The selection of papers in the 6th Volume of the ESPES journal focusus on the development, analyses and critique of Arnold Berleant’s ideas on aesthetic engagement, social aesthetics, negative aesthetics, and environmental aesthetics. These issues are aproached by researchers from various continents showing the inspirational potential of Berleant’s perspective, inviting metaphors, opening paths for individual developmet in the field of art philosophy and aesthetics.

The general aim of this book is to provide an elementary exposition of some basic concepts in terms of which both classical and non-dassicallogirs may be studied and appraised. Although quantificational logic is dealt with briefly in the last chapter, the discussion is chiefly concemed with propo gjtional cakuli. Still, the subject, as it stands today, cannot br covered in one book of reasonable length. Rather than to try to include in the volume as much as possible, I have put (...) emphasis on some selected topics. Even these could not be roverrd completely, but for each topic I have attempted to present a detailed and precise t’Xposition of several basic results including some which are non-trivial. The roots of some of the central ideas in the volume go back to J. Luka siewicz’s seminar on mathematicallogi. (shrink)

11 original. Modifications which I introduced are radical and often far going. In my opinion the Polish text had two main drawbacks. It was overloaded with informal considerations and at the same time formal concepts included in some parts of the book were presented in a too complicated way. Of course one of the motives to revise it was also the fact that much time has passed since I finished writing the Polish version and obviously certain decisions and ideas contained (...) in the first edition seem not quite relevant now. So it is not only the desire to make the exposition clearer but also the reasons of substantial nature which motivated writing a revised version. I do not think it desirable to bother the reader with a detailed discussion of all changes to which the Polish version was subjected and that is why I will confine myself to pointing out only the most significant ones. Explanations concerning logical and set-theoretical notions applied in the book have been shortened as much as possible, in the Polish version one whole chapter was devoted to the discussion of them. (shrink)

Author: Mordarski Ryszard Title: THE LAST ESOTERIC THINKER. LEO STRAUSS’S REMARKS ON THE ESOTERIC CHARACTER OF GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM LESSING’S WORKS (Ostatni ezoterysta. Uwagi Lea Straussa o ezoterycznym charakterze twórczości Gottholda Ephraima Lessinga) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2006, vol:.6, number: 2006/1, pages: 135-152 Keywords: LEO STRAUSS, LESSING, ESOTERIC CHARACTER, MAIMONIDES Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail: www:According to Leo Strauss, the great thinkers of the political philosophy from Plato, through al-Farabi and Maimonides, (...) to Hobbes, Locke, and J.J. Rousseau distinguished between exoteric, or public, writing and esoteric, or private, writing. The last thinker who was well aware of that distinction and applied it to express his own thought was G.E. Lessing. In the article the author discusses Strauss’s thesis concerning esoteric writing and presents the reasons why Lessing might be regarded as the last esoteric thinker. Finally, the author attempts to interpret Lessing’s last writings, especially his play Nathan the Wise, in the light of Strauss’s thesis. (shrink)

Ryszard Wójcicki's book „Ajdukiewicz. A Theory of Meaning” opens a series of publications Filozofia polska XX wieku [Polish Philosophy of XXth Century], created by Wójcicki. The main subject of the book is a theory of the meaning of linguistic expressions, which was formulated in the thirties and is known as a directival theory of meaning. The aim that the author has set for himself is not only to present and popularise that theory (these aims are implied by the character (...) of the series), but also the evaluation of its material adequacy and its significance for further investigations of language as a means of representation and transmission of knowledge. Adam Nowaczyk tries to show that Wójcicki's critique of Ajdukiewicz's conception is unjustified, for the fallacy allegedly committed in this conception is either only apparent or else easily remediable. Wójcicki disagrees with Nowaczyk's objection. (shrink)

In a departure from traditional Western political theory that is reminiscent of left?wing anarchism, contemporary libertarianism rejects the necessity of making political choices based on a value hierarchy, instead claiming that it is possible for all individuals to pursue their divergent values simultaneously?as long as each respects the equal rights of others to do the same. The caveat, however, hides a conflict of loyalties that would plague a libertarian society: on the one hand are the particular loyalties of one's preferred (...) Utopian community; on the other hand, loyalty to the larger ?framework for utopias?; within which one's utopia exists. The second loyalty implies a value relativism incompatible with the first one, meaning either that loyalty to the libertarian framework will undermine the utopias within it, or that the particular values of the utopias will destabilize the libertarian framework. The durability of a libertarian society, then, requires a mentality best characterized as nihilistic. In this, libertarianism differs from liberalism but is surprisingly similar to the cultural diversity movement. The thesis is illustrated by examining John Gray's attempt to eschew both a hierarchy of values and moral relativism. (shrink)

