This study seeks to determine the meaning of Luke 16:19-31. The question of whether this passage teaches intermediate state of the disembodied soul after death has been a theological conundrum. In Lucan context, both...This study seeks to determine the meaning of Luke 16:19-31. The question of whether this passage teaches intermediate state of the disembodied soul after death has been a theological conundrum. In Lucan context, both thematic and linguistic considerations suggest that the passage can be a pre-resurrection tradition. Having studied the setting in which Jesus tells this parable and Lucan context, this study, employing a quasi-allegorical method, concludes that the presentation of the unseen world represents events and class of people in the eschatological judgment.展开更多
The present study examines the four core concepts that underpin the various theories of cultivation of East Asian Confucian philosophy: self (ji,已), cultivation (xiu, 修), transformation (hua, 化), and nurture...The present study examines the four core concepts that underpin the various theories of cultivation of East Asian Confucian philosophy: self (ji,已), cultivation (xiu, 修), transformation (hua, 化), and nurture (yang,餋). The discussion is divided into six sections. The first section, the introduction, explains the significance of the issue in question. The second section examines the substantial notion of "self" as expounded in the Confucian intellectual tradition and the corresponding concept of selthood or personhood. Confucianism stresses that (1) personal selthood is based on the freedom of subjectivity (subjective volition), and (2) society's values and norms originate in this freedom of subjectivity. The third section discusses the functional concept of cultivation, focusing on the fact that in Confucian theories the terms "cultivation" and "body" are always combined to form the concept of "self-cultivation." Moreover, Confucian thinkers tend to discuss the effort of self-cultivation in the context of a body-mind continuum. Indeed, they often use orientational metaphors in order to describe the efforts entailed by cultivation. The fourth section analyzes the linguistic setting and context of the functional concept of transformation within Confucian philosophy of the concrete self. The term "transformation" indicates clearly that Confucian philosophy is a transformative philosophy. The fifth section analyzes the functional concept of nurture, stressing that Confucius' two greatest followers, Mencius and Xunzi, represent two opposed approaches to nurturing. Meneius stresses that one should undertake the effort of "nurturing qi," that is, produce culture through natural cultivation, while Xunzi advocates artificially instilling culture in order to discipline, tame, and order nature. Mencius and Xunzi both turn to the container metaphor in their discussions of self-cultivation. The article concludes that the various cultivation activities advocated by these two disparate Confucians are based on two assumptions: (1) the self coincides with the physical body, and (2) the physical self is steeped in and interactive with the cultural values of society. In sum, the functional concept of self-cultivation is an important pillar of Confucian theories of self-cultivation.展开更多
The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677...The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677 or early in 1678, and the latter remained his lifelong friend and most assiduous correspondent. An Orleanais and a devout Catholic, Toinard combined an intense interest in the Scriptures with an enthusiasm for experimental science and inventions of every kind; he introduced Locke to all the French official institutions and to a number of private laboratories. Toinard's principal work, Evangeliorum Harmonia Graeco-Latina, was greatly appreciated by Locke for its new method. The paper attempts to explore the bulk of this correspondence in detail, giving an account of the wide range of topics dealt with in the two hundred letters; it is divided into four paragraphs referring, respectively, to the years 1678-1679, 1679-1681, 1681-1686, and1686-1704. The perspective is diachronic; on some occasions, the focus is on a particular topic which is the object of prolonged discussion between the two correspondents. In the conclusion, attention is drawn to the relevance of this correspondence in the context of the 17th century and of Locke's philosophical thought.展开更多
The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677...The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677 or early in 1678, and the latter remained his lifelong friend and most assiduous correspondent. An Orl6anais and a devout Catholic, Toinard combined an intense interest in the Scriptures with an enthusiasm for experimental science and inventions of every kind; he introduced Locke to all the French official institutions and to a number of private laboratories. Toinard's principal work, Evangeliorum Harmonia Graeco-Latina, was greatly appreciated by Locke for its new method. The paper attempts at exploring the bulk of this correspondence in detail, giving an account of the wide range of topics dealt with in the two hundred letters; it is divided into four paragraphs referring, respectively, to the years 1678-1679, 1679-1681, 1681-1686, and1686-1704. The perspective is diachronic; in some occasions, the focus is on a peculiar topic which is the object of prolonged discussion between the two correspondents. In the conclusion, attention is drawn to the relevance of this correspondence in the context of the 17th century and of Locke's philosophical thought.展开更多
