Philosophical Discipline Research Articles

Gnostologia: The Discipline of the Objects of Knowledge in Seventeenth-Century Germany

In the seventeenth century, with the sunset of the Renaissance and the rise of early modern thought, new philosophical disciplines emerged from the ashes of the Aristotelian tradition, which had dominated the previous three centuries. Some of these, like ontology, still exist today; others had a short life. An innovative philosophical agenda was imposed: the old system of knowledge was rehashed, and a new encyclopedia of sciences was established. Part of this process was the rise and fall of the discipline of gnostologia. The aim of this essay is to narrate its history.

Philosophers\u2019 appraisals of bibliometric indicators and their use in evaluation: from recognition to knee-jerk rejection

The knowledge and stance of researchers regarding bibliometric indicators is a field of study that has gained weight in recent decades. In this paper we address this issue for the little explored areas of philosophy and ethics, and applied to a context, in this case Spain, where bibliometric indicators are widely used in evaluation processes. The study combines data from a self-administered questionnaire completed by 201 researchers and from 14 in-depth interviews with researchers selected according to their affiliation, professional category, gender and area of knowledge. The survey data suggest that researchers do not consider bibliometric indicators a preferred criterion of quality, while there is a fairly high self-perception of awareness of a number of indicators. The qualitative data points to a generalised perception of a certain rejection of the specific use of indicators, with four main positions being observed: (1) disqualification of the logic of metrics, (2) scepticism about the possibility of assessing quality with quantitative methods, (3) complaints about the incorporation of methods that are considered to belong to other disciplines, and (4) criticism of the consequences that this generates in the discipline of philosophy.

Stoicism and death acceptance: integrating Stoic philosophy in cognitive behaviour therapy for death anxiety

Growing empirical evidence has revealed the central role of death anxiety in numerous mental health conditions. Given this, there is a significant need for treatments which specifically address fears of death. Whilst such treatments have only recently been developed within clinical psychology, the discipline of philosophy has a long history of offering valuable perspectives on death which may ameliorate this fear. In particular, we propose that the philosophy of Stoicism, which originated in ancient Greece and influenced the early development of cognitive and behaviour therapy (CBT), is of particular benefit to clinicians seeking to address death anxiety. We present a summary of Stoic philosophy and its arguments concerning death. Through integrating the ideas of Stoicism, we argue that current treatments for death anxiety would benefit from directly integrating Stoic perspectives on death. Lastly, we review evidence which suggests that cultivating attitudes to death which are consistent with Stoic philosophy may be associated with reduced death anxiety. We conclude that an awareness of Stoic philosophy has the potential to guide and improve CBT treatments for fears of death. Further research is needed in order to confirm whether treatments centering on Stoic perspectives on death lead to significant reductions in death anxiety.

Place of Virtue Ethics within the Post-Classical Discourse on ḥikma

Preserved in what seems to be a unique manuscript at the Bodleian Library, al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā (The Soul and the Spirit together with an Explanation of Their Faculties) of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) is a curious book. At the beginning, the author decribes the text as part of the philosophical sciences (as opposed to the religious ones) and clarifies that it deals with ʿilm al-akhlāq, meaning Aristotelian virtue ethics. The text is divided into two parts, the first explaining subjects of philosophical psychology, such as the nature of the soul, its faculties, and its survival after the death of the body. The second part explains how one can “treat” or “heal” the soul from certain negative character traits or vices. In both parts, the book makes liberal use of quotations from the Qur’an, from prophetical ḥadīth, and from sayings by other prophets and sages. This is quite unlike any other “book on philosophy” that Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī wrote.The article explains the distinction between philosophical and non-philosophical books in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī and what it means for a book to belong to the former group. Al-Rāzī’s works in the theoretical fields of philosophy (logic, the natural sciences, metaphysics, and theology) do not use evidence derived from revelation and hardly ever refer to it. The relationship between revelation and the practical disciplines of philosophy (among them ethics), however, is different from the relation between revelation and theoretical philosophy. This difference leads in Avicenna to an almost complete abandonment of the practical disciplines. In authors who follow Avicenna in his Farabian approach to the relationship between philosophy and revelation, it leads to hybrid works such as al-Nafs wa-l-rūḥ wa-sharḥ quwāhumā that follow a philosophical agenda but employ means and strategies that mimic and imitate revelation.

