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。

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.

Everything Is Timelessly Connected: Metaphysics, Physics, Consciousness, Spacetime Travel, DNA, and the Dry Bones Prophesy (Ezekiel Ch. 37)

This paper provides a perception that all things are connected. Starting with the perception of Metaphysics and how matter exists out of total void, complementary matter, or dark matter, the incompleteness of Einstein relativistic theory. Multi spacetime universes and the jump drive for jumping within and between spacetime universes. Warp drive for space travel. DNA as sequence of momentary frequencies and how it related to Ezekiel’s dry bones prophecy. The outcome of neural patterns as cords of consciousness, consciousness as the collection of all cords of consciousness and the lack of uniqueness of individual consciousness. Finally, all things are cords of consciousness.

Pursuing the Good, Ethics and Metaphysics in Plato's Republic

‘Pursuing the good’ is an old subject in both social history of ancient Greece and Greek philosophy studies. There is hardly anything new when we talk about virtue or morality in the time of Plato and Aristotle. In the area of Greek history, many books and articles on or relevant to

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.

Three Reversals in the Development of Metaphysics： Reflections on Heidegger＇s Theory of Metaphysics

So far, three reversals have occurred in the history of Western metaphysics. The first was the reversal from the ＂metaphysics of presence＂ represented by Platonism to the ＂metaphysics of subjectivity＂ represented by Descartes, Kant and Hegel. The second occurred within the framework of the metaphysics of subjectivity and marked the transformation from the ＂metaphysics of reason＂ represented by Descartes, Kant and Hegel to the ＂metaphysics of will＂ represented by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. The third reversal was from the ＂metaphysics of being-there＂ of the earlier phase of Hcidegger＇s philosophy to his later ＂metaphysics of the world-fourfold.＂

Dialectics： Hegel, Marx and post-metaphysics

In the history of philosophical development, Hegel fulfilled the ＂convergence＂ of dialectics and metaphysics and blazed a dialectical philosophical path that transcended metaphysics 1hrough his critique of abstract reason. Via critiques of both abstract reason and abstract being （capital）, Marx managed to ＂end＂ metaphysics with dialectics, and initiated dialectics＇ ＂ruthless criticism of everything existing.＂ To ＂clarify＂ the dialectics of Hegel and Marx in a ＂post-metaphysical＂ vision and construct a theory of dialectics of modem human praxis, it is necessary to deepen criticism of＂the metaphysical horror＂ and the exploration of truth-law-objectivity, and adhere to ＂anti-metaphysical＂ ＂metaphysical pursuit.＂

Why Talk about Chinese Metaphysics？

Chinese philosophy in the twentieth century has often been related to some sort of cultural or other particularism or some sort of philosophical universalism. By and large, these still seem to be the terms along which academic debates are carried out. The tension is particularly manifest in notions such as ＂Chinese philosophy＂ ＂Daoist cosmology,＂ ＂Neo-Confucian idealism,＂ or ＂Chinese metaphysics.＂ For some, ＂Chinese metaphysics＂ may be a blatant contradictio in adiecto, while others may find it a most ordinary topic to be discussed at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In this article, I set out to examine two major discourses in which talk about ＂metaphysics＂ is frequent and popular and to which talk of ＂Chinese metaphysics＂ may wish to contribute： the history of philosophy and analytic philosophy. My contention is that it is usually far from obvious what reasons are behind putting ＂Chinese metaphysics＂ on the academic agenda and to what precise purpose this is done. What my discussion seeks to highlight is the as yet often largely unarticulated dimension of the politics of comparative philosophy--of which talk about ＂Chinese metaphysics＂ may but need not be an example.

Husserl's Legacy:Phenomenology,Metaphysics and Transcendental Philosophy

With a dozen influential publications,Professor Dan Zahavi has established himself as a world-leading interpreter of Husserl and a pioneering scholar working at the intersection between phenomenological philosophy and empirical research such as cognitive sciences,altruistic study,and nursing study.On the one hand,with the book Husserl and Transcendental Intersubjectivity(2001),Zahavi provides an in-depth interpretation of Husserfs theory of intersubjectivity and defends his transcendental approach against the widespread Schutzian critique that takes his theory to be an unfortunate philosophical failure.

Solitary Osteogenic Exostosis of the Femur Revealed by Recurring Acute Distal Thigh Pain: About a Case

Introduction: Solitary exostoses are the most common benign tumors of the fertile metaphyses of the long bones of children. Their radiological diagnosis of metaphyseal bone growth must be confirmed on pathological examination. These tumors can remain asymptomatic for a long time and reveal themselves during a particularly vascular complication. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of these tumors. Patient and Observation: We report the case of a 15-year-old adolescent girl, with no particular pathological history, received in the pediatric surgery department of the Donka National Hospital (HND) of the Conakry University Hospital for recurrent acute painful swelling of the lower third of the left thigh in an afebrile context accompanied by lameness and stopping school for a few days (2 - 3 days). The symptoms appear to have evolved over the past 3 years and after physical activities. It regresses with rest, analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The notion of trauma and sickle cell disease was not reported in the patient's clinical history. It is the persistence of the symptomatology which motivates the said consultation. On palpation, a small hard mass is noted at the expense of the internal metaphysis of the left distal femur. Deep palpation of this area causes a tingling sensation and during rapid mobilization of the knee. The remainder of the orthopedic examination was unremarkable. Standard x-ray of the femur shows a bony growth with a pointed tip from the distal metaphysis of the left femur. On surgical exploration, we noted a wedge-shaped exostosis oriented towards the vastus medialis muscle. Histological examination of the surgical specimen confirms osteogenic exostosis. There is no recurrence after 2 years. Conclusion: The distal femoral metaphysis is the most common location of solitary osteochondromas in children. Their definitive diagnosis requires the histology of the surgical specimen. Only symptomatic exostoses should be operated on in children.

