Papers by Štefan Zolcer
Studia Philosophiae Christianae
This book presents a complex picture of the universe and man from historical and contemporary per... more This book presents a complex picture of the universe and man from historical and contemporary perspectives, including philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. It consists of several papers by authors from various fields, and it is divided into three main parts. The first part addresses some interesting questions from the history of philosophy and theology; the second part focuses on contemporary astrophysics and astrobiology and the question of extraterrestrial life; the third part considers the ethical and environmental dimensions of these questions. --------------------------- Received: 19/02/2023. Reviewed: 17/03/2023. Accepted: 30/03/2022.
Zolcer, Š. (2023): „Selected Aspects of Whitehead´s Ontology and Cosmology.” In: Plašienková, Z. (ed.): The image of man and the universe : interdisciplinary perspectives and challenges. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave., 2023
Abstract: The paper aims to describe selected aspects of Whitehead´s ontology and cosmology in th... more Abstract: The paper aims to describe selected aspects of Whitehead´s ontology and cosmology in the context of his metaphysical system and his philosophy in general. The introduction deals with the status and role of metaphysical inquiries, explains the ambitions of Whitehead´s metaphysical enterprise, and outlines his epistemological basis. The central concepts of Whitehead's ontology and cosmology treated in this paper are actual entities, prehensions, concrescence, eternal objects, relations, and creativity. The analysis of the concept of actual entities includes the elaboration of all these concepts. As it will be shown in the paper, actual entities are processes of becoming, and the structure of this process unfolds the essential aspects of the universe as such and exhibits the dynamics between process and reality (becoming and being). The paper concludes by suggesting some potential contributions of Whitehead's philosophy of organism to selected philosophical problems still relevant today.
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead, ontology, cosmology, philosophy of organism, actual entities
Human Affairs, 2023
There are several conceptions of man in the history of philosophy. However, two considerable tend... more There are several conceptions of man in the history of philosophy. However, two considerable tendencies are recurring throughout modern history. A human being can be perceived as a complex mechanism or as a living organism. The response to the query has essential consequences in different areas. The article aims to provide a view of humankind that builds upon an organic conception of life, nature, and human beings, especially as elaborated by A. N. Whitehead and some of his followers. The article also briefly examines the emergence and development of a mechanistic view. The historical overview exposes the close relationship between the worldview of a given era and the understanding of man. Finally, the article argues that the organic conceptions of life developed in the first half of the 20th century provide an essential alternative to mechanistic views and could help us to deal with several problems we are currently encountering.
ZOLCER, Š. (2021): Nová kozmológia v ranom novoveku. Heliocentrizmus a zdravý rozum. In: Gáliková Tolnaiová S. – Marchevský, O. – Kyslan, P. (eds.): Myslieť inak – iné v myslení. Bratislava: Slovenské filozofické združenie pri SAV, s. 72-82., 2021
Title: THE NEW COSMOLOGY IN EARLY MODERN TIMES. HELIOCENTRISM AND COMMON SENSE
Abstract: The aim ... more Title: THE NEW COSMOLOGY IN EARLY MODERN TIMES. HELIOCENTRISM AND COMMON SENSE
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to reflect on the relation between science and common sense, especially in the context of the scientific revolution imposed by the heliocentric theory in early modern times. It starts with a brief consideration of the relation between science and common sense in general, and then shifts these ideas in the context of early modern times. The paper also examines the historical circumstances in which the heliocentric theory of Nicholas Copernicus was made and forged. It is apparent that the new theory was not in accordance with contemporary common sense, and bore many philosophical and scientific problems. However, the new theory gradually won recognition and solved most of its problems in less then two hundred years. The paper concludes with a reflection on the question: What could it mean for us today?
Keywords: Cosmology – Heliocentrism – Common Sense – Science
Ostium, 2019
The philosophy of education and the philosophy of religion are two different intellectual fields ... more The philosophy of education and the philosophy of religion are two different intellectual fields that are not often thought of as intimately connected. However in the process philosophy of A. N. Whitehead they are closely related to each other. In this paper I introduce Whitehead's ideas on education and elucidate the main concepts of his philosophy of education. Then I bring these ideas into connection with his metaphysical system and with his understanding of religion. Whitehead's philosophy of religion is one of the most developed intellectual fields and recently there is a huge community of thinkers pursuing so called process theology. I will try to elucidate the concepts of God, morality, goodness and evil as presented in Whitehead's work. These concepts have their specific function in the philosophy of education. Finally I will bring these ideas into relation with the contemporary problems of education and indicate their relevance.
