Philosophy and Culture - rubric Mysteries of the human being

Abstract: The subject of the study is the purpose of man through the prism of the oldest occupation – hunting. The role of hunting in the development of human culture and the construction of its interaction with space is poorly spelled out by modern historians. In philosophical works, the discourse of the "hunting man" is presented as a form of violence, aggression, territorial expansion and cruelty towards oneself and nature. The lack of an adequate cultural conceptualization of hunting, its removal from the framework of civilizational and cultural factors is also due to the new movement in defense of animal rights, which generally blocks conversations about hunting. Meanwhile, bringing this topic to the public forum is necessary precisely due to the fact that against the background of the decline of commercial hunting, other forms of it are flourishing, which also need to be discussed and evaluated. The authors put forward the thesis that the development of the hunting theme will allow a deeper understanding of the features of the relationship between a person and a territory, its features of its existence in socio-biological space and time. It should be recognized as a property of a living being to counteract another living being. However, not only in humans, but also in animals, there are examples of altruism and caring for the younger generations. Therefore, the origins of aggressiveness and the desire of civilized people to use such an extreme form of recreation as modern hunting becomes should be sought in the device of the artificial environment in which modern man is formed. The condition for solving this problem is a philosophical analysis of norms and codes of behavior that determine the codification of the ultimate grounds and drivers of hunting, as well as the synthesis of human rights and animal rights to preserve the biospheric integrity of the planet Earth.

Keywords: hunting, philosophy, identity, code, construction, landscape, right, animal, anthropology, pandemic

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2017.1.21669

Abstract: The object of the research of this article is the modern philosophical discourse on the problem of identity of personality. The subject of the study is the substantial approach of R. Swinburne and his place in this discourse. The author analyzes R. Swinburne's approach and, in particular, its main advantages вЂ“ the ability to solve the problem of personality reduplication. However, as the author of the article shows, the substantive approach itself is not devoid of vulnerabilities. First of all, he is vulnerable to criticism using the verification principle. Swinburne believes that his approach is not consistent only with a strong version of the verification principle. However, as the author of this article shows, even a weak version of the verification principle is a problem for Swinburne's substantive approach. The author presents his own alternative to the substantial approach for overcoming the reduplication argument and interpreting hypothetical situations associated with it. Such an alternative is the perdurant theory of personality. The article presents a study in the field of the history of modern analytical philosophy. Therefore, the key research method used is historical and philosophical. In particular, the study used a textual analysis of the works of philosophers, first of all, R. Swinburne, according to several sources, a reconstruction of his views was carried out. The article also uses the method of comparative analysis, in particular, a comparison of empiricist approaches and a substantive approach to the problem of identity of personality is made. The article is devoted to the substantial concept of identity of R. Swinburne's personality. Despite the fact that this concept represents an important alternative to solving the problem of identity, it has not been studied much, especially in the Russian history of philosophy. The novelty of the article also lies in a detailed analysis of the verification counterargument in relation to the substantive approach. The author of the article also presents his own alternative to the substantial approach, which allows overcoming the indicated difficulties. As a result of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that the substantial approach only partially solves the problem of asynchronous identity of personality, and is most vulnerable to criticism with the help of the verification argument.

Keywords: Bill Williams, Richard Swinburne, The substantive approach, Physiological approach, Psychological approach, Identity of personality, David Parfitt, Verification principle, Reduplication argument, Empiricist theories

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2017.1.68579

Abstract: The object of this research is the contemporary philosophical discourse regarding the question of oneness of identity. The subject of this research is R. Swinburne’s substantive approach and its place within this discourse. The author analyzes Swinburne’s approach, and particularly its key advantages – ability to resolve the issue of reduplication of identity. However, the author demonstrates that the substantive approach also has certain vulnerabilities. First of all, it is susceptible to criticism with the help of the verification principle. Swinburne believes that his approach does not correspond with the strong version of verification principle. But as illustrated in the article, even the weak version of verification principle is an issue for the substantive approach of Swinburne. The author presents his original alternative to the substantive approach for the purpose of overcoming the argument of reduplication and interpretation of the associated with it hypothetical situations. Such alternative is the perdurance theory of identity. The article provides research in the area of history of the modern analytical philosophy, thus uses the historical-philosophical method as the key one. The work is dedicated to the substantial concept of Swinburne’s. Despite the fact that his concept represents an important alternative for resolution of the issue of the oneness of identity, it remains little-studied, especially within the Russian history of philosophy. The scientific novelty consists in a comprehensive analysis of the counterargument of verification pertaining to the substantive approach. The author concludes that the substantive approach is able to solve the issue of the asynchronous oneness of identity just partially, and most susceptible to criticism using the argument of verification.

