Philosophy of History

There is a close systematic relationship between panentheism, as a metaphysical theory about the relation between God and the world, and transhumanism, the ethical demand to use the means of the applied sciences to enhance both human nature and the environment. This relationship between panentheism and transhumanism provides a ‘cosmic’ solution to the problem of evil: on panentheistic premises, the history of the world is the one infinite life of God, and we are part of the one infinite divine being. We ourselves are therefore responsible for the future development of the life of the divine being. We should therefore use the means provided by the natural sciences to develop the history of the world in such a way that the existence of evil shall be overcome and shall no longer be part of the divine being in whom we move and live and have our being. The metaphysics of panentheism leads to the ethics of transhumanism.

https://classiques-garnier.com/l-histoire-et-la-question-de-la-modernite-chez-antonio-gramsci.html

Le marxisme ouvert d’Antonio Gramsci permet de redéfinir la philosophie de l’histoire en échappant à tout dogmatisme. Gramsci cherche en effet à penser le processus historique dans sa consistance tout en accordant un rôle central à l’activité et aux luttes humaines, en particulier grâce aux notions de praxis, d’hégémonie et de rapports de forces. L’auteur des Cahiers de prison s’attache ainsi à comprendre la complexité de la modernité européenne, depuis ses origines jusqu’à la crise organique qui marque son temps, et s’arrête notamment sur la Renaissance, la Réforme, la Révolution française, le Risorgimento, l’américanisme, le fascisme et le socialisme soviétique.

While the very possibility of a philosophy of history has been widely questioned, this book shows that Antonio Gramsci’s open Marxism gives it new life, away from all dogmatism. Gramsci seeks to conceive the historical process in its consistency while giving a central role to human agency and struggles, thanks to notions such as praxis, hegemony and relations of force. His determination to understand both the coherence and the complexity of European modernity leads him to trace its development from its origins to the organic crisis it was undergoing in his time, from the Renaissance and the Reformation to Americanism, Fascism and Soviet socialism, via the French Revolution and the Risorgimento.

In this paper I discuss in a critical manner what I believe to be some of the more interesting contributions of Anthony Steinbock’s book Home and Beyond: Generative Phenomenology after Husserl. I will thus refer mainly to his clarification of the constitution of familiar and alien objects or states of affairs through appropriation and transgression. In connection with this I will try to put forward some of the advantages and implications of a phenomenological approach to the problem of historicity in terms of generativity.  However, I will also discuss some of the limitations and problems of Steinbock’s approach. I believe that most if not all of these problems are related to his understanding of the relationship between static, genetic and generative phenomenological methods. Therefore I will devote some lines to discuss this issue and to rethink some of Steinbock’s main theses under the light of another way of understanding the relationship between these methods as well as the task of the philosophical inquiry proposed by phenomenology.

The paper discusses the major characteristics of modernity and post-modernity presented in Passion of the Western Mind by contemporary depth psychologist and philosopher Richard Tarnas. The essay, created for a course taught by Dominican theologian Fr. Edward Krasevac on the nature and history of Western thought, summarizes Tarnas's view of the larger cultural and historical contexts in which the dominant epistemologies and perspectives of modernity and post-modernity evolved and serves as a basic introduction to some of the distinctive features of modern and post-modern philosophical criticism.

Menschliche Kulturen befinden sich in einem Prozess beständiger Umgestaltung und unterliegen mitunter radikalen Veränderungen. In diesem Band werden mit den Mitteln und Methoden der Geschichtsphilosophie, der Soziologie, der Handlungstheorie und der Kulturwissenschaften die grundlegenden Mechanismen und Logiken kultureller Transformationsprozesse herausgearbeitet. Ein interdisziplinäres Spektrum von Perspektiven – u.a. auf die philosophische Ästhetik, die politische Philosophie und die Wissenschaftsgeschichte – zeigt darüber hinaus die Verschiedenartigkeit des Wandels in unterschiedlichen Bereichen der Kultur auf.

(mit Beiträgen von Emil Angehrn, Stefan Deines, Daniel M. Feige, Astrid Erll, Doris Gerber, Oliver Marchard, Johannes Rohbeck, Hartmut Rosa, Martin Seel und Mario Wenning).

