Task Of Philosophy Research Articles

A Puzzle for Readers of Arthur Danto’s Aesthetic Theory

A Puzzle for Readers of Arthur Danto’s Aesthetic Theory

Philosophy in Science: Some Personal Reflections

AbstractThe task of Philosophy in Science (PinS) is to use philosophical tools to help solve scientific problems. This article describes how I stumbled into this line of work and then addressed several topics in philosophy of biology—units of selection, cladistic parsimony, robustness and trade-offs in model building, adaptationism, and evidence for common ancestry—often in collaboration with scientists. I conclude by offering advice for would-be PinS practitioners.

Welcome Note from the Editor-in-Chief: The Task of Philosophy of History

Welcome Note from the Editor-in-Chief: The Task of Philosophy of History

When unhappiness is not the endpoint, fostering justice through education

ABSTRACT With a specific example from Norway and inspiration from Sara Ahmed’s The Promise of Happiness, this article demonstrates how today’s educational rhetoric lacks the language and will to recognise a key pedagogical dimension in education: what happens when the normative ambitions of education and students meet. At best, teaching students life skills to mitigate their mental health issues is naive. Inspired by Ahmed, such an initiative might actually work against its purpose. At a time when educational outcomes are emphasised in local and international political contexts, I argue that the task of philosophy of education should be 1) to reclaim the significance of the pedagogical dimension in education and 2) to philosophise on what negative emotions such as unhappiness require of education.

Learning disability history: A guide to method for the prospective researcher

AbstractBackgroundHere, I examine the status of ‘learning disability’ as a basic concept. This kind of questioning may be thought a task for philosophy, or at least for ‘theory’ or ‘disability studies’.Materials and methodsI identify history instead as a discipline well placed to reveal the category errors that surround the concept.ResultsThese begin with the word ‘disability’ itself, which subliminally identifies learning disability as a natural impairment like physical and sensory impairment, rather than as the creation (unlike these latter) of human beings ourselves over the long historical term. The error of dealing with learning disability as if it were a natural kind is reinforced, in conventional histories, by trying to diagnose it retrospectively. I illustrate these points by taking certain major items of the psychologist's vocabulary—‘the mind’, logical reasoning, abstraction, development, normal intelligence and autism—and show briefly how such things do not exist in nature but, in both a conceptual and a material sense, have emerged from the long course of historical contingencies.ConclusionsMy examples demonstrate the need for and validity of a historical method specific to learning disability, which can radically expand the horizons for researchers and busy practitioners, and contribute to the liberation of people carrying learning disability labels.

Wittgenstein, Ordinary Language, and Poeticity

Abstract The later Wittgenstein famously holds that an understanding which tries to run up against the limits of language bumps itself and results in nothing but plain nonsense. Therefore, the task of philosophy cannot be to create an ‘ideal’ language so as to produce a ‘real’ understanding for the first time; its aim must be to remove particular misunderstandings by clarifying the use of our ordinary language. Accordingly, Wittgenstein opposes both the sublime terms of traditional philosophy and the formal frameworks of modern logics—and adheres to a pointedly casual, colloquial style in his own philosophizing. However, there seems to lurk a certain inconsistency in Wittgenstein’s ordinary language approach: his philosophical remarks frequently remain enigmatic, and many of the terms Wittgenstein coins seem to be highly technical. Thus, one might wonder whether his verdicts on the limits of language and on philosophical jargons might not be turned against his own practice. The present essay probes the extent to which the contravening tendencies in Wittgenstein’s mature philosophy might be reconciled. Section 2 sketches Wittgenstein’s general approach to philosophy and tracks the special rôle that the language of everyday life occupies therein. Section 3 reconstructs Wittgenstein’s preferred method for philosophy, which he calls perspicuous representation, and argues that this method implements an aesthetic conception of philosophy and a poetic approach to philosophical language, in which philosophical insights are not explicitly stated, but mediated through well-worded and creatively composed descriptions. Section 4 discusses how Wittgenstein’s philosophical poetics relates to artificial terminologies and grammars in philosophy and science.

