Two Notes on the Notion of Education by Theodore Metochites and in the Patristic Tradition of the Middle Byzantine Period

Introduction. John Polemis thought that in On Education the notions of logos, paideia and theoria were synonymous. Meanwhile, Igor P. Medvedev stressed in his trail-blazing book the variety of meanings of theoria in the Late Byzantine period. Relying upon his ideas and evidence, we would like to underline, in our turn, Metochites’ diversification of meanings of this notion. As a skillful conductor or musician, he was able to tune into different waves when speaking about mundane or ecclesiastical affairs. In a number of points, he diverged from traditional Orthodoxy. Methods. Using the traditional set of historical, philosophical, and hermeneutic methods, as well as those of comparative religious and cultural studies, we try to single out and analyze in some detail different layers of meaning in the treatise under discussion. If our author had made digressions into theological knowledge, it does not mean that he would have given himself completely to theology alone, as the basic line of his reasoning remained philosophical and mundane. As compared to what his fellow-Churchmen, like Callistos I, wrote on the issue of education, Metochites’ ideas turn to be a rather clear-cut continuation of the ancient paideia and not especially spiritual knowledge derived from the Christian Revelation. Analysis. Thus, in his cosmological deliberations Metochites ran a risk to turn the world-creating power of God into something temporary and liable to change. He certainly did not learn well the lessons of the patristic tradition represented, e.g., by Ps.-Maximos’ Chapters Full of Knowledge dating back to the 7th – 8th centuries. This led to the fact that he had not recognized the operations of divine world-ordering energy in the created universe, and thus had confirmed the old assumption of H.-G. Beck that Metochites were unfamiliar with Ps.-Maximos the Confessor. At the same time, some Theodore’s ideas come close to those uttered by Ps.-Maximos. Both authors criticize indeed the notion of a pure and self-contained contemplation (which expresses the negative meaning of theoria) unattached to a person’s struggle with passions and vices. Even more intriguing is their common use of a widespread patristic concept of “cultivating the land of one’s mind” (or: “heart”). Given the fact of Metochites’ pronounced admiration of Orthodox monasticism (see, e.g., Ch. 13 of On Education), this parallel may not be incidental. It seems to be traceable to the common Biblical and ancient roots of the Byzantine spiritual culture. Results. If it is difficult to unambiguously resolve the issue of Ps.-Maximos’ or Metochites’ influence exerted to his counterpart, it is not to say, however, that there was not a high degree of cohesion and integrity within the philosophical and theological synthesis of the middle- and late Byzantine patristic tradition and spiritual culture in general. It is within this framework that a scholar should analyze Metochites’ ideas as expressed in On Education and elsewhere

Theodore Metochites’ Logos 10 on Education and Some Aspects of the Notion of Contemplation in the Late Works of Henri Bergson: on Reminiscences

Introduction. The research aim is to point to an interesting typological parallel between the notions of second, or passive, contemplation in late Byzantine philosopher Theodore Metochites (1270 –1332) and Henri Bergson’s Two Sources of Morality and Religion (1932). Methods. The methodological basis of the work is the medieval and modern (Hegel’s) notion of the unity of the philosophical process in the world. Traditional methods of cultural studies and the Geistesgeschichte (also known as ‘intellectual history’) are applied as well. At the same time we single out and confirm the basic opposition in the Byzantine culture between secular philosophy and Hesychasm, on the one hand, and certain convergences between Metochites’ and Bergson’s notions of a passive contemplation. Our sources are not confined with Metochites’ and Bergson’s texts, but include Theodore Adorno’s Negative Dialectics, and, on the Byzantine side, Sophianos’ Letter to Macarius, Metropolitan of Philadelpheia (ca. 1350) as well. Analysis. In the 50th chapter of his 10th Logos On Education Metochites strongly criticized those who flew from the sensible reality, taking no active part in the mundane affairs, without reaching contemplation of the first principles of the Universe. They make just a stupid resignation from activity and get nothing instead, whereas the true contemplation always strives to see these principles. It is not a Hesychast prayer but scientific and philosophic analysis and rumination on the structure of the Universe. It is remarkable that, six centuries and a quarter later, the same strictures against such a kind of resignation reappeared again in the course of Bergson’s polemics against those who could not make a choice between the two types of society, i.e., the closed one and the open one, staying halfway in between. We come to the conclusion that it would be advisable to look for further parallels between Late Byzantine and contemporary philosophy. Results. There are certain typological parallels between the notion of contemplation in Metochites and Bergson, which should make us move further and look for ulterior resemblances between secular philosophy and anthropology of Byzantium and of the contemporary world. In the Appendix we publish the first to fifth chapters of On education in Russian translation performed by us

