The paper sees itself as a plea for an irreducibly relationalistic approach to anthropomedial relations in which man and media are always already dynamically linked. Based on the characteristics of the man-cinemarelation, the mode of affection comes to the fore that regulates both the form of existence and the accessibility of anthropomedial relations. In contrast to the common negligence of affects in media studies and philosophy, the investigation of practices and logics of affective meta-mediality could open a new field of (...) study for media philosophy. (shrink)

This text is about Martin Seel’s philosophical experiment on »not wanting to be right« in the light of concepts of the neutral, as found in French philosophy (Nancy, Blanchot). In the »neither-nor« and »both-as-well« positionings neutralize themselves undialectically. In relation to this, the relationship between art and philosophy can be systematically redefined. According to the thesis of this essay, both fields gain their comparability, difference, and specific contour through their complementary relationship to the neutral.

In diesem Beitrag wird für eine Theorie der ästhetischen Erfahrung des Films argumentiert, in der die spezifisch aisthetischen und phänomenologischen Dimensionen einen auch normativen Status für das Filmästhetische zugeschrieben bekommen. Der Begriff des ‚Leihkörpers‘ wird zu diesem Zweck eingeführt und hinsichtlich seines epistemischen Charakters als eine Form von implizitem Wissen ausgewiesen.

The new series of Ideen&Argumente subscribes to the ideal of a pluralist and open culture of argument and debate and presents well-produced volumes on topics and questions which make substantive or methodologically important contributions to contemporary philosophy. The publications are designed to effect a productive synergy between the Anglo-Saxon and Continental European philosophical traditions. Ideen&Argumente provides a platform for outstanding systematically oriented original editions and German first editions from all areas of Theoretical and Practical Philosophy. A welcome is extended to (...) programmatic monographs from whatever philosophical direction. The aim is to highlight anew the thematic and methodological richness of contemporary philosophy. (shrink)

Humor wird gemeinhin nicht eigens theoretisiert, sondern umstandslos mit dem Komischen und dem Lachen identifiziert. In diesem Aufsatz geht es darum, die Eigenlogik von humoresken Operationen vor dem Hintergrund von Freuds Auslassungen zum Humor herauszuarbeiten und für eine mediale Anthropologie produktiv zu machen. Im Unterschied zu herkömmlichen Anthropologien interessiert sich eine mediale Anthropologie für die ontologisierenden und wirklichkeitskonstituierenden Effekte technisch zu fassender Operationen. Humoreske Operationen sind entsprechend als Techniken der dionysischen Verschaltung von Lust- und Realitätsprinzip neu zu beleuchten. Usually, humor (...) is not theorized specifically, but identified with the comic and laughter. This paper deals with the internal logic of humorous operations in the context of Freud's writings on humor, in order to make them productive for medial anthropology. Unlike conventional anthropologies, medial anthropology is interested in the ontologizing effects of operations that can be understood in a technical way. Correspondingly, humoresque operations are to be studied anew as techniques of the Dionysian connection of pleasure and reality principle. (shrink)

"Die Ablehnung der Mimesis, verstanden als ein Anspruch von Darstellungen auf Naturnachahmung, ist ein charakteristischer Grundzug moderner Ästhetik und Erkenntnistheorie seit dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Parallel dazu existieren zeitgleich im Raum wissensbildender Institutionen wie den Naturkundemuseen Dispositive, etwa die Habitat-Dioramen, die das traditionell mimetische Ideal auf kreative Weise aufrechterhalten. Diese vermeintlich anachronistischen Dispositive werden hinsichtlich ihrer mimesisproduktiven Dimensionen medienphilosophisch reflektiert und zu Adornos Mimesisverständnis ins Verhältnis gesetzt. The rejection of mimesis, understood as a depiction’s claim on imitation of nature, (...) has been a characteristic feature of modern aesthetics and epistemology since the end of the 19th century. At the same time, there are also dispositives, such as habitat dioramas, which creatively maintain the traditionally mimetic ideal in the space of knowledge-building institutions such as museums of natural science. These supposedly anachronistic dispositions are reflected in media-philosophical terms with regard to their dimensions of mimesis production and are related to Adorno’s understanding of mimesis. ". (shrink)

