Journal Description
Philosophies
Philosophies
is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal promoting re-integration of diverse forms of philosophical reflection and scientific research on fundamental issues in science, technology and culture, published bimonthly online by MDPI. The International Society for Information Studies (IS4SI) is affiliated with Philosophies and their members receive a discount on the article processing charge.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, ESCI (Web of Science), PhilPapers, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: JCR - Q2 (History and Philosophy of Science) / CiteScore - Q1 (Philosophy)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 32.5 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 8.1 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2024).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Impact Factor:
0.6 (2023)
Latest Articles
Vegetal Delights: The Phytopoetics of Ross Gay
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060185 - 6 Dec 2024
Abstract
This article explores the poetics at work in Black American poet Ross Gay’s contemporary two-volume Book of Delights (2019 and 2023). I argue that his delights are phytopoetic, which describes moments when plants impact the human imagination and, by extension, shape human culture
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This article explores the poetics at work in Black American poet Ross Gay’s contemporary two-volume Book of Delights (2019 and 2023). I argue that his delights are phytopoetic, which describes moments when plants impact the human imagination and, by extension, shape human culture and aesthetic production, such as literary texts. Such phytopoetic processes are moments of co-creation, involving plants both as engaged in poietic making and in the shaping of the poetics of a given text. By examining patterns of form in Gay’s prose and close reading some of his delights that center on plants, this article unfolds Gay’s specific phytopoetics and shows that the delights are a genre that operates on plant time: seasonal, cyclical, and rooted in growth. As such, the genre slows down the reader and draws attention to the delight found in small, everyday encounters with plants and the world around us, even in the midst of overwhelming crises.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Poesis: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Indigenous Thought)
Open AccessEditorial
Introducing Susceptibilities: Toward a Cultural Politics of Consent Under Erasure
by
Karyn Ball
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060184 - 5 Dec 2024
Abstract
The broad aim of this introduction to a Special Issue on “Susceptibilities: Toward a Cultural Politics of Consent under Erasure” is to broach key questions and research directions that illuminate contemporary public debates about the conditions and limits of conscious intention (and consent
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The broad aim of this introduction to a Special Issue on “Susceptibilities: Toward a Cultural Politics of Consent under Erasure” is to broach key questions and research directions that illuminate contemporary public debates about the conditions and limits of conscious intention (and consent as a byproduct thereof), which is typically treated as a “property” that can be “underdeveloped”, “given”, or “taken away”. In keeping with Jacques Derrida’s repudiation of the metaphysics of presence, the perspective animating this essay is that the psychoanalytic standpoint of the unconscious deconstructs the epistemological privilege of determinacy, consistency, and wholeness in treatments of intentional consciousness. Given Jean Laplanche’s attention to the residues of coherent ego fetishism in Sigmund Freud’s oeuvre, the former’s critique of self-sovereignty as evinced in his theorization of the “enigmatic signifier”, “primal repression”, and “afterwardsness” assumes a pivotal role in the analysis of how writers as represented here by Sarah Polley in Run Towards the Danger narrate the vicissitudes of their traumatic memories of sexual assault. Ultimately, then, the implications of this analysis will carry over to brief discussions of this Special Issue’s seven contributions by Melissa Wright, Karen McFadyen, J. Asher Godley, Madeleine Reddon, Gautam Basu Thakur, Robert Hughes, and Rebecca Saunders.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Susceptibilities: Toward a Cultural Politics of Consent under Erasure)
Open AccessArticle
Philosophy of Musical Relationships: Care Ethics and Moral Responsibility of Musical Agency
by
Chiara Palazzolo
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060183 - 5 Dec 2024
Abstract
This article addresses the inherently relational nature of musical agency, drawing upon interdisciplinary research. It argues that music does not exist in isolation but within social and emotional contexts shaped by a network of relationships among musicians. These interactions create a collaborative space
