Kleine Schriften, written by the eminent German scholar of Islamic Studies Josef van Ess, is a unique collection of Van Ess' widely scattered short writings, journal articles, encyclopaedia entries, (autobiographical) essays, reviews and lectures, in (mainly) German, English and French, some of which are published here for the first time. It includes a full bibliography of the author's work, in addition to two indexes of classical authors and works, which aim to make accessible the remarkable riches that these Kleine (...) Schriften have to offer. The three-volume collection, carefully selected by the author himself, offers over 150 texts organized primarily along Van Ess' own biography and the history of the discipline. It is divided into twelve parts, beginning with Tübingen where his career began in 1968, and ending with Retrospects and Postscripts for the future, with the thematic complexes Islam and its first options and Muʿtazila as centre pieces. All parts are introduced by brief accounts of the historical context in which each of the assembled texts was written and which course subsequent scholarship may have taken. (shrink)

In this volume the history of Islamic sects is analysed as a literary genus in its own right. It consists of three sections: the first deals with structural constants in the texts such as the arrangement, or the number and classification of the "sects." The main section describes the most important works and authors from the 8th to the 19th century. Finally, the central concepts - "religion," "sects," "orthodoxy," etc. - are considered and the historical background of the literary development (...) examined in more detail. It turns out that the "heresies" were rather "confessions" which can be understood as proof of the pluralistic structure of the Islamic community. (shrink)

Die Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients / Studies in the History and Culture of the Islamic Orient ist die Reihe der "Beihefte" zur Zeitschrift Der Islam. Beide werden von der Abteilung für Geschichte und Kultur des Vorderen Orients, Asien-Afrika-Institut, Universität Hamburg herausgegeben. Die Abteilung wurde im Jahre 1908 noch vor der Universität Hamburg gegründet. Sie war unter ihrem ersten Direktor C. H. Becker das erste wissenschaftliche Zentrum in Deutschland, in dem die Lehre und Forschung sich auf die (...) historischen und kulturwissenschaftlichen und nicht allein die philologischen Aspekte bei der Erforschung der islamischen Welt konzentrierte. Viele führende Experten der deutschen Islamwissenschaft haben hier gelehrt und/oder studiert. Mit dem gleichen hohen Anspruch und der gleichen hohen Qualität wie Der Islamhaben die "Beihefte" zahlreiche Arbeiten über die Geschichte und Kultur der islamischen Welt publiziert, die jeweils Meilensteine in ihrem Feld darstellten. Die seit 2004 erscheinende "Neue Folge" der Beihefte baut auf dieser Tradition auf und bietet eine Plattform für die Publikation von Studien über die Geschichte und Kultur der islamischen Welt vom Beginn des Islams bis in die heutige Zeit. (shrink)

Theology and Society is the most comprehensive study of Islamic intellectual and religious history, focusing on Muslim theology. With its emphasis on the eighth and ninth centuries CE, it remains the most detailed prosopographical study of the early phase of the formation of Islam. Originally published in German between 1991 and 1995, Theology and Society is a monument of scholarship and a unique scholarly enterprise which has stood the test of time as an unparalleled reference work.

Name der Zeitschrift: Der Islam Jahrgang: 93 Heft: 1 Seiten: 304-312.

A discipline with mythical origins, an almost legendary genesis, with indefinite and unde finable boundaries, with uncertain and controversial results, sociology has always claimed for itself the right to be the science of society, the only scientific discipline entrusted with the study of the entire set of intersubjective relationships and the magnetic field they constitute.

This article argues that the Latter Han editor of the Mengzi had a clear idea of which passages in the Mengzi should be at which place in the text. The sequence of the paragraphs may sometimes have been influenced by chronological considerations. However, more important than chronology was the logic of events told in the individual paragraphs of the Mengzi. The article retraces how the editor arranged paragraphs that probably circulated independently before the process of compilation.

Der Eine und das Andere: Beobachtungen an häresiographischen Texten. By Josef van Ess. Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients/Beihefte zur Zeitschrift Der Islam, n.s., vol. 23. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2011. 2 vols. Pp. xliv + 1510. $280.

