The experimental philosophy of law is a recent movement that aims to inform traditional debates in jurisprudence by conducting empirical research. This paper introduces and provides a systematic overview of the main lines of research in this field. It also covers the most important debates in the literature regarding the implications of these findings for the philosophy and theory of law. It argues that three challenges arise when addressing (old) legal-philosophical questions in (new) experimental ways by drawing normative implications from (...) empirical data: such implications are value-driven, depend on explanations of empirical findings and vary across legal systems. (shrink)

The paper examines a relatively neglected element of Spinoza's theory of mind-body relations: the intentional relation between human minds and bodies, which for Spinoza constitutes their “union”. Prima facie textual evidence suggests, and many readers agree, that because for Spinoza human minds are essentially ideas of bodies, Spinoza is also committed to an ontological and explanatory dependence of certain properties of human minds on properties of bodies, and thus to a version of materialism. The paper argues that such dependence would (...) contradict Spinoza's key epistemological commitments, including the explanatory closure of mental and physical realms, and Spinoza’s claim that all knowledge is knowledge of a thing's causes. The paper argues that Spinoza's dual-reality theory of representation allows us to interpret the intentional relation between human minds and bodies in a way that does not commit Spinoza to a problematic dependence of minds on bodies. This is possible if we take Spinoza's references to properties of bodies in his account of the human mind as references to objectively real bodies, that is as references to the immanent representational content of human minds. (shrink)

This paper aims to analyze technical and internal aspects of one particular type of human moral enhancement, i.e. enhancement of moral motivation via direct emotion modulation. More precisely, it challenges the assumption that modifying certain emotions will have the results desired by the advocates of this theory. It is argued that neuropsychological understanding of the role and function of emotions, as well as of underlying cognitive mechanisms, might be relevant for the discussion about biomedical enhancement of moral capacities. Moreover, typical (...) claims about direct emotion modulation seem to be contradicted, or at least seriously challenged, by available neuroscientific data. Particular attention is paid to the theory that emotions are evolved and functionally specialized programs whose task is to coordinate other adaptive mechanisms of human psychology in order to promote one’s fitness. If this view of emotions is plausible, it can be argued that several difficulties for moral bioenhancement theory ensue. Neuroscientific and evolutionary-psychological perspective seem to indicate that emotions don’t fulfill necessary requirements to serve as the vehicles of moral enhancement and it should, therefore, take into account role and function of entire cognitive modules associated with moral decision-making. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie Jahrgang: 97 Heft: 2 Seiten: 196-233.

Along with the rapid growth that the field of assisted reproduction has experienced over the last few years, numerous ethical issues have arisen and need to be discussed thoroughly. One of them is the limitation of access to assisted reproduction techniques. Because no one should be discriminated against, it is essential to substantiate every single refusal of access carefully. The criterion of welfare of the child is used most frequently. In this paper, we propose a thought experiment aiming at contributing (...) to the discussion by demonstrating that this criterion, even in its strictest form, can easily allow access to assisted reproduction for legal persons as well. (shrink)

Journal of Applied Philosophy, EarlyView.

The review concerns the book Kapitalizm sieci (Network Capitalism). After discussing the structure of the book, a deeper reflection is made on some of the themes of the publication. The question of ideology that emerge as a response to the course of the digital transformation is addressed. Then the issue of primary accumulation and how it plays out in the digital space is tackled. Finaly, the digital space is situated in the context of material infrastructure.

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama prielaida, kad skaitmeniniame amžiuje vis daugiau laiko praleidžiant elektroninėje erdvėje blanksta riba tarp realaus gyvenimo ir gyvenimo internete bei perskyra tarp fizinės ir virtualios tapatybės. Tai reiškia, kad tapatybė skait­meniniame amžiuje skaidosi ir formuojasi iš naujo. Taigi tapatybės transformacija vyksta ne fiziniame ar virtualiame pasaulyje, bet realizuojama kontinuume tarp šių dviejų pasaulių. Straipsnyje bandoma pagrįsti, kad tapatybė, veikiama medijų skaitmeninėje kultūroje, tampa transmedijuota ir drauge išsklaidyta, epizodiška ir interaktyvi, kitaip tariant, ji virsta transmedijos produktu.

