Als wir bei Sonnenuntergang gerade durch die Herde Nilpferde hindurchfuhren, stand urplötzlich, von mir nicht gesucht, das Wort »Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben« vor mir. Der Pfad im Dickicht war sichtbar geworden. Nun war ich zu der Idee vorgedrungen, in der Welt- und Lebensbejahung und Ethik miteinander enthalten sind. Albert Schweitzer Seit fast 100 Jahren steht der Name Albert Schweitzer für aktives humanitäres Engagement. Dank seiner Philosophie der »Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben«, die er gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Helene Bresslau im Urwaldhospital (...) in Lambarene verwirklichte, gehört er zu den am meisten bewunderten Menschen der Welt. Mit dreißig Jahren ein geachteter Theologe und gefeierter Interpret der Orgelwerke Johann Sebastian Bachs entschloss er sich, noch ein Medizinstudium zu absolvieren, um den Ärmsten der Armen zu helfen. Ernst Luther nähert sich diesem Humanisten mit philosophisch-kritischen Betrachtungen, ordnet dessen Leben und Werk in die Umbrüche seiner Zeit ein und resümiert, was von Schweitzers Gedankengut bewahrt werden sollte. Ernst Luther, Jg. 1932, Studium der Pädagogik, Geschichte/Germanistik, extern Philosophie, Gasthörer Medizin an der Universität Halle; Promotion Dr. phil. 1961 zur medizinischen Anthropologie Viktor von Weizsäckers an der Universität Greifswald; Dr. sc. phil. 1970 Universität Halle mit einer Arbeit über Ethik in der Medizin. Herausgeber und Mitautor zahlreicher Arbeiten zur Ethik in der Medizin. Mitglied im Albert-Schweitzer-Komitee e. V. Weimar, im Deutschen Hilfsverein für das Albert-Schweitzer-Spital Lambarene, Frankfurt a. M., in der Internationalen Albert-Schweitzer-Vereinigung. Von 2000 bis 2002 Mitglied der Enquete-Kommission des Deutschen Bundestages Recht und Ethik in der Medizin. Inhalt: Vorwort Albert Schweitzer - der friedlichen Menschheit zugehörig Das »Bergwerk der Ethik« Das Menschenbild aus Schweitzers philosophischer und religiöser Sicht Albert Schweitzer und Karl Marx Albert Schweitzers Gedanken zu Kultur und Ethik in den Weltreligionen Albert Schweitzer und die Ethik in der Medizin Ethik und Völkerfrieden Sozialethik gegen Kolonialpolitik und Rassenhass. (shrink)

