Jeremy Bell and Michael Nass (eds.), Plato’s Animals, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2015

Aleksandar Kandić (Jeremy Bell and Michael Nass (eds.), Plato’s Animals, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2015

Myth and science in Plato's "Timaeus"

Dijalog Timaj predstavlja jedan od najpoznatijih Platonovih dijaloga koji je izvršio izuzetan uticaj kako na antičke filozofe, tako i na hrišćanske teologe, pa i renesansne, moderne i savremene mislioce. Kosmološki mit koji Platon formuliše u Timaju predstavlja originalnu mešavinu mitskih, prirodno-filozofskih i matematičkih elemenata, te je stoga već od svog pojavljivanja bio predmet raznovrsnih, manje ili više oštrih interpretativnih sporova. Kao jedan od osnovnih pravaca tumačenja može se izdvojiti onaj u kome se teži eliminaciji nekih mitskih aspekata Timaja. Među sledbenike ovog pravca tumačenja spada Aristotel, filozofi stare Akademije, te savremeni istraživači antičke filozofije kao što su Kornford (F. M. Cornford), kod kojeg je prisutna težnja da mitski pojam demijurga (demiourgos) izjednači sa pojmom duše sveta (psyche tou kosmou), ili G. R. Karoni (G. R. Carone), Dž. Dilon (J. Dillon), odnosno O’Brajen (C. S. O’Brien). S druge strane, prema interpretativnom stanovištu koje zastupaju autori kao što su S. Broudi (S. Broadie), L. Brison (L. Brisson), T. Robinson (T. Robinson), ili T. Johansen (T. Kj. Johansen), mitski aspekti Timaja, a naročito pojam demijurga, jesu nužni i suštinski za izgradnju Platonove prirodno-filozofske tj. kosmološke pozicije, što znači da se mitski i naučni aspekti teksta moraju proučavati zajedno i isključivo u međusobnom odnosu. Za Platona, nauka (episteme) podrazumeva znanje o nepromenljivim stvarima, i deli se na matematiku i dijalektiku. Međutim, u dijalogu Timaj, govor (logos) o prirodi i strukturi kosmosa označen je kao mit (muthos), budući da, za Platona, taj govor može u najboljem slučaju biti samo „verovatan“ (eikos), a ne apsolutno izvestan, poput onog o matematičkim entitetima i zakonitostima. I pored toga, Platon u Timaju predlaže matematički model objašnjenja prirodnih pojava, i raspravu o strukturi kosmosa i strukturi duše sveta temelji kako na saznanju matematičkih entiteta, tako i ideja. Platonova kosmologija postavljena je u izrazito mitski okvir: kosmos je delo demijurga (ili zanatlije, graditelja), tvorca fizičkog sveta, koji ugledajući se na savršenstvo matematičkih entiteta oblikuje prirodu, pritom se nalazeći „izvan“ same prirode. Koja je uloga mitskih elemenata u Platonovoj kosmologiji, i u čemu se sastoji smisao pojma demijurga? Ukoliko, prema Platonu, matematički principi mogu objasniti strukturu fizičkog sveta, zašto je onda neophodno da Platonova kosmološka teorija uopšte bude smeštena u mitski okvir? Na posletku, ukoliko Platon govor o prirodi označava kao “verovatan”, i uz to predlaže matematički model objašnjenja, ima li osnova za bilo kakvo plodno poređenje – naročito sa stanovišta istorije ideja - između Platonovog pojma nauke i modernog pojma nauke? Platonu je pojam demijurga neophodan upravo da bi na indirektan način ukazao na značaj razuma i ljudske perspektive u konstituisanju poretka čulnog sveta, te bi eliminacija ovog pojma vodila urušavanju psihičkih, antropoloških aspekata Platonove kosmologije. Ti aspekti za Platona jesu izuzetno značajni, jer, putem njih, Platon se suprotstavlja svim „mehanicističkim“ viđenjima prirode. Pojam demijurga trebalo bi da, u vidu metafore, Platonovim čitaocima sugeriše da nepromenljivi principi na osnovu kojih je sazdan fizički svet mogu biti predmet ljudskog promišljanja, te da bez postojanja ljudskog razuma nije ni mogućno