The article contains a Polish translation of Joseph Maréchal's text: On the natural desire for happiness-inducing perfection.

The article contains a Polish translation of Jean Héring's text: Several Tasks of Sleep Phenomenology.

The article contains a Polish translation of Karl Schuhmann's text: Husserl and Masaryk.

The problem of social ontology in relation to the philosophy of German idealism requires a systematic settlement on the ground of this tradition, which would be also directed against the background of ‘transcendental philosophies of Kantianism’. Their doctrine of the fundamental axiotic relationship is understood as a ‘primacy of practical reason’ and ‘unity of theoretical and practical reason’. This essay analyzes how the fundamental axiotic relationship is understood in Hegel’s philosophy. On the one hand Hegel was aware of the need of overcoming the traditional opposition between theoretical and practical reason, but on the other side he included it in his work.

The starting point of the analysis provided in this paper is a discussion of how philosophical method is understood by Leonard Nelson who draws upon the lines of Jakob Friedrich Fries. From this perspective Nelson points out two ways of argumentation, two methods or standpoints: metaphysical and anthropological, objective- one and subjective-one, critical and genetic, epistemological and psychological or transcendental and psychological. These distinctions find their justification in concepts by philosophers with which Nelson polimicizes defending Fries’ standpoint: Kuno Fischer, Paul Natorp, Wilhelm Windelband, Carl Stumpf and Max Scheler. On the ground of analysis of their conceptions Nelson argues that admittedly they follow Kant, yet Kant - unlike Fries - has not included the psychological aspect of cognition.

The paper deals with important problem of a parallel between the notion of transcendentalism in Johan Duns Scotus and Immanuel Kant. For it might be argued that it is possible to point out at least some Scotian inspirations in Kant. Kant worked in the intellectual atmosphere influenced by Scotus, especially his notion of metaphysics as transcendental science (scientia transcendens), followed then by F. Suarez and Ch. Wolff, and the latter had a great influence on Kant. This paper provides a set of arguments from indirect proofs based on the parallel in Scotus and Kant. Despite of the fact that in cases like this one it is impossible to call for certainty, the conclusions seem to be hard to invalidate.

The paper is devoted to analysis of the critique of Aristotelian theory of categories from Enneads, its main arguments and the relation of Plotinus’ theory of the kinds of sense world (kosmos aistheotos) to Aristotle’s categories. According to Plotinus, Aristotelian notion of categories is not a relevant tool of grasping the being in adequate sense, that is, as noetic being. The main argument is focused on the category of substance. There is a difference between how the problem of the kinds of beings is understood in Enn. VI 1 [42] and in Enn. VI 3 [44]. In the latter a basis for taking into account a modified form of Aristotelian categories as acceptable way of predicating of changeable sensual objects can be pointed out.

The paper draws upon so-called disscusive logic which does not refute the principle of contradiction directly, but accepts contradicting statements of different parties of the discourse or of the same subject but in different time. On the ground of recentivism every statement contrary to the system is sifted through the axiology of the system in a recentiori mode. That is, it is rejected by the system just as it falls into contradiction in the moment of being expressed (sermo). In short: the moment of expression eliminates contradiction in the content, for according to recentivist epistemology the description of an event is not true or false in general, but in the present time only and it changes its truthfulness with the time.

The paper deals with Eugen Fink’s interpretation of transcendental I. Fink does not make do with traditional phenomenological distinction between natural I and transcendental I, but within transcendental I he looks for the distinction between constitutive I (konstituierendes Ich) i phenomenologizing I. Hence, according to Fink, we should distinguish three kinds of I: natural I (trapped in the world), transcendental I which constitutes the world and transcendental-phenomenologizing I (transzendental-phänomenologisierendes Ich) as theoretical spectator, who meets the conditions of phenomenological reduction but does not contribute to the constitution of the world. Finks interpretation of transcendental I aims at overcoming difficulties related to Husserlian phenomenological reduction, and the distinction of constitutive I and phenomenologizing I was accepted by Husserl himself.

