Information Management: Knowledge, Emancipation, and Metaphysics in the 21st Century

This text is trying to discuss an approximation to the concept of human emancipation,as part of our well-being,in terms of Education and Knowledge.Without abandoning our metaphysical perception of wholeness,as an extension of the continuity principle which connects our conscious and unconscious world,emancipation is considered as a personal struggle against all oppressions.Some of these are grounded in our inner world.In accordance with the Enlightenment request,reasoning and knowledge can help us to structure new forms of acceptances which are shaping our own emancipatory meaning.Under the impact of social influence and personal interpretation,the perceived knowledge is considered as a mental tool containing an upgraded valid information.Taking under consideration that this validity is not able to overcome the metaphysical origins of human thought,it is suggested that when this mental tool is functioning in a self-transformative,self-constructed,and flexible form,human intelligence is structuring a compatible information management mechanism,which can enable us to formulate our personal acceptances,bridge our empirical and hyper-empirical inner world,and enlighten our request for self-criticism,self-determination,and above all emancipation.

Metaethics(后伦理学)与Metaphysics(后物理学)——粗议中西哲学之异同及中国有无哲学的问题

与西哲以metaphysics为核心相对应 ,中哲以metaethics为核心。在西哲中 ,metaphysics不仅为西方的物理学、自然科学 ,而且也为其伦理学提供哲学基础。在中哲中 ,metaethics不仅为中国的伦理道德作出了哲学的论证 ,而且使中国大哲在探讨物理问题时也染上浓重的伦理学色彩。由此也决定了西哲认识论是物理型的 ,中哲认识论是伦理型的。两者之差异在于 ,西哲认识世界是为了改造世界征服世界 ,中哲认识世界是为了改造自己征服自己。这进一步使中西哲学各有一套独特的方法论 :与西哲的逻辑学和方法论相应 ,中哲的方法论即功夫论。中西哲学尽管类型不同 ,但都是关于人生智慧的学问 ,因此都是哲学。

Metaphysics与形而上学

我们对metaphysics的理解已经远远背离了其"后物理学""元物理学"的本义,在今天,"形而上学"完全被异化为一个极具政治色彩的词语;但是作为一种哲学思维品质,metaphysics恰恰是中国人所缺乏的。在中国,这种缺乏导致了一种哲学元素的缺失,直接影响到了整个社会的文化心理。我们对metaphysics的正确理解,已经日益成为一个非常重要的问题。

How Is the Kantian or Confucian Metaphysics Applicable to Human Dignity--Response to WangXiaowei

Using the opportunity of responding to Wang’s critiques,this short article clarifies a number of important points related to the topic of human dignity.It argues that,only in moving beyond his a priori reasoning by assuming humans to be rational agents can the Kantian theory of dignity be applied to actual humans;only in taking our moral potential as a recommended way of human self-identification can the is-ought dichotomy be resolved;only in respecting human dignity can punishment be justified;and only from its function in shaping our visions and attitudes can a teleological metaphysics be helpful.

Signs of the Concept of Chaos in Kant’s Thinking and Its Relationship with Jorge Luis Borges’Thinking

The concept of chaos is present in man from the origins of mankind.Philosophy is alien to this concept and proceeds to speculate about its reality.Both Kant and Borges were not indifferent to this speculation and in their works,we can find“the effort to explain or to approach”the concept of chaos.Our first aim is to demonstrate in Kant’s The Critique of Judgement,and more precisely in The Analytic of the Sublime,what Kant understands as“chaos.”Our second aim is to establish a relationship between Kant and Borges in some of Borges’tales.Finally,we aim at establishing whether this“language of chaos”can refer to a sort of communication which exceeds logic language,i.e.,a sort of“mute logos.”