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.

Ontology and Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy

This paper begins with a critique of the uses of the term ＂bentilun 本体论 （ontology）＂ in modem Chinese scholarship by tracing their claim to being theoretical paradigms for understanding Chinese philosophy as a philosophical tradition. It is supplemented by a contrastive discussion of bentilun and its original ancient Greek counterpart, i.e. ontology, to show that the object of discourse in bentilun does not match up with that of ontology, namely ＂being qua being.＂ This comparative study also demonstrates that bentilun finds its philosophical significance in connection with the theory of xinxing 心性 （heart-mind）. In the second section of this paper, a comparative study of ＂xingershangxue 形而上学 （metaphysics）＂ and ＂metaphysics＂ highlights the central tenet that the dao essentially transcends language. Daoist philosophy is used as an example that identifies a unique predilection toward philosophical concepts that transcend the realm of nameable thoughts and objects in Chinese philosophy. Textual evidence is provided to show that the conceptual possibility of xingershangxue is based upon a fundamental difference between you 有（being） and wu 无 （not-being）, in a way that is similar to philosophical developments in other early civilizations. Nonetheless, in addition to a philosophical interest in principles and values that transcend the material world, Daoist xingershangxue exhibits an idiosyncratic attention to notions and theories whose object of discourse is essentially unnameable. This characteristic philosophical interest is identified with the aim of locating essential disciplines within Chinese philosophy, including the theory of xinxing, practical wisdom, and the theory of jingjie 境界 （state-of-attainment） in a wider framework of east and west philosophical traditions.

The Wiseman and the Sage： Metaphysics as Wisdom in Aristotle and the Neo-Confucian School of Pdnciple

Among scholars of classical philosophy in the West, it is not uncommon to hesitate about the existence of metaphysics in non-Western philosophical traditions. At times, the dilemma seems due to culture-specific ideas or standards about what metaphysics is or how it should be done. Other times the problem seems to lie in a general lack of awareness about the methods and approaches of divergent philosophical traditions. This article explores an often ignored Aristotelian notion of metaphysics： That it is wisdom. If we acknowledge wisdom to be a common value or ideal found in different cultures, then characterizing metaphysics as wisdom promises to be more inclusive than prevalent ideas about it, being broad enough to allow for the appreciation of metaphysical insights and achievements in non-Western schools. I first examine Aristotle＇s account of what wisdom consists of. I shall then test the inclusivity of this conception of metaphysics by showing how its characteristic features are manifest in the Neo-Confucian ideal of sagely learning.

Structuring Reality: The Metaphysics of Harmony in Zhang Zai's Zhengmeng Philosophical System

The essay aims to analyze the concept and the paradigm of harmony in the metaphysical system of the Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhang Zai.It argues that Zhang Zai's concept of Great Harmony not only inherits the traditional centrality of this idea within the Confucian tradition,but actually presents the most advanced idea of harmony up to his time.In Zhang Zai's philosophy,harmony becomes the Way itself,which includes the realm of principles and the outward and functional manifestations of reality.This essay will deal with harmony in two ways: first with Zhang Zai's direct use of the concept in the Zhengmeng and second,applying the paradigm of harmony to other of Zhang Zai's key concepts such as qi氣,void (xu虛)and natural dispositions (xing 性).

The Principle of Production and a Critique of Metaphysics： From the Perspective of Theory of Baudrillard

In this article, I discuss Baudrillard＇s critique of metaphysics based on his work The Mirror of Production, in which he stresses the principle of production--i.e., dichotomy and derivation. In the development of classical German philosophy, the principle of production was speculatively established, first as Descartes＇ cogito, then as Fichte＇s Tathandlung, and finally as Hegel＇s labor, and grew to be a major principle of modem metaphysics. At the article＇s conclusion, the meaning of Symbolic Exchange--Baudrillard＇s utopian condition lying beyond the principle of production--will be discussed.

Pure Materials Contracts and Dependencies

The discourse on spirit versus materials delves into the exploration of human nature and the comprehension of human existence,particularly in the realms of free will,consciousness,and the search for meaning.Materialists assert that consciousness is a product of physical processes.Kant argues that consciousness actively constructs our reality,challenging materialist reductionism;Chalmers points out the hard problem of consciousness,highlighting the inadequacy of physical explanations for subjective experience.This paper continues the panpsychism,suggests that materials possess an attribute of“weak consciousness”,implying a fundamental consciousness inherent in materials that interact with human consciousness,the idea that the meaning of human existence can be based on another kind of dependency relationship;Feuerbach advocates for a materialistic view that prioritizes human physical existence,questioned the empirical validity of spiritual origins.