Philosophical Perspective Research Articles

The Harm of Nature and the Light of Man: Philosophical and Theological Reflections on Gratitude and Growth from Disaster

This article explores in depth the multiple implications of natural disasters, especially in the context of scientific progress, human solidarity, and theology. Firstly, this paper reviews the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and discusses the multi-dimensional effect of natural disasters on human society and its profound philosophical and theological significance. Despite the devastation and suffering caused by the disaster, Americans have shown a strong sense of gratitude. Then, from the dialectical point of view, the author analyzes the cosmological view of the coexistence of good and evil and emphasizes the positive role of natural disasters in promoting scientific and technological progress, promoting human unity, stimulating learning motivation, and demonstrating free will.Further, from the perspective of philosophy and theology, the paper expounds on the intrinsic value of pursuing knowledge and exercising natural disasters on free will. The learning process of natural laws deepens human understanding of the world. It strengthens human free will, making people more autonomous and independent in the face of good and evil choices.At the same time, from the theology perspective, this paper compares the different understandings of natural disasters and human suffering between atheism and theism. It reveals the respect for human autonomy and the essence of faith behind God’s non-intervention. In the end, the article concludes that natural disasters, while a source of suffering, are also catalysts for human growth and gratitude, encouraging us to look at disasters from a broader perspective and draw strength and wisdom from them.

A productive pedagogy of liminality: a counterpoint to a limited performativity

ABSTRACT Education as a journey of human becoming involves commitment to one’s ethical life project as well as learning to live well and actively participate with others in an ever-changing socio-cultural, political and material world. This paradoxical journey is at the heart of our philosophical criticism of contemporary policy impulses to formulate risk averse pedagogies which centre on a product model of outcomes. We draw from philosophical perspectives of liminality and the Productive Pedagogy study from Australia to inform our position by indicating how students make sense of pedagogical experiences in unique, deeply personal, corporeal and limitlessness ways. We use Aquatics Education as a useful symbolic representation for the immersive, embodied and relational practices involved in human becoming; practices that we aver need to be acknowledged, while never fully defined. These practices require teachers’ localised autonomous judgements in evaluating risk for dilemmas encountered. Holistic experiences, provided by games with gravity, are consistent with such ‘aesthetic experiences’ for primacy of the subject/subjective. Our affirmative critique reveals how immersive experiences occupy a defensible position for our concept of a Productive Pedagogy of Liminality, which aims to open affordances for each student’s ethical life project by heightening subjective awareness between body and spirit.

The ethical model of orchestra conducting: a psychological and philosophical perspective

ABSTRACT This article investigates the ethical requirements and features that characterize the professional life of successful contemporary classical orchestras, with particular focus on the leadership style of their conductors. As we will show, the traditional authoritarian approach, marked by the conductor’s commanding charisma and strict demand for obedience from orchestra members, has evolved today into a more ethically-based transformational style of leadership. This new approach is rooted in principles of respect, voluntary compliance, and trust. The present paper delves into the interpersonal dynamics within contemporary orchestras, focusing specifically on the character traits required to establish trust and collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra members, as well as among the orchestra members themselves. In particular, drawing from recent research in psychology, we underscore the significance of deference, empathy, and shared commitment toward the common goal of excellence in performance. We conclude that the ethics-centered style of leadership adopted by most contemporary conductors may extend beyond the realm of music, offering insights applicable to leaders in various other fields. By fostering deep connections, shared purpose, and collaboration, this approach has the potential to enhance organizational performance and outcomes in general.

