The author analyses the problems faced by Continental Europe's legal systems as a result of the appearance of the so‐called new religious movements. He is of the opinion that the expected change towards the achievement of full legal neutrality regarding the religious phenomena cannot be based on the sole assumption that each and every religion deserves protection. In fact, he considers that any system of equality should be aimed at protecting the legitimate expression of the individual's free will; that is (...) to say, neither a particular religion nor all of them, but the person considered as a citizen, regardless of whether he believes or not. (shrink)

If we are to believe the proponents of the Theory of Practice and of Rational Choice, the gap between these two paradigmatic approaches cannot be bridged. They rely on ontological premises, theories of motivations and causal models that stand too far apart. In this article, I argue that this theoretical antinomy loses much of its edge when we take as objects of sociological investigation processes of historical change, that is, when we try to specify in theoretical terms how and in (...) which conditions historical actors enact and endorse shifts in patterns of relations as well as shifts in the symbolic and cognitive categories that make these relations significant. I substantiate this argument in light of the distinction between two temporalities of historical change: first, the long waves of gradual change and, second, the short waves of moments of breaks and ruptures. Along the way, I develop an argument about the conditions of emergence of self-limiting norms and the centrality of epistemic beliefs in situations of high disruption. (shrink)

While the history of Cold War social and human sciences has become an immensely productive line of inquiry and has generated some exciting research, a lot remains still to be done in studying more deeply the known stories, venturing into the unknown ones and, in particular, looking in greater detail at the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain. In our expository introduction to this special issue, we demonstrate how its articles enhance our understanding of the postwar social and human sciences. (...) The special issue invites us to rethink the role of the local intellectual and disciplinary contexts in the postwar cultures of knowledge; to pay more attention to the networks and institutions that fostered communication across the Iron Curtain; to trace various asymmetries at work in the divided academic world and the ambiguous status of many actors who enable the East–West contacts despite the general hostility and ideological cleavages; and finally to arrive at a more differentiated and complex view of the whole intellectual landscape in the history of social and human sciences opening up once all the Cold War protagonists, including the countries of the eastern bloc, are subject to a detailed study. This project, we believe, is worthwhile not just for the sake of historical accuracy but also for understanding and changing the societies we live in, which are often still contaminated by the maladies of the Cold War. (shrink)

This paper considers in detail the ontological and normative presuppositions of the state-contingent approach to pricing commodities first introduced by Arrow in his model of general equilibrium under uncertainty, which became a milestone in the theory of finance. By contextualizing Arrow’s fundamental contribution and subsequent developments in finance, it demonstrates how this new conceptual framework implied certain technologies—both intellectual and financial. In showing how theoretical thinking about finance was underlying institutional developments in finance, this paper complements the familiar narrative of (...) the performativity of economics. (shrink)

Ivan Efimovič Orlov’s paper “The calculus of the compatibility of propositions”, published in Russian in 1928, is fascinating for anyone interested in the early history of relevance, modal or intuitionistic logic. This is a translation of that paper.

Why do human beings feel shame? What is the cultural dimension of shame and sexuality? Can theory understand the power of affect? How is psychoanalysis integral to cultural theory? The experience of shame is a profound, painful and universal emotion with lasting effects on many aspects of public life and human culture. Rooted in childhood experience, linked to sexuality and the cultural norms which regulate the body and its pleasures, shame is uniquely human. _Shame and Sexuality _explores elements of shame (...) in human psychology and the cultures of art, film, photography and textiles. This volume is divided into two distinct sections allowing the reader to compare and contrast the psychoanalytic and the cultural writings. Part I, _Psychoanalysis_, provides a psychoanalytic approach to shame, using clinical examples to explore the function of unconscious fantasies, the shame shield in child sexual abuse, and the puzzling manner in which shame attaches itself to sexuality. Part II, _Visual Culture_, is illustrated throughout with textual analysis; contributors explore shame and sexuality in art history, politics and contemporary visual culture, including the gendering of shame, shame and abjection, and the relationship between shame and shamelessness as a strategy of resistance. Claire Pajaczkowska and Ivan Ward bring together debates within and between the discourses of psychoanalysis and visual culture, generating new avenues of enquiry for scholars of culture, theory and psychoanalysis. (shrink)