Transcendence and Power. Carl Schmitt's Political Theology

L' opera di CarI Schmitt (1888-1985) rappresenta una delle più forti provocazioni del pensiero del Novecento. La sua ricerca intellettuale e politica spazia nei diversi ambiti del diritto costituzionale e internazionale, della filosofia e della scienza della politica, della storia delle istituzioni, della letteratura e della teologia e si intreccia singolarmente con le vicende più drammatiche della storia contemporanea, in particolare
con la fine della repubblica di Weimar e con i primi anni del regime nazista, che lo vedono coinvolto in ruoli di primo piano. Il suo pensiero, riscoperto in questi ultimi anni, si trova oggi al centro di un serrato dibattito e di accese controversie.
Una delle provocazioni più significative di Schmitt è quella legata alla sua interpretazione del concetto di "teologia politica", un concetto destinato, pur con diverse interpretazioni, ad avere notevole fortuna nel pensiero teologico del '900, tanto da essere ancora oggi al centro dell'attenzione. Questo volume ricostruisce analiticamente, a partire dai primi
scritti fino alle ultime elaborazioni, la genesi, lo sviluppo e le applicazioni del concetto di "teologia politica" collocandolo sullo sfondo della sua ricerca e analizzando le reazioni e le critiche suscitate negli ambienti filosofici e teologici. Dall'angolo visuale della "teologia politica" l'intera opera schmittiana riceve una nuova e suggestiva luce e assume in certo senso valore di simbolo dell'itinerario della riflessione contemporanea sul politico, sul potere e sul suo ineliminabile riferimento alla trascendenza.

Čuhová, P. S. (ed.). Podoby faktuálneho naratívu. Bratislava: Chronos, 2017, 71-83. [Transl. Eugen Zelenak]

This paper aims to reflect upon the role that postmodernism has played in the contemporary theory and philosophy of history, taking the work of the Dutch philosopher of history Frank Ankersmit as my case study. The curious fact about Ankersmit's affair with postmodernism is that, back in the 1980's, he was among those theorists who identified themselves with postmodernism, while some years later he joined with those who think that postmodernism was/is just an irresponsible and outmoded trend. My attempt here is to find a reason for that 'Gestalt-switch'. His article of 1989 'Historiography and Postmodernism' , along with the following discussion with Perez Zagorin in the journal History and Theory, was called a 'semi-nal moment' by the British theorist of history Keith Jenkins. Nevertheless, my claim in this paper is that, if we read that article more carefully (as I intend to do here), we will realize that his previous engagement with the postmodernist theory of history was not of a full-blooded type, and if we look further in his intellectual journey, we will see that it lasted just a moment.

This paper revisits Nicholas Grimshaw’s Eden Project in Cornwall, UK to interrogate architecture’s relation to neoliberalism. It looks to this project as a means to open a speculative approach for architectural scholarship to engage neoliberal society beyond familiar critiques thereof. Eden, I argue, coordinates its spaces, technologies and objects to project a temporality that seems to lack both past and future in favour of presenting time as continuous, homogeneous, bound to the perpetual management of the present – what I call ‘ecological time’. This project shows that, in the theatre of neoliberal governmentality, the present is the object of design, and ‘design’ becomes indistinguishable from the technological management of the world.

In this article for the HT theme issue I argue that “Peru” is a “historical theory in a global frame.” The theory or, as I prefer, theoretical event, named Peru was born global in an early colonial “abyss of history” and elaborated in the writings of colonial and postcolonial Peruvian historians. I suggest that the looking glass held up by Peruvian historiography is of great potential significance for historical theory at large, since it is a two-way passageway between the ancient and the modern, the Old World and the New, the East and the West. This slippery passageway enabled some Peruvian historians to move stealthily along the bloody cutting-edge of global history, at times anticipating and at others debunking well-known developments in “European” historical theory. Today, a reconnaissance of Peruvian history's inner recesses may pay dividends for a historical theory that would return to its colonial and global origins.

To Avoid misunderstanding, I should note at once that my point of view is here not that of the mere logic of ideas and doctrines, but that of the concrete logic of the events of history.
From the first point of view, that of the mere logic of ideas and doctrines, it is evident that there are many possible positions other than the “pure” positions which I shall examine. One might ask theoretically and in the abstract, what value these various positions have. That is not what I plan to do. In a word, my point of view is that of the philosophy of culture, and not that of metaphysics.

В центре внимания авторов статьи-историософская динамика. Выделены основные парадигмы: натуралистическая, социологическая и культурологическая. Сделан вывод о необходимости для отечественной исторической науки отхода от линейного понимания истории (историцизма), поскольку последний предполагает «мифологизацию» исторической науки. Показано, что история не является лишь изучением фактов, а предполагает также их нравственную оценку. Обоснована необходимость освоения третьего подхода-культурно-исторического, рассматривающего историю как продукт высших форм человеческой деятельности, где понимание истории не политизировано и не зависимо от идеологии. Раскрыта секьюритологическая сущность данного подхода, заключенная в том, чтобы расшифровать настоящее и конструировать такое будущее, которое не создало бы в настоящем того ужасного прошлого, чтобы не настоящее определяло прошлое, а конструируемое будущее диктовало настоящее. Ключевые слова: история, линейный подход, историцизм, натуралистическая парадигма, социологическая парадигма, культурно-историческая парадигма, полипарадигмальность, постмодернизм, машины желаний, ризома.

