Search Results (308)

This article examines how social science has recurrently positioned Islam as a problem-case for European narratives of modernity, simultaneously comparable as ‘a religion’ yet cast as the religion that ‘doesn’t fit’ secularisation, differentiation, and liberal public-reason expectations. Moving beyond the view that social science merely misdescribed Islam, this article argues that Islam has often been made to carry an explanatory burden internal to Europe’s self-narration, a limit-case through which stalled secularisation, anxious liberalism, and contested universals are rendered intelligible and governable. The article returns to canonical texts that helped establish such comparative imagination, including Hegel’s philosophy of history, Weber’s typologies of religious ‘bearers,’ and Gellner’s account of Islam as a comprehensive ‘blueprint’ of social order, to show how durable contrast effects were installed and later reactivated in contemporary debates on secularism, gender, security, and belonging. Drawing on Asad’s critique of the category ‘religion’, the article theorises ‘disruption’ as a recurring genre through which Islam is made exceptional, disruptive to secularisation theory, to accounts of modern differentiation, and to liberal self-understanding. It concludes by appealing to a reflexive sociology of religion that historicises its own categories, compares entanglements rather than civilisations, and treats Muslim intellectual traditions as theory-producing interlocutors rather than merely empirical ‘data’. Full article

The position presented in Concluding Unscientific Postscript to “Philosophical Fragments” published under the pseudonym Johannes Climacus—crystallized in the infamous declaration that truth is subjectivity—has often been interpreted as dramatically upholding the rift between the Christian faith and common-sense reason. Through a comparison with Kant’s approach in philosophy of religion, I explain why such a response naturally arises. I then take a stab at making sense of Climacus’ position by comparing his account of faith in the historical God-man with contemporary analytic accounts of hope. The structural similarity between the two suggests that divine incarnation may not be all that puzzling as an object of hope, as it can be judged as morally useful within the framework of Kant’s practical philosophy. The question, then, is whether Climacus is justified in going beyond demanding hope and calling instead for faith, an absolute yes to Jesus. His crucial move is to frame our proper relationship to this person as a case of unconditional love. I take this move to establish Climacus’ subjective truth as a sensible aspirational ideal within Kant’s bounds of mere reason, although it never comes into full possession of finite humans. Full article

This article argues that science literacy should explicitly include a history of science literacy component. Drawing on recent work in History and Philosophy of Science (HPS), the claim is that understanding current science requires the ability to assess the epistemic standing of scientific claims by considering historical patterns of theory change, stabilization, failure, and continuity. This proposal fits well with contemporary conceptions of science literacy and Nature of Science education, both of which increasingly emphasize evaluation, orientation, and evidence-based judgment. Starting from broad HPS consensus claims, the focus is on one particularly prominent HPS lesson: the relationship between scientific success and truth. On this basis, the article develops a simple classroom tool and illustrates it with a case study on the transition from the Old Quantum Theory to modern Quantum Mechanics. The proposal aims to help students avoid both uncritical endorsement of scientific claims and unwarranted skepticism in scientific reliability, and may thus contribute to a form of science literacy that is philosophically and historically informed. Full article

The following exposition examines the concept of phenomenology with respect to its gradual integration into Catholic philosophy. Phenomenology is an evolving field whose internal tensions inevitably give rise to phenomenologies of religious thought, including theological questions. This development is articulated by numerous prominent scholars of our era, such as Max Scheler, Emmanuel Lévinas, and Jean-Luc Marion. The concept of “phenomenology of revelation” represents a distinctive development within the broader framework of the subject. In Catholic philosophy, the phenomenological perspective gained significant traction in the last century, particularly under the influence of scholars such as Hans Urs von Balthasar and Karl Rahner. In the contemporary era, there is a diverse array of efforts to reinterpret Catholic philosophical thought through phenomenological methods. From the author’s standpoint, the issue of divine revelation, particularly natural revelation, has the potential to unveil novel possibilities for Catholic philosophy in the present and the future. Full article

This article provides a critical evaluation of Giorgio Agamben’s argument that Adam Smith’s metaphor of the invisible hand is representative of economic theology and providential control. Although Agamben’s analysis does not explicate a nuanced view of the invisible hand, it does reveal the embedded economic theology in its misuse by neoliberal economists who characterise the invisible hand as a fundamental mechanism of market coordination consistent with a providential order. Conversely, this study argues that such perspectives fail to account for the intricacy and ambivalence inherent in Smith’s philosophy. Through textual analysis of the invisible hand in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations, and The History of Astronomy, the manuscript highlights that Smith presents three distinct perspectives and that the theological interpretations do not adequately capture this divergence. Rather than endorsing a providential or theological framework, Smith’s use of the invisible hand is shown to be a conditional and intricate metaphor that serves as a critique, a form of social engagement, ethical commerce, and empirical analysis of irrational belief in markets that support the common good. Therefore, this interpretation transcends economic theology and reductive neoliberal economics, offering a more nuanced understanding with important implications for contemporary economics. Full article

