Book Review of Lucretius II: An Ethics of Motion (2020)

Lucretius II: An Ethics of Motion (2020), written by Thomas Nail, is an alternative book to approach posthumanism from a philosophical aspect. Its focus on motion correlates posthuman thinking with sociological, political, and philosophical dynamics by applying to Lucretius and continental philosophers. Its philosophical frame allows readers to comprehend posthumanism deeply by applying to ethics. The conceptualization of posthumanism, motion, and ethics is grounded in four fundamental methodologies including historical ontology, close reading, translation, and argumentation. Thus, the abstraction of the book is quite inclusive to envision what philosophical posthumanism is by delving into Lucretius’s philosophy.

VIOLENCE IN LITERATURE: PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT

Does art justify cruelty? If the story is realistic, should it contain a description of the brutal events for the mimesis criterion? Or is violence and cruelty unacceptable because they give rise to new violence? Should the meeting with violence be a catharsis for us that make us better? This question has many interpretations and the purpose of this paper is to clarify the model of solution. The study found that the ancient aestheticization of «useful cruelty» in order to make the reader / viewer suffer had an ambiguous impact on culture, transforming into «cruelty for correction» in the New Age. The perception of cruelty as a means of distinguishing between «one’s own and another’s» (his toriography of the Ancient World and the Early Middle Ages) remained a political device (like fables about a crucified boy as a means of propaganda in the DNR). The legitimating of cruelty as the government’s right to torture (from 1484 to the present) leads us to the totalitarian empires of its century. Cruelty in relationships and cruel revenge, in contrast to the literature of ancient times, is marginalized and is no longer an example for the environment, but a sign of «tabloid literature» - which is a good indicator for society. The main question is: is narrative in literature really a trigger that increases violence? Or does the experience of violence in the literature reduce the level of violence? The study suggests that there is no stable correlation, and recent empirical studies confirm this. Hypothesis of Feschbach’s about the usefulness of cruelty in art has now been refuted by scientists. But we did not find sufficient confirmation of the alternative hypothesis about the pattern of copying cruelty: if a person reads about cruelty, he will not become more cruel. Very useful in this regard is the emergence in the literature of a discourse on the «circle of violence», which removed from the cruel characters a halo of «steepness» - they are now mostly depicted as unhappy people who have suffered in the past. It is no longer cool to be cruel - this is exactly the form of discourse in the future that should give another impetus to reduce the general level of cruelty. Discussing cruelty in literature gives us an opportunity to overcome it. But excessive emphasis on cruelty - aestheticization and admiration for cruel details will only hurt our feelings and will not bring any harm or benefit.

Philosophy of Music in the Image of the World: From Antiquity to the Modern Time

The article presents philosophical views on music in the context of the transformations of the worldview from Antiquity to the Modern Time. In this research author also mentions the contemporary issues, and uses her own philosophical concept of the music, which can be described as following: the value of music as a substance and the way of the valuable interaction of a person with the world affirm the essence of musical being, in which the invariable principle of Harmony, the principle of Chaos-Form movement, is preserved (see "The Value of the Music: Philosophical Aspect"). Music expresses the fluid essence of the world and changes of being in space and time. Philosophy of music as a field of philosophical knowledge considers music from ontological-epistemological and phenomenological-axiological prospectives, as something more than just a form of art. It explores the deep, ultimate foundations of the existence of music as such and the philosophical and aesthetic foundations of musical art. Since ancient times music has been a representation of the world in the human conscience and served as the harmonic equivalent of cosmological philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and astrophysics (Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Aristoxenus, Porphyry et als.). The scientific view on music was enriched in the Modern Time by the expanded view on the cosmo-sound space reflected in musical art, which at the same time transforms the mathematical ideas of geometricity, squareness etc. The tendency to create integral world music in the musical practice of the XX-XXI centuries explains the attempt of mankind to present music by modern methods of composing musical art as an expression of fear towards the secret Harmony of universal existence, and, on the other hand - as a form of search for salvation and mental balance, intuitively reflecting what is happening in natural science, which more and more points to the abyss of unknowable universe, and the unstable place of man in the world.

Relations between a social subject and a social institution: philosophical foundations and public policy practises

The article deals with theoretical and applied issues of the development of relationships between social (political) subjects and social (political) institutions. In the philosophical aspect, the author notes the alternativeness of theoretical approaches to understanding the role of man in society, where the idea of social institution is opposed by the philosophy of the idea of subjective human activity. In this approach the work of E. Ostrom Managing the Common. Evolution of institutions of collective activity is analyzed and the main conclusion is that the relationship between a social (political) subject and an institution develops harmoniously and integrated is rethink. In connection with disagreement with Ostroms position of the author of this work in a practical aspect, an analysis of various situations is carried out, which show three types of interaction: 1) a strong social subject a strong social institution; 2) a weak social institution a strong social subject; 3) there is a developed social institution, but there is no a social subject. The philosophical analysis allows us to conclude that the sphere of relationships between a social subject and any institution is very heterogeneous. This is most vividly illustrated in the political sphere by the example of city public policy.