RESUM
Aquest escrit és una reflexió sobre les propostes teòriques de Francis Fukuyama (La fi de la història) i Samuel P. Huntington (Xoc de civilitzacions), les quals han tingut una gran influència en el pensament filosòfic polític actual. Aquestes dues visions sobre la història apa-rentment contradictòries (triomfalisme versus amenaça) han complert amb la funció d'om-plir l'espai deixat en l'imaginari polític com a conseqüència del final de la guerra freda. L'in-terès principal d'aquests discursos no radica en la veracitat o no dels seus plantejaments (difícilment contrastables), sinó en la seva eficàcia a l'hora de simplificar i delimitar el pensa-ble, i establir els termes del que ha de ser un debat filosoficopolític o metapolític. Acceptar sense crítica aquests discursos, excessivament autocomplaents, té l'efecte pervers de fer-nos des-cendir del logos al mite. D'aquest retrocés tracta el present escrit. Paraules clau: neoconservadorisme, conservadorisme, neoliberalisme, filosofia de la histò-ria, filosofia política, cultura, ideologia, Francis Fukuyama, Samuel P. Huntington. 1. INTRODUCCIÓ Aquesta és una reflexió sobre el pensament neoconservador i les propostes teòri-ques de Francis Fukuyama (La fi de la història) i Samuel P. Huntington (Xoc de civi-litzacions) en el context dels esdeveniments contemporanis, ja que aquestes propos-tes han tingut una gran influència en el pensament filosòfic polític actual. Aquestes dues visions sobre la història aparentment contradictòries (triomfalisme versus ame-naça) han complert amb la funció d'omplir l'espai deixat en l'imaginari polític com a conseqüència del final de la guerra freda. L'interès principal d'aquests discursos no radica en la veracitat o no dels seus plantejaments (difícilment contrastables).

RESUMEN
Este escrito es una reflexión sobre las propuestas teóricas de Francis Fukuyama (El fin de la historia) y Samuel P. Huntington (Choque de civilizaciones), que han tenido una gran influencia en el pensamiento filosófico político actual. Estas dos visiones sobre la historia aparentemente contradictorias (triunfalismo versus amenaza) han cumplido con la función de llenar el espacio dejado en el imaginario político como consecuencia del fin de la guerra fría. El interés principal de estos discursos no radica en la veracidad o no de sus planteamientos (difícilmente contrastables), sino en su eficacia a la hora de simplificar y delimitar el pensable, y establecer los términos de lo que ha de ser un debate filosófico-político o metapolítico. Aceptar sin crítica estos discursos, excesivamente autocomplacientes, tiene el efecto perverso de hacernos descender del logos al mito. De ese retroceso trata el presente escrito. Palabras clave: neoconservadurismo, conservadurismo, neoliberalismo, filosofía de la historia, filosofía política, cultura, ideología, Francis Fukuyama, Samuel P. Huntington. 1. INTRODUCCIÓN Ésta es una reflexión sobre el pensamiento neoconservador y las propuestas teóricas de Francis Fukuyama (El fin de la historia) y Samuel P. Huntington (Choque de civilizaciones) en el contexto de los acontecimientos contemporáneos, ya que estas propones han tenido una gran influencia en el pensamiento filosófico político actual. Estas dos visiones sobre la historia aparentemente contradictorias (triunfalismo versus amenaza) han cumplido con la función de llenar el espacio dejado en el imaginario político como consecuencia del fin de la guerra fría. El interés principal de estos discursos no radica en la veracidad o no de sus planteamientos (difícilmente contrastables).

ABSTRACT
This writing is a reflection on the theoretical propositions of Francis Fukuyama (La fi de la historia) and Samuel P. Huntington (Xoc de civilitzacions), which have had a great influence on current political and philosophical thinking. These two visions of apparently contradictory history (triomfalisme versus threat) have completed the function of expanding the space deixat in the political imagination as a consequence of the end of the French war. The main interest of these discourses does not lie in the veracity or otherwise of their statements (difficultly verifiable), but in their effectiveness when it comes to simplifying and delimiting what is thinkable, and establishing the terms of what has of being a philosophical-political or metapolitical debate. Accept the critical sense of these speeches, excessively self-satisfied, tea l'efecte pervers de fer-nos des-descenden del logos al mite. D'aquest retrocés tracts the present writing. Paraules clau: neoconservatism, conservatism, neoliberalism, philosophy of history, political philosophy, culture, ideology, Francis Fukuyama, Samuel P. Huntington. 1. INTRODUCTION This is a reflection on the neoconservative thinking and the theoretical proposals of Francis Fukuyama (La fi de la historia) and Samuel P. Huntington (Xoc de civi-litzacions) in the context of contemporary events, since these proposals -these have had a great influence on current political and philosophical thinking. These two apparently contradictory visions of history (triomfalisme versus ame-naça) have completed the function of expanding the space left in the political imagination as a consequence of the end of the French war. The main interest of these speeches does not lie in the veracity or not of their statements (difficultly verifiable).

