Publication date: 16 April 2018 Source: Author: Svitlana Serdiuk, Dmytro Volkov This article highlights the results of the research on psychological features of eschatological expectations of young people with different levels of creative thinking. Our study shows that 26 % of respondents believe that the End of the World will not arrive. Twenty-four per cent of respondents are skeptical about the likelihood of the Apocalypse, but they admit its possibility. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents believe that the End (...) of Time will not come soon and the remaining 13% expect the Apocalypse very soon. Some respondents indicate that growth in the rate of prophecies connected with the End of the World in recent years suggests that humanity itself seeks it, while 9 % of respondents state the religious point of view in their works. Also 9 % of respondents believe that there will be no destruction of civilization or destruction of the planet but there will be a mental transition to another level of being. The existence of correlation between creative thinking and eschatological expectations was also empirically established in our study, especially in the group of respondents with a high level of verbal creativity. There is no correlation between the index of non-verbal creativity, personal religiosity and eschatological expectations in the sample. These results confirm that our study is relevant and offers great prospects for further scientific research. (shrink)

The article discusses Philip Goff’s latest projects of developing panpsychist research program as one that is capable of revealing the place of consciousness in the physical world and accounting for the intrinsic nature of physical reality, while avoiding the problem of the causal closure of the physical that is supposed to be pernicious for psychophysical dualism. The case is made that on the one hand, dualism has pretty good resources to meet the inductive no-gap objection appealing to the causal closure, (...) while on the other hand, insofar as this objection has some force, panpsychism in the forms discussed in Goff’s book Galileo’s Error (Goff, P. 2019. Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness. New York: Pantheon Books) faces nearly the same difficulties and its capability of overcoming these difficulties is problematic. While the hybrid cosmopsychism, as developed in Goff’s later manuscript, circumvents the causal closure problem, it does so at the price of relying on assumptions that are hardly intelligible. (shrink)

In his book Struktura rewolucji relatywistycznej i kwantowej w fizyce (The Structure of the Relativistic and Quantum Revolution in Physics, 2020), Wojciech Sady presents his vision of the two greatest scientific revolutions in the 20th century. The book provides an illuminating account of the way these revolutions proceeded and strongly supports the thesis that, contrary to Thomas Kuhn’s famous suggestions, the revolutions involved no breaches in the continuity in scientific development but progressed in an evolutionary (although swift) step-by-step way, and (...) were products of collective interactive processes in the scientific community rather than individual achievements of geniuses. On the other hand, it makes a number of controversial claims. In this article, I contest Sady’s claims that new scientific theories (including the most revolutionary ones) logically follow from the theoretical and experimental knowledge already available (the Entailment thesis) or, at least, their emergence is necessary, inevitable, given the available knowledge, the thought style of the scientific community, and some minimally necessary conditions for the development of science (the Necessitation thesis), and that the role of extra-logical and extra-empirical factors, that can be designated as “creative imagination,” in the development of science is either negative or neglectable. (shrink)

У статті здійснюється аналіз терміна «дґ’яна». Висвітлюються зміни, як зазнавало дане поняття в період «Ріґведи» та упанішад. Проаналізовано п’ятнадцять уривків з різних текстів, де названий термін вживається. У висновках показано відмінність в розумінні цього терміна і його трансформацію від зверненої назовні думки, що об’єднує людину з метафізичним світом в «Ріґведі», до конкретної практики в упанішадах, необхідної для внутрішньопсихічної трансформації і досягнення езотеричного розуміння.