Constellation of the Five Constant Virtues in English Translations of <i>The Analects</i>

The five constant virtues (<i>rén</i>, <i>yì</i>, <i>lǐ</i>, <i>zhì</i>, and <i>xìn</i>) are central to Confucian philosophy and have grown in influence over time, shaping not only traditional moral teachings but also contemporary practices in business management and personal development. However, limited research has explored how these virtues are translated and conceptualized in English versions of <i>The Analects</i>. This study aims to address this gap by examining how the five constant virtues are formed, related, and legitimized across four major English translations, spanning different historical periods. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach is employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. First, a multi-parallel corpus is established, enabling a detailed quantitative examination of how the five constant virtues are expressed across different translations. This analysis highlights variations in the rendering of these key concepts in each text. In parallel, Legitimation Code Theory’s (LCT) constellation analysis is applied for the qualitative component of the study. This approach explores the relationships among the virtues and how translators have conceptualized and structured these interrelations. Results indicate a reduction in variation over time, suggesting a stabilization in how the virtues are conceptualized. While translations consistently represent simpler pairings of virtues, differences emerge when more complex constellations involving all five elements are considered. These findings reveal how philosophical perspectives and temporal contexts shape translation, impacting the way Confucian virtues are legitimized and structured.

Kyai Leadership Management Model in Improving Quality Performance of Educators and Education Personnel in Islamic Boarding Schools Ibnussabil Santan Tengah

The Kyai leadership model in Islamic boarding schools plays a major role in improving the performance of educators and education personnel. As a leader, at least he must be able to influence, motivate, protect, and guide his subordinates to have significant performance quality. Thus, optimal performance is directly proportional to the institution's success in achieving its vision, mission, and goals. This study was conducted to find out how the Kyai leadership management model is carried out at the Ibnussabil Santan Tengah Islamic Boarding School in improving the quality of performance of educators and education personnel from a philosophical perspective. The research method uses a qualitative approach by describing the leadership management model used in improving the quality of performance of educators and education personnel, in this case, interviews and documentation are the data collection techniques. The results of the study showed that there is no best leader model because all types of leadership must be used according to the situation or circumstances to improve the quality of performance of educators and education personnel effectively. Keywords: Leadership Management Model, Performance of Educators, and Education Staff

Social Protection is the Essence and Genesis of the Phenomenon

this article analyzes issues of anti-poverty and social protection from historical, religious and philosophical perspectives. It is also shown how other religious teachings and philosophical views also played a role in shaping attitudes towards social protection. The article also talks about how social protection systems have perfected with the development of states and the revival and development of these systems in the current period. The article, going deep into the historical and spiritual foundations of social protection issues, confirms its relevance today.

Response to ‘A New View on Biology and Some Philosophical Perspectives’ by Emil Toescu and Daniel Bardos

Response to ‘A New View on Biology and Some Philosophical Perspectives’ by Emil Toescu and Daniel Bardos

Being is said in many ways

Abstract The article focuses on the ontological foundations of lifeworld as Being taken for granted and viewed as a communication phenomenon par excellence, conceptualized as signifying in the presence of others. It is argued that, because there is always a wider horizon of experience against which anything can appear, lifeworld as something continuous can only be thematized in discrete scientific forms. In the article, lifeworld is discussed through the perspectives of four different sciences. From the natural science perspective, lifeworld is conceptualized as an arrangement contingent on the interconnections of human and nonhuman beings. It takes the form of conversation and can be best examined by Conversation Analysis. From the social science perspective, lifeworld is conceptualized as an order that is constituted by symbolic interactions and guided by relevant types and rules that structure our experience. It takes the form of intersubjective action as a meaningful back and forth and can be best examined by Discourse Analysis. From the cultural sciences perspective, lifeworld is the realm of spirit passed from generation to generation that gives human culture its meaning. It takes the form of significant expressions and can be best examined by Textual Hermeneutic Analysis. And, from the philosophical perspective, lifeworld is constituted by phenomena that appear, or monstrate themselves, to consciousness. This lifeworld is of absolute reversibility and immediacy and can be best examined by Critical Analysis, i.e., by postulating our relation to any object through contemplation. Thus, as Being, lifeworld is said in many ways, each lifeworld being relevant in its own way by providing a valuable resource – physico-biological, normative, significational, and transcendental.

