This is a collection of the late Heda Segvic's papers in ancient moral philosophy.

Aristotle takes his ethics to be an inquiry into the ultimate good of human life. In the course of his criticism of Plato and Eudoxus, Aristotle formulates two general conditions on the concept of the ultimate good. Firstly, the ultimate good has to be something prakton. The primary sense of prakton is not, as it is often taken to be, of something that is "realizable" in human action, but of something that is, or can be, aimed at in human action. (...) Secondly, in addition to being based on an appropriate moral psychology and theory of action, an adequate ethical theory has to be non-reductivist--it has to give its due weight to the plurality and variety of the goodness of particular intrinsic goods. I examine why Aristotle's criticism of Eudoxus' hedonism as a reductive ethical theory is ineffective, and point out some deficiencies in Aristotle's own account of pleasure. ;Aristotle takes the view that every desire--whether rational or non-rational--is for something that appears good to the agent. This view is compared with what seems to be the currently accepted view, that some of our desires do not involve a valuation of any sort. Although I do not claim that the current view is wrong, I do argue that Aristotle's position may provide an alternative, and plausible, way of thinking about the nature of human motivation. I discuss next Aristotle's concept of telos. A telos has a dual character: it is something an action is aimed at, and also something attained in human action. Although Aristotle's ethics is not teleological, outcomes are important for the ethical evaluation of actions. In order to explicate how outcomes matter, I introduce the concepts of an Aristotelian outcome and of a good Aristotelian outcome. The notion of a third actualization is introduced to throw some light on the sort of success in the conduct of life which Aristotle takes eudaimonia to be. ;Finally, I provide an account of Aristotle's theory of practical reason. I argue that his ethical theory demands a very wide interpretation of the concept of deliberation. An analysis of Aristotle's concept of choice is given, and an attempt made to specify the conditions under which an action counts as chosen. Deliberation is ethical if it is guided by the deliberator's conception of eudaimonia. I explicate briefly what it is for a person to have such a conception, what such a conception is like, and in what way a person can be thought to be guided by it. Finally, the concept of practical reason is linked with the concept of the ultimate good. I propose an interpretation of the three conditions Aristotle imposes on the ultimate good in EN I.7--finality, self-sufficiency and choiceworthiness which requires that we initially construe the concepts of finality and of self-sufficiency in a narrow sense, and take the concept of finality as a comparative notion. The three conditions can then be regarded as specifying how deliberation ought to be conducted if it is to lead to eudaimonia. (shrink)

Aristotelian telos is the action's projected goal - what the agent aims at in action - and also, if the action is successful, its accomplished goal. Grasping the projected telos involves grasping how the circumstances of the action, and the telos itself, appear to the agent. Phantasia, appearance, thus captures the internal side of action. The object of aiming, and of desire, appears to the agent as something good, hence for Aristotle valuation is built into the very nature of action. (...) I explore the philosophical implications of this theory of action. I next examine the use Aristotle makes of telos and phantasia in his ethics. I argue that he adopts a dialectical approach there, which starts with appearances of goodness, in order to incorporate insights of Protagorean relativism, while nonetheless affirming the objectivity of ethical judgement. I conclude by looking into the role that dispositions and actualizations play in Aristotle's telos_centered approach to action. (shrink)

This is a collection of the late Heda Segvic's papers in ancient moral philosophy. At the time of her death at age forty-five in 2003, Segvic had already established herself as an important figure in ancient philosophy, making bold new arguments about the nature of Socratic intellectualism and the intellectual influences that shaped Aristotle's ideas. Segvic had been working for some time on a monograph on practical knowledge that would interpret Aristotle's ethical theory as a response (...) to Protagoras. The essays collected here are those on which her reputation rests, including some that were intended to form the backbone of her projected monograph. The papers range from a literary study of Homer's influence on Plato's Protagoras to analytic studies of Aristotle's metaphysics and his ideas about deliberation. Most of the papers reflect directly or indirectly Segvic's idea that both Socrates' and Aristotle's universalism and objectivism in ethics could be traced back to their opposition to Protagorean relativism. The book represents the considerable achievements of one of the most talented scholars of ancient philosophy of her generation. (shrink)