Keywords: Reduplication argument, Verification principle, David Parfit, Bill Williams, Richard Swinburne, Substantive approach, Physical approach, Psychological approach, oneness of identity, Empiricist theories

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2017.8.23522

Abstract: This article examines the doctrine of humanity – anthropodicy, in works of the Russian philosophers P. A. Florensky and N. A. Berdyaev, as well as pursues correlation between their views and interpretations. The theme of anthropodicy as a philosophical attempt of “justification of man” can be characterizes as one of the key directions of the Russian philosophical thought, particularly in the early XX century, the pinnacle of the Russian philosophy, religious and cultural pursuits, which is called the “Russian religious Renaissance” by the majority of scholars. The study analyzes the fundamental theses, conclusions, and philosophical constructs, as well as determines the similarities and discrepancies in understanding of anthropodicy as a separate discipline in the philosophical and humanitarian thought by the Russian philosophers. Conclusion is made that in the philosophical comprehension of anthropodicy, the philosophers of the Russian religious Renaissance claimed their highest spiritual values: necessity of presence within human of the supra-subjective divine beginning (P. A. Florensky); freedom and creativity as the concept and goal of human existence (N. A. Berdyaev).

Keywords: personality, Silver Age, religious philosophy, creative activity, Christianity, philosophical synthesis, Russian religious Renaissance, justification of humanity, macrocosme and microcosme, philosophy of freedom

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2018.11.27968

Abstract: This article unravels the essence of the phenomenon of genius. The author outlines the source of distrust in its modern interpretations and concurrent methods of research. Special attention is given to the significance of objectivistic position in genius. The author determines the cause scientific examination of genius as insanity that became possible in the XIX century. The article explores and criticizes the approaches towards studying genius without revealing the initial essence of this phenomenon (Andrew Newberg, Lewis Terman, Vladimir Pavlovich Efroimson, and others). Analyzing the transformation of outlook upon rage in the context of genius, the author determines the need of a genius to objectively perceive whole picture. The scientific novelty consists in unraveling the essence of the phenomenon of genius and the priorities for the effective research of this phenomenon. It is concluded that in terms of studying the phenomenon of genius, such concepts as an ideal image and intuition must come to the forefront.

Keywords: naive realism, objectivist position, roman genius, greek demon, intuition, spirit, essence, perfect image, fury, genius

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2017.10.21908

Abstract: Whereas the theme of power has always been in the center of philosophical thought, it was mostly associated with the questions of government structure and politics – origin, delegation of power, mechanisms of its retention and augmentation, manifested as an instrument of ensuring the social stability. In other words, the power was viewed as a vivid and axiomatic phenomenon, which however, required the politological, social, and ethical analysis. Only the beginning of the XIX century marks the drastic reconsideration of power, overcomes the dominant substantial representations, determines the significant contradictions characteristic to power as such, as well as phenomenon of its own. The most considerable contribution into reevaluation of philosophy was performed by F. Nietzsche, who consolidated the will to power as a primary reality of human existence. The philosopher demonstrated that the lust for power is not destiny of the chosen, but an unconscious desire of any individual. Although the power is externally justified by the social causes, introspectively, based on the internal logics of its development, does not need them, being a cause in of itself and complying with the law of self-expansion and self-affirmation. Enrooted in human nature, the lust for power manifests as an instinct, as well as passion and feeling of fascination with your own strength. The author attempts to reconstruct the views of F. Nietzsche upon the phenomenon of human passions, and concludes that in the philosopher’s perceptions, passions express the highest level of individual, inner, which confront the transpersonal, social, and moral. It is underlined that power can be viewed as the way for ego-expansion, metaphorical extension of boundaries of the “body”. Special attention is given to the state of anarchy that usually is associated with chaos and destructions, but in Nietzsche’s interpretation represents a highest level of power.

