Actual Problems of Mind

Experience and Nature. Chapter 7. Nature, Life and Body-Mind

John Dewey — 2024-12-26

This is the first Ukrainian translation of the seventh chapter, «Nature, Life and Body-Mind», from John Dewey’s 1925 philosophical magnum opus Experience and Nature. (Translated from English into Ukrainian by Andrii Leonov).

John Dewey’s emergent theory of mind

Andrii Leonov — 2024-12-26

This paper provides a short historical-philosophical commentary on the first Ukrainian translation of the seventh chapter, «Nature, Life and Body-Mind», from John Dewey’s Experience and Nature, first published in 1925, and which has since been regarded as Dewey’s philosophical magnum opus. This commentary includes a short history of the book, a description of its structure, as well as a brief consideration of its significance from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

The paper briefly discusses the book’s main methodology, denotative method, which treats experience from a functional perspective the essence of which can be thought of as the practice-theory-practice pattern. For Dewey, implementing this method into philosophy should make the latter more practical and effective.

Experience and Nature is a clear expression of Dewey’s overall metaphysics and philosophy of mind and the book’s seventh chapter is central when it comes to Dewey’s solution to the mind-body problem. Thus, the paper briefly discusses Dewey’s emergent theory of mind, which is Dewey’s metaphysical solution to the mind-body problem, and which aims at restoring the continuity between nature and experience.

Since this translation is in a sense experimental, this or that terminological approach should not be understood as the ultimate truth. Thus, any constructive criticism, correctives and suggestions are welcomed. The pragmatic approach to philosophy and philosophizing is essentially fallibilist, and philosophical translation is in no way exception to that.

This translation is a part of Dewey’s Experience and Nature Centennial celebration organized by Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

On the problem of the historical basis of informal logic (historical-logical research)

Iryna Khomenko — 2024-12-26

Informal logic emerged in the late 1970s as an attempt to create a logic that analyses and evaluates the kinds of reasoning people encounter daily. This includes reasoning in political and social discussions, media, advertising, and everyday interpersonal communication. During the early stages of developing informal logic, scholars viewed it as an alternative to formal logic. In the 1990s, this view was clarified: these two logics are not alternatives but complement each other.
The paper examines the history of the formation of the informal movement. It aims to identify the historical preconditions that led to the emergence of informal logic. In this regard, the author studies the historical period from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The paper identifies two types of preconditions: conceptual and pedagogical. Drawing on the works of Steven Toulmin and Chaim Perelman from the late 1950s, the author highlights the criticism of formal (symbolic, mathematical) logic as a key conceptual precondition. The criticism is that formal logic does not have the tools for analysing reasoning used in real-life situations. From this premise follows the proposal to give logic an empirical character - to develop practical tools for analysing and evaluating real arguments. Another conceptual precondition is to involve informal fallacies in logical consideration, which was convincingly argued in Charles Hamblin’s famous work «Fallacies» (1970).
In the paper, the author studies the history of university logic teaching from the 1950s to the 1970s. Summarising, the author states that the dissatisfaction expressed by teachers and students regarding the courses on symbolic logic, along with the appearance of new logic courses and textbooks, played a crucial role in the emergence of the informal initiative.

Information society as a new socio-economic formation: methodological and terminological aspects

Mykola Briukhovetskyi — 2024-12-26

The article analyzes the prospects of simultaneously applying the civilizational and formational approaches to the study of the information society and examines the specifics of this type of society as a new formation. The emphasis is placed on the methodological foundations of both approaches and their terminological frameworks.

The civilizational approach views the information society as a historical stage of humanity, sequentially following the agrarian and industrial stages. Within this approach, attention is drawn to the dominant product (information) and the nature of labor (intellectual labor), based on the naming of the stages themselves. In contrast, the formational approach focuses on social relations of ownership and class structures. The article juxtaposes these approaches and concludes that their synthesis allows for a comprehensive assessment of societal development, taking into account both economic activity and socio-class relations of ownership.

Special attention is given to the inability to consider the information society within the framework of the capitalist formation due to the processes of intellectualization of labor and the dematerialization of its components, which significantly complicate the relations of exploitation and ownership, being atypical for capitalism. Consequently, the article concludes that the information society should be viewed through the lens of a new independent formation following capitalism. The work proposes alternative terms for this new socio-economic order and its dominant class.

Overall, the study expands the understanding of the information society as a complex phenomenon at the intersection of economic and social analysis and offers an integrative approach to its study.