How can Western political thought engage non-Western cultures if liberalism is--in Thomas Nagel's famous formulation-a view from nowhere? This paper seeks to investigate the philosophical problems at the nexus of mo...How can Western political thought engage non-Western cultures if liberalism is--in Thomas Nagel's famous formulation-a view from nowhere? This paper seeks to investigate the philosophical problems at the nexus of moral relativism and liberal universalism that Martha Nussbaum attempted to come to terms with in her essay Human Functioning and Social Justice: In Defense of Aristotelian Essentialism. I argue not against the idea of essentialism but rather for greater care in the concept's application.展开更多
In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant explains his critical method "as an experiment" in metaphysics. The aim of that "experiment" is to establish "an entire revolution" in philosophical thinking, which was initiated...In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant explains his critical method "as an experiment" in metaphysics. The aim of that "experiment" is to establish "an entire revolution" in philosophical thinking, which was initiated by the Copernican revolution in cosmology in order to find the secure path, and its possibility application to metaphysics. Kant's aim in Critique of Pure Reason is to rescue metaphysics from a "blind groping" by undertaking a revolution in metaphysics as Copernicus has brought to cosmology. Kant's Copernican turn consists in the assertion that the possibility of knowledge requires that "the objects must conform to our cognition." From Kant's view, we can know only what we "construct," "make," or "produce" as a necessary condition of knowledge, but we cannot know the mind--independent external world, i.e., the world which is independent of us. Kant's epistemological constructivism is the central point to his Copernican revolution.展开更多
Contrary to occidental philosophy, oriented to grasping and solidifying the principles of essential being (ontos on), Buddhism seeks to understand the aspect of our existence that experiences suffering in life. In t...Contrary to occidental philosophy, oriented to grasping and solidifying the principles of essential being (ontos on), Buddhism seeks to understand the aspect of our existence that experiences suffering in life. In the East Asian languages Human beings are described as Inter-Beings in that they are enveloped by the topos of life and death. From breath to breath, our life is bound to the moments of emerging and vanishing, being and non-being in an essential unity. D6gen's philosophical thinking integrated this conception with the embodied cognition of both thinking and acting self. In the phenomenological point of view, Heidegger (1927; 1993) emphasizes Being as bound to fundamental substantiality, which borders at the Ab-grund, falling into nothingness. With D^gen, the unity-within-contrast of life and death is exemplified in our breathing, because it achieves the unity of body and cognition which can be called "corpus." In perfect contrast, the essential reflection for Heidegger is that of grasping the fundament of Being in the world, which represents the actualization of a Thinking-Being-Unity. The goal of this comparison is to fundamentally grasp what is the essentiality of being, life, and recognition (in Japanesejikaku f~ ~) bound to embodied cognition in our globalized world.展开更多
Analysises and resrarches into Bohr’s quantum dialectics of nature of mutual complement and Heisenberg’s quantumphilosophy outlook. It gets a deeper and more systematic comgnition and comprehension to quantum theory...Analysises and resrarches into Bohr’s quantum dialectics of nature of mutual complement and Heisenberg’s quantumphilosophy outlook. It gets a deeper and more systematic comgnition and comprehension to quantum theory philosophy thought.展开更多
I argue in this paper that moral philosophers need to incorporate into their teaching and writing a number of empirical findings on ethical practices. Principal among these is clearer guidelines on speaking out agains...I argue in this paper that moral philosophers need to incorporate into their teaching and writing a number of empirical findings on ethical practices. Principal among these is clearer guidelines on speaking out against wrongdoing, as well as the development of codes of ethics that have been proven to work. The adoption of the critical thinking and the analytical methodology of other disciplines is also suggested. Several benefits will result. The most noticeable will be a strengthening of ethical practices and behavior in the institutions and organizations with which we live and work. A second benefit will be the education and employment of a body of people--graduates in moral philosophy--with the skills and knowledge to bring about, and further strengthen, this enhanced ethical environment. A third benefit will be the matching of the claims of philosophical thought with actual reality.展开更多
The first part of the paper presents the philosophical concept of Jean Baudrillard in which the issues of death and dying constitute an essential theme. Contemporary times in which the human condition seems to be extr...The first part of the paper presents the philosophical concept of Jean Baudrillard in which the issues of death and dying constitute an essential theme. Contemporary times in which the human condition seems to be extremely difficult are presented in a somber way. Isolation from nature results in the existence filled with fear of death. Natural death is a mentally inconceivable occurrence, an embarrassing phenomenon, and therefore unworthy of being remembered. Only sudden, spectacular death creating media hype seems to be meaningful and worth paying attention to. Instant death is set in opposition to slow death which is also called postponed death. Death in the heat of work, duties, obligations, and prohibitions is the death inflicted at the request of both an employee and an employer. Work rewarded with payment is an act of temporary suspension of death. Burdened with work, people forget about the debt they have incurred from nature. A contemporary employee does not deserve death and instant death is only act of salvation, the act of free will. The second part of the paper focuses on artistic activity of Zuzanna Janin and Bogna Burska. Both artists deal with an issue of media death using different means of expression. Spinning their narratives of intimate decaying and media rage in a public space, they correspond with the Baudrillard's philosophical thought.展开更多
