U radu se obrazlaže interpretacijski model prepoznavanja, razumijevanja i tumačenja metaforike u pjesničkom tekstu, koji s jedne strane omogućuje sintaktički uvid u tekst, a s druge semantičku analizu, s ciljem cjelovite interpretacije pjesme. Podjela metaforičkih iskaza na razine riječi, rečenice, teksta i jezika metodologijski je aparat usredotočen na kompozicijsko- strukturalni opis pjesničkoga teksta. Čitanje pjesničke metaforike kao konstrukcije i funkcije te dominantnoga poetičkoga obilježja u pojedinim opusima nudi mogućnost izravnoga interpretativnoga povezivanja pojedinačnih pjesama s poetikom autora, književne skupine, stilske formacije (...) i umjetničke epohe. (shrink)

U radu ću pokušati ukazati na moguće doprinose razmatranja metafora kao načela spoznaje raspravi o konceptualnim temeljima krize u medicini. Stoga ću u prvom dijelu rada dati sažeti prikaz temeljnih postavki kognitivne teorije metafore u djelu Georgea Lakoffa i Marka Johnsona koje će poslužiti kao smjernice u propitivanju metafora zdravlja i bolesti. U drugom dijelu u razmatranje ću uzeti primjere metafora vezanih uz pojmove zdravlja i bolesti uvriježenih kako u svakodnevnom govoru tako i u znanstvenim i stručnim medicinskim diskursima. Pokušat (...) ću ukazati na koji način one utječu na poimanje zdravlja i bolesti te usmjeruju djelovanje unutar medicinske prakse, u kojoj se kriza medicine najjasnije očituje u vidu dehumaniziranog karaktera odnosa između aktera te prakse. Također će biti riječi i o nekonvencionalnim, alternativnim metaforama i njihovim potencijalima za uspostavu drukčijih, humanijih pojmova i principa prema kojima bi se medicinska praksa mogla ravnati. U konačnici ću ponuditi jedan takav prijedlog koji proizlazi iz temeljnih postavki kognitivne teorije metafora.In this paper I will attempt to point out possible contributions of considering metaphors as principles of cognition to the discussion on conceptual grounds of crisis in medicine. Hence the first part will be a brief review of the basic features of cognitive theory of metaphor in the works of Georg Lakoff and Mark Johnson, which will serve as guidelines in examining metaphors of health and illness. The second part will deal with conventional metaphors associated with the notions of illness and health in everyday speech as well as in scientific and professional medical discourses. I will try to indicate the ways in which these metaphors influence notions of health and illness, thus directing actions in medical practice, which is the place where the crisis of medicine is most clearly manifested in the form of dehumanised character of relationship between medical practice participants. Unconventional, alternative metaphors and their potential for establishing different, more humane notions and principles which could guide medical practice will also be discussed. Finally, I will offer one such proposal which follows the basic ideas of cognitive theory of metaphor. (shrink)

Tekst prikazuje i komentira zbornik od deset priloga kulturno studijskih, semioloških i etnografskih analiza posvećenih različitiim oblicima i razinama diskurzivne reprezentacije i reprodukcije stvarnosti »domaćeg« socijalističkog načina života u bivšoj Jugoslaviji i Hrvatskoj, u njegovim različitim historijskim fazama, u njegovim službenim i neslužbenim oblicima diskurzivnih procedura . Pored uvodne usporedbe s tematski ili metodološki sličnim publikacijama, tekst daje tematski i tipski pregled obuhvaćenih priloga, a opširno se komentiraju dva priloga: programski tekst zbornika, posvećen ideji etnografije socijalizma u odnosu na nasljeđe (...) etnologije, s obzirom na njegove eksplicitne i implicitne znanstveno teorijske pretpostavke; također se s obzirom na teorem arbitrarnosti znaka komentira prilog posvećen retoričkoj analizi diskursa tzv. liberalne političke disidencije socijalizma u Beogradu 80-ih godina, posvećen dokazivanju odgovornosti inteligencije za društvenu katastrofu bivše Jugoslavije kroz analizu veze između »riječi i činova«.The paper reviews and comments on an anthology of ten analyses of cultural studies, semiology and ethnography, all centring on the different forms and levels of discursive representation and reproduction of the reality of the »domestic« socialist way of life both in former Yugoslavia and Croatia, in its most diverse historical phases, in its both official and unofficial forms of discursive procedures . In addition to the introductory comparison with thematically or methodologically similar publications, the paper also reviews the themes and types of the contributions, while particularly focusing on two papers: the anthology’s programmatic text tackling the idea of socialism’s ethnography in relation to the legacy of ethnology, in respect of its both explicit and implicit scientific theoretical presuppositions. Furthermore, in respect of the theorem of the arbitrariness of signs, the paper also comments on the contribution dealing with the rhetorical analysis of the discourse of the so-called liberal political dissidence of socialism in Belgrade during the 1980s, proving the responsibility of intelligence for the social catastrophe of former Yugoslavia through the analysis of the relation between »words and deeds«. (shrink)

U članku se etimološki istražuju ključne riječi globalizacije: bios, technē i logos, te se dodatno interpretiraju u kontekstu egzistencijalne fenomenologije. U ovu svrhu se poziva samo na Heideggera, koji je pokrenuo egzistencijalnu interpretaciju antičkih pojmova, nego i na Husserla, Gadamera, Lévinasa i Bakhtina. Predstavljene su tri teze: 1) naše tijelo je neodvojivo od duhovnog okoliša, gdje sazrijeva dobivajući duhovne funkcije, tj. poduhovljenjem, imenovanjem i ostvarivanjem; 2) duhovni okoliš je istovremeno tehnološki, gdje se technē treba interpretirati kao umijeće stvaranja interaktivne komponente (...) okoline kao što je tijelo i duh; 3) logos kao riječ i ime pretpostavlja tekst, tj. knjigu koju piše naš život i kontekst tj. interakcija tekstova kao životnih priča. Tvrdi se da se bios, technē i logos trebaju interpretirati analogno, tj. kao interaktivne komponente egzistencijalnog stvaranja, koji uključuju različite nivoe veza između duhovnog okoliša i životne priče koja se razvija u njemu. Bios je povezan s tjelesnim aspektom egzistencijalnog stvaranja: naš je život od rođenja do smrti nerazdvojiv od uključenosti fenomenâ u tjelesnu vremensku i prostornu cjelinu koja je uključena u duhovni okoliš. Logos odražava lingvističko-skriptualnu narav duhovnog konteksta okoliša. Technē se interpretira istodobno kao čin stvaranja egzistencijalne cjeline i kao čin njezinog zapisa u ovaj kontekst. Kao rezultat toga, bios, technē i logos se interpretiraju alternativno diskursu globalizacije. (shrink)