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This article addresses the inherently relational nature of musical agency, drawing upon interdisciplinary research. It argues that music does not exist in isolation but within social and emotional contexts shaped by a network of relationships among musicians. These interactions create a collaborative space that transcends mere technical execution, fostering a collective experience enriched by shared sensitivity and emotional engagement. Consequently, musical practice, whether compositional or performative, entails a moral responsibility, particularly challenging the perspectives of Levinas; Bauman; and Wilde, who traditionally separated art from ethics. As outlined in Nielsen and Cobussen’s work “music contributes to a better understanding of one’s place within the world, and thus, to an ethical sensibility”, emphasizing how musical practice cultivates ethical awareness through its relational nature. Music is thus conceived as a moral endeavor, where care extends not only to the music itself but also to the individuals involved in its creation and performance. Moreover, this moral responsibility extends to future generations, as musical tradition is conceived as a temporal bridge linking the past, the present, and the future. The tradition is composed of individuals actively engaged in the practices that shape the tradition or traditions. Musicians bear an intergenerational responsibility toward those who will inherit and reinterpret current practices—a responsibility not grounded in direct reciprocity, but in what Randall describes as “conceptual ties”. The continuity of musical tradition and its aesthetic value depend on the care and responsibility each generation shows toward both the participants and the evolving cultural products of this process. Thus, the discussion elucidates the ethical dimensions of musical agency and practice, particularly in Western classical music, and highlights how our obligations to future generations are intrinsic to the practice itself, thereby contributing to broader debates on intergenerational care ethics.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Aesthetics of the Performing Arts in the Contemporary Landscape)
Open AccessArticle
Some Worries About Deontic Closure
by
Kevin Kimble
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060182 - 5 Dec 2024
Abstract
The Deontic Principle of Closure (DCL) appears initially to be a highly plausible principle. The DCL is commonly assumed in practical ethical reasoning, as when we make certain inferences about what we (morally) ought to do in particular situations. For example, if I
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The Deontic Principle of Closure (DCL) appears initially to be a highly plausible principle. The DCL is commonly assumed in practical ethical reasoning, as when we make certain inferences about what we (morally) ought to do in particular situations. For example, if I am standing beside a burning house with several victims trapped inside and I have an obligation to rescue them, then if it is necessary for me to open the front door in order for me to lead them out, then it seems that I am morally bound in this situation to open the door. Similarly, if it is the case that I ought to keep my Friday morning 8:00 appointment with my student and it is a necessary condition for keeping the appointment that I wake up some time before 8:00, then I ought to wake up before 8:00. In spite of its attractiveness, however, various worries have been raised about the plausibility of this closure principle. In what follows, I shall critically examine DCL and discuss its plausibility in the face of various objections that have been raised against it. I shall argue that a slightly modified version of the principle circumvents the main objections and holds under several of the more or less standard interpretations of the “ought” operator.
Full article
Open AccessArticle
Towards a Human Rights-Based Approach to Ethical AI Governance in Europe
by
Linda Hogan and Marta Lasek-Markey
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060181 - 30 Nov 2024
Abstract
As AI-driven solutions continue to revolutionise the tech industry, scholars have rightly cautioned about the risks of ‘ethics washing’. In this paper, we make a case for adopting a human rights-based ethical framework for regulating AI. We argue that human rights frameworks can