A philosophical discussion on death and the meaning of life

A philosophical discussion on death and the meaning of life

Academic Internships in Philosophy

Academic internships are increasingly common in other disciplines, but have not been discussed or implemented widely in the discipline of philosophy. This article fills this gap by discussing the potential benefits of philosophy internships and addressing two important questions: whether there is something different about philosophy—possibly its abstractness, versatility, or what I refer to as “pluripotency”—that renders the benefits of internships out of reach for many philosophy students, and whether philosophy faculty should be responsible for developing and implementing philosophy internships. In this article, I argue that there is nothing about the discipline itself that prevents philosophy majors from experiencing the benefits of academic internships and that, among the different possible internship coordinators, philosophy faculty bear primary responsibility for developing academic internships in philosophy and assisting philosophy students as they transition from college to professional career.

FORMATION OF PERSONALITY AS A WHOLE SYSTEM AND PROCESS OF ITS ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES

The relevance of research a forming of personality as an integral system and process of active development testifies facilities of social and philosophical sciences that today it follows to pay attention to original connection between a question about the world and question about subject. The science of leading a man to his independence, to freedom, to form own life consciously. Self-actualization appears not only as strengthening of connection with my “I” and satisfaction of basic needs, and in case of satisfaction of basic needs, a person tries to motivate those values which is going beyond the limits of own “I”. The main system-forming features characteristic of all systems without exception, including personalities, – it is an the emergability, the iracchness, a polystructural and the principle of the necessary diversity of elements. Any person is a system and a person should help to reveal their structural components, it consists of its creative potential, and thus consider it in whole. A personality as a whole system – it is the detection of its potential in an integral area of truth, a beauty, a communication, a knowledge, a love, a creativity, a communication, a mission, a reverence and other transcendental experiences, which are deeply embedded in the lace of human nature. The object of study is formation of personality as a whole system and the process of its active development. A subject of the research is the influence of social and humanitarian sciences on formation of personality as a whole system and its active development process. The purpose of study is theoretical and practical aspects of personal formation as a whole system and the process of its active development in the context of social and philosophical sciences. Research result. Analysis of problems of formation of personality as process of active development of itself in the context of social and philosophical sciences. Conditions of formation of human capital in the context of social and philosophical sciences are revealed. The formation of a healthy human life and a healthy way of personal means is analyzed, its is implemented in medicine and promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle. The teaching of social and philosophical disciplines and disciplines “Philosophy of sport and healthy lifestyle of personality”, is formed a new thinking that a person should make healthy and happy, and for this it should be physical activity and well-organized for sports classes, to have a good physical form to realize its potential.

Issues and Challenges Faced by Institutions Giving Management Education in India and Strategies to be Adopted for the Survival

Management education is considered as elitist, precious and professional course as it attracts young candidates who are very passionate and motivated by the positive consequences associated with management education to either become a successful manager or to set an example by becoming successful entrepreneur. Management education in India is predominately a derivative of western management thought and practice. Occasionally, management schools draw some inferences from Indian epics, shastras and practices. It may be worthwhile to notice that management itself as a discipline has evolved from fundamental disciplines of philosophy, psychology, economics, accounting, computer science, mathematics, statistics and industrial engineering. In this decade India has witnessed a drastic change in higher education. Especially management education is witnessing an exponential growth in terms of number of institutes imparting management education which are usually termed as Business Schools or Management Institutions. In this paper authors have tried to explore the present situation of management education in India. This paper also studies the trends prevailing in management education in India, and tries to find out how effectively the management education helps the industries as well as how does it help one to become successful entrepreneur. Further the paper explains the emerging issues of management education in India and also explores the strategies and policies to be implied to improve the quality of management education and survive in long run. This paper throws light on existing literatures in management education in India as well as discusses the challenges faced by management institutions.

The Controversy over the Basic Philosophical Disciplines of Metaphysics and Ontology

The modern readings of the history of philosophy have led some scholars to attempt to reinvent or reconstruct the subject of metaphysics. These attempts had significant consequences on the Aristotelian model of metaphysics and its status as First Philosophy as listed by the ancient commentators, Alexander of Aphrodisias or Theophrastus. These new trends of philosophy also altered the dynamics of abstraction upon which Aristotle built a convincing theory of science according to the structures of discursive reasoning. The trend did not begin until after what historians termed the “second beginning of metaphysics in the thirteenth century.” The current paper investigates the historical development and controversy surrounding the understanding of the two philosophical terms and the consequences of replacing metaphysics with ontology as the First Philosophy.

