Philosophy Research Articles

How Viniyoga Supports Health and Healing

In this qualitative study, the impact of therapeutic Viniyoga on health and healing was explored from the perspective of 14 Viniyoga therapists who were interviewed on their perceptions of how yoga therapy contributes to the health and healing of their clients. A philosophical definition of Therapeutic Viniyoga was developed. Three themes related to health and healing from the perspective of Viniyoga therapists were identified using NVivo and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis procedures: The definition of health is unique to each person. Healing is broadly defined as change in a positive direction. Healing occurs in stages. Four case studies illustrate how yoga therapy appeared to impact the course of health and healing among the clients of the yoga therapists who were interviewed. The study suggests that Viniyoga appears to benefit the overall health of clients and contribute to the healing of a variety of physical and psychological conditions. Implications for yoga therapy as an integrative and complementary health and wellness approach using multidisciplinary collaboration are discussed.

PHILOSOPHICAL DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS OF MORALITY AND GENDER CONCEPTS

This article analyzes the philosophical definitions and classifications of morality and gender concepts. Morality is examined as a system of principles that regulate relationships between individuals and society, while its connection with gender is also explored. Gender is analyzed not only as a biological distinction but also as a socially constructed system of roles and values. The study explores various philosophical perspectives on gender and morality, their historical development, and their significance in contemporary social theories. Additionally, discussions on gender equality, feminist movements, and Uzbekistan’s gender policy are included. KEY WORDS: Morality, Gender, Philosophy, Social Relations, Gender Roles, Gender Equality, Feminist Theory, Ethical Values, Patriarchal Society, Gender History, Social Structure, Cultural Values, Gender Policy.

Intuitions over arguments or arguments over intuitions? – An empirical study on Chinese participants

ABSTRACT According to experimental philosophers, the diversity and sensitivity of intuitions have posed a severe threat to the traditional philosophical methodology, which relies extensively on intuitions triggered by thought experiments. However, defenders of traditional armchair philosophical methodology argue that experimental philosophers misunderstand the importance of intuitions for philosophy. What philosophers genuinely rely on are arguments, which provide a reliable foundation for their judgments on thought experiments. However, a recent cross-cultural experiment conducted by Wysocki (2017) indicates that arguments do not affect the judgments about Gettier cases as philosophers once expected. That poses a challenge to those philosophers who contend that judgments are based on arguments. In this paper, we expand the experimental investigation of the effect of arguments on judgments about thought experiments. We report the result of three experiments in which eleven thought experiments drawn from multiple philosophical subdisciplines were used. It turns out that arguments have significant impacts on Chinese participants’ judgments in response to most of these thought experiments. These results present new resources for defending the traditional methodology but also bring new challenges.

Non-ideal theory in the philosophy of religion: Exploring implications of non-ideal theorising for the problem of evil

Abstract This article explores the implications of non-ideal theorising for the problem of evil. The critique of ideal theory – which has gained increased attention in several philosophical sub-disciplines during recent years – states that analytic philosophers tend to rely on overly idealised conditions, to the point of being completely unrealistic, in their theorising. To investigate if this charge holds merit in the philosophy of religion, I apply a non-ideal methodology to one traditional area of philosophy of religion – the problem of evil. Here, Richard Swinburne’s theodicy constitutes a sample of how the problem of evil is typically approached in mainstream philosophy of religion. Additionally, Swinburne’s Principle of Credulity will, in relation to his theodicy, be interrogated as well. Applying non-ideal theorising, I find that Swinburne’s theorisation relies on idealised cases and presupposes ideal conditions, while overlooking non-ideal realities. Turning to epistemic injustice and epistemology of ignorance, I find that Swinburne assumes ideal epistemological conditions in both inter-agent communication (testimony), and in collective cognition. After examining the implications of such idealisations, I find that Swinburne’s idealisations abstract away non-ideal factors which are relevant for his theories, concluding that Swinburne displays tendencies typical of ideal theorising.