In the 40s and the 50s of the last century existed a largely shared conviction amongst the majority of social scientists in the US regarding the explanation of the theoretical philosophical roots of National Socialism...In the 40s and the 50s of the last century existed a largely shared conviction amongst the majority of social scientists in the US regarding the explanation of the theoretical philosophical roots of National Socialism. Contrarily to European writers, who searched its philosophical origins in irrational philosophical traditions, in the US, they relied upon the perception that Hegel's Philosophy of State was the most relevant ideological basis of National Socialism. Hegel's idea for the need of a strong state, seemed to clearly support the hypothesis. Herbert Marcuse, exiled in the United States, bad to confront himself with this conviction that academic colleague shared. This theoretical hypothesis was in tune to the Zeitgeist and the political context, in which anticommunism was growing stronger by the day and where the cold war was developing. Associating Hegel and National Socialism implied, for most of the hypothesis defenders yet another vantage point: it could discredit also Marx, for the tights links between his philosophical thinking and Hegel's one. For Marcuse this hypothesis was even more problematic knowing that in Germany, national socialist philosophers had rejected Hegel from the very first day their party came to power. In this article we try to analyze Marcuse's respective philosophical argument. The point of departure of this reconstruction is the philosophical interpretation of Hegel's theory of the State. Further than the historical context, the debate on Hegel and his theory of the State, is very relevant for today's debates, dominated by neoliberal ideologies, which often are starting from similar theoretical errors than the mentioned. In both cases exists a lack of understanding of the classic bourgeois content within the concept of the State, based on the French Revolution.展开更多
China is a world's ancient civilization with a long history of five thousand years; meanwhile, it is also the headstream of sports culture. Chinese sports aim at building the body and self-cultivation. The movement s...China is a world's ancient civilization with a long history of five thousand years; meanwhile, it is also the headstream of sports culture. Chinese sports aim at building the body and self-cultivation. The movement structures of sports are mainly the simulation of all kinds of movement of animals, which are particular about static and dynamic equilibrium, firmness, and gentleness, getting refined internally and externally. The feature of Chinese sports is the unification of form and spirit. The pattern of Chinese sports is closely related with Chinese philosophy thought, and the constructed Chinese sports culture has become the essential part of Chinese traditional philosophy. Chinese sports have integrated fitness and aesthetic appreciation into one, which is the specific expression of Chinese traditional thought. However, western sports have integrated with western philosophy thought with strong athletic tint. The characteristic of western sports has a necessary connection with the ancient Greek thought. Ancient Greeks had realized that the relationship between human and the nature was not totally dependent with contrariety, so they thought only fighting with the nature could they survive. The origins of thought of Chinese and western sports cultures decide the differences between Chinese and western sports. The harmony of China and competition of the west can be both embodied in sports. This thesis will analyze the differences between Chinese and western sports philosophy.展开更多
Based on intertextuality point of view, researching and studying Dickinson's background, education, her family, as well as the society where she lived. Analyzing the Dickinson's poets and other writers' or poets' ...Based on intertextuality point of view, researching and studying Dickinson's background, education, her family, as well as the society where she lived. Analyzing the Dickinson's poets and other writers' or poets' works in different contexts of classical inheritance, and philosophical thought. To break up the text of the solitary, put the text in the associative network of readers' experience, take the text as the link of the writer and the readers, and connect the inheritance, experience of the writer and the readers' reading. Use the method of intertextuality to interpret the non-meaning of the text, then to understand the significance of existence of Dickinson's works. This thesis mainly studies from the following aspects: It reveals the intertextuality of the works of Dickinson and Shakespeare, Isaac Watts and some Romantic poets from the point of classical context. By studying from the point of Transcendentalism and Existentialism, It explores the intertexutality relationship between Dickinson and Emerson, Thoreau as well as other writers. It also disserts the significance and influences of Dickinson's works through comparing and analyzing the intertextuality between Dickinson and Li Qingzhao, Xi Murong, as well as Annebaby.展开更多
