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Due to the heterogeneous nature of the crowd in online crowdsourcing, one key question discussed by academics and practitioners is whether participants are skilled enough to make valuable contributions. This research studies learning processes underlying idea generation in creative contests. Based on qualitative findings triangulating participants’ and brands’ perspectives, we identify six incoming and outgoing user skills which contribute to the development of valuable contributions and determine participation in future contests. Building on three types of brand instructions which emerge from the data, findings show how value is added by the collectivity and two complementary dynamics: (1) social learning and (2) learning from experience. From a managerial perspective, results provide guidance in designing successful crowdsourcing competitions by taking benefit from a multi-competent crowd. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's perspective on the gender role in the family and in marriage, through heavily referencing Hegal concept of ethical life and his book "Philosophy of Right." Hegel's philosopher of the family's relationship with civil society and the state, including in role to women's role in preserving the family, is discussed.

An essay is presented which discusses concepts including subject-creationism, mysticism, mystification, and the philosophical "subject." The historical de-centering of human experience and importance from cosmology is commented on, and the concept of philosophical decision enumerated by the philosopher François Laruelle, in which reality is seen as existing for the sake of philosophy rather than the reverse, is explored. The relationship between the philosophical subject and capitalism and the state is also examined.

This study analyses customer choice criteria in the context of a complex service, more specifically, endowment life assurance policies. The study draws upon previous literature which has suggested that service complexity may have implications for consumer behaviour in general and customer choice criteria in particular. A quantitative study is employed to investigate the relative importance of choice criteria in endowments and differences in importance with respect to various demographic and related factors. Findings indicate that the consumer's choice of institution is most often influenced by use of an existing service with that firm, followed closely by choosing on the basis of recommendation or family relationship. Factors such as performance and charges are shown to be relatively unimportant choice criteria. In addition, differences in the importance of choice criteria with respect to gender, class, household income, educational attainment, age and financial maturity are apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verbal copy is thought to anchor, or help explain, the meanings of complex image ads to consumers. This study examines the effect of verbal anchoring on consumers' comprehension and liking of complex image ads. Explanatory headlines that differed in level of verbal anchoring were inserted into ads containing pictorial metaphors. Path analysis results indicate that headlines that provide a clue to the meaning of a pictorial metaphor increase ad liking by increasing comprehension. Headlines that completely explain the metaphor in the ad also increase comprehension but decrease ad liking by reducing consumers' pleasure in interpreting the ad's message. Implications for future advertising research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The viewpoints and findings of seven empirical studies of conflict within and between organizations are compared and contrasted. A distinction is made between frictional conflict within a stable organization structure and strategic conflict aimed at changing the organization structure. The importance of attitudes as causes and effects of conflict is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout Islamic history scholars have put forward cases about the ‘right’ way to understand the faith. Focal to these processes is positioning a scholarly narrative as authoritative and authentic. This article contrasts two scholarly narratives of contemporary Sunni Islam as a means to explore how authority and authenticity are constructed. In addition to a critical discourse analysis, the respective positions are contextualized within their respectively claimed classical scholarship. The article identifies the means through which authority and authenticity are justified and it highlights the divisive nature of the discourses, often driven by carefully selected analogies, exaggerations, and the citing of extreme positions as exemplary of the errors of others. The findings have implications for understanding the intolerant, and sometime violent, interactions between Sunni Muslims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to bring recent work on metaphysical grounding to bear on the phenomenon of social construction. It is argued that grounding can be used to analyze social construction and that the grounding framework is helpful for articulating various claims and commitments of social constructionists, especially about social identities, e.g., gender and race. The paper also responds to a number of objections that have been (or could be) leveled against the application of grounding to social construction from Elizabeth Barnes (2014), Mari Mikkola (2015), and Jessica Wilson (2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the philosophical concept of immediacy and the future. According to philosopher John Lachs immediacy could relate to mundane personal enthusiasm and simple delight in everyday experience and that teaching is creation of the human beings and its essential condition is intergenerational faith.

