Fenomen nawrócenia – próba filozoficznego ujęcia

This paper attempts to study and to describe the experience of conversion that is an existential change, whose aim is to initiate a relation with God. Although the category of conversion is biblical and theological, it is also an anthropological notion. Hence, research on this phenomenon by means of the phenomenological method may result in the extension of the knowledge of humanity.The article consists of two fundamental parts. In the first one three examples of conversion, as an empiric basis for further research, are presented: St Augustine of Hippo’s, Cardinal John Henry Newman’s and Edith Stein’s. An investigation of their ways enables us to enter into the horizon of the experience of conversion and to understand its basic intuition. In this approach the conversion is comprehended as a radical turn on the road of searching for the truth. A converting person gains the consciousness of being on the supreme way to the truth.In the further part of the article, the investigations bring a more universal description of this phenomenon. Conversion is certainly not only the single event, e.g. the turning point. It is rather a process which has its ‘before’ and ‘after’. On the way leading to conversion one may find such phenomena as: the integrated life of the person, an experience of emptiness and dissatisfaction, the courage to break present horizons and a readiness to accept the unexpected. In turn, ‘after’ the conversion one may notice the following phenomena: an experience of one’s own limits, the consciousness of the Absolute and an experience of freedom.The paper culminates in the discussion about the comprehension of conversion in terms of the process of philosophy or the ontology of becoming. Such concepts as Hegelian dialectic, Aristotle’s theory of act and potency or Kierkegaard’s leap of faith are rejected. The way of converting man has its explanation in the categories of the religious development according to J. H. Newman.This paper attempts to study and to describe the experience of conversion that is an existential change, whose aim is to initiate a relation with God. Although the category of conversion is biblical and theological, it is also an anthropological notion. Hence, research on this phenomenon by means of the phenomenological method may result in the extension of the knowledge of humanity.The article consists of two fundamental parts. In the first one three examples of conversion, as an empiric basis for further research, are presented: St Augustine of Hippo’s, Cardinal John Henry Newman’s and Edith Stein’s. An investigation of their ways enables us to enter into the horizon of the experience of conversion and to understand its basic intuition. In this approach the conversion is comprehended as a radical turn on the road of searching for the truth. A converting person gains the consciousness of being on the supreme way to the truth.In the further part of the article, the investigations bring a more universal description of this phenomenon. Conversion is certainly not only the single event, e.g. the turning point. It is rather a process which has its ‘before’ and ‘after’. On the way leading to conversion one may find such phenomena as: the integrated life of the person, an experience of emptiness and dissatisfaction, the courage to break present horizons and a readiness to accept the unexpected. In turn, ‘after’ the conversion one may notice the following phenomena: an experience of one’s own limits, the consciousness of the Absolute and an experience of freedom.The paper culminates in the discussion about the comprehension of conversion in terms of the process of philosophy or the ontology of becoming. Such concepts as Hegelian dialectic, Aristotle’s theory of act and potency or Kierkegaard’s leap of faith are rejected. The way of converting man has its explanation in the categories of the religious development according to J. H. Newman

Zwrot erotyczny w fenomenologii francuskiej?

