Epistemological Sphere Research Articles

The Problematic of Divination and Witchcraft Vis-à-vis Certitude and Skepticism in African Philosophy

Generally, trending deliberations on divination and witchcraft cut across several domains in African Philosophy. Conceptually, however, it remains a jigsaw puzzle and problematic vis-à-vis certitude and skepticism in relation to truth claims. The reality of these concepts in traditional African societies is perennial; with tendencies in certain quarters being to dismiss charges connected to them as disprovable allegations, neither improving nor changing common beliefs and adherence to them. Circumstantially, isolated instances apropos divination and witchcraft go beyond metaphysical realms, elucidating tangible and intangible effects of this craft and attacks; despite the fact that it is wrapped in mystery. Notwithstanding, some proof of its existence can be ascertained; yet, the overriding challenge of certitude and sceptical rudiments remain an epistemological problem. Obviously, in citing instances or dimensions of divination and witchcraft in African societies, with some real and pernicious traceable effects on the physical faculties of victims and observers, this paper explores the philosophical import; taxing possible amelioration of tenets of belief and truth warranting certainty while evading skepticism. As a supernatural source of knowledge, divination and witchcraft are inseparable epistemological apprehensions. Implicitly, African epistemology as founded on defined basic tenets, endorsed concepts like knowledge; truth, validity, and rationality are inevitable. Hence, the problematic of divination and witchcraft is pertinent vis-a-vis certitude and Skepticism; it is challenging by embracing varied forms of knowledge: perceptual knowledge, common sense knowledge, advanced age knowledge, inferential knowledge, mystical knowledge, oral tradition, and holistic knowledge. This paper consents to an extent with some truth and belief claims of these practices; but raise objections apropos certitude and scepticism in epistemological spheres of influence, engaging some systematic scientific fine-tuning.

НАУЧНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКАЯ ТЕРМИНОЛОГИЯ В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ КОГНИТИВНОЙ ПАРАДИГМЕ

The current problems of the terminological evolution of the complex of scientific and technical sciences in the era of technical globalization are considered; there is a significant expansion of the national term fund and the activation of the processes of borrowing into the sublanguage of technical epistemological spheres. In the mainstream of cognitivism, the specificity of technical knowledge is investigated in comparison with humanitarian and other types of knowledge; the connection between science, technology and human thinking is traced; aspects of his mental and cognitive activity are determined. The role of derivational processes in the creation of new conceptual and thematic modules in the structure of the modern scientific and technical terminological system is shown; it is noted that the technical term represents the cognitive element of human cognitive activity.

Representaciones epistemológicas sobre competencias de pensamiento científico de educadoras de párvulos en formación

En este artículo presentamos algunos hallazgos de un proyecto de investigación de 3 años que buscó caracterizar representaciones epistemológicas sobre competencias de pensamiento científico (CPC) de educadoras de párvulos en formación (EPF) en tres universidades chilenas. En en una primera fase, el proyecto indaga las representaciones de las EPF referidas a la noción de CPC, que analizamos caracterizándolas lo más densamente posible desde ámbitos epistemológicos «antagónicos»: el racionalismo moderado y el racionalismo positivista a partir del análisis de un cuestionario aplicado en tres cursos de didáctica de las ciencias. Los resultados arrojan conjeturas que dan cuenta de coexistencias de ambas representaciones epistemológicas, cuestión que tiene implicancias importantes en relación con la formación inicial de docentes que enseñan ciencias en la primera infancia.

