Enoch Olujide Gbadegesin, Yunusa Kehinde Salami and Kola Abimbola (eds.) Exploring the Ethics of Individualism and Communitarianism. Harvest Day Publications ,2016,365p.

A collection of critical essays on Professor Segun Gbadegesin, one of the most preeminent figures in African philosophy, is by no mean an insignificant feat. This is all the more so because the volume has the objective of achieving a multidisciplinary interrogation of Gbadegesin’s philosophical oeuvre. This is a herculean task because Gbadegesin’s philosophical outputs straddles philosophy of culture, bioethics, social and political philosophy, ethics, and African philosophy. With his African Philosophy: Traditional Yorùbá Philosophy and Contemporary African Realities (1991), Professor Gbadegesin effectively brought deep philosophical insights into significant issues in Africa’s postcolonial malaise. The 16-chapter volume has a sufficiently wide array of significant scholars whose different perspectives provide a wide context within which to situate the brilliant scholarship of Segun Gbadegesin. These chapters all attempted to unravel the core of Gbadegesin’s multifaceted philosophical framework. While some confronted some basic elements of his work, like chapter four (human personality), seven (work), and nine (destiny), other chapters took the thematic concerns of, say, communitarianism and ethics as the springboard for further reflections on corruption, nationalism and nation building, citizenship, religion, personhood, leadership, race, justice, gender and the nature of African philosophy. However, with this distribution of chapters, there is a cogent doubt whether the book actually does critical justice to the imperative of critically engagement with Segun Gbadegesin’s philosophical corpus.

EXPLORING CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF KAZAKHSTAN IN A SEMIOTIC WAY

The article considers the project “Tugan Zher” (“Homeland”) of the Kazakhstani national program “Course towards the future: modernization of Kazakhstan’s identity” and the possibility to resort to the works and ideas of the well-known Italian philosopher and semiotician, recognized expert in Middle ages Umberto Eco while implementing the program, as in his numerous works the Italian scientist reflects much on the meaning of such notions like signification, reconstruction and memory. His philosophy of culture is the study of signs and languages and belief that understanding of the world requests understanding how we interpret it through the language and signs we use, constant mediation that stands in the way between us and the world. The poetics of openness, advocated much by Eco, is especially actual under the current realities. The present research proves the semiotic concept of U. Eco to be effective in exploring cultural landscapes, which being regarded as signs, carriers of some valuable information, add much to the spiritual legacy of the nation.

Management Culture Metaphysics: Chaos, Order, Harmony

Introduction. Modern science, based on the abstract-logical method of cognition, is not able to comprehend the deep meaning of management culture in the organization processes of nature and society. A manager who uses a purely scientific approach will see only a part of the management object and not all its integrity and completeness. Purpose and methods. The purpose of the article is a metaphysical analysis of chaos, order, and harmony as fundamental concepts of general management culture, which will create a reliable tool for penetrating the depths of things and give not secondary interpretations, but to understand the essence of management culture yesterday, today and in the future. The methodological basis of the study is the metaphysical and dialectical principles of cognition, systemic and culturological approaches to the study of organizational phenomena and processes, as well as the fundamental provisions of the theory and history of culture. Results. The main approaches to the representation of chaos, order, and harmony in the mythopoetic picture of the world are considered. The most significant features of understanding chaos, order, and harmony in the philosophy of culture of the East are determined. The specifics of chaos, order, and harmony reflection in the philosophy of Western culture are revealed. A metaphysical synthesis of philosophical and scientific approaches to understanding chaos, order, and harmony in the context of management culture is carried out, and its deep essence is revealed. Conclusions. For the first time, a metaphysical analysis of chaos, order, and harmony in the organizational and cultural aspect was conducted, which allowed to penetrate the environment of transcendent management culture and to comprehend its deep meaning. The significance of the study is manifested in the addition of science to new theoretical provisions on the management culture metaphysics, as well as the possibility of using them in the training process of organizations’ managers.