U ovom se radu pokušava pokazati da postoji određena vrsta relativizma koja je spojiva sa skepticizmom Seksta Empirika. Tvrdi se da se u PH I.217–219 Protagora ne shvaća kao aletički ili epistemički relativist, nego kao relativist u minimalnom smislu riječi, te da takvo stajalište nije protivno pironizmu kako ga Sekst karakterizira u PH I. Potom se pokazuje da nam prihvaćanje toga aspekta pironizma može pomoći da objasnimo neke inače problematične relativističke zaključke što ih nalazimo u Sekstovim spisima, naročito u M (...) XI.In this paper an attempt is made to show that there is a kind of relativism that can be seen as compatible with Sextus Empiricus’ scepticism. It is argued that in PH I.217–219, Protagoras is not treated as alethic or epistemic relativist, but as a relativist in a minimal sense of the word, and that such a position is not at odds with Sextus’ characterisation of Pyrrhonism in PH I. It is then shown that recognising this aspect of Pyrrhonism can help us explain the otherwise problematic relativistic conclusions in Sextus’ works, esp. in M XI. (shrink)

U tekstu izlažemo rješenje razlike između Wittgensteinove uporabe modela u TLP i modeliranja u PI, RFM i OC temeljem analize razlike u izboru samih riječi i opisa pojmova fenomena u njegovim napomenama. Metoda je pojmovna analiza Wittgensteinova tretiranja znanstvenih modela i modeliranja. Dodatno, tekstualna raščlamba i poredba korištena je pri istraživanju njegovih glavnih napomena na tu temu. Ako je otkrivena razlika između modela i modeliranja i kontinuitet ovisnosti oba pojma o pojmu slike, pri čemu je razlika slike i oslikavanja uzeta (...) kao zadana, zaključujemo kako je Wittgenstein svoj stari pojam modela nastojao inkorporirati u novi pojam modeliranja. Eksplicirana razlika i inkorporiranje pridonosi pojašnjenju teme Wittgensteinovog posrednog i neposrednog utjecaja na filozofiju znanosti. (shrink)

U ovom prilogu promišljanju se konzekvencije različitih shvaćanja ideje jednakosti na području teorijâ demokracije i posebice političke prakse. Tek se diferenciranjem ključnih pojmova mogu nadmašiti one lažne alternative koje proizlaze iz nerazjašnjena korištenja odnosnih pojmova i ideja, te onemogućiti njihovu preobrazbu u prazne riječi. Odatle je moguće i postavljanje pitanja o trećem putu koji bi bio u stanju ukloniti lažnu alternativu između totalitarna egalitarizma i razorna neoliberalizma.In diesem Beitrag werden die Konsequenzen differenzierter Auffassungen der Idee des Gleichheits auf den Bereiche (...) der Demokratietheorien und besonders der politischer Praxis nachgedacht. Nur durch die Differenzierung der Schlüsselbegriffe könnte man diejenige falsche Alternativen aufheben, die aus dem unaufgeklärten Gebrauch bezüglicher Begriffe und Ideen folgen, und ihre Umgestaltung in die gehaltlose Wörter vermeiden. Dadurch wird möglich auch die Frage um die Möglichkeit eines dritten Wegs stellen, der in der Lage wäre, die falsche Alternative zwischen totalitaristischen Egalitarismus und zerstörenden Neoliberalismus überzuwinden. (shrink)

Rad se sastoji od dva dijela. U prvom dijelu, tragom prethodnih istraživanja, prvenstveno Petrovićevih i Marottijevih, ispitujem sadržaj i primjenu temeljnog filozofijskog pojmovlja zasnovanoga na riječi i pojmu biti, pri čemu je glavna primijenjena strategija filozofijsko tumačenje mišljenja tvorenog putem mehanizama hrvatskoga jezika. U drugom dijelu, tragom Veljakovih istraživanja o metafizičkim utvarama, ispitujem opasnosti usvajanja moguće nepotpuno razumljenog pojmovlja pomoću kojega oblikujemo predodžbe o (društvenoj) zbilji i po njoj djelujemo. Sidrište je razmatranja problem hipostaze jednoga, a u dijalogu s Veljakovim (...) razmatranjima hipostaziranja partikularnih bića nastojim raščistiti polazišno mjesto za mišljenje promjena u odnosu prema zbilji opstojanja. (shrink)