Mathematical Reasoning

The article is devoted to the comparison of two types of proofs in mathematical practice, the methodological differences of which go back to the difference in the understanding of the nature of mathematics by Descartes and Leibniz. In modern philosophy of mathematics, we talk about conceptual and formal proofs in connection with the so-called Hilbert Thesis, according to which every proof can be transformed into a logical conclusion in a suitable formal system. The analysis of the arguments of the proponents and opponents of the Thesis, “conceptualists” and “formalists”, is presented respectively by the two main antagonists – Y. Rav and J. Azzouni. The focus is on the possibility of reproducing the proof of “interesting” mathematical theorems in the form of a strict logical conclusion, in principle feasible by a mechanical procedure. The argument of conceptualists is based on pointing out the importance of other aspects of the proof besides the logical conclusion, namely, in introducing new concepts, methods, and establishing connections between different sections of meaningful mathematics, which is often illustrated by the case of proving Fermat’s Last Theorem (Y. Rav). Formalists say that a conceptual proof “points” to the formal logical structure of the proof (J. Azzouni). The article shows that the disagreement is based on the assumption of asymmetry of mutual translation of syntactic and semantic structures of the language, as a result of which the formal proof loses important semantic factors of proof. In favor of a formal proof, the program of univalent foundations of mathematics In. Vojevodski, according to which the future of mathematical proofs is associated with the availability of computer verification programs. In favor of conceptual proofs, it is stated (A. Pelc) that the number of steps in the supposed formal logical conclusion when proving an “interesting” theorem exceeds the cognitive abilities of a person. The latter circumstance leads the controversy beyond the actual topic of mathematical proof into the epistemological sphere of discussions of “mentalists” and “mechanists” on the question of the supposed superiority of human intelligence over the machine, initiated by R. Penrose in his interpretation of the Second Theorem of Goedel, among whose supporters, as it turned out, was Goedel himself.

Desafios para a equidade racial nas universidades: os processos de continuidade da colonização na esfera epistemológica de formação

O diálogo aqui proposto visa discutir os processos de continuidade da colonização na esfera epistemológica e as vinculações dessa realidade à formação dos indivíduos de grupos sociais historicamente marginalizados que atualmente estão acessando as Universidades a partir das políticas e ações afirmativas. O acesso de estudantes negras/os, indígenas, oriundas/os de bairros periféricos, pequenas cidades do interior, de camadas sociais que historicamente foram marginalizadas e privadas do direito a uma educação pública de qualidade e as Universidades vêm contrariando a lógica meritocrática e excludente que há muito é um marcador da educação no Brasil. A entrada destas/destes estudantes nas Universidades vêm rompendo a frequente tradição de baixa escolaridade a qual estes grupos sociais vêm sendo sistematicamente submetidos. A nova realidade dessas Instituições evidencia a necessidade de estratégias de formação que atendam as necessidades de transformação, que altere suas ações de maneira a acolher e afiliar essas/esses novas/os estudantes.

Beyond Transcendentalism and Naturalization: A Categorial Framework for the Semiotic Phenomenology

This paper focuses on the topic of intentionality, which is the power of the mind to be directed towards some object or state of affairs. Intentionality structures the (inter) subjective side of experience, traditionally explored by Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology. I intend to introduce the basics of a semiotic interpretation of phenomenological intentionality with the undertaking of realistically grounding it, going beyond the alternative approaches of Modern transcendentalism and the contemporary trend to re-orient phenomenology naturalistically excluding the foundational perspective. This is possible in virtue of a relational reading of phenomenological ontology, where the theoretical core is the following: a sign-driven synthesis of the object, occurring within the onto-logical sphere of the signification processes (semeiosis), and hence outside the epistemological sphere of the subjective self-consciousness. Based on a fragmentary suggestion detectable in the early phenomenological work of the German phenomenologist Max Scheler, the proposed interpretation aims at strengthening the traditional (inter) subjective approach of phenomenology to the categorial study with the “in the third person” objective approach distinctive of semiotics, sharing in principle with the former a common pre-logical and hence ante-predicative level of enquiry. Mathematical Category Theory provides a rigorous framework in developing this unification step, because it deals with relational structures (relational categories) underpinning the predicative ones.

