Search Results (42)

In his Middle Commentary on Posterior Analytics, the great Aristotelian Commentator Ibn Rushd defines “knowledge” (scientific knowledge, epistemē, ‘ilm) as one of Aristotle’s five intellectual virtues and the faculty of reason, akin to the other virtues, in an Aristotelian way. Ibn Rushd defends the teleological argument, rooted in Aristotle’s teleological reading of nature, and supports the modal strong epistemic status of this argument, which is part of the concept of knowledge, in his early work (Short Commentary on Metaphysics), middle period work (al-Kashf) and late work (Long Commentary on Metaphysics), all in harmony with each other. Ibn Rushd, constructing the teleological argument based on the definition of knowledge, which fundamentally articulates the necessary or essential qualities inherent in objects in defense of de re modality, takes a step that seems quite radical within the context of the Aristotelian epistemic tradition to which he is affiliated: The teleological argument, strongly associated with the concept of knowledge—one of the five intellectual virtues—is presented as a form of deductive inference accessible not only to philosophers but also to ordinary public. In other words, according to him, the argument is both a philosophical and a religious way. This implies, for instance, that natural theology, typically viewed by Aquinas as an activity reserved for the higher epistemic class with talent and leisure, is seen by Ibn Rushd as a robust epistemic activity accessible to ordinary people. This new element, which can be referred to as common sense natural theology, contends that ordinary public knowledge and philosophers’ knowledge differ in details, such as whether it is a simple or complex deductive inference, while remaining the same in terms of their knowledge status. Full article

As conflict dynamics become complex and escalate globally, especially identity-based conflicts, we are witnessing an unprecedented shift in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution and Peacebuilding field toward contextually innovative and effective community-led approaches. The inadequacies of liberal and neoliberal paradigms and the increase in identity-based conflicts, religious pluralism, and differences in communities have motivated evidence-based inter-religious community-level engagements over the past two decades. These interventions rely on the theoretical frameworks of emancipatory peacebuilding and compassionate reasoning, and reflect an in-depth sense of spirituality, longing, and the essence of human relationship building and practice. This study gathers data from primary sources (which include findings from hybrid interviews) through a semi-participatory and empirical qualitative explorative research process in order to critique the underlying philosophies of traditional paradigms and explore emerging alternatives. It also posits that inter-religious community-led interventions are founded on the emancipatory elicitive religious peacebuilding (EERPb) framework. They are adaptive to non-linear (and sometimes non-scientific) approaches and are less focused on international standards. The framework fundamentally embraces phenomenological, metaphysical, and ethical realities in peacebuilding, operationalizes the concept of just peace, and acknowledges a global approach to peace that offers the opportunity to resolve the difficulties encountered by the various CAR and peacebuilding theoretical schools. Full article

In this paper I hope to cast light on Wittgenstein enigmatic remark, “one should really only create philosophy poetically”. I discuss Wittgenstein’s ambition to overcome metaphysics by way of an appeal to ordinary language. For this purpose I contrast “realism” in philosophy (i.e., metaphysical realism, particularly its modern scientific version) with “realism” in poetry. My theme is the capacity of poetry to provide a model for Wittgenstein’s resistance to the inhumanity unleashed in metaphysics—exemplified by two distinct forms of skepticism—which obliterates the ordinary world under the guise of discovering its true nature. The poem I shall use to illustrate the difficulty in maintaining our grip on reality, hence our grip on our humanity, is Czeslaw Milosz’s poem “Realism”. Full article

The purpose of this article is to give a historical and reasoned overview of the phenomenon of emergence according to the various authors involved, with particular emphasis on its openness to the dimension of the mystery of the real, which can lead the scientist to humility in scientific research. The evidence, the curiosity and then the study of this concept, which is so pervasive in the complexity of cosmic dynamics, in fact requires an investigation that must be extended not only to different disciplines, but through them. In fact, the cross-disciplinary method enriches the quality of this research, giving reason to both the unity and the complexity of reality. The phenomenon of emergence is particularly concerned with this cross-disciplinary scientific approach, which transcends any reductionism in favour of a network of meanings specifically nourished by the possibility of conjunctive explanations involving empirical science, philosophy, metaphysics and theology. Faced with this perspective offered by emergence, science discovers the mystery of the cosmos in a new light, thereby opening the door to an ever deeper understanding and new avenues of research. An essential characteristic of this revised scientific method, inspired by cross-disciplinarity, is thus humility, which allows, on the one hand, a deeper relationship between disciplines and persons and, on the other hand, a heightened awareness of the depth of reality, as a complex and intelligible gift of a Trinitarian God, revealed as Logos in Jesus Christ. Full article

