This volume has its already distant or1g1n in an inter national conference on Evolutionary Epistemology the editors organized at the University of Ghent in November 1984. This conference aimed to follow up the endeavor started at the ERISS (Epistemologically Relevant Internalist Sociology of Science) conference organized by Don Campbell and Alex Rosen berg at Cazenovia Lake, New York, in June 1981, whilst in jecting the gist of certain current continental intellectual developments into a debate whose focus, we thought, was in (...) danger of being narrowed too much, considering the still underdeveloped state of affairs in the field. Broadly speaking, evolutionary epistemology today con sists of two interrelated, yet qualitatively distinct inves tigative efforts. Both are drawing on Darwinian concepts, which may explain why many people have failed to discriminate them. One is the study of the evolution of the cognitive apparatus of living organisms, which is first and foremost the province of biologists and psychologists (H. C. Plotkin, Ed. , Learning, Development, and Culture: Essays in Evolu tionary Epistemology, New York, Wiley, 1984), although quite a few philosophers - professional or vocational - have also felt the need to express themselves on this vast subject (F. M. Wuketits, Ed. , Conce ts and Approaches in Evolutionary Epistemology, Dordrecht Boston, Reidel, 1984). The other approach deals with the evolution of science, and has been dominated hitherto by (allegedly) 'naturalized' philosophers; no book-length survey of this literature is available at present. (shrink)

The paper discusses the concept of the cognitive niche and distinguishes the latter from the metabolic niche. By using these posits I unpack certain ideas that are crucial for the enactivist movement, especially for its original formulation proposed by Varela, Thompson and Rosh. Drawing on the ontology of location, boundaries, and parthood, I argue that enacting the world can be seen as the process of cognitive niche construction. Moreover, it turns out that enactivism—as seen through the lens of the conceptual (...) framework proposed in the paper—considers cognition as a kind of connection between the subject and the world. This post is pointed to as the key idea laid down in enactivism. (shrink)

Günter Grass entschied sich bereits 1956 unter dem Eindruck von Adornos Analyse der Kultur nach dem Zivilisationsbruch Auschwitz für eine asketische, »graue« Sprache als Maßstab der Dichtung – eine Maxime, die für Paul Celan zu grundlegenden Entscheidungen für die Skelettierung seiner lyrischen Sprache führte. Der Austausch zwischen dem Autodidakten Grass und seinem »Lehrer« Celan hatte andererseits fundamentale Bedeutung für die Konzeption von Hundejahre als episches Korrelat zum Sprachkosmos des Lyrikers. Als »kommunizierende Gefäße« sind sie durch einen gemeinsamen Code miteinander verbunden, (...) den dieses Essay zu entschlüsseln versucht. (shrink)

Die alphabetische Reihung der Autorennamen erweckt ein irreführendes Bild der einzelnen Kontributionen, zumal da ja auch kein Vorwort erscheint. Die wissenschaftliche Leitung und Letztverantwortung für den Band lag weiterhin bei N. Oikonomides, der nicht nur das Manuskript abschloss, sondern auch noch die Stellungnahmen der Begutachter auswerten konnte, Fahnen aber leider nicht mehr erleben durfte. Den größten Zeitaufwand investierte sicherlich J. Nesbitt, der ja für dieses Projekt in Dumbarton Oaks angestellt ist. E. McGeer dagegen ist zwar ein sigillographischer Hoffnungsträger in Amerika, (...) sein Beitrag zu diesem Band war aber noch eher bescheiden. (shrink)

The comparison between acquired and innate capacities of animals shows a similarity between kinaesthetical and instinctive actions. Both kinaesthetical and instinctive action can be performed independent of their aim. Observation and instinct act in both cases in principally the same way as an inducement to action. These considerations lead to the hypothesis that instincts are kinaesthetical habits which have become hereditary. It is possible to solve this problem experimentally. La comparaison entre les capacités apprises des animaux et les capacités innées (...) donne des ressemblances entre la conduite kinestétique et instinctive. Aussi bien l'action kinestétique que l'action instinctive peuvent être exécutées indépendemment du but. Observation et penchant instinctif agissent dans les deux sortes de conduite, en principe de la même façon que l'impulsion à l'action. Ces considérations conduisent à l'hypothèse, que les instincts sont des habitudes kinestétiques héritées. Il est possible de résoudre ce problème par des recherches expérimentales. (shrink)

Depuis son commencement chez Platon et Aristote, la philosophie se définit comme phénoménologie : comme un logos se portant lui-même à l'apparaître dans un pur intuitionner. Selon les derniers traits de sa philosophie dans la phénoménologie spéculative de Hegel et dans la phénoménologie transcendantale de Husserl, se signalent sa réduction au phénomène Esprit et la thèse originaire de l'Ego à travers une « relève » et une « époché » qui, elles, ne semblent pas davantage réductibles. À la lecture d'un (...) poème de Paul Celan – Parenthèse ouverte, parenthèse fermée –, il devient clair que la poésie trouve la manière de conduire encore le résidu transcendantal et spéculatif de la phénoménalité, de l' aisthesis et de la thesis à ses plus extrêmes limites, de dépasser celles-ci, d'exposer le résidu dans une aphénoménalité absolue et de parler avec ce reste dépourvu d'apparence et de parole. (shrink)