In this paper I will discuss a recent attempt of justifying democracy and its authority. It pertains to recently published papers by Niko Kolodny, which complement each other and taken together practically assume a form of a monograph. It could be said that Kolodny's approach is a non-standard one given that he avoids typical ways of justifying democracy. Namely, when a justification of democracy is concerned, Kolodny maintains that it is necessary to offer a kind of an independent justification. It (...) is not so much that he insists that the usual approaches are wrong as much as that an independent justification is necessary in order to discern what it is that gives them their significance. Kolodny's independent justification of democracy is based on the idea of social equality. In this paper I will try to reconstruct and critically assess Kolodny's approach by paying special attention to the question of democratic authority. (shrink)

(1979). Internalised Achievement Responsibility as a Factor in Primary School Children's Achievement. Educational Studies: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 179-189.

Shortly after implantation the embryonic lineage transforms from a coherent ball of cells into polarized cup shaped epithelium. Recently we elucidated a previously unknown apoptosis‐independent morphogenic event that reorganizes the pluripotent lineage. Polarization cues from the surrounding basement membrane rearrange the epiblast into a polarized rosette‐like structure, where subsequently a central lumen is established. Thus, we provided a new model revising the current concept of apoptosis‐dependent epiblast morphogenesis. Cell death however has to be tightly regulated during embryogenesis to ensure developmental (...) success. Here, we follow the stages of early mouse development and take a glimpse at the critical signaling and morphogenic events that determine cells destiny and reshape the embryonic lineage. (shrink)

The historical trajectory of Central and Eastern Europe differed significantly from that of the West. The region became the periphery of a transforming West during the early modern centuries. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were characterized by repeated attempts to catch up with the West. Romanticism brought in Western ideas and generated struggles for national independence and modernization. Failures paved the way for desperate revolts in the inter-war years. Left- and right-wing revolutions engulfed the region. Authoritarian, Fascist and Communist regimes (...) looked for short cuts to finish nation-building and industrialization. In the end, all versions of state-run modernization failed, and the region revolted against them. At least its western rim seems to be successfully returning to Europe at the turn of the millennium. (shrink)

Auf der Welt kennen wir einerseits eine große Vielfalt unterschiedlicher Kulturen, andererseits aber auch die Tendenz zum Verschwinden dieser kulturellen Vielfalt – kulturelle Entropie. Gleichzeitig erstarkt die Dominanz der modernen Kultur und bringt eine Homogenisierung der Kulturen mit sich. Auf die neolithische Revolution war eine kulturelle Explosion, auf die industrielle Revolution eine kulturelle Implosion gefolgt. In der Arbeit werden zwei Thesen problematisiert: Die Vielfalt der Kulturen ist ein Wert für die Menschheit, und Kulturhomogenisierung ist eine unvermeidbare Tendenz in der kulturellen (...) Evolution des Homo sapiens. Die grundlegende These lautet, dass sich in der Modernität zwei parallele Homogenisierungsprozesse abspielen: eine biotische und eine kulturelle Homogenisierung. Im Globalisierungsprozess sind beide Tendenzen empirisch erkennbar. Paradox ist aber, dass sowohl die kulturelle als auch die biologische Vielfalt geschützt, die Kultur- und die biotische Homogenisierung dagegen kritisiert werden, während sich gleichzeitig die globale Tendenz der kulturellen Implosion fortsetzt. Zur Untermauerung dieser Thesen werden die Ergebnisse empirischer Untersuchungen über die Perspektiven der kulturellen Vielfalt in der Welt präsentiert. Es werden die Phänomene der kulturellen Vielfalt, der vormodernen und der modernen Kultur bewertet. An einer entsprechenden Untersuchung nahmen Studenten dreier Fachrichtungen teil: Kunst, humanistische und technische Studenfächer. Die Ergebnisse wurden unter Berücksichtigung der jeweiligen Studienrichtungen, der Religiosität, der politischen Orientierung und des Geschlechts der Studierenden analysiert. (shrink)

