Philosophy and Contemporary Science ABSTRACT: This paper is concerned with some of the differences between philosophy and contemporary science, and with the significance of these differences for the question of the nature of philosophy. Differences of particular interest here are ones that tend to be concealed and ignored through the influence of the professionalist attitudes of contemporary science, an influence that manifests itself in the prevailing normative attitude to the vocabularies
Teleology in Contemporary Science Continuous controversies about how Aristotle's teleological biology relates to modern biological science address some widely debated questions in contemporary philosophy of science. Three main groups of objections made by contemporary science against Aristotle's biology can be identified: 1) Aristotle's biological teleology is too anthropomorphic; 2) the idea is tied too substance based; 3) Aristotle's final ends contradict the mechanistic spirit of modern science, which
extrasensory perception and psychical experiences. Whereas psychology and psychoanalysis deal with the corporeal man... parapsychology deals with the spiritual man. This spiritual branch of psychology was known to the Greek philosopher Aristotle as the science of metaphysics. We are told by him that, "the spirituous body either undergoes a certain breakdown or, by being out of symmetry, troubles and hampers understanding"... mental derangement and dulling of the understanding of man is due to changes in
text, however, it becomes evident that Cavendish’s message is complementary to Milton’s. This is not to say that either Milton or Cavendish were pure theologians in their world view, placing no value on science or logic; rather, both found a measure of importance in the findings of contemporary science and consequently instilled in their literary protagonists curiosity about the laws of the universe. It was just such cosmic curiosity that plagued thinking individuals of the Renaissance period. As
Switzerland’s Contemporary Contributions to Science and Technology Established on August 1, 1291, the Swiss Confederation is a small country with a giant impact in the world of scientific and technological innovations. Commonly known for cheese, chocolate, mountain chalets, army knives, precision watch movements, and financial prowess, its national resume also includes a commitment to higher education, scientific research and development, and technological advancements—all with a reputation for pushing
Mathematical Models of Spacetime in Contemporary Physics and Essential Issues of the Ontology of Spacetime ABSTRACT: The general theory of relativity and field theory of matter generate an interesting ontology of space-time and, generally, of nature. It is a monistic, anti-atomistic and geometrized ontology — in which the substance is the metric field — to which all physical events are reducible. Such ontology refers to the Cartesian definition of corporeality and to Plato's ontology of nature
Trends of Contemporary Russian Thought (1) ABSTRACT: This paper focuses on the most recent period in the development of Russian thought (1960s-1990s). Proceeding from the cyclical patterns of Russian intellectual history, I propose to name it 'the third philosophical awakening.' I define the main tendency of this period as 'the struggle of thought against ideocracy.' I then suggest a classification of main trends in Russian thought of this period: (1) Dialectical materialism in its evolution
Contemporary Cosmology and Philosophy and the Beginning of the Universe ABSTRACT: Since the 1970s both in physics and cosmology, there has been a controversy on the subject of the ‘beginning of the universe.’ This indicates that this intriguing problem has reached scientific consideration and, perhaps, a solution. The aim of this paper is to try to answer the question as to whether the origin of the world has slipped out of the hands of philosophers (and theologians), and passed in its entirety
Identity, Perception, Action and Choice in Contemporary and Traditional "No-Self" Theories ABSTRACT: The ego is traditionally held to be synonymous with individual identity and autonomy, while the mind is widely held to be a necessary basis of cognition and volition, with responsibility following accordingly. However Buddhist epistemology, existential phenomenology and poststructuralism all hold the notion of an independent, subsisting, self-identical subject to be an illusion. This not only raises
The Decline of Contemporary Islam The Islamic civilization that produced such tolerance, knowledge, and beauty throughout history is now only able to produce terrorists. Extreme acts of violence, such as the September 11 terrorist attacks, test the mettle and moral depth of societies-the society that is targeted by the violence and the society that generated it. For instance, the Japanese stealth attack on Pearl Harbor tested both the aggressor and the victim. Pearl Harbor challenged the moral