[…] redaktorom udała się rzecz dość rzadka w tego typu publikacjach, mianowicie stworzyli imponujących rozmiarów księgę pamiątkową, która jednak, poza walorami okolicznościowymi, charakteryzuje się wysokim poziomem naukowym i zawiera sporo oryginalnych, wartościowych treści, z konieczności prezentowanych w krótkich formach, co jednak nie obniża ich rangi teoretycznej. Ponadto […] udało się w tej publikacji zgromadzić bardzo liczne, a jednocześnie reprezentatywne grono najwybitniejszych polskich filozofów, którzy ofiarowali profesorowi Tyburskiemu swoje cenne teksty, co czyni tę książkę tym bardziej wartościową i spowoduje, jak można (...) przypuszczać, że jeszcze po wielu latach będzie się do niej sięgało jako o źródła oryginalnych i bardzo ciekawych przemyśleń. Prof. dr hab. Jarosław Rolewski. (shrink)

A theoretical analysis of the concept of lifetime and mean life of unstable elementary particles is presented. New analytic formulas for lifetime and mean life as a function of decay width Γ and the mass of unstable particle are derived for Breit-Wigner and Matthews-Salam energy distributions. It is demonstrated that, for unstable particles with a larger width or decay energy threshold, the deviation from the generally accepted mean life τ m =Γ −1 is significant. The behavior of the decay law (...) P(t) for small times is analyzed, and it is shown that the Breit-Wigner distribution violates the condition P(t = 0) = 0, whereas the Matthews-Salam distribution satisfies it. (shrink)

Artykuł przywołuje poglądy liderów polskiej myśli oświeceniowej na temat sprawiedliwości i równości. W dobie oświecenia dokonał się niewątpliwy awans tej problematyki, co wyrażało się nie tylko w wydatnym wzroście ilościowym wypowiedzi na temat sprawiedliwości, a zwłaszcza równości, ale także w ujawnianiu bogactwa konstytuujących je zagadnień oraz w merytorycznej dojrzałości ich interpretacji i analiz. Przegląd poglądów na ww. zagadnienia zaczynamy od wypowiedzi Stanisława Leszczyńskiego, w których pojawiły się idee prooświeceniowe, następnie przedstawiamy poglądy przedstawicieli philosophiae recentiorum: Stanisława H. Konarskiego, Antoniego Wiśniewskiego, Józefa (...) K. Skrzetuskiego, z kolei dojrzałą fazę myśli oświeceniowej reprezentują tu jej liderzy: Stanisław Popławski, Franciszek S. Jezierski, Hugo Kołłątaj, Hieronim Stroynowski (Strojnowski), Stanisław W. Staszic. Przedstawiony zestaw poglądów wymienionych wyżej myślicieli na temat sprawiedliwości i równości wymownie zaświadcza o tym, że problematyka ta budziła żywe zainteresowanie ówczesnych elit intelektualnych, które wypowiadały się na ich temat z dużą kompetencją, zaangażowaniem i znawstwem, co w konsekwencji sprawiło, że ich znaczenie znacznie wybiegało poza epokę,która je zrodziła. (shrink)

The text is a commentary to the phenomena in Polish modern art in the final years of the 20th century. It constitutes a “first-hand” account by a participant of the events and the host of the location. The location was the author’s private workshop in the attic of a Łódź tenement house in the very centre of the city, in the circles of artists creating situations, meetings, events and objects, which established Kultura Zrzuty [the Whip-round Culture], a phenomenon which described (...) the activities of artists independent of state institutions and officials patrons in the 1980s. The analysis of the events within the area of independent Okolice Sztuki inspired the author to discuss the form of other artists and his own, who created art in Strych [literally: attic] in an unchanging conflict between physical and social existence and freedom in art. (shrink)

Children with developmental dyslexia and at its risk have difficulties in the acquisition of foreign languages, especially non-transparent English. The problems of such pupils concern various aspects of the language system but in particular relate to the ability to read and spell. The research literature dedicated to effective preventative methods and dyslexia treatment suggests that both children with dyslexia and at its risk need phonological awareness training and multi-sensory learning. It is also known that prevention and early treatment is more (...) effective than therapeutic intervention used in older students. Experts in foreign language acquisition recommend that children have contact with longer oral texts and live language. A recently-published report on the methods of English language teaching in Polish primary schools shows that the lessons conducted there do not realise the majority of the aforementioned recommendations. As a consequence, they do not serve any pupils including those with dyslexia and at its risk. A method which meets most of the demands mentioned above is “The Good Start Method for English”. It is a new program of teaching the English language designed for five to seven-year-olds, which at the same time ensures support for the psychomotor development of children, leading to acceleration in learning progress. (shrink)

Due to the Internet, the traditional media monopoly has been irretrievably broken. Available technologies have created unavailable earlier conditions for personalization and manipulation of information that is generating to the Internet users. It is sharply noticeable with reference to the computer games, media and the potential of Web 2.0, social networking. The freedom of information concerning the social networking seem to be a temporary phenomenon—effectively dominated by the commercialization.

