Institute of Philosophy: Traditions and Innovations

The article is devoted to the historical and philosophical analysis of the unique and paradigmatic role of the H.S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the philosophical life of Ukraine for 75 years since its foundation. The authors outline its role in the process of institutionalizing philosophy in Ukraine from the time of the domination of the dogmas of Soviet Marxism to the introduction of current research traditions in modern Ukrainian philosophy. The continuity and peculiarities of the change of generations of researchers in the field of philosophy and the involvement of Ukrainian philosophical thought in the world intellectual discourse are studied. The article's authors reveal the gradual formation of the Kyiv philosophical tradition, the role of the Institute's leadership in the style and nature of scientific research of certain periods. Particular attention is paid to the institutionalization of new research areas at the Institute, such as political philosophy, philosophy of language and speech, which belong to the leading paradigm of modern philosophy. Attention is paid to the cooperation of the Institute with domestic scientific and educational institutions, its international relations. The status of the leading professional publications, which became significant both in Soviet times and during independence, is highlighted. Finally, the article notes the role and tasks of the Institute in modern social discourse, focuses on the values, the preservation of which is taken care of by representatives of the Institute.

Development of philosophical anthropology in Kyiv Weltanschauung School

The article is dedicated to the development of philosophical anthropology in the Kyiv Weltanschauung School. It is shown that in studies devoted to this school there are certain differences. They concern both the time of the school's founding and its founders. The vast majority of researchers consider Volodymyr Shynkaruk to be the founder of the Kyiv Weltanschauung School and date its emergence in 1969, when the principles of Weltanschauung school were promulgated. At the same time, there is another point of view on the abolition of this school. Some researchers associate its appearance with the name of Pavlo Kopnin, who also had noticeable humanistic motives for philosophizing. Attempts to combine Weltanschauung and logical- epistemological approaches are also noticeable. In this connection it is talked about Kyiv Weltanschauung-Epistemological School. In my opinion, there are more reasons to consider Volodymyr Shynkaruk, the founder of the Kyiv Weltanschauung School, who initiated the study of man - the world of man, which is the core of the Weltanschauung .In Ukrainian philosophical thought, the anthropological turn Kyiv Weltanschauung School took place not on blank space. Representatives of this school, first of all its founder Volodymyr Shynkaruk, continued to some extent the tradition of "philosophy of heart" of H. Skovoroda and P. Yurkevich, on the other hand, their philosophical heritage strangely reflected the mainstream of modern philosophy, namely the turn from epistemology to anthropology, to the ontology of the world of human existence. It is necessary to distinguish between the understanding of philosophical anthropology in the narrow and broad sense. In a narrow sense, it is understood as a philosophical discipline that developed in the 20-30 years of the 20th century and is represented by the names Scheler, Helen, Plesner. In a broad sense, philosophical anthropology is a philosophical reflection on man in general. In this regard, such key problems of philosophical anthropology as human transcendence, its identity, goal-setting as a way of human self-realization are considered.

Research of German Classical Philosophy at the Institute of Philosophy

The article analyzes the work of the staff of the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which relates to the study of German classical philosophy. Ideologically unbiased studies of German idealism at the Institute became possible only after it was headed by Pavlo Kopnin. The Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv became the center from which all researchers of German idealism emerged in the first half of the 1960’s. At first more attention was paid to Hegel’s philosophical system, which was reflected in the monograph of V. Shinkaruk (1964). In the mid-1970’s, Kant’s critical philosophy came to the fore, various aspects of which were analyzed in the collective monograph “Critical Essays on Kant’s Philosophy” (1975). In the early 1980’s, researchers engaged intensively in Feuerbach’s “anthropological materialism” by publishing the collective monograph “Essays on Feuerbach’s Philosophy” (1982). The works and ideas of Hegel, Kant and Feuerbach were the main subject of attention of researchers at the Institute, which was reflected in numerous publications in the journal “Philosophical Thought”. Instead, Schelling’s philosophical systems, and especially Fichte’s, remained almost neglected until 1991.

