PHILOSOPHY PATHWAYS ISSN 2043-0728 http://philosophypathways.com/newsletter/ Issue No. 224 17th August 2018 CONTENTS Edited by Nicholas Anakwue I. 'Evaluating Classical Identity and Its Alternatives' by Tamoghna Sarkar II. 'Wittgenstein and Husserl: Context Meaning Theory' by Sanjit Chakraborty III. 'An Appraisal of Hume's Hermeneutic of the A Priori' by Nicholas Anakwue IV. 'Ich. Fichte: Absolutely' by Martin Jenkins From the List Manager V. Actual Studies: new Russian journal VI. Merab Mamardashvili: Georgian philosopher VII. Askaphilosopher.org -- new URL for 'Ask a Philosopher' -=- EDITOR'S NOTE This month's issue of Philosophy Pathways discusses metaphysical themes that run through the intersection between identity, knowledge and phenomenology. As Kant's Copernican revolution had affirmed, the trajectory of knowledge was to progress from the categories of the mind to the world out there. The affirmation of identity was a primary substantive factor in the development and maturity of the self and knowledge [...] Read more... http://philosophypathways.com/articles/Nicholas_Anakwue_Philosophy_ Pathways_Issue_224_Introduction.pdf (c) Nicholas Anakwue 2018 Email: nikibertx@gmail.com About the editor: -=- I. 'EVALUATING CLASSICAL IDENTITY AND ITS ALTERNATIVES' BY TAMOGHNA SARKAR Western Classical theory of identity encompasses either the concept of identity as introduced in the first-order logic or language or as it is employed in the higher-order languages. In first-order extensional language or logic, identity ('=') is commonly introduced as a binary predicate satisfying the laws of reflexivity and unrestricted Indiscernibility of Identicals [...] Read more... http://philosophypathways.com/articles/Tamoghna_Sarkar_Evaluating_ Classical_Identity_and_Its_Alternatives.pdf (c) Tamoghna Sarkar Email: tamodeb2@gmail.com -=- II. 'WITTGENSTEIN AND HUSSERL: CONTEXT MEANING THEORY' BY SANJIT CHAKRABORTY Despite his negative remark on the 'theory of meaning' which we will find in Wittgenstein's later writing, where he claims that, 'The mistake is to say that there is anything that meaning something consists in', in both periods (Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations) his aim was to understand the limits of language in terms of theory of meaning. We can say that he has an intention to provide a new foundation of meaning [...] Read more... http://philosophypathways.com/articles/Sanjit_Chakraborty_ Wittgenstein_and_Husserl_Context_Meaning_Theory.pdf (c) Sanjit Chakraborty 2018 Email: apanditsanjit@gmail.com -=- III. 'AN APPRAISAL OF HUME'S HERMENEUTIC OF THE A PRIORI' BY NICHOLAS ANAKWUE The precipitous growth of the philosophical enterprise has constantly witnessed the growing dialogue of mediation in relation to its nature, between the two contrasting parts of science on the one hand, and theology on the other. The aspect of science, with relation to the philosophic paradigm, admits only of the realm of empirical investigation, as opposed to the ambiguity faced in the array of questions outside the precinct of sensible knowledge in the realm of the trans-empirical [...] Read more... http://philosophypathways.com/articles/Nicholas_Anakwue_An_Appraisal _of_Humes_Hermeneutic_of_the_A_Priori.pdf (c) Nicholas Anakwue 2018 Email: nikibertx@gmail.com -=- IV. 'ICH. FICHTE: ABSOLUTELY' BY MARTIN JENKINS Following the Copernican Revolution made by Immanuel Kant with his Critical Idealism, some felt the revolution in epistemology had gone awry and was not sufficiently critical. Johann Gottlieb Fichte was such a critic and furthered the revolution in his The Science of Knowledge (1797) [...] Read more... http://philosophypathways.com/articles/Martin_Jenkins_Ich_Fichte_ Absolutely.pdf (c) Martin Jenkins 2018 Email: martinllowarch.jenkins@virgin.net -=- V. ACTUAL STUDIES: NEW RUSSIAN JOURNAL We invite experts in the field of philosophy (doctors and candidates of sciences) to work as reviewers and members of the editorial board of the scientific journal: 'Actual Studies: a study of the problems of modern society.' The scientific journal: 'Actual Studies' publishes research on contemporary philosophical problems related to bioethics, biocybernetics, futurological studies, the philosophy of consciousness, and philosophy of language. The magazine is published in Russia. Sincerely, Grigory Nikitin G.M. Nikitin Candidate of Philosophy and Associate Professor Department of Philosophy Kuban State Agrarian University Email: p20347@yandex.ru Whats App +79883632511 -=- VI. MERAB MAMARDASHVILI: GEORGIAN PHILOSOPHER Merab Mamardashvili (1930-1990) was born in Georgia into a military family. His mother belonged to a family of teachers of Georgian crown princes. In 1954 he entered the Department of Philosophy at Moscow University. He defended his Ph.D thesis in 1970 in Tbilisi (Georgia). He worked in the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR and lectured at Moscow University on Descartes, Kant, and philosophy of science. In 1980 he went to Georgia, where he worked at the Institute of Philosophy and lectured on