The concept of “scientific atheism”: The history of its construction and introduction into philosophy and political practice (1954–1964)

The main purpose of the article is to reveal the socio-historical context of the emergence of the concept of “scientific atheism”, designed to solve ideological and political problems in the USSR in 1954–1964. The article shows how the concept of “scientific atheism” turns into a conceptual category, is filled with new content, forms an appropriate discourse and becomes a tool that produces socially significant meanings used in the practice of ideological production during the period of building socialism in the USSR.The author demonstrates how the understanding of atheism that existed in previous Marxist literature as a philosophical criticism of religion, based on the natural sciences and philosophical materialism and connected with the study of the historical forms of religion and its modern features, was rejected. Such an understanding of atheism did not satisfy the current political demand associated with the new tasks of communist construction. The article shows that a special role in the construction of the ideological component of the concept of “scientific atheism” in the early 1960s was played by I.D.Pantskhava, head of the Department of History and Theory of Atheism at Moscow State University, and also the secretary of the Central Committee L.F.Ilyichev, who headed the Ideological Commission of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which, in the wake of a new anti-religious campaign, initiated the development of practical recommendations in the field of atheistic upbringing of the population, among which the need to form the theoretical content of scientific atheism as an independent philosophical discipline aimed at solving urgent political problems stood out. The article introduces previously unknown archival materials into academic circulation, shedding light on the 1964 discussion about the features of Marxist atheism and the subject of “scientific atheism”.

Homo rationalis: формування нових поглядів на людину в освітньому просторі України XVII – XVIII ст.

The article examines the development of the new views of humans, Homo rationalis, in the Ukrainian educational thought of the 17th-18th century. The study is based on the example of translated from Latin philosophical disciplines taught in the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. It was found that new ideas were connected to the strengthening of rationalist tendencies in all spheres of public life as well as in the practice of educational institutions, which deployed their activity at that period. Rationalist manifestations were clearly evident in teaching of human-oriented disciplines, in particular in Ethics. Ethics studies were a response to the social demands of the era, which called for a new individual – educated and active, who would direct their knowledge and skills to build a harmonious society, organized on a rational basis. Similar ideas and goals were dominant at the Ethics courses where the issues of freedom of will, the highest good, the purpose of human life and the possibilities of achieving happiness in real earthly life were developed. National Ethics taught during the described period became the platform for discussing the issues of the role of education and upbringing and possibility for people to realize their skills and abilities. Those courses emphasized the idea that a person, homo rationalis, armed with advanced scientific knowledge, guided by personal experience and cognitive abilities based on sensory perception and laws of thinking, can explore the world, and then, driven by rationalist principles, control and improve it. Ethics studies of the outlined epoch presented a combination of the achievements of rationalist Western European philosophical thought with its own irrational mental traditions dating back to the 10–11th, 12–15th centuries. The educational heritage presented in the courses of Kyiv Ethics of the 17–18th centuries deserves to be creatively used in the context of forming the life program of a person of the 21st century. Keywords: Ukrainian educational space, rationalist tradition, philosophical courses, Aristotelianism, ethics, freedom of will, higher good, happiness, person.

Теоретико-мировоззренческие основания хронотопологической концепции в контексте переосмысления современного состояния философии и ее классических категориальных схем

The subject of the study is revision of the philosophical, theoretical, and ideological foundations of the chronotopological model of being (the idea of the spatiotemporal organization of being developed by A.A. Ukhtomsky and M.M. Bakhtin) in the context of existentially oriented criticism of the modern philosophical situation and the subsequent rethinking of the dialectical and categorical schemes of classical European philosophy, to which Russian philosophical culture belongs. To date, the development of the chronotopological concept from a single term «chronotope» to a full-fledged autonomous philosophical discipline (such as phenomenology, philosophical hermeneutics, philosophical anthropology) seems im-possible without fundamental rethinking of the foundations of its not only logical but also existential con-sistency, which, in turn, is impossible without referring to the existential foundations of being of a mod-ern philosopher and modern philosophy. Existential completeness and authenticity are considered as the fundamental basis of philosophizing and philosophical conception in the struggle against existential in-completeness, alienation, and fallenness, which characterize the modern existence of human. In the con-text of the author’s version of the path of formation of the fundamental categorical base of chronotopolo-gy as an independent philosophical direction, its conceptual foundation is proposed, in which the synthe-sis of fundamental conceptual and dialectical schemes of the European philosophical tradition critically revised from an existential point of view is realized, and vectors of further concretization of the chro-notopological models of the universe, human being, social structure, cultural and historical development become possible. At the same time, the proposed scheme does not privatize or cancel other probabilistic trajectories of the evolution of the chronotope concept, which does not contradict the principle of existen-tial authenticity of the theory articulated by the study.