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As AI-driven solutions continue to revolutionise the tech industry, scholars have rightly cautioned about the risks of ‘ethics washing’. In this paper, we make a case for adopting a human rights-based ethical framework for regulating AI. We argue that human rights frameworks can be regarded as the common denominator between law and ethics and have a crucial role to play in the ethics-based legal governance of AI. This article examines the extent to which human rights-based regulation has been achieved in the primary example of legislation regulating AI governance, i.e., the EU AI Act 2024/1689. While the AI Act has a firm commitment to protect human rights, which in the EU legal order have been given expression in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, we argue that this alone does not contain adequate guarantees for enforcing some of these rights. This is because issues such as EU competence and the principle of subsidiarity make the idea of protection of fundamental rights by the EU rather than national constitutions controversial. However, we argue that human rights-based, ethical regulation of AI in the EU could be achieved through contextualisation within a values-based framing. In this context, we explore what are termed ‘European values’, which are values on which the EU was founded, notably Article 2 TEU, and consider the extent to which these could provide an interpretative framework to support effective regulation of AI and avoid ‘ethics washing’.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of Modern and Emerging Technology)
Open AccessArticle
Addressing the Sharing Economy—Some (Potential) Inconsistencies of Its Emancipatory Defense
by
Bru Laín
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060180 - 29 Nov 2024
Abstract
The sharing economy (SE) is a strongly contested idea, both conceptually and politically. This paper first explores multiple existing definitions, emphasizing the challenges in both conceptual and operational terms they usually entail. It is argued that most of the common definitions tend to
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The sharing economy (SE) is a strongly contested idea, both conceptually and politically. This paper first explores multiple existing definitions, emphasizing the challenges in both conceptual and operational terms they usually entail. It is argued that most of the common definitions tend to exacerbate tensions between informativeness and veracity, resulting in the SE becoming a catch-all concept. Alternatively, it is often suggested to operationalize the concept by breaking it down among its main areas, such as consumption, knowledge, production, and finance. However, these kinds of classifications lack logical-formal consistency and substantive validity. The paper then addresses the political-normative debate by briefly presenting the three main existing perspectives on the SE: (i) as a more inclusive form of capitalism, (ii) as the advancement of the neoliberal agenda, and (iii) as a sort of emancipatory economy. The primary aim of this paper, however, is not to advocate for a singular viewpoint or scrutinize any particular author’s theory, but to examine three common errors that the emancipatory conception may easily fall into: (i) overemphasizing the role of communities in economic activity, (ii) attributing an inherent collaborative propensity to individuals, and (iii) understanding markets from an a-institutional and psychological standpoint. The conclusions suggest that to truly realize the emancipatory potential of the SE, the conception should distance itself from standard economic theory and adopt a more institutional approach akin to classical political economy.
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Open AccessArticle
A Personalist Approach to the Just Allocation of Resources in the Midst of a Pandemic
by
Johnny Sakr
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060179 - 27 Nov 2024
Abstract
This paper examines the ethical implications of healthcare resource allocation during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy, from 21 February to 31 May 2020, with a focus on the utilitarian principles that prioritized age-based resource allocation. By comparing this approach to an
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This paper examines the ethical implications of healthcare resource allocation during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy, from 21 February to 31 May 2020, with a focus on the utilitarian principles that prioritized age-based resource allocation. By comparing this approach to an ontological personalist bioethics framework, the study aims to offer a more equitable strategy for healthcare allocation applicable to any pandemic. Data from governmental reports, healthcare policies, and ethical guidelines were analyzed, revealing that Italy’s utilitarian method led to significant ethical concerns, particularly regarding age discrimination. In contrast, the ontological personalist approach emphasizes the dignity and intrinsic worth of each individual, irrespective of age or health condition. The findings demonstrate that this personalist framework fosters a more balanced and fair allocation of resources, respecting human dignity and offering a universally applicable alternative to age-based prioritization. Ultimately, the study suggests that integrating ontological personalist principles into healthcare policies could enhance ethical decision-making in future pandemics, ensuring that resource allocation practices align more closely with human rights and individual dignity.