Impact of Socio-economic Factors on the Perception of Equality of Opportunity

This article examines the various sociological and philosophical perspectives on equality of opportunity, focusing on areas of misunderstanding within these viewpoints. It aims to critically analyze these perspectives, highlighting the underlying assumptions and challenging simplistic approaches to the concept of equal opportunity. The article claims that these perspectives differ in knowledge, beliefs about the familiar world, and human comprehension. By critiquing the constitutionalist approach, which prioritizes overall quality of life, and contrasting it with the Marxist perspective, which emphasizes protection based on socioeconomic status, this essay challenges conventional notions of equal opportunity. It advocates for a perspective rooted in fundamental equality and social democratic philosophy, arguing against discrimination based on sex, gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The article posits that we should regard all individuals as equally valuable human beings. Furthermore, this study contends that the perception of equal opportunity remains misleading, as the most effective criteria for achieving it remain unresolved in specific contexts and situations. By examining these complexities, the article aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of equality of opportunity in contemporary society.

An Uncertain Perspective on Consciousness

This should be considered as an addendum to Fundamental Cosmology and Physics Beyond the Standard Model [1] and ideas from pilot/wave theory [2]. It is more accurate to say that this is a philosophical perspective that comes from common basic observations and we can give a simple demonstration of this Pilot Wave theory by showing several examples of scale invariance [3]. It is not only just at the smallest levels of quantum mechanics we can observe these properties. Consider large flocks of birds or schools of fish moving together at the human scales of perception. We may show each bird is a particle being piloted by the wave of birds in the flock. But, each bird is also a small part of the wave and has the freedom to change the waveform simultaneously, dynamically. As some might say, “That’s all there is folks.” A living fish or bird, with simpleconsciousness, can change the waveform based on internal freewill. There is something happening internally that sets life apart from that which can only be influenced externally. Life has internal dynamics. Particles interacting at the sub-atomic level have no choice in their interaction with the waveform, as this is solely influenced by its own (external) properties. Indeed there is a Markov blanket separating internal and external states. There is a repeating pattern of scale invariance when comparing brain holography theory and ADS-CFT correspondence [4], as black hole holography, as we will show.

Mind-body medicine and altered states of consciousness in Homo

The mind-body relationship has long been a subject of inquiry from both philosophical and scientific perspectives. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato posited dualistic models, where the mind and body are distinct substances. In contrast, modern approaches in Mind-Body Medicine (MBM) offer integrative models that emphasize the interconnectedness of mental and physical states and the proactive role of the patient in their own healing process. This review examines the evolutionary roots of altered states of consciousness (ASC) as a precursor to current MBM techniques. By tracing ASC to early hominins and their cognitive development, it posits that the ability to enter various ASC—such as those used in rituals, meditation, and other mind-body practices—provided evolutionary advantages, influencing both individual fitness and social cohesion. Moreover, this review discusses tonic immobility in animals as a survival mechanism and explores parallels in human and non-human primate behaviors involving ASC. Additionally, neurochemical pathways that govern ASC, such as serotonergic and dopaminergic regulation, are explored for their roles in promoting social behaviors, cognitive flexibility, and emotional regulation. Furthermore, the role of the default mode network is investigated in relation to psychotropic and mood altering substances and altered states of consciousness. This integrated perspective offers new insights into the origins of MBM and underscores the significance of ASC in both evolutionary and contemporary contexts.