Christian motives in the philosophical work of Merab Mamardashvili

This article presents a conceptualization of the main themes of Merab Mamardashvili’s philosophy: the phenomenon of thinking and consciousness, the role of philosophy in the formation of a person’s personality, the problem of “effort”, and the philosophical concept of time. The hypothesis of the article is that this issue is based on an implicit “religious soteriology”, which is manifested by Mamardashvili in his special understanding of the role and tasks of philosophy in culture. In this context, the traditional themes of Mamardashvili’s work receive a new, original reading. The topic of “effort” is approaching the understanding of faith as a religious act, and philosophy itself becomes a secular version of the Christian religion, called upon through thinking to realize the “salvation” of man and the highest justification of culture. This view also makes it possible to explain Mamardashvili’s rejection of any “national” traditions of philosophizing, since, apparently, in his criticism of nationalism he relies precisely on Christian ideas about the unity of Christian humanity and European culture. Attention to these aspects of Mamardashvili’s philosophy clarifies and gives additional meaning to many of the classic plots of his philosophy and allows redefining the basic concepts anew.

ИҚТИСОДЧИ ҚАНДАЙ ҚИЛИБ ФАЛСАФА ДОКТОРИ БЎЛАДИ? ЁКИ ИҚТИСОДИЙ ТАДҚИҚОТНИНГ ФАЛСАФИЙ АСОСЛАРИ

Thе article highligts the relationship between philosophy and the special sciences, the tasks of philosophy in relation to the special sciences, its impact on them and reflection on them. The general bases, philosophical problems and philosophical bases of an economic science and economic research, their classification, structure, tasks are investigated. The philosophical foundations of economic science and economic research, their drying, place and role, types and tasks are covered in detail.

Публичность как проблема философии: возвращаясь к идеям Дж. Дьюи

The article analyses John Dewey’s ideas on the ‘recovery’ or ‘reconstruction’ of philosophy. Essential to the life of society and inextricable from its condition, philosophy can provide a tool for the prevention of social cataclysms. Yet some cataclysms are conditioned by philosophy – the matrix of thinking that has un­derpinned culture for two thousand years. Dewey’s approach to the tasks of philosophy is radical: the way to the intellectual transformation of society is through the reconstruction or ‘recovery’ of philosophical discourse. This point of view is juxtaposed with attempts found in the literature to limit the function of public philosophy to politicisation. The study investigates the ideas of Walter Lippmann and Michael Sandel, which are crucial for the approach in question, about public philosophy as a changing political reality. The major lines of Dewey’s ‘reconstruction’ of philosophy are examined, with special attention paid to the critical revision of the metaphysical foundations of philosophy and the re­consideration of the problem of the subject-object relationship. Arguments are made in favour of these ideas having the potential for stimulating the modern public ‘upgrade’ of philosophy and transforming current intellectual and educa­tional practices. In ceasing to be a theoretical tool to solve specific philosophical tasks, philosophy may become an intellectual method used by philosophers to eliminate urgent problems of the modern age

Cavell’s Method

It may be time to question analytic philosophy’s structural ignorance of the methods of ordinary language philosophy. Cavell’s Must We Mean What We Say? upsets the analytic tradition to this end, pursuing a “linguistic phenomenology” that focuses on ordinary language use as a resource for describing the world. Cavell thereby entrusts the tradition with a more ambitious and concrete philosophical task.

ГНОСЕОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ДИЛЕММА ЭМПИРИЧЕСКОГО И РАЦИОНАЛИСТИЧЕСКОГО ПОДХОДОВ В ИССЛЕДОВАНИИ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ВРЕМЕНИ

