The following is a review of the Fifth International Summer School for Young Scholars and Students, held on the eve of the tercentenary of Kant’s birth, and devoted to the question of the relevance of his philosophical ideas for understanding and solving the problems that confront humankind in the twenty-first century. The event was organized by the Academia Kantiana of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, with the support of the RF Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Petersburg Dialog Forum, in Kaliningrad on 14—20 August 2023. The School engaged with the following themes: Kant and the philosophy of consciousness, Kant’s philosophy of law, Kant’s philosophy of religion, and Kant’s political philosophy. The programme included eight lectures, as well as thematic seminars; their content is reviewed below. As part of the conference of young scholars, 60 studies were presented in poster format. Discussion centred around questions of the interpretation of Kant’s legacy in the context of contemporary challenges and philosophical trends. The Summer School covered a wide range of topics, from epistemology and metaphysics, to ethics, political philosophy, literature, and more.
Science seeks to discover the order present in nature and describes this order in the form of laws. Religion is a response to a Transcendent Being Who transforms our lives and gives it a meaning. Traditionally, spirituality was regarded as an integral aspect of religious experience, and spirituality and religion were inseparable. But, the decline of organized religions and the growth of secularism in the western world have given rise to a broader view of spirituality which includes reference to those aspects of human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily bringing in a supernatural reality. Scientific revolution started in the seventeenth century with the works of F. Bacon, Descartes, Galileo, Newton, Boyle, etc. and gave rise to the promotion of empiricism by Bacon and Galileo and the propagation of mechanical worldview by Descartes, Galileo and Newton. Gradually the power of Newtonian system impressed the scientists, and the role of God was first reduced to the initiator of the universe and with the French enlightenment it was eliminated. With the appearance of Philosophers and scientists like Hume ,Kant ,August Comte, Marx, Darwin , Durkhim , Freud and logical positivists, empiricism became the dominant philosophy and with that metaphysics ,religion and spirituality went into the sideline.Several important currents started during the second half of the twentieth century which had a revival effect on religion and spirituality and some eminent scientists of our era –including some non-theists – have emphasized the necessity of going beyond the material features of life and paying attention to its spiritual aspects (values, meanings, etc.).
Amid the many complex and radical philosophical debates, one of the most fascinating and widely discussed issues among scholars and philosophy enthusiasts is the intellectual confrontation between al-Ghazālī and Ibn Rushd. The most prominent philosophical dispute between the two revolves around three major metaphysical problems: the eternity of the world, God’s knowledge of particular events, and the denial of bodily resurrection. Both thinkers offer different interpretations of Qur’anic texts through a philosophical lens. Interestingly, although both belong to the same Islamic intellectual tradition, their opposing arguments have generated deep and enduring controversy. This study employs a descriptive research method, specifically a library-based approach, focusing on literature that discusses the philosophical thoughts of al-Ghazālī and Ibn Rushd. Within this method, processes of classification, data analysis, and conclusion drawing are carried out. Accordingly, the research also utilizes comparative, analytical, and synthetic methods to obtain a comprehensive understanding of their metaphysical perspectives. As a result, the debate between the two continues to be passed down and colors the study of Islamic philosophy, including having consequences in the context of philosophical themes.
This paper will focus on one element of the pushback against the massive influx of immigrants taken in for humanitarian purposes, namely, an identity-based chauvinism which uses identity as the point of resistance to the perceived dilution of that identity, brought about by the transformation of culture induced by the incorporation of a foreign other. The solution to this perceived dilution is a simultaneous defence of that culture and a demand for a conformity to it. While those in the critical tradition have encouraged a counter-position of revolutionary transformation by the other through ethics, dialogue, or the multitude, such a transformation is arguably impeded by what is ultimately a repetition of the metaphysics of conformity. Drawing on the personalism of Emmanuel Mounier and the Eucharistic theology of Creston Davis and Aaron Riches, this paper submits an alternative identity politics position that completes the revolutionary impulse. Identity here is not the flashpoint of a self-serving conflict, but the launch-point of politics of self-emptying, whose hallmarks include, on the one hand, a never-ending reception of transformation by the other, and on the other hand, an anchoring in the Body of Christ that is at once ever-changing and never-changing.