This paper reports on the meeting of the Sounding Board of the EU Reprogenetics Project that was held in Budapest, Hungary, 6–9 November 2005. The Reprogenetics Project runs from 2004 until 2007 and has a brief to study the ethical aspects of human reproductive cloning and germline gene therapy. Discussions during The Budapest Meeting are reported in depth in this paper as well as the initiatives to involve the participating groups and others in ongoing collaborations with the goal of forming (...) an integrated network of European resources in the fields of ethics of science. (shrink)

This paper reports on the meeting of the Sounding Board of the EU Reprogenetics Project that was held in Budapest, Hungary, 6–9 November 2005. The Reprogenetics Project runs from 2004 until 2007 and has a brief to study the ethical aspects of human reproductive cloning and germline gene therapy. Discussions during The Budapest Meeting are reported in depth in this paper as well as the initiatives to involve the participating groups and others in ongoing collaborations with the goal of forming (...) an integrated network of European resources in the fields of ethics of science. (shrink)

This paper reports on the meeting of the Sounding Board of the EU Reprogenetics Project that was held in Budapest, Hungary, 6–9 November 2005. The Reprogenetics Project runs from 2004 until 2007 and has a brief to study the ethical aspects of human reproductive cloning and germline gene therapy. Discussions during The Budapest Meeting are reported in depth in this paper as well as the initiatives to involve the participating groups and others in ongoing collaborations with the goal of forming (...) an integrated network of European resources in the fields of ethics of science. (shrink)

Ponto de partida para a discussãdo do problema do mal entre os autores do Idealismo Alemão é a ideia de Kant acerca do "mal radical". Kant usou este termo para designer a falsificação da liberdade humana. Com efeito, e apesar de a liberdade ser inerente ao ser humano, este carrega sempre consigo a responsabilidade que Ihe corresponde, pois de outra forma não faria qualquer sentidofalar de apelos morals ã mudança Fichte procurou determinor de forma mãs precisa afonte deste "mal radical" (...) no ser humano, identificando-o na letargia ou inercia inerente ao ser humano. Com efeito, é na resistência da natureza sensual do ser humano a toda a actividade intelectual ou espiritual que reside a constante tentacdo de ndo assumir o chamamento para a acção associado com o imperativo categórico. Schelling, por seu lado, encara o problema do mal em conexdo com uma teoria acerca de Deus da Criação. Segundo ele, o ser humano está ainda em processo de devir aquilo mesmo que ele é suposto ser, de onde deriva a sua auto-referencialidade, ou auto-fechamento, as quais no amor de Deus estão já eternamente superadas, mas que no ser humano constituem o da sua "vontade particular". Devido ao temor de perder o seu ser mais próprio (simesmo), o ser humano revela-se incapaz de se auto-transcender e de abdicar dessa "vonta de particular" em favor da "Vontade Universal", como aliás é seu dever. Ora é neste conflito que consiste o drama da Criação, conflito este em que o próprio Deus se permite entrar, já que não ofazer significaria a capitulação do bem em relação ao mal. Para Hegel, finalmente, o problema do mal tern a vercom o problema da independência do espírito. Esta independencia constitui, de facto, a verdadeira determinação do ser humano. Mas isso no preciso momento em que se dá o encontro do ser humano consigo mesmo e o seu vir-a-si-mesmo (Sich-Finden und Zusichkommen), jé que este é o momento em que o ser humano de forma mais completapode efectivamentefalhar o seu alvo. Para Hegel, portanto, é precisament "consciência "- esse espaço em que sed dá maior autonomia e independência do ser humano - onde se verifica o maior perigo de um descaminho para o mal, ou seja, para o mais completo auto-isolamento. A capacidade reflexiva e de auto-relacionamento revela-se dessa forma, uma forqa ambivalente: por um lado, constitui potencial para um auto--fechamento do ser humano na sua propria singularidade; por outro, representa um potencial de ser abertura de si-mesma em ordem a uma integracdo da sua propria singularidade Universal mais elevado. /// German Idealism's discussion of the problem of evil takes Kant's idea of "radical evil" as its departure point. Kant had used this term to designate a falsification of human freedom. Though freedom is inherent in the human being, the human being bears a responsibility for it at the same time; otherwise a moral appeal to change one's ways would have no point. Fichte sought to determine more precisely the source of this "radical evil" in the human being and found it in the human being's inherent lethargy or inertia. In this resistance of the human being's sensual nature to intellectual/spiritual activity lies the constant temptation not to take up the call to action which the categorical imperative demands. Schelling takes up the problem of evil in connection with a theory on God and Creation. The human being is still becoming that which he is meant to be, and thus the self-referentiality, or self-enclosedness, which in God's divine love are already eternally overcome, constitutes in the human being the very power of his particular will". Out of fear of losing his very self the human being is unable to go beyond himself and surrender that particular will" to the "Universal Will" as he should. In this conflict consists the drama of the Creation, a conflict which God allows himself to enter, for not to do so would mean the capitulation of good to evil. For Hegel, the problem of evil is a problem of the independence of the spirit. This independence constitutes indeed the true determination of the human being, but exactly at the very moment of the human being's finding-of-self and coming-into-himself (Sich-Finden undZusichkommen) the human being can completely miss the mark. Thus for Hegel it is precisely the conscience "-that site of greatest human autonomy and independence -which is in danger of veering off into evil, i. e., into utter self-isolation. The capacity for reflection and for self-relationship thus reveals itself as an ambivalent force: in its potential for fatal self-closing-off in its own singularity on the one hand, and in it potential for self-opening and integration of its own singularity into the higher Universal on the other. (shrink)