"Dazu Franz Kreuzer im Gesprèach mit Viktor Frankl, Robert Jungk, Arnold Keyserling, Erwin Ringel und Paul Watzlawick"--Cover.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:The Journal of Aesthetic Education 38.4 (2004) 32-45 [Access article in PDF] Ernst H. Gombrich, Pictorial Representation, and Some Issues in Art Education Nanyoung Kim Introduction This essay will deal with different ways of conceptualizing pictorial representation in art education and their implications. The philosophical issues involved in pictorial representation have fascinated philosophers since the time of Plato and Aristotle. In the first half of the twentieth century, (...) the issue of representation became a centerpiece of various theories among art historians in an attempt to explain representational styles of non-Western cultures that were vastly different from Western styles, and also in order to reinterpret less-valued Western styles that had deviated from the Classical and Renaissance traditions. In recent years, the field of aesthetics has seen a resurgence of interest in the issue, probably because of the demise of Formalism and the returning interest in representation among postmodernists.In art education, interest in pictorial representation has been limited to research on children's drawing (mostly unsolicited drawing) and to the alleged benefits of drawing activity on children's emotional and cognitive development. To understand art images made by adult artists, especially in the Western tradition, art educators must refer to art history or aesthetics. For non-Western images, an anthropological or sociological approach seems appropriate because, more than Western images, they seem to demand knowledge about the culture in which they originated. Art education therefore does not have one comprehensive model of pictorial representation to encompass all these different kinds of images.For more than a decade, the dominant theory of children's pictorial representation in art education has been a symbolic model, and it thrived and is thriving in the context of ever-growing cognitive claims on art. Replacing the long-held creative self-expression model of Viktor Lowenfeld of the 1960s and 1970s, the advocates for this model advanced their theory based on Nelson Goodman's symbolic interpretation of pictorial representation.1 [End Page 32] While their theory illuminated what had not been revealed by the previous creative self-expression model, its long-held dominance in the field lends it an aura of self-evidence and authority.My aim in this essay is to reintroduce Ernst H. Gombrich's theory of pictorial representation in order to balance the dominant theory and to provide a broad perspective for viewing children's drawings and adults' art images together.2 Despite its potential contribution to art education, Gombrich's theory has not been adequately interpreted for art educators. When Gombrich's theory was introduced in art education in the past, he was treated, along with Goodman, as a prime advocate of the concept of representation as a convention. His attention to cultural, psychological, biological, sociological, and art historical dimensions of pictorial representation has never been fully explored by art educators. Gombrich was first and foremost an art historian and theorist of art history of solid classical scholarship, but he was also a cultural historian equipped with extensive knowledge of diverse fields such as cognitive psychology, ethology, psychoanalysis, and the philosophy of science. He was truly a scholar with an interdisciplinary penchant, which makes it difficult for his readers to categorize him. In addition, his elusive writing style tends to limit access to his theory.In this sense, Leslie Cunliffe's recent reintroduction of Gombrich's theories to art education is notable.3 Cunliffe covered the whole gamut of Gombrich's theories, including that on representation, by contextualizing him as a Social-Constructivist, and he expounded many potential benefits that art educators may gain through understanding and adopting his theories. My scope will be narrower than Cunliffe's. I will deal with Gombrich's theory of representation insofar as it illuminates the nature of children's drawings and other art images and helps us understand them within a coherent system. The order of discussion will be as follows: first, the linguistic model derived from Goodman and its continuing influence on art education; second, Gombrich's theory of pictorial representation, including his discussions of the conventional and biological aspects of... (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:The Journal of Aesthetic Education 38.4 (2004) 32-45 [Access article in PDF] Ernst H. Gombrich, Pictorial Representation, and Some Issues in Art Education Nanyoung Kim Introduction This essay will deal with different ways of conceptualizing pictorial representation in art education and their implications. The philosophical issues involved in pictorial representation have fascinated philosophers since the time of Plato and Aristotle. In the first half of the twentieth century, (...) the issue of representation became a centerpiece of various theories among art historians in an attempt to explain representational styles of non-Western cultures that were vastly different from Western styles, and also in order to reinterpret less-valued Western styles that had deviated from the Classical and Renaissance traditions. In recent years, the field of aesthetics has seen a resurgence of interest in the issue, probably because of the demise of Formalism and the returning interest in representation among postmodernists.In art education, interest in pictorial representation has been limited to research on children's drawing (mostly unsolicited drawing) and to the alleged benefits of drawing activity on children's emotional and cognitive development. To understand art images made by adult artists, especially in the Western tradition, art educators must refer to art history or aesthetics. For non-Western images, an anthropological or sociological approach seems appropriate because, more than Western images, they seem to demand knowledge about the culture in which they originated. Art education therefore does not have one comprehensive model of pictorial representation to encompass all these different kinds of images.For more than a decade, the dominant theory of children's pictorial representation in art education has been a symbolic model, and it thrived and is thriving in the context of ever-growing cognitive claims on art. Replacing the long-held creative self-expression model of Viktor Lowenfeld of the 1960s and 1970s, the advocates for this model advanced their theory based on Nelson Goodman's symbolic interpretation of pictorial representation.1 [End Page 32] While their theory illuminated what had not been revealed by the previous creative self-expression model, its long-held dominance in the field lends it an aura of self-evidence and authority.My aim in this essay is to reintroduce Ernst H. Gombrich's theory of pictorial representation in order to balance the dominant theory and to provide a broad perspective for viewing children's drawings and adults' art images together.2 Despite its potential contribution to art education, Gombrich's theory has not been adequately interpreted for art educators. When Gombrich's theory was introduced in art education in the past, he was treated, along with Goodman, as a prime advocate of the concept of representation as a convention. His attention to cultural, psychological, biological, sociological, and art historical dimensions of pictorial representation has never been fully explored by art educators. Gombrich was first and foremost an art historian and theorist of art history of solid classical scholarship, but he was also a cultural historian equipped with extensive knowledge of diverse fields such as cognitive psychology, ethology, psychoanalysis, and the philosophy of science. He was truly a scholar with an interdisciplinary penchant, which makes it difficult for his readers to categorize him. In addition, his elusive writing style tends to limit access to his theory.In this sense, Leslie Cunliffe's recent reintroduction of Gombrich's theories to art education is notable.3 Cunliffe covered the whole gamut of Gombrich's theories, including that on representation, by contextualizing him as a Social-Constructivist, and he expounded many potential benefits that art educators may gain through understanding and adopting his theories. My scope will be narrower than Cunliffe's. I will deal with Gombrich's theory of representation insofar as it illuminates the nature of children's drawings and other art images and helps us understand them within a coherent system. The order of discussion will be as follows: first, the linguistic model derived from Goodman and its continuing influence on art education; second, Gombrich's theory of pictorial representation, including his discussions of the conventional and biological aspects of... (shrink)