The article examines the concept of anti-irrationalism coined by the members of the Lvov-Warsaw School. The term “anti-irrationalism” comes from Ajdukiewicz, who used it to define the specificity of the School as a whole. For Ajdukiewicz, anti-irrationalism, which values cognition with intersubjective qualities, is contrasted with irrationalism. The article discusses Twardowski’s tripartite division of beliefs into rational, “irrational,” and “non-rational.” Against this background, the article explores Dąmbska’s view on irrationalism, which is divided by her into several subcategories.Finally, the author considers (...) the question of anti-irrationalism as a metaphilosophical standpoint in the context of the question of a worldview. (shrink)

This article explains how people synchronize their thoughts through empathetic relationships and points out the elementary neuronal mechanisms orchestrating this process. The many dimensions of empathy are discussed, as is the manner by which empathy affects health and disorders. A case study of teaching children empathy, with positive results, is presented. Mirror neurons, the recently discovered mechanism underlying empathy, are characterized, followed by a theory of brain-to-brain coupling. This neuro-tuning, seen as a kind of synchronization between brains and between individuals, (...) takes various forms, including frequency aspects of language use and the understanding that develops regardless of the difference in spoken tongues. Going beyond individual-to-individual empathy and SYNC, the article explores the phenomenon of synchronization in groups and points out how synchronization increases group cooperation and performance. (shrink)

Author: Palacz Ryszard Title: WŁADYSŁAW TATARKIEWICZ AS A HISTORIAN OF PHILOSOPHY – A FEW REMARKS (Władysław Tatarkiewicz jako historyk filozofii. Kilka uwag) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2011, vol:.13/14, number: 2011/2-3, pages: 487-495 Keywords: WŁADYSŁAW TATARKIEWICZ, HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, TEACHING OF PHILOSOPHY Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail: www:Władysław Tatarkiewicz (1886–1980) was a versatile scholar, active and fertile in a number of fields: Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Ethics, Aesthetics, and also History of (...) Architecture. Before World War One, Tatarkiewicz studied Philosophy in Berlin and in Marbourg with H. Cohen and P. Natorp. After the Great War, he was nominated Professor of Philosophy at the newly reorganized Warsaw University. In the area of History of Philosophy, his key accomplishments included his studies of Polish philosophical thought, and also a history of European philosophy before 1830, which he published in two volumes entitled ‘History of Philosophy’. After World War Two, Tatarkiewicz expanded the scope of the work to include 19t century and contemporary philosophy, publishing the third volume of his History in 1948. Tatarkiewicz’s History of Philosophy became very popular with readers, and saw no less than twenty four editions until 2004. There were a number of reasons for this popularity. One of Tatarkiewicz’s important tasks was the standardization of philosophical terminology in the Polish language and he succeeded admirably. The elegance of his writing style, clarity and order in the exposition of issues and concepts, made his work exceptionally useful for teaching; Tatarkiewicz provided his readers with an orderly picture of history of philosophy and motivated them for further studies. To his merit, Tatarkiewicz also included discussion of important results of the medieval philosophy in Poland. Another important facet contributing to the long-lasting popularity of his oeuvre were the ideological conditions that reigned in Poland after World War Two, a time marked by a promoting of different philosophical language and new research methods. In the paper, the author presents a critical assessment of the contemporary value of Tatarkiewicz’s magnum opus. Even though History has become over the years a monument to crisp style and clear exposition, the work shows its age, as its scope corresponds to the state of research in the 1920’s (in the first two volumes) and in the late 1940’s (in the third volume). In view of this, the author calls for starting a collective and (no doubt multi-year) effort on a new history of philosophy in Polish language, work that would include the research in the field since 1945. (shrink)

