Philosophy of Inequality in the Context of Post-Humanism

In the article the author examines humanism criticism that does not result in post-humanism. The author shows that post-humanism is the reaction to the humanistic idea of man as the center of the world that was typical for west-European philosophy. At the same time post-humanism doe not negate the logic of humanism, but extrapolates it to the whole of non-human world. On the contrary, Russian philosophy is free from the original premises of humanism and it views the crisis of humanism in a different perspective. The author shows that Russian philosophy is not anthropocentric, but on the contrary – anthropologic. Its feature consists in viewing the man in the perspective of his ontological expansion. The idea of such ontological expansion is based on the philosophy of inequality. When west-European philosophy today conceptualizes total world democracy on the other side of man, Russian philosophy turns to the idea of metaphysical gaps that substantiate the idea of man’s freedom and anthropological necessity of self-restrictions.

We, the Unborn: On Derrida’s Geschlecht III

The article pursues the theme of “the unborn” in the poetry of Georg Trakl and in the commentaries on Trakl’s poetry by Heidegger (in Unterwegs zur Sprache) and Derrida (in Geschlecht III). It continues a decades-long conversation with Trakl, Heidegger, and Derrida developed most recently in Phantoms of the Other: Four Generations of Derrida’s Geschlecht (Albany: SUNY Press, 2015) and in “Derrida, Heidegger, and the Magnetism of the Trakl House,” Philosophy Today, 64:2 (Spring 2020), 1–24.

Hartmann's Philosophy Today (15 December 2020)

Sympozjum online dedykowane pamięci Nicolaia Hartmanna

FANTASTIC CONSERVATISM: THE CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY IN WESTERN AND RUSSIAN FANTASTIC LITERATURE

In one of the lectures a Russian philosopher said: philosophy today is literature. The noted philosopher in his statement relies on the ideas of the French (post)structuralism's. As you know, French thought in the mid-20th century influenced a variety of intellectual schools, from American literary studies to Russian academic philosophy in the 1990s. Literature-centered approach characteristic of modern philosophy. The process of centering on literature is not started in the XX century. Since the eighteenth century, France, Russia, and Germany have been plunging into the worlds of literature on the verge of philosophy or philosophy on the verge of literature. The idea was presented in a variety of ideological formats from socialism and liberalism to conservatism. And if ideologically, more or less, the authors can be identified, then it is impossible to give a clear answer to the question of who all these people are, writers or philosophers. This article analyzes the phenomenon of fantastic conservatism. Conservative values in Western and Russian science fiction literature are analyzed.

Practical philosophy: its past and present

The review of V.K. Shokhin’s monograph examines the current state of research in practi­cal philosophy. It is noted that practical philosophy today undergoes a deep crisis due the lack of thorough research that would clarify its foundations and structure. The reviewed monograph serves as a timely filling of this apparent gap. The review covers the structure of the monograph, its main ideas, and conclusions to which V.K. Shokhin comes. The positive aspects of the work are examined in detail. Special attention is drawn to the universality and fundamental character of the study, to the scale of the tasks set by the au­thor most of which find their resolution in the course of the study. The thoroughness of the historical part of the study devoted to a discussion of the main representatives of Western philosophy as well as ancient Indian and ancient Chinese philosophical views is emphasized in a special way. Some polemical remarks and wishes regarding the further development of the author's research in this area are expressed. It is noted that the re­search will be of interest not only to the narrow circle of specialists in ethics but also to a general audience.

Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Volume 12

Much of the most interesting work in philosophy today is metaphysical in character. Oxford Studies in Metaphysics is a forum for the best new work in this flourishing field. OSM offers a broad view of the subject, featuring not only the traditionally central topics such as existence, identity, modality, time, and causation, but also the rich clusters of metaphysical questions in neighboring fields, such as philosophy of mind and philosophy of science. Besides independent essays, volumes will often contain a critical essay on a recent book, or a symposium that allows participants to respond to one another’s criticisms and questions. Anyone who wants to know what’s happening in metaphysics can start here.

Thinking God in France

Organized by Richard Kearney and Joseph S. O’Leary, the 1979 Colloquium Heidegger et la question de Dieu was of critical importance for the development of phenomenology of religion in France. This special issue introduces the event and its ensuing publication to the English-speaking world. The editors’ historical and thematic contextualizing essay is followed by contributions from six leading philosophers. Richard Kearney sets the stage by updating his original foreword, while Jean-Yves Lacoste presents the central moments in the history of Heidegger’s complicated relationship to Christian thinking. Paul Ricoeur’s “Introductory Note” delivers a well-known challenge to Heidegger in a piece whose brevity belies its impact. Finally, three participants of the 1979 Colloquium, Joseph S. O’Leary, Jean Greisch, and Jean-Luc Marion, reflect back on the significance of this event and its role in developing their own groundbreaking work. The special issue closes with a brief reflection on where we find ourselves in philosophy today.

Hoffnung

Hope. A Philosophical Outlook The »Concept of Hope« has been established as a central idea in Philosophy not earlier than in the Philosophy of Enlightenment by Kant. In Kant’s Philosophy, the concept of hope is describing a constitutive dimension of »Reason« in its »practical use« which is mediating Political Philosophy with Kant’s Philosophy of Religion. As we can see Kant is following much more the biblical tradition on hope than the former understanding of hope as a virtue in Philosophy. From the insight of Kant, Philosophy today is able to learn about the fundamental importance of the concept of hope for a contemporary theory of public reasoning.