A partir de trois concepts clefs ("secret", "occulte" et "merveille") envisagés sur une période définie (la Renaissance) le premier numéro d'Arcana Naturae (en cours d'impression) a permis d'établir la fécondité d'un champ de recherche, celui des sciences secrètes, et d'ouvrir sur elles divers points de vue. * Ce second numéro cherchera à approfondir certaines de ces pistes, en recentrant la focale sur un domaine plus précis : l'illusionnisme, ou autrement dit, la magie artificielle ou simulée. Inscrit dans l'immémoriale tradition des secrets, cet art de la fabrication de merveilles oscille entre deux pôles : la magie naturelle et la physique amusante, entre expérience magique et récréation ludique. L'illusionnisme met en jeu des connaissances expérimentales, de même que psychologiques ou encore techniques. C'est un savoir de l'esprit, du regard et de la main. A la Renaissance, par exemple, il intéresse tout autant le bateleur forain que le savant, le courtisan ou encore le théologien. Considéré depuis le XX e siècle, à tort, comme un divertissement puéril, le monde académique l'a généralement ignoré. Cependant, l'apparition du terme illusiographie, il y a quelques années, a permis d'attirer l'attention sur la légitimité épistémologique de cet objet singulier. Comme le montre le renouveau des études sur l'illusionnisme, cette discipline cristallise des enjeux épistémologiques forts, à la croisée-entre autres-de la sociologie, de l'ethnographie, de l'histoire des sciences et techniques, de l'art ou des spectacles. Mais ces études pionnières en appellent bien d'autres : le champ illusiographique reste encore à cartographier. Ainsi, Arcana Naturae souhaite contribuer à cette structuration en lui ouvrant un espace potentiel. Selon les termes de la profession de foi de la revue : Arcana Naturae « traite de l'ensemble des disciplines dites "secrètes", à savoir la magie, l'astrologie, l'alchimie, l'illusionnisme, la divination, etc., en explorant leur dimension conceptuelle et technique ainsi que leurs relations avec les débats religieux, philosophiques et scientifiques qui leur sont contemporains. La Revue a pour ambition d'aider à structurer une approche scientifique rigoureuse de ce savoir des marges. Elle cherche à frayer des voies nouvelles dans ce continent noir où se reflète la culture et la pensée de chaque époque. » Les articles chercheront à faire le point sur l'illusionnisme, envisagé dans ses différents aspects. Pour ce numéro thématique, Arcana Naturae n'impose pas de cadre géo-historique : les contributions pourront porter sur l'Antiquité, le Moyen-Âge, la Renaissance, l'Époque moderne et le XIX e siècle. L'"Occident" constituera par défaut le cadre des réflexions, mais des travaux pionniers concernant d'autres espaces géographiques (monde arabe, Asie, etc.) seraient plus que bienvenus. S'il est conseillé aux auteurs de s'appuyer sur un travail d'analyse historique critique et rigoureuse, mobilisant des exemples précis, ils devront également inscrire leur réflexion dans un cadre plus vaste qui cherchera à rendre sensible l'esprit de l'illusionnisme durant chacune de ces époques. A travers cet ensemble d'études, l'enjeu pour Arcana Naturae est de rendre sensible au lecteur "profane" les multiples enjeux et échos de cet art. En un mot : au-delà du simple divertissement, qu'est-ce qui se joue réellement dans l'illusionnisme ?