Metascience
Leemon McHenry - The Event Universe: the revisionary metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead. Book ... more Leemon McHenry - The Event Universe: the revisionary metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead. Book review
Human Affairs
In this paper I try to elucidate the differences between theoretical and practical endeavors in p... more In this paper I try to elucidate the differences between theoretical and practical endeavors in philosophy, and then to show that in a sense philosophy has to be theoretical, but— if it claims to be viable—it must be practical as well. First I consider the meaning of the terms theoretical, practical, abstract, and concrete. Then, with the help of Whitehead’s ideas on this topic, I briefly reflect on the method, aims and role of philosophy. I hold that a properly established philosophical approach should have its roots in concrete experience and should include concrete applications. Thus, abstract ideas can be (and indeed often are) transformed into our daily life practices, being applied to solve real problems—personal, social, environmental, etc. The ideas are conveyed from the sphere of philosophy to that of ordinary life. In the next stage I demonstrate this principle using a concrete example, Whitehead’s philosophical system and how it can be fruitfully applied to the sphere of ...
Filozofia
The aim of this paper is to outline the historical context of Whitehead's philosophical work with... more The aim of this paper is to outline the historical context of Whitehead's philosophical work with a special focus on the comparison to classical pragmatism. The paper is divided in two main parts. The first part deals with the characterization of process philosophy in general, especially with Whitehead's version of this philosophical movement, and contrasts it to traditional (substantial and mechanistic) philosophies. The second part examines some important common features of Whitehead's process philosophy and James' and Dewey's classical pragmatism. The most important point of connection of their philosophical work is the concept of experience. It is also important to mention that for all of them the common epistemological basis is radical empiricism (or naturalistic empiricism in case of Dewey) and the ontological assumption of (some form of) realism.
Filozofia, 2019
ZOLCER, Š.: Whitehead in Historical Context – Process Philosophy and Pragmatism
The aim of this ... more ZOLCER, Š.: Whitehead in Historical Context – Process Philosophy and Pragmatism
The aim of this paper is to outline the historical context of Whitehead’s philosophical work with a special focus on the comparison to classical pragmatism. The paper is divided in two main parts. The first part deals with the characterization of process philosophy in general, especially with Whitehead’s version of this philosophical movement, and contrasts it to traditional (substantial and mechanistic) philosophies. The second part examines some important common features of Whitehead’s process philosophy and James’ and Dewey’s classical pragmatism. The most important point of connection of their philosophical work is the concept of experience. It is also important to mention that for all of them the common epistemological basis is radical empiricism (or naturalistic empiricism in case of Dewey) and the ontological assumption of (some form of) realism.
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead – Process Philosophy – Pragmatism – W. James – J. Dewey – Radical Empiricism – Philosophy of Organism
Ostium, 2019
A. N. Whitehead on Education and Religion
The philosophy of education and the philosophy of reli... more A. N. Whitehead on Education and Religion
The philosophy of education and the philosophy of religion are two different intellectual fields that are not often thought of as intimately connected. However in the process philosophy of A. N. Whitehead they are closely related to each other. In this paper I introduce Whitehead's ideas on education and elucidate the main concepts of his philosophy of education. Then I bring these ideas into connection with his metaphysical system and with his understanding of religion. Whitehead's philosophy of religion is one of the most developed intellectual fields and recently there is a huge community of thinkers pursuing so called process theology. I will try to elucidate the concepts of God, morality, goodness and evil as presented in Whitehead's work. These concepts have their specific function in the philosophy of education. Finally I will bring these ideas into relation with the contemporary problems of education and indicate their relevance.
Filosofický časopis, 2017
Whitehead’s Critique of Modern Science
This paper aims to introduce Whitehead’s philosophical th... more Whitehead’s Critique of Modern Science
This paper aims to introduce Whitehead’s philosophical thinking in general but will focus especially on his critique of modern science and the particular solutions he presented in his works from his London period and from the beginning of his Harvard period. His main enterprise was a critical revision of the ultimate facts of natural science. He sees the task of speculative philosophy in redefining the main concepts of natural science in accordance with the rising modern physics and with his profound analysis of the structure of human experience. Finally I will try to examine the specific role of metaphysics in the system of natural knowledge.
