Paradoxical Aspects of the Russellian Conception of Existence

In this paper, the authors try to clarify the relations between Meinong’s and Russell's thoughts on the ontological ideas of existence. The Meinongian theory on non-existent objects does not in itself violate the principle of non-contradiction, since the problem that this hypothesis offers to the theory of definite descriptions is not so much a logical problem as an ontological problem. To demonstrate this we will establish what we believe are the two main theses basic to the theory of descriptions: the epistemological thesis and logical thesis.

Dialectical materialism: the relationship of the categories "matter" and "non-existence"

From the point of view of the dialectical-materialistic approach, the central ontological problem is analyzed — the problem of the existence of matter. For researchers specializing in the direction 09.00.01 "Ontology and theory of knowledge", as well as all those interested in philosophy.

Metaphorical truth and neopragmatic realism of Richard Rorty

The subject of this research is the examination of neopragmatic realism of Richard Rorty through the prism of the concept of metaphorical truth of Paul Ricoeur. The key goal lies in the attempt to fill the “black box of reality” in the philosophy of R. Rorty with the methodological instruments derived from the concept of metaphorical truth of P. Ricoeur. Having dedicated certain time to describing the core ideas of R. Rorty, the author analyzed the methodology of P. Ricoeur regarding the problem of reality and the cognitive opacity of language characteristic to the system of the American philosopher. The author seeks to determine the common and contradictory aspects in methodology of both philosophers for the purpose of conducting the substitution of the elements of Rorty’s philosophy that is organic for the entire logical construct, concluding on the cognitive opacity of language and elements of Ricoeur’s thoughts that lead to backward reasoning. The crucial element is the idea of “physis” borrowed by Ricoeur from Aristotle for ontological substantiation of the concept of metaphorical reality. Namely this idea that becomes the key to recoding of the philosophical system of R. Rorty to what can be called full realism in the philosophical sense. As a result of application of the idea of “physis” to Rorty's philosophy, the author finds the way to saturate the concept of reality with certain ontological content; however, this content is not susceptible to structural description, and thus does not allow solving the problem of cognitive opacity of language characteristic to Rorty's philosophy. Nevertheless, the application of P. Ricoeur’s concept of metaphorical truth to the philosophical system of R. Rorty in the context of ontological problem of accessing reality is the original tactic of reasoning that has not been previously implemented within the scientific and philosophical circles. Although one of the advanced hypothesis that suggests the possibility of substantiation of the cognitive opacity of language was being refuted, the concept of P. Ricoeur allowed saturating the concept of reality of the American philosopher with the ontological content.

The problem of subjectivity of values in the search for a universal environmental ethics

Considering the relationship between the environment and morality, discussion of the matter of values is inevitable. Although there is no consensus on the intrinsic and instrumental characteristics of the value, the condition of talking about environmental ethics is that the environment carries not instrumental but intrinsic value. The problem of subjectivity of this value creates an ontological problem. Given that the value of what is valued depends on the preferences, interests, and attitudes of the valuers, it can lead to anthropocentric environmental ethics, which is an abusive approach style by environmental policymakers. On the other hand, the understanding that value is independent of the preferences, interests, and attitudes of the subject brings an objective approach but this makes it difficult to base environmental ethics on values ??and adds scientific aspects to environmental approaches. Scientific aspects are already discussed under some concepts such as sustainability, biodiversity, ecology, and environmental management. However, grounding these concepts on moral values ??and the formation of environmental ethics depends on emphasizing not only the scientific and objective but also its subjective side. This study explained the possibility of meeting the universality criterion in objective conditions despite the subjectivity of values because the way environmental ethics is adopted by everyone is only a universal environmental ethic.

Is Domestication Speciation? The Implications of a Messy Domestication Model in the Holocene

Domestication is one of the fundamental process that has shaped our world in the last 12,000 years. Changes in the morphology, genetics, and behavior of plants and animals have redefined our interactions with our environments and ourselves. However, while great strides have been made towards understanding the mechanics, timing, and localities of domestication, a fundamental question remains at the heart of archaeological and scientific modelling of this process—how does domestication fit into a framework of evolution and natural selection? At the core of this is the ontological problem of what is a species? In this paper, the complicated concepts and constructs underlying ‘species’ and how this can be applied to the process of domestication are explored. The case studies of soybean and proto-indica rice are used to illustrate that our choice of ‘species’ definitions carries with it ramifications for our interpretations, and that care needs to be made when handling this challenging classificatory system.

The Epistemic Advantage of Lost Autographic Tokens of the Bible

I address an epistemic and related ontological dificulty with the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. The ontological problem: If biblical inerrancy applies to the original autographs, why would God allow these to disappear from the scene? The epistemological problem: Given that the original autographs are gone, we lack a way to know exactly what the original writings were. The first problem is solved by distinguishing text types and tokens, and claiming that semantic meaning and inerrancy are underivative features types. The second is resolved by claiming that in the actual world, we are epistemically better off with the original tokens gone.

EPIMENIDES VS EMPEDOCLES: how early greek philosophers fought еpidemics

The article attempts to highlight the development of the unity of medicine and philosophy in the context of combating epidemics of two early Greek thinkers Epimenides and Empedocles. The idea that Epimenides adheres to the divine origin of the disease is justified, but at the same time, in the process of ritual purification from the plague, it attracts elements of the Pythagorean view of healing, as well as close to Indo-Iranian traditions of the time. It is proved that in the course of the development of ancient thought, the view of the disease also evolves “from myth to logos”, which leads to the understanding of this phenomenon in Empedocles as an ontological problem. Accordingly, it has been established that, for the Sicilian philosopher, mass diseases (epidemics) are caused primarily by the fact that he is more prevalent in the world. If the society is engulfed by hatred and malice, then diseases will inevitably emerge and increase. Instead, overcoming and disappearing of epidemics are possible because peace and harmony between people will prevail. The author substantiates the thesis that helping residents to overcome epidemics in various ancient cities, testifies to the great importance of the early Greek thinkers, who combined not only reflection but also praxis.

The Concept of ‘Authenticity’ in Musical Interpretation: An Ontological Perspective

In this paper I attempt a brief analysis of the concept of ‘authenticity’ from musicological and philosophical perspectives. This term bears important metaphysical presuppositions. A good example is the complex meaning and the central role this term has in one of the most influential philosophy books in the 20th century: Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. This term appears in a crucial point of the treatise: when man (Dasein) must turn his existence toward his intimate self in order to truthfully understand his own being. Notably, in this philosophical context, ‘authenticity’ refers to essential, hidden traits of one individual being in accordance with their way of thinking, feeling and overall behavior. When you are not authentic you submit yourself to impersonal existence. These connotations have common cultural roots with those within musicology, in the latter referring to contemporary debates concerning theoretical difficulties about the historical informed performance movement as held especially by the musicologist Richard Taruskin. In this case, ‘being in accordance’ would mean that certain characteristics considered essential to a musical work are satisfied by the interpretation of the work. The ontological problem concerns the manner in which we conceive the reference of the expression ‘musical work’ and the nature of musical experiences in general. The well-known aesthetician T.W. Adorno, following remarks by Walter Benjamin, criticized Heidegger’s treatment of the concept of ‘authenticity’ for the reason behind it is simply cultural presuppositions from that time, not metaphysical truths. I will argue that, philosophically, neither can fully sustain strong theses and instead propose ‘authenticity’ to mean ‘accordance’ between internal characteristics of a musical work and the interpreter’s personal, but at the same time informed, vision of the same work.