The history of modern philosophy has been marked by a retreat from traditional metaphysical concepts, including the notion of nature, which is central to theological considerations. It allows us to recognize a direct connection between the ordered world of nature and the existence of God. Still, some theologians paradoxically welcomed the downfall of metaphysics. Acknowledging the irreversibility of changes in the intellectual landscape of contemporary culture, and following Heidegger’s critique of the so-called ontotheology, they stated that one can and should “do” theology without resorting to metaphysical concepts, like the concept of nature. In this paper I am revisiting the work of two thinkers that defended the concept of nature. They represent two generations of 20th and 21st century Christian theologians (Erich Przywara) and philosophers (Chantal Delsol) who assiduously sought to reintroduce the concept of nature to the mainstream of intellectual discourse. Tracing their footsteps, we shall see that intellectual systems inspired by Christianity actually need the concept of nature, or its equivalent. What is common to both scholars is that they try to achieve this goal indirectly, by substituting the concepts of classical metaphysics. As mentioned, modern critique left metaphysical notions with a bad reputation (undeservedly, in our opinion), but Przywara and Delsol replace them with related concepts that latter-day thinkers find easier to accept.
How do we and should we decide what is morally right and what is morally wrong? For much of human history, the teachings of religion were presumed to provide either the answer, or much of the answer. Over time, two developments challenged this. The first was the establishment of the discipline of moral philosophy. Foundational texts, such as Immanuel Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, and the growth of coherent, nonreligious approaches to ethics, notably utilitarianism, served to marginalize the role of religion. And then, second, the twentieth century saw the rapid growth of evolutionary biology with an enthusiastic presumption that biology was the source of ethics. Here, I begin by discussing these developments and then examine the extent to which religion is still needed for a coherent account of ethics.
Abstract In Metaphysics M.2, 1077a9-14, Aristotle appears to argue against the existence of Platonic Forms on the basis of there being certain universal mathematical proofs which are about things that are ‘beyond’ the ordinary objects of mathematics and that cannot be identified with any of these. It is a very effective argument against Platonism, because it provides a counter-example to the core Platonic idea that there are Forms in order to serve as the object of scientific knowledge: the universal of which theorems of universal mathematics are proven in Greek mathematics is neither Quantity in general nor any of the specific quantities, but Quantity-of-type-x. This universal cannot be a Platonic Form, for it is dependent on the types of quantity over which the variable ranges. Since for both Plato and Aristotle the object of scientific knowledge is that F which explains why G holds, as shown in a ‘direct’ proof about an arbitrary F (they merely disagree about the ontological status of this arbitrary F, whether a Form or a particular used in so far as it is F), Plato cannot maintain that Forms must be there as objects of scientific knowledge - unless the mathematics is changed.
Neste artigo, abordamos o problema do “silêncio epistemológico” de Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) após 1953. Bachelard era um escritor prolífico: entre 1927 e 1953, concluiu 13 livros sobre epistemologia – cerca de um livro a cada 14 meses. Todavia, em certo momento deixou de publicar obras sobre o tema, embora tivesse continuado a escrever sobre a imaginação poética. Michel Vadée e Olival Freire notam o problema e indicam caminhos possíveis, mas deixam sua solução em aberto. Mais especificamente, Freire sugere que a questão pode estar relacionada a uma importante tomada de posição de Louis de Broglie, que, em 1952, rompe com a interpretação de Copenhagen (adotada por Bachelard), propondo uma teoria que admite uma solução não probabilista para a teoria quântica. Essa reviravolta por parte do mais importante físico francês pode ter abalado o espírito de Bachelard. Acreditamos ter encontrado, em um artigo de Bachelard publicado em 1957, elementos que permitem resolver a questão.
