Abstracts and Key Words
2018-01-23
● Gadamer and Brandom on Interpretation Cristina Lafont
Abstract:In his book Tales of the Mighty Dead,Brandom engages Gadamer’s hermeneutic conception of interpretation in order to show that his inferentialist approach to understanding conceptual content can explain and underwrite the main theses of Gadamer’s hermeneutics which he calls “the gadamerian hermeneutic platitudes”. In order to assess the correctness of this claim,I analyze the three types of philosophical interpretations that Brandom discusses:de re,de dicto and de traditione,and argue that they commit him to an “ecumenical historicism”that is directly at odds with the hermeneutic approach. Although the variety of de re interpretation that Brandom denominates de traditione comes indeed very close to the Gadamerian approach,I conclude that if Brandomian scorekeepers were to adopt it,they could become Gadamerianhermeneuts,but once they did,they would not be able to go back to their scorekeeping practices as described by Brandom.
Key words:Brandom;Gadamer;hermeneutics;historicism
● Pejorative ToneErnie Lepore,Matthew Stone
Abstract:Our utterances say how things are,but they can also display who we are,show how we think,and hint at how we feel. No catalogue of mechanisms can account for all the insights that utterances can prompt;speakers exploit whatever means they can invent. In this paper,we consider slur terms as an illustration of the diversity and complexity of such interpretive effects. Our view is that such effects can reflect expansive,openended engagement with an utterance and its linguistic meaning,through a host of distinctive kinds of reasoning.This reasoning may include inferences about the speaker’s psychology and her intentions—in light of the full social and historical context—but it may involve approaching the utterance through strategies for imaginative elaboration and emotional attunement,as required,for example,for metaphor,poetic diction,irony,sarcasm,and humor. In the face of their heterogeneity and open-endedness,these interpretive strategies are most perspicuously elucidated through critical attention to the psychological,social,historical and even artistic considerations at play in specific cases. Thus,in contrast to the common practice in philosophy and linguistics,we will not offer a general account of the interpretation of slur terms. We think there can be no such thing.
Key words:slurs;prohibition;content;tone;presupposition
● Finding Oneself’s Being: Ratcliffe’s Concept of Existential Feeling and Heidegger LEUNG Ka-wing
Abstract:Contemporary philosophical inquiries into the nature of emotions are usually characterized as falling into two camps:cognitive theories and feeling theories. Matthew Ratcliffe’s concept of existential feeling is set forth against this background,incorporating both the cognitive or intentional dimension of emotions and the bodily dimension of emotions. According to Ratcliffe,existential feelings are ways of finding oneself in a world,which are constitutive of one’s being in the world. It is clear that Heidegger’s influence on Ratcliffe is extensive. The aim of this article is to expound the significance of the concept of existential feeling and its connection with Heidegger.
Key words:emotions;bodily feelings;intentionality;existential feelings;Heidegger
● Discipline, Cultivation and Nature: On the Transformation from the Hebrew musar to the Hellenistic παιδεία BAO Yongling
Abstract:In the third century BC,when the Hebrew text of the Old Testament was translated into Greek,the concept “παιδεία” replaced “musar”,the latter meant domestication,discipline and teaching and the former referred to the cultivation and culture,so began the process of rational imagination of Jewish education. The change of the theories of παιδεία in different periods is based on the changing understanding of the relationship between Himself,God and nature (φύσις). At the time παιδεία encompassed all human endeavors,which referred to the methods and paths that cultivate human beings in conformity with absolute perfection and which was the ultimate reason for the existence of harmony between individuals and communities.
