Author Archives: Mary

Aristotle’s Comparative Logic: a Textual Note

aristotle_1This paper deals with Aristotle, Topics, 119 a20-22. This passage contains a logical f law in all the available translations in modern languages (Tricot, Zadro, Colli, Barnes, Pickard-Cambridge, Wager/Rapp, Rolfes).

This notwithstanding, I claim that the Greek makes sense, and that Aristotle’s comparative logic is consistent. I defend this claim by looking at Aristotle’s use of negation. Continue reading

The Problem of Guilt and Responsibility in Postwar Germany

BerlinToday in the culture of modern society, on the one hand, the negative attitude to totalitarianism is declared, on the other hand, there is real danger of its restoration.

Some countries have endured the totalitarian period in their history, so the question of need of overcoming such a past as well as question of steady attitude towards this past are evident. Continue reading

«Digital Revolution»: Ethical Challenges and Possible Risks

Digital-RevolutionIn recent years, social changes have become the basis for the emergence of the concept of “digital revolution”. This is a fairly broad concept that covers possible social, economic and political changes based on advances in information and computer technologies.

It should be noted that both in the mass consciousness and among researchers there is no identical, even terminological, understanding of what exactly should be attributed to the most important Continue reading

Metaphysics and the Crisis of Science

martin-heidegger11Almost 80 years ago, Edmund Husserl complained about a deep crisis that modern science undergoes, in spite of all its recent achievements.

Almost at the same time, Martin Heidegger claimed that the project of modern science, unlike that of ancient philosophy, is to gain complete technical control over nature rather than theoretical knowledge about it, and that a deep cleft between science and original philosophy has thus opened up. Continue reading

Ethics of Freedom and Equality

happyIn the Metaphysics of Manners, Kant claimed that freedom is “the only original right inherent in every human being because of his belonging to the human race.” Therefore, a good life in society is therefore impossible without freedom.

However, here, in the Metaphysics of Manners, Kant ascribes to freedom and equality a certain identity. He defines freedom as “independence from the coercive arbitrariness of the other”. Continue reading

Violence as a Noumenon

violenceThe presentation is devoted to substantiation and disclosure of the thesis that violence is an important factor of social and domestic life of a person is due to the fact that he is a thinking being, not the result of any special physical or social organizations.

The concept “violence” is used here as a generalized term for such concepts as aggression, destructiveness, cruelty. Continue reading

Moral and Political Ideal of Cicero

CiceronThe first century BC was marked for the Roman Republic by the intensification of inside crisis processes that led to its collapse. In many ways, these processes were caused by perversion of the system of state power, where the dominant place was occupied by the tribal aristocracy.

Access to the Senate and magistrates was actually closed to truly active, gifted citizens ready to serve the Republic. On the contrary: representatives of the nobility, having guarantees of access to power, regardless of personal qualities and merits, used their position in their personal interests. Continue reading

Metaphysical Foundations of Aristotle’s Ethics

AristIt is common place to consider Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Ethics completely independently of one another. At the same time there are a number of researchers who argue against this traditional point of view and try to find connection between Ethics and Metaphysics of Aristotle.

In my report I will describe the approach of the authors who suppose that Aristotle’s Ethics has a metaphysical foundation.

And I will show some problem consequences from this point of view. Aristotle’sNicomachean Ethics” starts from two fundamental assumes: Continue reading

The Moral Justification of the Law Reforming

Attorney's moral dutyLaw and morality are the ways of regulating of the social relations. The right, as well as a morality is a dynamic system that has a different expression in the different historical epochs.

Different approaches to the definition and understanding of law in the scientific literature are affecting to the interpretation of the legal and illegal facts. Continue reading

The Politico-Philosophical Treatise and Historical Chronicles (Aristotle and Niccolo Machiavelli)

PhilosBesides to philosophical genres, philosophers also turned to historical genres. We would like to focus our attention on several genres in the works of Aristotle and Niccolo Machiavelli – the politico-philosophical treatise and historical chronicles that are closely intertwined in the work of philosophers.

Analyzing the works of Aristotle (“Constitution of the Athenians” and “Politics”) and N. Continue reading