Keywords: ego-expansion, domination, Mahatma Gandhi, power rapture, power vacuum, instinct, passion, Nietzsche, will to power, power refusal

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.3.16759

Abstract: Any research in the cultural field unchangeably turns to human – its creature and creator, who throughout centuries was establishing a structure of world culture. The constant relevance of such researches is substantiated by the fact that the essence of Homo Faber – the Creating Human is responsible for the achievements of humanity in culture, science, technologies, as well as for the blood shedding wars that took millions of lives. It is quite evident that the future of humanity always remains a topic of intense discussions, which are marked by the clashes of optimistic and pessimistic scenarios of its further development. A theoretical substantiation of the social role of an artist in the further formation of culture, arouses a significant interest. Scientific novelty consists in the determination of a number of relevant problems, which represent pressure points characteristic to a contemporary stage of cultural development, and in solution of which the society plays an essential role. The main conclusion is the message of the artist to the world – the process of creating artistic-aesthetic channels of spiritual communication, which allow involving its audience into an active intercultural dialogue that is based on the aesthetics of thinking, reflecting a creative essence of human. This explains the social mission of the artist that encourages realization of the optimistic scenarios of the further development of culture.

Keywords: Art, Culture, Music, Musician, Creative work, Artist, Spiritual communication, Artistic-aesthetic values, Aesthetics of thinking, Aesthetics of feelings

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.3.67732

Keywords: Art, Culture, Music, Musician, Creative work, Artist, Spiritual communication, Artistic-aesthetic values, Aesthetics of thinking, Aesthetics of feelings

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.7.15707

Abstract: This article analyzes the outlook of the renowned American sociologist, culturologist and philosopher E. Tiryakian upon the problem of human, as well as compares it with the interpretation of this issue by the representatives of Personalism, philosophical anthropology, and existentialism. In particular, the subject of examination is the correlation between Tirykian's thoughts with the concept of Personalism on transcendental orientation of personality; M. Scheler's interpretation of the essence of human as oppositeness and interconnection of life and spirit; G. Plesner's idea of systemic inequality human as a natural and spiritual creature; A. Gehlen's image of human as “insufficient creature”; M. Heidegger's and existentialistic ideas of projective character of human being, and philosophical image of a man in the modern society. The author concludes that the task of bringing together social philosophy (sociologism) and philosophy of existentialism initially posed by E.Tiryakian, considering the complementing corrections of their positions in understanding of interaction between the society and an individual, led to the formulation of principal statements of his original philosophical anthropology, based upon both, sociologism and existentialism.

Keywords: openness to the world, transcending, human eccentricity, existenz, personality, individual, Edward Tiryakian, human identity, philosophical anthropology, intersubjectivity

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.7.68064

Keywords: openness to the world, transcending, human eccentricity, existenz, personality, individual, Edward Tiryakian, human identity, philosophical anthropology, intersubjectivity

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2014.7.12174

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2014.7.65295

Abstract: The subject under research is the moral essence of a young man Raphael de Valentin in Honore de Balzac’s novel ‘La Peau de Chagrin’ (‘The Magic Skin’). The main attention is paid to studying amoral qualities of the main character who was after sensual pleasures and as a result, came to the idea of overindulgence. The author of the present article focuses on the following paradox: what was the actual cause of the marquis’ death? Was it poverty, richness or any other phenomena and forces that usually make a man to suicide? To answer this question, the author of the present article views the image of Raphael de Valentin from the point of view of catastrophism hanging over Raphael. The research method used by the author is based on the combination of the five types of analysis including legal, philosophical, psychological, literary and musicological analysis. The scientific novelty of the research is expressed in several aspects. From the point of view of legal studies, Raphael de Valentin is classified as an ‘accidental’ criminal with reference to others and an ‘unstable’ criminal towards himself. From the point of view of philosophy, the image of Raphael developed from the victim of catastrophism to the bearer of catastrophism and therefore a threat for the society and particular people, but then he appeared to be the victim of catastrophism again or, in fact, the victim of his own desires. From the psychological point of view, the marquis had a thinking stereotype which made him react similarly to different events and therefore brought him to the continuous neurosis leading to the suicide. From the musicological point of view, Raphael’s conflict had the three phases which allows to understand Raphael’s conflict as a psychological conflict between desire and ability, i.e. desire and inability to achieve his desire. As a conclusion, the author establishes that the never-ending power and control over the society granted by the Devil is just an unreal illusion. In Balzac’s novel the Devil’s almightiness was limited by the three circumstances: quite an ‘average’ personality of the marquise, his blindness for true love and the fact that Satan’s abilities were still less powerful than those of the higher forces.

