Jerzy Perzanowski s ideas were based on an original blend of logic and ontology in what he called onto/logic, where the slash is meant to suggest a quotient of ontology by logic. Perzanowski began as a logician, his early works being on modal logic, then gradually shifted his interest to logical philosophy, meaning not so much philosophy of logic as philosophy informed by logic. Perzanowski was a rare breed of analytical philosopher who thought that a philosophical theory of everything (...) was worthwhile. In this systematic spirit, he began with method. He presented his method of total analysis and synthesis quite simply: reduce the object of research to its simplest possible constituents, and then combine them in some way. Better still, combine them in every possible way, thereby producing a space of possibilities analogous to (and in certain cases identical with) the logical space. Thus, analysis and synthesis differ from a trivial disassembly and reassembly.". (shrink)

In the 1970s Codd introduced the relational algebra, with operators selection, projection, union, difference and product, and showed that it is equivalent to first-order logic. In this paper, we show that if we replace in Codd’s relational algebra the product operator by the “semijoin” operator, then the resulting “semijoin algebra” is equivalent to the guarded fragment of first-order logic. We also define a fixed point extension of the semijoin algebra that corresponds to μGF.

Chciałem Go pożegnać. Kilkakrotnie próbowałem napisać choć parę słów. O Nim samym. Okazało się, że nie potrafię. Udało mi się tylko przedstawić Jego poglądy na reizm Tadeusza Kotarbińskiego, ale uczyniłem to gdzie indziej. Muszę tu poprzestać na ofiarowaniu Mu tego, co napisałem na Jego dziewięćdziesiąte urodziny, w osiemdziesięciolecie naszej przyjaźni.

Author: Sawicki Jerzy Title: THELEOGICAL PRINCIPLE IN KANT’S METHODOLOGY (Zasada teleologiczna w metodologii Kanta) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2005, vol:.5, number: 2005/1, pages: 281-292 Keywords: KANT, THELEOGICAL PRINCIPLE, FINALISM, MECHANICISM Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail: www:The work contains a concise of I. Kant’s views on the problem of the laws of nature and the theleological principle presented in this context, which Kant proposes in the character of a regulative methodological postulate. (...) The analysis of fundamental philosophical notions (the law of nature, necessity, causality, purpose) carried out from the position of an extreme aprioristic rationalism leads Kant to the conclusion about the basic impossibility of educing the conception of purpose (in relation to nature) from aprioristic transcendental laws, ie. such laws which the theoretical reason imposes to the nature by necessity. However, the fact of a total functioning of an organism does not fit, according to Kant, into the frames of a mechanically understood causality. Kant tries to solve this problem choosing the way of conclusion by analogy and finally he suggests to introduce into the living nature a specific causal relation in which the purposes constitute a particular kind of causes and results at the same time. That conception oscillates between mechanicism and theological finalism, and the fitting of a science system into the frames of aprioristic categories does not permit a finally decide about the supremacy of one or the other way of seeing the world. However, nevertheless, the perceiving and stressing of the peculiarity of organic symptoms, the formulation of the postulate about their unreductability to the law of a mechanical type constitute unquestionable and great merit of the author of the Criticism of the Judgment Authority. The idea of the totality of organism, though involved in subjective idealistic non consequences of Kant’s conceptions has in the given historical period all features of a deep and progressive thought, outpacing and inspiring several later research ideas, both in philosophy and in natural science. (shrink)

Presentism faces the following well-known dilemma: either the truth-value of past-tense claims depends on the non-existing past and cannot be said to supevene on being, or it supervenes on present reality and breaks our intuition which says that the true past-tense claims should not depend on any present aspect of reality. The paper shows that the solution to the dilemma offered by Kierland and Monton’s brute past presentism, the version of presentism according to which the past is supposed to be (...) both a fundamental and present aspect of reality, is implausible and proposes how to cure presentism: the dillema can be avoided by taking a third road consisting of introducing dynamics into presentism in the form of the real passage of time. Dynamic presentism, which is constructed in such a way, can overcome the dilemma by providing an ontological basis for the past-tense propositions in the form of the real past. Dynamic presentism also offers a rationale for treating the future as being open. (shrink)

The idea of this paper is to explore the existence of canonical countably saturated models for different classes of structures. It is well-known that, under CH, there exists a unique countably saturated linear order of cardinality \. We provide some examples of pairwise non-isomorphic countably saturated linear orders of cardinality \, under different set-theoretic assumptions. We give a new proof of the old theorem of Harzheim, that the class of countably saturated linear orders has a uniquely determined one-element basis. From (...) our proof it follows that this minimal linear order is a Fraïssé limit of certain Fraïssé class. In particular, it is homogeneous with respect to countable subsets. Next we prove the existence and uniqueness of the uncountable version of the random graph. This graph is isomorphic to \,\in \cup \ni )\), where \\) is the set of hereditarily countable sets, and two sets are connected if one of them is an element of the other. In the last section, an example of a prime countably saturated Boolean algebra is presented. (shrink)