The article presents authors views on practical philosophy and stoic pragmatism and relatedtheory of social life in terms of mediation. His opinion on realm of ethical or theory of rightand wrong and thoughts and actions and execution and unexpected developments and suffering of the animals and lessons humans can learn from them is discussed. The views are expressed at Berlin conference.

This paper offers a portrait of C. S. Peirce as a playful thinker but also an account of play as that upon which much turns. He was, after all, a philosopher who in his maturity insisted, "a bit of fun helps thought and tends to keep it pragmatical." In doing so, however, Peirce showed in his youth how evasions of responsibility might, in their own way, often be instances of engagement at once playful and more deeply responsible than any attempt to meet the formal expectations of external authority. For the account of play as pivotal, the author draws upon Cornelius Castoriadis and, to a far greater extent, John Dewey. Moreover, he explores an apparently stark contrast between the Peircean emphasis upon habit and the Derridean celebration of play, showing that the opposition is not as thoroughgoing as it might appear. Interweaving Dewey's insights with Peirce's, the author highlights the power of intense play to melt the rigidity of sedimented habits and, thereby, to generate opportunities for habit-change. This suggests that the capacity to act in an imaginative or creative way both ineluctably draws upon habits but also inevitably modifies, often in a dramatic manner, these habits. If the ultimate logical interpretant of a sign-process is, as Peirce suggests, a habit-change, then play is truly pivotal for seeing one of the most important ways in which such alteration takes place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a widely-used strategy among firms wishing to launch new products, brand extension has been the focus of numerous studies in recent years. However, very few works have focused on analysing brand extensions in the cultural context – that is, the use of a brand linked to cultural heritage as the parent brand from which to grow the extension. The present investigation is designed to shed light on this issue, taking the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra and Generalife (MCAG) as the parent brand for analysis. The work examines the effect of two factors, brand extension fit and brand extension authenticity, on attitudes toward the brand extension. A between-subjects experimental design was used: 2 (high vs. low degree of brand extension fit) × 3 (high, moderate, and low degree of brand extension authenticity). The results demonstrate that there is a transfer of positive effect from the MCAG parent brand to the brand extension, and that the greater the degree of the extension's authenticity relative to the Monumental Complex, the stronger this transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay discusses Wittgenstein's conception of logic, early and late, and some of the types of logical system that he constructed. The essay shows that the common view according to which Wittgenstein had stopped engaging in logic as a philosophical discipline by the time of writingPhilosophical Investigationsis mistaken. It is argued that, on the contrary, logic continued to figure at the very heart of later Wittgenstein's philosophy; and that Wittgenstein's mature philosophy of logic contains many interesting thoughts that have gone widely unnoticed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay seeks to propose an alternative to the established connection between theatre and theory through the sense of sight by turning to recent developments in sound studies and analyzing theatrical performance that privileges an aesthetic of aurality over that of vision. In taking Complicite's The Encounter as a primary example of aural immersion and connecting it to philosophies of listening from Jean-Luc Nancy to Hans-Georg Gadamer but also to the complex media history of sound, the essay offers a theoretical revaluation of the concept of resonance. Resonance opens up an alternative approach to performing thought and thinking in performance. Instead of championing the distance of reflection and critique alone as the core engagement shared by philosophers and theatre audiences, the listening practices in theatre return philosophy as much as cultural practice to a renewed emphasis on mutual responsiveness and dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of illusion has long been associated with the theatre. Sometimes this has had positive connotations (of escape, dream or pleasant intoxication), but more often than not it is used as a prelude to some charge or complaint (notably of lies, deception, cheating). Some philosophers have argued that, in fact, there are no illusions at the theatre, that the term is completely inappropriate. This paper argues that the concept of illusion at work in these claims is not univocal. In fact, I argue, there are a number of very different phenomena which go by the name of 'illusion', when applied to theatre. By exploring these different phenomena, their relation to each other and their relation to the charge of deception, I claim we can get clearer about what we see at a theatrical performance - and about what we think we see. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturalist theatre, in its late-nineteenth-century incarnation, and particularly in the work of Émile Zola, is often seen as advancing a physicalist view of the mind, where all mind states can be reduced to brain states. The novels and the plays do not uniformly or unambiguously support this analysis, so is the theory or the practice wrong? Physicalism is an idea that has had a recent renaissance, helped by the discoveries of neuroscience. Nevertheless I express some caution about the claims made for the eradication of free will. A range of thought experiments in the philosophy of mind have cast doubt on physicalism, culminating in David Chalmers's much-debated zombie argument. I argue that zombies and their analogues represented deep social anxieties in the late nineteenth century, and make repeated appearances in Naturalism. The essay goes on to suggest that Naturalism should be considered to have conducted thought experiments, rather than just to have attempted to embody the theory on stage. Turning to John Searle's 'Chinese Room' thought experiment, I suggest that theatre-making itself may be a kind of thought experiment model of the mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the proliferation of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Information Systems Development (ISD), the rate of ISD project failure continues to remain exorbitantly high. In particular, social complexity is increasingly seen as an innate feature of multiparty ISD projects which make them less amenable to being ‘tamed’. However, an understanding of the intricacies of social complexity and how it impacts team cohesion in multiparty projects remains nascent. In this paper we offer findings from the case study of a funded academia-industry collaboration to investigate the elusive phenomenon of social complexity. A theoretical framework is developed to reveal the factors which contribute to social complexity and its impact on team cohesion in multiparty ISD projects. The findings derived from the application of this lens reveal the numerous challenges to team cohesion that arose from the interplay between macro- and micro-level factors. Theoretical and practical implications from the paper are also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature concerning conflict resolution in public governance largely ignores comparative cross-cultural settings. This study investigates Chinese schools of thought on conflict resolution and their relevance to contemporary public governance. Based on a review of the literature and a cross-cultural approach examining Chinese thought and experience, the study describes the different philosophies, methods, and principles of conflict resolution in China. It shows that eight major Chinese schools of thought comprise a continuum of methods (in terms of force vs. peace) and form a contingent framework for Chinese conflict resolution. The findings are of great relevance for contemporary public governance and provide new openings for improving conflict resolution methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that Paul prefers to present himself as an Israelite instead of a Judean for strategic purposes (Phil. 3.5; 2 Cor. 11.13; Rom. 9.4 and 11.1). I examine how Paul simultaneously makes use of claims to ethnic authenticity and his connection to the primordial past in authorizing his gospel message. The article draws on contemporary and ancient comparanda to demonstrate the appeal and function of discourses of ethnicity and antiquity in attracting and convincing Gentile followers. I use anthropological models of ‘instrumental authenticity’ and ‘situational ethnicity’ to examine Paul’s claims, and suggest that scholars’ traditional arguments of insider (Israelite) vs outsider (Judean) language do not go far enough; insider/outsider claims are more complex than scholars have allowed, and using the aforementioned anthropological models sheds light on Paul’s construction of his own authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with Popper, social theorists across the board have acknowledged that traditions serve socially valuable functions. However, while traditions are usually understood as 'living' entities that come in overlapping varieties and evolve over time, the socially valuable functions attributed to tradition tend to presuppose invariability in ways of thinking and acting. Addressing this tension, this article provides a detailed analysis of the concept of tradition, and directs special attention to conceivable criteria for the authentic continuation of a tradition. It is argued that the ways of thinking and acting that constitute the material of a tradition must - among faithful members of that tradition - stand in a relation of equivalence - not identity or similarity. The implications of this account concern our ability to decide (normatively) conflicts over authenticity among rival tradition branches as well as the role that traditions play in policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses on the contribution of non-ideality in the society. It cites on the Ideal Theory that focuses on constructing the best account of what justly should be done by whom and for whom. The article also discusses on the author's true story entitled "Philosophy and the Redistribution of Bone Marrow".