Technological structure arises as a consequence of innovation processes, encompassing R&D activities, implementations, as well as diffusion. Innovation processes influence technological competitiveness by linking changes in market shares at home and abroad with their technological potential. Increased productivity resulting from higher innovativeness combined with increased technological investments result in changes in relative unit operating costs and higher demand for more technologically advanced products, thus determining the dynamics of economic development. The aim of this study is to analyse the course of (...) determinants of innovation processes and the level of international competitiveness of regions after the COVID-19 crisis, including especially Podlaskie Voivodeship. Regions are classified into three types of exposure (low, medium, high) and crossed with three degrees of risk sensitivity for the regional economy. Podlaskie Voivodeship has medium exposure and lower sensitivity to pandemic crises. Regions with relatively high sensitivity and exposure to COVID-19 lockdowns were motivated to make greater changes in business processes. Podlaskie Voivodeship relies highly on foreign trade, which is why the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine and limited contacts with Poland’s eastern border have negatively affected the region’s innovation. The analysis shows that the establishment of competitive advantages based on the effects of COVID-19 crises should be expanded by regions with medium or high sensitivity to lockdowns. (shrink)

The article presents hypotheses about the origins of the tradition of Konik Zwierzyniecki’s march, also known as the Lajkonik, formulated over the course of about 200 years, as well as possible cultural connections of the Krakow custom with traditions and rituals developed by other communities. Due to the so far unexplained origin of the Lajkonik character and numerous scientifically acceptable historical and cultural interpretations of the horse costume used in the procession, the article also attempts to perform a comparative analysis (...) of similar folklore phenomena on the basis of examining symbolic connotations. The introduction presents the multifaceted symbolism of the horse in European culture and the use of its character in various folk rituals, mostly of a religious or apotropaic character. The main part of the text presents the history of the evolution of scientific views on Lajkonik and distinguishes the most important, possible interpretations of the Konik Zwierzyniecki puzzle. The aim of the article is to systematize and collect the hypotheses outlined so far, but dispersed in numerous publications, regarding the origin, cultural and historical significance of the Lajkonik march. The direct subject of the analysis are the monographic studies, diaries, memoirs, protocols and scientific articles presented in the footnotes and bibliography, analyzed by using the comparative and analytical-synthetic method. Although the article does not provide an explanation of the Lajkonik phenomenon, it is a scientifically significant collection of historical, cultural, linguistic and ethnological information on the Krakow custom and similar European traditions. Due to the multifaceted approach to the subject and the presentation of seemingly unrelated scientific findings from separate fields, this text may also be used for further research aimed at unraveling and determining the genesis of the Krakow tradition of Konik Zwierzyniecki. (shrink)

The paper explores situational and dispositional underpinnings of cooperative behavior. According to psychological research, cooperation is strongly related to affective states and personality dimensions. In an experimental study we examined the conditions under which people cooperate with each other. The dispositional traits of co-workers, the contribution to a collaborative effort, and a situational factor – ambient odor condition were taken into consideration. A one-way ANOVA revealed that compared to a malodorous condition, both the pleasant odor condition and the natural odor (...) condition showed higher rates of cooperation. Further analysis indicated that only malodors influenced affective states which in turn determined social decisions. Although we found effects for the participants’ agreeableness and the coworker’s contribution to a joint work, they appeared to play a less critical role than affective states induced by the experimental odor conditions tested here. (shrink)

The article proposes a new solution to the long-standing problem of the universality of essences in Spinoza's ontology. It argues that, according to Spinoza, particular things in nature possess unique essences, but that these essences coexist with more general, mind-dependent species-essences, constructed by finite minds on the basis of similarities that obtain among the properties of formally-real particulars. This account provides the best fit both with the textual evidence and with Spinoza's other metaphysical and epistemological commitments. The article offers new (...) readings of how Spinoza understands not just the nature of essence, but also the nature of being, reason, striving, definitions, and different kinds of knowledge. (shrink)

A pertinent concern in the human enhancement debate is that human enhancement technologies (HET) are intrinsically bad and, hence, morally impermissible. This article evaluates the related claims about the intrinsic badness of HET by looking into philosophical theories of intrinsic value. It investigates how well-established conceptions of intrinsic value map onto typical bioconservative arguments about HET's intrinsic badness. Three predominant variants of these arguments are explored and found wanting: (i) HET are intrinsically bad owing to their unnaturalness; (ii) the pursuit (...) of HET reveals intrinsically bad character (“the desire for mastery”); and (iii) HET will necessarily undermine intrinsically valuable things (e.g., human dignity). My analysis shows that the debate on intrinsic value places serious constraints on claims about the intrinsic badness of HET. More specifically, the analysis shows that bioconservative arguments are, for the most part, inconsistent, misconceived, and overly speculative. Enhancement interventions cannot be bearers of intrinsic value on any of its plausible understandings, and, even if we could grant such a possibility, there are no compelling reasons to presume that the intrinsic value of HET would be necessarily negative. As a result, claims regarding their moral impermissibility are unwarranted. (shrink)

The book discusses a democratic legitimation for modern law. Debates on Europeanisation are taken into account. Ronald Dworkin's, Neil MacCormick's and Jürgen Habermas's standpoints on relations between the law and the public sphere are investigated. Concepts of self-reflexive polity, self-constitutionalisation, constitutional patriotism are analysed.