Mathematical investigation, when done well, can confer understanding. This bare observation shouldn’t be controversial; where obstacles appear is rather in the effort to engage this observation with epistemology. The complexity of the issue of course precludes addressing it tout court in one paper, and I’ll just be laying some early foundations here. To this end I’ll narrow the field in two ways. First, I’ll address a specific account of explanation and understanding that applies naturally to mathematical reasoning: the view proposed (...) by Philip Kitcher and Michael Friedman of explanation or understanding as involving the unification of theories that had antecedently appeared heterogeneous. For the second narrowing, I’ll take up one specific feature (among many) of theories and their basic concepts that is sometimes taken to make the theories and concepts preferred: in some fields, for some problems, what is counted as understanding a problem may involve finding a way to represent the problem so that it (or some aspect of it) can be visualized. The final section develops a case study which exemplifies the way that this consideration – the potential for visualizability – can rationally inform decisions as to what the proper framework and axioms should be. The discussion of unification (in sections 3 and 4) leads to a mathematical analogue of Goodman’s problem of identifying a principled basis for distinguishing grue and green. Just as there is a philosophical issue about how we arrive at the predicates we should use when making empirical predictions, so too there is an issue about what properties best support many kinds of mathematical reasoning that are especially valuable to us. The issue becomes pressing via an examination of some physical and mathematical cases that make it seem unlikely that treatments of unification can be as straightforward as the philosophical literature has hoped. Though unification accounts have a grain of truth (since a phenomenon (or cluster of phenomena) called “unification” is in fact important in many cases) we are far from an analysis of what “unification” is.. (shrink)

Vita e opera del filosofo Spalatino, Giorgio Politeo" : p.195-205.

Die vorliegende Arbeit soll die Konturen eines Menschen zeichnen, der als Grundlage zur Konzeption einer offenen Kultur dienen könnte. Die Stützpunkte der philosophischen und der Kulturanthropologie sind: A) Philosophische Anthropologie : a) passivistische Konzeption b) aktivistische Konzeption; B) Kulturanthropologie : a) geschlossene Kultur b) offene Kultur. Durch eine Analyse der genannten Stützpunkte muss die Konzeption einer offenen vs. geschlossenen Kultur erarbeitet werden. Bei multikulturellen Beziehungen scheint sich die L etztere zuweilen einer Weiterentwicklung zu entziehen, sodass neue Parameter gesucht werden müssen, (...) anhand deren offene Kulturen möglichst frühzeitig die negativen Merkmale einer patriarchalen Kultur erkennen können. (shrink)

1. F. Grisogono naspram klasičnog pojma znanosti ;2. F. Grisogono i »novovjeka znanost« ;3. F. Grisogono i nova znanost .Zaključno dolazimo do posebnog procjenjivanja uloge astrologije koju joj je on pridavao.1. F. Grisogono vs. classical notion of science ;2. F. Grisogono and “modern science” ;3. F. Grisogono and the new science .Finally, we conclude with specific assessment of the role that Grisogono gives to astrology.

L’essai traite de la critique explicite et anticipative des débuts du capitalisme et du néo-libéralisme , avec un accent sur la critique de Dewey qui persiste jusqu’à nos jours. Il souligne l’aspiration de Dewey à une méthode d’intelligence qui devrait, comme toute méthode scientifique, apporter à tous les aspects de la société des changements légaux, institutionnels et civilisationnels adéquats. Ceux-ci contribueraient de façon continue au développement de la liberté et au progrès à travers le contrôle du marché libre. L’essai note (...) que le concept d’éducation tout entier de Dewey occupe une place de choix dans son enseignement. Outre l’acquisition des connaissances, la vraie éducation concerne le développement d’une personnalité libre, ouverte d’esprit et libérale, ce qui ne s’acquiert pas à travers une éducation morale en particulier, encore moins à travers une religion. Enfin, il est important de maintenir les pratiques qui se sont avérées constructives par le passé. Cela concerne notamment l’époque du socialisme. (shrink)

Cilj je dati temeljni ocrt čovjeka koji bi mogao biti okosnica koncepcije otvorene kulture. Analizom uporišnih točaka filozofske i kulturne antropologije: A) filozofska antropologija : a) pasivistička koncepcija, b) aktivistička koncepcija; B) kulturna antropologija : a) zatvorena kultura, b) otvorena kultura; treba doći do osiguranja koncepcije otvorene vs. zatvorene kulture. U multikulturalnim svezama izgleda da se potonja češće ispriječava daljem napredovanju pa je neophodno naći parametre kojima otvorene kulture mogu što ranije prepoznati negativna obilježja patrijarhalne kulture.

Ne samo da Mediteranska filozofija pridonosi postanku i daljem razvoju svjetske filozofije, nego joj daje osnovni pečat. Kratka analiza glavnih sastojaka, kao što su: 1) grčko-judejska i latinska skolastika; 2) uloga magije i misticizma; 3) otvaranje znanstvenog interesa naročito od arapske skolastike; 4) povijesno vrijeme i čovjekova borba za sebe, od Renesanse sve do dvadesetog stoljeća, treba pokazati da je osnovni vid Mediteranske filozofije oplemenjivanje svijeta. Budućom zadaćom Mediteranske filozofije naznačit će se pronalaženje putova kako da se koncept mogućnosti, kao (...) njezina glavna tekovina u dvadesetom stoljeću, osigura u perspektivi oplemenjivanja svijeta – najvjerodostojnijoj perspektivi svjetske filozofije.Not only does Mediterranean philosophy contribute to the genesis and susequent development of world philosophy, but it also lends it its original stamp. A breaf analysis of elements such as: 1) Greco-Judean and Latin scholasticism; 2) the role of magic and misticism; 3) the stimulation of scientific interest especially in Arabic scholasticism; 4) in history of human beings the struggle for themselves from the Renaissance to the Twentieth Century should show, with a special emphasis on Croatian philosophers, that the basic conception of Mediterranean philosophy consists in enrichment of the world. Through futures tasks for Mediterranean philosophy it will be indicated how to find ways to secure the concept of possibility as the main currency in the perspective of enriching the world – a most authentic perspective for world philosophy. (shrink)