Author: Wiśniewski Ryszard Title: WŁADYSŁAW TATARKIEWICZ’S LESSON OF PHILOSOPHY (Lekcja filozofii Władysława Tatarkiewicza) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2011, vol:.13/14, number: 2011/2-3, pages: 473-485 Keywords: WŁADYSŁAW TATARKIEWICZ, THE ORDER OF TERMS, THE METHOD SEMANTIC-HISTORIC, HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, AXIOLOGY, POLISH PHILOSOPHY Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail: www:The article discusses the important lessons that flow from the study of the way of philosophizing by Władysław Tatarkiewicz. Based on the study of his multi-scientific achievements, (...) the author has selected several core philosophical teachings, which in his opinion, should consider adopting today: 1 The primary task of philosophy is to organize concepts shaping the image of the world. 2nd Order and clarity of thought are achieved by using the method of semantic-historical analysis. 3rd The need for order and clarity leads to the history of philosophy, exploring the origin and evolution of concepts. 4th Philosophy is not yet a personal belief of man. 5th Organizing the world picture has axiological sense. 6th The most difficult issues arise in the theories of the middle range in the space between the general and very detailed, specified scientific studies. 7th The duty of the philosopher is to be interested in the history of native (Polish) philosophy. (shrink)

In Society as a Department Store Ryszard Legutko wrestles with the emancipatory ideology promulgated by postmodernists, libertarians, and liberal thinkers. Legutko argues that modern Western liberals have embraced a revolutionary ethic; they have turned their backs on their own cultural heritage, and used its political and ideological apparatus to destroy classical metaphysics and epistemology. The book considers the paradoxical implications of this state of affairs for Eastern European intellectuals arguing that, with the triumph of liberalism over communism, these intellectuals (...) feel compelled to digest an ideology that shares many elements with the oppressive system from which they just liberated themselves. Based on hubris rather than genuine humane concerns, Legutko mourns not simply the loss of faith in classical Western culture, but the way in which that loss is becoming a central point of identity. (shrink)

An Antique Prototype of the Modern Mathematisation of Psychology Ryszard Stachowski. (1) matter or that which is not in itself a particular thing, (2) form or essence, which is that precisely in accordance with which a thing is called a this, and ...

Teizm probabilistyczny a tradycyjna doktryna actus purus Teizm probabilistyczny Dariusza Łukasiewicza wyrasta z nieklasycznego rozumienia natury Boga, zwłaszcza atrybutów prostoty i wszechmocy. Redefinicja tych atrybutów w kategoriach współczesnej filozofii analitycznej powoduje, że teizm probabilistyczny jest bliższy teizmu otwartego niż klasycznego teizmu. Jednak niezwykle ważną zasługą tego podejścia jest opracowanie wszechstronnego komponentu naukowego dla teizmu otwartego, co powoduje, że teizm probabilistyczny umożliwia poszerzenie teizmu otwartego o perspektywę współczesnej nauki. Fundamentalnym znaczeniem teizmu probabilistycznego jest nie tyle pogodzenie występowania zdarzeń przypadkowych z teorią (...) opatrzności, co raczej danie możliwości teizmowi otwartemu do wypłynięcia na szerokie wody dzisiejszych debat teistycznych, toczonych wśród współczesnych naukowców, a nie tylko wśród filozofów i teologów. Bez tego teizm otwarty pozostaje w ramach wąskiej teologicznej perspektywy, interesującej tylko dla teologów chrześcijańskich lub naukowców wyznających światopogląd chrześcijański. (shrink)

The difference between what's possible and what's not is a construct of the human mind, a matter of perspective, and it's one that can be changed. Working Wonders explains the fundamentals that shape the mind: how it builds walls to protect itself and how a person can tear those walls down to tackle challenges that would have previously been discounted as unrealistic. This volume shares case studies featuring people making the impossible a reality and, in doing so, changing the world (...) for the better. On a deeper level and yet still using non-technical language, the book identifies possible neurological and psychosocial mechanisms that limit the brain, and techniques that may open it up to exploring the seemingly unachievable. Praszkier also introduces the concept of 'possibilitivity', a personality trait that reflects the propensity to perceive insurmountable challenges as doable, and concludes by presenting a portfolio of 'Do It Yourself' techniques. (shrink)

In Poland, the practical difficulties encountered in the struggle to create a capitalist society are leading many Hayekian liberals to the realization that social factors crucial to the creation and stability of such a society are invisible within the classical liberal intellectual horizon and are undermined by its ethic of egalitarian individualism. Therefore, paradoxically, a major step forward in the creation of a liberal society has been the abandonment of significant elements of liberal ideology in favor of civic republican and (...) neoconservative ideas. (shrink)

In this note I am reflecting on interrelations between three concepts of truth: that employed by Hilbert arguing his formalist view on the nature of mathematics, Freges idea of truth supported by mathematical intuition, and known as Aristotelian correspondence idea of truth concerning any propositions not merely mathematical.

