Filosofska Dumka

Definition and criteria of human death as a bioethical problem: Part II

2025-12-10T22:02:12+02:00

The article discusses the problem of defining human death (death of a person) and its criteria in the context of contemporary bioethical debates. It analyzes the main approaches to the theoretical justification of the criterion of human death as the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain function (“the whole brain criterion”), which since the 1970s has gained wide recognition and legal acceptance in most countries of the world, as well as the main critical arguments against this criterion. The analysis provides grounds for concluding that the justification of the whole-brain criterion of human death based on a purely biological definition of death as the irreversible cessation of the integrated functioning of the organism is refuted by weighty counterarguments, primarily counterexamples of the integrated functioning of the human organism with a “dead” brain. On the other hand, the justification based on the intuitively plausible identification of human death with irreversible loss of consciousness in all its forms (inability to experience anything), while supporting the adoption of the whole-brain criterion as a step in the right direction, as compared to the traditional cardiopulmonary criterion, leads to the conclusion that it is advisable to replace the whole-brain criterion with the criterion that more accurately corresponds to this identification—human death as the irreversible cessation of all brain functions responsible for conscious mental states (“the higher brain criterion”). Consideration of the main arguments of the supporters of this position, the objections raised against it, and the responses to these objections gives grounds for concluding that it adequately represents the most socially and ethically significant meanings associated with the concept of human (personal) death. At the same time, given the heated debate on this issue, it is reasonable to introduce a pluralistic practice whereby the death of persons whose conscientious (religious or philosophical) beliefs contradict the basic criterion established by law (applicable by default) can be determined according to the criteria that agree with these beliefs.

Contextualism in today's philosophical elaborations: clarification of epistemological problems

2025-12-10T22:09:32+02:00

The article, based on common (among the authors of analytical philosophy) examples, outlines the general problematic of contextualism, both as a general methodological and, first of all, as a special philosophical epistemological direction. The concept of "contextual sensitivity" plays a peculiar role in such research vectors. The "context-sensitivity" significantly corrects the presence or absence of knowledge, truth. Discussion of standards of knowledge, or standards of truth of knowledge, is widespread. Such standards can "increase" or "decrease": be stronger or weaker depending on the contextual features of the agents involved in the interactions and speakers as bearers of knowledge; as well as on the situation in which the interaction takes place.

Contextualist directions of research were stimulated by the traditional problem of skepticism in epistemology (which is one of its three main problems, while the other two are the problem of knowledge (what do we know and how do we know that) and the problem of perception). Another crucial area for establishing and developing contextualism (traditionally directly connected with epistemology) was philosophy of language. Contextualist developments allow us to distinguish situational details in such a way that skeptical criticisms may appear irrelevant, or, conversely, may become obviously relevant.

In this paper, approaches, examples, and arguments of important figures of analytic philosophy (S. Cohen, E. Craig, K. DeRose, F. Dretske, M. Gerken, J. Greco, D. Henderson, T. Hofweber, J.J. Ichikawa, J. Nagel, R. Neta, P. Yourgrau e. a.) where examined with the purpose to show actuality of contextualism for nowadays philosophical problems connected with interactions between different agents.

The new context of today, associated with the development and spread of computer technologies, when the very ability to act (activity, agency) can be interpreted as technology, adds relevance to philosophical studies of the contextualist direction in order to clarify the specifics of interactions between different agents (humans and non-humans). Contextual ir/relevance of contents in various intertwined interactions between autonomous human and automatic non-human agents could become a touchstone point for their fruitful proceedings. Such ir/relevance can be gained via contextual sensitivity of the involved into common action agents, speakers.

