History and Philosophy

Perbincangan mengenai pemodenan sering dikaitkan dengan perubahan nilai. Di Barat, modenisasi dikaitkan dengan keterbukaan masyarakatnya menerima perubahan dari aspek pemikiran dan kesediaan meliberalkan nilai tradisional. Wacana pemodenan Melayu juga tidak terlepas daripada menyentuh isu anjakan nilai. Pada satu pihak, terdapat stigma untuk mengekalkan nilai tradisional dalam usaha pembangunan dan pemodenan, dan pada satu pihak yang lain nilai tradisional dianggap perlu bagi jati diri dan identiti budaya, maka wujudlah suatu dilema. Dengan mengambil model pemodenan Melayu luar bandar oleh FELDA sebagai kajian kes, makalah ini akan mengupas isu pemodenan Melayu dengan membentangkan satu perspektif berdasarkan konsep “kemodenan pelbagai” yang mencadangkan modenisasi sebagai sesuatu yang boleh mengambil pelbagai bentuk. Idea ini bertentangan dengan teori modenisasi konvensional oleh Marx, Durkheim atau Weber yang menganggap pemodenan sesuatu masyarakat perlu mengikut perubahan dan perkembangan sepertimana yang telah berlaku di Barat. Penulis berpandangan bahawa pemodenan masyarakat Melayu mengambil bentuk berbeza daripada konteks pemodenan Barat kerana setiap masyarakat tidak berdiri secara vakum malah mempunyai struktur institusi sosialnya yang tersendiri dan perlu dihormati.

In this article, I will view realist and non-realist accounts of scientific models within the larger context of the cultural significance of scientific knowledge. I begin by looking at the historical context and origins of the problem of scientific realism, and claim that it is originally of cultural and not only philosophical, significance. The cultural significance of debates on the epistemological status of scientific models is then related to the question of ‘intelligibility’ and how science, through models, can give us knowledge of the world by presenting us with an ‘intelligible account/picture of the world’, thus fulfilling its cultural- epistemic role. Realists typically assert that science can perform this role, while non-realists deny this. The various strategies adopted by realists and non-realists in making good their respective claims, is then traced to their cultural motivations. Finally I discuss the cultural implications of adopting realist or non-realist views of models through a discussion of the views of Rorty, Gellner, Van Fraassen and Clifford Hooker on the cultural significance of scientific knowledge. 

Las narraciones que presentan la filosofía moderna como un periodo particular de la historia de la filosofía, al igual que las narraciones sobre otros periodos de la historia de la filosofía, son deudoras tanto de determinadas concepciones de la filosofía como de ciertas concepciones de su historia y de la historia. La mirada hacia el pasado filosófico se sitúa en un presente que, implícitamente o no, delimita el campo de lo que es considerado como filosofía y de lo propiamente filosófico, delimitación que implica una selección de las manifestaciones que caracterizan la filosofía, como, por ejemplo, sus autores, sus problemas, sus escenarios y sus formas discursivas. Dicho de otra manera, al narrar una historia de la filosofía se determinan de alguna manera quiénes son filósofes, qué temas son filosóficos, dónde se hace filosofía y cómo se escribe filosofía, entre otras cosas. A su vez, la narración histórica de las expresiones de ese pasado asume ciertas posiciones acerca de la historicidad de lo filosófico, de sus relaciones con los diferentes ámbitos de su emergencia, de sus métodos de investigación y de las modalidades discursivas deseables para esta narración

The undeniable association between Herakles and Dionysos in Greek (and Roman) mythology and artistic practice can be understood as part of a wider iconological paradigm relating to something bigger than artistic practice and even mythology itself.  Such an association may reflect their connection as brothers, not merely through their common father Zeus, or by the other similarities they share through myth, but by virtue of their archetypal natures, which it can be argued, reflect a mythologising of the equinoxes. While Dionysos represents the quadrant between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, which is a fairly obvious deduction given his domains of speciality, Herakles is more likely to represent the sun at the vernal equinox, marking the beginning of his journey of twelve labours. Such an interpretation is consistent with the festival periods of both deities respectively. As Burkert notes, within Homeric Greek mythology, “No god is a hero, and no hero becomes a god; only Dionysos and Heracles were able to defy this principle”; in other words, only these two deities are associated with crossing what Burkert calls the ‘chthonic- Olympian boundary’, which perfectly symbolises the equinoxial equilibrium, which separates a world of chaos and death as the sun slips beneath the celestial equator, and a paradisal land of divine abundance as the sun ascends and is reborn at the vernal equinox.  Tied to these celestial events, three distinct levels of symbolism seem to be operating; namely the mythological realm, the phenomena of seasonal change, and the psyche and lifecycle of the individual. However, to what extent the majority of contemporary adherents of ancient Greek religion understood or believed this is unknown. Considering the writings of contemporary historians, commentators, poets, and playwrights, a euhemeristic interpretation of Greek mythology seems to have been the prevailing approach. However, at some point these archetypes and stories were created or developed, and with such sophisticated symbolic coherence and layered complexity.