Caveat Lector: From Wittgenstein to The Philosophy of Reading

Against the grain of Analytic philosophy’s general avoidance of the fact or phenomenon of reading, and starting out with Wittgenstein’s compact investigation into “the part the word [‘reading’] plays in our life, therewith the language-game in which we employ it”, in this essay I explore the nature of reading, and thereby initiate what is in effect a new philosophical sub-discipline: the philosophy of reading.

What is spirituality? The challenges of a philosophical definition

In recent years, there have been a number of philosophical publications focusing on spirituality. But even in pertinent philosophical texts it is rare to find attempts at shaping a workable definition of spirituality, despite the obvious need for a clear definition for the philosophical debate on spirituality. This paper addresses the major issues in shaping a satisfactory definition of spirituality: an understanding of spirituality as transcendence of critical reasoning, the broadness of the concept, the implications of various scholarly backgrounds and the challenge of avoiding a circular definition. It suggests a rough clustering of common approaches into ontological, ethical, and functional definitions and discusses their weaknesses. It is argued that an inclusive, metaphysically parsimonious, and stipulative definition is the best way to address typical difficulties and avoid weaknesses of common definitions. Finally, it proposes a definition based on meaning, a term that often appears in the discussion of spirituality. It is suggested that understanding meaning in the ordinary sense of the word might be a good starting point to arrive at a satisfactory definition of spirituality.

The measure of proximity of conditional distance of institutional logic and discourse practice

According to the author's position, the modern direction of sociology of management considers the field of problems around the discourse activity of an individual and social groups formed under the influence of social institutions and organizations in the process of managing digital means of communication between them. The methodology of management processes research requires new approaches to empirical sociological research, assuming the predisposition of the subject to a typical perception of activity conditions and a certain reaction, which is conditioned by the formed worldview and practical activity, which corresponds to foreign studies of postinstitutionalism. According to the author of the article, in order to apply the cluster analysis of empirical data, it is necessary to introduce conditional distances between institutional logics and practices of discourse subjects, hereinafter referred to as discursants, in the format of the research hypothesis. The present empirical study is based on the analysis of video recordings of the scientific seminar "Philo sophy of Complexity" of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), posted on the Internet, N = 121 (2019–2024); the analysis of discourse participants on the video recording of the report at the scientific seminar "Philosophy and IT" of the Insti tute of Philosophy of the RAS, posted on the Internet, N = 13 (2023).

PHILOSOPHY AND THE STUDY OF GLOCALIZATION

Within the bosom of the humanities philosophy reposes and, as an academic field, it is ever so often criticized for its aloofness. In a recent book, Roudometof and Dessi (2022, 9-10) politely quip that philosophy’s engagement with the “glocal” has been “resilient,” transacted mostly “without encroaching on other fields.” Philosophy’s ostensible remoteness stems in part from its institutional affiliation with, cultivation and deployment of often forbiddingly technical tools of logical analysis. Although the academic field comprises a manifold of specialities, with resentment often arising against prohibitively technical branches, I narrow my focus to an understanding of “philosophy” as an activity engrossed in logical analysis, and I will plead as defence of this avowed postulation that by so doing, operationally as it were, I can argue that philosophy can make critical and salutary contributions to the burgeoning field of glocalization studies, which is so ably canvassed in the book edited by Roudometof and Dessi. Notwithstanding the promissory note offered above, and since my definition of philosophy may seem unduly restrictive, it is incumbent on me to disambiguate across related notions and to make an initial case as to both the plausibility and arguable pay-offs from taking philosophy in the way I just adumbrated. This is a substantive issue as it relates to a case I will be making as to what philosophy may have to offer to the study of glocalization.