One way to describe changes in the phenomenological movement is to announce the next “turns”. The best known is the “theological turn in French phenomenology” announced in 1991 by Dominique Janicaud, but there is also talk of an aesthetic, cognitive and other turn. In this paper, we want to investigate whether we can tell about an erotic turn in French phenomenology, and this is because of the important place in the study of corporeality, love, eroticism and sexuality in French authors. First, we show the French phenomenology as a place of spontaneous changes, excesses and turns. Then we look at the structure of turn, referring to Heidegger’s die Kehre as the paradigm. This is justified, since French phenomenology is much more rooted in Heidegger's thought than in Husserl’s. Interpretation of the term “turn” is ambiguous and we may speak of its four versions, which, taken together, form a chiasmic structure. After referring to it erotic studies in French phenomenologists, it should be stated that the “erotic turn” in French phenomenology exists and in the same time does not exist, that is, it has the character of a paradox. The erotic turn does not occur if understood as a critical point and a new beginning, or as a definitive transgression of metaphysics. However, we can note it as a return to forgotten phenomena, such as corporeality, intersubjectivity, and erotic relationship. Jean-Luc Marion attempts to formulate a new philosophy and theology based on the erotic phenomenon, which shows the turn as a step forward.Jednym ze sposobów na opisanie przemian w ramach ruchu fenomenologicznego jest anonsowanie kolejnych „zwrotów”. Najbardziej znany to ogłoszony w 1991 roku przez Dominique’a Janicauda „zwrot teologiczny w fenomenologii francuskiej”, ale mówi się także o zwrocie estetycznym, kognitywistycznym i innych. W artykule chcemy zbadać, czy w fenomenologii francuskiej wystąpił zwrot erotyczny, a to za sprawą ważnego miejsca, jakie zajmują u poszczególnych autorów badania cielesności, miłości, erotyki i seksualności. Najpierw ukazujemy fenomenologię francuską jako miejsce żywiołowych przemian, ekscesów i zwrotów. Następnie przyglądamy się samej strukturze zwrotu, odnosząc się do Heideggerowskiego die Kehre jako paradygmatu zwrotu. Jest to zasadne, gdyż fenomenologia francuska o wiele bardziej wyrasta z myśli Heideggera niż Husserla. Interpretacja terminu „zwrot” nie jest jednoznaczna i można mówić o jej czterech wersjach, które razem wzięte układają się w strukturę chiazmu. Po odniesieniu jej do badań erotycznych u fenomenologów francuskich należy stwierdzić, że „zwrot erotyczny” w fenomenologii francuskiej jednocześnie jest i go nie ma, czyli ma charakter paradoksu. Nie występuje on, jeśli rozumieć go jako punkt krytyczny i nowy początek, względnie jako definitywne przekroczenie metafizyki. Natomiast możemy go odnotować jako powrót do zapomnianych fenomenów, jak cielesność, intersubiektywność, relacja erotyczna. Dodatkowo u Jeana-Luca Mariona mamy do czynienia z próbą sformułowania nowej filozofii i teologii, opartych na fenomenie erotycznym, co pokazuje zwrot jako krok naprzód

Fenomen zerwania

This paper attempts to study and to describe the particular situation, when somebody for the sake of beliefs, opinions and ideas decides to finish the relation with the other. Such a situation we call the phenomenon of rupture. The ruptures may be different: the boyfriend is breaking up with his girlfriend, spouses are deciding on the divorce, somebody is breaking the agreement or the friendship. From all these type of the situation we are only interested in rupture because of the difference in holding the truth. The phenomenon of rupture in such a situation is getting the shape of the dispute what is more important – the truth or the person. How is it happening, that for the sake of the truth I am rejecting the person? Whether for the sake of the relation with the other can I put the truth away? What is more important value: the truth or You? Or maybe the rupture is a symptom of the unresolved attitude to the Absolute? We are trying to find answers to these questions referring to the thoughts of J. Tischner and the other contemporary philosophers. In the text two positions and two types of the thinking are discussed: monological thinking, in which the truth is more important than the person, and dialogical one, where the relation with the person is a condition of finding the truth. At the end of the text a one-sidedness of both attitudes is indicated as well as the possibility of solution the rupture by love.Przedmiotem artykułu jest zbadanie i opis sytuacji, kiedy ktoś w imię przekonań, opinii, poglądów decyduje się zakończyć relację z drugim człowiekiem. Sytuację taką nazywamy fenomenem zerwania. Zerwania mogą być różne: chłopak zrywa z dziewczyną, małżonkowie decydują się na rozwód, ktoś zrywa umowę albo przyjaźń. Z wszystkich tego typu sytuacji interesuje nas tylko zerwanie z powodu różnicy w wyznawanych poglądach. Fenomen zerwania w takiej sytuacji przybiera kształt sporu o to, co ważniejsze – prawda czy osoba. Jak to się dzieje, że w imię prawdy odrzucam osobę? Czy w imię relacji z drugim mogę zdradzić prawdę? Czy wartością ważniejszą jest prawda czy Ty? A może zerwanie jest symptomem nierozwiązanego stosunku do Absolutu? Odpowiedzi na te pytania szukamy, odwołując się do myśli Józefa Tischnera i innych współczesnych filozofów. Zarysowane zostają dwa skrajne stanowiska: prawda ponad osobą oraz osoba ponad prawdą. Wyznaczają one dwa odmienne paradygmaty myślenia: monologiczny i dialogiczny. Problem zostaje rozważony także w płaszczyźnie aksjologicznej, gdzie prawda i Ty jawią się jako wartości. W zerwaniu istotne jest utożsamienie Ja z daną prawdą – następują tu procesy solidaryzacji egotycznej i absolutyzacji Ja. W ich efekcie zerwanie można opisać za pomocą Tischnerowskiej kategorii potępienia i mechanizmu władzy. Na końcu zostaje ukazana możliwość rozwiązania sytuacji zerwania przez miłość