QUALITY OF LIFE IN A PANDEMIC: A PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT

The article is devoted to defining the understanding of quality of life and analysis of key issues of life in a pandemic. The need for a philosophical understanding of the problems associated with overcoming the effects of the pandemic has been noted. The significant impact of quarantine restrictions on people's behavior, lifestyle, development of the economy, education and tourism is emphasized. Quality of life in a pandemic is defined as a comprehensive indicator of meeting the needs of people, taking into account material, psychological and social factors. The article notes that the consequences of the pandemic are manifested in the rethinking of human life, the need to resolve financial and economic contradictions, psychological problems, achieving comfort and security. Improving the quality and standard of living should occur not only through socio-economic levers of influence, but also through deep philosophical thinking, awareness of further steps to overcome the effects of the pandemic.

Tektonika Perpaduan Unsur Jawa Dengan Eropa Pada Pendopo Dalem Kabupaten Rembang

<p><em>Dalem Kabupaten Rembang (regent residence), including the Pendopo as part of the Dalem component, was built around 1750. This building has a traditional Javanese concept that combined colonial architectural elements. This study aims to see the philosophical aspects of the saka guru that may influence the tectonic fusion of Javanese and European elements. </em><em>In order to know the tectonic aspect of the Pendopo Dalem Kabupaten, this research using qualitative methods, while data collecting is conducted through literature study and observation. </em><em>The findings of this study can be seen from the philosophical aspect in the concept of the “papat kiblat lima pancer“, where is reflected in the main structure of the saka guru (wooden material). Where functions as the main structure of the pendopo. Wooden material have given the aspect of its function which resists lateral forces (wind) to the overall construction. Meanwhile, the cement brick material on saka rawa and saka emper continuing the roof load to its foundation, used as bearing wall system. </em></p>

Neuroeconomics in operational and managerial decision-making: a philosophical aspect

This article is devoted to a philosophical discussion of the emerging field of neuroeconomics, which is the study of neural mechanisms involved in decision-making and their economic significance. Separate concepts of rational and irrational decision-making in philosophy, economics and psychology are presented. In the interdisciplinary field of neuroeconomics, through logic and individual examples, it explores approaches in the theory of decision-making. Neuroeconomical accounting of irrationality is characterized, and it is confirmed that a person does not always make rational decisions. It is noted that because of his brain activity, decisions can be predetermined in advance, creating the so-called «illusion of choice».

Solaris and the Dao: The Reception of Stanislaw Lem’s Novel in the Sinophone World

The most popular science fiction novel written by the Polish author Stanisław Lem, Solaris, was published in 1961. Although it was translated into English as early as 1970, the book was unknown to the Sinophone readers until 2003, when the first translation from English into Chinese was published, most probably following the popularity of the resounding Hollywood film adaptation from 2002. Still, Suolalisi Xing (which can be translated as ‘Solaris Star’) did not attract broader audiences in China or Taiwan, at least not until the third version of the novel, translated directly from Polish into Chinese, saw the light of day in 2010. The appearance of this translation coincided with the beginning of a New Golden Era of Chinese and Taiwanese science fiction, which undoubtedly had a significant influence on the positive re-reception of Solaris. In the paper, the author focuses on the philosophical aspect of Lem’s work and investigates which themes and concepts present in Solaris caught the imagination of Chinese-speaking readers. The author wants to show how this reception, while coming from a different historical, cultural, and linguistic background, can enrich our understanding of the novel and introduce a new way of looking at the important existential questions stated by the writer.

Science-based Ijtihad: religious and scientific dialectic on fatwas regarding congregational worships amid the covid-19 pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has impacted religious practices, including Islamic practices. Islamic scholars have issued several fatwas which regulate how congregational worships should be practiced. For instance, a fatwa regulates that a worship which is supposed to be performed at a mosque collectively should be performed at home individually. The rapid spread of coronavirus becomes the primary reason for issuing this regulation. This study is a normative study which employs an usul fikih approach. The object of the study is the religious and scientific dialectic on fatwas regarding congregational worships amid the covid-19 pandemic. Data is collected by gathering fatwas issued by ulama councils around the world. The data is analyzed through a ta’lîly logic, that is a logical reasoning that is based on ‘illah (reason). This study is built upon the theory of istihsan bil maslahah, which refers to a theory about how Islamic laws can change depending on their benefits. This study presents three main findings. First, in issuing fatwas regarding the covid-19, ulama used scientific findings about the danger of coronavirus as ‘illah for changing the practice of congregational worships and employed as a lens to consider the benefit of a law. These ulama used the interrelationship model of interests (maslahah) in which preserving of soul (hifẓ an-nafs) was more important that preserving of faith (hifẓ ad-dîn). Second, the ulama methodologically combined religious method, which was based on interpretative approach, and scientific method, which was based on empirical approach. This integration of religious and scientific methods reflected doctrinal-philosophical aspect and legal-ethic aspect of the fatwas. Third, the fatwas indicated the use of functional interpretative approach towards scriptural texts, logic, and reality.