Refining big data is a new multipurpose way to find, collect, and analyze information obtained from the web and off-line information sources about any research subject. It gives the opportunity to investigate (with an assumed level of statistical significance) the past and current status of information on a subject, and it can even predict the future. The refining of big data makes it possible to quantitatively investigate a wide spectrum of raw information on significant human issues—social, scientific, political, business, and (...) others. Refining creates a space for new, rich sources of information and opens innovative ways for research. The article describes a procedure for refining big data and gives examples of its use. (shrink)

BL With a new preface by the authors This is an important work of original scholarship by two of the most distinguished East European economists now working in the West. The authors, both of whom were involved in the Planning Office of the Polish economy in the 1950s and 1960s, present here the results of their efforts to develop theoretically a system of economic management which could in practice avoid the worst excesses of both market capitalism and central planning. The (...) conclusions derived from this analysis are shown to open up a new dimension to the `socialism versus capitalism' controversy which has dominated much of the world throughout the twentieth century and which is especially significant as the countries of East and Central Europe re-structure their economies. (shrink)

The question of the relation between the economic reforms introduced in or contemplated by the East European communist countries (including now a days the Soviet Union as well) and China, and the pattern of income distribution is obviously of great interest: how will the increased use of market mechanisms affect the degree of inequality? Strong views on the matter are frequently voiced both by proponents and opponents of market-oriented reforms, but there is surprisingly litde empirical evidence based on systematic research. (...) To my knowledge the work under review is the first book with such an explicit objective. (shrink)

Innovation is fundamental to the pharmaceutical industry and a key to improvements in healthcare. Its effectiveness depends on huge, constant investments in research. This innovative industry directly affects the course of studies in healthcare and medicine. Its efforts translate directly into the length and quality of our lives. For several years now, the progress underway in pharmaceutical industry has produced measurable benefits. Doctors have new pharmaceuticals at their disposal, including many types of antibiotics and anti-viral drugs, vaccines and a wide (...) range of drugs which save lives or make them more comfortable. In the near future, ever more efficient cures for neoplastic, rheumatic, neurological, psychic, metabolic, circulatory or respiratory diseases can be expected. (shrink)

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between temperament and social support and the level of quantitatively rated PTSD symptoms in a sample of HIV+ and HIV/aids men and women. A total of 310 men and women, including 182 HIV+ and 128 HIV/aids, were studied. Social support was assessed with the Berlin Social Support Scales. Temperament was assessed with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory. Intensity of PTSD symptoms was assessed with the PTSDF. The best (...) predictors of intensity of PTSD symptoms in HIV+ participants were support seeking and sensory sensitivity. Support seeking was positively associated, and sensory sensitivity was negatively associated with intensity of PTSD symptoms. (shrink)

An option available to an agent is stable if it maximizes expected utility on the hypothetical assumption that the agent is going to choose it. As is well known, some decision problems lack a stable solution. Paul Weirich (1986 and 1988) has recently proposed a decision principle which prescribes that the option chosen should be at least weakly stable--or "weakly ratifiable", to use his terminology. According to him, full stability is an excessively strong demand. I shall argue that Weirich's proposal (...) conflicts with the familiar condition of dominance. But I shall also prove that this difficulty can be avoided if we replace weak stability by "moderate" stability--where the latter property is somewhat stronger than the former. It will be seen, however, that this modification does not help against other ailments connected with stability. In particular, to heed the demand of stability (of any kind) is to engage in a form of "wishful acting". Also, the different stability demands all conflict with a close relative of the dominance condition: the condition of "indifference". According to this condition, two actions are equally choiceworthy if they would always lead to the same outcomes--whatever state the world is in. On the other hand, the conditions of dominance and indifference would both be satisfied if we replaced a demand for stability (of some kind) by a related but distinct principle of "retrievability". Retrievability and (full) stability are mutually independent properties of options, but each of them entails moderate stability. The paper ends with a discussion of the relevance of retrievability to theories of choiceworthiness and practical reason. (shrink)

In the text, I analyze Grobler᾽s strategy of countering skepticism. It boils down to two arguments, i.e. a performative contradiction and the use of the ceteris paribus clause. Another point is the concept of truth adopted by Grobler. Grobler is leaning towards the adjustment theory and aletic pluralism. I formulate critical remarks about truth as identity, the markup theory, super-conclusiveness, and finally truth as a regulative idea. I am also considering two additional requirements of Grobler, namely that the truth should (...) be interesting and knowledge should have rich applications. I argue that the application requirement is always fulfilled. (shrink)