Między nieuchronną skończonością a nieśmiertelnością. Vladimira Jankélévitcha i Józefa Tischnera dwugłos na temat śmierci

Death is one of the most important human experiences which have an impact on our life. As a philosophical topic death occurs mainly in the domain of bioethics and philosophical anthropology. This article discusses and confronts two concepts of death: the concept of Vladimir Jankélévitch, the French philosopher from the circle of philosophy of spirit, and the concept of Józef Tischner, the Polish phenomenologist and the creator of philosophy of drama.Józef Tischner elaborates on the Christian concept of death, looking for the solution to this problem in the act of Jesus. From the analysis of death emerges its sense i.e. its inner structure. When a close person or relative dies what follows is the experience of emptiness and absence. A similar thing happens in the case of my own death, but then the experience of emptiness is directed against me, taking the shape of the „active desolation”. There are two possible reactions of man to the phenomenon of death: fear or protest. He attempts to get over death by giving it some meaning. Tischner mentions here heroic death, martyrdom, death as an escape from the world and sanction death. The fullest answer to the problem of death is brought by Christianity and the act of Jesus, which consists in provoking death. The death that is voluntarily accepted becomes a gateway to the eternity or, in other words, true life.Jankélévitch treated death with dead seriousness. The solutions provided by religions are unacceptable to him for they generate cold comfort only. Every man is mortal, but it is death that determines life, making it unique and exceptional. Jankélévitch employs here the term of „organobstacle”. Each organ is useful in something to man but, at the same time, it limits him somehow. The same can be said about death. It limits human life but, simultaneously, man would not be man without death.It could seem that there is not a common point in these two abovementioned concepts, and the reason for the radical parting of the ways of Tischner and Jankélévitch lies in their religious views and opinions. For both of them death is an affirmation and a sign of life, but life that is perceived in a completely different way: for Tischner the point is the resurrection and the eternal life, for Jankélévitch the point is the temporal and earthly existence. Nevertheless, these two approaches converge by introducing the principal of love. According to Jankélévitch, only love does not die and becomes the promise of the future. Also for Tischner, man rises from the dead only as much as he loves.Death is one of the most important human experiences which have an impact on our life. As a philosophical topic death occurs mainly in the domain of bioethics and philosophical anthropology. This article discusses and confronts two concepts of death: the concept of Vladimir Jankélévitch, the French philosopher from the circle of philosophy of spirit, and the concept of Józef Tischner, the Polish phenomenologist and the creator of philosophy of drama.Józef Tischner elaborates on the Christian concept of death, looking for the solution to this problem in the act of Jesus. From the analysis of death emerges its sense i.e. its inner structure. When a close person or relative dies what follows is the experience of emptiness and absence. A similar thing happens in the case of my own death, but then the experience of emptiness is directed against me, taking the shape of the „active desolation”. There are two possible reactions of man to the phenomenon of death: fear or protest. He attempts to get over death by giving it some meaning. Tischner mentions here heroic death, martyrdom, death as an escape from the world and sanction death. The fullest answer to the problem of death is brought by Christianity and the act of Jesus, which consists in provoking death. The death that is voluntarily accepted becomes a gateway to the eternity or, in other words, true life.Jankélévitch treated death with dead seriousness. The solutions provided by religions are unacceptable to him for they generate cold comfort only. Every man is mortal, but it is death that determines life, making it unique and exceptional. Jankélévitch employs here the term of „organobstacle”. Each organ is useful in something to man but, at the same time, it limits him somehow. The same can be said about death. It limits human life but, simultaneously, man would not be man without death.It could seem that there is not a common point in these two abovementioned concepts, and the reason for the radical parting of the ways of Tischner and Jankélévitch lies in their religious views and opinions. For both of them death is an affirmation and a sign of life, but life that is perceived in a completely different way: for Tischner the point is the resurrection and the eternal life, for Jankélévitch the point is the temporal and earthly existence. Nevertheless, these two approaches converge by introducing the principal of love. According to Jankélévitch, only love does not die and becomes the promise of the future. Also for Tischner, man rises from the dead only as much as he loves