The Phenomenon of Volunteerism as a Reflection of the Traditional Value of Mutual Assistance and Support (to the 100th Anniversary of the Passing of P. A. Kropotkin)

Introduction. Philosophy of culture one of the aspects of the subject field has an understanding of real cultural practice, based on multivariate reassessments of cultural traditions. The axiological component of the philosophy of culture affects the fundamental moral and ethical values of a person and society that contribute to social activity. The purpose of the article is to show the continuity of the ideological and practical volunteer movement, the importance of social activity of young people. Materials and Methods. In the article, the authors used the methodology of cultural and comparative analysis, the historical and philosophical approach to the problem, and the method of comparative studies. Among the historical foundations of axiology, there is a distinction between what is due and what is, concepts that unite ideas about ethics, human activity itself and its evaluation. The anarcho-communitarian construction of Prince Kropotkin’s ethics makes a significant contribution to this outline of reasoning, sets the guidelines for healthy human relations. The results of the Study. The principles of the evolutionary development of mutual assistance and support, solidarity and altruism, developed by the ethical philosopher and natural scientist Kropotkin in natural science and ethical works, in fact, were not only the theoretical basis of the philosophy of culture, but can also serve as guidelines for the practical activities and axiology of modern volunteers of the XXI century. Discussion. The article considers volunteerism as a continuation of a significant value tradition of mutual assistance and support, which has its historical incarnations. Solidarity, justice, altruism, instinct and the moral sense of a person – these are the main concepts of Kropotkin ethics as a doctrine of morality in its broadest sense. This year, the Russian scientific community is celebrating the centenary of the passing of P. A. Kropotkin. In this regard, it is particularly relevant to develop the principles of mutual assistance and support, which are practically in demand in the context of the cornavirus pandemic. Conclusions. The principles of the evolutionary development of mutual assistance and support, solidarity and altruism, developed by the ethical philosopher and natural scientist Kropotkin in natural science and ethical works, in fact, were not only the theoretical basis of the philosophy of culture, but also the practical activity of the axiology of modern volunteers of the XXI century, a manifestation of human social activity.

Body and Time in Sesemann's Philosophy of Culture: Preface to the Publication of the Vasily Sesemann's Manuscript "Sport and Contemporary Culture"

This publication presents manuscript of the famous Russian-Lithuanian philosopher Vasily Seseman (1884-1963) accompanied by a preface. The manuscript "Sport and Contemporary Culture" is the text of Seseman's manuscript collection, which is located in Vilnius University (F122-79). Manuscript is a preparatory text for the article "Time, Culture and Body" (first published in 1931 under the pen name "V. Chukhnin", and then in 1935 under his real name). In "Time, Culture and Body" Sesemann develops his ideas concerning the objectifying attitude, which leads to human's alienation towards body and time. Sesemann claims that the time is perceived as a meaningful entirety only when the time is contemplated from the point of view of work. Work is a purpose-attaining activity where subjective creativity is oriented towards an objective result in future. Working in pursuit of one's goals helps to avoid facing the emptiness of time, but at the same time it alienates the present. Work helps the subject to overcome his individual limitations and to become a part of the objective culture. By hiding behind the results of an objective activity people avoid direct contact with the time because it may appear as an interruption of meaningful relations and as a boredom. The tendency to objectify time is accompanied by the process of objectification of body. Previously, a primitive person could trust his body more than tools. In the modern culture body is gradually downgraded because tools, machinery and even separate institutions take over its functions. In this way the centre of culture is moved to the world of objects which is beyond a subject's control and body plays a merely auxiliary part. A person can overcome his alienation towards time and body only by being wakeful - here and now, by self-knowledge and self-control. Sesemann describes the self-control as the practical ability and mood, which he called "presence of mind". In this state of mind person is able to fing oneself, concentrate and mobilise all his strength to his utmost, maintain inner composure, calmness and balance of spirit.

Tinjauan Filsafat Kebudayaan terhadap Tradisi Cangget Agung Masyarakat Lampung

This study aims to find the philosophical values in the Cangget tradition in Lampung Pepadun society based on an understanding of the importance of the Cangget tradition among Indonesian society in globalization era. To achieve this goal, the researcher conducted a literature review of several studies on Cangget and conducted interviews with several traditional leaders of Lampung Pepadun. The material object of the research is the Cangget tradition in Lampung Pepadun’s culture which is analyzed from the philosophy of culture as formal object. The results of the study indicate that the Cangget tradition is included in one of Lampung's cultures in the form of community social activities. This tradition has several meanings, among others, as a form of traditional celebration of the Lampung people, as well as a form of the efforts of the Lampung Pepadun’s people to maintain the purity of the traditions and customs. The Cangget tradition also has philosophical values, including the value of togetherness or social value, the value of unity, the value of honor, the value of democracy, and the economic value. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan nilai-nilai filosofis yang terdapat di dalam tradisi Cangget pada masyarakat Lampung Pepadun berdasarkan pada pemahaman tentang pentingnya pelestarian tradisi Cangget di tengah memudarnya pemahaman tentang makna tradisi dan budaya lokal di kalangan masyarakat Indonesia. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, peneliti melakukan kajian pustaka terhadap beberapa penelitian tentang Cangget serta melakukan wawancara dengan beberapa tokoh adat Lampung Pepadun. Objek material penelitian adalah tradisi Cangget dalam kebudayaan masyarakat Lampung Pepadun yang dianalisis dari objek formal filsafat kebudayaan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tradisi Cangget termasuk dalam salah satu kebudayaan Lampung dalam wujud sebagai aktivitas sosial masyarakat. Tradisi ini memiliki beberapa makna, antara lain sebagai bentuk pesta adat masyarakat Lampung, serta bentuk upaya masyarakat Lampung Pepadun untuk menjaga kemurnian tradisi dan adat istiadat masyarakatnya. Tradisi Cangget juga memiliki nilai-nilai filosofis, antara lain nilai kebersamaan atau nilai sosial, nilai persatuan, nilai kehormatan, nilai demokrasi, dan nilai ekonomis.