[In this paper, we address the problem of Gaston Bachelard’s (1884-1962) “epistemological silence” after 1953. Bachelard was a prolific writer: between 1927 and 1953, he completed 13 books on epistemology ‒ about one book every 14 months. However, at one point he stopped publishing works on the subject, although he continued to write about the poetic imagination. Michel Vadée and Olival Freire note the problem and point out possible paths, but leave their solution open. More specifically, Freire suggests that the issue may be related to an important position taken by Louis de Broglie, who, in 1952, breaks with the Copenhagen interpretation (adopted by Bachelard), proposing a theory that admits a non-probabilistic solution for Quantum theory. This turnaround by the most important French physicist may have shaken Bachelard's spirit. We believe we have found, in an article by Bachelard published in 1957, elements that allow us to resolve the issue.]
Resumo
Com a ruptura da metafísica tem-se recolocado em suspenso os fundamentos da Pedagogia, não somente, abrindo múltiplos espaços de incertezas e inquietações entre os pedagogos e demais profissionais envolvidos com a educação, ao mesmo tempo em que clama a necessidade de uma Pedagogia e Pedagogos para além do bem e do mal estabelecidos. Constitui-se, portanto em possibilidades, o que torna fundamental a busca pela compreensão do sentido de educar e de ser pedagogo, onde se destaca a relevância de compreender que a essência do processo educacional encontra-se nas interações que se estabelecem nos movimentos e processos de ensinar e de aprender, orientados pelo viés do diálogo e pela experiência da alteridade. Este artigo apresenta uma reflexão sobre ser pedagogo no horizonte dos desafios contemporâneos da educação em meio à emergência da diversidade como alteridade, visto que a diferença pela diferença, não necessariamente, constitui experiência de alteridade, embora constitua contexto de condições.
Palavras-chave: Diversidade. Alteridade. Pedagogia. Pedagogo.
The sense of pedagogy among the challenges of diversity
Abstract
With the breakup of metaphysics, the foundations on which education has been founded have been put on hold, as the foundations on which pedagogy is based until then opening multiple spaces of uncertainty and concern among pedagogues and other professionals involved with education. Therefore, there is a need for a Pedagogy and Pedagogues beyond good and evil established, which makes fundamental the necessary understanding of the sense of educating and being pedagogical, of Pedagogy, guided by the bias of dialogue and the experience of otherness. This article presents a reflection about being a pedagogue on the horizon of contemporary challenges of education in the midst of the emergence of diversity as otherness, since difference by difference, not necessarily, constitutes experience of otherness, although it constitutes a context of conditions.
Keywords: Diversity. Otherness. Pedagogy.
La filosofía práctica de Kant constituye un todo sistemático cuyas propuestas se organizan o estructuran en tres grandes disciplinas: en primer lugar, encontramos lo que bien puede denominarse como moral pura a priori, la cual contiene el fundamento último de la moralidad y, por ende, de la racionalidad práctica; en segundo lugar, está una metafísica de las costumbres, cuya misión es la de contener el sistema de las leyes de la razón práctica, y, finalmente, la antropología práctica, disciplina que nos da todos aquellos datos empíricos que favorecen u obstaculizan el desarrollo moral de los seres humanos.
Kant's practical philosophy constitute a systematic whole whose proposals are organized or structured in three major disciplines: in first place, we find what may be denominated as pure ethics, which contains the ultimate ground of morality and, therefore, of the practical rationality; in second place, there is a metaphysics of morals, whose mission is to contain the system of laws of the practical reason, and, finally, practical anthropology, a discipline that give us every empirical knowledge that favor or hinder moral development of human beings.
French literature - Italian literature - Spanish literature - Portuguese literature, Philosophy (General)
In this paper we offer some ideas on the relationship between metaphysics of causation and common explanatory practices of behaviour. We first suggest a sort of “negotiating model” for theorizing about mental causation, and then examine the so-called causal closure argument focusing on some morals one can draw from it that further illustrate the model we recommend.
