52 research outputs found
A Neglected Additament: Peirce on Logic, Cosmology, and the Reality of God
Two different versions of the ending of the first additament to C. S. Peirce's 1908 article, "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God," appear in the Collected Papers but were omitted from The Essential Peirce. In one, he linked the hypothesis of God's Reality to his entire theory of logic as semeiotic, claiming that proving the latter would also prove the former. In the other, he offered a final outline of his cosmology, in which the Reality of God as Ens necessarium is indispensable to both the origin and order of our existing universe of Signs. Exploring these passages, as well as the unpublished manuscript drafts of the article, provides important insights into the key concepts of instinct and continuity within Peirce's comprehensive system of thought
Semiosic Synechism: A Peircean Argumentation
Although he is best known as the founder of pragmatism, the name that Charles Sanders Peirce prefers to use for his comprehensive system of thought is "synechism" because the principle of continuity is its central thesis. This paper arranges and summarizes numerous quotations and citations from his voluminous writings to formalize and explicate his distinctive mathematical conceptions of hyperbolic and topical continuity, both of which are derived from the direct observation of time as their paradigmatic manifestation, and then apply them in normative science and metaphysics, especially logic as semeiotic and cosmology. The resulting conclusion is that the intelligibility of the universe is plausibly explained by conceiving it as one immense sign, a vast inferential process: a semiosic continuum whose connected constituent signs are indefinite until deliberately marked off, with God the Creator as its overall dynamical object in the infinite past and God completely revealed as its overall final interpretant in the infinite future
Paraphrase or parasite? The Semiotic Stories of Translation
Translation, for Saussure, assumed the codified rule of language respecting the difference between synchronic and diachronic linguistics. Translation may be regarded as a theoretical possibility, though impossible for the creative speech of language speakers. Peirceâs logical semiotics reasoned the linguistic-and-cultural (linguĂŻcultural) interpretants of received signs. Semiotranslation is a semiotic game to change the symbiosis of two languages into one language. Identified with both Saussure and Peirce, Jakobsonâs intralingual, interlingual, and intersemiotic forms of translation propose rewording, translation proper, and transmutation. Peirceâs semiosis creates simple and complex symbols but navigates between translation, semiotranslation, and transduction. Translation derives from the para-functions of replicas in âparaphraseâ and âparasiteâ to signify the multiplicity of ideas and trends in biotranslation. The source text can be re-organized into the iconic activity of Saussurean paraphrase; or the target text can be indexically recontextualized in the parasitical evolution of Peirceâs instinct and facts of life applied to arts â neither approaching pure science.publishedVersio
THEOLOGIA AND OIKONOMIA: THE SOTERIOLOGICAL GROUND OF GREGORY OF NAZIANZUSâS TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY.
This dissertation explores the soteriological ground of the trinitarian theology of
Gregory of Nazianzus and establishes a consistent link in his thought between the
spheres of oikonomia and theologia. His writings are studied against the background of
contemporary theological and philosophical trends thus demonstrating the context
within which he elaborated his main theological concepts as well as their novelty.
Although Gregory drew heavily on the heritage of his intellectual master Origen, he
significantly changed his perspective from cosmological speculations to reflections on
the historical embodiment of Christâs salvific activity. This shift was to lead Gregory
towards a positive view of the body and of bodily desire which he considered a vital
force in human existence capable of union with God in the process of deification.
Gregory thus fully identified Christ with humanity in its total manifestation, including
the human mind with its fallen and rebellious desire, now assumed and redeemed in the
incarnation. Hence Gregory placed the suffering image of Christ at the heart of his
trinitarian theological construction. As this thesis argues, around this image evolves the
whole dogmatic edifice of Gregoryâs theology. Christâs divine sovereignty is
understood not in separation and independence from the passion on Cross. Rather, its
full manifestation is only possible because of the cross, because of Christâs free and
willing acceptance of it. The whole set of interrelationships between the suffering
Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit are depicted according to the logic of
coincidence of sovereignty and humiliation. It is precisely in this combination of
theological themes â expressed with our new concept of âkenotic sovereigntyâ â that
the focus of the present thesis is located. This innovative spiritual disposition shapes
both Gregoryâs theological epistemology and his hermeneutical strategy. Arguing for
the possibility of knowing the divine in and through human bodily existence and
corroborating this view with suitably interpreted Scriptural evidence, he opens the
horizons for the human ascension to the realm of the divine trinitarian life. In this way
Gregory envisages access to the transcendent theology of the Trinity which is
understood by him in purely personal terms, insofar as it implies the intimate
conversation of God with us âas friendsâ (Or. 38.7). This unique reworking of classical
and Christian themes is possible because of Gregoryâs insistence that divine
sovereignty and transcendence become intelligible exclusively in the context of Easter.