Artificial intelligence and academic integrity in the context of virtue epistemology

Nadiia Kozachenko — 2024-12-26

The aim of this article is to examine the specificity of academic integrity in the context of the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research. Traditional epistemology does not address the specific challenges posed by this issue, so it is necessary to incorporate virtue epistemology. Proponents of this approach believe that knowledge is the result of the proper use of epistemic virtues such as openness to truth, attentiveness, and intellectual honesty. Thus, virtuous knowledge arises when a person uses epistemic virtues to arrive at the truth.

Key epistemic virtues threatened by AI are epistemic autonomy and responsibility. Autonomy allows a subject to maintain its beliefs independently, while responsibility refers to the epistemic agent's accountability for the reliability of its beliefs. In addition to virtues, we also consider epistemic vices. These characteristics of knowledge help us to formulate the concept of an epistemic agent within the framework of virtue epistemology.

Based on the concept of the epistemic agent, we examine epistemic authority, its functions, and the problems that arise in interacting with it. Do we lose epistemic autonomy when we rely on authority? Is belief based on authority rationally justified? Is a person responsible for beliefs formed through reliance on authority, especially when this leads to negative consequences?

Based on our research, we address the following questions Does AI have epistemic virtues and can it be considered an epistemic authority? The main problem is that AI is not an autonomous agent and cannot be held accountable for its information or analysis as a human authority can. AI is incapable of justifying its conclusions by epistemic virtues. Its knowledge is entirely dependent on the data provided and the methods of training, and it cannot independently assess the reliability or ethical implications of its answers. Under certain conditions, however, AI can exhibit some epistemic virtues, but this requires constant interaction with humans.

The final section of the article explores the possibility of maintaining academic integrity when interacting with AI, considering its functioning through the lens of virtue epistemology in real educational and research contexts.

Karl Popper's metaphysics of culture: world 3 and its significance for human beings

Oksana Panafidina — 2024-12-26

This article is devoted to Karl Popper's conception of culture, which is original and relevant for modern rationalist philosophy, social sciences and humanities. The author posits the necessity of employing the term "metaphysics of culture" to designate his conceptualization of the world 3 as a man-made objective reality that persists through language and exerts a feedback effect on the human capacity to shape one's self. Popper developed this conception on the foundation of emergent evolutionism, pluralistic interactionism, and critical rationalism.

The author states that Popper attempted to reconcile his metaphysical conception with the data of modern science. Additionally, like Kant in his time, he was morally motivated. Popper was convinced that rationality, creativity, civility, and morality are potentially inherent in human beings. He sought to explain "How are they possible?" in the Kantian spirit. This article argues that Popper's metaphysics of culture is based on the principles of critical rationalist metaphysics and avoids the extremes of materialist reductionism, psychologist subjectivism, and normative idealism.

The article presents a complete reconstruction of Popper's metaphysics of culture, centered around four principles: (1) the principle of emergent exosomatic evolution; (2) the principle of man-made culture; (3) the principle of the linguistic nature of culture; (4) the principle of pluralistic interaction. The article employs a primarily apologetic strategy. The author also addresses the arguments of those who have criticized the Popper's conception of culture.

In conclusion, Popper's metaphysics of culture can be considered comprehensive, fundamental and significant. It merits the attention of both philosophers and scientists alike. Popper's most notable contribution is his elucidation of the process through which the human being becomes a self. This formation is influenced by two key factors: biological evolution, particularly the evolution of language, and interaction with the world of culture. Feedback from the world of objective knowledge, a critical stance on the products of one's mental activity, grasping and understanding the objects of the world 3, and discussions with other people are the conditions for human self-transcendence, self-improvement and the development of a mature personality.

Aesthetic intelligence as human capital in the system of educational values and leadership

Andrii Abdula — 2024-12-26

Human capital can be considered a fundamental characteristic of a developed society, as it becomes a prerequisite for the public good in its form of intellectual abilities and practical skills while determining human capacity for self-realization and high-quality work. Human capital grows through investments, and education is considered one of them. However, focusing solely on the instrumental or economic aspect of human capital is not comprehensive; economic and value aspects can be seen as complementary. If profitability emerges as a form that realizes not only professional skills but also a value system or type of “intelligence”, the question arises: is modern education of sufficient quality to be not only economically justified but also socially efficient? What specific forms of intellectual activity might be used in the process of training modern leaders?

