This book deals with the complicated realm of metaphor, an enigma deeply embedded in language and cognition. There has been much discussion of metaphor in the past, but it was characterized by a certain fragmentation and lacked interdisciplinarity. In this field of study, the dominance of Cognitive Linguistics, epitomized by the Conceptual Metaphor Theory of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, has caused the marginalization of alternative perspectives. To fill this gap, this book embarks on an interdisciplinary journey, inviting different theoretical (...) frameworks to engage in a fruitful dialog. It navigates the labyrinth of theories and illuminates the nuanced facets of metaphor. At the center of this exploration are three central questions: whether metaphor belongs to the realm of style or thought, the intricate interplays between literal and metaphorical meanings and the integration of propositional and non-propositional elements in the construction of metaphorical meaning. Through a careful blend of historical analysis and contemporary hypotheses, the book unravels the complexities of metaphor, considering its evolution across the centuries and the myriad interpretations it evokes. By bringing together work from different fields, it ultimately shows that a definition of metaphor is theory-dependent and that metaphor is not a natural kind, but a complex and multifaceted philosophical concept whose study requires a multi-dimensional approach that transcends narrow theoretical boundaries. In this way, the book explores these considerations’ most important philosophical consequences and offers new insights into this fundamental aspect of human language. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between visual imagery and metaphor, highlighting the historical neglect of this relationship in philosophy and cognitive science and exploring the reasons behind this neglect in theoretical and empirical studies. After outlining influential philosophical theories on the relationship between metaphor and visual imagery, I provide a critical overview of empirical findings on this. Thus, I argue that experimental studies lack sufficient empirical evidence to make meaningful generalizations and fail to determine the (...) true role of visual imagery in metaphor comprehension. Nevertheless, they do not allow us to rule out the involvement of imagery in the comprehension of at least certain metaphors. The present paper proposes that visual imagery might play different roles depending on the semantic features of the vehicle and the kind of meaning conveyed by different types of metaphors. I conclude this discussion by sketching a roadmap for further exploration of this fascinating and challenging relationship. (shrink)

Advance directives, a set of written instructions that a person gives that specify what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity, are a well-implemented tool in America, but few European countries have specific provisions about them in the law. Significant differences exist regarding the way advance directives are regulated and implemented between countries. The authors analyze the attitudes of several professional categories in Romania and Lithuania towards (...) the advance directive using data obtained by conducting several interviews in Lithuania and a focus group in Romania. Both Romania and Lithuania are post-communist, now European Union member countries. All respondents thought that advance directives should be introduced in the law, but their social acceptance is expected to be low in Lithuania. (shrink)

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Denken der englischen Psychoanalytikerin und Malerin Marion Milner (1900–1998) und speziell mit dem Themenkreis von Kreativität und Kunst. Nachdem Milner dem Umstand nachgegangen war, dass ihr die Fähigkeit zum Malen abging, wurde ihr klar, dass der kreative künstlerische Prozess, verstanden als das Erschaffen neuer Symbole, die der neugeschaffenen Realität eine persönliche und subjektive Bedeutung beilegen, in Augenblicken eines anfänglichen »Wahnsinns« (der Illusion von Einheit, von prälogischer Fusion von Subjekt und Objekt) vor sich geht (...) und eine Wechselseitigkeit von innerer und äußerer Realität ermöglicht. In diesem Prozess kommt der ästhetischen Erfahrung des schaffenden Künstlers, wie sie zeigt, eine Schlüsselrolle zu. (shrink)

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted all aspects of social and economic life, including the evolution of stock markets. Thus, we advance a methodological framework suitable for assessing 2020 year-long shifts in markets’ statistical complexity, and we apply such framework to ten major international developed or emerging stock markets. Our research reveals that this crisis had considerably altered markets’ evolutionary patterns. The network description of markets’ multivocal transmission of complex responses changed in 2020, European and Asian markets (...) playing a pivotal role. Nevertheless, an important regional and time heterogeneity emerges. In addition, we find that the total number of worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases plays a leading role in the changes in markets’ complexity. (shrink)

