Readings In Philosophy Research Articles

Mahmûd Muhammed Şâkir'in Geleneğin İhyasına Dönük Okuma Felsefesi ve Metodolojisi

In the centuries following the revelation of the Divine Word, many studies were carried out in Islamic sciences simultaneously with the narrative and literary activities. On the one hand, in order to interpret the content of the Qur'an and, on the other hand, to determine the distinctive features of the language of revelation, a substantial amount and quality of works were written in different disciplines. These works, which were written in the early period, which constitute the first ring of the tradition, contain short and concise expressions that need to be explained in most places, with the influence of the conjuncture. Although there have been studies on understanding and interpretation in the later periods, the conciseness of the works in question compels today's researchers. Reading, interpreting, understanding, and making sense of literary works written in the early period to understand the language of revelation and Arabic more accurately is one of the problems faced by today's researchers. Where and how to start reading these works, how to interpret the explanations of the theologian, and how to follow a path while reading are just some of the problems that put the researcher in a difficult situation. In addition, many questions such as the following arise during the research: "Are there general principles in interpreting poems and texts? Is it possible to reach the author's mind based on the content of the work? Is there a background to the word?". Egyptian literary scholar Mahmoud Mohamed Shakir (d. 1997), observing the difficulties faced by researchers in examining classical texts in the 20th century, when studies on the early period of Islamic Civilization increased, opposed the adoption of Western-based methods in re-reading tradition to make original intellectual production functional in terms of quality and quantity. According to Shakir, who stated that the Western-oriented methods based on the commentary and analysis of the texts did not make a significant contribution to finding answers to the above questions, the only way to interpret the texts is to savor them, in other words, to taste them. Shakir, who applies the method he calls “tazawwuq to the texts”, emphasizes that the secret of revising the tradition by interpreting it correctly is the taste of language. Based on these explanations, Shakir's method of interpreting the texts and his reading philosophy were examined in this study. Before going into the nature of the method, the motives that pushed Shakir to apply such a method were emphasized. The structure, elements, and functioning of the method were discussed based on the theoretical and practical works on the subject. In this regard, the works of Shakir named al-Mutanabi and Namat Sha‘b ve Namat Muhīf, which contain the original version of the method, were especially emphasized. In addition to these, in accordance with the purpose of the study, the benefits of the method applied to many classical texts to the researcher and the reader were explained through examples. In the study, which emphasized the positive and negative aspects of the method, the sources that Shakir was fed were tried to be determined, and what kind of contributions they could provide to today's researchers in interpreting the tradition was also questioned. Thus, the findings obtained as a result of the questioning in the study were evaluated within the framework of the following question: "Is there a need for such a method?" and some suggestions were made after the evaluations related to this question.

Dennis Vanden Auweele. Exceeding Reason: Freedom and Religion in Schelling and Nietzsche

Dennis Vanden Auweele. Exceeding Reason: Freedom and Religion in Schelling and Nietzsche. Reviewed by Pedro Nagem de Souza. Dennis Vanden Auweele’s book has the rare merit of reconciling a rigorous and focused reading of classical philosophers with a genuine philosophical proposal. As a historian of philosophy, he tries to recover the meaning of his source’s thoughts in their context. And as a philosopher himself, he absorbs them as predecessors while trying to respond to a legitimate contemporary concern.

On E.E. Constance Jones’s Account of Categorical Propositions and Her Defence of Frege

ABSTRACT E.E.C. Jones’s early logical writings have recently been rescued from obscurity and it has been claimed that, in her works dating from the 1890s, she anticipated Frege’s distinction between sense and reference. This claim is challenged on the ground that it is based on a common but inadequate reading of Frege, which runs together his concept/object and sense/reference distinctions. It is admitted that a case can be made for Jones having anticipated something very like Frege’s analysis of categorical propositions, and that she offered a sound rebuttal of Russell’s objection to Frege’s account of the informativeness of identity statements. However, these significant achievements should not be misrepresented as an anticipation of Frege on sense and reference, a claim that encourages a defective reading of both philosophers.

