Purpose: Tracing the historical roots of Mitterer's non-dualizing philosophy in Austrian philosophers who studied the relationship between object and language around 1900. Method: Discussing the epistemological relevance of the "tertium non datur" principle and disclosing the mutual influence of early language critics Mauthner, Stöhr, and Wahle, who also anticipated many of Wittgenstein's later insights. Findings: Mitterer's philosophy can be considered the endpoint of the Austrian tradition of language criticism. His non-dualizing approach is a methodological constructivism that does not comply with (...) "tertium non datur." Implications: Non-dualizing philosophy can also be applied to media theory. (shrink)

Context: Non-dualistic thinking is an alternative to realism and constructivism. Problem: In the absence of a distinct definition of the term “description,” the question comes up of what exactly can be included in non-dualistic descriptions, and in how far the definition of this term affects the relation between theory and empirical practice. Furthermore, this paper is concerned with the question of whether non-dualism and dualism differ in their implications. Method: I provide a wider semantic framework for the term “description” by (...) means of George Spencer Brown’s terminology in his calculus of indications as laid out in Laws of Form. The connection of descriptions and distinctions enables descriptions to comprise reflections and language as well as empirical observations. Results: Non-dualism can be thought of in different ways but still has essential elements in common with dualism. Implications: Non-dualism, as well as dualism, is an argumentation technique suitable for specific situations, but without significant differences in implications. (shrink)

Excerpt: Can you imagine a non-observable, un-describable state?... There are trivialities that hide abysses... To solve the paradox of the very beginning of the world one has to reject dualistic ontology... From now on, all of the perceptions and ideas embedded in God's mind have never been anything other than descriptions so far and from now on.

Context: Although Josef Mitterer’s non-dualism has received increasing attention in recent years, it is still underrated by philosophers. It is an ambitious and unusual treatment of epistemological problems concerning truth and reality. Problem: Is non-dualism tenable? Is conceptual relativism tenable? Method: On the basis of a pragmatic semantics, Mitterer’s arguments against conceptual relativism are shown to be unjustified. Results: Non-dualism lacks a clear conception of semantics. Given the similarities to Robert Brandom’s account of truth, as well as Mitterer’s preoccupation with (...) Wittgenstein, pragmatic semantics suggests itself for filling this gap. But then conceptual relativism seems to be the more attractive position. Implications: This paper is a critical survey of non-dualism and a defense of conceptual relativism, but it might also be a worthwhile reading for those interested in semantic issues such as the difference between Ludwig Wittgenstein’s and Robert Brandom’s approaches to “meaning as use.” Constructivist content: Non-dualism is sometimes regarded as an alternative to realistic and constructivist positions in epistemology. This paper, however, defends conceptual relativism, which is a kind of realism that can also be seen as a kind of (non-radical) constructivism. (shrink)

Selon un lieu commun, la géographie médiévale se réduirait à une vaste parenthèse ouverte entre la fin du siècle d'or de l'Empire romain et la renaissance des grandes découvertes du XV° siècle. Mais quelle réalité s'agit-il de représenter ? Car toute représentation est tributaire, non seulement de conceptions particulières, mais aussi de moyens techniques qui ont présidé à son élaboration. Dans cet article, le lien entre la réalité et ses images, qui organise habituellement l'histoire de la cartographie, sera relâché au (...) bénéfice des représentations comme un système de signes appelé à prendre sens dans une production et une réception . L'enquête médiévale révèle l'attention des contemporains à la complexité de ces relations et représentations.According to common understanding, medieval geography would be reduced to a vast parenthesis, open between the end of the golden century of the Roman Empire and the renaissance of the great discoveries of the 15th century. But what is the reality being represented ?For every representation is tributary, not only of particular conceptions, but also of the technical capacities that preceded its elaboration. In this article, the connection between reality and its images, which habitually organized the history of cartography, will be set aside for the benefit of representations as a system, of signs called to have meaning in a production and a reception . This medieval inquiry reveals the attention that contemporaries have given to the complexity of its relations and representations. (shrink)

Originally published 1968, the book examines the ways in which the definitions of education held by different groups with power have changed since 1800 and traces which social institutions exercised the preponderant influence on the growth of the English educational system during the seminal period in which the state system was founded and grew to its present position. Especial attention is given to the influence of the ideologies of the various social classes, to the growing demands of the economy on (...) the educational system and to changes in the structure of the family. (shrink)

The tableaux-constructions have a number of properties which advantageously distinguish them from equivalent axiomatic systems . The proofs in the form of tableaux-constructions have a full accordance with semantic interpretation and subformula property in the sense of Gentzen’s Hauptsatz. Method of tatleaux-construction gives a good substitute of Gentzen’s methods and thus opens a good perspective for the investigations of theoretical as well as applied aspects of logical calculi. It should be noted that application of tableau method in modal, tense, relevant (...) and other non-classical logics is connected with serious difficulties. Tableaux variants are constructed only for a few normal modal systems. As to relevant and paraconsistent logic, the absence of its tableau variants may be considered as a question of special interest. We shall formulate the tableaux for propositional modal system S4.1, S4.2, S4.3, S4.4 and relevant R∗ and E ∗ using Beth’s tableaux construction with indexed formulas. (shrink)