This article examines the dual consolatory approach of Theodoret of Cyrus, a fifth-century Syriac bishop. Theodoret's method of grief counseling may be examined by drawing upon several of his letters of consolation as guiding examples. Using the philosophical theme of reason's control of the passions together with the Christian hope of the resurrection, Theodoret consoled his mourning friends, yielding an instructive model for contemporary pastors and counselors to consider. Theodoret practiced letter writing as a valid and constructive consolatory medium, demonstrated (...) a balance of faith and reason in Christian counseling, and modeled theologically robust grief counseling. The article opens with an extract from Theodoret's lengthiest letter of comfort, to his newly-widowed friend, Alexandra. (shrink)

This article discusses the relationship between Christian and Jewish Orthodox women with their sacred books from a feminist point of view. While recent socio-economic changes have enabled women from an orthodox religious background to become financially independent and ultimately prosperous, from a religious perspective women’s status has not undergone major transformations. Using the cognitive principle of conceptual blending, I will focus on common aspects in Orthodox Judaism and Christianity related to sacred texts as objects, in order to shed light on (...) the religious understanding of prosperity in the twenty-first century, beyond that of empowerment as financial gain or social status. The importance ascribed to authoritative texts both as images of divinity and sacred objects of veneration is a common trait of Orthodox Judaism and Christianity. The gendered perception of the sacred is most prominent in two similar processions. Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday which celebrates the yearly reading cycle of the Torah, is actively celebrated only by men, who are the ones to carry the Torah scrolls. Similarly, the orthodox Good Friday procession involves a cross and the church’s copy of the Scripture together with the Holy Epitaph being carried only by men. The ban on women to carry sacred objects, at least at appointed times, as well as women’s responses in the two communities will be analysed comparatively to establish whether women commonly perceived as prosperous can make steps in order to re-evaluate the theological implications of this restriction. (shrink)

Medical communication in Western-oriented countries is dominated by concepts of shared decision-making and patient autonomy. In interactions with Roma patients, these behavioral patterns rarely seem to be achieved because the culture and ethnicity have often been shown as barriers in establishing an effective and satisfying doctor–patient relationship. The study aims to explore the Roma’s beliefs and experiences related to autonomy and decision-making process in the case of a disease with poor prognosis. Forty-eight Roma people from two Romanian counties participated in (...) semi-structured interviews, conducted by a research team from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi. Participants were recruited among the chronically ill patients and caregivers. The Roma community opposes informing the terminal patients about their condition, the “silence conspiracy” being widely practiced. The family fully undertakes the right of decision making, thus minimizing the patient’s autonomy. We identified ethical dilemmas concerning autonomy, lack of patients’ real decision-making power, and paternalistic attitudes exerted firstly by the family and, on demand, by the physician. Instead, the Roma patient benefits from a very active support network, being accompanied at the hospital by numerous relatives. The patient’s right to make autonomous decisions promoted in the Western countries and stipulated by the Romanian law has diminished value in the Roma community. For the Roma, the understanding of dignity is not simply individual and personal, but it is closely related to their cultural particularities. Ignoring their cultural values could create conflicts between healthcare providers and community. (shrink)

A patient suffering from a severe illness that is entering its terminal stage is forced to develop a coping process. Of all the coping patterns, the religious one stands out as being a psychological resource available to all patients regardless of culture, learning, and any age. Religious coping interacts with other values or practices of society, for example the model of a society that takes care of it's elder members among family or in an institutionalized environment or the way the (...) health system offers or not psychological support for a terminally ill patient. Health care providers should have at least some psychological coping patterns training because not all patterns of religious coping are equally effective, and some have been described as increasing the level of stress or producing other negative psychological effects on the patient. This article aims to review the complex models of religious coping that are unanimously accepted in psychooncology, arguments in favor of religious coping, the types of patients that use this model, ethical dilemmas that could be reinterpreted using religious arguments. Finally, we will also discuss the need of Romanian patients to embrace a religious coping in case of an incurable illness, and also the support that they can receive from both curative and palliative health care providers.  . (shrink)