Traditional analysis and reductionism put no value on direct experience. Negative Dialectic allows the human mind to return to an experience of mythical connectedness without falling into the trap of ideological isolation. The paper addresses the problem of truth claims of personal experiences by relating the truth of an experience to its context.The quintessential wholeness of the quantum world corresponds with the commonplace experience of the unity of our mind. Mind is an organic part of the growth process of ever-more (...) complex processes and events that comprise the natural world. Today science provides some support for the idea that all individuals embody spontaneity and experience. (shrink)

Philosophy finds itself "between tradition and another beginning." 1 For this reason it seems necessary to reconsider the foundations of traditional philosophy in the hope that out of these considerations new questions may arise which may lead to a new philosophical foundation. To this end neither the large manual nor the monograph is well suited. What is required, instead, is to take a few steps which lead our thoughts directly into the problems of a given, traditional, philosophical foun dation. In (...) this sense the present work wishes to provide an "introduction" into that philosophical foundation which, until Hegel, had a decisive influence upon traditional philosophy_ Consequently, it does not see its task in providing a survey of this whole complex of problems. Nor does it offer solutions to questions about difficult passages which have been the subject of two thousand years of Aristotelian scholarship_ Instead, it follows a definite path which might bring this Aristotelian science, the theory which seeks to determine being as being, on hei on, closer to the student of philosophy. (shrink)

Durch Zusammenstellung meiner Erfahrungen mochte ich ver­ suchen, an dem Prozef.\ einer erhohten Verantwortung differentiell mitzuwirken. Das Buch erscheint zum 10jiihrigen Jubiliium der Griin­ dung der Gesellschaft flir Verantwortung in der Wissenschaft (GVW) und nimmt die Erfahrungen dieser 10 Jahre mit auf. Der Mensch scheint zu Extremen zu neigen. Neben den im Prolog angedeuteten Gefahren wird unsere Gesellschaft yom Wege sinnge­ miif.\en Handelns heute auch von der entgegengesetzten Gefahr be­ droht: Aus Unkenntnis und Furcht vor der Undurchschaubarkeit der Naturwissenschaft und (...) Technik beide zu verbannen und das Heil wieder im emotionalen Denken zu suchen. Es erscheint mir daher notwendig, die Probleme auf breiterer Basis zu durchleuchten. 1m ersten Kapitel wird versucht, das Selbstverstiindnis der Wissen­ schaft zu diskutieren. Details mogen einige Leser etwas langweilen. Es wird daher am Ende jedes Kapitels eine Zusammenfassung ge­ geben, die erlauben sollte, jedes weitere Kapitel auch nach tiberschla­ gen eines Kapitels volliesen zu konnen. 1m zweiten Kapitel werden Motivierungen fUr das Studium und fUr die wissenschaftliche Arbeit zusammengestellt. Eine Meinungsum­ frage u~ter 8000 amerikanischen Studenten hat ergeben, daf.\ ca. 80% studieren, urn einen Sinn ihres Lebens zu finden. Diese Umfrage zeigt die Dringlichkeit der im zweiten Kapitel versuchten Diskussion. (shrink)

This paper discusses a puzzle raised by Sharon Berry, published in Analysis. The question in the background of this puzzle is how we should deal with seemingly plausible possibility judgements that commit us to counterfactual truths that find no basis in reality. Three answers to this question and their corresponding solutions to the puzzle will be discussed. The last answer provides a way to make sense of the claim that it is in some cases indeterminate whether a proposition is possible (...) and offers an account of indeterminate modal status. (shrink)

This article focuses on unjust credibility deficits in cases of testimony about emotional reactions towards acts of oppression. It argues that the injustice in these cases is not rooted in the hearer’s identity prejudices against the speaker, but the hearer's problematic way of dealing with his simulation of being in the speaker's situation. The simulation is in itself not morally problematic. However, I focus on a case where the hearer either recklessly or negligently fails to consider knowledge about the differences (...) in people’s emotional reactions and comes to believe that his simulated reaction is the only possible reaction, thus believing that the speaker does not report her emotions truthfully.In this case, the ‘epistemic poison’ results from the recklessness or negligence not necessarily from identity prejudice against the speaker. This credibility deficit is unjust, yet its persistent and systematic nature stems from the fact that a hearer who is not from the same marginalized or oppressed group as the speaker will simulate different emotional reactions to those reported by the speaker. Hence, the unjust credibility deficit can be connected to other forms of social injustices suffered by the speaker. (shrink)

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be (...) preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

The paper defines dialogic rationality and shows a rational path and understanding from the individual point of view. A separate discipline or discourse should coordinate the urgent need of deeper emotional transformation (metanoia) and explore the appearance of inner spiritual connectedness. This will establish the importance of every unique creature in the universe. Consequently in postmodernism, epistemology can no longer be accomplished by a “clear” cognitive theory, separated from ontological and anthropological elements. Cognition can no longer progress to an unchangeable, (...) non-falsifiable knowledge, because of changes within the object’s inner ontological level. Thus an observer can only interpret the phenomena but can never say “the last word”. Human cognition is based on time-coordinates when an observer tries to make a projection before the future has come. Yet existing now, it also contains the step back to the past as a shore of memory, experience, and knowledge. In this view history is considered to be non-linear—it is a complicated forward process, still continuously going back to the origin of human correlations with nature. A dialogic approach does not reject the importance of self-organizing processes, but tries to compose a sphere of acknowledgeable co-existence with the other to save the whole specter of human physical and mental, existential and creational features. Facing rational or mystical, but still radical, transformation, we get a sense of self-existence and can actively work and challenge ourselves to realize this in every-day life and in communication with the other. (shrink)