Analogical thinking, relations between microcosm and macrocosm, polarity and intensification, inspiration, magical, alchemistic, and magnetic/sympathetic concepts: key terms like these indicate the importance of the traditions of pansophist and holistic interpretation of the world in Goethe's literary and scientific works. Of equal significance is his engagement with 'universal wisdom' (Weltweisheit), as embodied in the philosophical and scientific tendencies of the age he lived in. The Geneva conference of the Swiss Goethe Society documented here casts light on Goethe's position in the (...) rivalries tensions between old and new in his day. (shrink)

Most of the reports on synthetic biology include not only familiar topics like biosafety and biosecurity but also a chapter on ‘ethical concerns’; a variety of diffuse topics that are interrelated in some way or another. This article deals with these ‘ethical concerns’. In particular it addresses issues such as the intrinsic value of life and how to deal with ‘artificial life’, and the fear that synthetic biologists are tampering with nature or playing God. Its aim is to analyse what (...) exactly is the nature of the concerns and what rationale may lie behind them. The analysis concludes that the above-mentioned worries do not give genuine cause for serious concern. In the best possible way they are interpreted as slippery slope arguments, yet arguments of this type need to be handled with care. It is argued that although we are urged to be especially vigilant we do not have sufficiently cogent reasons to assume that synthetic biology will cause such fundamental hazards as to warrant restricting or refraining from research in this field. (shrink)

The commercialization of ‘big science’ is in full swing, leading to situations in which the ethical principles of academia are beginning to be compromised. This is exemplified by the profitable business of genetic ancestry testing. The goals of this sort of ‘big science’ are not necessarily in any way novel, however. In particular, large genotyping projects have a certain start‐up time when their design is frozen in, so that the projects often lag behind the development of genetic knowledge. On the (...) other hand, extremely provisional knowledge about potential disease markers is being rapidly turned into questionable ‘tests’, purporting to determine risk factors for complex disorders, by private companies that are eager to get their share of a profitable market of the future. The flow of money generated by such concerns looks likely to erode traditional research operations and small‐scale projects, which risk becoming pebbles on the ‘big science’ landscape. BioEssays 30:1246–1251, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Praxeology is an analytical theory of action, the intention of which is a description of fundamental action-theoretical relationships that is as conceptually parsimonious as possible. The claim corresponds to that of a descriptive metaphysics. If this claim is valid, it must be possible to find at least elementary moments of such praxeological insights even in the earliest approach to a theory of action as presented by Aristotle. The analysis first looks from the insights of praxeology to Aristotle, then vice versa (...) from Aristotle's definitions of concepts to praxeological formulations. The aim is not to trace one theory back to the other, but to illuminate both approaches in a reciprocal way. (shrink)

In the children's book ``The Phantom Tollbooth'' by Norton Juster one can find the following passage:``Yes, please,'' said Milo. ``Can you show me the biggest number there is?''.

The favourable social conditions Fechner met at Leipzig with its university and its book industry as well as the close ties to the citizenship of that town were of outstanding importance for G.Th. Fechner (1801–1887), his scientific achievements as natural scientist and philosopher, as the founder of psychophysics and of experimental aesthetics. Since 1825 Fechner had been integrated into its social, scientific and art life in many different ways. His political and theoretical social ideas were obviously influenced by ist bourgeois (...) liberal circles. (shrink)

Keine ausführliche Beschreibung für "Mensch und Schicksal" verfügbar.

The author exemplifies the congruency of essential foundations between the critical realism of the Berlin School of Gestalt Psychology (Gestalt theory) and Nicolai Hartmann`s Critical Ontology. For instance, this congruency manifests in the importance given to critical-realistic epistemology - purified from idealistic prejudices, not least prejudices such as production-theoretical ones - connected with an unconditional phenomenology. Altogether, it results in a shared critical distance from scholars of Brentano, such as Husserl and Meinong, as well as from Neo-Kantianism.

The author exemplifies the congruency of essential foundations between the critical realism of the Berlin School of Gestalt Psychology (Gestalt theory) and Nicolai Hartmann`s Critical Ontology. For instance, this congruency manifests in the importance given to critical-realistic epistemology - purified from idealistic prejudices, not least prejudices such as production-theoretical ones - connected with an unconditional phenomenology. Altogether, it results in a shared critical distance from scholars of Brentano, such as Husserl and Meinong, as well as from Neo-Kantianism.