Cognition of time is one of the fundamental tasks of philosophy and science. We can say that the progress of society was to a large extent ensured by the acquisition of the idea of time by mankind. Without the knowledge of time, neither the economic nor the spiritual life of society would be feasible. For the economic life of society, time is periods of work in the field of agriculture, the establishment of work regimes, etc. For the spiritual activity of people, time is the “historyˮ of society, cultures, civilizations, the regulation of traditional rituals, holidays, the secret of life, death and immortality of people, etc. If the economic life of people makes a demand for the knowledge of time, due to the nature of human existence that striving for cognition of time itself, for the purpose of spiritual enrichment, without being mediated by pragmatic demands, is one of the secrets of the human mind. Philosophy is that specific form of cognition that ensures the satisfaction of a person's need for knowledge of the essence of the world and its existence in time, the essence of the temporal existence of society and man and the essence of time itself. The article examines the study of time that has developed in the philosophical tradition in the aspect of epistemological alternatives to empiricism and rationalism. The analysis of the concepts of time given in the works of modern thinkers is given. A variant of the nomological concept of time is proposed and substantiated.

Být člověkem a být filosofem podle J.-J. Rousseaua

The present paper aims to analyse how Rousseau conceives the possibility of being a philosopher and how he views the task of philosophy. While Rousseau is very critical towards contemporary philosophers and philosophy in general, he does describe his own enquiry as a philosophical one. In his view, the proper task of philosophy is ‘the knowledge of man’ that can be also understood as ‘the knowledge of oneself’. As Rousseau states in the Second Discourse, such knowledge is to be accomplished through our reason, yet the philosophy of his time fails in this task because the philosophers let themselves be dominated by their opinions. This claim is related to Rousseau’s distinction between love of oneself (amour de soi) and self-love (amour-propre). While reason is present in men naturally, it develops only under necessity related to the progress of society and social passions. Therefore, it cannot serve as the criterion of rightful conduct; this task belongs to conscience. As has been shown by Derathé, only man truly listening to his conscience can use his reason properly. Rather than to direct one’s self-love in a right direction, it seems that the solution of the problem for a philosopher is to convert self-love back to love of one-self to recreate the original unity of his person. Being human and being a philosopher thus becomes the same thing and the turn towards oneself can become the foundation of true self-understanding as well as true relationship to others.

Dakwah Kultural di Provinsi Lampung (Filosofi Dakwah pada Makna Lambang Siger)

Each region in Indonesia has its characteristics in the spread of da'wah, so that Islam thrives in society. The history of da'wah in Indonesia is strongly related to the Wali Songo who spread Islamic da'wah throughout Indonesia. In the 15th century, Islam entered Lampung through the culture. One cultural expression is a symbol. Symbols are representations of subjects that have a specific purpose. Symbols have two meanings, first is religious thought and practice.. Second, is a system of logical and scientific thinking, symbols are used in the sense of abstract signs.In Lampung, the Siger functions as the crown of the bride, which is iconic. Siger that is golden reflects the glory of the people of Lampung, Siger has the meaning of feminism. That according to Lampung people, women play an important role in life.Philosophy and da'wah are interconnected. The task of philosophy is to find clarity in it. In a symbol contained deep meaning. Siger Lampung has Islamic values contained, which functions to foster religious harmony in Lampung, because these religious values have been converted to the cultural values of the local community. The emblem of the Lampung people embodied in the form of Siger shows that dakwah to the people of Lampung was carried out with a cultural approach as known as cultural dakwah as practiced by the Wali Songo.
 Keywords:Siger, Da'wah Philosophy, Da'wah Media, Lampung.

Dakwah Kultural di Provinsi Lampung (Filosofi Dakwah pada Makna Lambang Siger)

Each region in Indonesia has its characteristics in the spread of da'wah, so that Islam thrives in society. The history of da'wah in Indonesia is strongly related to the Wali Songo who spread Islamic da'wah throughout Indonesia. In the 15th century, Islam entered Lampung through the culture. One cultural expression is a symbol. Symbols are representations of subjects that have a specific purpose. Symbols have two meanings, first is religious thought and practice.. Second, is a system of logical and scientific thinking, symbols are used in the sense of abstract signs.In Lampung, the Siger functions as the crown of the bride, which is iconic. Siger that is golden reflects the glory of the people of Lampung, Siger has the meaning of feminism. That according to Lampung people, women play an important role in life.Philosophy and da'wah are interconnected. The task of philosophy is to find clarity in it. In a symbol contained deep meaning. Siger Lampung has Islamic values contained, which functions to foster religious harmony in Lampung, because these religious values have been converted to the cultural values of the local community. The emblem of the Lampung people embodied in the form of Siger shows that dakwah to the people of Lampung was carried out with a cultural approach as known as cultural dakwah as practiced by the Wali Songo. Keywords:Siger, Da'wah Philosophy, Da'wah Media, Lampung.