The terminology Hume uses for his descriptions of the sentiments characterising belief -- the “force,” “vivacity” and “steadiness” of conception -- is derived from the contemporary physiology of animal spirits and brain traces in the style of Malebranche. In this paper I show how studying the ways those terms were used within Malebranchean physiology provides a key to Hume’s usage. In particular, I suggest that as in the accounts of the motions of animal spirits so too in Hume’s descriptions of belief there is a crucial difference between “force” and “vivacity,” which refer to intensity, and “steadiness,” which is connected with repeated experience and custom. Hume's phenomenological descriptions of belief in terms of force and vivacity are substantiated with vignettes from common life and sociability, and account for the sentimental raw materials of belief on which experience and custom exercise their stabilizing and calibrating action.

The practicability of Niccolo Machiavelli's ideas The Prince has generated series of controversies among past and contemporary scholars. To some, the book is of the devil and has created more problems than it intends to resolve. To others, the ideas in the book are perfect description of the true nature of politics and political elites in the society. This paper attempts to resolve the lingering controversies through a critical analysis of the underlying factors that influenced the writing of this political treatise by Machiavelli. It is argued that the socio-cultural milieu of a philosopher cannot be separated from his philosophical idea. Also, the paper argues that to properly understand and interpret the logic behind the ideas in The Prince, one must first understand the socio-cultural environment under which Machiavelli and his political ideas developed and took shape.

განათლებული, ანუ, კრიტიკული პატრიოტიზმის შესახებ: რას ნიშნავს, როგორ უნდა გამოვიყენოთ, შეიძლება თუ არა პატრიოტიზმი იყოს უტილიტარული და ემსახურებოდეს ბედნიერების მიღწევას? ასევე, წიგნში განხილულია დღევანდელი ქართული იდენტობის საყრდენები კრიტიკული პატრიოტიზმის ხედვით.

Daniele Lorenzini 1. Dans cette intervention, j'aimerais revenir sur un sujet qui nous a déjà pas mal occupés cette année, mais que je me propose d'aborder sous un angle nouveau : le parallèle ou l'analogie que Kracauer établit entre histoire et photographie, en rapport notamment à ce qu'elles font à celui ou celle qui s'en approche pour les regarder, les étudier ou les utiliser. Dans l'introduction à History. The Last Things Before the Last, Kracauer affirme que, tout en n'étant pas en mesure de nous dire quoi que ce soit à propos de nos perspectives présentes et futures, la connaissance de l'histoire nous permet au moins d'introduire une distance salutaire entre nous-mêmes et le moment présent. C'est d'abord en ce sens que l'histoire ressemble à la photographie : elle est, comme celle-ci, un « moyen d'aliénation » (K, 5). Kracauer nous met pourtant en garde. Au début du chapitre 4, en commentant la comparaison que trace Macaulay entre l'historien et le touriste, il remarque que l'objectif de l'appareil photo peut également jouer le rôle inverse : ces touristes qui, devant le Panthéon, « s'empressent de photographier leurs proches », perdent irrémédiablement de vue les choses qu'ils visent dans l'objectif parce qu'ils ne les regardent pas vraiment. Simples « chasseurs d'images », les colonnes antiques du Panthéon ne leur servent que d'alibi. Or, d'après Kracauer, l'historien court un risque analogue lorsque, obsédé par « la supériorité de l'époque présente », il finit par perdre de vue le passé qu'il voudrait pourtant étudier (K4, 141).

Since the summer of 2002, the Olympia Summer Academy (http://olympiasummeracademy.org/) has been offering annually a wide range of specialized courses in Political Science and International Studies. During the course of these years, the Academy has acquired a stellar reputation not only for its high academic standards but also for its distinct identity that blends effectively the scholarly exchange with the friendly atmosphere, thus providing participants with the opportunity of a multicultural and holistic academic experience. Join us and benefit from:

• a faculty at the cutting edge of academic research;
• a worldwide scholarly network that each year brings together a highly diverse and talented group of about 100 graduate students and professors from more than 30 countries;
• a program with a tremendous social dynamic and friendly atmosphere, where the intellectual bonds and relationships formed during its course continue long after its conclusion;
• a picturesque venue where the medieval meets the modern.

