Explores the philosophical contributions and contemporary relevance of early German Romanticism.

A lengthy critique of Kant's apriorism precedes discussions on the ethical principles of eudaemonism, utilitarianism, pragmatism, and positivism.

The history of western philosophy provides many occasions for verifying a general experience: theoretical innovations gain immediate appreciation only if they do not demand too much of the ability of contemporaries to integrate them into their worldview. If they emerge hastily and lack clear connection to their epoch’s expectations about meaning, they will be dismissed as an “untimely growth.” This is, of course, easy enough to understand. What is remarkable, though, is that even subsequent generations that have come to accept (...) the innovation will often continue to regard its originator as taboo. (shrink)

Verschränkte Zustände sind einer der charakteristischen Züge der Quantenphysik, für die es weder eine Entsprechung in der klassischen Physik noch in unserer alltäglichen Erfahrungswelt gibt. In diesem Kapitel umreißen wir historisch und systematisch die Debatte um diese besonderen Zustände. Wir stellen ihren Ursprung in einem Argument von Einstein, Podolsky und Rosen für die Unvollständigkeit der Quantenmechanik dar und zeigen, warum dieses Argument einerseits heute nicht mehr als überzeugend betrachtet wird, andererseits dennoch bis in aktuelle Debatten hinein nachwirkt. In einem zweiten (...) Teil geben wir einen systematischen Überblick über die zeitgenössischen Debatten zu Verschränkung, die sich um Bells Theorem und dessen Konsequenzen drehen. Einer klaren Darstellung des Theorems und seiner Voraussetzungen auf verschiedenen Ebenen folgt eine Diskussion der möglichen Konsequenzen. Detailliert wird die meist angeführte Konsequenz einer Nicht-Lokalität analysiert und in Beziehung zu Begriffen wie „Nicht-Separabilität“ und „Holismus“ gesetzt. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf der Frage, ob die Phänomene verschränkter Zustände kausal erklärt werden können und ob der zentrale Konflikt einer Nicht-Lokalität mit der Relativitätstheorie gelöst werden kann. (shrink)

Was the philosophy of Early German Romanticism, as we understand it today, nothing but a milder variety of Early German Idealism? Not at all! One has only to note the radical differences between the two. Friedrich von Hardenberg and Friedrich Schlegel, the two most significant thinkers of the Early Romantic movement, decisively broke with what Reinhold’s critical disciples had called a “philosophy from the highest principle [Grundsatzphilosophie].” Instead of adopting Reinhold’s and Fichte’s idea of subjectivity as the principle of a (...) deductively unfolding system of knowledge, they replaced it with the idea of “philosophy as an unending longing for the Infinite.” Who only aspires to the Absolute cannot pretend to “possess” or capture it in an absolute knowledge as Fichte and Hegel did, but Schelling did not. Underlying Hegel’s and Fichte’s denial that the Absolute transcends knowability is the temptation to make existence itself dependent upon the grasp of thoughts or concepts, a temptation firmly rejected by the Early Romantics. This is why Early Romanticism should not be considered as a species of one or the other kind of Idealism, as most German and American researchers would like it to be. (shrink)

It will be recalled that Mr. Mattick stated that Marxism does not derive its social theory from physical theory, and that any attempt to do so is an aberration from marxism. It is maintained that Marx is not a determinist or indeterminist in the ususal sense of these terms. Furthermore, it was argued that ideologies are no longer decisive weapons and that Marxists put little trust in the dialectical course of history.

The anchor of CBS evening news collects the best life tips from a host of accomplished leaders, thinkers, artists and more, including Chelsea Handler, Malcolm Gladwell, Mario Batali, Colin Powell, Ken Burns, Barbara Walters, Beyoncé, Google's Eric Schmidt, Mike Bloomberg and many more.

Heidegger's central question, "What is the meaning of Being?", is intertwined with the concept of nothingness, as it has been since Pre-Socratic thought. I wish to articulate "nothingness" by restricting myself to three aspects of this concept given by Scheler: 1.) the meanings with which the word "nothing" is used, 2.) the moral implication belonging to the question of "nothing," and 3.) the concept of reality. It is the purpose of this selection of Schelerian thought to furnish some distinctions to (...) be made in Heidegger's central position. (shrink)

I offer an analysis of the notion of violence one of whose consequences may be that violence might be moral under some circumstances.

I offer an analysis of the notion of violence one of whose consequences may be that violence might be moral under some circumstances.