Joseph Maréchal, Belgian mysticism scholar, broadly recognized for his contribution to transcendental Thomism and acclaimed as the greatest systematician of the mystic concept of clear vision of God, raised the question on the possibility of seeing the essence of God during earthly life. According to Maréchal, Aquinas, on the ground provided by Augustine, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and other Christian authors, takes this kind of vision as a special kind of intellectual intuition strengthened by the influence of God’s light and made possible (even if, unlike the case of visio beatifica, incomplete) admiration gone in man’s soul. What is then the nature of this clear vision? What makes it different from other kinds of mystic experience? To answer these question is the aim of the paper.

The paper deals with dispute between naturalism and antinaturalism in meta-ethics. Different standpoints are discussed, especially those of cognitivism, non-cognitivism and emotivism, which leads to certain typology. The author introduces the category of bonitive statements, statements concerning the good, which logic is analogous to the one which determinates relations between deontic statemens. Generalized Hume’s argument on the axiological statements as impossible to be derived from non-axiological is concerned. In particular, it is argued that it does not support antinaturalistic thesis. The standpoint of axiological presentationism is proposed, which makes a link between non-cognitivism and the thesis according to which bonitive statements can be true or false and axiological presentationism can taken as a form of naturalism.

The paper deals with moral theory by Richard Mervyn Hare (1919-2002), British philosopher and meta-ethicist, who searched for the moral thinking in setting the agreement between formalism and utilitarianism. Having discussed basic axioms of Hare’s prescriptivism the author discusses it critically.

The aim of the paper is to investigate into the relations between basic moral categories, namely those of norms, ideals and supererogation. I discuss, firstly, the ways of understanding these categories, secondly, how moral acting can be described using them and thirdly, how they relate within certain moral system. Yet, what is of a special importance is the relation between norms and ideals and their complementary character. For it might be argued that omission of one these categories may lead to posing important limitations on the possibilities of grasping certain moral issue adequately (on a descriptive level) and setting the full range of possible solutions (on normative level). Hence, I argue that to resign from two-level form of moral analysis may lead to the atrophy of the very idea of ethics itself.

The paper deals with the philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859-1941) taken from the perspective of anthropological themes it contains. The aim of the paper is to point out in what way in Bergson’s theory two dimensions of humanity are interlinked. On the one hand, the man is presented as social being, creating smaller or larger social structures naturally and doomed to believe in what is irrational in equally natural way. On the other hand, Bergson raises a question about the basis of personality and consciousness of individual, and in relation with the broad framework of his theory of lasting, he takes every man as related in the very heart of his being with the whole world around.

The paper discusses the relation between the Western concept of rationality and what we know about primeval mind from anthropology and ethnology, what might be found important for scholars working on the problems of mind and rationality. The author discusses both the perspectives of the search for the links between Western form of rationality and archaic mind and some controversies concerning this search.

The article focuses on the problem of moral infertility of the contemporary culture. The phenomenon - the phenomenon of adiaphorization, as Zygmunt Bauman calls it - seems to be a consequence of the process of global anesthetization. The last one is especially noticeable in the context of violence which is submitted for a process of anesthetization in the media. The aforementioned context reveals additionally some socially dangerous consequences of anesthetization as well as of adiaphorization.

Review of Bogdan Dembiński's book “Late Plato and the Old Academy.” Kęty: Marek Derewiecki Publishing House, 2010.

Recenzja książki Christiny H. Tarnopolskiej „Prudes, Perverts, and Tyrants: Plato’s «Gorgias» and the Politics of Shame”. Princeton: University Press, 2010.

Review of Christian Krijnen's book “Philosophy as a System: Principle-Theoretical Investigations into the Concept of System in Hegel, Neo-Kantianism, and Contemporary Philosophy.” Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2008.

Review of Luigi Iammarrone's book Giovanni Duns Scotus: Metaphysician and Theologian. The Fundamental Themes of His Philosophy and Theology. 1st edition. Rome: Miscellanea Francescana, 1999; 2nd edition. Rome: Miscellanea Francescana, 2003.

Review of Giles Deleuze's book Cinema. 1: The Movement-Image. 2: The Time-Image. Translated by J. Margański. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo słowo/obraz/terytoria, 2008.

Review of Barbara Skarga's book “Identity and Difference: Metaphysical Essays.” Krakow: ZNAK Publishing House, 2009.

Report from the conference “Central-European Ethos Or Local Traditions: Equality, Justice,” Katowice, June 7-8, 2010.