Shaming and Unreasonable Shame in the Book of Job1

AbstractWhile the philosophical study of shame has gained popularity, its application in the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible remains in its early stages. This paper delves into an analysis of shaming and unreasonable shame in the Book of Job, particularly in chapter 19. Through an examination of the Hebrew text and drawing on contemporary philosophical definitions of shame and shaming, I argue that Job perceives his friends, God, and the community to be employing shaming tactics against him, attempting to induce feelings of shame, a sentiment Job considers unjustified. In his case, shame is deemed unreasonable because Job has not violated any cherished values that would warrant such an emotion. Additionally, I demonstrate that while Job senses God shaming him, the biblical character acknowledges that his deity is the sole entity aware of his innocence—God's eyes perceive accurately, in contrast to humans', which only assess outward appearances. The role of God as the perfect witness to Job's life is fulfilled in the epilogue of the book, where Yahweh vindicates Job from the shame he has endured by publicly denouncing the serious faults of his friends.

Disease: An ill-founded concept at odds with the principle of patient-centred medicine.

Despite the at least decades long record of philosophical recognition and interest, the intricacy of the deceptively familiar appearing concepts of 'disease', 'disorder', 'disability', and so forth, has only recently begun showing itself with clarity in the popular discourse wherein its newly emerging prominence stems from the liberties and restrictions contingent upon it. Whether a person is deemed to be afflicted by a disease or a disorder governs their ability to access health care, be it free at the point of use or provided by an insurer; it also influences the treatment of individuals by the judicial system and employers; it even affects one's own perception of self. All existing philosophical definitions of disease struggle with coherency, causing much confusion and strife, and leading to inconsistencies in real-world practice. Hence, there is a real need for an alternative. In the present article I analyse the variety of contemporary views of disease, showing them all to be inadequate and lacking in firm philosophical foundations, and failing to meet the desideratum of patient-driven care. Illuminated by the insights emanating from the said analysis, I introduce a novel approach with firm ethical foundations, which foundations are rooted in sentience, that is the subjective experience of sentient beings. I argue that the notion of disease is at best superfluous, and likely even harmful in the provision of compassionate and patient-centred care. Using a series of presently contentious cases illustrate the power of the proposed framework which is capable of providing actionable and humane solutions to problems that leave the current theories confounded.

The free will capacity: A uniquely human adaption.

Herein, I characterize free will (FW) is an evolved functional capacity within the mature human mind, which provides us with numerous adaptive benefits. The FW capacity was selected for because it enables us to respond effectively to momentary contingencies, via on-the-spot deliberation. But FW also extricates us from the present moment, enabling us to generate and decide between imagined long-term futures. Based upon a compatibilist philosophical definition of FW, I present a creative process model of how the FW capacity works, the goal breakthrough model. I show that the goal breakthrough model is consistent with extant neuroscientific research on the brain networks involved in creative cognition and choice. I also show that (a) exercising one's FW is a basic psychological need, as evidenced by the fact that thwarting peoples' autonomy can be harmful, and that (b) the FW process is influenced by peoples' broad goals and narrative identities, providing a way for we conscious people to causally affect our lives and the world. Finally, I show how this framework integrates recent arguments that FW may be a uniquely human adaptation, ranging from neuroscience and cognitive to personality, social, and cultural perspectives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Philosophical Definition and Description of Crime

Philosophical Definition and Description of Crime

By the Way

No one who reads Derrida closely could accuse him of “technophobia.” More than any other contemporary thinker, on the contrary, he has shown the limit of attempts to protect thinking and even being itself from technē. Yet, Derrida nevertheless insists that “deconstruction” is neither a “technique” nor the technology of thinking that modern philosophy calls “method.” What allows Derrida to exclude “technique” and “method” when he himself shows, in relation to Heidegger above all, that a certain technicity and methodicity always remain irreducible? After outlining its stakes (§I), this article seeks to raise this question by reconstructing Derrida’s engagement with Heidegger concerning the questions of technology (§II) and of method (§III) before turning to the techno-methodicity that Derrida attempts to dissociate from deconstruction in turn (§IV).

“The Music of Being”: a note on a metaphor from Giorgio Agamben’s last volume of <i>Homo Sacer</i>.