The Invention of Subjectivity and the Philosophy of Suspicion. Part 1. The Invention of Subjectivity, or The Taming of Dionysus

2025-12-10T22:13:31+02:00

The first part “The Invention of Subjectivity, or the Taming of Dionysus” of the article “The Invention of Subjectivity and the Philosophy of Suspicion” deals with the formation of the modern concept of subjectivity in European intellectual tradition from antiquity to the present day. According to the author, this process begins with an event that can be called an anthropological turn in ancient philosophy. This event occurs primarily thanks to Socrates and the Sophists. Here, first of all, it is worth recalling the statement of Protagoras “Of all things the measure is Man, of the things that are, that they are, and of the things that are not, that they are not”, which leads not so much to epistemological relativism as to the fact that, from then on, the attention of ancient thinkers was focused on the phenomenon of man. Despite Socrates' criticism of the Sophists, this motif of their philosophy obviously remains important for his thinking. An important moment in this process was Aristotle's creation of the concept of “ύποκείμενον”, which was translated into Latin as “subjectum” and, through Latin, entered all modern European languages, including Ukrainian, in the form of the concept of “subject.” The next step in the formation of the modern concept of subjectivity is the Christian doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Relevant to the topic of the study are the interpretation of the experience of the first Christians in Friedrich Nietzsche's The Dawn of Day and the description of the impact of the destruction of the ancient political system on the formation of ideas of eternity and immortality in Hannah Arendt's Human Condition. The principle of subjectivity finally established in the philosophy of René Descartes, namely in his statement “Ego cogito ergo sum” and reaches its apogee in Immanuel Kant's transcendentalism in the form of the transcendental unity of self-consciousness. But almost immediately, the principle of subjectivity is criticized, as discussed in the second part of the article.

Political populism and digital culture

2025-12-10T22:20:35+02:00

Following the tradition of approaching the populist actor as a sign in socio-cultural communication and political populism as an ontological process of political action, according to Ernesto Laclau, this article shifts attention to the digital environment, where effective contemporary populist discourse unfolds. Populist practices extend beyond political action and are embodied in the public communication of contemporary celebrities, a phenomenon that has become especially evident in the age of social media. To identify the essential characteristics of the political populist and the digital environment within a single theoretical framework, this study employs the methodology and conceptual foundations of Luciano Floridi’s philosophy of information, which allows the political populist to be considered as an informational organism (inforg) in new conditions of existence—the infosphere. Considering the conceptual separation of intelligence and activity, understood as the agency of new artifacts driven by artificial intelligence, the author draws an analogy, revealing the configurational affordances of the infosphere for the political populist, who, like algorithm-driven artificial artifacts, adapts to external stimuli coming from micro-audiences in digital networks in search of maximum popular approval. An ontological affinity between the informational entities of the populist and the artificial artifact is identified, based on their shared characteristic—agency—which is planned outcomes of the technologies. Thus, digital culture shapes new practices of daily activity, political representation, and communication, while also creating challenges for humans in the realm of responsibility and control over their own lives. The study demonstrates that populism serves as a distinctive marker of transformations in the socio-cultural space within the digital infosphere, and that new life practices of digital culture indicate a re-ontologization of our existence.

What components does a specific scientific theory consist of? (part 1)

2025-12-10T22:27:27+02:00

By specific theories, we mean scientific theories that focus on particular types of material reality or phenomena, such as elementary particles, plasma, superconducting materials, quantum tunnelling, chemical reactions, gene regulation, tectonic plate movement, and the Universe. After examining various visions of the theory division into components proposed by some of the prominent scientists (Isaak Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem, Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, Albert Einstein, Norman Robert Campbel, Percy Williams Bridgman, and Gerardus (Gerard) ’t Hooft) and philosophers of science (Carl/Karl Raimund Popper, Thomas Samuel Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, Paul Karl Feyerabend, Mario Augusto Bunge, Ronald Nelson Giere, Joseph Donald Sneed, Wolfgang Balzer, and Carlos Ulises Moulines), one finds that these visions fail to consider all essential components and omit many important details, even of the chosen components. Incomplete and undifferentiated visions, on the one hand, overlook many critical features of a theory, including its development and connections with other theories. On the other hand, such visions often generate pseudo-problems, such as the incomparability of classical and quantum theories. As theories underpin the modern sciences, such perspectives lead to oversimplified and overly general understandings of science and its progress. The article briefly emphasizes the significance and utility of the polysystemic vision of specific theories and their development within history, philosophy, sociology, and pedagogy of science. The first part of the article presents the types of components and physicists’ views of theories. The second part addresses the views of philosophers and our conclusions. We emphasize that in the first part, we described a bridge between Newton’s unfading template of scientific theory and the newest trends in the interpretation of modern physical theories. It is a clear example of the Western scientific tradition of both continuity and change, so that the final product looks different, but its structure remains stable, familiar, and convenient for professionals. That is why it is quite possible for a modern-day scientist to read Newton and find statements useful for his practical activity, not to talk about specific pearls created by the genius.