The Godfather and Sicily: Power, Honor, Family, and Evil

The Godfather and Sicily: Power, Honor, Family, and Evil

The Karen Call: Emergency, Destiny, and Surveillance

Abstract In this thought experiment, I provide a philosophical reading of the “Karen call” to explain its persistence and impact. I argue the call is an act of shepherding in the twenty-first century—fulling the ethical responsibility and duty of Dasein, as Heidegger presents it in his philosophy. Every call performs ontological labor—a guarding and surveillance of Being—requiring a vigilant policing of ontological boundaries and a marshaling of violence (state sanctioned) to prevent black encroachment (the violation of ontological interdiction). The cell phone, as modern technology, is the nexus between “the call of Being” and the “call to law enforcement” (Karen call). This guarding relies on the cell phone as an indispensable technology of surveillance. The Karen call is a response to an ontological emergency.

The Benefits and Limitations of Digital Tools to Retrieve the Emotions of Nineteenth-Century Readers of Philosophy from Manuscript Letters

This article discusses the limitations and benefits of resorting to digital tools and research methodology to explore nineteenth-century manuscript letters, written by readers to the French philosopher Victor Cousin, and to increase our understanding of how ordinary readers responded to philosophy at the time. More broadly, it examines the potential assets of the annotation interface developed in the Reading Europe Advance Data Investigation Tool (READ-IT https://readit-project.eu/ 2018–2021), a collaborative research project focusing on regenerating lost connections about the cultural heritage of reading from large volumes of highly-diverse eighteenth- to twenty-first-century sources in multiple languages. The case study describes challenges raised by attempts to detect and classify differences between female and male philosophical reading experiences as well as emotional responses, something which is largely under-explored. Along the way it provides reflexive as well as epistemological insights into the promises of big data for research on cultural history and literary archives and the current state of knowledge on emotions.

Proust – Philosophie als ästhetische Praxis

Abstract The philosophical reading of Proust’s Recherche presented here suggests Proust’s aesthetic method as a model for philosophy (as an aesthetic practice). The term “aesthetic” refers to the constitutive role of sensation, perception, and sensuality for the practice of philosophising. In Proust’s peculiar descriptions a specific form of “sentient thinking” (empfindendes Denken) takes shape. This thinking is characterised by the entanglement of the particular as detailed description and the general as theoretical reflection. With reference to Proust, the philosophical practice of describing is developed into a central element of philosophy as aesthetic practice.

From Medieval Romance to Contemporary Opera: Philosophy, Allegory, Eros

From Medieval Romance to Contemporary Opera: Philosophy, Allegory, Eros

The Passionate Fallacy

The Passionate Fallacy

African hermeneutical philosophy of reading behind the text and its missional implication

DialogEarly View OUTSIDE THE THEME African hermeneutical philosophy of reading behind the text and its missional implication Samuel Yonas Deressa, Corresponding Author Samuel Yonas Deressa deressa@csp.edu St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Correspondence Samuel Yonas Deressa, St. Paul, Minnesota. Email: deressa@csp.eduSearch for more papers by this author Samuel Yonas Deressa, Corresponding Author Samuel Yonas Deressa deressa@csp.edu St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Correspondence Samuel Yonas Deressa, St. Paul, Minnesota. Email: deressa@csp.eduSearch for more papers by this author First published: 11 April 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/dial.12722Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Virtual Subjects, Fugitive Selves: Fernando Pessoa and his Philosophy by Jonardon Ganeri

