scholarly journals Can matter and spirit be mediated through language? Some insights from Johann Georg Hamann

2012 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Detlev Tönsing
Keyword(s):  
Immanuel Kant ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
European Philosophy

The Enlightenment introduced to European philosophy and thought-patterns the strict dichotomy between res extensa and res cogitans; that is, matter and spirit. How to overcome the dichotomy and conceive of the interactions between these planes of reality has since become an overarching issue for philosophers. The theory of evolution, as founded by Charles Darwin, understands human beings, with their ability to think, to have arisen in the evolutionary process. Neuroscience utilises insights from the theory of complex systems to attempt to understand how perception, thought and self-awareness can arise as a consequence of the complex system that is the brain. However, already at the height of the Enlightenment, a contemporary and critic of Immanuel Kant, Johann Georg Hamann, suggested a metaphor for understanding the interrelationship of matter and thought. This metaphor is language. The appropriateness of this metaphor can be seen both in the importance that language abilities play in the evolutionary transition to the human species and in the characteristics of complex adaptive systems.

Religion and Toleration from the Enlightenment to the Post-Secular Era

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Forst
Keyword(s):  
Immanuel Kant ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Human Reason ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
Pierre Bayle ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter addresses the classical question of the relationship between enlightenment and religion. In doing so, the chapter compares Jürgen Habermas's thought to that of Pierre Bayle and Immanuel Kant. For, although Habermas undoubtedly stands in a tradition founded by Bayle and Kant, he develops a number of important orientations within this tradition and has changed his position in his recent work. The chapter studies this change to understand Habermas's position better. It also draws attention to a fundamental question raised by the modern world: what common ground can human reason establish in the practical and theoretical domain between human beings who are divided by profoundly different religious (including antireligious) views?

The crucial roles of the artificial information systems web in intelligent human organizations

2003 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Liang Thow Yick
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Collective Intelligence ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Intelligent Structure ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Human Thinking

Human organizations with human beings as interacting agents are complex adaptive systems. Such organizations continuously consume information, make decisions, and evolve with the changing environment. In this respect, all human organizations including businesses must enhance their collective intelligence in order to learn faster and compete more effectively. Thus, adopting an intelligent structure is vital to all businesses as the world moves deeper into the knowledge economy. The paradigmatic shift in thinking, structure, management and operation requires all intelligent human organizations to be designed around intelligence. An intelligent structure encompasses an orgmind, an intangible deep component, as well as a physical component. At the physical structure perspective, being able to identify, design and develop an artificial information systems network that synchronizes well with the orgmind is critical. The connectivity of the organization, and the manner in which it behaves, communicates and collaborates, depend on the effectiveness of its information systems network and its orgmind. The orgmind which is at least the collection of all the interacting human thinking systems must be fully aware of both the internal and external environments. Inevitably, in the new economy, intelligent human organizations must be equipped with a well-integrated intelligent information network which functions similarly to the nervous system in biological beings. This study examines the current status of artificial information systems and their networks in businesses with respect to the above concepts.

Music Transcendent and Sublime

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip V. Bohlman
Keyword(s):  
Immanuel Kant ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Universal History ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
The Sublime ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Form Of Expression

The translations in Song Loves the Masses close with Herder’s final large-scale essay on music, published in 1800 as a chapter in Kalligone, the culmination of his aesthetic work. With this late essay Herder, a polemic against his former teacher, Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), reveals the extent to which he has moved into a fully aesthetic domain in his concern for the universal history of humanity. Embodying the subjectivity of song and singing, music acquires the force of transcendence, and it therefore aspires to the Enlightenment ideals of the sublime. In Herder’s “On Music,” human beings are endowed with a degree of understanding that allows them to perceive the traits that make music unlike any other form of expression.

scholarly journals Darwin's Use of Intellectual Disability in The Descent of Man

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Gelb
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Descent Of Man