Memory in Terms of Logic and Semiotics

The phenomenon of memory is considered as a component implicitly present in the process of information communication. A short typology of memory kinds that form a referential field around so-called semantic memory is given. Through the approaches of Yu. Lotman and R. Jacobson, the classical notion of time is considered through the relationship "Past-Present-Future", which is closely related to the problems of memory. The focus is on how could the memory be considered within logic and by means of logic? As one of the ways of solving the point, to apply the tools of tense logic to the problem through the analysis of the works of Anatoly Ishmuratov (1946–2017), a prominent Ukrainian logician, is proposed. The classifications of the tenses by O. Jespersen, H. Reichenbach, W. Bull are considered. The subjective and objective axes of orientation, which form the basis of calendars, charts and scales, as fragments of time, are analyzed. According to Ishmuratov, these instruments – schemes, diagrams, etc. can be considered languages. The possibility of language objectification of meaning determines the relationship of logical inference, and thus the structuring of semantic areas, which are memories, by means the language of logic and in accordance with its structures. Through the study of logical and cognitive conditions of action, A. Ishmuratov continued to develop ideas of tense logic and their application to explain the psychological perception of objective time. He construed a scheme of semantic connections of memory as a mental act that reproduces the life path of the individual; he distinguished between memories and "pseudo-memories", which together influence the reassessment of past events, shape the individual`s experience and his ability to construe alternatives to the future and reasoning about it. A special place in A. Ishmuratov's research is occupied by his explication of temporal three-valued logic and application of temporal modalities to the analysis of so-called transient states. Further study of such approaches could help to make sense of rational explication of memory, testimonies, reminiscences of past events and give interesting results.

Institutionalisation of Research Achievements of the Institute of Philosophy in Educational Practices: experience of the «Kyiv School of Philosophy»

The article raises the topic of the specifics of the process of institutionalization of scientific achievements of the H. S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the NAS of Ukraine, especially the ones of the «Kyiv School of Philosophy» of the second half of the XX century and early XXI century, in the contemporary educational practices of Ukrainian universities on the example of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The celebration in 2021 of the 75th anniversary of the institute, which, together with the university, became the main centre of the Kyiv School of Philosophy, once again highlights the latter's role as a leading subject of institutionalization of the Ukrainian national philosophical tradition of late modern times. One of the most famous innovative academic, humanitarian projects and the first prototypes of an open society in the Ukrainian SSR, this institute was a major domestic participant in world philosophical life during the Cold War and became a centre of growth of the philosophical community in the independent Ukraine. An illustrative example of the introduction of new educational practices in classical universities of Ukraine in the context of digitalization of domestic higher education during the emergence of a global network society is an activity of philosophical societies and startups of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the H. S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the NAS of Ukraine. It unites their common high scientific and educational potential. The Student Society of Oral History of Philosophy of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv is one of the most famous. At the centre of its studies is initiated in T. Chaika’s “The Philosopher’s Oral Histories” project reconstruction of scientific biographies of the Kyiv School of Philosophy creators in the context of developing an oral history of philosophy as an alternative historical and philosophical approach/source/genre.

Will and Volition: Personal Conditions of Possibility of Being an Agent

Will is a very old important philosophical concept, an analysis of which is very specific, if not odd, comparatively with the others (when it fruitfully proceeds in terms of criteria). This concept (‘will’) is going to be used to provide and clarify conditions of possibility for person of being an agent. In doing that I refer to the correspondent pieces of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations; and to their interpretations by M. Alvarez in “Wittgenstein on Action and Will” (2009) and D. K. Levy in “Morality without Agency” (2017). Person is essentially constituted by ‘powerless’ will in terms of ‘understanding’ that is experienced during her life. Action depends on and manifests understanding by will of a personal attitude to some states of affairs. Will does not incline a person to particular desires about preferable states of affairs or actions. Will is not about states of affairs. By willing I value the world, its portions, they appear significant, important to me. Volition is treated as related to will. Both are personal conditions of being an agent with priority of agency as capacity realized by rational actions.

