scholarly journals Homo Philosophicus: Reflections on the Nature and Function of Philosophical Thought

Philosophies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Said Mikki

The philosopher is a fundamental mode of existence of the human being, yet it is experienced only by a minority, an elite. Those constitute, among themselves, a subspecies of Homo sapiens that is sometimes dubbed Homo philosophicus. Our goal here is to investigate, in depth, the philosophical foundations of this ontological-anthropological concept. We analyze the concept of the philosopher into three basic components: the thinker, the artist, and the mathematician, arguing that the three fundamentally participate in maintaining the operation of the philosopher machine. The following text can be considered a contribution to metaphilosophy, written as a structured opinion piece, encompassing a series of reflections drawn from the writer’s own experience as a philosopher. The mode of the presentation is a mixture of personal and experimental writing styles, intentionally avoiding the rigid form of overtly analytical and argumentative discussions. Although numerous philosophers will be discussed below, four key figures, Nietzsche, Russell, Heidegger, and Guattari, occupy a special position in our overall opinionated view on the nature of philosophy.

1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-258
Author(s):  
Donald VanDeVeer

In a recent trial in the United States a physician was convicted of manslaughter during the performance of a hysterotomy on a woman pregnant from twenty to twenty eight weeks. Some members of the jury, in their deliberations, were much impressed by seeing a photograph of a fetus of about the same age. The experience apparently provided some jurors with reason to conclude that the fetus which did die during or immediately after the hysterotomy was a human being or a person or, at least, was so like a child that the killing of it was prohibited by the law of homicide. If being a human being is not the same as being a pre-natal progeny of homo sapiens, it is difficult to understand how one could “tell by looking” whether the fetus is a human being. But the sight of a fetus of twenty weeks or longer does, I think, tempt us to think that from a moral standpoint we ought to extend the same treatment to such fetuses, or virtually the same, as we extend to newborn babies and young children. The visual similarities between middle or late stage fetuses and newborn babies is striking.


1966 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Khare

Indian philosophical thought has always attempted to deal with opposite or binary values. However, when faced with contradictions, social scientists try to analyze the form, meaning and function of opposed values in real social situations. The problem of opposed values becomes difficult and anomalous when the culture, at different levels, not only permits oppositions, but simultaneously sanctions them. The data on meat-eating among the Kanya-Kubja brahmans of Katyayan gotra (primarily an exogamous group composed of several lineages) present this type of problem to the social anthropologist.


Adeptus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmara Wasilewska

Paradoxes in Jīva Gosvāmi’s concept of the soul, path to perfection and liberationThis article is devoted to the role and significance of paradoxes in the philosophical thought and mysticism of the sixteenth-century Bengali Vaishnava theologian Jīva Gosvāmi. He situates his system within the Vedanta school, where the main category distinguishing its branches and deciding on their specific character is the relation between the Absolute, the phenomenal world and the human being. In Gosvāmi’s school, this relation involves identity and distinctness (bhedābheda) of those categories at the same time, referred to by the word acintya (“inaccessible to reason”), which further stresses this ontological paradox. Although doctrinally the most important, it is not the only paradox in Gosvami’s thought. Adopting this core metaphysical thesis engendered many other aporias, including those concerning the nature of the soul, the concept of bhakti (loving devotion to a deity) and the idea of liberation (mukti), which Goswami then attempts to solve in his most important philosophical treatise – Ṣaṭsandarbha. Paradoksy w Dźiwy Goswamina koncepcji duszy, drogi do doskonałości oraz wyzwoleniaPrzedmiotem artykułu jest rola i znaczenie paradoksów w myśli filozoficznej i mistyce teologa wisznuizmu bengalskiego – Dźiwy Goswamina (XVI w.). Sytuuje on swój system w obrębie szkoły wedanty, w której główną kategorią odróżniającą jej nurty i decydującą o ich specyfice jest relacja pomiędzy absolutem a światem zjawiskowym i człowiekiem. U Goswamina będzie to relacja jednoczesnej tożsamości i odrębności (bhedābheda) powyższych kategorii, dookreślona słowem acintya – „niedostępna rozumowi” – co dodatkowo uwydatnia ten ontologiczny paradoks. Chociaż doktrynalnie najistotniejszy, nie jest to jednak jedyny paradoks w myśli Goswamina. Poprzez przyjęcie tej nadrzędnej tezy metafizycznej powstało bowiem wiele innych aporii, między innymi dotyczących natury duszy, problemu wcielenia, a także koncepcji bhakti (nabożnego oddania dla bóstwa) oraz wyzwolenia (mukti), które następnie Goswamin stara się rozwiązać w swoim najważniejszym traktacie filozoficznym – Szatsandarbhsze.