For any class of operators which transform unary total functions in the set of natural numbers into functions of the same kind, we define what it means for a real function to be uniformly computable or conditionally computable with respect to this class. These two computability notions are natural generalizations of certain notions introduced in a previous paper co-authored by Andreas Weiermann and in another previous paper by the same authors, respectively. Under certain weak assumptions about the class in question, (...) we show that conditional computability is preserved by substitution, that all conditionally computable real functions are locally uniformly computable, and that the ones with compact domains are uniformly computable. The introduced notions have some similarity with the uniform computability and its non-uniform extension considered by Katrin Tent and Martin Ziegler, however, there are also essential differences between the conditional computability and the non-uniform computability in question. (shrink)

Heidegger, first of all, perceives modern thinking to be a source of technology in its partly threatening dimension, though this source was inherited fromGreek thinkers. However, technology and threat, which arises from it, are not some kind of inevitable fate, but are the destiny of Being, which should be calmly awaited in its mysteriousness. For where there are threat and danger, there also is a prospect of salvation – in this way Heidegger adopts Hölderlin’s restrained optimism. Furthermore, salvation presupposes constant (...) inquiry as an expression of the piety of thought. If it does not fall to its proper place, then the forgotness of Being, the abandonment of Being, war and triumph of different modern technologies, which have created a lot of trouble in the technological age, can take root. Therefore, it seems that only enlightened thinking, which is revealed in its inquisitive piety, can offer some way out. (shrink)

The relation between philosophy and theology in Martin Heidegger’s thought is multilayered and tense. On the one hand, he admits that his theological origin, i.e. his Christian-Catholic rootedness, determines the direction of his thought, while on the other hand, he has been fighting against theology that is too much tinted with philosophy. At the same time, he opposes that his thought be called theistic or atheistic. In the analytic of Dasein he wants to create assumptions that would enable him to (...) talk about God, gods or divine in general. This brings him close to mysticism, and even more so to mythology, which is revealed in his interpretation of Hölderlin. Nietzsche’s talk about God’s death helps him in this context. However, neither with Nietzsche nor with Heidegger does this death look like real death. Both thinkers hold that death strikes that God who has in philosophy and theology been made a being. After the thinking of the Being had thrown light upon their thought, God of Biblical theology and above all God whose coming is expected according to Heidegger cannot be left to death, because he evades human comprehension, especially one in the form of philosophy and theology. (shrink)

The topic of the article is George Dickie’s institutional theory of art as one of contemporary art theories which purport to answer the “what is art?” question by defining the concept of art in terms of its necessary and sufficient conditions. Introductory part of the article brings a brief review of so-called functionalist theories, as well as of their shortcomings when compared to theories to which institutional theory belongs. Also included is a short survey of theories and arguments that significantly (...) influenced institutional theory, e.g. Danto’s “theory of meaning”. Next are presented the basics of the institutional theory. It is shown that advantages of this theory over other functionalist theories became especially visible after the appearance of art practices of the 20th century which rendered the difference between artistic and non-artistic objects extremely complex. (shrink)

We extend Savage et al.'s music and social bonding hypothesis by examining it in the context of Chinese music. First, top-down functions such as music as political instrument should receive more attention. Second, solo performance can serve as important cues for social identity. Third, a right match between the tones in lyrics and music contributes also to social bonding.