Thus the habitually neglected narrative of the cross and resurrection of Christ in the
thought of the Theologian is the only key to unlock his understanding of the luminous
mystery of the Trinity
Proceedings of the International Conference Sensory Motor Concepts in Language & Cognition
This volume contains selected papers of the 2008 annual conference of the German Association for Social Science Research on Japan (Vereinigung fĂŒr sozialwissenschaftliche Japanforschung e.V. â VSJF). The academic meeting has addressed the issue of demographic change in Japan in comparison to the social developments of ageing in Germany and other member states of the European Union. The conference was organized by the Institute for Modern Japanese Studies at Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf and took place at the Mutter Haus in Kaiserswerth (an ancient part of Duesseldorf). Speakers from Germany, England, Japan and the Netherlands presented their papers in four sessions on the topics âDemographic Trends and Social Analysisâ, âFamily and Welfare Policiesâ, âAgeing Society and the Organization of Householdsâ and âDemographic Change and the Economyâ. Central to all transnational and national studies on demographic change is the question of how societies can be reconstructed and be made adaptive to these changes in order to survive as solidarity communities. The authors of this volume attend to this question by discussing on recent trends of social and economic restructuring and giving insight into new research developments such as in the area of households and housing, family care work, medical insurance, robot technology or the employment sector
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The Trinitarian Doctrine of Grace in Martin Luther's The Bondage of the Will
The most systematic work Martin Luther ever created was his De servo arbitrio / The Bondage of the Will (1525), his powerful polemic against the leading Humanist of his day, Erasmus, who had criticized Luther in his De libero arbitrio diatribe sive collatio / The Freedom of the Will (1524). Lutherâs The Bondage of the Will is regarded as a work representing the organic unity of his entire theological thought; it can be seen as his theology in a condensed form. In spite of the immense significance of Luther's magnum opus, its theological structure and content have so far not yet been satisfactorily revealed.
Much research has been conducted on certain detailed aspects of this work of Lutherâs, such as the problems of the free will, determinism, and predestination. The basic weakness of those analyses is that the details of The Bondage of the Will can be correctly understood only on the basis of a comprehension of the basic systematic theological idea of his work. The very kernel of Lutherâs own thought and the deepest intentions of his theology in this work are best comprehended by analyzing the inner structure and cohesion of his own thinking and by seeing how his argumentation developed in his dispute with Erasmus.
The task of this study is to expose the fundamental systematic theological idea and structure in Luther's The Bondage of the Will. The method employed in the present study is a comprehensive systematic analysis of Lutherâs thought in his work. Attention will be paid to the conceptualization of issues by Luther, to his main propositions and the arguments he uses to support his claims, and to the structural principles and the core body of his thinking system. The debate between Luther and Erasmus contained genuine paradigmatic differences in their understanding of the Christian faith, but also some misunderstandings, even intentional misinterpretations. The present study aims at clarifying these conceptual confusions and at exploring the possibility of some degree of reconciliation between the conflicting views.
My hypothesis is that Lutherâs own specific and comprehensive understanding of the Trinitarian theology of grace, with special emphasis on Pneumatology, alongside the more obvious Christology, strongly linked with the theology of creation, is the fundamental thought structure of his magnum opus. This enables him to get rid of the common Late Medieval teaching of the free choice of the human being, represented by Erasmus. Above all, Luther is a theologian of grace, sola gratia. The Bondage of the Will, the most Pneumatological treatise he ever wrote, offers a radical and comprehensive Trinitarian theology of grace.