In order to assure optimal care of patients with chronic illnesses, it is necessary to take into account the cultural factors that may influence health-related behaviors, health practices, and health-seeking behavior. Despite the increasing number of Romanian Roma, research regarding their beliefs and practices related to healthcare is rather poor. The aim of this paper is to present empirical evidence of specificities in the practice of healthcare among Romanian Roma patients and their caregivers. Using a qualitative exploratory descriptive design, this (...) study is based on data gathered through three focus groups with 30 health mediators in the counties of Iasi and Cluj (Romania). We identified various barriers to access to healthcare for Roma patients: lack of financial resources and health insurance coverage, lack of cognitive resources or lack of personal hygiene, but also important cultural issues, such as the shame of being ill, family function, disclosure of disease-related information, patient’s autonomy, attitudes towards illness and health practices, that should be considered in order to create a culturally sensitive environment in Romanian medical facilities:… The role of the health mediators within the context of cultural diversity is also discussed, as cultural brokers contributing to health care quality among Romanian Roma patients Bridging cultural differences may improve patient–healthcare provider relationships, but may have limited impact in reducing ethnic disparities, unless coupled with efforts of Roma communities to get involved in creating and implementing health policies. (shrink)

The ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is disrupting most specialized healthcare services worldwide, including those for high-risk newborns and their families. Due to the risk of contagion, critically ill infants, relatives and professionals attending neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are undergoing a profound remodeling of the organization and quality of care. In particular, mitigation strategies adopted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may hinder the implementation of family-centered care within the NICU. This may put newborns at risk for several adverse (...) effects, e.g., less weight gain, more nosocomial infections, increased length of NICU stay as well as long-term worse cognitive, emotional, and social development. This article aims to contribute to deepening the knowledge on the psychological impact of COVID-19 on parents and NICU staff members based on empirical data from the literature. We also provided evidence-based indications on how to safely empower families and support NICU staff facing such a threatening emergency, while preserving the crucial role of family-centered developmental care practices. (shrink)

The publication presents the historical and theoretical background of work of the Ukrainian philosopher Stefan Ołeksiuk under the title “On object of so-called perceptual judgment”. In particular, the points of contact and the importance of Ołeksiuk’s ideas for philosophical traditions of the Lvov-Warsaw School and Husserlian phenomenology were shown.

Artykuł poświęcony jest koncepcjom estetycznym polskiego filozofa i teoretyka pedagogiki, Stefana Szumana. Jego zainteresowanie twórczością dziecka i sztuką ludową wpisuje się w szeroki w kulturze europejskiej początków XX w. zwrot ku „prymitywowi”, będący pochodną tyleż krytycznej oceny procesów modernizacyjnych i regeneracyjnych tęsknot, co ówczesnych badań antropologicznych nad strukturą społeczeństw pierwotnych i ich twórczością. Podobnie jak Franz Boas, który w swej teorii sztuki prymitywnej odrzucił model ewolucjonistyczny i utożsamienie „prymitywu” z niższym stadium rozwoju, Szuman podkreślał swoistość twórczości dziecięcej i sztuki (...) ludowej. Nawiązując do etnologa neoewolucjonisty Maxa Richarda Verworna i do psychologicznych hipotez Jeana Piageta, w sztuce dziecka widział związek z organicznym rozwojem zdolności poznawczych i potrzebą ich uzewnętrzniania. Proponowana przez Szumana koncepcja wychowania przez sztukę, zakładająca nie tyle gotowy program kształcenia, co wspomaganie indywidualnego rozwoju uczniów, stała się częścią silnego w polskiej tradycji nurtu pedagogiki personalistycznej, reprezentowanej m.in. przez Henryka Rowida, Janusza Korczaka czy Antoniego Kenara. (shrink)

Zasadniczy przedmiot artykułu stanowi analiza trzech powieści kryminalnych Stefana Kisielewskiego: Zbrodnia w Dzielnicy Północnej (1948), Wszystko inaczej (1986) i Zanim nadejdzie śmierć (1995). Pierwsza reprezentuje „klasyczną powieść kryminalną”; druga – „dzieło otwarte”, „postmodernistyczne”, „antykryminał”; trzecia – kryminał rzekomo niezakończony. Każdy z tych utworów, odmiennie odwołując się do kryminalnej narracji linearno-powrotnej i kryminalnego schematu fabularnego, do odmiennych też nieco celów strukturę powieści kryminalnej wykorzystuje, co najbardziej uwydatniają finałowe sekwencje zdarzeń. Stąd tytuł artykułu oraz przyjęta w nim metoda analizy, gdyż zarówno (...) teoria powieści (kryminalnej), jak też teoria retoryki (klasycznej), obie podkreślają duże znaczenie narracyjnego i fabularnego finiszu, a retoryka pozwala dookreślić jego celowość, czyli pełnienie przezeń różnorakich funkcji, dzięki przywołaniu istotnych w komunikacji (także literackiej) kontekstów oraz konsytuacji. Poznawcze, wychowawcze i estetyczne, a więc perswazyjne funkcje powieści kryminalnej zależą m.in. od „otwartego” bądź „zamkniętego” kształtu zakończeń narracji i fabuły. Te zakończenia w przypadku każdego z oryginalnych, niesztampowych i wartościowych dzieł są w istocie niepowtarzalne. (shrink)

