Wisdom And Philosophy

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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.

Abstract 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. 

Abstract 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”.

Abstract 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".

Abstract 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 Qur’an, they are the combinations of the two aspects of belief and have to lose this feature to enter the realm of epistemological research.