This paper seeks to explain the fact that particular cultural structures, artifacts, policies, and values often do not generate corresponding individual behavior/psychology that they are expected to produce. This discrepancy is troubling to the science of cultural psychology/sociocultural activity theory that seeks to understand the cultural organization of psychology; and it it is troubling to policy makers who strive to organize behavior (religious tolerance, diligent work habits, educational learning) through cultural structures and policies. I discuss two explanations for this discrepancy. One is that individual processes contradict cultural influences on psychology. The other explanation is that culture is multifaceted, and cultural factors other than an expected one, are influential in organizing a psychology. I illustrate the second explanation with a case study of moral behavior among Chinese elementary students. These youngsters disobeyed moral teaching in school because they were more influenced by outside influences, ranging from Chinese traditional relations called Guanxi, to modern commercial, privatizing practices. This paper uses individual variations and contradictions in cultural psychology to refine the epistemology and ontology of cultural theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last thirty years, many ecophilosophies have come and gone.Visions of ecological reform and re-alignment have been rolling plentifully off the presses. Yet the ecological crisis, globally and at home, has only worsened. Why have ecophilosophical ideas failed to change social patterns of behaviour to any significant degree? Can theory change behaviour? Or is theory itself the problem? Is it theory which distances us from reality and thereby creates the moral gap between ourselves and the biosphere? If so, what contribution can philosophers and scholars possibly make towards an effective response to the current biosphere emergency? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While shaping aesthetic judgment and choice, socially constructed authenticity takes on some very different meanings among observers, consumers, producers and critics. Using a theoretical framework positing four distinct meanings of socially constructed authenticity–type, moral, craft, and idiosyncratic–we aim to document empirically the unique appeal of each type. We develop predictions about the relationships between attributed authenticity and corresponding increases in the value ascribed to it through: (1) consumer value ratings, (2) willingness to pay, and (3) behavioral choice. We report empirical analyses from a research program of three multi-method studies using (1) archival data from voluntary consumer evaluations of restaurants in an online review system, (2) a university-based behavioral lab experiment, and (3) an online survey-based experiment. Evidence is consistent across the studies and suggests that perceptions of four distinct subtypes of socially constructed authenticity generate increased appeal and value even after controlling for option quality. Findings suggest additional directions for research on authenticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article illustrates a conflict between the claim that rational belief sets are closed under deductive consequences, and a very inclusive claim about the factors that are sufficient to determine whether it is rational to believe respective propositions. Inasmuch as it is implausible to hold that the factors listed here are insufficient to determine whether it is rational to believe respective propositions, we have good reason to deny that rational belief sets are closed under deductive consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the works of philosopher Vladimir Solovyov on the Jewish-Christian relations. Details related to various articles including "Sins of Russia", "Protest", and "Obituary for Joseph Rabinovich" are presented. Other topics discussed are the concept of people and nations, the history of Jews and Christians, and provides information on the teachings of the Early Church.

The article offers the author's insights on topics related to the practical and theoretical philosophy. Topics mentioned include the importance of philosophy in interpersonal relations, the animal psychology, and the respectful ways of raising animals. Also mentioned was the insights of philosopher Cora Diamond on philosophical argumentation.