The purpose of this article was to comprehensively explore the phenomenon of the narrative of the Decalogue in its fundamental principles in the context of the theological understanding of Jewish law. For this purpose abstract-logical methods, historical-legal, phenomenological, axiological, epistemological methods, method of critical and systematic analysis and method of comparative theology were used. The result is a theological understanding of the basic moral and legal principles and reducing to a single, systematic; a study of the correlation between the normative (...) and the moral side of such a narrative was conducted. Of particular importance is the establishment and isolation of the basic initial principle in the defined context that underlies both Sinai law and all the biblical law. Because with the change of historical realities, which coincided with the destruction of the Temple and the termination of sacrifices, the law has also changed. However, the biblical law was of particular ideological importance, it set the tone and revealed and formed the basic principles for the further development of all Jewish law. Therefore, in our study we have drawn attention to the main ideological features of the biblical laws, because in our opinion, the basic formative essence is hidden in them and only by understanding it − will we be able to understand Jewish law itself. However, the phenomenon of law and even more so of Jewish law, is one of the best regulators and exponents of the educational principle that is designed to raise a person in love. Of course, morality is called for it and it should take precedence over everything else, but the legal part should not be ignored. Law should serve as a socially just, integrative, fundamental, binding, most effective, most respected regulator. Therefore, the problem of combining legal principles and moral precepts for biblical law did not stand basically. The significant part of the adopted legal norms initially was characterized by moral prescriptions, confirmed and expressed by law. Such a transition, the shift from morality to law, and the close relationship between them are one inseparable whole. And apart from Halacha, which was responsible for the legal aspect, there were also the writings of the prophets whose task was to illuminate the transition from law to morality, because precisely morality is the essence of everything. Here is the true meaning of the existence of a legal expression of such an educational principle. Thus, the basic educational principle of the Decalogue, in particular, and of biblical law in general, was to educate a high-moral person who had restrictive precepts that would not allow him to fall into lawlessness, and the formative commandments that would allow a person to be educated in the search for God, and to stabilize himself in the godlike state commanded by God through Moses. That is the essence of the Decalogue and Jewish law. The educational principle, both basic and effective, though not so familiar to the modern understanding of the nature of law, is precisely the principle that laid down both the basis of the Decalogue and the foundation of all Jewish law at least in its biblical part. (shrink)

The article highlights innovative technologies in the context of physical education as one of the main factors of postmodern society. The main features of innovative technologies as an effective way to develop personal competencies and the formation of value orientations are defined in the context of the study. Physical education contributes to the development of individual personality traits, as well as forming the health-saving foundations of the development of society in the perspective of evolution. Postmodern trends in the formation of (...) society are defined by new worldview manifestations, when people lose meaning in certain value aspects and realize that past achievements can be neutralized. The physical education of a person forms the idea of the value of health, both in the past and in the future. It is this principle that defined the research problem. It is determined that innovative technology is a sign of a postmodern society, because innovation is one of the characteristic features of the postmodern. Innovative technologies are most effective both in educational activities and in physical education. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the concept of postmodern society and innovative technologies were analyzed in the course of the study. Also identified the main aspects of physical education in the context of the modern dimension. The article explores the peculiarities of the use of innovative technologies in the aspect of physical education. In the course of the study we used methods of analysis and synthesis, descriptive method and method of content analysis. This study provided the basis for determining the conceptual basis for the effectiveness of innovative technologies as postmodern approaches in the process of physical education. (shrink)

Contemporary medical diagnostics has a dynamic moral landscape, which includes a variety of agents, factors, and components. A significant part of this landscape is composed of information technologies that play a vital role in doctors’ decision-making. This paper focuses on the so-called Intelligent Decision-Support System that is widely implemented in the domain of contemporary medical diagnosis. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, I will show that the IDSS may be considered a moral agent in the practice of medicine (...) today. To develop this idea I will introduce the approach to artificial agency provided by Luciano Floridi. Simultaneously, I will situate this approach in the context of contemporary discussions regarding the nature of artificial agency. It is argued here that the IDSS possesses a specific sort of agency, includes several agent features (e.g. autonomy, interactivity, adaptability), and hence, performs an autonomous behavior, which may have a substantial moral impact on the patient’s well-being. It follows that, through the technology of artificial neural networks combined with ‘deep learning’ mechanisms, the IDSS tool achieves a specific sort of independence (autonomy) and may possess a certain type of moral agency. Second, I will provide a conceptual framework for the ethical evaluation of the moral impact that the IDSS may have on the doctor’s decision-making and, consequently, on the patient’s wellbeing. This framework is the Object-Oriented Model of Moral Action developed by Luciano Floridi. Although this model appears in many contemporary discussions in the field of information and computer ethics, it has not yet been applied to the medical domain. This paper addresses this gap and seeks to reveal the hidden potentialities of the OOP model for the field of medical diagnosis. (shrink)

