Eine der grundlegenden menschlichen Bestimmungen ist die, dass der Mensch ein sich bildendes Wesen ist. Den Grund dafür findet die philosophische Tradition in seiner geistigen Seele. Für Humboldt und seine Universität beispielsweise, ist die Seele der Grund dieses Prozesses. Die zeitgenössische Bildungsphilosophie, namentlich die Pädagogik und die ihr verwandten Wissenschaften, vermeiden jedoch die Rede über die Seele hinsichtlich der Erziehung und besonders hinsichtlich der Bildung. Dies führt bereits zur zentralen These des Artikels, welche wie folgt zusammengefasst werden kann: Bildung kann (...) und darf nicht auf die Rezeption von Wissen und Fähigkeiten bzw. Fertigkeiten im Sinne bloßer Qualifizierung reduziert werden, sondern muss zu ihren tiefsten Grundlagen zurückkehren, welche sich gleichzeitig als grundlegende Bestimmungen bzw. Perspektiven der Bildung überhaupt darstellen: Mit der Öffnung zur Ganzheit der Welt kommt die Seele innerhalb der Bildung bei sich selbst an. Hiermit aber führt sich die Bildung nicht ausschließlich auf die theoretisch-spekulative Art der Annahme und der „Prozessierung“ des Wissens zurück oder zielt ausschließlich auf den moralisch-sittlichen Aspekt; vielmehr wird darauf verwiesen, dass der Mensch in seiner Gesamtheit und Eigenart in ihren Mittelpunkt gestellt wird. Die zentrale These des Aufsatzes wird durch vier tragende Kapitel entfaltet: Im ersten, welches zudem als Ausgangspunkt gilt, wird die griechisch-platonische Denktradition im Hinblick auf die Bildung erörtet, indem dabei die Zwei entscheidenden Begriffe, imago und imitatio, hervorgehoben werden. Im zweiten beziehen wir uns auf zwei – unserer Ansicht nach – Schlüsseltheoretiker, W. v. Humboldt und G. F. W. Hegel, die, jeder auf seine Weise, die „Seele“ der Bildung durch die Begriffe der Universalität in Form der Losreißung vom Partikularen und der Freiheit in Form der Einsamkeit oder Losreißung von der Menge beobachten. Die vorgestellten Darstellungen heben auf keinen Fall eines der wichtigen Merkmale der Bildung auf, die Ausbildung, die im dritten Kapitel erörtert wird, wobei man zur Kenntnis geben möchte, dass sie, wenn sie authentisch sein soll, auch die „Ankunft der Seele bei sich selbst“ berücksichtigen muss. Die abschließenden Ausführungen im vierten Kapitel schildern die Situation derzeitiger Bildung, beispielsweise das Abgleiten in den Funktionalismus und in die reine Praxis sowie das Ausbleiben jeglicher Idee davon, was im Endeffekt die Folge der „Vertreibung des Geistes aus der Bildung“ ist. (shrink)

In a series of recent papers, Jonathan Schaffer presents a novel framework for understanding grounding. Metaphysical laws play a central role. In addition, Schaffer argues that, contrary to what many have thought, there is no special 'explanatory gap' between consciousness and the physical world. Instead, explanatory gaps are everywhere. I draw out and criticize the methodology for metaphysics implicit in Schaffer's presentation. In addition, I argue that even if we accept Schaffer's picture, there remains a residual explanatory gap between consciousness (...) and the physical. The residual gap does most of the same philosophical work as the original. Schaffer has introduced a troublesome metaphysical methodology that fails to follow through on its biggest promise: to deflate the explanatory gap. (shrink)

Currently fashionable among critics of enlightenment thought is the charge that Kant's ethics fails to provide an adequate account of character and its formation in moral and political life. G. Felicitas Munzel challenges this reading of Kant's thought, claiming not only that Kant has a very rich notion of moral character, but also that it is a conception of systematic importance for his thought, linking the formal moral with the critical, aesthetic, anthropological, and biological aspects of his philosophy. The first (...) book to focus on character formation in Kant's moral philosophy, it builds on important recent work on Kant's aesthetics and anthropology, and brings these to bear on moral issues. Munzel traces Kant's multifaceted definition of character through the broad range of his writings, and then explores the structure of character, its actual exercise in the world, and its cultivation. An outstanding work of original textual analysis and interpretation, _Kant's Conception of Moral Character_ is a major contribution to Kant studies and moral philosophy in general. (shrink)

According to the ‘conceivability argument’ [1] it’s conceivable that a conscious human being H may have a perfect physical duplicate H* who isn’t conscious, [2] whatever is conceivable is possible, therefore [3] H* may possibly exist. This paper argues that the conceivability argument can’t help in discussion of the ‘mind–body problem’ even if [2] is allowed to be true. This is not because [1] is false, but because we don’t and can’t know enough about the nature of the physical to (...) know whether or not [1] is true. This follows from ‘the silence of physics’—the fact that physics neither does nor can tell us about the intrinsic non-structural nature of the physical, and the consequences of this fact for any adequate account of the meaning of the word ‘physical’. (shrink)

In his target paper, John Welwood tells us that we have to beware of 'spiritual bypassing -- using spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional -- unfinished business--, to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and develop-mental tasks, all in the name of enlightenment'. It's arguable that there is an equal danger of 'narrative bypassing' -- using the idea of one's life as a narrative to 'sidestep personal, emotional --unfinished business--, to shore (...) up a shaky sense of self -- all in the name of' a good life. (shrink)

Originally published in 1965. This is a textbook of modern deductive logic, designed for beginners but leading further into the heart of the subject than most other books of the kind. The fields covered are the Propositional Calculus, the more elementary parts of the Predicate Calculus, and Syllogistic Logic treated from a modern point of view. In each of the systems discussed the main emphases are on Decision Procedures and Axiomatisation, and the material is presented with as much formal rigour (...) as is compatible with clarity of exposition. The techniques used are not only described but given a theoretical justification. Proofs of Consistency, Completeness and Independence are set out in detail. The fundamental characteristics of the various systems studies, and their relations to each other are established by meta-logical proofs, which are used freely in all sections of the book. Exercises are appended to most of the chapters, and answers are provided. (shrink)

The paper offers an account of consciousness as a biological process. All its theoretical concepts are derived from the biological context and accurately defined in causal and functional terms. To cover the essence of what is commonly meant by the word ‘consciousness’, and to avoid confusion through a selective or theoretically biased interpretation of that word, the paper addresses the dimensions of awareness which the word denotes according to the dictionaries of the English language, viz., an awareness of the surrounding (...) world, of the self, and of one's thoughts and feelings. These are examined at the primary levels at which they might exist also in nonhuman species. (shrink)

This critical notice discusses five main themes of Williams's collection: (1) The “morality system” and blame: our ethical thought both misconceives and overemphasizes the practice of blaming. (2) The theorist’s predicament: how can a theorist of human practice coherently relate her theory to her own practice? (3) Psychological realism: a central constraint on a defensible ethical outlook is that it takes account of us as we are. (4) Culture and explanation: there is no culturally neutral form of social explanation. (5) (...) Objectivity and realism: ethical objectivity should be interpreted in a practical vein, dissociating it from realism. (shrink)

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain (...) in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)