Pitch syntax violations are linked to greater skin conductance changes, relative to timbral violations : the predictive role of the reward system in perspective of cortico-subcortical loops

According to contemporary opinion emotional reactions to syntactic violations are due to surprise as a result of the general mechanism of prediction. The classic view is that, the processing of musical syntax can be explained by activity of the cerebral cortex. However, some recent studies have indicated that subcortical brain structures, including those related to the processing of emotions, are also important during the processing of syntax. In order to check whether emotional reactions play a role in the processing of pitch syntax or are only the result of the general mechanism of prediction, the comparison of skin conductance levels reacting to three types of melodies were recorded. In this study, 28 subjects listened to three types of short melodies prepared in Musical Instrument Digital Interface Standard files (MIDI) - tonally correct, tonally violated (with one out-of-key - i.e., of high information content), and tonally correct but with one note played in a different timbre. The BioSemi ActiveTwo with two passive Nihon Kohden electrodes was used. Skin conductance levels were positively correlated with the presented stimuli (timbral changes and tonal violations). Although changes in skin conductance levels were also observed in response to the change in timbre, the reactions to tonal violations were significantly stronger. Therefore, despite the fact that timbral change is at least as equally unexpected as an out-of-key note, the processing of pitch syntax mainly generates increased activation of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. These results suggest that the cortico–subcortical loops (especially the anterior cingulate - limbic loop) may play an important role in the processing of musical syntax

The role of nature reserves in preserving saproxylic biodiversity: using longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) as bioindicators

The potential of forest nature reserves as refuges for biodiversity seems to be overlooked probably due to their small size. These, however, may constitute important safe havens for saproxylic organisms since forest reserves are relatively numerous in Europe. Saproxylic beetles are among the key groups for the assessment of biodiversity in forest habitats and longhorn beetles may play an important role in bioindication as they are ecologically associated with various micro-habitats and considered a very heterogeneous family of insects. To study the role of forest reserves as important habitats for saproxylic beetles, we compared cerambycid assemblages in corresponding pairs of sites (nature reserves and managed stands) in a forest region under high anthropogenic pressure (Upper Silesia, Poland, Central Europe). Moreover, we also intended to assess the role played by these beetles as bioindicators in the different forest types from this area. According to the obtained diversity index values, the most valuable stands are located in nature reserves, whilst sites with the lowest value included managed forests together with two homogeneous and relatively recently established nature reserves. Our analyses demonstrated a positive correlation between deadwood volume and biodiversity, for both species richness and abundance. Our results indicate that the decisive factor is the type of a given habitat, whose characteristics can be mainly influenced/determined by forest management. The potential role of longhorn beetles as bioindicators is highlighted and the effectiveness of using traps in this family, as well as general issues regarding the use of non-selective lethal traps in the study of single invertebrate groups in protected areas are discussed

Isochorismate synthase 1 is required for thylakoid organization, optimal plastoquinone redox status, and state transitions in Arabidopsis thaliana

