The Mengerian-Misesian tradition in economics is also known as the causal-realist approach – in other words, it studies the causal structure of economic phenomena conceived of as outgrowths of real human actions. Thus, it finds verbal descriptions and declarations economically meaningful only insofar as they can be linked with demonstrated preferences and their causal interactions. In this paper, I shall investigate how the approach in question bears on topics such as the economic calculation debate, deliberative democracy, and the provision of (...) public goods. In particular, in the context of discussing the above topics I shall focus on market entrepreneurship understood as a crucial instance of “practicing what one preaches” in the ambit of large-scale social cooperation. In sum, I shall attempt to demonstrate that the Mengerian-Misesian tradition offers unique insights into the logic of communicative rationality by emphasizing and exploring its indispensable associations with the logic of action. (shrink)

This paper is my last word, in the present journal, in the debate I have been having with Walter Block on the subject of evictionism as an alleged libertarian “third way,” capable of transcending the familiar “pro-life” and “pro-choice” dichotomy. In this debate, I myself defended what might be regarded as a qualified “pro-life” position, while Block consistently argued that the mother is morally allowed to expel the fetus from her womb provided that no non-lethal methods of its eviction are (...) available. While my position articulated in this paper contains an element of what Block might consider a concession on my part—i.e., an explicit declaration that abstaining from lethal evictions of fetuses conceived as a result of rape is a libertarian duty, but only an imperfect one—I continue to regard the unqualified support of evictionism as indefensible on libertarian grounds. (shrink)

The present paper offers a critique of Block on the issues of abortion and child abandonment. Block regards aborting a fetus or abandoning a child as an instance of exercising one’s libertarian right of expelling trespassers from one’s private property. I argue that the above reasoning is flawed due to the lack of the appreciation of the fact that if one voluntarily initiates the causal chain which leads to someone else ending up on his property, the latter person cannot be (...) considered a trespasser. Furthermore, in the light of the above observation, any direct effects resulting from that person’s eviction should be considered the responsibility of the property’s owner. All of this follows from the simple logical fact that in all links of the causal chain under consideration the owner is the ultimate causal agent. (shrink)

This paper is my last word, in the present journal, in the debate I have been having with Walter Block on the subject of evictionism as an alleged libertarian..

The article deals with the question whether the poetic representation of the concert in the verse “Mochnacki” by Jan Lechoń is probable. There is some doubt about one of the elements making the world pictured in the verse - the instrument the protagonist is playing. We know the account given by a person present at the concert performed by Mochnacki in the Societé Philharmonique in Metz on March 23rd 1832 and that lets us point rather to a piano then to (...) a clavickord as the instrument used for the concert. Our opinion is supported by the sound characteristics and the design of the instrument given by the poet in the verse. The clavickord is not able to achieve such a variety of musical expression as Jan Lechoń says Mochnacki could yield. There is a strong probability that the instrument was a piano but the poet called it a clavickord (by mistake or on purpose) for style reasons. (shrink)

This paper explores some issues concerning the relation between ontological reduction and conceptual reduction, as construed by the physicalists. More specifically, it aims at highlighting and analyzing certain general methodological and ethical implications of the physicalistic research projects. Against this background, the paper identifies a certain category of concepts as “irreducibly holistic”, that is, those with regard to which ontological and conceptual reduction are inextricably bound together. Further, the paper argues that since irreducibly holistic concepts are conceptually irreducible to the (...) physical, they have to be ontologically irreducible to the physical as well, thus rendering physicalism false. This conclusion is reached by analyzing and then rejecting a variety of programmes aimed at accommodating irreducibly holistic concepts within a physicalist framework (including eliminativism, preservative irrealism and quasi-realism). Lastly, an ontologically pluralistic framework is proposed for the purpose of reconciling apparently conflicting insights from different areas of philosophical and scientific inquiry. (shrink)