Стаття містить результати дослідження, яке дало можливість удосконалити систему показників діагностування ефективності управління структурою капіталу акціонерних енергогенеруючих товариств, що, на відміну від існуючих, базується на аналізі управління власним та борговим капіталами з урахуванням значень економічної доданої вартості для них. Це дозволяє визначити "вузькі місця" в управлінні складниками структури капіталу акціонерних товариств та надати відповідні рекомендації для прийняття раціональних управлінських рішень. Обґрунтовано, що до показників оцінювання ефективності управління структурою капіталу акціонерних товариств доцільно відносити показник визначення рентабельності інвестованого капіталу, визначення структури капіталу, (...) фінансового важеля, середньозваженої вартості капіталу та економічної доданої вартості, яка є ключовим показником у рамках визначного комплексу. (shrink)

У статті, на основі усних свідчень воїнів-"афганців", джерел особистого походження та різнопланової літератури зроблена спроба показати соціокультурний простір Афганістану в період війни 1979-1989 рр.через сприйняття радянських бійців. Простежено соціально-економічне становище місцевого населення, що свідчило про значну майнову диференціацію. Це дало підстави як дослідникам, так і воїнам-"афганцям", говорити про анахронізми "феодального" ладу в країні. Визначено низку управлінських проблем в умовах війни. Установлено, що різне ставлення афганців до контингенту радянських військ в Афганістані залежало від "національно-етнічної", економічної та релігійної приналежності членів афганського соціуму.

This paper aims to highlight the life of computer technologies to understand what kind of ‘technological intentionality’ is present in computers based upon the phenomenological elements constituting the objects in general. Such a study can better explain the effects of new digital technologies on our society and highlight the role of digital technologies by focusing on their activities. Even if Husserlian phenomenology rarely talks about technologies, some of its aspects can be used to address the actions performed by the digital (...) technologies by focusing on the objects’ inner ‘life’ thanks to the analysis of passive synthesis and phenomenological horizons in the objects. These elements can be used in computer technologies to show how digital objects are ‘alive.’ This paper focuses on programs developed through high-order languages like C++ and unsupervised learning techniques like ‘Generative Adversarial Model.’ The phenomenological analysis reveals the computer’s autonomy within the programming stages. At the same time, the conceptual inquiry into the digital system’s learning ability shows the alive and changeable nature of the technological object itself. (shrink)

Intelligent algorithms together with various machine learning techniques hold a dominant position among major challenges for contemporary value sensitive design. Self-learning capabilities of current AI applications blur the causal link between programmer and computer behavior. This creates a vital challenge for the design, development and implementation of digital technologies nowadays. This paper seeks to provide an account of this challenge. The main question that shapes the current analysis is the following: What conceptual tools can be developed within the value sensitive (...) design school of thought for evaluating machine learning algorithms where the causal relation between designers and the behavior of their computer systems has been eroded? The answer to this question will be provided through two levels of investigation within the value sensitive design methodology. The first level is conceptual. Within the conceptual level, we will introduce the notion of computer intentionality and will show how this term may be used for solving an issue of non-causal relation between designer and computer system. The second level of investigation is technical. At this level the emphasis will be given to machine learning algorithms. (shrink)

The purpose of the present article is to contribute to the postphenomenological theory of technological mediation by introducing a new type of ‘human-technology’ relation named ‘transcending mediation’. Previously postphenomenology didn’t pay much attention to the role technology plays in mediating human relation to Transcendence. This was because of empirical turn and pragmatism that are anti-metaphysical in their nature. In the present paper, however, I will show that the empirical element of technology can be balanced by some metaphysical findings. Keeping this (...) in mind, I will rely on Karl Jaspers’s metaphysics of ciphers in order to demonstrate how technology mediates not only our relation to the world but also shapes human’s relation to Transcendence. As I am going to show in the present paper, this sort of mediation becomes possible because technologies are actively participating in so-called self-transcending practices. The latter, according to Karl Jaspers, are practices through which humans can elucidate one’s true self (e.g., become an Existenz). In this article, I will take a case of Smart education as a particular type of self-transcending practice and will show how contemporary AI educational systems enable and disable particular forms of becoming true self (Existenz). (shrink)