Luther understands the human being as an âecstaticâ creature who receives his/her existence and the quality of his/her existence from extra se. Luther argues for this paradigm in terms of the theology of creation, Christology, Pneumatology, and soteriology. As such, the human being was created a creature which is destined for union with his/her Creator in the Holy Spirit who is the actual presence of the Creator in his creature, God sharing his life with the human being. After losing this original state of union, the human being became a battlefield of the opposing transcendental powers, Satan and sin on the one side, and God and his grace, on the other side. The human is free in âthings below oneself,â in matters that belong to daily human life, but he/she is not free in âthings above oneself,â in matters that transcend the human being. Luther sees sin as human infirmity, inability to get rid of unbelief and pride which destroyed the humanâs union with God. The human being cannot change his/her evil orientation but must continue such as he/she is: this is Lutherâs concept of âthe necessity of immutabilityâ; he applies this philosophical concept to soteriological usage. The human being is in a desperate situation in regard to his/her capacities of contributing to his/her own salvation; here Luther follows his logic of theologia crucis.
Both in terms of creation and salvation, the human being is meant to be in a communion of life with the Triune God. Luther develops a strong soteriology, understood in terms of an intimate union between the Triune God and the human being. This union is not primarily a cognitive-rational and morally responsible relation, as Erasmus was inclined to think, but a union of being with Christ in the Holy Spirit, koinonia/unio cum Christo in Spiritu sancto. The quality of a human beingâs life in this world and his/her eternal beatitude depends on whether his/her person is or is not in union with the Holy Trinity. In his Trinitarian theology of grace, Pneumatology, arguably neglected in Medieval times, is powerfully revived. Lutherâs conception of divine grace, with some peculiarities of his own, recalls Augustineâs doctrine of grace, differing from the soteriological views of Scholasticism and Nominalism.
The present study culminates in a systematic presentation of the three dimensions of Lutherâs Trinitarian doctrine of grace: First, contrition, conversion, and faith are effected by Godâs Spirit, sola fide is a thoroughly Pneumatological concept â a fact not sufficiently emphasized in research. Second, Luther sees the union with Christ simultaneously as a Christological and as a Pneumatological reality - a view not underscored in research. Third, sanctification means growth in love by way of being increasingly controlled by the Holy Spirit, who is the essence of divine love. This three-dimensional conception of grace can be supported by other works of Lutherâs mature theology.
There are strong points of contact with Johannine, Pauline, Augustinian, and Greek Patristic theology here; a more detailed analysis of these connections, however, is not in the scope of the study at hand. The results of the study intensify the ecumenical potential of Lutherâs doctrine of grace. Moreover, these results contribute an amendment to the Finnish school of Luther interpretation where the Pneumatological dimension is underemphasized in the first and the second dimensions of Lutherâs doctrine of grace. Finally, the possibility of some degree of reconciliation between the views of Erasmus and Luther will be considered
Social context of creativity
This thesis analyses the long-distance control of the environmentally-situated imagination, in both spatial and temporal dimensions. Central to the project is what I call the extended social brain hypothesis. Grounded in the Peircean conception of 'pragmaticismâ, this re-introduces technical intelligence to Dunbarâs social brainâconceptually, through Clarkâs 'extended mindâ philosophy, and materially, through Callonâs 'actorânetwork theoryâ.
I claim that:
There is no subjectivity without intersubjectivity. That is to say: as an evolutionary matter, it was necessary for the empathic capacities to evolve before the sense of self we identify as human could emerge.
Intersubjectivity is critical to human communication, because of its role in interpreting intention. While the idea that human communication requires three levels of intentionality carries analytical weight, I argue that the inflationary trajectory is wrong as an evolutionary matter. The trend is instead towards increasing powers of individuation.
The capacity for tool-use is emphasized less under the social brain hypothesis, but the importance of digital manipulation needs to be reasserted as part of a mature ontology.
These claims are modulated to substantiate the work-maker, a socially situated (and embodied) creative agent who draws together Peircean notions of epistemology, phenomenology and oral performance
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