Varieties of dispositional essentialism about natural laws

An important task for metaphysicians and philosophers of science is to account for laws of nature – in particular, how they distinguish themselves from ‘mere’ regularities, and the modal force they are endowed with, ‘natural necessity’. Dispositional essentialism about laws (for short: ‘essentialism’) is roughly the view that laws distinguish themselves by being grounded in the essences of natural entities (e.g. kinds, properties). This paper does not primarily concern how essentialism compares to its main rivals – Humeanism and Armstrongeanism. Rather, it distinguishes and comparatively assesses various brands of essentialism – which mainly differ as to where exactly they take laws to find their essentialist sources (e.g. in particular entities, like electrons, or in larger pluralities of entities, or in the world as a whole), and what they take to be the targets of laws, namely what they apply to. Yet, this internal comparison is not unrelated to the more general debate about laws: the main criteria with which I compare these essentialist views concern how they can deal with some of the main objections faced by essentialism in general (the modal status it typically attributes to laws, which some think is too strong; and its alleged incapacity to account for the most 'general' laws, like conservation laws), and how they can keep what is arguably the main intuitive advantage of essentialism over its rivals (the fact that, on this view, things “govern themselves”). Thus, the paper also concerns the relative position of essentialism in the larger debate about laws – ultimately bringing support to it.

Working in Time: From Barbarism to Repetition

The task of ethicists, philosophers, and theologians to restore the dignity of human labor and vocation in a (post)industrial, techno-driven society is motivated by an often unacknowledged concern to restore the underlying spirituality of the human experience of work. Due to its ability to interrogate the range of givenness in human experience, phenomenology is a method particularly suited to explore this spiritual dimension. In this essay, I offer a phenomenological analysis that attends to the way our experience of time either suppresses or discloses the underlying spirituality of work. (Post)industrial societies reduce time to “clock time”, or an objective unit of measurement of production. Since increased production per unit of time is necessary for profit, we live and work in a society that is continually racing against the clock, and we find ourselves existentially pitted against it. I diagnose this reductionistic perspective of time, and its ensuing consequences, as a form of what Michel Henry calls “barbarism”. Setting aside the assumption of time as exclusively “clock time”, I then attend phenomenologically to other ways in which time gives itself to consciousness, namely, in cuisine, music, and craftsmanship. Finally, while Henry is helpful in analyzing the spiritual destitution of such an approach to time (and, consequently, to work), ultimately I turn to Kierkegaard’s account of temporality, specifically as articulated in the philosophical category of repetition, to disclose time as constitutive of our work and thus to demonstrate the spiritual significance of human vocation.

Hegel’s Own Time Grasped in Our Thoughts after Two Hundred Years

ABSTRACT Hegel viewed the task of philosophy as not to direct the present but to grasp its fundamental commitments by uncovering its animating baselines. This led him to depict the antinomies of modern life as manifestations of the same baseline: equal freedom. By grasping equal freedom as a progressive principle of modern life, Hegel was able to criticize the conservatives of his day for treating natural inequalities as unalterable. Hegel’s alternative was a holist account according to which the oppositions contained in modern society, such as that between nature and freedom, are gradually worked out in forms of life that aim to realize the baseline modern commitment to equal freedom.