Chinese painting has a long history and distinctive national characteristics, self-contained in the field of world art. It is unique and become the mainstream of oriental art. Traditional Chinese painting is artistic ...Chinese painting has a long history and distinctive national characteristics, self-contained in the field of world art. It is unique and become the mainstream of oriental art. Traditional Chinese painting is artistic conception as the soul, melting into poetry, books, paintings as a whole, poetic romance as the connotation, expressing feelings and thoughts. It exhibited virtual static beauty in thinking of Taoist philosophy of nature, becoming a unique Chinese aesthetic art. Artistic spirit is an important part and aesthetic standard of Chinese painting aesthetics, in the "paintings goods recorded," "Lively spirit" is defined as the highest state of painting, artistic spirit is not a very mysterious thing, it was born from the pen and ink. NO pen and ink, no artistic spirit. Pursuing vivid artistic spirit, emphasizing ink skills, giving vent to feelings of oneself for its purpose, Chinese painting has generated a large number of outstanding works of art in thousands of years, constructed a unique cultural spirit, shaped the nation ' s aesthetic temperament and character.展开更多
Condemned by Mencius (ca.372-289 BCE) as selfishness (weiwo, 为我), Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy in China is traditionally depicted as a philosophy of egoism and hedonism. In contrast, Yang Zhu (fl.ca.370-350...Condemned by Mencius (ca.372-289 BCE) as selfishness (weiwo, 为我), Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy in China is traditionally depicted as a philosophy of egoism and hedonism. In contrast, Yang Zhu (fl.ca.370-350 BCE) is described as an "early liberal or individualist" hero in the Western Discussion of Chinese Philosophy. Yang Zhu may not be a liberal or individualist hero as portrayed by the West, but surely he should not be depicted as a promoter of egoism as Mencius did. Both John Emerson and A.C. Graham are probably right when they claimed that Yang Zhu was a revolutionary thinker of his own time; and "Yang Zhu's intervention for the Chinese thinking world had provoked a metaphysical crisis which had threatened the basic assumptions of Confucianism and Mohism and set them into a new course" (A.C. Graham 1978). From my reading, Yang Zhu's influence on Chinese philosophy had been and will be even greater, although his philosophy as a whole was not practiced by Chinese society in the past due to the dominance of Confucianism. Yet as the first person who clearly emphasized nourishing of life for individuals and the first theory that rooted morality into xing (性, human nature), Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy had indeed through history made a huge contribution to Chinese nurturing life tradition, and had great potential in providing inspiration to modern moral thinking. Many discussions initiated or developed by Yang Zhu and his followers have influenced both Confucianism and Daoism profoundly. His idea of nourishing life was not only inherited and developed by Zhuangzi and later Daoist religion from life preservation perspective, but also by Mencius and Xunzi from moral cultivation perspective. As a doctrine that has shown more and more relevance to modern society, people can find many inspirations from Yang Zhu's answer to the following questions: What is the aim of human life? What is the right attitude toward life and death? What is human nature? What is the relationship between life nourishment and individual freedom? Why nourishing one's own life should be as important as nourishing that of others? What is the difference between humans and animals? Why living a natural life is so important for human beings? Based on materials collected from various Chinese sources directly related to Yang Zhu's school, especially the chapter entitled as "Yang Zhu" from the book of Liezi, this paper will explore essential features of Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy and its relevance to modern society. As "guiji" (贵已, cherishing oneself) is the core of Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy, discussion of this paper will focus on what Yang Zhu's "guiji" means, why Yang Zhu's "guiji" is not "weiwo" (为我, for oneself), and how Yang Zhu's "guiji" yangsheng is relevant to modern society.展开更多
Fukuyama's thesis about "the end of history" is controversial. History is not an ideology. History cannot be ended, if by history we mean the past, which we remember and interpret for the purpose of orientating our...Fukuyama's thesis about "the end of history" is controversial. History is not an ideology. History cannot be ended, if by history we mean the past, which we remember and interpret for the purpose of orientating ourselves in the present and the future. Fukuyama has a right to declare the victory of liberal democracy, but other political ideologies have not become extinct. If we look at the thesis of the "end of history" from a scientific point of view, then we can conclude that such a thing is impossible: for after the "end of history", history continues. Therefore, there is no real end to history. It is continuing a quarter of a century after the Fukyama's thesis was published. Even if we can accept the thesis of the end of history as an ideology, we still cannot accept the end of philosophy. Phenomenology, Critical Realism, Existentialist Philosophy Hermeneutics, Structuralism, etc. are just some of the evidence that contemporary philosophy continues to exist and evolve despite the rising and falling of various ideologies in the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century. This can also be said about art, culture, and history as a science展开更多