Understanding Ourselves in Qualitative Research Through Collaborative Sense-making

In the fall of 2023, the iSchool at Syracuse University offered a new PhD course entitled IST 800 Information Studies Seminar: Qualitative Research Methods. This course was intended to teach students about various qualitative methods. A key part of the curriculum was centered on a discussion of how researchers are implicated by their epistemological and ontological positionality and how this awareness should inform their methodological decisions and analytical interpretations. As part of the course, students were asked to keep a weekly sense-making journal, which was intended as a routine medium through which students could reflectively engage with the various author claims, arguments, and philosophical perspectives that were raised in the course readings and shared class discussions. After the course ended, several of the students from the course embarked on a collaborative autoethnographic project to examine how their respective learnings about qualitative methodologies had shaped their individual research ontologies and epistemologies. This poster provides an overview of this collective analysis. We argue that the reflexive nature of the course acted as a generative springboard for us (i.e., the students) to explore and question our values, sensitivities, and, ultimately, our worldviews; in tandem, the assigned sense-making memos gave us a chance to proactively develop our researcher positionalities. It is our hope that sharing the insights from this autoethnographic project will support other early career researchers in understanding how to critically engage their own positionality, and will provide information science educators inspiration for their own research methodology pedagogy.

The Jain Fast to Death: Exploring Some Legal, Medical, and Philosophical Perspectives

The Jain Fast to Death: Exploring Some Legal, Medical, and Philosophical Perspectives

Empirical Bayes Methods, Evidentialism, and the Inferential Roles They Play.

Empirical Bayes-based Methods (EBM) is an increasingly popular form of Objective Bayesianism (OB). It is identified in particular with the statistician Bradley Efron. The main aims of this paper are, first, to describe and illustrate its main features and, second, to locate its role by comparing it with two other statistical paradigms, Subjective Bayesianism (SB) and Evidentialism. EBM's main formal features are illustrated in some detail by schematic examples. The comparison between what Efron calls their underlying "philosophies" is by way of a distinction made between confirmation and evidence. Although this distinction is sometimes made in the statistical literature, it is relatively rare and never to the same point as here. That is, the distinction is invariably spelled out intra- and not inter-paradigmatically solely in terms of one or the other accounts. The distinction made in this paper between confirmation and evidence is illustrated by two well-known statistical paradoxes: the base-rate fallacy and Popper's paradox of ideal evidence. The general conclusion reached is that each of the paradigms has a basic role to play and all are required by an adequate account of statistical inference from a technically informed and fine-grained philosophical perspective.

Lovers of the Soul, Lovers of the Body. Philosophical and Religious perspectives in Late Antiquity, edited by Slaveva-Griffin, S. and Ramelli, I. L. E.

Lovers of the Soul, Lovers of the Body. Philosophical and Religious perspectives in Late Antiquity, edited by Slaveva-Griffin, S. and Ramelli, I. L. E.

Oneness: Myth, Mystery, or ‘The Reality’

This research paper, titled "Oneness: Myth, Mystery, or The Reality," explores the concept of oneness from philosophical and scientific perspectives, examining whether it is a myth, a mystery, or a reality. Drawing from Advaita Vedanta, where the individual self (Atman) is seen as non-different from the universal consciousness (Brahman), and incorporating insights from contemporary philosophy and neuroscience, we argue that oneness transcends mere abstraction. The investigation reveals that both Eastern and Western traditions converge on the idea of interconnectedness, challenging the illusion of separateness. Additionally, empirical studies support the experiential aspects of oneness, indicating that it is not only a philosophical ideal but also a lived reality. The findings underscore the ethical implications of recognizing oneness, advocating for a holistic approach to personal and collective responsibility. Through this interdisciplinary dialogue, the paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of oneness as a vital framework for addressing contemporary existential and ethical dilemmas.

Immersive and virtual exhibitions: A reflection on… art?