In recent years, Chinese animation has increasingly embraced traditional cultural elements, with Chan (Zen) Buddhism emerging as a rich source of philosophical and aesthetic inspiration. Existing research on the manifestation of Chan aesthetics in Chinese animation has explored the topic from diverse perspectives, yet analyses from a systematic semiotic perspective remain limited. Most symbolic studies reduce Chan elements to isolated visual signs with one-to-one meaning correspondences, neglecting the synergistic operation of narrative, visual, and auditory symbols in animation as an integrated system. Drawing on Roland Barthes’ theory of myth, this study employs a qualitative semiotic analysis to examine how Chan aesthetics are reconstructed and naturalised in Chinese animated works across different periods and genres. The analysis demonstrates that core Chan concepts are reconfigured into secularised audiovisual symbol systems. These systems translate abstract philosophy into tangible aesthetic forms and narrative structures, with meaning generated through the interplay of denotation, connotation, and myth. Furthermore, the representation of Chan aesthetics evolves across eras. Early animation relies on minimalist ink-wash visuals and implicit narrative; contemporary commercial animated film employs causal storytelling to embed Chan values in modern contexts; and Ye Youtian ‘poetic animation’ emphasises personal spiritual expression through non-linear imagery. Full article

Approaching the tension between critical thinking and religious conviction in a modern secular context, this study explores Paul Ricoeur’s theological hermeneutics as a potential metaphoric language for doing contemporary theology. Utilizing Ricoeur’s hermeneutic method of the “long route”—a patient detour through text, symbol, and narrative that refuses the direct existential decoding of myth—the research qualitatively analyzes his interdisciplinary insights across biblical interpretation, revelation, and narrative theory. The analysis reveals that Ricoeur’s integration of philosophical and biblical hermeneutics facilitates what he calls a “second naïveté”: a post-critical posture in which religious symbols can be inhabited again only after, and through, the labour of critique, never before or around it. Such a posture addresses the specifically modern difficulty of making Christian faith argumentatively responsible to contemporary readers, believers and reflective non-believers alike. Key findings highlight the poetic dimension of theological language—its capacity to disclose rather than merely describe—as essential for reconfiguring reality and for redefining revelation as an event that takes place between the “world of the text” (the possible world projected by a biblical text read as discourse) and the “world of the reader.” This reorientation does not dismiss dogmatic-theological formulation; it holds the systematic–speculative and the poetic–hermeneutic together rather than letting either collapse into the other. The study concludes that doing theology through metaphor—specifically through the dialectic between “being” and “being-as” of God—opens a generative hermeneutic perspective for articulating the divine in a post-critical age, where the category “post-critical” designates not a repudiation of critique but the reflective stance that remains possible only on the far side of it. Rather than providing a unified theological system, this perspective preserves the tensions—between philosophy and theology, critique and conviction, metaphor and its ontological reach—that Ricoeur deliberately leaves unresolved. Full article

The emergence of ecological consciousness has brought a profound transformation in cultural paradigms, particularly in the West. It is now a constitutive element of the public agenda calling the attention of politicians, scholars and other areas of complex thinking. The encyclical of the recently deceased Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, published in 2015, brings some insights on that issue. The pontifical document proposes the inseparability of social justice and ecological justice. This article reflects on the ecological conversion proposed in Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si in dialog with the thought of Simone Weil. Focusing on four key categories in Weil’s philosophy—beauty of the world, order of the world, necessity, and love for the world—the article argues that her reflections anticipate key elements of contemporary ecological theology. It further explores how Weil’s thought illuminates the inseparable relationship between social justice and environmental justice, offering a spiritual and ethical framework for ecological conversion. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems increasingly mediate how individuals learn, work and make decisions, raising foundational philosophical questions about the nature of knowledge, agency and autonomy. This article integrates philosophical analysis with illustrative empirical cases from Romania to examine how AI restructures human epistemic and practical activity. A central empirical observation, the engagement–performance paradox, reveals that AI-driven learning environments can produce dramatic increases in learner interaction while generating only marginal improvements in understanding. Interpreted through post-phenomenology, virtue epistemology and theories of autonomy, this paradox highlights the emergence of epistemic superficiality: a condition in which algorithmically mediated engagement replaces reflective, conceptually grounded learning. Complementary findings from AI-supported workplace contexts further illustrate how intelligent systems automate aspects of decision-making, thereby reshaping autonomy, responsibility and the phenomenology of action. Synthesizing these insights, the article argues that AI functions as a structuring force that co-authors human agency by reorganizing the conditions under which cognition and action occur. The study contributes to contemporary debates in the philosophy of technology, epistemology and AI ethics by proposing the concept of structured agency as a lens for understanding how AI-mediated environments transform the foundations of knowledge, autonomy and human flourishing. Full article