govoriti o strukturi fizičkog sveta, ili njegovoj svrhovitosti i racionalnosti.The Timaeus is one of the most famous Plato’s dialogues which exerted enormous influence on ancient philosophers, Christian theologians, as well as various Renaissance, modern and contemporary thinkers. The cosmological myth elaborated in the Timaeus represents an original mixture of mythical, natural-philosophical and mathematical elements, and hence, since its appearance, it has been the subject of various, more or less intense interpretative disputes. According to one basic line of interpretation, some mythical elements in the Timaeus might be eliminated. Supporters of this interpretative stance include Aristotle, Old Academicians, as well as contemporary researchers of ancient philosophy such are F. M. Cornford, who made an attempt to equalize the mythical demiurge (demiourgos) with the world soul (psyche tou kosmou), as well as G. R. Carone, J. Dillon, and C. S. O’Brien. On the other hand, according to the interpretations put forward by S. Broadie, L. Brisson, T. Robinson, and T. Kj. Johansen, the mythical aspects of the Timaeus, particularly the notion of demiurge, are necessary and essential for the constitution of Plato’s natural-philosophical, or cosmological position, which means that the mythical and scientific aspects of the text have to be examined together in mutual relationship. For Plato, science (episteme) is the knowledge of unchangeable things, and consists of mathematics and dialectics. However, in the Timaeus, the speech (logos) about nature and the structure of the universe is called a myth (muthos) because for Plato, this speech is no more than „probable“ (eikos) and not absolutely certain, such as the one about mathematical laws and entities. Still, when it comes to the study of nature, Plato proposes the mathematical model of explanation in the Timaeus, and founds his considerations about the structure of the universe and the world soul upon the knowledge of mathematical entities and ideas. Plato’s cosmology is placed within pronouncedly mythical framework: the universe is a product of the demiurge (or, craftsman, architect), the creator of physical world who provides sensible form to nature by looking upon the perfection of mathematical entities, himself being „outside“ the nature. What is the role of mythical elements in Plato’s cosmology, and what is the purpose of the demiurge? If, according to Plato, mathematical principles explain the structure of the physical world, why is it necessary that his cosmological theory is placed within the mythical framework at all? Finally, if Plato considers his speech about nature as „probable“, and proposes the mathematical model of explanation, is there any ground for a fruitful comparison – particularly within the context of history of ideas – between Plato’s notion of science, and the modern one? The notion of demiurge is necessary for Plato in order to emphasize, in an indirect manner, the importance of reason and human perspective for the constitution of natural order, which means that elimination of such notion leads to the collapse of psychological, anthropological aspects of Plato’s cosmology. These aspects are very significant for Plato - they are employed in order to refute all „mechanicistic“ explanations of nature. The notion of demiurge, as a metaphor, is supposed to tell Plato’s readers that the unchanging principles upon which the physical world rests may become the subject of human thought, as well as that without existence of human reason, it is not even possible to converse about the structure of physical world, its purposefulness, and rationality