Isochorismate synthase 1 (ICS1) is a crucial enzyme in the salicylic acid (SA) synthesis pathway, and thus it is important for immune defences. The ics1 mutant is used in experiments on plant–pathogen interactions, and ICS1 is required for the appropriate hypersensitive disease defence response. However, ICS1 also takes part in the synthesis of phylloquinone, which is incorporated into photosystem I and is an important component of photosynthetic electron transport in plants. Therefore, photosynthetic and molecular analysis of the ics1 mutant in comparison with wild-type and SA-degrading transgenic NahG Arabidopsis thaliana plants was performed. Photosynthetic parameters in the ics1 mutant, when compared with the wild type, were changed in a manner observed previously for state transition-impaired plants (STN7 kinase recessive mutant, stn7). In contrast to stn7, deregulation of the redox status of the plastoquinone pool (measured as 1–q p) in ics1 showed significant variation depending on the leaf age. SA-degrading transgenic NahG plants targeted to the cytoplasm or chloroplasts displayed normal (wild-type-like) state transition. However, ics1 plants treated with a phylloquinone precursor displayed symptoms of phenotypic reversion towards the wild type. ics1 also showed altered thylakoid structure with an increased number of stacked thylakoids per granum which indicates the role of ICS1 in regulation of state transition. The results presented here suggest the role of ICS1 in integration of the chloroplast ultrastructure, the redox status of the plastoquinone pool, and organization of the photosystems, which all are important for optimal immune defence and light acclimatory responses

Alpha-2-antiplasmin Arg407Lys polymorphism and cryptogenic ischemic cerebrovascular events: Association with neurological deficit

Objective Genetic background of cryptogenic ischemic stroke (IS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains uncertain. Alpha-2-antiplasmin (α2AP) Arg407Lys polymorphism has been shown to be less common in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) compared with healthy controls. We investigated associations of α2AP Arg407Lys polymorphism with cryptogenic IS and TIA. Methods We studied 165 consecutive Caucasian patients who experienced cryptogenic IS (n=123) or TIA (n=42). Neurological outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) in the acute phase of cerebral ischemia and 8 (6–12) months after the index episode. Patients were genotyped for α2AP Arg407Lys polymorphism (rs1057335) using real time PCR technique. Results The allele frequency of Arg407Lys polymorphism was: 0.82/0.18. The 407Lys allele was more frequent in TIA patients compared to the IS group (0.29 vs. 0.14, p=0.003). In the whole group, as well as in IS and TIA patients analyzed separately, possession of the 407Lys allele was associated with excellent outcome (mRS 0–1) during follow-up (p<0.05) but not in the acute phase of ischemic events both in thrombolyzed and nonthrombolyzed IS patients. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the excellent outcome (mRS 0–1) assessed after 8 (6–12) months since the index cerebral ischemia was predicted by the occurrence of Lys407 allele (OR 6.18, 95% CI, 2.01–18.98, p=0.001). Conclusion The presence of 407Lys allele is associated with better prognosis in cryptogenic cerebrovascular events. Our findings suggest that the α2AP Arg407Lys polymorphism could be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia and its outcomes

Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori in the last 15 years in West Poland

Increasing resistance to drugs represents a serious problem in treatment of infections with Helicobacter pylori, providing cause of frequent therapeutic failures. Present study aimed at analysis of changes in resistance of H. pylori to antibiotics in West Poland within the recent 15 years. 108 strains of H. pylori were analysed, isolated from gastric mucosa of adult patients. Group 1 involved 66 strains isolated in years of 1998/1999. Group 2 comprised 42 isolates obtained in years of 2013/2014. Susceptibility to amoxicillin (AMX), clarithromycin (CL), tetracycline (TC) and metronidazole (MTZ) was determined by E-test (AB Biodisc). All strains on both studied groups were susceptible to AMX. In group 1 all strains proved to be susceptible to TC, while 9% and 36% of tested strains were resistant to CL and MTZ, respectively. By contrast, in group 2, 31% and 83% of strains were resistant to CL and MTZ, respectively. In parallel, 14% strains were found to be resistant to TC (according to EUCAST interpretations). In West Poland, within recent 15 years a dramatic increase was noted in H. pylori strains resistant to metronidazole. In parallel, a significant increase was noted in proportion of strains resistant to clarithromycin