Is it possible to live outside of the scheme? A book review

W tekście dokonuję przeglądu książki Poza schematem. Społeczny konstrukt płci i seksualności autorstwa Urszuli Kluczyńskiej, Wiktora Dynarskiego oraz Anny Kłonkowskiej. Jest to bardzo interesująca lektura, ponieważ opisuje uwikłanie w binarny system płciowy „męskie–kobiece” tak zwanych osób niebinarnych, zwłaszcza transpłciowych. Autorzy zastanawiają się, jakie kroki należałoby podjąć, żeby osoby niebinarne czuły się swobodnie w społeczeństwie i w sposób wolny, z dala od opresyjnej heteronormy, mogły konstruować swą podmiotowość. Autorzy przekonują, że jest to możliwe wyłącznie poza (binarnym) schematem, który należy zdestabilizować. W recenzji zastanawiam się, czy wyjście z jednego schematu nie jest, paradoksalnie, wejściem w kolejny.The aim of this work is to present a review of a book by Kluczyńska, Dynarski and Kłonkowska Poza schematem. Społeczny konstrukt płci i seksualności. The Authors describe nonbinary individuals who are entangled in the binary system of gender. Kluczyńska, Dynarski and Kłonkowska consider solutions which can help nonbinary people subjugated by the heteronorm. Through these solutions they could construct their subjectivity as free persons. The Authors argue that it is possible only outside of the (binary) scheme, which should be destabilized. In this review I would like to consider whether it is possible to live outside of the cultural scheme because – in my opinion – when we leave one scheme, we land in another one

Czy obiektywne życie jest możliwe? Słów kilka na temat esejów Nathaniela Brandena

The aim of this article is to present the theoretical standpoint of a Canadian-American psychotherapist, Nathaniel Branden. He wrote five essays which I would like to analyze. These essays can be found in the book The Virtue of Selfishness, written by a Russian-American philosopher, Ayn Rand, who was Branden’s associate. He postulated that individuals should live objective – act rationally and not succumb to whims. This way of behaviour is necessary to accomplish the existential aim of individual, which is a producing and sustaining of life. The objective life requires egoism, because the egoist is conscious of his own existence; he knows that he must live rationally, respect his own values and not sacrifice himself for other people. But it is still a question: Is the objective life really possible? The answer I try to find in this work

Świat fabrykowany przez figurę Ojca. Model unisex jako reakcja na patriarchalne status quo (World fabricated by the figure of the Father. Unisex model as a backlash against the patriarchal status quo)

World fabricated by the figure of the Father. Unisex model as a backlash against the patriarchal status quo The thesis of the article claims that destabilization of patriarchal social order is strictly connected with the act of patricide. The Father – the symbol of patriarchal culture – is deprived of power by this act. The consequence of patricide is constituting the new vision of unisex world in which femininity and masculinity are not determined by the binary system of gender. The article references to the methodological tools proposed by psychoanalysis and gender studies. Moreover, its aim is also to develop of an intellectual strategy which can destabilize social mechanisms of constructing emphasized femininity and privileging masculinity in the society

A Non-binary Utopia in an “Orderly” Reality: On Renata Ziemińska’s Multilayered Concept of Gender

Niniejsze omówienie dotyczy książki Renaty Ziemińskiej Niebinarne i wielowarstwowe pojęcie płci. Książka składa się z trzech części i w każdej z nich autorka dekonstruuje dotychczasowe struktury pojęciowe kategorii płci, stabilizowane w ramach binarnego sytemu płciowego. Braki binarnego podziału filozofka obnaża na przykładzie osób interpłciowych oraz transpłciowych. Proponuje prawne oraz instytucjonalne rozwiązania, które zwiększyłyby widzialność osób niebinarnych w społeczeństwie zachodnioeuropejskim. Ziemińska postuluje, aby płeć analizować jako wielowarstwowy proces, będący swoistym kontinuum: zmiennym i zależnym od różnorakich czynników biologicznych, kulturowych i środowiskowych. Ziemińska udowadnia, że jest możliwa zmiana w myśleniu o płci oraz, że filozofia może znacząco przyczynić się do jej wprowadzenia. The article concerns the book entitled Niebinarne i wielowarstwowe pojęcie płci [Non-Binary and Multi-Layered Notion of Gender] by Renata Ziemińska. The monograph consists of three parts. In each, the author deconstructs categories underlying the existing conceptual structures of gender, stabilized within the binary sex system. The philosopher exposes the shortcomings of the binary division using the example of intersex and transgender people. She proposes the implementation of legal and institutional solutions that would increase the visibility of non-binary people in Western societies. Ziemińska postulates that gender should be analyzed as a multilayered process, conceived of as a variable continuum – dependent on various biological, cultural and environmental factors. Ziemińska proves that a change in thinking about gender is possible and that philosophy can significantly contribute to its implementation

Kobiecość zamknięta w ciele. Recenzja książki Natashy Walter: Żywe lalki. Powrót seksizmu

Autorka: Natasha WalterTytuł: Żywe lalki. Powrót seksizmuPrzełożyła: Elżbieta SmoleńskaWydawca: Czarna OwcaRok wydania: 2012Liczba stron: 328Author: Natasha WalterTitle: Żywe lalki. Powrót seksizmuTranslated by: Elżbieta SmoleńskaPublishing house: Czarna OwcaYear: 2012Number of pages: 32

Absorbance detector for high-performance liquid chromatography based on light-emitting diodes for the deep-ultraviolet range

A HPLC-detector has been designed which employs light-emitting diodes in the deep-UV-range below 300 nm as wavelength specific radiation sources and special UV-photodiodes for measuring the signal. A monochromator is therefore not needed. The design features a beam splitter and a reference photodiode, precision mechanics for adjustment of the light beams and electronics for stabilization of the LED-current. The processing of the photodiode currents is carried out with a high performance log-ratio amplifier which allows direct absorbance measurements. The optical and electronic performance of the detector was characterised and high precision over several absorbance units was obtained. Testing of analytical separation methods in isocratic as well as gradient modes employing UV-detection at 255 and 280 nm showed a very similar performance to a commercial photodiode-array detector used in the fixed wavelength mode in terms of linearity, precision and detection limits. The chief advantages of the new device are small size, low power consumption, and low cost. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Absorbance detector based on a deep UV light emitting diode for narrow-column HPLC

A detector for miniaturized HPLC based on deep UV emitting diodes and UV photodiodes was constructed. The measurement is accomplished by the transverse passage of the radiation from the light-emitting diode (LED) through fused-silica tubing with an internal diameter of 250 m. The optical cell allows flexible alignment of the LED, tubing, and photodiode for optimization of the light throughput and has an aperture to block stray light. A beam splitter was employed to direct part of the emitted light to a reference photodiode and the Lambert-Beer law was emulated with a log-ratio amplifier circuitry. The detector was tested with two LEDs with emission bands at 280 and 255 nm and showed noise levels as low as 0.25 and 0.22 mAU, respectively. The photometric device was employed successfully in separations using a column of 1 mm inner diameter in isocratic as well as gradient elution. Good linearities over three orders of magnitude in concentration were achieved, and the precision of the measurements was better than 1% in all cases. Detection down to the low micromolar range was possible