A vast and interesting family of natural semantics for belief revision is defined. Suppose one is given a distance d between any two models. One may then define the revision of a theory K by a formula α as the theory defined by the set of all those models of α that are closest, by d, to the set of models of K. This family is characterized by a set of rationality postulates that extends the AGM postulates. The new postulates (...) describe properties of iterated revisions. (shrink)

A vast and interesting family of natural semantics for belief revision is defined. Suppose one is given a distance d between any two models. One may then define the revision of a theory K by a formula $\alpha$ as the theory defined by the set of all those models of $\alpha$ that are closest, by d, to the set of models of K. This family is characterized by a set of rationality postulates that extends the AGM postulates. The new postulates (...) describe properties of iterated revisions. (shrink)

Die Frage nach dem Ursprung des Bösen spielt nicht nur für die Theodizee (" Warum lässt Gott das zu?"), sondern auch für das Selbstverständnis des Menschen und die Beweggründe zu (un-)moralischem Handeln eine entscheidende Rolle. Was aber ist genau unter dem Bösen zu verstehen? Wo liegt sein Ursprung? Mit seinen drei Beiträgen, des Theologen und Religionsphilosophen Ingolf U. Dalferth, des früheren Dogmatik-Professors und jetzigen Bischofs Karl Kardinal Lehmann und des Orientalisten und Schriftstellers Navid Kermani, bietet dieser Band Antworten (...) aus der Sicht verschiedener Konfessionen und Religionen. Dabei geht es u.a. um die Unterscheidung zwischen vermeidbaren und unvermeidbaren Übeln, um die Freiheit des Menschen und seine Verantwortung für das Böse und um die Tradition der Gottesklage im Islam. (shrink)

Plausibility Logic was introduced by Daniel Lehmann. We show—among some other results—completeness of a subset of Plausibility Logic for Preferential Models, and incompleteness of full Plausibility Logic for smooth Preferential Models.