Da sich in den letzten Jahren das Paradigma einer von der analytischen
Philosophie inspirierten analytischen Theologie zu einem
leistungsfähigen theoretischen Ansatz zur Diskussion religionsphilosophischer
und theologischer Fragestellungen entwickelt hat,
wird im Folgenden zunächst der Versuch unternommen, die Struktur
einer analytischen Theologie der Geschichte zu erarbeiten.
Dazu wird der Begriff der analytischen Theologie skizziert, um darauf
basierend zu argumentieren, dass eine analytische Theologie
der Geschichte unter Zuhilfenahme offenbarungstheologischer,
naturwissenschaftlicher und philosophischer Erkenntnisse Theorien
über das Ganze der Geschichte der Welt als Geschichte der
Welt sub specie deitatis entwickelt und sich dabei wesentlich auf
die anhand möglicher Welten definierten Begriffe temporaler Möglichkeit
und Notwendigkeit stützt. Im Anschluss daran werden
zentrale Grundpfeiler einer analytischen Geschichtstheologie gerechtfertigt
bevor in einem letzten Schritt argumentiert wird, dass
die zentrale Herausforderung einer metaphysisch allumfassenden
Geschichtstheologie neben der Rechtfertigung der Möglichkeit des
Bösen in der Geschichte der Welt darin besteht, ontologischen Zufall
und menschliche Freiheit mit göttlicher Allwissenheit und Vorsehung
zu vermitteln.

İbn Haldûn, kendisinden 450 yıl önce yaşayan el-Mes'ûdî'yi "tarihçilerin önderi" olarak takdim eder. Kimi batılı kaynaklarda ise bu isim "Arapların Heredotos"u olarak kayda geçmiştir. El-Mes'ûdî, zamanını aşan bir tarihçi, coğrafyacı ve seyyahtır. Geniş sahaya yayılan merak ve tutkusuyla kaleme aldığı tarihler, kendisinden sonra gelenler için özellikle tarih ve coğrafya yazıcılığı ile tarih felsefesi alanlarında birer başvuru kaynağı olmuştur. Çünkü tüm diğer tarihçiler gibi, el-Mes'ûdî'nin eserlerinde de tarih ve gerçeklik konusunda bir takım eleştirel araçları nasıl kullandığı; hangi dinî ve aklî ölçütlerden faydalanmaya çalıştığı görülmektedir. Bu bağlamda el-Mes'ûdî'nin sadece "gece oduncusu" benzetmesi bile dikkate değer duruyor: O, yazdıklarında göz tanıklığına sahip olmayan tarih yazarını, geceleyin eline gelen her odun parçasını toplayan bir gece oduncusuna benzetir. Dolayısıyla el-Mes'ûdî'ye göre tarihsel bilgiye eleştirel bir zihinle yaklaşmak gerekmektedir.

Bu kitap, anılan bağlamda İslâm tarihyazımında eleştirel gerçeklik nasıl inşa edilmiştir sorusuna bir cevap bulma arayışıdır. Kitap aynı zamanda, İslâm kültüründeki birbirinden farklı geleneklerin gerçekliği nasıl yorumladığı ve algıladığına da yer vermektedir. İslâm öncesi toplumların geçmiş algısı, tarihe, dolayısıyla zamana bakışı ve bilgi (haber) ile kurdukları ilişki gözden geçirilmiştir. Aynı çerçevede el-Mes'ûdî'nin tavrı, iki ayrı eseri: Murûcu'z-Zeheb ve Me'âdinu'l-Cevher ile et- Tenbîh ve'l-İşrâf 'tan örnekler verilerek ele alınmıştır.

Bu çalışma belli bir terminoloji etrafında zengin bir kültürü inceliyor ve kayıp bir hafızayı bugün için yeniden canlandırıyor.

Vor genau 100 Jahren wurde der bis dahin weitgehend unbekannte Privatgelehrte Oswald Spengler (1880– 1936) mit seinem Monumentalwerk vom Untergang des Abendlandes auf einen Schlag berühmt und avancierte zu einem der einflussreichsten Denker der Weimarer Republik. Dem durch und durch von der Goetheschen Formenlehre und vom Nietzscheanischen Elitismus Geprägten waren die Nationalsozialisten in ihrer Pöbelhaftigkeit und Gemeinheit zutiefst verhasst.

Während das Buch in der Zwischenkriegszeit in fast jedem bildungsbürgerlichen Haushalt zu finden war und auch ausländische Intellektuelle wie etwa José Ortega y Gasset, André Fauconnet, F. Scott Fitzgerald oder Henry Miller beeinflusste, spielten Werk und Verfasser nach 1945 jahrzehntelang eine immer geringere Rolle.

Indes: Fast siebzig Jahre, nachdem Theodor W. Adorno voreilig das Vergessen Spenglers konstatierte, hält sich der Universalgelehrte immer noch hartnäckig in der Diskussion und feiert in jüngster Zeit geradezu eine Wiederauferstehung. Vom Feuilleton über die Literatur bis zur wissenschaftlichen Debatte in verschiedensten Disziplinen beeinflusst er zunehmend das geistige Leben.