Myth and science in Plato's "Timaeus"

Dijalog Timaj predstavlja jedan od najpoznatijih Platonovih dijaloga koji je izvršio izuzetan uticaj kako na antičke filozofe, tako i na hrišćanske teologe, pa i renesansne, moderne i savremene mislioce. Kosmološki mit koji Platon formuliše u Timaju predstavlja originalnu mešavinu mitskih, prirodno-filozofskih i matematičkih elemenata, te je stoga već od svog pojavljivanja bio predmet raznovrsnih, manje ili više oštrih interpretativnih sporova. Kao jedan od osnovnih pravaca tumačenja može se izdvojiti onaj u kome se teži eliminaciji nekih mitskih aspekata Timaja. Među sledbenike ovog pravca tumačenja spada Aristotel, filozofi stare Akademije, te savremeni istraživači antičke filozofije kao što su Kornford (F. M. Cornford), kod kojeg je prisutna težnja da mitski pojam demijurga (demiourgos) izjednači sa pojmom duše sveta (psyche tou kosmou), ili G. R. Karoni (G. R. Carone), Dž. Dilon (J. Dillon), odnosno O’Brajen (C. S. O’Brien). S druge strane, prema interpretativnom stanovištu koje zastupaju autori kao što su S. Broudi (S. Broadie), L. Brison (L. Brisson), T. Robinson (T. Robinson), ili T. Johansen (T. Kj. Johansen), mitski aspekti Timaja, a naročito pojam demijurga, jesu nužni i suštinski za izgradnju Platonove prirodno-filozofske tj. kosmološke pozicije, što znači da se mitski i naučni aspekti teksta moraju proučavati zajedno i isključivo u međusobnom odnosu. Za Platona, nauka (episteme) podrazumeva znanje o nepromenljivim stvarima, i deli se na matematiku i dijalektiku. Međutim, u dijalogu Timaj, govor (logos) o prirodi i strukturi kosmosa označen je kao mit (muthos), budući da, za Platona, taj govor može u najboljem slučaju biti samo „verovatan“ (eikos), a ne apsolutno izvestan, poput onog o matematičkim entitetima i zakonitostima. I pored toga, Platon u Timaju predlaže matematički model objašnjenja prirodnih pojava, i raspravu o strukturi kosmosa i strukturi duše sveta temelji kako na saznanju matematičkih entiteta, tako i ideja. Platonova kosmologija postavljena je u izrazito mitski okvir: kosmos je delo demijurga (ili zanatlije, graditelja), tvorca fizičkog sveta, koji ugledajući se na savršenstvo matematičkih entiteta oblikuje prirodu, pritom se nalazeći „izvan“ same prirode. Koja je uloga mitskih elemenata u Platonovoj kosmologiji, i u čemu se sastoji smisao pojma demijurga? Ukoliko, prema Platonu, matematički principi mogu objasniti strukturu fizičkog sveta, zašto je onda neophodno da Platonova kosmološka teorija uopšte bude smeštena u mitski okvir? Na posletku, ukoliko Platon govor o prirodi označava kao “verovatan”, i uz to predlaže matematički model objašnjenja, ima li osnova za bilo kakvo plodno poređenje – naročito sa stanovišta istorije ideja - između Platonovog pojma nauke i modernog pojma nauke? Platonu je pojam demijurga neophodan upravo da bi na indirektan način ukazao na značaj razuma i ljudske perspektive u konstituisanju poretka čulnog sveta, te bi eliminacija ovog pojma vodila urušavanju psihičkih, antropoloških aspekata Platonove kosmologije. Ti aspekti za Platona jesu izuzetno značajni, jer, putem njih, Platon se suprotstavlja svim „mehanicističkim“ viđenjima prirode. Pojam demijurga trebalo bi da, u vidu metafore, Platonovim čitaocima sugeriše da nepromenljivi principi na osnovu kojih je sazdan fizički svet mogu biti predmet ljudskog promišljanja, te da bez postojanja ljudskog razuma nije ni mogućno govoriti o strukturi fizičkog sveta, ili njegovoj svrhovitosti i racionalnosti.The Timaeus is one of the most famous Plato’s dialogues which exerted enormous influence on ancient philosophers, Christian theologians, as well as various Renaissance, modern and contemporary thinkers. The cosmological myth elaborated in the Timaeus represents an original mixture of mythical, natural-philosophical and mathematical elements, and hence, since its appearance, it has been the subject of various, more or less intense interpretative disputes. According to one basic line of interpretation, some mythical elements in the Timaeus might be eliminated. Supporters of this interpretative stance include Aristotle, Old Academicians, as well as contemporary researchers of ancient philosophy such are F. M. Cornford, who made an attempt to equalize the mythical demiurge (demiourgos) with the world soul (psyche tou kosmou), as well as G. R. Carone, J. Dillon, and C. S. O’Brien. On the other hand, according to the interpretations put forward by S. Broadie, L. Brisson, T. Robinson, and T. Kj. Johansen, the mythical aspects of the Timaeus, particularly the notion of demiurge, are necessary and essential for the constitution of Plato’s natural-philosophical, or cosmological position, which means that the mythical and scientific aspects of the text have to be examined together in mutual relationship. For Plato, science (episteme) is the knowledge of unchangeable things, and consists of mathematics and dialectics. However, in the Timaeus, the speech (logos) about nature and the structure of the universe is called a myth (muthos) because for Plato, this speech is no more than „probable“ (eikos) and not absolutely certain, such as the one about mathematical laws and entities. Still, when it comes to the study of nature, Plato proposes the mathematical model of explanation in the Timaeus, and founds his considerations about the structure of the universe and the world soul upon the knowledge of mathematical entities and ideas. Plato’s cosmology is placed within pronouncedly mythical framework: the universe is a product of the demiurge (or, craftsman, architect), the creator of physical world who provides sensible form to nature by looking upon the perfection of mathematical entities, himself being „outside“ the nature. What is the role of mythical elements in Plato’s cosmology, and what is the purpose of the demiurge? If, according to Plato, mathematical principles explain the structure of the physical world, why is it necessary that his cosmological theory is placed within the mythical framework at all? Finally, if Plato considers his speech about nature as „probable“, and proposes the mathematical model of explanation, is there any ground for a fruitful comparison – particularly within the context of history of ideas – between Plato’s notion of science, and the modern one? The notion of demiurge is necessary for Plato in order to emphasize, in an indirect manner, the importance of reason and human perspective for the constitution of natural order, which means that elimination of such notion leads to the collapse of psychological, anthropological aspects of Plato’s cosmology. These aspects are very significant for Plato - they are employed in order to refute all „mechanicistic“ explanations of nature. The notion of demiurge, as a metaphor, is supposed to tell Plato’s readers that the unchanging principles upon which the physical world rests may become the subject of human thought, as well as that without existence of human reason, it is not even possible to converse about the structure of physical world, its purposefulness, and rationality

