of Bucharest, between 1941-1943, he taught a course at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy on The Black Sea Question, in which he extensively developed his concepts. They can be summarized in the phrase according to which Romania has faced the Pontus Euxinus “Straits fatalism” throughout its existence. At the same time, as a politician and party leader, Gheorghe I. Brătianu opposed Nicolae Titulescu’s policy of envisaging a mutual assistance treaty with the Soviet Union, a country that had not recognised the unification of Bessarabia with Romania. As such, he criticized the position adopted by Romania at the Montreux Conference (22 June-21 July 1936), which modified the status of the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits, according to Moscow’s interests. By the Convention signed on 20 July 1936, the access of non-littoral military ships was severely restricted.