Proust and phenomenology in University of Tbilisi. For his talent at lecturing he was called the 'Russian Socrates'. He wrote just one book Tractatus on Development of Knowledge, all his other works are collections of his interviews, speeches and talks. From 'Gallery of Russian Thinkers' http://isfp.co.uk/russian_thinkers/merab_mamardashvili.html I recently received an email from Irakli Nadareishvili objecting to our selection of Mamardashvili on the grounds that he was not Russian but Georgian: Merab Mamardashvili was a Georgian philosopher, who lived and worked in Soviet Union (which occupied Georgia in that period) and out of necessity was writing in Russian, but Mamardashvili was by no means a 'Russian' and has published numerous harsh criticisms of Russian actions towards Georgia. To list Mamardashvili as a 'Russian' philosopher is a direct offense to the memory of Mamardashvili. I am not surprised that the editor of the page is Russian and I assume he would love to claim this great philosopher as Russian but it is factually wrong. I replied: Thank you for your email. I understand your concerns, although the concept might be hard to grasp from someone in the West who has not suffered under Russian imperialism. The 'offense' in calling Mamardashvili a Russian philosopher is the same, no more or less than when the great philosophers Locke, Berkeley and Hume are described as the 'English empiricists', when in fact Berkeley was Irish and Hume was Scottish. Ireland and Scotland (and Wales) were conquered by the English. The result was the 'United Kingdom'. The 'Soviet Union' (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) is a similar concept. Today, there is still rancour among Northern Irish and Scots who want independence from the UK. They want the UK to be broken up. I would not be surprised to receive an email from a Scot complaining that Hume is wrongly described as English, although it is unlike that they would go on to say that it was 'an offense to his memory' to call him English. What's the difference? The USSR was an evil regime, which treated its people harshly, especially those in the republics where it tried to erase their language and culture. Hume was proud to be British. It was in England that he made his reputation as a philosopher and man of letters. The USSR of course was merely the inheritor of the Russian Empire ruled by the Tzars. Although many welcomed the 'breakup' of the Soviet Union following the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are other Russians who would wish to see the Russian Empire restored to its former glory. As a proud citizen of the UK, this is a desire that I sympathize with. However, I also sympathize with those who desire independence and the freedom to determine their own destiny. Just ask any supporter of Brexit why they feel so strongly about the encroaching power of the EU. (c) Geoffrey Klempner Email: klempner@fastmail.net -=- VII. ASKAPHILOSOPHER.ORG -- NEW URL FOR 'ASK A PHILOSOPHER' Courtesy of Wordpress, we have a new internet address for the latest questions and answers posted on 'Ask a Philosopher'. The new URL is askaphilosopher.org https://askaphilosopher.org No need to change your bookmarks as the old address askaphilosopher.wordpress.com still works, and forwards to the new address. The new address came about as the result of a happy accident. I recently decided to upgrade the Wordpress site in order to remove annoying ads. However, an unexpected benefit was a 'free domain name'. Askaphilosopher.org was available so the choice was a no-brainer. Please note that the original 'Ask a Philosopher' page on the Pathways web site is still fully functional, and has links to every question and answer posted on 'Ask a Philosopher' since the service was launched in 1999. The original page is at philosophypathways.com/questions/ http://philosophypathways.com/questions/ Another Wordpress site to benefit from the address upgrade is 'Pathways to Philosophy: Essays' which has a selection of the most interesting work produced by students taking the six Pathways Programs. The new URL is philosophyessays.org https://philosophyessays.org All essays written for 'Pathways to Philosophy' are posted on the 'Pathways Essay Cabinet' which is accessible to all Pathways students. However, the Essays page on Wordpress gives non-members the chance to see what we can do. If you are a Pathways student and your work is not yet represented on this page -- regardless of how long ago you did your Pathways program -- please contact me and we will make a selection. (c) Geoffrey Klempner Email: klempner@fastmail.net -=- Philosophy Pathways is the electronic newsletter for the Pathways to Philosophy distance learning program To subscribe or cancel your subscription please email your request to philosophypathways@fastmail.net or go online at https://lists.shef.ac.uk/sympa/info/philosophypathways Please send contributions, suggestions or comments to the List Manager Geoffrey Klempner klempner@fastmail.net The views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Editors.