Thick moral terms – such as theft, fraud, and counterfeiting – are terms whose very use implies a definitionally necessary moral evaluation of their content. In this paper, I shall argue that the philosophy of statism – that is, a philosophy grounded in the belief in the normative justifiability and desirability of monopolistic apparatuses of initiatory violence – is necessarily amoral insofar as it cannot apply thick moral terms in a logically consistent manner. By the same token, I shall argue (...) that libertarianism – i.e., the view that only consensual social relations are morally acceptable – is the only general sociopolitical doctrine capable of accomplishing this task, thus, in contrast to statism, making its prescriptions susceptible to genuine moral evaluation. (shrink)

In Herbert’s poetry the words which are the names of musical instruments function both on the level of literary text stylistic composition - they are constituent elements of the metaphors and comparisons - and as signs of concrete or symbolic objects, which constitute one of the categories of motifs visible in the poems. The essay is an attempt to define the function performed by the motifs of the lyre and the lute, the first two instruments to appear in Zbigniew Herbert’s (...) poetry. The group of poems in which the motifs of the lyre, the lute and the string - a frequent synexdoche of the two instruments - appear includes twelve poems: Do Apollina [To Apollo], O Troi [On Troy], Do Marka Aurelego [To Marcus Aurelius], Struna [The String], Las Ardeński [The Forest of Arden], Arijon [Arion, from the volume Struna Światła [The String of Light]), Niepoprawność [Incorrectness], Do Pięści [To the Fist], Prośba (A Request, from the volume Hermes, pies i gwiazda [Hermes, a Dog and a Star]), Apollo i Marsjasz [Apollo and Marsyas], Szuflada (The Drawer, from the volume Studium przedmiotu [A Study of an Object]), Wit Stwosz: Uśnięcie Najświętszej Marii Panny (Veit Stoss: Repose of the Virgin, from the volume Elegia na odejście [An Elegy on Passing Away]). In the symbolism of the poems by Zbigniew Herbert the motif of the lyre has ambivalent value. It symbolizes a type of art which does not suit twentieth century experiences or kind of poetry ruthlessly indifferent to evil and thus deserving ethical criticism on the one hand and represents art., which can provide man with a sense of the order of existence, on the other. It is because of the second function that is must be saved. In Herbert’s poems the lyre symbolizes classical poetry - its stylistic tone and function; it is also a symbol of music and harmony - presented as a desired state existing in the world. The string - if it is not a synexdoche of the lyre or the lute - becomes a symbol of new poetry, which results from twentieth century catastrophes, but does not totally reject classical tradition (though compared to it, it is only partial and incomplete). The way the two motifs function in Herbert’s poetry illustrates one of the author’s fundamental dilemmas. The question is: How can a poet who has rejected traditional classicism remain a twentieth century classical poet? (shrink)

Die Musikresonanz, die eine in der dichterischen Welt funktionierende Variante der Regel der Wiederspiegelung in der dichterischen Welt von Krzysztof K. Baczyński wird, wird im Weltraum verwirklicht - zwischen dem Himmel und der Erde und in den Personenbeziehungen - zwischen Gott und dem Menschen und auch zwischen den Leuten. Die Musik in der Darstellung nimmt verscheidene symbolische Bedeutungen ein. Der Klang der Urharmonie in der Himmelsphäre wird infolge des Bösen auf der Erde deformiert. Die Symptome der Zerstörung auf der Erde (...) werden auch negative Gefühle, sowohl die motivierten von subjektiven, persönlichen Erfahrungen des Helden als auch die, die aus inneren Umständen erfolgen. Der unveränderte Klang des Himmels zieht in Wirklichkeit der Erde durch die den Menschen erreichende Gottessendung ein und bedeutet eine Welt erretende Liebe. (shrink)

Herbert widmete der Musik – ganzheitlich oder in bedentenden Teilen – mindestens einige zehn Werke. Der Dichter konzentriert sich in den Gedichten auf die philosophischen und esthetischen Fragen. Er führt ein intelektuelles Gespräch, in dem er festlegen will, was Musik ist und welche Bedeutung sie in der bentigen welt hat. Die überlegungen van Herbert konzentrieren sich prinzipiell auf drei Fragen: die Idee der Musik der Sphären, die Kriese der Werten im 20. Jahrhundert und die Gedanken über den objektiven Wert der (...) Kunst der Klinge. (shrink)