Abstract in English, German, French and Croatian -/- In the paper “The ‘Bubbling Up’ of Subterranean Politics in Europe”, which was published in 2013 in the Journal of Civil Society, Mary Kaldor and Sabine Selchow attempted to reveal the specific qualities of the uprisings which emerged after the year 2010 in some European countries, such as Germany, Spain, Italy, England etc. According to the authors, the mode of organization which forms the main body of these emancipatory movements obtains its basic (...) logic from the world of the Internet. The use of the Internet requires a re-evaluation of negative philosophical commentary regarding technology. In the context of twentieth-century philosophy, Martin Heidegger and Herbert Marcuse are the most influential philosophers who studied the negative aspects of technology. Heidegger portrayed the destructive effects of scientific reasoning and technology on the Western culture through the criticism of the traditional Western metaphysics on a phenomenological-ontological level. Marcuse, belonging to the tradition of Western Marxism, formed his critique of technology in the context of the concept of instrumental rationality and the critique of advanced industrial society and capitalism. Although the starting points of their perspectives on technology and the underlying purposes of their critiques of technology were different, it may be asserted that both have a rather negative and almost entirely pessimistic disposition towards technology. Heidegger’s and Marcuse’s criticisms of technology will be discussed in this context and the differences and similarities between these criticisms will be shown. Finally, the paper will emphasise the question of the possibility of a positive role of technology. Technology can serve as an alternative to negative uses by shedding light on the relation between the current uprisings and the Internet. Keywords technology, rationality, freedom, enframing, criticism, revolt movements, Internet, politics //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////// Ist die Emanzipation des Menschen durch Technologie möglich? Zusammenfassung In dem Artikel „The ‘Bubbling Up’ of Subterranean Politics in Europe”, veröffentlicht im Jahre 2013 im Journal of Civil Society, versuchten Mary Kaldor und Sabine Selchow die spezifischen Qualitäten der Aufstände zum Ausdruck zu bringen, die nach 2010 in den europäischen Ländern ausbrachen – Deutschland, Spanien, Italien, England usw. Nach Ansicht der Autoren erhält der Modus der Organisation, der den Hauptkörper dieser emanzipatorischen Bewegungen bildet, seine grundlegende Logik aus der Welt des Internets. Die Analogie mit dem Internet erfor- dert eine Neubewertung der negativen Kommentare über die Technologie aus philosophischer Perspektive. Martin Heidegger und Herbert Marcuse sind die einflussreichsten Philosophen, die sich mit den negativen Aspekten der Technologie in der Philosophie des 20. Jahrhunderts befasst haben. Heidegger schilderte die zerstörerischen Auswirkungen der wissenschaftlichen Vernunft und Technologie auf die westliche Kultur durch die Kritik an der traditionellen abend- ländischen Metaphysik auf der phänomenologisch-ontologischen Ebene, während Marcuse, ein Mitglied des westlichen Marxismus, seine Kritik an der Technologie im Rahmen des Konzepts der instrumentellen Rationalität und der Kritik der fortgeschrittenen Industriegesellschaft und Kapitalismus geformt hat. Obgleich die Ansatzpunkte ihrer Perspektiven über die Technologie und die zugrunde liegenden Zwecke ihrer Kritik an der Technologie unterschiedlich waren, kann behauptet werden, dass beide eine eher negative und fast völlig pessimistische Einstellung zur Technologie hatten. In diesem Zusammenhang werden Heideggers und Marcuses Kritiken an der Technologie diskutiert sowie Unterschiede und Ähnlichkeiten zwischen den beiden Kri- tiken aufgezeigt. Abschließend unterstreicht das Paper die Frage nach der Möglichkeit einer positiven Rolle für die Technologie, die als Alternative zur negativen Perspektive dienen kann, indem sie Licht in das Verhältnis zwischen aktuellen Aufständen und Internet bringt. Schlüsselwörter Technologie, Rationalität, Freiheit, Gestell, Kritik, Revoltebewegungen, Internet, Politik //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////// L’émancipation humaine est-elle possible à travers la technologie ? Résumé Dans l’article « The “Bubbling Up” of Suberranean Politics in Europe » publié en 2013 dans Journal of Civil Society, Mary Kaldor et Sabine Selchow tentent de mettre en lumière les caractéristiques spécifiques des révoltes qui ont fait jour après 2010 dans certains pays européens – Allemagne, Espagne, Italie, Angleterre, etc. Selon nos auteures, le mode d’organisation qui a formé le corps essentiel de ces mouvements émancipatoires tire sa logique de base du monde de l’internet. Cette analogie avec l’internet requiert une réévaluation, à partir d’un point de vue philosophique, des commentaires négatifs sur la technologie. Martin Heidegger et Herbert Marcuse sont les philosophes les plus influents ayant travaillé sur les aspects négatifs de la technologie au sein de la philosophie du XXe siècle. Heidegger a dépeint les effets destructeurs de la raison scientifique et de la technologie de notre culture occidentale à travers son criticisme de la métaphysique traditionnelle occidentale à un niveau phénoménologico-ontologique, tandis que Marcuse, membre du « communisme occidentale », a formé une critique de la technologie au sein du concept de rationalité instrumentale et une critique de la société industrielle avancée et du capitalisme. Bien que le point de départ de leur perspective sur la technologie et que le but sous-jacent de leur critique diffèrent, il est possible d’affirmer que leur point commun est d’avoir posé un regard négatif et presque entièrement pessimiste sur la technologie. À cet égard, le criticisme d’Heidegger et de Marcuse vont être abordés afin d’en soulever les différences et les similarités. Enfin, cet article mettra l’accent sur la possibilité d’un rôle positif de la technologie qui pourrait servir d’alternative aux perspectives négatives en faisant la lumière sur le lien entre les révoltes actuelles et l’internet. Mots-clés technologie, rationalité, liberté, mettre en forme, criticisme, mouvements de révolte, internet, politique //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////// Je li moguća ljudska emancipacija kroz tehniku? Sažetak U članku »The ‘Bubbling Up’ of Subterranean Politics in Europe«, objavljenom 2013. u časopisu Journal of Civil Society, Mary Kaldor i Sabine Selchow pokušale su otkriti specifične značajke pobuna koje su se javila nakon 2010. godine u europskim zemljama poput Njemačke, Španjolske, Italije, Engleske itd. Prema autoricama, način organiziranja koji čini glavno tijelo ovih emancipatornih pokreta preuzima svoju osnovnu logiku iz svijeta Interneta. Analogija s Internetom zahtijeva ponovnu evaluaciju negativnih komentara o tehnici iz filozofske perspektive. Martin Heidegger i Herbert Marcuse najutjecajniji su filozofi 20. stoljeća koji su se bavili negativnim aspektima tehnike. Heidegger je prikazao destruktivne učinke znanstvene racionalnosti i tehnike na zapadnu kulturu kroz kritiku tradicionalne zapadne metafizike na fenomenološko-ontološkoj razini, dok je Marcuse, kao predstavnik zapadnoga marksizma, oblikovao svoju kritiku tehnike u kontekstu pojma instrumentalne racionalnosti te kritike razvijenog industrijskog društva i kapitalizma. Iako su polazišne točke njihovih pogleda na tehniku, kao i osnovne svrhe kritike tehnike, različite, može se reći da obojica imaju poprilično negativno i gotovo u potpunosti pesimističko shvaćanje tehnologije. U tom će se kontekstu razmotriti Heideggerova i Marcuseova kritika tehnike kao i razlike i sličnosti između tih dvaju pristupa. Zaključno će rad naglasiti mogućnost pozitivne uloge tehnike, koja može služiti kao alternativa negativnoj perspektivi osvjetljavajući odnos između nedavnih pobuna i interneta. Ključne riječi tehnologija, racionalnost, sloboda, postav, kritika, pobunjenički pokreti, Internet, politika. (shrink)

