BOOK REVIEWS

Hao Changchi, Politics and Human Beings. Three Dimensions in Pre-Qin Political Philosophy,政治与人：先秦政治哲学的三个维度.. Beijing： Zhongguo Zhengfa Daxue Chubanshe, 2012, 337pp. ISBN： 9787562043959. Hao Changchi, a leading thinker on political philosophy, takes on a thorough research project exploring Pre-Qin political philosophy and its enlightenment in this book, deviating from the usual route of emphasizing the separation of individual and public realms and centering only on freedom and equality. As the book＇s title suggests, the core issue is the relationship between human nature and political existence. Many people might define politics as an outcome of interest conflicts and negotiations, but this view overlooks the existence of concrete people. Hence, the author proposes a wholly new understanding of ＂political nature,＂ which is supposed to embody an individual＇s moral and religious life. Thus, politics is envisaged as consisting of three dimensions, and this is especially true in Pre-Qin political philosophy. According to Hao, the earliest form of politics in ancient China was an entirety composed of heavenly will, universal love and benefit for the whole world, which shaped people into three dimensions （4）. Later, the three dimensions were reduced to two, namely loyalty and filial piety, when it comes to Confucian philosophy.     

Instructions for Submissions

Frontiers of Philosophy in China （FPC） aims to disseminate new scholarly achievements in the field of broadly defined philosophy, and to promote philosophical research of the highest level by publishing peer-reviewed academic articles that facilitate communication and cooperation among philosophers in China and abroad. The journal covers nearly all the main branches of philosophy, with priority given to original works on Chinese philosophy and to comparative studies between Chinese philosophy and other types of philosophy in the world.     

范本特姆《逻辑、认识论和方法论》书介

约翰·范本特姆,逻辑、认识论和方法论,郭佳宏,刘奋荣等译,北京：科学出版社,2013年。J.van Benthem,2013,Logic,Epistemology,and Methodology,translated by JiahongGuo,Fenrong Liu et al.,Beijing：Science Press.＂逻辑之门——约翰范本特姆经典著作＂是由荷兰阿姆斯特丹大学资助的翻译项目。该项目的成果以丛书形式由科学出版社出版,刘奋荣担任丛书主编。《逻辑、认识论和方法论》为丛书的最后一卷。在本卷中,范本特姆教授通过丰富的全景描述向我们展示了逻辑技术和一般哲学之间的深刻关联。这些讨论集中体现了两者的整体性与互动性。全书共收录19篇论文,按照研究的主题的不同,这些论文被进一步分成5个部分：逻辑常项、认知逻辑、科学方法论、时空基础和逻辑哲学。     

Scientific Realism and the Meanings of Theoretical Terms

In contemporary philosophy of science, there are many interesting arguments for and against scientific realism with regard to the meaningfulness and truthfulness of theoretical statements. Some anti-realists hold that since many important concepts in scientific theories have no specific referents, the relevant theoretical statements are therefore either false or meaningless. In this essay, I join the debates concerning the plausibility of scientific realism by focusing on two intertwined issues： first, that of how we can we explicate the meaningfulness of theoretical statements, especially statements pertaining to unobservable objects, and second, that of the meaningfulness of theoretical statements for our acceptance of scientific realism.     

On Generalization： Pragmatists＇ Contributions to Constructivism

Constructivism has been an important program in contemporary philosophy, but cannot itself cannot provide sufficient context for grasping its key points. To fully understand its power and potential we must borrow tools from other programs： specifically, Charles Peirce and John Dewey＇s pragmatism. By exploring these two pragmatists＇ articulations of ＂generalization,＂ which I hold is the most crucial question in constructivism, their prospective contributions to constructivism can be brought to light. If, as I argue, constructivism can incorporate the lessons of pragmatism, then it can still be considered a highly workable interpretation of reality and of human endeavors.     

The Embrace of Radical Philosophical Emptiness as a Liberating Conceptualization of Thought in Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard

Among the challenges of poststructuralist thought has been the demand that we acknowledge a kind of philosophical emptiness which many feel accompanies the perceived decline in foundationalist thought. By looking more closely at Barthes and Baudrillard＇s writing on meaning, writing, language, truth, and the real, we can come to a better understanding of the emergence and implications of the poststructural challenge. The paper argues that Barthes＇ and Baudrillard＇s writing on these five key concepts can lead us to a more liberating conception of thought and contribute to our individual effort to become more challenging thinkers. This paper also （unavoidably） points to several points of convergence and divergence between Barthes and Baudrillard.     

Conjunctions and/or Disjunctions： Radical Empiricism in the History of Philosophy

William James challenged the traditions of British Empiricism （Hume） on one hand and German Idealism （Kant and Hegel） on the other. James＇ ＂Radical Empiricism＂ is a via media （＂middle road＂） between these divergent positions. His central points of contention are the ontological status of relationships and the correct analysis of experience. British Empiricism leaves us with a world of separate, particular facts, based on atomic sense impressions. Idealists, on the other hand, claim that all worldly phenomena are conjoined by one rational principle. According to James＇ account, neither side recognizes that both conjunctive and disjunctive relations are integral to experience. Furthermore, James＇ critique proved to influence A. N. Whitehead＇s philosophy of experience and orientation toward Hume and Kant. This essay situates James＇ philosophy in this polemical and historical context.     

作为亚里士多德阐释者的马克思

马克思对于古希腊思想资源的借鉴一直是一个较少深入的主题,本文旨在从历史文献及逻辑线索两个方面,展示亚里士多德的思想是如何根本性地影响着马克思对他同时代哲学及历史现实的思考的。马克思作为卓绝的哲学家,从本质上把握了亚里士多德在主体/谓词、经济学/致富术之间建立的概念框架,并将之用于对黑格尔的法哲学及其后的商品、货币的本质问题的分析。因此,我们也更能深刻地理解马克思唯物主义的维度绝不是一种简单的还原论或者演进说,而是从亚里士多德处继承而来的、作为破解黑格尔体系哲学的思辨理论。     

卡西尔符号形式哲学构建中的符号性孕义概念

德国哲学家恩斯特·卡西尔在其代表作《符号形式哲学》第3卷中提出的“符号性孕义”概念,历来被学界公认为理解卡西尔哲学整体的一个核心概念,也是近年来学界关注最多的一个概念。不过,对这一概念所作的系统性阐释,迄今还付之阙如。该著在对符号形式哲学理论基础予以澄清的基础上,对这一概念的历史起源、哲学内涵,以及在整个卡西尔哲学体系中的有效性等问题作了深入细致的考察,并在“精神作为的自由”中对这一概念作了进一步的奠基。     

“重思马克思的国家理论与社会主义学说”国际学术会议

2016年4月25—26日在复旦大学召开,由复旦大学国外马克思主义研究基地与加拿大约克大学联合主办,共邀请国内外相关学者40余人,其中外国学者17人。会议主题为“重思马克思的国家理论与社会主义学说”,特别讨论了生态马克思主义对今天马克思主义研究发展的重要性、斯蒂格勒与数字化资本主义批判的关系、从应然和实然的区别谈论社会主义的双重维度、列宁哲学中的社会主义问题与西方马克思主义研究中的国家问题等相关内容。