Omelyan Horotsky and the early Ukrainian translations of Plato

2025-12-10T22:34:56+02:00

This article undertakes a detailed analysis of the seminal first Ukrainian-language translations of Plato's dialogues – specifically "Gorgias" (1866) and "Protagoras" (1868) – both executed by the notable figure Omelian Horodsky. The study significantly emphasizes the profound philosophical and cultural significance of these pioneering translations within the complex, ongoing context of forming a viable Ukrainian-language reception of Platonic thought. Crucially, the research addresses the inherent problem of interpreting and accurately rendering into a nascent philosophical vernacular the key, often polysemous, concepts of ancient Greek philosophy, with particular attention dedicated to the term technē (τέχνη), which encompasses notions of art, craft, skill, and expertise.

The research meticulously focuses on Horodsky's scholarly activity as a leading representative and intellectual product of the Galician school of classical languages—a vital center of intellectual and national activity during the 19th century. It rigorously scrutinizes his specific translation strategies, highlighting his deliberate choice to prioritize a high degree of fidelity and syntactic parallelism to the original Greek source text. Furthermore, the broader socio-cultural and political context of the era is explored in depth, demonstrating how the specific conditions of national awakening and academic development critically shaped the linguistic and philosophical specifics of his unique interpretative approach.

The author robustly argues that Horodsky's historical legacy, despite the perceived "pre-modern" or archaic stylistic features from a contemporary viewpoint, constitutes a unique, indispensable stage in the complex process of adapting ancient philosophy into modern Ukrainian culture. His work, therefore, merits a thorough contemporary philosophical re-evaluation. The article ultimately presents these early Ukrainian translations of Plato not merely as linguistic exercises, but as a crucial historical and philosophical phenomenon illustrating the depth of linguistic transformation and the intellectual effort required to articulate complex philosophical concepts during the transitional and often challenging era of nation-building.

The laughter of satyrs and comedians as anthropodestructive and anthroposaving world relation in the borderline situation: Part IІ

2025-12-10T22:39:54+02:00

The content of the article is closely related to the works of V. Tabachkovskyi and N. Ivanova-Georgiyevska on the topic of the saving functions of laughter as a life-affirming worldview and the destructive possibilities of a life-denying worldview. The relevance and novelty of the research lies in establishing the existence of anthropodestructive laughter and its features, different from saving laughter or simply laughter; in identifying the conditions under which it will be precisely determined when and in which cases laughter is anthropodestructive and when anthroposaving; and how exactly the constructive features and destructive features of both life-affirming and life-denying laughter and worldview are presented on the example of the jesting poetry of satyrs and comedians present in ancient Greek songs and dramas, the difficulty of which lies in determining the quality of their initial laughter. Therefore, the purpose of the work is showing of the origins, essence and initial purpose of the laughter of satyrs and the first comedians as human-destructive and human-saving worldview that is realized in a crisis or borderline situation, with indicating the facets not only of laughter and the attitude towards this situation, but also the facets of the choice of how to relate to the circumstances that have arisen.

Editorial

2025-12-10T20:38:30+02:00

Editorial

Myroslav Popovych: THE RED CENTURY

2025-12-10T20:44:11+02:00

Welcome speech by the moderator

Review of the III Philosophical Readings in Memory of Myroslav Popovych: "The Red Century: Twenty Years Later"

2025-12-10T20:47:27+02:00

Review of the III Philosophical Readings in Memory of Myroslav Popovych: "The Red Century: Twenty Years Later"