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Open AccessArticle
From Natural to Artificial: The Transformation of the Concept of Logical Consequence in Bolzano, Carnap, and Tarski
by
Lassi Saario-Ramsay
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060178 - 23 Nov 2024
Abstract
Our standard model-theoretic definition of logical consequence is originally based on Alfred Tarski’s (1936) semantic definition, which, in turn, is based on Rudolf Carnap’s (1934) similar definition. In recent literature, Tarski’s definition is described as a conceptual analysis of the intuitive ‘everyday’ concept
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Our standard model-theoretic definition of logical consequence is originally based on Alfred Tarski’s (1936) semantic definition, which, in turn, is based on Rudolf Carnap’s (1934) similar definition. In recent literature, Tarski’s definition is described as a conceptual analysis of the intuitive ‘everyday’ concept of consequence or as an explication of it, but the use of these terms is loose and largely unaccounted for. I argue that the definition is not an analysis but an explication, in the Carnapian sense: the replacement of the inexact everyday concept with an exact one. Some everyday intuitions were thus brought into a precise form, others were ignored and forgotten. How exactly did the concept of logical consequence change in this process? I suggest that we could find some of the forgotten intuitions in Bernard Bolzano’s (1837) definition of ‘deducibility’, which is traditionally viewed as the main precursor of Tarski’s definition from a time before formalized languages. It turns out that Bolzano’s definition is subject to just the kind of natural features—paradoxicality of everyday language, Platonism about propositions, and dependence on the external world—that Tarski sought to tame by constructing an artificial concept for the special needs of mathematical logic.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Vienna Circle: Shaping Contemporary Analytic Philosophy and Its History)
Open AccessArticle
Let Us Build a Table: Decolonization, Institutional Hierarchies, and Prestige in Academic Communities
by
Rianna Oelofsen
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060177 - 19 Nov 2024
Abstract
If global higher education is truly committed to decolonization, there will have to be some radical changes. A decolonized university would increase the freedom of students and staff through undoing the legacy of the past, a past which was exclusive and homogenous. In
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If global higher education is truly committed to decolonization, there will have to be some radical changes. A decolonized university would increase the freedom of students and staff through undoing the legacy of the past, a past which was exclusive and homogenous. In order for this to materialize, universities must adopt a different consciousness. They must move away from the current culture that has privileged global north epistemic and pedagogical frameworks that serve to alienate the student from the global south. For universities to be able to undo the effects of the epistemic injustice that indigenous students have faced, the academy must approach education with a new mindfulness of whom it is that it is designed to serve. When we approach higher education with a consciousness of decolonization and a recognition of the identity of whom the education system is meant to serve, then management systems and epistemic and pedagogical frameworks in our universities cannot remain abstract in nature. Rather they must be fully cognizant of the students’ backgrounds, their social needs, and their academic needs. These cannot be mere considerations but must be the information which directs what is taught and how it is taught, for a just education system is not and can never be decontextualized. As Afro-communitarianism prescribes, decontextualization disregards the necessity of, and integral relationships to, others and the world. Any just pedagogical system must acknowledge the legitimacy of, and draw from, contributions in culture, knowledge, and perspective that come from the students themselves—both as individuals and as insiders of a particular class, culture, and indigenous group. It is in this symbiotic relationship where both the student and the educator can begin to be humanized again.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communicative Philosophy)
Open AccessArticle
Other Intelligences: Investigating the Plant-Human Relationship in Domestic Spaces
by
Alfredo Ramos, Maria Castellanos and Ernesto Ganuza
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060176 - 18 Nov 2024
Abstract
In recent years, numerous artistic experiments have emerged that engage Critical Plant Studies in dialogue with various forms of artistic creation. The role of plants in these processes, their capacity to influence them, and their impact on human imaginaries are currently subjects of
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In recent years, numerous artistic experiments have emerged that engage Critical Plant Studies in dialogue with various forms of artistic creation. The role of plants in these processes, their capacity to influence them, and their impact on human imaginaries are currently subjects of debate. This text aims to analyze these questions within the context of a specific artistic project. The piece Other Intelligences by the artist duo Maria Castellanos and Alberto Valverde introduces novel features regarding the role of plants and the space of encounter between humans and plants. We will analyze this artistic device by applying concepts such as plant agency and performance, opacity, and some considerations related to ethics and care. Additionally, we will present observations of certain plant behaviors and the results of six interviews conducted with project participants.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Poesis: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Indigenous Thought)
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Open AccessArticle
Living Phenomenology as a Decolonial Practice
by
Lewis R. Gordon
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060175 - 16 Nov 2024
Abstract
This paper examines phenomenology as a living form of thought with significance for decolonial epistemic practice. After discussing how phenomenology addresses concerns of living thought, the author outlines disciplinary decadence as a form of colonial epistemic practice and offers his theory of teleological