We introduce a new class of population games called stable games. These games are characterized by self-defeating externalities: when agents revise their strategies, the improvements in the payoffs of strategies to which revising players are switching are always exceeded by the improvements in the payoffs of strategies which revising players are abandoning. We show that stable games subsume many well-known classes of examples, including zero-sum games, games with an interior ESS, wars of attrition, and concave potential games. We prove that (...) the set of Nash equilibria of any stable game is convex, and offer an elementary proof of existence of equilibrium. Finally, we show that the set of Nash equilibria of a stable game is globally asymptotically stable under a variety of evolutionary dynamics. These convergence results are proved by constructing Lyapunov functions defined in terms of revision potentials—that is, potential functions for the protocols agents follow when they consider switching strategies. (shrink)

The Art of a Democracy of Emotions There is a long discussion in philosophy about the relationship between reason, emotions and politics. Today the adequate question is not whether, but to what extent and in which sense emotions normatively have to play a role in democracy. My first thesis is that there are three central answers to that question which can be brought down to the nominators ‘presentation’, ‘compensation’ and ‘transformation’. Within a political context, emotions ask for a contemporary form (...) of presentation, for a tempering or balancing compensation, and for a meaningful transformation. And my second thesis is that this threefold reaction can be achieved either with the aid of, or even in an excellent way by, aesthetic experiences. In detail I focus on a brief analysis of the modern political meaning of impertinence; the current situation concerning the philosophical discussion on democracy, emotions and aesthetics (with an accent on Martha Nussbaum); and finally on my own suggestion, supported by I. Kant and J. Dewey, concerning the concept of aesthetic experience. (shrink)

Das Wort "Kultur" wird verschiedenartig gebraucht. Wir sagen beispielsweise über ein Volk, das Grosses geleistet hat, dass es ein Kulturvolk sei, während ein anderes, das nicht so viel geleistet hat, nicht als Kulturvolk bezeichnet wird. Dagegen sprechen wir beispielsweise von der Kultur der Steinzeit, obwohl die Menschen der Steinzeit viel primitiver waren, als das Volk, das wir nicht als Kulturvolk ansehen wollten. Wir erhalten eine Bestimmung des Begriffes "Kultur" in derjenigen Bedeutung, die alle Arten und Stufen der Kultur umfasst, und (...) die uns auch in der Bezeichnung "Kulturwissenschaft" entgegentritt, wenn wir den Unterschied zwischen den Dingen, die nicht als Kulturgegenstände bezeichnet werden, und den Dingen, die wir Kulturgegenstände nennen, möglichst richtig formulieren. Der Autor möchte folgende Formulierung vorschlagen: Alle Objekte und Verhaltungsweisen (Handlungen und Dispositionen zu Handlungen) die (infolge ihrer Aenlichkeit mit anderen) als Symptome für das Vorliegen von Symbolen, Erkenntnissen (hauptsächlich kausalen Erkenntnissen) und Zwecken (beziehungsweise Wünschen) zu verwerten sind, gehören zur Kultur. Die Definition des engeren Kulturbegriffes müsste etwa lauten: Zur Kultur gehören Objekte und Verhaltungsweisen, die als Symptome des Schöpferischen (des Grossen und zugleich Neuen) gewertet werden. Es kann hier eine Parallele gezogen werden zwischen den Unterschieden von Mensch und Tier einerseits und Mensch und -- sagen wir -- Uebermensch andrerseits. Das Wesentliche ist das Auftauchen von individuellen und nicht gattungsmässigen Zügen; die Tatsache, dass das Verhalten des genialen Menschen neu ist. In diesem Sinne sprechen wir auch von einem "Kulturvolk" insofern die geschaffenen Werke des betreffenden Volkes und seine Verhaltungsweisen Symptome sind für das Schöpferische der diesem Volke angehörenden Individuen. (shrink)

Studie over de leer van de Duitse filosoof (1804-1872).