Traditionell wird Einfühlung anthropozentrisch und figurenbezogen behandelt. Demgegenüber arbeitet dieser Text, anknüpfend an die ästhetische Einfühlungstheorie von Theodor Lipps und neuere Bild- und Filmtheorien, eine ästhetische Form dingbezogener Einfühlung heraus. Mit Bezug auf die dramaturgische Funktionsweise sogenannter McGuffins, wie Alfred Hitchcock sie für den Film eingeführt hat, rückt ein ganzes Genre filmischer Dinge exemplarisch ins Zentrum, die die Aufgabe übernehmen, eigenständig filmische Spannung und damit Immersion zu erzeugen. McGuffins treten meist in Form von konkreten Gegenständen wie Koffern oder Behältern auf, (...) die physischen Ortswechseln unterzogen werden und Faszination auf sich ziehen, ohne dafür auf psychologische und personenbezogene Register Bezug nehmen zu müssen. Die Spannung und Zeit antreibende Kraft von McGuffins, welche sich stets als bedeutungsleere Motive am Ende einer Geschichte erweisen, ist eine Funktion ihrer geradezu kontaktmagischen und kausalen Übertragungsmöglichkeiten. McGuffins organisieren narrative Bewegungen diesseits von Sinn und Bedeutung. Der Bezug auf dingbezogene Einfühlung weist in philosophischer Hinsicht auf die Notwendigkeit hin, nicht-semiotische und materielle Formen dramaturgischer Bewegung in ästhetischen und narrativen Theorien begrifflich stärker zu berücksichtigen. Empathy is traditionally treated anthropocentrically and figure-related. In contrast, this text, based on Theodor Lipp’s aesthetic theory of empathy and more recent image and film theories, works out an aesthetic form of thing-related empathy. With reference to the dramaturgical functioning of so-called McGuffins, as Alfred Hitchcock introduced them for film, an entire genre of cinematic things, which take on the task of independently creating cinematic suspense and thus immersion, takes centre stage. McGuffins usually appear in the form of concrete objects such as suitcases or containers which undergo physical changes of location and attract fascination without having to refer to psychological and personal registers. The suspense-and time-driving force of McGuffins, which always prove to be meaningless motifs at the end of a story, is a function of their almost contact-magic and causal transmission possibilities. McGuffins organize narrative movements instead of meaning and significance. In philosophical terms, the reference to material empathy points to the need to take greater account of non-semiotic and material forms of dramaturgical movement in aesthetic and narrative theories. (shrink)

A selection of writings by the fifteenth-century philosopher and magus Marsilio Ficino, on the subject of astrology and natural magic. The editor's introduction provides a substantial historical and philosophical context for this figure and explains Ficino's astrology in relation to his Christian Platonic convictions"--Provided by publisher.

Resumo: Este estudo objetiva identificar a natureza de verdade por Agostinho de Hipona (354-430), segundo as reflexões contidas no VII Livro da obra Confissões (397) que trata da Busca da Verdade. Para isso, é necessário reconhecer quais percursos o bispo de Hipona percorreu em sua vida terrena, bem como sua vivência filosófica. Nesse itinerário em busca da verdade se envolveu com o maniqueísmo, que em certa medida apresentava uma verdade racional e material, perspectiva que se aproximava do pensamento de Agostinho (...) na sua fase de juventude. Conforme foi amadurecendo intelectualmente e buscando compreensões das questões que permeiam a vida humana pode-se depreender o seu projeto de formação cristã, uma vez que, ao criticar o modo como conduzia sua vida pregressa (anterior à conversão) e evidenciar as mudanças em seus atos cotidianos para se adequar à forma de vida de um bom cristão, o autor explicita um projeto de educação e de sociedade que conduza aos bens eternos e imutáveis. A busca e o encontro da verdade ocorrerão mediante ações decorrentes de um ato de escolha particular, livre. Palavras-chave: Agostinho de Hipona; Verdade; Formação Cristã; Vontade. The itinerary of Augustine of Hippo in search of the truth and its Christian formation project Abstract: This study aims to identify the nature of truth by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), according to the reflections contained in the VII Book of the work Confessions (397) which deals with the Search for Truth. For this, it is necessary to recognize which paths the Bishop of Hippo took in his earthly life, as well as his philosophical experience. In this itinerary in search of the truth, he became involved with Manichaeism, which, to a certain extent, presented a rational and material truth, a perspective that was close to the thought of Augustine in his youth. As he matured intellectually and sought understanding of the issues that permeate human life, his project of Christian formation can be inferred, since, by criticizing the way he led his former life (prior to conversion) and highlighting the changes in his acts to adapt to the way of life of a good Christian, the author explains a project of education and society that leads to eternal and immutable goods. The search and finding of the truth will occur through actions resulting from an act of particular, free choice. Keywords: Augustine of Hippo; Truth; Christian Formation; Will. El itinerario de Agustín de Hipona en busca de la verdad y su proyecto de formación Cristiana Resumen: Este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar la naturaleza de la verdad de Agustín de Hipona (354-430), según las reflexiones contenidas en el Libro VII de la obra Confesiones (397) que trata de la Búsqueda de la Verdad. Para ello, es necesario reconocer qué caminos tomó el obispo de Hipona en su vida terrena, así como su experiencia filosófica. En este itinerario en busca de la verdad, se involucra con el maniqueísmo, que, en cierta medida, presenta una verdad racional y material, perspectiva cercana al pensamiento de Agustín en su juventud. De haber madurado intelectualmente y buscado la comprensión de los problemas que impregnan la vida humana, se puede inferir su proyecto de formación cristiana, ya que, al criticar la forma en que llevó su vida anterior (previa a la conversión) y destacando los cambios en sus actos para adaptarse a el modo de vida de un buen cristiano, el autor explica un proyecto de educación y sociedad que conduce a bienes eternos e inmutables. La búsqueda y el hallazgo de la verdad ocurrirán a través de acciones resultantes de un acto de libre elección particular. Palabras clave: Agustín de Hipona; Verdad; Formación Cristiana; Voluntad. Data de registro: 28/11/2022 Data de aceite: 18/10/2023. (shrink)