Prethodno, u izlaganju »Petrić i Acastos«, održanom na simpoziju Petrić i renesansne filozofske tradicije 2008. godine, ustanovili smo da je Petrić najbliži platonovsko-novoplatonovsko- pitagorovskom izvorniku, ali je pridonio raščinjavanju klasične etičke vrline , da je vrlo blizak drugom modelu za uspoređivanje, Acastosu I i donekle se približava Acastosu II .S istim trima modelima sada prelazimo na usporedbu u odnosu na pjesničko umijeće, kako je izloženo u petnaest izabranih Petrićevih tekstova u knjizi Ljerke Schiffler Frane Petrić o pjesničkom umijeću . Pitat (...) ćemo se koliko se u navedenoj usporedbi otkrilo, manje ili više, bliskosti s prethodnim zaključcima.Dakako, usput će se pokušati ustanoviti je li Petrićeva poetika samo obrana Platonove linije ili sadržava i neke elemente aristotelizma, što ga ne bi povezalo samo s barokom i manirizmom nego i s modernom estetikom.The author established on the occasion of the previous presentation “Petrić and Acastos” given at the symposium Petrić and Renaissance Philosophical Traditions, held in 2008, that Petrić was closest to the Platonist-Neoplatonist-Pythagorean original, but also that he contributed to the disintegration of classical ethical virtue and that there were two more comparative models he came close to – that of Acastos I and to some extent that of Acastos II .Retaining the three models, the author now deals with the comparison in relation to poetic art as it is outlined in the fifteen selected Petrić’s texts in the book by Ljerka Schiffler entitled Frane Petrić o pjesničkom umijeću . The author will look into the degree to which the mentioned comparison revealed connections with previous conclusions.Needless to say, the author will along the way try to determine whether Petrić’s poetics presents merely a defence of Plato’s attitude or it contains some elements of Aristotelianism, which would connect Petrić with not only Baroque and Mannerism but also modernist aesthetics. (shrink)

L’objectif est de proposer une ébauche élémentaire de l’homme susceptible de constituer l’axe de la notion de culture ouverte. En analysant les points focaux de l’anthropologie philosophique et culturelle : A. l’anthropologie philosophique a) la conception passiviste b) la conception activiste; B. l’anthropologie culturelle a) la culture fermée b) la culture ouverte; il faut renforcer la conception de la culture ouverte par opposition à la culture fermée . Dans les rapports multiculturels, cette dernière semble souvent brider le progrès, de sorte (...) qu’il soit nécessaire de trouver des paramètres dont les cultures ouvertes peuvent se servir pour repérer le plus tôt possible les caractéristiques de la culture patriarcale. (shrink)

The aim is to offer a fundamental outline of a human being, which could be the backbone of the conception of open culture. By analyzing the focal points of philosophical and cultural anthropology: A) philosophical anthropology : a) passivist conception, b) activist conception; B) cultural anthropology : a) closed culture, b) open culture; we must ensure the conception of an open vs. the closed culture. In multicultural associations, it would seem that the latter often hinders progress, so it is necessary (...) to find parameters open cultures can use for early recognition of the negative attributes of patriarchal culture. (shrink)

Izvorno značenje termina ‘šport’; olimpizam i elitni šport – u nas 1967. god. V. Janković.Kriza športa – problem granica, šport nije više autonoman a niti zdrav, urušenost etike je vezana uz bespoštednost ekonomskog tržišta.Rješenje:– priziv na izjednačavanje moralnih normi u svim sektorima ;– reguliranje slobodnog ekonomskog tržišta uvjet je da slobodno vrijeme i šport dobiju šansu da postanu rekreacija, tj. snaženje fizičkih silnica i obnova psiholoških zaliha, a ne ubilačka masovna histerija.The original meaning of the term ‘sport’, olimpism and elite (...) sports is retrieved and in Croatia V. Janković, 1967.The crisis of sports is due to problems of boundaries, sports are no longer autonomous, and they are not healthy. Crumbling sports ethics is conditioned by the mercilessness of economic markets.Solutions:– a call for an alignment of moral norms in all sectors of society;– the regulation of free economic markets is a condition for the possibility of sports’ becoming recreational, that is, for sports to help gain physical strength and psychic energy, rather than producing a dangerous mass hysteria. (shrink)