not analytic. This seems to be the point of Kant's claim that the concept of the sum of seven and five does not include its equality to the number twelve ...

The early years -- The traveling student -- Egypt and Babylon -- A return to Greece -- The Pythagorean school -- Pythagorean thought -- Pythagoras' legacy.

Antike Idealtypologien sprechen von Gemeinschaft der Bürger (ϰοινωνία πολιτιϰή) und sozialer Harmonie (σνμφωνία), wenn sie über den autarken Staat sprechen, einen Staat, der die Fähigkeit besitzt, seinen Zweck zu erfüllen, d. h. das εν ζην zu ermöglichen. Die Bürgerschaft wird mit einem disziplinierten, gut eingestimmten Chor verglichen. Dion von Prusa lobt die Bürger einer Stadt, da sie eine Kleidung trügen, eine Sprache sprächen und die gleichen Ziele hätten. Diese Vorstellungen von Gleichheit, ισóτης, ισονομια oder ομóνοια spiegeln stets nur eine Idee (...) wider, keinesfalls aber die Lebenswirklichkeit. In der Spätantike sind Personengruppen nachweisbar, die aus bestimmten Gründen nicht so leben konnten, wie dies üblicherweise für erstrebenswert gehalten wurde. Allmähliche Entwurzelung, wirtschaftliche Benachteiligung, falscher Glaube oder Behinderung kennzeichneten Personengruppen, deren Lebensweise von den durchschnittlichen gesellschaftlichen Vorstellungen bzw. Werten und herrschenden Normen abwichen. Indem sie die Normen der Gesellschaft, in der sie lebten, nicht einhielten oder nicht einhalten konnten, waren auf Grund dieser Ablehnung bzw. Unfähigkeit von der Majorität nicht als gleichwertig akzeptiert. Diese diskriminierten, von der Gesellschaft ausgeschlossenen Personengruppen wurden von der Allgemeinheit als andersartig eingestuft. Die beispielsweise durch Krankheiten diskriminierten, diffamierten Personen wurden vom Betreten der Städte abgehalten und sollten sich einerseits Zufluchtsorte für Außenseiter suchen, andererseits wurden sie als benachteiligt, als Außenseiter registriert, und der Anblick ihres Zustandes erweckte Furcht, Hass und Mitleid. Manche wurden in diese randseitige Position hineingeboren (angeborene Defekte), andere erwarben diese Position im Verlauf ihres Lebens. Man denke an die Lepra und an andere Krankheiten oder Unfälle, auch Verstümmelungen, die bewirkten, dass jemand anders aussah oder sich verhielt. (shrink)

The existing literature on political and civic participation has tended to neglect individuals’ judgements about the effectiveness of specific forms of participation, focusing instead on the role of internal, external and collective efficacy in driving levels of participation. The present study examined young people’s judgements of the effectiveness of specific forms of conventional, non-conventional and civic participation and the reasons which are given for these judgements. Fourteen focus groups were conducted with English, Bangladeshi and Congolese young people aged between 16 (...) and 26 years old living in Greater London. The findings revealed differences in judgements of the effectiveness of action across ethnic groups, and differences in the specific reasons that are given for judgements of effectiveness as a function of ethnicity, gender and age. It is argued that greater attention needs to be paid to subgroups formed by the intersection of ethnicity, gender and age in order to understand young people’s participatory attitudes and behaviours. (shrink)

La 4e de couverture indique : "Nietzsche présente sa philosophie comme "un platonisme inversé". Deleuze reprend ce fil et ouvre ainsi l'espace contemporain de cette injonction : "la tâche de la philosophie moderne a été définie : renversement du platonisme. Que ce renversement conserve beaucoup de caractères platoniciens n'est pas seulement inévitable, mais souhaitable." Il s'agit avant tout de suivre le fil des reconstructions de ce nom dans l'espace des philosophies contemporaines, afin d'en saisir et de mettre en évidence la (...) scène polémique. Celle-ci, dans son versant antique, présente notamment Platon comme la figure principale de la philosophie dogmatique ou métaphysique. Son versant contemporain porte sur les conceptions renouvelées de la dialectique, des théories de la contradiction et plus généralement de la négation. Cet antiplatonisme aura culminé dans l'espace contemporain à travers les multiples tentatives d'approprier Socrate à ce qui en serait la postérité morale adéquate, contre Platon : en cherchant à sauver un élément critique de la pensée socratique qui aurait été recouvert, enseveli ou détourné par la dogmatique de Platon. L'opposition constamment reconduite est ici comme ailleurs entre la méthode éthique et strictement élenctique d'un Socrate réel (où la discussion réfutative valide une hypothèse par la récurrence de son succès) et le dogmatisme de maîtrise du Socrate fictionné par Platon (où la démonstration inspirée des mathématiques des Éléates vise une certitude épistémique). C'est pourtant une toute autre subjectivation qui constitue l'enjeu de la dialectique socratico-platonicienne, dans laquelle l'usage affirmatif de l'hypothèse conduit des conceptions contemporaines renouvelées de la négation à une nouvelle pensée de l'absolu.". (shrink)