In this paper I try to elucidate the differences between theoretical and practical endeavors in p... more In this paper I try to elucidate the differences between theoretical and practical endeavors in philosophy, and then to show that in a sense philosophy has to be theoretical, but— if it claims to be viable—it must be practical as well. First I consider the meaning of the terms theoretical, practical, abstract, and concrete. Then, with the help of Whitehead's ideas on this topic, I briefly reflect on the method, aims and role of philosophy. I hold that a properly established philosophical approach should have its roots in concrete experience and should include concrete applications. Thus, abstract ideas can be (and indeed often are) transformed into our daily life practices, being applied to solve real problems—personal, social, environmental, etc. The ideas are conveyed from the sphere of philosophy to that of ordinary life. In the next stage I demonstrate this principle using a concrete example, Whitehead's philosophical system and how it can be fruitfully applied to the sphere of deep ecology. There are many other examples that could be mentioned, but giving a proper demonstration of this application principle requires more space and so I concentrate only on one of these examples.
My presentation aims to introduce Whitehead´s philosophical thinking through a particular problem... more My presentation aims to introduce Whitehead´s philosophical thinking through a particular problem which is presented in his works – the relationship between science and philosophy. I start with a very brief introduction to Whitehead´s work and philosophy in general, outline the historical context in which his work emerged and which led him to formulate his huge metaphysical system. Then I choose some aspects of his metaphysics which could outline the relationship between science and philosophy and their method of discovery, as well as outline some of the implications of Whitehead´s metaphysical system.
Book Reviews by Štefan Zolcer
Metascience, 2018
Leemon McHenry - The Event Universe: the revisionary metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead. Book ... more Leemon McHenry - The Event Universe: the revisionary metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead. Book review
Books by Štefan Zolcer
Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2022
Paradigmatic changes of the view of the universe and man between medieval and early modern period... more Paradigmatic changes of the view of the universe and man between medieval and early modern period. The book provides a historical overview of scientific and philosophical thinking in between medieval and early modern times. It traces the continual transformation of the medieval thinking into modern scientific thinking. It also traces the development of the main features of modern scientific thinking. In the last chapter it traces the historical and anthropological changes, the changing concept of man and his relation to the world.
Drafts by Štefan Zolcer
Unpublished essay, 2024
This talk was written in the context of the current struggle of our society – the struggle about ... more This talk was written in the context of the current struggle of our society – the struggle about truth, the fight between conservative and liberal values. Its aim is to point to a direction where our civilization and our culture could be heading. My aim is to point to the fact, that there is no going back to a previous value system or to a previous truth system. The only possible and desirable way is to integrate the previous systems into higher value and truth systems, a dialectical move – overcoming the opposites into a synthesis. And there is no jumping of value systems two steps higher. Only one quantum leap is possible at once.
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Papers by Štefan Zolcer
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead, ontology, cosmology, philosophy of organism, actual entities
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to reflect on the relation between science and common sense, especially in the context of the scientific revolution imposed by the heliocentric theory in early modern times. It starts with a brief consideration of the relation between science and common sense in general, and then shifts these ideas in the context of early modern times. The paper also examines the historical circumstances in which the heliocentric theory of Nicholas Copernicus was made and forged. It is apparent that the new theory was not in accordance with contemporary common sense, and bore many philosophical and scientific problems. However, the new theory gradually won recognition and solved most of its problems in less then two hundred years. The paper concludes with a reflection on the question: What could it mean for us today?
Keywords: Cosmology – Heliocentrism – Common Sense – Science
The aim of this paper is to outline the historical context of Whitehead’s philosophical work with a special focus on the comparison to classical pragmatism. The paper is divided in two main parts. The first part deals with the characterization of process philosophy in general, especially with Whitehead’s version of this philosophical movement, and contrasts it to traditional (substantial and mechanistic) philosophies. The second part examines some important common features of Whitehead’s process philosophy and James’ and Dewey’s classical pragmatism. The most important point of connection of their philosophical work is the concept of experience. It is also important to mention that for all of them the common epistemological basis is radical empiricism (or naturalistic empiricism in case of Dewey) and the ontological assumption of (some form of) realism.