Romano Guardini gilt als einer der massgeblichen christlichen Denker des 20. Jahrhunderts. Seine Schriften, philosophische und theologische Abhandlungen, aber auch zahlreiche meditative und spirituelle Texte, haben eine weltweite Verbreitung gefunden und pragen ungebrochen bis heute Generationen von Leserinnen und Lesern. Der vorliegende Band, der aus Anlass des 50. Todestages Romano Guardinis am 1. Oktober 2018 sowie zur Eroffnung des Seligsprechungsprozesses erscheint, versammelt Beitrage namhafter Autorinnen und Autoren. Aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven widmen sie sich insbesondere Guardinis Buch "Der Herr" uber Person und (...) Botschaft Jesu Christi, aber beispielsweise auch Aspekten der Gottesfrage, der Ethik oder des Gebets. Eine Fundgrube fur alle, die sich der Person und dem Denken Guardinis neu nahern mochten. Mit Beitragen von Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, Jean Greisch, Karl Kardinal Lehmann (+), Peter Reifenberg, Marius Reiser, Peter Schallenberg, P. Kosmas Lars Thielmann OCist, Karl-Heinz Wiesemann. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Vorlesungen über Anthroplogieby Immanuel KantKarl AmeriksImmanuel Kant. Vorlesungen über Anthroplogie. Edition Reinhard Brandt und Werner Stark. Vol. XXV (Division 4, Vorlesungen, vol. 2) of Kants gesammelte Schriften. Hrsg. von der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Part 1. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1997. Part I. Pp. cli + 728. Part II. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1997. Pp. 729–1,691. Half-leather, $460.00This massive double tome is the long-awaited beginning of a whole new era (...) in Kant research, and it represents much more than just another volume in the Academy edition. It is the first work in the edition to be brought out from the new Marburg Kant Archive (an edition of the parallel lectures on Physical Geography, vol. XXVI, is to be completed within a few years), and it reflects an entirely different level of scholarship than that found in earlier volumes, especially the lecture volumes edited by the late Gerhard Lehmann.The famous historical tradition of German editing, and the special respect and difficulty that tends to surround work on Kant, have probably left most English-speaking scholars with the comfortable but naive presumption that the Academy edition for Kant is a paradigm of its kind. The sad and little-known fact is that this presumption is far from the truth, notwithstanding many path-breaking editorial achievements years ago, especially by Erich Adickes. As the new editors note (cxxi), even most of the main texts of Kant’s Critical era lack the full apparatus of references that one would expect in a critical edition today. An up-to-date publication that guides readers to the main shortcomings of the previous volumes is sorely needed, and fortunately it is now in preparation. In the future, the volumes containing the opus postumumand the other lectures may need to be redone in their entirety, although it is unclear whether adequate personnel and support can be found for completing such a project within the lifetime of this journal’s readers. Germany still faces many rebuilding tasks, and the edition of the sage of Königsberg does not seem to have the priority that pure practical reason and the rest of the world might expect. [End Page 370]There are notorious special difficulties for the volumes of notes concerning Kant’s lectures. Work on this last section of the Academy edition (section IV; the three other sections are Kant’s publications, letters, and manuscripts) was suspended in 1920, and when it was resumed after the war under the directorship of Lehmann in Berlin, the daunting task clearly exceeded his meager resources, with matters becoming only more difficult after the Berlin crisis of 1961. Fascinating new sets of lecture notes on logic, metaphysics, and ethics were found and brought out through the 1970s and 1980s, but they were published on the basis of editorial methods that left much to be desired. The chaotic apparatus that Lehmann provided was presented in a form that was often unhelpful or misleading.In contrast, volume XXV will be like a new continent for readers. Here one finds an enormous mass of new material accompanied by a clear and thorough introduction, with a meticulous account of all sources and a concise review of the relevant philosophical as well as historical issues. These issues are quite complicated because of the extensive background of Kant’s anthropological discussions, and the problem of using what are only reworked copies of notes made by groups of students long ago. The editors provide a very helpful account of the tradition of note-taking for Kant’s lectures in general, as well as extremely well-researched remarks covering the dating and authenticity of all the sets of the Anthropologynotes. Another nice feature is that, unlike previous Academy volumes, emendations and relevant references are provided in the text itself, with two levels of footnotes, including indications of hundreds of parallel passages, so there is no longer any end material that one has constantly to chase after (although there is a 126-page bibliography and index section). The printing style is modern and very readable. The editors have chosen to print underlining wherever it appears in the manuscripts, to mark no... (shrink)