Pojmovno jedinstvo egzistencije u islamskoj filozofiji - kritički osvrt

In ontology, a fundamental philosophical discipline, the term "existence" has a central role. Taking into account frequent misunderstandings and lack of discernment between a concept and its objective example in philosophical discussions on various issues, and real implications in reaching conclusions and giving answers to those questions, this paper tries to offer solutions put forward by Islamic philosophers, regarding the concept of "existence" and its connections with the objective example of existence as well as the innovations they came up with in this area of philosophical and ontological discussion.

Filozoficzna droga kard. Mariana Jaworskiego: od metafizyki ogólnej do szczegółowej i stosowanej

The article is an attempt to present the philosophical achievements of Marian Jaworski in terms of the basic method and direction of his thoughts as well as the most important ideas. These ideas are particularly present in his last book, which constitutes the third volume of his work, in which the vast majority of his most recent articles are included. They are a testimony to the way he understood philosophy and the problems it raises. They are also the most persuading sign of the process of evolution that took place in his scientific life. It is evidenced by the existence of three, quite clearly outlined, phases in his philosophical research. Each one is distinct from another in terms of prevailing methodology used, and the philosophical questions which had been raised. The first phase of his philosophical investigations was connected with general metaphysics. The second one was related to the application of the ideas of special and applied metaphysics on the basis of the cognitive tools of general metaphysics in the main philosophical disciplines (philosophy of religion, philosophical anthropology and philosophy of God). The third one, however, was expressed in the application of the above mentioned met- aphysical ideas in more specialized philosophical disciplines, such as Christian philosophy (e.g. philosophy of prayer, philosophy of consecrated life), and in the philosophy of specifically human phenomena (philosophy of suffering, of humanism and of dialogue).

Próba interpretacji zjawiska rytualnego składania ofiar z ludzi na Słowiańszczyźnie Zachodniej

The subject matter of the article concerns on ritual sacrificial practices related to human sacrifices among the Western Slavs, including the Polish lands and the Polabia region. The chronological range covers the early Middle Ages, from the 7th to the 12th centuries. Considerations on this subject include the review of anthropological and philosophical disciplines research including R. Girard studies in this aspect, an analysis of written sources, and above all the analysis of the occurrence of victims and sacrificial sites from an archaeological perspective. The aim of the study was to identify archaeological remains related to sacrificial rituals by presenting the occurrence of victims and sacrificial sites at selected archaeological sites. The study aims to discuss the issues with interpretations of various aspects of the human sacrifices from the early medival Western Slavdom territory sites. The work is interdisciplinary, as it takes into account and integrates the results of archaeological research, knowledge in the field of history, philosophy and cultural anthropology. The article presents the effectiveness of interdisciplinary methods in expanding analytical and interpretative possibilities of archeology regarding the rituals of sacrifice and sacrificial sites.

Концепция креативности в проблемном поле современной социальной философии

This paper speaks of the growing interest in the category of creativity among the scientific community of interdisciplinary discourse, and the place of creativity among philosophical disciplines. Creativity as a property of the social environment is characteristic of the type of society in which traditions have not managed to become a universal form of behavior, prompting the subjects of society to permanently reflect on habitual patterns of behavior, the production of unique forms, and the original synthesis of previously known ideas and social practices. Being an integral property of the social and cultural environment as a whole, creativity ultimately reveals a person’s desire for novelty and marks the beginning of the digital revolution. The development of creativity due to explicitly specified external conditions contributes to its identification not only in a certain scientific environment, but also in the whole society, within which the creative class functions. Within the framework of the socio-philosophical context, the category of creativity reveals its potential based on the axiological approach. Tracing the rejection of the values of traditional society, the new values are those that contribute to the self-expression of a person, expanding the boundaries of his or her self-actualization.