When Charles Darwin turned his attention to writing about human descent in 1871 he attempted to narrow the fossil gap between human beings and higher primates by presenting persons with intellectual disabilities — "idiots" in the language of the day — as evidence in support of the theory of evolution. This paper explores the four ways that Darwin used persons with intellectual disabilities in The Descent of Man: 1) as intermediate rung on the evolutionary ladder connecting humans and primates; 2) as exemplars of the inevitable waste and loss produced by natural selection acting upon variability; 3) as the floor of a scale representing the "lowest", most unfit variety of any species when individuals were rank ordered by intelligence; and 4) as atavistic reversions to extinct forms whose study would reveal the characteristics of earlier stages of human evolution. Darwin's strategic use of intellectual disability is brought to bear on the controversy regarding the mental state of Darwin's last child.

Intelligence strategy: The integrated 3C-OK framework of intelligent human organizations

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 203-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.Y. Liang
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Collective Intelligence ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Human Thinking ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
High Level

As humanity immerses deeper into the knowledge-intensive era, the mindset for leading, managing and structuring human organizations has to be transformed. Attention has been shifting from tangible to intangible assets. Human thinking systems, the sources where the world's most intense intrinsic intelligence originates become the key focal center. Intelligence and its dynamic are nonlinear. Arising from human consciousness are the two vital mental functions of awareness and mindfulness. These functions determine the quality of the mental state of the interacting agents. In addition, a high level of intelligence facilitates faster learning. All competitive human beings learn continuously to enhance the quality of their knowledge structures. Consequently, the bio-logic and human decision-making process improve. These activities constitute a critical component of the evolution dynamic. Similar to any intelligent biological organisms, all human organizations as composite complex adaptive systems must also nurture their own orgmind and collective intelligence to ensure their relevance and survival in the new context. Concurrently, activities such as continuous organizational learning, facilitating effective knowledge management processes, and building quality corporate knowledge structures must be cultivated. A mindful culture manifesting collaborative and sharing characteristic is crucial for sustaining the integrated dynamic. Recognizing the interdependency of the attributes involved is a key requirement. The 3C-OK framework to be conceptualized in this analysis is an attempt to enhance the new mindset.

scholarly journals Complexity and Evolution

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Basins Of Attraction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Complex Adaptive

Two widely heralded yet contested approaches to economics have emerged in recent years. One follows an older, rather neglected approach which emphasizes evolutionary theory in terms of individuals and institutions. The other emphasizes economies as complex adaptive systems. Important concepts from evolutionary theory include the distinction between proximate and ultimate causation, multilevel selection, cultural change as an evolutionary process, and human psychology as a product of gene–culture coevolution. Relevant concepts from complexity theory include self-organization, fractals, chaos, sensitive dependence, basins of attraction, and path dependence. This book explores these two bodies of theory and their potential impact on economics. Central themes include the challenges that emerge through integration, evolutionary behavioral economics, and the evolution of institutions. Practical applications are provided and avenues for future research highlighted.

scholarly journals Methodology for studying the «Struggle for existence» topic within the university course «Theory of Evolution»

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-274
Author(s):  
Elena A. Lamekhova ◽  
Yuri G. Lamekhov
Keyword(s):  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Existence Theory ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Organic World ◽  
Independent Observations ◽  
Complex Phenomena

The paper discusses a methodology for studying one of the most complex phenomena in the organic world struggle for existence within the course Theory of Evolution at a pedagogical university. The study of information about the history of development and the formation of evolutionary concepts shows that the discovery of the factors of the organic world evolution is one of the outstanding achievements in the development of biology. In the 20th century, scientific knowledge about the causes of the evolutionary process expanded and together with the material factors of evolution discovered by Charles Darwin stand out as follows: mutation process, dynamics of the number of organisms, isolation, migration, struggle for existence and natural selection. The modern level of struggle for existence theory development is based on achievements in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology and proves that this factor of evolution really exists. The developed methodology for studying this topic includes the content of the course program, a list of questions for study, recommendations for laboratory studies and independent observations in nature. Since the course is studied in the 5th year, it relies on students knowledge from other biological courses as well as on the skills they develop. The course contains the use of elements of partial search and research methods (laboratory work, observations in nature) of teaching with options for conversation, comparison of different points of view, etc. The proposed variant of studying the Struggle for Existence topic will contribute to the high-quality training of students prospective teachers of biology.