Antropontologija kao filozofski diskurs razlikuje se od klasične ontologije, fenomenološke ontologije, ontologije biti i nove ontologije. Poznato je da su različiti ontološki pogledi doveli do različitih prijelomnih točaka u povijesti filozofije. Antropontologija nudi novi tip ontologije koji se ustvari usredotočuje posebice na ljudska bića kao početnu točku. Što obuhvaća filozofski napor koji nastoji analizirati veze između ljudskog bića i znanja svijeta u svjetlu antropontologije? Što antropontologija razmatra u vezama između bića? Prije svega je nužno razjasniti ova pitanja. Tvrdimo da svako (...) biće egzistira u svijetu života ili općenito u svijetu kao singularno i konkretno biće. No ono se razumijeva pomoću pojma, tj. riječi ili termina; drugim riječima, bića egzistiraju kroz intelektualne i lingvističke činove ili u granicama jezika. Svako biće je partikularno ili singularno, međutim može doseći univerzalnu poziciju pomoću ljudskog bića i kroz obrasce mišljenja, govorenja ili pisanja, drukčije rečeno, kroz misleći svijet i lingvistički svijet. U ovome slučaju, ‘ontologija’ kao dio termina ‘antropontologija’ odnosi se na nominalističku ontologiju koja tvrdi da svako biće egzistira u okviru singularnosti. Općenito, antropontologija kao filozofski diskurs fokusira se na napetost između singularnosti i univerzalnosti.Anthropontology as a philosophical discourse distinguishes itself from the classical ontology, phenomenological ontology, the ontology of essence and the new ontology. It is well known that the different ontological views have given rise to different breaking points in the history of philosophy. Anthropontology offers a new kind of ontology which, in fact, focuses especially on human being as a starting point. What does the philosophical effort which tries to analyze the relationships between the human being and the world-knowledge contain in the light of anthropontology? What does anthropontology take into consideration in the relationships between the entities? First of all, it is necessary to explain these points. We claim that every entity exists in the world of life or generally in the world as a singular and concrete entity. But it is understood by the concept and a word or term; in the other words, they exist through the intellectual and linguistic acts or in the limits of the language. Every entity is a particular or singular one, however it can reach the universal position by the human being and through the pattern of thinking and saying or writing, in the other words, through the thinking world and the linguistic world. In this case, the ‘ontology’ part of the term of ‘anthropontology’ refers to the nominalist ontology which asserts that every entity exists in the framework of the singularity. Generally, anthropontology, as a philosophical discourse, focuses on the tension between the singularity and the universality.L’anthropontologie, en tant que discours philosophique, se distingue de l’ontologie classique, de l’ontologie phénoménologique, de l’ontologie de l’essence et de la nouvelle ontologie. Il est bien connu que différents points de vue ontologiques ont mené à différents points de rupture dans l’histoire de la philosophie. L’anthropontologie propose un nouveau type d’ontologie qui, en fait, se concentre en particulier sur l’être humain comme son point de départ. Que comprend l’effort philosophique qui cherche à analyser les rapports entre l’être humain et les connaissances du monde à la lumière de l’anthropologie ? Que l’anthropontologie prend-elle en considération dans les rapports entre entités ? Tout d’abord, il est nécessaire d’expliquer ces points. Nous affirmons que toute entité existe dans le monde de la vie, ou de manière générale dans le monde comme entité singulière et concrète. Mais elle se comprend par le concept, c’està- dire le mot ou le terme ; autrement dit, les entités existent à travers des actes intellectuels et linguistiques ou dans les limites du langage. Si toute entité est particulière et singulière, elle peut cependant atteindre une position universelle par l’être humain et à travers les schémas de pensée, d’énonciation et d’écriture ; autrement dit, par le monde pensant et le monde linguistique. Dans ce cas, « l’ontologie » en tant que partie du terme « anthropologie » se rapporte à l’ontologie nominaliste qui affirme que toute entité existe dans le cadre de la singularité. De manière générale, l’anthropontologie en tant que discours philosophique se concentre sur la tension entre la singularité et l’universalité.Die Anthropontologie als philosophischer Diskurs weicht ab von der klassischen Ontologie, der phänomenologischen Ontologie, Ontologie des Wesens sowie der neuen Ontologie. Bekanntermaßen hatten die verschiedenartigen ontologischen Gesichtspunkte quer durch die Geschichte der Philosophie unterschiedliche Wendepunkte zur Folge. Die Anthropontologie verleiht ein neues Gepräge der Ontologie, das tatsächlich speziell das Menschenwesen als Ansatzpunkt zum Kernstück macht. Was umschließt das philosophische Bemühen, das die Beziehungen zwischen Menschenwesen und Weltwissen zu analysieren sucht, im Lichte der Anthropontologie? Was berücksichtigt die Anthropontologie bezüglich der Relationen zwischen den Entitäten? Zuallererst gilt es, die obigen Sachverhalte darzulegen. Wir behaupten, jedwede Entität existiere in deren Lebenswelt bzw. gemeinhin in der Welt als singuläre und konkrete Entität. Sie wird jedoch mithilfe des Begriffs bzw. des Wortes respektive Terminus verstanden. Mit anderen Worten: Die Wesen bestehen durch intellektuelle und linguistische Akte oder im Rahmen der Sprachgrenzen. Jegliches Wesen ist partikular oder singulär, allerdings kann es vermöge des Menschenwesens und per Denk-, Sprach- bzw. Schreibmuster die universale Position erlangen; oder umgeformt – durch denkende Welt und linguistische Welt. Im vorliegenden Fall rekurriert das „Ontologie“- Glied der Zusammensetzung „Anthropontologie“ auf die nominalistische Ontologie, die asseriert, ein jedes Wesen existiere in der Sphäre der Singularität. Im Großen und Ganzen konzentriert sich die Anthropontologie als philosophischer Diskurs auf die Spannung zwischen Singularität und Universalität. (shrink)

Mišljenje koje ukazuje na značenje posrednika u procesu spoznaje jednim svojim dijelom ulazi u područje gnoseologije. Probijajući se do biti promišljanoga, te odstranjujući ono što pripada posrednicima u procesu spoznaje, ovo je mišljenje dijelom i svojevrsna »proširena hermeneutika «. Proučavajući napredovanje spoznaje o posredovanosti same spoznaje, te napredovanje iskustva u kontekstu medija posredovanja, ovo je mišljenje i svojevrsna fenomenologija. Sabirući u sebi teorijsko, praktičko i poetičko, filozofija medija želi biti mišljenje koje nije određeno slikom, gramatikom, pojmom, kontekstom, performanceom, psihologijom nastupa, (...) tehnologijom – ali sve to želi imati u sebi sačuvano i nadvladano. Transmisija znanja više nije samo stvar riječi. Nakon lingvističkog obrata i ikoničkog obrata, sve smo bliže shvaćanju da je i jednom i drugom obratu u osnovi bio medijski obrat. (shrink)

Ovaj rad pokazuje kako pojam mjere, koji je jedan od najmnogoznačnijih filozofijskih pojmova, počinje dobivati etički smisao tijekom povijesnog razvoja grčke filozofije. U prvom dijelu pokazuje se kako se u Homerovim epovima riječ ‘mjera’ i srodne riječi odnose isključivo na konkretno mjerljive količine. Drugi se dio bavi mijenom značenja, koja se zbiva u pitagorovskom mišljenju. Tu se najviše pažnje poklanja povijesnim okolnostima nastanka grčkog polisa, za što je vrlina umjerenosti bila neophodno potrebna. U tom kontekstu pobliže se razmatraju Filolajevi i (...) Arhitini fragmenti, budući da oni ukazuju na političku važnost mjere i mjerenja. Treći dio posvećen je analizi relevantnog odjeljka iz Platonova Državnika u kojem Platon razlikuje dvije vrste mjerenja: brojčano i drugo, koje se može nazvati ‘deontičkim’, koje mjeri ono više i manje u odnosu na ‘pravu mjeru’ . Druga vrsta mjerenja je također i etičko mjerenje utoliko što uključuje različite prosudbe svrhe, ciljeva i prirode čovjeka.The aim of this article is to show how the concept of »measure«, which is one of the most intricate and manifold philosophical concepts, started acquiring ethical meanings in the course of Greek philosophical thought. In the first part it is discussed how the word »measure« and its cognates refer exclusively to concretely measurable quantities in Homer’s epics. The second part deals with the switch of meaning that started happening in the Pythagorean thought. In this part more attention is paid to historical references of emergence of the Greek polis for which the virtue of temperance was indispensable. In this context fragments of Philolaus and Archytas are more closely observed because they point to political importance of measure and measurement. The third part is dedicated to analysis of the relevant passage in Plato’s Statesman in which Plato distinguishes between two concepts of measurement: one numerical and the other, which can be called »deontic«, which measures more and less with respect to the »right measure« . The second kind of measurement is also ethical because it includes various judgments of purpose, goals, and human nature. (shrink)