Reviewed by: Virtual Subjects, Fugitive Selves: Fernando Pessoa and his Philosophy by Jonardon Ganeri Paulo de Medeiros Virtual Subjects, Fugitive Selves: Fernando Pessoa and his Philosophy. By Jonardon Ganeri. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2021. xii+165 pp. £55. ISBN 978-0-29-886468-4. Jonardon Ganeri's book opens with a bold claim: 'Fernando Pessoa's invention of the heteronym represents a singular moment in the history of subjectivity' (p. 1). A compelling and grandiose promise, designed to whet the reader's appetite, does not disappoint: from beginning to end, the multitude of brief chapters—nineteen alongside a Preamble and Postscript—link Pessoa to an array of philosophical concepts and thinkers. The book is replete with insights and original suggestions for even the most seasoned of Pessoa scholars, while the clear and accessible style will retain appeal for the more general reader. Erudite without ever retreating into unnecessary obscurity, Ganeri marshals point upon point and shows a detailed, specialized knowledge not only of various strands of philosophy, but also of the intricacies of Pessoa studies. Exemplary referencing showcases an ability to combine originality with intellectual generosity. The end result is a landmark study, refreshingly free of the usual pieties, conscious of the most recent developments, and with the potential to galvanize the field of Pessoa studies. The book's title is as distinctive as it is memorable. Ganeri takes the notion of 'virtual subject' beyond the usual sense, be it in reference to Pessoa's heteronyms, or [End Page 306] the author's intense exploration of 'virtual' realities, dream images, and mindscapes. Indeed, for Ganeri '[v]irtual subjects are metaphysically dependent on landscapes of presence; they are not metaphysically "distinct" from "awareness-space"' (p. 92). Contrasting Pessoa's 'heteronymic philosophy of self' with both Cartesian and Humean figurations of the self, Ganeri credits the Portuguese author with having developed a unique phenomenological approach to the principle of selfhood. Construing Pessoa as a philosopher—and not just as one of the great modernist writers—is hardly a new claim. Even if Ganeri does not refer to them, Alain Badiou, Judith Balso, and José Gil have long established that Pessoa's thought singles him out even among other celebrated modernists. But it is Ganeri's notion of a 'fugitive self' that is arguably more intriguing and holds more potential. Ganeri cites a poem by Pessoa dated 5 April 1934 that starts with the line 'Sou um evadido' ('I'm a fugitive' in Richard Zenith's apt translation). This is clearly not the same poem as the rightly celebrated 'Autopsicografia' ('O poeta é um fingidor' ('The poet is a faker')), so the author's use of that title to refer to the poem he cites is somewhat confusing. Leaving such details aside, the key insight is Ganeri's notion that a 'fugitive self', a self that can never be at peace with itself, can be employed to transcend a philosophical reading of Pessoa to develop a Pessoan reading of cosmopolitan philosophy. The Postscript leaves no room for doubt as regards the esteem in which the author holds Pessoa. For Ganeri, Pessoa's 'first-personal "meditations" went much further than those of Descartes' and '[h]is phenomenology [was] much more poetic than that of the prosaic Husserl' (p. 150). But the prose never lapses into simplistic hagiography. Ganeri is open to criticisms and also notes, for example, that, though 'Pessoa believed himself to be exploring the outer reaches of experiential possibility [...] he did not consider the possibility of nested and circular heteronymy, nor that of uncentred minds, nor the implications of total sensory deprivation. Nor did he fully explore the idea that we might all be heteronyms of some single cosmic self' (p. 150). A partial explanation might be sought in Pessoa's suspicions concerning any form of transcendence and metaphysics unless grounded in sensual empiricism. In any case, it serves as a useful reminder that Pessoa had a prodigious and progressive mind—not only in relation to contemporaries in Portugal, but also as regards general tendencies in twentieth-century thought (with its finest illustration arguably in his Book of Disquiet)—but that he hardly exhausted the human possibilities for expanding our mental...

A Psychological and Philosophical Reading of Human Discourse in Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself"

Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself can be looked at as a psychological and ontological personal experience for the poet. In fact, having thoughtfully read and critically analysed the poem and with much attention to the philosophical and psychological implications which prevail throughout the song, we see that the poem is teemed with condense thematic observations about the existential self and the individualistic sense embedded through a universal and unified human discourse beginning from the micro-self and ending with a macro and collective sense, referred to as “transpersonal”. We argue that “Song of Myself” can be viewed in light of its psychological and/or individualistic experience, especially from the side of the poet. We further assume that the title of the poem has both the reader and the poet’s perspectives, thus contributing to more indulging in a personal and psychological state of mind and individualistic journey. While the poem demonstrates a self-revealing image about the internal structure of content as it significantly reminds the reader of himself/herself, it is found that such a psychological and cognitive reminder adds a special kind of framework that brings its borders so close to the readers' cognitive and existential consciousness which asserts a universal human discourse.