Das hat seinen Grund. Mit seiner grandiosen Gesamtschau der Weltgeschichte überwand Spengler als einer der ersten Denker die eurozentrische Betrachtungsweise. Seine Prognosen erweisen sich bis heute oftmals als hellseherisch visionär. Im vorliegenden Band finden sich die Gedanken von zehn deutschen und internationalen Autoren über Spenglers Bedeutung für das einundzwanzigste Jahrhundert vereint. Ob es um seinen Stellenwert für das Verständnis der Frühgeschichte, der Geschichtsphilosophie, der Rechtsgeschichte, des modernen Finanzkapitalismus, der Rolle der USA als eines »faustischen« Imperiums oder der gegenwärtigen Identitätskrise des Westens geht – in allen Beiträgen zeigt sich: Spengler bleibt weiterhin brandaktuell.

Esse artigo tem como objetivo esclarecer uma dúvida recorrente do artigo sobre Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol, uma análise anti-dialética, no que diz respeito à Nietzsche. Tentarei aprofundar, com mais liberdade, o que Camus crítica no pensamento de Nietzsche e para entender melhor as razões dessas críticas.

Abstract
This study describes traditions of writing in East Africa early to colonialism and
the attitude of colonial writers toward sources produced from these early
traditions. East Africa started to appear in writings from the classical era when
Roman visitors Documented the people of the coast of the region. The demise of
classical hegemony was followed by an epoch when Arabs visited the region for
trade and adventurous motives. The Arabs and east African coast people
relations culminated into writing literacy shrouded under Swahili civilization.
The tradition of writing under Swahili civilization started by Arabs and African
Muslim writers around the coast then adopted by interior Muslims in later
years. From 19 th CE, Europeans started to have interest in writing about East
Africa. This interest continued to the colonial era in 20 th CE and became
famously known as colonial historiography. Colonial historiography denied the
existence of the past significant for historical studies. Paradoxically, some of these writers worked in collaboration with African Muslim in interpreting
manuscripts produced by Muslim writers along the coast and interior. The
conclusive remarks on this study tell about how Islam was swahilized in East
Africa. Thus, African Muslim writing tradition subscribes to Africans rather
than foreign.
Keywords: History, Classical sources, Arab sources, African Muslim sources,
Colonial art of writing, East Africa.

Link to article: https://thebaffler.com/the-poverty-of-theory/the-year-history-died

We are living in an in-between period, an interregnum, in which history has lost all semblance of agreed-upon authority. Far from serving as a reassuring arbiter of social goods and larger political goals, the past today is a battlefront in a metastasizing war of all against all. The combatants are familiar enough to anyone glancing across a newspaper’s front page or a battery of cable chyrons: politicians, citizens, pundits, institutions, extremist groups, media outlets, social-media feeds—all are frantically jockeying to redefine and rezone the acceptable sources of historical authority as an essential step in their own parochial quest for political, cultural, and economic domination. This entails, among other things, directing their most vicious efforts at discrediting, destroying, or elbowing out traditionally accepted sources, practices, and standards.

Hilary Putnam, filósofo norteamericano reconocido como uno de los más grandes filósofos del siglo XX gracias a sus aportaciones en filosofía del lenguaje, filosofía de la mente, filosofía de la ciencia y pragmatismo. Su pensamiento que ronda acerca de la naturaleza del lenguaje hace de la teoría causal de la referencia la más importante, sin embargo, esta no logra dar cuenta de los cambios de referencia que los términos pueden experimentar a lo largo del tiempo. Thomas Kuhn, físico, historiador y filósofo de las ciencias estadounidense, hizo aportaciones fundamentales para una nueva comprensión del que hacer científico, así como también puso en tela de juicio la historia de la ciencia, la concibió como la historia de las revoluciones científicas. Kuhn postulan la tesis de la inconmensurabilidad de las teorías científicas, nos dice que los cambios de referencia de los términos compartidos en la transición de una teoría científica a o otra son inevitables. Claramente vemos como ambos autores nos proveen tesis contrapuestas para el mismo asunto, a saber, la mantención de la referencia de los términos de un lenguaje a lo largo del tiempo. En el transcurso de esta investigación se expondrá de manera introductoria la teoría causal de la referencia de Putnam, luego se expondrá brevemente la noción de inconmensurabilidad referencial kuhniana para finalmente realizar una interpretación de la teoría de Putnam que podría conciliar ciertos aspectos con la teoría de Kuhn. En este apartado se expondrán consideraciones propias de esta problemática, las que permitirán dar una clave de interpretación que concluya con una solución reconciliadora entre ambas teorías, esto último a modo de tesis y de solución aproximada a esta disyuntiva.