Mohandas K. Gandhi (popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi) has primarily been recognized for his work in developing the theory and practice of nonviolence (ahimsa) for the purpose of building a culture of sustainable peace. Although Gandhi’s writings do not explicitly engage such categories as negative and positive peace, peace and international relations, or pacifism and nonviolence, scholars in peace studies have nonetheless assessed his contributions to the evolution of the field. This article advances the study of peace by emphasizing the dynamic nature of nonviolence (ahimsa), which is inextricably connected to Gandhi’s vision of sarvodaya (uplift of all). It further argues that his approach to peacebuilding, grounded in the upholding of pluralism across civic life, offers a conceptual framework for disrupting hegemonic monolithic systems. Gandhi lived in a time when the concept of pluralism had not gained currency; however, his vision, rooted in the values of diversity and tolerance, can appropriately be understood under the now widely accepted concept of pluralism. Gandhi thus uniquely connected nonviolence, peace, pluralism, and sarvodaya. For him, peaceful co-existence mandates attention to diversity—an approach that can enrich contemporary conversations in a divided political, social, and religious landscape. As a political leader and social reformer, he promoted indigenous languages, diverse village industries, local economies, and multi-faith religious education. In his later life, he also advocated for inter-caste and interreligious marriages in order to mitigate communal tensions. Such attention to diversity offers a promising path toward realizing the goal of sustainable peace and sarvodaya in a contemporary landscape increasingly prone to monolithic systems. Sarvodaya inherently requires a commitment to pluralistic, dialogical, dialectical, and nonviolent engagement in all spheres of life. By emphasizing shared humanity and committing to diversity, Gandhi offers a social philosophy of respect for all life as well as uplift of all trades, languages, and belief systems grounded in the vision of welfare of all. His practical methods of engaging diverse actors, along with his radical efforts to disrupt autocratic, authoritative, and centralized systems, affirm that the objectives of sarvodaya and sustainable peace can be realized only through a radical pluralism. Full article

Background/Objectives: Schizophrenia is one of the most extensively studied yet conceptually unstable disorders in the history of medicine and brain sciences. Since its formalization at the turn of the twentieth century, the disorder has been repeatedly redefined, reflecting changes in clinical observation, diagnostic philosophy, and neuroscientific models of brain function. The objective of this review is to critically examine the historical evolution of schizophrenia as a medical construct and to analyze how shifts in diagnostic systems have shaped the search for biological and molecular biomarkers. Methods: A narrative-historical review of the literature was conducted, integrating classical psychiatric texts, diagnostic manuals, and contemporary neuroscientific studies. Key milestones in the conceptualization of schizophrenia were analyzed alongside the development of biological hypotheses, including neurochemical, electrophysiological, neuroimaging, genetic, immunological, omics-based, and digital approaches. Emphasis was placed on identifying conceptual continuities, ruptures, and methodological limitations across historical periods. Results: The analysis reveals that the evolution of schizophrenia has been characterized by increasing diagnostic standardization accompanied by growing biological heterogeneity. While successive biological models have provided valuable insights into specific aspects of the disorder, none have yielded single, robust diagnostic biomarkers. Instead, findings consistently reflect partial overlaps between clinical phenotypes and biological signals, strongly influenced by historically derived diagnostic categories. Conclusions: The persistent absence of definitive diagnostic biomarkers for schizophrenia reflects not only technical limitations but also the historical construction of the disorder as a heterogeneous clinical category. Understanding this historical context is essential for interpreting current findings in brain sciences. Future research is likely to benefit from stratification-based, dimensional, and integrative frameworks that move beyond categorical diagnosis while preserving clinical relevance. Full article