Author: Lorenc Włodzimierz Title: HABERMAS’ PHILOSOPHY AS AN EXPRESSION OF FORGETTING ABOUT ONESELF AND COMMUNITY. CONSEQUENCES OF EXCESSIVE UNIVERSALITY OF PHILOSOPHY (Filozofia Jürgena Habermasa jako wyraz zapominania o sobie i wspólnocie. Konsekwencje nadmiernego uniwersalizowania filozofii) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2006, vol:.6, number: 2006/1, pages:153-170 Keywords: HABERMAS, COMMUNITY, HUMAN EXISTENCE, UNDERSTANDING Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail:The task of the article is to show the consequences of the understanding of philosophy by Jürgen (...) Habermas, one of the most outstanding philosophers of our time. Some limitations in his philosophy appear in his utterances on the problems of man related to the possibilities offered by the recent achievements in genetics. As a philosopher he seems to be very distant from the reality of human existence. He proposes to cultivate a pure philosophy, striving first of all to ensure a universality for its solutions. This way he narrows the tasks confronting modern philosophy; besides, he wants to answer the questions concerning the humankind in a way valid for all times, making absolute the legal and constitutional frame being now in force. (shrink)

"Traum des Seins, Todt des Seiendes" sketches centuries-old history, transformations, and consequences of the baroque identification of dream and reality. The first part of the essay demonstrates that, despite commonly accepted opinion this identification originates with Descartes. In the second part of the essay, the main theme – the claim that ontological positions are dependent on the grammar of ethic languages – is introduced within the context of Schopenhauer's remarks on life and dreams. The third part of the essay further (...) develops the main theme in the course of an analysis of Descartes' "Meditation II". From a linguistic point of view, there are two following consequences for ego and cogito: either the subject (ego) does not exist, or its existence is temporarily non-continuous; either it does not exist as consciousness; or it is an unconscious being. Obviously, Descartes would accept neither. In the last analysis, ego exists merely grammatically, while (conscious) being differs from being in that it happens but is not. Since conscious being, only occurs in speech directed to somebody, death touches merely being, while being either dreams or remains silent. (shrink)

Wczesny rozwój intelektualny Brocha przypada na czasy naukowego radykalizmu, który był kształtowany przez wiedeński pozytywizm logiczny. Zwrot Brocha ku literaturze miał swe źródło w rozczarowaniu, jakie spowodował w nim ów kierunek filozofii, nie dopuszczający, poza empiryzmem, innych źródeł poznania. Ten stan rzeczy przyczynił się do rozpadu wartości i ogólnego relatywizmu. Broch poszukuje w literaturze i sztuce uniwersalnej symbolicznej wartości, zdolnej zintegrować i nadać sens rozproszonej rzeczywistości w kulturze i życiu społecznym. W swych teoriopoznawczych dociekaniach sięga do późnego średniowiecza, w którym (...) nadrzędnej symbolicznej wartości podporządkowane były inne dziedziny życia. Okres reformacji i następujący po nim rozpad wartości prowadzi do zastąpienia platonizmu pozytywizmem. Broch wyrzeka się konserwatyzmu, szukającego ratunku w rewaloryzacji dawnych historycznych modeli, poszukuje natomiast zrębów nowej jedności, wolnej od dogmatu. Sztuce i literaturze, ze względu n a ich symboliczno-funkcjonalne właściwości, przypisuje szczególną rolę. Autor artykułu omawia antropologiczno-estetyczną funkcję Brochowskiego symbolu, który dzięki swym multyplikacyjnym właściwościom potrafi dotrzeć do mityczno-mistycznych wymiarów istnienia. Nośnikiem tego transcendentnego stanu poznawczego jest „liryzm”. Broch dostrzega jego przejawy w sztuce, literaturze i filozofii. Sceptycyzm pisarza rodzi natomiast brak możliwości jego naukowej weryfikacji. (shrink)

In his Tractatus and Notebooks 1914-1916, Wittgenstein develops some themes concerning the nature of the subject, transcendentalism, solipsism and mysticism. Though Wittgenstein rejects a naive, psychological understanding of the subject, he preserves the idea of the metaphysical subject, so-called “philosophical I”. The present investigations exhibit two ways of grasping the subject: (1) subject as a boundary (of the world); (2) subject (I) as the world. The author of the paper aims to analyze different methods of conceiving the subject, both logical (...) and transcendental. Then he discusses the naturalistic or reductionist consequences of solipsism which were derived by Wittgenstein. Moreover, he refers to the concept of ‘subject of will’ introduced in the Tractatus. Finally, the author puts a question whether the metaphysical subject is a boundary of the world identified with the subject of will. While trying to answer this question one can point to the essential difficulties of Wittgenstein’s standpoint. These difficulties become especially evident if we examine Wittgenstein’s statements concerning mysticism. The category of subject seems to gain a new dimension when reconsidered in this context. In the conclusion, the author offers an interpretation inspired by Schopenhauer’s conception of the double aspect of the subject that is to overstep these difficulties. (shrink)