Prijevod Biblije A. Chouraquija, prijevod koji nastoji prevladati granice što odvajaju jezike i kulture eda bi ponovno otkrio simbolički i univerzalni smisao riječi, polazište je za hermeneutičko razmišljanje. Četiri primjera: iš-iša, rehem, JHVH i Deset Besjeda pokazuju rad prijevoda koji je istodobno i hermeneutički rad, blizak misli Paula Ricoeura. Iš-iša riječi su koje otvaraju novu dimenziju značenja Stvaranja: muškarac i žena tek zajedno tvore čovjeka. Hebrejska riječ rehem otkriva novi sloj smisla božanskoga milosrđa i utire mogući put teologiji nježnosti. Ime (...) Božje – JHVH neizgovorljivo je Ime neiskazivosti misterija Bića, Bića koje je u filozofiji neprestano poticalo rasprave, a u Bibliji se pojavljuje unutar opisa božanskih intervencija za dobrobit čovjeka. Deset zapovijedi, izražene u futuru, a ne u imperativu, i nisu zapovijedi u strogom smislu te riječi, nego Besjede koje ukazuju čovjeku na put kojim mu je krenuti – put pomirenja Čovjeka s njegovom ljudskošću, put ljubavi koja nadilazi put pravednosti i obogaćuje je. Učinak biblijskih naracija na čitatelja ponajprije je njegova nova otvorenost svijetu. Postajemo sposobni ponovno uspostaviti smisao riječima.André Chouraqui dans sa traduction de la Bible en français cherche à surmonter les barrièresqui séparent les langues et les cultures en redécouvrent le sens symbolique et universel desmots. Telle traduction pourrait être un bon point de départ pour la réflexion hérmeneutique.Les quatre exemples de la traduction des noms: ish-isha, rehem, JHVH et Dix Paroles montrentbien le travail de la traduction qui est en même temps le travail hérmeneutique proche de lapensée de Paul Ricœur. Ish-isha – sont des mots qui découvrent une nouvelledimension de la signification de la création: ce n’est qu’ensemble que l’homme et la femmesoient l’homme. Le mot hébreu rehem dévoile la signification de la miséricorde divineet s’ouvre sur une théologie de la tendresse. Le nom de Dieu – JHVH est le nom imprononçablequi entend désigner l’ineffable mystère de l’Être, cet Être qui toujours de nouveau réanime unediscussion philosophique. Dans la Bible ce Nom est décrit par des interventions divines en fa­veur de l’homme. Les Dix Commandements, exprimés au futur et pas au impératif, ne sont pasles commandements dans le sens strict du mot, mais les paroles qui montrent à l’Homme versquoi il doit tendre – vers la réconciliation avec l’humain, vers l’amour qui dépasse la justice etl’enrichit. Les effets de la narration biblique sur le lecteur suscitent une nouvelle ouverture au monde, qui nous rend capables à rétablir le sens des mots. (shrink)

Unatoč naslovu koji pokriva iznimno opširno područje, članak se usredotočuje na blisko pitanje da li Specijalna teorija relativnosti nužno zagovara ukidanje ontološke razlike između prošlih i budućih događaja, između prošlosti i budućnosti općenito. Izraženo žargonom koji uvodi Stein: jesmo li u okviru STR prinuđeni birati isključivo između ‘solipsizma’ i ‘determinizma’? Posebice će biti riječi o ulozi koju konvencionalnost istovremenosti u STR ima u pokušaju odgovora na ovo pitanje. Standardni argumenti pozivaju se na relativnost istovremenosti, tvrdnju da STR negira postojanje univerzalne (...) ‘sadašnjosti’ koja razgraničava ‘prošlost’ i ‘budućnost’, kako bi pokazali da nema ontološke razlike između prošlosti i budućnosti, da su obje jednako određene/zbiljne . Pritom se prešutno prelazi preko činjenice da je za uspostavu ontoloških tvrdnji vezanih uz relativnost istovremenosti potrebno prvo riješiti pitanje konvencionalnosti istovremenosti u okviru STR. U članku će se nastojati pokazati da promatranjem pitanja konvencionalnosti istovremenosti iz perspektive ‘čisto filozofskog’ Dummettovog određenja razlike između prošlosti i budućnosti možemo u okviru STR pokušati razviti shvaćanje razlikovanja prošlosti i budućnosti mimo stroge ontološke dihotomije ‘solipsizam’/‘determinizam’, ukoliko kriterij koji postavlja STR shvatimo kao epistemički, a ne kao ontološki.Despite a broad-range title the paper settles for the related issue of whether the Special Theory of Relativity necessarily advocates the demise of an ontological difference between past and future events, between past and future in general. In the jargon of H. Stein: are we forced, within the framework of the STR, to choose only between ‘solipsism’ and ‘determinism’ exclusively? A special emphasis is placed on the role that the conventionality of simultaneity plays in the STR with regards to this question. The standard arguments rely on the relativity of simultaneity, the claim that the STR negates the existence of a universal ‘present’ that divides the ‘past’ and the ‘future’, so as to conclude that there is no ontological difference between past and future events, that both are equally determined/real . This often neglects the fact that to establish the ontological claims related to relativity of simultaneity, one must first resolve the issues of conventionality of simultaneity within the STR. The paper will aim to show that by addressing the issue of conventionality from Dummett’s ‘purely philosophical’ determination of the difference between the past and the future, we develop an understanding of the said difference, within the framework of the STR, beyond the strict ontological dichotomy of ‘solipsism/determinism’, given that the criterion that is provided by the STR is understood as epistemic and not ontological. (shrink)

