Pragmatic,Existentialist and Phenomenological Interpretations of Marxism

In his book, Hermeneutics and Reflection (2013), Friedrich-Wilhelm von Herrmann outlines what he sees as the fundamental differences between Edmund Husserl’s “theoretical” phenomenology and Martin Heidegger’s “a-theoretical” phenomenology, which he frames in terms of the distinction between “reflective observation” and “hermeneutic understanding”. In this paper, I will clarify the sense of these terms in order to elucidate some of the crucial similarities and differences between Husserl and Heidegger. Against von Herrmann’s characterization of the Husserlian project, I argue that we should not consider these differences in terms of “reflection”, since this runs the risk of misconstruing Husserlian phenomenology with the philosophical tradition he was striving against. Taken together, by way of a close reading of von Herrmann, the following discussion will serve as a brief sketch of the early Heidegger’s turn away from Husserlian phenomenology and toward his own hermeneutic phenomenology.     

Unglücklich machende Familienideale

Zusammenfassung Der Artikel konstrastiert familiäre Lebensrealitäten und familiäre Idealvorstellungen miteinander. Für Patienten, bei denen beide weit auseinander klaffen, werden Anregungen für die Dekonstruktion selbstquälerischer Familienideale in der Psychotherapie entwickelt. Als potenziell unglücklich machend werden Familienideale beschrieben, nach denen Kinder (nur) eine Familie und Familien (nur) ein Heim brauchen; dass Familien gemeinsam verbrachte Zeit, Söhne ihre Väter und überhaupt Kinder heterosexuelle Eltern bräuchten; dass Eltern einander lieben und ihre Kinder bei sich behalten sollten; dass Kinder sich von ihren Eltern ablösen sollten. Als psychotherapeutisch nützlich werden aus Familiensoziologie und systemischer Psychotherapie die Ideen der Wahlverwandtschaft, der konsensentlasteten Diskurse und der systemischen Selbstbeobachtung empfohlen, ferner als therapeutische Techniken die zirkulären Fragen, speziell Verschlimmerungsfragen und die positive Umdeutung. Die Konstruktion neuer Rituale und die Nutzung von Netzwerkressourcen stehen am Ende der Untersuchung.Überarbeitete Fassung des Eröffnungsvortrags der Lübecker Psychotherapiewoche, 17.10.1999.     

‘Ought implies Can’ and the law

In this paper, we investigate the ‘ought implies can’ (OIC) thesis, focusing on explanations and interpretations of OIC, with a view to clarifying its uses and relevance to legal philosophy. We first review various issues concerning the semantics and pragmatics of OIC; then we consider how OIC may be incorporated in Hartian and Kelsenian theories of the law. Along the way we also propose a taxonomy of OIC-related claims.     

On matters of mind and body: regarding Descartes

In this paper the author considers Descartes’ place in current thinking about the mind‐body dilemma. The premise here is that in the history of ideas, the questions posed can be as significant as the answers acquired. Descartes’ paramount question was ‘How do we determine certainty?’ and his pursuit of an answer led to cogito ergo sum. His discovery simultaneously raised the question whether mind is separate from or unified with the body. Some who currently hold that brain and subjectivity are unified contend that the philosopher ‘split’ mind from body and refer to ‘Descartes’ error’. This paper puts forward that Descartes’ detractors fail to recognise Descartes’ contribution to Western thought, which was to introduce the Enlightenment and to give a place to human subjectivity. Added to this, evidence from Descartes’ correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia supports the conclusion that Descartes did in fact believe in the unity of mind and body although he could not reconcile this rationally with the certainty from personal experience that they were separate substances. In this Descartes was engaged in just the same dilemma as that of current thinkers and researchers, a conflict which still is yet to be resolved.     

Discourse theory trumps discourse theory: Wouter Hanegraaff's Esotericism and the Academy

This review article argues that Wouter Hanegraaff's Esotericism and the Academy is deeply influenced by a methodological cluster usually referred to as ‘discourse theory.’ That the author is not willing to classify his own approach as such is explained with recourse to his dispute with Kocku von Stuckrad, who, according to Hanegraaff, would embody discourse theory, whereas Hanegraaff would embody history. A comparison of Hanegraaff's Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012) and von Stuckrad's Locations of Knowledge in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Esoteric Discourse and Western Identities (Leiden: Brill, 2010) reveals that this is a misleading classification and that Hanegraaff's study comes closer to what discourse theory is all about. As a consequence, Esotericism and the Academy is the very first study on ‘Western esotericism’ that offers a convincing justification of this particular label as an overarching discursive category.     

