Analytic philosophy: 1 (28)

Open Access Article

1 - An Introduction to Form and Formalism in Modern Art

This article, mainly intends to survey the concepts of form and formalism, and their reflection in visual arts as a basic branch of modernist movement. In order to do so, the method of a contemporary theorist and critic, i.e. Greenberg's formalistic criticism, will be a More

This article, mainly intends to survey the concepts of form and formalism, and their reflection in visual arts as a basic branch of modernist movement. In order to do so, the method of a contemporary theorist and critic, i.e. Greenberg's formalistic criticism, will be analyzed. According to formalism, says Greenberg, it is formal characteristics that constitute an artwork, thus its content would be the outcome of the realization of the form. Hence, the content of an artwork is a function of the formal elements. Greenberg bases his formalistic criticism on Kant's Critique of Judgment. Kant considered for art an independent distinct arena, which led to the 'Art for Art's Sake' movement in the formalistic art. Moreover, Greenberg's view on form was reinforced by Kant's Third Moment. He formulates his formalistic criticism on the basis of the concepts of autonomy and independence. In fact, Greenberg makes the Third Critique functional, regarding it as the philosophical foundation of modernism in general and formalism in particular. This article will consider the major elements of Kant's Third Critique concerning the form and formalism, and also their impacts on Greenberg; it will analyze his innovations in the field of art criticism, specially painting. Furthermore, it will explain the reasons why formalism influenced the contemporary art criticism, and will articulate the influence of Greenberg, as a forerunner of this trend, on the modernist artists Manuscript profile

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2 - Multi-Level Selection in Natural Selection: A Review of Okasha’s Ideas

As the inheritance of a trait which can be effective in the survival of an organism was the cornerstone of Darwin's argument for the abstraction of natural selection, each level of the biological hierarchy from genome to a community of entities can be regarded as the su More

As the inheritance of a trait which can be effective in the survival of an organism was the cornerstone of Darwin's argument for the abstraction of natural selection, each level of the biological hierarchy from genome to a community of entities can be regarded as the subject of natural selection. So the idea of abstracting natural selection at multiple levels would not be unreasonable, especially with respect to evidence of altruism in the social and biological groups. Based on this argument, in his famous book Evolution and the Levels of Selection, Samir Okasha tried to make a framework for the multi-level selection by using statistical methods, which could be applied independently in any level of biological world. By employing the Price equation, he tried to describe the concepts of group selection in mathematical terms, which leads to philosophical debates especially about the causal relationship between the traits and fitness. He proposed the contextual analysis to separate the causal relationship and byproducts. On the other hand, relying on the concepts raised by the discussions as to multi-level selection, Okasha tried to explain biological events as well as the major evolutionary transitions.   Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - The Nature of Comparative Philosophy's Problems: Evaluation of principles and Methods

Today, Comparative philosophy is evolving as a relatively new field of study. Although some are still suspicious about its value, we are going to discuss in this paper the nature of Comparative philosophy's problems, and its principles, possibility and methodology. Fina More

Today, Comparative philosophy is evolving as a relatively new field of study. Although some are still suspicious about its value, we are going to discuss in this paper the nature of Comparative philosophy's problems, and its principles, possibility and methodology. Finally, we will come to the conclusion that Comparative philosophy is possible in a metaphilosophical realm and through a combination of existing methodologies. This kind of philosophy is able to answer some unresolved issues. We can use it in the recognition and cognition of intersections and differentiations of our own epistemic system and other epistemic systems, while avoiding the superiority of the Western culture. Thereby, we can achieve the deeper concepts of our knowledge.   Manuscript profile

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4 - Henri Lefebvre’s Three Dimensional Dialectic of Production of Space

Developing the concept of space and dialectical materialism, Henri Lefebvre brings up triadic dialectic. He suggests that, in the past as in the present, our knowledge has been constrained by the limitation of the content and the social form. Hence, pinpointing the pitf More

Developing the concept of space and dialectical materialism, Henri Lefebvre brings up triadic dialectic. He suggests that, in the past as in the present, our knowledge has been constrained by the limitation of the content and the social form. Hence, pinpointing the pitfalls of Hegelian-Marxian dialectics and formal logic, Lefebvre argues for the role of space in limiting our knowledge. In principle, his insistence on dialectics brings forth the third term as being the result of the dialectic and its product, relinquishing the binarism of the two in favor of a tripartite schema. Comprehending the notion of the third term proves to be central in understanding Lefebvre’s work. By this approach, Lefebvre tries to link dialectics to social material reality in and with the space. He supplements the space with history and time in traditional dialectics to seek the material contexts of the production of space in between three-dimensional dialectic of space. In this paper, I give a critique of formal logic and Hegelian dialectics first, and then I try to demonstrate the necessity of limitation of content by virtue of the “space”. Then, through proposing the theory of triadic dialectic, I illustrate “the production of space” on the basis of the three-dimensional dialectic of space. It is by this invention that Lefebvre is able to talk about the dialectics of space-time, to centralize the concept of space in the contemporary social political theory.  Manuscript profile

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5 - A Critical Survey of “Literary Hermeneutics” with Respect to Some Philosopher’s Viewpoints

Hermeneutics is a new field of western thought. It can be traced back to the Reformation movement and the Age of Enlightenment. This field of study must be in accordance with the most modern Methods in literary and linguistic criticism, and be able to answer the basic l More

Hermeneutics is a new field of western thought. It can be traced back to the Reformation movement and the Age of Enlightenment. This field of study must be in accordance with the most modern Methods in literary and linguistic criticism, and be able to answer the basic long-standing questions in the field of literary theory. Some thinkers and theorists of literature, such as Hans Robert Jauss and Umberto Eco who are founders of literary schools, try to extend the scope of literary criticism through the wide-ranging hermeneutic questions and thereby evaluate their theories. This paper aims at surveying some major approaches and theories in literary hermeneutics, their relation with other disciplines in humanities, and different understandings of their functions. This paper mainly focuses on certain viewpoints, approaches, and problems regarding the major interpretative theories and hermeneutical questions. Manuscript profile

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6 - Theory of Justice in Plato's Republic

One of the central topics in Plato's republic is Justice. In order to define justice, Plato portrays a Utopia which is ruled by a Philosopher-King. He holds that justice must be settled within the individual as well as in the society. Justice in the city would be found More

One of the central topics in Plato's republic is Justice. In order to define justice, Plato portrays a Utopia which is ruled by a Philosopher-King. He holds that justice must be settled within the individual as well as in the society. Justice in the city would be found in the natural hierarchy and division of labor. Therefore, every individual works at that which he is naturally best suited. Correspondingly, justice in the soul means that each part of the soul does its own duty; thereby, coordination will be created inside the soul. So justice is the health of the soul and the vices are its malady. Platonic justice is of two levels, one that belongs only to philosophers and the other which is common among individuals. The philosopher takes advantage of both levels, i.e. he not only possesses the internal coordination, but also observes the forms of justice. Other people, though able to establish inner coordination through justice, are far away from true justice. But they are prone to come to observe the forms of justice through being nurtured by the guidance of the philosopher-king. Plato's definition of justice is far beyond all conventional and legal affairs and refers to the origin of justice in the human soul: What the philosopher calls justice is rooted in the most profound nature of human being. The present paper deals with the above mentioned issues according to the Republic, and examines both the relation between politics and ethics for Plato and the elements involved in his ethical and political theories. For according to Plato, politics and ethics are inseparable and any kind of nurturing, is the task and function of the society. Manuscript profile

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