In my paper, I analyse Hume's philosophy of love with the general philosophical idea of a continual flux in the background. My main source is his Treatise of Human Nature published in 1739 where Hume develops in full...In my paper, I analyse Hume's philosophy of love with the general philosophical idea of a continual flux in the background. My main source is his Treatise of Human Nature published in 1739 where Hume develops in full length his purely naturalistic moral theory. First, I recall some basic features of Hume's general concept of a passion. Afterwards, I characterize his concept of love in context of his "principle" of sympathy in order to connect finally Hume's ideas to a basic distinction within traditional philosophy of love between love of benevolence and love of desire.展开更多
Critics have noticed the Daoist gist of the 1872 Chinese version of "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. The present study discovers that Irving's tale itself is wealthy with deist and Daoist messages. From three...Critics have noticed the Daoist gist of the 1872 Chinese version of "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. The present study discovers that Irving's tale itself is wealthy with deist and Daoist messages. From three aspects, including Irving's access to deism and Daoism, deist and Daoist ideas exemplified through a contrast between nature and humans, and deist and Daoist ways of thinking embodied in the hero, this paper demonstrates how the philosophical ideas are redefined through the text and the hero to function as ways of examining the new nation and articulating the self.展开更多
文摘This study seeks to determine the meaning of Luke 16:19-31. The question of whether this passage teaches intermediate state of the disembodied soul after death has been a theological conundrum. In Lucan context, both thematic and linguistic considerations suggest that the passage can be a pre-resurrection tradition. Having studied the setting in which Jesus tells this parable and Lucan context, this study, employing a quasi-allegorical method, concludes that the presentation of the unseen world represents events and class of people in the eschatological judgment.
文摘The present study examines the four core concepts that underpin the various theories of cultivation of East Asian Confucian philosophy: self (ji,已), cultivation (xiu, 修), transformation (hua, 化), and nurture (yang,餋). The discussion is divided into six sections. The first section, the introduction, explains the significance of the issue in question. The second section examines the substantial notion of "self" as expounded in the Confucian intellectual tradition and the corresponding concept of selthood or personhood. Confucianism stresses that (1) personal selthood is based on the freedom of subjectivity (subjective volition), and (2) society's values and norms originate in this freedom of subjectivity. The third section discusses the functional concept of cultivation, focusing on the fact that in Confucian theories the terms "cultivation" and "body" are always combined to form the concept of "self-cultivation." Moreover, Confucian thinkers tend to discuss the effort of self-cultivation in the context of a body-mind continuum. Indeed, they often use orientational metaphors in order to describe the efforts entailed by cultivation. The fourth section analyzes the linguistic setting and context of the functional concept of transformation within Confucian philosophy of the concrete self. The term "transformation" indicates clearly that Confucian philosophy is a transformative philosophy. The fifth section analyzes the functional concept of nurture, stressing that Confucius' two greatest followers, Mencius and Xunzi, represent two opposed approaches to nurturing. Meneius stresses that one should undertake the effort of "nurturing qi," that is, produce culture through natural cultivation, while Xunzi advocates artificially instilling culture in order to discipline, tame, and order nature. Mencius and Xunzi both turn to the container metaphor in their discussions of self-cultivation. The article concludes that the various cultivation activities advocated by these two disparate Confucians are based on two assumptions: (1) the self coincides with the physical body, and (2) the physical self is steeped in and interactive with the cultural values of society. In sum, the functional concept of self-cultivation is an important pillar of Confucian theories of self-cultivation.
文摘The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677 or early in 1678, and the latter remained his lifelong friend and most assiduous correspondent. An Orleanais and a devout Catholic, Toinard combined an intense interest in the Scriptures with an enthusiasm for experimental science and inventions of every kind; he introduced Locke to all the French official institutions and to a number of private laboratories. Toinard's principal work, Evangeliorum Harmonia Graeco-Latina, was greatly appreciated by Locke for its new method. The paper attempts to explore the bulk of this correspondence in detail, giving an account of the wide range of topics dealt with in the two hundred letters; it is divided into four paragraphs referring, respectively, to the years 1678-1679, 1679-1681, 1681-1686, and1686-1704. The perspective is diachronic; on some occasions, the focus is on a particular topic which is the object of prolonged discussion between the two correspondents. In the conclusion, attention is drawn to the relevance of this correspondence in the context of the 17th century and of Locke's philosophical thought.