scholarly journals Public Opinion Evolution Based on Complex Networks

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeqing Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Complex Networks ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Dynamic Networks ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Small World ◽  
The Public ◽  
Complex Agent ◽  
Complex Adaptive

Abstract The Sznajd model of sociophysics can describe the mechanism of making a decision in a closed community. The Complex Agent Networks (CAN) model is studied, based on the adaptability, autonomy and activity of the individuals, as well as the complex interactions of individuals in an open community for probing into evolution of the public opinion. With the help of the theory of complex adaptive systems and the methods of complex networks, the structure of agents, the dynamic networks scenarios and the evolutionary process of the agents are described. The simulation results of CAN model show that all individuals cannot reach a final consensus through mutual consultations when the small world networks rewiring probability p is less than a specified threshold. But when the rewiring probability p is larger than the given threshold, all individuals will eventually come to a finial consensus, and that the rewiring probability p increases, whereas the time of emergence of the public opinion will be significantly reduced. It is quite obvious that in real community the mass media and many other mechanisms have an effect on the evolutionary process of the public opinion.

Can Non‐Europeans Philosophize? Transnational Literacy and Planetary Ethics in a Global Age

Hypatia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-505
Author(s):  
Nikita Dhawan
Keyword(s):  
Immanuel Kant ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Feminist Critique ◽  
Epistemic Agency ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
Global Age ◽  
European Philosophy ◽  
Syrian Refugee Crisis ◽  
Postcolonial Feminist

Defenders of the Enlightenment highlight the long neglected anticolonial writings of thinkers like Immanuel Kant, which serve as a corrective to the misrepresentation of the Enlightenment's epistemological investment in imperialism. One of the most pervasive repercussions of the claim that the Enlightenment was always already anti‐imperial is that postcolonial critique is rendered redundant, and the project of decolonizing European philosophy becomes unnecessary. Contesting the exoneration of Enlightenment philosophers of racism and sexism, this article debunks the claim that Kantian cosmopolitanism was an antidote to colonialism. Addressing the ambivalent legacies of the European Enlightenment for the postcolonial world, with special focus on the “Syrian refugee crisis,” the article examines the enduring normative violence exerted by Enlightenment principles of cosmopolitanism and outlines the contested terrains that inflect current geopolitics of knowledge‐production. Given that the normative idea of philosophy, as defined during the Enlightenment, continues to delegitimize non‐European perspectives, the integration of previously marginalized knowledges into the philosophical canon is insufficient; rather, in order to desubalternize non‐Western epistemologies, it is imperative to undo the uneven distribution of epistemic agency globally. Drawing on Gayatri Spivak's ideas of transnational literacy and planetary ethics, the article concludes by underscoring the contribution of postcolonial‐feminist critique in imagining postimperial philosophy in a global age.

scholarly journals Is There a Purpose in the Biological Evolution of Living Beings?

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-413
Author(s):  
Justo Aznar ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Ethical Problem ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Biological Question ◽  
Alfred Russel Wallace

An unquestionably important biological question is whether human beings are the product of chance or of purpose in the evolutionary process. Charles Darwin did not accept purpose in biological evolution, a view not shared by his colleague Alfred Russel Wallace. The controversy has remained ever since, and while many experts argue against purpose in biological evolution, many others defend it. This paper reflects on this biological and ethical problem, relating it to the possible existence of a plan that governs and shapes the evolution of living beings and that is ultimately responsible for the development of Homo sapiens.

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