Plato and modern natural sciences

Između Platonovog pojma nauke (episteme) i modernog pojma nauke postoje gotovo nepremostive razlike, ali i određene sličnosti. U poznim dijalozima kao što su Teetet, Fileb, ili Timaj, Platon u izvesnoj meri redefiniše sopstveni pojam znanja koji je razvio u Državi. Pravo znanje se ne mora odnositi isključivo na nepromenljive aspekte stvarnosti. Platonova karakterizacija kosmologije kao eikos logos-a ("verovatne" priče, eng. likely story) u dijalogu Timaj predstavlja jedan vid anticipacije koncepta opovrgljivosti, koji dominira modernom filozofijom nauke. Iskustvo i osmatranje, te matematički, psihološki i biološki pojmovi, zauzimaju značajno, neizostavno mesto u strukturi Timajevog kosmološkog modela.There are almost irreconcilable differences between Plato's notion of science (episteme) and the modern notion, but also certain similarities. In the late dialogues such as The Theaetetus, The Philebus, and The Timaeus, Plato redefines his own notion of knowledge developed in The Republic to some extent. Genuine knowledge does not refer solely to the unchangeable aspects of reality. Plato's characterization of cosmology as an eikos logos ("likely story") in The Timaeus is an anticipation of the concept of falsifiabilit that dominates modern philosophy of science. Experience and observation, as well as mathematical, psychological and biological concepts, occupy a significant, indispensable place within the structure of Timaeus' cosmological model

The activity concentrations 40-K, 137-Cs, 210-Pb and effective dose of ingestion of the radionuclides in selected medicinal herbs from the region of Majdanpek

Lekovite biljke imaju dugu istoriju upotrebe širom sveta u tradicionalnoj medicini. MeĎutim, njihova upotreba, kao i upotreba biljnih proizvoda mora se kontrolisati,kako bi se izbegla pojava neţeljenih efekata na zdravlje ljudi. Specifične aktivnosti radionuklida 40K, 137Cs i 210Pb u uzorcima lekovitih biljaka izmerenesu pomoću poluprovodničkog HPGe spektrometarskog sistema, na osnovu čega je odreĎena prosečna godišnja efektivna doza ingestije za odrasle koji piju dnevno 200 ml čaja pripremljenog od lekovitih biljaka. U radu je prikazana radiološka analiza 7 odabranih lekovitih biljaka sa područja Majdanpeka. Dobijene vrednosti za efektivnu dozu ingestije slične su vrednostima objavljenim u drugim studijama i manje su od 100 μSv, što upućuje na zaključak da svakodnevna upotreba čajeva od analiziranih lekovitih biljaka sa područja Majdanpeka ne predstavlja značajan radiološki rizik po zdravlje.Medicinal plants have a long history in traditional medicine worldwide. However, their use, as well as the use of plant products, must be controlled in order to avoid the occurrence of undesirable effects on human health. Specific activities of radionuclides 40K, 137Cs and 210Pb in samples of medicinal plants were measured using a semi-conductor HPGe spectrometer system. The average annual effective dose for adults due to daily ingestion of 200 ml herbal infusion prepared from medicinal plants is determined. In this paper a radiological analysis of 7 selected medicinal plants from the area of Majdanpekis presented. The values obtained for an effective dose of ingestion are similar to the values published in other studies and are less than 100 μSv, suggesting that the daily use of herbal infusions from analyzed medicinal plants from the Majdanpek area does not represent a significant radiological health riskProceedings: [http://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8681]XXX симпозијум ДЗЗСЦГ (Друштва за заштиту од зрачења Србије и Црне Горе), 2- 4. октобар 2019. године, Дивчибаре, Србиј