ALBO BOKSER, ALBO BANDYTA: ETYCZNY OBRAZ WALCZĄCEGO CIAŁA W LITERATURZE OBOZOWEJ

Autor porównuje dwie wersje opowieści o bokserze-więźniu obozów koncentracyjnych i obozów zagłady Moshé Garbarzu: intymistyczną (Un survivant) i powieściową (Le ring de la mort) w kontekście etycznych wartości, jakie w obu konotuje imaginarium boksu jako zjawiska zawieszonego pomiędzy porządkiem natury i kultury.

Abordagem Triangular do Ensino das Artes e Culturas Visuais: uma teoria complexa em permanente construção para uma constante resposta ao contemporâneo

A contribuição da Abordagem Triangular para a transformação dos processos de ensino das artes e ao ensino das culturas visuais no Brasil e América Latina a partir do final da década de 1980 é incontestável. E mesmo sistematizada no final do século XX, observamos que a Abordagem vem sendo aprimorada tanto a partir das pesquisas que a observam na prática quanto a partir de pesquisas que procuram se aprofundar nos âmbitos teóricos e epistemológicos. Partindo das ideias de Ana Mae Barbosa, em sua sistematização, adequação terminológica, explicitação dos fundamentos e desdobramentos dos conceitos fundantes da Abordagem Triangular, caminhando pela observação de Rizzi sobre o seu caráter complexo, com a definição de Azevedo que a coloca como teoria, e suas decorrentes práxis Arteducativa e Virada Arteducativa e os apontamentos de Silva sobre a natureza transdisciplinar, caracterizando a Arte e a Educação como áreas de conhecimento/macroconceitos e a inter-relação destas como trans-áreas.

Оппозиция ‘глубокий – поверхностный’ в оценочно-символическом ракурсе

The article presents the results of the semantic research of the axiological binary opposition of the Russian language ‘deep – superficial’; some peculiarities of its components’ symbolization are described. Based on the language material the idea is propounded that the opposition components under research reflect the phenomena of the physical, sensuous sphere, and are also employed in denoting the epistemological sphere in the Russian language.

Paśyantī, Pratibhā, Sphoţa and Jāti: Ontology and Epistemology in the Vākyapadīya

Eli Franco has recently suggested to distinguish the two main periods in the history of Indian philosophy, i.e. the older ontological and the new epistemological. In the Vākyapadīya, however, ontology and epistemology are evidently intertwined and interrelated. In this paper ontological and epistemological features of the concepts of paśyantī, pratibhā, sphoţa and jāti are analyzed in order to demonstrate that all these concepts, while being ontologically different, are engaged in similar epistemological processes, i.e. the cognition of a verbal utterance. Thus the identification of sphoţa and jāti as well as of paśyantī and pratibhā met with in some passages of VP and the commentaries implies not the absolute identity of these concepts, but only their overlapping in the sphere of epistemology. Considering concepts of different origin in one epistemological perspective enables to escape controversies in interpretation and provides a kind of consistency in a bit but amorphous work of Bhartŗhari.

Interdisciplinaridade, formação humana e emancipação humana

O presente artigo tem como objetivo fazer a crítica das propostas que pretendem superar a fragmentação do saber através da interdisciplinaridade, da trans ou da multidisciplinaridade e de outras denominações semelhantes. Procuraremos demonstrar que essas propostas são um caminho equivocado para um problema mal equacionado. E que, como a fragmentação do saber não tem sua origem na esfera epistemológica, mas na esfera ontológica, então sua superação integral pressupõe, necessariamente, a transformação do mundo real que está na sua origem.