The pseudocontinuum models of reactions in packed beds are complicated, and an assessment of the reliability of the predictability of their numerical solution is difficult. The predictability reliability depends on validity and verifiability, whereas the numerical solutions of models of reactions in packed beds cannot be validated or verified. Scientific acceptability cannot commence by metaphysics alone, and the truth of the speculative justifications of the results of the numerical models without robust empirical confirmation is a matter of chance occurrence. Adherence to the principles of noncontradiction and mathematical consistency seems to be the minimal criterion if a pseudocontinuum model is to demonstrate a degree of reliability in prediction, simulation, and design. This article is an exposition of the verifiability, validity, and confirmability characteristics of multiphase multidimensional models of reactions in packed beds. It addresses the difficulties of validation and the complexities of construction of models of reactions in packed beds by modeling kinetic data directly to show that often the claims of validity, verifiability, or confirmability of the results of multidimensional or even one-dimensional models of chemical reactions in packed beds, in spite of robust statistical tools, should be viewed with some degree of skepticism. Full article

After the rise of logical positivism, even in the realm of theology, there was a trend to give up on accepting the actions of God in history as objective acts and to create an atmosphere of separating faith and reason. Wolfhart Pannenberg’s work presents a compelling integration of theology with the rational and empirical rigors of the scientific age. Through a comprehensive theological method, he aimed to establish a dialogue between faith and scientific inquiry, challenging the exclusivity of logical positivism by proposing a theological metaphysics grounded in the concept of retroactive ontology. Pannenberg’s approach is distinguished by its systematic application of hermeneutics, considering the totality of history as the context for divine revelation, and positioning the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a pivotal event that embodies God’s influence on the world. His innovative ontology, which enables one to consider divine action as objective, seeks to validate theology as a science, engaging with natural sciences to foster a mutual enrichment between faith and reason. Pannenberg’s methodological rigor and metaphysical framework offer a robust foundation for a theology that is both intellectually defensible and deeply rooted in Christian faith, advocating for a theology of nature that reconciles the divine with the empirical world. Full article

This paper presents a historical overview of conceptions about the Sun in Western astronomical and cosmological traditions before the advent of spectroscopy and astrophysics. Rather than studying general cultural ideas, we focus on the concepts developed by astronomers or by natural philosophers impacting astronomy. The ideas we investigate, from the works of Plato and Aristotle to William Herschel and his contemporaries, do not line up into a continuous and integrated narrative, since the nature of the Sun was not a genuine scientific topic before the nineteenth century. However, the question recurringly arose as embedded in cosmological and physical contexts. By outlining this heterogeneous story that spreads from transcendence to materiality, from metaphysics to physics, from divinity to solar inhabitants, we receive insight into some major themes and trends both in the general development of astronomical and cosmological thought and in the prehistory of modern solar science. Full article

Liturgical space represents the embodiment of Christian theology in church buildings, encompassing both physical and metaphysical aspects. This space carries holiness and sacredness through a set of architectural elements that create sacred and profane zones within the church architecture. For centuries, design elements have shaped the form of Eastern churches in Iraq. This research aimed to answer the following question: what does a participant see at first glance in the liturgical space of a church building? This paper revisits the impact of design elements on the liturgical space of Eastern churches. The research methodology involved analyzing qualitative data using visual attention software (VAS) 3M, version 2024, to examine eye-tracking data and identify what visitors first noticed when entering these church interiors in Mosul, Iraq. The results highlight the variations and dominance of specific design elements in their impact on Eastern churches. The conclusions emphasize the importance of scientifically based restoration for the perception of design elements in these churches. Full article

Accounts of revelation and contemporary views of these are based on beliefs and historical citations. These accounts shall not be limited to the understanding and interpreting of historical and other events within writings but must present the possibility of an objective analysis of the nature of revelation as a phenomenon, an object of our sensory and mental conscious experiences. This paper approaches the act or phenomenon of revelation regardless of the revealer and its nature. Can we abstract the revealer and the revealed from revelation and have an ontological account of revelation solely focusing on the occurrence itself? The central part of the discussion is based on the object/property pair as ontological categories through which the means are analyzed. A comparative method is used where Scripture, musical writings, and mathematical/physical formulae (as potential means of revelation) are scrutinized. As a result, without any need to determine the revealer, revelation can be based on and described through pure properties (not tropes) in human experience, intellect, and understanding. The possibility of revelation beyond Scripture and Jesus Christ—following a type of liberal and general theory of revelation—presents itself in arts and sciences. The “true” of a musical work, when found and experienced during musical performances and scientific truths represented by the formulae, which describe the world and a meta domain, can be derived from the chains of signs and symbols as it is through Scripture. Human cognitive faculties present a universal natural limit to our direct experiencing of the transcendent, of the supernatural. A new dualist conception of logos as a metaphysical category marks the domain bridging the non-transcendent with the transcendent. Full article