The calling of the church is to follow Christ (imitatio Christi). What does this calling entail? Following Žižek’s and Derrida’s interpretation of Benjamin’s interpretation of law and violence, the paper will argue that the call to follow Christ is not to subvert the law, but as Paul argues - Christ came to destroy the law. In this article, Christ will be interpreted as one who did not counter this violence of the law (state-maintaining violence) with a counter violence of state-forming violence, but completely undermined the justification of both forms of violence (state-forming and state-maintaining) with a divine violence. If the Christ event is read as an exemplary narrative of the post-metaphysics in the linguistic turn in the work of Derrida, this opens up new possibilities for both theology as well as the role of the church within the context of a postmodern world, and these possibilities will be explored.
Christianity, Practical religion. The Christian life
This paper considers and distinguishes two objections which ordinarily are thought to oppose a realistic conception of ethics: G. E. Moore’s naturalistic fallacy and Hume’s law. After having presented both objections, having developed their presuppositions and consequences and having answered each of them, the paper concludes that it is possible to hold today a realistic conception of ethics. It is structured in the style of a disputed question, divided in six articles.
This essay attempts to broach the complex difference between Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida, It focuses on the fundamental assumptions involved in the reading of Heidegger's Being and Time and Derrida's early "noted" attention to this text. Is Heidegger's early work essentially tainted by "the metaphysics of presence," as Derrida wishes to suggest? After sketching Derrida's interpretation, the author attempts to show how readers of Being and Time need not succumb to Derrida's criticism.
Straipsnyje analizuojama J. Derrida veikale „Apie gramatologiją“ atlikta J. J. Rousseau tekstuose vartojamos sąvokos „supplément“ dekonstrukcija. Rousseau šią sąvoką vartoja tokių temų kaip gamta/kultūra, kalbėjimas/raštas, heteroerotizmas/autoerotizmas kontekste. Derrida, skaitydamas Rousseau, aptinka tam tikras hierarchijas, kuriose pirmajam nariui suteikta viršenybė, o antrasis įvardijamas kaip „pavojingas supplément“ (priedas ir/ar pakaitalas), keliantis grėsmę natūraliai, autentiškai ir sau pakankamai esačiai. Derrida atskleidžia, jog „supplément“ ne nutolina esatį, kaip manė Rouseau, bet sukuria esaties, kurios niekuomet ir nebuvo, efektą.
Pagrindiniai žodžiai: supplément, raštas, esaties metafizika.
Supplément and Metaphysics of Presence in J. Derrida’s Of Grammatology
Aušra Urbonienė
Summary
The article deals with Derrida’s deconstructive reading of the concept of supplément in the corpus of Rousseau works. Rousseau uses the concept in the context of such themes as nature/culture, speech/writing, heteroerotism/autoerotism, etc. According to Derrida, these binary oppositions are hierarchical, i.e. the first element is given priority over the second one. The denounced element is treated as a ‘dangerous supplement’ (replacement/addition) endangering the natural and original self-presence. The point of Derrida’s reading is to show that it is not the supplement that mediates the presence as Rouseau thought, but it is the chain of supplements that produces the effect of a presence that has never existed.
Keywords: supplément, writing, metaphysics of presence.
Anti-realism was first introduced by Michael Dummett, the contemporary analytic philosopher. He has always preferred to discuss about statements and assertions (instead of entities), such as statements in the past tense, statements about the physical world, and so on. Based on his approach to metaphysical problems, we should initially choose an appropriate model of meaning and a proper conception of the notion of truth applicable to the statements. By doing so, the dispute between realism and anti-realism can be rendered to a disagreement on the kind of meaning the statements may have. After criticizing the realist approach, he goes on to claim that without having proper evidence, we cannot judge on meaning and truth or falsity of linguistic statements. To understand a sentence, Dummett says, is to have the capacity of recognizing what would be counted as evidence for or against it. Therefore, an anti-realist believes that there is no guarantee for every sentence to be certainly true (or false). Or, it cannot be approved for each statement to be necessarily true or false, independently of our knowledge and relevant abilities. An adherent of realism, by contrast, admits the principle of bivalence and acknowledges that sentences are true or false because of the reality existing independently of us. In this essay, after introducing Dummett’s anti-realist approach and his criticisms on realism, I am going to discuss about and explain the correlation between his desired theory of meaning and anti-realism.