Paul L. Lehmann was one of the leading Protestant theologians and ethicists of his generation. Working directly from archival sources and early writings, this article offers an account of the formation of key features of his distinctive theological perspective up to and including the first decades of his professional career. It argues that Lehmann prosecutes a distinctive and markedly Protestant form of public theology, centred on an understanding of the Word of God as a present, dynamic and humanising (...) power, to which Christian faith, life and thought give witness and serve catalytically. In this, Lehmann shows himself to be a premier advocate for lines of thinking he first encountered in the work of Karl Barth and of his friend, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:BOOK REVIEWS 689 present the spirit of Catholic Christianity to contemporary man in such a way that it [Catholic Christianity, not contemporary man!] appears credible in itself and its historical development..." (emph. mine). Clearly, de Lubac's entire theology is an effort to say the opposite of what the mistranslation regrettably says. Page 46: "his articles, however, which from 1972 [typographical correction: 1942] on prepared for his works on modern (...) atheism (1944/1945)..." On pages 80 and 115, the word "mysterial" is introduced; it should be "mystical." On page 94-95, "the strict rejection of all reduction of God's living consciousness [correction: the living consciousness of God] to logical categories" is misleading because Balthasar is referring to man's living consciousness of God. Page 101: " We experience what a true theology [correction: theologian] is for de Lubac..." On the same page there are two typographical errors, adding a parenthesis and omitting quotation marks. Abbe Monchanin's De l'esthetique a la mystique (From Aesthetics to Mysticism) is mistranslated as From Asceticism to Mysticism on page 102. This 1991 edition translates Henri de Lubac's name for the first and only time as " Henry de Lubac" on page 118. Michael Waldstein's and Susan Clement's translations are fine and readable. The Catholic Universtiy of America Washington, D.C. MARK D. NAPACK Hans Urs von Balthasar. His Life and Work. Edited by DAVID L. SCHINDLER. San Francisco: Communio Books/Ignatius Press, 1991. Pp. 305. This is an important contribution to English-language scholarship on the Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. As such it marks a nice complement to the volume edited by John Riches, The Analogy of Beauty: The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1986). Schindler's volume is a slightly edited translation of Hans Urs von Balthasar: Gestalt und Werke, edited by Karl Lehmann and Walter Kasper (Cologne: Communio, 1989). Most of the articles appeared in one or more of the many editions of Communio International Catholic Review, the periodical founded by Balthasar. The richness of the volume lies not only in the quality of individual selections but in the range of material that is covered. Many areas of Balthasar's life and work have remained little known, especially in the English-speaking world, until the appearance of this volume. The pur- 690 BOOK REVIEWS pose of the book, according to Schindler's preface, is "to help display [Balthasar's] vision and the character and range of his service to the Church and to culture" (p. xiii). There are several essays in the volume which shed new light on Balthasar's life, as well as on his philosophical position. Peter Henrici's lengthy biographical sketch is the most complete such contribution available until now, even though he calls it "preliminary and inadequate " (p. 7). It is extremely useful, in conjunction with Balthasar's own autobiographical statements, to situate the written work in the context of a large mission in the Church. It is also helpful in clarifying the relationship between Balthasar and the Jesuit order: his entry into the Society of Jesus, his studies, his departure from the Jesuits, and the attempted reconciliation with them shortly before his death. The extent of his health problems, also, only underlines the value of his literary production. Many details concerning the meeting with Adrienne von Speyr and the founding of the secular institute ]ohannesgemeinschaft are also provided. Throughout these activities and the writings that surround them, "the issue is the Church in the world, not a radiating of the Church's holiness into the profane world, but the leavening of the world from within in order to make visible God's glory which still shines in this world" (p. 24). Henrici has another essay in the collection on the philosophy of Balthasar. This is a little explored area of Balthasar's writings and Henrici's contribution is especially valuable. By clarifying Balthasar's position in relation to key figures in the history of philosophy, it provides many significant hints to facilitate the integration of Balthasar's theology within the academic milieu. Balthasar reflected on the possibilities of an encounter between Catholic theology and modern thought. By the... (shrink)

En 1965, Karl Rahner et Karl Lehmann publièrent une étude documentée et systématique sur les rapports entre kérygme et dogme, quintessence des travaux en cours dans ce domaine, au moment où s'achevait le concile Vatican II. Un premier principe consensuel allait se dégager de ces travaux. Son impact touchera directement la fonction régulatrice des langages de la foi, autrement dit du caractère principiel et originaire de cette fonction dévolue aux formules de confessions présentes dans l'écriture néotestamentaire. Il (...) s'agissait en somme de poser et de justifier les principes d'une interprétation dogmatique de l'Ecriture. L'une des questions cruciales alors débattues tournait autour de la signification d'un objet de foi saisissable en énoncés de vérité, objet qui ne pouvait consister en une simple sequela Christi, ou être ramené à une anthropologie existentiale. Une place pour le dogme semblait subsister. Ce processus va déboucher sur une interprétation " extensive " du dogme à laquelle V. Holzer consacre ici l'essentiel de ses analyses. In 1965, Karl Rahner and Karl Lehmann published a documented and systematic study of the relationship between kerygma and dogma, the quintessence of work being done in the field when the Second Vatican council was coming to an end. An initial consensual principle would come out of this work. It was to have a direct impact on the regulating function of the languages of faith, in other words the nature of this function as principle and origin allotted to the formulas of confessions present in New Testament writing. In short, it involved laying down and justifying the principles of a dogmatic interpretation of Scripture. One of the crucial questions debated at the time revolved around the meaning of an object of faith that can be grasped in true statements, an object that could not consist of a mere sequela Christi or be reduced to an existential anthropology. A place for dogma seemed to remain. This process was going to culminate in an "extensive" interpretation of dogma, to which V. Holzer devotes most of his analyses here. (shrink)