Severin Boethius and his “Consolation by Philosophy” (clarifications to “enigma” by S. Boethius)

This article sheds light on the well-known enigma of the treatise “Consolation by Philosophy” by Severin Boethius: why in the conditions of being condemned to death the Christian thinker turns not to prayers or Bible, but to philosophy. Based on the analysis of sources, the author of the article indicates two essential points in the treatise, which in his opinion did not receive due attention in the existing research: 1) the treatise features a detailed sequence of “healing” the philosopher with its own justified semantic saturation and fully fits in comprehension of the role of philosophy in cleansing the soul of the believer and bringing person to genuine Christian righteousness; 2) this path begins with releasing the soul from sorrows and sufferings and ends with discussing the delicate theological questions. The conclusion is drawn that the entire structure of the treatise “Consolation with Philosophy” by Severin Boethius quite organically fits into comprehension of the role and tasks of philosophy in bringing a person to Christian righteousness, which at that time have been developed in Christian patristics. Such interpretation of the question at hand imparts a new sounding to the famous treatise and allows dovetailing the S. Boethius in the traditions of the early Christian patristics and giving an extended assessment to his works.

ПІДГОТОВКА МАЙБУТНІХ ПЕРЕКЛАДАЧІВ ДО КРОС-КУЛЬТУРНОЇ ВЗАЄМОДІЇ В ІСПАНО-ІТАЛІЙСЬКОМУ СЕРЕДОВИЩІ КРІЗЬ ПРИЗМУ ФІЛОСОФСЬКОЇ НАУКИ

The article considers the issue of the to-be translators’ training for cross-cultural professional interaction using as an example the communication between representatives of Spanish and Italian cultures. In this study, the author considered the possibility of combining the theoretical discipline of philosophical science with practical exercises for the development of speech competencies in Spanish and Italian foreign languages. After all, philosophy, according to the author, can become an integral auxiliary element in the formation of the worldview of future professionals, the formation of thinking, imagination, disclosure of creative and spiritual potential of the individual for further effective use in the realities of professional activity. The philosophy of education in recent years is considered by many authors as an important element that makes possible conscious educational development, which is not implemented within the dominant mentality. The article also described the essence of the concept of intercultural communication, because it is a fundamental element of professional translation. Given the practicality of new teaching models, the article examines the problem of forming a translator’s personality, their worldview, their human qualities, finding motivation and inspiration, revealing creative and intellectual potential and much more, which includes the process of preparing a translator for cross-cultural professional interaction. The domestic and foreign scientific and journalistic materials of the authors who worked in the field of philosophical science and its relationship with other disciplines and the process of professional training of applicants in higher education were considered and analyzed. Based on the experience and findings of research, the author has developed several examples of practical exercises based on crosscultural interaction in the Spanish-Italian environment, using which students of philology, translation and linguistics can work out and consolidate all necessary competencies in the process of philosophical science tasks. In the course of writing the article, the object of research was analyzed, which was the process of training future translators in higher education on the basis of a combination of philosophy and translation. The subject of research, which was the pedagogical conditions of preparation of future translators for cross-cultural professional interaction on the basis of a combination of philosophy and translation, was also considered. A set of exercises for the practice of cross-cultural interaction in the Spanish-Italian environment was developed, in which students of philology, translation and linguistics can work out and consolidate all the necessary competencies in the process of performing the proposed tasks through the prism of philosophical science. In the future, it is planned to expand and deepen research on this issue and develop new practical exercises and recommendations for their application for a comprehensive coverage of philosophical science for translators.

Phenomenology and the Transformation of the Modern Novel

Abstract This article examines in what way and to what extent phenomenological philosophy has given rise to a new understanding of the modern novel and to a transformation of its narrative techniques. The starting point for this examination is the claim, made by Merleau-Ponty in “Metaphysics and the Novel”, according to which, in phenomenological philosophy, the task of philosophy is inextricably bound to that of literature. I examine this claim in two ways. First, I situate it historically with regard to the modern novel’s characteristic realism. Then, I show how the phenomenological attitude – formulated by Husserl as a methodological device in distinction with the natural attitude – transforms the novel’s narrative technics. Sartre’s first novel, La Nausée, constitutes an exemplary case to assess this transformation. Combining these two ways, I argue that the claim made by Merleau-Ponty is paradoxical: on the one hand, the intrinsic connection between phenomenological philosophy and literature promotes the cognitive value of the modern novel, but on the other hand, it breaks with the conventions of the novel form and initiates a fragmented writing.