Both the multidimensional phenomenon and the polysemous notion of consciousness continue to prove resistant to consistent measurement and unambiguous definition. This is hardly surprising, given that there is no agreement even as regards the most fundamental issues they involve. One of the basic disagreements present in the continuing debate about consciousness pertains to its gradational nature. The general aim of this article is to show how consciousness might be graded and multidimensional at the same time. We therefore focus on the question of what it is, exactly, that is or could be graded in cases of consciousness, and how we can measure it. Ultimately, four different gradable aspects of consciousness will be described: quality, abstractness, complexity and usefulness, which belong to four different dimensions, these being understood, respectively, as phenomenal, semantic, physiological, and functional. Consequently, consciousness may be said to vary with respect to phenomenal quality, semantic abstraction, physiological complexity, and functional usefulness. It is hoped that such a four-dimensional approach will help to clarify and justify claims about the hierarchical nature of consciousness. The approach also proves explanatorily advantageous, as it enables us not only to draw attention to certain new and important differences in respect of subjective measures of awareness and to justify how a given creature may be ranked higher in one dimension of consciousness and lower in terms of another, but also allows for innovative explanations of a variety of well-known phenomena (amongst these, the interpretations of blindsight and locked-in syndrome will be briefly outlined here). Moreover, a 4D framework makes possible many predictions and hypotheses that may be experimentally tested (We point out a few such possibilities pertaining to interdimensional dependencies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Social relations are often crucial elements of a large variety of social phenomena that social scientists study. However, the formalisation of a relational approach in sociology is relatively incomplete. In this study we draw up an analytical framework within which the aims of empirical research can be formulated and analysed. Our main point of departure is the notion of dependence, which arises through the evolution of relations among individuals, connects them on the meso-level of inquiry, and results in outcomes at the group level. We show that the social mechanisms that are responsible for the evolution of these interpersonal relations can be empirically operationalized within the right methodological framework. Finally, we introduce a longitudinal project and describe a unique data set that is suited to the examination of a wide range of social phenomena in an educational setting. We do this by clarifying key theoretical and methodological concepts in the hope that more empirical research and data collection will be carried out in a relational framework in which individuals and their interpersonal relations are considered to be similarly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of the book "The Gay Science" by Friedrich Nietzsche is presented. It outlines the characters and explores the symbolic significance of these characters. It explores the aspects of morality as an initial sense of importance of habit to philosophy and involuntary spontaneity. An overview of the story is also mentioned.

This article addresses authenticity and how it is selectively used by Civil War reenactors to create credible reenactments. The Civil War provides a structured set of scenarios for reenactors to use as a backdrop for their participation. Some use this backdrop to bring objects to the forefront and others use this setting as a way to interact with an audience person to person. This research indicates that authenticity may come through on different levels for individuals participating in the same activity. An authentic experience or object is authentic because it has an important immediate meaning. The objects and narratives displayed by reenactors may be set in specific history but this does not mean that these same objects and narratives are part of that history. This paper contributes to the study of authenticity by examining groups of Civil War reenactors and where their focus of authenticity lies whether it is on authentic objects or interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological determinism (TD) has been critiqued as reductionist, ahistorical, and simplistic. This article, however, presents its complexity by showing four of its typologies according to the axes of objective/subjective dimensions and regulation/radical change sociologies based on Burrell and Morgan’s Four paradigms for the analysis of social theory. Through a survey of the literature and theoretical arguments about new media and their possible consequences on political, economic, and cultural systems, the article shows how TD and social determinism constitute a continuum, rather than a dichotomy, of theories about the relationship of technology and society. It recommends the revisiting of Burrell and Morgan’s concepts and their utility in organizing other communication theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On a superficial level, the differentiation between “Jews” and “non-Jews” functions as one of the best-known lines of demarcation in the representation of Jewish culture and religion. It draws on a hermeneutical boundary between “insiders” and “outsiders” with regard to the understanding of specific “Jewish experiences.” In this article, I add that this division, often supported by theologians and scholars in the scientific study of religion\s, influences the organizational structure of academic institutions as well, bestowing more “authenticity” on the research of Jewish scholars than on that of non-Jewish scholars. I furthermore assert that, from