Myroslav Popovych: to be a human is to be a philosopher

2025-12-10T20:49:45+02:00

The article, prepared on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Ukrainian philosopher Myroslav Popovych and the 20th anniversary of the publication of his work "The Red Century", discusses the thinker Popovych as an archetypal figure for Ukrainian culture, his multidimensional scientific and public activities, in which the pursuit of truth is the main virtue of a scientist. Academician Popovych's entire creative path is full of service to philosophical science, paving the way for Ukraine's independence. The desire and search for truth accompanied his entire life. Even under the dominance of Marxist-Leninist ideology during Soviet times, Academician Popovych developed philosophy as a science, taking it beyond narrow ideological boundaries. This attitude is extremely important today, in the situation of "post-truth", "post-truth" and "post-morality", inspired by the contextualism and relativism of postmodernist philosophy. Both as a scientist and as a public figure, he was a philosopher of freedom, a protagonist of fundamental values: freedom, justice, solidarity. The article pays special attention to the book "The Red Century", in particular, it is noted that despite the fact that the "red century" has become a sign of the 21st century, the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian aggressors undoubtedly indicates that the colors of the 21st century will ultimately not be red or brown, but blue and yellow. The text emphasizes that Myroslav Popovych was an open, tolerant and dialogical person, striving for understanding with people and harmony in society. Without his creative contribution, it is impossible to imagine modern philosophy and science, the socio-political sphere and everyday life of Ukrainian people, and the development of Ukrainian society. After all, "to be human" is the testament of a great philosopher, and to be human is to be a wise person, to be a philosopher.

The logic and pragmatics of history by Myroslav Popovych

2025-12-10T21:14:41+02:00

The essay aims to outline the directions of the reconstruction of the logical-semantic foundations of the analysis of history in the "Red Century" by Myroslav Popovych, with a focus on how his methodology shapes his ideas. To achieve this, the general principles of his approach and specific examples of his reasoning from his historical and cultural works are examined. It is argued that Popovych's views on historical analysis are influenced by two interconnected factors: logic as an analytical tool and pragmatics as a practical guide in interpreting historical processes. As an analytical tool, Popovych employs antinomies to explore the nature of historical crises, highlighting their complexity. The materials of the "Red Century" indicate that Popovych's presuppositions, descriptions, questions, and conclusions are apparently influenced by the core concepts of modal logic, which underpin his understanding of historical developments. Popovych's concept of phases of rupture in history, which illuminate and interpret the unique features of 20th-century development, is discussed as a central element of his analysis.

War and current challenges to universal ethics: Part II

2025-12-10T21:20:24+02:00

The article aims to provide a methodological clarification of the concept of the world from a dual perspective: as a collective realm of human life activities and, at the same time, as the foundation of their particular ethical life. This requires, firstly, a transition from the widespread view of culture as the cultivation of progressive human qualities and the civilizing of human communities to an understanding of culture as a way of life. Secondly, it necessitates a shift in the perception of culture from an "external" anthropological standpoint of the observer and researcher to the position of a person belonging to a specific culture—experiencing culture from within. The author traces these changes through examples from the current discourse on war, linking the concepts of war and culture. Accordingly, the article discusses key definitions of culture (Terry Eagleton, Raymond Geuss), placing particular emphasis on the humanitarian tradition that views culture as a specific whole—a way of life for individual national communities, as initiated by Johann Gottfried Herder. This provides the author with a basis to speak about culture in terms of the world of culture and the multiplicity of cultural worlds. The reference to the concept of existential war—i.e., a war aimed at the destruction of a particular cultural whole—opens a perspective on seeing reality "from within" the being of a person in the world of a specific culture, highlighting the fear for the existence of that whole. In its turn it underscores the need to address the methodology of an existential-ontological understanding of the world of culture, as developed in Heidegger’s Being and Time, for the philosophical comprehension of the world of a particular, especially national, culture. With reference to Charles Taylor's interpretation of the existential nature of human being in the world (Dasein), the article traces the structure of Heidegger's systematization of key historical ideas of the world against the backdrop of his concept of ontological difference—from understanding the world as a totality of all that exists (entities) to raising the question of the existential meaning of the world as the integrity of human being, its "worldliness." As an example of applying existential analytics of human being in the world, the author highlights the reconstruction of Heidegger's ontology within political philosophy (De Sad) as, according to Heidegger himself, a "meta-ontology" for broader tasks of transforming philosophy, particularly ethics. In the conclusion, the author addresses Heidegger's clarification of the existential of worldliness in his Marburg lectures during the period of Being and Time, considering Plato's idea of the good as a potential methodological directive for clarifying the ontological foundations of ethical life in particular cultural worlds.