Why Hollywood Hates Business： Immanuel Kant＇s Role in Avatar.＂ Movie Reviewed by Adam Smith

One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less technologically sophisticated race in order to exploit their natural resources. Driving the assault is a mining company hell-bent on improving its bottom line. The villain of Avatar is not a person, but those people who seek profit. To put it starkly, business is evil. But why has the entertainment business cast business as a heavy？ Hollywood has now made Immanuel Kant as the director of moral sentiment. Not, of course, directly, but rather the ghostwriter of Hollywood＇s ideas about morality. The works of Kant are not discussed or debated in the public arena, but their principles have influenced the way people think about what is just and good. The ideas of Kant have filtered into the contemporary discourse and are one of the key ingredients in the national dialogue over what it means to be moral. The categorical imperative holds that an action is moral only if it is free from calculation of reward or gain. To be truly, moral people must abandon all practical considerations of need or desire; they must be directed by pure good will alone. Business people can never measure up to Kant＇s standard. They always make choices based on cost and benefit. Their businesses would quickly go bankrupt, if they made decisions on good will rather than interest. Kant＇s principles have raised the moral standard so high that even the common inclination to seek one＇s own benefit is looked on with some mistrust. In Kantian-influenced movies, business people have come to play the evil antagonist; they seek gain instead of the good. How would Adam Smith, the father of economic rationality, respond to popularized Kantian morality？

Contradictory Freedoms？ Kant on Moral Agency and Political Rights

This essay examines the degree to which Kant＇s understanding of external freedom and right are consistent with and can form a part of his moral philosophy. In doing so, this essay begins by looking at the foundation and possibility of moral experience as it is presented in the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. This essay then turns to explore Kant＇s understanding of external freedom and right as set out in The Metaphysics of Morals and examines the apparent inconsistencies that exist between these concepts and Kant＇s explication of moral worth. After pointing out the distinction between right and morality, this essay goes on to argue that, strictly speaking, Kant＇s conception of external freedom and right cannot form part of his moral philosophy （as so defined in the Groundwork）. Finally, this essay concludes by arguing that although right and morality are irreconcilable, Kant＇s account of external freedom and right can nevertheless serve as part of his ＂moral＂ philosophy insofar as these concepts represent Kant＇s attempt to externalize the moral law, or simply expand the definition of morality to cover any action that accords with the right.

Bodies, Persons, and Respect for Humanity： A Kantian Look at the Permissibility of Organ Commerce and Donation

Can choosing to sale one＇s kidney be morally permissible？ ＂No＂, Kant would answer. Humanity, whether in one＇s own person or that of any other, must never be treated merely as a means, but always at the same time as an end, is Kant＇s instruction （Groundwork 4：429）. He thought that organ sale violates this imperative. Lectures on Ethics （27：346） shows that ＂... a man is not entitled to sell his limbs for money If a man does that, he turns himself into a thing, and then anyone may treat him as they please, because he has thrown his person away....＂ This paper explains Kant＇s reasons against commerce in organs, drawing on his views on prostitution, and the moral impermissibility of sexual use within this context, a case which he himself compares to the selling of one＇s body part（s）. Can choosing to donate one＇s kidney be morally permissible？ If we take Kant＇s views at face value, it would follow that organ donation is on a par with morality only if it takes place in a context where people have gained rights over each other＇s persons （for example, in a marital context）. In this context, however, a person has a right to her partner＇s kidney should she happen to need it, which can open the path to bodily violation. Moreover, this view severely restricts the permissibility of organ donation. In this paper, I argue that a closer examination of Kant＇s views on what is involved in the idea of respecting humanity could reveal that organ donation does not violate the categorical imperative. In fact, it could be said to follow from such an imperative that we actually have a duty to organ donation.

The False Promise of Kant＇s Humanity Formula

Kant＇s Humanity Formula of the Categorical Imperative is arguably its most widely preferred formulation, having been defended as a moral principle and employed in the evaluation of particular moral problems by a number of leading contemporary ethicists. For them and many other readers of Kant, the idea that we are not to treat persons as mere means to our own ends but are rather to respect their rational agency as intrinsically valuable holds great promise for qualifying as, in Kant＇s words, ＂the supreme principle of morality.＂ In the present paper I argue that the Humanity Formula cannot deliver on this promise. After setting forth three conditions of adequacy for any genuine supreme principle of morality, I argue that the Humanity Formula, on three textually grounded interpretations each of which has been advocated by a prominent Kantian ethicist, does not satisfy these conditions. Whichever of these textually grounded interpretations is taken, the Humanity Formula is open to compelling counterexamples.