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead – Process Philosophy – Pragmatism – W. James – J. Dewey – Radical Empiricism – Philosophy of Organism
The philosophy of education and the philosophy of religion are two different intellectual fields that are not often thought of as intimately connected. However in the process philosophy of A. N. Whitehead they are closely related to each other. In this paper I introduce Whitehead's ideas on education and elucidate the main concepts of his philosophy of education. Then I bring these ideas into connection with his metaphysical system and with his understanding of religion. Whitehead's philosophy of religion is one of the most developed intellectual fields and recently there is a huge community of thinkers pursuing so called process theology. I will try to elucidate the concepts of God, morality, goodness and evil as presented in Whitehead's work. These concepts have their specific function in the philosophy of education. Finally I will bring these ideas into relation with the contemporary problems of education and indicate their relevance.
This paper aims to introduce Whitehead’s philosophical thinking in general but will focus especially on his critique of modern science and the particular solutions he presented in his works from his London period and from the beginning of his Harvard period. His main enterprise was a critical revision of the ultimate facts of natural science. He sees the task of speculative philosophy in redefining the main concepts of natural science in accordance with the rising modern physics and with his profound analysis of the structure of human experience. Finally I will try to examine the specific role of metaphysics in the system of natural knowledge.
Book Reviews by Štefan Zolcer
Books by Štefan Zolcer
Drafts by Štefan Zolcer
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead, ontology, cosmology, philosophy of organism, actual entities
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to reflect on the relation between science and common sense, especially in the context of the scientific revolution imposed by the heliocentric theory in early modern times. It starts with a brief consideration of the relation between science and common sense in general, and then shifts these ideas in the context of early modern times. The paper also examines the historical circumstances in which the heliocentric theory of Nicholas Copernicus was made and forged. It is apparent that the new theory was not in accordance with contemporary common sense, and bore many philosophical and scientific problems. However, the new theory gradually won recognition and solved most of its problems in less then two hundred years. The paper concludes with a reflection on the question: What could it mean for us today?
Keywords: Cosmology – Heliocentrism – Common Sense – Science
The aim of this paper is to outline the historical context of Whitehead’s philosophical work with a special focus on the comparison to classical pragmatism. The paper is divided in two main parts. The first part deals with the characterization of process philosophy in general, especially with Whitehead’s version of this philosophical movement, and contrasts it to traditional (substantial and mechanistic) philosophies. The second part examines some important common features of Whitehead’s process philosophy and James’ and Dewey’s classical pragmatism. The most important point of connection of their philosophical work is the concept of experience. It is also important to mention that for all of them the common epistemological basis is radical empiricism (or naturalistic empiricism in case of Dewey) and the ontological assumption of (some form of) realism.
Keywords: A. N. Whitehead – Process Philosophy – Pragmatism – W. James – J. Dewey – Radical Empiricism – Philosophy of Organism
The philosophy of education and the philosophy of religion are two different intellectual fields that are not often thought of as intimately connected. However in the process philosophy of A. N. Whitehead they are closely related to each other. In this paper I introduce Whitehead's ideas on education and elucidate the main concepts of his philosophy of education. Then I bring these ideas into connection with his metaphysical system and with his understanding of religion. Whitehead's philosophy of religion is one of the most developed intellectual fields and recently there is a huge community of thinkers pursuing so called process theology. I will try to elucidate the concepts of God, morality, goodness and evil as presented in Whitehead's work. These concepts have their specific function in the philosophy of education. Finally I will bring these ideas into relation with the contemporary problems of education and indicate their relevance.
This paper aims to introduce Whitehead’s philosophical thinking in general but will focus especially on his critique of modern science and the particular solutions he presented in his works from his London period and from the beginning of his Harvard period. His main enterprise was a critical revision of the ultimate facts of natural science. He sees the task of speculative philosophy in redefining the main concepts of natural science in accordance with the rising modern physics and with his profound analysis of the structure of human experience. Finally I will try to examine the specific role of metaphysics in the system of natural knowledge.