Philosophy ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 48 (184) ◽  
pp. 183-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Moulder

Strawson's discussion of the concept of a person does seem to allow for the possibility of there being immaterial persons. Nevertheless his insistence that the concept of a person is the concept of a type of entity such that both predicates ascribing states of consciousness and predicates ascribing corporeal characteristics … are equally applicable to a single individual of that single type suggests that he is conflating the concept of a human being, in the technical sense of homo sapiens, and the concept of a person.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Anamika ◽  
K. R. Abhinandan ◽  
K. Deshmukh ◽  
N. Srinivasan

Protein Kinase-Like Non-kinases (PKLNKs), which are closely related to protein kinases, lack the crucial catalytic aspartate in the catalytic loop, and hence cannot function as protein kinase, have been analysed. Using various sensitive sequence analysis methods, we have recognized 82 PKLNKs from four higher eukaryotic organisms, namely,Homo sapiens,Mus musculus,Rattus norvegicus, andDrosophila melanogaster. On the basis of their domain combination and function, PKLNKs have been classified mainly into four categories: (1) Ligand binding PKLNKs, (2) PKLNKs with extracellular protein-protein interaction domain, (3) PKLNKs involved in dimerization, and (4) PKLNKs with cytoplasmic protein-protein interaction module. While members of the first two classes of PKLNKs have transmembrane domain tethered to the PKLNK domain, members of the other two classes of PKLNKs are cytoplasmic in nature. The current classification scheme hopes to provide a convenient framework to classify the PKLNKs from other eukaryotes which would be helpful in deciphering their roles in cellular processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
А. Y. Kravets

The main aim of the article is the conceptualization of the categorical apparatus of biopolitics. The focus is on biocentrism as one of the main categories of modern biopolitical discourse. It is stated that biopolitics today offers a variety of research directions and a specific categorical apparatus, while fluctuations in the interpretations of the main terms and categories should be noted. The main terms are considered: «biopolitics», «political man», biopower and biocentrism. The definition of the above terms in the biopolitics is systematized and proposed author’s definitions. «Homo Politicus» as a phenomenon was a complicated and problematic subject of scientific conceptualization. Proposed particulars of the biopolitical view on «Homo Politicus»: «Homo Politicus» is genetically related with another biological species and this definitely has influence to his behaviour in social and political sphere. For instance, any human being as any social primates has genetic inclination to adaptation, domination, subjugation. In case with «Homo Sapiens» this has a form of genetic and social adaptation, political domination and subjugation. The inclination to the domination from one side to the subjugation to another side is genetically «imprinted» in to the nature of the «Homo Politicus». However it is important to be mentioned that nevertheless the «Homo Sapiens» shares inclination of social primates for hierarchical social organization, at the same time he developed capabilities which are unique in animal world, such as: language, culture and morale. Thus, ideas and values created by the human being commenced changing of his behavior in social and political sphere. Author’s definitions: «Political man» as an individual with innate properties of the brain and the psyche that affects his social and political behavior can be adjusted in the process of socialization and education and change in accordance with the challenges of the twenty-first century. Biopolitics as a new evolutionary paradigm of contemporary political science that explores the «political man» as a biological species with an emphasis on psycho-physiological mechanisms of political behavior and their influence on the political process. Biopower as a new model of power relations, enshrined at the legislative level, designed to protect life in all its forms and manifestations. Biocentrism is aimed at protecting life in all spheres, understanding that a person is only part of the overall biodiversity, and therefore has no right to destroy the biosphere guided by economic benefits.