Science and Convention: Essays on Henri Poincare's Philosophy of Science and The Conventionalist Tradition contains essays concerned with Henri Poincare's philosophy of science, physics in particular, and with the conventionalist tradition in philosophy that he revived and reshaped, simultaneously with, but independently of, Pierre Duhem. Separating five essays as chapters, the book discusses the main ideas of the philosophy (Essays 1 and 5), traces at least some of its historical background (Essays 1, 2, and 3), and provides some of its (...) developments (Essays 2 and 4). (shrink)

The paper defends a dynamic view of reality which is founded on the assumption of the existence of the flow of time. This vindication makes use of a metaphysical theory of the flow of time developed by the author which is based on the notion of dynamic existence. It is shown that such a conception allows one to explain the fundamental phenomena connected with the flow of time, namely the continuous changing of the present, the endurance of things, and the (...) asymmetry of time. It is also argued that the proposed approach may be of some virtue for the empirical sciences because it explains the ubiquitous interest of scientists in the evolution of dynamic systems of different kinds, and provides us with an arrow of time which is lacking in theories describing fundamental physical interactions. The argument is advanced which aims to show that physics is unable to provide us with a theory of the flow of time and that we should look for such a theory in metaphysics. Thus, an approach to the relation between metaphysics and physics is vindicated that may help to overcome the difficulties blocking our understanding of reality as a dynamic one. (shrink)

Table of ContentsAndrzej KLAWITER, Krzystof #ASTOWSKI: Introduction: Originality, Courage and Responsibility List of Books by Leszek NowakSelected Bibliography of Leszek Nowak's WritingsScience and Idealization Theo A.F. KUIPERS: On Two ...

ABSTRACT: In this article, we intend to address the role of memory and narrative in the constitution of personal identity, based on Alice Munro’s short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” and the theoretical concepts of Paul Ricoeur (especially in Oneself as Another). This movement will allow us to underscore the idea that, contrary to what part of the analytical literature on identity and narrative has held, it is not just what we might call self-narrative that plays a role (...) in maintaining personal identity. Instead, we recover the Ricoeurian idea of a network of narratives or tangled of stories, in which self- and hetero-narratives are entangled, thus providing support to the identities it captures. (shrink)

Book review: Lukas Benedikt Kraus, Der Begriff des Kontinuums bei Bernard Bolzano, Beiträge zur Bolzano-Forschung, vol. 25, Academia Verlag, Sankt Augustin 2014, pp. 112.

The main purpose of the present paper is to demonstrate that as early as 1904 pre-eminent American mathematician Maxime Bôcher was an adherent to the presently relevant argument of reasonableness, or even necessity of parallel development of two philosophical methods of reflection on mathematics, so that its essence could be more fully comprehended. The goal of the research gives rise to the question: what two types of philosophical deliberation on mathematics were proposed by Bôcher?

The concepts of measurement and measurable quantity are discussed. A probabilistic interpretation independent of the arrow of time is recommended and a definition of quantizable physical systems is given. The space of states of information about the physical system is Schwarz space rather than Hilbert space.

This review discusses the content of Mateusz Hohol’s new book Foundations of Geometric Cognition. Mathematical cognition has until now focused mainly on human numerical abilities. Hohol’s work tackles geometric cognition, an issue that has not been described in previous investigations into mathematical cognition. The main strength of the book lies in its critical analysis of a huge amount of results from empirical experiments. The author formulates his theoretical proposals very carefully, avoiding radical and one-sided solutions. He claims that human geometric (...) cognition is based mainly on two core systems, both being phylogenetically hardwired, namely the system of layout geometry and the system of object geometry. The interaction of these systems becomes amplified in the individual development of the mind, which, in turn, is supported by the use of language. The second part of the review contains the reviewer’s remarks concerning the history of geometry, experiments related to spatial representations, and the role of geometry in mathematical education. (shrink)

Henryk Chmielewski is the author of a historical comic book devoted to the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. The comic book of Chmielewski is a subjective vision of Polish history, because every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction. Artist says about very difficoult moment of Polish history (the 19th century, the early 20th century). He creates original story, argues, that the idea of Poland as an independent state was never not lost. Polish people (...) were formed armyduring the Napoleonic Wars, and Polish organisations started major uprisings (the Polish–Russian War of 1830–1831 and the January Uprising of 1863-64). Chmielewski creates an interesting picture of the world with the use of many varying forms, different codes (e.g. picture, word, photography). He use various means of expression: semantic, linguistic, compositional (see values, compotents: metannaration, digression, opposition "we" - "they", stereotype, appropriate words - freedom, Poland, Poles, relationship: fiction - real world, illusion, colloquial language). (shrink)

The present paper focuses on the mind-body problem. According to the author, the mind-body problem is, as a matter of fact, a bundle of several problems; they are of a different nature and may be solved in the area of interdisciplinary cooperation. The paper concentrates on two aspects of the mind-body problems: the apparent causal interactions of the consciousness and the body, and the unique nature and genesis self-consciousness.

“Discrimination on the grounds of disability is seldom malicious, but stems more from a lack of understanding.” A disabled businessman explores the need for businesses to cultivate and implement greater disability awareness. After graduating in engineering, he gained his MBA from London Business School in 1992. He now works as a consultant, capitalising on his background in business management and his personal experience of disability to assist clients in developing anti‐discriminatory policies and practice.