On the basis of the works Personality and Paths of self-discovery the concept of self-knowledge of Ukrainian and Polish philosopher Stefan Baley has been reconstructed. It has been shown, that self-knowledge both in Baley’s philosophy and in the philosophy of Socrates has the character of the specific imperative, a certain kind of the obligation of every thinking person. Socrates and Baley are the supporters of the absolute truth, which is understood as practical value, which is beneficial to the moral cultivation (...) of the person. The differences between the concepts of self-knowledge of Socrates and Baley lies in the fact, that Baley consider the soul of a man as the object of self-knowledge, but before self-knowledge a man needs to know another person. The second specificity of Baley’s concept is associated with worldview. In the worldview he sees the path to knowledge of the truth. It has been proven, that Baley’s views on the interdependence of the subject and truth are associated with his philosophical position, formed in the Lvov-Warsaw philosophical school. (shrink)

Stefan Kisielewski’s intellectual struggle with Polish communism: Stefan Kisielewski a Polish novelist, composer, music critic, essayist, feature writer and a politician, was an exceptional personage in post‑World War II Poland. In his features, published in Tygodnik Powszechny since 1945, in a light, ironic and allusive way to prevent censorship, he described the Polish reality that his readers were acquainted with, in a way that revealed the real causes of the phenomena he observed. The truth was simple: the communist reality was (...) the result of politico‑economic system that was imposed based on a Marxist theory of economy. Kisielewski’s criticism of communism was not just a matter of a keen observation and sensible conclusions; it was based on his studies of Marxism that he began before World War II. In turn, in Wilhelm Röpke’s Die Gesellschaftskrisis der Gegenwart, he found an accurate characterisation of the socialist economy and an explanation for its non‑functioning. The second important reason for his criticism of communism was Kisielewski’s Catholicism, which operated as a counter‑balance to Marxism, combined with the idea of a liberal‑democratic regime. In his later years, Kisielewski criticised the social teachings of the Catholic Church, and suggested a new idea that they were based on “the theology of profit” as an ideological justification of the attitudes necessary for the functioning of the market economy in Poland. He even suggested the implementation of a dictatorship to avoid long parliamentary democratic procedures, and in this way to establish a quick and effective market economy on the ruins of socialism. (shrink)

9 grudnia 2023 roku w Instytucie Filozofii Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie miała miejsce ogólnopolska konferencja naukowa pt. Oblicza współczesnej etyki. Sympozjum połączone było z jubileuszem pracy naukowej i dydaktycznej ks. prof. dr. hab. Ryszarda Monia i dr hab. Ewy Podrez. W trakcie konferencji wygłoszono dziewięć referatów, które dotyczyły rozumienia etyki w filozofii chrześcijańskiej, zagadnienia powinności i normatywności etycznej, antropologicznych podstaw etyki, dialogu między etyką a literaturą, postrzegania wartości dumy i honoru dawniej i dziś, wartości w społeczeństwie zmęczenia (...) oraz etyki miłości, jaką wypracował Dante Alighieri. ----------------------------------------- Zgłoszono: 04/01/2024. Zrecenzowano: 16/02/2024. Zaakceptowano do publikacji: 04/03/2024. (shrink)

W dniach 15–16 października 2019 roku na Uniwersytecie Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie miało miejsce międzynarodowe sympozjum naukowe pt. "Przyrodoznawstwo – filozofia – teologia. Obszary i perspektywy dialogu". W konferencji wzięło udział ponad dwudziestu naukowców z dziesięciu krajów.