This paper revives phenomenological elements to have a better framework for addressing the implications of technologies on society. For this reason, we introduce the motto “back to the technologies themselves” to show how some phenomenological elements, which have not been highlighted in the philosophy of technology so far, can be fruitfully integrated within the postphenomenological analysis. In particular, we introduce the notion of technological intentionality in relation to the passive synthesis in Husserl’s phenomenology. Although the notion of technological intentionality has (...) already been coined in postphenomenology, it is “in tension” with the notion of technological mediation since there are still no clear differences between these two concepts and studies on how they relate one to another. The tension between mediation and intentionality arises because it seems intuitively reasonable to suggest that intentionality differs from mediation in a number of ways; however, these elements have not been clearly clarified in postphenomenology so far. To highlight what technological intentionality is and how it differs from mediation, we turn the motto “back to the things themselves” into “back to the technologies themselves,” showing how the technologies have to be taken into consideration by themselves. More specifically, we use the concept of passive synthesis developed by Husserl, and we apply it to technologies to show their inner passive activity. The notion of the passive synthesis enables to demonstrate how technologies are able to connect to a wider (technological) environment without the subjects’ activity. Consequently, we claim that technologies have their pole of action, and they passively act by themselves. (shrink)

The paper “Crisis of the consumer society: searching for a new ideology” studies the ideology of the consumer society and its main tendencies such as values substitution, human self-isolation and loneliness and the dehumanization of the world. Based on the analysis of contemporary mass art and advertisements the author traces the growing gap between the real life of people and the dominating consumerist model of society. The author evaluates different radical movements (nationalist, racial, religious) as people’s attempt to discover their (...) identity, to find genuine feelings and experiences in the consumerist society. This results in the increase of xenophobia and intolerance in the intertwined and fragile modern world. The paper also states the possible solution to this problem – ajoint effort of the philosophers of the world to create a new, nonconsumerism ideology that would be able to overcome the existing detachment among people. (shrink)

Метою даної статті стало дослідження принципу Таліону як основного принципу дії єврейського права. Для цього було використано абстрактно-логічні методи, історико-правовий, феноменологічний, аксіологічний, гносеологічний методи, метод критичного та системного аналізу, метод компаративної теології. У результаті дослідження було богословсько охарактеризовано принцип Таліону, виявлено деякі проблемні моменти в цілісному розумінні даного принципу та запропоновано концепцію прямого взаємозв'язку між основними принципами формування і застосування єврейського права в біблійний період. Останнє й взяло на себе функцію наукової новизни цього дослідження, показало максимально тісний взаємозв'язок і кореляцію, (...) що, своєю чергою, дало можливість цілісно поглянути на певні проблеми і задати правильний алгоритм для подальших досліджень названої тематики. (shrink)

Стаття присвячена філософському осмисленню автономної людини. Філософія людини – один із найбільш актуальних напрямків сучасної філософії. Нашою метою є дослідити лінії артикуляції автономної людини в західноєвропейській філософії. Звертається увага на те, що дослідження філософської антропології дозволяє вирізнити дві стратегії артикуляції автономної людини: радикальну скінченність і план іманенції. Перша стратегія зумовлена новим співвідношенням скінченного і нескінченного. Запроваджена І. Кантом формоутворювальна скінченність займає місце нескінченності, що дозволяє розуміти людину як обмежувача сил скінченного. Друга стратегія пов’язана з відкриттям радикальної іманентності, яка дає змогу (...) мислити людину поза трансцендентними подвоєннями. Радикальну іманентність не варто зводити лише до секуляризації, тому що вона репрезентує принципову настанову, яка визначила конфігурацію диспозитивів знання і влади. Означені диспозитиви, з одного боку, сформували автономне розуміння людського, а з іншого – створили умови кризи цієї автономності. Одним із наслідків цих процесів є виникнення філософії культури, яка маркує сферу автономно осмисленого людського. (shrink)

Dmytro Blazheiovskyi about History of Ukrainians.