[published in Routledge's "Philosophy and Method in the Social Sciences" series]

This study starts from a simple premise:  human practices are a fundamental constituent — arguably “the” fundamental constituent — of social reality.  It then poses the following question:  What would social scientists’ research look like if they took this insight quite seriously?

That, of course, would depend on what practices are in fact like:  what their generic features are, how they are constituted, how they might be identified and characterised and explained, how they function in concrete contexts, how they might change across time and space.  These are the kinds of questions that this book tries to tackle, insisting that their answers hold important implications for the effective practice of social science.

The book thus attempts to build a philosophical infrastructure for the empirical study of practices in the social sciences and humanities.  At the same time, it also tries to explore the implications of this ontology of human practices for issues in social theory and in the philosophy of the social sciences.  The book thus stands at the intersection of the philosophy of social science, social theory, and the social sciences.

Friedrich Schlegel hosszas kutatást követően 1808-ban megjelentette az Ueber die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier című nyelvfilozófiai művét, amellyel jelentősen hozzájárult az indoeurópai nyelvelmélet megalapozásához. Schlegel nagy újítása az volt, hogy a kortárs Blumenbach összehasonlító anatómiai módszerét átalakította egy nyelvtörténeti vizsgálatra is alkalmas metódussá, s ezen alapuló etimológiai kutatással a német nyelv indiai eredetét kívánta alátámasztani. Az eredeti metódus szomatikus relevanciáját nyelvi érvényességgel bíró megközelítéssel váltotta fel. Koncepciójának egyik központi eleme később az „árja” kifejezés etimológiája lett: a nemesség és kiválóság nyelvi formulája révén kívánt kapcsolatot teremteni a német valamint az indiai nyelv és kultúra között. Ezt a nyelvi relevanciájú koncepciót „re-szomatizálták” aztán egyes követői, és látták el antiszemita mellékzöngékkel.
Nietzsche az Adalék a morál genealógiájához című írásában szintén jelentős szerepet szán az árja kifejezés etimológiai dimenzióinak: a nemes és alantas eredeti kettősségének egyik támasztékát látja a nyelvtörténeti mozzanatban. Nietzsche a szőke árják történeti nemességéből kiindulva vázolja fel a végül bukásra ítélt, „etikai” kiválóság kontúrjait. Az ehhez hasonló meglátások, kiegészülve például az Antikrisztus „szőke bestiára” vonatkozó megállapításaival, a „Redlichkeit” nietzschei erényének gyakorlásában nem jeleskedő náci interpretátorok hivatkozási alapjai lettek.
A két szóban forgó „történeti” témájú munka (a nyilvánvaló különbségek ellenére) egyaránt egy erősen problematizált eredet-fogalommal dolgozik. Mind Schlegel értekezése, mind Nietzsche írása számol a származás, a történeti elsőség gondolatának alapvetően impertinens jellegével, amelyről a biológiai-faji érvényesség igényével fellépő értelmezők nem vettek tudomást. A tanulmányban a két szerző eredet-felfogását a közös, nyelvi megalapozottságú, árjaságra vonatkozó meglátásaik révén kívánom bemutatni. Mindkét esetben értéktételező gesztus is áll a nyelvi árja-koncepció mögött: a szövegek egy általuk elismert értéknek állítanak fel történeti narratívát, az adott gondolat vagy erény genealógiáját hozzák létre. A rasszista indíttatású ideológiák ezt a sajátos megközelítést redukálják konkrét, histografikus koncepcióvá. A szövegben arra vagyok kíváncsi, hogy mennyiben tekinthető a két szerző árja-koncepciója egyazon filozófiai problémára (honnan származik a szellemi nagyság?) adott, némileg eltérő történeti válaszként; tehát mennyiben beszélhetünk ebben az esetben a filozófiai kiválóság-genealógia történeti variációiról. Mindenekelőtt az a kérdés érdekel, hogy Schlegel és Nietzsche miért nyúlt az árjaság fogalmához érték-történeti koncepciójuk megalapozásakor.