Department of Logic and Methodology of Science: Achievements and Prospects

The article provides an overview of activity of the department of logic and methodology of science of the H.S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, National Academy of Science of Ukraine. This activity includes scientific research, translation of philosophical literature, organization of seminars on urgent problems of modern philosophy. Research projects, on the one hand, are based on scientific traditions formed over the years in the Institute, and on the other hand, they focus on the transformations in scientific cognition and science, and build the projections for the future. It presents methodological backgrounds of the project «Semiotic analysis of cultural phenomena» (2018–2020), and outlines research tasks of the projects «Communicative transformations in modern science» (2020–2021) and «Logical, ontological and axiological dimensions of modern scientific knowledge» (2022–2024). Involvement of young scholars in research in logic, methodology and philosophy of science is the major challenge for the department.

Problematization and modification of phenomenological concept of experience in Martin Heidegger`s fundamental ontology

The aim of the paper is to justify the view of Martin Heidegger’s concept of Dasein as a recon- ceptualization and modification of Edmund Husserl’s concept of experience (Erfahrung). The subject of analysis is Heidegger's concept “Dasein”, which is one of the most problematic concepts of the entire Heidegger's legacy due to ambiguity of its meaning and the resulting variability of possible interpretations. Specific attention is paid to examining the ontological reading of Heidegger's philosophy as opposed to both existentialist and anthropological ones; the author also textually argues for its legitimacy. Author textually proves that Dasein indeed is a modification of Husserl`s concept of experience. Moreover, she claims that not only the concept of Dasein but fundamental ontology itself may be seen to some extent as an original modification of Husserl’s phenomenology. For not only one of the key phenomenological concepts gets modified, but also its method of exploration and some crucial topics (e. g. the temporality of consciousness) get modified and incorporated in Heidegger’s fundamental ontology project.

Philosophy as a factor of spiritual independence of Ukraine

The article examines the problems of philosophy development in Ukraine during the thirty years of independence; an attempt is made to periodize this development. It is shown that the independence of Ukraine, in addition to the state, political and economic dimensions, also contains a spiritual component associated with religious, cultural, linguistic, and ideological independence. The key here was independence from the Moscow Church and creating an autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Nevertheless, since, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, no ideology can be recognized by the state as mandatory, spiritual independence is also a secular category and presupposes worldview and philosophical independence. The article highlights several stages of the creation of philosophical independence. First, the first stage required overcoming the ideologically biased philosophy of Russian Marxism, that is, Marxism-Leninism. The second stage is the involvement of Ukrainian philosophy in the models of modern world philosophy, the assimilation of its leading trends and paradigmatic complexes. The role of translations of philosophical classics and modern philosophical literature in entering philosophy into world philosophical thought in Ukraine is also shown. Finally, the third stage is related to solving the critical problems of our time, related to globalization, ecological crisis, universalism and particularism in ethics, ethical reclamation of modern society, etc. The article also deals with the role of philosophy and philosophical education in substantiating the value orientations of the development of Ukrainian society, the formation of communicative, moral, professional competencies of citizens as a factor in the civilizational choice of Ukraine.

Artificial intelligence as an anthropotechnology

Artificial intelligence is a computer system that thinks or acts like humans. Features of AI systems embody implicit beliefs concerning the human nature that AI developers have. “Strong” AI, which has the general cognitive abilities of an adult, has not yet been created, while “weak” AI is already part of the planetary computation infrastructure. Neural network AI mimics specific types of human behavior, generalizing data about the everyday lives of its users. This AI approach corresponds to the philosophical mainstream of the 20th century, when everyday life was seen as a source of the linguistic and the social pre-given that yields mutual understanding. This approach is also based on the traditional human-machine dichotomy and the corresponding idea that human nature is stable and independent of the technological condition. However, in the post-metaphysical age, when human interaction with technology is communicative rather than instrumental, data on everyday life cannot be an independent paragon of the human nature. AI systems do not only codify the descriptive features of human nature, but also discipline their users, as the digital environment in which everyday data can be collected is already organized by AI. Accordingly, in the digital environment, people are forced to reproduce new norms of behavior, codified by AI, which became one of the forms of human self-mastery, or anthropotechnology. The impact of AI is rarely noted, as the digital environment in which people interact with AI is not organized in a way that is clearly understandable. The anthropotechnological nature of AI is a side effect of the development of platforms, so AI developers rarely take responsibility for the norms embodied in the systems they create.