У статті проведено економетричний аналіз з метою дослідження характеру впливу країнних ризиків на прямі іноземні інвестиції і транснаціональні корпорації за кордоном. За допомогою кореляційно-регресійної моделі встановлено універсальний показник для відображення ризику щодо здійснення ПІІ і діяльності ТНК в країнах, що розвиваються. Виявлено негативний зв'язок між індексом ЕМВІ та прямими іноземними інвестиціями ТНК. Емпірично доведено негативний вплив країнних ризиків на надходження ПІІ у певну країну і діяльність ТНК.

The present article aims to examine the Black Sea / Kuban Cossacks' songs as one of the most important historical sources, which allows us to understand the important aspects of the history of the North Caucasus Ukrainian people'. This is primarily due to the new challenges needed to study the evolution of their identity, certain features of the mentality, and "survival strategies" characteristic for the Ukrainian population in the region. New questions put by historians require expansion of sources where song (...) tradition, folklore, etc., can become invaluable material for comprehension and interpretation of the new understanding of the history process. The authors have based on the fact that in recent times there have been a fundamental change of attitude towards scientific issues and accordingly to sources, which scientists were based on. Strict approaches and requirements to sources which historians relied on during the period of "positivism" have become much more flexible and spread to the analysis of art, culture and folklore of certain social groups and historical periods. It has become possible to find new approaches to solving problems of scientific research and expand the range of issues which can already be answered. One of the unexplored phenomena, yet barely covered in the domestic science is the history of Ukrainian communities of the North Caucasus area. The authors propose to consider the peculiarities of mentality of this community through the prism of song tradition of the Black Sea / Kuban Cossacks that played a crucial role in all spheres of life. Besides, the features of song traditions of Ukrainian Cossacks which react very quickly to current events of certain historical periods allows us to consider it as a very important indicator of community' response to new circumstances in which the community was. The approach enables us to view features of "history of mentalities" of the Ukrainian community in the region much more than focusing on official documents and political declarations. (shrink)

Modern transformation of religious institutions and religion in general, affect the livelihoods of the western society. Today there are so many religious movements that offer a solution to secularized man's material and spiritual problems. Some came from the East, the other formed under the influence of modern culture and media. There are two main areas: first representatives insist on religious adaptation to social norms, the latter require preservation of authentic religious forms and principles. Some researchers emphasize the possibility of combining (...) scientific and religious worldviews - this compromise position will allow to reconcile the two camps, whose representatives are in a state of confrontation. Virtualization social life leads to changes within the religious organizations and the emergence of new trends, which focus on the development of communication technologies and the creation of new philosophical approaches. Traditional religious systems use virtual space as a tool for data transfer, but refuse to implement religious practices in the virtual space. The third kind of organizations - conformists, appealing to tradition, but using modern science. Technological process leads to a change in the nature of the human person, which adapts to the new conditions and accepts new cultural, religious, and ideological positions. This leads to both personal and social changes, which are the subject of this article. (shrink)

At the present stage of scientific research, one of the undefined problems in religious studies is, first of all, the problem of the expediency and relevance of the use of the term "primitive religions" or "primitive religious beliefs" in relation to both representatives of Aboriginal peoples of the present and the analysis of the development of religions in the history of forms of religion. discovered in general. The problem of determining the original religion and its forms of expression is somewhat (...) compounded by the fact that the use of special terminology in theoretical developments depends not only on the various features of research methodological approaches, but also on the language in which studies are commonly published. Therefore, the use of one or the other terminology requires the isolation of a possible synonym for relatively adequate nomination of these religious manifestations. (shrink)

Indigenous beliefs of Australia have attracted the attention of numerous generations of researchers of the XIX - XX centuries. The reasons for this interest were not limited by the exotic beliefs of the traditional beliefs of the distant region of the planet. Anthropologists, ethnographers, sociologists, historians and religious scholars, considering the preservation of one of the most archaic systems of economy and social organization among the tribes of Australia, respectively, considered the aboriginal beliefs as a spiritual result, reflecting the most (...) archaic system of social relations, referring to them as a kind, "The standard of primordial religion." So, the Soviet researcher S. Tokarev notes that the beliefs of Australians are the most archaic religious phenomenon that has remained to this day and a classic, typical example of totemism. (shrink)