Аннотация Сравнение и систематизация-два главных принципа познания. Эти принципы особенно важны при изучении сложных явлений. Главным принципом систематизации в архитектуре является деление на стили, но познание неисчислимого множества стилей не может дать понимания общей картины развития архитектуры. Вероятно, должна быть закономерность, которая свяжет всю пёструю картину архитектуры в единое целое. В статье сделана попытка найти эту закономерность. В категориях сравнения рациональное-декоративное в архитектуре прослеживается чёткая периодичность смены стилей. Если изобразить эту «закономерность» графически, мы увидим синусоиду, колеблющуюся между рационалистическими направлениями архитектуры и декоративистскими; период колебания синусоиды сокращается с течением времени, коэффициент сокращения этой синусоиды примерно одинаков. Данная модель рассматривается в связке с западноевропейской архитектурой X-XXI веков. Декоративистские направления характеризуют закат эпохи, а рационалистические-рождение новой. Архитектура выступает в качестве индикатора состояния общества. Ключевым в этих процессах является термин-парадигма мышления. Ключевые слова: история архитектуры, синусоида, развитие архитектуры, рационализм, декоративизм Abstract Comparison and systematization are the two keystones of cognition. These principles are especially important when studying sophisticated phenomena. The main principle of systematization in architecture is division into styles, but the cognition of a great number of styles can't give understanding of development of architecture at large. Probably, regularity might exist that connects the dots of the architecture. The article contains the attempt to find this regularity. If divide all architectural style into two groups, the rational and the decorative, then we will find an accurate frequency of style shifting. If one represents this regularity graphically we will see a sine curve fluctuating between the rationalistic and decorative styles of architecture. The period of fluctuation of a sine curve reduces in course of time; and the sine curve reduction factor is much the same. This model is regarded connected with the West European architecture of the X-XXI centuries. The decorative school characterizes the fall of an era, and the rationalistic-the birth of a new one. The architecture acts as an indicator of the state of society. The paradigm of thinking is the essential term in these processes.

Study of a fascinating medieval Jewish philosopher, focusing on his twin conceptions of history.

The philosopher and biblical commentator Joseph Ibn Kaspi (1280–1345) was a provocative Jewish thinker of the medieval era whose works have generally been overlooked by modern scholars. Power and Progress by Alexander Green is one of the first books in English to analyze his thought by focusing on a central aspect of his work: Ibn Kaspi’s philosophy of history. Green argues that Ibn Kaspi understood history as that which is guided by two distinct but interdependent forces: power and progress, both of which he saw manifest in the biblical narrative. Ibn Kaspi discerned that the use of power to shape history is predominantly seen in the political competition between kingdoms. Yet he also believed that there is historical progress in the continuous development and dissemination of knowledge over time. This he derived from the biblical vision of the divine chariot and its varied descriptions across different biblical texts, each revealing more details of a complex, multi-faceted picture. Although these two concepts of what drives history are separate, they are also reliant upon one another. National survival is dependent on the progress of knowledge of the order of nature, and the progress of knowledge is reliant on national success. In this way, Green reveals Ibn Kaspi to be more than a mere commentator on texts, but a highly innovative thinker whose insights into the subtleties of the Bible produced a view of history that is both groundbreaking and original.

“Controversial in his day, and often denounced, Ibn Kaspi has fallen off the radar of contemporary scholarship. I know of one book in Hebrew, one old study from a generation ago in English (and a new book about which I learned from this book, but have not yet seen), and occasional passing comments in standard histories. There is thus plenty of room for this book and it will, I judge, stimulate further studies on Ibn Kaspi by others.” — Menachem Kellner, Shalem College

Herder’s This Too a Philosophy of History for the Formation of Humanity
(1774) is known for its pioneering use of the word ‘nationalism’, and for its scathing
critique of various Enlightened narratives of European history and their corresponding
ethical views (cosmopolitanism). This article seeks to reconstruct this critique and
Herder’s account of the process of civilization, so as to uncover the possible moral and
political message of this work. Tracing the evolution of Herder’s early philosophy of
history, and positioning it in his contemporary debates on the development of the
human mind and sociability, the article argues that Herder posited a distinctive natural
dynamic of mental and moral development in human history. For Herder, human languages
and thinking gradually became ever more abstract and refined, which, however,
led to the weakening of the intensity of feeling and undermined the efficacy of
moral motivation. In This Too a Philosophy, Herder specified the spiralling pattern of
European history, identifying two crucial cycles in it: in the first stage, nations followed
only the natural dynamic of mental and moral development, while the second
and ‘higher’ one was initiated through the adoption of the universalistic Christian
religion by the barbarous Germanic tribes conquering the Roman territories. Herder’s
famous defence of national prejudices and antagonism concerned the first (pre-
Christian) period specifically, while he identified the rise of a Christian ideal of the
‘brotherhood of nations’ in the second. With the continuing progress of abstract thinking
and social differentiation in modern Europe, however, various modern moral and
political pathologies emerged, including the development of an entirely abstract ‘love
of mankind’. While remaining pessimistic about the chances for Europe’s moral and
political regeneration, Herder advocated the pursuit of a distinctively modern ‘pure’
and sociable virtue, which would seek to avoid the various pitfalls of abstract cosmopolitanism.