From a Given to a Construct

The transition towards a cognitive and post-industrial economy has led to the emergence of new strategies of capture of the immanent productive capacities of the social forces. Heritage entities are subject to, and also participate in, processes by which common creativity and knowledge are being harnessed by novel forms of rent and control. The objective of this paper was to show that conceiving heritage as a common situated in specific contexts rather than as a universal essence can open up novel epistemological spheres of communication between different knowledge practices. Also, it can help bridge some ontological gaps among the various stakeholders in the arena of heritage, such as academics, managers, architects, local communities and market forces. This entails considering heritage as an emergent material and immaterial construction process involving many different agents. Currently, these processes tend towards the privatization of common values and the shattering of local communities. Normally, this situation entails a fundamental alienation between objects and subjects, and the reification of heritage. This paper suggests that considering heritage as a common could provide a different perspective to tackle this crucial problem. Accordingly, scholars should not only be bound to a critical discursive stance, but should also commit to ‘ontological politics’ that would situate them as mediators between the global hierarchies of value generated by heritage and the common productive potential of local communities.

Per una teoria dialettica del rapporto tra movimenti e sistema sociale: communitas, immunitas, individuazione e azione collettiva

The aim of this article is to develop a theoretical basis of the concept of social movement looking outside from the sociology of social movements. The article is set on an epistemological sphere that's close to ontology, and not about causal analysis of social movements. The theoretical question which this paper tries to answer is: What is a social movement? Movements are here defined as social systems, on the basis of the central thesis of the theory of systems, which states that the basis of a system is founded on the differentiation from its environment. The article proceeds with the individualization of fundamental characteristics of movement-systems. First, through the analysis of concepts of immunitas and communitas, which are correlated with the construction of social order and the creation of social movements. Secondly, analyzing the correlations between social movements and the creation of the individual subjectivity, referring to the theories of philosophical anthropology. At last, the article investigates the forms of relationship between movements and social systems: reaction, change of sign and assumption of generalization.

Knowing how and pragmatic intrusion

It will be argued that “knowing how” can be reduced to “knowing that” provided that a view based on pragmatic intrusion is accepted. In this paper, I explore various interconnected ideas: opacity, Gettier's problem, Igor Douven's pragmatics of belief, negativity arguments, and contextualism about knowledge. This paper mainly shows that philosophy and pragmalinguistic considerations are deeply entangled. When matters of inference are considered, it is also worthwhile considering pragmatic intrusion. There are reasons to believe that almost all questions that pertain to knowing how can be analyzed with reference to pragmatic intrusion—that being a pervasive feature of human communication. Given what Igor Douven says about the pragmatics of belief, we are not surprised that knowledge, as well as belief, is strictly connected with the notion of communication and that many of the arguments that pertain to the sphere of epistemology can be illuminated by the tool of pragmatic intrusion.

Corporeidade e ação nos processos de formação do eu

Parte-se da hipótese de que tanto os modos de constituição da subjetividade, quanto as teses epistemológicas sobre a formação do eu têm sofrido importantes mudanças nas últimas décadas. No plano das identidades pessoais, tal fato se expressa no atenuamento do ideário intimista, tradicionalmente centrado na idéia da vida mental como espaço privado e interior. No plano epistemológico, diferentes saberes vêm questionando a equivalência entre vida mental e interioridade psicológica e propondo descrições da origem do eu que incluam a dimensão da corporeidade e da ação. Considerando as noções de representação e de ação como eixos fundamentais para diferentes concepções da subjetividade, este artigo examina um modelo internalista do psiquismo, contrastando-o com outro que toma o eu como agente corporificado.