_Conjectures and Refutations_ is one of Karl Popper's most wide-ranging and popular works, notable not only for its acute insight into the way scientific knowledge grows, but also for applying those insights to politics and to history. It provides one of the clearest and most accessible statements of the fundamental idea that guided his work: not only our knowledge, but our aims and our standards, grow through an unending process of trial and error.

Farmers of the Peruvian Andesmake use of seed-size variation as a source offlexibility in the production of ``nativecommercial'' farmer varieties of Andeanpotatoes and ulluco. In a case study of easternCuzco, the use of varied sizes of seed tubers isfound to underpin versatile farm strategiessuited to partial commercialization (combinedwith on-farm consumption and the next season'sseed). Use of seed-size variation also providesadaptation to diverse soil-moistureenvironments. The importance and widespread useof seed-size variation among farmers isdemonstrated in the emphasis and consistency oflinguistic expressions about (...) this trait. Smalland small-medium seed is typically sown in thecommunity's ``Hill'' unit of sub-humid,upper-elevation agriculture. Seed tubers ofmedium-size and larger are needed fordrought-stressed locales in lower-elevationlandscape units. Farm-level preferences for theseed-size of tubers also suggest potentialrelations to resource endowments of farmhouseholds and gender-related management,although these tendencies were notstatistically significant in the study. Anintra-varietal, landscape-environmentalperspective on seed-size management, whichincludes an emphasis on within-fieldversatility, helps to strengthen the researchsupport of local seed production in policiesand programs aiming for in situagrobiodiversity conservation, marketingcapacity, and food security. (shrink)

Neue Entwicklungen der Medizin haben die Entscheidung über Geburt und Tod wie nie zuvor in die Hände des Menschen gelegt. Damit stellen sich schwerwiegende Fragen: Welcher Embryo darf überleben? Wie lange darf ein Leben über das Erträgliche hinaus verlängert werden? Weltweite soziale Konflikte führen zu der Forderung, in Verantwortung für den Frieden notfalls Waffengewalt einzusetzen. Mit Klimawandel und Staatsverschuldung verbinden sich neue ökologische, soziale und politische Probleme. Wolfgang Huber erklärt, in welcher Weise die aktuellen Herausforderungen uns alle angehen, und formuliert (...) Maßstäbe des Menschlichen für ihre Lösung. Sein Buch ist ein wunderbar klar geschriebenes Vademecum der Ethik, das uns die wirklich wichtigen Fragen unseres Lebens bewusst macht. "Das Buch ist ein weiser Führer durch die ethischen Lebensprobleme der Einzelnen und der Gesellschaften heute." Karl Kardinal Lehmann "Wolfgang Huber und mich verbindet immer das Empfinden eines elementaren Zusammenhanges zwischen christlichem Bekenntnis und politischer Verantwortung." (Quelle: www.buchhandel.de). (shrink)

[A]ny theory of practical rationality must explain— or explain away—the following: Rational: In many cases, what it is rational (in some sense) for one to do or intend to do depends on what one desires. [...] I argue that in order to capture the rational significance of desire, we need to consider both its content and its force, on analogy to the rational significance of both the force and content of beliefs and perceptual experiences. This will open up a new (...) and more elegant way of explaining Rational, while also allowing us to understand how our desires provide us with a basic form of normative experience. Thus, in the end, this will provide the basis for a novel defense of the ancient thesis that desire, in some sense, presents its object under the “guise of the good.”. (shrink)

First published in English in 1953, this important book from eminent philosopher Karl Jaspers deals with the philsophy of the history of mankind. More specifically, its avowed aim is to assist in heightening our awareness of the _present_ by placing it within the framework of the long obscurity of prehistory and the boundless realm of possibilities which lie within the undecided future.This analysis is split into 3 parts: World history The present and the future The meaning of history.