Kant＇s Copernican Revolution

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.

Extended Moral Responsibility for Kantian Agents

When two Kantian agents engage in inter-dependent transactions with one another, each agent has the responsibility to assure the morality of the other＇s maxim of action and means to implement the maxim. This proposition is proven to be a logical consequence of Kant＇s moral system and stated formally as the K-Completeness theorem. Transactions that satisfy the theorem are called ＂K-Complete.＂ The theorem is generalized to cover transactions with many agents. The paper then models multi-agent K-Complete transactions using mathematical graph theory and shows that such transactions are distinguished from Kant＇s kingdom of ends. Finally, the paper shows that the extended morality provides Kant＇s moral system with the resources to define an ethical community in such as the one in Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason without the introduction of God and a church.

Kantian Cosmopolitan Ideal in Disciplining the World Literature： Cosmopolitanism in Hong Kong Poetry in the Early 1990s

This article looks at how cosmopolitanism--the notion of universality within a diversity of multi-cultures---has been shaping the discipline of world literature. The article encompasses chiefly three parts. The first part offers an overview of the debates on the discipline widely discussed by literary scholars such as Franco Moretti, David Damrosch and Emily Apter. I take issue with the harmonic co-existence of both local and global elements---and what I define as ＂glocality＂---in literatures to exhibit the inevitable trend of the trans-cultural, supranational and cross-historical interactions among multiple centres and/or various cities especially in the twenty-first century. I thereby argue in the second part using Leung Ping Kwan （1949-2013）＇s ＂Images of Hong Kong＂ （1992） and Louise Ho＇s two poetry pieces written in 1994 to prove how Kantian Cosmopolitan elements have deeply embedded in the poem written in a city where the West frequently interacts with the East. I conclude by stepping in further to argue that only through tolerating and mediating between the region and the globe can world literature as a discipline find its way out without fear for marginalising any of the literary pieces.

Schmitt, Kant, and the Theory of International Relations： Reflecting the Problems of Just War, Unipolarism, and Political Realism

Concerning international relations theory, the work of Immanuel Kant was hitherto reflected in terms of the liberal paradigm, particularly of the democratic peace, whereas Carl Schmitt was predominantly associated with the assumptions of political realism or--at least for a short period Nazi imperialism. However, these differences seem to have taken a back seat since both thinkers have been adopted to legitimate the convictions of imperial liberalism. In contrast, this article will show that Schmitt and Kant have essentially more in common than generally assumed but do precisely argue against just war theory, humanitarian interventions, and a unipolar world. On the other hand, Kant＇s liberal and Schmitt＇s illiberal theory do not apply to the classical paradigms of intemational relations. Instead, Schmitt＇s Political Theology and Kant＇s Political Philosophy will be compared along with the antagonistic logic （and ethics） of political existentialism and a peaceful interdependence between states and nations. Considering the contemporary crisis of world order, it should be even plausible that the two dominating paradigms of future international relations might be formed by Kantian and Schmittian premises. Thus, the aim of this paper is not to match Kant and Schmitt once again with the usual approaches in international relations theory but to stretch its theoretical and conceptual spectrum by extracting the inventive contribution both thinkers made to important topics of IR.

The Mythical Foundation of Logic and Its Impact on Metaphysics of Exclusion

Exclusion is the very foundation of western metaphysics.Metaphysics as science of being qua being is founded upon concept of exclusion.Thus,to be is to be an excluding and excluded.Thus,being is a mutual exclusionary relationship between two opposites.Accordingly,exclusion is the most fundamental principle upon which the western metaphysical and logical system is based.Such exclusion can be traced to the very beginning of a Greek civilization,namely,the Greek creation myth.The author argues in this paper that the dominated western exclusionary culture has led to major conflicts.Currently it comes to an end as representing a major universal crisis at many levels.Additionally,Islamic and Christian cultures do not represent a profound alternative to western culture as they have been reshaped by western intellect.The Buddhist logic,which is founded upon totally different metaphysics,can represent a profound alternative to western exclusionary culture.