文摘The paper examines the copious correspondence between the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and the French intellectual Nicolas Toinard (1629-1706); Locke made the acquaintance of Toinard in Paris in 1677 or early in 1678, and the latter remained his lifelong friend and most assiduous correspondent. An Orl6anais and a devout Catholic, Toinard combined an intense interest in the Scriptures with an enthusiasm for experimental science and inventions of every kind; he introduced Locke to all the French official institutions and to a number of private laboratories. Toinard's principal work, Evangeliorum Harmonia Graeco-Latina, was greatly appreciated by Locke for its new method. The paper attempts at exploring the bulk of this correspondence in detail, giving an account of the wide range of topics dealt with in the two hundred letters; it is divided into four paragraphs referring, respectively, to the years 1678-1679, 1679-1681, 1681-1686, and1686-1704. The perspective is diachronic; in some occasions, the focus is on a peculiar topic which is the object of prolonged discussion between the two correspondents. In the conclusion, attention is drawn to the relevance of this correspondence in the context of the 17th century and of Locke's philosophical thought.
文摘How can Western political thought engage non-Western cultures if liberalism is--in Thomas Nagel's famous formulation-a view from nowhere? This paper seeks to investigate the philosophical problems at the nexus of moral relativism and liberal universalism that Martha Nussbaum attempted to come to terms with in her essay Human Functioning and Social Justice: In Defense of Aristotelian Essentialism. I argue not against the idea of essentialism but rather for greater care in the concept's application.
文摘In Critique of Pure Reason, Kant explains his critical method "as an experiment" in metaphysics. The aim of that "experiment" is to establish "an entire revolution" in philosophical thinking, which was initiated by the Copernican revolution in cosmology in order to find the secure path, and its possibility application to metaphysics. Kant's aim in Critique of Pure Reason is to rescue metaphysics from a "blind groping" by undertaking a revolution in metaphysics as Copernicus has brought to cosmology. Kant's Copernican turn consists in the assertion that the possibility of knowledge requires that "the objects must conform to our cognition." From Kant's view, we can know only what we "construct," "make," or "produce" as a necessary condition of knowledge, but we cannot know the mind--independent external world, i.e., the world which is independent of us. Kant's epistemological constructivism is the central point to his Copernican revolution.
文摘Contrary to occidental philosophy, oriented to grasping and solidifying the principles of essential being (ontos on), Buddhism seeks to understand the aspect of our existence that experiences suffering in life. In the East Asian languages Human beings are described as Inter-Beings in that they are enveloped by the topos of life and death. From breath to breath, our life is bound to the moments of emerging and vanishing, being and non-being in an essential unity. D6gen's philosophical thinking integrated this conception with the embodied cognition of both thinking and acting self. In the phenomenological point of view, Heidegger (1927; 1993) emphasizes Being as bound to fundamental substantiality, which borders at the Ab-grund, falling into nothingness. With D^gen, the unity-within-contrast of life and death is exemplified in our breathing, because it achieves the unity of body and cognition which can be called "corpus." In perfect contrast, the essential reflection for Heidegger is that of grasping the fundament of Being in the world, which represents the actualization of a Thinking-Being-Unity. The goal of this comparison is to fundamentally grasp what is the essentiality of being, life, and recognition (in Japanesejikaku f~ ~) bound to embodied cognition in our globalized world.
文摘Analysises and resrarches into Bohr’s quantum dialectics of nature of mutual complement and Heisenberg’s quantumphilosophy outlook. It gets a deeper and more systematic comgnition and comprehension to quantum theory philosophy thought.
文摘I argue in this paper that moral philosophers need to incorporate into their teaching and writing a number of empirical findings on ethical practices. Principal among these is clearer guidelines on speaking out against wrongdoing, as well as the development of codes of ethics that have been proven to work. The adoption of the critical thinking and the analytical methodology of other disciplines is also suggested. Several benefits will result. The most noticeable will be a strengthening of ethical practices and behavior in the institutions and organizations with which we live and work. A second benefit will be the education and employment of a body of people--graduates in moral philosophy--with the skills and knowledge to bring about, and further strengthen, this enhanced ethical environment. A third benefit will be the matching of the claims of philosophical thought with actual reality.