Densities and Volumetric Properties of Aqueous Solutions of {Water (1) + <i>N</i>‑Methylurea (2)} Mixtures at Temperatures of 274.15–333.15 K and at Pressures up to 100 MPa

Densities of the mixture {water (1) + <i>N</i>- methylurea (2)} in the concentration range to mole fraction <i>x</i>₂ = 0.07071 (or to the solution molality concentration <i>m</i>₂ = 4.22335 mol·kg^–1) at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range from 274.15 to 333.15 K and compression <i>k</i> = Δ<i>V</i>/<i>V</i>₀ at pressures to 100 MPa (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100) in the temperature range from 278.15 to 323.15 K (278.15, 288.15, 288.15, 308.15, 323.15) in the same concentration range were calculated in this study. The apparent molar volumes of <i>N</i>-methylurea <i>V</i>_ϕ,2 and the partial molar volumes of both components <i>V̅</i>₁ and <i>V̅</i>₂ in the mixture, molar isothermal compressibilities <i>K</i>_<i>T,m</i>, molar isobaric thermal expansions <i>E</i>_<i>P,m</i>, and isochoric coefficients of thermal pressure β of the mixture were calculated. Moreover, volumetric measures for the infinitely dilute solution of <i>N</i>-methylurea solution were calculated: limiting partial molar volumes <i>V̅</i>₂^∞, the limiting partial molar isothermal compressibilities <i>K̅</i>_<i>T</i>,2^∞, and the limiting partial molar isobaric thermal expansions <i>E̅</i>_<i>P</i>,2^∞. The results obtained are discussed from the point of view of solute–solvent and solute–solute interactions

Densities and Molar Isobaric Thermal Expansions of the Water + Formamide Mixture over the Temperature Range from 274.15 to 333.15 K at Atmospheric Pressure

The density of the {water (1) + formamide (2)} mixture has been measured over the whole composition range at temperatures from 274.15 to 333.15 K at atmospheric pressure using the vibration densimeter. The volumetric parameters of the mixture, such as the excess molar volume, molar isobaric thermal expansions, and apparent and partial molar volumes of water and formamide, as well as their limiting values, have been calculated. It was shown that the mixture formation resulted in the volume decrease at all temperatures, and the largest absolute value of the excess molar volume corresponded to the mixture composition of 2H₂O-FA. The limiting partial molar volumes of water and formamide increased with the temperature rise. At a temperature of about 323 K the limiting partial molar volume of water became larger than its own molar volume

Obtaining Foamed Glass-Ceramics from Diamond Concentration Tailings

The possibility of obtaining building foamed glass-ceramic using the diamond concentration tailings of the Lomonosov deposit in Arkhangelsk Region, Russia, is demonstrated here. The effect of the tailings’ particle size distribution, feed temperature, the addition of a foaming agent, and the content of oxidizer on the feed charge foaming is established. The process conditions for obtaining foamed glass-ceramic materials are described. The specifications of the materials with the optimal composition (tailings 50 wt.%, glass waste 50 wt.%, SiC 0.5 wt.%, Fe2O3 1 wt.%) foamed at 1020–1050 °C were as follows: apparent density 0.23–0.51 g/cm3, compression strength 0.58–2.40 MPa, water absorption (by volume) 8.7–19.0%. Based on the combination of the measured properties when used in dry conditions, the obtained materials can be considered heat-insulating foam materials. The thermal conductivity was 0.060–0.066 W/m·K

Density and Volumetric Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Trimethylamine <i>N</i>‑Oxide in the Temperature Range from (278.15 to 323.15) K and at Pressures up to 100 MPa

Densities of aqueous solutions of trimethylamine <i>N</i>-oxide (TMAO) were measured over the concentration range (0.0875 to 4.3251) mol·kg^–1 at temperatures (278.15, 288.15, 298.15, 308.15, and 323.15) K and pressures (0.101, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100) MPa. Volumetric properties such as apparent molar volume of TMAO, <i>V</i>_ϕ,2, molar isothermal compression, <i>K</i>_<i>T</i>,m, molar isobaric expansion, <i>E</i>_<i>P</i>,m, and internal pressure, <i>P</i>_int, of its aqueous solutions were calculated depending on concentration, temperature, and pressure. The volumetric partial properties of TMAO at infinite dilution in water (<i>V</i>₂^∞, <i>K</i>_<i>T</i>,2^∞, and <i>E</i>_<i>P</i>,2^∞) were also determined. The results were discussed from the standpoint of solute–solute and solute–solvent interactions