Die Bibliothek der Historischen Gesellschaft von Johann Gustav Droysen bildet den ältesten Bestandteil der Zweigbibliothek Geschichte der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Diese Büchersammlung wurde ab 1860 angelegt und stellte nach Droysens Tod den ersten umfangreichen geschlossenen Bücherfundus dar, der an die Bibliothek des durch Julius Weizsäcker am 30. Januar 1885 gegriindeten Historischen Seminars gelangte. Thre Rückerschließung machte aufwändige Untersuchungen am Bestand selbst nötig.
Wenn als Ergebnis nun zum 200. Geburtstag von Johann Gustav Droysen ein Katalog der einstigen Bibliothek seiner Historischen Gesellschaft vorgelegt werden kann, so versteht sich dieser in erster Linie als wissenschaftshistorischer Beitrag zu den angen des Historischen Seminars und seiner Bibliothek, im weiteren Sinne aber auch als Reminiszenz an die reiche Tradition der Berliner Alma Mater, nicht zuletzt im Hinblick auf ihr bevorstehendes Jubiläum 2010.
Unter Mitarbeit von Mirjam Eisenzimmer, Barbara Groth, Kristin Huster, Stefanie Klemm, René Leipold, Tillmann Lohse, Susanne Pickert, Solveig Reineboth, Lucas Rüger, Rebecca Schaarschmidt, Maria Schultz, Niels Seehaase, Nikolai Wehrs, Romy Wolf und Henning Zillinger

Tra gli ultimi due decenni del VII secolo e i primi decenni del secolo VIII inizia ad attuarsi in maniera sempre più incisiva anche a Roma quel passaggio del potere istituzionale dall'impero verso le mani della Chiesa. Questo processo era già in pieno sviluppo in altri territori imperiali da quasi un secolo, utilizzato dalle autorità civili che miravano a volgere a proprio vantaggio il prestigio della Chiesa. Il ducato romano inizia a consolidarsi come realtà amministrativa e territoriale a sé stante rispetto all'Esarcato di Ravenna proprio durante questo frangente storico 1. Tale consolidameno è dovuto al continuo impegno del papato nel rafforzare la sua autorità sull'amministrazione locale in un contesto socio-politico di integrazione tra il personale bizantino e l'aristocrazia romano-pontificia. Il lento distacco del papato dall'impero d'Oriente-iniziato durante la metà del VII secolo sulla scia di molteplici problematiche di carattere religioso e dottrinario 2-e i seguenti provvedimenti di Leone III Isaurico sottrassero a Roma cospicue entrate in denaro e approvvigionamenti alimentari di lunga distanza. Queste entrate cesseranno per molti secoli a venire, ma se vi sono ancora dei traffici attivi che comprendono nei loro circuiti Roma, riguarderanno prodotti di lusso e materie appartenenti ad una produzione di nicchia specifica e specializzata. La città si allontanò da un sistema economico più ampio, anche a causa dell'avanzata musulmana nel Mediterraneo. La crisi monetaria che toccò Roma dal primo trentennio del secolo, la svalutazione dei solidi d'oro dovuta alla carenza del metallo prezioso, la contrazione del mercato e la tendenza verso una sua chiusura segnarono profondamente la vita e la fisionomia della città. Tra la fine del VII e gli inizi dell'VIII secolo, la documentazione numismatica permette di dire che la moneta di bronzo era ancora diffusa in maniera ramificata, segno di una continuità nel suo uso monetario e nel funzionamento del mercato, nonostante la forte riduzione del raggio 1 La costituzione del ducatus romanus, con Roma al centro di una regione territoriale e amministrativa abbastanza ampia è stata trattata sia da Bernard Bavant che da T. di Carpegna Falconieri in maniera esauriente e viene posta tra la fine del VI secolo e la fine del VII secolo. 2 I problemi di carattere religioso erano rivolti ad una definizione del dogma cristiano sulla doppia natura di Cristo, e queste causarono profondi contrasti tra la chiesa bizantina e quella romana. Bisanzio tentò di trovare soluzioni adeguate anche attraverso l'elaborazione del monotelismo, teoria che riconosceva la doppia natura di Cristo, umana e divina, ma la sottometteva alla sua unica volontà divina. Tale teoria – espressa soprattutto dai patriachi di Costantinopoli-venne respinta sia dai metropoliti delle chiese più importanti orientali che dal papato e le chiese occidentali, acuendo in maniera irreversibile la crisi tra Oriente e Occidente.

The essay reads Ralph Waldo Emerson’s argument for a “nation of friends,” in “Politics,” as Emerson’s response to his lament, also in “Politics,” that the “power of love, as the basis of the State, has never been tried.” By a careful reading of that essay, which includes locating “Politics” within the debate in Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan between right and law, I argue for a new understanding of time and friendship in Emerson’s thought.