文摘The first part of the paper presents the philosophical concept of Jean Baudrillard in which the issues of death and dying constitute an essential theme. Contemporary times in which the human condition seems to be extremely difficult are presented in a somber way. Isolation from nature results in the existence filled with fear of death. Natural death is a mentally inconceivable occurrence, an embarrassing phenomenon, and therefore unworthy of being remembered. Only sudden, spectacular death creating media hype seems to be meaningful and worth paying attention to. Instant death is set in opposition to slow death which is also called postponed death. Death in the heat of work, duties, obligations, and prohibitions is the death inflicted at the request of both an employee and an employer. Work rewarded with payment is an act of temporary suspension of death. Burdened with work, people forget about the debt they have incurred from nature. A contemporary employee does not deserve death and instant death is only act of salvation, the act of free will. The second part of the paper focuses on artistic activity of Zuzanna Janin and Bogna Burska. Both artists deal with an issue of media death using different means of expression. Spinning their narratives of intimate decaying and media rage in a public space, they correspond with the Baudrillard's philosophical thought.
文摘In the 40s and the 50s of the last century existed a largely shared conviction amongst the majority of social scientists in the US regarding the explanation of the theoretical philosophical roots of National Socialism. Contrarily to European writers, who searched its philosophical origins in irrational philosophical traditions, in the US, they relied upon the perception that Hegel's Philosophy of State was the most relevant ideological basis of National Socialism. Hegel's idea for the need of a strong state, seemed to clearly support the hypothesis. Herbert Marcuse, exiled in the United States, bad to confront himself with this conviction that academic colleague shared. This theoretical hypothesis was in tune to the Zeitgeist and the political context, in which anticommunism was growing stronger by the day and where the cold war was developing. Associating Hegel and National Socialism implied, for most of the hypothesis defenders yet another vantage point: it could discredit also Marx, for the tights links between his philosophical thinking and Hegel's one. For Marcuse this hypothesis was even more problematic knowing that in Germany, national socialist philosophers had rejected Hegel from the very first day their party came to power. In this article we try to analyze Marcuse's respective philosophical argument. The point of departure of this reconstruction is the philosophical interpretation of Hegel's theory of the State. Further than the historical context, the debate on Hegel and his theory of the State, is very relevant for today's debates, dominated by neoliberal ideologies, which often are starting from similar theoretical errors than the mentioned. In both cases exists a lack of understanding of the classic bourgeois content within the concept of the State, based on the French Revolution.
文摘China is a world's ancient civilization with a long history of five thousand years; meanwhile, it is also the headstream of sports culture. Chinese sports aim at building the body and self-cultivation. The movement structures of sports are mainly the simulation of all kinds of movement of animals, which are particular about static and dynamic equilibrium, firmness, and gentleness, getting refined internally and externally. The feature of Chinese sports is the unification of form and spirit. The pattern of Chinese sports is closely related with Chinese philosophy thought, and the constructed Chinese sports culture has become the essential part of Chinese traditional philosophy. Chinese sports have integrated fitness and aesthetic appreciation into one, which is the specific expression of Chinese traditional thought. However, western sports have integrated with western philosophy thought with strong athletic tint. The characteristic of western sports has a necessary connection with the ancient Greek thought. Ancient Greeks had realized that the relationship between human and the nature was not totally dependent with contrariety, so they thought only fighting with the nature could they survive. The origins of thought of Chinese and western sports cultures decide the differences between Chinese and western sports. The harmony of China and competition of the west can be both embodied in sports. This thesis will analyze the differences between Chinese and western sports philosophy.
文摘Based on intertextuality point of view, researching and studying Dickinson's background, education, her family, as well as the society where she lived. Analyzing the Dickinson's poets and other writers' or poets' works in different contexts of classical inheritance, and philosophical thought. To break up the text of the solitary, put the text in the associative network of readers' experience, take the text as the link of the writer and the readers, and connect the inheritance, experience of the writer and the readers' reading. Use the method of intertextuality to interpret the non-meaning of the text, then to understand the significance of existence of Dickinson's works. This thesis mainly studies from the following aspects: It reveals the intertextuality of the works of Dickinson and Shakespeare, Isaac Watts and some Romantic poets from the point of classical context. By studying from the point of Transcendentalism and Existentialism, It explores the intertexutality relationship between Dickinson and Emerson, Thoreau as well as other writers. It also disserts the significance and influences of Dickinson's works through comparing and analyzing the intertextuality between Dickinson and Li Qingzhao, Xi Murong, as well as Annebaby.
文摘Chinese painting has a long history and distinctive national characteristics, self-contained in the field of world art. It is unique and become the mainstream of oriental art. Traditional Chinese painting is artistic conception as the soul, melting into poetry, books, paintings as a whole, poetic romance as the connotation, expressing feelings and thoughts. It exhibited virtual static beauty in thinking of Taoist philosophy of nature, becoming a unique Chinese aesthetic art. Artistic spirit is an important part and aesthetic standard of Chinese painting aesthetics, in the "paintings goods recorded," "Lively spirit" is defined as the highest state of painting, artistic spirit is not a very mysterious thing, it was born from the pen and ink. NO pen and ink, no artistic spirit. Pursuing vivid artistic spirit, emphasizing ink skills, giving vent to feelings of oneself for its purpose, Chinese painting has generated a large number of outstanding works of art in thousands of years, constructed a unique cultural spirit, shaped the nation ' s aesthetic temperament and character.