Keywords: Honore de Balzac, Raphael de Valentin, Foedora, man and devil, desire, talisman, catastrophism, soul and mind, death, image.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.8.16737

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the attempt to rehabilitate the category of “spirit” through the reasoning on its importance for humanitarian research tradition. The fundamental, capacious, and at the same time mundane and conservative notion of “spirit” can seem depleted and irrelevant at the present stage. It does not exactly fit into the dominating standards of anthropological knowledge. But it does not really matter which character carries a modern scientific discourse, because in human reality there is an unnoticeable, but permanent and fundamental power – the spirit. It is not subjected to the visual proof or rational understanding, as well as requires certain efforts and a specific reflexive stance for its achievement. During the course of this research the author reveals an explanatory potential of the notion of “spirit”, touches upon its interpretations which exist in anthropology. The author sees the sources and the heart of human nature that lie in the platitude of spirit, as well as concludes on the need to return the concept of “spirit” into the anthropological discourse.

Keywords: Scheler, Berdyaev, Psychology, Philosophical anthropology, Transcendence, Freedom, Personality, Human nature, Soul, Spirit

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2016.8.68140

Keywords: Scheler, Berdyaev, Psychology, Philosophical anthropology, Transcendence, Freedom, Personality, Human nature, Soul, Spirit

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2015.8.15582

Abstract: The subject of the research is the intersubjective nature of human Self. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the works of 'late Fichte' whose methodology is described by the author of the article as an 'abstract variant' of the approach to this problem first presented in Russian philosophical and psychological researches of the XXth century. In his article Sorvin carries out a critical analysis of the concept of developing the 'idea of the other Self' based on one's external experience and proves the relation of this idea to the social nature of consciousness. The author also studies the question whether it is necessary to change the idea about the ontological status of symbolic items within the framework of the reflexive theory of human. In his article Sorvin performs the comparative analysis of the approaches to studying the intersubjective nature of human Self as it is presented in late Fichte's works and researches of Russian psychologists and philosophers of culture-historical orientation. The researcher also studies the methodological potential of the category 'Du-heit' ('You-being') offered by M. Sheller and emphasizes the importance of this category in examining symbolic items. According to the author, so-called 'Spinozian' methodology used by Russian psychological (L. Vygotsky) and philosophical (E. Ilyenkov) schools have both advantages and disadvantages for studying the aforesaid topic. Meanwhile, the methodology of late Fichte's works creates the general basis for modern researches of the intersubjective nature of consciousness including reflective understanding of the nature of symbolic items and adequate understanding of the relationship between the material and the ideal demonstrated by these symbolic items.

Keywords: estrangement, solidarity, symbol, self-consciousness, animism, thinking, subject, spirituality, sign, matter

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2015.8.66934

Keywords: estrangement, solidarity, symbol, self-consciousness, animism, thinking, subject, spirituality, sign, matter

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2013.9.8866

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2013.9.63152

Abstract: The article analyzes Karl Marx’s teaching from the point of view of natural-science approach in characterological creatology. Characterological creatology is an approach to studying life and creative work (in the broadest sense of the word) based on natural personalities and national-psychological features. The purpose of this study is to analyze Marx’s scientific writings from the point of view of Marx’s personality. Such approach opposes to a traditional academic approach to studying Marx’s legacy. Moreover, when analyzing Marx’s ideas, the author relies on a number of modern researches of Marx by Russian and foreign researchers (economists, sociologists and philosophers) which allows to cover Marx’s teachings and highlight the most important points. The author of the article also compares concepts of human and society in Marxism (dialectical materialism) and natural-science materialism. It is concluded that each of the represented materialistic conceptions is needed in its own way and must be developed in the cultural environment.