Can anything be reclaimed from the self-denigrating rhetoric of medieval women in the Christian tradition? This article investigates how feminists might retrieve the Christian virtue of humility by journeying through nine of its functions in the work of the thirteenth-century German beguine, Mechthild of Magdeburg. As a rhetorical strategy, authorizing tactic, and tool of moral formation, Mechthild's `sinking humility' retains a surprising relevance for feminist women and men today.

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Comparative Theology Is Not “Business-as-Usual Theology”:Personal Witness from a Buddhist ChristianPaul F. KnitterThe following reflections find their stimulus and start in a paper prepared for a doctoral seminar on comparative theology led by John Makransky at Boston College. I was asked whether I was a comparative theologian and, if so, what difference it had made in my professional work as a theologian and in my personal life as a (...) Christian. My basic answer was: “Yes, I think so” and “A lot!”In this reworking and expansion of that seminar paper, I hope to unpack that “a lot.” This will enable me not only to carry on the search for clarity (and integrity) that I began in my book Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian,1 but also to comment on the promise of comparative theology (CT) and why I fear that this promise all too often goes unfulfilled.What I’m getting at is capsulized in a blurb that John Thatamanil wrote for Michelle Voss Roberts’s Dualities: A Theology of Difference:2 “Comparative theology done well is a dangerous discipline precisely because it raises provocative questions and threatens to put an end to business-as-usual theology.” I fear that some comparative theologians are not taking their job seriously enough—or they are not following through with what they say they want to do. They are carrying on CT as business as usual.moving beyond business-as-usual theologyComparative theology, which two decades ago might have been considered a fade but has become a fixture in Christian theology,3 makes the bold, indeed thoroughly revolutionary, claim that in order to properly carry on the task of Christian theology, the traditional Christian sources—Scripture, tradition, the lex orandi or spiritual practice of the communities—are not enough. A Christian theologian, in order to be a Christian theologian, must also draw on the experience, teachings, scriptures, and insights of other spiritual communities and traditions. CT embodies Raimon Panikkar’s often [End Page 181] cited (at least by me!) dictum: In order to understand who I am, I have to ask who you are. And in order to know my God I have to ask about your God.4If what comparative theologians are here claiming is true, if my understanding of myself is incomplete without my understanding of you, then after I understand you, I can be pretty sure that my understanding of myself is going to be different—really different. Otherwise, I really didn’t need to talk with you in the first place! And this is why Thatamanil can rightly sound his unsettling warning that if CT is another form of business-as-usual theology, if it is not leading to some really new discoveries about oneself and one’s own tradition, then it is not living up to its job description. And that, as I tried to say elsewhere, is what I suspect might be the case.As I survey the output of comparative theologians over the past fifteen years, I sense that, with some promising exceptions among younger scholars, they are strong on comparing but soft on concluding. More pointedly, comparative theology, so far, has been more comparison than theology. There have been intricate comparisons of Christian texts with Hindu texts and of Christian theologians/mystics with Buddhist scholars/mystics. Striking similarities and stark differences have been noted and examined, sometime meticulously. But, where are the clear, creative, courageous conclusions as to what Christians can learn from these comparisons? What might need to be clarified or changed or discarded in traditional Christian doctrine? Especially on the neuralgic and politically dangerous (for Catholics) issue of the uniqueness of Christ, I am not aware of any comparativists who have learned anything new. I would be delighted to be proved wrong.5I suspect that the reason why some comparative theologians are caught in business-as-usual theology is that they are also still lingering under the influence of postmodernism’s and postliberal theology’s insistence on the dominance of diversity. In their concern to respect and defend differences, postmodernists and postliberals conclude that cultures and religions are more different than they... (shrink)