Chemical and radiochemical fractionation of depleted uranium in contaminated soils

The results of the chemical and radiochemical characterization of depleted uranium present in the soils since it was used in Balkan intervention, 1999, are presented. The contamination levels and uranium fractionation in the soil substrates was examined using radiation spectrometry methods and by application of the five-step sequential extraction procedure. Alpha-spectrometric uranium isotopic analysis enabled to find out the recently appeared uranium in the environment mobility and/or fixation into stable forms in the soil, distinguishing depleted from naturally occurring uranium on the basis of 234U/238U and 235U/238U activities ratios.Physical chemistry 2006 : 8th international conference on fundamental and applied aspects of physical chemistry; Belgrade (Serbia); 26-29 September 200

Concentration Of The 241Pu In Air Samples From Chernobyl At Belgrade Site Estimated By a 241Am In Growth Method

The surface air samples collected in the first half of May 1986 at VinčaBelgrade site were prepared and measured at the end of the 1991 and beginning of the 1992. year. Activity concentrations of the 137Cs immediately after the Chernobyl accident were determined by means of gamma spectrometry, while the air activity concentration of 238Pu and 239,240Pu were determined by alpha spectrometry, after the plutonium radiochemical separation. The 236Pu was used as a tracer. The same samples were remeasured after 13 years, during the 2004. The surface air activity concentrations of 241Pu were estimated by a 241Am in-growth method. The built up activities of 236Pu progenies were determined from the recorded spectra and also calculated using the Bateman’s equations. The 241Am activity in the remeasured samples, obtained by complex spectral analysis was confirmed by gamma spectrometry. The 241Pu activity concentration in measured air samples ranged from 240 µBq/m3 to 7800 µBq/m3 . The average activity concentration ratio 241Pu/239,240Pu originated from Chernobyl accident was approximately 100.Second European IRPA Congress on Radiation Protection : May 15-19, 2006, Paris, France

Determination of coincidence summing correction factors for 22na point source

The coincidence summing effect plays an important role in HPGe spectrometry, especially at low source-detector distances, due to a large solid angle; therefore, the calculation of correction factors is necessary. The aim of the research described in this paper was to compare values of correction factors for a 22Na point source obtained using the GESPECOR software package (Monte-Carlo method) and experimentally obtained values. Measurements were performed using a semiconductor HPGe spectrometer and the point source axially positioned at nine different distances from the detector end-cap. For the purpose of determining correction factors, a system of equations was formed, which, besides nuclear data as the input parameters, uses the experimentally obtained values of the total count in the entire spectrum, as well as the counts in the full energy peaks. The system of equations was solved for each particular case and correction factors were determined. By comparing the results obtained using the experimental and Monte-Carlo method, it was found that the correction factors for the 22Na point source have discrepancies less than 3%. The significance of these discrepancies was also verified from a statistical point of view using a Student's t-test. © 2019 RAD Association. All rights reserved.Conference of 6th International Conference on Radiation and Applications in Various Fields of Research, RAD 2018 ; Conference Date: 18 June 2018 Through 22 June 2018; Conference Code:14955

Radon exhalation rate of some building materials common in Serbia

It is well-known that radon is the second important human carcinogen for lung cancer, after smoking. The major sources of indoor radon concentrations are soil and building material. Under certain conditions, a dose received from the inhalation of radon and its progenies can be higher than a dose received from the external exposure due to radium concentration in building materials. In this contribution, the results of the radon and thoron exhalation rate measurement from 9 commonly used building materials are reported. Exhalation rate measurements were performed with accumulation chamber method using active device for measurement of radon concentration. © 2019 RAD Association. All rights reserved.Conference of 6th International Conference on Radiation and Applications in Various Fields of Research, RAD 2018 ; Conference Date: 18 June 2018 Through 22 June 2018; Conference Code:14955