Το άρθρο αυτό παρουσιάζει τους σκοπούς και τα κύρια αποτελέσματα ενός διατμηματικού ερευνητικού προγράμματος για τη μελέτη της κεραμικής με διακόσμηση «μελανού επί ερυθρού», ένα χαρακτηριστικό της Νεότερης Νεολιθικής περίοδο (4800/4700 -3900/3800 π.Χ.) στην βόρεια Ελλάδα. Από την μακροσκοπική μελέτη μπορούμε να ξεχωρίσουμε τέσσερις τύπους κεραμικής, που καλύπτουν την ανατολική Μακεδονία και τη Θράκη, την Μέση και την άνω κοιλάδα του Στρυμώνα, την κεντρική Μακεδονία και την δυτική Μακεδονία. Η εκτενέστερη μελέτη του πρώτου τύπου, που τεκμηριώνεται καλύτερα από τους άλλους (...) τρεις, με την συγκριτική μελέτη των χημικών συστατικών των πηλών και των τοπικών χωμάτων, υποδηλώνει την ύπαρξη τουλάχιστον τεσσάρων παραγωγικών χώρων στην ανατολική Μακεδονία. Σε μια περίπτωση, είμαστε σχεδόν βέβαιοι για την χρήση και την εκμετάλλευση ίδιας πηγής πηλού, της οποίας η θέση μένει να εξακριβωθεί. (shrink)

One of the most characteristic claims of the dominant movement in contemporary British philosophy, to which we shall refer as the philosophy of ordinary language, is that traditional philosophical discourse has usually been logically improper because it has depended upon systematic misuses of certain expressions in ordinary language and that philosophy is a legitimate cognitive discipline only if it is concerned with the description of the actual use of language. To substantiate this claim, the philosopher of ordinary language has had (...) to establish at least the following two general philosophical theses, which together seem to constitute the hard core of original doctrine in the philosophy of ordinary language. First, that the meaning of an expression is its use and not its referent or what it corresponds to. Second, that the description of the uses of certain expressions in language is not merely a study of words but genuinely solves the same problems which traditional philosophy had tried to solve through other methods. (shrink)

The purpose of this article is to examine two major arguments in favour of the philosophical thesis that the meaning of an expression is its use, and not its referent or what it corresponds to. A second philosophical thesis which is closely related to the first is that the study of the ordinary, “actual” uses of certain expressions is not of purely linguistic interest but in fact is a way, probably the only proper way, of solving the problems of traditional (...) philosophy; in the sequel to the present article, we shall examine one major argument in favour of this second thesis. Both theses occupy a place of central importance in the dominant movement in contemporary British philosophy, to which we shall refer as “the philosophy of ordinary language”. Together they seem to constitute the basis of the most characteristic claim of this movement: that traditional philosophic discourse is logically improper and that philosophy is a legitimate cognitive discipline only if it is concerned with “the spatial and temporal phenomenon of language” by describing “the actual use of language”. Both theses are necessary for the justifi cation of this more general claim. (shrink)