This paper explores the conceptualization and evolution of virtual exhibitions and immersive art experiences, highlighting their distinctions and similarities. Virtual exhibitions, conducted online or through digital media, offer a platform for showcasing artworks to a global audience without physical constraints. They employ multimedia elements to engage viewers and provide flexibility in exploration. Conversely, immersive art experiences create environments that envelop the viewer, stimulating multiple senses and often incorporating advanced technologies, such as virtual reality and augmented reality. These experiences aim to evoke emotional responses and facilitate active engagement with the artwork. While proponents argue that virtual exhibitions and immersive art experiences democratize access to art and offer new avenues for artistic expression, critics have raised concerns about their impact on authenticity, viewer engagement, and art commercialization. Philosophical and cultural perspectives, including phenomenology and postmodern theory, shed light on the complexities of these art forms and their relationship with reality and simulation. This paper, further, examines the social and business implications of virtual exhibitions and immersive art experiences, noting their growing popularity and influence on the art market. It discusses the viewpoints of artists, critics, and scholars, both supportive and critical, regarding technology’s role in art and its effects on the viewer’s experience. Virtual exhibitions and immersive art experiences represent an evolving landscape in the art world, offering opportunities for innovation and debate. Their impact on the perception and consumption of art remains a subject of ongoing discussion. The paper concludes with a review of successful virtual exhibitions, highlighting their role in expanding access to art and cultural experiences globally.

Анализ профессиональной культуры сотрудников органов внутренних дел: философско-антропологический ракурс

The article provides an analysis of the professional culture of employees of internal affairs agencies from a philosophical and anthropological perspective. The work notes that two elements can be defined in the structure of professional culture - professional competence and personal qualities. A general description of each of these elements is given. It is noted that it is the philosophical and anthropological perspective that allows us to fully analyze the essence of the personal element in the structure of a certain type of professional culture. From the philosophical and anthropological perspective, three principles on which it is based have been identified: the unity of normativity and initiative; the unity of dynamism and statics; the need for systematic information exchange. These principles are of a dialectical nature and are defining, distinguishing the professional culture of employees of internal affairs agencies from other types. The personal component turns out to be of primary importance, influencing decision-making in a specific situation. Paths for further research into the professional culture of employees of internal affairs agencies are outlined.

ENSURING SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA ON THE INTERNET: ISSUES OF SELECTION OF OPTIMAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This article explores the methodologies and legal challenges associated with personal data protection within the global information space. We examine the limitations of relying solely on specialized research methods and techniques. We argue that personal data protection issues require a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary methodological approach. The primary goal is to analyze the selected methodological strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. The subject of the study is to analyze the issues of methodological approaches in legal research on personal data protection. We analyze a philosophical framework that seeks to deepen the understanding of personal data protection issues, addressing legal and ethical dimensions. We aim to contribute to the broader discourse on data security and privacy through various lenses, including legal, technological, and philosophical perspectives. The study focuses on four analytical methods for developing legal technologies to protect personal data internationally. A systematic analysis of personal data as a legal phenomenon, functional analysis within the framework of legal regulation, sociological and psychological approach, and axiological analysis to understand the meaning and evolution of personal data protection rights. These approaches aim to create a unified concept of legal technology for personal data protection, which makes it possible to identify new types of data, study the components of legal technology in detail, and increase the efficiency of legal regulation.

Философско-антропологическая проблематика в работе М. Хоркхаймера и Т. Адорно «Диалектика Просвещения»

The article is devoted to the analysis of the work of the Frankfurt school theorists M. Horkheimer and T. Adorno “Dialectics of Enlightenment. Philosophical fragments” from a philosophical and anthropological perspective. These thinkers became famous primarily as representatives of sociological knowledge. The study showed that their heritage also raises philosophical and anthropological issues. The work shows that in “Dialectics of Enlightenment” the authors offer an original concept of the history of European culture, presented from the perspective of the evolution of being and consciousness of the individual. Thinkers are convinced that the entire history of European culture appears as a distinction between man and nature, the removal of the natural from the consciousness of the individual. Modern culture is considered by M. Horkheimer and T. Adorno as the apogee of this sociocultural crisis, after which, according to them, “non-existence” comes. Based on the presented assessment of theorists of the Frankfurt School, a conclusion is made about the validity of understanding the current crisis of European culture (crisis of the 20th century) as a sociocultural transformation, marking the entrance to a new stage in the dynamics of the countries of this region.