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This paper examines phenomenology as a living form of thought with significance for decolonial epistemic practice. After discussing how phenomenology addresses concerns of living thought, the author outlines disciplinary decadence as a form of colonial epistemic practice and offers his theory of teleological suspensions of disciplinarity among the decolonial epistemic practices that could be devoted not only to the decolonization of thought but also ideas pertaining to normative life.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communicative Philosophy)
Open AccessArticle
The Academic Scientist’s Commitment to Epistemic Responsibility
by
Bor Luen Tang
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060174 - 14 Nov 2024
Abstract
Questionable research practices (QRPs) and research misconduct (RM) involving university scientists waste resources and erode public trust in science and academia. Theories put forth for the occurrence of these transgressions have ranged conceptually from that of errant individuals (“bad apple”) to an environment/culture
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Questionable research practices (QRPs) and research misconduct (RM) involving university scientists waste resources and erode public trust in science and academia. Theories put forth for the occurrence of these transgressions have ranged conceptually from that of errant individuals (“bad apple”) to an environment/culture which is conducive for, if not promotive of, QRP/RM (“bad barrel”), or a combination of both. These ideas appear to provide explanations for lapses in epistemic responsibility and offer reasons for instances of transgression. Some have even argued that scientific conclusions need not be accurate, justified, or believed by their authors. I take the opposite view and instead argue that academic research should be carried out such that a scientist’s fundamental commitment to their epistemic responsibility triumphs over all reasons and incentives to err. In other words, carrying out and publishing research in which the results are authentic and veracious to the best of the scientist’s knowledge and ability should be a default state of mind, a preferred path of action, or a moral axiom. This is a notion that should permeate any courses on research ethics and integrity.
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Open AccessArticle
When Communicative Worlds Collide: Strategies for Negotiating Misalignments in Attentional Social Presence
by
Jeanine Warisse Turner and Sonja K. Foss
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060173 - 11 Nov 2024
Abstract
A significant issue facing communicators in the current multicommunicative environment is securing the attention of potential audience members who are likely to be engrossed in their digital devices. The theory of attentional social presence suggests that communicators secure their attention using one of
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A significant issue facing communicators in the current multicommunicative environment is securing the attention of potential audience members who are likely to be engrossed in their digital devices. The theory of attentional social presence suggests that communicators secure their attention using one of four types of social presence—budgeted, competitive, entitled, and invitational. In this essay, the theory of attentional social presence is extended by identifying strategies interactants use to resolve misalignments in expected or preferred types of social presence. The research design involved interviews with 32 individuals about their experiences with misalignment in attentional social presence. Transcripts of the interviews were coded following the qualitative approach of grounded theory. Three primary strategies emerged from the analysis—prescribing to eliminate misalignment, rationalizing to overlook misalignment, and co-creating to resolve misalignment. Understanding various methods for negotiating mismatches among chosen types of social presence will allow communicators to create more satisfying and productive interactions.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Philosophy and Communication Technology)
Open AccessEditorial
Introduction: Is Environmental Virtue Ethics a ‘Virtuous’ Anthropocentrism?
by
Sylvie Pouteau and Gérald Hess
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060172 - 10 Nov 2024
Abstract
The field of environmental ethics has been built as a response to environmental blindness [...]
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Is Environmental Virtue Ethics a "Virtuous" Anthropocentrism?)
Open AccessArticle
Revisiting Inductive Confirmation in Science: A Puzzle and a Solution
by
Alik Pelman
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060171 - 6 Nov 2024
Abstract
When an empirical prediction E of hypothesis H is observed to be true, such observation is said to confirm, i.e., support (although not prove) the truth of the hypothesis. But why? What justifies the claim that such evidence supports the hypothesis? The
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When an empirical prediction E of hypothesis H is observed to be true, such observation is said to confirm, i.e., support (although not prove) the truth of the hypothesis. But why? What justifies the claim that such evidence supports the hypothesis? The widely accepted answer is that it is justified by induction. More specifically, it is commonly held that the following argument, (1) If H then E; (2) E; (3) Therefore, (probably) H (here referred to as ‘hypothetico-deductive confirmation argument’), is inductively strong. Yet this argument looks nothing like an inductive generalization, i.e., it does not seem inductive in the term’s traditional, enumerative sense. If anything, it has the form of the fallacy of affirming the consequent. This paper aims to solve this puzzle. True, in recent decades, ‘induction’ has been sometimes used more broadly to encompass any non-deductive, i.e., ampliative, argument. Applying Bayesian confirmation theory has famously demonstrated that hypothetico-deductive confirmation is indeed inductive in this broader, ampliative sense. Nonetheless, it will be argued here that, despite appearance, hypothetico-deductive confirmation can also be recast as enumerative induction. Hence, by being enumeratively inductive, the scientific method of hypothetico-deductive confirmation is justified through this traditional, more restrictive type of induction rather than merely by ampliative induction.