The article attempts to clarify the place and meaning of musical-acoustic metaphors that appear in the last volume of Homo Sacer, The Use of Bodies, in connection with the project of modal ontology. The definition of philosophy as the “supreme music,” increasingly common in the pages of his later texts, suggests that this is not just a figurative meaning of musical images but an attempt to give them conceptual weight. To clarify the musical basis of philosophy, the article offers an analysis of a number of statements from The Use of Bodies in the context of Agamben’s early reflections on language and voice (most notably in Language and Death). The analysis allows us to show that musical metaphors mark the direction of Agamben’s positive program, particularly the project of modal ontology, which seeks to resolve the aporia of the ontological apparatus thattraces back to Aristotle. Although the aim of the article is mainly technical — to fit only apparently incidental musical metaphors into the logic of Agamben’s entire philosophical project — it seems that this analysis may be useful in clarifying the basis for understanding and critiquing the thought of the Italian philosopher.

The Best Constitution for the Flourishing Lives: Aristotle’s Political Theory and Its Implications for Emancipatory Purposes

The aim of this paper is to discuss the issue of the best constitution given Aristotle’s account of human flourishing articulated in the Nicomachean Ethics. There, Aristotle claims that monarchy is the supreme form of constitution. A similar claim is repeated in Politics. The paper argues that these claims sit uneasily with Aristotle’s teleological accounts of the polis, the citizen, and his discussion of the virtues of the citizen and the good man in Politics. Given Aristotle’s philosophical definition of the state as “an association of equals for the sake of the best possible life” and his notion that “the best is happiness, and that consists in excellence and its perfect actualization and its employment”, and Aristotle’s argument on the relationship between the good man and the good citizen, this paper concludes that the best constitution is politeia. Yet, simply to argue so is not enough if we are to rescue Aristotle from his inconsistencies and his claims on “natural inequalities”. Finally, a more radical interpretation of Aristotle is outlined, which rejects Aristotle’s separation between the oikos and the polis and argues that the verticality of the former is philosophically arbitrary and contradicts the revolutionary implications of Aristotle’s normative teleology.

Letsema: Communion ecclesiology in action

This article compares a Setswana philosophy of community self-upliftment and self-reliance, known as letsema, with communion ecclesiology. The intention is to contribute towards the decolonisation of theology project. The objectives are to enlighten theologians that African philosophies are vital in decolonising theology and that these philosophies of botho or ubuntu enhance understanding of ecclesiology from the African perspective. A literature review, starts with a philosophical definition of letsema and make a comparison of letsema and communion ecclesiology, showing how the two are complementary and can work symbiotically to decolonise theology in Africa. Letsema, like communion ecclesiology is voluntary, non-hierarchical, goal-oriented, and purposeful. Communion ecclesiology is the perichoretic mutuality of the triune God with those who are called out to be a koinonia of participants in the Kingdom of God. Acts 2:42–47 express the essence of communion ecclesiology. African communities are religious; therefore, using any epistemology to enhance religion is accepted and appreciated. Religion runs deep in the veins of Africans. Letsema is indeed a communion ecclesiology in action (Ac 2:42–47) (the togetherness [homothumadon] of the church) - the community that coherently lives together with the trinitarian God, expressing its identity through doctrine, prayer, eucharist, sharing, and embracing each other indiscriminately.Contribution: Through the interdisciplinary approach, this article engages socio-history, philosophy, anthropology, theology, and psychology to express the importance of African philosophies in the processes of decolonising theology. The Letsema concept is communion ecclesiology in action and the two can work symbiotically to decolonise theology.

