Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Reactive Attitudes: A New Solution
for the Problem of Free WillReactive Attitudes: A New Solution
for the Problem of Free Will718385FAFakhr Al SadatAlaviMuhammad AliEzheiJournal Article20110525Throughout the history of thought, free will and determinism have sparked offheated and controversial philosophical debates. Changed in form due to time lapse and mankind’s developments, the long-helddebate still addresses the same questions. Opposing the traditional view that free will and determinism are in constant conflict, some philosophers have put forward the idea that they are compatible. Among them, one can refer to P. F. Strawson who is also known for formulating the idea of reactive attitudes. In his groundbreaking work,Freedom and Resentment, he seeks to focus on reactive attitudes of mankind in his daily life. Stemming from mankind’s nature and representing his need for respect and goodwill, these attitudes are inseparable from his interactions and form an adequate basis for holding others responsible. This paper seeks to shed some light on Strawson’s approach to free will and determinism.Throughout the history of thought, free will and determinism have sparked offheated and controversial philosophical debates. Changed in form due to time lapse and mankind’s developments, the long-helddebate still addresses the same questions. Opposing the traditional view that free will and determinism are in constant conflict, some philosophers have put forward the idea that they are compatible. Among them, one can refer to P. F. Strawson who is also known for formulating the idea of reactive attitudes. In his groundbreaking work,Freedom and Resentment, he seeks to focus on reactive attitudes of mankind in his daily life. Stemming from mankind’s nature and representing his need for respect and goodwill, these attitudes are inseparable from his interactions and form an adequate basis for holding others responsible. This paper seeks to shed some light on Strawson’s approach to free will and determinism.Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Dialectical TheologyDialectical Theology1934386FAShamsolmoloukMostafaviJournal Article20110501Swiss reformed theologian and thinker, Karl Barth (1886-1968) is regarded as the founding father of neo-orthodoxy in Protestantism. In the post-World War world where religion was under constant attack by critics, people had lost their faith in God, and liberal orthodoxy had degraded religion to a historical phenomenon and a guarantee for moral values, Barth developed “dialectical theology” in order to save religion. This article seeks to take a brief look at the claims made by liberal theology and Barth’s criticisms against it, present dialectical theology as a replacement for liberal theology and shed light on Barth’s role in the history of modern thought.Swiss reformed theologian and thinker, Karl Barth (1886-1968) is regarded as the founding father of neo-orthodoxy in Protestantism. In the post-World War world where religion was under constant attack by critics, people had lost their faith in God, and liberal orthodoxy had degraded religion to a historical phenomenon and a guarantee for moral values, Barth developed “dialectical theology” in order to save religion. This article seeks to take a brief look at the claims made by liberal theology and Barth’s criticisms against it, present dialectical theology as a replacement for liberal theology and shed light on Barth’s role in the history of modern thought.Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923"Art" and "Truth" in Adorno's
Aesthetic Theory"Art" and "Truth" in Adorno's
Aesthetic Theory3560388FANoushinShahandehHussein AliNozariJournal Article20110122Adorno's conception about the roles that art can play in various areas of human's life is absolutely different from the dogmatic thoughts of the traditional culture and philosophy. According to Adorno, the most important function of art consists in its "critical" approach and "redemptionary" character for analyzing and criticizing the structures of domination and suppression in the society. Hence, Adorno's emphasis on the critical theory of art and its role in transforming social consciousness relies on what he calls the "truth content" of art and artwork. Adorno's main motivation for questioning the relation of "art" and "truth" goes back to the social role of art and the epistemological function it would have. In this paper, some of Adorno's central ideas and notions, regarding the "truth content" theme, especially in his Aesthetic Theory will be discussed.Adorno's conception about the roles that art can play in various areas of human's life is absolutely different from the dogmatic thoughts of the traditional culture and philosophy. According to Adorno, the most important function of art consists in its "critical" approach and "redemptionary" character for analyzing and criticizing the structures of domination and suppression in the society. Hence, Adorno's emphasis on the critical theory of art and its role in transforming social consciousness relies on what he calls the "truth content" of art and artwork. Adorno's main motivation for questioning the relation of "art" and "truth" goes back to the social role of art and the epistemological function it would have. In this paper, some of Adorno's central ideas and notions, regarding the "truth content" theme, especially in his Aesthetic Theory will be discussed.Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Nietzsche’s Dionysian Approach
to Life and DeathNietzsche’s Dionysian Approach
to Life and Death6182390FAHamidrezaMahboubi AraniJournal Article20110704According to Schopenhauer, man’s encounter with death and suffering has turned him into a metaphysical animal, that is, a being in search for a meaning or justification for his suffering and death. Nietzsche agrees on this point with Schopenhauer. The author of this paper seeks to show how Nietzsche attempts through his different works, which represent different stages of his thinking, to come up with a meaning for death, or at least some consolation. The German scholar first begins with the Apollonian and the Dionysian solutions, in The Birth of Tragedy, which the author elaborates on in the second part of the current paper and shows why Nietzsche prefers the second over the first. In his middle works, Nietzsche abandons his early solution and makes way for some momentary experiments. Then, he returns to the Dionysian approach which is, according to the author’s claim, his ultimate solution or consolation in the face of death in his later works, although this time not based on a metaphysical foundation as it was in his first book. According to Schopenhauer, man’s encounter with death and suffering has turned him into a metaphysical animal, that is, a being in search for a meaning or justification for his suffering and death. Nietzsche agrees on this point with Schopenhauer. The author of this paper seeks to show how Nietzsche attempts through his different works, which represent different stages of his thinking, to come up with a meaning for death, or at least some consolation. The German scholar first begins with the Apollonian and the Dionysian solutions, in The Birth of Tragedy, which the author elaborates on in the second part of the current paper and shows why Nietzsche prefers the second over the first. In his middle works, Nietzsche abandons his early solution and makes way for some momentary experiments. Then, he returns to the Dionysian approach which is, according to the author’s claim, his ultimate solution or consolation in the face of death in his later works, although this time not based on a metaphysical foundation as it was in his first book. Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Environmental Ethics: Some Prerequisite Conceptual AnalysesEnvironmental Ethics: Some Prerequisite Conceptual Analyses8396391FARouhollahRamezani VarzanehAhmad Ali AkbarMesgariJournal Article20110108This article covers some conceptual analyses made about basic issues in environmental ethics. The analyses were partly concerned with the significance and efficacy of philosophical efforts regarding environmental issues and partly with the methods, arguments, concepts, and ideas common in this field of philosophy. The findings led the researchers to conclude that a principlistic attitude is inevitable, and a doer-based or action-based attitude, instead of the common subject-based attitude, towards ethical duties would pave the way for extending human duties to non-human beings. Moreover, a right-based conception of duty would better explain our duty towards non-human beings while “right” is understood according to the notion of “need” rather than “value”.This article covers some conceptual analyses made about basic issues in environmental ethics. The analyses were partly concerned with the significance and efficacy of philosophical efforts regarding environmental issues and partly with the methods, arguments, concepts, and ideas common in this field of philosophy. The findings led the researchers to conclude that a principlistic attitude is inevitable, and a doer-based or action-based attitude, instead of the common subject-based attitude, towards ethical duties would pave the way for extending human duties to non-human beings. Moreover, a right-based conception of duty would better explain our duty towards non-human beings while “right” is understood according to the notion of “need” rather than “value”.Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Kristeva's Hermeneutics and
IntertextualityKristeva's Hermeneutics and
Intertextuality97114392FAMahdiGhiyasvandJournal Article20110612The present article gives a brief overview of "intertextuality” in order to show the consequences of this concept on reading, understanding, and interpreting of texts. Drawing the picture of hermeneutics in the mirror of intertextuality requires the discussion of the concept of text. For Kristeva, any text is the absorption and transformation of other texts; hence, she calls it a production. In this way, the act of reading plunges us into a network of textual relations and to interpret a text, to discover its meaning, or meanings, is to trace those relations. So in Kristeva's hermeneutics, assertions of objectivity, scientific rigors, methodological stability, and other highly rationalistic-sounding terms are replaced by an emphasis on uncertainty, indeterminacy, and some other ideas like the "death of author".The present article gives a brief overview of "intertextuality” in order to show the consequences of this concept on reading, understanding, and interpreting of texts. Drawing the picture of hermeneutics in the mirror of intertextuality requires the discussion of the concept of text. For Kristeva, any text is the absorption and transformation of other texts; hence, she calls it a production. In this way, the act of reading plunges us into a network of textual relations and to interpret a text, to discover its meaning, or meanings, is to trace those relations. So in Kristeva's hermeneutics, assertions of objectivity, scientific rigors, methodological stability, and other highly rationalistic-sounding terms are replaced by an emphasis on uncertainty, indeterminacy, and some other ideas like the "death of author".Allameh Tabataba’i UniversityWisdom And Philosophy1735-323893520130923Common Epistemology and Its Natural Limitations for Analysis and Interpretation of Religious Epistemological ThoughtCommon Epistemology and Its Natural Limitations for Analysis and Interpretation of Religious Epistemological Thought115136394FAMuhammad AliAbbasian ChaloshtariJournal Article20110425As the psychological tendency to accept a proposition as true, belief has two aspects; on the one hand, it leads to practical consequences. When we hold a belief, other psychological tendencies emerge as a result. A belief can not only change our behavior but also affect our life to a large degree. This is called the “pragmatic” aspect of belief. On the other hand, a belief can lead or at least bring us closer to the truth or falseness of a preposition. It is called the “epistemological” aspect of belief in this paper. Ignoring the second aspect, epistemological philosophers only address truth or falseness and reason or process. In their viewpoint, it is only truth or falseness, reference to facts, permissibility or impermissibility, and reliability or unreliability that make a belief epistemologically significant. Therefore, epistemology fails to address such Islamic principles as “faith” , “atheism” , “polytheism” , and “discord”. As the main terms and notions stated in the Holy <em>Qur’an</em>, they are the combinations of the two aspects of belief and have to lose this feature to enter the realm of epistemological research.As the psychological tendency to accept a proposition as true, belief has two aspects; on the one hand, it leads to practical consequences. When we hold a belief, other psychological tendencies emerge as a result. A belief can not only change our behavior but also affect our life to a large degree. This is called the “pragmatic” aspect of belief. On the other hand, a belief can lead or at least bring us closer to the truth or falseness of a preposition. It is called the “epistemological” aspect of belief in this paper. Ignoring the second aspect, epistemological philosophers only address truth or falseness and reason or process. In their viewpoint, it is only truth or falseness, reference to facts, permissibility or impermissibility, and reliability or unreliability that make a belief epistemologically significant. Therefore, epistemology fails to address such Islamic principles as “faith” , “atheism” , “polytheism” , and “discord”. As the main terms and notions stated in the Holy <em>Qur’an</em>, they are the combinations of the two aspects of belief and have to lose this feature to enter the realm of epistemological research.