Procesi globalizacije događali su se mnogo puta u povijesti, daleko prije pojave riječi ‘globalizacija’ u drugoj polovici 20. st. Suvremena globalizacija podrazumijeva društvene, gospodarske i političke procese usmjerene na prelaženje državnih granica i stvaranje globalnog svjetskog poretka. No ona se ne smije svesti samo na to, budući da njeni procesi pogađaju sva područja ljudskog života i djelovanja: medije i komunikacije, gospodarstvo, politiku, pravo, kulturu, ekologiju, etiku, religije i crkve. Posljedice globalizacije jesu nova iskustva na društvenoj, političkoj i gospodarskoj razini – (...) povezivanje i umrežavanje kroz procese internacionalizacije i transnacionalizacije, kroz skupove poput G7 i Međunarodnog gospodarskog foruma u Davosu, ali i brojni društveni lomovi i gospodarska recesija. Globalizacija potiče religije na približavanje, na jačanje suradnje i na zauzimanje zajedničkog stava. Religije to i čine kroz postojeće zajedničke institucije, poput Svjetskog parlamenta religija i Svjetske konferencije religija za mir , tražeći nove oblike približavanja, dijaloga, solidarnosti, suživota, suradnje i ostvarenja etičkog konsenzusa, vodeći računa o zaštiti vlastitog identiteta u vremenu pluralizma i multikulturalnosti. Religije su svjesne da je etičko pitanje postalo pitanje planetarne odgovornosti koje zahtijeva globalnu etiku oko koje se trebaju složiti svi subjekti na svjetskoj razini, a u kojoj će čovjek biti aktivni subjekt. Kršćanske crkve uzimaju u obzir određene pozitivne zakonitosti procesa globalizacije tako da možemo govoriti o »kršćanskoj globalizaciji«. Kršćanstvo je od svojih početaka bilo usmjereno na određenu vrstu globalizacijskih procesa – daleko prije nego li se pojavio naziv ‘globalizacija’. Crkve su svjesne svoje zadaće zajednički braniti u vremenu globalizacije dostojanstvo svakog čovjeka, svake tradicije i kulture. One to čine preko brojnih postojećih međucrkvenih institucija na svjetskoj razini kao što su Ekumensko vijeće crkava , Ekumensko vijeće mladih u Europi . Katolička Crkva je od početka bila globalna i iz te je perspektive kroz stoljeća misijski djelovala. Nakon II. vatikanskog sabora to će djelovanje pojačati osnivanjem Papinskog vijeća za jedinstvo kršćana koje je nastalo iz Tajništva za jedinstvo kršćana , zatim Svjetskog dana mladih i Caritasa internationalisa.Processes of globalization have been happening numerous times through history, long prior to the appearance of the word ‘globalization’ in the second half of 20th century. Modern globalization includes the social, economic and political processes headed to crossing national boundaries and creating a global world order. However, globalization cannot be attributed simply to that issue, for its processes deal with all dimensions of human life and activity: media and communications, economy, politics, law, culture, ecology, ethics, religions, and churches. The consequences of globalization are new experiences related to social, political and economical sphere – interconnection and networking through processes of internationalization and transnationalization, through the meetings of the members of G7 and International Economic Forum in Davos, and also the numerous social breaks and economic recession. Globalization inspires religions to aim at the approaching, the stronger cooperation and the intercession for the common attitude. For realization of this purpose religions act through the existing common institutions like The World Parliament of Religions and World conference of religions for peace , asking for a new way of approaching, dialogue, solidarity, coexistence, cooperation and realization of ethic consensus, taking into account the protection of its own identity in time of pluralism and multiculture. Religions are aware of how ethic question has become the question of world’s responsibility. That issue requires global ethical principles around which all subjects on the world scale are to agree with. In that global ethic the human being will be respected as an active subject. The Christian Churches take into consideration the certain positive lawfulness of globalization process, thus we can speak of “Christian globalization”. Christianity has been headed to globalization process from the earliest days of the faith – prior to the process has emerged known as globalization. The Churches became aware of its responsibility in order to protect in the time of globalization the dignity of every person, every tradition, and culture. The Churches respond to this phenomenon through numerous existing interchurch institutions on world domain such as The World Council of Churches , Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe . The Catholic Church from the beginning has been global and based on this perspective the Catholic Church through centuries has been carrying out its missionary work. After the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church has strengthened its activity by establishing Pontifical Council for Christian Unity , which has emerged from Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity , World Youth Day and Caritas internationalis. (shrink)

Više začuđuje da je Aristip, koji se smatra rodonačelnikom kirenskog hedonizma, sokratovac, nego činjenica da je rodom iz mediteranske Kirene. Grad u kome je rođen, osnovali su nekoliko stoljeća prije grčki koloni, koji su došli s otoka Tere. Po Pindaru, njegova je porodica bila najbogatija i najuzvišenijeg roda u cijeloj Libiji, čime se objašnjava činjenica što je budući hedonist, od malena, bio naviknut na život u raskoši. Nikada ga nisu smatrali sokratovcem u pravom smislu te riječi , što će biti (...) razlogom spora među Sokratovim sljedbenicima. Svijet čulne realnosti kojem je on pripadao, s jedne strane, te Platonov idealni, s druge, implicira pitanje Sokratova izvornog učenja: hedonistički, kirenski ili onaj platonizirani Sokrat, kako sugerira najveći broj istraživača?The fact that Aristippus, considered the founding father of Cyrenaic hedonism, is a Socratic is far more astounding than the fact that he was born in Cyrene on the Mediterranean. His hometown was founded a few centuries earlier by Greek colonists arriving from the Island of Thera. According to Pindar, his family was the richest and of the noblest lineage in the whole of Libya, which says that this future hedonist had been used to a life in luxury ever since he was born. He was never considered a Socratic in the true sense of the word , which was to become the cause of controversy between Socrates’s followers. The world of sensual reality he belonged to on the one hand and Plato’s world of ideas on the other pose the question of Socrates’s original orientation – was he originally a hedonist, a Cyrenaic or a Platonist, which is what most researchers suggest? (shrink)

Tekst je posvećen tematskom okviru prostor-vremena u teoriji relativnosti nasuprot prostoru i vremenu u klasičnoj filozofiji prirode. Na prvi se pogled čini da su tri protagonista – Šop, Trubar i Montaigne – čiji se život, autobiografija i bibliografija komparativno istražuju – obvezani posve različitim, hrvatskim, slovenskim i francuskim etno-genetskim, a dijelom i udaljenim vremenskim ishodištima. Rasprava će se koncentrirati na određene događaje koji obilježavaju njihovo stvaranje iz kojega proizlazi relativnost životnoga vremena i prostora. Zajedničke crte ovih umjetnika pisane i govorene (...) riječi, kao plod jedne svjetooblikujuće filozofije života, osvjetljavaju se na taj način da opravdaju njihovo zajedničko imenovanje odgovarajućom sintagmom »putnici kroz vrijeme«. Time se ujedno precizira ovaj terminus technicus. Pokazuje se i utvrđuje da su oni, svojim bivanjem i kreativnošću, prekoračivali okvire konvencija i kauzalnosti, koje pripadaju vremensko-prostornim dimenzijama i uvjetima. Svjesna i nesvjesna biblijska polazišta njihova držanja i njihove kozmičke poruke pritom će biti od bitnoga značaja. (shrink)

