This book is a study in the logic of questions (sometimes called erotetic logic). The central topics in erotetic logic have been the structure of questions and the question-answer relationship. This book doesn't neglect these problems, but much of it is focussed on other issues. The main subject is the logical analysis of certain relations between questions and the contexts of their appearance. And our aim is to elaborate the conceptual apparatus of the inferential approach to the logic of questions. (...) Questions are asked for many reasons and for different purposes. Yet, before a question is asked or posed, a questioner must arrive at it. In many cases arriving at a question resembles coming to a conclusion: there are some premises involved and some inferential thought processes take place. If we agree that a conclusion need not be "conclusive", we may say that sometimes questions can play the role of conclusions. But questions can also perform the role of premises: we often pass from some "initial" question to another question. In other words, there are inferential thought processes - we shall call them erotetic inferences - in which questions play the roles of conclusions or conclusions and premises. The inferential approach to the logic of questions focusses its attention on the analysis of erotetic inferences. This book consists of eight chapters. (shrink)

Our aim is to express in exact terms the old idea of solving problems by pure questioning. We consider the problem of derivability: "Is A derivable from Δ by classical propositional logic?". We develop a calculus of questions E*; a proof (called a Socratic proof) is a sequence of questions ending with a question whose affirmative answer is, in a sense, evident. The calculus is sound and complete with respect to classical propositional logic. A Socratic proof in E* can be (...) transformed into a Gentzen-style proof in some sequent calculi. Next we develop a calculus of questions E**; Socratic proofs in E** can be transformed into analytic tableaux. We show that Socratic proofs can be grounded in Inferential Erotetic Logic. After a slight modification, the analyzed systems can also be viewed as hypersequent calculi. (shrink)

By and large, Inferential Erotetic Logic (IEL, for short) is an approach to the logic of questions which puts in the centre of attention inferential aspects of questioning. IEL is not an enterprise of the last few years only. The idea originates from the late 1980s. It evolved through time. Initially, the stress was put on the phenomenon of question raising. This changed gradually, as some forms of reasoning that involve questions have appeared to be analyzable by means of the (...) conceptual apparatus developed. In this essay I present the basics of IEL and comment on them. Most, though not all, of the ideas discussed here have been scattered across my earlier publications. The invitation from the organizers of the Asking and Answering workshop (Greifswald, September 2020) resulted in an attempt of presenting the themes of IEL in a concise but, as I hope, also comprehensible way. (shrink)

The essence of Nietzscheanism as a philosophical doctrine has never been characterized by a definite consistency or certainty. Instead "indirect followers" and interpreters of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy (since this thinker did not have direct followers or a particular school) resorted to a variety of interpretations of his concepts. Considering that, the hermeneutic aspect of the study not only of Nietzsche's texts, but also of his interpreters allows us to look at the hidden potential of the concepts of the German philosopher (...) from a new point of view. In this research, we seek to focus on looking for Nietzschean roots in Ernst Jünger's creative legacy, tracing the transformation of his ideas along the author's intellectual path and showing how those ideas correlate with those of Friedrich Nietzsche himself and how they differ. As a reference point for any study of interpretations of Nietzsche's philosophy, the author singles out many German philosopher concepts at the edge of various interpretations. Such central concepts in the article include the idea of "Apollonian" and "Dionysian" principles (the first), the anthropological idea of " Overhuman" and the interrelated metaphysical triad of "will to power," "reevaluation of all values," and "eternal return." In addition, one of the leading motives of the 20th century, which can be traced to an attempt to read Nietzschean ideas, postulates their location at the junction of philosophical and political-ideological concepts. Analyzing the peculiar hermeneutic conflict of Nietzschean philosophy based on this phenomenon, the author turns to early attempts to understand and implement the ideas of the German thinker, which were carried out directly in Germany. This context is connected in the article with the formation of the foundations of the conservative revolution and the figure of Ernst Jünger since the interpretation of this thinker, to some extent, can be considered one of the first and, undoubtedly, the most resonant. In the course of the research, the author turns to Nietzsche's original texts, forming a kind of hermeneutic circle of the author and interpreters, interpreters and the interpreted, ultimately obtaining in this system the opportunity for a thorough and as independent as possible analysis of the original ideas, counting on the probability of reducing the error of one's interpretation due to paying attention to the entire interpretive field texts The considered ideas of Ernst Jünger demonstrate this thesis, expanding the contextual field of the Nietzschean Overman and the metaphysics of the Will to Power and giving these concepts in an interpreted form a particular social dimension along with the philosophical one, which provides a new context for the interpretation of the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche. (shrink)