Ernst Cassirer occupies a unique space in Twentieth-century philosophy. A great liberal humanist, his multi-faceted work spans the history of philosophy, the philosophy of science, intellectual history, aesthetics, epistemology, the study of language and myth, and more. The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms is Cassirer's most important work. It was first published in German in 1923, the third and final volume appearing in 1929. In it Cassirer presents a radical new philosophical worldview - at once rich, creative and controversial - (...) of human beings as fundamentally "symbolic animals," placing signs and systems of expression between themselves and the world. This major new translation, the first for over fifty years, brings Cassirer's magnum opus to a new generation of students and scholars. Volume 1: Language is a fascinating examination of arguably the most fundamental of these systems of expression: human language. Cassirer traces the problem of language and expression far back in the history of philosophy, considering the work of the early Greek rationalists. He then examines the later empiricist tradition, up to the romantic tradition in the nineteenth century tackling fundamental questions about representation, signification and expression as well as language and conceptual thought in mathematics and science. Correcting important errors in previous English editions, this translation reflects the contributions of significant advances in Cassirer scholarship over the last twenty to thirty years. Each volume includes a new introduction and translator's notes by S. G. Lofts, a foreword by Peter Gordon, a glossary of key terms, and a thorough index. (shrink)

I analyze a number of widespread misconceptions concerning species. The species category, defined by a concept, denotes the rank of a species taxon in the Linnaean hierarchy. Biological species are reproducing isolated from each other, which protects the integrity of their genotypes. Degree of morphological difference is not an appropriate species definition. Unequal rates of evolution of different characters and lack of information on the mating potential of isolated populations are the major difficulties in the demarcation of species taxa.

In the mid-1950s, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made an effort to break free of the isolation brought about by the military defeat and communist takeover after WWII. One of the main priorities of Hungarian foreign policy was the developing world, including Africa. Although the revolution and subsequent reprisals of 1956 temporarily halted the opening up, at the end of the decade Hungary launched a new diplomatic offensive. Ethiopia, which symbolized African independence and power, was among the main targets. (...) In spite of the setbacks and challenges, and thanks to the determination of Hungarian diplomats, Hungarian-Ethiopian relations were normalized in 1959–60. This paper examines this process by analyzing documents from the Hungarian National Archive and explains why establishing diplomatic connections proved valuable to both parties. (shrink)

The existence of objective knowledge and the possibility of communicating it by means of language have traditionally been taken for granted by educators. Recent developments in the philosophy of science and the historical study of scientific accomplishments have deprived these presuppositions of their former plausibility. Sooner or later, this must have an effect on the teaching of science. In this paper I am presenting a brief outline of an alternative theory of knowing that takes into account the thinking organism''s cognitive (...) isolation from reality. This orientation was proposed by Vico at the beginning of the 18th century, disregarded for two hundred years, and then propounded independently by Piaget as a developmentally grounded constructivist epistemology. The paper focuses specifically on the adaptive function of cognition, Piaget''s scheme theory, the process of communication, and the subjective perspective on social interaction. In the concluding section it then suggests some of the consequences the shift of epistemological presuppositions might have for the practice of teaching. (shrink)

Ernst Bloch gives a striking account of materialism that traces emancipatory elements of modern thought to medieval Islamic philosophers' encounter with Aristotle. He argues that the great medieval Islamic philosopher Avicenna (Ibn Sina) planted the seeds of a radical materialism still relevant for critical theory today.