a methodological point of view, this form of insider–outsider distinction can be seen as part of the discourse on first-order essentialism in Jewish Studies, which includes significant regional differences. Whereas many European scholars are oriented toward mono-cultural images of Jewish religions, scholars from the United States are often eager to explore the plurality of the increasingly diverse religious field. In Israel the insider–outsider distinction occurs on quite a different level, since more and more Israeli scholars criticize ethnicized patterns in Jewish studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is simply a fact that it is not in the same intention that Dewey relates to Hegel in a programmatic article such as "The Present position of Logical Theory," in his Lectures on Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit, in his Lectures on the Logic of Hegel, and in the articles collected in The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy. Dewey's references to Hegel differ in status and functions, and these differences have to be made explicit if one wants to elaborate a consistent account of Dewey's relation to Hegel. The article proceeds in four steps. It distinguishes between what relates to Dewey's reading of Hegel (1), to Dewey's use of Hegel (2), and to Dewey's reconstruction of Hegel (3). In a last and concluding step, it deals with the methodological originality of Dewey's project of actualizing Hegel (4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is prompted by a book called Knowledge as Enablement: Engagement Between Higher Education and the Third Sector in South Africa (Erasmus & Albertyn, 2014). Knowledge as Enablement emphasises that purposefully directed knowledge can contribute to the generation of mutually beneficial, transformative outcomes during community-university partnerships. The book introduces the notion of complexity but provides no specific examples about how complexity influences engaged scholarship or enablement. Drawing on theory and case material that relate to complexity, this article aims to open a conversation about how complexity can contribute to engaged scholarship and enablement. It is suggested that confronting complex challenges using engaged, action-oriented research techniques requires many of the enablers identified by Erasmus and Albertyn (2014). However, some additional enabling layers associated with complexity can be considered. These layers include: (1) roles and responsibilities, focusing on leadership, participation, and praxis; (2) working with complex adaptive systems, including systemic change, sensemaking, and attractors; and (3) identifying and responding appropriately to multi-ontology knowledge contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ‘idea-shift’ is taking place that may be of greater consequence for global governance than is the ongoing ‘power shift’ or the rise of new powers. A number of non-Western thinkers and practitioners - who may be called idea-shifters - have contributed to new concepts and approaches that have radically altered the way we think about development, security and ecology, among other areas. Their ideas are often dismissed or downgraded in the West as imitation, or the product of the Western education of their creators, or of partnership with Western collaborators, governments, donor agencies and multilateral institutions dominated by the Western powers. Challenging this view, this essay holds that ideas from the postcolonial world, its thinkers and policymakers have played an important role in the making of the postwar norms of governance, such as universal sovereignty, human rights, international development and regionalism. Moreover, some of the important recent ideas about development (human development from Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen), security (responsible sovereignty from Francis Deng and colleagues) and ecology (sustainable development from Wangari Maathai) have come from people who, while trained in the West, are deeply influenced by their local context or point of origin. Appreciating how much this local origin and context matters allows us to consider these as ‘ideas-from-below’ and a powerful driver of the unfolding global idea-shift. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is an ongoing debate in the metaphysics of dispositions regarding which type of modality governs their manifestation. This paper assumes as its default position the view that dispositions manifest by conditional necessity; that is, when in appropriate circumstances dispositions manifest necessarily. From this standpoint, the paper engages critically with an existing alternative in the literature, put forward most prominently by Mumford and Anjum, and known as dispositional modality. According to this latter view, even when in appropriate manifestation conditions, dispositions only merely tend towards their manifestation. By raising difficulties for this alternative, the paper offers indirect support for the conditional necessity view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that all general concepts are family resemblance concepts. These include concepts introduced by ostension, such as colour(s). Concepts of colour and of each of the specific colours are family resemblance concepts because similarities concerning an open-ended range of colour or of appearance features crop up and disappear. After discussing the notion of 'same colour' and Wittgenstein's use of the phrase 'our colours', we suggest family resemblance concepts in one tradition can often be extended to family resemblance concepts in another tradition, illustrated by Wittgenstein's use of the words Spiel and 'game'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many interpreters have noted that §§138-242 of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations is dominated by an attack on a platonist or classical realist conception