Bezeichnet man im deutschsprachigen Raum eine kulturelle Veranstaltung als 'Spektakel', geht damit oft eine negative Wertung einher. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigt der Band die vielfältigen Begriffsdimensionen, medialen Charakteristika und Funktionen dieser zentralen ästhetischen Kategorie in künstlerischen, epistemischen und politischen Kontexten auf. Beiträge aus Kunstgeschichte, Philosophie, Film-, Literatur-, Medien-, Tanz- und Theaterwissenschaft setzen sich mit ästhetischen Theorien und Praktiken des Spektakels von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart auseinander. Die behandelten Beispiele reichen von der christlichen Liturgie bis zur Barockoper, von Paulinus von (...) Nola bis Christoph Schlingensief, vom populären Wissenschaftstheater des 19. Jahrhunderts bis zu politischen Funktionen des Spektakulären im südkoreanischen Kino oder dem italienischen Roman, in Alltag und Kunst des Sozialismus sowie der globalen Medienkultur. Mit Beiträgen von: Micha Braun, Simon Frisch, Elisabeth Fritz, Antje Géra, Nicola Gess, Martin Hähnel, Sarah Hegenbart, Teresa Hiergeist, Carsten Juwig, Katherina Keller-Grein, Kirsten Maar, Astrid Matron, Kassandra Nakas, Ulf Otto, Rita Rieger, Ivo Ritzer, Tanja Schwan und Christiane Voss"--Back cover. (shrink)

Alles, was der Mensch von sich wissen kann, lässt sich an den Werkzeugen und Medien ablesen, die er gebraucht. Diese These steht im Mittelpunkt des Werks von Ernst Kapp (1808-1896), Gymnasiallehrer für Geschichte und Erdkunde, Technikphilosoph und Farmer in Texas. Obwohl Ernst Kapp unbestritten als Begründer der modernen Technikphilosophie gilt, ist sein anthropologischer Ansatz bislang kaum systematisch rezipiert worden. Zwar wird sein Werk in Überblicken meist als wichtiger Ausgangspunkt für die Technikphilosophie des 20. Jahrhunderts genannt, sein heuristisches Theorem der Organprojektion (...) wird dabei jedoch oft falsch als Vorläufer der Prothesentheorie von Freud bis McLuhan eingeordnet und nicht als kulturhistorische Erkenntnistheorie verstanden. Bei dem vorliegenden Buch handelt es sich um den ersten Forschungsband zum Werk von Ernst Kapp. Mit Beiträgen von Suzana Alpsancar, Christine Blättler, Lorenz Engell, Volker Gerhardt, Frank Hartmann, Christoph Hubig, Friedrich A. Kittler, Harun Maye, Alfred Nordmann, Birgit Recki, Hans-Martin Sass, Leander Scholz, Johanna Seifert, Christiane Voss und Niels Werber"--Back cover. (shrink)

This paper maps out various options for thinking about two issues: the structural relationship between practical wisdom and the moral virtues, and the various functions of practical wisdom. With the help of a case study of the virtue of honesty, three main concerns are raised for what I call the Standard Model of practical wisdom. Two other models, the Socratic Model and the Fragmentation Model, are also critically evaluated. I end by taking seriously an eliminativist approach according to which the (...) trait of practical wisdom does not exist. (shrink)