Jill de Villiers has argued that children's mastery of sentential complements plays a crucial role in enabling them to succeed at false-belief tasks. Josef Perner has disputed that and has argued that mastery of false-belief tasks requires an understanding of the multiplicity of perspectives. This paper attempts to resolve the debate by explicating attributions of desires and beliefs as extensions of the linguistic practices of making commands and assertions, respectively. In terms of these linguistic practices one can explain why (...) desire-talk will precede belief-talk and why even older children will have difficulty attributing incompatible desires. (shrink)

In answer to jordan's "disputed questions" the reasons why gilsonianism has been chosen as interlocutor are clarified; the analogous character of the "transcendental sense" of essence and the "primary sense" (first analogate) of essence ((1) "essence of and in really existing beings," (2) ideal and immutable eide, (3) essence of the absolute, real and eternal being) are further elucidated. The main arguments in the essay for "ideal essences" are further explained and the main charges answered by the speculative attempt to (...) reconcile clearly given ideal "essences" with a divine being (subject of philosophical proof) which is not limited by "ideas" like plato's demiourg. Existential thomism (gilson) is credited with having referred to an unmistakably given important metaphysical "principle": existence, which is then wrongly "absolutized," while jordan's "absolutized" "esse" is suspected to refer to no single original datum; the limitation implied in "essence" seems to be held on the basis of a "concoction" of existence, being and essence. (shrink)

De pessimistische zinnen, waarvan vele op het eerste gezicht klaar en begrijpelijk schijnen, blijken bij nadere beschouwing zinlooze woordenreeksen. De schrijver onderscheidt in zijn logische onderzoekingen drie stadia. In het eerste stadium -- dat van het naïeve begrijpen -- komen ons de pessimistische zinnen, vooral wanneer we in een slechte stemming zijn, zeer vertrouwd voor; in het volgende stadium -- dat der logische analyse -- ontpoppen zij zich als zinlooze woordverbindingen, terwijl in het derde stadium een verklaring wordt gezocht voor (...) het tegenstrijdig karakter der beide voorafgaande stadia. Schächter komt, na toepassing der logische analyse op eenige pessimistische zinnen, tot de conclusie, dat de uiterlijke vorm dezer zinnen misleidend is. Deze zinnen wekken namelijk den indruk, alsof de vertwijfeling, die door hen wordt uitgedrukt, op een gegeven toestand betrekking heeft. Zulk een pessimisme zou echter niet "echt" zijn, wijl daarbij toch stilzwijgend wordt verondersteld, dat een andere, mogelijke -- helaas niet werkelijke -- toestand begeerenswaardig zou zijn. Zoo is de verachting van alle aardsche goederen alleen bij die menschen echt, die rijk aan genotmogelijkheden zijn. Het pessimisme van arme menschen beteekent in den grond der zaak een bekrachtiging van de waardeering voor aardsche goederen. Van een symptomatisch gezichtspunt uit beschouwd, worden pessimistische uitingen niet als uitspraken aangezien, zooals de formuleeringen der omgangstaal en der wetenschap, die de een of andere zakelijke situatie beschrijven, maar als symptomen van bepaalde stemmıngen. Onze taal bestaat uit verschillende "lagen", tusschen welke "overeenkomsten" bestaan. Zoo kan men onderscheiden tusschen een -- met betrekking tot de "waardeeringen" -- neutrale taallaag en een laag, waarin alle dingen en verschijnselen met waardeeringsmaatstaven worden gemeten. Zoowel binnen de waardeeringsvrije, neutrale taal als binnen de waardeeringstaal onderscheidt Schächter een grammaticale en een toegepaste taal. Bij de analyse der taal stooten we op een laag, waarin alle gebeurtenissen uitsluitend van het gezichtspunt van den mensch uit worden beschouwd, waarin bij voorbeeld de zon geschapen is met het doel, den mensch goede diensten te bewijzen. Opvattingen als deze hebben tot het vaststellen van bepaalde regels geleid, die in onze taal, of liever in een van haar lagen, nog steeds gelden. Er zijn zinswendingen, die in de eene taallaag verboden, maar in een andere volkomen toelaatbaar zijn. Iedere taallaag heeft haar eigen regels, haar eigen logica. Binnen bepaalde taallagen hebben de pessimistische uitingen "zin". Het zijn de lagen, waarin vragen en zinnen worden "verstaan". Buiten deze lagen zijn de pessimistische formuleeringen zinloos. (shrink)

Phenomenological psychopathology is a research field that aims to investigate and describe the subjective experience of mental disorders. By suspending the assumptions about etiology and causality as much as possible, and by focusing on the subjective experiences of the patient, it is supposed to offer a profound understanding of the patient’s suffering, and of the disorder in general. Clarity in the description of these experiences is, therefore, a necessity. Traditionally, phenomenological psychopathology was studied mostly by European, and particularly by German (...) and French psychiatrists, such as Karl Jaspers, Wolfgang Blankenburg, and Eugène Minkowski. Today, psychopathologists like Josef Parnas, Giovanni... (shrink)