This article addresses recent critiques of secularisation as a linear explanatory model for religious change in European societies, proposing that contemporary artistic creation is a fertile site for observing new interrelations between the secular and the religious. Focusing on João Madureira’s Missa de Pentecostes (2010), composed for the ensemble ‘Sete Lágrimas’ and part of a cultural project by the Roman Catholic community of ‘Capela do Rato’ (Lisbon), the study analyses how this work creatively reconfigures the traditional Mass form. By juxtaposing the Ordinary sections (e.g., Kyrie, Gloria) with the Proper sections (e.g., Introitus, Sequentia), which incorporate non-canonical Portuguese poetic texts, the composition creates a hybrid space in which ritual and artistic modes interact and mutually re-legitimise each other. Using a heterological interpretative framework inspired by Michel de Certeau, the article highlights the tensions and exchanges between ritual and aesthetic logics. The analysis draws on key theoretical concepts including Jean Rancière’s notions of consensus and dissensus, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of ritual and habitus, Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of translation as hospitality, and Pierre Lévy’s concept of universalism without totality. The findings suggest that Madureira’s work enacts a process of poetic re-signification of religious memory, opening new possibilities for hybrid ritual–artistic practices. These practices transform ritual time-space into an interface that fosters plural and non-totalising forms of spiritual belonging. Full article

The problem of meaning in an apparently indifferent universe has long been a central concern of existential philosophy. Classical existentialism addressed this question by emphasizing human freedom, responsibility, and the creation of meaning in the absence of transcendental guarantees, yet it largely remained framed within an anthropocentric horizon. This article introduces the concept of cosmic existentialism as a philosophical framework that situates human existence within the broader context of a scientifically understood cosmos. Through conceptual philosophical analysis, the paper reinterprets key existential categories such as angst, authenticity, and freedom in light of contemporary cosmological perspectives. Within this framework, the indifference of the universe is interpreted as a fundamental existential condition within the cosmological framework adopted in this study that reveals the fragility and contingency of human life. The analysis suggests that recognizing humanity’s lack of cosmic privilege does not lead to nihilism but instead allows meaning to be interpreted as a local, finite, and relational phenomenon. Cosmic existentialism therefore offers a philosophical perspective that integrates existential reflection with modern cosmological understanding and provides a framework for thinking about human existence within an indifferent universe. This standpoint is articulated through several principles, including cosmic indifference, the existential locality of meaning, and the contingency of human existence within the cosmos. Rather than emphasizing the scale of the universe itself, the present analysis suggests that the philosophical significance of cosmology lies in the removal of any privileged standpoint from which human existence can be interpreted. Full article

This paper explores the intersection of embodied trauma, resilience, and healing as represented in contemporary art, focusing on a case study analysis of the autoethnographic practice as a reflexive methodology that integrates personal lived experience with cultural, political, and artistic analysis of the works of Zlatar. Central to this study is examining the notion of rematriation, which calls for the reclamation of women’s histories and the restoration of knowledge passed down through generations. Through a series of her paintings, including works from her series A Serbian Renaissance, Refuge For the Oppressed Body, and The Minotaur Came and I Surrendered, Zlatar interrogates the transmission of trauma across generations of women, from Balkan origins, focusing on issues such as gender-based violence, displacement, and identity formation. These works challenge dominant narratives by centring women’s experiences not through externalized indicators or representations of healing, but mediating how mind–body relationships have dialogue, and her art employs this concept as spaces for memory, survival, and meaning-making. Drawing on feminist philosophy, artwork analysis and trauma studies, this paper situates Zlatar’s art to address historical inequities in women’s healing and the ongoing struggle for women’s agency and safety in contemporary society. Full article

This article argues that racism did not originate with the modern invention of race but crystallized out of a much older imperial grammar that had already learned how to naturalize domination through embodied difference. Long before race emerged as a named category, ancient and medieval empires developed durable ways of converting historically produced hierarchies into features of nature, the cosmos, and divine order. Through a comparative genealogy spanning early Mesopotamian epic, Near Eastern imperial inscriptions, Egyptian visual regimes, Greek philosophy and historiography, biblical scripture, South Asian metaphysics, late antique encyclopedism, and medieval Marian devotion, the article shows how inequality was repeatedly anchored in the body, in genealogy, in geography, and in moral psychology. Across these traditions, political authority is consistently masculinized, while subordination is feminized, animalized, or rendered reproductively vulnerable. Patriarchy and racialization thus emerge as co-constitutive imperial technologies rather than as separate or sequential phenomena. Modern racism did not invent hierarchy; it rendered an ancient logic portable, inheritable, and globally scalable by fastening domination to visible human difference. By situating race within a longue durée history of empire and male domination, the article reframes contemporary debates on racism as questions of imperial continuity rather than modern deviation. Full article