Zainteresowanie społecznym nauczaniem Kościoła wynika między innymi z faktu, że stawia ono siebie w ciągłym dialogu ze współczesną myślą społeczną. Dialog z ideologią liberalną zajmuje tu niewątpliwie znaczycie miejsce. Wynika to z faktu, ze współczesne próby rozwiązania kwestii społecznej w krajach o ustabilizowanej demokracji nawiązują czysto do liberalnych rozwiązań zarówno w sferze życia społeczno-politycznego, jak i społeczno-ekonomicznego. Katolicka nauka społeczna wychodzi naprzeciw wyzwaniom społecznym, politycznym, ekonomicznym i kulturowym współczesnych społeczeństw, państw i narodów z dziedzictwem własnej myśli społecznej, który Kościół reprezentował (...) w całej swojej historii, szczególnie od encykliki „Rerum Novarum" Leona XIII do „Centesimus Annus" Jana Pawła II, Uwzględniając wyniki analizy trudnych spraw społecznych, Kocioł w swoim nauczaniu poszukuje wciąż aktualnych rozwiązań, nawiązując do własnej historii i tradycji. (shrink)

Dobrze dobrany tytuł książki spełnia dwa wymagania: zwraca uwagę na jej tematykę i czyni to w taki sposób, że zachęca czytelnika do sięgnięcia po nią. Jakby temu przecząc, Tapken rozpoczyna swoją pracę następująco: „'Der notwendige Andere' - zgadzam się, tytuł jest bardzo ogólny, niezbyt sprecyzowany, a nawet niejasny. O jakim drugim jest w ogóle mowa? W jaki sposób jest drugi konieczny?'. Dla mnie osobiście ten tytuł jest ważny i interesujący. Dlaczego? Wiąże się to bowiem z bogactwem znaczeniowym języka niemieckiego i (...) polskiego. W niemieckim: „Not" - znaczy tyle co: konieczność, potrzeba, ale również: bieda, nędza, kłopot; „Wende" - znaczy zaś: zmiana, zwrot, przełom. Przymiotnik: „notwendig", mówi o konieczności drugiego, o jego potrzebie. Już starożytni wiedzieli, że człowiek potrzebuje drugiego, aby stać się człowiekiem. Być człowiekiem znaczy: być dla drugiego i z drugim. W tym też sensie drugi jest konieczny dla człowieka, ponieważ umożliwia mu bycie, wybawia z nędzy samotności, wyprowadza z biedy samozagłady. Samotność jest w podwójny sposób zabójcza dla człowieka, ona godzi w jego istoty i jego istnienie. Tyle o konieczności, o nieodzowności, potrzebie drugiego w naszym ludzkim życiu. (shrink)

Chronologicznie traktując sprawy, trzeba powiedzieć, że Gerda Walther jest trzecią uczennicą Edmunda Husserla. Przyjechała de niego do Freiburga w roku 1917, podczas gdy pierwsza z nich, Hedwig Conrad-Martius przyjechała de Husserla w roku 1910 de Getyngi, a druga, Edith Stein - w roku 1913, również do Getyngi. Trzeba też od razu dodać, że życie i dzieło trzeciej uczennicy Husserla nie jest tak znane, jak dwóch pierwszych. Należy mieć nadzieję, że z upływem czasu myśl filozoficzna Gerdy Walter zostanie szczegółowe opracowana i (...) będzie przedmiotem większego zainteresowania, podobnie jak to ma miejsce w przypadku twórczości Conrad-Martius i Stein. Niniejszy artykuł o charakterze wprowadzającym: 1) zwraca uwagę na ważniejsze wydarzenia z życia Gerdy Walther, 2) przybliża stosowany przez nią metodę fenomenologiczną jako drogę de odkrywania prawdy istnienia siebie samego, drugiego i Boga oraz 3) ogólnie wprowadza w jej badania przeżycia mistycznego. (shrink)

Filozofia - zgodnie z etymologicznym, greckim pochodzeniem wyrazu - jest miłością mądrości, umiłowaniem mądrości: φιλοσοφία - philosophia, od: φιλεῖν - philein - kochać, miłować; σοφία - sophia - wiedza, mądrość. Filozofia jest zatem syntezą „gorących" uczuć i „zimnej'' kalkulacji. Tym samym filozofia jest dziełem całego i samego człowieka. Co mam na myśli mówiąc, że filozofia jest dziełem „całego i samego człowieka”? Filozofia pojawia się tam i wtedy, gdzie i kiedy człowiek zaczyna myśleć. Myślenie jest dla filozofii istotne, ono stanowi o (...) niej. Nie każde jednak myślenie jest od razu myśleniem filozoficznym. Są myśli „płynące z serca” i myśli zrodzone z chęci opanowania przyrody. Jedne i drugie maja usprawiedliwione miejsce w życiu i świecie człowieka. Tylko te akty ludzkiego ducha, które kieruje się ku samemu myśleniu i pragną^ posiąść wiedzę dla samej wiedzy można nazwać działalnością filozoficzną. (shrink)