Productive Misunderstanding in the Early Reformation Revisited: The Case of Lazarus Spengler's A Consoling Christian Instruction and Medicine in All Adversities (1521)

Abstract

This article revisits Bernd Moeller's concept of ‘productive misunderstanding’ as a way of explaining the early appeal and success of the Reformation among some of Luther's most important supporters. It does so through a case study of a consolation pamphlet by the secretary of Nuremberg City Council, Lazarus Spengler, whom Luther credited with planting the evangelical faith in this prominent imperial city. Spengler was one of the Wittenberg reformer's most important lay supporters: he authored the earliest pro-Luther lay pamphlet and his name was subsequently appended to the papal bull Exsurge Domine. However, in his consolation pamphlet Spengler espoused a view of suffering that Luther had firmly rejected because it contradicted his evangelical soteriology. This important difference suggests that while Spengler did a great deal to promote Luther's cause, and at great personal risk, he acted on the basis of an incorrect understanding of the Wittenberg reformer's theology, at least in the late 1510s and early 1520s. This article explores the reasons for Spengler's productive misunderstanding and suggests that it was likely shared by other evangelical burghers. By examining Moeller's concept from a novel vantage point, that of suffering and consolation, this article seeks to shed new light on the reception of Luther's ideas in the early German Reformation.     

Creating in Our Own Image: Artificial Intelligence and the Image of God

There is remarkable convergence between twentieth-century interpretations of the image of God ( imago Dei ), what it means for human beings to be created in God's image, and approaches toward creating in our own image in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Both fields have viewed the intersection between God and humanity or humanity and computers in terms of either (1) a property or set of properties such as intelligence, (2) the functions we engage in or are capable of, or (3) the relationships we establish and maintain. Each of these three approaches reflects a different understanding of what stands at the core of our humanity. Functional and relational approaches were common in the late twentieth century, with a functional understanding the one most accepted by society at large. A relational view, however, gives new insights into human dignity in a computer age as well as new approaches to AI research.     

Prävention chronischer Krankheiten und Gesundheitsförderung

Zusammenfassung In den vergangenen 50 Jahren konnten große Fortschritte in der Entwicklung und der Umsetzung des verhaltensmedizinischen Wissens über die Gesundheit von Individuen und Populationen erzielt werden. Allerdings kamen Gesundheitsförderung und Krankheitsprävention nicht allen Bevölkerungsschichten in und zwischen den einzelnen Ländern in gleichem Maße zugute. Die Ungleichheit der sozialen, psychischen und körperlichen Gesundheit zwischen den wohlhabendsten und ärmsten Bevölkerungsgruppen ist im Wesentlichen gleichgeblieben oder sogar gewachsen. Das Wissen darüber, wie solche Unterschiede in der Gesundheit entstehen, ist allerdings erst dann von Bedeutung, wenn es dazu verwendet wird, geeignete, langfristige und nachhaltige Präventionsstrategien auf mehreren Ebenen zu erarbeiten. Bei solchen Strategien spielen verschiedene Aspekte der globalen natürlichen ökologischen Umwelt und das Streben nach einer sog. gesundheitserhaltenden Umwelt eine wichtige Rolle. Mit dem wachsenden Einfluss der Globalisierung auf die Gesundheit stellt sich die Frage, welche Folgen jenseits der traditionellen nationalen Grenzen für die Krankheitsprävention und für die Gesundheitsförderung zu erwarten sind. Sie sollte uns anregen, darüber nachzudenken, dass die Verbreitung von wirksamen Interventionen auf institutioneller oder politischer Ebene nicht nur innerhalb eines Landes, sondern auch zwischen verschiedenen Ländern von höchster Wichtigkeit ist. In Anbetracht der global und schnell voranschreitenden ökonomischen und sozialen Veränderungen und des gewaltigen Einflusses von globalen Umweltveränderungen auf die Gesundheit müssen die Bandbreite und die Praxis der Verhaltensmedizin erweitert werden.Aus dem Englischen übersetzt von Dipl.-Psych. Erika Nemény, Berlin und Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert, Zürich     

Malchish‐Kibalchish: cultural factors in a clinical case

In this paper, a Jungian understanding of cultural factors influencing individual analysis is illustrated with the case of a patient suffering from panic attacks. The analysis revealed that, in addition to the patient's personal background, the collectivistic attitudes of the Soviet culture, which had a moulding effect on the patient in his childhood and obstructed his individuation, should be taken into account. The concepts of the totalitarian object and the Russian cultural complex encompassing a grandiosity pole and an inferiority pole are used to explore the patient's condition, and the crucial role of creating mutual language with the patient is outlined.