Al-Farabi and Philosophical Analysis of Language

TThe book of Al-Huruf (The Letters), as the most important philosophical works of Farabi in the philosophical study of language, refers to his precise philosophical thinking and is a reflection of the intellectual state of the Islamic world in the fourth century AH. The main purpose of this article is to find out why Farabi has studied language, word formation, language levels, and how language evolves in this work. A philosophical reading of the book Al-Huruf shows that ten centuries ago, Farabi›s linguistic meditations were closely linked to his ontology, as well as to the question of philosophy and religion. Unfortunately, so far research on Farabi›s thoughts about language has been based on a logical or linguistic approach. The scholars, disregarding Farabi›s philosophical approach to language, offered views that considered “Letters” to be merely a description of syntax or letters or words. In this article, in addition to explaining Farabi›s philosophical view of language, we seek to explore three fundamental issues: First, we will examine his intellectual foundations on the evolution of language. Second, we expound on the relationship between language with syntax and logic, which was the most important topic of the debate which occurred in 320 AH, and finally, we discuss the philosophical achievements of language to reveal the importance of Farabi›s linguistic thought, which has been neglected so far. Key words: Al-Farabi, Al-Huruf, language, logic, philosophical reading.

Educational Psychologists as ‘Dissenting Voices’: Thinking Again about Educational Psychologists and Social Justice

This paper locates the educational psychologist’s (EP) involvement in addressing social justice in practice. It uses some philosophical ideas from Jacques Rancière, particularly the idea of the distribution of the sensible and dissensus, to help us question how systems that are aimed at contributing to a socially just society can limit social justice itself. Whilst the argument of this paper is applicable to educational psychologists internationally, this paper is situated within a Scottish context. It uses a vignette to draw out a philosophical reading of the EP’s involvement in the narrative. This paper gives some examples of how structures that are aimed at supporting social justice often position the EPs within these systems so that thinking, being and doing are shaped according to the structures that they inhabit. The establishment of such structures and discourses have limited the meaning and implementation of social justice. This means that the identity of both those requiring the involvement of the EP, as well as the EP and other professionals is determined in terms of their ‘proper place’ and their activity is determined in terms of its ‘proper function’. The paper argues that EPs can interrupt the procedural flow and provide a dissenting voice which can ultimately lead to social justice in ways that the normal flow of procedure does not.

On Inventing Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling (CDC): Forming C—C Bond from Two Different C—H Bonds

Comprehensive SummaryConstructing C—C bonds is central to the synthesis of all chemical products. While conventional C—C bond formation methods always require one or two functional groups, 20 years ago, our establishment of the concept of Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling (CDC), wherein C—C bonds are directly formed from two different C—H bonds via the “formal” removal of two H atoms, has revolutionized chemical synthesis and has become one of the most active research subjects in chemistry. This perspective article will provide an insight of the origin of this concept and its early development in our laboratory. What are your favorite scientific discoveries from your lab?Over the past 30 years, we have made many discoveries. The most important ones are the developments of various Grignard‐type reactions in water which contradict textbook knowledge, the Aldehyde‐Alkyne‐Amine (A3) coupling, the Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling that forms C—C bond from two C—H bonds, and the umpolung of carbonyl as organometallic reagent surrogate that allows to carry out organometallic reactions without using stoichiometric organometallic reagents.Did you plan to be a chemist when you were young?Not really. I was planning to be an artist when I was young but really felt deep affection for chemistry after I entered college.How did you get into Green Chemistry?When I was a graduate student, I became fascinated about natural product synthesis. However, I felt that most reported total syntheses are very lengthy and difficult. As a result, I have been constantly asking myself: can we have novel chemistry to simplify organic syntheses? By coincidence, this was also during the dawn of Green Chemistry, which has the same philosophy.Besides chemistry, what are your hobbies?Besides chemistry research, I still have an eye on art. Also, I enjoy reading philosophy books, traveling and meeting people from different walks of life.What advice do you give to young academics?Be unique, creative and different from others. These might be difficult to do at the beginning but they will be beneficial in the long run.In your personal view, what are the important future developments for chemistry?As chemistry is the central science, important future developments will mostly arise from interdisciplinary areas. These are already occurring between biology and chemistry, environment and chemistry, materials and chemistry, energy and chemistry, but will also be between chemistry and some emerging fields. One of them is with artificial intelligence. Currently, it requires a great amount of time and effort to carry out a large number of experiments for most reactions, Artificial intelligence can greatly change and simplify future chemistry research.