of rules and meaning. In this paper, I address the lack of clarity that still exists concerning the nature and strength of the arguments in those sections. I argue that Wittgenstein's attack is genuinely compelling if viewed as an intricate reductio ad absurdum argument that runs all the way through §§138-201. On my reading, the well-known regress-of-interpretations argument is merely one stage in the overall reductio and is not sufficient on its own to generate the rule-following paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, the logical behaviour of negation in Wittgenstein's Tractatus (1918) is compared with Demos' account of denial (1917). Even if we hold negation as a pure syntactical device, at least in some context, it brings a handful of complex semantic information - potentially an infinite amount (e.g., in the ascription of degrees to empirical qualities or of colours to visual points). We advocate then the existence of at least two negations due to the existence of two different and non-reducible types of exclusion. The first negation is a Tractarian and classical one, based on the notion of contradiction, whereas the second is a non-classical negation, based on the notion of contrariety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I investigate the issue of the professionalization of philosophy, taking as my starting point the debate triggered by the publication of Diego Marconi's monograph, Il mestiere di pensare (Thinking as a Trade, 2014). This debate about the state of the art of Italian philosophy and the increased tendency towards specialization in philosophy is still on-going. It raises the issue of how to understand the putative split between analytic and continental philosophy, and how to establish standards or criteria for evaluating the quality of philosophical research. I conclude by posing the question about what needs to change in our knowledge practices and suggest that what is needed is an overhauling of our conceptions of trust, reliance, testimony, and justice, with a view to re-defining how social identity affects the way we operate in philosophical practice and how we establish our credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the problem of philosophical knowledge in Poland, against the background of the historical development of an actually dominant philosophical "wledge-group" First, the question of the general understanding of philosophical knowledge, its criteria and its influence on the philosophical community is discussed. Secondly, there is an attempt to answer the question of the general understanding of philosophical knowledge and its influence on the situation in the job market in philosophy, in the context of the situation in the universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of history, culture, and politics, European identity has its archetypical elements in ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek philosophy brought Logos to fore and defined it as the crucial problem and the postulate of the human. We translate the Greek term Logos in English as reason or rationality. These terms, however, do not cover the semantic field of Logos since this includes, among other things, order of being, ground, language, argument etc. The juxtaposition of Logos (reason) to myth makes up the matrix of rationalism. Ancient Greek culture, however, was a culture of Logos (reason) as well as of myth and had enough room for forms, gods, and heroes, for science, poetry, and religious festivities. While ancient Greek culture seems to follow the logic of forms, modern European culture follows the logic of things. Plato criticizes myth and, at the same time, he sets out a philosophy of myth. He follows the principle of ‘giving reason’ (logon didonai) about things, as his master Socrates did. He establishes dialogue and defines dialectics as the science of principles and ideas and their relations to the things of this world. Aristotle did not accept Plato’s interpretation of Logos. He considered dialectics only as a theory of argumentation and defined his ‘first philosophy’ or ‘theology’ as the science of highest Being. His program of rationalism is based on ontology and accepts the primordial relation of Logos, life, and order of things. European modernity begins in philosophy with Descartes’ turn to the subject. Descartes defines the main elements of European rationality and their problems. He brings to fore the human subject as the ‘I’ that is free to doubt about everything it can know except itself. Knowledge has to consolidate the power and the mastery of humans over things and nature. Besides, the distinction between soul and body in terms of thinking thing and extended thing does not allow a unique conception of the human. Especially Kant and Hegel attempted to eliminate the impasses of Descartes’ and of Cartesians. While Kant defined freedom as the transcendental idea of reason, Hegel highlighted the reconciliation of spirit and nature. Nowadays there is a confusion regarding rationality. The power of humans over nature and over other humans as nature is increasing. We have lost the measure of our limits. Perhaps we need the ancient Greek grammar of Logos in order to define the measure and the limits of modern European rationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the main stages of development and major modifications of the idea of civil society from Greek and Roman antique philosophy to modern researchers. It discusses two – broad (philosophical) and narrow (the third sector of organizing civil society) – perceptions of civil society and proposes corresponding definitions. Etatistic (controlled), liberal, conflicting, partnership, segmentational and linked models of civil society are analyzed. The expediency of linked and partnership models is substantiated from the position of security and harmonious development of the civic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]