According to the Principle of Conditional Non-Contradiction (CNC), unless p is impossible, conditionals “If p, then q” and “If p, then not q” are jointly inconsistent. Although intuitively appealing, CNC gives rise to serious problems that semantic theories of conditionals validating it have to face. Most notably, an example of violation of CNC, as presented by Allan Gibbard, may lead to the conclusion that conditionals do not express propositions at all. In the preset paper we propose a new analysis of (...) Gibbard's argument showing that the violation of CNC is only apparent. Subsequently, we suggest a new way of defining truth conditions for conditional sentences. (shrink)

According to the Principle of Conditional Non-Contradiction (CNC), conditionals of the form “If p, q” and “If p, not q” cannot both be true, unless p is inconsistent. This principle is widely regarded as an adequacy constraint on any semantics that attributes truth conditions to conditionals. Gibbard has presented an example of a pair of conditionals that, in the context he describes, appear to violate CNC. He concluded from this that conditionals lack truth conditions. We argue that this conclusion is (...) rash by proposing a new diagnosis of what is going on in Gibbard’s argument. We also provide empirical evidence in support of our proposal. (shrink)

Od połowy XIX w. w miastach przemysłowych Zachodu pojawiają się liczne detale architektoniczne eksponujące postać i atrybuty Hermesa-Merkurego, greckiego boga: handlu, kupców i złodziei, opiekuna podróżnych, posłańca bogów i psychopomposa, władcy pisma i komunikacji, pieniądza i wszelkich miar. W synkretyzmie aleksandryjskim Hermes objawia się jako prorok Trismegistos, strażnik wiedzy tajemnej (czarodziej i lekarz z różdżką kaduceuszem), patronuje alchemicznym przemianom i wraz z innymi tajemnicami sztuki królewskiej oraz ezoteryczną wiedzą współtworzy tradycje masońskie. Hermes-Merkury stał się patronem przemysłu, starożytną ikoną nowoczesności i (...) kapitalizmu, bohaterem grafik zdobiących dyplomy wystaw światowych, świadectwa buchalteryjne, etykiety towarów. Alchemiczny Hermes (zwany Merkuriuszem) to odpowiednik płynnej rtęci, intrygująca personifikacja nowoczesności postrzeganej jako płynna i ulotna, niosąca ze sobą upadek wielkich narracji opartych o transcendencję, co ilustruje wyparcie z uniwersum zachodniej kultury symbolu przez alegorię. Ta formacja kulturowa projektuje dzisiaj także wizję ponowoczesności jako maszynerii przemieniającej zasoby planety w towar. Tymczasem sięgnięcie do znaczeń wydobytych z głębokiej refleksji nad hermesową alegorią i wyjście ku posthumanistycznej wizji miasta i świata, pozwala dostrzec w dziedzictwie znaczeniowym Hermesa uwolniony od metafizyki potencjał zrównoważonego rozwoju, którego najprostszym znakiem jest metonimia postaci boskiego posłańca i jego atrybut (w kluczu symbolicznym i alegorycznym) – kaduceusz. (shrink)

We live in an era when increasing numbers of babies are conceived through assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Using a comprehensive approach, the present research seeks to contribute to the understanding of gender differences in experiencing and coping with infertility, and in dealing with ART treatment. Our sample consisted of 10 heterosexual couples aged 24 to 43 and the data were collected through semi-structured interviews. In the studied sample, gender differences existed not only in experiences of infertility, but also in understanding (...) it, and in dealing with ART treatment. Responses to stress caused by infertility were stronger in women and they also perceived this stress more intensely than men. For women the central aspect of infertility was the desire for a child, while for men it was perceived more as a socially imposed obligation to fulfill the male role. (shrink)