ABSTRACT A propositional temporal logic is introduced whose operators quantify over intervals of a reference time line. The intervals are specified symbolically, for example ?next week's weekend?. The specification language for the intervals takes into account all the features of real calendar systems. A simple statement which can be expressed in this language is for example: ?yesterday I worked for eight hours with one hour lunch break at noon?. Calendar Logic can be translated into propositional logic. Satisfiability is therefore decidable. (...) Since the translation is exponential, a tableau decision procedure for checking decidability is presented as an alternative. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungIn der Debatte um die embryonale Stammzellenforschung führen die Verfechter der Würde des Embryos gerne eine Gemeinsamkeit von Embryonen und reversibel Komatösen an: Beide sind bloß potentiell Personen. Wenn aber Komatösen fraglos personale Würde zukommt, weshalb sollte man sie Embryonen absprechen? In ihrem AufsatzIn dubio pro embryone kombinieren G. Damschen und D. Schönecker diese Analogie mit einem Vorsichtsargument: Weil die Analogie zumindest gute Gründe für die Annahme biete, Embryonen komme eine menschliche Würde zu, sei angesichts der Schwere des möglichen Unrechts (...) die embryonale Stammzellenforschung nicht zu verantworten. Im Folgenden möchte ich darlegen, weshalb die Analogie nicht ausreicht, um ein solches Vorsichtsargument zu etablieren. In einem ersten Schritt soll gezeigt werden, wie man der Analogie begegnen kann, weshalb das entsprechende Argument also nicht zwingend ist. Um ein Vorsichtsargument zu begründen, würde es allerdings genügen, wenn die Analogie „hinlänglich plausible“ Gründe zugunsten der Würde von Embryonen liefert. In einem zweiten Schritt soll daher – aufbauend auf allgemeinen Überlegungen zum Vorsichtsargument – dargelegt werden, dass die Analogie selbst unter dieser Annahme nicht überzeugen kann. (shrink)

Die Beitrage europaischer Forscherinnen und Forscher beleuchten die Probleme, Herausforderungen, Formen und Bilder, die mit stadtischer Entwicklung einhergehen, aus zumeist vergleichender und auch interdisziplinarer Perspektive. Geschichte, Literatur, Soziologie, Architektur, Kino oder Interkulturalitat auf vielfaltige Art werden am Beispiel vor allem deutscher und franzosischer Stadte verschiedene Aspekte der Modernitat herausgearbeitet. Die Hauptfragestellungen widmen sich sozialen Gruppen, Migrationsstromen, Integrations- und Ausschlussphanomenen, Orten der Soziabilitat, Kulturveranstaltungen, Erzahlformen sowie theoretischen Analysen. Die transatlantische Dimension, also der Vergleich europaischer Gegebenheiten und amerikanischer Spezifika, wird anhand von (...) Einzelfallstudien und uber unterschiedliche Denkansatze erforscht. Die Beitrage zur Stadtforschung geben so, im zeitlichen Rahmen vom 17. Jahrhundert bis hin zur Schwelle des 21. Jahrhunderts, den Forschungsstand verschiedener Disziplinen wieder und untersuchen die Relevanz zeitgenossischer Herangehensweisen.". (shrink)

This paper considers the concept of freedom in behavioural terms, defining it in relation to freedom of action. This notion is applied to psychiatric abnormalities, and it is suggested that this new way of looking at the problem may go some way to surmount the philosophical difficulties normally attaching to the notion of freedom.

Werturteile über Musik - lassen sie sich begründen, sind sie verbindlich, welche Geltung haben sie? Das Buch untersucht philosophische, soziologische und pädagogische Aspekte. Dabei werden insbesondere die wichtigsten Urteilsformen und Argumentationsmöglichkeiten sowohl mit kulturabhängigem als auch mit universalem Geltungsanspruch dargestellt und diskutiert. Den theoretischen Erörterungen folgen mit zahlreichen Noten- und Textbeispielen Hinweise und methodische Vorschläge zur Beurteilung von Musik in unterschiedlichen kulturellen Milieus.