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Open AccessEssay
Speeches on Poetry
by
Max Deutscher
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060170 - 6 Nov 2024
Abstract
Paul Celan’s ‘Speeches’ determine what poetry is and why we need it. He does not want ‘timeless’ poetry but still ‘lays claim to infinity’; he would ‘reach through time’. He neither refuses poetry as contrary to reason, nor elevates it as pure immediacy
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Paul Celan’s ‘Speeches’ determine what poetry is and why we need it. He does not want ‘timeless’ poetry but still ‘lays claim to infinity’; he would ‘reach through time’. He neither refuses poetry as contrary to reason, nor elevates it as pure immediacy of meaning. He questions the ambivalent attitudes towards art—as ‘artifice’ or as ‘profound’. Celan cuts into the loose fabric of such ordinary language to shape it. Those who trumpet ‘plain sense’ against such incisive art deface it as degenerate. Celan’s poetic language presents us as ‘of the earth’ and as ‘released from it’—Büchner’s Lenz seeks clarity in the silence of alpine light but falls into madness in his isolation. He is drawn towards the life of the villagers at the foot of the mountains. He perceives the warm household fires, but it is an illusion that he can be a part of that scene. Thus, Celan enquires into art’s intensity. It is at the risk of reciprocity that a reader entertains the language of a poem. Eliot’s old ‘shadow’ between ‘the idea and the reality’ now falls between the poet’s production and the reader’s reciprocation. The reader may need someone with a free hand to hold a lantern to the script.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Poetry and (the Philosophy of) Ordinary Language)
Open AccessArticle
The Medium Is the (Discriminatory) Message: The Medial Epistemic Injustices of Philosophy
by
Giacomo Pezzano
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060169 - 5 Nov 2024
Abstract
This paper brings the analysis of epistemic injustices and the perspective of media philosophy into dialogue by proposing the new concept of medial epistemic injustice. After introducing the topic, the contribution confronts some metaphilosophical stances in light of the recent medial turn in
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This paper brings the analysis of epistemic injustices and the perspective of media philosophy into dialogue by proposing the new concept of medial epistemic injustice. After introducing the topic, the contribution confronts some metaphilosophical stances in light of the recent medial turn in order to suggest that, despite all their controversies, philosophers seem to agree that doing philosophy uniquely involves writing texts. This discussion sets the stage for the claim that institutionally sanctioned philosophy manifests a mono-genreism that only admits one particular kind of written text and a mono-medialism that excludes all media other than writing. Next, the relationship between non-verbal media and philosophy is examined more closely on two levels. First, it is emphasized how academic philosophy leaves no room for corporeal thinking and visual thinking; second, it is illustrated how this may harm some individuals, using the example of deaf people and visually oriented autistic people. The conclusion proposes a provocative Gestalt-switch: What if current “angelic” philosophical knowledge were itself atypical, exhibiting the traits of an aphantasic mind?