The book of Revelation contains rich imagery that has always aroused deep interest among Christian commentators. One of the most mysterious parts is Rev. 13, where the author wrote about the forces of evil fighting with God. John introduced the two main satanic forces – the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth. There is a unique interpretation in the Adventist Church that the beast from the earth (Rev. 13:11‑18) symbolizes the Protestant country of the USA. However, (...) the emergence and development of this interpretation in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has not received sufficient attention. This article traces the development and characterizes the interpretation of the beast from the earth (Rev. 13:11‑18) among Adventist pioneers. The first impetus for identifying the beast from the earth was the eschatological understanding of the Sabbath as a central issue in end-time events. Hermeneutic methods of Early Adventists were based on the principle of historicism, and they began to view Sunday as the mark of the beast from the sea (papacy) to be forcibly imposed by the beast from the land – the Protestant USA. G. W. Holt first stated that America would become an ally of the Antichrist and is a symbol of the beast from the earth. Other Adventists accepted this interpretation, which was confirmed in the visions of Ellen White. John Nevins Andrews made significant contributions to the biblical basis for the Adventist understanding of the beast from the earth. Building on his comments, John Loughborough, Uriah Smith, and Ellen White deepened and developed the arguments regarding the interpretation of the beast from the earth. Anticipation of the law on mandatory Sunday observance in the USA has become part of Adventist eschatology. Based on the apocalyptic prophecies of the book of Revelation, Adventists saw a future unification of Christendom in which US Protestantism would play a key role. (shrink)

The article is an attempt to indicate the presence of the ethics of civic virtues in Polish ethics, both old and modern, which is worth in-depth attention. Problems of civic morality have constantly accompanied ethics and morality in Poland since the Renaissance. Its content was usually a reflection of critical reflection on the defects of civic morality, especially of the nobility, and over time of the bourgeoisie, and at the same time it was normatively constructive as historical and political changes (...) and the scope of civil society expanded, formulating “the ideal of the citizen in a democratic system”. The author of the article selects from the history of Polish ethics the most important figures who address the issue of virtue ethics, showing its constant presence in history, using the prism of civic ethos as a key element for the ethics of public life. It was difficult to prove the existence of a specialized section of civic ethics, but the normative civic ethos can be reconstructed from the perspective of the ethics of virtue and social ethics in a broader sense. From the historical perspective, this ethos appears both as a certain set of practices, which was only outlined in the context of the article, and as an ordered product of normative thought. (shrink)

Книга Об’явлення містить незвичайні та символічні образи. В центральній частині книги розміщені уривки про антихриста. Число 666 є однією із його характеристик і завжди привертало увагу коментаторів. Протягом церковної історії було застосовано багато різноманітних герменевтичних методів для визначення значення числа 666. Церква Адвентистів сьомого дня виникла в XIX столітті на основі досліджень пророчих текстів апокаліптичних книг Даниїла та Обʼявлення. Відсутність герменевтичного аналізу тлумачення числа 666 серед ранніх адвентистів зумовлює необхідність цього дослідження. Стаття присвячена визначенню та аналізу особливостей герменевтики ранніх адвентистів (...) при тлумаченні числа 666. В першій частині дослідження проаналізовано тлумачення числа 666 в міллеритському русі з 1833 по 1844 роки, а в другій частині – в адвентистському русі з 1844 по 1888 роки. Герменевтика коментаторів міллеритського та адвентистського рухів була основана на історицизмі. Вони тлумачили біблійні пророцтва в контексті конкретних історичних подій. Були сформовані три основні тлумачення числа 666: 1) 666 років; 2) 666 церковних організацій; 3) Титул Vicarius Filii Dei. Завдяки впливу Вільяма Міллера серед міллеритів стала поширеною думка про те, що число 666 означає проміжок часу 666 років. 666 років було включено в хронологічні обчислення інших пророчих періодів з біблійних апокаліптичних книг: 2300, 1260, 1290 і 1335. Ранні адвентисти проігнорували тлумачення Вільяма Міллера і популяризували другу інтерпретацію, згідно якої число 666 символізує 666 церковних організацій, які є частиною духовного Вавилону. Третю інтерпретацію запровадив Урія Сміт, який використав герменевтичний метод гематрії. Урія Сміт популяризував інтерпретацію, згідно якої латинський титул папи Vicarius Filii Dei має числове значення 666. (shrink)

ABSTRACT A review of two of the strands of cultural studies that Mark Fenster contends are superior to Murray Edelman’s analysis of mass public opinion—Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, and Bourdieu’s sociology—and a more general look at work in the field of cultural studies suggests that all of these alternatives suffer from severe theoretical and methodological limitations. Future studies of culture and politics need to pose questions similar to the ones that preoccupied Edelman, but they must move beyond the political and (...) interpretive biases that have dominated cultural studies (some of which Edelman shared), as well as the questionable view of “ideology” as a matter of elite domination of the masses, rather than as a mediating, constitutive force in the process of individual opinion formation. (shrink)