Anselm＇s Metaphysics in the Lineage of Parmenides： Nihil est per nihil

Among those who pay homage to Parmenides as a source of unquenchable inspiration for Western thought, we now revisit the Poem Of Nature as the birthplace of the principle of causality through the elimination of non-being at the origin of being. Indeed in Parmenides＇ Poem, a negative conviction can be found--the refusal that the non-being is at the origin of the being--which leads most philosophers to the affirmative conviction that something is at the origin of the being. The two convictions are two rational beliefs which have stimulated ancient Greek philosophy, and have continuously represented a structuring axis in the history of Western thought. With Aristotle, that affirmative conviction was converted into a principle of causality, that is, into a principle which requires a causal explanation for the intelligibility of reality. In Latin Middle Ages, we find a singular figure who promotes the synthesis of the two fundamental beliefs, the negative conviction, explicit in Parmenides, and the affirmative conviction, explicit in Aristotle： It is Saint Anselm. In an initial chapter （III） of his first work, the Monologion, Anselm declares that ＂nothing is by nothing＂ （nihil est per nihil）, and that consequently ＂all that is, is not but by something＂ （quidquid est, non nisi per aliquid est）. All of Anselm＇s metaphysics is an analysis and a development of this affirmative rational belief. Therefore, we claim Parmenides＇ paternity of Saint Anselm＇s metaphysics, of whom one may say he was the medieval Parmenides.

Kant, Fichte, and the Act of the I

Fichte＇s various articulations of the Wissenschaftslehre （＂theory of scientific knowledge＂） are self-conscious attempts to systematize Kant＇s critical philosophy. Fichte＇s notion of the pure I （ieh） serves as the theoretical starting-point for his exposition of transcendental idealism, and in many ways this concept is analogous to Kant＇s notion of the transcendental unity of apperception explained in the Critique of Pure Reason. This paper argues that although Fichte and Kant agree on （1） the active nature of the pure I, （2） the distinction between pure and empirical apperception, and （3） skepticism concerning the possibility of theoretical knowledge of any positive （i.e., noumenal） content of the pure I, their respective notions of pure apperception differ in that Kant affirms the conceptual priority of the pure I to its objects while Fichte denies the same. Fichte＇s departure from Kant on this point foreshadows many later recognition theories of consciousness, e.g., those of Hegel and Marx.

A Comparative Study of Kant’s and Hegel’s Aesthetics of Landscape Architecture

Both Kant and Hegel showed their attention to landscape architecture art in their aesthetic works,their aesthetic ideas were different but also related.This paper sorted out and interpreted the landscape architecture aesthetics of Kant and Hegel based on relevant aesthetic literature,analyzed the differences between them according to the historical background of landscape architecture development and their philosophic concepts,then summarized the historical causes for the development of their landscape architecture aesthetics.

Tess' s Losing of Virginity in Kant's Eyes

Tess is a pure girl in Hardy's eyes, as it shows in the book's subtitle. She is sinned in Victorian's time, however, she is still pure in Kant's eyes.Key words: Tesss purity;

A Case Against the Linguistic Approach to Metaphysics Zeno Vendler's Project and Beyond

There are two approaches to metaphysics that concern language,the logical and the linguistic. Zeno Vendler,who took the linguistic one,distinguished with transformational techniques between two semantic categories,namely fact and event,and regarded them as corresponding respectively to a metaphysical category of beings. In doing this he presupposed that independent semantic categories could be sorted out,and corresponding categories of beings that are independent of language can be derived. But our analysis of Vendler's case shows that it is not semantic categories but grammar that functions in differentiating event and fact. At least some semantic categories could not be separated from grammar,and this casts doubt on the linguistic approach to metaphysics. If semantic categories are not independent of grammar,we could not derive metaphysics from linguistic study.