Frege's notion of 'bedeutung' (b.) is here interpreted not as the object for which an expression stands but as its truth-Value potential. This is achieved by beginning with the b. Of sentences and defining the b. Of names as that property of them which remains constant when they are substituted in sentences without a change in truth-Value. This interpretation is shown to receive confirmation from what frege says in a recently published manuscript about the b. Of predicates; finally, It is (...) applied to frege's doctrine of oblique b. (shrink)

In this book, Justin N. Bonanno builds off of the recent philosophical work on Walker Percy’s writings. While it is valuable to appreciate Percy as a novelist, Bonanno approaches Percy from the perspective of Continental philosophy and the rhetorical tradition. Unpacking the works of several key authors that influenced Percy (e.g. Sartre and Heidegger), Bonanno offers a fresh philosophical account of Percy's ideas concerning the relationship between symbols and existence. In particular, he focuses on how Percy’s ideas emerge from the (...) thought of Ernst Cassirer, Susanne Langer, Jacques Maritain, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Viktor Shklovsky, Søren Kierkegaard, and St. Thomas Aquinas. (shrink)

Brian Skyrms has argued that the evolution of the social contract may be explained using the tools of evolutionary game theory. I show in the first half of this paper that the evolutionary game-theoretic models are often highly sensitive to the specific processes that they are intended to simulate. This sensitivity represents an important robustness failure that complicates Skyrms's project. But I go on to make the positive proposal that we may none the less obtain robust results by simulating the (...) population structures that existed among our evolutionary ancestors. It is by extending the evolutionary models in this way that we should pursue the project of explaining the evolution of the social contract. (shrink)

A recent report by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention in cooperation with the Swedish Security Service shows that the Internet has been extensively used to spread propaganda by proponents of violent political extremism, characterized by a worldview painted in black and white, an anti-democratic viewpoint, and intolerance towards persons with opposing ideas. We provide five arguments suggesting that philosophical dialogue with young persons would be beneficial to their acquisition of insights, attitudes and thinking tools for encountering such propaganda. (...) The arguments are based on stated requirements for problem solutions given by experts in violent political extremism, recent research about the effects of philosophical dialogue in young persons’ thinking skills, and parts of the basic theoretical framework of Philosophy for Children. Philosophical dialogues seem a promising way for young people to achieve a stronger democratic awareness and a more tenacious resistance against extremist views online. (shrink)

The type in taxonomy is not meant to be a particularly typical specimen, but simply a reference specimen suited to serve as a 'name bearer' whenever doubt arises concerning the identity of a species. The minimum requirement is that the specimen reflects some differentiating characteristics of the species. In analogy, only such individuals should be made the type of an ideological system as adhere to the principal ideologies of that system. Only such an evolutionist could serve as type for Darwinism (...) who on the whole accepts gradual evolution and, as the major moving force in evolution, natural selection. It is very questionable whether the type-method would be of any use where highly heterogeneous, open, or rapidly evolving systems are involved. When the meaning of a system is changing it is less confusing to redefine it than to coin a new term for each change. (shrink)

L'article traduit ici parut dans le Contemporary Jewish Record, Review of events and digest of opinion, 7 (Juin 1944), pages 115 à 126. Cette revue, l'une des nombreuses publications de l'American Jewish Committee, vit le jour peu avant la guerre, en septembre 1938, et finit avec elle en juin 1945, ne trouvant plus sa raison d'être, à savoir dénoncer les crimes allemands et travailler à la paix. Figurent aussi dans ce volume sept un article de Hannah Arendt : « Concerning (...) Minorities » et la traduction de la communication de Renan à la Société des Études Juives, le 26 mai 1883 : « Judaïsme et Christianisme ». Sur les thèmes évoqués, on se référera aux textes suivants : — « Judaism and the Modem political Myths », Symbol, Myth and Culture, Yale University Press, 1979, p.233-239. Il s'agit du texte, incomplet, d'une épreuve manuscrite (Cassirer Deposit 162 b), restée inachevée, de l'article traduit ici. — « The Myth of the State », Fortune, vol. 26, n° 6, juin 1944. — « Der mythos als politische Waffe », Die Amerikanische Rundschau, Munich, n° 11. — « Philosophy and Politics », in Symbol, Myth and Culture, Essays and Lectures of E. Cassirer, ed. by D.P. Varene, Yale University Press, 1979. Traduction française : « Philosophie et politique », in E. Cassirer, L'idée de l'Histoire, les inédits de Yale et autres écrits d'exil, Paris, Éditions du Cerf, 1989. — « The Technique of our Modem Political Myths », in Symbol, Myth and Culture, Essays and Lectures of E. Cassirer, ed. by D.P. Varene, Yale University Press, 1979. — The Myth of the State, Yale University Press, 1946. — T. Cassirer, Aus meinem Leben mit Ernst Cassirer, New York, Prìvately issued, 1950, notamment p. 291-296. (shrink)