Tenderness: A Mediator of Identity and Gender Construction in Politics

Tenderness: A Mediator of Identity and Gender Construction in Politics Ileana Rodríguez (bio) The main purpose of my paper is to explain how romantic love between men and women is used to signal tensions and negotiation between heterosexual couples. Performance theories refer to compulsive heterosexuality encoded in nineteenth-century bourgeois epistemologies of man as tenderness. I intend to use the concepts of love and tenderness to show how and why radical guerrilla discourses of the twentieth century have defined love for the fatherland as a homosocial relationship among guerrilla men. 1 Considering how this is related to performance will bring us back to the identity construction of gender in politics; at the moment, identities are defined as multipositional in order to destabilize categories and to dissolve the metaphysics of substance. In this, I will also discuss tenderness as travesty. Any discussion about tenderness could begin with an analysis of the conditions of discourse production, introducing notions of context and contextuality within the productive activities of what Gayatri Spivak calls “worldlings” (262) and Sylvia Wynter, “languaging” (“1942” 7). We all know, after Foucault, that discursive production has been transferred from the warehouse of epistemology to that of politics, and that discourses are not solely linguistic practices—they exist in the world [End Page 240] as one of the many pragmatics of the polis, in the form of policies, politics, and power. Discussions about nineteenth-century bourgeois romantic love and tenderness as culture are very different from more contemporary discussions about love as politics, revolution, and misogyny. Writing about love and tenderness during revolutionary periods and inside the perimeters of the revolutionary states is a state matter; and gender troubles. Although women’s rights have always been constituted as nation’s rights and feminism has always been a double jeopardy—hermeneutically and politically, a theoretical condition at the service of the state (or proscribed)—in revolutionary states maleness itself, the eponymous figure of male leadership, is made to preside over the fullness of the space. Pictures of leaders hang on the walls of homes and sometimes at the centers of living rooms. Their images are constituted as authorities ruling over public and private as lovers, fathers, leaders, and even movie stars. The figure of Che Guevara, for instance, has occupied that place; he has become a lay saint, an auratic man presiding over private and public spheres, in homes, buses, and buildings. 2 In Women, Guerrillas, and Love, I disengage spheres and collapse categories to show how heterosexual love is used as a pretext or metaphor for homosocial love. By making a distinction between the erotic and the patriotic, the heterosexual from homosexual affect, and by merging borders and margins such as ethnicities, gender, and sexualities with symbols that represent the collectivity, I will show how socialism united homosocial affect and political narratives of representation with bureaucracies. It is within this working hypothesis that I read the testimonials of guerrilla fighters, such as Omar Cabezas and Che Guevara, and compare them to women’s narratives, where women did not represent loved ones but dead ones—women as corpses. I argue that the rigidity of the body that might constitute the tumescence of the sexual organs during the kind of compulsory heterosexual intercourse, which symbolizes the masculine act of creating the radical nation-state, in women just represents the death and stiffness of that project. To collapse the representations of women with those of the collectivity—which is often referred to as “the people,” “the masses,” “the social classes,” “the political base,” or “the troops”—is to speak about the small voices of history, about the non-, about the counter-(practices), [End Page 241] and about the hetero-(geneous). My aim is to demonstrate that a position against women is antidemocratic. How can a political party promise to create an egalitarian society when its social policies are exclusionary? These are very simple questions, yet they remain unresolved. Tenderness as Travesty In her studies of Caribbean culture, more specifically, in her work on C. L. R. James and the events of 1492 as a discovery, Sylvia Wynter works with two epistemological spheres. One is an open, multiconceptual, nondogmatic cultural framework, where subjects are...

Epistemology and conceptions of people and nature in geography

The paper attempts to integrate two major issues of debate in geography which are conventionally discussed separately: epistemology and conceptions of the relationship between people and Nature. Whichever issue we start with, two concepts are essential: intersubjectivity and labour. Knowledge of natural objects is tied to labour, which both subjects ideas to a kind of test and changes our position within Nature. All knowledge depends upon intersubjective understanding between people, but this implies that in social science, and hence in human geography, the traditional subject-object relationship should be recast as a form of communication between ‘knowing-subjects’. These relationships are not limited to some separate sphere of epistemology but are constitutive of society in Nature itself. Labour, though traditionally overlooked in geography, is the most active and transformative process in changing Nature and society, and intersubjectivity is an essential element of the irreducibly social character of human life. In this attempt, the paper outlines and justifies a historical materialist perspective through critical engagement with positivist and humanist approaches. It is then argued that false conceptions of people and Nature in geography are grounded in the structure and selfunderstanding of our own society such that a critique of these ideas becomes a critique of our society.