I. Allgemeine werttheorie, psychologie des begehrens.--II. Grundzüge einer ethik.

More often than not, recently popular structuralist interpretations of physical theories leave the central concept of a structure insufficiently precisified. The incipient causal sets approach to quantum gravity offers a paradigmatic case of a physical theory predestined to be interpreted in structuralist terms. It is shown how employing structuralism lends itself to a natural interpretation of the physical meaning of causal set theory. Conversely, the conceptually exceptionally clear case of causal sets is used as a foil to illustrate how a (...) mathematically informed rigorous conceptualization of structure serves to identify structures in physical theories. Furthermore, a number of technical issues infesting structuralist interpretations of physical theories such as difficulties with grounding the identity of the places of highly symmetrical physical structures in their relational profile and what may resolve these difficulties can be vividly illustrated with causal sets. (shrink)

***Angaben zur beteiligten Person Zenke: Christian Timo Zenke, Dr. phil. Dipl.-Kult., Erziehungs- und Kulturwissenschaftler, Akademischer Rat an der Fakultät für Erziehungswissenschaft der Universität Bielefeld.

Kann Mathematik schön sein? Gibt es Leben in der Mathematik? In der Kritik der Urteilskraft (1790) untersucht Kant Prinzipien der Zweckmäßigkeit, eine subjektive Zweckmäßigkeit für die Ästhetik und eine objektive Zweckmäßigkeit für die Teleologie. Die Mathematik aber fällt bezüglich beider durch. Mathematische Gegenstände und Eigenschaften können nach Kant nicht schön sein und bei Erklärungen müssen wir keine Vorstellung von einem Zweck voraussetzen, denn wir können die Gegenstände konstruieren, meint Kant. Jedoch räumt er ein, mathematische „Demonstrationen“ könnten schön sein. Dies hängt (...) mit seiner Unterscheidung von Anschauung und Begriff zusammen. Ich werde diesbezüglich einige seiner Ausführungen darstellen und problematisieren. (shrink)

Le 20 mai 2005, Paul Ricœur nous quittait à l'âge de quatre-vingt-douze ans, après une traversée du siècle qu'il a fortement marqué. Il nous laisse une œuvre immense, véritable incitation/invitation au travail dont l'une des originalités aura été de conduire un dialogue constant de la philosophie avec son autre, notamment avec les sciences humaines. À l'heure des replis disciplinaires et des crispations institutionnelles, sa manière de faire dialoguer les savoirs semble plus nécessaire que jamais à. Le souci dont a fait (...) preuve Paul Ricœur pour éviter toute forme de rabattement, d'appauvrissement, est une leçon de méthode qui mérite d'être réfléchie. Par-delà le choc provoqué par sa disparition, les auteurs de ce livre montrent à quel point sa pensée est actuelle. Parvenant à vaincre les résistances disciplinaires, Ricœur a largement contribué à la réalisation du basculement interprétatif général que connaissent les sciences humaines. Cette ouverture vers un nouvel espace dialogique assurant une véritable humanisation des sciences humaines. Elle rend possible, au-delà des problèmes méthodologiques, le questionnement récent de celles-ci sur l'énigme jamais résolue de l'« être-ensemble ». (shrink)

Political theory, sometimes also called “normative political theory”, is a subfield of the disciplines of philosophy and political science that addresses conceptual, normative, and evaluative questions concerning politics and society, broadly construed. Examples are: When is a society just? What does it mean for its members to be free? When is one distribution of goods socially preferable to another? What makes a political authority legitimate? How should we trade off different values, such as liberty, prosperity, and security, against one another? (...) What do we owe, not just to our fellow citizens, but to people in the world at large? In this article, we review the methodology of a core branch of contemporary political theory: the one commonly described as “analytic” political theory. In Section 1, we briefly demarcate the scope of political theory. In Section 2, we comment on the analysis of political concepts. In Section 3, we introduce the notions of principles and theories, as distinct from concepts. In Section 4, we discuss the methods of assessing such principles and theories, for the purpose of justifying or criticizing them. In Section 5, we review a recent debate on how abstract and idealized political theory should be. In Section 6, finally, we discuss the significance of disagreement in political theory. Although we cover established ground, we do so from an angle that will be somewhat unfamiliar to at least some political theorists – namely an angle inspired by the philosophy of science. We have chosen this angle with a view to systematizing the activity of analytic political theorizing so as to make its connections with other fields of philosophy and positive science more transparent. (shrink)