Modern Darwinism is an elaboration of Darwin's original theories. The misunderstandings of the synthetic theory, on which recent attacks are based, are analyzed in detail. Six areas are described in which current theory modifies or amplifies Darwin's thinking. The rejection of an inheritance of acquired characters, the greater role assigned to chance in the production of genetic variability, the knowledge of the total separation of genotype and phenotype, and the clearer recognition of the role of the individual as target of (...) selection, are among the modern amplifications of the Darwinian theory. Remaining gaps in our understanding of evolution are specified. (shrink)

The biological species concept deals both with the meaning of the sexual species as a harmonious gene pool and with its protection against deleterious outbreeding (effected by isolating mechanisms). According to the Darwin-Muller-Mayr theory isolating mechanisms are acquired by incipient species during alloparty. Isolating mechanisms are not the result of ad hoc selection, but of a change of function of properties acquired during the preceding isolation of the incipient species. The role of behavioral properties (recognition) among the isolating mechanisms has (...) long been recognized and described by naturalists but was rejected as basis of a species definition for a number of valid reasons. (shrink)

Im Janner 2003 starb Ernst Topitsch, der zu den namhaftesten Vertretern der Weltanschauungsanalyse der zweiten Halfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zahlt. Auf diesem Feld der wissenschaftlichen Forschung hat er sich geradezu den Rang eines Gegenwartsklassikers erworben. Die hier vorgelegten letzten beiden Abhandlungen des Autors bundeln noch einmal einige der zentralen Themen aus dem Schrifttum dieses international hoch geachteten Autors. Dabei wird die lebenspraktische Bedeutsamkeit gewisser erkenntnistheoretischer Uberlegungen eindrucksvoll vor Augen gefuhrt. Der Band enthalt neben "Uberprufbarkeit und Beliebigkeit" auch den Text (...) "Ein Blick zuruck auf die philosophische Welt von gestern". (shrink)

A Companion to the Spanish Scholastics offers a much-needed survey of the entire field of early modern Spanish scholastic thought. The volume introduces main themes and contexts of scholastics inquiry (theology, philosophy, ethics, politics, economics, law, science and the senses) through close examination of a wide range of texts, debates, methods, and authors, as well as in-depth discussion of the relevant literature. Each chapter includes a useful bibliography and serves as point of departure for future research. The volume not only (...) draws the sum of existing research, but also challenges established notions and breaks new ground. (shrink)

Purpose This paper aims to study the developed countries’ experience on the cyberbullying legal regulation among adolescents, to identify existing shortcomings in the developing countries’ laws and to develop recommendations for regulatory framework improvement. Design/methodology/approach The authors have studied the state regulatory practice of the UK, the USA, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, UAE and analyzed the statistics of 2018 on the cyberbullying manifestation among adolescents in these countries. Findings The study results can encourage countries to create separate cyberbullying legislation (...) and periodically review and modify already existing legislation. Originality/value The study provides a list of the recommendations to regulate cybercrime in developing countries and prevent it as well. The results may contribute to creating laws related to the regulation of cyberbullying in countries where such legislation does not exist yet or existing regulatory legal acts do not bring the expected results, namely, in Post-Soviet countries and other developing countries of the world. (shrink)

Die vorliegende Arbeit ist aus Studien übel' das Problem des Natur rechtes entstanden, in deren Verlauf sich immer deutlicher hera~sgestellt hat, daß dieses Problem nur einen Teilaspekt universell verbreiteter und das vor- und außerphilosophische Denken ebenso wie die sogenannte traditionelle Philosophie zumindest maßgeblich mitbestimmender Formen der Weltauffassung darstellt. Der Fortgang _~ieser Untersuchungen hat in einer Reihe von Aufsätzen seinen Niederschlag gefUhden, die seit 1950 erschienen sind und auf die hier fallweise zurückgegriffen wird. Während eines Studienaufenthaltes an der Harvard-University (1953/54) ist (...) der Plan des Buches endgültig ausgereift, doch verzögerte sich der Abschluß des Manuskriptes infolge anderweitiger beruflicher Inanspruchnahme bis zum Beginn dieses Jahres. Dem Verfasser ist bewußt, daß der Ausdruck "Metaphysik" äußerst vieldeutig ist, so daß vielleicht mancher Leser hier nicht das behandelt finden wird, was er unter Metaphysik versteht. Doch beziehen sich die folgenden Untersuchungen zweifellos auf Doktrinen, die nach einem sehr verbreiteten Sprachgebrauch als metaphysisch bezeichnet werden wld die in der traditionellen Philosophie eine hervorragende Rolle gespielt haben bzw. heute noch spielen. (shrink)