Key words:musar;paideia;physis;natura
● Two Paradigms of Studying Marx Among Western Scholars: Isaiah Berlin’s Hedgehog Mode and David McLellan’s Fox Mode LING Feixia
Abstract:Thisyear is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. The proper way to commemorate him as a thinker is not only to study his ideas,but also to reflect on the research paradigms of him. Berlin divides thinkers into hedgehogs that advocate monism and foxes that advocate pluralism,and Marx is classified as a hedgehog. According to this division,the research paradigms can also be divided into hedgehog modes and fox modes,the former trying to highlight the specific nature of the object while the latter attempting as far as possible to show the various characteristics of the object. In the study of Marx by western scholars,Berlin’s study is the representative of the hedgehog mode. He attributed Marx’s thoughts to a monistic view of history.McLellan’s study was the fox mode. He took into account almost all aspects of Marx’s life and thoughts. Both Berlin and McLellan studied Marx because of Marx’s hedgehog mode,but Berlin used the hedgehog modewhile arguing against the hedgehog mode;yet McLellan developed the fox mode while admiring the hedgehog mode.Their own theoretical positionsare the main reason why they use different modes to study Marx and even the history of thoughts. In fact,these two modes have their own advantages and disadvantages,and the purpose of reflection is to determine their respective scope of application,and to provide reference for the research on Marx for Chinese scholars.
Key words: Karl Marx;hedgehog mode;fox mode;Isaiah Berlin;David McLellan
● Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu’s Thought on Funeral: A Comparative Philosophy of Death Between Taoism and Confucianism HE Dan
Abstract:Through the study about Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu’s thought on the funeral,it is known that in the face of death,Lao-Tzu’s sorrow is not limited to relatives and noble people,and his idea on sacrifice does not worship ghosts and gods. Chuang-Tzu advocated not to be sorrow,simplifyburial ritual,and sacrifices are immaterial.Both views are related to their different understanding of life and the rule of the state. Because of opposing killing life and violence,Lao-Tzu hated weapons and opposed war,advocated “anti-killing” and“health preserving”,“inaction” and “no words” . Because of opposing the secular false display of affection,Lao-Tzu think that “life is essentially the same as death” . Chuang-Tzu pointed out that we should calmly face life and death,protect life and learnfrom nature. Their thoughts are different,but both emphasize following the Tao so that one may enjoy destiny and govern country. For this reason,they are both classified as Taoism. They criticized ritual system to settle funeral,self-cultivation and state governance. Therefore,the death theory of Taoism is more comparable to Confucianism. The turbulent background of the timesgave birth to philosophical thinking about death,but their arguments based on the different social ideals. Their ways to treat life and death are very different,which also determined their development and fate in future generations. But since the two main ideas of traditional culture cannot be replaced,they both benefit the contemporary construction practices such as educational ideas,philosophy of death and bioethics.
Key words: Lao-Tzu;Chuang-Tzu;Confucianism;funeral sacrifice;philosophy of death
● Context Between Life, Expression and Understanding: The Hermeneutical Foundation of the Human Science in Late Dilthey Hans-Ulrich Lessing
Abstract:The philosophical thesis in late Dilthey is the hermeneutical foundation of the human science.This plan is particularly reflected in Dilthey’s “Die Entstehung der Hermeneutik”in 1900 and “Der Aufbau der geschichtlichen Welt in den Geisteswissenschaften”in 1910. In the introduction and supplement of“Die Entstehung der Hermeneutik”,there has been an attempt to convert hermeneutics from a certain technical means to a certain philosophical program,that is,to explore the structure and characteristics of the understanding of expression of life,but the hermeneutics is still the interpretation of continual fixed texts. This hermeneutical program reached a peak in 1910. In Der Aufbau der geschichtlichen Welt in den Geisteswissenschaften,Dilthey explained in detail the difference between natural science and human science,and expounded the unique structure of human science,which is the context between life,expression and understanding,and finally settled on the objective spirit and productive nexus. The objective spirit is the superindividual,cultural world in which we live,makes it possible to understand others and to ensure the objectivity of understanding. The productive nexus portrays the fundamental characteristics of the spiritual world. It shapes the objective spirit and makes it the object of human science. Only on this basis is it possible to lay the hermeneutical foundation of the human science.
Key words: hermeneutics;human science;experience;expression;understanding;objective spirit;productive nexus
● Hegel: Successful Conciliator of Conflicts Between Individuals and Communities? Investigation Based on Poverty in Civil Society LIANG Yanxiao
Abstract: The same Hegel,in the eyes of different scholars,has two diametrically opposite images:the conservative nationalist and the mediator who blends ancient communism with modern liberalism. This article,taking the issue of poverty in civil society as the starting point,explores whether the latter image of Hegel can be established. In Philosophy of Right,on the one hand,Hegel agrees with the individual principles embodied in the labor ownership that leads to poverty,while on the other hand,he supports the common principles embodied in the relief of poverty by civil society,which leads to a “public case” — whether civil society has solved the problem of poverty. A review of early and late solutions shows that the corporation reconstructed on the basis of medieval guilds is regarded by Hegel as a new program. This new approach is different from the individual liberalism that abandoned the poverty issue and also different from the national welfare system that implements universal relief.