The aim of this paper is to discuss some of the main philosophical and metaphysical implications of quantum physics, especially those which concern the issues of epistemic humility and ontological realism. My thesis is that the impossibility of reaching an objective knowledge of nature does not imply the renunciation of ontological realism, but rather encourages scientists to adopt an attitude of epistemic humility. The argument firstly presents the main theories of quantum physics currently discussed, focusing on the measurement problem and its ontological implications. Afterwords, the issues of objectivity and realism are properly addressed. In the end, we discuss statistics as the new form of scientific epistemology, along with the concept of potentiality as the fundamental category of quantum metaphysics. Throughout, we establish some parallelisms between quantum physics theories and theology to show that, when human beings investigate the foundations of reality, some thought patterns, some core problems, and some possible solutions resemble one another, regardless of the specific perspective and language with which they are formulated. Full article

On 14 December 2021, the extraordinary event called “touching the Sun” has been heralded as a “monumental moment for solar science”, in which the Parker Solar Probe opened up a new frontier of research for Space exploration, proposing the challenge of reaching, studying, and even “touching” our Sun at close range. The consequences of this event are scientific but also metaphysical and transcendental, offering the opportunity to reflect on the complex reality and meaning of the “boundaries” as opportunities for relationships and then for ethics. In this paper, I would like to propose an attempt to develop a possible discussion for an extension of Space Sustainability as an ethical guide for humanity which, as it goes out into outer Space, is helped to rediscover new, expanded dimensions of perception along the path of mystery and humility, in order to return back to Earth enriched for new relationships in pursuit of the common good. Full article

While popularly known for his works of literature and poetry, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe viewed his lesser-known scientific pieces as his most enduring achievement. I will argue that Goethe’s unique scientific methodology is informed by a metaphysical commitment to a form of Platonism and that Goethe provides an intriguing alternative paradigm that unifies science, philosophy, theology, and ethics. I begin by demonstrating how Goethe’s concept of the Urphänomen offers a Platonic conception of natural beings. I then briefly outline how this alternative scientific approach ultimately derives from his Platonic commitments. Next, I demonstrate the ethical and spiritual implications of Goethean science, establishing that Goethe’s approach bridges the divide between our scientific endeavors and spiritual formation. There is, then, a continued relevance for Goethe in conversations regarding ecological ethics and our perception of nature. Full article

Facing the modern expectations about publicity and the high esteem of public opinion, it can be challenging to disclose the sources of these expectations. After sketching the origin of the idea and reality of publicity from the 18th century onward, practical and theoretical concerns about public opinion are discussed alongside the criticism of Walter Lippmann, evoking seminal conceptions of collectivity and of the crowd. It was the German philosopher Ferdinand Tönnies who, from a sociologically informed perspective, systematically analyzed the idea of public opinion. As a stakeholder of religious demands, public opinion is a metaphysical instance. Publicity seems to be socially centered around public intellectuals peculiarly legitimized by scientific knowledge, who have an immense influence on the shape of public opinion through social imagineries (Charles Taylor). The challenge of having a religious relationship with the world has changed due to the public, but self-transcendent need specific responsibilities even in modern circumstances. Full article

Integrated Information Theory (IIT) is currently one of the most influential scientific theories of consciousness. Here, we focus specifically on a metaphysical aspect of the theory’s most recent version (IIT 4.0), what we may call its idealistic ontology, and its tension with a kind of realism about the external world that IIT also endorses. IIT 4.0 openly rejects the mainstream view that consciousness is generated by the brain, positing instead that consciousness is ontologically primary while the physical domain is just “operational”. However, this philosophical position is presently underdeveloped and is not rigorously formulated in IIT, potentially leading to many misinterpretations and undermining its overall explanatory power. In the present paper we aim to address this issue. We argue that IIT’s idealistic ontology should be understood as a specific combination of phenomenal primitivism, reductionism regarding Φ-structures and complexes, and eliminativism about non-conscious physical entities. Having clarified this, we then focus on the problematic tension between IIT’s idealistic ontology and its simultaneous endorsement of realism, according to which there is some kind of external reality independent of our minds. After refuting three potential solutions to this theoretical tension, we propose the most plausible alternative: understanding IIT’s realism as an assertion of the existence of other experiences beyond one’s own, what we call a non-solipsistic idealist realism. We end with concluding remarks and future research avenues. Full article

The authors propose that the theoretical framework of Western philosophy is supported by metaphysical ontology through the differentiation and analysis of two different kinds of “particulars-universals” in Plato’s “world visible to the naked eye” and “world known to the soul” in the solar metaphor and line metaphor. In today’s society, where big data, the Internet, and artificial intelligence are prevalent, we should say goodbye to Aristotle’s “physicalism”, return to Plato’s theory of ideas, and use theoretical information science to reinterpret the theory of ideas, change from the scientific paradigm of physicalism to the scientific paradigm of “informatics”, and consciously use the world view, scientific outlook, and methodology of information science to guide our study, life, and work. Full article