Clarification requests, queries posed in response to a “problematic” (misheard, misunderstood, etc.) utterance, are a challenge to mainstream semantic theories because they call into question notions such as “shared content” or “the context.” Given their strong parallelism requirements, elliptical clarification requests introduce in addition significant complexities concerning the need for long-term maintenance of non-semantic information in context. In this paper, we consider a puzzle concerning the emergence of elliptical clarification requests in child English: Data from the Belfast and Manchester corpora (...) from CHILDES demonstrate that reprise fragments, the highest frequency clarification request construction among adults, emerges with significant delay in comparison with reprise sluices, bare wh-phrases used to request clarification. This is a puzzling finding a priori: first, since reprise fragments are by most plausible measures the most readily available clarification request form in that it involves mere repetition of material primed by the previous utterance and children have the ability to repeat parts of the previous utterance from the earliest stages of speech. Moreover, as we show, reprise fragments predominate—in some cases vastly so, over sluicing in the input of fragmentary clarification requests available to the child—and it would, therefore, be difficult to construct an explanation for order of emergence primarily based on frequency of the construction in the children's input. Our account is based on grammatical explication of the difference between the constructions, how constructional difference is represented in a hierarchy of constructions, and in terms of a notion of semantic complexity that suggests reprise sluicing is, in fact, less complex than reprise fragments. (shrink)

In this article, I present different readings of Confucius's irony in the Analects (or Lunyu 論語) and expand on the implications of irony for how we perceive Confucius. Scholars who have appreciated the irony of Confucius tend to see it as distinctive of an unsagely, everyday man, often juxtaposed to the dominant image of the Master as a hyperserious sage. Moreover, irony is considered a pedagogical tool. These readings mainly recognize verbal irony (Confucius means the opposite of what he says). (...) I discuss a second type of irony: complex irony (Confucius both means and does not mean what he says). I argue that sageliness is not incompatible with irony, and further propose that complex irony can be found beyond the sentence level; it can be the feature of the relation between specific sayings. Adapting to his interlocutors' diverse personalities and needs, and to a constantly changing world, Confucius sometimes provides different and even conflicting answers to the same questions, based on contextual appropriateness. Each answer is meant to be taken literally and fits one concrete situation. The same answer, however, can be simultaneously ineffective or even dangerous in another albeit seemingly similar context. Thus Confucius sometimes both means what he says and does not mean it in an absolute sense. (shrink)

In this paper we take Luce Irigaray’s idea of fluid feminine subjectivity as productive for the project of rethinking agency in a collaborative feminist-Confucian context. We discuss how diffused agency in the Analects can be used alongside Irigaray’s work to critique contemporary notions of atomic agency. Our argument employs the notions of fluidity and agency in Irigaray and the Analects with concentrations on: 1) similarities between Irigaray’s “philosophy of breath” and Confucian ritual; 2) parallels between fluid feminine subjectivity and diffused (...) agency; and 3) a shared concern for the ethical life. We thus see how Confucianism can contribute to contemporary feminist discourse. (shrink)

Scholars have often recognized the “touch of irony” in Kongzi’s “collected conversations” (Lunyu 論語 or Analects of Confucius). Some interpreters have taken the ironic face as one of his faces. Others have celebrated the ironic Kongzi as the “true” depiction of the Master. This paper presents two seemingly contrasting images of Kongzi – the non-ironic sage and the ironic non-sage – and looks at their assumptions. I then explore the methodological implications of taking the Master’s irony seriously. I argue that, (...) touching upon irony, any interpretation is necessarily touched by it – it renders itself ironic. Finally, I discuss the post-comparative approach as an ironic approach. Post-comparative readings recognize that identity is the necessary condition for the transformation of identity. In this way, Kongzi’s irony is transformed by but also transforms more familiar, non-Chinese discourses on irony. (shrink)

In her book Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets, bioethicist Jessica Pierce attempts to explore a narrower field of Animal Ethics, the ethics of keeping pets, as the title indicates. Τhere has not been much research in this field, although contemporary literature has dealt with certain issues within its context, such as the issue of euthanasia. The author states that her main aim is to lead the reader, by the time he reaches the last page of the book, (...) to no longer be sure if the very practice of keeping pets is moral. Although the author proposes the use of a kinder language for discussing about pet keeping, she uses the accepted language throughout her book. (shrink)