Drawing on contributions to the conference Science in the Forest, Science in the Past, and on exemplary works of Annemarie Mol and Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, this article offers reflections on the opportunities and challenges for historians of the sciences that are presented by the "ontological turn." It notes how this approach leads to recognition of plurality in the sciences, not only with regard to content but also with respect to the personae adopted by their practitioners, and how it encourages attention to aspects of the sciences embedded in everyday and routine practices. In conclusion some suggestions are offered on the problems of accessing and communicating to others distant sciences of the forest and/or the past.

HISTORICAL OBJECTIVITY
An academic conversation between historians Ēriks Jēkabsons and
Edgars Engīzers about history in the context of historical
objectivity, politics, and national identity.

This publication continues the cycle of academic conversations between Latvian historians about fundamental issues in history-writing.
This conversation outlines the dimension that allows speaking about history also from the political vantage point. The discussion focused on the role of history in the development of national identity and the self-awareness of society, addressing also the important issues regarding the lies and the truth, the subjective and objective aspects in history-writing and the historians’ role in society. The discussion highlighted the following
main ideas: Latvian historians are in a unique situation: on the one hand, our work is difficult, as some periods and sub-disciplines are in the research focus of only one or two specialists while some are not researched at all.
On the other hand, we are lucky because we have an opportunity to be
the pioneers, e.g., a Latvian historian can be the first researcher that reads
a particular archival file. But there is also a dark side to it: sometimes we
tend to become smug, which creates an illusionary impression that everything is OK; there is a shortage of criticism.
The historical science in Latvia in fact reveals the same shortcomings
that we see in science in general: we are under a very strong influence of
the Soviet science. It is neither bad nor good. On the one hand, the Soviet
practice required detailed factological research, but, on the other – it was
very strongly politicised.
Academic historians must consider a particular research issue from
all sides, also from the side of the historical figure, army or state, which
we regard as being absolutely wrong. History has always been used as a
tool and in fact as a specific weapon in political struggles and discussions. Sometimes we need “a shield” against this “sword”, and today the historians’ work is important also from this perspective. Kievan Rus is an excellent topical example showing that even issues of medieval history can still be used in political and ideological struggle.
Discords, conflicts, friendship, and hate in international relations
throughout the history of mankind have been dictated by historical perceptions; they are also the ones that define the sense and understanding of national unity. We tend to forget earlier topical issues, when a new one emerges. For example, we hardly remember that until the end of the First World War the abolition of serfdom was one of the main commemoration dates in Latvian countryside, like Midsummer celebrations today.
History is extremely important for each nation because the awareness of
the shared history is one of the fundamental elements of the national
identity. In this region, very many nations cultivate the “orphan’s complex”. It is determined not only by history, but also by conditions under
which the national independence was acquired.
Historians must aim at making scientific topicality their priority; this
is what determines the quality of our work. However, history will always
be subjective as well. Historians simply must try to be as impartial as
possible and consider all the involved sides.
We can make history attractive to the public only by illustrating it
with colourful examples, which are close to the heart of the particular
audience, e.g., by showing that their family members, the closest community were also affected by respective processes. However, historians must also speak about the aspects that are not so attractive. By failing to do this, we also politicise history.
Without the understanding of history, which is complicated for all
nations, we are unable to understand the current situation, current society, or the models of future action. Falsification of history or hushing
up uncomfortable truth is very broadly practiced under the conditions of
censorship in authoritarian regimes. Thus, we must be aware of the importance of history, in order to be able to identify and resist ill-intentioned manipulations and to build our society on genuine rather than
illusionary foundations.

... Paula Andrea Dejanon Bonilla. págs. 257-270. In-dependencia filosófica en América Latina: una tarea aún pendiente. José G. Santos Herceg. págs. 271-286. La ciencia en América Latina: una agenda pendiente. Víctor Hugo Gómez. págs. 287-308. ...

‘‘What Is Algebra?-Why This Book?’’ This is the amazing prelude to Taming the Unknown by Victor J. Katz, emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of the District of Columbia and Karen Hunger Parshall, professor of history of mathematics at the University of Virginia. This is an excellent book; its accurate
historical and pedagogical purpose offers an accessible read for historians and mathematicians. [to be continued]

Drawing on contributions to Science in the Forest, Science in the Past, and on exemplary works of Annemarie Mol and Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, this piece offers reflections on the opportunities and challenges for historians of the sciences that are presented by the “ontological turn”. It notes how this approach leads to recognition of plurality in the sciences, not only with regard to content, but also with respect to the personae adopted by their practitioners, and how it encourages attention to aspects of the sciences embedded in everyday and routine practices.  In conclusion some suggestions are offered on the problems of accessing and communicating to others distant sciences of the forest and/or the past.