Among the composers with whom Wojciech Młynarski collaborated – a brilliant songwriter and penetrating satirist, librettist and translator, as well as a talented singer – was a completely unique artist, often referred to as the “Polish Gershwin” – Jerzy Wasowski. As a result of their nearly twenty years of cooperation, interrupted by Wasowski’s death in 1984, about thirty songs were created, most often being cabaret-satirical works or in the form of “sung columns”. Among the achievements of the Młynarski-Wasowski company there (...) are many “small masterpieces”, which are examples of masterly connections between words and music. The works they wrote together in the last period of their cooperation have been remembered in a special way by Młynarski. These songs were written at a special moment in the history of the People’s Republic of Poland – during the “Solidarity” carnival and during the martial law period. Moreover, the story of their proprietary company closed. The works they wrote last – in 1982 and 1983 – were described by Młynarski as “interesting songs”. During the martial law period, Młynarski decided to suspend public appearances – joining the artists who, in protest, decided to boycott the state media. He only took care of writing lyrics for new songs. At that time, he addressed the proposal to compose music mainly to Wasowski, who, like him, believed that one should continue to write, but – for now – “in the drawer”. Eight works were written then, six of which – Ballada o szachiście, Jestem piłeczką pingpongową, Po Krakowskim w noc majową, W miejskim teatrzyku lalek, Róbmy swoje, Ballada o dwóch koniach – had a satirical and journalistic character and entered Młynarski’s repertoire when he resumed his performances. Whereas the other two songs – Mam złe lata i dobre dni oraz Gram o wszystko – were lyrical-reflective pieces with female texts, and became their performers a few years later: Hanna Banaszak and Ewa Bem. This article analyzes one of these songs – Ballada o szachiście – aimed at explaining – in an elementary way – why Młynarski used the word “interesting” to refer to the songs written with Wasowski during the martial law period. This term is primarily intended to denote a work whose words and music were written in order to “give food for thought” to the audience. (shrink)

The present paper is an attempt to show that Walter Block’s defense of the ostensibly libertarian character of evictionism against my original criticisms is unsuccessful, thought certainly informative and thought-provoking. In my exploration of Block’s counter-criticisms, I focus in particular on the role played in his account by the principle of proportionality, as well as on the putative disanalogy between cases of abortion and child abandonment on the one hand and my airplane thought experiment on the other hand.

The purpose of the present article is to reflect on the intellectual origin of the close relationship between Austrian economics and libertarian philosophy. It suggests that the relationship in question is grounded in the fact that personal liberty and individual initiative, in addition to being significant moral values, are also crucial reservoirs of organizational efficiency and developmental drive. This implies that libertarian values can be disseminated, promoted, and implemented particularly effectively as a result of utilizing theoretical insights of the Austrian (...) school, which is singularly committed to explaining the efficiency-enhancing features of the unhampered market process and entrepreneurial rivalry. In this connection, special attention is devoted to the liberty-promoting potential of Austrian contributions to the fields of capital, entrepreneurship, and the firm. (shrink)

In this paper, I investigate the issue of whether there exists an objective element of well-being, completely independent of anyone’s desires, interests and preferences. After rejecting health-based and convention-based approaches to objectivity, I conclude that the element in question consists in respecting autonomy, voluntariness of every purposive agent and the principle of non-aggression.

Among numerous songs written by Wasowski and Przybora for the tv and radio show Old Gentlemen’s Cabaret two: Piosenka jest dobra na wszystko from the Fifth Evening of the Cabaret and Mambo Spinoza from the Eighth Evening might be considered autothematic. They represent an idea of ‘a song about a song’ — a common theme or motif in Polish popular music. In reaction to ideological degeneration of different forms of mass entertainment between 1949 and 1955, Wasowski and Przybora decided to (...) ‘redefine’ a song, writing these two pieces full of humour and allusions. (shrink)