Contrary to many attempts to place Heidegger‘s thought back in the tradition of antihumanism, the author points out with particular reference to the Letter on Humanism that Heidegger, by passing through the classical concepts of humanism, hinted at a new and more profound understanding of humanism. In spite of having been subjected to a lot of critical questioning and criticism, the additional lure of Heidegger‘s thought-path – shown herein with reference to the indicated outstanding points – with its philosophical diction (...) lies in the fact that it opened the space for thought beyond the dichotomies of theory and practice, cognition and action, logic and ethics, thought and experience, which is becoming increasingly relevant for the present time, but which primarily because of the normatively induced and/or descriptively established thought style in most cases misses the dimension opened by Heidegger. The question still remains as to whether by way of Heidegger‘s thought‘s attempt one can arrive at a “conversation between worlds”, which is about the future of human encounter and consequently about the “interculturally anchored humanism”. Heidegger must have arrived at the boundaries of east-Asian thought, but he did not believe that a “fruitful interface” between west-European and Asian thought – one that would not entail only an understanding of “fundamental words” but primarily of “fundamental experiences” – was possible yet.Entgegen so manchem Versuch, Heideggers Denken in die Tradition eines Antihumanismus’ zurückzustellen, möchte ich unter besonderer Berücksichtigung seines Humanismusbriefes darlegen, dass Heidegger im Durchgang durch die klassischen Humanismuskonzepte ein neues und vertieftes Verständnis von „Humanismus“ entworfen hat. Der hier diesbezüglich an markanten Punkten nachgezeichnete Denkweg Heideggers besticht – trotz mancher kritischer Anfragen und Einwände – in seiner philosophischen Diktion nach wie vor auch dadurch, dass er einen Denkraum jenseits der Dichotomien von Theorie und Praxis, Erkennen und Handeln, Logik und Ethik, Denken und Erfahrung eröffnet hat, der heute zwar zunehmend wieder an Aktualität gewinnt, der aber aufgrund eines vornehmlich normativ induzierten und/oder deskriptiv angelegten Denkstils die von Heidegger eröffnete Dimension zumeist verfehlt. Gleichwohl bleibt kritisch zu fragen, ob man mit Heideggers Denkansatz bis zu einem „Gespräch zwischen den Welten“ gelangen kann, in dem es um die Zukunft menschlicher Begegnung, mithin einem „interkulturell verankerten Humanismus“ gehen wird. Gewiss ist Heidegger bis an die Grenzen etwa ostasiatischen Denkens gestoßen, allein eine auf Augenhöhe geführte „fruchtbare Auseinandersetzung“ zwischen westlich-europäischem und asiatischem Denken, wozu nicht nur das Erfassen der „Grundworte“, sondern dem voraus der Grunderfahrungen“ gehörte, schien ihm noch keine Möglichkeit zu sein.Nasuprot mnogim pokušajima da se Heideggerovo mišljenje vrati u tradiciju antihumanizma, želio bih u poglavitom osvrtu na njegovo Pismo o humanizmu izložiti da je Heidegger, prolazeći klasične koncepte humanizma, nabacio jedno novo i produbljenije razumijevanje humanizma. Heideggerov misaoni put, ovdje ocrtan u dotičnim markantnim točkama, – usprkos mnogim kritičkim propitivanjima i prigovorima – svojom filozofijskom dikcijom kao i uvijek zavodi također i time što je otvorio misaoni prostor s onu stranu dihotomija teorije i prakse, spoznaje i djelovanja, logike i etike, mišljenja i iskustva, koji danas istina rastuće dobiva na aktualnosti, ali zbog prvenstveno normativno inducirana i/ili deskriptivno postavljena stila mišljenja ponajčešće promašuje dimenziju koju je otvorio Heidegger. Pa ipak ostaje za pitati može li se s Heideggerovim misaonim pokušajem dospjeti do jednog “razgovora između svjetova”, u kojem se radi o budućnosti ljudskoga susreta, a time o “interkulturalno usidrenu humanizmu”. Zacijelo je Heidegger naišao na granice istočnoazijskoga mišljenja, no činilo mu se da još nije moguće “plodno sučeljavanje” između zapadno-europskog i azijskog mišljenja, kojemu ne bi pripadalo samo shvaćanje “temeljnih riječi, nego prije toga shvaćanje “temeljnih iskustava”. (shrink)

Quasi-Nelson logic (QNL) was recently introduced as a common generalisation of intuitionistic logic and Nelson's constructive logic with strong negation. Viewed as a substructural logic, QNL is the axiomatic extension of the Full Lambek Calculus with Exchange and Weakening by the Nelson axiom, and its algebraic counterpart is a variety of residuated lattices called quasi-Nelson algebras. Nelson's logic, in turn, may be obtained as the axiomatic extension of QNL by the double negation (or involutivity) axiom, and intuitionistic logic as the (...) extension of QNL by the contraction axiom. A recent series of papers by the author and collaborators initiated the study of fragments of QNL, which correspond to subreducts of quasi-Nelson algebras. In the present paper we focus on fragments that contain the connectives forming a residuated pair (the monoid conjunction and the so-called strong Nelson implication), these being the most interesting ones from a substructural logic perspective. We provide quasi-equational (whenever possible, equational) axiomatisations for the corresponding classes of algebras, obtain twist representations for them, study their congruence properties and take a look at a few notable subvarieties. Our results specialise to the involutive case, yielding characterisations of the corresponding fragments of Nelson's logic and their algebraic counterparts. (shrink)

The article explores meditation-based examination of experience as a means for developing a contemplative, nonnaturalized, and existentially meaningful empirical research of consciousness in which the experiencing person is regarded as the primary investigator. As the first phase of a broader project, a group of seven researchers carried out a series of five meditation retreats. We sampled the ongoing experience of the researchers at the same random moments during meditation practice. The acquired data, consisting of more than 500 journal entries, interview (...) transcripts, and participatory analysis records, set the ground for three lines of enquiry: (1) What, if any, kind of meditative practice is suitable for researching experience? How can it be cultivated? (2) Can a group of researchers skilled in meditation systematically investigate selected experiential phenomena? (3) What is the actual lived experience of a group of researchers engaged in a continuous meditation-based examination of experience? In this report, we primarily focus on the third question, offering a concrete ethnographic overview of our research enterprise. We conclude by relating our findings to the discussion of the phenomenological practice of the epoché as an empirical tool for the study of consciousness. (shrink)

This article argues that the causal loops that occur in some time-travel scenarios and in certain solutions of the theory of relativity are no more mysterious than the infinitely descending causal chains familiar from Newtonian mechanics.