Iván Ortega Rodríguez livre une contribution où M. Henry est mis en confrontation avec Patočka, notamment sur la corrélation entre la vie et le monde, autrement dit sur l’« a priori de corrélation ». Comme le rappelle l’auteur de cette étude, tant Patočka que M. Henry adoptent cette corrélation a priori comme point de départ, et donc eu égard aux questions portant respectivement sur l’apparaître, sur ce qui apparaît et sur cette vie subjective qui semble devoir accompagner toute donation. Aussi (...) Iván Ortega Rodríguez soutient-il que tout semble se jouer entre M. Henry et Patočka dans leur conception de l’apparaître. Autant la donation henryenne nous invite à nous singulariser dans notre expérience selon le pathos de la vie auto-affective, autant elle nous invite chez Patočka à sortir hors de nous-mêmes selon la priorité accordée à l’aspect de « champ » que nous trouvons dans le se-montrer, là où se place tout ce qui est donné. (shrink)

Promatrani s kulturalnoga i religijskog motrišta, europski korijeni su mnogovrsni: helenističko- rimski, »barbarski«, židovski, kršćanski, pa na neki način i islamski. Dakako, kršćanski korijeni i tradicija bili su i ostaju temeljni za razvoj europskog identiteta kakvoga danas poznajemo. Ne odnosi se to samo na religijski i moralni identitet nego i na općekulturalni, socijalno-ekonomski i estetsko-umjetnički. Doduše, ova tvrdnja često dovodi do raznih reakcija i diskusija u raznim europskim okruženjima te »zavodi« i odvodi ljude, njihove zajednice i njihove potencijale više u (...) prošlost nego u sadašnjost i budućnost. Temeljni doprinos kojega kršćanske crkve mogu ponuditi u današnjem i sutrašnjem europskom kontekstu ne odnosi se toliko na priznavanje i »pomirenje« oko povijesnih nesuglasica koliko na suradnju u izgrađivanju europske budućnosti. Doprinos toj izgradnji mogao bi se temeljiti ne samo na priznavanju identiteta nego i na otvorenosti drugome i na dijalog s njime, koji pak dovode do suživota u multietničkom, multikulturalnom i multireligijskom okružju. Otvorenost, dijalog i suživot imaju ipak neke nužne pretpostavke: a) pomirenje čovjeka sa samim sobom; b) pomirenje čovjeka sa sebi sličnima; c) pomirenje čovjeka sa svim stvorenim.Von kulturellen und religiösen Gesichtspunkten aus betrachtet, sind die europäischen Wurzeln vielfältig: hellenistisch-römisch, „barbarisch“, jüdisch, christlich und in gewisser Weise auch islamisch. Sicher bleiben die christlichen Ursprünge und Tradition grundlegend für die Entwicklung der europäischen Identität, wie sie uns heute bekannt ist. Dies betrifft nicht nur die religiöse und moralische Identität, sondern auch jene kulturelle, sozial-ökonomische und ästhetisch- künstlerische. Jedoch leitet diese These des Öfteren zu mannigfaltigen Reaktionen und Diskussionen in verschiedenen europäischen Umfeldern, „verführt“ und wegführt Menschen, ihre Gemeinden und ihre Potentiale eher in die Vergangenheit als in die Gegenwart und die Zukunft. Den hauptsächlichen Beitrag, den die christlichen Kirchen im heutigen und morgigen europäischen Kontext leisten können, betrifft nicht so sehr das Eingeständnis und die „Versöhnung“ bezüglich der geschichtlichen Uneinstimmigkeiten, sondern vielmehr die Zusammenarbeit in der Gestaltung einer europäischen Zukunft. Der Beitrag zu dieser Zusammenarbeit könnte nicht nur in der Kenntnis der Identität gründen, sondern auch in einer Offenheit zum Anderen und im Dialog mit ihm, die dann zu einem Zusammenleben im multiethnischen, -kulturellen, und -religiösen Umfeld führen. Offenheit, Dialog und Zusammenleben benötigen aber auch einige Voraussetzungen: Versöhnung des Menschen a) mit sich selber; b) mit seinesgleichen; c) mit der ganzen Schöpfung. (shrink)