Author(s):  
Mykola Nesprava ◽  
Mykhailo Rizak ◽  
Vladlen Volkov ◽  
Oksana Voluiko ◽  
Yevhenii Skrypa

The objective of the article is to reveal the main foundations of human creation enshrined in Christian doctrine, which serve as axiological guidelines for the elaboration of laws, providing a humanistic content of the law. The research methodology is based on dialectical, formal-dogmatic, sociological, comparative-legal and documentary methods. The results of the study demonstrate that theocentrism and anthropocentrism are not opposed to each other in Christianity, but rather are combined into an integrated theological and anthropological picture of a man. Considering this prism of legal consciousness as a reflection of the supreme law of God, the authors refute the secular-positivist view of "homo juridicus" as a soulless subject of law and emphasize the role of the Gospel commandments as a guide. for the elaboration of laws. It is concluded that the Christian vision of the synergistic interaction of the human being and the legislator through the unity of three incarnations: "homo spiritus" - "homo sapiens" - "homo juridicus" indicates the values, which are designed to ensure humanization of the law through the humanization of social relations in general.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 90-97
Author(s):  
Liliya Tishko ◽  
Diana Shchepova

The article examines the features and significance of philosophical thinking, understanding its content. The focusing on the fact that the love of wisdom without thinking would not be possible.The purpose: to understand the philosophical aspect of thinking.The relevance of the article is that on the basis of interpretation of the concept of "thinking" by representatives of various philosophical systems, understand the general essence and significance of philosophical thinking.The results. To date, it became very difficult to understand the essence of the thinking of ancient philosophers, even reading hundreds of their treatises. The reason for this is primarily translation of the original sources. It is necessary to understand that translators, in the first place, are guided by the recruitment of a successful vocabulary and connectivity of the language, neglecting the fact that the language of any thinker – this is its own thinking, the true depth and essence of which is lost in any translation of the original.In general, the problem of thinking has always been the center of attention of many philosophers. In particular, the essence and meaning of thinking studied Parmenide, Socrates, Aristotle, R. Descartes, I. Kant, G. Hegel and many other representatives of the philosophical thought of various epochs. Аll academic philosophers of the Western world converge on the fact that thinking is the most important sign of human being. By neglecting thinking, we will ignore the most important feature of man. After all, only a man who thinks can fully create his life. The same, for whom thinking is not characteristic – just exist, like the world of animals or plants. Therefore, the ability to evaluate reality, and not only to perceive it, appears a huge advantage of human intelligence, a guarantee of human desire to develop, to self-improvement.Conclusions. It is established that translating views of thinkers or interpretation of passages from their treatises is far from philosophical thinking. Philosophical thinking, to a greater extent, is thinking about thinking than thinking about some reality. This is due to the fact that philosophy tries to comprehend the partial phenomena, but a situation of human being in the world, taking into account the ability of a person to think and aware. It has been found that the main goal of thinking is to achieve the obvious and clear by formulating certain definitions (concepts) that make up the boundary of thinking and not allowed to move in a circle. Thus, philosophical thinking arises internally associated, logically consistent, and hence-argued and justified at the same time.


Symbolon ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Anna Navrotskaya

This article addresses the question of consistent presence of “postdramatic” performative elements in contemporary theater staging. It considers artistic production and everyday behavior as two related processes supported by individual creative capacity inherent to every human being. Both an individual self in its day-to-day exchanges, and a theater character within a play are maintained by this capacity to process the unknown and function in the presence of the unpredictable. In the “postmodern” interrelated and multifaceted world this ability becomes crucial for an individual as well as for the society. It is made possible by a relational network created by continuous performative actions and relies on a cultural space relatively free of codified behavior that can be defined as liminal. Contemporary theater in its staging practices and in its active involvement of the spectator can arguably function as this liminal space indispensable for culture as a whole.


MELINTAS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Fabianus Sebastian Heatubun

<span>Metaphysically speaking, human being is a </span><em><span>homo ritualis</span></em><span> or a ritual being, and not simply because of the need for any ritual, but because of one’s ontological structure. At the same time, human is also a </span><em><span>homo sapiens artisticus</span></em><span>. One’s way of being and one’s mode of thinking is always artistic. One might also say that ritual is always artistic and art is always ritualistic. In this sense ritual and art are inseparable, for ritual and art are </span><em><span>sui generis</span></em><span>. Both exist in the area of human experience and are in touch with cognition, affection, knowledge, action, and enjoyment. Art and ritual are the hermeneutical site of meanings and values that simultaneously become the same place to find the answers. Imagined within the realness of life, art and ritual are a field of meanings. When human beings slip away from their humanity, art and ritual become the medium to restore it. Not only can art and ritual create a balance between the physical and the mental aspects, between the body and the soul that have been dehumanised, they also can exalt human beings towards the divine level as the culmination of the humanisation process.</span>


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