Heredity and reproduction have always been matters of concern. Eugenics is a story that began well before the Holocaust, but the Holocaust completely changed the way eugenics was perceived at that time. What began with Galton as a scientific movement aimed at the improvement of the human race based on the theories and principles of heredity and statistics became by the beginning of the 20th century an international movement that sought to engineer human supremacy. Eugenic ideas, however, trace back to (...) ancient Greek aristocratic ideas exemplified in Plato’s Republic, which played an important role in shaping modern eugenic social practices and government policies. Both positive and negative eugenics focused on the encouragement of healthy and discouragement of unhealthy reproduction. All these practices were often based on existing prejudices about race and disability. In this article, we will focus on the rise of eugenics, starting with the publication of Origin of Species to the Holocaust. This examination will be multidisciplinary, utilizing genetics, legal history and bioethical aspects. Through this examination, we will discuss how provisional understandings of genetics influenced eugenics-based legislation. We will also discuss the rise of biopolitics, the change of medical ethos and stance towards negative eugenics policies, and the possible power of bioethical principles to prevent such phenomena. (shrink)

1. In this paper, and in our broader research program, we are investigating the similarities and differences between different ways of expressing generalisations in natural language. Quantification...

Les fouilles conduites en 2013 à Dikili Tash dans le secteur 6 ont mis en évidence une nouvelle phase d’occupation. Deux fosses et leur sol environnant se trouvent dans une position stratigraphique intermédiaire entre la couche de destruction de la fin du Néolithique Récent et les premières structures du Bronze Ancien. Parmi les quelque 80 vases ou fragments collectés dans le remblai, plusieurs ont des parallèles sur des sites de Thasos et des Rhodopes dans des niveaux du Néolithique/Chalcolithique Final. Les (...) datations absolues placent ce mobilier vers 4000 av. J.‑C. C’est la première fois que cette phase est attestée sur un tell de la région ; le scénario d’un abandon des habitats des plaines vers 4200 av. J.‑C. doit donc être révisé. De plus, l’apparition de certains traits typiques des productions céramiques du Bronze Ancien invite à reconsidérer l’émergence de ce faciès. (shrink)

In this paper, we compare the formal semantics approach to genericity, within which genericity is viewed as a species of quantification, and a growing body of experimental and developmental work on the topic, mainly by psychologists rather than linguists, proposing that genericity is categorically different from quantification. We argue that this generics-as-default hypothesis is much less well supported by evidence than its supporters contend, and that a research program combining theoretical and experimental research methods and considerations in the same studies (...) is required to make progress. (shrink)

Two experiments investigated whether 4- and 5-year-old children are sensitive to whether the content of a generalization is about a salient or noteworthy property (henceforth “striking”) and whether varying the number of exceptions has any effect on children’s willingness to extend a property after having heard a generalization. Moreover, they investigated how the content of a generalization interacts with exception tolerance. Adult data were collected for comparison. We used generalizations to describe novel kinds (e.g., “glippets”) that had either a neutral (...) (e.g., “play with toys”) or a striking property (e.g., “play with fire”) and measured how willing participants were to extend the property to a new instance of the novel kind. Experiment 1 demonstrated that both adults and children show sensitivity to strikingness in that striking properties were extended less than neutral ones, although children extended less than adults overall. The responses of both age groups were significantly different from chance. Experiment 2 introduced varying numbers of exceptions to the generalization made (minimal: 1 exception; maximal: 3 exceptions). Both adults and children extended both types of properties even in the face of exceptions, but to a lower degree than in Experiment 1. Striking properties were extended less than neutral ones, as in Experiment 1. We observed that the greater the number of exceptions, the lower the rates of extension we obtained, for both types of properties in adults, but only with striking properties in children. Children seemed to keep track of varying numbers of exceptions for striking properties, but their performance did not differ from chance. The findings underscore that 4- and 5-year-old children are sensitive to strikingness and to exception tolerance for generalizations and are developing toward an adult-like behavior with respect to the interplay between strikingness and exception tolerance when they learn about novel kinds. We discuss the implications of these results with regards to how children make generalizations. (shrink)

Anthropocentrism in philosophy is deeply paradoxical. Ethics investigates the human good, epistemology investigates human knowledge, and antirealist metaphysics holds that the world depends on our cognitive capacities. But humans good and knowledge, including their language and concepts, are empirical matters, whereas philosophers do not engage in empirical research. And humans are inhabitants, not 'makers', of the world. Nevertheless, all three can be drastically reinterpreted as making no reference to humans.".