Článek se zabývá třemi fyzikálními teoriemi, jež popírají realitu času, konkrétně koncepcí Kurta Gödela, Juliana Barboura a Carla Rovelliho. Tvrzení, že čas neexistuje, totiž přesahuje rámec fyziky a nemalou měrou spadá také do oblasti filozofie, čímž zde otevírá prostor pro jeho filozofickou reflexi. Co tedy z hlediska filozofie znamená, že čas neexistuje? Je například možné, aby změna existovala bez času? Abych mohla odpovědět na zmíněné otázky, nejprve se zaměřím na samotný pojem existence. Dále představím jednotlivé autory a jejich koncepce, které (...) se pokusím kriticky zhodnotit, a na závěr upozorním na související epistemologické a ontologické problémy. (shrink)

At the end of the nineteenth century, the main source of information about the city of Łódź were not local periodicals (as there were no such publications), but correspondence printed in Warsaw papers. Apart from regular reports, m years 1898 and 1899, in one of leading Warsaw daily papers, Kurier Warszawski, there appeared a series of articles under the title “Znasz-li ten kraj?” signed by Antoni Sygietyński. It was the aftermath of the writer’s visit in Łódź (as it was noticed (...) in Goniec Łódzki, Sygietyński arrived in the city on 3rd of December 1889). The reports concerning the life of the textile city appeared in six issues of Kurier Warszawski, dated from 5th, 6th, 15th and 17th of December 1989 and from 6th and 8th of January in the next year. The author of Na skałach Calvados underlined that the title of the series is not unintentional, because Łódź, according to him, was a fully developed city, which had vast contacts with other regions of the world (Russia, Far East, South and North America) rather than with the rest of Polish cities. The writer compares Łódź to a mushroom, which develops rapidly in favourable conditions, whereas in unfavourable circumstances it becomes a latent form of life. Sygietyński underlines also that the city’s growth and organization reminds an American model. The writer attempts to change a stereotypical opinions about the city, mainly concerning its rapid development of industry, huge number of inhabitants or a triplenational character of the textile metropolis. The author aims at acknowledging a true Lodzermensch, he scrutinizes the cultural life of the city. During his visit in Łódź Sygietyński took part in the opening night of Hauptman’s Dwór zatopiony, and in Christmas party in a catholic shelter for children. The meeting with the youngest citizens gave an opportunity for a closer examination of the conditions they lived in as well as of the financial straits their caretaker, Father Szmidel, was facing. The experience triggered an idea of a charity concert, which Sygietyński decided to organize in Łódź The income was donated for modernization of the shelter. The concert was organized on 25th of March 1899 with the participation of the most famous Warsaw artists (Kruszelnik Borcewicz, Michałowski, Wierzbiłowicz, Trenkiel). Such was the social and cultural scale of the event that it was reported in a number of newspapers. Głos underlined Sygietyński’s input into organization by describing him as „a moral impresario of the show”. The author of Wysadzony z siodla while organizing the concert had two main aims: first - to collect money for the shelter, and the second - to arouse a passion for art among the citizens of Łódź. (shrink)

Success in economic life is a result of the interaction of many factors, which in different ways are developed from the individual characteristics of the person, a specific way of thinking and the ability to perceive oneself in the future. At the same time, more and more attention is focused on the influence of the entrepreneurial characteristics of individuals on their career development and career building process. The impact of personal experience on the perception of individual chances on the labour (...) market is also emphasized. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to identify the differences in enterprising attitudes of students of the humanities and students of economics, as well as compare the characteristics of entrepreneurial abilities between both student groups on the basis of empirical research conducted among students at the University of Lodz. (shrink)

In the following paper sources of a constitution are put in question in general, and more specifically, the constitutional culture of the European Union Law is being investigated in-depth with regard to principles of deliberative democracy and rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The change of a law application paradigm as well as the change of a legal systems’ nature are taken into account.

Motivational internalism is a view about the connection between motivation and moral judgment. The debate over internalism has long focused on establishing the nature of the connection between moral judgment and motivation. In this paper I argue that recent studies regarding personality disorders such as psychopathy and VM damage, which have been traditionally seen as providing a counter argument to internalism, indicate that motivational deficiencies in the moral sphere are linked to motivational deficiencies in other normative spheres such as prudence. (...) This observation suggests that internalism focus of internalism should not be moral judgments simpliciter but rather the nature of the connection between motivation and the general normative sphere. If this is correct then psychopathy and VM damage should not be treated as disproving internalism, but rather as emphasizing a problem with the traditional ways it has been phrased. (shrink)

This article examines the performance of masculinity by Piotr Odmieniec Włast in the poetry manuscript “In Grabów during the War:Book of Idyllic Poetry”. Following feminist arguments about the interdependence of the categories of gender and nationness, it argues that Włast uses Polish Romantic messianic discourse to make credible his staging of masculinity. Consequently, it participates in the discussions about the relations between nationness and non-normative gender scenarios.