Development of philosophical anthropology in Kyiv Weltanschauung School

The article is dedicated to the development of philosophical anthropology in the Kyiv Weltanschauung School. It is shown that in studies devoted to this school there are certain differences. They concern both the time of the school's founding and its founders. The vast majority of researchers consider Volodymyr Shynkaruk to be the founder of the Kyiv Weltanschauung School and date its emergence in 1969, when the principles of Weltanschauung school were promulgated. At the same time, there is another point of view on the abolition of this school. Some researchers associate its appearance with the name of Pavlo Kopnin, who also had noticeable humanistic motives for philosophizing. Attempts to combine Weltanschauung and logical- epistemological approaches are also noticeable. In this connection it is talked about Kyiv Weltanschauung-Epistemological School. In my opinion, there are more reasons to consider Volodymyr Shynkaruk, the founder of the Kyiv Weltanschauung School, who initiated the study of man - the world of man, which is the core of the Weltanschauung .In Ukrainian philosophical thought, the anthropological turn Kyiv Weltanschauung School took place not on blank space. Representatives of this school, first of all its founder Volodymyr Shynkaruk, continued to some extent the tradition of "philosophy of heart" of H. Skovoroda and P. Yurkevich, on the other hand, their philosophical heritage strangely reflected the mainstream of modern philosophy, namely the turn from epistemology to anthropology, to the ontology of the world of human existence. It is necessary to distinguish between the understanding of philosophical anthropology in the narrow and broad sense. In a narrow sense, it is understood as a philosophical discipline that developed in the 20-30 years of the 20th century and is represented by the names Scheler, Helen, Plesner. In a broad sense, philosophical anthropology is a philosophical reflection on man in general. In this regard, such key problems of philosophical anthropology as human transcendence, its identity, goal-setting as a way of human self-realization are considered.

The Place of Skepticism in the 21st Century Gnoseological Debate: Selecting Logical Positivism and Postmodernism

This study is centered on The Place of Skepticism in the 21st Century Gnoseological Debate: Selecting Logical Positivism and Postmodernism. Within the context of Western philosophy, skepticism, which arguably began in the ancient times with the likes of Gorgias neither ends with the Contra Academicos of St. Augustine nor with Kant’s noumena as some scholars argued. Skepticism is an indispensable part of epistemic discourse that cuts across diverse ages of philosophical discipline ranging from the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary; and also permeates all the branches of philosophy. The philosophical postulates of the logical positivists who unequivocally argued that any proposition that cannot be subjected to their verification principle is meaningless, was occasioned by skepticism. The postmodernist philosophers’ argument against objective knowledge, grand totalizing, and their downplaying of foundationalism, was orchestrated by skepticism. It is the position of this study that skepticism is not only a continuum, but most importantly, the episteme-vitae (the life-wire of epistemology). As a necessary evil in the philosophical discipline skepticism is an inevitable driving force in the 21st century gnoseological debate, and instrumentum laboris (instrument of labour) in the hands of philosophers. The research methods employed in this work include: analytic, contextual, historical, and textual.

Етика в дослідницьких практиках 60 – 80-х років. Частина І

Interview of Olga Simoroz, Sofia Dmitrenko, Evgenia Zaichenko with Viktor Malakhov on the development of ethics as a philosophical discipline in Ukraine of the 60's - 70's.

The role of philosophy and ethics at the edges of medicine

BackgroundThe edge metaphor is ubiquitous in describing the present situation in the world, and nowhere is this as clearly visible as in medicine. “The edge of medicine” has become the title of books, scholarly articles, media headlines, and lecture series and seems to be imbued with hype, hope, and aversion. In order better to understand what is at stake at “the edge of medicine” this article addresses three questions: What does “the edge of medicine” mean in contemporary debates on modern medicine? What are the challenges “on the edge of medicine” (in these various meanings of “on the edge”)? How can philosophy and ethics contribute with addressing these challenges?MethodsLiterature searches in PubMed and Google Scholar are used to identify uses of the phrase “the edge of medicine” while conventional content analysis is used to analyze meanings of and challenges with “the edge of medicine.” These results are then investigated with respect to how philosophy and ethics can address the identified challenges.ResultsThe literature reveals that “the edge of medicine” has many meanings, such as: Border; Margin (of life); Frontier; Forefront; Fringes; Plunge (abyss); Brink (verge); Conflict; and Balancing. In general, the various meanings address four basic challenges: setting limits, keeping control, make meaning, and handling conflicts or aporias. The analysis of each of the meanings of “the edge of medicine” identifies a wide range of important and urgent tasks for the humanities in general, and for philosophy and ethics in particular: 1) clarifying concepts; 2) clarifying assumptions and premises of arguments, methods, advice, and decisions; 3) elaborate new concepts and new theories; 4) conceptualize and handle uncertainty, moral regret, and residue; 5) reveal “the emperor’s new clothes;” 6) identify trends and reflect on their implications; 7) demarcation; and 8) reflecting on goodness in medicine.ConclusionThe phrase “the edge of medicine” expresses a wide range of challenges for modern health care. Together with other disciplines philosophy and ethics can and should make crucial contributions at “the edge of medicine,” which is where the future of human beings and societies is created and formed.