History -- Utopia -- Politics -- Ideology -- Religion.

The system R, or more precisely the pure implicational fragment R›, is considered by the relevance logicians as the most important. The another central system of relevance logic has been the logic E of entailment that was supposed to capture strict relevant implication. The next system of relevance logic is RM or R-mingle. The question is whether adding mingle axiom to R› yields the pure implicational fragment RM› of the system? As concerns the weak systems there are at least two (...) approaches to the problem. First of all, it is possible to restrict a validity of some theorems. In another approach we can investigate even weaker logics which have no theorems and are characterized only by rules of deducibility. (shrink)

The title of this paper is a theorem, which I am going to state and prove. The theorem extends from prepositional to predicate languages the result I presented in [5].

This paper was presented at the Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Logic, Melbourne, November, 1979. The present note being complementary to [1], I shall only brie y recall the key notions to be exploited here, and for more details the reader is advised to consult [1]. By a propositional logic we mean a couple , where L is a propo- sitional language and C a structural consequence de- ned on L. A couple W = is said to be (...) a referential matrix for the language L i there exists a non-empty set T such that the following two conditions are satised: i. A is an abstract algebra similar to L, whose all elements belong to f0; 1g T , i.e. they are mappings from T into the two-element set f0; 1g. ii. D = ffa 2 A : a = 1g : t 2 Tg. (shrink)

The two main points of this contribution are the following: (1) Applied mathematical theories might complement physical theories in an essential way; some applied mathematical theories allow us to understand phenomena we are unable to explain by resorting to physical theories alone, (2) In the case of social sciences it might be necessary to account for examined phenomena by resorting to the idea of goal-oriented activity (the causal approach typical for natural science might be unsatisfactory). Weinberg's idea of grand reductionism (...) ignores the two above mentioned facts and hence overestimates the foundational role of physics and its methodology. (shrink)

The article reviews the book Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, by Daniel C. Dennett.

The paper attempts to reconstruct Thales’ argument about water, which is rightly considered to be the core of his philosophy of nature. It consists of two separate arguments – one biological and the other physical – which ascribe to water two different functions: in the first case, it is a source of life on the earth or, in another version, a source of life of the earth in its entirety; in the second case, it is something that supports the earth (...) in its stationary position in the cosmos. These two arguments indicate that Thales’ notion of water was meant to answer more than just one question about nature. This, in turn, might justify the use of the concept of arche, which Aristotle attributed to the Ionian philosophers, even though Thales had obviously never used the term. The concept may somehow accurately render Thales’ more general view of water. It should be noted, however, that if the term arche can be applied to Thales’ views, then it is only in the sense related to the “coming-to-be”. Thales’ arguments did not apply – contrary to what some doxographers said and what certain scholars still maintain – to the question of the end, or perishing of physical things, the problem taken up only by later Ionians. To put it differently, Thales never claimed that the physical things which die or undergo destruction change into water. (shrink)

Niniejszy tekst, poświęcony problematyce metafilozoficznej, jest zadedykowany Profesorowi Stanisławowi Judyckiemu. Artykuł składa się z dwu części. W pierwszej dokonuję charakterystyki metodologicznej filozofii, a w tej perspektywie analizuję zagadnienie jej stosunku do dyscyplin szczegółowych, światopoglądu i religii. Swoistość metodologiczna filozofii przemawia za potrzebą odróżnienia jej od każdej z tych trzech sfer. W części drugiej podejmuję z kolei problem roli i znaczenia filozofii w sytuacji zachodzących zmian kulturowych i technologicznych. Rodzi to pytania, czy refleksja filozoficzna nie utraci w przyszłości swojej pozycji i (...) roli w kulturze. W tym kontekście wskazuję na racje przemawiające za tym, że przyszła pozycja filozofia może być nie mniej istotna niż obecna. Zarazem analizuję cechy, które taka filozofia przyszłości winna posiadać. (shrink)