The emergence and spread of various non-pagan religious movements can be called one of the global trends of today. This process is also characteristic of individual religious manifestations in Ukrainian society. On the territory of Ukraine, the revival and activation of non-pagan movements has its own specificity. We highlight some aspects of the phenomenon of revival of the Ukrainian denomination not only in its general confessional expressions, but also from the standpoint of scientific determination and investigation of the problems of (...) self-identification of representatives of different currents of Ukrainian neo-paganism. First of all, we include in the concept of "self-identification" the following points: national self-determination of an individual, confessional self-name, which signifies belonging to a certain religious organization and attributes of self-determination, which has its manifestation in national and religious symbolism, clothing elements and more. (shrink)

Information about the Department of Religious Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine during 2013.

One of the most important discourses in contemporary religious studies is the definition of the essence and role of religious education and the problem of its coexistence with the secular. On this occasion in the circle of researchers there are diverse, sometimes opposite, points of view. The following headings of the reception of expediency of the implementation of religious education are as follows: 1) the emphasis on the current legislation on the separation of church from the state, in particular the (...) laws of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations" and "On Education"; 2) comparison of foreign experience in implementation of the implementation of religious education in the practice of social life, comparative analysis of the positions of supporters and opponents of religious education; 3) outline the problems of religious and spiritual education in the context of the formation of state-church relations, the complexity of incorporation of the religious component into the system of secular education, their demarcation; 4) the relevance of the distinction and delineation of religious and religious studies, the specificity of their functional orientation. (shrink)

This article suggests several design principles intended to assist in the development of ethical algorithms exemplified by the task of fighting fake news. Although numerous algorithmic solutions have been proposed, fake news still remains a wicked socio-technical problem that begs not only engineering but also ethical considerations. We suggest employing insights from ethics of care while maintaining its speculative stance to ask how algorithms and design processes would be different if they generated care and fight fake news. After reviewing the (...) major characteristics of ethics of care and the phases of care, we offer four algorithmic design principles. The first principle highlights the need to develop a strategy to deal with fake news on the part of the software designers. The second principle calls for the involvement of various stakeholders in the design processes in order to increase the chances of successfully fighting fake news. The third principle suggests allowing end-users to report on fake news. Finally, the last principle proposes keeping the end-user updated on the treatment in the suspected news items. Implementing these principles as care practices can render the developmental process more ethically oriented as well as improve the ability to fight fake news. (shrink)

Незважаючи на те, що розумна освіта (smart education) є одним із найдинамічніших технологічних трендів сьогодні, ми ще й досі мало знаємо про філософські й етичні наслідки, до яких може призвести повсюдна імплементація інноваційних технологій в освітню сферу. У науковій літературі термін «розумна освіта» часто вживають як «загальне поняття» (umbrella term). Найчастіше цей термін охоплює широкий спектр різних технологічних тенденцій і навчальних підходів у сучасній освіті. Через це, перш ніж заглиблюватися в етичний аналіз феномену сучасної освіти, видається корисним звузити визначення цього (...) поняття. Саме тому на початку статті запропоновано визначення, згідно з яким розумна освіта має три основні складові, а саме: розумна педагогіка, розумне навчання та розумні освітні технології. Далі подано опис етичних проблем для кожного з цих компонентів. Щодо розумної педагогіки наголошено на проблемі нових компетенцій для вчителів та педагогів, які приходять із новими цифровими технологіями. Щодо розумного навчання – продемонстровано, як великі дані та імплементація штучного інтелекту можуть спричиняти проблеми, повʼязані з конфіденційністю. Нарешті, під час аналізу інтелектуальних освітніх технологій увагу зосереджено на адаптивних системах штучного інтелекту, які надають персоналізовані освітні рішення впродовж усього освітнього процесу. Хоча адаптивні системи штучного інтелекту можуть значно підвищити ефективність та інтерактивність навчального процесу, ця технологічна система також може призвести до непередбачуваних наслідків, які впливатимуть на різноманітні когнітивні й метакогнітивні здібності учнів у школах та університетах. Запропонована стаття також має важливе значення для філософських дискусій у сучасній філософії техніки. Згідно з багатьма сучасними підходами, дигітальні артефакти не є морально нейтральними. Зазвичай ці артефакти активно впливають на нашу моральну поведінку, змінюючи наші моральні орієнтири й трансформуючи наші загальні уявлення про мораль. У статті продемонстровано, що цифрові технології, які сьогодні використовують у смарт-освіті, не є щодо цього винятком. (shrink)