Teaching End-of-Life Decision Making to Undergraduate Nursing Students

This presentation highlights the development, implementation, and results of an educational session with undergraduate nursing students about end-of-life decision making. The purpose of this qualitative thematic analysis study was to explore student perspectives of end-of-life decision making following an education session. The aims were to 1) develop themes from student feedback on end-of-life decision making and 2) refine educational strategies to teach end-of-life decision making to nursing students. The study was conducted with 72 junior level baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in an undergraduate gerontological nursing course. An interactive lecture was developed, following short philosophical ethics readings, which brought the students up to date on the history of end-of-life discussions, key cases, and different frameworks to approach a cluster of ethical issues associated with end-of-life care. A debate pedagogical model was employed as an engaging activity in which students directly applied recently learned concepts. In the debate activity, students were divided into two teams. Each team was assigned a position, which was a specific response to the case question: Should practitioners assist in their patient’s committing suicide? Should practitioners offer medical aid in dying? Each team conferred, presented their position, responded to the arguments or reasons from the opposing position. The session ended with a debrief by the course instructors. In the first semester, 31 nursing students completed four open-ended questions following the class. Results included increased student confidence discussing end-of-life issues and identification of two concepts commonly referred to in end-of-life care discussions and in bioethics, autonomy and dignity.

Growing donkey ears: the animal politics of music education

ABSTRACT This article problematizes the view that music education is primarily justified on account of its uniquely humanizing influence. Not only does this general humanist argument clearly fail to convince policy-makers to actually revalidate public music education, but moreover it often seems to rest on highly questionable premises. Without contesting the idea itself that music education can be a humanizing agency, we will try to show that such humanization cannot be achieved without acknowledging music’s inhuman, animal forces. While first this paradox is elaborated through a philosophical reading of the Ancient myth of Midas’s donkey ears, a second part will expand on its implications for the political bearing of music’s contemporary public-educational (ir)relevance. Ultimately, we claim that by paying closer attention to the ways in which music allows animal ‘nonsense’ to disrupt processes of collective human sense-making, we can start thinking of practices of music education that might truly engender a renewed sense of humanity.

Skulls, Tree Bark, Fossils

AbstractStudies of material objects in the field of memory studies have followed diverse epistemological and disciplinary trajectories, but their shared characteristic has been the questioning of philosophical assumptions concerning human relations with inanimate things and lower-level organic objects, such as plants, within the Aristotelian hierarchy of beings. Rather than accept at face value their categorizations as passive or deficient in comparison to the human subject, critical scholarship has reformulated the place and role of nonhuman entities in culture. This essay examines the nexus of materiality and memory in the work of the French philosopher and art historian Georges Didi-Huberman, with the focus on the questions of mnemonic affordance of things and plants. The essay proposes that Didi-Huberman’s project can be approached from the perspective of “undoing” the key binaries of Western historiography of art and material culture: surface/depth, exteriority/interiority, visibility/invisibility, and malleability/rigidity. Focusing on imaginal representations of memory objects in Didi-Huberman’s two essays Bark and Being a Skull, the essay situates these texts within the context of his philosophical reading of Aby Warburg’s iconology, and argues that Didi-Huberman’s undoing of the binaries that have traditionally structured thinking about materiality and memory could be productively approached as a philosophical project of transvaluating surface.

The Identity of the Performances of the 1960s Directed by Valeriu Cupcea

The fruitful activity of Valeriu Cupcea in the 1960s was manifested in the identity of his plays. In the comedy Take, Yanke, and Kadar by I. Popa, this is a union of people overcoming national and religious prejudices. In the socio-psychological drama from the life of a collective farm village The Wheel of Time by A. Lupan, this is the drama of the era, manifested in life situations, in dramatic collisions of the characters in the play. In the philosophical drama about the life and death of A. Levada’s Faust and Death, this is a clash of human destinies, in the struggle of worldviews. The play I Don’t Want You To Do Good For Me Anymore by G. Malarciuc is a satire against favoritism and nepotism. In the play Two Lives and the Third by F. Vidrascu, this is psychological certainty in revealing the spiritual dramas of the heroes. In the play The Crane Feathers by J. Kinoshita this is a poetical and philosophical reading of an old Japanese legend. In the play Eminescu by M. Stefanescu, this is a highly artistic embodiment of the images of Eminescu, Creanga, Alecsandri. In the play Blanduzia’s Fountain by V. Alecsandri, this is the disclosure of the tragic life of a poet who selflessly strives to bring love and goodness to people and dooms himself to death. And others.

Reading Philosophy, Writing Poetry: Intertextual Modes of Making Meaning in Early Medieval China

Reading Philosophy, Writing Poetry: Intertextual Modes of Making Meaning in Early Medieval China