I. Altertum und Mittelalter--II. Die Philosophie der Neuzeit bis Kant--III. Die Philosophie des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts.

'Never before has there been so many and such dreadful weapons in so many irresponsible hands.' - Karl Popper, from the Preface All Life is Problem Solving is a stimulating and provocative selection of Popper's writings on his main preoccupations during the last twenty-five years of his life. This collection illuminates Popper's process of working out key formulations in his theory of science, and indicates his view of the state of the world at the end of the Cold War (...) and after the collapse of communism. (shrink)

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht vergleichend einige zentrale Denkformen und Gedankeninhalte, die seit dem ausgehenden 18. Jahrhundert in der Philosophie und den Sozialwissenschaften mit dem Begriff der Weltanschauung in Beziehung gebracht wurden. Beginnend mit Kants Unterscheidung von „Anschauen“ und „Erscheinen“, also der aktiven Weltbetrachtung sowie dem rezeptiv erfahrenen Weltbild, führen die Betrachtungen weiter zu Wilhelm Diltheys Typologie der Weltanschauungen, zum Streit zwischen Ideologie und Wissenschaft bei Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter und Theodor Geiger, sowie zur Vielfalt von Wittgensteins „Sprachspielen“ und „Lebensformen“. (...) Zum Schluss wird die Frage erörtert, inwiefern die Weltanschauungsanalyse – was Karl Mannheim angenommen zu haben scheint – einen Beitrag zur Beilegung von Konflikten zwischen den ideologischen oder Weltanschauungs-Parteien zu leisten imstande ist. (shrink)

Why do brains have so many connections? The principles exposed by Andy Clark provide answers to questions like this by appealing to the notion that brains distil causal regularities in the sensorium and embody them in models of their world. For example, connections embody the fact that causes have particular consequences. This commentary considers the imperatives for this form of embodiment.

'I want to begin by declaring that I regard scientific knowledge as the most important kind of knowledge we have', writes Sir Karl Popper in the opening essay of this book, which collects his meditations on the real improvements science has wrought in society, in politics and in the arts in the course of the twentieth century. His subjects range from the beginnings of scientific speculation in classical Greece to the destructive effects of twentieth century totalitarianism, from major figures (...) of the Enlightenment such as Kant and Voltaire to the role of science and self-criticism in the arts. The essays offer striking new insights into the mind of one of the greatest twentieth century philosophers. (shrink)

First published in English in 1933, this detailed philosophical examination of the contemporary state and nature of mankind is a seminal work by influential German philosopher Karl Jaspers. Elucidating his theories on a variety of topics pertaining to contemporary and future human existence, _Man in the Modern Age_ is an ambitious and wide-ranging work, which meditates upon such diverse subjects as the tension between mass-order and individual human life, our present conception of human life and the potential for mankind’s (...) future existence. Written shortly before the accession to power of Hitler and National Socialism, this is not only an important philosophical work, but also an insightful and intriguing historical document. (shrink)

This article argues that, under likely empirical conditions, sufficientarianism leads not to an easily achievable duty to maintain a social minimum but to the onerous duty of maintaining a social maximum at the sufficiency level. This happens because sufficientarians ask us to give no weight at all to small benefits for people above the sufficiency level if the alternative is to relieve the suffering of people below it. If we apply this judgment in a world where there are rare diseases (...) and hard-to-prevent accidents that cause people to fall below the sufficiency threshold, all of our discretionary spending will have to be devoted to bringing harder and harder cases up to sufficiency. Nothing will be left for anyone to consume above the sufficiency level. (shrink)