HAYAO MIYAZAKI IN SEARCH OF THE WORLD

Рецензируется перевод монографии американского теоретика культуры Сюзан Нейпир «Волшебные миры Хаяо Миядзаки». Книга Сюзан Нейпир представляет собой наиболее фундаментальное исследование визуальных форм в творчестве японского анимационного режиссёра Хаяо Миядзаки. Сквозь призму анимационной визуальности автор раскрывает те философские смыслы, которые режиссёр закладывал в свои фильмы. С позиций культурной теории и философии культуры монография представляет особенный интерес, поскольку позволяет погрузиться в интерпретации ключевых для культуры XX века сюжетов в японской анимации. Помимо прочего работа Нейпир может представлять академический интерес для всех, кто интересуется теорией культурного фронтира и такими философскими сюжетами, как экологическое мышление, феминизм, новый материализм или апокалиптическое видение. Настоящая рецензия построена на исследовательских инициативах визуальной семиотики. Анализ интеллектуальных способов работы Сюзан Нейпир с визуальностью аниме Хаяо Миядзаки может быть полезен не только тем, кто интересуется непосредственными смыслами работ японского аниматора, но и претендует на раскрытие внутренних механизмов визуальных репрезентаций культурных феноменов. Иными словами, книга Нейпир, помимо раскрытия скрытых и неочевидных смыслов художественных произведений, вносит вклад в общую теорию работы с визуальным. Рецензия также акцентирует внимание на ряде непоследовательных ходов в мышлении Нейпир и предлагает свою интерпретацию спорных аспектов в книге. The Russian translation of Susan Napier’s monograph Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art is being reviewed. The book should be considered as the most fundamental research on the visual semiotics in the works of the Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki. Through the prism of visuality, the author analyses philosophical meanings that the director put in his films. From the perspectives of cultural theory and philosophy of culture, the monograph is particularly interesting because it allows going deeper into the interpretations of topics, key in the 20th-century culture, in Japanese animation. Among other things, Napiers’s book could be of interest for all academics interested in frontier studies and such philosophical topics as ecological thinking, feminism, new materialism, and apocalyptic thinking. This review is based on the research initiatives of visual semiotics. The analysis of Susan Napier’s intellectual ways of working with the visual nature of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime can be useful not only for those interested in the understanding of the direct meanings of the Japanese animator’s works, it also claims to reveal the internal mechanisms of visual representations of cultural phenomena. In other words, Napier’s book, in addition to revealing the hidden and non-obvious meanings of works of art, contributes to the general theory of working with the visual reality. The review also focuses on a number of inconsistent moves in Napier’s thinking and offers its own interpretation of the controversial aspects in the book.

Ernst Cassirer’s Posthumous Grandchildren and the Paradigm Shift of Davos

Scholars who are members of a generation descending from a founder of a philosophical school might be titled as “children.” Those members are characterized as scholars who continue the doctrines of the founder into the future. In the history of ideas there are many examples for such scholarly lineages. Ernst Cassirer’s philosophy was less suitable for generating a successorship in the sense of a filiation: That became dramatically obvious at the famous debate between Martin Heidegger and himself in Davos. Heidegger seemed to be the philosopher of the future by developing a “new essentialism” which shall be expounded as the core-message of his doctrine; this is elaborated in the first chapter of this essay. Only in the post-war generations and long time after Cassirer’s death, eminent scholars working in different scientific disciplines and in different countries based their public research – more or less explicitly – on Cassirer’s philosophy of culture. The second section will discuss three famous examples: Nelson Goodman’s Semiology, Pierre Bourdieu’s Sociology of Symbolic Forms and lastly the Political Philosophy of Jürgen Habermas.