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Open AccessArticle
From Chaos to the Absurd: Existentialism for the 21st Century
by
Boris Aberšek
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060168 - 5 Nov 2024
Abstract
As Sartre pointed out, philosophical questions are questions that each generation must ask themselves because only this promotes the feeling of being alive, which is especially true for existential questions closely related to time–space, the moment, and our society. Sartre placed his philosophy
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As Sartre pointed out, philosophical questions are questions that each generation must ask themselves because only this promotes the feeling of being alive, which is especially true for existential questions closely related to time–space, the moment, and our society. Sartre placed his philosophy of existentialism in wartime and the social conditions of the time at the beginning of the 20th century. We can equate these conditions with today’s conditions; we are once again facing threats of war, and once again, we are facing chaotic conditions that increasingly lead to absurdity but are also entirely different. Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the clarity and disambiguation of the 20th century no longer exist, as the relationships between beings and the world have drastically changed. We can observe that (1) the world is not one; there are two worlds, the physical and the cyber world and (2) being is not one; there are two beings (entities), human and AI-based forms of artificial life (ALF), between which there is a permanent tension. We advocate the thesis that in the society of the future, man must still play a master role; he must still be the being who will guide this society. Also, as Sartre claimed, each era must create its philosophy and consider real time–space. Responses to changes in this time–space also relate to existentialism in the 21st century. In this context, it is necessary to redefine the view of the future and the guidelines for the development of future society.
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Open AccessArticle
On the Elusive but Vital Difference Between Privileged and Optimal Viewpoints
by
Yuval Dolev
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060167 - 1 Nov 2024
Abstract
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I argue that two theses, which get conflated tacitly but frequently in both the philosophical and the scientific literature on perception, must be distinguished. The first is that there are optimal viewpoints, viewpoints from which an object’s shape is more readily discernable than
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I argue that two theses, which get conflated tacitly but frequently in both the philosophical and the scientific literature on perception, must be distinguished. The first is that there are optimal viewpoints, viewpoints from which an object’s shape is more readily discernable than from others. The second is that there are privileged viewpoints, viewpoints that alone secure the veridicality of perception. I claim that phenomenology establishes the ubiquitousness of optimal viewpoints, but that the notion of privileged viewpoints is indefensible. It emerges when the empirical investigation of the mechanism of perception, and specifically of the role of retinal images, becomes the basis for the phenomenology of perception. Both the notion of a privileged viewpoint and the models it serves, such as the two-step model, are, I argue, untenable. To emphasize: the claims are phenomenological, not empirical, and so cannot be confirmed or refuted by empirical evidence. Optimal viewpoints are further explored by critically examining Husserl’s notion of a “sum of optima” and assessing it in the context of his claim that normal viewpoints are optimal. The paper ends with some thoughts on what the relationship between the science and the phenomenology of vision ought to be.
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Open AccessArticle
“I Was Born!”: Personal Experience Narratives and Tree-Ring Marker Years
by
Nick Koenig and Erin James
Philosophies 2024, 9(6), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies9060166 - 30 Oct 2024
Abstract
This essay, co-written by a dendrochronologist (Nick) and a narrative theorist (Erin), considers how these two disciplines can meet to illuminate alternative narratives in tree rings. At the basis of our conversation is a desire to tease apart tree experience and the signification
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This essay, co-written by a dendrochronologist (Nick) and a narrative theorist (Erin), considers how these two disciplines can meet to illuminate alternative narratives in tree rings. At the basis of our conversation is a desire to tease apart tree experience and the signification entangled within human practices of storytelling. First, Nick explains recent developments in dendrochronology and critical physical geography (CPG) that call attention to the ways in which tree-ring sciences often naturalize imperial narratives and demand alternative methodologies. Second, Erin dives into the imperial narratives of two case study tree bodies, throwing light upon the human and vegetal stories that these dominant narratives obscure and silence. Third, Nick turns to an experiment in critical participatory action research (CPAR) to suggest an approach to tree-ring dating—material dating—that takes its cues not from imperial histories but from a simultaneous interest in community engagement, anticolonial scholarship, and tree agency and signification. Fourth, Erin explains how material dating, via foregrounding personal experience, stands to produce a narrative more sensitive to a particular tree’s situated experience and better able to foment understanding among tree body viewers for the tree as a living and communicating organism. Finally, Nick and Erin use material dating to produce an alternative narrative for one of our case studies and provide directions for other scholars to replicate our process.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Poesis: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Indigenous Thought)
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