The authors of the article claim that the 21st century is witnessing an “aesthetic renaissance”, as a result of which aesthetic values are regarded as those that enable added value, influencing informational and economic contexts, among others. Aesthetic excellence is becoming an increasingly important factor. At the same time, in the modern theory of teacher training, the aesthetic foundation of leadership potential remains insufficiently appreciated. The deficit of philosophical thinking among leaders, and the narrowing of emotional, ethical, and aesthetic intelligence, remains a real practical issue that requires additional attention. The article explores the prospects of the modern leadership paradigm focused on value-philosophical and aesthetic models of forming and functioning emotional intelligence as the foundation of human capital, considering the systemic changes occurring in the educational sphere. The key theme of the study is aesthetic intelligence as a topical educational value, its role, essence, advantages, characteristics, morality, and aestheticism—a purposeful clarity of thought that, under favourable circumstances, ensures successful outcomes.

The analysis of modern approaches in leadership theory demonstrates the research focus on the creative foundations of leadership intellectual culture, which do not contradict contemporary views on the multidimensionality of intelligence and rationality. None of the types of intelligence can be considered dominant. Modern intellectual criteria extend beyond the rational standard: they interpret reason as a creative phenomenon, consider multiple ways of perceiving the world and interacting with it, and incorporate the aesthetic criterion into the epistemological framework. Therefore, it is reasonable to justify the view that aesthetics, art, and science can be understood as forms of knowledge and products of aesthetic intelligence.

Aesthetic intelligence manifests in aesthetic taste and individual style. Theories of aesthetic taste are valuable for psychological, cultural, anthropological, social and other research, but their practical significance is equally important. Attention to aesthetic taste can help to make better decisions, create fairer policies, and develop higher-quality products.

The article substantiates the idea that aesthetic intelligence entails an analytical advantage in constructing experience. In epistemology, aesthetic intelligence is researched as a horizon of new ideas through productive imagination and a form of organizing experience (I. Kant, P. Ebbs).

The article has also attempted to demonstrate the essential features of this phenomenon, such as the “ability to perceive and interpret beauty” (P. Ferrucci, P. Brown). Considering that aesthetic intelligence is a form of artistic (creative) world perception and a tool for constructing experience, which goes beyond perception and narrow instrumental rationality, these definitions can be revised and significantly expanded. Aesthetic intelligence can be interpreted not only as the “ability to perceive and interpret beauty” but also as constructive thinking aimed at appropriateness, novelty, and uniqueness, as well as creativity and its organized results.

The problems of the framework of practical identity of a person in analytic philosophy

Olena Olifer — 2024-12-26

The article concerns the problem of personal identity in analytic philosophy as the maintenance of a person’s self-identity over time. It describes a framework of practical identity, which is based on the thesis that personal identity consists in rational unity, i.e. the integrity of the Self achieved through doing actions. This way to describe identity emphasizes its processual nature. According to it, personal identity is maintained through the constant attribution of actions, when a person ascribes his or her actions to himself or herself and regards them as own.

Philosophers, who justify the framework of practical identity as an alternative to the metaphysical one, argue that the practical framework not only explains how identity is formed and maintained over time, but also comprises issues concerning a person's practical activities. Therefore, it is considered to have broader applicability than the metaphysical one.

In this article, we offer to test both the ontological and practical models of personal identity in the thought experiments about time travel and amnesia, which are considered in both philosophy and popular culture. We demonstrate that the framework of practical identity is not applicable in all cases to explain the practical problems of a person’s existence. Thus, the purpose of our paper is to determine why such issues arise when describing personal identity in the practical framework.

The article argues that reidentification, the way to maintain identity over time, leads to the disappearance of qualitative distinctions between different person stages, and as a result, the personal narrative becomes too subjective and unrelated to a person’s real life. Moreover, it does not encompass the individual’s entire life, which is also a problem for the practical framework of personal identity.

To find a possible solution to these problems in the framework of practical identity, we suggest reconsidering it from the perspective of social philosophy. We claim that activity necessarily involves the participation of others, and therefore, social interaction should be considered as the basis of personal identity.

Three Worlds

Karl Popper — 2024-12-26

The Three Worlds is the Tanner Lecture on Human Values, delivered by Karl Popper on 7 April 1978 at the University of Michigan. In this work, Popper presents a pluralistic view of the world and offers a justification for this perspective. This translation is based on Popper, K. R. (1979). Three Worlds, in The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, vol. 1, edited by Sterling M. McMurrin, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 141–167.

Review of Luke O’Sullivan. Categories : A study of a concept in western philosophy and political thought

Olena Mishalova — 2024-12-26