Last year, the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” celebrated the 25 th anniversary. This article confines to this very special event and analyzes three important anthropological studies that deal with moral components of human being. The research directions have been formed at the Department since its establishment in 1992. The first part of the article focuses mainly on the Kantian studies. According to Kant’s anthropology, human nature should be explored on two levels: empirical and intelligible. Empirical (...) level deals with general causality and considers the human being as the one entirely determined by nature. The second level considers the man from the perspective of freedom, moral activity, capacity to create aims and legislation. The research primarily gives a general scale of Kantian intelligible anthropology, which appears as a two-dimensional framework and consists of moral anthropological perspective and the one which Kant calls anthroponymy. Only the combination of these two aspects can allow us to comprehend the human nature as a whole. The second section of this article will shed a light on the Nietzschean anthropological theory. The paper elucidates three basic dimensions of Nietzschean critical anthropology. First of all, of the author comments on Nietzsche’s critique of Christian morality. Next, he articulates the Nietzschean idea of self-overcoming. Finally, the author identifies the main features of his genealogy of morality. All those components bound together can provide a wide horizon of Nietzschean opinion on the ethical dimension of human being. The last part of this article considers modern techno-anthropology in a broad sense. The problem of human and technology relation is considered in an ethical dimension, which unites all the three research directions. In this section, the author discusses the main components of technological mediation and non-neutrality. Using these two concepts, he proves that human nature is not an autonomous and independent actor but the one that is deeply connected with the world and others through technology. (shrink)

The author argues for the reductive interpretation of Descartes’ notion of the substantial union of soul and body, according to which the union is reduced to causal interactions. The opponents countered the reductive approach with the claims that Descartes (1) attributed sensations to the union rather than the soul; (2) held that the soul is the substantial form of the body; (3) identified some special conditions of the human body’s self-identity. In the article, the case is made that (a) these (...) claims lack clear textual evidence: if their context is properly considered, Descartes’ corresponding statements are consistent with the reductive interpretation; (b) they do not give proper weight to other Descartes’ statements (in particular, his numerous unambiguous statements that sensations are the soul’s states). The author argues that the reductive interpretation is consistent with other Descartes’ statements to which its opponents appeal - that sensations arise from the union of mind and body and that the causal interactions between the soul and the body are explained with the reference to their union. The consistency is achieved if we interpret these statements in the sense that the enduring union between a soul and a body is an ontological prerequisite and, hence, an explanation, of all interactions between the soul and the body and their effects (such as sensations): these interactions and effects would not take place without the union between this particular soul and this particular body. Such explanation is similar to the explanation of certain natural events by the laws of nature: just as the gist of a law of nature can be reduced to a set of causal dispositions, so the content of the notion of the union can be reduced to the emergence and maintenance of a set of causal dispositions between a certain soul and a certain body. (shrink)

A major contribution to ecumenical reflection on the doctrine of God. The past century has seen renewed interest in the doctrine of God. While theological traditions disagree, their shared commitment to Nicene orthodoxy provides a common language for thinking and speaking about God. This dialogue has deepened our understanding of this shared way of thinking about God, but little has been done across ecumenical lines to explore God's hiddenness in revelation. In Hidden and Revealed, Dmytro Bintsarovskyi explores the hiddenness (...) and revelation of God in two separate theological streams--Reformed and Orthodox. Bintsarovskyi shows that an understanding of both traditions reflects a deep structure of shared language, history, and commitments, while nevertheless reflecting real differences. With Herman Bavinck and John Meyendorff as his guides, Bintsarovskyi advances ecumenical dialogue on a doctrine central to our knowledge of God. (shrink)