Reconstructing Pragmatism

The figure of Richard Rorty stands in complex relation to the tradition of American pragmatism. On the one hand, his intellectual creativity, lively prose, and bridge-building fueled the contemporary resurgence of pragmatism. On the other, his polemical claims and selective interpretations function as a negative, fixed pole against which thinkers of all stripes define themselves. Virtually all pragmatists on the contemporary scene, whether classical or “new,” Deweyan, Jamesian, or Peircean, use Rorty as a foil to justify their positions. The resulting divisions and internecine quarrels threaten to thwart and fragment the tradition’s creative potential. More caricatured than understood, the specter of Rorty is blocking the road of inquiry and future development of pragmatism. Reconstructing Pragmatism moves beyond the Rortyan impasse by providing what has been missing for decades: a constructive, nonpolemical account of Rorty’s relation to classical pragmatism. The first book-length treatment of Rorty’s intellectual debt to the early pragmatists, it establishes his selective appropriations not as misunderstandings or distortions but as a sustained, intentional effort to reconstruct their thinking. Featuring chapters devoted to five key pragmatist thinkers—Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey, Josiah Royce, and Jane Addams—the book draws on archival sources and the full scope of Rorty’s writings to challenge prevailing misconceptions and caricatures. By illuminating the critical resources, still largely untapped, that Rorty offers for articulating classical pragmatism’s ongoing relevance, the book reveals limitations in received images of the classical pragmatists and opens up new modes of understanding pragmatism and why it matters today.

Regarding the Ideological and Theoretical Sources of Early Slavophilism

The article analyzes the main ideological sources, which were the theoretical basis on which the formation of the Slavophil trend took place in the first half of the 19th century. The author considers such sources of Slavophilism as European philosophy and patristic philosophical and theological thought. The main personalities were identified, on whose intellectual creativity the early Slavophiles relied on, and their ideological ideas, used by Russian philosophers in their arguments, were revealed. In addition, the differences between the studied sources and the Slavophil worldview are given.

THE PROGRAM “PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN”: POSITIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE USA

Thе article deals with the peculiarities of theprogram “Philosophy for children” and possibility of its introduction at both junior schools and the lyceums in Ukraine. The aim of the article is to show the positive attitude of American educators to the program. The results of the research show that logical reasoning and intellectual creativity are not mutually exclusive, and can be formed within a single program. The authors claim that “Philosophy for children” program is undoubtedly relevant and needs not only active development but also promotion and dissemination among representatives of the academic philosophical community, educators, representatives of the relevant institutions of state power and general public.

The Eventful Character of Bibikhin's Philosophical Thought

The article deals with the event-related aspects of V.V. Bibikhin's philosophical activities on the material of his lectures, texts and communication with contemporaries (S.S. Horuzhy, S.S. Averintsev and A.V. Akhutin). The eventfulness of the transfer of knowledge from teacher to student, as well as the unity of thought, word and life are the principles of teaching philosophy derived from the pedagogical experience of V.V. Bibikhin. He was a follower of A.F. Losev and M. Heidegger focusing his thoughts on clarifying ontological problems. Ontological thought is paradoxical in its own nature. This is revealed in the reading and interpretation of Bibikhin's writings, as well as in the evidence of his polemical communication with colleagues. One of the brightest ontological disputes of recent times is the discussion of V.V. Bibikhin and S.S. Horuzhy about the concept of energy which is an essential ontological category. These prominent Russian thinkers had a long-term friendship that included an element of intellectual rivalry. The author calls such communication “friendship in struggle” which has a paradoxical character. The philosophical definition of friendship presented in the book “The Pillar and Statement of Truth” by P.A. Florensky which has an antinomic character is used in the text. The paradoxical event and the polemic nature of V.V. Bibikhin's thought manifests itself in his works and correspondence with friends. The article provides illustrative examples of these moments of his intellectual creativity. V.V. Bibikhin is one of those thinkers who preserve the Russian philosophical tradition in the context of its disputes with other national traditions.

Is Lecture as a Dominant Form of Teaching Dying?