Towards a Value-Neutral Definition of Sport

ABSTRACT In this paper I argue that philosophers of sport should avoid value-laden definitions of sport; that is, they should avoid building into the definition of sport that they are inherently worthwhile activities. Sports may very well often be worthwhile as a contingent matter, but this should not be taken to be a core feature included in the definition of sport. I start by outlining what I call the ‘legitimacy-conferring’ element of the category ‘sport’. I then argue that we ought not to include such a dimension in our definition of sport, on the grounds that it confuses issues of description with issues of definition: the issue of what sport does with what sport is. Following this, I consider a Wittgensteinian family resemblance approach to defining sport; Kevin Schieman’s argument that sports are necessarily good games; and the oft-cited wide-following and institutional criteria, as arguments for including an evaluative dimension in the definition of sport. I conclude that none succeed, for similar reasons: they either fail to track our common sense intuitions about what does or does not count as a sport; and/or they make it impossible for us to ever describe something a ‘bad’ sport (or instance of sport). Just as a good definition of, say, art, shouldn’t make it impossible for us to describe something as ‘bad art’, I argue that our definition of sport shouldn’t build in a necessarily positive evaluation. I conclude by discussing some of the practical reasons why supporters of activities about which there is currently debate as to their status as sports might want to see those activities included under the sports umbrella, but suggest that this on its own isn’t a good reason for modifying a philosophical definition of sport to include them.

Does lying require objective falsity?

Does lying require objective falsity? Given that consistency with ordinary language is a desideratum of a philosophical definition of lying, empirical evidence plays an important role. A literature review reveals that studies employing a simple question-and-response format, such as “Did the speaker lie? [Yes/No]”, favour the subjective view of lying, according to which objective falsity is not required. However, it has recently been claimed that the rate of lie attributions found in those studies is artificially inflated due to perspective taking; and that if measures are applied to avoid this problem, the results actually support the objective view of lying. This paper presents three experiments that challenge this claim by showing that the findings used to support the objective view have been misinterpreted. It is thus concluded that the folk concept of lying does not require objective falsity, which is consistent with the dominant view in the philosophical literature.

THE THEME OF THE HEART IN THE BYZANTINE TRADITION, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CULTURE AND RUSSIAN PHILOSOPHY

The article is devoted to the problem of cardiognosia as the leading one for Russian theological-philosophical and secular religious thought. A special place in Russian (especially in religious) philosophy is occupied by the theme of love and the heart. The main question that we pose in this article is whether the domestic cardiognosy has remained in line with purely Byzantine religious philosophy, or whether our tradition has found an original approach to the study of the heart. This problem is quite relevant due to the fact that modern Russia has often been compared with the Byzantine Empire, such comparative studies have been found for the third decade in various historical, cultural and philosophical studies. The study of the topic of the heart also falls into the piggy bank of spiritual and moral values, to the preservation of which the strategic interests of modern Russian society are addressed.
 Russian Orthodox culture reveals the theme of the heart in the ascetic tradition of asceticism, and Russian religious philosophy calls the heart the key to understanding the mentality of the Russian person. Modern researchers focus on the integrative function of the heart. Russian Russian Orthodox culture acts as a bridge between Byzantine traditions and Russian philosophy, and modern Russian philosophy considers the heart to be a place of synthesis of science and art culture.
 The results of the article can be applied in the framework of the creation of the concept of spiritual and moral development and education of the personality of a citizen of Russia.

Degradation of the Body in Idealist–Dualist Philosophy

There is no corporal philosophy at the level of other philosophical subdisciplines. A research line has begun whose ultimate goal is to determine whether a somatic philosophy can be built. From a pragmatist and biopolitical approach, the present study investigated why it has not been possible to develop grounded somatic philosophy. As an answer, the “idealist–dualist episteme” is described, which encompasses invariants in the history of idealist philosophy at the ontological, gnoseological, ethical–political, and pedagogical levels. These constants reflect somatophobia, as well as an ontological and gnoseological disregard of the body, which has led to the irrelevance of the body and corporeality in philosophy until the arrival of the “bodily turn”. The critique of this prevailing idealism and dualism will enable a review of current approaches based on these positions, such as embodiment, enactivism, embodied cognition, or embodied artificial intelligence. It opens up a new philosophical line with a universalis scope that is open to the eclectic construction of a pragmatic corporal philosophy that takes into account Chinese, Japanese, or African philosophies.