The development of both the modern state and modern scientific discourses in the non-Western world are closely linked together, both being the outcome of the colonial encounter. Using a Foucauldian framework of power/knowledge and his notions of ‘episteme’ and ‘governmentality’, this article explores how colonial governmentality in India produced statistical knowledge of the country thus ushering in a new social scientific discourse of ‘progress’, ‘history’, ‘economy’ and ‘society’.

Ullin Thomas Place died on 2nd January 2000 at the age of seventy-five. I had met him a little over three years earlier, in November 1996, during the annual 'Mind and Brain' symposium organized by Peter Fenwick and held at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. At that meeting Professor Place delivered a slightly shortened version of the paper reproduced here, in which he told his personal story — a pilgrim's progress? — recounting, as he put it, 'the history of (...) a thought process leading from an adolescent interest in mystical experience to an article entitled‘Is consciousness a brain process?’[Place, 1956] in which I argued for an affirmative answer to that question'. (shrink)

Following Aristotle, classical Islamic philosophers distinguished between two types of knowledge: conception and assent. This paper argues that the discussions elicited by this distinction are an essential feature of postclassical Islamic philosophy (ca. 1200–1800). The early postclassical philosophers made the distinction central to logic and thereby to epistemology and scientific inquiry at large. As the distinction came to be perceived as problematic, it sparked philosophical arguments about a range of issues in logic and epistemology. One particularly pertinent problem was the (...) nature of the distinction itself: it was understood as an exclusive disjunction, but it seemed impossible to define one notion without recourse to the other. In the fourteenth century this led to the emergence of a new genre of philosophical writings exclusively dedicated to discussing the precise nature of the distinction. This paper discusses some of the central arguments of these writings, showing how philosophers grappling with that problem devised new theories of judgement and new forms of the proposition as they were continuously developing their theory of knowledge. (shrink)

Applying Fineman’s vulnerability theory, this paper will explore the role of emotions within the legal profession and the specific vulnerabilities that arise from their traditional and contemporary treatment within law. It will consider how the notion of professionalism in law has traditionally disregarded or excluded emotions as irrelevant or even dangerous in a manner which is philosophically and psychologically flawed as well as damaging to mental health and wellbeing. This approach has created longstanding unacknowledged vulnerabilities for the profession as a (...) whole and individual practitioners. It will then explore how the shifting legal services landscape, and the resultant evolution of the profession, has led to a growing contemporary interest in the use of emotional competencies (often characterised as ‘soft skills’ or ‘emotional intelligence’). These are now increasingly exploited as tools to enhance profitability. However, this leads to a dichotomy as, despite their increasing utilisation, emotions are still not fully acknowledged or incorporated within law’s core professional values. This generates further individual and institutional vulnerabilities around mental health and wellbeing which require urgent attention to ensure the health of the contemporary profession. The paper concludes with suggestions for reforms to alleviate these vulnerabilities and promote greater future resilience within law. (shrink)

Ibn Rushd presents different methods of reasoning. Each method differs in terms of its construction, level of assent, and the cognitive state it ultimately produces. Despite these technical variations, notable authors suggest that they are all equally valid and sound. I analyse this claim, and argue that although demonstrative and dialectical arguments are both valid and sound, there is a theoretical discrepancy between the two. Subsequently, I explore how underscoring this issue would motivate a non-classical/many-valued logic and a plurality of (...) truth in being able to make sense of the theoretical discrepancy. (shrink)

This paper offers a critique of the Bayesian interpretation of quantum mechanics with particular focus on a paper by Caves, Fuchs, and Schack containing a critique of the “objective preparations view” or OPV. It also aims to carry the discussion beyond the hardened positions of Bayesians and proponents of the OPV. Several claims made by Caves et al. are rebutted, including the claim that different pure states may legitimately be assigned to the same system at the same time, and the (...) claim that the quantum nature of a preparation device cannot legitimately be ignored. Both Bayesians and proponents of the OPV regard the time dependence of a quantum state as the continuous dependence on time of an evolving state of some kind. This leads to a false dilemma: quantum states are either objective states of nature or subjective states of belief. In reality they are neither. The present paper views the aforesaid dependence as a dependence on the time of the measurement to whose possible outcomes the quantum state serves to assign probabilities. This makes it possible to recognize the full implications of the only testable feature of the theory, viz., the probabilities it assigns to measurement outcomes. Most important among these are the objective fuzziness of all relative positions and momenta and the consequent incomplete spatiotemporal differentiation of the physical world. The latter makes it possible to draw a clear distinction between the macroscopic and the microscopic. This in turn makes it possible to understand the special status of measurements in all standard formulations of the theory. Whereas Bayesians have written contemptuously about the “folly” of conjoining “objective” to “probability,” there are various reasons why quantum-mechanical probabilities can be considered objective, not least the fact that they are needed to quantify an objective fuzziness. But this cannot be appreciated without giving thought to the makeup of the world, which Bayesians refuse to do. Doing this on the basis of how quantum mechanics assigns probabilities, one finds that what constitutes the macroworld is a single Ultimate Reality, about which we know nothing, except that it manifests the macroworld or manifests itself as the macroworld. The so-called microworld is neither a world nor a part of any world but instead is instrumental in the manifestation of the macroworld. Quantum mechanics affords us a glimpse “behind” the manifested world, at stages in the process of manifestation, but it does not allow us to describe what lies “behind” the manifested world except in terms of the finished product—the manifested world, for without the manifested world there is nothing in whose terms we could describe its manifestation. (shrink)

It is shown that the boolean prime ideal theorem BPIT: every boolean algebra has a prime ideal, does not follow from the order-extension principle OE: every partial ordering can be extended to a linear ordering. The proof uses a Fraenkel-Mostowski model, where the family of atoms is indexed by a countable universal-homogeneous boolean algebra whose boolean partial ordering has a `generic' extension to a linear ordering. To illustrate the technique for proving that the order-extension principle holds in the model we (...) also study Mostowski's ordered model, and give a direct verification of OE there. The key technical point needed to verify OE in each case is the existence of a support structure. (shrink)

Islamic theological contradictions are metaphysical contradictions as opposed to logical and semantic ones. I shall demonstrate that if these theological contradictions are tolerable on the theoretical account of metaphysical dialetheism, then logical space, despite being the space of all possibilities, does not accommodate them in virtue of Chalmers’s ‘deep epistemic possibility’. To resolve this issue, I offer a recalibration of the modal concept of possibility. Doing so would redraw a demarcation between what is possible and what is not. Consequently, we (...) can expand logical space, so it is properly inclusive of all possibilities, including metaphysical dialetheism. Expanding logical space in this way would repudiate Chalmers’s ‘deep epistemic possibility’ and make room for Islamic theological contradictions. (shrink)