Numerous scholars, representing various fields of knowledge, have studied the Holocaust and published extensively on this subject since the end of the Second World War. Many original Holocaust documents, diaries and memoirs of victims and survivors have been edited and published, along with numerous historical, philosophical and theological treaties on the Shoah. The goal of this paper is to present psychology’s contribution to the study of the Holocaust. The authors discuss results of empirical research and clinical observations concerning the long-term (...) consequences of this trauma (the KZ/survivor syndrome), adaptation and coping skills of survivors, the phenomenon of transgenerational transmission of trauma and intrapsychic and interpersonal functioning of the children of survivors (the Second Generation). They present epidemiological data and psychological mechanisms of attempted and committed suicide among the Jews during the persecutions and deportations, as well as suicide in the ghettos and concentration camps, and among the Holocaust survivors. In the paper a short description ofpsychotherapy and other forms of psychological help available to the Holocaust survivors and their children is also presented. Last but not least, it is discussed how the knowledge of the psycho-social consequences of the Holocaust can be used by psychologists in their work with victims and survivors of other genocides and traumas. (shrink)

At least many conditionals seem to convey the existence of a link between their antecedent and consequent. We draw on a recently proposed typology of conditionals to revive an old philosophical idea according to which the link is inferential in nature. We show that the proposal has explanatory force by presenting empirical results on two Dutch linguistic markers.

Zdania o przekonaniach nurtują filozofów od samego początku filozofii analitycznej. Wszystkie próby ujęcia języka naturalnego w ramy kompozycyjnej semantyki muszą się zmierzyć z generowanymi przez sprawozdania z przekonań łamigłówkami. Obecne w tradycji filozoficznej teorie nie tylko borykają się z różnymi problemami, ale ponadto nie uwzględniają psychologicznych aspektów przypisywania przekonań innym. W artykule formułuję postulaty, które psychologicznie adekwatna teoria powinna uwzględniać, a następnie przybliżam pojęcie ikoniczności, które stało się osią teorii zaproponowanej przez François Recanati’ego. Chociaż Recanati stara się brać pod uwagę (...) mechanizmy poznawcze odpowiedzialne za produkcję oraz interpretację języka, w świetle jego teorii sprawozdania z przekonań niesłusznie traktowane są na równi z innymi metareprezentacjami. Co więcej, Recanati nie zauważa związku pomiędzy zdolnością do przypisywania przekonań i rozumieniem kontrfaktycznych okresów warunkowych, w związku z czym w dalszej części artykułu proponuję taką modyfikację jego teorii, która będzie spełniać wspomniane postulaty. (shrink)

Statistics is the science of collection, summarizing, presentation and interpretation of data. Moreover, it yields methods used in the verification of research hypotheses. The presence of a statistician in a research group remarkably improves both the quality of design and research and the optimization of financial resources. Moreover, the involvement of a statistician in a research team helps the physician to effectively utilize the time and energy spent on diagnosing, which is an important aspect in view of limited healthcare resources. (...) Precise, properly designed and implemented Computerized Clinical Decision Support Systems certainly lead to the improvement of healthcare and the quality of medical services, which increases patient satisfaction and reduces financial burdens on healthcare systems. (shrink)

Zrozumienie i zastosowanie zasad projektowania graficznego w plakacie naukowym może dostarczyć korzyści praktycznych, takich jak przyciągnięcie i utrzymanie uwagi odbiorców, a także korzyści merytorycznych, czyli pomocy w komunikowaniu treści. Te drugie opierają się między innymi na koncepcji wizualnej gramatyki (opisanej przez Kress i Van Leeuwen [2006] i zastosowanej do analizy plakatu naukowego przez D’Angelo [2010]), wedle której elementy wizualne przekazują znaczenie w sposób podobny do języka, i tak jak język posiadają swoją gramatykę: zasady ich zastosowania i prezentacji, które mają wpływ (...) na wyrażany przez nie sens. Poster pokazuje zastosowanie wizualnej gramatyki w plakacie naukowym na przykładzie jednego z elementów wizualnych plakatu, który często jest niedoceniany: pustej przestrzeni. (shrink)