The article is devoted to the actively debated, difficult and for many teachers a painful problem addressing lecture as a dominant form of teaching. Nowadays, lecture is increasingly seen as an inefficient form of education, hopelessly outdated, with little interest and response among students, useless and, in principle, dying. The authors are firmly convinced that lecture was, continues to be and will be the main and indispensable form of instruction for the reproduction of an intellectual elite. To substantiate this position, the article presents an argumentation system that unfolds in three stages. In the first part of the article, the essence of lecture is revealed in the light of Randall Collins' theory of intellectual interactive rituals. The subject's intellectual creativity is conditioned by his personal contacts “face to face” with other intellectuals, as well as the position of this subject in the intellectual network. There is a demonstration that lecture has all the hallmarks of an interactive ritual, and it is its archetypal case, which ensures the transmission of cultural capital from the older generation of intellectuals to the young one. During this process, its successful participants feel surge of emotional energy necessary for intellectual creativity. In the second part of the article, the distinctive positive aspects of lecture are systematized and discussed, which together make it a unique form of training that gives indispensable experience to both lecturer and participants. The third part of the article, based on the real history of education and providing illustrative examples, is a kind of empirical confirmation of the first two parts. The article may be of interest to teachers, students, as well as anyone who is not indifferent to the current state of education in Russia.

Interaction of EU and UK copyright in a post-Brexit world: will video games get more protection than they bargain for?

The UK's approach to copyright and its adoption of a closed list of categories of work has led to unforeseeable gaps in protection in video games and fails to recognize the intellectual creativity that has gone into various elements of a video game, such as in-game animation. However, the CJEU's decision in Cofemel (C-683/17) has sought to harmonize copyright in the EU and provides two simplified requirements for subsistence of copyright allowing for expansive protection and open ended categories of work. This decision broadens out copyright in a way which may fill in some of the gaps of protection for video games but at what cost? This article explores how Cofemel might impact the video games industry in practice, as well as the ways in which the UK courts might address Cofemel in light of its direct conflict with UK legislation at a critical political time where the UK is about to depart from the EU.

DIRECTIONS OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL OF THE TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE ENTITIES

The article is devoted to relevant issues of formation and development of intellectual capital of enterprises that constitute the tourism infrastructure. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the directions and means of formation and development of intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure enterprises. The author's description of the concept and structure of intellectual capital of an enterprise is given. It is established that intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure enterprises comprises such basic elements as, first, the company's staff (and their competence characteristics) able to accumulate and generate intellectual creativity, create and commercialize innovations and implement their results in economic practice to form modern logistical and information-technological support for business processes; secondly, the provision of the enterprise with modern equipment and technologies, information, infrastructure for innovation and intellectual-creative activities; thirdly, the extent and effectiveness of the combination of factors of labor and intelligence. It is proved that intellectual capital is a dynamic concept and is close to the intellectual potential. The composition of the tourism infrastructure entities involves tourism companies, accommodation facilities, food facilities, accompanying and communication facilities providing transport, trade, cultural, educational, sports and other services to meet the needs of tourists. The relevance of the formation and use of intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure enterprises is substantiated. In the current research, the scientific methods of strategic management (for constituting the bases for structuring the purposes of improvement of intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure enterprises) and the system approach (to substantiation of priorities and tools for improvement of intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure entities) are applied. The means of formation of intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure enterprises are determined. Further scientific research in this area concerns the substantiation of economic and mathematical models of intellectual capital using. The practical significance of the research results concerns the ways to increase intellectual capital of the tourism infrastructure and strengthen both the competitiveness and overall economic potential of tourism in Ukraine, which also has a major social effect in meeting the needs of consumers in tourism and recreation services.

Agurumyela's art of connection: Christopher Azaare's project of curating Gurensi history and culture

This article explores the innovative and hybrid intellectual project of Christopher Azaare Anabila. Since 1976, Azaare has been documenting the histories of the Gurensi and Boosi people of northern Ghana and has crafted genealogical maps of whole villages and clans. He has written manuscripts on taboos, totems, proverbs, missionary activities, cultural institutions and anti-colonial resistance. Because of this work, people have begun to refer to Azaare as Agurumyela, which in Gurene means ‘a person who digs into people's past’. Central to this lifelong endeavour is the museum of Gurensi culture that Azaare has been building in Gowrie. I present Azaare's views of this wide-ranging process of collection and re-casting and reflect on his motivation to reclaim history and curating authority from professional academics. I argue that Azaare's project allows us to recognize the ubiquitous existence of a vibrant strand of African intellectual creativity that combines multiple repertoires and draws on overlapping and diverse productions in different modes and media. Next, I turn to Azaare's manuscript on the institution of tindaanaship (earth custodians). I explore his genealogical method as an art of connection that highlights his role as an engaged community intellectual, weaving extensive networks between Gurensi communities, officials and academics.