Karsavin as philosopher of personality

A brief outline of L.P.Karsavin’s theory of personality is presented, which reconstructs the system of key concepts of this theory and traces its evolution through Karsavin’s work. The system is analyzed in its relation to the two basic paradigms of European personalist thought, the anthropological paradigm developed in Western metaphysics, and the theological paradigm created by the Greek Church Fathers and practically not used in European philosophy. The conclusion is drawn that Karsavin’s personalism returns gradually to the theological paradigm and via the works of Vladimir Lossky it stimulated the contemporary renaissance of this paradigm in Orthodox theology.     

Wittgenstein as philosopher of culture

Interest in Wittgenstein came to Norway in a period of unrest on the Norwegian philosophical scene. The dominant Oslo School of empirical semantics was dissolved during the same period, not because it refused to take the locutionary/ illocutionary distinction seriously enough, but mainly because of its blind spot, caused by its exaggerated honesty. This paper argues that the semantic theory of ‘proposition and occurrence’ led the empirical semanticist into an intellectual attitude, overlooking language as part of a cultural landscape. Through overlooking this possibility, the empirical semanticist became an animal without a habitat. The way out was an interpretation of the notion of a language‐game which makes Wittgenstein a philosopher of culture.     

The error statistical philosopher as normative naturalist

We argue for a naturalistic account for appraising scientific methods that carries non-trivial normative force. We develop our approach by comparison with Laudan’s (American Philosophical Quarterly 24:19–31, 1987, Philosophy of Science 57:20–33, 1990) “normative naturalism” based on correlating means (various scientific methods) with ends (e.g., reliability). We argue that such a meta-methodology based on means–ends correlations is unreliable and cannot achieve its normative goals. We suggest another approach for meta-methodology based on a conglomeration of tools and strategies (from statistical modeling, experimental design, and related fields) that affords forward looking procedures for learning from error and for controlling error. The resulting “error statistical” appraisal is empirical—methods are appraised by examining their capacities to control error. At the same time, this account is normative, in that the strategies that pass muster are claims about how actually to proceed in given contexts to reach reliable inferences from limited data.     

Jung as psychologist of religion and Jung as philosopher of religion

Abstract: Is it possible to be both a psychologist and a philosopher? Is it possible for a psychologist, or more generally a social scientist, to use social scientific findings to make philosophical claims? Specifically, is it possible for a social scientist to use social scientific findings to determine the existence of God? Did Jung profess to be only a psychologist or also a philosopher? If he professed to be both, did he enlist his psychological findings to make philosophical claims? Specifically, did he enlist his psychological findings to determine the existence of God?     

Afterward: Emmanuel Levinas,the multicultural philosopher.

Continental Philosophy Review -     

Science and Art: physics as a symbolic formation

The reflection on the preconditions and evolution of science has played a decisive role in the development of Ernst Cassirer’s philosophy, contributing to its functional and thus inherently pluralistic and holistic view of knowledge. To present Cassirer’s conception of physics as an open symbolic formation enables us to reveal and study the radical features of his epistemological model:

Hans Reichenbach,radio philosopher: a preliminary report

Synthese - This essay looks at some of the key aspects of Hans Reichenbach’s career as a radio engineer, broadcaster, and producer. It argues that some of the themes of Reichenbach’s...