Key words:poverty;individual principles;community principles;police;corporation
● Joseph Raz’s Taxonomy of Reasons: Focusing on Normativity JIN Tao
Abstract:We often encounter some confusions,by that we can understand the normative reasons.Razraised a unique taxonomy of reasons. The moral reasonsbehind are the natural state of the first-order reason of action,and they will be in conflict both on the level of application and the level of value. Advice,request and order are all important tools for helping others to resolve conflicts,among which order provides a new second-order reason,and changes the normative state of the first-order reason. The first-order reason and the second-order reason can be combined into one kind of protective reason. The legal norms are exact exemplars which play a unique and important role in normative reasoning.
Key words:Joseph Raz;first-order reason;second-order reason;protective reason;normativity
● Autonomy and Responsibility of Artificial Intelligence WU Sang
Abstract:Currently,the argument that artificial intelligence (AI)is autonomous agent and bearer of responsibility is based on the autonomy of action,which cannot sustain AI to taking responsibility. The essence of whether AI is autonomous is about whether an agent can be autonomous in a deterministic world.AI can be autonomous,even a bearer of liability responsibility,if supported by reasons-responsive accounts.The liability responsibility attributed to AI is a kind of joint responsibility. It has different forms depending on how AI cooperates with humans. Users of AI should pay attention to the omission of responsibility. Meanwhile,nonusers of AI may take responsibility for not engaging AI as well.
Key words: artificial intelligence;autonomy;determinism;responsibility
● How is the Perceptual Content Conceptual? An Investigation into the Debate Between Travis and McDowell LIU Xueliang
Abstract:How is the perceptual content conceptual? This is a key problem of contemporary epistemology.McDowell’s conceptualism claims that only conceptual things can take part in justification,and thus perceptual content must be conceptual. His conceptualism involves two points:C1,the perceptual content being conceptual,and C2,concepts coming from language-learning. Travis criticizes McDowell’s opinion.He points out that conceptualism is a theory of representationalism that is problematic and the concept of“ostensibly seeing”,which is the foundation of conceptualism,is impossible. Thus,the C1 claim has been proved false. McDowell has acknowledged Travis’s critique and has revised his conceptualist claim. He modifies conceptualism by putting forward two statements,M1 that intuition is a kind of conceptual capacity and M2 that there are still some concepts in the perceptual content. But his revision is untenable. This article will show that McDowell’s modification has not solved the problem. What’s more,the modified C1 conflicts with C2.Therefore,McDowell’s conceptualist theory is inconsistent and cannot demonstrate how the perceptual content is conceptual.
Key words:perceptual content;conceptuality;intuition;the debate between Travis and McDowell
● Peter Raabe’s Four-stage Method of Philosophical Counseling CHEN Hong
Abstract:The Canadian philosopher Peter Raabe proposed his four-stage philosophical consulting method by reflecting on the theory and application of some philosophical consultants. “Free-floating”is the first stage of philosophical consultation. The philosophical consultants encourage visitors to freely say whatever they want to say at the first stage,and they can use the Socratic method of “midwifery”to help visitors emerge from the problem and to enter into the second stage of immediate solutions. Philosophical consultants assist visitors to find solutions to clarify problems,develop a set of philosophical and rational thinking skills,and solve the crux of problems that trouble them at this stage. When visitors are satisfied with the solution to immediate problems,the philosophical consultants and visitors are entering into the third stage namely “teaching as an intentional act”. At this stage the philosophical consultants not only discuss philosophical issues with visitors,but also help visitors turn philosophical reasoning into a way of life. In the stage of transcendence,the visitors have a dialogue with philosophical consultants for many times. They develop reasoning and dialogue skills,learn how to transcend the current situation of individuals,and make themselves no longer indulge in the pain of the past,by which they establish a set of self-value system.
Key words:free-floating;immediate problem solution;teaching as an intentional act;transcendence