文摘Condemned by Mencius (ca.372-289 BCE) as selfishness (weiwo, 为我), Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy in China is traditionally depicted as a philosophy of egoism and hedonism. In contrast, Yang Zhu (fl.ca.370-350 BCE) is described as an "early liberal or individualist" hero in the Western Discussion of Chinese Philosophy. Yang Zhu may not be a liberal or individualist hero as portrayed by the West, but surely he should not be depicted as a promoter of egoism as Mencius did. Both John Emerson and A.C. Graham are probably right when they claimed that Yang Zhu was a revolutionary thinker of his own time; and "Yang Zhu's intervention for the Chinese thinking world had provoked a metaphysical crisis which had threatened the basic assumptions of Confucianism and Mohism and set them into a new course" (A.C. Graham 1978). From my reading, Yang Zhu's influence on Chinese philosophy had been and will be even greater, although his philosophy as a whole was not practiced by Chinese society in the past due to the dominance of Confucianism. Yet as the first person who clearly emphasized nourishing of life for individuals and the first theory that rooted morality into xing (性, human nature), Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy had indeed through history made a huge contribution to Chinese nurturing life tradition, and had great potential in providing inspiration to modern moral thinking. Many discussions initiated or developed by Yang Zhu and his followers have influenced both Confucianism and Daoism profoundly. His idea of nourishing life was not only inherited and developed by Zhuangzi and later Daoist religion from life preservation perspective, but also by Mencius and Xunzi from moral cultivation perspective. As a doctrine that has shown more and more relevance to modern society, people can find many inspirations from Yang Zhu's answer to the following questions: What is the aim of human life? What is the right attitude toward life and death? What is human nature? What is the relationship between life nourishment and individual freedom? Why nourishing one's own life should be as important as nourishing that of others? What is the difference between humans and animals? Why living a natural life is so important for human beings? Based on materials collected from various Chinese sources directly related to Yang Zhu's school, especially the chapter entitled as "Yang Zhu" from the book of Liezi, this paper will explore essential features of Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy and its relevance to modern society. As "guiji" (贵已, cherishing oneself) is the core of Yang Zhu's yangsheng philosophy, discussion of this paper will focus on what Yang Zhu's "guiji" means, why Yang Zhu's "guiji" is not "weiwo" (为我, for oneself), and how Yang Zhu's "guiji" yangsheng is relevant to modern society.
文摘Fukuyama's thesis about "the end of history" is controversial. History is not an ideology. History cannot be ended, if by history we mean the past, which we remember and interpret for the purpose of orientating ourselves in the present and the future. Fukuyama has a right to declare the victory of liberal democracy, but other political ideologies have not become extinct. If we look at the thesis of the "end of history" from a scientific point of view, then we can conclude that such a thing is impossible: for after the "end of history", history continues. Therefore, there is no real end to history. It is continuing a quarter of a century after the Fukyama's thesis was published. Even if we can accept the thesis of the end of history as an ideology, we still cannot accept the end of philosophy. Phenomenology, Critical Realism, Existentialist Philosophy Hermeneutics, Structuralism, etc. are just some of the evidence that contemporary philosophy continues to exist and evolve despite the rising and falling of various ideologies in the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century. This can also be said about art, culture, and history as a science
文摘In my paper, I analyse Hume's philosophy of love with the general philosophical idea of a continual flux in the background. My main source is his Treatise of Human Nature published in 1739 where Hume develops in full length his purely naturalistic moral theory. First, I recall some basic features of Hume's general concept of a passion. Afterwards, I characterize his concept of love in context of his "principle" of sympathy in order to connect finally Hume's ideas to a basic distinction within traditional philosophy of love between love of benevolence and love of desire.
文摘Critics have noticed the Daoist gist of the 1872 Chinese version of "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. The present study discovers that Irving's tale itself is wealthy with deist and Daoist messages. From three aspects, including Irving's access to deism and Daoism, deist and Daoist ideas exemplified through a contrast between nature and humans, and deist and Daoist ways of thinking embodied in the hero, this paper demonstrates how the philosophical ideas are redefined through the text and the hero to function as ways of examining the new nation and articulating the self.