The article considers one of the most significant concepts in Aristotelian philosophy: the concept of substance and its interpretation in the works of existential Thomists. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the doctrine of substance is first and foremost to be considered in the context of the identification of the subject of scientific knowledge and in the context of the way of knowing this subject. In order to illustrate the epistemological realism, which, according to Thomists, inheres in Aristotle’s (...) philosophy the article analyzes the previous philosophers’ views on the true subject of scientific knowledge. This subject is individual being, which forms the basis of philosophical understanding of things, as a subject of scientific knowledge. It should be noted that the method of constructing of Aristotle’s science general theory is finding reasons why something is just what it is from the viewpoint of necessity. Krąpiec believes that the way Aristotle comes to the formation of the four causes is related to the specificity of the question διὰ τί. This analysis through causes allows us to understand that each single entity has a composite structure. Furthermore, Aristotle considers substance as a logical and grammatical category and as a main category in the ontological sense, as the mode of the initial being of things. Therefore, categories reflect the actual structure of things, namely the way of its existence on the essential and accidental levels. The very substance itself is recognizable only through the accidents associated with it and represents itself through them. However, the substance precedes its accidents in three meanings: ontological, definitive, and epistemological. (shrink)

The article focuses on the socially transforming aspect of American pragmatism. In particular, the article highlights the relevance and significance of Ralph Emerson’s transcendentalism and self-reliance for the information society. The key problem of the information society is defined as the general distrust about the truth. The culture of criticism displaces trust in others as seekers of the truth and, ultimately, eliminates self-trust.Based on Ralph Emerson’s essays and William James’ “Pragmatism”, the article distinguishes between two conceptions of truth: optimistic and (...) pessimistic. The first one is grounded on the pragmatist understanding of truth as the “theory that works”. The truth in the pragmatist understanding is not an ultimate and finished truth but the truth in making. Therefore, the truth is subject to amendments. However, this does not mean that uncompleted truth is not true, since it can already work and help us with our self-understanding and orientation in the world. Contrary to this, informational society is the society of spectatorship and criticism, left without the power of individuals to distinguish personally between true and false and take responsibility for such decisions. Informational society, in general, perceives truth as something absolute, unreachable and at the same time impossible to exist.The article considers Emerson’s idea of Man Thinking and the concept of Oversoul, addressing the problem of an autonomous individual in its relation to society and truth. Personality, being central for Emerson, cannot be understood separately at the same time, since an individual is a part of Nature and Society. In addition, in Emerson’s transcendental terminology, personality is the embodiment of the Oversoul of humanity while Oversoul in the world can act only through the actions of persons. Therefore, true self-reliance cannot be separated from the aspirations of an individual to reach Man Thinking through truth, and personally implement it in life. In such a way, self-reliance is also the basis for inter-subjective trust.Manuscript received 25.04.2020. (shrink)

У статті аналізуються основні риси соціального вчення Вселенського патріархату щодо проблеми бідності. Застосовано герменевтичний (аналіз окремих документів соціальної доктрини Константинопольського патріархату) і компаративний методи з метою вивчення різних інтерпретацій сучасного соціального вчення християнських церков щодо ставлення до проблеми бідності та шляхів її подолання. Досліджується соціальне вчення Вселенського патріархату про подолання бідності, яке залежить від уявлень сучасної теології про необхідність радикальної етичної солідарності з маргінальними й експлуатованими верствами населення. З’ясовано, що соціальне вчення Вселенського патріархату пропонує національним державам здійснювати політику соціального захисту, (...) виходячи з визнання абсолютної гідності кожної особистості та спираючись на досвід практики соціальної дияконії і критичну аналітику сучасного глобалізованого капіталізму. Доведено, що соціальне вчення Вселенського патріархату є аналогічним до ідей соціальної доктрини папи Франциска, але при цьому залишається більш реалістичним та не ставить під сумнів сучасний капіталізм у цілому, а пропонує його реформування в напрямі розвитку культури спільнотності на основі застосування християнського морально-правового розуміння прав особистості. У соціальному вченні Вселенського патріархату значна увага приділяється моральним обов’язкам особистостей та спільнот щодо солідарності з бідними, мігрантами, постраждалими від соціальних викликів сьогодення. Капіталістичний етос пропонується гуманізувати через прийняття моральної регуляції з боку вищих етичних цінностей християнських спільнот, а не замінювати на посткапіталістичний етос християнського соціалізму. Таким чином, соціальна доктрина Вселенського патріархату стає виявом солідаризму, більш консервативного і прокапіталістичного, ніж соціальне вчення папи Франциска та політична теологія Джона Мілбанка. (shrink)

Jean Mitry _The Aesthetics and Psychology of the Cinema_ Translated by Christopher King London: Athlone Press, 1998 ISBN: 0-485-30084-2 403 pp.